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Beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya has stepped down as director of Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (RCSPL), which runs the Royals Challengers Bangalore IPL franchise

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Mar-2016Beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya has stepped down as director of Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (RCSPL), which runs the Royals Challengers Bangalore IPL franchise.Amrit Thomas, newly appointed chairman of the RCSPL, will be the man in charge of the franchise and the main point of contact with the BCCI.RCSPL is a fully owned subsidiary of United Spirits, which in turn is part of the Diageo Plc, a UK-based business group. Thomas will continue to perform his original role as the president and chief marketing officer of United Spirits.Mallya, who is currently in the UK, is the subject of several investigations by federal authorities in India following the collapse of some of his business interests and the seizure of several of his assets. On February 25, he announced he was stepping down from his positions as non-executive director and chairman at United Spirits. As for his association with RCB, which he bought in 2008 for $111.6 million, Mallya said he would become the franchise’s “chief mentor”.”I have been passionate about this team since inception and am determined to do whatever I can to win the IPL trophy. I am glad that my son, Siddharth, will remain as a director [of Royal Challengers Bangalore] as he is equally passionate about RCB,” Mallya had said in a media release.Notifying the BCCI about the change of guard at Royal Challengers, RCSPL, in a letter sent on March 7, said Mallya will carry out a “limited” role in his role as the chief mentor.”Dr Mallya will have the honorary title of chief mentor for as long as his son Siddharth Mallya remains on the RCSPL board. This is the limited role which enables the various members of the RCSPL board should they wish to consult him. In light of the above, this letter is to confirm to you that following this change, Dr Mallya has no longer authority to represent or bind RCSPL or RCB team and its operations. Dr Mallya’s resignation has not resulted in any change of ownership or control of RCSPL or USL, or any transfer of any part of the business of RCSPL,” the letter stated, according to the . The letter was marked to BCCI president Shashank Manohar, board secretary Anurag Thakur and IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla.

England women orchestrated two mini-collapses – one at the start and one in the middle-overs – to secure victory over Australia women in the second ODI at Hove and draw level

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2013
ScorecardKatherine Brunt picked up two wickets, including that of top-scorer Jess Cameron•Getty Images

England’s bowlers orchestrated two mini-collapses – one at the start and one in the middle-overs – to secure victory over Australia in the second ODI at Hove and draw level in the Ashes. Jess Cameron tried her best to keep Australia in the lead, but her lone stand of 81 was in vain.England’s defence of a 257-run target was near perfect as they dismissed Meg Lanning and Rachel Haynes for nought each. Cameron, coming in at No. 3, held one end steady and her 63-run partnership with Jodie Fields looked to put Australia back on the right track, but a spell of three wickets in five overs, beginning in the 29th with Jenny Gunn’s sharp return catch to remove Alex Blackwell, brought England back into the ascendancy.Jess Jonassen herded the tail during a run-a-ball 34 but she ran out of partners and Australia were bundled out in the 49th over. Seamer Kathrine Brunt and left-arm spinner Holly Colvin picked up two wickets each for England.Having won the toss, England put in a solid batting performance led by Charlotte Edwards, who scored her second fifty of the series, this time a match-winning effort.A 70-run stand between Edwards and Sarah Taylor was followed by a 77-run fourth-wicket partnership between Lydia Greenway and Arran Brindle that laid the foundation for the charge at the death as England made 41 runs off the last five overs. Left-arm spinner Jonassen continued her form with the ball, picking up 2 for 29 to go with the four wickets she took in the first game.Both teams have four points each heading into the third ODI on Sunday.

After meandering along for nearly four months, the CB40 is finally nearing the semi-finals. Lancashire are the one county assured of qualification. Hampshire, Kent and either Sussex or Warwickshire are likeliest to join them

Tim Wigmore20-Aug-2012After meandering along for nearly four months, the CB40 is finally nearing the semi-finals. Only the top side of the three seven-team groups is guaranteed to qualify, while the best runner-up also progresses.Lancashire are the one county assured of qualification. The most likely scenario is that Hampshire, Kent and either Sussex or Warwickshire will also consist the semi-finals, although there is much still to be decided.Here is how the groups are shaping up:Group ALancashire are the only side who have already qualified for the semi-final stage, having won eight of their ten games. If they win at either Chelmsford or New Road, they will be guaranteed a home semi-final.Their success has been built around their bowling attack. Gary Keedy and Ajmal Shazhad have claimed 17 wickets each, while Stephen Moore’s six half-centuries have underpinned their batting.No other side can qualify, even as a best runner-up: Middlesex are second but they cannot match Warwickshire’s number of victories in Group C, because victories are used as the tie-breaker between runners-up.Netherlands’s initial success – they won five of their first six matches – caught attention, but their form has since subsided.Group BThis is the most complicated group, with three sides retaining hopes of qualification as winners. Hampshire, with Michael Carberry and James Vince consistent run-scorers, lead with 15 points, but face a tricky final game at Chester-le-Street, where Phil Mustard has smashed centuries in his last two CB40 games. If Hampshire lose, they will need neither Warwickshire nor Kent to gain any more points.Despite grim form with the bat – top run-scorer Steven Davies averages under 28 – Surrey also retain an outside chance of qualification, owing to the quality of their spin attack. But they must win both their final two games, at home to Glamorgan in tomorrow’s Tom Maynard Celebration game and then at Taunton.Somerset, led by Peter Trego’s all-round contribution, also have unconvincing qualification hopes – which is remarkable considering they picked up only one point (from a washout with Glamorgan) from their first five games.If Hampshire win their final game, the task for Somerset and Surrey becomes harder. They would then require Kent to lose both their remaining games and Warwickshire to lose their final one to have a chance of qualification.Group CThree sides can still claim top spot in this group, which is by far the most likely to be the source of the best runner-up.Sussex, for whom seamers Chris Liddle and Amjad Khan have been outstanding, are currently top with 16 points, despite the frustration of four washouts.They face a crunch match at Canterbury, the winner of whom is certain to progress to the semi-finals. But if Sussex lose, then would be out unless Warwickshire also lost.Kent’s mix of youth (Matt Coles and Sam Bilings) and experience (Darren Stevens and James Tredwell) has been formidable, with six wins and only one defeat (to the Unicorns) so far.One more victory – either against Yorkshire on Wednesday or Sussex on Monday, both of which are at Canterbury – will almost guarantee them qualification, because their run rate is by far the best of all sides who could end up on 17 points.Should Kent win both games they are guaranteed to be top, and with a home semi-final; if they lose both they are certainly out.If Warwickshire, whose seven wins have been built on a powerful seam attack, win their final game, against Yorkshire at Scarborough, they will qualify – unless Kent beat Yorkshire and Sussex beat Kent, because no other second-placed side would be able to get up to 17 points.Should they lose, they would probably be out – they would need Kent to suffer two heavy defeats, and also for runners-up in other groups to suffer dips in their run-rate.ConclusionIt could not be simpler.

Somerset have been fined, and captain Marcus Trescothick handed a suspended two-match ban, for repeated player disciplinary breaches

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2011Somerset have paid a heavy price for player indiscipline after an ECB disciplinary commission fined them fined £5,000, £1000 of which was suspended for 12 months, and handed captain Marcus Trescothick a two-match suspension, itself suspended for a period of 12 months. An “embarrassed and apologetic” club were also asked to pay £500 towards the cost of the hearing itself.It could well have been worse for them, however, as in recent weeks both Sussex and Essex have suffered enforced player suspensions, with Murray Goodwin and James Foster the players found to have breached the disciplinary codes and subsequently banned.A Cricket Discipline Commission Panel made up of Mike Smith, Alan Wadey and Peter Jewell convened to hear charges brought by the ECB against both the county, in respect of five separate occasions when cricketers registered with them were found guilty of fixed penalty offences in a 12-month period, and Marcus Trescothick, who was captain when all the offences took place.The panel took into consideration both Somerset’s own internal disciplinary procedures and the fact that Trescothick himself had not been directly involved in any of the offences, had an exemplary disciplinary record over a period of 19 years and had attempted to instil good discipline within his team.The panel decided, however, that ultimately the number of separate incidents was unacceptable and that the regulations place a high responsibility on the captain in respect of the conduct of his players, a statement from them adding that Trescothick “had been let down by his team”.This most recent example of punishments handed out over player indiscipline comes in the week when the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), the ECB umpires’ manager and senior English umpires met in an attempt to quell the recent spate of poor behaviour in county cricket which had already led to two leading players – Goodwin and Foster – being suspended.

A round-up of the second round of games from the Women’s European Championship in Ireland

Cricinfo staff11-Aug-2010
Scorecard
Ireland had a major scare before getting home by three wickets against Netherlands in Stirling. Facing a Dutch total of just 125, they collapsed to 85 for 7 before an eighth-wicket partnership of 37 between Isobel Joyce and Louise McCarthy saw them home to victory in the 40th over.The damp, cloudy, conditions at the start meant the Irish had no hesitation in asking Netherlands to bat first. The Dutch went off at a fast pace but in doing so lost both openers, Violet Wattenberg and Carlijn De Groot. A third wicket soon followed with the score on 38. Three wickets then fell in the sixties to leave the Dutch innings tottering at 66 for 6, as McCarthy claimed two victims in a spell of five overs in which she conceded just six runs.However, the seventh-wicket partnership of Denise Hannema and Esther Lanser added 31 before another pair of wickets fell in quick succession. It was left to the last wicket pair of Marloes Braat and Mandy Kornet to bat out the remaining overs to enable their side to post a final total of 125.Given that Ireland had chased down 161 against Scotland on Monday, it didn’t appear that this would be a target that might test the Irish batting line-up. But once again an opener was run out, Laura Delany beaten by Helmien Rambaldo’s throw. She was soon followed back by Eimear Richardson and Jill Whelan as Ireland faltered at 29 for 3.However, Emma Beamish and Melissa Scott-Hayward steadied the innings and took the score to 74 before another wicket fell. But, when Scott-Hayward was caught by Esther Lanser a mini-collapse took place as Kim Garth went for a duck and then Emma Beamish (18) was caught by Rambaldo. With the score at 76 for 6 the Dutch were back in the game. When Heather Whelan was run out nine runs later, they appeared to be favourites to win.The experience of Isobel Joyce was to prove to be the difference between the two sides as she, with excellent support from McCarthy, kept out the good deliveries and took advantage of anything loose. The two kept their composure to steer their side home – the winning runs coming from two wide deliveries. Indeed, the Dutch bowlers gave away 26 wides, which was undoubtedly a major factor in their inability to defend their own total.Joyce’s 36 had seen the Irish home to a victory that sealed their progress to the next stage of the World Cup qualification process and leaves the Dutch needing to defeat Scotland.

Scorecard
ECB Development XI bounced back from their defeat against Netherlands on Monday with a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Scotland. Chasing a meagre target of 116, they cruised home in just under 20 overs as Kathryn Doherty and Fran Wilson put together a rapid, unbeaten, partnership of 114.After winning the toss, Jo Cook put Scotland in to bat favouring her bowlers on a damp wicket in dull and cool conditions. They struck immediately as Scottish opener Lynne Dickson was run out before she had faced a single delivery. Another run out soon ensued when Kari Anderson failed to beat a throw from Isabelle Westbury. The next nine overs produced just nine runs until Leigh Kasperek was caught off Alice MacLeod to reduce Scotland to 28 for 3.The next partnership was to prove to be the most successful of the innings as Kathryn White and Catherine Smaill put on 41. White fell lbw for 23 to become the first of three victims for Kathryn Doherty, and after her dismissal wickets continued to tumble as Scotland ended up on just 115 in the 48th over. Doherty finished with 3 for 15 while Alice MacLeod bowled her ten over quota conceding just 19 runs.The ECB innings began in identical fashion to the Scottish one as MacLeod was run out by Leigh Kasperek without having taken strike. But that was to be Scotland’s only success as Kathryn Doherty and Fran Wilson took complete control. Wilson completed her second successive half century in 54 balls while Doherty was on 49 when the winning runs were hit.”I found the wicket had dried out quite a bit when I got out there which made batting conditions slightly easier for us,” said Doherty. “Fran and I built a strong partnership by punishing the bad balls and running well together. I really enjoyed it out there””Today was a great opportunity for us to get back on track and perform to our potential,” added Wilson. “It was satisfying to have a positive contribution to the team’s win.”The ECB Development XI will meet Ireland tomorrow in a match which will decide the destination of the European Championship title, while Scotland will meet Netherlands to determine who takes the second World Cup Qualifying place.

Adelaide, meanwhile, has secured a seven-year commitment to a pre-Christmas slot for their Test

Andrew McGlashan18-Aug-2024Australia and England will play a one-off Test at the MCG in March 2027 to mark 150 years of the format. The confirmation of the anniversary fixture in Melbourne came as Cricket Australia [CA] and state governments announced that the MCG, SCG and Adelaide Oval had locked in seven-year staging agreements for their regular Tests.The Test in 2027 will replicate the Centenary Test of 1977 which Australia won by 45 runs, matching the margin of the first Test played in 1877. In 1977, Rod Marsh and Derek Randall struck centuries while Dennis Lillee claimed 11 wickets.The annual Boxing Day (Melbourne) and New Year’s Tests (Sydney) have been guaranteed in until 2030-31 while Adelaide has secured a seven-year commitment to a pre-Christmas slot for their Test after the South Australia government made a pitch for the New Year’s Test.Although the current Future Tours Programme (FTP) is only inked up to early 2027, England and India have confirmed tours in the four years after that.Related

• Gabba to be demolished after 2032 Olympics, cricket to get new home in Brisbane

• Australia-England 150th anniversary Test in 2027 will be a pink-ball day-night match

• Australia-England Test to mark 150 years of Tests scheduled for March 11 in 2027

• Ashes 2025-26: CA schedules Brisbane day-night Test after Perth opener

• Is this the end for the Gabba?

Meanwhile, Optus Stadium in Perth will host the opening Test of the season for the next three seasons. Mike Baird, the Cricket Australia chair, said that it was the Western Australian government’s decision not to seek a longer deal. That means next year’s Ashes will start in the west rather than the traditional Gabba in Brisbane. They will then host New Zealand at the start of the 2026-27 season.The future of Gabba has been left clouded amid uncertainty over the redevelopment plans for the stadium ahead of the 2032 Olympics and only the next two seasons – matches against India and England – have been confirmed with a chance the Gabba doesn’t host a Test for a considerable time after that. The 2026-27 season will be the first time in 50 years that the Gabba won’t host a Test.”In Brisbane it is harder [to plan] because of the infrastructure,” Baird said. “There is just uncertainty, so we’re not sure of the long-term solution. What we do know is the Gabba has a use for life that ends in 2030. We need a solution, and are working with the AFL as well on a long-term solution.”We want a great venue in Brisbane, that can support Queensland Cricket and Australian cricket for years to come.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Adelaide is the traditional home of day-night Test cricket having hosted seven of the 12 matches held in Australia although the new agreement does not guarantee that all future Tests there will be pink-ball encounters and the 2025-26 Ashes Test will be a red-ball game with Brisbane hosting the day-nighter. Adelaide Oval will also host a New Year’s Eve BBL game for the next seven years.England will tour for a five-match Ashes series in 2025-26 and New Zealand will be the visitors in 2026-27. The latter series will be extended to four Tests from the original three on the FTP and be played in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. Australia are then due to tour India for five Tests in January and February 2027.With the additional anniversary Test, there is a potential squeeze on the calendar in March 2027 with Australia due to host Bangladesh in two matches which are part of the World Test Championship. There is a chance those games will be moved although under the current WTC structure would need to be played ahead of the June 2027 final.Although rival states made attempts to take the marquee Christmas and New Year Tests off Melbourne and Sydney it was always an unlikely outcome. Beyond 2026-27 there could be an opportunity for other venues to compete for a Test should the Gabba be unavailable which would bring Hobart and Canberra into the mix. Tasmania has ambitions to host indoor Test cricket at their proposed new multipurpose stadium although that won’t be available until at least 2028.The staging agreements confirmed on Sunday are one of the final big projects completed by outgoing CA CEO Nick Hockley who announced earlier this month that he would be stepping down next March.A future schedule for women’s internationals will be confirmed in the coming months when the next FTP is complete but Adelaide has been guaranteed an ODI or T20I every season.

Cricket Australia match allocations

New South WalesSeven seasons (2024/25 to 2030/31)
Confirmed matches: Men’s New Year’s Test each summerQueenslandTwo seasons (2024/25 & 2025/26)
Confirmed matches: 1 Men’s Test to be played prior to 30 December each summer and 1 Men’s ODI/T20I each summerSouth AustraliaSeven seasons (2024/25 to 2030/31)
Confirmed matches: Men’s Day/Night Test vs India (2024/25), Men’s Christmas Test (2025/26 to 2030/31), 1 Men’s ODI/T20I each summer, 1 Women’s T20/ODI each summer and BBL match on New Year’s Eve each summerVictoriaSeven seasons (2024/25 to 2030/31)
Confirmed matches: Men’s Boxing Day Test each summer, Women’s 90th Anniversary Day/Night Test vs England in 2024/25 and Men’s 150th Anniversary Test vs England in 2026/27Western AustraliaThree seasons (2024/25 to 2026/27)
Confirmed matches: First Men’s Test each summer and 1 Men’s ODI/T20I each summer

Rohit Sharma says they will only take a call after seeing The Oval pitch on day one

Osman Samiuddin06-Jun-20231:50

Have India finalised their combination? Nagraj Gollapudi reports from The Oval

India will take a decision on R Ashwin’s selection on the morning of the World Test Championship final against Australia once they have assessed conditions as they stand.While some rain is forecast from Saturday (fourth day) during the game, there has also been considerable interest in the nature of The Oval surface for the final, mostly because no Test cricket has ever been played at the ground as early as June. Traditionally, The Oval has been known to aid spin, as well as being conducive to reverse swing but that has been the case for Tests mostly towards the end of the summer. The pitch for the final isn’t exactly a fresh one. It has been used before, but not in a while.Ashwin’s selection has been a consistent theme through India’s recent Tests in England, or more accurately the fact that he has not been picked. He missed out entirely on the last Test series in England, of which four Tests were played in 2021 and one last summer. In India’s last Test at The Oval, in September 2021, they picked Ravindra Jadeja as the sole spinner, relying on a three-man pace attack and Shardul Thakur as the all-round option.Related

• Sage-like Rohit Sharma can cement his Test legacy at The Oval

• Two golden generations to have their last shot at a Test world title

• Shastri: Bharat vs Kishan could hinge on bowling combination

• All you need to know about the WTC final

• India's selection puzzles: Three quicks or four? Bharat or Kishan?

The last Test Ashwin did play in England was the last WTC final, against New Zealand in Southampton in 2021. Asked on the eve of this final how difficult it is to leave out a player such as Ashwin, the India captain Rohit Sharma made sure to point out that a decision had not yet been made.”I’m not saying that Ashwin is not going to play,” Rohit said. “We’ll wait until tomorrow because one thing I have seen here, the pitch actually changes quite a bit day to day. Today it’s looking this way, tomorrow it might be slightly different, who knows? So, the message to the boys has been very clear. All 15 must be ready to play at any point in time.”There has been, as Rohit said, county cricket played at The Oval this year, three rounds of it, with the last game ending on May 20.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We’ve been hearing not much of cricket is played here in June,” Rohit said. “The County season has been played here. We saw there was a game played a couple of weeks back here. It’s not like it’s the first game of the season happening on this ground. We are quite aware of what the conditions are, what is going to happen in the next five days. Weather forecast looks alright.”Going by the data from those county matches, some behavioural traits are clear, the clearest one that spin has barely had a role to play.Spinners have only bowled 32 overs in those games (average: 158), compared to 745 from pace bowlers. No spinner on either side has bowled more than seven overs in an innings. Surrey have not deployed a specialist spinner, relying instead on Will Jacks’ part-time offbreaks. That has been a deliberate ploy, the team playing to its strengths of a good crop of fast bowlers. The locals say that is why surfaces have been geared for both good pace and bounce with minimal help for spin as the game progresses.Bounce is likely at the WTC final too, at least going by the Surrey curator Lee Fortis’ – admittedly light-hearted – exchange on Ashwin’s YouTube channel: “It will be bouncy, that’s one thing, it will be bouncy.”First-innings scores at The Oval this season have not been big. Surrey have bowled first in every game, twice after winning the toss, bowling sides out for 278, 254 and 209, with some early swing and seam on offer. They have won each of those games, ultimately chasing down targets of 243, 70 and 58 for the total loss of two wickets.Bowling first may not be a bad option based on those numbers, but no side has crossed 400 in their first innings, the highest score Surrey’s 380 after Middlesex had been bowled out for 209.Over a bigger sample size of the last five years, across the 16 county matches played in or before June at The Oval, spin has played a bigger role, with around 58 overs per game. And Ashwin did make a fairly strong impression playing here in July 2021, picking up a six-for that helped bowl Somerset out for 69. The ground has been the joint-fastest scoring venue in those five seasons (in or before June), with runs at 3.41 per over.

Paul Collingwood gives his players “ten out of ten” for effort after hard-fought draw in Antigua

Alan Gardner13-Mar-2022England hope to have Ollie Robinson available for the second Test against West Indies and will not be calling up extra bowling cover, despite interim head coach Paul Collingwood admitting that Mark Wood was “unlikely” to play in Barbados after suffering an elbow impingement that limited his involvement to delivering 17 overs in the drawn Antigua Test.Wood was set to go for scans on the injury after feeling “acute pain” while attempting to bowl in the nets before play on day five at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, but England have not yet ruled him out of further involvement on the tour.The return of Robinson after a back spasm during the warm-up game would strengthen a seam attack that only managed to take seven wickets in Antigua – three of them by Ben Stokes, the allrounder who was reportedly set to have a managed workload but ended up bowling 41 overs in the match. The absence of Wood will, however, leave England without an out-and-out quick, although the uncapped Saqib Mahmood is capable of touching 90mph.Related

• Bonner, Holder dig for draw as Windies resist bold declaration

• Wood elbow injury rules him out of action in Antigua

• Leach the major positive as England find lessons in adversity

• Simmons hopes for rise in home support after first Test

“[Wood] has not bowled in the second innings here so you would say it is unlikely but you never know,” Collingwood told reporters in Antigua. “He recovered really well when he got some tape on there and some anti-inflams but we are going to have to see what the investigation say.”Ollie is looking pretty positive at the moment. His recovery has been excellent. The backroom staff have done a great job on Ollie and he bowled a couple of spells today and is getting the ball through really well so that is looking really positive. We have Saqqy Mahmood as well and [Matthew] Fisher here, so not [looking for back-up] as yet. We will have to wait and see how Woody is in Barbados.”Collingwood graded the efforts of his players as “ten out of ten on a pitch that was pretty docile and hard to get 20 wickets on”, after West Indies batted their way to safety on the final afternoon following an attacking declaration from Joe Root. England set the home side a target of 286 in 71 overs and gave themselves a shot at an unlikely win by reducing them to 67 for 4 shortly after tea. But Nkrumah Bonner, West Indies’ first-innings centurion, and Jason Holder batted out 35.4 overs in partnership to secure a draw and keep the series level with two to play.”The boys are in a good place,” Collingwood said. “They want to win Test matches. We knew it was not going to be easy to take 20 wickets on there. We had to give ourselves time. The way we batted this morning, there were a lot of selfless dismissals out there, done for the team. We were trying to score runs quickly.”We put ourselves in a good position. We lost a bit of time with overs to the rain which did not help. Bonner’s innings took a lot of time out of the game and I thought we were very proactive this morning to get ourselves in a position where we could give ourselves a chance. We were probably two wickets away from breaking the back of West Indies’ batting. We were very close. Some decisions could have gone either way but overall performance I thought it was a positive week.”And despite the struggles of England’s seamers, with Wood invalided out of contention and new attack leader Chris Woakes managing figures of 1 for 110, Antigua did provide the stage for an impressive showing from Jack Leach. It emerged that the left-arm spinner had given the team talk at one stage, as part of efforts to get the players to take more responsibility, and he ended up being England’s most-successful bowler, taking 5 for 136 in the match but crucially also keeping things tight during the first innings, when he bowled 43.3 overs with an economy of 1.81.”I was really impressed with the way he held the game on a wicket that didn’t turn off the straight,” Collingwood said. “I’m delighted that he’s been able to do a holding role for us, that’s good signs for the future. Giving them that extra responsibility as a voice and a leader in the dressing-room, he seems to be thriving off that. They’re great signs. His accuracy right through the Test was brilliant and he caused problems. That’s a great Test match for him.”With Root adding his 24th Test century – and a record 13th as England captain – Collingwood said there were encouraging signs around the team’s so-called red-ball reset, despite a nightmare first morning in Antigua where a scoreline of 48 for 4 bore all the hallmarks of recent failures. “I really believe he can turn this team around,” he said of Root, who was retained in the role as much because of a lack of alternatives following another chastening Ashes campaign. The next step will involve maintaining an upwards trajectory.”We’ve had a good week,” Collingwood said. “We’ve got to build on that. There have been so many good signs but we want to keep that as the benchmark. Our ground-fielding was superb, our energy, our fitness levels, that’s a good sign of where a team is. Two hard days in the field, the boys kept plugging away. Great signs but it’s 0-0 and we need to turn up in Barbados with the same attitude and character, and desire – all the things that win you Test matches. That performance level, we’ve given ourselves a good chance.”

Five-match series set to be first internationals staged in Europe in November

Matt Roller22-Oct-2020Ireland and Scotland women will return to international cricket in November after a 14-month break, with a five-match series in Spain comprising two 50-over matches and three T20Is.Neither side has played a full international fixture since the T20 World Cup qualifier in September 2019, with both teams missing out the main event earlier this year.The fixtures will be held at La Manga, a resort in Murcia that has become a regular host for county clubs on pre-season tours as well as European Cricket League games. It is believed that they will be the first international fixtures to be staged in Europe in November.Players on both sides have been involved in some cricket this summer: Ireland held an eight-match Super 50 Series, and while Scotland’s regional series was cut short by the imposition of tighter Covid-19 restrictions, their ‘A’ team also played six fixtures against English sides.Ireland go into the series missing four players in Lara Maritz, Una Raymond-Hoey, Eimear Richardson – all awarded retainer deals this week – and the centrally contracted Mary Waldron, all of whom are in Australia.In their absence, there are maiden call-ups for Zara Craig, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter and Jane Maguire.”We’re delighted to finally see some international action return,” said Ed Joyce, Ireland’s head coach. “Our last matches were at the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Scotland last year, so this series is very welcome for all involved.”The absence of a few of our senior players, while unfortunate, has opened up an opportunity for several young players to come in and get a taste of international touring life. I have no doubt they’ll benefit immensely from the experience, which may be crucial as we move into what will likely be a big 12 months for Irish women’s cricket.”Steven Knox, Scotland’s head coach, said: “The squad are both delighted and excited that they will be playing an international series in Spain against Ireland this November.”It will give the players a great opportunity to show that all the hard work they’ve done in training over the past ten months, and in the A team games that were played in August and September, will hopefully pay off against a team that are ranked above us in T20I cricket.”Scotland’s key players will be the Bryce sisters, Sarah and Kathryn, both of whom will go into the series on the back of impressive seasons in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, where they finished as Lightning’s leading run-scorer and wicket-taker respectively.Meanwhile, both nations’ men’s teams could return to action in December in the UAE. The reported last week that a four-nation T20 tournament involving the hosts, Ireland and Scotland and one other side is due to be held before the end of the year. It is understood that discussions are still ongoing, but it is hoped the series will be ratified soon.Ireland squad: Laura Delany (capt), Zara Craig, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Rebecca StokellScotland squad: Kathryn Bryce (capt), Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Sarah Bryce, Priyanaz Chatterji, Ikra Farooq, Katherine Fraser, Becky Glen, Samantha Haggo, Ailsa Lister, Abtaha Maqsood, Megan McColl, Katherine Mills, Charis Scott, Ellen Watson

It wasn’t just about one more run, but a lot of small bits that could have gone the other way, says the New Zealand captain

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2019 in the end, conceding it was a bitter pill to swallow, the loss to England on boundary count after 100 overs and two Super Overs had ended with nothing to separate the two teams.On the decision to bat first after winning the toss
The pitch was on the dry side, so we felt runs on the board… as it proved, it was going to be challenging. And we were able to get the runs on the board. Yes, we may have liked another ten or 20, in a World Cup final, 250-240 might be enough. The guys went really hard out there, put England under pressure on a tough surface. It was a fantastic game of cricket. Both sides showed a lot of fight, a lot of heart. Obviously to go down to the last ball, and then the last ball of the next little match [Super Over]… Yeah, credit to England, and a lot of positives in this experience for our boys as well.WATCH on Hotstar – The wickets New Zealand took (India only)On the four overthrows off Ben Stokes’ bat in the last over
It was a little bit of a shame, wasn’t it? It’s unfortunately the sort of game we play, this sort of thing happens from time to time, you just hope it doesn’t happen in moments like that. It’s pretty tough, but it probably wasn’t going to be for us.On opening with Jimmy Neesham and Martin Guptill in the Super Over
Both guys hit the ball really hard, it’s the right-hand-left-hand combination as well with the slightly shorter side boundaries. It was a decision that was made, and we were tossing up on the No. 3. No regrets. It is tough to perhaps review the match and such small margins, as we know, in any game but especially one we saw today.On the thinnest of margins on which the match was decided
It certainly wasn’t just one extra run. There were so many small parts in that match that could have gone either way as we saw throughout the whole game, but congratulations to England, they have a fantastic game plan and they deserve the victory.On the overall performance of the New Zealand team
It has been challenging, the pitches have been a bit different to what we expected, there was a lot of talk about 300-plus scores, but we haven’t seen many of those, it was a tough fight, and I want to thank our side, the New Zealand side, as well for the fight they showed this whole campaign on some tough wickets, showed a huge amount of heart to get us to this stage, a tie in the final, it just wasn’t going to be today. We have a really well-balanced attack, with so many parts to it, the guys are shattered at the moment – it was obviously very devastating – but their performance throughout the tournament was at such a high level, gave us every opportunity to go on. Pretty tough to swallow at this stage but a fantastic effort from our guys.