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Records tumble at Headingley as Yorkshire opt for batting onslaught on final day of season

ECB Reporters Network29-Sep-2024James Wharton completed a mammoth 285, posting the fifth highest individual first-class score ever at Headingley and the joint-eighth highest in Yorkshire history as their Vitality County Championship clash with Northamptonshire drifted to a final day draw.England’s Jonny Bairstow also added an aggressive 78 as promoted Yorkshire, who started the day on 371 for two in reply to a first-innings 147, decided to bat on instead of chasing a season-ending sixth victory in seven games.They declared at tea on 726 for seven, a lead of 579. When the players shook hands at 4.20pm, Northamptonshire were 71 for two in their second innings. Yorkshire claimed 16 points from the draw to Northamptonshire’s nine.Considering Yorkshire, who posted their second highest first-class total ever and the highest by any team on this ground, had clinched promotion late on day three behind champions Sussex, it was no shock that they opted against exerting their bowlers during the final day of 2024.That opened the door for Bairstow to post his third 50 plus score in five late-season Division Two appearances, including one century, and for 23-year-old Wharton to write his name into the record books.Wharton’s 319-ball innings, including 32 fours and 10 sixes, marked a career best score, usurping the 188 he scored in the mid-summer win over Derbyshire at Chesterfield.Darren Lehmann’s 339 against Durham in 2006 remains the highest first-class score at Headingley, while Don Bradman twice and John Edrich both posted triple centuries in Test Matches from 1930 to 1965. Wharton now sits as the best of the rest.He started the day unbeaten on 162 and completed a third-wicket partnership of 117 with Will Luxton, who was bowled by Jack White’s seam for 49 – 392 for three in the 89th over, the day’s sixth.He then added 194 with fourth-wicket partner Bairstow – 84 balls, 10 fours and two sixes, through to early afternoon, the pair uniting for just less than 25 overs.Although fourth-placed Northamptonshire, quite understandably, were not at full tilt with nothing at stake, Wharton and Bairstow royally entertained the spectators who had braved the late September chill.Visiting captain Luke Procter was off the field managing a back injury.Much of the morning took place under the Headingley floodlights, and Wharton and Bairstow became increasingly brutal.At one stage late in the morning, Wharton hit 44 of 45 runs to come off successive overs of seam from James Sales and Gus Miller as Yorkshire moved to 503 for three after 99 overs, a lead of 356.In that two-over period, Wharton hit six fours and three leg-side sixes. Two of them were pulled. He reached his double hundred in that period, off 272 balls, and went to 250 in only another 17 deliveries.Some of Bairstow’s striking was particularly fearsome, hitting well on the up through and over the cover region.A 15-minute delay to the afternoon preceded Wharton’s departure as he holed out at long-on off Fateh Singh’s left-arm spin before Bairstow was bowled by Saif Zaib – also bowling left-arm spin – as Yorkshire fell to 600-5, a lead of 453. Zaib also bowled Jonny Tattersall.It was harsh on on-loan Nottinghamshire spinner Singh – he plugged away encouragingly in the face of adversity through his first debut – that his haul of three for 193 from 40 overs was the most runs conceded in an English first-class cricket.His third wicket was that of Dom Bess lbw – 646 for seven – before George Hill and Jordan Thompson took the hosts beyond 700 with 54 and 56 not out respectively.This was the highest first-class total Northamptonshire have conceded.Matthew Fisher, on his final day as a Yorkshire player, then claimed two new ball wickets after tea, getting Gus Miller brilliantly caught by a diving Bess at deep midwicket and the other opener Krish Patel caught behind.

Head coach backs top six despite shortcomings in wake of innings win in first Test

Andrew Miller26-Oct-2024Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, says his team have “no excuses” after crashing to a 2-1 series defeat with back-to-back losses in Multan and Rawalpindi, but admits he was surprised it took Pakistan until the second Test to prepare the sort of spinning pitches that have been his team’s undoing on recent tours of the subcontinent.Pakistan had been left with no place to hide after England’s ruthless victory on a flat deck in the first Test in Multan, where they powered past a seemingly impressive first-innings 556 to post 823 for 7 declared, the fourth-highest Test total in history, with Harry Brook setting up their innings win with a career-best 317.But, after changing their selection panel and tailoring the subsequent surfaces with the use of heaters and industrial fans, Pakistan transformed their fortunes, with spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali sharing 39 of England’s next 40 wickets, as their opponents mustered just 814 runs across their final four innings of the series.Not only is the result a stark turnaround from England’s 3-0 win in Pakistan two years ago, it comes in the wake of their 4-1 loss in India in February, meaning that England have now gone from winning four in a row under Stokes and McCullum in Asia, to losing six of their last seven, and by comprehensive margins.Related

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“That’s life,” McCullum told Sky Sports after England’s nine-wicket defeat. “We obviously coughed up the opportunity to win the series. We did some good stuff throughout, and we leave ultimately disappointed, but also very much complimentary of how Pakistan played. But we know within ourselves that we’ve had an opportunity to have been better than that and we’re a little bit disappointed about that.”Credit to Pakistan, the way that those two spinners bowled was superb,” McCullum said, after Noman and Sajid had combined to rout England for 112 in their second innings in Rawalpindi.”I thought they varied the pace beautifully. Noman from one end, taking pace off most of the time with the occasional fast one, and Sajid flipping that around and putting pace on with the occasional slow one. I thought was great partnership bowling. And our guys weren’t able to sustain the pressure, unfortunately.”Asked if he was comfortable with the extreme measures that Pakistan had taken to bring their spinners into the series, including the seemingly unprecedented reuse of the first-Test pitch in Multan, and the raking of the Rawalpindi surface to exacerbate the turn on offer, McCullum said he welcomed the initiative they had shown.”I kind of like it to be honest,” he said. “They were brave enough to make decisions on their personnel, and they were brave enough to make decisions on the surfaces that they wanted to play on.”When teams come to England, ideally we play on the surfaces that we’re more accustomed to, which allow our strengths to really flourish and maybe paper over some of the weaknesses as well, which every team naturally has.”I’m a little bit surprised it’s taken Pakistan as long as it has. Because when you go to Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, the ball is always going to turn. What we had here a couple of years ago, or in that first Test match, where it was pretty flat, was a different challenge. It’ll be interesting to see over the next couple of years whether they persist with these types of services, but certainly there are no excuses from our point of view. We had our chances, and we ran second.”Despite remaining magnanimous, McCullum acknowledged that the series defeat would increase the scrutiny on his team. Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley were notably short of answers in the more extreme conditions, while Brook managed a top score of 26 in his final four innings of the tour, having racked up four centuries and a fifty in his previous six in Pakistan.England were thoroughly outplayed in spinning conditions in Multan and Rawalpindi•Getty Images

“It’s pretty much the same batting group that came here two years ago, and were outstanding in these conditions, and it’s the same batting group that put on 800 in the first Test match,” McCullum said. “As the conditions changed, we were presented with different challenges and we weren’t quite able to adapt to those challenges. And that’s a missed opportunity.”I have no doubt, and the skipper has no doubt, that our batting group that we’ve now had together for the best part of 18 months is the best that we’ve got,” he added. “We’re very confident, we’ve just got to make sure we keep allowing guys to develop them and keep becoming the players that they want to become, and will benefit from that.”The focus will also fall on England’s spinners, particularly Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach, whose direct counterparts Sajid and Noman exploited the conditions with significantly more success in the final two Tests. Bashir, whose selection for the India tour had been on the basis of his natural attributes, rather than any proven record in first-class cricket, has now bowled more overs in Tests in 2024 than any other player, but his series haul of nine wickets at 49.66 pales compared to Sajid’s 19 at 21.10.”[Sajid and Noman] were brilliant in the way they bowled together, and they challenged in different methods with the paces that they used,” McCullum said. “Could we have been better? Yeah, of course, right? Anytime you lose a Test or lose a series, you’ve got to have that period of reflection. And we’ll do that, and say, right, next time we’re presented with conditions similar to that, how will we respond? What do we need to do? Do we need to vary our pace more? Do we need to adjust our tactics more? That’s natural, right? It’s no difference to when a batsman gets out.”You’re always trying to improve, but you’ve got to be really careful that you’re not seeking perfection, because it doesn’t exist in an inconsistent game. The game we play is going to come with periods where it’s not going how you want it to, but you’ve still got to hold firm.”We will be confronted with spinning conditions at some stage in the future, and we hope that some of the lessons, good and bad that we’ve had throughout this series, will give us a bit more of a base to be able to be successful.”

Ollie Pope will keep wicket as tourists deal with fallout from Jordan Cox injury

Vithushan Ehantharajah25-Nov-2024Jacob Bethell will make his Test debut for England at No. 3 against New Zealand in the first Test at Hagley Oval on Thursday, despite never having fulfilled the role in first-class cricket.As part of a reshuffled batting line-up following Jordan Cox’s broken thumb – who was initially set to debut with Jamie Smith missing the tour on paternity leave – the Warwickshire middle order batter will come in at first-drop to allow Ollie Pope to keep wicket with a more withdrawn role at six. Joe Root will remain at No.4 for his 150th cap.The selection of Bethell in a position of such responsibility is a reflection of the selectors’ regard for his talent. He made his T20I and ODI debuts against Australia at the end of the home summer, and impressed out in the Caribbean with three half-centuries across both formats on that white ball tour. He subsequently earned a maiden IPL gig with a £245,000 deal with Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday.England XI for first Test against New Zealand•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Nevertheless, the 21-year-old remains an unknown quantity in first-class cricket. He averages 25.44 from 30 innings, with just five half-centuries, none of which have come higher than No. 5. A career-best score of 93 came against Nottinghamshire in April. He will be come the first specialist batter to play Test cricket for England without a first-class century since Mike Gatting in 1978.Bethell only arrived in New Zealand on Sunday after time off at home following the West Indies series. As a result, he did not play any part in the two-day tour match against the New Zealand Prime Minister’s XI.In a year of left-field selections from England, this might rank as one on the outer reaches of that spectrum. Particularly given Root, with his wealth of experience, could have performed the role. While Ben Stokes has been keen to allow England’s leading Test run-scorer the comfort of batting No. 4 throughout his tenure as captain, it is worth noting Root’s 262 against Pakistan last month came at three.Speaking on Tuesday, Root revealed he had not been approached about batting three, but backed Bethell to take this fast-tracked promotion in his stride. Despite having never played together, the pair know each other well as their fathers played together at Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club.”I love the look of him as a player,” said Root. “I’ve known Jacob and his family a long time and it’s been lovely to watch him grow up as a player coming through in Barbados then at Warwickshire. What he’s done in the white-ball stuff more recently has been exceptional.”He’s full of confidence, he’s got great ability and a really well rounded game. He’s a mature head on young shoulders and I think he has all the components to set him up nicely to be successful in this format and at this level. I’m sure he’ll enjoy every aspect of the week, I’m really looking forward to watching him do his stuff.”If you look at the way he sets up I think it suits that (batting at three), especially here with the little bit of extra bounce and carry. He plays very well square of the wicket and if he gets in on a wicket like that he could be very destructive. It’s a really exciting opportunity and prospect for us to see a young player coming in hopefully doing something really special at the start of his career.”This particular gamble has been forced, to a point. Cox’s injury in the nets on Sunday morning ahead of play in Queenstown threw their initial plans into disarray. There has been a further complication as Durham’s Ollie Robinson – due to be confirmed as the injury replacement – is currently getting his passport renewed. However it was unlikely he would have featured in the opening Test given the travel involved and the time needed to overcome jet lag.Despite a green seamer expected at Hagley Oval, England have chosen to persist with Shoaib Bashir as their spinner, with Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse the out-and-out seamers, and Stokes as the all-round option.England XI for first Test: 1 ⁠Zak Crawley, 2⁠ ⁠Ben Duckett, 3⁠ ⁠Jacob Bethell, 4⁠ ⁠Joe Root, 5 ⁠Harry Brook, 6⁠ ⁠Ollie Pope (wk), 7⁠ ⁠Ben Stokes (capt), 8⁠ ⁠Chris Woakes, 9⁠ ⁠Gus Atkinson, 10⁠ ⁠Brydon Carse, 11⁠ ⁠Shoaib Bashir

Player-turned-pundit says comments over fitness caused team to give her ‘cold shoulder’

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2025Alex Hartley, England’s former World Cup-winning spinner, has claimed that Sophie Ecclestone “refused” to be interviewed by her on TV and that she has been “given the cold shoulder” by England players since criticising their fitness following their T20 World Cup exit in October.Hartley, who has worked extensively as a broadcaster and pundit since retiring from professional cricket, had said that a handful of players were “letting the team down” with their fitness levels after their shock defeat to West Indies in Dubai. Heather Knight and Jon Lewis, England’s captain and coach, both denied that it had contributed to their group-stage elimination.Following England’s 57-run loss in Monday’s first T20I in Sydney, which put Australia 8-0 up in the Ashes and ensured they will retain the trophy, Hartley said she had been frozen out. “Sophie Ecclestone refused to do a TV interview with me today,” she told the BBC’spodcast. “I’ve been hung out to dry by the England team: none of them will talk to me on the boundary edge.”The reason I said that they were not as fit as Australia is because I want them to compete with Australia, I want them to be better than Australia, and I want them to win Ashes and World Cups. I’m giving my opinion, and I’ve been given the cold shoulder from the England team ever since.Related

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“Not all of them have given me the cold shoulder. I don’t want to say that they’ve all been the same, because they haven’t. Some of the players have been absolutely outstanding: I’ve spoken to them in the street, at the ground, wherever. But a few individuals – coaches, players – they literally haven’t looked at me.”England’s fielding has been a problem throughout the Ashes. Beth Mooney was dropped early in her match-winning 75 in Sydney on Monday, while a series of errors contributed to England’s three ODI defeats at the start of the tour. It prompted Hartley to reiterate her view that England have struggled to match Australia’s “athleticism” across the series.”I’ve upset them, clearly,” she said. “Jon Lewis has come out and said there isn’t a problem with fitness in his squad, there isn’t a problem with fitness in the England environment. They obviously think I’m completely wrong in my opinion – which is fine, absolutely fine. I’m entitled to my opinions, and they’re entitled to theirs.”It’s my job to say if I see something that needs to be better, and I did, but the way that I’ve been treated since I think is totally unfair. But they will say that my comments were unfair, so if that’s the way our relationship is going to be moving forwards, then so be it… If fitness isn’t a problem, then it’s athleticism from a few, isn’t it?”An England team spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by ESPNcricinfo.

The fast-bowling allrounder first picked up two wickets – including that of Marsh – before scoring 70 off 45

Tristan Lavalette07-Jan-2025Skipper Will Sutherland dismissed Mitchell Marsh for a golden duck before producing a brilliant knock under pressure alongside Tom Rogers to lift Melbourne Renegades over Perth Scorchers in a nerve-jangling match at Optus Stadium.Chasing 148, Renegades were in disarray at 10 for 4 before Sutherland came to his side’s rescue with 70 off 45 balls. He combined with Rogers in a remarkable 92-run partnership to inch ‘Gades closer to victory.But Sutherland fell with 12 runs needed and seven balls left to set up a grandstand finish. After the first ball of the final over by quick Matt Kelly was caught off a waist high no ball, Rogers clubbed a six off the second ball and he sealed Renegades’ stunning win with a boundary off the fourth ball. He finished 49 not out off 31 balls.It was a see-saw match that started with Scorchers struggling at 114 for 8 before Ashton Agar, battling the fiu along with a red-hot Renegades attack, provided a late flurry with an unbeaten 51 from 30 balls.It was an important win for Renegades, who join Scorchers with 3-4 records. But the win came at a cost with batter Jonathan Wells suffering a hamstring injury while fielding.

Sutherland, Rogers provide heroics after top-order collapse

With opener Josh Brown injured, Renegades had to reshape their batting-order and promoted in-form Tim Seifert, who succumbed to left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff in the first over.Having struggled since the Pakistan white-ball series, Jake Fraser-McGurk moved down a spot but it did not do the trick after he fell in ugly fashion for a golden duck. He tried to slice a short delivery from Behrendorff but could only edge behind where Finn Allen took a sharp catch high to his right with the gloves.Jacob Bethell and Laurie Evans, who became a Scorchers cult hero last season, also couldn’t handle the pressure as Renegades only just passed the lowest ever score in a powerplay. Sutherland and Marcus Harris, almost batting in red-ball cricket mode, were forced to grind it out.Tom Rogers and Will Sutherland helped Melbourne Renegades to a come-from-behind win•Getty Images

Harris fell just before drinks, but Sutherland had found his rhythm and took a liking to the older ball. He found a willing partner in Rogers, who was also adventurous to spark a remarkable revival.Sutherland had a reprieve on 40 when substitute fielder Andrew Tye dropped a chance on the deep midwicket boundary. He rolled to his half-century off 31 balls and looked set to get them home.He wasn’t there at the end, but Rogers stepped up at the death.

Scorchers pace attack rampant early before falling off

After Agar’s momentum-shifting knock, Scorchers felt rejuvenated and safe in the knowledge that they have defended similar scores over the years. Behrendorff has often ignited those famous wins and he did so again with a blistering opening spell.He was well backed up by Jhye Richardson, fresh after being part of Australia’s Test squad, and Lance Morris with both speedsters bowling well over 140 kph.But Scorchers’ quicks were rattled by Sutherland and struggled for the second straight game at the death overs as their finals hopes took a hit. Kelly was the quick targeted by Renegades and he struggled to deliver in the final over.

Renegades bowl superbly until the death

After electing to bowl, Renegades attack looked set for a tough time with in-form opener Allen going berserk early. Rogers erred by bowling too short, but quickly adjusted and superbly attacked the stumps with the ball moving off the seam.Sutherland also targeted a full length as Renegades swarmed all over Scorchers’ top-order. Returning from injury, quick Kane Richardson bowled well in the middle overs and so did legspinner Adam Zampa.Will Sutherland handed Mitchell Marsh a golden duck on BBL return•Getty Images

Zampa removed Nick Hobson with a brilliant googly, but mostly used subtle variations to good effect. Renegades almost submitted a near flawless bowling performance before a tardy effort at the death almost proved fatal.

Marsh fails, Agar provides late spark

Marsh’s first BBL game in three years forced a reshuffle of Scorchers’ batting order with Aaron Hardie elevated to open after taking his place having tweaked his abdomen against Sydney Thunder.After brief fireworks from Allen, Marsh arrived in the third over and received a thunderous ovation from the 31,795 crowd. There had been much anticipation over the hometown hero’s return with Marsh splashed all over the local paper’s back page.A pumped-up Marsh skipped to the crease and probably glad that he did not have to face tormentor Jasprit Bumrah. But Sutherland executed an inswinging delivery that would have earned Bumrah’s nod of approval as he trapped Marsh plumb lbw.Marsh didn’t bother reviewing even after a brief consult with Hardie. Scorchers were further in ruins when Cooper Connolly, the BBL’s leading run-scorer, fell for a second ball duck while skipper Ashton Turner was unable to rescue them on this occasion.After a delayed start to the season due to a quad strain, Hardie has struggled as a specialist batter and his woes continued. Mistimed shots left him frustrated before he fell on the first ball of the power surge after a thick outside edge flew straight to short third.Scorchers were in big trouble before Agar, returning from back spasms, produced clean hitting marked by several huge blows down the ground.

Former India allrounder comes in with plenty of coaching experience in international and franchise cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2025Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have signed former India allrounder S Sriram as their assistant bowling coach ahead of IPL 2025. At CSK, Sriram joins a coaching contingent led by Stephen Fleming (head coach), Mike Hussey (batting coach), and Eric Simons (bowling consultant).Sriram brings with him a wealth of coaching experience at various levels. He effectively replaces Dwayne Bravo at CSK, with the latter having joined defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders as mentor.He was Australia’s assistant coach from 2016 to 2022, a role he left to focus on his assignment with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In August 2022, Sriram was also appointed Bangladesh’s T20 consultant ahead of the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup. In September 2023, he joined Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as assistant coach for IPL 2024, and also returned to Bangladesh – this time as technical consultant – before the ODI World Cup.Sriram has also worked as assistant coach at Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals).CSK’s squad for IPL 2025 includes R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shreyas Gopal and Noor Ahmad as frontline spinners, with Deepak Hooda and Rachin Ravindra as spin-bowling allrounders.CSK missed qualifying for the playoffs last year as they finished fifth with seven wins and as many defeats in the 14 group matches. Although they were level on 14 points with fourth-placed RCB, CSK’s inferior net run-rate meant they fell just short of making it to the final four.IPL 2025 begins on March 22 with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on RCB in Kolkata, and CSK play Mumbai Indians (MI) the following evening at home in their first match.

Sri Lanka collapse sensationally after Kusal Mendis’ 20-ball fifty

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Jul-2025Left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam ripped out Sri Lanka’s middle order after Bangladesh’s batters had scrapped together a workable 248, thanks to gritty half-centuries from Parvez Hossain Emon and Towhid Hridoy.The defining period of Sri Lanka’s chase was the patch between the tenth and 30th overs, when they lost five wickets for 57 runs off 122 balls. Although Janith Liyanage produced a valiant 78 off 85 balls, the lower order was simply left with too much to accomplish. They eventually fell short by 16 runs.Sri Lanka’s loss was despite a scorching 56 off 31 balls by Kusal Mendis, who had smote his way to a 20-ball fifty – the fastest ever for men’s ODIs at this venue, and the fourth fastest ever by a Sri Lanka batter (Kusal is also third on this list). Seam bowler Asitha Fernando had also been impressive, taking 4 for 35 in his nine overs. In fact, Sri Lanka had bowled out Bangladesh as early as the 46th over.But ultimately, Bangladesh put on the more impressive team performance. Though their best batting partnership was worth only 63, Emon, Hridoy and later Tanzim Hasan Sakib made valuable contributions that kept the total ticking even while wickets fell. Sakib’s contribution, a stroke-filled 33 not out off 21 balls, proved invaluable in the end.All told, it was Sri Lanka’s middle-order collapse that defined the outcome. Tanvir, the hero of that passage, had in fact begun quite poorly, conceding 22 runs in his first two overs with Kusal hitting him for three fours and a six. But captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz persisted with him inside the powerplay, and Tanvir rewarded him with Nishan Madushka’s wicket in the tenth over, as the batter sent an outside edge aerially to backward point after Tanvir had beaten him in the flight.His work through the middle overs was much more impressive. He took the key wicket of Kusal, who came down the track hoping to clip through midwicket, only for Tanvir to slip one into his front pad. The lbw appeal was turned down on the field but was reviewed successfully by Bangladesh. Kusal had been easily the most fluent batter on this track.Asitha Fernando picked up 4 for 35•AFP/Getty Images

Next over, Tanvir had Kamindu Mendis chipping tamely to midwicket, the ball perhaps stopping on the batter. Then later, in his final over, he had Dunith Wellalage caught bat-pad. In between the Tanvir wickets, Mehidy and offspin allrounder Shamim Hossain also imposed themselves. Shamim’s economy rate was especially impressive – he gave away only 22 in nine overs, and took the wicket of the in-form Charith Asalanka.Later, Liyanage began to hit out in the company of the tail and found success with his big hits, much to the Khettarama crowd’s joy. He even struck two death-overs sixes down the ground to keep the required rate manageable. Had he batted till the end, Sri Lanka may have won, but Mustafizur Rahman duped him with a slower one and had him caught and bowled with 21 runs to get off 17 balls. Though Dushmantha Chameera had protected his wicket well until that point, this was too much for the last pair.In Bangladesh’s innings, their best partnership came early on. Tanzid Hasan was out edging an Asitha slower ball in the third over, but Emon took the reins in a brisk 63-run partnership to which Najmul Hossain Shanto’s contribution was only 14. Emon preyed on errors of length especially. He hit three sixes, two of them over deep midwicket, and scored 72% of his runs on leg side.Hridoy was more cautious than Emon had been, with Asitha, in particular, taking out other batters in the middle order. But he still prospered mostly square of the wicket, hitting just two offside fours in an innings in which he struck at 73.Shamim and Jaker Ali also scratched out 20s, as Wanindu Hasaranga, Asitha, and Chameera combined through the late middle overs to make regular breakthroughs. No. 8 batter Sakib struck the ball most cleanly of all Bangladesh’s batters as Sri Lanka hunted for the final few wickets. He hit two sixes down the ground off Hasaranga, before Hasaranga caught Mustafizur in front, later in that 46th over of the innings.The victory brought Bangladesh level with Sri Lanka in the three-match series. The decider will be played in Pallekele on Tuesday.

South African expected to be available across formats for the entire season

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2025Keith Dudgeon, the South African seamer, has signed as one of Kent’s overseas players for 2026. The 29-year-old will be available across formats for the full season.Dudgeon joined Kent on a short-term deal at the start of the 2025 summer and played one match – against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road, in which he claimed career-best innings figures of 7 for 36 – before a knee injury ruled him out.He will return next April for the start of the County Championship and is also expected to be involved in the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup competitions.”It’s a huge case of unfinished business for me, and I’m sure it seems that way for the Kent fans – I’m so pleased to be a Kent player again for the whole of next season,” Dudgeon said.”Everyone at the club made me feel so welcome in my short time in Canterbury and I have been avidly watching the lads as much as I can from South Africa as I continue to work hard to get back to full fitness. I wish them all the very best for the rest of this year.”I’m looking forward to making more appearances for Kent next summer – including my home debut.”I’d like to thank Adam [Hollioake], Simon [Cook] and the board at Kent for putting their faith in me coming back for 2026.”Although Kent won their first two Championship games, they have since drawn three and lost four to sit bottom of Division Two. Their Blast campaign has been more successful, with four wins and five defeats, but they currently sit outside the qualification spots with four games to go.Simon Cook, Kent’s director of dricket, said: “Keith made a lasting impression on us during his short but sweet time earlier in this season.”He is progressing well in his rehab work after successful knee surgery, and is due to start playing again before Christmas for his domestic side in South Africa, Boland. We’re all looking forward to welcoming back to the group for the whole of 2026.”

ACE, the parent company of MLC, said “USAC is hypocritically alleging contractual noncompliance”

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2025USA Cricket (USAC) has terminated their commercial agreement with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), the parent company of Major League Cricket (MLC), which is three seasons old. ACE, in reply, called the termination “unlawful” and “wrongful”. ACE further said it has “fully complied” with their contractual obligations under the agreement with USAC, who have “no grounds to terminate the agreement”.USAC cited multiple material breaches of the agreement signed between them in May 2019, and said in a media release issued on August 21 that ACE failed to “fulfill its contractual and fiduciary obligations” despite “extensive dialogue, the issuance of formal breach notices, and repeated opportunities to cure defaults.””The breaches span critical areas, including financial commitments, infrastructure development, organizational structural, and governance responsibilities,” the release said.Venu Pisike, USAC Board chairman, further said: “USA Cricket entered into this partnership with ACE in good faith, with the shared vision of building sustainable infrastructure, providing competitive opportunities for our athletes, and creating commercial growth for the sport in America. We are supportive for the growth and success of Major League Cricket and Minor League Cricket. But, when it comes to USA Cricket, ACE has consistently failed to meet its obligations under the agreement, which has jeopardized the broader development of cricket in United States. After years of engagement and repeated breach notices, USA Cricket has no choice but to terminate this agreement to protect the best interests of the sport and its stakeholders. Additionally, we also raised concerns around the circumstances under which ACE was given the contract and the usage of USA Cricket intellectual property.”USA Cricket is resolute in ensuring that American cricket has a strong, sustainable future. We will continue to work closely with the International Cricket Council, domestic stakeholders, and partners to deliver on this vision.”The release further said USAC is open to “renewed discussions” with ACE for new terms and conditions that ensure “full alignment with the organization’s vision and long-term development objectives, including support for national team programs, player development, and grassroots initiatives.”ACE issued a statement in reply to say: “ACE is disappointed that USAC has selfishly chosen, on the eve of the 2025 MiLC (Minor League Cricket) season, to wrongfully terminate its agreement with ACE. USAC’s conduct undermines the hard work and dedication of all players, staff and team personnel involved in U.S. cricket, and the continued development of the sport in this country. It also jeopardizes MiLC, men’s, women’s and youth national team activities, and preparations for upcoming ICC events and the LA28 Olympics.”Indeed, based on information that has come to light, USAC may have been advised against terminating the agreement. Despite what has been stated about ACE’s performance, ACE has exceeded its financial obligations under the agreement. ACE has not only provided USAC with direct payments in full compliance with its obligations, but has also repeatedly provided USAC with additional discretionary funding and financial support to help USAC achieve its objectives and purposes. ACE recently made advanced payments, at USAC’s request, so that USAC could meet its staff salary obligations. ACE has also complied with its infrastructure obligations. In fact, USAC has recognized and relied upon ACE’s high-performance facilities for national team events, training and workshops.”USAC is hypocritically alleging contractual noncompliance while requesting that ACE immediately negotiate a new agreement. ACE views USAC’s improper conduct as nothing more than a cynical attempt to serve personal and political agendas, at the expense of the U.S. cricket community.”Consistent with previous ICC and USOPC recommendations, ACE urges the USAC board to resign immediately and allow professional independent board members selected by the ICC and USOPC to steer USA Cricket forward.”Nonetheless, ACE will not allow USAC’s tactics to undermine its continued development of a thriving, elite cricket ecosystem. ACE remains focused on advancing U.S. cricket and serving the best interests of the cricket community.”ACE is prepared to take all necessary steps to protect its stakeholders, safeguard the progress it has made over the last seven years, and ensure the long-term success of cricket in the U.S.”Last month, the ICC had proposed the USAC Board resign as part of roadmap for Olympics certification in the lead up to the 2028 Olympics that are to be held in Los Angeles. The ICC had initiated steps to “reset” and overhaul the leadership and governance structure at USAC at the behest of US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).USAC and ACE had launched the MLC in the USA with six teams in 2023, three of which are owned by IPL team owners, and another owned by an investor group that includes the owners of Delhi Capitals. The first two seasons were played across two grounds, in Morrisville (North Carolina) and Dallas (Texas), before the tournament expanded to Lauderhill (Florida) and Oakland (California).

Holder not only anchored Patriots’ innings with an unbeaten fifty but also delivered a match-winning final over

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2025St Kitts and Nevis Patriots kept their playoffs hopes alive by pulling off a narrow one-run victory over Barbados Royals, who have been knocked out of the race in CPL 2025. Captain Jason Holder played a starring role, not only anchoring Patriots’ innings with an unbeaten fifty but also delivering a match-winning final over with the ball, in which he defended 13 runs.Patriots sit fifth on the points table with eight points and all their matches done. Guyana Amazon Warriors are fourth with eight points and if they win either of their next two matches, they will secure the last playoffs spot, with St Lucia Kings, Trinbago Knight Riders and Antigua and Barbuda Falcons already through.While there were handy contributions from several players, Holder’s all-round performance was the key to Patriots’ success. His 53 not out guided them to 150 for 7, with Patriots recovering from 62 for 4 at the end of ten overs. This was after Mohammad Rizwan’s 39 off 36 helped Patriots get off to a modest start. Holder, along with Navin Bidaisee (30 off 23), accelerated in the latter stages as the pair added 74 runs off 46 balls for the sixth wicket, including 34 runs off the last three overs.Holder’s leadership was also evident in the bowling attack, where he claimed two crucial wickets in the death. His most dramatic contribution came in the final over, with Royals needing 14 runs to win. Rassie van der Dussen started the over with a six over long-on to bring the equation down to eight off five. Holder kept his composure and, with the equation down to two needed off the last ball, bowled a perfect yorker to trap Daniel Sams lbw, sealing a thrilling victory for Patriots.Earlier, Royals had made a strong start, with opener Brandon King (29 off 22) laying a good foundation for the chase. They raced to 44 for 1 by the end of powerplay. However, the middle overs proved costly as the top order struggled to accelerate. Patriots’ bowlers capitalised, with Waqar Salamkheil striking first with the wicket of King and Naseem Shah removing Kadeem Alleyne in the eighth over. Quinton de Kock was caught and bowled by Bidaisee in the following over and despite a dropped catch from Rizwan, Royals’ chase started to lose momentum.Van der Dussen fought valiantly, keeping Royals in the hunt with a quickfire 37 off 27 balls, but it wasn’t enough in the end. For Patriots, Salamkheil and Bidaisee also picked up two wickets apiece.