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On a slow pitch, Karachi Kings’ batting never got going, ending up on 165 for 5

Associated Press29-Feb-2024Opening batters Colin Munro and Alex Hales shared a century partnership as Islamabad United snapped their three-match losing streak with a seven-wicket win over Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League on Wednesday.Munro made a blistering 82 off 47 balls and Hales scored 47 in anchoring United to 169 for 3 in 18.3 overs for their second victory.Kings’ top order struggled in their first home game of the season on a slow pitch before Kieron Pollard made an unbeaten 48 and spurred the total to 165 for 5. They have four points after two wins and two losses.Hales missed United’s last game because of a family commitment, but his return bolstered the two-time champions’ batting might. Munro scored his second straight half-century and dominated both pace and spin as he shared a match-winning 108-run stand off 69 balls with Hales.Munro, who hit eight fours and four sixes, didn’t allow Tabraiz Shamsi to settle down and hit the wristspinner for three successive sixes in his first over, including an extravagant reverse sweep that just flew off the bat.Mohammad Nawaz (1-23) trapped Munro lbw as the left-hander tried to cut the left-arm spinner but missed the line of the delivery and was caught on the backfoot before Agha Salman (25 not out) finished off the chase in style with two big sixes off Hasan Ali.Earlier, Tim Siefert (8) of New Zealand got stumped in his first game of the season and Leus du Plooy (24) showed some aggression before he was bowled by offspinner Salman as United tied down Kings through spinner Imad Wasim (1-20) and Naseem Shah (1-29).Pollard and Irfan Khan (27 not out) counterattacked against the pace bowlers in the last five overs with Rumman Raees (0-45) conceding 30 off his last two overs and Hunain Shah, brother of Naseem, going for 20 off the final over.United had lost to Multan Sultans, Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi after its season-opening win against Lahore Qalandars. They are in fourth place on the table with four points.

Mair felt pain in her back while training ahead of the first ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2024New Zealand seamer Rosemary Mair has been ruled out of the ODI series against England because of a back injury. Fellow seamer Molly Penfold has been called up as her replacement.Mair was making a comeback to the national side. She had played all five T20Is, picking up four wickets at an economy of 7.56. But she felt pain in her back while training ahead of the first ODI, and subsequently missed the game.She travelled to Hamilton with the team for the second ODI. But when she was unable to train on Wednesday, a decision was made.”We’re all gutted for Rosemary as she has been a key member of the squad throughout the series against England.” head coach Ben Sawyer said.”We have a big winter of cricket ahead with tours to England and Australia before the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, so we want to be cautious and give Rosemary ample time to recover and be ready to go again when we depart for England.”England lead the three-match ODI series, which is part of the ICC Women’s Championship, 1-0.

Che Simmons blasts a hole in Essex batting with three wickets in 15 balls as Warwickshire take stranglehold

ECB Reporters Network18-May-2024Che Simmons made a stunning impact on his first-class debut by blasting a gaping hole in the Essex batting with three wickets in 15 balls as Warwickshire gained a stranglehold on the Vitality County Championship match at Chelmsford.The 20-year-old Barbadian-born, British passport-holder, dubbed the ‘new Jofra Archer’ when he signed three years ago, sent back Tom Westley, Nick Browne and Matt Critchley in a venomous opening spell of 6-2-10-3 that reduced Essex from 52 for 2 to 63 for 5 en route to 162 all out.There were similarities with the England pace bowler as Simmons finished with 3 for 12 to enable Warwickshire to build upon Ed Barnard’s six-and-three-quarter-hour, career-best 165 that underpinned their first-innings 397.Essex were dismissed inside 52 overs, 235 runs adrift, though Warwickshire opted not to enforce the follow-on. They may live to regret the decision as they lost five wickets in 17.3 evening overs on day two while extending their lead by 43.Captain Alex Davies departed to the fifth ball, steering Sam Cook to second slip, before Will Rhodes was undone by Jamie Porter and went lbw. Barnard was unable to replicate his first-innings heroics, chasing a Porter delivery down leg-side and was caught behind for a golden duck.When Dan Mousley patted back Critchley’s second ball and Rob Yates fell to the last ball of the day, lbw to Simon Harmer, Warwickshire were starting to relive the nightmare of their first innings when they had slumped to 64 for 5.Simmons’s fellow Warwickshire debutant Michael Rae, the New Zealand pace bowler signed this week as cover for a lengthening injury list in the pace department, set the ball rolling when Essex batted. Feroze Khushi tried to whip him through midwicket but only chipped tamely to mid-on.Dean Elgar followed when edging an attempted cover drive off Oliver Hannon-Dalby to second slip.Then Simmons took centre stage. Westley was induced to hook to short square leg where Sam Hain took his second catch inches off the ground. Browne then hung out his bat and was caught behind and next ball Critchley left his bat dangling and departed to the same combination.Michael Pepper prevented Simmons celebrating even further by turning the hat-trick ball through midwicket. However, Hannon-Dalby replaced Simmons and had Pepper under-cutting and being caught behind.Jordan Cox refused to be tied down amid the carnage and hit Hannon-Dalby for three successive boundaries, two angled down to third and another driven straight. He pulled Yates fiercely for six, attempted a repeat next ball that struck short-leg Hain plumb in the helmet necessitating his removal from the action, and then missed a reverse sweep two balls later and was bowled for 47.Harmer had earlier completed his best season’s bowling figures of 3 for 93 and reached double-figures with the bat for only the second time in eight innings. However, when on 13 he got a thin touch to Rae to give wicketkeeper Michael Burgess a fourth catch.Yates wrapped up the innings for figures of 3 for 27 as Cook popped up a catch to Hain’s replacement at bat-pad and Porter left one alone and was bowled.Warwickshire batted for an hour and a half in the morning. Burgess lasted just seven more balls while adding three to his overnight 105 before edging Shane Snater behind to end a seventh-wicket stand of 209 with Barnard.Simmons was as equally confident with the bat as with the ball before he attempted to sweep Harmer and was bowled. Rae fell the same way but only after launching Harmer’s previous two balls for sixes.Barnard reached his 150 with a six off Porter and equalled his previous top score of 163 with another maximum over long leg’s head off Critchley. But two runs later he swung at the same bowler and was caught in the deep for his first dismissal of the day.

The new coach will be appointed on a three-and-a-half-year term, from July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2024 • Updated on 13-May-2024The BCCI has invited applications* for the successor to a Rahul Dravid in the position of head coach of the India men’s senior national team. Applications must “be submitted by 6pm IST on May 27, 2024,” the BCCI said in a statement on Monday. That’s the day after the final of IPL 2024. The new coach will be appointed on a three-and-a-half-year term, from July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027.Last year, the BCCI had made the mistake of inviting applications for the head coach only after the incumbent coach’s tenure had ended. With not enough time left for the next big assignment, the outgoing coach, Dravid, was convinced to take an extension until the T20 World Cup this June.This time, applications have been invited even before the team leaves for the T20 World Cup. Should Dravid want to continue, he will have to re-apply. The rest of the backroom staff will be appointed in consultation with the new head coach. Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, said recently that it was unlikely India will split the coaching role based on formats.Related

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“We are looking for a long-term coach for three years,” Shah had said last week. “There is no precedent of different coaches for different formats in Indian cricket. Besides, we have a number of all-format players. Ultimately, it will be the Cricket Advisory Committee’s (CAC) call. I have to implement what they decide.”The CAC will also decide on a new national selector for which the BCCI had already advertised in January this year. This selector is likely to replace Salil Ankola, who is the second member of the selection committee from the west zone. The new member is likely to be from the north zone. “A few interviews for the selector’s post have already happened,” Shah said. “The CAC will meet in a week’s time to finalise the name, and we will announce it soon.”

Players from teams knocked out of IPL 2024 to leave early

Shah also confirmed that the Indian team will leave for the T20 World Cup to the USA and the West Indies in two batches. Those players whose teams don’t qualify for the IPL playoffs will leave on May 24 along with the coaching staff. The rest of the squad will leave after the IPL final on May 26. India’s first match is on June 5, against Ireland.Shah ruled out resting players whose teams have no chance of making it to the playoffs for the remaining games of the league stage. He said the IPL was a great opportunity for them to sharpen their T20 skills. “Look at how well Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma played the other day,” Shah said. “If [Jasprit] Bumrah gets to bowl to Head, what better opportunity is there to practise?”

Mayank Yadav to get fast bowlers’ contract

Mayank Yadav impressed with high speeds in his maiden IPL stint•BCCI

Lucknow Super Giants fast bowler Mayank Yadav, who is injury-prone and is likely ruled out of IPL 2024, will be under BCCI supervision after Shah confirmed he has been awarded the newly-constituted fast bowlers’ central contract. He joins other promising fast bowlers who don’t have an annual retainer: Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal and Vidwath Kaverappa. These bowlers will be monitored by the NCA medical staff all year around except for during the IPL.

WTC final to move out of England?

While acknowledging the challenge for finding another window for it or finding another venue that can host it during June, Shah did indicate that the BCCI has spoken to the ICC about new venues for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The first two finals were played in England where India lost. The third WTC final will also be played in England in June 2025. “We have spoken to the ICC about it,” Shah said, “They will consider changing the venue.”

Filer, Wellington, Knight star for Storm but skipper prevails for hosts

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2024Southern Vipers 137 for 9 (Adams 55, Knott 37, Filer 3-8, Wellington 3-17) beat Western Storm 119 (Knight 69, Adams 3-23, Dean 3-24) by 19 runsGeorgia Adams produced a superb all-round performance with bat and ball to guide Southern Vipers to a 19-run victory over Western Storm in an enthralling Charlotte Edwards Cup contest at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium.Heather Knight had scored 69 from 56 balls and was threatening to win the game for Storm when Adams struck a crucial blow by claiming her wicket in the penultimate over. The Vipers captain finished with figures of 2 for 23, while fellow spinner Charlie Dean took 3 for 24 as the home side were bowled out for 119 in 20 overs.Adams had earlier top-scored with a 40-ball 55, mustered six fours and a six and helped stage a progressive stand of 55 in 6.1 overs with Charli Knott as the visitors posted 137-9 after losing the toss.Lauren Filer produced her best performance of the season, taking 3 for 8 in four overs, while overseas leg spinner Amanda Jade Wellington returned figures of 3 for 17 and Sophia Smale claimed 2 for 28 to keep Storm in with a chance at the halfway stage.But Vipers held their nerve in a close finish, spinners Adams, Dean, Knott and Linsey Smith making the difference to keep the defending champions on course for a place in the knockout stages.Vipers posted 41 in the powerplay for the loss of Maia Bouchier and Georgia Elwiss. Restored to Storm’s attack, pace spearhead Filer made an immediate impact, having England team-mate Bouchier held at mid-on without scoring, while Elwiss succumbed to Smale’s slow left arm, chipping to short extra and departing for nine.Fortunately for the visitors, Knott and Adams were able to harvest sufficient boundaries from the other bowlers to remain in credit, the former carving Ellie Anderson over cover point and then straight-hitting her for an imposing six on a ground where she made a magnificent hundred in a 50-over contest only last month.Storm deployed spin at both ends in a bid to stem the flow, only for Adams and Knott to each plunder a six at the expense of Chloe Skelton as the eighth over yielded 20 runs. The 50 partnership occupied just 32 balls and the home side no doubt breathed a collective sigh of relief when Knott, having raised 37 from 29 balls with four fours and two sixes, advanced down the pitch to fellow Australian Wellington and was comprehensively stumped in the tenth with the score on 78.That quickly became 81 for 4 in the next over when Freya Kemp, playing back to a fullish delivery from Filer, dislodged a bale and was given out. Wellington then had Charlie Dean caught at the wicket in the act of cutting, at which point Vipers were 84 for 5, having lost three wickets in the space of 12 balls. Well and truly back in the game, Storm piled on more pressure, Filer clean bowling Nancy Harman to further reduce Vipers to 96 for 6 in the fifteenth.Alice Monaghan holed out to long-on off the bowling of Wellington for 11, but the redoubtable Adams remained at large, pulling Smale to move to a 37-ball 50 via her fifth four. By the time she departed in the penultimate over, caught on the long-on boundary off Smale, Vipers were assured a competitive total.Storm made a shaky start to their chase, Nat Wraith and Fran Wilson falling to successive deliveries from slow left armer Smith in the third over, but Knight remained unfazed as she plundered six boundaries in a powerplay that yielded a healthy return of 43 runs.Cast in a supporting role in a third-wicket stand of 54, Sophie Luff was pinned lbw by Dean with the the score on 54 in the ninth, but Knight continued to trade ostensibly in boundaries as Storm reached the halfway point on 71-3, requiring a further 68 from 60 deliveries.Knight went to 50 from 43 balls, but Knott had compatriot Wellington caught at short fine leg and Dean bowled Niamh Holland and Issy Wong with successive deliveries to reduce Storm to 93 for 6 in the fifteenth as Vipers deployed spin to build pressure during the middle overs.Requiring 45 off the last five overs, Storm were now almost totally dependent upon experienced campaigner Knight. But the England captain was rapidly running out of partners, Smale holing out to long on off the bowling of Adams, who then put down a tough return catch to afford Knight a life on 62.Storm still needed 24 off two overs when Knight attempted to straight-drive Adams for six and was brilliantly held by Monaghan on the boundary. Adams then removed Filer with the next delivery to put the outcome beyond doubt.

Jordan Thompson claims four as Derbyshire are routed for 76 on 15-wicket day

ECB Reporters Network30-Jun-2024Sri Lankan pace bowler Vishwa Fernando spearheaded a ruthless Yorkshire bowling performance to skittle Derbyshire for 76 on the opening day of the Vitality County Championship match at Chesterfield.On a challenging Queen’s Park pitch, Fernando took 5 for 30 and Jordan Thompson claimed 4 for 31 as Derbyshire subsided in less than 28 overs.It was the third lowest score against Yorkshire in the championship this century and the visitors turned the screw with James Wharton racing to a maiden first-class hundred from only 101 balls.When bad light ended play, Wharton was 116 not out and Johnny Tattersall unbeaten on 41 with Yorkshire 283 for 5, a commanding lead of 207.Derbyshire’s decision to bat first on a green pitch under cloud cover was questionable and the hosts soon had reason to regret it as Yorkshire’s seamers ran through them.Ben Coad celebrated his return from a back injury by removing Mitch Wagstaff lbw with a full length ball in his first over and there were signs of what was to come as he and Fernando repeatedly beat the bat.Luis Reece and Brooke Guest managed to survive for the best part of 14 overs but once Reece edged Fernando low to first slip, Derbyshire fell apart.Although there was enough in the pitch for Fernando and Thompson to exploit, it was a feeble batting display with only four players making double figures.Thompson beat Guest’s defensive push, Fernando removed Wayme Madsen with an inswinging yorker and then trapped Aneurin Donald on the crease with his next ball.Ross Whiteley survived the hat-trick but when David Lloyd was lbw playing across the line at Thompson, Derbyshire had lost five wickets for 10 runs in 23 balls.Rain provided Derbyshire with some respite but after lunch was taken early, the procession continued.Whiteley was brilliantly caught one handed at gully by Thompson who then had Alex Thomson taken low down at third slip before Fernando plucked out Sam Conners middle stump with another inswinging yorker.Zak Chappell struck some defiant blows, including a straight driven six off Thompson who had the last word by having him caught at second slip.Derbyshire’s total was the lowest at Chesterfield since they were bowled out for 57 by Leicestershire in 1989 and to have any chance of staying in the game, they needed early wickets.Yorkshire’s attack had reaped the benefits of maintaining a consistent,probing line but Derbyshire lacked the same discipline, bowling too short or too full.By the time Reece had Fin Bean lbw, Yorkshire had reached 61 in the 13th over and although Adam Lyth drove back a return catch to Reece, the visitors steadily pressed home their advantage.Shan Masood produced some elegant strokes before he played across the line at Daryn Dupavillon and after George Hill and Matthew Revis went cheaply, Wharton grew in confidence to dominate the bowling.After reaching 50 off 63 balls, he pulled Dupavillon for six and launched Thomson over wide long on for another before driving Reece for his 18th four to reach three figures.With Tattersall, he took the game further away from Derbyshire as the pair shared an unbroken stand of 118 on a day of total Yorkshire dominance.

Leicestershire still in with a shout of the top three after holding their nerve at Grace Road

ECB Reporters Network11-Aug-2024Australian international Peter Handscomb rescued Leicestershire from 59 for five with a superb 103 to set up a winning score against previously unbeaten Group B leaders Glamorgan and keep the defending champions in contention for the knock-out stages of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.Chasing 272 after seamer Timm van der Gugten had taken 5 for 49, Glamorgan were all out for 262, with Foxes left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis their star man with the ball, taking 4 for 54 to go with the 47 he made with the bat in a vital 103-run partnership with Handscomb for Leicestershire’s seventh wicket, although ex-Glamorgan man Roman Walker ran him close, taking the last three wickets for figures of 3 for 40 to seal a nine-run victory.Veteran Colin Ingram top-scored for the Welsh side with 68. His dismissal to Trevaskis with 75 still needed from 55 balls looked to have swung the balance heavily towards the home side, but a List A career-best 61 from Dan Douthwaite took the contest into the penultimate over.The result puts Lewis Hill’s side on 10 points, one behind Glamorgan and Warwickshire – who also surrendered their unbeaten record against Yorkshire – and two ahead of Gloucestershire and Yorkshire.Both Glamorgan, who take on Yorkshire in Cardiff in the final round of group matches on Wednesday, and Warwickshire, who face eliminated Nottinghamshire at Rugby School, are already sure of at least a quarter-final place. Leicestershire, who travel to Bristol to meet Gloucestershire, have the potential to finish in any of the top three places – or be knocked out on net run-rate.The one shadow over their celebrations after this victory was an injury to Handscomb suffered while batting, after which he did not field in Glamorgan’s innings and may make him a doubt for Bristol.Needing to score at 5.44 per over, Glamorgan – missing top scorer Eddie Byrom through injury – lost both openers in first nine overs to all-rounder Ian Holland, Tom Bevan helping a leg-side delivery into the hands of short fine leg before Will Smale’s attempt to clear the leg-side fence only picked out the man at deep square. They were 43 for 2 from 10.Leicestershire’s attack was depleted by injuries and Hundred call-ups, yet by the halfway stage of their innings at 108 for 4, they seemed not so much to be biding their time as making hard going of what was required.They had lost Sam Northeast to a return catch tamely chipped back to Trevaskis for 31, the same score at which Kiran Carlson, showing signs of frustration, had holed out to deep midwicket off Tom Scriven. The rate needed was up to 6.56.Billy Root was caught behind square on the reverse sweep off Trevaskis, Asa Tribe holing out to deep midwicket, a third wicket for the left-arm spinner. Ingram, who hit two sixes and seven fours, reached his fifty from 48 balls and needed to be there at the end if Glamorgan were to win, so little wonder there were loud celebrations among the home players when Trevaskis had him leg before sweeping.Douthwaite’s four fours and four sixes kept Glamorgan in the hunt but after Walker bowled Van der Gugten and had Andy Gorvin caught at backward point in the space of four deliveries, he was the hero again as Sol Budinger patiently waited for the ball to come down at deep midwicket and Douthwaite’s brave effort came to an end.Glamorgan had won the toss and while a frenetic opening powerplay saw them concede 59 runs after opting to bowl first on use on a green-tinged pitch but take four wickets, with a fifth quickly following in the 11th over. Four of them came from Van der Gugten.The pacy Netherlands international dismissed Ian Holland leg before in his first over. Sent back by the lively Sol Budinger, skipper Hill was run out by Asa Tribe’s direct hit from extra cover before the former edged to first slip, having hit six fours in a 23-ball 28.The departure of the Foxes’ leading run-scorer was quickly followed by that of their undoubted star turn, the Indian Test batter Ajinkya Rahane, who was leg before offering no shot, and Louis Kimber, who returned from The Hundred to be bowled through the gate for a four-ball duck.New man Ben Cox hit six boundaries in his 34 but hooked Douthwaite to deep backward square, leaving the Foxes 105 for 6. The combination of Andy Gorvin and the spin of Carlson and Bevan proved restrictive but Handscomb and Trevaskis stayed patient, adding 103 in 23 overs before the latter was bowled by the returning Van der Gugten.Handscomb pulled Gorvin for his only six and dispatched Van der Gugten for his 10th four before completing his second hundred of this year’s competition, never hurried yet taking only 91 balls. He and Scriven added 47 in five overs before the Australian – limping towards the end of his innings – succumbed to a catch at backward point.

Pair’s unbroken stand of 268 sets fifth-wicket record for Durham in first-class cricket

ECB Reporters Network10-Sep-2024David Bedingham made his third Championship century of the season against Lancashire and also passed a thousand first-class runs for this campaign to help Durham take control of their Vitality County Championship match at Chester-le-Street.Having restricted Lancashire to 228 all out in their first innings, the home side were 367 for 4 at the close, a lead of 139, with Bedingham on 177 not out and Colin Ackermann unbeaten on 111. The pair’s unbroken stand of 268 has already set a fifth-wicket record for Durham in first-class cricket.The one positive aspect of the day’s play from a Lancastrian perspective was the bowling of the Trinidadian, Anderson Phillip, who took 2 for 86 on his debut, but it now looks as though the visitors will face a battle to avoid a third Championship defeat in succession.In the morning session, Lancashire’s last four wickets added a further 51 runs to their overnight total. Matty Hurst was run out for 90 after a mix-up with Tom Bailey and Ben Raine took his fifth wicket of the innings when he had Phillip leg before wicket for 2.Raine finished with 5 for 44, his best return of the season, but crucially for their hopes of staying in Division One, Lancashire failed to earn a batting bonus point for the third successive match.Replying to the visitors’ modest 228, Durham’s batters encountered their own problems against the new Kookaburra ball. Ben McKinney gave Phillip his first wicket for his new county when he played on for 8 and Scott Borthwick’s indeterminate waft at a ball from Bailey edged a catch to Hurst with the home skipper on 9.Bedingham and Alex Lees took Durham to lunch on 46 for 2 and the pair batted serenely for nearly an hour after the resumption, at which point the home side were rocked by two lbw decisions in eight balls.Lees fell to Phillip for 43 and then Ollie Robinson was trapped on the crease by Tom Aspinwall for four to leave Durham on 99 for 4. Bedingham and Ackermann prevented Lancashire making any more breakthroughs and Durham reached tea on 178 for four, only 50 runs in arrears.Shortly after the resumption, Bedingham reached his thousand first-class runs for the season with a single off Tom Hartley and it was noted that nearly a quarter of them had been taken off the Red Rose’s attack.But worse was to follow for Keaton Jennings’ bowlers as Bedingham reached his sixth Championship century in just 15 innings this season when he stroked Hartley to long-on for another single. The South African had reached three figures off 143 balls with 11 fours and a six and there had hardly been a moment in his innings when he hadn’t looked in complete control.Nor was there any point in the evening session when Lancashire looked like taking a wicket. For long periods, Jennings posted five men in the deep and appeared content to cut off the boundaries. The fifth-wicket stand partnership passed 200 when Bedingham pulled a lifter from Aspinwall through midwicket for four.While almost all other Championship games in the country were interrupted by rain, home supporters sat in the sun and waited to see if Ackermann would reach his century and if the Durham pair would eclipse the county’s record fifth-wicket partnership of 254 set by Ned Eckersley and Bedingham himself against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 2021.They were not disappointed. Three overs from the close, Ackermann got to his hundred off 165 balls and a new fifth-wicket record was set when Bedingham stroked Bailey to deep square leg off the next delivery.

“I thought I’m able to play, I’m able to bowl, I’m able to stay in the field till the end, why not, I should go for it,” Rashid said after match-winning five-for

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2024Rashid Khan was struggling with his hamstring, but he knew his contribution would “be the key” if his team were to pull off a historic series win against South Africa. So, he thought, if he could somehow “stay in the field till the end, why not, I should go for it”. Go for it he did, and finished with figures of 9-1-19-5 to spin out South Africa and hand Afghanistan their first series win against a team ranked in the top five of the ICC rankings.”I got a hamstring [injury], I had it a month before as well, quite unlucky but I tried my best to stay on the ground till the end, tried my best to do for the team as much as I can,” Rashid said after the whopping 177-run win was sealed in Sharjah. “Big opportunity for us as a team you know, to win the series against a big team and that’s what I had in my mind: my contribution will be the key so I have to go and stay till the end.”Rashid has struggled with injuries quite a bit of late. Hamstring trouble had ruled him out of the final week of the Hundred in August, before he returned home to play Afghanistan’s domestic T20s, the Shpageeza Cricket League, and picked up a back niggle. He went on to miss the one-off – washed out – Test against New Zealand. In fact, this ODI series is his first cricket in either of the two longer formats since the 2023 ODI World Cup in India in November last year. After that World Cup, Rashid had undergone surgery on his back, and was sidelined altogether for four months after that.Related

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On Friday, Rashid’s 26th birthday, he was batting when his hamstring issues resurfaced. Coming out in the 47th over, he ran a two first ball, and immediately needed the attention of the physio. He continued to bat though, finishing six not out off 12. Would he come back out to bowl, though?”We had a big opportunity to win a series against South Africa and I think the love for this game is just pushing you to play, doesn’t matter how [hard] it is and I thought I’m able to play, I’m able to bowl, I’m able to stay in the field till the end, why not, I should go for it,” Rashid said. “Good job done by the physio as well, to get me ready and deliver for the team.”Afghanistan had one more injury concern on the night, with half-centurion Rahmat Shah going off the field in the 21st over with what seemed like cramps at the time. That, it turned out, was hamstring trouble too. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was hopeful it is not too serious though.”I talked with him, he’s good , maybe he will play the next game,” Shahidi said at the post-match presentation. “But before that also I think he was not feeling good, hamstring happened to him, hopefully he will be okay and play the other game.”Afghanistan have sealed the series 2-0, but have a third game to play, also in Sharjah, on Sunday. After that, they have a bit of a break, with – as things stand – their next scheduled cricket being an all-format tour of Zimbabwe in December-January.

CA are advertising for a new national pace-bowling coach to work across the men’s team and the states to manage Australia’s next generation of fast bowlers

Alex Malcolm22-Oct-2024Cricket Australia is creating a new role for a national pace-bowling coach to oversee the management of fast bowlers across international and domestic programmes, in a bid to prevent the spate of injuries that have been occurring and ensure a more coordinated approach to the handling of Australia’s quicks.The new role, which would be based in Brisbane, comes after a limited-overs tour of the UK where six fast bowlers were injured and six others were unavailable, although the role was devised before that tour. A debate is also raging within Australian cricket about whether the current contracting model for the best male cricketers is fit for purpose in the age of franchise cricket, with the management of fast bowlers front and centre in that discussion.Daniel Vettori is Australia’s current bowling coach travelling with the team and will continue in that position. The new job will be largely Australia-based and focussed on the management of contracted fast bowlers as well as Under-19 and Australia A quicks, although the successful candidate will tour with the men’s international side at various stages.Related

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• Green out for the season as he takes surgery option

Vettori is highly regarded within the Australian set-up but is not working for CA around the year, as he has been allowed to take contracts as the head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and Birmingham Pheonix in the Hundred. It has meant that the likes of Clint McKay and Rob Cassell have been seconded into the Australian team as bowling coaches on an ad-hoc basis in recent times, but the new role would create some continuity. There would also be some consistency within the Australia A coaching staff, which has cycled through a multitude of different coaches in recent years on a series-to-series basis.Australia’s fast-bowling stocks have long been one of its great strengths, but the reliance on the big three in Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in all forms and recent injuries to the next crop, as well as the stress fracture to Cameron Green, have only served to highlight the importance of managing the next generation.Green, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Riley Meredith, Spencer Johnson and Ben Dwarshuis all picked up injuries on the tour of the UK, while Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Michael Neser, Scott Boland and Will Sutherland were all unavailable as they recovered from differing ailments. Cummins also didn’t travel in order to do a block of training at home, focussing on getting his body right for the upcoming summer.While there were a variety of injuries, there have also been some common themes including side strains, and soft tissue and back stress injuries that continue to plague Australia’s fast bowlers. Green has become the fourth Australian fast bowler behind James Pattinson, Dwarshuis and Jason Behrendorff to undergo significant spine surgery to stabilise vertebrae in his back and prevent future stress fractures.Xavier Bartlett was one of the bowlers to pick up an injury on the UK tour•AFP/Getty Images

The injuries led to a situation where West Australian youngster Mahli Beardman was called up for the UK tour with just one List A game to his name, which raised some eyebrows among the state associations.There has been some friction between CA and the state associations over the management of some of Australia’s fringe fast bowlers in recent years, with the demanding international playing schedule meaning more players are required than ever before. Franchise opportunities have only added to the burden as individual players want to maximise their earnings during the winter months while the national and state teams would prefer them to manage their bodies in preparation for national and domestic duty.The new pace-bowling role has been designed to be a central point under Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald to coordinate an approach to managing Australia’s current and next generation of quicks to avoid some of the friction.One of the key job descriptions in the advertisement is “performing a lead role in the case management (including load planning and monitoring), off tour preparation and individual skill development of CA contracted pace bowlers and pace bowlers of national interest”.Spencer Johnson suffered a side strain in the Hundred and has yet to return to playing•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

This has been a crunch point in recent years. CA’s high-performance team has been able to manage its contracted fast bowlers fairly successfully, but issues have arisen when the men’s team has needed to look beyond their contracted players. CA currently has nine contracted fast bowlers among a list of 23, not including the pace-bowling allrounders Green, Aaron Hardie and Mitchell Marsh.But ahead of the UK tour, where the selectors wanted to rest Cummins entirely in order to prepare for India, and have Hazlewood and Starc play the England portion only, they needed bowlers for the six T20Is. With contracted bowlers Morris and Richardson unavailable, Johnson was selected alongside Bartlett and Ellis.But CA were unable to tailor Johnson’s preparation as an uncontracted player. He played 39 T20s and a first-class game between December and August including the BBL, Sheffield Shield, internationals, the IPL, T20 Blast, MLC and the Hundred without a break to do a pre-tour build in the same mould as Hazlewood and Starc were. He suffered a side strain in the Hundred and has yet to return to playing. There was a similar occurrence in 2023 where Johnson played the MLC, Global T20 in Canada and the Hundred before making his international debut for Australia, only to tear his hamstring on his ODI debut bowling more than four overs for the first time in five months.Under the current memorandum of understanding, CA only offers up to 24 central contracts but there is a pool of money for players to qualify for a contract upgrade if they play enough games in the 12-month financial year. There is a thought within Australian cricket that that model is outdated, and the men’s team would be better served contracting 30-plus players initially each year and carefully tailoring the 12-month playing and preparation schedules for a large group of fast bowlers in particular to avoid injuries and situations like the one the arose in the UK.