Category Uncategorized

Of the issues the hosts must sort, the top-order problems seem the most pressing

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Oct-2019

Big Picture

Yes, even the first-string Sri Lanka had lost their four most-recent T20I series, and sure, Pakistan topped the rankings, but there are no two sides that revel quite as much in chaos as these two, so in some ways, a comfortable series victory for the underdogs is not a huge surprise.The two matches so far have followed a remarkably similar script. Sri Lanka have got a half-century and a big partnership from their top three, and then a strong finish. Their quicks have then struck early blows, and despite the occasional good partnership from Pakistan, Sri Lanka have managed to keep the required rate climbing through the middle overs. In the first match, Pakistan’s last seven wickets fell for 33. In the second, their last five went down for 20.The two players catching the most heat so far have been Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad, who have produced four awful innings between them. Akmal’s successive golden ducks have basically been an invitation for a punchline. Shehzad has arguably been even worse, chewing up 25 Powerplay deliveries for his 17 runs across the two games. Babar Azam’s rare failures haven’t helped either, nor has the fitful form of the rest of the middle order.A whitewash will be a coup for Sri Lanka, and a significant early obstacle for the new lord commander of Pakistan cricket, Misbah-ul-Haq. Of the issues the hosts must sort, the top-order problems seem the most pressing.

Form guide

Pakistan LLLWL (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka WWWLL

In the spotlight

Part of Pakistan’s good T20I form in 2018 had been down to the bowlers, and Mohammad Amir had as good a year as anyone, going at 6.57 in nine appearances last year, taking 14 wickets at 15.50. He had not gone wicketless in eight previous T20Is before this series but has now failed to take a wicket through the first two matches in Lahore. With a confident opposition top three to contend with, Pakistan need their quicks to fire in the last match.In all four of Sri Lanka’s innings on tour, Dasun Shanaka has played good knocks befitting the situation, finding late boundaries when Sri Lanka are looking to finish fast, and rebuilding when they have lost early wickets. He had been disappointed to miss out on a World Cup spot but has perhaps now done enough to firm up a place in the first-choice XI in both limited-overs formats.

Team news

Iftikhar Ahmed may come in for the run-less Akmal. Perhaps Pakistan will also consider Haris Sohail instead of Shehzad.Pakistan (possible): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Ahmed Shehzad, 4 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Asif Ali, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Mohammad HasnainAlthough ordinarily a team might be tempted to trial inexperienced players once a series has been sewn up, a whitewash will mean a lot to this Sri Lanka team, and they are unlikely to change their side.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Shehan Jayasuriya, 5 Minod Bhanuka (wk), 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Lakshan Sandakan, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Nuwan Pradeep

Pitch and conditions

There has been a little dew around in Lahore, but not so much that it has had a substantial effect on the game. The pitch is expected to be decent for batting again.

Stats and trivia

• Amir’s 0 for 40 on Monday were his worst figures since the 2016 T20 World Cup.
  
• Seven members of Sri Lanka’s XI had played fewer than ten T20s at the start of the series.
  
• Sri Lanka have never won a T20I series 3-0.

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2018Rajneesh Gurbani’s 7 for 81 ensured three points for India Red in a drawn opening match against India Green in the Duleep Trophy 2018-19. Green ended up 28 runs short of Red’s first-innings total, ending with one point as the match petered out into a draw on Monday, the fourth and final day.Abhinav Mukund had won the toss for Red and chose to bat at the NPR College Ground in Dindigul, and the team was bowled out for 337. Gurbani, who made 22 from No.8, was part of a lower-order resistance led by Mihir Hirwani’s career-best 61 that pushed Red past 300.All batsmen in the top six had got starts, but only Ashutosh Singh made a substantial score, holding much of the innings together with a patient 80.The extra runs proved crucial, as Green were bowled out for 309 despite B Indrajith’s 109 and Sudip Chatterjee’s 82. Green looked on course to take the first-innings lead when Indrajith and Chatterjee were putting together a 123-run stand for the third wicket. But Chatterjee was run out by Hirwani with the score at 158, and Green’s innings faltered after that.They would have still entertained hopes of grabbing the lead at 301 for 6, but Gurbani took out K Vignesh, Jalaj Saxena and Ashok Dinda in seven balls as Green slid to 302 for 9. Shahbaz Nadeem had Ankit Rajput caught shortly after as Green fell short of Red’s first-innings tally.With only academic interest left in the match, Sanjay Ramaswamy hit an unbeaten 123, while B Aparajith matched his twin brother’s feat with an unconquered 101 as Red piled up 262 for 1 before declaring, at which point both teams shook hands to end the four-day contest.All the matches in the Duleep Trophy will be held at the same venue, and are day-night affairs played with the pink ball. The next game will pit Red against India Blue from August 23.

Jake Ball and Stuart Broad are doubtful for the Royal London Cup final on Saturday and that is also bad news for England with the first Test around a week away

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge27-Jun-2017
ScorecardWith doubts lingering over Stuart Broad’s fitness for Saturday’s Royal London One-Day Cup final at Lord’s, Nottinghamshire face another anxious couple of days assessing the fitness of a second key bowling asset after injury forced Jake Ball to leave the field during the final session here.Despite playing the injury down overnight, Ball was sent for a scan by the ECB on Wednesday morning, and the selectors will be monitoring the results closely as they prepare to meet to select the squad for the first Test against South Africa at Lord’s next week.The England fast bowler, who had already struck an important blow for his team in this match at the start of Kent’s second innings, pulled up in his follow-through after bowling one delivery of his third over, feeling some pain in his right knee.After receiving attention on the field it looked at first as if he would continue but after a couple of attempts to replicate his run-up to the crease under the supervision of his county physio he asked the umpire for his cap and sweater and left the field, leaving Luke Fletcher to complete his over.Nottinghamshire head coach Peter Moores described his withdrawal as “a precaution” and said his prospects of resuming in this match would be assessed in the morning. However, he is being monitored by Notts and England medical teams, and he will not bowl again in the match.Broad, who was forced to miss this match after suffering a heel injury against Leicestershire last week, was still rated as doubtful on Monday but there was better news today. Put through his paces before play, he appeared to be moving well enough, although Nottinghamshire will be wary of risking any further damage with the opening Test against South Africa just over a week away.After playing his part with a flurry of boundaries with the bat in helping Nottinghamshire to a lead of 191 on first innings, Ball had dealt Kent the early blow they least wanted as they began their second innings against the pink ball in the awkward day-to-night phase.After bowling brilliantly with scant reward in the first innings, with only one tailender’s wicket to show for his efforts, Ball found success in his second over this time, producing a full and fast delivery to which Daniel Bell-Drummond, who had so valiantly held Kent together on Monday, had no answer.Yet Ball’s absence hardly made things easier for Kent, who were four wickets down and still 86 behind at the close. To make matters worse, Sam Billings, unbeaten on 39, now leaves this match to play for the Lions at Worcester. The 20-year-old batsman Joe Weatherley takes his place.Despite a career-best 168 from Steven Mullaney, who was 63 not out overnight, and a partnership of 222 between the opener and Alex Hales, Nottinghamshire had not fulfilled their objective of batting Kent out of the game, losing their last wickets for 41.They fell short even of maximum batting points, which felt almost like a formality earlier in the day when Hales and Mullaney, having come through a tough pink ball baptism on the first evening, plundered runs under the pale sky of the second afternoon.Mullaney, one half of the key partnership in the historic win over Essex that booked Nottinghamshire’s place at Lord’s, completed the 12th first-class century of his career, punching the air as he might after a bout of nausea almost forced him to leave the field in the early part of his innings on Monday.Jake Ball limped off – and that will worry England•Getty Images

Once something of a bit-part player among stars at Trent Bridge, Mullaney has become a key figure in all formats. Always an all-round asset in the one-day sides, he has found his niche at the top of the order in the four-day side, and a useful partnership-breaking bowler to boot. Well respected in the dressing room, he led the side in Chris Read’s absence last season and looks a natural choice to take on the captaincy in his own right when Read retires at the end of the season.As a batsman, he may lack the flair and natural timing of Samit Patel, with whom he shared that epic stand at Chelmsford, and he does not dominate in the way Hales sometimes does. Yet he has the temperament to concentrate for long periods and packs a punch when the moment arrives to up the tempo.He and Hales were together for 47.5 overs for the fourth wicket before Hales was caught on the rope attempting a second six straight off Joe Denly’s leg spin, missing out by 15 on what appeared to be a certain hundred.The innings lost some of its impetus after Hales. Riki Wessels was unusually subdued and Mullaney went an hour without scoring a boundary before a couple in quick succession off Adam Milne eased the pressure.He passed his previous best, 166 against Somerset here last year, with a six off Will Gidman and the applause that accompanied his return to the pavilion, caught behind off Matt Coles, was a measure of his popularity. He acknowledged it properly, too, raising his bat to all corners of the ground.Kent’s bowlers have to be commended for the way they maintained their discipline and in denying Nottinghamshire their full complement of points they might consider they scored a minor triumph.Yet, the possibly unwelcome consequence of this was that it was their batsman who were exposed to the day-into-night phase. After Bell-Drummond, Denly edged a fine, swinging ball from Fletcher to be caught behind before Harry Gurney struck twice, Sam Northeast following a ball outside off-stump to be caught behind, Sean Dickson edging to Brendan Taylor at third slip.July 28, 11.36am – This story was updated with news of Ball’s knee scan

The impression from Joe Root is that he is in no rush whatsoever to lobby for the job of England’s Test No. 3

David Hopps12-May-2016When it comes to batting at No. 3 for England, the impression from Joe Root is that he is in no rush whatsoever to lobby for the job. Why would you when you are averaging 54.93 in Test cricket, you are having so much fun and you are convinced that England’s Test side is on an upswing?The call-up of James Vince for England’s Test squad, one senses, therefore suits Root to a tee. England have not just retained Nick Compton at first wicket down, they have Vince on debut at five with a career history that suggests he would grab the No. 3 role if things worked out that way. Root would therefore have to option to busy himself at No. 4 and leave things to develop as they will.Root suggests he is “not really too fussed to be honest” when the thought of batting at three is put to him, but a place lower in the order has become endearing. It is here where he has discovered an enchanting tempo and become the pivotal figure in an England side proud of its attacking intent.”I feel that I am getting to grips with that role within the side,” Root said. “I just want to keep improving: whether that means moving up the order or staying were I am that’s fine. No. 4 is a position where I do enjoy batting and I enjoy batting with the guys around me there as well so I think it suits the way my game is set up.”Statistically, the case supports keeping Root in the middle order. He averages 54.62 at No. 4 and 73.12 at No. 5, compared to 32.83 at No. 3 and 37. 66 opening the batting – albeit those returns came in challenging circumstance during back-to-back Ashes series near the start of his international career.If Vince’s selection will quicken debate about England’s best batting order, Root regards the internal competition as beneficial. “I think that is a good thing,” he said. “You have got opportunities to press your claims; people will be wanting to prove that they are the man to pick.”I think that is important to have that competition and rivalry – well not rivalry but you know what I am trying to say – where you are always wanting to improve in your practice and I think that sets us up really nicely for the start of the summer.”He has played a lot of cricket with Vince in age group sides – they are the same age, at 25 – and he joined the chorus of approval from Test cricketers, past and present, who look more at Vince’s methodology than his first-class average and see a Test cricketer in the making.”James he’s been around the side all winter in shorter formats and has a fantastic temperament,” Root said. “He has got a solid game which fits beautifully for Test cricket and given the opportunity I’m sure he will take it and perform extremely well and show his class.Joe Root was at Headingley to promote healthy living•Getty Images

“I am really looking forward to him stamping his mark on Test cricket and, if given the opportunity, showing everyone what he can do. In county cricket I honestly think he is one of those players who will come in to international cricket and really raise his game.”Vince’s Test call up has revived the comparisons with Michael Vaughan that have reared their head since early in his career when the former England coach, Duncan Fletcher, made the observation. Vaughan himself has long been a big fan.”I can see he has that very classical cover drive and the swivel pull I suppose – the two shots that Vaughany was remembered for,” Root said. “But I think he is his own player. They obviously go about their business completely differently and he will be desperate to prove a name for himself rather than be compared to someone else. He is a fine player and I am really excited he is in the squad and he has the opportunity to show everyone how good he is.”Vitality is partnering with England cricketer Joe Root, who will take on the role of ambassador. Joe will use his passion for healthy living to inspire everyone to be active and make positive changes to their lifestyles. Visit www.vitality.co.uk for further information

New Zealand took just over 90 minutes to get their tour underway with a 66-run victory at Taunton and their coach, Mike Hesson, delivered a calm message of confidence

Alex Winter in Taunton11-May-2015
Scorecard1:18

New Zealand get tour underway with victory

New Zealand took just over 90 minutes to get their tour underway with a 66-run victory at Taunton and their coach, Mike Hesson, delivered a calm message of confidence to the gathered press leaned up against a white picket fence. The contrast with the England set-up could not have been more stark.The umpires here, Neil Bainton and Steve O’Shaughnessy, were the latest to express their praise for New Zealand’s attitude and professionalism, qualities that have endeared them to the world over the past 18 months. They made an efficient job of taking the remaining four wickets on the final morning and the temperature even jumped several degrees to leave the tourists happy with their opening fixture.”It was a little scratchy at times but there were enough good things,” Hesson said. “The tempo with bat was good and some of the guys got runs. But I thought with the ball we were a bit inconsistent.”That was a fair reflection for a final-day session that began with a wicket from the second ball but saw James Hildreth go through to a third century of the summer and Tim Groenewald smash his way to by far his best first-class score for Somerset.Mark Craig took three wickets to finish with 5 for 34. “The ball didn’t really spin until he bowled,” Hesson said. “He was the only one to turn it off the straight and got good turn and bounce, generally out of the footholes, and always looked a likely threat.Mark Craig picked up six wickets in the match (file photo)•Getty Images

“He’s a wicket taker but occasionally leaks runs. He’ll be better off for this, having not bowled for at least two months. Mark will be playing for us in the Test no doubt so it’s a matter of him getting into good rhythm and being confident.”Doug Bracewell will also hope to play in the first Test, which starts in ten days’ time. He got the morning off to a perfect start, trapping Josh Davey lbw, but he was outbowled by debutants Jacob Duffy and Ben Wheeler in the match, both of whom impressed Hesson.”I was delighted with them,” Hesson said. “Jacob swung the ball from straight which is a good skill. He was nervous but he will be pleased to get through that first game. Ben was outstanding. He didn’t bowl a bad ball in his first spell and created a lot of opportunities. He even came back and went well with the old ball so it’s a good start for him.”Hesson confirmed that Duffy and Wheeler would not remain with the squad beyond Thursday’s second warm up at Worcester but Mitchell Santner, who made a second-innings 94, is part of the one-day squad. “Mitchell played at a great tempo in tough conditions and we also saw what a powerful striker he is so hopefully we’ll see some of that in the one-day series.”Martin Guptill is on course to return from injury at New Road but the arrival of New Zealand’s six IPL players remains unclear. Fast bowler Matt Henry has been released by his franchise but Brendon McCullum, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson may not be granted early release, with their franchises in position to quality for the semi-finals. They could arrive just two days before the first Test.But there are no such worries for Craig’s preparation. He is on course for Lord’s with a fine second innings return here where he gained turn and bounce. He forced a misjudgement from Craig Overton who trod on his stumps trying to pull, turned one past the inside edge of Groenewald’s drive after his entertaining 37-ball 47, where he struck five sixes, and finally ended Hildreth’s stay when he edged a cut to the keeper.Hildreth at least provided some positivity for the hosts, who slipped to their fourth successive defeat. This, his third first-class century of the summer, left him 222 runs shy of 1000 before the end of May. He has two more Championship matches to reach the landmark.He delayed Somerset’s defeat with a stand of 72 for the eighth wicket with Overton. He essayed a cover drive that didn’t require a moment’s thought of running and then hooked Neil Wagner for six over square leg. Another hook of Bracewell was not as well controlled but still found the fine leg boundary. His next four, a very well timed tuck through square leg, brought up a 117-ball century and at least something for the locals to smile about.

George Dockrell, the Ireland left-arm spinner, has been named the ICC Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2012George Dockrell, the Ireland left-arm spinner, has been named the ICC Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year. He was chosen ahead of three of his team-mates Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien and Ed Joyce, and Afghanistan bowler Dawlat Zadran.Dockrell, 20, was the leading wicket-taker in the voting period – between 4 August 2011 and 6 August 2012 – taking 43 scalps in ODIs, T20Is and the Intercontinental Cup, the ICC’s four-day tournament for top Associate and Affiliate sides. Dockrell plays county cricket for Somerset, captained Ireland recently in the Under-19 World Cup, and took 14 wickets in T20 internationals, the most by any bowler in world cricket during the voting period.”It’s great to win such an award and especially to be following the footsteps of an esteemed group of players like William Porterfield and Ryan ten Doeschate, and only at the age of 20, I feel very honoured,” Dockrell said after receiving the award in Colombo. “It has been a great year of cricket with I-Cup, U-19s and WCL Championship, and now the WT20, and I’ve been learning a lot to take into this tournament.”It’s good to be setting high standards, and hopefully I will keep performing well for Ireland in the future.”Dockrell became the second Irishman to win the prize, after Porterfield in 2009.

West Indies have followed up their 3-1 win in the ODI series by taking the Twenty20 series by the same score line, but they needed a Super Over to get past Pakistan in the 4th T20, in Guyana

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2011
ScorecardWest Indies have followed up their 3-1 win in the ODI series by taking the Twenty20 series by the same score line, but they needed a Super Over to get past Pakistan in the 4th T20, in Guyana. After both teams reached 72 in their allotted overs, Stacy-Ann King struck two fours in the Super Over, and got nine runs off the five balls she faced. A wide from Sadia Yousuf made it 10 runs in the over. That was always going to be a difficult target in a match when both sides had scored at 3.60. Pakistan could only get seven and West Indies took the series.Both teams’ innings had followed almost identical paths. Pakistan, put in to bat, lost their first five wickets for 33 runs, while West Indies, chasing, lost their first five for 31. Both teams were 52 for 7 and then 8 for 64. They both had three fours each in their innings, though Pakistan had one six. It was the two fours in the Super Over that made the difference for West Indies though.Anisa Mohammed, who has been West Indies’ best bowler over the ODIs and Twenty20s so far, was actually their most expensive bowler on the day, giving away 24 runs in her four overs, though she did take two wickets. Shanel Daley put in an all-round performance taking 3 for 9 and then top-scoring with 28 off 42 runs.

A late assault from Louis Klazinga, including a brace of sixes in the final over, helped Namibia snatch an unlikely one-wicket victory in the second limited-overs game against Uganda in Windhoek

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2010
Scorecard
A late assault from Louis Klazinga, including a brace of sixes in the final over, helped Namibia snatch an unlikely one-wicket victory in the second limited-overs game against Uganda at the Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek.Uganda looked certain to level the two-match series when left-arm seamer Charles Waiswa removed Willem Groenewald to leave Namibia’s last pair needing 18 runs from 11 balls, but Klazinga and No. 11 Elton Ambambi responded in spectacular fashion to seal victory – and a 2-0 series victory – with two balls to spare.Namibia’s win was set up by a pair of aggressive half-centuries from opener Ewaid Steenkamp and captain Craig Williams. After the early loss of wicketkeeper batsman Raymond van Schoor, Steenkamp added 109 – the highest partnership of the match – with Wessel Myburgh to keep Namibia’s pursuit of 258 on course.Though Myburgh was somewhat subdued at the crease, hitting only one four in his 63-ball 27, Steenkamp had no trouble reaching the boundary, cracking eight fours and a six before he was run out for 84 by Ronald Ssemanda.His dismissal set Namibia back to 144 for 3 in the 34th over, giving Uganda an opening from which to attack the middle order, and when Louis Burger and Norbert Manyande fell in quick succession the home side slipped to 177 for 5. But Williams counter-attacked in style, clearing the boundary three times to bring Namibia back into the match and rush to a 38-ball 58 before he fell to make Uganda favourites once again.When Louis van der Westhuizen, Christi Viljoen and Groenewald were also prised out with the required run-rate rocketing past 9-an-over few would have given the tail much chance of chasing down the runs, but Klazinga responded with a career-best effort to crush Uganda’s hopes.Klazinga’s efforts made up for a wayward performance with the ball from him, as he gave away 62 runs while Uganda racked up 257 for 8. After Roger Mukasa launched the innings with an aggressive 38 Benjamin Musoke’s career-best 79 provided the ballast of the visitors’ innings as he added 101 for the fifth wicket with Frank Nsubuga, who contributed an enterprising 55, to lay the platform for a late charge.Musoke took Uganda to 228 before he was bowled by Viljoen, and though Deusdedit Muhumuza and Ssemanda added 29 in 3.4 overs to take the score past 250, Klazinga’s last-gasp hitting proved the difference between the two sides.After losing their Intercontinental Shield fixture and both limited-overs games, Uganda have one last chance to salvage some pride when the two teams meet in a Twenty20 match at the same venue on Sunday.

It is yet to be decided whether such provisions are for the next three years or until the end of the current rights cycle in 2031

Nagraj Gollapudi and Osman Samiuddin03-Dec-2024In a development that could potentially break the current deadlock over the upcoming Champions Trophy , the PCB has offered to consider a hybrid model but only if there is a concrete written agreement allowing Pakistan the same option when a global tournament is held in India.Although discussions are ongoing and the situation remains fluid, ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB put forward its proposal over the weekend in meetings with the ICC and BCCI in Dubai. In it, they called for an equitable and long-term agreement, stretching beyond the 2025 Champions Trophy, with reciprocal provisions for Pakistan to play outside of India during global events held there. It is yet to be decided whether such provisions are for the next three years or until the end of the current rights cycle in 2031.In this time, India are scheduled to host three global men’s tournaments – the 2026 T20 World Cup along with Sri Lanka (February), the 2029 Champions Trophy (October) and the 2031 World Cup along with Bangladesh (October-November) – as well as the women’s ODI World Cup in 2025. The co-hosted events provide a solution, though any India-Pakistan games will pose the same problem. And although it doesn’t come under ICC jurisdiction, the next Asia Cup – in October 2025 – is also scheduled to be played in India.Related

• Babar and Naseem return for South Africa Tests, but there's no place for Afridi

• Final call on CT25: Fresh venue one of three options, as ICC Board meets on Friday

• Fate of Champions Trophy still unclear as no decision taken at ICC meeting

“We will do whatever’s best for cricket,” Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chair, told reporters in Dubai on Sunday. “If we adopt any other formula [except hosting the tournament in Pakistan], it will be done on the basis of equality. The most important thing for Pakistan is its respect; everything else is secondary.”A one-sided arrangement is no longer acceptable. It cannot be the case that we continue to go to India, but they do not visit Pakistan. Whatever happens must be on the basis of equality.”While the BCCI remains tight-lipped, indications are it might not be willing to accept adopting a hybrid model for their tournaments. In either case, the ICC Board will reconvene and examine the PCB proposal before making a final decision on the Champions Trophy. And both PCB and BCCI will need to have that decision ratified by their individual governments. The ICC has tentatively penciled in December 5 as a date for that meeting.Options on the table for the tournament remain the same as they were when the board met briefly last week, otherwise – that the tournament will either be based on a hybrid model with India playing its games outside Pakistan; that the entire tournament is hosted in another country; or that the tournament goes ahead without India.In that meeting last week, it was decided to give the PCB time to hold separate negotiations with BCCI to find a resolution after the latter told ICC that the Indian government had denied permission for the Indian team to travel to Pakistan. Last Friday, a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that “security concerns” meant India were unwilling to travel. “The BCCI has issued a statement so I would refer you to it,” said the spokesperson during a press briefing. “They have said there are security concerns there and therefore it is unlikely the team will be going there. Please do refer to the statement issued by the BCCI.”Where will the next India-Pakistan match be played?•CREIMAS

No such statement has been publicly issued by the BCCI. The PCB says it has still not received an official explanation citing the reasons for India’s inability to travel, though it has sought one from the moment the BCCI informed the ICC.

Jay Shah to chair ICC meet on December 5

Since the first ICC meeting, a significant change has taken place at the ICC. Jay Shah, who has been the BCCI secretary since 2019, took charge as ICC chair on December 1. Imran Khwaja, the ICC’s deputy chair, has been dealing with the Champions Trophy issue as an interim chair. But it could not be confirmed who the BCCI representative at the next ICC Board meeting will be.The meeting is widely thought to be on the Champions Trophy, although there was also a suggestion that it might be a courtesy call for Shah to ring in his tenure.With time running out – there are only 77 days to the start date of the event – the ICC finds itself in a spot of bother. It has not yet released the tournament schedule (normally put out 100 days from the event) nor announced the ticketing process which would facilitate fans to make travel arrangements for the eight-team event.

She has been named in Canada’s squad for the Women’s T20 Americas Qualifier, a pathway to the 2024 T20 World Cup

Nagraj Gollapudi31-Aug-2023Danielle McGahey is set to become the first transgender player to feature in international cricket after being named in Canada’s squad for the Women’s T20 Americas Qualifier, the pathway tournament to the 2024 T20 World Cup.McGahey, a 29-year-old batter, is originally from Australia but moved to Canada in 2020. According to , which reported the story first, McGahey socially transitioned from male to female in 2020, before undergoing a medical transition a few months later in 2021.On Thursday, the ICC confirmed that McGahey had fulfilled the eligibility criteria for male-to-female (MTF) transition to play international cricket. “We can confirm that Danielle went through the process as required under the ICC’s Player Eligibility Regulations,” an ICC spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo, “and as a result has been deemed eligible to participate in international women’s cricket on the basis that she satisfies the MTF transgender eligibility criteria.”McGahey told that she was “absolutely honoured” to play as a transgender athlete at international level. “To be able to represent my community is something I never dreamed I would be able to do.”McGahey played four matches for Canada at the South American Women’s Championship held last October in Brazil, which Canada won. That tournament did not have international status.The Americas Qualifier, which will be played in Los Angeles, USA from September 4 to 11, will feature Argentina, Brazil, Canada and hosts USA. The winner will progress to the global Qualifiers where teams from other regional Qualifiers will contest for spots in the next T20 World Cup, to be played in Bangladesh.The ICC amended the Player Eligibility regulations in 2021. In Article 3, dealing with eligibility based on gender recognition, the term transgender is defined as “individuals whose gender identity is different from the biological sex assigned to them at birth (whether they are pre- or post-puberty, and whether or not they have undergone any form of medical intervention)”.For a male transitioning to female, testosterone levels are the key measure and have to be “less than 5 nmol/l (nanomole per litre) continuously for a period of at least 12 months, and that she is ready, willing and able to continue to keep it below that level for so long as she continues to compete in the female category of competition”.The ICC’s existing regulations are based primarily on the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) guidelines from November 2021, a 10-principle approach it offers as a framework to sporting bodies, in which it has attempted to to balance inclusivity in participation with fairness of competition.That approach has, however, been polarising, with some scientists and medical experts criticising the dropping of the requirement for trans women to lower testosterone levels as well as not presuming any performance advantage. The new framework has been criticised as prioritising inclusion over fairness and is seen by critics as a reversal of the original IOC regulations formulated in 2015, which relied heavily on the science of testosterone levels. Those regulations required transgender women athletes to maintain testosterone levels under 10 nmol/l and use testosterone-suppressing medication for at least a year.The IOC also stated that each sport should have its own guidelines, and many have stuck to the original 2015 regulations. Several sports bodies, from rugby to athletics and cycling, do not allow transgender women to participate in women’s competitions.Though McGahey is eligible, the ICC itself in the process of a detailed review of its guidelines, led by its medical advisory committee. Regulations have been under review since March and there remains the possibility that they may change.For the moment, McGahey is on the verge of making history.