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.

RCB have released Marcus Stoinis, Dale Steyn, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Colin de Grandhomme and Tim Southee among others

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Nov-20199:03

Six takeaways from the IPL retentions list

Chris Lynn (Kolkata Knight Riders), Jaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals) and Varun Chakravarthy (Kings XI Punjab), the three-most expensive buys at the last two IPL auctions, have been released by their respective franchises. Also back on the auction block is South Africa allrounder Chris Morris, who had been retained by Delhi Capitals before the 2018 auction but was released as the IPL trading window closed on Friday evening India time.Royal Challengers Bangalore released the most number of players (12) followed by the Knight Riders and the Royals (11 each), Mumbai Indians (10), the Capitals (nine), Kings XI (seven), Chennai Super Kings (six) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (five).Overall, Kings XI will have the fattest purse walking into the December 19 auction, to be held in Kolkata, with a kitty of INR 42.70 crore which they accumulated by shedding expensive buys from the last auction. This included Chakravarthy, the Tamil Nadu mystery spinner, who was the joint-most expensive pick along with Unadkat, at INR 8.4 cr, in the 2019 auction. Chakravarthy, who played just one game last IPL, was sidelined with an injury for the majority of this year, making it an easy decision for Kings XI to let him go.The Mohali-based franchise also released Australia quick Andre Tye, who recently picked an injury. Tye, one of the best death bowlers a few years ago, had struggled last IPL and had been bought by Kings XI in 2018 for INR 7.2 cr. The other expensive buys offloaded by Kings XI included England allrounder Sam Curran (7.2 cr in 2019) and young Punjab wicketkeeper-batsman Prabh Simran Singh (4.8 cr in 2019). Another significant release by Kings XI was South Africa batsman David Miller (3 cr in 2018), who had spent eight seasons at the franchise since 2012. However, diminishing returns from Miller are likely to have gone against him eventually.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Miller’s was not the only such case. Two other senior and long-time loyalists, Robin Uthappa and Piyush Chawla were released by the Knight Riders, who are believed to have not been impressed by the ineffective display from both players in the last two years.Uthappa and Chawla were bought by the Knight Riders in 2014. In the 2018 auction the franchise had bought them back through right-to-match cards: Uthappa for a handsome price of 6.4 cr and Chawla for 4.2 cr. However, the 30-year-old legspinner struggled last season and had his worst IPL year in 2019, in terms of economy rate, picking just 10 wickets in 13 matches and leaking 8.96 runs per over. Uthappa, once a matchwinner for the Knight Riders, too, was not at his best in IPL 2019: he managed just one half-century for his 282 runs in 11 innings at an average of 31.33 and strike rate of 115.10.Another example of how much franchises wanted value for money was Lynn. The Australia opener, who was bought initially in 2014, was bought back in the 2018 auction by the Knight Riders for 9.6 cr, making him the most expensive overseas buy. The Knight Riders spent so much because they wanted an aggressive opener, which Lynn had proven himself to be with his explosive batting.In 2017 Lynn played just seven matches for the Knight Riders, but scored 295 runs at an average of 49.16 and strike rate of 181, the highest for anyone who scored over 100 runs that season. However, in the last two seasons his strike rate dropped to the 130s even though he played most of the matches in 2018 and 2019, with three and four half-centuries respectively. The franchise is believed to have had second thoughts this time as they felt they could instead invest in another player who could give similar returns at a lower price, or buy Lynn back for a cheaper rate.Morris, too, had to endure the pain of becoming the only retained player in 2018 to be released this time. He joined the Capitals in 2016, and was the second player retained by them Capitals ahead of the 2018 auction, at 11 crore. However, Morris would have probably sensed the writing was on the wall. In the nine matches he played in 2019, he took 13 wickets but at an economy rate of 9.27, while scoring only 32 runs in six innings with a strike rate of 86.48.Overall, 71 players were released by the eight franchises including 34 overseas names. There will now be a total of 73 slots available at the auction on December 19, including 29 overseas players. One franchise that is likely to be aggressive that day are the Royal Challengers, who revamped their coaching staff with the antipodean pairing of Mike Hesson and Simon Katich as the team director and head coach respectively. Royal Challengers released seven overseas players on Friday, more than any other franchise, and are now left with just AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali among their foreign names.

Allrounder set to open the batting for the Melbourne Stars again this season

Alex Malcolm16-Dec-2019Allrounder Marcus Stoinis is committed to opening the batting for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League again this season, despite the fact that the middle order appears his best avenue back into the Australian T20 side.Stoinis was left out of Australia’s T20 squad in the two series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in October and November. The selectors opted not to pick a seam-bowling allrounder in the squad, using Ashton Agar at No.7 as a spin-bowling allrounder.The return of David Warner also changed the dynamic in the top order. Stoinis had opened the batting in Australia’s previous two T20 internationals in India in February after an outstanding BBL last season, when he opened for the Stars and made 533 runs at 53.30 with a strike rate of 130.63, including four half-centuries.The combination of Warner and Aaron Finch looks a lock for Australia at the 2020 T20 World Cup.But Stoinis is set to open again for the Stars alongside Nic Maddinson after the pair faced the new ball in the Stars’ first practice match against the Melbourne Renegades at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Monday.He said doing what’s best for the Stars is his first priority.”I can’t see myself changing too much from there just because you want to do right by your franchise,” Stoinis said. “We want to win games and I want to do what’s best for the team and then you just go from there I guess.”Stoinis said the reasons why he was omitted from the T20 squad had been communicated to him clearly by chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns. He hasn’t had a discussion with either Hohns or coach Justin Langer about his place in the pecking order for the T20 World Cup next year but is confident he can play any role required.”No, I haven’t spoken to them about it,” Stoinis said. “I’m sure I’ll get a call from JL [Langer] or someone to speak about that side of things maybe. But for me, look, I’ve batted (Nos.) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, I’ve bowled in the powerplay, I’ve bowled at the death, I’ve bowled in the middle, I’ve fielded in the slips, I’ve fielded on the boundary, I’ve fielded at cover. Something I pride myself on is being adaptable. I’ve played a lot of cricket in multiple positions so I should be okay.”It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Stoinis could get a call about the Test side given the injury to Josh Hazlewood in Perth against New Zealand. Australia played an allrounder in the last Ashes Test at The Oval and Langer floated the idea of playing five bowlers on Boxing Day if the surface was flat.Stoinis was called up to the Test squad during his stunning run of form in the BBL last year but was eventually named 12th man for the Canberra Test against Sri Lanka.His Sheffield Shield form has been very consistent this season but is missing some big scores. He’s made four half-centuries in nine innings completed innings (the 10th was abandoned at the MCG due to a dangerous pitch) with a highest score of 79 when he was run out against South Australia. He also has 12 wickets at 27.25 having taken wickets in all five games that he bowled in.”Test cricket is still my goal,” Stoinis said. “That’s where I want to play. I’ve played a lot of Shield cricket this year, the most I’ve played for 3-4 seasons and it’s good to remember how to block the ball and spend some time in the middle.”For now, he’s fully focussed on the Stars. The disappointment of last year’s final is a distant memory with a new coach and some new signings. Stoinis said the transition of former Stars captain David Hussey into the head coaching job has been seamless.”I think the key thing for Huss is he hasn’t brought too much new stuff,” Stoinis said. “He was around the group for so long as a player, he was captain, he knows Glenn [Maxwell] so well, he knows what makes the boys tick. He hasn’t tried to rattle the cage or anything like that, he’s just tried to create a stable environment, super relaxed, take any pressure off the players and let us perform.”ALSO READ: How the Melbourne Stars stack up for BBL 2019-20The Stars lost their opening practice match after an assault from Renegades pair Sam Harper and Shaun Marsh on a flat pitch at the Junction. But Dale Steyn’s arrival on Tuesday night from South Africa, along with the addition of Nathan Coulter-Nile brings a fresh new dynamic to the attack that already features two high-class legspinners in Adam Zampa and Sandeep Lamichhane.”It’s a big change for us I reckon,” Stoinis said. “We’ve got some real ball speed, [Daniel] Worrall is fresh as well so he bowls nice and quick. And that will complement our spinners as well. I think with the big square boundaries at the MCG and our good spinners and good quicks, we’re going to be hard to beat.”

Head coach says stats suggest “seam is the way forward” at Centurion

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2019England are contemplating whether to field an all-seam attack for the second Test running, according to the head coach, Chris Silverwood. The tourists’ build-up for the Boxing Day Test at Centurion has been disrupted by illness in the camp, with frontline spinner Jack Leach one of the players affected, and Silverwood said the stats suggest “seam is the way forward” at SuperSport Park.In their previous outing, on last month’s tour of New Zealand, England picked four seamers and Ben Stokes at Hamilton, but only succeeded in taking 12 wickets in a rain-affected draw.England’s selection discussions this time around will be coloured by the fact that Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer missed both warm-up games with sickness, while James Anderson is in line to play his first Test since August, after suffering a calf injury that ruled him out of the Ashes. Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Craig Overton are the other quicks in the party, along with Mark Wood, who is working his way back to fitness and won’t be available until the third Test.ALSO READ: England’s bug-struck trio play no part in warm-up“Yeah, I think it is,” Silverwood said in response to whether it was possible England could play an all-seam attack. “Obviously in Hamilton we looked at all the stats, who took wickets at the ground, and it showed that spin didn’t really play much part in the games, or certainly have much effect on the games.”We look at the stats for this ground, it’s the same thing, you’re looking at wickets taken by seam, wickets taken by spin and the averages that go along with them, it suggests that seam is the way forward, and the thing that has most effect on the game here, so we’re certainly looking at that.”Leach played in Mount Maunganui at the start of the New Zealand series, taking 2 for 153 as England went down by an innings, but was then hospitalised by a bout of gastroenteritis in Hamilton before falling unwell on the team’s arrival in South Africa. Uncapped legspinner Matt Parkinson was the back-up slow bowler originally selected in the party and England have also called up Leach’s Somerset team-mate Dom Bess as cover.”We’ve got some good resources in the spin department, Leachy is coming back to fitness now, we’ve got Dominic Bess here as well, Parky who bowled nicely in Benoni. So we’ve got the resources but we’re looking at it for what it is, what has most effect in this game. We’re not definitely going down the road of all seam, but it’s something we’ve got to discuss over the next few days.Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad were both fit to train•Getty Images

“It’s not rocket science, every team has these stats. You look at what’s effective on that ground and then you look at what you’ve got in your arsenal and try to put out the best side you can.”Broad and Archer both delivered five-over spells at training in Centurion on Monday, as well as batting in the nets, as they looked to prove their match fitness for the first Test. Silverwood echoed Joe Root’s view that England will be relying on “trust” when it comes to their capability of getting through a full five days, although he admitted there “maybe a little bit more caution” over Archer, who is just six Tests into his career.”I think they’re exactly where we’d hope they would be really, if they continue with another couple of good days training, all being well they’ll be able to throw their hats in the ring for selection for the first Test,” he said.Asked if it might be considered a gamble to go into the Test with Broad, Archer and Anderson in the same XI, Silverwood replied: “I don’t think so, as long as from the medical point of view they feel good.”Anderson was the pick of the England bowlers in their three-day game in Benoni that finished on Sunday, claiming tidy figures of 3 for 41 as South Africa A made kept Root’s men in the field for 93.2 overs. With the bat, England saw Joe Denly and Ollie Pope score centuries, and Silverwood was pleased with the application that underpinned a total of 456 for 7 declared.”I thought both teams came away with something positive, I know we certainly did,” he said. “If you look at it from a first-innings runs point of view, we’re continuing to build those methods and create good habits there. From a bowling perspective we got over in the legs of Jimmy and the rest of the bowlers, and they all started finding their rhythm, which was great.”

He is still enjoying his cricket and expects Bangladesh to provide tough competition to Pakistan in the upcoming series

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2020Pakistan allrounder Shoaib Malik insists he is not getting ahead of himself following his call-up for the series against Bangladesh, and will “not set any long-term goals”. Most notably, that meant he wouldn’t commit to saying whether he aimed to be part of Pakistan’s World T20 squad, saying that was “too far out”.”I am not thinking about the World Cup; my selection is for the Bangladesh series and I will try to avail whatever opportunity I get,” he told reporters in Lahore. “The World Cup is too far out, and I don’t set long term goals. Whatever’s in my hand I will try. There are lots of youngsters in the team who should be groomed and that is the priority. I also don’t want to make a statement that I will retire from T20 cricket after the World Cup. When the time comes, I will see how things are going.”Malik’s remarks on his aspirations for the World T20 stand in stark contrast to his fellow senior player Mohammad Hafeez’s, who was also called up by chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq for this series. The day after his inclusion in the side, he declared the World T20 would mark his retirement from all international cricket, suggesting playing in that event is very much front and centre among his goals.Malik should be more familiar with the visiting Bangladesh side than most. Just last week, he was part of the Rajshahi Royals side that triumphed in the Bangladesh Premier League final in Dhaka. He ranked fourth on the run charts across the entire competition, racking up 455 averaging just under 38. In addition, he shed light on some of the conversations he had had with players in Bangladesh, and his attempts to assuage any concerns players might have about touring Pakistan.”Players do ask us about how things are in Pakistan when we go out and play in different leagues. The sort of security you get in Pakistan, you don’t get anywhere else. Some Bangladesh players also inquired about security, and I told them that they should come and have a look at it themselves. Only one player [Mushfiqur] is not coming because of personal reasons. I just want to say to him ‘please do come next time and see for yourself’. When the Bangladesh team comes and sees the atmosphere here, I think they will also convince others who aren’t coming right now to come for the next leg.”As for the cricket, though, he expects nothing less than the sternest of challenges.”Bangladesh are bringing a strong team. Their system has become stronger over the years. A well-balanced side is coming. But if you look at our T20 team, we have lots of players who have plenty of experience. Babar Azam is highly thought of around the world; when I go play in other leagues, they all praise him. When other players also get chances on a consistent basis, I feel sure they will also perform, too.”But for Pakistan’s oldest serving cricketer – Malik made his international debut in 1999 – being in this side at all defies expectations. After a torrid World Cup campaign he was dropped halfway through, he lost his central contract, and the possibility he had played his last game for Pakistan was very real. Now, back in the side and with a chance to show his worth as a stabilising influence in a team that has begun to slide, Malik has a simple explanation for why he’s sticking around.”I’m still enjoying my cricket,” he said.

Bengal have named fast bowler Ishan Porel in their squad for their match against Odisha

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2020India batsman Manish Pandey will join Karnataka’s squad for their Ranji Trophy quarter-final fixture against Jammu & Kashmir which starts from February 20, while KL Rahul will rest during the round. Both Pandey and Rahul have been with the Indian limited-overs sides since they helped Karnataka clinch the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in December. Neither has played in a Ranji Trophy match this season as a result.Pandey captained Karnataka to both the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali titles this season, and is the designated captain in the longer format as well. But Karun Nair has been leading in his absence and will continue to do so against J&K.Rahul, who has been in top form in limited-overs cricket, starting from the Vijay Hazare Trophy in October last year, has recently sealed a place in the Indian middle order in ODIs as well as at the top of the order in T20Is. He has featured in all of India’s last 11 matches across formats, and done so as a wicketkeeper on each occasion, having filled in midway through a match for Rishabh Pant in the first ODI against Australia in January. That is eleven matches in just under a month with the additional duties of keeping wickets.Elsewhere, Bengal have named fast bowler Ishan Porel in their 15 for their quarter-final against Odisha. Porel was on tour in New Zealand with the India A squad, alongside Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, but did not feature in their last match, in which Easwaran did.

She hasn’t always started well but has managed to do the job by just hanging in there

Andrew McGlashan in Sydney04-Mar-20204:54

Katy Perry or Ellyse Perry – who does Heather Knight want to see in the World Cup final?

There’s never a bad time to hit career-best form, but finding it at a World Cup is especially handy. England allrounder Nat Sciver is playing as well as she ever has in the T20 format, having ended the group stage in Australia as the leading run-scorer in her new role at No. 3.Half of Sciver’s eight T20I fifties have come in her last six innings: one in the tri-series which preceded the World Cup and now three in four knocks in the tournament itself, against South Africa, Thailand and West Indies, the latter in the match that secured a semi-final berth for her team.Sciver picked out one of the key reasons behind her form as the volume of cricket she has played in the last few months – the WBBL for the Perth Scorchers (where she was coached by Lisa Keightley shortly before she took the England job) followed by a series against Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur before arriving in Australia.”Consistency of playing, it’s a bit like running in with the ball, you get a little bit of rhythm,” she told ESPNcricinfo. “I was lucky enough to play in the Big Bash which probably helped a little bit and through the winter we didn’t really stop. So been feeling pretty good and nice to get the results.”Before the series in Malaysia against Pakistan, Sciver had only batted at No. 3 five times in 66 T20Is. She briefly returned to No. 4 in the tri-series, in a match where she scored 50 against India, when Katherine Brunt was promoted to No. 3, a tactic they have sensibly shelved during the World Cup. The best players need to face the most balls in T20s and for England, Sciver is certainly one of those.Being self-critical, she believes there have been innings where she hasn’t got it quite right at the start but by not giving her wicket away has been able to catch up in the latter stages, something she admitted she can forget is in her armory.”I probably would have liked to get going a bit quicker in some of the innings but feel like I’m adapting and reading the game pretty well to play to the tempo the game needs,” she said. “I’ve been a bit guilty of not remembering that previously. It could be different on Thursday but at the moment it’s coming out of the middle nicely so need to look after that.”Half of Natalie Sciver’s eight T20I fifties have come in her last six innings•Getty Images

Her captain Heather Knight praised how Sciver has adapted to her new position by realising that she has the ability to hit through as well as over the field.”That’s been a key learning for her, I think previously when she’s gone in during the powerplay, she’s felt like she’s had to go mad and gone a bit too high risk,” Knight said. “In this World Cup, she’s been accepting that she might have a few more dots in the powerplay but can catch up. She’s a phenomenal striker of the ball and has been very calm, trusts her game, and think she has enjoyed having a few balls to face.”One of the innings where Sciver showed her ability to catch up the scoring rate was against South Africa where she went from 24 of 29 to 50 off 41 but it wasn’t enough as England lost in the final over. It gave their campaign an early jolt and, like the hosts, meant they could not afford another slip. Sciver admitted there were a few waves of doubt personally, but the team believed they were not far away from the level they needed to be at.”I think everyone was a bit deflated. As an individual, you probably have a bit of doubt,” she said. “Can we really do this? But in terms of everyone believing, in the team we weren’t far away. We knew if we’d done just a few things differently we would have got over the line. Even with not as many runs as we’d have liked we managed to take it to the last over. The language we used was no different to what we are using now, it was just a case of getting it done in the middle.”England’s reward for their three straight victories is a semi-final against India, who went unbeaten through their group. The defeat to South Africa could yet prove critical, though, with a poor forecast looming and a washout meaning group winners progress. “Not having a reserve day isn’t ideal, but so be it,” Sciver said.There is the prospect of a healthy crowd at the SCG and then the promise of something far greater if they can reach the final at the MCG with 60,000 tickets sold as of Wednesday. Sciver recalled the 2017 World Cup final Lord’s, when England beat India in front of a sellout crowd, a match where she made a crucial half-century.”I loved it,” she said. “You still get some jitters going out to bat or waiting to bat, but once I’m out there being in that noise lifted me a little bit so I’m looking forward to that energy if we are there.”England have a 5-0 record against India in T20 World Cups. Sciver could have a big role to play in making it 6-0.

Discussions continue between CA, ECB and governments about a possible tour in September

Daniel Brettig16-Jul-2020Usman Khawaja and Marcus Stoinis have returned – at least loosely – to the national team fold after being named in a 26-man preliminary squad for Australia’s proposed white-ball tour of England in September.Test batsman Travis Head has also been named in a white-ball squad for the first time since he missed selection for the 2019 World Cup, while Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe and Daniel Sams make their first appearances in a senior training group, likely to be seconded to the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane next month before a cut-down group is conveyed to the UK.Khawaja and Stoinis were the two most high-profile names to lose their national contracts after falling out of favour last summer, though it had been made clear in Khawaja’s case at least that he remained a likely top-order replacement in the event of injuries to the likes of David Warner, Steven Smith or the limited-overs captain Aaron Finch.The selection chairman Trevor Hohns outlined the fact that a larger than usual squad would need to be sent should the tour go ahead, given the fact it will not be possible to send replacement players in the event of injury or illness. England are currently playing the West Indies in a biosecure “bubble” in the time of Covid-19 and similar arrangements are being worked through for an Australian tour.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“This preliminary list covers the contingencies of playing one-day internationals and T20 internationals in bio-secure hubs with the likely prospect of not being able to bring in replacements should the tour proceed,” Hohns said.”The preliminary list includes several exciting young players who have recently excelled at state level and in the BBL. These emerging players are among those we would like to develop further as we believe they have a bright future in Australian cricket. The preliminary list also has a view towards the upcoming T20 World Cup and in the longer term the 2023 World Cup.”Ben Oliver, Cricket Australia’s head of national teams, said that negotiations with the ECB and the Australian and British governments were continuing with any potential quarantine requirements for the players on return to Australia, which currently has closed international borders, a key issue.”There’s a lot of complexity around the tour and international cricket at the moment, but we’re doing everything we can to make sure we give that tour the best chance possible to proceed,” he said. “We take the quarantining environment very seriously and it’s important that we understand that fully before a decision on the tour is made.”Obviously for elite cricketers, elite athletes generally, the ability to train and stay fit and keep ticking over is an important factor. The health and safety of players and staff and the public health component is most critical. The quarantine arrangements aren’t confirmed. They obviously exist in terms of general international travel at the moment so that’s something we’re working through.”‘[It’s] at the start of our home summer so we are interested to understand how we navigate that. Equally we are fully supportive of the quarantine requirements that are in place across Federal and State and Territory Governments and our obligations around that from a public health perspective. We’re having constructive conversations with government agencies and particularly the ECB.”Oliver also confirmed that Hohns would continue as selection chairman for the forthcoming summer, after his previous contract ended earlier this year. “We’re moving forward with our selection panel as it was at the end of last season,” he said. “The panel is really focused on the challenges of the upcoming 12 months. We have some interesting challenges as we swap between formats and different tours that players are going to be involved in. Trevor is committed through this season.”In addition to the UK tour, originally slated for July, CA has also postponed a Test tour of Bangladesh and a limited-overs visit by Zimbabwe. Neither of the latter two series have as yet been rescheduled.

Left-arm spinner was released by Lancashire in 2018

Matt Roller11-Aug-2020Simon Kerrigan, the left-arm spinner who played one Test for England in 2013, has signed a two-year contract at Northamptonshire, nearly three years since his last professional appearance.Kerrigan, 31, was released by Lancashire at the end of the 2018 season after going a full year without making a first-team appearance, after which he put his playing career on hold to focus on coaching during a struggle for form.Regrettably, he is best known for struggling badly on his Test debut against Australia at The Oval, in which he conceded 53 runs from his eight overs in the match. He was not immediately discarded by England, travelling to Sri Lanka with the Lions in the 2013-14 winter and winning a recall to the squad during the India series the following summer.But his County Championship form tailed off somewhat: having taken 57 wickets at 20.89 in 2013, he averaged 35.36, 32.21 and 37.88 in the next three summers, before falling out of the first team in 2017. He joined Northants on loan for four games at the end of that season, but played club cricket for Fulwood and Broughton primarily as a specialist batsman in 2018 after putting his Lancashire career on hold.In 2019, he returned to bowling with a bang, taking 62 wickets at 8.48 apiece in the Northern Premier League to top the wicket-taking charts, and has trained regularly with Northants, travelling to Singapore with them on their pre-season tour. He has now signed a two-year deal with the club, which runs until the end of the 2022 season.”I’m delighted to have signed,” Kerrigan said. “I’ve worked hard over the winter and went on the pre-season tour to Singapore with the club, and felt in a good place pre-Covid to push for a contract. I’m really happy that the club have put their faith in me and offered me a contract for next year.”It’s an exciting time for the club with Sads [John Sadler] and Lids [Chris Liddle] coming in on the coaching staff along with being in Div 1 next year. I hope I can contribute a few five-fors to the cause and be part of some successful campaigns for Northamptonshire.”David Ripley, Northants’ head coach, said: “Since Graeme White retired from that side of the game we’ve been short of red-ball spin… so it’s great to have [Rob] Keogh and Kerrigan as a pair of red-ball spinners for Division One.””Simon and I have kept in touch pretty much since he came on loan in 2017 and he’s bowled regularly with the squad too. I think where he is now is a really exciting place: he’s a bit more content in himself and his bowling is in a great place technically.”I’m really excited: I’m pleased for him because he’s a cracking lad, a bit of a cricket badger and I’m really pleased we’ve given him and opportunity and I’ve just got that feeling it’s going to be a good story.”

For former Australia batsman played seven seasons for the state

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2020Chris Rogers, the former Australia batsman, has been named head coach of the Victoria men’s team.Rogers, who scored over 25,000 first-class runs and appeared in 25 Tests, played seven seasons for Victoria and won two Sheffield Shield titles with the state.He fills the role vacated by Andrew McDonald’s move into the Australia set-up as Justin Langer’s assistant coach. His deal runs until the end of the 2022 season.Rogers was appointed to Cricket Australia’s high performance team in early 2018 where he undertook had a variety of roles including head coach of the Australian Under-19 team for the World Cup earlier this year.”I’m really excited about the job and I’d like to thank Cricket Victoria for the opportunity. It feels a bit like I’ve come full circle in playing for Victoria for seven years and now coming back into the fold as the senior coach,” Rogers said.”I’m looking forward to working with this talented squad of players and coaches. I’ve been lucky enough to work with many of the Victorian players in recent years and I look forward to working with them to achieve individual and team success.””Due to the impact of coronavirus, we know this season will come with some very new challenges for us, but we’ll continue to prepare as best we can and come ready to play when the time is right.”Rogers was preferred ahead of Brad Hodge in the final running for the position. The recruitment process included Cricket Victoria’s general manager of Cricket Shaun Graf, Victoria captains Peter Handscomb and Meg Lanning, Cricket Victoria CEO Andrew Ingleton and former Victoria coach Greg Shipperd.”I’ve known Chris a long time now having been involved with his initial recruitment from WA,” Graf said. “His desire to get the best out of the talent he was given will hold him in good stead as he prepares our young talented squad for the challenging season ahead.”He’s worked extensively with elite talent throughout the CA pathway system and has shown an ability to improve and develop players for the long-term. On the field he was an extremely gritty competitor, we know he’ll bring that determination and resilience into the squad.”