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NZ Test captain is also looking to play all their six upcoming matches in Asia, but will sit out if conditions require more spinners than quicks

Vishal Dikshit22-Aug-2024As more and more New Zealand international players opt out of central contracts for T20 deals overseas, their Test captain Tim Southee is hoping that boards and franchise leagues “work together in some way” to make the club-versus-country choice easier for players. New Zealand have been among the hardest hit as high-profile names such as Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne have opted out of central contracts offered by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) in recent years.Finn Allen, who will join the BBL team Perth Scorchers on a two-year deal, and Devon Conway are the latest to join the list, although Conway has signed a casual contract, which means he will be available for all nine Tests New Zealand will play in the coming season, and only miss the white-ball matches in January to play in the SA20 tournament instead, just like Williamson.”Yeah, I think that’s decisions that each individual board are taking into account,” Southee said in Mumbai on the sidelines of the CEAT cricket rating awards about the calendar clash. “So at this stage, obviously the franchise leagues and the franchise world is growing. It would be nice to see the international [boards] and the leagues working together in some way because, especially Test cricket, I think for a lot of players is still the pinnacle of the format.Related

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“I guess it’s the way that cricket is going and then the amount of T20 leagues that are popping up. To look at it from Kane and Devon’s point of view, they’re still committed to New Zealand cricket, and we’ve got nine Test matches coming up. So they’re committed to those Test matches. So as far as the Test side is concerned, it’s not too dissimilar. They’re still going to be there even though they don’t have a New Zealand contract.”Southee, speaking for himself, said he holds the Test format “closest to the heart,” even if he has not had to forego much of international cricket for T20 leagues around the world. He spent New Zealand’s off-season playing the Hundred where he was the top wicket-taker for Birmingham Phoenix, with a tally of 14 and an economy rate of 6.81.”Format-wise, I think Test cricket is still the pinnacle for me and the format I hold closest to the heart,” Southee said. “I really enjoy the T20, the Hundred format keeps you young, keeps you guessing, keeps you thinking and trying to improve your game, and your skill set, which helps across the other formats.”Tim Southee enjoys the new 100-ball format, saying it keeps him young•PA Images via Getty Images

New Zealand will now head to Asia for six Tests – one against Afghanistan in India, two against Sri Lanka and three against India – before flying back home to host England for three Tests in November-December. The current calendar clash with T20 leagues may not affect New Zealand’s player availability much in the coming season, but if the trend of opting out of central contracts continues with the changing landscape of franchise T20 cricket, it may lead to bigger issues for NZC in the future.When asked how this problem could be solved, Southee said: “I don’t have the answers. Right now, I don’t think many people do. So I think it’s about working out what’s best for each individual board and their players. New Zealand Cricket seem to think that’s the best way for the next 12 months. I don’t think Kane and Devon will miss a lot of cricket for New Zealand. So for them to have the flexibility in doing that, but still also be committed to New Zealand, which I think that’s where the casual playing agreement comes in.”

‘Ideally, I’d like to play all Tests in the coming months’

As New Zealand embark on their subcontinent journey for the Test against Afghanistan starting on September 9, they will also consider leaving Southee out of the XI for some of the games to accommodate more spinners in the XI, head coach Gary Stead had recently said. Southee is the captain of the Test squad for the Tests against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, but if the conditions aren’t too favourable for seamers, Stead and Southee have decided the captain may have to serve drinks instead.”I think it’s just natural when you come to this part of the world,” Southee said, “obviously spin plays a big part but ideally, I’d like to play all the Test matches available. I love Test cricket, but I understand there’s balance to the side and obviously it’s not easy as a pace bowler to be able to play nine Test matches in the next few months. So there’s a lot of Test cricket so it’s all about managing the workloads. But for me, as long as you’re fit and ready to go, then I’d like to play every game.New Zealand have picked five spin-bowling options for the first three Tests in Asia – Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips – and since most of them are allrounders, the team management will decide on the best XI for each game depending on the conditions.”Yeah, I guess it was a conversation we (Stead and I) had in case that it becomes something that we have to look at,” Southee said about the balance of the side. “I think, like I said, we’ve got six Test matches in the subcontinent. Balance to your side is something you talk about, but yeah, it may happen, it may not happen, but it’s just something that we’ve talked about, that if it does happen, then we’re across it. So, yeah, I’d love to play every Test match, but you look at workloads and you look at the best sides for the Test match and that’s how you come up with your team.”I think you look at picking your best side for that Test match no matter where you are in the world and so I think that’s just true wherever you go. You decide to win over the five days. So we’ve got a lot of cricket in the subcontinent, six Test matches and then three Test matches back home.”Ironically, Southee’s best Test figures came in India, when he grabbed 7 for 64 in Bengaluru in 2012 and overall too he averages 28.70 in five Tests in India, which is a shade better than his career Test average of 29.61. In Asia, that average further dips to 26.50 from 17 Tests, which includes a five-for in Kanpur from his last visit to India.

England batter was told, ‘with Stokesy coming back I was probably going to miss out’

ECB Reporters Network and ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2023Harry Brook is “trying not to think about” his omission from England’s provisional 15-man squad for the upcoming World Cup in India and is hoping to “move on” from the disappointment as soon as possible.Brook was widely expected to make the cut after a bright start to his international career across formats but was squeezed out by Ben Stokes’ decision to reverse his retirement from ODIs, with England backing experience over youth.Speaking after hitting 44 off 24 balls in Northern Superchargers’ defeat to London Spirit at Lord’s on Friday night, Brook suggested that he could have done more in the last six months to press his case – and that a dearth of List A experience might have cost him.”Obviously it’s disappointing but I can’t do anything about it now,” Brook said. “You’ve just got to move on. I’m trying not to think about it anymore.”I’ve not had much conversation with Matthew [Mott] or Jos [Buttler]. They said with Stokesy coming back I was probably going to miss out this time. He is one of the best players to ever play cricket, so I can’t really complain, can I?”I feel like I’m playing well at the minute and feel I could potentially add value to the team. [But] there’s always something more you could do.”Brook has only played three ODIs for England – all of them against South Africa in early 2023 – and last played a 50-over game for Yorkshire in 2019, with the domestic competition clashing with the Hundred in the last three seasons.”I haven’t had much opportunity to play one-day cricket, whether that be for Yorkshire or England,” Brook said, “and although I’ve played a lot of T20 cricket, I don’t know if I’ve done as well as I have in the past in the last six months, so that might have had an effect.”Brook’s omission has taken pundits off-guard since the squad was announced. Jofra Archer, working for the BBC, learned that Brook was not part of the provisional World Cup squad live on-air before Southern Brave played Birmingham Phoenix on Thursday night. “I didn’t even realise that Brooky was not there… that’s just got me a bit stunned,” Archer said.Kevin Pietersen, meanwhile, said that he would have selected Brook ahead of Dawid Malan, suggesting that Malan would not be suited to playing on the subcontinent. “I’m absolutely flabbergasted that he cannot make England’s World Cup squad,” Pietersen said on Sky Sports. “Flabbergasted. Because he is pure quality. I just cannot believe it.”

Pace bowler feels he has a point to prove upon returning to India

Vithushan Ehantharajah23-Jan-20246:02

Will Bazball work in India?

The coloured clothing has been shelved for creams, but remnants of blue feeling remain among those England players returning to India after a chastening 2023 ODI World Cup.Five of the current Test squad spent October and November traipsing across this country on a trip that began with great expectations of a successful title defence and ended with calls for a generational reset. Some of the signage – official and otherwise – remains scattered throughout Hyderabad as ghosts of that failure, even though England’s varied schedule did not include the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium. Even while the formats accelerate on their divergent paths, success in India will offer some redemption for those few, if not full closure on a tournament that cut them deep.That certainly provides some of the fuel for Mark Wood’s motivation over the next eight weeks. Wood played seven of England’s nine group matches, taking six wickets at an average of 58.16. His economy rate of 6.46 was the second-highest among the English seamers, after Sam Curran’s 8.07 from his three appearances. Wood’s last match in the tournament was the defeat to Australia in Ahmedabad which finally killed off the 2019 winners.Related

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It was only after the tournament was over and the players returned home that the scale of their failure truly sunk in. And after much introspection, Wood wants to make amends with the red ball.”I think it hurt everybody,” said Wood, who missed the December tour to the Caribbean. “I’ve texted Woakesy, Jos and other lads in that group. We came here with big expectations and we didn’t live up to it. Nowhere near up to it. It just didn’t go well. We wanted that chance to create something as a group and we fell well short.”I was really upset with it, after the first week I got home. When you go from game to game, you’re disappointed but then you’re like ‘right, it’s the next game, then the next game’. For about a week once I got home it was, ‘why did I do that’ or ‘why was this happening’, ‘what did we do that for’. It really hurt for a while, but that’s why that was the hunger to come back into this environment. I’m ready to try to prove that was just a one-off.”I feel like I’ve got a point to prove a little bit here. Very disappointed with that whole campaign, personally and as a team. Conditions might not be favourable for me, but I’ll be trying to put a better show than I did at the World Cup.”Mark Wood is out to prove a point in Hyderabad•Getty Images

For Wood, this is his first full step into the unknown. None of his 31 Test caps have come to India, though he was on deck for the back end of the 2021 series. He played three ODIs and four T20Is on that tour. Other ventures to these parts came on Indian Premier League duty for Chennai Super Kings and, now, Lucknow Super Giants.Much like the Ashes last summer, when he took 14 wickets, short, sharp bursts will be the way to go. The difference, of course, will be conditions, especially on what the tourists expect to be turning tracks, starting with Hyderabad on Thursday.”If I can get reverse swing that will bring me into it a bit,” said Wood. “The two bouncers an over with a certain amount of guys back in one-day cricket limits you. The situation of the game, we were chasing the game at times when we didn’t have enough runs. It could be similar here. In general, it’s a different format, but I still feel like I didn’t bowl well then and didn’t live up to the standards that I want to set for myself. I’m going to have to change things here.”There are cues to take from the opposition – “you look at what their bowlers have done well, Bumrah and Siraj, trying to get some learning off them” – along with familiarity with how Ben Stokes has used him. “I think Stokesy will use me as someone to try to make something happen, make an impact. That was my role in Pakistan. I don’t see it being any different here. Whenever he needs me, or whatever game he needs me, whatever situation, I’ll be there to charge in for him.”Constant management of his left ankle means he will not play all five, even with the bigger gaps between the second and third, and fourth and fifth Tests. Nor will Stokes want him to, given the debilitating effect such a workload would have on his pace.Indeed, a new role as the sole quick could be in the offing. With spin set to play such a prominent part in the five-match series, the onus will be on the quicker bowlers to add variety. If England do decide to go with three full-time spinners, supplemented by Joe Root’s off spin, Wood believes he has the requisite skills and robustness to be the lone ranger.”I think with my track record, being the one seamer there would be question marks over me. But if it does happen it’s another thing I can hopefully prove to people I can do. My injury record has been better the last few years. If that is the case, it will be a chance for me to show people that I’m up to it.”As for hopes for the series, Wood was pragmatic; that India are strong favourites should be seen as an opportunity to dream big.”It’s a free hit, to be honest. Not many teams come here and win. If we give it a good go, we could go down in flames. But if we give it a go, it’s no different to any other time.”

Batting at No. 3, Nafay hit a 31-ball 60 not out as Gladiators romped home with five wickets and five balls to spare

Associated Press20-Feb-2024Quetta Gladiators clinched a second win from two matches in the PSL 2024 by defeating scrappy defending champions Lahore Qalandars by five wickets.Unheralded Khawaja Nafay showed plenty of confidence against the star-studded pace attack of Qalandars. Nafay defied the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf by hitting three sixes and four boundaries. He flicked Zaman Khan to the fine leg boundary for the winning runs to finish unbeaten on 60 off 31 balls.Gladiators romped to 188 for 5 with five balls to spare after Qalandars’ 187 for 7. Qalandars lost a second successive home home after dropping three catches.Qalandars opening batter Sahibzada Farhan, dropped on 44, made 62 off 43 balls but it was a breezy unbeaten 45 off 17 balls by Jahandad Khan, who was promoted at No. 5, which propelled them.Jahandad claimed the momentum in the death overs by hitting four sixes and three boundaries. He upped the ante when he smacked Abrar Ahmed for three sixes in the leg-spinner’s last over which went for 23. Despite the onslaught, Akeal Hosein, opening the bowling for Gladiators, conceded only 17 and picked up two wickets in his four-over spell.Gladiators made a brisk start to their chase thanks to Jason Roy (24 runs) and Saud Shakeel (40). Roy was dropped twice as they combined for 69, another scintillating opening stand after their century partnership against Zalmi.Both batters fell in successive overs after dominating the powerplay. Zaman clean-bowled Shakeel with a yorker and Roy swiped wildly at spinner Raza’s short ball that hit the middle stump.Qalandars’ part-time wicketkeeper Farhan had another lapse in the field when he dropped former Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed off the first ball he faced from Rauf.

Lewis Goldsworthy marks season’s first appearance for hosts with 78

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2023Ed Barnard’s career-best List A score of 94 guided Warwickshire to a four-wicket Metro Bank One-Day Cup victory over Somerset at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.The home side were bowled out for 230 inside 47 overs after losing the toss, Lewis Goldsworthy marking his first appearance of the season with a top score of 78, while George Bartlett contributed 74. Left-arm spinner Jake Lintott claimed 3 for 43.In reply, Warwickshire made 233 for 6, winning with 6.2 overs to spare. Barnard led the way, facing 111 balls and striking 11 fours. Ireland all-rounder Curtis Campher finished with 3 for 47 on his first Somerset appearance.On a cloudy afternoon in front of a 4,500 crowd, the hosts soon plunged into trouble. George Thomas fell to the third ball of the game, caught at slip by Rob Yates off Barnard without scoring.It was 12 for 2 when Andrew Umeed edged Oliver Hannon-Dalby to second slip and 24 for 3 when James Rew had his stumps scattered by the same bowler.Somerset’s new one-day captain Sean Dickson cover drove his first ball from Hannon-Dalby for four, but had made only 15 when nicking a back foot shot off George Garrett through to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess.Bartlett also hit his first delivery for four, but from 64 for 4, he and Goldsworthy had to play with care, rotating the strike with plenty of singles.
Goldsworthy has had a frustrating summer confined to second XI cricket. He survived a couple of early inside edges past the keeper, but grew in confidence to reach fifty off 72 balls with eight fours.Bartlett went to his half-century off 66 balls and the fifth-wicket stand was worth 96 in 19 overs when Goldsworthy miscued an attempted slog sweep off Lintott and was caught by Kai Smith running in from deep mid-wicket.Campher’s first innings for Somerset lasted only five balls, ending when he drove a delivery from Lintott straight back at the bowler, who did well to hold a sharp return catch.Bartlett’s attractive 83-ball knock concluded when he was caught at short fine leg by Hannon-Dalby the ball after depositing Craig Miles over mid-wicket for his second six.Danny Lamb, making his Somerset debut on loan from Lancashire, hit four fours, including two ramp shots off Hannon-Dalby, in his unbeaten 28. But Ned Leonard was stumped advancing down the pitch to Lintott and Jack Brooks run out by a smart piece of fielding by Barnard at backward point before last man Shoaib Bashir edged a catch behind off Garrett.Somerset’s total looked below par on the fast-scoring ground. Warwickshire openers Yates and Barnard batted positively to take the score to 33 in the eighth over when Yates edged a catch to wicketkeeper Rew off Brooks.Barnard looked in good touch from the start, striking 8 fours in moving to a fluent 55-ball half-century, and finding an equally aggressive partner in skipper Will Rhodes as they confidently added 78 for the second wicket in 13 overs.Rhodes scored at almost a run a ball in his 41-ball innings of 38 before pulling a ball from Campher to mid-wicket where Bartlett held a good low catch to make it 111 for 2.Burgess had made only three when Campher penetrated his defence to bowl him and left-arm spinner Goldsworthy quickly followed up by having Brookes caught at cover off a skyer to leave Warwickshire 126 for 4 at halfway.Hamza Shaikh lofted Goldsworthy over long-on for the first six of the innings before a two off Campher took Barnard past his previous best List A score of 85 not out, made for Worcestershire against Hampshire at Southampton.Shaikh pulled another six over deep square before departing for 38 to a fine boundary catch by Brooks, who then ended Barnard’s match-winning contribution by having him caught behind.By then, Warwickshire were within 29 of their target and Smith and Lintott completed the job.

Georgia Voll could make a Test debut while Beth Mooney will take the keeping gloves

Andrew McGlashan23-Jan-2025Australia remain hopeful that Alyssa Healy will be fit to feature in the day-night Ashes Test at the MCG, and have named her in a 13-player squad, but it will be as a batter only if she does recover in time.Healy was ruled out of the first T20I at the SCG with a stress reaction in the same foot that she injured at the T20 World Cup. With Healy not keeping Beth Mooney will take the gloves for the Test, which may result in her moving down the order, which would increase the chances of a debut for Georgia Voll.If Healy ultimately did not make the Test, then Tahlia McGrath would again stand in as captain.Related

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Allrounder Ashleigh Gardner is expected to recover from her calf strain in time for the Test but is doubtful for the final T20I in Adelaide. Heather Graham has been added to that squad as cover.”We’re pleased with the form of the 13 players that have taken part in the series to date and feel it’s a squad that offers a variety of options when it comes to selecting the makeup of the Test side,” national selector Shawn Flegler said. “Alyssa has been named in the squad as a batter only and we’ll give her as much time as we can to prove her fitness ahead of the match. Ash will continue to be assessed daily… at this stage, she is on track to be available for the Test match.”Mooney’s experience wicketkeeping in longer-form cricket is limited and she is aware it will be a new physical challenge.”I don’t think I’ll be able to walk after if I have to keep but we’re pretty lucky in the Australian team where we’ve got lots of players that can step into different roles,” she said after the first T20I. “But when [Healy’s] been out, I’ve been able to step into that role and got some good feedback along the way, so just happy to do what’s required of the team.”If Voll did debut at the MCG, it would complete a full set across the three formats in less than two months following the start of her ODI career against India and then a T20I debut at the SCG.Beth Mooney on keeping in a Test match: “I don’t think I’ll be able to walk after”•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

“I’m more than happy to try and do a job up the top of the order,” Voll told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday. “I love batting there and batting up the top with Beth Mooney was pretty cool [in Sydney]. I’m more than happy to fit in wherever the team needs.”Megan Schutt has again been named in a Test squad despite often saying her days in the format are over, but the pink-ball day-night element to this game may see her come into consideration for the final XI.The other decision that will need to be made is whether to play both Alana King and Georgia Wareham, who have caused England huge problems in the limited-overs matches.The match will be the first day-night Test at the MCG and the first women’s Test match at the venue since 1948-49.

Australia squad for Ashes Test

Alyssa Healy (capt), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney (wk), Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

Rangpur Riders, the defending champions, fell 32 runs short of the target after Guyana Amazon Warriors had put up a solid 196 for 4

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2025A batting show headlined by three innings that were very different from one another, and a combined bowling effort where all the key men contributed something of note took Guyana Amazon Warriors, the hosts, to the Global Super League title in Providence on Friday night. They vanquished Rangpur Riders, who had won the title in its inaugural season, and a target of 197 might have seemed achievable, but not after a powerplay of 32 for 3.It started with the run-out of Ibrahim Zadran in the second over, followed by Dwaine Pretorius picking up the first of his three wickets – Soumya Sarkar – in the fifth, and Moeen Ali chipping in with the big wicket of Kyle Mayers in the sixth.The fightback came courtesy Saif Hassan and Iftikhar Ahmed, who put together 73 runs for the fourth wicket in 44 balls, but another run-out, this time of Saif, triggered another slide. This time, they went from 102 for 3 to 126 for 8 between the 13th and the 17th overs, and there was no coming back from there.Masterminding the dominance were Pretorius, with the wickets of Azmatullah Omarzai and Iftikhar, who top-scored with 46 from 29 balls, and Imran Tahir, who sent back Nurul Hasan and Khaled Ahmed.