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Matt Breetzke blazed 93 off 45 balls, just one short of his highest T20 score, to reignite Northamptonshire Steelbacks’ Vitality Blast campaign by setting up a 13-win over bottom-placed Derbyshire.The victory puts the Steelbacks’ quest for qualification back on track, after they lost their previous five games, following six straight wins at the start of the tournament.Back from Test duty with South Africa, Breetzke adjusted instantly to the change of format, setting the pace with nine fours and five sixes in a partnership of 125 in 10.4 overs with skipper David Willey who made 53 off 33 deliveries (six fours, two sixes).With Saif Zaib also making an unbeaten 53 from 20 balls (three fours, four sixes), Northamptonshire finished with 237 for four, equalling their highest ever T20 score scored away against Yorkshire earlier this season.Derbyshire looked on course to chase down the target and post their highest ever T20 total. In a display of ferocious hitting, Aneurin Donald smashed 71 off just 22 balls (eight fours, six sixes) in a blistering opening stand worth 112 in just 7.4 overs with Caleb Jewell (39). But Australian leg-spinner Lloyd Pope made the crucial double breakthrough, removing both Donald and Jewell in his opening over. George Scrimshaw then struck twice in his second over to further arrest Derbyshire’s hopes.The match saw the highest aggregate score between these two sides in T20 cricket.Earlier, Allah Ghazanfar trapped Ricardo Vasconcelos lbw and almost picked up Breetzke but shelled a simple return catch. The South African responded by pulling Aitchison for six and taking three consecutive boundaries off Zak Chappell as Northamptonshire finished the powerplay on 51 for one.Breetzke progressed to his half-century off just 24 deliveries, pummelling Alex Thomson through extra cover before dispatching consecutive sixes.Willey got into the groove too, hitting Aitchison over his head before running a single to bring up the Steelbacks’ 100 at the end of the tenth over. Breetzke then flat-batted Ghazanfar straight for six to bring up the 100 partnership off 54 balls. Later in the over, Derbyshire incurred five penalty runs for a Level 2 disciplinary offence when Ghazanfar threw the ball in what was deemed an inappropriate or dangerous manner.Willey hit Samit Patel for consecutive straight sixes before he was caught in the deep. Such was their rate of acceleration, he and Breetzke had added 81 in the previous six overs.Zaib made a blistering start, clubbing Patel down the ground and sweeping for six. Meanwhile Breetzke paddled Aitchison round the corner for a huge six, but fell next ball, edging behind. The 200 came up courtesy of four overthrows, while Zaib continued his assault.Donald struck five boundaries off Willey’s opening over in the chase. He attacked Scrimshaw too, the former Derbyshire man leaking 24 off his opening over, Donald sending one ball sailing over fine leg for six, Derbyshire reaching 50 off just 19 balls.Jewell went after left-arm spinner Zaib too, sweeping him for six. But Northamptonshire missed a tough chance to remove Donald on 41 when keeper Lewis McManus slipped attempting a catch off a skier.Donald pulled Willey for six to close out the powerplay at 85 without loss before bludgeoning consecutive sixes off Luke Procter to reach his half-century and Derbyshire’s 100.But Pope’s double-wicket strike lifted the spirits of the home fans, as first Jewell was trapped lbw before Donald was caught behind chasing a wide one. Scrimshaw then struck twice in the 11th over, having Ross Whiteley caught at mid-on and bowling Martin Andersson.Wayne Masden (29) and Harry Came (35*) continued to attack before Masden holed out in the deep off Procter. While Northamptonshire shelled other chances, McManus made no mistake in the final over, catching Patel off a skier, off Procter’s bowling.

Mitchell Marsh and Tim David are expected to re-sign with Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes respectively after the BBL and WBBL contracting embargo period lifted on Monday.Marsh, Australia’s T20I captain, and one of the team’s key death hitters in David were two of the most notable uncontracted BBL players when the embargo period began after the new player movement window ended in early February, when seven players found new clubs.Marsh and David had not been part of the maximum 10 players that clubs were allowed to retain prior to that window opening after both men had come off long-term contracts at their BBL clubs.Despite both fielding offers to move elsewhere it appears likely both will re-sign, with Marsh set to have much more availability to play for Scorchers in the coming years having lost his Test place while David will be aiming for more success with Hurricanes after playing a key role in their first title last season.Related

• Mitchell Marsh re-signs for three years with Perth Scorchers in BBL

• Swepson moves to Melbourne Stars on deadline day

• Melbourne Renegades sign Doggett, Jewell set to follow

• Beau Webster returns to Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL

• Melbourne Renegades sign Jason Behrendorff in first BBL free agency move

Matt Renshaw is also likely to remain at Brisbane Heat after coming out of contract. Uncontracted players in both the BBL and WBBL can be signed by any club after the embargo period ends.Clubs are also free to sign one overseas player if they do not already have one, but that player must be available for the full season plus the finals.Sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers do not currently have an overseas signing for the BBL while WBBL defending champions Melbourne Renegades and Strikers do not have an overseas player signed.Seven players found new BBL clubs during the trade window with Jason Behrendorff, Brendan Doggett and Caleb Jewell all joining Renegades, Mitchell Swepson and Liam Hatcher signing with Melbourne Stars, while Beau Webster and Joel Paris returned to Hurricanes and Scorchers respectively.Ellyse Perry is currently uncontracted in the WBBL•Getty Images

In the WBBL, Sixers have yet to secure Ellyse Perry while Renegades title-winning skipper Sophie Molineux and star legspinner Georgia Wareham are currently uncontracted, as is Heat skipper Jess Jonassen and Stars and Australia seam bowler Kim Garth.There has also been a new rule introduced for the WBBL with clubs required to keep one spot available on their list for an Australian domestic player who performs in the domestic T20 Spring Challenge competition.”The new rule ensuring WBBL clubs will draft a player from the Spring Challenge is also exciting with some great emerging talent to be rewarded with a chance to win in the world’s strongest women’s T20 league,” Big Bash Leagues general manager Alistair Dobson said.Meanwhile, Cricket Victoria (CV) has confirmed it will host the inaugural Melbourne T10 Invitational tournament at the Junction Oval next week with five BBL academy teams from Stars, Renegades, Sixers, Strikers and Sydney Thunder all taking part.CV has been involved in the running of the San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket and was the only Australian state to send a team to the Global Super League in the Caribbean last year. Cricket New South Wales has been involved in the running of Washington Freedom in the MLC.The T10 tournament is designed to provide playing opportunities for young Australian players outside of the domestic season that finished last weekend. It will be played from April 7 to 17 at Junction Oval, during a mandatory leave period for contracted Australian international and domestic players who are not playing overseas, and will be live streamed in Australia and India.

Current BBL squads

Adelaide Strikers: Cameron Boyce, Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey, Thomas Kelly, Harry Nielsen, Lloyd Pope, Alex Ross, Matt Short, Henry ThortonBrisbane Heat: Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Nathan McSweeney, Colin Munro (NZ), Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Callum VidlerHobart Hurricanes: Iain Carlisle, Nikhil Chaudhary, Nathan Ellis, Chris Jordan (ENG), Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Matthew Wade, Beau Webster, Mac WrightMelbourne Renegades: Jason Behrendorff, Josh Brown, Harry Dixon, Brendan Doggett, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Caleb Jewell, Nathan Lyon, Fergus O’Neill, Tom Rogers, Tim Seifert (NZ), Will Sutherland, Adam ZampaMelbourne Stars: Scott Boland, Hilton Cartwright, Tom Curran (ENG), Liam Hatcher, Glenn Maxwell, Hamish McKenzie, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell SwepsonPerth Scorchers: Ashton Agar, Finn Allen (NZ), Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Lance Morris, Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton TurnerSydney Sixers: Sean Abbott, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, Todd Murphy, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, Steve SmithSydney Thunder: Wes Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings (ENG), Ollie Davies, Chris Green, Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner

Current WBBL squads

Adelaide Strikers: Darcie Brown,Tahlia McGrath, Anesu Mushangwe, Maddie Penna, Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade WellingtonBrisbane Heat: Nadine de Klerk (SA), Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Charli Knott, Grace Parsons, Georgia RedmayneHobart Hurricanes: Heather Graham, Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee (SA), Hayley Silver-Holmes, Lauren Smith, Molly Strano, Elyse VillaniMelbourne Renegades: Emma de Broughe, Tess Flintoff, Ella Hayward, Milly Illingworth, Georgia Prestwidge, Naomi StalenbergMelbourne Stars: Sophie Day, Marizanne Kapp (SA), Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Ines McKeon, Sophie Reid, Annabel SutherlandPerth Scorchers: Chloe Ainsworth, Sophie Devine (NZ), Amy Edgar, Mikayla Hinkley, Alana King, Beth MooneySydney Sixers: Caoimhe Bray, Maitlan Brown, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Amelia Kerr (NZ), Courtney SippelSydney Thunder: Chamari Athapaththu (SL), Sam Bates, Hannah Darlington, Hasrat Gill, Laura Harris, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Taneale Peschel, Georgia Voll, Tahlia Wilson

Cameron Green is hopeful of playing some Sheffield Shield cricket for Western Australia before the end of the domestic summer and is eyeing off a stint in county cricket to get himself in the selection mix as a batter only for the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June.Green has not played since having back surgery in October after suffering a fifth stress fracture in his lower back during Australia’s white-ball tour of the UK in September.The 25-year-old underwent the same back surgery that many fast bowlers around the world have had including Jasprit Bumrah and WA and club teammate Jason Behrendorff, who he consulted with both before and after undergoing the procedure in Christchurch. Green also caught up with former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond while recovering in New Zealand, with Bond one of the first to undergo the radical procedure that includes having screws and a wire inserted into the spine.Related

• The Sheffield Shield is back – here's how things stand in the race for the final

• Cummins and Hazlewood ruled out of Champions Trophy

• Travis Head expects Sam Konstas to open in WTC final

• Australia 'very hopeful' Green could play World Test Championship final as a batter

• Mitchell Marsh out of Champions Trophy with back injury

Green’s recovery is well ahead of schedule. He was back running in early January and has been batting for a number of weeks. He is not going to return to bowling until later in the year, well after the WTC final and the three-Test tour of the Caribbean, with the long-term aim to have him bowling without restrictions for the 2025-26 Ashes series which starts in late November.From very early in the recovery phase there were hopes in Western Australia that Green could be fit to play a Shield game as a batter in late February or early match. While speaking at the Cricket Australia Awards on Monday night in Melbourne, after winning the Community Impact Award for his work with Kidney Health Australia, Green confirmed that he was eyeing a possible return in WA’s final Shield game of the home and away season against Victoria at the WACA ground on March 15. WA is also in the mix to play in a fourth straight Shield final which begins on March 26.He would need clearance from CA’s medical staff to be approved to play in that game. Green has to have scans on his back at regular intervals post surgery to monitor his progression.Beyond that, Green is understood to be open to a stint in county cricket in England prior to the WTC final. There are eight rounds of championship fixtures scheduled in April and May, the last of which begins on May 23 before the WTC final starts on June 11.CA would only likely approve him for a short stint if a club was keen to sign him under those restrictions given he would not be capable of bowling.Green’s return to fitness will create a squeeze in Australia’s top order. He made 174 not out batting at No.4 in his second last Test against New Zealand in March last year but Steve Smith has returned to No. 4 in style, scoring three centuries in his last four Test matches against India and Sri Lanka.Travis Head is going to move back to No.5 for the WTC final despite opening in the series in Sri Lanka, and Head said he expected Sam Konstas to return to the top of the order for the WTC final after he was squeezed out of the XI in Galle. There will be pressure on Marnus Labuschagne at No. 3 while Australia may not need an allrounder in Beau Webster at No.6 for a one-off final at Lord’s if conditions allow for four specialist bowlers to do all of the bowling.Josh Inglis’ century on debut in Galle has also created a headache for the selectors. He was picked specifically for his prowess against spin but he grew up in England and was Australia’s spare batter for four of the five Tests against India during the home summer before injuring his calf while sub fielding in Melbourne.

England men’s last overseas Test before the 2025-26 Ashes takes place in Hamilton this week – but Ben Stokes has urged his team not to get distracted by next winter’s assignment in Australia.The warning comes as England prepare for their final Test against New Zealand at Seddon Park this week – their 17th of the year – as they look to cap off 2024 with a 3-0 clean sweep. Their next assignment will come in May, a one-off Test against Zimbabwe, before a huge five-match series with India. Though the Ashes glow brightly on the horizon, the captain has reiterated head coach Brendon McCullum’s mantra, to “be where your feet are”.Stokes has overseen a transitional year with the red-ball set-up. There have been seven debuts, with Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith and Shoaib Bashir becoming mainstays. Winter debutants Brydon Carse and Jacob Bethell have made strong cases to remain part of the XI, particularly against the Black Caps – Carse as the series’ leading wicket taker (16) and Bethell as the team’s second-highest runscorer (172 at 57.33). While Carse is 29, the rest are mid-twenties and younger: Atkinson 26, Smith 24, while Bashir and Bethell are both 21.The collateral has been an experienced core of players moved on, including Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker James Anderson at the start of the home summer. Indeed, it was while addressing Anderson’s enforced retirement after his 188th and final Test cap, against West Indies at Lord’s, that Stokes explained the move to refresh the team was done with a view to competing in the next Ashes. “We had to make some decisions around what we think is best for the team going into that Ashes series,” Stokes said at the time. “We want to go out there and we want to get that urn back.”While there was plenty of blowback from pensioning off Anderson, the motivation was sound. Hard though they pushed Australia in 2023’s home series – in which Anderson took five wickets at 85.40 – the 2-2 draw saw England fall short of a first Ashes win since 2015. That disappointment, wrapped up with the 4-1 series defeat to India at the start of 2024 put the onus on finding players who could perform in all conditions – particularly those they will face next winter.Stokes says he now regrets those comments made at Lord’s. While he insists those words have not impacted the team, there is a suggestion the management are wary of players looking too far ahead and possibly overlooking the challenges in front of them.Related

• Stokes leaves field with recurrence of hamstring injury

• Potts grinds away with the right attitude and skill, and a smile

• Stokes finds his peace in home comforts after 'hardest trip' to Pakistan

• Stokes' brotherly helping hand gets the best out of Carse

• The problem with Ben Stokes' problem with over-rates penalties

“I know whenever we spoke about Australia there is a lot looking towards that, but there are still massive series before that,” Stokes said. “We have India. And I think through my own fault, I maybe spoke a little too much about the Ashes and putting too much emphasis on that series, considering how much cricket we had to play before that.”I quite like staying in the present, in the moment. But it is quite tough when you’ve got an Ashes coming around the corner.”I’ve been involved in quite a few of those now and you do always look at the calendar and think ‘oh it’s nearly here’. It’s just hard to avoid. But I think just making sure I keep my focus on being in the here-and-now and what we’ve got coming up. And then, when the Ashes is our next series, then we will focus on it.”On the field, it has broadly been a positive year for England. They will finish with a winning record regardless of the result in Saturday’s Test in Hamilton, having won 9 out of 16 thus far, with three series victories. But the 4-1 and 2-1 losses away to India and Pakistan, respectively, still smart, particularly having been 1-0 up on both occasions.”Seventeen (Tests) in a year is a lot when you add the other cricket,” Stokes added. “A long tough slog but a really good year. Played some good cricket, found some extraordinarily talented players who have shown they’re capable of delivering big performances on the biggest stage, which is playing for your country. So overall, really happy.”The year has also been one of discovery for Stokes, both of the limits of his body, and of areas to improve as a captain – two facets which have been intrinsically linked.A return to bowling as an allrounder following knee surgery at the end of 2023 was interrupted by a hamstring injury, which resulted in him missing four Tests. That had knock-on effects in Pakistan when Stokes’ mood had his team-mates “walking on eggshells”.He had reason to be on edge, after working flat out to regain full fitness, then having his house burgled during the second Test. But in the time between tours, both he and McCullum felt he had veered from being the leader he set out to be when taking charge in 2022.Stokes began this New Zealand tour apologising for his conduct in Pakistan. He now ends it in similar fashion, sensitive to the fact that talk of the Ashes might have a distracting effect on the team.”At the start of the tour where there was a learning curve for me as a captain, from my experience of Pakistan. And then looking back to then (his comments at Lord’s), even speaking and saying stuff like that – we’re so far away from what my leadership had been about. Staying present, staying where we are, and then worrying about stuff when we have to worry about.”In leadership roles, you can maybe differ from where you first started, and think that’s the right thing to be saying or be thinking about. Which then takes you away from a successful mindset, a successful way of speaking within the group. So, yeah, learning curves as a leader I guess.”

Big picture: Pakistan’s year-long gap amid chaos

Australia’s top-order bat-off in Tests is front and centre. But before India arrive for the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the men’s international season begins with a white-ball tour by Pakistan. That includes three ODIs and T20Is each, and starts in Melbourne on Monday.For the hosts, this provides the majority of their preparation for the Champions Trophy, with just a one-off game in Sri Lanka to follow in February. They remain largely settled in the format, barring the retirement of David Warner since the ODI World Cup, and are coming off a 3-2 victory in England in September.Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head are missing the series against Pakistan on paternity leave, and Cameron Green is injured. But otherwise, the main names will be on show – at least for parts of the series – as the fast bowlers, in particular, continue to be managed ahead of the Tests. The big three, including Pat Cummins, who remains the ODI captain even though he hasn’t played a game since the World Cup final, are expected to feature in two out of the three matches.Related

• Rizwan announced white-ball captain; Babar, Afridi, Naseem return

• Australia's questions: Opening 'fireworks', filling Green's spot, and more

• Shan Masood backs Babar Azam to make strong comeback

Despite the dwindling significance of bilateral ODIs, it still feels extraordinary that Pakistan have not played a game since their last outing of the World Cup nearly a year ago (so the form guide below is pretty irrelevant). Don’t for one minute, though, think that that means any lack of drama. Despite not facing a ball in ODIs during this time, Babar Azam resigned as captain, returned, and then resigned again.Having been dropped during the Test series against England, he’s back for this tour, along with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, while Mohammad Rizwan has been handed the captaincy – at least for this week – as they try to put a side together that can compete in a home Champions Trophy.White-ball coach Gary Kirsten is also gone without having had an ODI during his brief tenure. Jason Gillespie has been handed the job on an interim basis for this tour, creating an unexpected chance to come up against his home nation. It may be something of a trail run, given no coach has been named for the Zimbabwe tour which follows, although it’s understood to be unlikely that Gillespie will be offered the role full-time – and whether he would want it is another question entirely. A few weeks ago, though, it appeared he may be the first coach out of the door, until Sajid Khan and Noman Ali got to work on England.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: WLLWW
Pakistan: LWWLLJake Fraser-McGurk has played only two ODIs so far•Getty Images

In the spotlight: Jake Fraser-McGurk and Kamran Ghulam

Want another bat-off? Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk have a chance to stake a claim to be Travis Head’s partner at the Champions Trophy. Fraser-McGurk made his international debut in the two ODIs he played against West Indies earlier this year, where he cracked 41 off 23 balls across two innings. He didn’t feature against England, but will now likely have all three games of this series to show his skills in the longer white-ball format. Fraser-McGurk has only played one game this season, a 50-over outing for South Australia, having been left out of the early Sheffield Shield rounds. But Pakistan have a strong pace attack, and could give his technique a working over.It sent a jolt through Pakistan cricket when Babar was omitted after the opening Test against England, but his replacement Kamran Ghulam started in grand style with a century on debut in Multan. He has a single ODI cap to his name, but that came as a concussion substitute against New Zealand last year when he replaced Haris Sohail after Pakistan’s batting innings was complete, and he wasn’t required to bowl. So, in effect, a game against Australia would be the proper start.

Team news: Hardie included

Cummins confirmed his first team of the season. Josh Hazlewood (Sheffield Shield) and Cooper Connolly (Australia A) are not available for the opening match. Lance Morris has been added as fast-bowling cover. Aaron Hardie impressed in England, and may have earned an opportunity slightly higher in the order.Australia: 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam ZampaIrfan Khan will make his ODI debut in the middle order while Pakistan have included four frontline fast bowlers. Mohammad Rizwan was listed at No. 4Pakistan: 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Kamran Ghulam, 6 Salman Ali Agha, 7 Irfan Khan, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad HasnainBabar Azam is one away from equaling Saeed Anwar for most ODI centuries for Pakistan•Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

The pitch for the Sheffield Shield match last month had considerable help for the quicks, and it’s still relatively early season in Melbourne. The forecast is for a cool and an overcast day, but it’s due to stay dry.

Stats and trivia

• Glenn Maxwell needs 66 runs to reach 4000 in ODIs. Maxwell’s strike rate of 126 is way higher than any of the 20 Australia batters to have scored at least 3500 runs in ODIs, with Warner’s 97 the next best.
• Babar needs one more century to equal Saeed Anwar’s record for the most ODI hundreds for Pakistan.
• Pakistan have beaten Australia only twice in the last 13 ODIs between the two sides, with both those wins coming in a home series in 2022.
• Overall, Australia have a 10-4 win record against Pakistan at the MCG

Quotes

“It’s a great way to kind of kick into the summer. Some of the young guys, seeing what they’re made of as they’re kind of starting out their international careers. And then in the longer-term context, we’ve got Champions Trophy coming up, which always has a good link into that.”
“We don’t want to prove anything. We’ll just play normal cricket. We will try our best to play against these guys. Yes, Australia is a good side, and they are in home conditions. Only one thing they have is the benefit of a home crowd.”

The PCB is seeking advice from the Pakistan government on how to proceed with its hosting of the Champions Trophy, after the BCCI made clear it will not send India to Pakistan for the tournament in February.The BCCI informed the ICC this week of the decision of the Indian government to not allow India to travel to Pakistan. That decision was formally conveyed by the ICC to the PCB on Friday, who have now gone to their government for next steps.”The ICC emailed the PCB informing them about the inability of the BCCI to send its team to Pakistan,” a PCB spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. “No reason was given. There is nothing in writing we have received from the BCCI. The PCB has apprised the federal government of the situation.”Related

• Hybrid model for Champions Trophy? ICC likely to take call on November 26

• Champions Trophy: PCB wants an explanation in writing from India for refusal to travel

• PCB 'not prepared to accept' hybrid model for Champions Trophy

• Akram urges India to travel to Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025

• Champions Trophy without India not an option, say ECB chiefs

The PCB has adopted a more rigid stance on its hosting of the tournament – the first ICC event in the country since 1996 – with the board chairman Mohsin Naqvi ruling out a hybrid host model very clearly on Friday. Such a model, used in the 2023 Asia Cup which Pakistan hosted, would see India play its games outside of Pakistan and all non-India games in Pakistan.Given that Naqvi is Pakistan’s interior minister, that stance can be taken as representative of the government’s in this case. An official familiar with the situation said the Pakistan government will consider directing the PCB to stand firm, reject the hybrid model and insist the entire tournament is held in Pakistan. That would be a directive the PCB would be in no position to ignore in much the way the BCCI is unable to act against its own government’s directive.It leaves the ICC, with 100 days to go to the start of the Champions Trophy, in an especially difficult situation with simmering political issues between its two leading Full Members threatening to spill over – unsurprising given that Naqvi’s BCCI counterpart, Jay Shah, is the son of Naqvi’s counterpart in the Indian government, the home minister Amit Shah. The situation will not become any simpler when Shah takes over as the ICC chair, on December 1.The India-Pakistan rivalry is the marquee match in all global events, and organisers have long made sure they face each other at least once in every tournament since the 2013 Champions Trophy. It is regularly the match that draws the most eyeballs. But indications within this PCB administration are that their government might not allow Pakistan to travel to India for future ICC events – the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup is the next such event. On Friday, Naqvi had warned that “gestures” Pakistan had made in the past might not be repeated: he was referring to Pakistan traveling to India for the men’s ODI World Cup in 2023, right after India had refused to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup.Last month, the ECB chief executive Richard Gould made clear how important India and Pakistan both were to ICC events and the global cricket ecosystem. “If you play the Champions Trophy without India, or Pakistan, the broadcast rights aren’t there, and we need to protect them,” he said, on a visit to Pakistan during England’s Test series in the country.An event in Lahore this week to launch the schedule and start the 100-day countdown has been postponed in light of the developments. Instead, the PCB is expected to push the ICC this week to secure in writing from the BCCI the reason for its decision and on what specific grounds the Indian government is preventing its team from traveling. The ICC has been contacted for comment.As of now, the eight-team event is due to be played between February 19 and March 9, across Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi. Stadiums at all three venues have been undergoing renovation and upgradation to different degrees in order to be ready for the event. Pakistan are the defending champions, having won the event in 2017.

Bangladesh have dropped experienced allrounder Rumana Ahmed for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in one of five changes to the squad that had played in the Asia Cup in July. But there was a first call-up for uncapped top-order batter Taj Nehar.Also among those selected, there was a recall for Sobhana Mostary, Shathi Rani, Fahima Khatun and Disha Biswas. Twenty-year-old allrounder Biswas, who had played in the Under-19 T20 World Cup in January-February 2023, was also picked for the senior T20 World Cup last year, although she is yet to make her Bangladesh debut.Fahima, the experienced 32-year-old legspinner, has played 84 T20Is so far, 20 of which have come across the five T20 World Cups since 2014. However, she had lost her place in the squad recently when she struggled against India and Australia at home. After missing out on the Asia Cup, Fahima took six wickets in as many matches in the Women’s National Cricket League (NCL) T20 competition.Bangladesh squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Meanwhile, opening batter Rani, whose five T20Is came last year, was the NCL’s leading run-scorer with 284 runs at a strike rate of 151.06. However, Rumana, a veteran of 87 T20Is, missed out after scoring just 55 runs in three innings at the NCL. Middle-order batter Mostary also had a tough time against India and Australia, and neither did she perform in the NCL, where she managed 103 runs in five innings. Mostary is also yet to score a fifty in 38 T20Is, but chief selector Sajjad Ahmed put her selection due to a lack of options at No. 3.”She is a prospect. However, she hasn’t performed up to the mark,” Sajjad said. “We don’t really have a lot of options at No 3. We tried Ishma Tanjim, but she didn’t perform well, and she couldn’t do much in the NCL. That’s why we had to go to Sobhana Mostary.”Apart from Rumana, the four others left out of the T20 World Cup are Rubya Haider, Shorifa Khatun, Sabikun Nahar and Ishma Tanjim. Sajjad said that despite an experience of 87 T20Is, they replaced Rumana with Nehar, as the former hasn’t batted in an aggressive manner of late.”We selected Rumana in the Asia Cup, where, unfortunately, she didn’t perform,” he said. “She is a middle-order bat who isn’t batting the way that is needed in T20s.”Bangladesh start their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign against Scotland in the first of the double-header fixtures on October 3, the opening day of the tournament.

Bangladesh squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

Nigar Sultana (capt), Nahida Akter, Murshida Khatun, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Sobhana Mostary, Rabeya Khan, Sultana Khatun, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Jahanara Alam, Dilara Akter, Taj Nehar, Shathi Rani, Disha Biswas
In: Sobhana Mostary, Fahima Khatun, Taj Nehar, Shathi Rani and Disha Biswas
Out: Rumana Ahmed, Rubya Haider, Shorifa Khatun, Sabikun Nahar and Ishma Tanjim

England will consider Joe Root and Ben Stokes for their 2025 Champions Trophy squad despite neither playing a 50-over match since last year’s World Cup. Root (rested) and Stokes (injured) are not involved in September’s five-match ODI series against Australia, and will both miss November’s tour to West Indies due to England’s Test tours to Pakistan and New Zealand.The Champions Trophy will begin in mid-February in Pakistan, with England due to play three ODIs in India at the start of that month as preparation. Those fixtures will be the only opportunities that Root, Stokes and other all-format players like Chris Woakes and Mark Wood have to play 50-over cricket before the tournament.”We’ll want to be as strong as possible,” Luke Wright, England’s selector, said at Lord’s on Tuesday. “There’s no Test cricket around at that point, so it gives us an opportunity to play our strongest team. The schedule over this next period up until Christmas is crazy, so there will be opportunities for guys to stake their claim. But come the Champions Trophy, we will be able to pick our strongest side.”Root (Paarl Royals) and Stokes (MI Cape Town) have both signed up for the SA20, which runs from January 9 until February 8. They are both likely to miss January’s T20I series in India but will arrive for the ODIs – which start on February 6 – if they are selected.Root struggled for form at the World Cup after hardly playing 50-over cricket in the build-up, averaging 30.66 as England crashed out with three wins in nine group-stage games. He will face a similar challenge at the Champions Trophy but Wright defended the decision to rest him against Australia, saying England have “asked a lot of Joe” across his international career.”He’s given a lot to English cricket,” Wright said. “There’s no reason why he can’t then come into the major tournaments… we know how important Joe is to the England team. He also offers us [something] with the ball as well, and there’s not many that do that… With someone like Joe, we’ve got to look after him, we don’t want him to burn out.”On the difficulties of adjusting to a format that English players hardly play, Wright said: “It’s a challenge for everyone, isn’t it? And even more so for us in England… Those top players are able to adapt as well as possible, as I don’t think it’s as big a problem for them as it would be for some of the others. That’s why it’s great to get that cricket into some of the younger guys.”Related

• Morgan wants Root, Stokes in England squad for Champions Trophy 2025

• Flintoff to fill in for Trescothick ahead of England's third Test against Sri Lanka

• Jonny Bairstow hits first first-class hundred since 2022 as Yorkshire dominate

• England hand Bethell, Hull, Mousley maiden white-ball call-ups

• Why England should back Sam Curran for T20I middle-order spot

England have dropped Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow from both their T20I and ODI squads, though Wright denied that their international careers are now over. “They’re disappointed to miss out,” he said. “I certainly won’t be saying that that’s the end for them. They’re fine cricketers, but right now, we just want to give some other opportunities.”They have picked three uncapped players for September’s Australia ODIs – Jacob Bethell, Josh Hull and John Turner. “It’s nice for guys to get 50-over cricket under their belts: we don’t play much of it,” Wright said. “I don’t decide the schedule so I’ve just got to make the best of what we can and we try to do that, but also try to make sure we’re looking after players’ welfare.”Jos Buttler has retained the captaincy despite England losing their status as world champions in both white-ball formats in the past 10 months, with Matthew Mott instead paying the price. Buttler is under pressure heading into September’s series, and looks set to hand the gloves to Phil Salt during the three T20Is – though is likely to keep wicket in the five ODIs.Buttler kept wicket at June’s T20 World Cup, but may field at mid-off to be near his bowlers in the absence of Moeen and Chris Jordan. “It is something that he’s considering,” Wright said. “It’s something he’s open to. He’s spoken about that before, the need to be in the field and be with the bowlers at times. It’s something that could easily happen in this Australia series.”Among Buttler’s biggest challenges is to restore some energy to the white-ball set-up, after two disappointing World Cup campaigns. “I wouldn’t say [things have been] stale,” Wright said. “Those guys have given us some of the best times we’ve had in white-ball cricket. It’s life… It’s a great time now: without a World Cup just round the corner as there hasn’t been for a while is an opportunity to blood some new players.”England have generally stuck to the tried and tested in white-ball cricket but September’s squad represents a shake-up. “We haven’t needed to [take risks in selection] with the white-ball team,” Wright said. “They’ve been one of the outstanding teams. We’re very lucky to have had that team for such a long time.”Now feels like the right time to have a few more picks in there, and look probably for the future as well. It’s an exciting time for everyone to watch and see how that builds going forward.”

Ricky Ponting will no longer coach the Delhi Capitals, bringing his seven-year association with the franchise to an end before the mega auction ahead of IPL 2025. It is understood that with DC failing to achieve desired results, the owners decided to move on and look for a new head coach.Ponting took over as DC’s head coach in 2018, when the team was called Delhi Daredevils, and has been part of their previous seven IPL seasons. They finished last in the league in his first season as coach but then qualified for the playoffs in 2019, 2020 and 2021. In 2020, DC made the IPL finals for the first time, where they came runners-up to Mumbai Indians. However, they did not qualify for the playoffs in any of the last three years and finished sixth in IPL 2024, winning and losing seven games each in the season.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“As you move on as our head coach, we’re finding it incredibly hard to put this down in words,” DC said in a post on social media. “The four things you told us about in every huddle – care, commitment, attitude and effort – they sum up our seven summers together. Seven summers of you being hands-on, but also hands-off, so that we could become better. As athletes, yes, but more importantly, as human beings. Seven summers of you reaching every training session first, and leaving last. Seven summers of you sprinting out of the dugout during strategic timeouts, and biting your nails off until there were none left.”Seven summers of your dressing room speeches – the speeches, Oh! (Separate post for that loading) Seven summers of your hugs, shoulder pats and fist pumps for us all – newcomer, superstar… and everyone in-between. Thank you for everything, Coach! Like, you often close out, ‘Let’s leave this here mate, grab a beer, get back to work tomorrow, yeah?'”The remaining DC coaching staff comprises director of cricket Sourav Ganguly, assistant coach Pravin Amre, bowling coach James Hopes, and fielding coach Biju George.

Match details

Australia vs Bangladesh
Antigua, 8.30pm local time

Big Picture

Australia’s quest to unite ICC trophies across all three formats will now face an Asian challenge. First up it will be Bangladesh, a side they have never lost to in a global event which includes five meetings in the T20 World Cup.Australia’s progression to the Super Eight was expected and very smooth – they saved their slightly underpar performance for their fielding effort against Scotland, a game which held no consequences for them but plenty for the opposition, and England.Related

• Shakib has arrived at the T20 World Cup, finally

• Marsh available to bowl, Maxwell backs him to find batting form

For Bangladesh, expectations were low after their pre-tournament series loss to USA. They had to get out of a tough group that also included South Africa and Sri Lanka – the narrow win over the latter proved crucial, although there were some nervous moments against Nepal.How much further Bangladesh can go, and whether they can topple Australia, will likely come down to their batting order finding more productivity having struggled in, admittedly, some tricky conditions. None of their batters have yet to bring up 100 runs in the tournament and only Shakib Al Hasan has passed fifty. Towhid Hridoy has the highest strike-rate of 125.00.The contrast with Australia is stark: four of their top six are striking at over 140 with Marcus Stoinis motoring at an impressive 190.24. Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell have yet to hit their stride – if they also find top gear, it’s an intimidating batting order.The depth in Australia’s attack is considerable, too. Nathan Ellis had three outings during the group stage and was impressive in each of them, but is likely to remain behind the big three.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WWWWW
Bangladesh WWLWWRishad Hossain has added another dimension to Bangladesh’s attack•AFP via Getty Images

In the spotlight: Travis Head and Rishad Hossain

As he was in the ODI World Cup, after a delayed start due to injury, Travis Head has been front and centre of Australia’s success. The Super Eight stage could be an interesting insight into an area of his game he has worked on: his play against spin. It’s something that brought impressive results at the IPL where he finished with a strike-rate of 164.51, but England were sucked into opening the bowling with Moeen Ali and Will Jacks which did not go well. Bangladesh have a good hand of pace bowlers, but could they be tempted into some powerplay spin against Head?Australia have a reasonable amount of experience against most of Bangladesh’s attack, but they have not faced legspinner Rishad Hossain so he could provide a new challenge. Rishad is making waves as a rare wristspinner in the Bangladesh game and has been impressive in this tournament with seven wickets at 14.57 and an economy of 6.80. His perfect legbreak to have Wanindu Hasaranga taken at slip generated plenty of excitement. However, over the last year and a half, Australia have fared well against right-arm wristspin with a strike-rate of 144.02, the third highest of all teams facing a minimum 150 deliveries where data is available since the start of 2023.1:28

Tamim: ‘Bangladesh batters need to apply themselves better’

Team news: Balance question for Australia

Mitchell Marsh didn’t reveal his team the day before the game, but there is only one decision for Australia to make – whether to go with three frontline quicks or two frontline spinners. The former would seem the likely route.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Tim David, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodChandika Hathurusinghe, who knows a number of the Australia players well from his time working with New South Wales, was giving little away ahead of the match but an unchanged XI is expected. “It all depends on the condition,” he said. “It is probably a little bit of opposition as well. We will take that into account, their limitation. And of course we play to our strengths.”Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Litton Das (wk), 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Jaker Ali, 8 Tanzim Shakib, 9 Rishad Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

North Sound has the second-highest batting strike-rate of venues used during this tournament so has been one of the better grounds for batters. The breeze can play a key factor. There is a chance of showers but nothing too severe.

Stats that matter

• This match pits together the batter with the highest-strike of the tournament (min 30 balls faced), Marcus Stoinis, and the second-most economical bowler (min 10 overs) in Mustafizur Rahman.
• Shakib Al Hasan needs two wickets for 150 in T20Is
• Bangladesh have the lowest collective run rate of the Super Eight teams

Quotes

“They’re obviously playing some good cricket and we know in these conditions that Bangladesh are a strong team. So, we’ve got a lot of respect for them and hopefully we can bring our A game.”
Mitchell Marsh“Lately the pitches have been very challenging for batsmen in many places. And it’s very hard to read the pitches as well. We thought in St. Vincent the pitches were good, and then it turned out to be very difficult. And more bowler-friendly, not only pace or spin, both, it’s hard for the batters.”Chandika Hathurusinghe