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“I love to play in tough situations and tough conditions,” Thakur says after top-scoring in Mumbai’s first innings in the Ranji Trophy final

PTI10-Mar-2024Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer might have failed to snap their lean runs with the bat in the first innings of the Ranji Trophy final for Mumbai, but Shardul Thakur has placed his trust in them to return to form.Rahane and Iyer scored 7 apiece as Mumbai scored 224 at Wankhede Stadium, with Thakur the top-scorer with 75. Thakur then picked up the first Vidarbha wicket before Dhawal Kulkarni picked up two more to leave Vidarbha at a precarious 31 for 3.”Ajinkya is not scoring runs throughout the season. He is not in the greatest of the forms. We cannot blame him as it is just a phase for him where he is not getting runs,” Thakur said after the day’s play. “It’s just a rough patch for them. That’s what I would say [about] Shreyas [and] Ajinkya. These guys have been absolute match-winners for Mumbai and India.Related

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“Right now, it’s not their time; it’s time to support them rather than criticising them because it’s easy to criticise.”Rahane has so far made just 141 runs in eight Ranji matches at an average of 12.81 with a solitary fifty. Iyer has not been a regular for Mumbai this season, but his return to the domestic circuit has been far from impressive – 58 runs from three games at an average of 19.33 with a highest of 48.”Ajinkya has not scored runs but his attitude on the fielding is top notch,” Thakur said. “A lot of youngsters coming from Under-23 and Under-19 cricket in Mumbai don’t have the attitude that he has. You see him in the slips, even if he is fielded for 80 overs, he will sprint [to] save four runs.”Shreyas moves around the field like a tiger. He absolutely gives everything that he has on the field. Both of them are role models when they are in the dressing room.”While defending the senior pros, Thakur expressed his displeasure at some of the younger batters not grabbing their opportunities in a match as significant as the Ranji final.”The other batters… we collectively felt that they should have shown a better approach,” he said. “Starting from Bhupen Lalwani, because he survived the first two or three balls in that over [from Yash Thakur, in which he was dismissed] and still chasing that wide one on the fourth delivery, is not on.” Lalwani scored 37, while Prithvi Shaw scored 46, but Musheer Khan (6) and Hardik Tamore (5) failed.Dhawal Kulkarni, playing his last game, brought Mumbai back into the contest after a middling batting effort•PTI

“They have to learn quickly because Mumbai dressing room is not about [your] own self. When you play here, you play for the team. You have to keep your individual scores, your own game aside,” Thakur said. “When you score 20-25 or 30 runs, the next runs are for the team. They have to learn about it.”We just need to regroup as a batting unit [in the second innings]. There are going to be tough days as a batting unit. Probably, we will just have a meeting and decide collectively how are you going to put a big score on the board from the first three or four wickets.”On his own innings – Thakur walked out at 111 for 6 and was the last man out – he said, “I love to play in tough situations and tough conditions. The kind of life that I have lived travelling far from Palghar to Mumbai with the kit bag on the train, you know it was not easy. That has toughened me up.”About Kulkarni, who will retire after the final, Thakur said it was emotional to see his old mate turning out for Mumbai for the last time.”Today morning it was confirmed that he is playing. It was going to be his last game. It was an extremely emotional moment for him,” Thakur said. “It’s an emotional moment for me also because I have watched him since childhood. When I did not have money to buy shoes, he gave me a few pairs of shoes.”

“Obviously we are down right now but it has to change at some point, and the change can start from now,” Roston Chase says

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-20253:31

Sammy: ‘Our problems are rooted deep into our system’

Away in the Caribbean, Cricket West Indies has got the best minds in the game in the region to chalk out a way out of the abyss – call it 27 all out if you will – the national team has fallen in, at a time when there is talk of the World Test Championship being split into two tiers. Roston Chase, the Test captain, is aware of all this and is hoping for ” that start and to then kick on from there” when they face India for the second and last time in the ongoing series in Delhi.”Obviously we are down right now but it has to change at some point, and the change can start from now,” Chase said a day away from the start of the second Test, where West Indies would be hoping to bounce back after an innings defeat in the first Test. “But it starts with the belief and the mindset of each and every player, and just keep motivating the guys that we can still play some positive cricket.”In Ahmedabad, in the first Test of the series, West Indies put up 162 and 146. They had two individual scores in the 30s – Justin Greaves in the first innings and Alick Athanaze in the second. Their best partnership was worth 46, in 87 balls, in the second innings between Greaves and Athanaze. Not good enough, especially when the opposition has three century-makers in their only innings and have declared on 448 for 5.Related

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“I don’t think the guys are lacking confidence. But it’s just to get that one score, to get that start and to then kick on from there,” Chase said. “It just takes one… get that good innings or that hundred or that big fifty, that then gives you the confidence to actually think ‘I can do it’.”I think everyone is confident, but when we get out there, we didn’t start well as a batting unit and the pressure is on, and it’s for us to soak up that pressure as batters, and still find a way to score, put pressure back on to the Indian bowlers. That is the biggest challenge for us. We just need to get that start and kick on. And we’ll be fine.”Chase’s own Test career has been an intriguing one. He has now played 53 Tests, but has an average of 25.57. To go with a bowling average of 46.25. He scored a century in just his second Test, against India in Kingston in July 2016, and then had two more centuries by his tenth Test. In the 43 since, he has scored just two more, and none at all in his last 24, where he has crossed 50 only four times.”I can’t really speak for anyone [else], but for myself, I just think it’s a matter of confidence and continuously playing quality first-class cricket and so on. Just that knowhow and facing good attacks for longer periods, and obviously, trying to improve on faults you may have picked up early on in your career,” Chase said. “Obviously, when you first start, no one really knows you, and then, obviously, [you] play a couple of games and people see your weaknesses and try to exploit them. So it’s for the players to just improve on those weaknesses from as early as possible. That’s it.Roston Chase hasn’t scored a century in his last 24 Tests•Associated Press

“It’s just digging deep for those four sessions and trying to stay in the now and not what has happened before in terms of the ball before or the over before. Just staying in the present is the biggest challenge for me right now. That’s something I have to go with.”Chase has played franchise T20 leagues in the past, in the ILT20, the Bangladesh Premier League, the Global T20 Canada, apart from the CPL, of course. While he is still a CPL player for St Lucia Kings, he wants to commit his future to West Indies, and to Test cricket.”It was always my dream to play for West Indies. I had a chance to play franchise cricket and I still have opportunities to play franchise cricket. But I have given that up,” he said. “So I cannot say that I am not hungry or not hungry, because this is what I wanted to do. I gave up my chance to play franchise cricket and I have taken up the captaincy role [in Tests], which is a big step.”So that just goes to show that I want to be here. I want to play for the Maroon. And I have always given my all for the Maroon.”

Defending 14 in the final over, Sutherland took 2 for 4 to help a hobbled Australia reach the semi-final

Valkerie Baynes14-Oct-2024″How was your heart rate?” Tahlia McGrath asked Annabel Sutherland after an extraordinary final over in which she defended 14 runs, took two wickets and denied India the right to decide their own destiny at the T20 World Cup.A high-stakes game played before a sold-out 14,946-strong crowd at Sharjah Stadium made up almost exclusively of Indian supporters had gone Australia’s way by nine runs after the tightest contest of the tournament so far. And Sutherland was “chill as”.It is testament to Sutherland’s character and why Australia see her as such a bright prospect that, having celebrated her 23rd birthday the day before, she took it all in her stride, claiming 2 for 22 from her four overs after adding a vital 10 runs in six balls from No.8.Related

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• Australia bring in Heather Graham in place of the injured Tayla Vlaeminck

“She’s so composed,” McGrath said, standing in as captain for the injured Alyssa Healy. “She knew her plan, she executed beautifully. I said to her after, ‘how was your heart rate?’ and she goes, ‘no I was fine, I was chill as’ so I think that just shows the type of maturity that Belsey has.”She’s been in those big moments and delivered for us time and time again, even at the back end with some handy runs for us. She was huge for us today and very cool under pressure.”And it was testament to this Australian side that they were able to shut out all the noise on the night and the upheaval beforehand to seal their place in the semi-finals.A few hours before the match, it was announced that Tayla Vlaeminck would be replaced in the squad by Heather Graham after dislocating her right – bowling – shoulder just four balls into Friday night’s win against Pakistan. Vlaeminck’s plight hit her team-mates hard given her battles with injury which have restricted her to just 28 appearances for her country since her debut in 2018.Australia are also waiting to hear whether Healy will be fit to take any further part in this World Cup after she injured her foot in the same match and turned up to watch the India clash on crutches and in a moon boot, her condition to be monitored over the coming days.Alyssa Healy was unavailable for India clash due to foot injury•ICC/Getty Images

“There’s been a lot going on,” McGrath said. “Friday night, that was a tough night for us and a lot to process but in tournaments like this it’s move on, you’ve got a job to do.”We’ve been really trying to get around each other as a group, whether it be the injured girls, the girls playing slightly different roles, and just really sticking together as a group and focusing on the job at hand. I thought we did a really good job of that and came out and played really well tonight. I’m really proud of the group.”There were elements of chaos as Australia posted 151 for 8 upon winning the toss and opting to bat first. Georgia Wareham chose not to review an lbw decision which would have saved her and Sophie Molineux was run out walking back to the dugout not realising Jemimah Rodrigues had grassed a catch at backward point.McGrath’s handy innings of 32 off 26 balls had moments of drama after she survived India’s review for lbw, then was dropped by Harmanpreet Kaur at cover and finally stumped charging at Radha Yadav, all in the space of six deliveries.But she had kept her cool amid a rejigged middle-order and at the helm while Grace Harris, opening in Healy’s place top-scored with 40 off 41 and Ellyse Perry played a cool 32 off 23.However, it was Megan Schutt’s nerveless over in the 17th, when she conceded just one run and saw Richa Ghosh run out by a superb direct hit from Phoebe Litchfield at short cover, stood out for McGrath.”She bowled outstanding,” McGrath said. “She nailed her plan and that swung the game right back in our favour. That was a really crucial moment in the game for us.”McGrath has now captained Australia three times, twice in T20Is, including a match in India in 2022. Australia also had recent experience of pro-India full houses during their tour there in December and January.”It was very loud,” she said of Sunday in Sharjah. “We’re quite used to that now whenever we play against India. Lots of it was about just making eye contact with bowlers and trying to get everyone to look at me because trying to tell bowlers they’ll bowl the next over or move fielders, is almost impossible with that noise.”But for us it’s almost trying to ignore the crowd at times because they can make you seem like you’re behind the game when you maybe might not be. They’re so passionate, cheer so loud and we love it but at times you can think that the game’s getting away from you just with how loud the crowds cheering so it’s just about staying level-headed, staying focused and getting a good read on the game.”So when Harmanpreet threatened to take the match away from them with her 54 not out, the India captain’s second unbeaten half-century in as many games at this tournament, Australia just had to stay “chill as”. Now, waiting on the result of Monday’s clash between New Zealand and Pakistan, it is India who will have to sweat it out.

Sanjay Govil, US tech entrepreneur, submitted the higher of two sealed bids in a process on Friday evening

Matt Roller31-Jan-2025Sanjay Govil, the US-based tech entrepreneur and owner of Washington Freedom, is set to buy a minority stake in Welsh Fire, the Cardiff-based team in the Hundred. ESPNcricinfo understands that Govil submitted the higher of two sealed bids in a process on Friday evening which was delayed by the three-hour bidding war for London Spirit.ESPNcricinfo understands that the winning bid valued 100% of the Fire at £67.5 million, implying Govil will pay just over £33m for his minority share in the team.He will now enter a period of exclusivity with Glamorgan, the Fire’s host county. The two parties will negotiate contractual details with the help of the ECB and their advisors over the next eight weeks. Glamorgan told their members earlier this month that they intend to retain their 51% controlling stake in Welsh Fire.Related

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Govil is the chairman of two tech companies in the US: Infinite Computer Solutions, a leading technology services company, and Zyter, a health technology services company. Two years ago, he made his first substantial cricketing investment by buying Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket and the franchise won the title in their second season, with Ricky Ponting serving as head coach.ESPNcricinfo understands that Govil outbid one other contender in the final round. Capri Global, the Indian loans company who own UP Warriorz and Sharjah Warriorz in the WPL and ILT20 respectively, were understood to be the losing bidder. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny, the Hollywood actors and Wrexham AFC co-owners, held talks with Glamorgan but dropped out before the final round of bidding.The Freedom’s bid is understood to have impressed Glamorgan from early in the process, with chief executive Dan Cherry telling ESPNcricinfo last year that the club valued the idea of identifying a “true partner” rather than simply an investor. “We are keen to build a partnership where people can add value to us as a club,” Cherry said.Washington Freedom were MLC champions in 2024•MLC

The Fire have failed to reach the play-offs in the first four editions of the men’s Hundred, but their women’s team have been more successful and were losing finalists last year. They are expected to be the team with the lowest valuation of the eight, having attracted relatively small crowds to date.The valuation means that the ECB has brought around £278 million into the English game with the sale of 49% stakes in four Hundred teams over the past two days. The revenue will be split between the 18 first-class counties, MCC and the recreational game in England and Wales, and is designed to “future-proof” the county game for at least the next two decades.The ECB declined to comment, while Glamorgan were also contacted for comment.

Captain Rashid Khan said a World Cup victory over Australia was something they had missed in the last two years

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2024

Gulbadin Naib is carried on his shoulders by Afghanistan’s bowling coach Hamid Hassan•ICC/Getty Images

Gulbadin Naib, who orchestrated Afghanistan’s historic win against Australia, was a figure of relief when he collected his Player-of-the-Match award for his spell of 4 for 20. Drenched in sweat while sporting a beaming smile, he held the award while soaking in the feeling of “at last” beating Australia.”We were waiting [for this] for a long time. It’s a great moment not just for me but for my nation and my people,” Naib said at the presentation. “[It is a] big achievement for our cricket. I have no words to say but thanks to the fans for supporting our career and cricket journey. It’s a great teamwork, we worked hard for the last two months and the result is in front of you.”Thank god we at last beat Australia. It’s a great achievement for our cricket in Afghanistan. If you look at history of our cricket, it is not much. Last 10 years, we achieved a lot of goals. This is a big achievement.”Related

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• Naib orchestrates Afghanistan's historic win over Australia

Australia’s fourth-wicket pair of Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell were threatening to take the match away from Afghanistan in the 149 chase, when captain Rashid Khan turned to Naib for his eighth bowling option. Naib picked a wicket off his third delivery, removing Stoinis for 11. Bowling four overs straight, he then dismissed Tim David in this next over and then got the prized wicket of Maxwell, for 59, in the 14th to all but end Australia’s hopes.Naib thanked Rashid for trusting him in the crunch moments of the game and further said Afghanistan’s “journey starts now”.The win was sweeter for Afghanistan, who dealt with a heartbreak against the same opponents at the ODI World Cup last year. With Australia on 91 for 7, a one-legged Maxwell, battling severe cramps, took them to a stunning win with an unbeaten double-century.Naib expressed relief at the result in Kingstown that opened up Super Eight Group 1 standings.”We played very good cricket and in the first round we beat New Zealand,” he said. “Then [to beat] Australia is not easy. They are a world champion team and it is a big achievement for our cricket. We can carry this to the next level.”Our journey starts now. We are very lucky to have such a staff and management.”

Rashid Khan: ‘It’s something we missed in last two years’

After being asked to bat, Afghanistan were given a strong platform with an opening stand of 118 between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran before they lost 6 for 23 with Pat Cummins picking up yet another hat-trick. Afghanistan were only able to post 148 for 6.Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran put on another strong opening stand•AFP/Getty Images

Rashid said they were confident of defending anything over 130, adding the importance of having many allrounders in the team.”The thought was although we didn’t finish as well as we would have liked to, but this is how this wicket is,” Rashid said at the presentation. “The more important thing was that the opening partnership gave us the best start. That let us get to a total we had in mind. We all watched two games before, and on this wicket anything 130-plus we said we were capable of defending. We keep calm and have that belief.”The beauty of this team is having too many allrounders gives you options. As a captain, it makes it easy.”Beating Australia is a “great feeling” and will make Afghanistan fans “proud”, Rashid said.”It’s a massive win for us as a team and as a nation,” he said. “In the World Cup, beating champions is a great feeling. It’s something we missed in last two years – in 2023 World Cup and also in 2022 in Australia where we lacked some runs.”It is so much important for people at home and for everyone all over the world where Afghans are there. They were badly missing this win. I am sure they would be proud of this and would have enjoyed the game. It is just the beginning for us, big game next and we have all the chances of making the semis.”

Ireland spinner was suspended from bowling earlier this year after her action was found to be illegal

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2025Ireland left-arm spinner Aimee Maguire has been cleared to resume bowling in international cricket with immediate effect.Maguire, 18, was suspended from bowling earlier this year after being reported during the first ODI against India in Rajkot on January 10. Her action was deemed suspect under the ICC’s Illegal Bowling Regulations.Maguire has since remodelled her action and subsequently underwent an independent re-assessment at an ICC-accredited testing centre where she was cleared.”An independent assessment of Maguire’s remodelled bowling action at an ICC accredited testing centre concluded that the amount of elbow extension was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Illegal Bowling Regulations,” an ICC release said.Maguire made her ODI and T20I debut against West Indies in July 2023. She has so far played 11 ODIs, where she has picked 16 wickets, with best bowling figures of 5 for 19 against England last year. Maguire has also played nine T20Is, where she has nine wickets at an economy rate of 7.20.The 18-year-old is not part of the Ireland squad that faces Pakistan in a three-match T20I series, which begins in Dublin on Wednesday.

England Men’s managing director unconcerned about throwing fast bowler straight back into Test cricket

Andrew Miller27-Jun-2025Jofra Archer will be ready to hit the ground running, as and when his return to Test cricket comes, despite having bowled just 18 overs for Sussex against Durham in his long-awaited comeback to first-class cricket at Chester-le-Street last week.That is the view of Rob Key, England Men’s managing director, who is confident that Archer’s slow but steady return from a series of career-threatening injuries means he’ll be ready to slot straight back into England’s starting XI, either in next week’s second Test against India at Edgbaston, or – perhaps more likely – in the subsequent third Test at Lord’s, beginning July 10.Archer was this week named in England’s 15-man squad for the second Test, meaning he is in line to play the format for the first time since the tour of India in February 2021. England have played 52 Tests in the intervening years, during which time Archer’s career was left in limbo due to multiple operations on his right elbow, and a stress fracture of the back.However, he made a successful return to white-ball cricket for England in May last year, with appearances at each of the last two ICC global events: the T20 World Cup in June 2024, and the Champions Trophy in February this year.Related

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Though a broken thumb sustained at the IPL delayed his return to red-ball cricket, Archer himself confirmed this week that his body was ready to hold up to the demands of the longer format, having returned figures of 18-8-32-1 on a flat deck against Durham in the County Championship.”To see him back will be brilliant,” Key said at a Rothesay media event in London. “He’s an unbelievable talent, and it’s been such a long road. For two years now, [we’ve] mapped it out: from T20s and four-over spells, into 50-over cricket to build up his robustness, to now. He has been doing so much work in the lead-up – even when he’s not playing – to building up that resilience to being able to play, because he’s a serious talent.”England’s impressive victory in the series opener at Headingley, allied to the nine-day turnaround between games, might persuade the selectors to stick with an unchanged frontline seam attack of Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue. That could also enable Archer to be released for at least two days of Sussex’s next County Championship fixture against Warwickshire, after his county coach Paul Farbrace suggested he might benefit from more red-ball overs under his belt.However, Key liked what he saw of Archer’s rhythm at Chester-le-Street, having tracked his performance on the county live stream, and insisted he was ready for selection, come what may.Rob Key, England Men’s managing director, speaking at a Rothesay media event in London•Getty Images

“Jofra is such a talent,” Key said. “He was straight on the money. Bowling on a slow pitch, with good pace. He ain’t gonna forget how to bowl, so when we have that call, we’re not concerned. He will be fit and available for both [Tests]. Whether he could play both, we’ll find that out afterwards, if he did play at Edgbaston.”Despite his long absence from red-ball cricket, Key likened Archer to Mark Wood – currently injured, but on course to be available for next month’s final Test of the series – for his ability to pick up from where he left off, without the need to build up his workloads.”The spectrum for that is Mark Wood to other guys who you feel need a longer [lead up],” Key said. “You saw those guys playing in the last Test; they got better the more they bowled. Mark Wood is someone that could just turn up after bowling a bit in the nets, like he did at Headingley in the Ashes, and bowl 96mph, swinging in and hitting a length.”On that sort of scale, Jofra is close to the Mark Wood end. He’s a pretty pure talent. There’s not a lot of moving parts to his action in terms of complications, and he’s 30 years old now, so he knows exactly what he’s doing and what he’s about. So it’s more of a question of him just getting back into red-ball cricket.”We’ve picked him in the squad, and we’ll see how the conditions are. We’ve got decisions to make because these next two Tests are very close together, and you want to be able to sustain that pressure throughout these back-to-back Test matches. So we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. At the moment, he’s in the squad [but] any of those players can go back to county cricket as well.”With Jamie Overton and Sam Cook also in England’s Test squad, plus last season’s break-out star Gus Atkinson likely to come into contention later in the series, Key was upbeat about the state of England’s bowling stocks – both for the remainder of this summer, and the Ashes tour to follow.”There was a time where you thought it was all about Wood and Archer, and we needed that X-factor pace – but now we’ve got a few of them,” Key said. “It’s so encouraging. You need bowlers for all conditions, [and] not just the Ashes. You need a pack of bowlers that all complement each other.”Jofra is another piece in that puzzle as Woody will be if he comes back at the end of the series. We don’t know who’s the next great England opening partnership – the next Broad-Anderson – because there’s a number of those options that could be the mainstay of England bowlers for years. I can’t wait to see who that will be.”

Kerr wasn’t given run-out because the ball was deemed dead, but questions around the incident remain

Shashank Kishore04-Oct-2024There was confusion, and no little anger, as India were at the centre of an umpiring controversy during their women’s T20 World Cup match against New Zealand in Dubai on Friday, which India lost by 58 runs.They felt they had a legitimate wicket – a run-out of Amelia Kerr – but it wasn’t to be, with the umpires deciding the ball was dead when the dismissal was effected.The appeal for the run-out came after Kerr was caught short of her ground while attempting a second run at the end of the 14th over of New Zealand’s innings. Having hit the ball towards long-off off the last ball of Deepti Sharma’s over, Kerr and Sophie Devine took a single, and didn’t seem to have any plans to push for the second. Deepti asked the umpire to hand her cap back to her and was been given it.However, with Harmanpreet Kaur, the fielder, collecting the ball and ambling in with it in her hands, Kerr and Devine tried pinching a second. Harmanpreet fired the ball in, Richa Ghosh collected it, and broke the stumps with Kerr short of her crease.The umpires – Anna Harris and Jacqueline Williams – decided the ball was dead, and anything that came after, the dismissal in this case, would not count as having occurred with the ball “in play”. Section 20.1.2 of the dead-ball law says: “The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.”For that moment when the bowler collected her cap and the batters seemed happy with just the single, it is reasonable for the umpire to deem the ball dead. However, the umpires omitted to send the batters back to their respective ends. Kerr should have been back on strike for the start of the next over, but it was Devine who took strike against Renuka Singh and nudged a single. Kerr was out off the following delivery when she hit the ball to Pooja Vastrakar at extra cover, to be dismissed for 13 off 22 balls.Related

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Before that, though, play was held up for over seven minutes, with India head coach Amol Muzumdar visibly upset at the ruling, engaging in an animated chat with the fourth umpire, while Kerr was near the boundary before being called back.Speaking after the game, Jemimah Rodrigues said, “I was not there when the umpire gave the cap to Deepti, but, I mean, New Zealand were pretty sure that it was a double run and Amelia went for it, which showed that the over was not called out yet. And we all thought that, okay, we got that run-out.”What if that run-out wouldn’t happen? Would they give us a two for that. So I think, honestly, that’s not in our control at the end. We respect the decision of the umpire and we were okay with that. But yeah, it’s a bit harsh when Amelia herself walked out because she knew she was out.”Devine, who was batting alongside Kerr, explained she hadn’t heard the umpire call the over and they were trying to pinch a second run. “My understanding is that the ball is dead when the umpire calls ‘over’ and I didn’t hear the umpire call ‘over’,” she said. It was an interesting one, and I guess it broke a little bit of momentum and maybe stalled them [India] a bit.”That’s part of cricket. Interpretation is going to be slightly different. We were always trying to pinch runs here and there because you never know when one run is going to change things. The umpires have a job to do and we respect that, and I sometimes push the boundaries a little bit.””We know how important Amelia’s wicket was, at that moment it felt a little [like] why didn’t it go in our favour,” Rodrigues said. “But, at the same time, I think we did what we can.”We spoke to the umpire. Then we had to accept the decision of the umpire and move on. So I think that’s what we did really well, that we just moved on from that. And we got her out pretty soon. So that works for us.”

Hockley says Cricket Australia has been in discussion with the ACB and hopes to “resume bilateral cricket against Afghanistan at some point in the future”

Sruthi Ravindranath03-Jul-2024Cricket Australia (CA) has reiterated that Australia will not play bilateral cricket with Afghanistan because of the Taliban government’s stance regarding the rights of women.CA chief executive Nick Hockley said that there has been “regular dialogue” with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on the matter, and hoped that the sides resume playing each other “sometime in the future”.Australia have withdrawn from playing Afghanistan in a bilateral series thrice, citing “a marked deterioration in human rights for women and girls”, but have continued to face them at ICC events. In the aftermath of Afghanistan’s famous victory over Australia in the T20 World Cup last month, Usman Khawaja had said that CA’s stance was “a little bit hypocritical”.Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan had also commented on the situation after the match, saying he wished “we could do something” to solve the problem.Related

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• CA stays cold on Afghanistan bilaterals while supporting Afghanistan women refugees

• Temba Bavuma echoes SACA's stand for women's rights in Afghanistan

• SA reaffirms support for women's cricket ahead of Afghanistan series

“They [Afghanistan] had a fantastic tournament with phenomenal players, and they played with great passion and spirit,” Hockley said. “Regarding our bilateral matches, we have consulted extensively with stakeholders, including the Australian government, and chose to postpone our last couple of series with Afghanistan Cricket Board on human-rights grounds.”We maintain a close relationship and regular dialogue with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, and want to see cricket thrive worldwide for both men and women. We hope for a level of progress, and continue to discuss and maintain contact with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, aiming to resume bilateral cricket against Afghanistan at some point in the future.”On Monday, 17 Afghanistan women players, contracted by the ACB in 2020 before the Taliban takeover, wrote to the ICC asking for assistance in setting up a refugee team based in Australia. The team wants to be administered by the East Asian Cricket office in Australia, and not play under the ACB banner or be called the Afghanistan national team.”We understand that the Afghanistan women based in Australia have written to the ICC,” Hockley said. “That’s a matter for the ICC to consider. We have meetings coming up in Colombo in July, and I’m sure it will be a topic of conversation. The Afghan women residing in Australia are engaged with the cricketing community, and they’re receiving excellent support from across the community. But it’s not something we were directly involved in.”Bangladesh had last played a bilateral ODI series in Australia in 2008•Getty Images

Exiled Afghanistan women footballers, who have resettled in Melbourne, are being supported by A League club Melbourne Victory to play as a team in Football Victoria’s third division. They even took part in the Hope Cup while awaiting official recognition from FIFA.On being asked if there were plans to integrate Afghanistan women cricketers into the club system in Australia, Hockley said, “My understanding is that several of the players are playing for clubs in the cities in which they reside, so you have to say I think that the community here is very much supporting them.”Any people that move and arrive in Australia are taking up the game, [and] joining cricket clubs – it’s a great way to meet people, great way to build relationships into the community. The broader cricketing fraternity has been offering their support.”

CA ‘looking forward to hosting’ Bangladesh men

Hockley also said that Australia were hopeful of hosting the Bangladesh’s men’s side in the next FTP cycle. Bangladesh last played Tests in Australia in July 2003, and a bilateral ODI series in August-September 2008.”Bangladesh are certainly part of our next FTP cycle, and we’re very much looking forward to hosting Bangladesh,” Hockley said. “We just enjoyed an excellent women’s tour to Bangladesh ahead of the women’s T20 World Cup later this year. We were very appreciative of the excellent hospitality and welcome that the women ‘s team received.”As far as a men’s tour [is concerned], that’s not currently part of the FTP over the next few years. But we will continue to work with all the members, [and] with the Bangladesh Cricket Board about what opportunities there can be for the following FTP.”

Anrich Nortje has joined the team, and could get into the Capitals XI straightaway, while Royals will hope Riyan Parag is well enough to play

Shashank Kishore27-Mar-2024

Match details

Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Delhi Capitals (DC)

Jaipur, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)

Big picture – Royals look the stronger side

Sports pages, web pages, front pages – Rishabh Pant has been on them all over this past week, his comeback from a career-threatening accident analysed threadbare.But for the first time in a week, Pant seemed happy to not be the centre of attention, enjoying being part of the team’s Holi celebrations and going through light training drills, after which he oversaw the nets sessions of some of Capitals’ young batters.More exciting viewing was when Pant went head-to-head in a range-hitting competition with Jake Fraser-McGurk. Batting in adjacent nets, the two repeatedly sent the ball to the far corners of the Rajasthan Cricket Association’s academy ground, forcing the organisers to cordon off a walking area where the balls went and landed.The team’s focus seemed to be on Fraser-McGurk, Australia’s teenage sensation, and how he could match up to Pant. At the same time, there couldn’t have been a bigger sign of how far Pant has come since he was declared fit.At the other end of the training area were the Royals, who haven’t enjoyed a lot of success at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium lately. Last year, Royals managed to win just one of their five home games at the venue, once considered a fortress for them. And therein lies an opportunity for Capitals.