All posts by n8rngtd.top

The ability to watch international cricket was the second-highest priority for member nations according to ICC’s latest survey

Peter Della Penna25-Feb-2021Broadcast access to transmit live tournament cricket, in nations far off the beaten path of Full Member nations, used to be a major obstacle impeding the ability to grow the sport. But that may now be a thing of the past as the ICC on Wednesday announced a major agreement with IMG that will introduce web streamed broadcasts for more than 500 ICC global pathway events at men’s and women’s level through 2023.These will include regional qualifiers from each of the five Associate regions – Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and East Asia-Pacific – for the next men’s and women’s T20 World Cups in 2022 and 2023 respectively, as well as the seven-team Men’s ODI League Two and Challenge Leagues being used as qualification for the 2023 Men’s World Cup.”The objective of the program is a response to a demand not only from fans around the world but that of the members,” Will Glenwright, ICC head of global development, told ESPNcricinfo in a phone interview after the ICC’s announcement on Wednesday. “We do an annual survey of the members, the 2020 version of which we just completed, and getting international cricket on television was the second-highest priority that they have communicated to us. Growing awareness of the game, in the eyes of the members, is the biggest inhibitor to the growth and development of the sport.”So this is a direct response to that demand that comes from our members and it is absolutely an awareness motive rather than a profit-driven or revenue-driven motive. Whilst it’s a good financial outcome for the ICC, it’s driven primarily about the need to get more international cricket and get more Associate member cricket to the fans around the world.”Over the past decade, traditionally strong Associate members such as Nepal have regularly commanded impressive viewing traffic figures thanks to broadcasts of events coordinated by local media houses. However, demand for access in recent years has spread further afield such that the regional T20 men’s qualifiers were web streamed throughout the summer of 2019 from locations such as Guernsey, Malaysia and Bermuda.Will Glenwright (left) and former Cricket Scotland chairman Tony Brian watch the final of the 2019 Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier•Peter Della Penna

The appetite for Associate content had grown exponentially in recent times. According to an ICC press release from February 2020, digital views from clips of various regional pathway events totalled more than 128 million. This culminated in the 2019 Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in the UAE which set a record for digital consumption with an additional 80 million views for digital clips across various ICC social media and web platforms during the three-week tournament in spite of the fact that neither Nepal nor Afghanistan – another major traffic driver before their elevation to Test status – participated in the final qualifying tournament. It was enough evidence to demonstrate that a bigger effort had to be coordinated to expand the ICC’s broadcasting footprint.”We know the quality of the cricket has improved from a high-performance perspective and we know the context of the pathway events makes for compelling viewing,” Glenwright said. “That, in addition to the demand that we have received from our members, the fact that lack of awareness of the game is one of the biggest barriers to growing the game for our Associate members, all pointed to us examining this properly.”I think it’s part of the digital evolution that we’re undergoing as an organization, the increased capability that we’ve brought into our team to deliver this, has meant that for the first time we’ve been able to give this the attention it deserves, to point the resources in the right direction and the outcome is as we’ve announced today a groundbreaking partnership with a reputable organization that’s going to deliver over 500 Associate member cricket matches to the world.”In the past, regional ICC events were broadcast on more of an ad hoc basis, often determined by the existing infrastructure and capability of host countries to facilitate a broadcast. That is now expected to be a thing of the past according to the new broadcast arrangement.”The broadcasting of those events was done sporadically and often depended on the capabilities of the host member themselves,” Glenwright said. “One of the criticisms that we faced from the members was that perhaps our minimum standards around that were too overbearing which made it difficult for the members to deliver and stream those events to those standards. That’s something we sought to overcome by standardizing it under this agreement with IMG.”Perhaps the most significant part of this deal is that, according to the ICC release, more than 50 countries will be featured on global broadcasts for the first time as a consequence of the new arrangement. That includes several women’s teams in countries that do not currently field a men’s team competitive enough to feature in the corresponding regional qualification pathway for a T20 World Cup such as the Brazil Women, who announced central contracts for 14 squad members in January 2020. The exposure that these web streams offer is something that can see new financial opportunities open up to many other countries in the same manner.”That’s not something that we take lightly at all,” Glenwright said. “It opens up all sorts of opportunities for the members, not only from a performance perspective but from a commercial and a fan engagement perspective as well. In setting the minimum standards, we’ve been mindful of the need to ensure that all of these events can be streamed by our smaller members as easily as it can be done by our more established members who have more experience in streaming and broadcasting their events.”Our member boards plus other sports have done some really innovative stuff, I think particularly during the pandemic around broadcasting and streaming and bringing content to fans around the world. The European Cricket League has been brilliant from a cricket perspective and initiatives like that of Finland, Japan and some of our smaller members to get their cricket streamed has encouraged us, motivated us, but more just strengthened the resolve of us as an organization to provide that exposure to all 92 of our Associate members. It is as important to our smaller members as it is to our larger members. We feel there’s an obligation as an international federation to facilitate that and that’s what’s driven us.”

Hollioake too won’t join the depleted coaching staff as planned due to covid reasons

Andrew McGlashan02-Jan-2022Covid continued to stalk England’s preparations for the Sydney Test with Adam Hollioake unable to join the depleted coaching staff as planned, a scare involving the net bowlers at the ground on Sunday and a positive test for head coach Chris Silverwood.Hollioake, the former England ODI who now lives on the Gold Coast, had been due to join the squad which has seen Silverwood, pace bowling coach Jon Lewis, spin coach Jeetan Patel and strength and conditioning specialist Darren Veness all isolating in Melbourne. However he became a close contact and was forced into seven days isolation.It was confirmed later on Sunday that Silverwood had now tested positive. “He will remain in isolation until January 8. Silverwood is asymptomatic and is fully vaccinated,” the ECB said in a statement. “He is expected to return to the England party in Hobart ahead of the fifth Ashes Test.”During the team’s first training session at the SCG the net bowlers had to be withdrawn after one returned a positive test and the others were deemed close contacts.Both squads have been undergoing regular Covid-19 tests since the first case emerged in the England touring party on December 27. So far Travis Head is the only case among the Australia squad.England’s lack of coaches and net bowlers meant that captain Joe Root was among those who spent time giving throwdowns during today’s session. Assistant coach Graham Thorpe has taken charge for the Sydney Test supported by Ant Botha and James Foster.”We’ve had a lot of support staff missing,” Zak Crawley said. “But the lads have all worked together today, we’ve tried to all help out. We’ve all pulled together and have pulled through.”Crawley added that he would be comfortable if protocols were increased around the teams to ensure the series could be completed. Currently, the squads are under CA’s Level 4 restrictions which means they can still dine outdoors and have some level of freedom. New South Wales reported over 18,000 Covid-cases on Sunday.”We haven’t got long left,” he said. “I can’t speak for everyone on that but I want to play the two Tests.”Glenn McGrath has also tested positive meaning he will be unable to take part in events leading into the Test which raises money for the Jane McGrath cancer foundation.

Australia wicketkeeper tests positive 24 hours out from the England clash but has mild symptoms and is expected to play as Australia do not have a back-up

Alex Malcolm27-Oct-2022Australia are negotiating a second Covid-positive case in three days with wicketkeeper Matthew Wade testing positive just 24 hours out from their vital clash with England at the MCG on Friday.Wade did not train at Australia’s optional indoor session at the Junction Oval on Thursday afternoon after testing positive. It follows hot on the heels of Adam Zampa missing Australia’s clash with Sri Lanka after testing positive.But under tournament rules, Wade is allowed to play and is likely to line up for Australia despite the positive test. His symptoms are minor. Wade will however need to travel to the ground separately to the rest of the squad and will not be able to use the team changeroom prior to or during the game.Zampa was also set to play in Perth but a decision was made by the medical staff to take a conservative route to rest him with the able backup of Ashton Agar ready and available. Zampa is set to return against England after testing negative on Thursday. He trained at the Junction Oval, doing some bowling with assistant coach Daniel Vettori.Australia’s selectors do not have the option to replace Wade though, as he is the only specialist wicketkeeper in Australia’s 15-man squad, after backup keeper Josh Inglis was withdrawn prior to the tournament due to a severe cut to his hand. Inglis was replaced by allrounder Cameron Green.Australia cannot fly in a backup keeper such as Alex Carey, Josh Philippe, Ben McDermott or Jimmy Peirson to play as Wade would need to be permanently replaced in the squad for the remainder of the tournament.This was the exact scenario Australia had hoped to avoid when replacing Inglis with Green, having gambled that there was a very slim chance that Wade would go down.Glenn Maxwell took the liberty of donning some fresh wicketkeeping gloves at the indoor session to do some catching with Australia assistant coach and former grade keeper Andre Borovec. But it was done as a lighthearted show for the TV news cameras at the session and brought about laughter from the chairman of selectors George Bailey. Captain Aaron Finch also suggested to Maxwell that he himself would keep before Maxwell would, especially given Maxwell’s bowling requirements.Finch and coach Andrew McDonald stated pre-tournament that David Warner would likely do it in case of an emergency given he has kept in a Test match for Australia as an in-game replacement for Brad Haddin. Finch has also done it in the BBL for Melbourne Renegades.But it is unlikely Australia will need a contingency for Wade, given he is set to play. Even if he doesn’t, the chances of the game against England going ahead at all are getting slimmer by the hour in Melbourne as more rain bucketed down on Thursday, with more expected on Friday.

“I want this team to grow in a way that everyone says that this is the best team,” says India captain

Sruthi Ravindranath08-Dec-20232:08

Harmanpreet: We need to think about having a third pacer in the side

India have started preparing for the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup and captain Harmanpreet Kaur wants to “build” for the event by giving the new faces in the T20I squad “as many opportunities as possible” to prove themselves on the big stage. The selection, in the end, will not only be about their performances on the field but also how they contribute off it, she said.”Whichever player you play with, you will know how they can contribute to the team just by looking at their body language and the way they think about cricket,” Harmanpreet said ahead of the second T20I against England in Mumbai. “Just like how there’s no surety about anything in life, we also can’t be always sure about a player. At the same time, it’s about how they improve by the day and how they help the team win, all that is important. All that also plays a role in how many opportunities you want to give a player.”In the team there are so many youngsters now who have done well in domestic [cricket] and WPL. We’ve picked those who have done well in T20s. We want to build this team. We have so many matches coming up. As a captain, I want to build this team. The support staff is also balanced now. Amol [Muzumdar, head coach] has so much experience as player and coach. When all these things are sorted, you know that you just need to go out there and play. As a captain, I have a lot of trust and belief. They are the best and that’s why they are here. I want to give them as many opportunities as I can because they are the best right now. I want them to do well for the country.”Allrounder Shreyanka Patil and left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque, who were among the breakout stars at the inaugural WPL this year, received maiden call-ups for the T20Is series against England, while youngsters Titas Sadhu, Kanika Ahuja and Mannat Kashyap have also been named in the squad. Patil and Ishaque made their India debuts in the first T20I, where the hosts lost by 38 runs, and finished with decent returns. Patil bagged two wickets, while Ishaque dismissed the on-song Danni Wyatt for 75.Related

• New faces give timely boost to India's T20 World Cup prep

• England don't have emotions attached to WPL auction, says wicketkeeper Amy Jones

• Wyatt puts her name up in lights ahead of the WPL auction

• Wyatt on 150th T20I: 'I've not yet achieved what I wanted to in the sport'

• New Test dawn for India, but focus firmly on road to T20 World Cup

Ishaque, 28, had finished the WPL as the joint-second-highest wicket-taker and was also the top wicket-taker in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy this season with 18 wickets in nine matches. Twenty-one-year-old Patil, meanwhile, impressed for India A leading up to the T20I series, picking up five wickets in three games. She also had a prolific Women’s CPL in March, where she was the only Indian and ended up being the highest wicket-taker, with nine wickets in five games.Harmanpreet was clear the duo needs to make use of these opportunities to cement their spot at next year’s T20 World Cup, which is slated for September-October in Bangladesh. Following the England series, India are set to play a full series against Australia at home, which includes three T20Is.”The team which we have picked for this T20I [series] is the one we want to build for the upcoming World Cup,” she said. “Saika and Shreyanka have done really well in the last game. They’re quite confident and after the game we did sit with them and discuss what best they can do in the upcoming games. For them, they just need opportunities and so many opportunities are there now. They just need to go out there and execute in the best way.”Saika Ishaque was impressive in WPL 2023•Getty Images

India suffered heartbreak at the T20 World Cup this year, losing to Australia in a close encounter in the semi-final. They also came close in 2018 (semi-final) and 2020 (final). Harmanpreet, who is now a globally recognised player – she is one of BBC’s 100 Women and Time Magazine’s 100 Next this year – has only one thing on her mind: to win a World Cup for India.”I want this team to grow in a way that everyone says that this is the best team,” she said. “For me winning a World Cup is a dream and I’m just working towards that and that is the only reason I requested BCCI to get a young team. These games are very important. England are not going to give us anything easily. So we are putting ourselves under pressure. We want to work hard towards that and I don’t count my personal achievements to any level because I’m playing a team sport. If the team is doing well I’m happy.”At the same time, when you’re not feeling great, you see people are you telling ‘you’ve done this and that’ to make you feel good. For me, team performance and winning a World Cup for the country is very important, and my aim is towards that. I just want us to stay together and grow together and do something great for our country.”In the first T20I, India fielded only two fast bowlers in the XI, whereas the spinners bowled 12 overs and were expensive. Fast bowler Renuka Singh returned to international cricket after close to 10 months and impressed immediately with figures of 3 for 27 while medium pacer Pooja Vastrakar went for 44 runs in her four overs. Sadhu, the other fast bowler in the squad, was out ill. Harmanpreet said that spin was among India’s strong suits and trusted her spinners to come good, adding that Sadhu “should be ready” for the second game to bring more balance to the side.”In our domestic set-up so many spin bowlers are doing really well. It’s something which has always been our strength. Among pacers, Renuka is doing really well, other end Pooja is helping her. At the same time, Titas was not well. She should be ready for the next game and secondly, I feel spinners are more confident and they’ve always done really well whenever they’ve got the opportunity. That’s why we went with the spin attack.”

The victory was set up by the bowlers who dismissed Zimbabwe for 124 in Chattogram

Mohammad Isam03-May-2024Bangladesh’s bowlers set up a comfortable eight-wicket victory in the first T20 against Zimbabwe by dismissing the visitors for 124 in Chattogram. Rain interrupted the chase twice, but debutant Tanzid Hasan remained unbeaten, steering his team to victory in just 15.2 overs with 67 off 47 balls.Tanzid got into Bangladesh’s T20I side on the back of a strong BPL season and struck two sixes and eight fours in his innings. He was only the second Bangladesh batter – after Junaid Siddique in 2007 – to score a half-century on T20I debut.Zimbabwe’s 124 was their lowest total against Bangladesh – the previous low was 131 in 2015 – but it could have been lower after they slipped to 41 for 7. Taskin Ahmed and the returning Mohammad Saifuddin took three wickets each while Mahedi Hasan bowled economically for his two scalps.

Bennett’s bright start

Zimbabwe’s innings had got off to a bright start. 20-year-old Brian Bennett struck Shoriful Islam for three consecutive boundaries in the third over after senior batter Craig Ervine had fallen in the previous one. Bennett’s first boundary was a cover drive, the second a ramp past third man, and the third a well-timed punch off the back foot through cover. But that bright start was short-lived.

Zimbabwe collapse

Taskin Ahmed’s first over, full of 140 kph-plus deliveries, was an omen for Zimbabwe’s next half hour. Bennett and debutant Joylord Gumbie struggled to connect with most of his deliveries, but the next dismissal was a soft one against Mohammad Saifuddin. Gumbie swivelled awkwardly at a poor delivery down the leg-side and gave Taskin a simple catch at short fine-leg.Bennett was run out first ball of the sixth over, and then Mahedi Hasan dismissed Zimbabwe’s captain Sikandar Raza for a golden duck. Raza’s attempt at a lap sweep resulted in him gloving a catch to slip. Three wickets had fallen off three balls, and then Taskin dismissed Sean Williams and Ryan Burl with the first two deliveries of the seventh over. When Saifuddin got Juke Jongwe out for 2, Zimbabwe had gone from 36 for 1 to 41 for 7 in 17 balls.Blessing Muzarabani and Joylord Gumbie collide and drop Tanzid Hasan•AFP via Getty Images

Madande and Masakadza’s record stand

Clive Madande was Zimbabwe’s last recognised batter and he found support in Wellington Masakadza. They rotated strike regularly as Bangladesh eased the pressure for a little while. The pair added 75 runs, Zimbabwe’s highest partnership for the eighth wicket in T20Is. It nearly broke the all-time record of 80. Madande struck six fours in his 39-ball 43, while Masakadza made his highest T20I score, hitting 34 off 38 balls.

Muzarabani superb start goes sour

Blessing Muzarabani gave Zimbabwe the perfect start to the defence of 124 when he got his second ball to scissor through Litton Das’ forward press. Litton’s white-ball misery continued with scores of 0, 36, 7, 0, 0 and now 1 in 2024.In his next over though, Muzarabani first collided with wicketkeeper Gumbie when Tanzid had skied a catch. The ball was high above the batter himself but Muzarabani wandered close to the advancing Gumbie, before the wicketkeeper dropped the catch as they collided.Later in the over, Bennett dropped a sitter at cover off Tanzid, who was on 4 at the time. In Muzarabani’s next over, Tanzid smashed two sixes and a four through midwicket to exacerbate the bowler’s disappointment.

Tanzid cashes in

It took Tanzid 14 balls to score his first boundary on T20I debut, but once he laid into Muzarabani in the sixth over, the left-hander looked more at ease. After the second rain break, Tanzid struck a couple of fours off Luke Jongwe, and another pair got him close to his fifty.Bangladesh lost Najmul Hossain Shanto in the tenth over for 21, but Tanzid enjoyed some more luck. He got a third life when Gumbie dropped him for a second time on 56. Towhid Hridoy struck Ainsley Ndlovu, who had come on as a concussion sub for Masakadza, for 15 runs in his first over. Hridoy remained not out on 33 off 18 balls, as Tanzid struck the winning runs with 28 balls to spare in the chase.

Regular captain Shanto continues to miss out due to a groin strain

Mohammad Isam02-Dec-2024Mehidy Hasan Miraz will continue to lead Bangladesh in regular captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s absence in the ODI series against West Indies. Mehidy was named captain for the ongoing two-Test series in the Caribbean, which the hosts are leading 1-0, with Shanto missing out due to groin strain. Shakib Al Hasan, who has not played for Bangladesh since the Tests in India, continues to miss out, with BCB president Faruque Ahmed saying the senior allrounder was not “in a mental state to play for the country”.Middle-order batter Towhid Hridoy also misses out due to a groin injury which he picked up while playing football recently. Mushfiqur Rahim also misses out as he recovers from finger injury, while Mustafizur Rahman has opted out of the series due to personal reasons. Left-handed opener Zakir Hasan, meanwhile, has been dropped. Litton Das, who missed the ODIs against Afghanistan in November, returns to the side, while Parvez Hossain Emon, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Hasan Mahmud and Tanzim Hasan Sakib have also been included.Shakib, who retired from Tests and T20Is in September, missed the ODIs against Afghanistan last month too. He was part of the Abu Dhabi T10 where he played seven matches for Bangla Tigers. He had not traveled to Dhaka to play his farewell Test, against South Africa, in October because of protests against him after being named in an FIR for an alleged murder during the political unrest in the country.BCB president Ahmed said Shakib remained in contention for selection in ODIs, adding that he needed sufficient preparation to get back into the national side.”Right now, he [Shakib] is still in the list,” Ahmed said. “We hope that the issues get solved in the way he wants. Definitely, he still possesses the capability to play for the national team. Playing for a franchise and playing for the country is not the same thing. You need preparation and also you really need to gel with the team. Since he can’t do those things, I don’t think he is in a mental state to play for the country. Because of that, we have left this thing up to him.”The players named for the ODIs will leave Dhaka on Monday to link with the rest of the players in St Kitts to play the three ODIs on December 8, 10 and 12.

Bangladesh ODI squad vs West Indies

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Litton Das (wk), Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Parvez Hossain, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Afif Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan, Nahid Rana.

Misbah will announce the squad for the Zimbabwe and NZ series before a new chief selector takes over from December

Umar Farooq14-Oct-2020Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has decided to step down as the chief selector of the men’s cricket team, a role he held for over a year. Misbah, however, will continue as the head coach of the team, and will pick the squads for the upcoming home series against Zimbabwe as well as the tour of New Zealand in December.”I want to announce that I am leaving the responsibility as chief selector,” he said at a press conference. “The rationale behind my decision is that in the next two years, we have 10 major series and many of them are away tours. So it’s tough for me to work as chief selector while watching out for domestic cricket.”Anyway, there was always an understanding between me and the PCB that whenever I feel difficulty, I can leave this additional responsibility. I have thoroughly enjoyed the dual roles but after reviewing the past 12 months and looking ahead at the workload in the next 24 months of my tenure, it is the right time to take a call [so] that I can fully invest my focus on the coaching role.”ESPNcricinfo understands another reason that led to Misbah’s decision was the implementation of the PCB’s new code of ethics that was put in place to remove issues arising from conflict of interest. However, when he had taken over the dual selector-coach role in September 2019, this specific code of ethics – which was ratified in July 2020 – did not exist.In light of the code, Misbah’s case specifically came under the spotlight under a potential conflict of interest, with him being selector and head coach of the Pakistan national side as well as having a contract with Islamabad United as head coach for the fifth edition of the PSL. That season, though, remains unfinished and is likely to be completed in the second week of November.Misbah strongly quashed rumours that his decision was a result of him recently bypassing the PCB chairman and executive’s meeting with the Prime Minister Imran Khan – who is also the patron of the PCB – to voice his reservation against PCB’s policy on the current domestic structure. The meeting saw the PCB chairman Ehsan Mani face off with Misbah, Test captain Azhar Ali and senior player Mohammad Hafeez. It is understood that the entire saga left a bad taste in the mouths of Mani as well as the PCB CEO Wasim Khan.Misbah-ul-Haq looks on in training•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

“There are rumours that my decision came after meeting with the PCB chairman about that [infamous] meeting with Imran ,” Misbah said. “I can confirm that there is nothing like this… If it had to go this way, then I could have lost both the roles and not kept the head coach’s job. This decision is absolutely my choice about how I want to move forward and how to focus on Pakistan cricket and players.”I think whatever work [I did] and the decisions I made during the [time] span [of being the selector], they were possibly the best and taken in the interest of Pakistan cricket. So many players got in and made their place with their performances, and I am satisfied that we are going in the right direction.”Coaching is my passion and my ultimate objective remains to contribute to the development of players and help the side achieve bigger successes. When I was appointed last year, I was offered the coaching role first and then given the option to also head the selection committee, which I had graciously accepted. I am grateful to the Pakistan Cricket Board for their understanding and for supporting my thought process.”With his exit, Misbah’s unprecedented influence over Pakistan cricket comes to an end as the PCB experimented with the idea of giving him extensive roles as head coach, chief selector and batting coach. He was given a three-year contract including annual appraisal as per his performance, while the role of selector was always supplementary. The debate in Pakistan on removing him from the dual role had started merely six months into his contract, as Pakistan were swept 3-0 in a T20I series at home against Sri Lanka.However, as chief selector, Misbah introduced Abid Ali, Naseem Shah, Musa Khan and Usman Khan Shinwari in Tests and blooded the T20I squad with youngsters Haris Rauf, Haider Ali, Ahsan Ali and Khushdil Shah.Misbah’s contract is being tweaked and he will formally step aside from the role of chief selector on November 30, with his replacement to take over from December. The body of the selection committee, though, will remain intact with head coaches of each of the six cricket associations acting as members of the committee to assist the chief selector.”Over the last two weeks, Misbah has worked closely with the other selectors to finalise the squads for both the upcoming series with Zimbabwe and the New Zealand tour, which will follow in November,” Wasim said.”With a new chief selector, we will revisit the selection criteria to ensure that there is complete alignment between the Selection Committee, the High Performance Centre and the national men’s cricket team. With so much red and white-ball cricket ahead, we will need to select squads that have a strong balance between youth and experience”.Misbah is due to announce the squad for the Zimbabwe limited-overs series on October 19 followed by the two squads – the national and A team – for the tour of New Zealand.

Ticket sales started in November after a ballot process, and over 55,000 have already been sold

Matt Roller08-Mar-20232:25

Where do you see women’s cricket in five years?

One hundred days before the start of the 2023 Women’s Ashes, England Women are set to attract record crowds this summer.Ticket sales started in November after a ballot process, and ESPNcricinfo understands that over 55,000 tickets have already been sold for England’s home fixtures. The Ashes, a multi-format series, start with the Test match at Trent Bridge on June 22, followed by white-ball fixtures from July 1-18, while Sri Lanka will tour for six white-ball matches in September.The sales figures mean that England are already guaranteed a record-breaking total attendance this summer, having attracted around 50,000 fans to series against South Africa and India in 2022.England will play at some of the country’s biggest stadia in 2023. Ticket sales for the Ashes T20Is at Edgbaston, The Oval and Lord’s are internally considered a major priority by the ECB, who have made a point of marketing the women’s series alongside the men’s.Warwickshire announced last week that they have already sold over 14,000 tickets for the Edgbaston T20I, which looks set to become the best-attended England Women’s home game outside of world events. The current record, set at Lord’s for last year’s India ODI, stands at 15,187.”It’s really exciting that we’ve sold so many tickets,” Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is playing for Mumbai Indians in the inaugural Women’s Premier League, said. “You see it out here in the WPL and back home in the Hundred: a big crowd makes such a difference.”The prospect of playing in front of a full Lord’s or Edgbaston in an Ashes game is pretty cool. It’s what you grow up watching, so I’m really looking forward to that.”Early-bird ticket prices are available until March 9.

Babar (107) and Salman (58) excelled with the bat before Usama Mir’s ODI best stopped NZ well short

Danyal Rasool05-May-2023After a somewhat off-colour performance where Pakistan allowed New Zealand to get close to them, this was back to business for the hosts. A century from Babar Azam – his 18th in ODIs – helped Pakistan post an intimidating 334 for 6 after being put in to bat.It was then up to the bowlers, who were at their ruthless best, to shut New Zealand out. The game as a contest was over well before the final wicket fell and New Zealand folded for 232, putting Pakistan up 4-0 in the five-match series and at the top of the ICC rankings for ODI teams in the process.From the moment the chase began, it was apparent that keeping up with the asking rate would be a problem for New Zealand. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf were metronomically accurate and fearsomely fast in the powerplay, and Will Young and Tom Blundell are not natural aggressors. The two fell within two overs of each other after a sedate start.Both were, to their credit, dismissed seeking boundaries their side desperately needed. Mohammad Wasim struck off his first ball, with Young spooning it high into the night sky for a straightforward catch, before Blundell failed to get elevation on a drive off Rauf, the ball heading straight to Iftikhar Ahmed in the covers.The period of stagnation through the third-wicket stand that followed, between Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham, was probably what ultimately did New Zealand’s chances. A total of 83 painstaking runs were scored at a rate under five, but the asking rate had climbed to around 8.50 by then. Usama Mir – who did his World Cup chances no harm with an excellent display deputising for Shadab Khan – drew Mitchell into a stroke that caused his downfall.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The stand between Latham and Mark Chapman, which followed, was New Zealand’s brightest passage, as Chapman dispensed with all conservatism. The two put on 55 in 43 balls with Chapman taking the lead, smashing Iftikhar and Agha Salman out of the attack with 34 in three overs.But the fast bowlers returned, and Afridi cleaned up Latham yet again for a well-made, if less than explosive, 76-ball 60. Chapman continued to flay the bowling, but a quicker one from Mir saw his stumps knocked back for a 33-ball 46. Thereafter, New Zealand’s resistance melted away. Mir helped himself to a couple more wickets to register career-best figures of 4 for 43, and Pakistan secured a 102-run win.Earlier, another Babar hundred helped Pakistan to a total that always looked well beyond New Zealand. Across an innings where he also became the quickest player to 5000 ODI runs, the batters – especially Babar and Salman – were in control for the most part on a flat pitch. However, New Zealand, spearheaded by Matt Henry, punctured Pakistan regularly enough to ensure the total wouldn’t completely get out of hand. Some late Mohammad Haris and Afridi fireworks ensured that the platform Pakistan’s middle order had set would lead to a big enough total.Pakistan rung the changes in after sealing the series already, and Shan Masood – who replaced Imam-ul-Haq – guided Pakistan through the powerplay with characteristic ease after Henry removed Fakhar Zaman early with a similar delivery to the one that got him the previous game, the back-of-a-length ball miscued high into the air.The innings continued to cruise on autopilot through a 50-run, ten-over stand between Masood and Babar, before sharp work behind the stumps from Blundell saw Masood fall to Ish Sodhi. With Pakistan’s reliance on the top order well-known, the fall of Mohammad Rizwan after a Henry direct-hit caught him short would’ve given Pakistan the wobbles. But in that moment of slight adversity, Salman rose magnificently.Usama Mir registered career-best figures of 4 for 43•AFP/Getty Images

Exquisite with the sweep and reverse sweep, as well as commanding in his use of footwork, Salman cranked through the gears to put New Zealand on the back foot again. With a straight six off Cole McConchie, he brought up a 40-ball half-century as well as the hundred partnership between him and Babar.Babar had blended into the background but he still eased past 50, as he usually does in ODIs. By the time Henry pouched a stunning return catch to dismiss Salman, Babar was just 12 away from his century, and content to let Iftikhar lead.Iftikhar assembled an entertaining cameo – 28 off 22 – before Babar tickled one through the off side to bring up his century in 113 balls. When Babar holed out to deep midwicket to give Ben Lister his first wicket on ODI debut, Pakistan had got stuck somewhat, with two overs to go and still not past 300.Wasim and Shaheen remedied, plundering 38 off the final two overs, also making compelling cases to bat higher up. The four sixes and two fours between them meant they had done enough to break New Zealand’s spirits. In reality, Pakistan’s bowling demonstrated the Afridi-Wasim cameos merely added flourish to what was a near-guaranteed victory anyway.

Pakistan team director says the aim is to try and score 330 more often than not

Shashank Kishore14-Oct-2023″I think they’ve [India] got all bases covered and I’m looking forward to meeting them in the final again.”Shortly after Pakistan suffered arguably the worst of their eight defeats to India at the men’s ODI World Cup, their team director Mickey Arthur was determined to look forward in their campaign.But he was frank in his assessment of where Pakistan fell short in Ahmedabad: timid with the bat, and possibly a little intimidated by the occasion that made them retreat “into their shells just a little bit”.He didn’t want to lay the blame on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who put on 82 for the third wicket in 17.2 overs. When Mohammed Siraj bowled Babar in the 30th over, Pakistan were 155 for 3, and then collapsed to 191 all out.”Look, they’re classy performers and they’ve done it day in and day out for Pakistan over an extended period of time. So, I’m not going to sit here and castigate them for that,” Arthur said. “As I said, I thought we were a little bit timid.”I did think we could probably have taken on the Indian spinners just a little bit more [Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja had combined figures of 19.5-0-83-4]. It was a wicket that didn’t turn massively, and I thought we needed to put some pressure back.Related

• Jasprit Bumrah and spin do the trick as India hand Pakistan another World Cup beating

• India's bowling unit: Gods of small things

• An hour of hell: Deconstructing Pakistan's jaw-dropping collapse

“But again, they were building and building nicely. I think we’ve got to realise that there are two ways to skin a cat. And we’ve had success by taking it deep and then cashing in at the back end. That’s been our style, that’s been our brand, but we didn’t play the Pakistan way tonight, and that was the disappointing aspect of it for me.”Arthur said there would be no knee-jerk reactions after the defeat, given they had won their first two fixtures of the World Cup. However, he did feel they had deviated from their plans against India.”There’s certainly no panic yet,” he said. “We’ll go back, and we’ll analyse this game to the n’th degree. We’ll talk to our players. We’ll have conversations about how we want to go forward. Australia’s our next game [in Bengaluru on October 20]. We’ll look at conditions, and then we’ll make a selection decision based on our strategy and conditions for the next game.”We set ourselves up as a 330 team. We’ve got the personnel to build and build and build and make sure that we keep that momentum going through the innings so that we can cash in at the back end. But we’ve certainly tried to instill in our team that we’re a 330 team, because we think if we get that, we defend that more often than not with our bowling attack.”Arthur was slightly concerned by Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi’s form. They have taken only six wickets between them in the first three games while conceding more than a run a ball.Shadab hasn’t been able to exert control over the middle overs and spin is emerging as a weakness in Pakistan’s attack, and Shaheen hasn’t found the swing that makes him a potent threat with the new ball.”Look, we’ve been doing a little bit of work behind the scenes,” Arthur said when asked about Shadab and Shaheen. “It’d be remiss of me to discuss it out here, but we’ve been doing some work with them.”For me, it’s just about confidence. The key for us now is getting our players to remain calm. It’s getting our players to focus on the next game, and it’s to build them up and make sure that they go into that next game thinking they can run through a brick wall.”