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Tahir, 46, was retained by Amazon Warriors, while TKR recruited the Pakistan pair of Amir and Tariq

Deivarayan Muthu18-Jun-2025St Lucia Kings, the defending champions of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), have signed IPL winner Tim David as their first-round pick at the draft for the 2025 season. Kings, however, will be without Faf du Plessis, who had led them to their maiden title last year, prioritising the Hundred over the CPL this season.Du Plessis will instead play for Southern Brave in the Hundred, whose signing was the result of his involvement with Delhi Capitals in the IPL. The Capitals’ co-owners GMR Group are finalising their deal to buy Southern Brave, having taken over at host county Hampshire last year.Moeen Ali, who had announced his international retirement in September last year, has opted to skip the Hundred for the CPL, where he was re-signed as a seventh-round pick by Guyana Amazon Warriors. Imran Tahir, 46, was retained by Amazon Warriors as their first pick.Related

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Four-time CPL champions Trinbago Knight Riders recruited the Pakistan pair of Mohammad Amir and Usman Tariq. While this will be offspinner Tariq’s maiden CPL stint – he plays for Quetta Gladiators in the PSL – Amir is a familiar name in the CPL, having turned out for Barbados Royals, Jamaica Tallawahs, Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the past.As for the Falcons, they snapped up Imad Wasim as their first pick and Shakib Al Hasan as their second pick. Shakib holds the record for the best figures in an innings in the CPL – he had claimed 4-1-6-6 for the Barbados franchise back in 2013.Rashid Khan will miss the CPL once again, but other spinners contribute to a fairly significant Afghanistan presence in the league. Mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, who was picked by Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 auction and is currently in fine form for Derbyshire in the T20 Blast, will join Naveen-ul-Haq at Falcons.Left-arm wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil moved from TKR to St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman will return to Barbados Royals. When Royals made the final in CPL 2022, Mujeeb had collected ten wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 6.11. Seam-bowling allrounder Azmatullah Omarzai will join Mujeeb at Royals.Bevon Jacobs, the big-hitting New Zealand batter, will link up with Falcons for his first CPL gig after having stints with Mumbai Indians in the IPL and MI Emirates in the UAE’s ILT20. Glenn Phillips, who first made his name as a franchise player at the CPL before establishing himself as an allrounder for New Zealand, will join Amazon Warriors. Wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert will stay with Kings while Colin Munro will return to TKR.Imran Tahir, 46, was retained by Guyana Amazon Warriors•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Munro, who was signed as an eighth-round pick, has previously enjoyed success with TKR – he is still their highest run-getter with 2178 runs in 72 innings at a strike rate of 129.56. Munro, 38, has retired from international cricket but continues to be active in franchise leagues around the world. Darren Bravo, the second-highest scorer for TKR behind Munro in the CPL, will also return to the franchise and will reunite with his brother Dwayne Bravo, who is set to take over as head coach.Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran and Andre Russell were all retained by TKR as expected.Allrounder Matthew Forde, who recently equalled AB de Villiers’ record for the fastest ODI fifty, was retained by Kings while fast bowler Shamar Joseph was retained by Amazon Warriors.

Incentive for emerging players

In CPL 2025, each franchise must play at least one player from the Breakout League, a new tournament that was held to identify emerging talent from the region, in every game. This also gives the franchise the option of picking five overseas players in their XI to go with their ‘breakout’ player.The last three rounds in the draft – 15, 16 and 17 – were all reserved for emerging players from the Breakout League.Reigning champions Kings brought back St Lucian Ackeem Auguste as one of their breakout players. After winning the CPL title with Kings, Auguste visited India to train at the Chennai Super Kings academy and his recent form for West Indies Academy is also encouraging.Having captained Trinidad & Tobago Legions to the 2025 West Indies Breakout League T20 title, Joshua da Silva will now link up with his home franchise, TKR, in the CPL.Jyd Goolie, a former Under-19 World Cup winner who recently earned a call-up to the senior squad, was picked by Patriots as a player from the Breakout League.

CPL 2025 squads

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots: Kyle Mayers, Jason Holder (traded), Rilee Rossouw, Evin Lewis, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Corbin Bosch, Waqar Salamkheil, Andre Fletcher, Alick Athanaze (traded), Mohammad Nawaz, Dominic Drakes, Mikyle Louis, Ashmead Nedd, Jeremiah Louis, Jyd Goolie, Navin Bidaisee, Leniko BoucherAntigua & Barbuda Falcons: Imad Wasim, Shakib Al Hasan, Fabian Allen, Naveen-ul-Haq, Obed McCoy, Justin Greaves, Bevon Jacobs, Jayden Seales, AM Ghazanfar, Rahkeem Cornwall (traded), Odean Smith, Jewel Andrew, Shamar Springer, Amir Jangoo, Karima Gore, Kevin Wickham, Joshua JamesBarbados Royals: Rovman Powell, Brandon King (traded), Sherfane Rutherford (traded), Quinton de Kock, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Jomel Warrican, Kadeem Alleyne, Shaqkere Parris, Kofi James, Nyeem Young, Rivaldo Clarke, Zishan Motara, Johann Layne, Ramon SimmondsTrinbago Knight Riders: Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, Alex Hales, Akeal Hosein, Mohammad Amir, Colin Munro, Usman Tariq, Ali Khan, Darren Bravo, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Terrance Hinds, McKenny Clarke, Joshua Da Silva, Nathan EdwardGuyana Amazon Warriors: Imran Tahir, Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Shai Hope, Glenn Phillips, Gudakesh Motie, Moeen Ali, Shamar Joseph, Keemo Paul, Dwaine Pretorius, Shamarh Brooks, Kemol Savory, Hassan Khan, Jediah Blades, Kevlon Anderson, Quentin Sampson, Riyad LatifSaint Lucia Kings: Tim David, Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Tim Seifert, Roston Chase, Tabraiz Shamsi, David Wiese, Delano Potgieter, Matthew Forde, Aaron Jones, Khary Pierre, Javelle Glen, Micah McKenzie, Shadrack Descarte, Johann Jeremiah, Keon Gaston, Ackeem Auguste

Former England batter dies at home in Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-20252:30

Remembering Robin Smith

Robin Smith, the former England batter who went toe-to-toe with some of the greatest fast bowlers of the 1980s and 90s, has died at his home in Australia at the age of 62.Smith played 62 Tests between 1988 and 1996, scoring 4,236 runs at 43.67 with nine centuries, including three against West Indies – the team that so often brought out his pugnacious best.Smith’s signature shot was a front-foot square cut that was, by many estimations, one of the fiercest strokes in the world game, and it enabled him to thrive in cricket’s adrenalin-fuelled fast lane. This was especially true on England’s memorable tour of the Caribbean in 1990, when Smith was instrumental in England’s victory in the first Test in Jamaica, and again on home soil in consecutive 2-2 drawn series against West Indies in 1991 and 1995.At Edgbaston in 1993, Smith produced a remarkable innings of 167 not out in an ODI against Australia, a score which would remain England’s highest in the format for 23 years, until surpassed by Alex Hales in 2016.However, his perceived weakness against spin counted against him at key moments of his career, in particular with the emergence of Australia’s Shane Warne, whose success in his maiden Ashes tour in 1993 persuaded the selectors to omit Smith from England’s subsequent visit to Australia 18 months later.Ironically, Smith and Warne became lifelong friends – a relationship that was central to Warne’s decision to sign for Hampshire in the latter years of his career.Born in South Africa in 1963, Smith was brought up to be a professional cricketer, and would spend hours honing his technique in the bespoke cricket net that his father built at the family home in Durban, and in which Barry Richards and Mike Procter counted among his practice partners.Richards’ own connections with Hampshire had, in turn, persuaded the club to take a punt on his two young neighbours. Smith’s elder brother Chris would also go on to play for England after emigrating from South Africa in the early 1980s, but Robin’s debut – against West Indies at Headingley in 1988 – was the more eagerly anticipated of the two.Robin Smith on his way to 90 against West Indies at Lord’s, 1995•Getty Images

In a sign of things to come, his maiden innings comprised a century stand with his fellow South African import, Allan Lamb – another great player of West Indian fast bowling – only for England to collapse to a ten-wicket defeat at the hands of Curtly Ambrose, Malcolm Marshall and Courtney Walsh.Smith was still arguably in his pomp at the age of 32 when he played his final Test, against his former countrymen South Africa at Cape Town, at the end of a disappointing 1-0 series loss in January 1996. With England’s supremo, Ray Illingworth, keen to usher in a new generation, Smith was bracketed with England’s older guard and cast aside, despite boasting a batting average that – of the players with whom his career overlapped – only David Gower and Graham Thorpe could better.Post-career, Smith’s struggles with alcoholism were poignantly addressed in his 2019 autobiography, The Judge: More Than Just A Game. However, only last week, he attended the first Ashes Test in Perth, and spoke widely to the media about his ongoing recovery. He also attended an England Lions training session at Lilac Hill at the invitation of Andrew Flintoff.A statement from his family confirmed that Smith had died unexpectedly in his South Perth apartment on Monday, and that the cause of death is unknown.”Since his retirement from the game in 2004 [Robin’s] battles with alcohol and mental health have been well-documented but these should not form the basis of speculation about the cause of death which will be determined at postmortem investigation,” the statement added.”This is an immensely difficult period for us all whilst we try to come to terms with our bereavement, and we would therefore much appreciate consideration for our privacy by media and cricket followers alike.”ECB Chair Richard Thompson said: “Robin Smith was a player who stood toe to toe with some of the quickest bowlers in the world, meeting spells of hostile fast bowling with a defiant smile and an incredible resilience. He did so in a way that gave England fans enormous pride, and no shortage of entertainment.”He was a batter ahead of his time which was typified in that unforgettable unbeaten 167 from 163 balls in an ODI against Australia at Edgbaston in 1993.”His record at Hampshire is exemplary, and he’ll be remembered rightly as a great of Hampshire CCC. We’re desperately sad to learn of his passing, and the thoughts of all of us in cricket are with his friends, family and loved ones.”

Hosts Malaysia were knocked out after finishing with three defeats in as many games

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2025India finished top of Group A after beating Sri Lanka in a top-of-the-table clash on Thursday, while West Indies secured their spot in the Super Six stage of the Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup 2025 by knocking out Malaysia.Playing the second game of the day in Kuala Lumpur, India completed their perfect group stage campaign with a resounding 60-run win over Sri Lanka, who had also come into the match on the back of two wins.Gongadi Trisha’s 44-ball 49 helped India put 118 for 9 on the board before their bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 58 for 9.Related

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India were in trouble early when they lost two wickets in the space of four balls. But Trisha lifted them from 17 for 2 to 78 for 4. Cameos from Mithila Vinod and VJ Joshitha then took India to a formidable total in a match that followed a script similar to the one earlier in the day.Sri Lanka lost a wicket each in the first five overs as Shabnam Shakil and VJ Joshitha claimed two each and there was a run out.Rashmika Sewwandi tried to inject some impetus as Sri Lanka added 21 runs for the sixth wicket, but Parunika Sisodia and Ayushi Shukla took three wickets in three overs to put the contest to bed. Sri Lanka’s last two batting pairs did well to survive ten overs to avoid getting bowled out, but the match was decided halfway through the chase.Earlier, West Indies beat hosts Malaysia by 53 runs. Despite scoring just 112 for 7 from their 20 overs, West Indies skittled Malaysia out for 59 to finish third in Group A.Malaysia, as a result, were knocked out after finishing bottom of the group with three defeats.Erin Deane and captain Samara Ramnath shared six wickets between them•ICC/Getty Images

Captain Samara Ramnath starred in the virtual knockout fixture for West Indies. She was out for 5 at the top of the order, but then wreaked havoc with the ball, finishing with figures of 4 for 6 – bettered only by five-fors from India’s Vaishnavi Sharma and Scotland’s Maisie Maceira in this edition.Malaysia were 38 for 2 after ten overs chasing 113 and that’s when Ramnath started a collapse that saw the hosts lose eight wickets for 21 runs. The Malaysia batters were unable to read her as she got all four of her wickets either bowled or lbw.She got two wickets in her second over, including that of her opposite number Nur Daniya Syuhada, and then picked a third in her next.Fellow offspinners Naijanni Cumberbatch and Erin Deane then took four wickets in the next three overs before Ramnath completed the rout in the 18th over.West Indies had been put in to bat and struggled to pick up the pace, but opener Assabi Callender held the innings together with a 42-ball 30, and got them to a total that proved to be more than sufficient.

Taj Nehar and Sanjida Akter earn maiden call-ups to the ODI side

Mohammad Isam18-Nov-2024Bangladesh have recalled Sharmin Akhter and Jahanara Alam to their ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against Ireland. Taj Nehar and Sanjida Akter, meanwhile, earned their first call-ups to the ODI side.Sharmin had missed the T20 World Cup earlier this year and had last played international cricket during the ODI series at home against India in July 2023. The 28-year-old has played 35 ODIs and 16 T20Is since she made her international debut in 2011. As for Jahanara, she is among the three Bangladesh players who have played at least 50 women’s ODIs. Jahanara has picked up 48 wickets in 52 matches at an average of 30.39.Middle-order batter Taj made her international debut in the Women’s T20 World Cup in October, while left-arm spinner Sanjida has played 18 WT20Is.This is Bangladesh’s first ODI series since the Australia series in April this year. From that squad, the selectors have excluded Farzana Akter, Sumaiya Akter, Disha Biswas and Nishita Akter.Bangladesh have won three out of six ODIs against Ireland. They won the last bilateral series between the two sides, back in 2016.
This time, they will play the three ODIs in Dhaka on November 27 and 30 and December 2. They will also play three T20Is in Sylhet on December 5, 7 and 9.This is Bangladesh’s first international series since the Women’s T20 World Cup held in UAE in October.

Bangladesh ODI squad

Nigar Sultana (capt), Nahida Akter, Murshida Khatun, Fargana Hoque, Sharmin Akhter, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Jahanara Alam, Sultana Khatun, Taj Nehar, Sanjida Akther

Ben McKinney struck a century for England Lions but the visitors were heavily beaten in Sydney

AAP01-Feb-2025South Australian quick Jordan Buckingham starred with four wickets to help Australia A secure a thumping innings and 10-run win against the England Lions.Australia’s decision to go with a bowler-heavy line-up paid off, running through the Lions twice in a day and a half at Cricket Central in Sydney to end the match on day three.Related

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After being skittled for just 116 in 37.3 overs on Friday, England showed more resistance in their second innings.Lions opener Ben McKinney posted a brilliant run-a-ball 110 to halt Australia’s momentum. But McKinney received little help, with Matty Hurst (35), Alex Davies (28) and Rocky Flintoff (21) the only other batters to reach double figures.After going wicketless in the first innings, Buckingham took the new ball with Queensland quick Xavier Bartlett and finished with figures of 4 for 41.Allrounders Aaron Hardie and Will Sutherland also had productive stints with the ball.Australia opted to pick just five specialist batters, but it mattered little as they made 373 for 9 after being sent in to bat on Thursday.Former Test batter Kurtis Patterson further pressed his claim for an international comeback after hitting a superb 137. Facing Test players Shoaib Bashir and Josh Tongue, No. 3 Patterson arrived at the crease in the first over of the game after opener Tim Ward fell for a duck.It has been a remarkable turnaround for 31-year-old Patterson, who began the summer playing grade cricket for St George after being dropped and stripped of the NSW captaincy.

Ahead of the Ashes, Australia offspinner says Shoaib Bashir, England’s current No. 1 spinner, “has been okay”

Alex Malcolm31-Jul-2025Australia’s greatest ever offspinner Nathan Lyon believes that left-arm spinner Jack Leach is still England’s best spinner, and says offspinner Shoaib Bashir, England’s currently injured No.1 spinner and likely Ashes tourist for 2025-26, “has been okay”.Speaking at a Cricket Australia sponsorship announcement in Sydney on Thursday, Lyon said former England seamer James Anderson had revealed to him that Bashir had been selected to try and replicate what Lyon does in Australia. But Lyon believes Leach is still the best spinner England has.”I obviously played with Jimmy Anderson last year at Lancashire, and they basically said that they’re picking Bashir to do what I do,” Lyon said. “So I took a little bit of pride out of Jimmy respecting a little bit of what I’ve been able to do in my career. But Bashir has been okay.Related

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“Jacob Bethell is playing this Test match [at The Oval against India], and he looks like he’ll take up the spin bowling from Liam Dawson. But in my eyes, Jack Leach is still their best spinner.”Leach, 34, has not played for England since last year’s tour of Pakistan, where he had a modest series compared Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who spun Pakistan to victory in the final two Tests. Leach’s return of 16 wickets at an average of 31.43 and a strike rate of 50.75 in three Tests in that series were still well ahead of Bashir’s nine wickets at 49.55 and 79.44, respectively.England have since committed to Bashir as the No.1 spinner across their last three series – against New Zealand, Zimbabwe and India. When he suffered a series-ending finger injury in the Lord’s Test of the ongoing series against India, Liam Dawson returned as England’s sole spinner for the fourth Test in Manchester after eight years in the Test wilderness. Dawson has since been left out for the fifth and final Test at The Oval, with England picking four fast bowlers as well as Jacob Bethell as a part-time left-arm spin option in place of Dawson.Leach took 6 for 63 in his most recent outing, for Somerset against Durham at Taunton, in what turned out to be a two-day game on a pitch that was described as “appalling” by Ian Botham. Leach is currently the fourth-leading wicket-taker, and the leading spinner, in division one of the County Championship this season, with 39 wickets at 24.76, including two six-wicket hauls.Jack Leach played three Tests on the last Australia tour in 2021-22•Getty Images

Leach played three Tests in Australia on the 2021-22 Ashes tour, taking just six wickets at 53.50, and was left out of the final Test in Hobart. Instead, England picked four seamers in a pink-ball game where Lyon did not bowl a single delivery as Australia won inside three days.Bashir, meanwhile, was sent on the England Lions tour of Australia earlier this year to play three four-day games against Cricket Australia (CA) XI and Australia A, although none of them was played at Test venues.He returned match figures of 2 for 91 and 1 for 109 in the two fixtures against the CA XI in Brisbane. Against Australia A in the unofficial Test at Cricket Central in Sydney, which the Lions lost by an innings, Bashir got 1 for 74 in the only innings he bowled.Lyon himself was left out of Australia’s most recent Test match, against West Indies in Jamaica, as the selectors opted for four quicks in a pink-ball game that ended inside two-and-a-half days. But he believes spinners will have their share of role to play in the Ashes in Australia despite the pitches being very seam-friendly in recent years.”It is a massive role, and it can be a massive challenge for people who haven’t done it in the past in these conditions,” Lyon said. “But I’m not going to let my secrets out so they come out and perform well out here. Our guys know how to play spin really well in this country. That’s probably what helped me produce my skill to where it is at the moment. I know I’ll keep trying getting better, and we’ll see how their spinners go.”

Rashid Khan takes three wickets in a set as Southern Brave suffer third straight defeat

ECB Media18-Aug-2025An all-action display from Sam Curran and another eye-catching half-century from Jordan Cox eased reigning champions Oval Invincibles to a seven-wicket win over Southern Brave and extended their lead at the top of the table.Set 134 to win, Invincibles lost their openers cheaply, Will Jacks and Tawanda Muyeye both falling to Craig Overton, but Cox continued his red-hot form with a classy 37-ball 56 and Curran capped a fine all-round performance by making an unbeaten 50 from 32 deliveries.Cox fell to Tymal Mills with 15 still required but captain Sam Billings struck three boundaries to ensure there were no further alarms as the visitors sealed the win with 11 balls to spare, their fourth victory in five.Invincibles overcame Brave in last year’s final and they made an impressive start at Utilita Bowl, Australia left-armer Jason Behrendorff making early inroads when he had both James Vince and Leus du Plooy caught at short third by Tom Curran, who then knocked back Laurie Evans’ off stump to leave the Brave 32 3.Things went from bad to worse for the hosts when Rashid Khan was thrown the ball. Six days ago, the Afghan leggie returned figures of 0 for 59 at Edgbaston but he was irrepressible against Brave, striking three times in his opening set to send Jason Roy, Michael Bracewell and James Coles on their way. Those scalps took Rashid to a competition-high haul of 10 in the Hundred this summer.With the Brave sinking fast at 44 for 6, Hilton Cartwright and Jordan Thompson counterattacked, the latter making a sprightly 13-ball 24 before nicking off to Sam Curran, who then castled Cartwright (42 off 30) with a pinpoint yorker.Curran struck again to dismiss Jofra Archer with a super-slow delivery before Mills was the last man out, run out by the live-wire Curran, to end the Brave innings on 133 from 98 balls, not enough to prevent last year’s runners-up slumping to a third straight defeat.Sam Curran, the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “It was a really big win. The way the table is at the moment, we knew it was such a big game, they’re a really good team.”I’m just really enjoying it. It’s a lovely bunch of guys. We’ve been together a while and turning up to work and playing with your mates and having coaches who know you is great.”On sharing a 101-run partnership with Cox, he said: “He’s special, the way he’s playing is incredible. The way he’s striking the ball is so clean and so skilful. Our partnership took the pressure off early. We knew they had some key bowlers and thankfully we saw them off and got the win.”

Bangladesh are waiting on the fitness of Mahmudullah, who batted in the nets in Rawalpindi

Mohammad Isam23-Feb-2025Bangladesh’s top order has to stand up and be counted for the side to have any chance against New Zealand, head coach Phil Simmons feels.Bangladesh were soundly beaten by India in their first game, and this is perform or perish for them.Simmons said Bangladesh had given the game away to India with their poor starts with both bat and ball. “We lost in batting in overs one to ten, and the same in bowling. We have to make sure we win in those areas,” Simmons said ahead of the New Zealand game. “We need to assess and put together our batting better in the first ten overs. The middle and lower order have done really well so it is up to our top-order batsmen to put things together in the first ten or 15 overs, especially.”Related

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Bangladesh had slipped to 35 for 5 in the ninth over in that game in Dubai. Soumya Sarkar fell in Mohammad Shami’s first over before captain Najmul Hossain Shanto gave Virat Kohli a catch at cover in the second. Tanzid Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz didn’t last too long either, while Mushfiqur Rahim fell for a golden duck.Simmons said that the openers must assess conditions quicker and that Bangladesh should take inspiration from all the big scores in the tournament, especially Australia’s chase of 352 against England. That game was in Lahore, Bangladesh take on New Zealand in Rawalpindi, the first of this tournament’s matches at the venue.”This is a big-scoring ground. We saw the score in Lahore yesterday. We are looking at 300-plus here,” Simmons said. “In the last five matches, we made 300 a couple of times. So we have the ability to do it. We didn’t start well in the last game, but still we got to 200 [231]. If we start well, we will get there [300].”Bangladesh are facing a familiar opposition in New Zealand – they have faced them most frequently in bilateral cricket than anyone else since 2015. “All the games in this tournament are pressure games. These are the top-eight teams in the world, and you expect every game to be hard,” Simmons said. “They [New Zealand] are definitely playing well but tomorrow is a new day. We will try to make sure that they don’t play as well as they have been playing.”New Zealand won their first game in convincing fashion against Pakistan and if they win here, they will be through to the semi-finals alongside India.”The way the guys have been planning and netting and stuff has all been good stuff”•ICC via Getty Images

Their captain Mitchell Santner said his batters’ form in the last couple of weeks has given the dressing room a lot of confidence. “I think obviously the lead-in we had with that tri-series [against Pakistan and South Africa], it was a good time for guys to get time in the middle. I think at different stages of every game we have played, different guys have stepped up, which is probably the most pleasing thing.”I think the guys took a lot of confidence in that going into that first game against Pakistan, but then also here into Bangladesh. Again, it’s probably a reset, it’s a different surface, a different team. But I think the way the guys have been planning and netting and stuff has all been good stuff.”Bangladesh are waiting on the fitness of Mahmudullah who missed the first game owing to hamstring issues, having injured himself during training. He batted in the nets in Rawalpindi ahead of the New Zealand game.Simmons hoped Bangladesh would be motivated about being in Rawalpindi, the scene of their 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan last year. “I hope it does [inspire the team]. To come into Pakistan and beat Pakistan is not an easy thing. I hope it has a significant bearing on how they think about this ground.”

Konstas made 73 not out and Beau Webster made an unbeaten 46 as Australia A chased down 168 with six wickets to spare

Alex Malcolm09-Nov-2024Sam Konstas signalled he is a player for the future, even if he might not be ready for the first Test, making an outstanding unbeaten half-century to guide Australia A home in a tricky run chase at the MCG after Dhruv Jurel and Prasidh Krishna gave India A hope while putting their hand up to play in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Konstas, batting at No. 4 in this match for the first time in his short career after appearing to be removed from the Test opening calculations, made a composed 73 not out alongside Beau Webster, who made an unbeaten 46, to guide Australia A to a 2-0 series win after slumping to 73 for 4 chasing 168 in the fourth innings.Earlier, Jurel made his second half-century of the match while Prasidh made 29 as India’s tail wagged with contributions from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Tanush Kotian ensuring Australia A had a tricky chase after the game threatened to finish early on day three.Prasidh then struck twice in the opening over of the fourth innings with Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft falling for ducks in consecutive deliveries. Nathan McSweeney only made 25 as Australia A slumped to 48 for 3 and 73 for 4 before Konstas and Webster combined for an unbeaten 96-run stand to win the game.Australia’s A chase got off to a disastrous start and Australia’s selectors did not get the final pieces of information they were hoping for from Harris and McSweeney. Harris played a half-committed drive to a very full ball and was given out caught behind off the inside edge. His luck from day two might have evened out as it was not entirely clear whether he hit it. Bancroft’s horror run of form continued when he was hit on the toe by a cracking yorker and given lbw. It was tight to leg but probably hitting. Bancroft has scored 29 runs in eight first-class innings so far this season, including four ducks, with any hopes of a Test recall completely dashed for the time being.McSweeney looked organised in his last bid to convince selectors he is worthy of opening the batting in the Perth Test. He hardly made an error in his 69-ball 25. But he was undone by a cracking delivery from Mukesh Kumar that angled into off and nipped away to catch the edge.Konstas, 19, then showed the composure and the batting craft that has so many astute judges in Australian cricket cooing. He weathered the storm with resolute defence and then began to expand as the ball got softer and Kotian came into the attack. He unfurled a cracking pull shot off Prasidh and then skipped out to Kotian several times to bang him over the top down the ground. He also sat back and punched him through the off side. He didn’t get sucked into playing at balls outside his leg stump when a short leg and leg gully were set for him.He lost Ollie Davies for a brisk 21 when his New South Wales team-mate misjudged the length from Kotian completely and was bowled attempting an ambitious cut shot.Webster settled after a nervy start and hit the ball with trademark power to help ease the pressure of the chase. The pair rattled along, striking 13 boundaries and a six between them. They scored fast enough for the umpires to extend play with an extra half-hour to win the game on the third night. Konstas only gave one life, with substitute Abishek Porel dropping him at deep square with 15 runs to win.Dhruv Jurel made 68 in the second innings•AFP

Earlier in the day, Jurel was once again the fulcrum that held India A’s batting together with another outstanding knock. There have been three 50-plus scores in the match and he has two of them. His 68 was the key to giving the visitors a total to defend in spite of four wickets to Corey Rocchiccioli and three to Webster.Unlike the first innings though, he did need a large stroke of luck. Early in the morning, on 25, he uppercut Scott Boland to deep third absentmindedly with a fielder placed there for that exact shot. Ollie Davies had to run forward and dive but he spilled the difficult chance offered despite getting two hands to it. Had that been held, India A would have been 85 for 6, leading by just 23 and in danger of losing before lunch.Thereafter, the momentum swung in India A’s favour. Jurel and Reddy shared a pivotal 94-run stand to give their side a chance. Jurel’s class shone through again. He pounced on anything short or overpitched and was rock solid in defence. While his team-mates have looked all at sea against the extra bounce at the MCG, Jurel has looked right at home with a game tailormade for Australian conditions.Reddy played his best innings of the tour to-date, striking five fours and a six in a key supporting role. Australia A struggled to penetrate given they were a bowler down after the loss of Michael Neser on day one.But just as Jurel got a stranglehold on the game, he holed out to deep square off Rocchiccioli to open the door to the tail. Three overs later, Reddy fell to Webster for the third time in four innings. It was also the third time he was bounced out, gloving one to the keeper trying to hook to fine leg.That left India A 162 for 7 with a lead of just 100. But the last three wickets added 67 to ensure Australia would have a tricky chase. Kotian and Prasidh frustrated the bowlers with an entertaining and vital 49-run stand. They struck nine fours and a six between them. Kotian posted the fourth-highest score of the match, making 44. Prasidh’s innings was bewildering. He consistently backed away but slapped the ball with power both sides of the wicket in a breezy 29. He eventually fell to a sensational diving catch at deep midwicket by Konstas.Kotian added 28 with Mukesh Kumar who scored just 1 before miscuing one to mid-off. Rocchiccioli wrapped up the innings with his fourth wicket, pinning Mukesh plumb lbw.

England’s focus may be elsewhere at end of long season, but for hosts, this is the be-all-and-end-all

Andrew Miller16-Sep-2025

Big picture: Big-ticket visit, but small beer for visitors

It’s a state of affairs that sums up the imbalances of international cricket. England and Ireland are about to play their first-ever bilateral game of T20 cricket – even though the format has consumed the sport in the course of the past two decades – at a moment in the respective itineraries of the two nations that could scarcely be more polarized.On the one hand, there’s the visitors England, girding their loins for one final push after an exhausting home season comprising a five-Test series against India, while already casting their eyes forward to the single biggest date on their 2025 calendar: November 21, and the start of their legacy-defining Ashes campaign.Despite the notable pick of Jacob Bethell as captain, they’ve arrived in Dublin with something close to their first-choice XI, or at least the version that took the field with such stunning success in their most recently completed match, against South Africa at Old Trafford last week.Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett were scarcely missed while Phil Salt and Jos Buttler were blazing England towards that record 304 for 2, but they remain in mothballs alongside the regular captain Harry Brook and Jofra Archer – each of whom, with as much respect as can be mustered in such circumstances, has bigger fish to fry in the coming months. As indeed has the head coach, Brendon McCullum, who has already flown home to New Zealand.And then, there’s the hosts Ireland – for the most part exiles in their own land, given how rarely they are able to attract the quality of opposition that justifies the outlay required to accommodate them. This three-match series is their biggest ticket since India popped over for three T20Is in August 2023 (one of which was abandoned).Sure enough, Malahide has rolled out its temporary stands (at considerable expense) to take the ground’s capacity to around 4,000 for these three games. Happily, Friday and Sunday are already sold out, while Wednesday’s series opener should be at least 80% full, with tickets still available. Given that last year’s visit by Australia was canned on the grounds that even those broadcast rights couldn’t have covered Cricket Ireland’s costs, their financial tightrope is real and terrifying.For both teams, however, this series remains a key staging post for a significant and looming peak. England’s thoughts will have to turn to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka almost before they’ve completed their Ashes comedown, and such are the reasons why experimentation for this leg has been relatively limited, even if the conditions in Malahide will be as far removed from those in the subcontinent in February as can be imagined.For Ireland, however, that focus will be nothing less than full-bore. So much of their raison d’etre revolves around ICC events, from the long and anxious qualification bids that precede them, to the crucial exposure and funding that their moments on the big stage provide. But here, in a slender weather-threatened five-day window, that stage has at long last come back to their own shores.

Form guide

Ireland LLWLL (last five T20Is, most recent first)

England WLWWW

In the spotlight: Jordan Cox and Ross Adair

All he ever seems to get are scraps from the table, but to Jordan Cox’s immense credit, he has not yet been consumed by frustration at an international career that simply cannot stick a landing. The false starts have been numerous – most gallingly the broken thumb that robbed him of three guaranteed Tests in New Zealand last winter – while his two previous T20I appearances, against Australia last year, were – just like this potential recall – tacked onto the end of a long international summer. But his belated call-up to the squad is entirely on merit, after his MVP displays for Oval Invincibles in the Hundred. Given half a chance, he is still hungry to make the most of it.At the age of 31, and having parked his previous career in rugby union, Ross Adair is a significant bolter for this winter’s T20 World Cup. His last-but-one international innings was a storming knock of 100 from 58 balls as Ireland beat South Africa in Abu Dhabi this time last year, and as he told ESPNcricinfo this week, the explosive nature of T20 cricket means there are plenty of transferrable skills from his previous incarnation as a winger.

Team news: Calitz, Baker in line for debuts

Ireland could hand a maiden cap to Ben Calitz, the 23-year-old Canada-born batter, with Paul Stirling, their captain, saying they were “crying out” for a left-hander in their middle order. Their bowling stocks have taken a hit with Josh Little and Mark Adair both absent for this series – Little has played just once for Middlesex in two months as he nurses a side injury. Matthew Humphreys is set to lead the attack once more, after impressing in his only outing against West Indies in June.Ireland: (possible) 1 Paul Stirling (capt), 2 Ross Adair, 3 Harry Tector, 4 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 5 Ben Calitz, 6 George Dockrell, 7 Curtis Campher, 8 Barry McCarthy, 9 Graham Hume, 10 Matthew Humphreys, 11 Craig Young.Sonny Baker seems in line for a maiden T20I outing, and ideally a less brutal return to England colours, after being launched for 76 runs on his wicketless ODI debut against South Africa earlier this month. Cox is the obvious replacement for Brook in the middle-order, with England likely to persevere with their spin-heavy attack in preparation for the T20 World Cup.England: (possible) 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell (capt), 4 Jordan Cox, 5 Sam Curran, 6 Tom Banton, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Liam Dawson, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Luke Wood, 11 Sonny Baker.

Pitch and conditions

Dublin in early autumn is unlikely to be the sort of batting paradise that England encountered in that Old Trafford contest. Stirling predicted conditions would be as “alien” to those at next year’s World Cup as you could imagine: “September in Ireland is going to be green, it’s going to nip a little bit, and it’s going to be slightly slow.” The weather for Wednesday is mostly set to be clear, though torrential overnight rain is anticipated, which may well influence the decisions at the toss.

Stats and trivia

• England and Ireland have played only twice before in the T20I format – at the T20 World Cups in 2010 (then the World T20) and 2022. Ireland memorably won the second of those at the MCG and might well have won the first but for a washout. England, remarkably, recovered from those set-backs to claim the title on each occasion.
• At 21 years and 329 days, Jacob Bethell is set to become the youngest captain in England’s history, beating the mark currently held by Monty Bowden, who was 23 and 144 days when he led England against South Africa at Cape Town on the Test tour of 1888-89.

Quotes

“It was fantastic viewing… Hopefully it’ll be a bit different than Old Trafford, where the pitch didn’t seem to be doing much. Coming here, it might be a bit slower, it might do a bit more, and hopefully we can catch a team off-guard that way if things go our way – maybe win the toss and go from there.”
“I’ve played with Paul Stirling myself, and I’ve seen how destructive he is at the other end. He’ll be someone we’ll be looking to target early and try to get him walking back into the sheds.”