Sharmin Akhter, Jahanara Alam back in Bangladesh ODI squad

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

Summer arrives late for Ireland in slender window of opportunity

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.”

Konstas and Webster guide Australia A home in a nervy chase

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.

Buckingham, Hardie bowl Australia A to innings victory

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.

Billings picks Sydney Thunder ahead of rival T20 leagues

The wicketkeeper-batter has signed a three-year deal and will be available for the entirety of every season

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2024England wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings has become the first player to sign for the BBL under the new multi-year contract option with a three-season deal for Sydney Thunder, committing to the competition ahead of rival T20 leagues in the UAE and South Africa.Billings previously played two seasons for the Thunder in 2020-21 and 2021-22 before spending the next two campaigns with Brisbane Heat. He was one of a group of overseas players to leave the tournament early last season to take up a deal with the ILT20 and the BBL’s new multi-year option is an attempt to secure players for the duration by offering them security.Related

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  • Sydney Thunder keep Trevor Bayliss on as coach for another BBL campaign

The SA20 will again significantly overlap with the BBL when it starts in early January, while the ILT20 begins earlier next season so it creates an even greater clash.In return, under terms of signing a three-year deal, a player must commit to the entire BBL including the finals from the 2025-26 season, but Billings has gone a step further and will also be available throughout next season’s edition.”I love Sydney and in particular Western Sydney and the chance to come back to a family club that is so connected to their members and fans and the people from the area was too good an opportunity to ignore,” Billings said.”On the field we are pulling together a really good squad and the chance to work with such an accomplished coach as Trevor Bayliss again was very appealing.”The BBL is in such a great place these days, it’s well run, well supported and definitely the best tournament in the world staged at that time of the year. That’s why I have committed long term and to be here right until the end of the tournament each year.”Thunder finished bottom in last season’s BBL with just one win in 10 matches so are attempting to rebuild under new general manager Trent Copeland and former England coach Trevor Bayliss who recently signed a one-year extension.”The beauty of bringing a player the calibre of Sam Billings to the club is not just the elite skillset he brings to every facet of the game but also his leadership on and off the field,” Copeland said.Billings is the second Thunder signing confirmed in two days after the club secured highly-rated young batter Sam Konstas on a two-year deal. Konstas, 18, who made his New South Wales debut last season, was part of Thunder’s squad last summer but did not feature before heading to the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa where he helped Australia to the title.The WBBL has the same multi-year contract mechanism with New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr the first signed under the agreement as she moved to Sydney Sixers from Heat.Sydney Thunder BBL squad 2024-25: Wes Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings, Oliver Davies, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Liam Hatcher, Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, William Salzmann, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha

Nathan Lyon: 'In my eyes, Jack Leach is still England's best spinner'

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.”

Tim David signs with defending champions St Lucia Kings for CPL 2025

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

Russell and TKR pay tribute to CPL legend Bravo

The allrounder received a guard of honour in what seemed to be his final CPL game

Deivarayan Muthu19-Sep-2024Andre Russell summed up the overwhelming feeling at the Queen’s Park Oval as the Trinidad crowd turned up in droves on Wednesday to celebrate one of its greatest T20 heroes in what was possibly his last CPL game.Before the start of CPL 2024, Dwayne Bravo had announced he would retire from the league after the end of the ongoing season. But he has played just two games so far this season, and the one against defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain might have been his last, Russell suggested after winning the Player-of-the-Match award and dedicating it to his good friend.”I’m just happy to be part of this game tonight and that’s the reason why so much emotion was kind of behind that celebration,” Russell said after Trinbago Knight Riders beat Amazon Warriors by five wickets. “He [Bravo] deserves a win tonight. You have helped me a lot with my cricket – how to outthink the batter and then to be a smarter bowler. You’re not going to get it right all the time but once you have the right mindset to get the execution, I think you’re on the right way.”We’re going to miss him but I hope he is still going to be around for the rest of the tournament. But he’s definitely one we all listen to and we all look up to and you know he might shed a bit of tears tonight inside the changing room, but I appreciate him.”Related

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  • Dwayne Bravo to retire from CPL after 2024 season

  • Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph rested for SA T20Is

Russell, who has played 130 matches alongside Bravo, including 74 for West Indies, spoke glowing of the impact Bravo has had on his own career.”I think me being who I am today, Bravo has a lot to do with it,” Russell said. “I used to wicketkeep, then I started bowling and batting at No.10, No.11 and 9. Watching him play in Test cricket for West Indies – bowling good pace, fielding and diving and all those things and then when he comes to bat, he gets the job done.”

The rest of the TKR players and support staff also seemed to suggest this might have been Bravo’s final CPL match as they honoured him by wearing his No. 47 shirt and giving him a guard of honour before he stepped onto the field.Bravo bowled Keemo Paul for 3 and snagged a sharp catch at slip to dismiss Tim Robinson for 34. Then, during the innings break, he was driven around the Queen’s Park Oval on a cart as he signed balls and sent them into the crowd.Bravo is the most decorated player in the CPL, having won five titles in all, including three with TKR. He led TKR to back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 before captaining St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to their first title in 2021.He was instrumental in building the Trinidad franchise from scratch before Kieron Pollard joined TKR and took over the captaincy from Bravo. Before the start of the Trinidad leg of the tournament, Pollard also toasted Bravo’s role in TKR’s success.

“The impact has been fantastic and tremendous in terms of the individuals he has brought to the franchise from all over the world,” Pollard said of Bravo in a chat with . “At one point an Australian coach in Simon Helmot, he won a championship with him, to the local support staff who have been here since the inception. Persons who are well recognised in Trinidad & Tobago and the Caribbean. We have Ruel Rigsby, the physio, and Kelly Sankar [massage therapist], who has been here since the inception and Sheldon [Sewnarine] who is one of the logistics guys.”So these are the people who he would’ve put and trusted in supporting roles for him and bringing excellent cricketers of generations – Jacques Kallis, Brendon McCullum and Johan Bothas of the world – and our own icons in Darren Bravos and Denesh Ramdins and understanding what’s needed to build a cricket team. I think he has done a fantastic job and there’s no better place to finish his cricketing career in the Caribbean than TKR, a team he has built.”From team-mates to opponents, Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell have lit up T20 leagues around the world•BCCI

Russell is back with a bang

Having been troubled by an ankle injury during the first half of the CPL, Russell marked his return from a two-week break with five boundaries, including four sixes, in his 36 off 15 balls, to help TKR chase down 149 after a middle-order wobble. Prior to the start of this CPL, Russell had also been rested for West Indies’ home T20I series against South Africa, but his return, along with Bravo’s, lent so much domestic depth to TKR’s XI that they could afford to play with just two overseas players in Tim David and Waqar Salamkheil.”It feels good to be back in the middle,” Russell said. “I’ve been struggling with an ankle injury over the past couple of weeks and you know these guys [support staff] have been doing some amazing job, getting me back on the park. I was going to say ‘thanks to me’ because with the dedication and hard work to make sure that I do whatever the physio wants me to do: wake up early morning, head to the gym, in the pool, and do whatever. So, when you work hard you get good results and I’m happy.”

Banton brilliance puts Somerset on brink of qualification

Defending champions knock Hampshire out and close in on quarter-finals

ECB Reporters Network14-Jul-2024Tom Banton’s destruction of Hampshire put defending champions Somerset within a point of qualifying for the Vitality Blast quarter-finals.Opener Banton whacked an unbeaten 79 off 52 balls in partnerships of 81 and 77 with George Thomas and Tom Kohler-Cadmore to chase down 158 at a canter at Utilita Bowl.Jack Leach put his England Test snub behind him with a tidy 2 for 23 and South African quick Migael Pretorius picked up two on his Somerset T20 debut, with only Tom Prest’s 51 halting the Somerset dominance.Banton finished off the nine-wicket victory to put Somerset onto 15 points, with only Gloucestershire, who are two points behind but only have one fixture left, able to prevent them from a knockout berth. Hampshire’s three-year run of qualification has now officially ended.James Vince chose to bat first, and he and Ben McDermott began strongly with 45 coming from the first five overs – but from Pretorius and Leach’s introductions, Somerset took control. Pretorius, on T20 debut for Somerset, only conceded four runs off the bat in his first over before bowling Vince with sensational delivery that kissed the top of off stump.McDermott had confidently thumped a couple of fours and a pair of sixes but fell to a Leach dart – the first time the spinner had taken a T20 wicket that wasn’t caught. From 78 for 2at the half-way point, Hampshire couldn’t find any fluency as Joe Weatherley and Benny Howell fell in quick succession.Quietly Prest was doing all he could get the innings out of neutral with a style that mimicked prime Vince – with timed power surging through the offside – as he added 32 with James Fuller. Prest had missed the first half of the Blast with a shoulder injury but, having scored 53 for the County Select XI earlier in the month, moved to a fifth Blast half-century in 31 balls.But he skied the next ball down the ground, which came either side of Fuller and Toby Albert holing out on the legside. Dawson’s late 15 off nine balls got the hosts to 157. However, it never felt enough, especially with Banton and Thomas hammering the ball to all quarters. The tone was set with the first delivery clipped off Banton’s hip to the ropes and never relented.Howell found a small edge behind to end Thomas’ run-a-ball 29 but that only brought the juggernaut of Kohler-Cadmore out to finish things in double quick time – he struck two fours and three sixes in his 43 not out. But the star, as has often been the case in the 2024 Blast was Banton. His third fifty of the campaign came in a measured 34 balls before passing 400 runs in the season as the victory was secured with 12 balls to spare.

Evison keeps Kent afloat after Gregory broadside

Allrounder hits 85 and builds vital stand with Harry Finch to peg back Somerset

ECB Reporters Network06-Apr-2024Kent were bowled out for 284 by Somerset on a fluctuating second day in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury. Joey Evison hit 85 and Harry Finch 54 as the hosts recovered from 114 for 5.Somerset captain Lewis Gregory’s first over went for 20, but he rallied to take 4 for 66, including the key wicket of Evison, but bad light stopped play before Somerset had the chance to reply, with 23 scheduled overs remaining.The weather had wiped out the first day at the Spitfire Ground and conditions were still so blustery on Saturday morning that the advertising hoardings had to be stacked safely away from the boundary.Somerset, who left out the England spinner Shoaib Bashir, chose to bowl and produced a torrid opening spell. Kent scored just 17 off the first ten overs from Josh Davey and Jake Ball, but when Gregory came on from the Nackington Road End the batters were initially able to cut loose.Tawanda Muyeye took 24 balls and 39 minutes to get off the mark, but once the opening pair had been seen off he hit 33 from 55 balls before Gregory bowled him. Gregory struck again in his next over when he had Kent captain Daniel Bell-Drummond caught at second slip by Kasey Aldridge and Jack Leaning then went for a golden duck, caught behind down the leg side by James Rew off Ned Leonard.Matt Renshaw had Joe Denly caught by Gregory for 19 with the final ball of the session to leave Kent on 110 for 4 at lunch.The normally staid Compton tried to hook Gregory and was caught on the boundary by Leonard for 32 but Kent responded with a partnership of 93, Evison joining Finch to take the hosts past the 200 mark.Aldridge then tilted the equation back in Somerset’s favour with two wickets in the 53rd over. Finch drove him to Tom Banton at midwicket and he then had Wes Agar caught for a duck in the slips by Gregory.Sensing he might run out of partners, Evison went on the attack, swiping Renshaw for six over cow corner. He was dropped by Tom Lammonby, off Aldridge, on 51, but Goldsworthy then claimed his first ever first-class wicket when he bowled Nathan Gilchrist for just 2, leaving Kent on 235 for 8 at tea.The hosts countered with a stand of 61 for the ninth wicket which was only broken when Evison tried to drive Goldsworthy, who deflected the ball on to the stumps at the non-strikers end and ran out Matt Parkinson for 25. Evison then fell on the deep square leg boundary when he tried to hook Gregory and was caught by Goldsworthy.Somerset’s openers Lammonby and Sean Dickson made it as far as the middle when the umpires took a light reading and suspended play. With no improvement looking likely, the evening session was abandoned at 6.05pm.

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