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The England batter had been taken at gold in the draft earlier this month

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2023England batter Danni Wyatt has withdrawn from the WBBL, where she was set to play for Perth Scorchers, due to fatigue.Wyatt was a gold pick by Scorchers in the draft earlier this month after they had retained Sophie Devine at platinum. She was recently rested from England’s ODI series against Sri Lanka.Scorchers then signed Amy Jones via the direct nomination route to complete their trio of overseas but will now have to find a replacement for Wyatt.Related

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• Lanning 'disappointed' and 'frustrated' at Sciver-Brunt's likely WBBL signing

• Kapp goes pick one to Thunder in WBBL draft as Scorchers retain Devine

• Amy Jones completes Perth Scorchers' overseas signings

• Megan Schutt: 'I didn't have the skill or work ethic, I just happened to be able to swing a ball'

“We’re rapt to be able to have someone of Danni’s quality in orange,” Scorchers head coach Becky Grundy had said after the draft. “She’s shown in international cricket her ability to float up and down the order so there’s flexibility there.”Scorchers had set out with the aim to stock their top order during the draft with a belief their local players, alongside Devine, could carrying the bowling.The schedule in the women’s game continues to be increasingly busy with recent examples of players starting to pick and choose their tournaments. Smriti Mandhana and Nat Sciver-Brunt did not put their names into the WBBL draft.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo recently, Australia pace bowler Megan Schutt said more players were starting to have conversations about how much cricket they play.”Our schedule as a whole is pretty intimidating to be honest,” Schutt said. “But just having the choice is probably the ultimate opportunity in itself. There’s so many leagues now that if someone does want to do the T20 circuit, that’s bloody awesome.”If they have the body and desire to keep doing that then that’s cool. But it’s definitely daunting and something we’ve discussed with our coaches about how we are going to manage ourselves.”Meanwhile, Brisbane Heat have signed England legspinner Sarah Glenn as cover for New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr who will miss the start of the WBBL. Heat knew that Kerr would be unavailable early in the tournament but were always going to take her as their platinum pick.

Coach insists that getting up for the Ashes won’t be a problem despite lackadaisical performance at Lord’s

Andrew Miller26-Jul-2019England’s coach, Trevor Bayliss, has questioned his team’s “ruthlessness” when faced with opponents of lesser stature than the likes of India and Australia, after his side saved face with a 143-run win on the third morning of their inaugural Test against Ireland at Lord’s.Having been bowled out for 85 on the first morning of the match, England turned the tables in dramatic fashion on the third, as Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad rolled aside their opponents in 15.4 overs for 38, the lowest completed Test total since 1932.However, Bayliss was keenly aware that the comprehensive nature of the finish could not disguise the flimsiness of England’s start, nor the enduring weaknesses in a top-three that is no nearer to being settled with the first Test against Australia looming on August 1.”When we got knocked over for 85 on day one, that showed what [Ireland] can do,” Bayliss told Sky Sports. “With a bit more experience they’ll give some teams a hurry up.”With a 180-run lead, we gave ourselves a chance and with the overcast conditions this morning, I think we probably added another 30-40 to the equation. But we had to get off to a good start and those two guys showed the class that we’ve got in these conditions.”I’d like to have seen this approach in the first two days, especially with our batting,” he added. “The intensity that we went into this morning’s play [was excellent], yet for some reason, over a period of time, we’ve struggled against teams that on paper we should do better against.”We’ve got no problem getting up for the game when it’s Australia or India, but it’s matches like that where we’ve got to get a grip of ourselves and see where we can get better.”Bayliss’s assertion is borne out by the team’s recent history, with notable defeats on home soil including a supine loss to Pakistan at Lord’s in the first Test of the 2018 season, as well as West Indies’ thrilling win at Headingley in 2017. But he was keen to add that it wasn’t simply an issue for this current England squad.”It’s been happening for a while, I mean, think about the Netherlands [at the World T20 in 2014] and other matches like that. Do we take the foot off? Are we able to get into the mood to actually go out and compete, and be ruthless?”I think we showed this morning here how ruthless we can be, but we’ve got to get that into our batting as well.”There was a significant mitigating factor for England going into this particular contest, however, given that five of the team were involved in the thrilling World Cup final win on this very ground just over a week ago. Jonny Bairstow, who made a pair, was one player who clearly struggled to raise his game, and Bayliss admitted that he for one would have liked longer to savour the greatest achievement of his career.”I know it’s a Test match that you’re pulling on a shirt for, but to bring yourself back up from that … I certainly think it was a big part to play. There’s no use getting away from it.”Even the first day, it would have been nice for another week, just to celebrate or savour the moment, but no, you’re straight back into preparing for a Test match. That’s what we’ve got in front of us and so that’s what we’ve got to work on and come to terms with.”The Ashes build-up will begin in earnest now that Australia have named their 17-man squad for the five-Test series, and England name their own squad for Edgbaston on Saturday morning. Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler are two automatic picks who were rested for this game, while Jofra Archer could come into the reckoning if he comes through his comeback spell for Sussex Sharks in the Blast this evening.”As I said before, I really don’t think we’ll have any problem getting ourselves up for the Ashes,” said Bayliss. “There’s always a lot of hype around that Ashes series, and we’ve got a few guys to come into the team that have had a rest so we’re looking forward to it.”James Anderson is another contender for the first Test after training with the squad during the Ireland Test, which he missed due to a minor calf tear sustained in county cricket three weeks ago.”Jimmy wasn’t quite right for this one but he’s been out here building up some spells and doing his sprints with no problems at all,” said Bayliss. “So I would be very surprised if he’s not right for the first Test.”

The league, however, could potentially clash with the women’s IPL

Danyal Rasool06-Oct-2022The PCB has announced the launch of women’s T20 league, with the inaugural edition set to run alongside next year’s PSL. There will be 12 games played, all of them in Rawalpindi, with the final due to take place on March 18 2023, the day before the Pakistan Super League final. The league will comprise four teams, with 18 players per side, including six foreign players.”I am delighted to announce the women’s league,” PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said. “This league will attract young women cricketers to this great sport and help our current players further enhance their skills when they will get to share dug-outs with the overseas players. To amplify the coverage and promotion of this initiative, some of the matches will precede the HBL Pakistan Super League 8 matches.”This event is aligned to our strategy of making Pakistan a stronger cricket playing nation across all formats and genders. We are not only creating attractive brands to strengthen our cricket economy, but through this tournament are also providing career opportunities to our women cricketers. The more our women cricketers will participate in high-pressure events, the more they will learn.”Related

• Lahore Qalandars expand player development programme to include women

• BCCI earmarks window in March 2023 for women's IPL

• Ramiz Raja wants PSL to move from draft to auction

Ramiz has been a proponent of a women’s T20 league ever since ascending to the chairmanship, with the lure of pipping India to hosting the first women’s T20 league in Asia a consistent theme among his stated goals. India has held the Women’s T20 challenge since 2018, but is yet to host a franchise-based women’s league similar to the Indian Premier League. The inaugural edition of the women’s IPL is also scheduled for March 2023, with the dates yet to be announced.That means there could theoretically be a clash between the women’s IPL and the women’s T20 league in Pakistan, potentially impacting Pakistan’s foreign options for the league.Ramiz had told ESPNcricinfo earlier this year that the PCB was looking to host a women’s PSL in the January-February window. At the time, Pakistan had just 12 centrally contracted women’s cricketers, though that has since increased to 20. Pakistan still need to have a further 28 local players for the league, meaning they will need to dig deep among their reserves for local talent, and likely turn to players that featured in the national Under-19 tournament in August to make up the shortfall.”There’s a lot of traction and a lot of takers for it,” Ramiz had said at the time. “Pakistan women’s cricket needs to improve a lot, and that will only happen when we give them an environment where they can make money and share the dugout with world-class players. We are also thinking of making first-class women’s teams and attaching them with provincial teams.”

Squad takes week off ahead of series decider at Oval after three-day loss

Firdose Moonda30-Aug-2022Smarting from their defeat inside three days at Old Trafford, South Africa have taken the week off and will break away to the West Midlands before resuming training in London on Saturday.No further details have been provided about their itinerary except that they will “stay together as a group” and engage in team activities including golf rather than have individual time away, as was initially discussed. Speaking after the second Test, Dean Elgar said they would use the time to reconnect, to “pull ourselves towards ourselves”, and “don’t forget why we are here”.The mood is somewhat different to the one the team had after beating England in three days at Lord’s. Players were given the remaining two days off to do as they pleased with the only instruction to “be back at the hotel for an 11 o’clock leaving time otherwise it’s an expensive Uber to Manchester,” Elgar said.Related

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• Engine failure condemns South Africa after Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen keep the wheels turning

• Dean Elgar promises 'honesty' as South Africa look to regroup after crushing loss

• New bowler, new ball: Fitter, more focused Ollie Robinson shows he's worthy of key promotion

The gap between the second and third Test was initially scheduled for nine days to accommodate the Hundred’s final week. That became 11 days after England stormed to an innings-and-85-run win. South Africa remained in Manchester for what would have been the final two days of the Test and will leave for their getaway on Tuesday.While Elgar emphasised they would like to get away from cricket to a degree, South Africa will not be able to avoid addressing questions over their game, especially as the decider looms. Chief among South Africa’s considerations will be how to juggle the batting line-up after they were dismissed for under 200 in both innings.Rassie van der Dussen has returned home with a finger injury and will be replaced by one of Ryan Rickelton or Khaya Zondo, but both reserve batters could come into contention given Aiden Markram’s poor form.Allrounder Wiaan Mulder, who has been playing at Leicester, has been added to the squad in van der Dussen’s absence, and provides another option in the lower middle-order.

Loss of revenue during pandemic plus historic pensions error leaves reserves precarious

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2023Chief executive Andrew Cornish says “there is no hiding away” from Middlesex’s financial difficulties, after acknowledging that the club may require an ECB bail-out after racking up a loss of £952,000 in their most recently published accounts.In an open letter to Middlesex’s members, Cornish acknowledged that a recent report in the Daily Telegraph had been an “accurate depiction” of the club’s financial status, following a hit to their revenue from the Covid pandemic in 2020-21, plus a historic pensions miscalculation that has cost the club a further £500,000 to rectify.However, Cornish also insisted that none of this was “new news”, and that with Middlesex forecast to return a profit in 2023, any involvement of the ECB in the club’s management was merely a case of putting contingency plans in place, in the event of a “rainy day”. At present the club’s reserves have been reduced to £179,000, from more than £2 million prior to the pandemic.”Losses have been significant, the accounts are filed publicly for all to see, as well as being sent to all members and discussed at the AGM, so there is no hiding away from the fact that the last two years have been an extremely challenging time for Middlesex Cricket,” Cornish wrote.”As I have said, none of this is news to Middlesex members … we have made every effort to ensure that this has been conveyed to you in as transparent and open manner as possible.”Unlike the other 17 first-class counties, Middlesex is in the unique position of renting its home ground, Lord’s, from MCC – a situation that has both exacerbated their current exposure, given that their sole revenue stream is from county cricket activities, but also ensures that they are debt-free, with their landlords for example footing the bill for last year’s £53 million redevelopment of the Compton and Edrich Stands.For that reason, however, the income that Middlesex receives from the ECB makes up more than 70 percent of their overall figure – £4.733 million out of £6.589 million, according to their latest accounts, including their long-standing county partnership agreement, plus a further £1.3 million in return for agreeing to the staging of the Hundred.”We are much more reliant on the revenue that the ECB provides through its broadcast deals than our counterparts at other venues,” Cornish added. “This difference comes about due to us not owning our own ground and therefore being unable to stage profitable non-cricket events, which some might view as a blessing.Related

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• Angus Fraser moved from director of cricket role in Middlesex restructuring

• Middlesex chief executive Richard Goatley steps down due to ill health

• County Championship points system tweaked to encourage aggressive batting

• Keshav Maharaj ruled out of Middlesex stint

“With such a vested interest in protecting the future wellbeing of the English game, and the counties that are the stakeholders in it, it is only right that open and honest discussions are being had between both organisations to ensure that there is an understanding of our position.”In 2016, Durham was punished for receiving a £3.8 million ECB bail-out, with relegation from Division One, a 48-point deduction for the following season, and a loss of Test status. However, the new ECB leadership of Richard Gould and Richard Thompson, formerly of Surrey, are unlikely to take such a hard line as they seek to make the case that their regime is more supportive of the counties than their forebears.”We are grateful for the assistance and help the ECB are providing to the Club throughout this process and will continue to liaise with them closely on this matter moving forwards,” Cornish added. “They are assured and encouraged that the financial position of the Club at this point is far more encouraging than previously.”However, whilst unlike many other counties we have no debt, we also have minimal assets and that leaves our cashflow potentially exposed to the seasonality of cricket, hence our need as responsible Directors to ensure the Club has contingency plans in the event of a ‘rainy day’ – if you’ll forgive the pun.”

17 overseas spots to be filled in March’s draft after teams finalise retentions

Matt Roller22-Feb-2022Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis and Adam Milne are among the seven overseas players who have been retained by men’s teams ahead of the second season of the Hundred, with 17 overseas spots due to be filled in the draft on March 30.ESPNcricinfo revealed last week that several leading domestic players – including Tom Banton, Joe Clarke, Liam Dawson and Laurie Evans – would be part of next month’s draft after failing to agree contracts with their respective teams, and the ECB confirmed a full list of retained players on Tuesday after a prolonged period of negotiations.Teams were able to retain up to 10 players who held a contract for the 2021 season at any stage, regardless of whether they were fulfilled. Maxwell withdrew from his contract with London Spirit due to quarantine requirements on returning to Australia and du Plessis was ruled out of his stint as Northern Superchargers’ captain due to concussion but both are due to play in 2022.Milne was the standout bowler in the inaugural season, taking 12 wickets and conceding less than a run a ball as Birmingham Phoenix topped the group stage before losing to Southern Brave in the final. As previously reported, Rashid Khan, Marchant de Lange (both Trent Rockets), Marcus Stoinis and Tim David (both Southern Brave) are the other overseas players who have been retained.Related

• England stars to receive Hundred salary boost for 2022 tournament

• Leading Australian women set for the Hundred after missing first season

• Foster named Superchargers men's head coach

• Women's Hundred trimmed due to Commonwealth Games clash

• The Hundred: Banton, Clarke, Dawson, Evans set for draft return

A total of 42 players will be picked in the March draft, of which 17 will be overseas players and 25 will be domestic, with each team then completing their squad with a ‘wildcard’ player after the Vitality Blast’s group stages. Teams will pick in reverse order from their 2021 finishing position, meaning London Spirit will have the first pick of the draft, with Welsh Fire (seven) due to make the most picks and Trent Rockets and Southern Brave (four each) making the fewest.Teams are allowed to field three overseas players in their playing XI, but will be allowed to sign a fourth in their squad this season as back-up. They will each make a final signing in a ‘wildcard’ overseas draft in June.Each salary band in the men’s competition has increased by 25% for 2022, though several players have negotiated shifts up or down their teams’ pay scale. Adil Rashid joins Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone as one of three English players in the top pay bracket (£125,000) while David Willey, Will Jacks, Luke Wood and Harry Brook have all secured increases. Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Adam Lyth and Tom Abell have all shifted down the grid.Northern Superchargers were the last team to finalise their retentions after several changes in the backroom staff, with James Foster – who has been at the PSL with Peshawar Zalmi – only appointed head coach shortly before last week’s deadline. Lyth and Willey both signed late deals but Jordan Thompson joins Matthew Fisher, Olly Stone, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Ben Raine in the draft.The Hundred – men’s retentions for 2022•ECB/The Hundred

None of England’s Test-contracted players have left the clubs they were with in 2021. Those involved in the Test series against South Africa are likely to play up to three group games and possibly the knockout stages, though last year most of the seamers were preparing at Loughborough ahead of the India series instead. Jack Leach, James Anderson and Stuart Broad are the three Test-contracted players who have not been allocated a team.Each team will be allowed to use one right-to-match (RTM) card at the draft, which can be used to re-sign a player from their 2021 squad, so long as they can match the salary for which another team has tried to sign them. Southern Brave are widely expected to use their RTM if another team attempts to sign Quinton de Kock before their first-round pick, while Oval Invincibles could do the same with Sunil Narine.The availability of overseas players during the Hundred’s window from August 3-September 3 is mixed, with Australia and New Zealand players likely to prove popular at the draft due to the gaps in their international schedule.

Men’s retentions:

Southern Brave
Jofra Archer (Test), Marcus Stoinis, James Vince, Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan, George Garton, Alex Davies, Jake Lintott, Tim David, Ross Whiteley, Craig Overton
David Warner, Quinton de Kock, Andre Russell, Colin de Grandhomme, Devon Conway, Paul Stirling, Danny Briggs, Liam Dawson, Archie Lenham, Delray Rawlins, Gus Atkinson, Max WallerBirmingham Phoenix
Chris Woakes (Test), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Adam Milne, Benny Howell, Tom Abell, Will Smeed, Chris Benjamin, Miles Hammond, Henry Brookes
Kane Williamson, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Finn Allen, Adam Zampa, Imran Tahir, David Bedingham, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Pat Brown, Tom Helm, Chris Cooke, Dillon Pennington, Adam HoseTrent Rockets
Joe Root, Dawid Malan (both Test), Rashid Khan, Alex Hales, Lewis Gregory, Marchant de Lange, Luke Wood, Samit Patel, Matt Carter, Steven Mullaney, Sam Cook, Tom Moores
Wahab Riaz, Nathan Coulter-Nile, D’Arcy Short, Ben Cox, Jack Leaning, Timm van der Gugten, Sonny Baker, Luke WrightOval Invincibles
Sam Curran, Rory Burns (both Test), Jason Roy, Sam Billings, Tom Curran, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Reece Topley, Jordan Cox, Nathan Sowter
Sunil Narine, Colin Ingram, Sandeep Lamichhane, Tabraiz Shamsi, Alex Blake, Jordan Cox, Laurie Evans, Brandon GloverNorthern Superchargers
Ben Stokes (Test), Adil Rashid, David Willey, Faf du Plessis, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, John Simpson, Adam Lyth, Callum Parkinson
Aaron Finch, Dane Vilas, Chris Lynn, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Matthew Fisher, Olly Stone, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Jordan Thompson, Ben RaineManchester Originals
Jos Buttler, Ollie Robinson (both Test), Phil Salt, Matt Parkinson, Jamie Overton, Tom Hartley, Tom Lammonby, Colin Ackermann, Wayne Madsen, Fred Klaassen, Calvin Harrison
Nicholas Pooran, Kagiso Rabada, Colin Munro, Carlos Brathwaite, Lockie Ferguson, Shadab Khan, Joe Clarke, Steven Finn, Richard Gleeson, Sam Hain, Dan DouthwaiteWelsh Fire
Jonny Bairstow, Ollie Pope (both Test), Ben Duckett, Jake Ball, David Payne, Leus du Plooy, Matt Critchley, Ryan Higgins, Josh Cobb

Glenn Phillips, Kieron Pollard, Jhye Richardson, Qais Ahmad, Lungi Ngidi, James Neesham, Tom Banton, Ian Cockbain, Graeme White, Luke Fletcher, David Lloyd, Matt Milnes, Liam PlunkettLondon Spirit
Zak Crawley, Mark Wood (both Test), Glenn Maxwell, Eoin Morgan, Mason Crane, Dan Lawrence, Adam Rossington, Ravi Bopara, Blake Cullen, Brad Wheal

Josh Inglis, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nabi, David Wiese, Joe Denly, Joe Cracknell, Jade Dernbach, Luis Reece, Chris Wood, Roelof van der Merwe