But he still believes there is a future for ODI cricket, and says players ‘still want to win 50-over World Cups’

Firdose Moonda24-Jul-2022Quinton de Kock’s retirement from Test cricket has not created space in his calendar because he has chosen to play in T20 leagues, but he has no regrets over his decision to give up the longest format. De Kock quit Tests late last year, shortly before becoming a father for the first time, citing a desire to spend more time at home, but that wish has not quite come true just yet.”It hasn’t freed up my calendar – at least not this year,” de Kock said, in his first press engagement since stepping away from Tests. “I’ve been roped in to play a couple of leagues but that’s my own consequence. I am happy to do it. It’s still a sacrifice but I’m slowly getting to an age where I need to think about where I want to be in my career. As long as I can do it at my own pace then I am happy.”Related

• If ODIs feel irrelevant now, just wait till the next FTP cycle

• IPL window extended; England and Australia make space for Hundred and BBL

• PCB raises concern over impact of T20 leagues on international cricket

• Stokes' ODI retirement should prompt change, but won't

• Khawaja: ODIs 'dying a slow death' but Tests remain strong

After de Kock returned from paternity leave to play in South Africa’s white-ball matches against India in January, he had almost two months off before a series against Bangladesh but he has been on the go since then. He played for the Lucknow Super Giants at the IPL, for South Africa against India, is now in England, and will also play The Hundred and the CPL before another white-ball series in India followed by the T20 World Cup.And he acknowledged that it’s becoming more difficult to decide what to participate in and that for many players, dropping a format is the only option. “It’s going to start being tough for players – three formats is a lot and it looks like more games are happening over the calendar,” he said. “Players need to make decisions individually and if they feel they can do it [play all three formats], I am happy for them. But guys need to take decisions into their own hands. For me, I am happy where I am.”Despite many predicting a slow death for ODI cricket, de Kock still has faith in the format, hopes South Africa will play more 50-over cricket, and has indicated he will keep at it for now. “I want to say we need to play more games but I don’t see where,” he said. “The [ODI] game is doing well for itself with the way players are going about it and from a batting and bowling competitiveness. There’s a future for it and a lot of us still want to win 50-over World Cups. There’s a lot to play for.”de Kock encouraged newer players to continue pursuing all three formats and said that it only becomes difficult to fit all in as you age or your priorities change. “When you’re still young you need to play all three formats and get certain things done in your career,” he said. “It starts getting harder as you start getting older and the body doesn’t cooperate like it used to. It’s just a management thing.”

Hosts handed first home defeat of season as promotion race begins to hot up

ECB Reporters Network13-Jul-2022Worcestershire 191 (Barnard 69, Roland-Jones 4-60) and 238 for 3 (Pollock 113) beat Middlesex 188 (Hollman 62, Helm 50, Leach 3-58) and 240 (Hollman 46, Yadav 44*, Pennington 3-54, Baker 3-62) by seven wicketsEd Pollock annihilated Middlesex’s bowling attack with a brilliant century as Worcestershire coasted to a resounding seven-wicket LV= Insurance County Championship success at Merchant Taylors’ School.Pollock was in ruthless mood, slamming 113 from just 77 balls to register his highest first-class score and ensure the visitors chased down what had appeared a tricky fourth-innings target of 238 with ease.The left-hander’s performance – which included seven sixes and 11 fours – ensured Worcestershire became the first visiting team to taste victory in a red-ball fixture at the Northwood venue.The result strengthened the Pears’ promotion chances, lifting them to within 11 points of Middlesex, who remain second in Division Two for now despite their first home defeat of the campaign.Charlie Morris made early inroads in the morning, uprooting Toby Roland-Jones’ off stump before Tom Helm squirted him into the hands of mid-on to leave Middlesex eight down and 185 ahead.But Umesh Yadav’s pugnacious approach quickly propelled his new side past 200, thrashing Dillon Pennington over long-off for six and handing out the same treatment to Josh Baker when Worcestershire turned to spin.The India international dominated a partnership of 41 with Luke Hollman, who fell just four short of his second half-century of the match when Baker persuaded him to reverse-sweep and find the point fielder.Yadav was left unbeaten on 44 from 41 balls when Middlesex’s innings finally came to a close at 240, with Tim Murtagh caught behind swishing at Joe Leach.If the target appeared awkward, Worcestershire’s openers looked completely unflustered by it, with Roland-Jones’ first two overs disappearing for 22 as Pollock and Jake Libby raced to 50 inside the first seven.Hollman and Yadav succeeded in stemming the flow of runs before lunch – but the batting side resumed the onslaught after the interval, with Pollock hooking Roland-Jones for six and slamming another boundary in the same over to reach his half-century.Helm eventually achieved the breakthrough, having Libby (31) caught behind attempting to cut, but the wicket failed to disrupt Pollock’s rhythm and he ruthlessly pulled the first ball of Murtagh’s second spell over the fence.The opener’s hundred arrived from just 67 deliveries, with Taylor Cornall – who contributed 12 to the second-wicket stand of 82 – required to do little more than stand and applaud his partner’s efforts.Pollock eventually perished, pulling Yadav down the throat of deep square leg with 71 still needed, but his job was long since done and it was left to Cornall (31 not out) and captain Brett D’Oliveira (33 not out) to steer Worcestershire over the line.

Mandhana’s 46 helped Brave to 153 for 8, and Invincibles never got going in the chase

Matt Roller14-Aug-2022Oval Invincibles are defending champions in the Hundred and eased to a nine-wicket win on the opening night of the women’s competition on Wednesday. But three days later, their season is in turmoil after they made a shock call to omit captain Dane van Niekerk from their side, then slipped to a 12-run defeat against Southern Brave in a rematch of last year’s final in the south London sunshine.Marizanne Kapp was fit to return after missing the opening game through illness and her return demanded a tough call, with four top-class overseas players in the squad and only three permitted in the playing XI. Jonathan Batty, Invincibles’ head coach, was expected to leave out Suzie Bates, but her innings of 46 off 34 against Northern Superchargers saw her keep her place.Instead, van Niekerk made way, and Invincibles never got going in her absence. Smriti Mandhana hit the first two balls of the innings for four after Bates, deputising as captain, chose to bowl, and her innings of 46 led Brave to 153 for 8, the highest women’s Hundred total at The Oval. In the chase, Kapp, Bates and Lauren Winfield-Hill made bright starts, but failed to turn their cameos into innings of substance as Brave’s spinners closed out a comfortable win in front of a 14,525 crowd.Mandhana magic
Mandhana missed the final week of the Hundred last year, returning home to see her family before flying to Australia for India’s tour, and their batting wasn’t the same without her: in the final, they folded to 73 all out – which represented something of a recovery from 14 for 6. While there is no guarantee she would have kept out Kapp’s high-class opening spell on that day, this was a reminder of what Brave had missed.She was up and running immediately, creaming her first ball – from Kapp, no less – through the covers for four and hit six fours in her first 13 deliveries, punishing Kapp and Shabnim Ismail when they missed their lengths. When she slog-swept Mady Villiers for four at the start of the ninth, she was a hit away from a half-century after just 24 balls, but was beaten in the flight by her 25th and stumped by Winfield-Hill.”I was timing the ball well,” Mandhana told Sky Sports at the interval. “When you get a first-ball boundary, that gives you a lot of confidence. I was really disappointed to get out – I think it’s a crime to get out in the 40s after batting so well – and really disappointed that I couldn’t play at least until the 90th ball.”Sophia Smale had the wickets of Danni Wyatt and Tahlia McGrath to show•ECB/Getty Images

Brave keep coming
Invincibles took regular wickets through the middle phase, with 17-year-old left-arm spinner Sophia Smale keeping a lid on the scoring, but Charlotte Edwards has made a point of building a side with a long batting line-up and they continued to attack throughout the innings: Mandhana aside, no batter reached even 25 but their intent dragged them up to a defendable total.Freya Kemp and Georgia Adams’ partnership of 45 off 24 balls for the sixth wicket was particularly crucial, and highlighted the extent to which Brave’s lower-order firepower has emboldened their batters to attack: rather than a major setback, each dismissal resembles one batter handing the baton over to the next.Oval’s overseas dilemma
Batty’s decision to leave out his captain, and the MVP across the tournament’s first season, was a gamble that backfired. “She led them to the trophy last year,” Lydia Greenway said on Sky. “From a coach’s point of view, if you feel like you need to make a big call like that, you have to go for it. The challenge they will have is if they lose today, how will they manage that?”In her absence, Invincibles needed their overseas trio to step up and prove their worth; perhaps inevitably, they struggled to make any impact. Kapp and Ismail were uncharacteristically loose with the new ball and at the death, returning combined figures of 0 for 67 from 40 balls. With the bat, Bates hit 15 off 8 balls and Kapp crunched 19 off 9, but both fell without making a lasting impact.With Alice Capsey sidelined due to the ankle injury she picked up fielding in Invincibles’ opening game, their domestic players were left with too much to do. Ryana Macdonald-Gay’s late hitting put a dent in Amanda-Jade Wellington’s figures but by then, tight spells from part-time offspinners Adams (2 for 16 from 20) and Danni Wyatt (2 for 16 from 10) had seen the asking rate spiral out of control.

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

• James Anderson hails 'absolute freak' Ben Stokes, and proves there's life after 40

• 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.

The Australia captain has batted in the middle order in the last three matches with Cameron Green at the top

AAP10-Oct-2022Aaron Finch has confirmed he will return to the top of the order for Wednesday’s clash with England as Australia’s T20 World Cup preparations ramp up.Finch has spent almost his entire T20I career as opener, but he raised eyebrows by batting either at first drop or at No. 4 over the past three matches.The move has given Cameron Green more opportunities at opener despite the 23-year-old not being in Australia’s 15-man World Cup squad.Finch made scores of 58 and 15 in the 2-0 series win over the West Indies, and was run out for 12 while batting at No. 4 in Sunday’s eight-run loss to England.Related

• Smith's T20 World Cup hopes hang by a thread as 'incredible' David shines again

• Buttler and Hales lay down opening mark before Wood stars in high-scorer

• Buttler on Wade obstruction incident: 'They asked if I wanted to appeal and I said no'

The 35-year-old will return to his customary opening spot for games two and three against England in Canberra.”I’ll go back to the top next game, which was always the plan,” Finch said. “It was just about giving Greeny more opportunity at the top and trying things…in case he had to be called into the [World Cup] squad.”Green enjoyed remarkable success as opener during the 2-1 series loss in India. But his return to Australia has been less fruitful, with Green posting scores of 14, 1, and 1 as opener in his past three innings.Despite that, Green appears set to be first cab off the rank if Australia need a late injury replacement for their World Cup title defence.England captain Jos Buttler said even he was surprised when Finch didn’t open at Optus Stadium.”It’s a good question for them,” Buttler said. “He’s opened a lot in T20 cricket and done that really well. But he’s obviously got a plan.”England posted 208 for 6 with Australia finishing at 200 for 9 despite the heroics of David Warner (73 off 44 balls) at the top of the order.Allrounder Marcus Stoinis made 35 off 15 deliveries despite being struck on the heel while running a quick single early in his innings. Stoinis looked proppy while running after that, but he said the blow wouldn’t affect his World Cup preparations.”It’s actually alright, it just stung for a little bit,” said Stoinis, who only just returned from a side strainAustralia rested Steve Smith, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell for the series opener against England.Ashton Agar (side strain) was also overlooked while he builds back to full fitness, but he could be available for the next game. It means Australia could welcome back up to seven players for game two, creating a huge selection squeeze.

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.”

Sri Lanka take chase down to final over as England middle order unravels after fast start

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Nov-2022England are through to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, knocking Australia out in the process, thanks to a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka.It was an anxiety-riddled chase in the final match in Group 1, despite a target of 142 looking well within reach after openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales posted 75 for the first wicket inside eight overs. But a series of unforced errors saw six wickets fall in the space of 65 deliveries, for the addition of just 54. The trio of Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva and Lahiru Kumara split those dismissals evenly between them and for a moment an upset looked well and truly on the cards.But Ben Stokes – as ever – saw England over the line with 42 from 36 that only contained two fours but constantly worked the scoreboard and Sri Lanka’s outfielders before Chris Woakes’ cut for four confirmed victory with two balls left. Stokes came in at No. 3 after Dawid Malan injured his groin fielding and showed typical poise under immense pressure.It was a far closer than it should have been, England having fought back strongly to limit Sri Lanka to a modest total after opener Pathum Nissanka (67 off 45) got them off to a flyer. For Australia, now officially done as defending champions, they will wonder what might have been having relinquished the opportunity to surpass England’s net run rate with their own modest win over Afghanistan on Friday.But for Nissanka’s blitz, which had Sri Lanka 65 for 1 after seven overs, there was little around him as England’s collective attack served up cutters and slower deliveries that were responding well to a worn surface at the SCG. Adil Rashid’s 1 for 16 from his four overs led the retort, though Mark Wood collected the more eye-catching figures of 3 for 26, two of them coming in the 20th over, which also featured a run out, as Sri Lanka crept to 141 for 8 – the lowest total posted first at this ground in the competition. England also became the first to win at the SCG when chasing.Buttler’s charges now head to Adelaide for their semi-final. They will play whoever finishes first in Group 2, which culminates on Sunday.Stokes. Again
Make no mistake, there was always going to be a space for Stokes, even if the pre-tournament conversations over whether he is in England’s best T20 team were merited. In many ways, it is his bowling that has been as close to a revelation as you can get for a multifaceted cricketer admired the world over, and yet again he opened up, finishing with 1 for 24 from three overs. Batting, however, was where the real question remained and it took until England were in the doldrums in Sydney to truly appreciate how valuable he is.Yes, his best spot is as an opener, but the way he gauged the conditions around him – both the tangible challenge of the pitch and intangible stress of having to be the saviour once more – was a reminder of his unparalleled worth to England. He only hit two fours, picking up the majority of his runs with his feet, as that problematic left knee worked more overtime. He is still yet to register a fifty in T20Is, and this score was only the third time he has passed 40 in 35 innings, not that he or his team-mates will care.If Malan’s injury is as feared, a batting replacement will have to be drafted in, and there is no guarantee Stokes will reprise his first-drop role in the semi-final. Whatever position he comes in at, there can be no doubt England’s best XI is one with him in it.Rashid dulls with class
Four games played, 16 overs bowled and, finally, a wicket. It has been a peculiar tournament for Rashid, one which has seen the legspinner operate as a dampener rather than a disruptor. Even though the former is a role of immense value in this format, the fear was the shoulder injury that has limited his usual zip off the pitch was cutting into his incisiveness. Of course, the reality may be closer to the fact batters are more watchful against him, willing to play his overs out before making hay at the other end.Here, he wedded both sides: stopping Sri Lanka in their tracks – he did not concede a boundary in his four overs – and dismissing Nissanka. Had he failed at either task, things would have ended very differently. As it happens, he now has 90 T20I wickets – the joint most for an Englishman, level with Chris Jordan.Change of pace
In a tournament where those topping the speed gun have stolen the headlines, here was a fixture that rewarded shifting down a few gears. The spinners were always likely to shine on this used pitch, but the quicks got in on the act with variations of their own. England’s attack sussed this halfway through and by the halfway stage, pace-off deliveries were going at 4.87 runs per over, while pace-on checked in at 8.46. The most notable element of this in the second innings came in the 18th over, when Sri Lanka’s own speedster Lahiru Kumara bowled six balls – almost entirely reserved and into the pitch – that yielded just two runs and the wicket of Sam Curran, leaving England needing over a run a ball for the last two overs.

Veteran seamer describes “incredible” Stokes as “someone you want to play for”

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2022James Anderson described England’s dramatic, 74-run win over Pakistan on the final day in Rawalpindi as “one of the best” victories of his career.Anderson has won 79 Test matches, the most of any England player, but said that this victory – with minutes to spare on the fifth evening – was among the best due to the placid nature of the pitch, which required bowlers on both sides to “dig deep”.”It’s probably one of the best wins I’ve been involved in, if not the best,” Anderson told . “On a pitch like that, to play the way we did, to score the runs at the rate we did, we gave ourselves a chance of getting a result and I think we deserved to put ourselves in that position at the end of the game.”Today, it was an unbelievable effort from everyone. We tried so hard to get the ball reversing and doing something, going off the straight, and we created enough chances to get the win. It was hard, but we knew it was going to be difficult.”With Ben [Stokes] and Brendon [McCullum], their mantra is that we’ve got to take wickets and look to take wickets all the time. Even though they [Pakistan] got 500-plus in the first innings, we still felt with that lead that we had, the way we scored, we could set ourselves something to defend.”Coming into today, we knew it was going to be hard because it’s still a good wicket but we managed to get the ball reversing which was absolutely huge. Getting the ball moving through the air makes a massive difference, and we executed our skills brilliantly.”Related

• 'We don't do draws'

• Hussain on Stokes: 'I do not think I've seen a better week of captaincy'

• Stokes' England seal win for the ages in Rawalpindi's dying light

• Livingstone ruled out of rest of Pakistan tour with knee injury

• England stay true to their word on changing the face of Test cricket

Anderson returned second-innings figures of 4 for 36 in 24 overs, including the key wickets of Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan, but praised Stokes and Ollie Robinson for their burst with the new ball on the fourth evening.”The one thing that stood out for me was the way that Ollie and Ben bowled with the new ball after not having much rest,” he said. “They came out with that short-ball theory and it got us a couple of wickets early.”That set things going and gave us a lot of confidence coming into today. We knew that it was going to be a big push and we dug deep today; we had to dig deep to try and get anything from that wicket.”Anderson described Stokes, the eighth captain he has played under, as an “incredible” leader. “He’s someone you want to play for,” he said. “He gives you so much confidence heading out there and the way he just knows what he wants to do.”He thinks about it a lot: the fields that he sets and the way that he just tells you what to do, basically, is great for us. It’s exciting, trying different things as well: exciting fields, different fields, thinking outside the box which you’ve got to do on pitches like this.”There are only three days between the first and second Tests of the series – the second starts in Multan on Friday – and Anderson admitted with a smile that he would feel sore on Tuesday after getting through 46 overs in the match at the age of 40.”It’s nice to have the win but I don’t think tomorrow will feel great for me,” he said. “It was a long five days. Quick turnaround, but that’s the nature of Test cricket. You know coming into a series that you’ve got back-to-back games and have to recover well and then come back in three days’ time and do it all over again.”

“It’s only really a problem if the left-handers think, ‘oh, hell. We’ve got to face Ashwin and he could get me out,'”

Shashank Kishore07-Feb-20234:42

How do Australia counter the Ashwin threat?

Ian Chappell, the former Australia captain, believes India will begin the Border-Gavaskar series as favorites, but that doesn’t mean Pat Cummins’ team should be written off.Australia are touring India for a Test series for the first time in six years. That series in 2016-17 ended 2-1 in India’s favour despite Steven Smith’s brilliant second-innings century on a Pune turner set up a series-opening 333-run win for Australia.For the record, Australia last won a Test series in India in 2004. Incidentally, they sealed that series win at Nagpur, where the two teams will begin the 2023 series on Thursday. That surface at the old VCA ground was a green-tinged deck that assisted pace and bounce, where the pace trio of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz picked up 16 of the 20 wickets.Related

• Meticulous Australia must avoid getting punched in the mouth

• Cameron Green unlikely to play first Test against India

• KL Rahul, still in no-man's land in Test cricket

• Winning a Test series in India is 'bigger than the Ashes' for Australia's stars

It’s likely this one at Jamtha, where the new stadium is located, will turn.”I don’t know whether it’s their best chance or not, but they’ve got a chance of winning because they’re a good cricket team,” Chappell told ESPNcricinfo’s India vs Australia Curtain Raiser show. “Unfortunately, they will be missing two very good bowlers (Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood) in the first Test. But as I said earlier, there are only two teams playing and you must have a chance of winning. And they’re both playing on the same pitch.”I was told by Richie Benaud, who was a very wise person and a very good cricketer and commentator, when I was 19, and he said, ‘Ian, this is a simple game. The simpler you keep it, the better off you will be’, and I think that’s the way you have to approach India. Okay, that’s not to say it’s going to be easy, but it’s also not impossible.”Yes, Australia have a chance. Is it their best chance? I don’t know. What’s more, I don’t care. If you win the series, nobody is going to worry about when was the last time Australia won in India. Let’s worry about Pat Cummins’ team. I would have India have starting as favourites, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think Australia can win.”Australia could have five left-handed batters in their top seven if Matt Renshaw makes the XI•Getty Images

‘Rubbish to worry if a guy is a left-hander or right-hander’Chappell also wasn’t in favour of weighing up batting options based on whether they were right-handed or left-handed. It’s entirely possible Australia may have five left-handers in the top seven should they pick Matt Renshaw ahead of Peter Handscomb in the middle order. The others are David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and Alex Carey.”Well, again, I think it’s a load of rubbish to worry about whether the guy is left-hander or right-hander,” he said. “I see Ashwin’s record. If you think you can play, you have got to think you can play Ashwin or whoever plays. I think Renshaw will be delighted to get picked. If that means a lot of left-handers, and if Ashwin has a record of getting left-handers out, okay that’s a problem.”But it’s only really a problem if the left-handers think, ‘oh, hell. We’ve got to face Ashwin and he could get me out.’ If they think Handscomb is the player in the middle order because he plays spin well, then pick him, that’s fine, but pick guys because you think they can bat or pick guys you think they can bowl, and not because he can get few runs down the orders. I’m not picking bowlers because they can bat a little bit, am picking them because they can pick wickets.”

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

• Middlesex plan for no overseas players in 2024 amid financial pressures

• 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.”