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Former West Indies offspinner Ryan Austin and former Leeward Islands captain Steve Liburd will be his assistants

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2023Former West Indies batter Robert Samuels has been appointed interim head coach of the West Indies women’s side for their upcoming limited-overs series against Ireland at home. Samuels had been assistant coach to Courtney Walsh until April, when Cricket West Indies (CWI) had decided not to renew their contracts as well as that of the other assistant coach Corey Collymore.Samuels played six Tests and eight ODIs for West Indies in 1996 and 1997, and played 106 first-class and 77 List A games.”Robert brings continuity and stability to get the team through this period,” CWI High Performance Manager Graeme West said of Samuels’ appointment. “He has great knowledge of the players and the women’s game in general – and strong knowledge of the support staff – so it’s almost a seamless transition with Robert coming in as Interim Head Coach.”He has his own ideas, and is trying to implement them now as Interim Head Coach as opposed to assistant coach. He has made a good impact and start over the last few days, and I’m sure it will continue throughout the series.”Samuels will have interim assistant coaches in former West Indies offspinner Ryan Austin and former Leeward Islands captain Steve Liburd, who is head coach of the West Indies Women’s Under-19 Rising Stars.The trio’s first assignment begins with West Indies Women’s three-match ODI series against Ireland from June 26 to July 2. The series will be part of the Women’s Championship, at the end of which the top five sides will directly qualify for the World Cup in 2025. West Indies are currently second from bottom on the 10-team table, with five defeats in six games.The ODI series will be followed by three T20Is from July 5 to 9. All six white-ball matches will be held at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia, where an 18-member West Indies squad is currently training ahead of the series.

Apart from a one-off T20I in 2012, the visitors have not won a bilateral series of any format in India

Alagappan Muthu31-Jan-20232:16

Jaffer: Don’t expect spin to play too big a role in Ahmedabad

Big picture: Santner and Hardik impress

India and New Zealand have travelled the length and breadth of the country for six games in 14 days and we are finally at the end, with the T20I series tied at 1-1. It’s time for one last push, and then please remember to put those tray tables in the upright and locked position.Winning a series here is hard work for a visiting team. India have protected their stronghold with ridiculous consistency. Over the last 10 years they have played a total of 55 bilateral series, across formats, and won 47 of them. Only Australia in 2019 and South Africa in 2015 have beaten India in India.Mitchell Santner has stressed this point in press conferences; that apart from the learnings New Zealand can take about conditions they will face during the ODI World Cup in October, there is still the chance to go down in history as a team that beat India in India.Related

• Ferguson, the unofficial leader of New Zealand's pace pack

• Why India trust Arshdeep with the difficult overs

• Mitchell and Santner give New Zealand 1-0 lead

• Suryakumar helps India draw level in spin-fest

• Lucknow curator sacked for 'shocker of a pitch'

Both captains have actually been big gains for their sides. Santner has already shown the poise under pressure that he set out to have, and he seems to be an out-of-the-box thinker too. Dude asked Lockie Ferguson if he’d bowl offspin to make the most of a rank turner in Lucknow.Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, has been an upfront and honest presence, even in front of the camera, which has been great (though not for everybody). Except, is that even a surprise? Guy publicly said he wouldn’t have minded losing to Pakistan in that epic T20 World Cup match because it was an epic T20 World Cup match. He’s well liked in the team. He throws his entire weight behind his players. And he has no fear of failure. The specifics of this series may easily fade from memory but the two captains might just go on to etch their names in history.

Watch live in the UK

You can watch the third T20I between India and New Zealand live on ESPN Player in the UK and on ESPN+ in the USA.

Form guide

India WLWLW (Last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
New Zealand LWTLL

In the spotlight: Kishan and Sodhi

Ishan Kishan scored 210 in one innings in December. In the next eight, he’s scored less than half that. This India team insists on giving its incumbents a long rope. Plus Kishan doubles up as the their wicketkeeper and presents a hard-hitting left-hand option at the top of the order. These are pluses everybody looks for in the modern game. So his place is probably safe, but still, wouldn’t he love a match-defining innings in a series decider…In a New Zealand bowling attack that values discipline and works towards minimising the margin for error, Ish Sodhi is a total wildcard. He’s the kind of spinner who gets bored by even the idea of stringing six balls on the same spot, which is probably why he finds himself on the outs in Test cricket. But what hurts him in whites is what defines him in coloured clothing. Sodhi is the second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is over the past two years.0:37

Ferguson: ‘Hardik’s body language as captain has been fantastic’

Team news: Malik in for Chahal?

Ahmedabad may not want to do what Lucknow did – its already been in the eye of a storm before – in which case India might be tempted to bring back Umran Malik in place of Yuzvendra Chahal.India (probable): 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shivam Mavi, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Umran Malik, 11 Arshdeep SinghBarring injury and other circumstances, it’s unlikely that New Zealand will want to make a lot of changes.New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Mark Chapman, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Michael Bracewell, 7 Mitchell Santner (capt), 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Jacob Duffy, 11 Blair Tickner

Pitch and conditions: The return of the belter?

The Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad has typically been a high-scoring venue for T20Is, with three of its last five games producing totals in excess of 160 in both innings, including a 224 for 2. The weather is set fair.

Stats and trivia

• Apart from a T20I series in 2012, which ended up being a one-match affair, New Zealand have never won a bilateral series in any format in India.
• Kishan’s 19 off 38 in the last game is the third-slowest innings of 30 or more balls by an opener from a Full Member country in T20Is. There were, of course, mitigating circumstances.
• There are 44 players with a batting average above 40 and a strike rate above 130 in T20Is. Two of the top three have been on show in this series: Suryakumar Yadav (47.17 and 175.63) and Devon Conway (47.42 and 130.47)

Bangladesh head coach not worried about lack of context around the Test; Trott excited as Afghanistan get back to red-ball cricket after two years

Mohammad Isam13-Jun-2023Even if the one-off Test is not part of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and even if Bangladesh and Afghanistan haven’t played Test cricket in a long time, representing your country and winning Tests remains the primary “motivation” and “ambition,” according to the head coaches of the two teams, Chandika Hathurusinghe and Jonathan Trott. The two sides square off in a one-off Test starting Wednesday in Dhaka with questions around the match’s importance given it is being held during Bangladesh’s monsoon season.However, Hathurusinghe and Trott believe players across the two sides are looking forward to some red-ball cricket.”You are playing for your country, aren’t you?” Hathurusinghe said ahead of the Test. “Forget about the Test Championship; that came four years ago. Before that, playing Tests for your country was the dream, when you are nine or 11 years old.Related

• Ebadot kickstarts Bangladesh's fast bowling romance

• Bangladesh, Afghanistan meet amid rains as solitary Test struggles for significance

• Rashid Khan rested for Afghanistan's one-off Test against Bangladesh

• Finger injury rules Shakib out of third ODI, could also miss Afghanistan Test

“If there’s a problem [playing a Test for your country], then he is in the wrong place. Winning for your country is enough for myself and the players. It is the motivational factor.”Trott was of a similar opinion. “I think there’s an ambition to play Test matches, being a Test nation. But I think it is also important that every Test match we go into, we try to win as well,” he said.The lack of Test matches has been an issue for both teams. Bangladesh have played only one Test this year, while Afghanistan’s last was more than two years ago. The monsoon, the school exams in Bangladesh, and the lack of context because it’s a one-off series, could all affect the viewership of this Test.Both sides are also missing key personnel in their line-up. While Afghanistan have rested Rashid Khan, their best bowler, to prioritise his “long-term fitness”, Bangladesh are without Shakib Al Hasan whose finger injury put him out of action last month. Tamim Iqbal was also ruled out of the game on the eve of the match with lower back pain.For Hathurusinghe, though, just representing the country in a Test match should be motivation enough for the players.”Playing for the Tigers is an honour. I think we don’t look beyond that,” he remarked. “Overall, if you ask my opinion, Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game no matter how the other formats are going to be in the future. Your skills as a cricketer are tested in Test cricket, as a bowler, batter and fielder. Your mental skills and resilience is tested. There’s no better format for any cricketer if you really want to be proud of representing your country.”Trott, who took over as Afghanistan’s head coach last year, will oversee his first Test with them. He said his players, who become more famous playing T20s around the world, have ambitions to play Tests too.Rashid Khan has been rested for the one-off Test against Bangladesh•Abu Dhabi Cricket

“We haven’t played for a while, Bangladesh have played quite a lot of Tests recently,” Trott said. “I think it is always good to develop the players’ mindset of being ambitious and playing Tests, along with all the other formats. Being competitive in red-ball cricket just as much in white-ball cricket.””I think [Afghanistan players are] just as ambitious as Bangladesh were when they started playing Tests. You see Bangladesh now going on to beat other teams at home. I think it’s important to have that ambition. I think it is what drives the game. All Test cricketers will tell you they like playing Test cricket. They will say it is their favourite format, because of the challenge and test it creates between the two sides. Also individual as well. It is something that I am looking forward to seeing tomorrow.”A bigger concern for the Afghanistan coach will be to replace Rashid. Trott kept his cards close to his chest, but the make-up of the side suggests that a few newcomers are likely to make their debuts, including 19-year-old legspinner Izharulhaq Naveed who impressed in last season’s Big Bash League.”It is very difficult to replace a guy like Rashid,” Trott said. “He has vast experience in playing all around the world in different competitions and different variations of the game. He has played Test cricket. So yes, that’s obviously missed.”But I think him having time off, obviously there’s a lot of cricket coming up. Asia Cup and World Cup is coming up. I certainly see this time off for him now to get his back sorted out, with a view to the future, in the competitions in a few months’ time.”Afghanistan players have a chat with coach Jonathan Trott at training•Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images

He underlined that Afghanistan have a confident unit that could give Bangladesh a run for their money. “I think any team playing at home will have a bit of an advantage. I think certainly a team that has played more Tests by a long stretch will also have a bit of advantage. It doesn’t mean tomorrow they will play better than us. We prepared really well. I feel the players have trained exceptionally well. They are excited to play a Test in Bangladesh,” he said.”Whatever has happened in the past, whoever is favourite or the conditions, it is all about what happens tomorrow and who does it the best. It is my job to make sure everyone is ready for the Test starting tomorrow”.Meanwhile, the hosts are keen to develop a playing style rather than just focusing on the result of this game. “We discussed before the Ireland series that we want to play a certain brand of cricket regardless of the result,” Hathurusinghe said. “Our aim is to get the result but we want to understand how our skillset lasts five days in different conditions, challenging ourselves in certain ways.”We might do different things tactically if we have to earn points in the WTC. This game is giving us the opportunity to play on a sporting wicket. Regardless of playing the Championship or not, we will find the way best suited for us to play at home. We have to keep an eye on how we want to play away from home.”

He has admitted to breaching article 2.4.7 of the code, which relates to obstructing or delaying an ACU (anti-corruption unit) investigation

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2024The ICC has banned Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama from all cricket for one year, of which the last six months are suspended, after he admitted to breaching the global body’s anti-corruption code.In August the ICC charged Jayawickrama with two breaches of the code. He has admitted to breaching article 2.4.7, which relates to: “Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU [anti-corruption unit], including concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code.”Related

• Sri Lanka spinner Praveen Jayawickrama faces ICC corruption charges

The charges, according to an ICC release, relate to international cricket and the Lanka Premier League (LPL).Having made his international debut in a Test against Bangladesh in April 2021, Jayawickrama has played five Tests, five ODIs and five T20Is. His last appearance for Sri Lanka was in a T20I series at home against Australia in 2022.In LPL 2021, Jayawickrama was a part of the Jaffna Kings side that won its second title. He played one match that season, taking two wickets. In LPL 2024, he turned out for Dambulla Sixers.

Champions Trophy match in Lahore on February 26 had been under threat after calls for boycott

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2025The ECB board has confirmed that England’s men will fulfil their fixture against Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy this month, despite describing the “appalling oppression” of women in the country as “gender apartheid”.Richard Thompson, the ECB’s chairman, said in a statement following a board meeting on Thursday that a “coordinated international response” would achieve more than unilateral action. The board has come under political pressure to boycott the fixture, with more than 160 British politicians calling for England to pull out of the match in Lahore on February 26.”What is happening in Afghanistan is nothing short of gender apartheid,” Thompson said. “At a cricketing level, when women’s and girls’ cricket is growing rapidly around the world it is heartbreaking that those growing up in Afghanistan are denied this opportunity, but the appalling oppression of women and girls by the Taliban goes so much further.”The Board recognises there are different views and opinions on the issue of boycotting the match and has listened carefully. We have been in close contact with the Government, the International Cricket Council (ICC), our England Men’s players and other stakeholders to discuss this matter, as well as considering how best the ECB can support those women cricketers who have fled Afghanistan.Related

• England bank on familiar core for Champions Trophy acid test

• Pressure mounts on ICC amid Afghanistan women's fundraising drive

• Afghanistan women's match a big step on a path unknown

• Exiled Afghanistan women players to men's team: 'Please be the voice of the girls'

• Starmer calls on ICC to 'deliver own rules' amid boycott row

“Following this, we remain of the view that a coordinated international response by the cricketing community is the appropriate way forward, and will achieve more than any unilateral action by the ECB in boycotting this match, while we have also heard that for many ordinary Afghans, watching their cricket team is one of the few remaining sources of enjoyment. As such, we can confirm that we will play this fixture.”Thompson said that the ECB will press the ICC for further action, including ring-fencing funding to support female players from Afghanistan, and considering recognising an Afghanistan women’s refugee team. Last week, the board donated £100,000 to the MCC’s Global Refugee Cricket Fund.An Afghanistan women’s XI played an invitational T20 against a Cricket Without Borders XI in Melbourne last month, mounting pressure on the ICC to support their players.Afghanistan remain full ICC members – with full funding – despite no longer being able to fulfil the requirement to field a women’s team under its Taliban government. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo last month, two exiled players, Firooza Amiri and Benafsha Hashimi, called on Afghanistan’s men to be “the voice of the girls”, despite acknowledging that speaking out against the regime could come with its own risks.”The cricketing community cannot tackle all of Afghanistan’s problems,” Thompson added. “But we urge our international partners to stand together and demonstrate through our actions that we support the women and girls of Afghanistan, including those cricketers now in exile who just want to play and should be allowed to play the sport they love.”

The Australia vice-captain is looking forward to partnering up with captain Alyssa Healy and wants to “take some of the pressure off her”

S Sudarshanan19-Dec-2023India is the place to be for Australia allrounder Tahlia McGrath. She was the interim vice-captain for the women’s T20I series in Mumbai last year and led Australia for the first time in internationals in the final game of the tour after Alyssa Healy was out injured. The pair was appointed to the roles on interim basis after Meg Lanning stepped aside for personal reasons following Australia’s gold medal win in the Commonwealth Games.Twelve months on, McGrath is again in India with the leadership mantle firmly in place. The multi-format series – starting with a one-off Test at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday – is the first for Healy and McGrath as full-time Australia captain and vice-captain respectively following Lanning’s retirement from international cricket earlier this year. Her India connection also strengthened this year when UP Warriorz got her at the inaugural WPL auction for INR 1.4crore – more than what Healy (INR 70 lakh) got.In 2020, Cricket Australia began a leadership pilot program in collaboration with the Australian Cricketers Association and former Australia captain Belinda Clark’s project, The Leadership Playground. It was with a view to nurture and mentor a few female leaders in the Australian cricket setup. McGrath, who was seen as a natural leader even through her sporadic appearances for Australia earlier in her career, was among the few selected for the program.Related

• India search for more Test glory as Healy's Australia look to hit the ground running

• Healy looks to 'reset and refresh' Australia for new era of success

• Healy gung-ho about leading Australia in 'hugely exciting' phase for women's cricket

• 'Matter of adapting on the run' – Australia ready to embrace the Indian spin challenge

McGrath, admittedly, was shy and did not have leadership on her radar growing up but the mentorship with Clark changed it all.”If you had asked me a few years ago, if I had leadership in my radar, it was not even close,” McGrath said on Tuesday after training. “I was the shy, quiet one that didn’t really have too much to say. A few coaches saw some qualities in myself that I perhaps didn’t. From there I got a few opportunities to lead sides.”I was really lucky to have a mentor programme with Belinda Clark and got so much out of that. How my leadership has come along in the last two year is rapid progression.”McGrath also made her captaincy debut in an ODI against Ireland after the women’s Ashes. She led Adelaide Strikers to WBBL finals in 2021, 2022 and 2023, winning the title twice in the last two seasons.”What I offer as a leader is a really calm person,” she said. “No matter what the situation is I keep a pretty calm head and a pretty good read of the game. I am a relationships person – getting around and connecting with different people in the group and making sure everyone’s connected and making sure we are all tracking alright.”My biggest thing at the moment is helping out Midge [Healy] wherever I can, because being captain of an international side is a massive role. Her being wicketkeeper I’ll probably help the bowlers out a fair bit just to save a bit of time. It is about throwing some ideas wherever I can and keeping the team up when we are potentially in the field for a bit. For me, it is just trying to take some of the pressure off her and be a sounding board and throw some ideas at her.”McGrath and Healy aside, Australia’s touring party has Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Jess Jonassen and Annabel Sutherland – all of whom have experience leading at the domestic level, be it the Women’s National Cricket League, the 50-overs competition, or the WBBL.”The biggest strength of this Australian side is that it is not just Midge and I that are leaders. There are so many leaders in the group, people that speak up when something needs to be said. People that take one for the team and lead that fielding [effort]. We are spoilt for choices that it doesn’t solely fall on us with so many people with leadership roles within the team.”It was only weeks ago that McGrath led Strikers to their second consecutive WBBL title after staving off threat from Jonassen-led Brisbane Heat. She scored 304 runs in the season at a strike rate over 120 and also returned 14 wickets with her medium pace.”I have loved the transition. T20 cricket is so hectic; when you are batting, you are trying to hit every ball for six, when you are bowling, they are trying to hit you for six every ball,” she said of adjusting to preparing for the Test in the Mumbai heat. “This has been very nice, just to take a step back, be really calm in our approach and always get down to work. It is a grind out there batting, and the bowlers have to put in the hard yards. Complete shift in mindset and preparation. Test matches don’t come around too often for us. We have been so excited to play them.”McGrath was part of Australia’s Test win at Trent Bridge earlier this year where she chipped in with both bat and ball. She struck her second half-century in the format, an 83-ball 61 in the first innings, which is her best score in Tests. With the ball, she returned three first-innings wickets and one in the second.”Test match cricket takes a lot out of you,” she said. “At Trent Bridge, I have never been so mentally and physically drained after that Test match. It takes everything out of you. It is such a pinnacle and a test mentally and physically. The preparations been the same – batting for long periods of time, getting in rhythm and bowling longer spells. Having more specific fielding training, so we have people under the lid, and in catching positions.”

After a two-month break following the IPL, he has bowled 9.4 overs across the first two ODIs against West Indies

Shashank Kishore31-Jul-2023Hardik Pandya has declared he’s ready to shoulder a significantly higher bowling workload as he builds towards the 2023 World Cup, but is still a “turtle, not the rabbit.”Hardik, currently in the Caribbean with India’s limited-overs squad, has had two full months off since the IPL finished. In this period, he “switched off” for a month and then underwent a three-week physical conditioning at the National Cricket Academy, where there was an equal emphasis on fitness as there was on skill.Ahead of the series, he had said he’d informed the team management of his keenness to play only if he could contribute with the ball too.Related

• WI switch to T20 mode as CPL stars look to topple India

• Spotlight on Tarouba as India face confident West Indies in series decider

• Kuldeep on competing with Chahal for ODI spot: 'We're very relaxed'

• Samson, Suryakumar squander best chance to push for World Cup spots

• Dravid looking at 'bigger picture', not worried about ODI loss

At IPL 2023, Pandya bowled 25 overs across 16 games for runners-up Gujarat Titans. In the Caribbean, Pandya has so far bowled 9.4 overs across two ODIs. In the first, he opened the bowling but was required for just three overs in a game where only 45.5 overs were bowled. In the second, he went wicketless in 6.4 overs as West Indies levelled the series with a six-wicket win.After the second ODI, Hardik, who stood in for the rested Rohit Sharma, spoke about how he is slowly increasing his bowling workload keeping in mind the 50-overs World Cup. After the ongoing ODI series, Hardik’s next 50-overs engagement is likely to be the Asia Cup from August 30. In between, he’ll lead India in the T20I series against the West Indies.”My body is fine. I have to bowl more overs and get my workload up for the World Cup,” he said. “I’m a turtle right now, not the rabbit and hoping everything goes right as the World Cup comes on.”On Sunday, head coach Rahul Dravid touched upon the need to look at the bigger picture, without being influenced by short-term results. India have chosen to hand opportunities to fringe players to try and give them game time in the absence of regulars who are recuperating from injuries.Hardik, though, is excited about the decider. “To be honest, you want to be going 1-1 to the third game as it’ll be more challenging and exciting,” he said. “They will be tested; we will be tested now that the series stands 1-1. The next game will be exciting for the viewers as well as the players.”With the bat, Hardik hasn’t been able to hit top gear in the two outings so far. In the first, he walked in at No. 4 with India needing 61 but was caught short at the non-striker’s end for 5 when Yannic Cariah deflected an Ishan Kishan shot onto the stumps. In the second ODI, he was part of a full-blown top-order collapse after a 90-run opening stand.He made 7 off 14 balls and was out pulling a short ball from Jayden Seales to midwicket. A ball later, India lost Sanju Samson as they lost 5 for 23. They were eventually bowled out for 181 in 40.5 overs.”We didn’t bat the way we were supposed to,” Pandya said. “The wicket was better than it was in the first game. Everyone barring Shubman (Gill) hit fielders and got out. Disappointing, but there are many things to learn.”

Total of £37,500 in fines includes £8000 plus eight-week ban for Gary Ballance

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2023The ECB has recommended an eight-week ban and £8000 fine for Gary Ballance for bringing the game into disrepute through the use of racist language against Azeem Rafiq while the pair were at Yorkshire. The board also recommended a combination of fines and suspensions for five other former players at a Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) sanction hearing on Wednesday.The players were found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute by using racist language by the independent three-person CDC panel at the end of March, after a five-day hearing conducted at the start of that month. The charges laid against them, as well as Yorkshire, came from claims originally made by Rafiq and covered a period of nearly a decade from 2008. The panel cleared former England captain Michael Vaughan of having made a racist remark before a T20 game in June 2009.As well as Ballance, the ECB asked for a combination of fines, suspensions, reprimands and education courses for Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, Richard Pyrah and John Blain – all of whom either played at Yorkshire, or worked as coaches while Rafiq was there. The ECB asked for Hoggard and Pyrah to be fined £7500 each, Bresnan and Blain £5000 and Pyrah £4500 and asked for all six to receive reprimands from the CDC and to take part in a racism and discrimination course. They have also recommended a four-week suspension for Gale, should he return to coaching in cricket run by the ECB.Related

• Michael Vaughan cleared of racism charge by ECB disciplinary committee

• Cricket Discipline Committee racism hearings: The verdicts

• Gary Ballance retires from all cricket after brief Zimbabwe comeback

Vaughan was the only one of those charged who appeared to defend himself at the hearings. While Ballance had admitted to using the term “P***” among other racist phrases, Bresnan, Gale, Pyrah and Blain have denied all charges against them. The four were found guilty of using racist slurs that ranged from terms such as “you lot” to “P****” on multiple occasions.As well as Ballance, Hoggard made a qualified admission to similar charges, denying that he used the language with any racist intent. Those admissions led to the ECB asking for reduced fines in both cases. “We understand there has been a significant impact on Mr Ballance’s mental health, and that, in April 2023, Mr Ballance announced his retirement from professional cricket,” Jane Mulcahy KC, legal counsel for the ECB, told the panel. “So the ECB therefore suggests there be a reprimand, Mr Ballance be fined £8,000, reduced from £12,500, to take in effect his admissions. And also an eight-week suspension, reduced from 10 weeks, if Mr Ballance ever returns to ECB-regulated cricket as a player.”Ballance retired recently from all cricket, having first left Yorkshire late last year and then switched to play for his native Zimbabwe. He played one Test for them scoring a hundred, and eight internationals overall before he announced his retirement.The CDC panel will now deliberate over the recommendations before returning final sanctions on the players which could take several more weeks yet.Yorkshire were also found guilty by the CDC panel last month, having admitted to four charges laid against them. Their sanctions will be discussed at another hearing on 27 June.

“We need to put USA out there on the world cricket map,” he said following his match-winning spell in the second T20I

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2024Fast bowler Ali Khan has said that USA winning the T20I series against Bangladesh was “no fluke”, adding that his side were confident of causing upsets at the T20 World Cup as well.”We [USA] are hungry, and are going to try to eat whoever comes in our way,” Khan said. “This is a time where we can make some changes and adjust. Team looks balanced, and all the guys are hungry. I am sure USA will do some upset [in the T20 World Cup].”We need to put USA out there on the world cricket map. Sometimes when you win against a big side, they say oh it is a fluke. But beating them twice, back-to-back, winning the series is not a fluke. We have the talent, skills and the ability if given the opportunities.”Related

• Harmeet and Anderson the heroes as USA stun Bangladesh

• 'We are no walkovers' – USA's Harmeet Singh after win against Bangladesh

• Ali Khan and Monank Patel take USA to historic T20I series win over Bangladesh

Khan, named Player of the Match for his 3 for 25 in the win in the second T20I, was coming off an injury break into the series. After his new-ball spell, he came on to bowl in the 18th over, at a point when Bangladesh needed just 21 off 18 balls in the 145 chase, with the experienced Shakib Al Hasan in the middle. Khan had Shakib chop on off the first ball and then pinned Tanzim Hasan in front in the same over. Bangladesh never recovered from those strikes and eventually crumbled to 138, with Khan taking the last wicket in the 20th over to help USA seal a historic win.Khan explained how he dismissed Shakib, who was on 30 off 23 having hit four fours and a six before he returned to bowl.”The captain (Monank Patel) asked me to stay ready, and I stayed warmed up,” Khan said. “I knew I would be coming on to bowl the 18th and 20th over or the 17th and 19th depending on the situation. Right before I came on, we got a breakthrough and that added pressure on Bangladesh. I just backed myself and tried to do what I do best at the death.”The wicket got slower, and they were expecting me to bowl with pace, and that’s why they threw their bats and helped me to get the inside edge with Shakib. The plan was to make them hit against the wind, which was the off side for Shakib and tried to throw the first ball away from him. He tried to drag it on and helped me get that wicket.”Winning a series against a full-member side for the first time was a confidence booster for the team and individual players too, he said.”It’s massive. In a series like this, individual performances count as well. As a team, just shows the world what we can do if given the opportunities. If we keep playing at this associate level or lower level, you are just going to stay there. But if you have more opportunities to play against bigger sides, top ten teams, there’s definitely ways of doing an upset. More opportunities against full members will help us showcase our talent.”Khan, who had gone for 1 for 49 in the first game, said he needed some time in the middle to get used to the conditions and find his rhythm.”I was coming back from a major injury and you need time in the middle to get back into rhythm. It was for me to just go out and get used to the conditions. It didn’t go the way I would have liked, usually I don’t go for that many runs. But it was my first game back, no excuse. What I learnt from that game, I tried to implement in this game.”The World Cup is coming up, so we don’t have much time. I still feel there’s a lot of improvement to be done.”

Teenagers named in 15-woman squad for three-match series starting on Sunday

Valkerie Baynes16-Sep-2022Alice Capsey and fellow teenager Freya Kemp are in line to make their ODI debuts during the upcoming three-match series with India after impressive showings over the summer, including England’s T20I series victory.Both were named in a 15-strong squad ahead of the first ODI at Hove on Sunday, as was opening batter Tammy Beaumont, who was boldly left out of England’s T20I squad earlier in the summer, missing the series with South Africa and India as well as the Commonwealth Games.Sunday’s match will be followed by fixtures in Canterbury on Wednesday and at Lord’s on September 24.Allrounder Capsey’s unbeaten 38 off 24 balls saw England through a stumble in which they went from 70 without loss to 79 for 3 to chase down a target of 123 in Thursday’s third T20I in Bristol and seal the series 2-1.In the previous match, which India won by eight wickets in Derby, left-arm seamer Kemp became the youngest England player, female or male, to score fifty in a T20I, at 17 years and 145 days, and the second-youngest to reach the milestone for England in international cricket after Sarah Taylor.Capsey hasn’t just cemented her reputation as a formidable cricketer in her maiden international season, she’s proven herself to be a pretty good actress too.On the outside, her innings to steady England and ultimately carry them over the line in Bristol looked nerveless. But the 18-year-old admitted afterwards that she is human after all.”I felt nervous today,” Capsey said after the match. “I didn’t know whether to play the reverse sweep or not. I was like, ‘this is the series decider.’ But I’m really enjoying it at the moment and I think that’s showing in my cricket, which is brilliant.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Amy Jones will continue to captain side in the absence of the injured Heather Knight and Nat Sciver, who is taking a mental health break. Sophie Ecclestone, who was Player of the Match on Thursday with 3 for 25 to limit India’s total, will remain vice-captain.”We’ve all taken it upon ourselves to do our bit and really own our role,” Capsey continued when asked about the absence of Knight, Sciver and the resting Katherine Brunt during India’s tour.”To have them around is amazing because it brings experience and it brings clarity to the team, so it’s given us a little bit more responsibility earlier in our careers and as a younger player that’s what I thrive off.”It’s really nice to be given that responsibility and Kempy has been outstanding when she’s come into the international team. Her fifty in the second T20 and just her overall confidence when she goes on to the pitch is brilliant.”The series will be Lisa Keightley’s last as England’s head coach after she decided not to extend her contract beyond the summer.”I was so proud of how the team came together to win the Vitality T20I series,” Keightley said. “Sometimes when you’re missing big-name players, other players step up and take their chance and I felt we really did that.”It’s a young group but they worked tremendously hard and showed their skill and resilience to get over the line. Amy did a great job as captain and she was ably supported by Sophie so we want them to carry on what they’ve been doing.”England ODI squad: Amy Jones (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Alice Davidson-Richards, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Freya Kemp, Emma Lamb, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt