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South Africa, who had also shifted to Dubai ahead of the knockouts, will now fly back to Lahore for the second semi-final

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-20252:32

Do India have an unfair advantage at the Champions Trophy?

India will face Australia in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Tuesday after they beat New Zealand by 44 runs in the final group-stage fixture at the same venue on Sunday. New Zealand, meanwhile, will travel to Lahore to meet South Africa in the second semi-final on Wednesday.Due to tangled scheduling, both Australia and South Africa had already flown to Dubai, with an ICC official saying the decision had been taken to allow the side that plays the semi-final in Dubai (Australia in this case) on March 4 the maximum time to prepare for that contest. However, it means South Africa find themselves in the sub-optimal position of having flown from Pakistan to Dubai recently, only to return to Pakistan soon after.The tangled scheduling was a result of India not playing any of their games in Pakistan for the tournament, and they were supposed to play the semi-finals in Dubai, regardless of their standings in Group A. Such a scenario became all but inevitable after India refused to travel to Pakistan for the tournament, despite the country officially being the sole host of the tournament. The PCB had spent several months trying to get India to visit Pakistan, at one stage proposing hosting all their games in Lahore. However, the BCCI said the Indian government did not grant the team permission to play cricket in Lahore.Related

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New Zealand are set to take an early-morning flight to Lahore from Dubai on Monday while South Africa will fly back to Pakistan later in the day after having spent around 36 hours in Dubai.”Yeah…we will leave [Dubai] at 12.30 or 1 o’clock,” New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said at the post-match presentation. “We get there and we can rest up and train and be ready to go.”While Rohit Sharma was pleased with India’s showing – they are the only team with three wins in as many games in the Champions Trophy – he turned his focus to the semi-final against Australia.”I think it [momentum] is very, very critical when you’re playing such a short tournament,” Rohit said after the win against New Zealand. “You try and possibly win every game that is in front of you and try and do everything right and while doing that, there are bound to be mistakes but as long as you correct them quickly, that is what matters. I thought the mistakes that we’ve been making from game one now, we tend to correct those mistakes and that is what is required.”It [semi-final] is going to be a good game and obviously we know Australia has a rich history of playing ICC tournaments well. We do understand that; it’s about what we want to do against the opposition and try and do that right. We’re all looking forward to that contest and hopefully we can stitch one [more win] towards us.”

It’s almost the same squad that won the Asia Cup in Malaysia recently

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2024Niki Prasad will lead almost the same squad that won the recent Under-19 Asia Cup for women at next month’s Under-19 World Cup, in Malaysia. The only change in the 15-member squad is the inclusion of Vaishnavi S in place of 15-year-old medium-pacer Nandhana S, who has been named among the stand-bys.The other standby players are Ira Jadhav and Anadi Tagde, who have replaced Hurley Gala, Happy Kumari, G Kavya Sree and Gayatri Survase from the standby list for the Asia Cup.The Under-19 women recently lifted the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur by beating Bangladesh by 41 runs in the final.Gongadi Trisha, the Player of the Match in the final, had top-scored with 52 off 47 balls while opening the batting with G Kamalini, who had bagged a WPL contract with Mumbai Indians on the same day she scored an unbeaten 44 off 29 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup.The others from the squad to get their first WPL deals were Prasad (Delhi Capitals) and VJ Joshitha (RCB). Medium-pacer Shabnam Shakil was already with Gujarat Giants, and has the experience of playing four WPL games and a couple of white-ball games for India A in Australia in August.Trisha, Shakil and Sonam Yadav will be playing their second U-19 World Cups, having been part of the previous edition too.India’s win at the Asia Cup came after an unbeaten run (apart from a washed-out game against Nepal). They won their other league game, against Pakistan, and beat Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the Super Fours before winning the final.The upcoming World Cup will be the second such edition, to be played from January 18 to February 2. The 16 teams have been divided into four groups of four each; India are the defending champions and in Group A along with Malaysia, West Indies and Sri Lanka. India will play all their league games at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur.India’s campaign will start against West Indies on January 19 before they play Malaysia on January 21 and Sri Lanka on January 23.After the league stage, three teams will progress from each group for the Super Sixes in which there will be two groups of six teams each. Every team will carry forward their wins, points and net run-rate, which is secured against their fellow Super Six qualifiers. The top two sides from each group will then play the semi-finals on January 31 before the final on February 2.

India squad for Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025

Niki Prasad (capt), Sanika Chalke (vice-capt), G Trisha, G Kamalini (wk), Bhavika Ahire (wk), Ishwari Awasare, Mithila Vinod, VJ Joshitha, Sonam Yadav, Parunika Sisodiya, Kesari Drithi, Aayushi Shukla, Anandita Kishor, MD Shabnam, Vaishnavi S
: Nandhana S, Ira Jadhav, Anadi Tagde

Left-arm seamer to focus on franchises opportunities after missing out on ECB contract

Matt Roller01-Nov-2023David Willey has announced that he will retire from international cricket at the age of 33 after England’s final match at the World Cup in India, following the ECB’s decision not to offer him a central contract for the 2023-24 cycle.Willey is among the few England players who have enhanced their reputation over the last four weeks in India, taking five wickets at 27.20 and hitting 42 runs from the lower order in his three appearances since he came into the side for their heavy defeat to South Africa in Mumbai.But he was “not best pleased”, in the words of Rob Key, to be the only member of their World Cup squad who did not feature in the list of 26 central contracts announced in Bangalore last week. Even with a T20 World Cup on the horizon next June, he has decided to quit international cricket for good.”I never wanted this day to come,” Willey wrote in a post on his Instagram page. “From a young boy, I’ve only ever dreamed of playing cricket for England. So, with careful thought and consideration, it is with great regret that I feel the time has come for me to retire from all forms of international cricket at the end of the World Cup.”I have worn the shirt with immense pride and given my absolute everything to the badge on my chest. I’ve been very lucky to be a part of such an incredible white ball team with some of the best players in the world. I’ve made some special memories and great friends along the way and been through some very difficult times.”To my wife, two children, mum and dad, I wouldn’t have been able to follow my dreams without your sacrifice and unwavering support throughout. Thank you for sharing the special memories and picking up the pieces when I’ve fallen apart – I’m eternally grateful.”Related

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Willey said that he will continue to give “my everything and more” in England’s final three group games against Australia, Netherlands and Pakistan. “I feel I still have a lot more to give on and off the field while I am still playing my best cricket, and my decision has nothing to do with our performance during the World Cup,” he said.The timing of Willey’s decision is not helpful for England as they look to finish a miserable World Cup campaign on a high following five defeats in their first six games. “There’s no hiding from it,” Mark Wood told the BBC on Wednesday. “We have got to try and stick together as a team and in these last three games, try and get some sort of positive outcome.”Willey will continue to play short-form cricket at home and around the world. He captained Northamptonshire in the T20 Blast last year and represented Welsh Fire in the Hundred, and is due to play for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 in January. He may also be retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of next year’s IPL.”Being completely honest, knowing and being able to plan a calendar year with all the cricket that’s going on will be helpful,” Willey told England’s social media channels. “It’s difficult, never knowing whether you’re involved. Spending some time with the family will be top of my list and I look forward to the opportunities that are ahead.”Willey made his England debut in a no-result against Ireland in Malahide in May 2015, shortly after their group-stage elimination World Cup, and became a regular member of their white-ball squads as part of their rebuild under Eoin Morgan, Trevor Bayliss and Andrew Strauss. He has so far claimed 94 wickets in 70 ODIs, and a further 51 in 43 T20Is, the last of which came at Canberra in October 2022.David Willey was part of the England squad that won the 2022 T20 World Cup•Getty Images

He was part of the side that finished second at the 2016 World T20, taking 3 for 20 in England’s last-gasp defeat to West Indies in the final, and was named in their provisional squad for the 2019 World Cup, but was brutally dropped at the last minute to accommodate Jofra Archer’s selection.Willey assumed that marked the end of his international career, but was recalled for an ODI series against Ireland in 2020 and was their second-highest wicket-taker in the format between World Cups. He was also an unused squad member at both the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups.He was left out at the start of the ongoing 50-over World Cup, but has impressed since coming into the side, most recently dismissing Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav while taking 3 for 45 in Sunday’s defeat against India. “I’m sure everybody who knows me does not doubt that, whatever my involvement in the remainder of this campaign, I will give my everything and more,” he said. “That’s the only way I know.”Key said in a statement: “Playing over 100 white-ball games for your country is a massive achievement and something David can be immensely proud of. He has given everything he has to England, every time he’s taken to the field, and I’d like to thank him for all that he’s done over many years. I wish him all the very best for the future.”

Healy does not believe it’s the end of an era for Australia’s previously all-conquering team but admits they need to adapt and improve

Valkerie Baynes19-Jul-2023Stand-in captain Alyssa Healy believes Australia’s hard-fought retention of the Ashes could be their “reset moment”.After drawing the multi-format series with England on eight points each, the Australians kept the trophy they have held since 2015. But their grip is tenuous with Healy describing the result as feeling “a bit dirty” in the immediate aftermath of the final match in Taunton, with Australia losing both the T20I and ODI legs 2-1.Addressing a press conference once the dust had settled on their 69-run defeat in the rain-affected third ODI on Tuesday, Healy’s comments were more circumspect in light of suggestions Australia had lost their trademark fighting spirit and ruthlessness.Related

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“I think what this fighting spirit and what this ruthlessness of this team is going to look like moving forward might be slightly different to what we’ve seen in the past,” Healy said. “For us, it’s a great opportunity to sort of reflect and almost have a little mini reset moment of what this group is and what we look like now and what we want to achieve over the next four or five years in particular. I think it’s a really cool moment to do that.”Australia went ahead in the multi-format Ashes with an 89-run victory in the one-off Test at Trent Bridge which was worth four points, double that of each limited-overs fixture. They extended their lead to 6-0 by winning the first T20I at Edgbaston by four wickets with just one ball to spare. In both matches, the Australians were less clinical than they had been in recent years, which ultimately left them exposed as they lost the next three games.And despite Australia’s much-vaunted depth, Healy pointed out that the loss of Rachael Haynes to retirement and long-time captain Meg Lanning, a late withdrawal from the tour for undisclosed medical reasons, had left a big hole in her side, which still managed to muster enough of their trademark mettle to clinch the second ODI in Southampton by three runs on the final ball, thus ensuring they retained the Ashes.”You look at some of the changes that this group has seen over the last 12 months in particular, we’ve lost two of our most senior players, top-order batters in particular, in the space of 12 months,” Healy said. “We’re not sure if or when one of those might be coming back so we’ve had a little bit of chopping and changing. I guess the positive side is that we’re giving some experience to some young players that we’ve always seen the opportunity to play for Australia at some point, but they’re getting the opportunity probably a little sooner than they’d anticipated, so that’s a great thing.”There’s a few different feelings for me at the moment. Pride… we came here to do a job and we didn’t quite do it but we’ve got the trophy back within our grasp, which is obviously job number one done. We couldn’t quite get ourselves over the line in the white-ball stuff but overall I’m really proud of the way that the series unfolded. It’s been an amazing spectacle for cricket in general and it’s been really cool to be a part of. I sit here slightly excited and then slightly disappointed at the same time.”The difference has been that Australia came up against an England side who believed they could beat their all-conquering opponents and played accordingly, holding their nerve in some clutch moments more consistently than they had managed in the past. Having stripped Australia of their aura, or dented it at the very least, England went some way – how far depends on who you talk to – towards closing the gap between the sidesBut Healy, captain on this tour in Lanning’s absence, revealed the Australians felt they were more vulnerable in the T20s. They had been pushed by India in the semi-finals of the World Cup in February and the final of last year’s Commonwealth Games, and to them in a Super Over in December, which was their only defeat in their last 24 completed T20Is before they were beaten by England at The Oval and Lord’s. Their loss in the first ODI in Bristol ended a 15-game winning streak in the format and the Taunton result arrested a run of 21 victories while chasing in ODIs dating back to the 2017 Ashes when they also lost a rain-affected clash with England.England players celebrate after the final wicket fell•Getty Images

“I wouldn’t say an end of an era,” Healy said. “I think it’s probably maybe a little bit of a moment that we potentially needed.”We looked back on the T20 series and we felt like that might have been coming for a little while… I think we were going to need to look at how to adapt and continue to grow as a T20 side. But the one-day format probably hurt us a little bit because I think we’re still a really strong outfit and to play the way we did was obviously disappointing.”I think it’s a start of an era of English cricket. Definitely what they’re producing at the moment and the way they’re enjoying their cricket is great to watch and you can see other people turning up to come and see their team play, so that’s really exciting and for us, we’ll just learn from it and continue on hopefully being great.”Opposite number Heather Knight took no issue with the extra points weighting for the Test, saying it was the rules both sides played under, but she did believe that by winning both white-ball series, England had only confirmed her belief that there was no “gap” between the teams.”We’ve experienced quite a lot of hurt against Australia,” Knight said. “Obviously we haven’t got the Ashes but to play like we have done this summer has been hugely pleasing and the most exciting thing is we haven’t played our best cricket. Today was probably the closest but I think we’ve got a huge ceiling for this team to keep moving forward and keep improving.”The mindset we’ve got onto that works really well for us is definitely right but I still think we can learn how to do it slightly better in different situations at different points. But the way we’ve won really important key moments in games has been the biggest thing. That’s probably been the biggest gap between the two sides previously. We’ve worked a hell of a lot on that as a group and to see us really thrive in those moments and win them and be really calm and clear on what we need to do for the team in that moment has been hugely pleasing.”

Shamsi says SA will have to rely more on spin than pace in the Caribbean leg of the T20 World Cup

Firdose Moonda15-Jun-20242:32

Morkel: South Africa need to have more intensity with bat

South Africa are “testing out all the scores,” as Tabraiz Shamsi jokingly put it when he accepted his Player-of-the-Match award after helping his team pull off another last-ball heist, against Nepal.Although South Africa topped Group D and are yet to lose a match in the tournament, their last two victories have come off the final ball and their match against Netherlands was decided in the penultimate over. “It’s a little bit closer than we’ve needed it to be,” Shamsi said.All four of their games have been low-scoring, starting with their opener against Sri Lanka, who they bowled out for 77. Then, South Africa chased 104 against Netherlands, having recovered from 12 for 4 to do it, and defended 113 against Bangladesh and 115 against Nepal. The first three totals could be somewhat explained by seamer-friendly conditions in New York, which was characterised by inconsistent bounce but the score in St Vincent was the result of what seemed like a misreading of conditions, which were more suited to spin. Captain Aiden Markram summed it up as them being “nowhere near our best and just lacked a bit of intensity and conviction in our game plans.”Related

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While he did not isolate the top three, their form remains a concern. Between them, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks and Markram have scored 129 runs from 12 trips to the crease, at an average of 10.75. Only Uganda, Papua New Guinea and Ireland’s top three have fared worse. After being put in to bat against Nepal, their old Achilles’ heel against spin seemed to re-emerge as all seven of the wickets that fell were to Dipendra Singh Airee’s offspin and Khushal Bhurtel’s legspin.There may also have been reflection of an element of facing the unknown in the way South Africa performed against Nepal. This was the first time South Africa and Nepal have met in an international match and Markram conceded that Nepal, “put us under a lot of pressure,” as South Africa also navigated between playing morning games in the USA and a night match in St Vincent. “It has been a bit different because we spent the whole day almost doing nothing and there [in New York], we’d be playing first thing in the morning,” he said. “Moving forward some things may change. It’s one of the big challenges of cricket, being open minded and adapting.”Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks are yet to fire like they can•AFP/Getty Images

For Shamsi, the key to playing in the Caribbean is recognising that there will be a need to shift away from reliance on pace to spin. “Our fast bowlers did a great job in New York but our slower bowlers will have to take up the mantle now,” he said.South Africa came prepared for that, and included three specialist spinners in their 15-player squad. So far, they have only fielded one of them per game, with Keshav Maharaj playing in New York and Shamsi in St Vincent, but Markram conceded they both should have played against Nepal. Left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin has yet to come into the conversation but with a reputation for taking wickets with the new ball, he may also feature in the Super Eight. South Africa were the first team to qualify for that round and Markam is hopeful they can “put a more complete game of cricket together now that we move forward to the business end of the competition.”Ultimately, some may be of the view that may not be what it takes for South Africa to win their first World Cup. Historically – and often despite strong performances in the group stages – South Africa have crumbled in crunch moments and lost games that they seemed on course to win. Now, with three close results, they’ve shown an ability to hold their nerve. “We’ve been put under pressure in every single game and we have stood up to it,” Shamsi said.Importantly, they also found different match-winners. Against Netherlands, David Miller’s 51-ball 59 took them over line, against Bangladesh, Keshav Maharaj’s 3 for 27 did the trick and against Nepal, Shamsi’s 4 for 19 was vital to their victory. Throughout Ottneil Baartman’s performances have been exemplary and added variation to an attack that has sometimes been too one-dimensional.The top order issues aside, South Africa seem to be ticking along well or as Shamsi said: “When this team is rolling, everybody knows their roles.”

Karima Gore struck an unbeaten half-century to see a 134-run chase through

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2025Shakib Al Hasan made history on Sunday, becoming the fifth man in the world to take 500 wickets in T20 cricket. He bowled only two overs against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots but picked up 3 for 11 in a match-winning effort for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, who consolidated their place at the top of the CPL 2025 points table.Shakib needed six balls to get the record out of the way, deceiving Mohammad Rizwan in flight and securing a caught and bowled. Two more wickets came his way as he quadrupled his tally for the season and limited the former champions to a meagre 133 for 9 in North Sound. Patriots had a tough go of it after being put in to bat with only Rizwan (30 off 26) and Evin Lewis (32 off 31) scoring more than 18 runs. There were four single-digit scores and three run-outs, epitomising an innings that never went quite right.With a target in front of them, Falcons were able to negotiate the difficult batting conditions better but even they had the odd hiccup. Afghanistan wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil continued his outstanding form as this season’s top wicket-taker with figures of 1 for 16. Patriots needed more than one man to pull off this defence though. They ran into Shakib again, this time with the bat as the Bangladesh allrounder showed off his other skill. Four other men have 500 wickets in T20 cricket but none of them have nearly as much as his 7574 runs. Shakib was 3 off seven balls before he hit Ashmead Nedd for a six down the ground and reverse-swept the next ball for four to hasten Falcons’ march to the finish line.Falcons needed 28 from 30 balls when Shakib fell. Karima Gore, who was playing the anchor’s role until then, found a couple of boundaries to ease off the pressure. He also hit the winning boundary, thus seeing off the chase with two balls to spare and bringing up his fifty as well.

Hain, Sibley, Davies fifties help guide rearguard at Edgbaston

ECB Reporters Network15-Sep-2022Warwickshire and Somerset’s LV=Insurance County Championship relegation battle at Edgbaston ended in a hard-fought draw after neither side could find the firepower to force victory on a placid pitch.After Somerset’s declaration at 340 for seven set a target of 364 in 82 overs, both sides scented victory at times as the pendulum swung in a tense last session before the home side closed on 256 for six.The visitors’ decision to bat on 40 minutes into the final day enabled George Bartlett to reach his sixth first-class century (111, 228 balls). Finding ten wickets on a flattening pitch was beyond their bowlers, however, as Sam Hain continued his excellent season with an unbeaten 52 (101 balls), supported by Alex Davies (58, 95) and Dom Sibley 54 (110).The result only tightens up the relegation equation in Division One, setting up a three-way slug-out between Somerset, Kent and Warwickshire over the last two games to avoid accompanying Gloucestershire down to Division Two.Somerset resumed on the final morning on 277 for four, already 300 ahead, and added 63 in 12 overs before the declaration. Lewis Goldsworthy (44, 104 balls) was bowled by Henry Brookes in the first over but James Rew made a breezy 22 and Bartlett reached a patient 233-ball ton with a cut boundary off Jayant Yadav before missing a down-the-track attempt to carve Danny Briggs over the covers.Warwickshire’s second innings started crisply against the seamers with 30 coming from six overs but was damaged as soon as Somerset turned to spin. Rob Yates played back to Sajid Khan’s sixth ball and fell lbw.It was an isolated threat from Khan, however, as any turn was very slow and Sibley and Davies were little troubled in a stand of 95 in 29 overs until both perished to loose, lofted shots in successive overs from Kasey Aldridge. Sibley failed to control a pull and was caught on the mid-wicket boundary and Davies chipped to mid on.Hain and Rhodes (44, 61 balls) kept the board ticking over with a stand of 88 in 20 overs to stir hopes of a Bears victory charge, but those hopes folded when Jack Brooks bowled Rhodes and trapped Michael Burgess lbw with successive balls,It was Somerset sensing a late charge when Yadav was spectacularly run out by Khan’s direct hit from deep mid-wicket, but Hain and Danny Briggs (17 not out, 46 balls) stood firm through the last 12 overs.