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Kumar Sangakkara has called on his spinners to raise their game in the final Test in Mumbai

Sa'adi Thawfeeq27-Nov-2009It hasn’t been a great tour for Muttiah Muralitharan so far•AFP

Sri Lanka came into the series intending to secure their maiden Test victory on Indian soil but were left with a lot of soul searching to do after they were thrashed by an innings-and-144-runs in the second Test in Kanpur.Though India ran up 642, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara defended the selection of three spinners. “If we had won the toss and batted first on the wicket and got a decent amount of runs on the board our spinners would have been quite a threat on this track,” he said. “It would have been very hard to score runs off them as well. The chances that we did create were not taken by us, allowing the Indian batsmen to get away on a really flat track. 400 runs on the first day was a little too much.”The main concern for Sri Lanka was the inability of the world’s leading wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan to provide the breakthroughs for his team as he had done till the recent past. Murali went for over hundred runs for the second time in two Tests; so far in the series his returns are five wickets for 396 runs, average 79.20. “It does become a concern when your star strike bowler is not really picking up the wickets you know he can, but he is still the best bowler that’s played the game,” Sangakkara said. “You still have to have faith in him and trust him and back him 100% to do the job because he is going to do it at one point, hopefully in the next Test.”The Kanpur defeat was the largest in terms of runs to India but Sangakkara remained optimistic that he had the bowlers to win in Mumbai. “We have the potential to pick 20 wickets with the bowlers that we have,” he said. “Potential is one thing really doing the job is another. We would like a bit more penetration with the spin.”With our fast bowlers we always created opportunities, the disappointing thing is we haven’t really taken those chances twice in the first over in two Test matches, especially this one on a track that was one of the flattest we’ve played on.”We’ve still got a lot to achieve in Mumbai. We can still equal the series and finish one-all. That’s a great motivation for us. Disappointed with today’s defeat, but that’s the way cricket goes. If you don’t play well enough you lose and you’ve got to accept that responsibility but still move on. You have no one else to blame. You got to look at the 16 players in the dressing room and say that we were just not good enough. We were outplayed by India who were a better team in this Test match.”It was a good toss to win for Dhoni the first day the wicket was going to be the flattest and it got slower and slower as the game progressed. If we probably had kept India down to about 450 in the first innings it would have been a chance for us to come back, but 600 runs on we were always chasing. Bad batting in our first innings put us into trouble.”

“Unfortunately, quite a few of us got out with kind of cross-batted shots which might not be our preferred method”

Alex Malcolm19-Feb-20233:35

Chappell on the sweep shots: Australia panicked and did something not natural

Australia captain Pat Cummins has admitted his batting group overplayed their hand in the second innings in Delhi as they took their proactive mindset to the extreme in an extraordinary batting collapse that cost them the second Test in less than a session.Australia were 65 for 1 in the first over of the third day with a lead of 66 before losing 9 for 48 in 110 balls to be bowled out for just 113 well before lunch on the third day.Related

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India cruised to victory with just four wickets down to take a 2-0 series lead in the series. The stunning collapse comes just a week after they were bowled out for 91 in the third innings in Nagpur to lose that match by an innings and 132 runs.Cummins had asked his batters to be brave and proactive in the immediate aftermath of the Nagpur defeat but admitted his team may have gone too far the other way in Delhi, with six of the dismissals coming via attempted sweeps or reverse-sweeps in a frantic 90-minute period against Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin who claimed all 10 wickets between them for the innings.”Nagpur maybe [we] underplayed it, we probably overplayed it here at times in the second innings,” Cummins said. “You’ve got to find a way to try and put pressure back on the bowlers. They’re really, really good bowlers, especially in these conditions. Probably just at times maybe just overplayed it.”I thought they bowled really well. It’s not easy out there. But perhaps some guys went away from their methods.”Each batter has their own way to go about it. I don’t think there’s any one size fits all rule. Unfortunately, quite a few of us got out with kind of cross-batted shots which might not be our preferred method.”Cheteshwar Pujara, who guided India home in his 100th Test match, noted on that he had put the sweep shot away on the Delhi surface having fallen trying to sweep in Nagpur.”If you look at this pitch, it’s not an ideal shot to play because there’s no bounce,” Pujara said.Steven Smith was out lbw after missing a sweep•Getty Images

“I think it’s the initial phase when you are just walking into bat, you find it a little difficult, you need to get used to the pace of the pitch, some balls spun, some balls are going straight on. So you just need to figure out the way to tackle that. But once you play about 30-40 balls, then it’s a good pitch to bat on. And then once the ball gets older, I think we have seen that throughout the game when the ball is hard it’s slightly difficult. Once the ball gets softer, it gets easier to bat on.”Cummins admitted his team had let a golden opportunity slip to get back into the series having had India 139 for 7 on day two, leading by 124 in the first innings thanks to Nathan Lyon’s superb five-wicket haul, only to lose before tea the following day in an extraordinary turn of events.”I’d say just more disappointment, knowing that over here these opportunities don’t come up all the time,” Cummins said. “Especially being relatively in front of the game, feeling like that game was there for the taking.”

Will Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood be fit for Indore?

Australia chose to train in the immediate aftermath of the Nagpur loss last week holding an optional centre-wicket practice on what would have been day five at the VCA Stadium. They are unlikely to follow suit in Delhi. But they have nine days to fill between the loss and the start of the third Test in Indore.Cummins revealed there will be a lot of soul-searching for Australia’s batters in particular. But there may also be some changes made to the squad.”We’ve got a bit of time. We’ll have a good think. Have a look at different things,” Cummins said. “I think over the next day or two we’ll look at any changes in the squad as well. Mitchell Swepson has gone home, he’s a chance of coming back. Hopefully Cam Green is available, [Josh] Hazlewood, [Mitchell] Starc, we’ll manage that.”We’ll assess it over the next couple of days. [We’ve] probably got enough time to have a bit of a break, a bit of a refresh, and still plenty of time to roll up the sleeves before the next one.”Green, Starc and Hazlewood are all expected to be fully fit for Indore while Swepson should be available to return to India after flying home for the birth of his first child.But there are still some concerns over David Warner after he was subbed out of the game with a concussion following a blow to the head in the first innings. He has also suffered a hairline fracture in his left elbow from another blow in the same innings.”Davey is still a bit sore and sorry,” Cummins said. “So we’ll manage and see how he goes over the next few days. He came to the ground today for a fair while which is good. But we’ll kind of assess him over the next little bit.”Todd Murphy bowled with some side soreness in the fourth innings but managed to deliver 6.4 overs and collect the wicket of Virat Kohli.

Despite the long tour, the Australia captain says he is in a better condition heading into The Oval this time compared to in 2019

Andrew McGlashan26-Jul-2023The Ashes is secured, but there is a huge amount at stake for Australia at The Oval. Return home with a 3-1 series win, to go alongside the World Test Championship title, and legacies will be secured. Draw the series, from being 2-0 up, and it will be mission incomplete.Many of this Australian squad featured in the 2019 Ashes series, which ended 2-2 when England won at The Oval. That has gnawed away at them, particularly after they had responded impressively from the Ben Stokes miracle at Headingley to win at Old Trafford.Pat Cummins remembers the final game of that series as the only occasion he worried he would miss a Test through fatigue, although he still ended with five wickets and bowled the most of Australia’s quicks, having also played the ODI World Cup earlier. This time, he is under scrutiny both as bowler and as captain, having endured a tough few days in Manchester. But he insists he has the gas in the tank for one final push. You wouldn’t expect him to say anything different.Related

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“I remember turning up here in 2019 for the fifth Test and I was wrecked,” he said. “It’s probably the only time in my career where I thought I genuinely might not be able to play. But I still did a decent job then. And I feel in a much better position now.”So, for the second time in four years, Australia reach The Oval 2-1 up but via different routes and aiming to achieve what they have been unable to do since 2001. This time, they were perhaps two good sessions of cricket away from securing this series outright in Leeds. England were 142 for 7 at lunch on the second day, still 121 behind, and for all their love for a run chase there is a good chance that, had they conceded a hefty lead, the game would have gone.Instead, largely through Ben Stokes and Mark Wood, England cracked 95 off ten overs to draw almost level and then, later in the day with Australia’s lead approaching 100, Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne handed their wickets to Moeen Ali. There were a few twists to come but that’s where the mood of this series shifted.At Old Trafford, Australia were outplayed in a manner that has rarely been seen in recent years – over an extended period, rather than a single crazy session such as the one that cost them in Delhi earlier this year. In Manchester, a lazy first-day batting display then became a rudderless performance in the field as Zak Crawley, Joe Root and latterly Jonny Bairstow made merry.Australia admitted how poor they were, but have also tried to play it down somewhat by saying they always expected it would come given how England play. When it did come, they did not have any answers. Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh ensured a touch of equilibrium was resorted on the fourth day, but only the rain saved them.It all means they come back to London, where this tour started at the beginning of last month with the World Test Championship final, needing a victory (or at least be in a strong position for one should weather intervene again) to honestly be able to leave knowing they were the better team.”It’s a big one,” Cummins said. “If we win this one and you look back, it’s been an incredible tour over here really. We’ve played five games, we’ve won three and only lost one. It’s already a fantastic tour. But to go home winning the urn would be phenomenal. It’s a final thing to tick off the list of titles to win for a few of the guys, who you never [know] if you’ll get another chance at it. We’ve said the whole time, our aim is to come here and win the Ashes and that’s the opportunity ahead of us.”As Cummins alluded to, it will be the last Ashes Test in England for a lot of this side. In fact, it probably marks the start of a transition for both teams: the youngest member of the England attack at Old Trafford was Wood at 33.”They’ve got world class bowlers in their attack,” David Warner said. “They’re all mid-30s, like myself, so it’s just great to see them keep coming. They probably don’t have much cricket left in them and it will be sad to see a lot of those guys leave and we have to applaud the way that they’ve kept coming year after year.”Pat Cummins and Alex Carey could be borderline names when Australia pick the team for their next Ashes series in England•Associated Press

For Australia, of those who have featured in the series, you can only say confidently, as much as is possible with the uncertainties of professional sport, that Labuschagne, Travis Head, Cameron Green and Todd Murphy will have the chance of returning in four years’ time. Marsh and Alex Carey (35 by then) are perhaps borderline names, as is Cummins himself who will be 34. The team will start disbanding as soon as the next home summer with Warner the first to depart, at the SCG against Pakistan in early January if he makes it that far.”We know we are an experienced team,” Cummins said. “But that means there are some people who are close to the end of their career. That means we’ll have to find some new guys, who I think it won’t be very hard to find, but no doubt the team’s going to change over time. Maybe it’s this moment, I don’t know.”While some are questioning how long Cummins will be able to marry the role of lead fast bowler and captain, he sees the upcoming changing of the guard as something exciting.”We’re very individualised in how we let everyone be themselves and do it their way,” he said. “Some of that’s down to the fact that we’ve got guys that have played 100 Test matches [and] 15 years of first-class cricket. If there’s new guys [coming] in maybe you need to shift that a little bit more. It’s exciting – that’s what I like about the job.”But before the future, comes the immediate challenge. Being crowned Test world champions was deserving reward for two years of excellent Test cricket, but coupling that with an Ashes series win in England – something that has passed by a number of very fine Australian players – is needed to ensure that this group of players has its place in history.

Inoka Ranaweera starred with 2 for 17, before Pakistan needed three off the last ball, which Nida Dar couldn’t put away

Mohammad Isam13-Oct-2022Achini Kulasuriya bowled a stunning final over to help Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the second semi-final and march into the final of the Asia Cup. Kulasuriya bowled full and straight throughout the over and left Pakistan needing three off the last ball. But Nida Dar could not clear cover, where Kavisha Dilhari dropped the catch running backwards but recovered well to return a throw to the wicketkeeper, who ran Dar out to squeeze out a one-run victory.It is Sri Lanka’s first T20 Asia Cup final, having made it to the title clash three times when the tournament was an ODI affair. Pakistan would feel hard done by, as they were cruising till captain Bismah Maroof was at the crease.Kulasuriya does the magic
When Maroof got out in the 18th over, Pakistan were in the driver’s seat, needing a run-a-ball 16. But Inoka Ranaweera bowled a superb penultimate over – giving away just four and prising out big-hitting Ayesha Naseem cheaply – to leave eight for Kulasuriya to defend. Kulasuriya bowled full mostly and did not allow Aliya Riaz and Dar to free their arms. Eventually, it was down to three needed of the last ball but Dar couldn’t take Pakistan home, leaving Sri Lanka screaming in delight in front of the sparse crowd in Sylhet.Kulasuriya did not let the over-rate punishment, due to which they were allowed a fielder less outside the inner ring in the final over, hamper them. Sri Lanka would also be thankful to their batters for their fine effort earlier, particularly at the start when they got a few boundaries to get things going.Sanjeewani gives Sri Lanka quick start
Sri Lanka raced to 39 in the powerplay, thanks mainly to wicketkeeper-batter Anushka Sanjeewani’s 26 off 21 balls. After being promoted to open, she struck a four and a big six over square leg but fell in the last over of the fielding restriction. Chamari Athapaththu also hit a six but was the first batter to get out when she tried to slog Dar over long-on and was bowled.Nashra Sandhu’s classic left-armer’s delivery – pitching in line and turning away past the outside edge – then deceived Sanjeewani, bringing an end to Sri Lanka’s powerplay exploits.Bismah Maroof made 42 off 41 balls to set up the chase•Asian Cricket Council

Sandhu revives Pakistan after big stand
Harshitha Samarawickrama, however, ensured Sri Lanka didn’t let their good start go waste, adding 50 for the third wicket with Nilakshi de Silva. But the pair managed just one boundary between them, which Samarawickrama got during her 35 off 41 balls, before Sandhu removed her in the 18th over. Sandhu also had de Silva caught-and-bowled in her previous over, and finished with 3 for 17 from four overs.Sadia Iqbal and Aiman Anwer too bowled excellently in the last few overs, both picking up a wicket each as Sri Lanka made only 35 runs in the last five overs. They slipped from 102 for 3 with 14 balls remaining, only to be restricted to 122 for 6 after 20 overs.Muneeba fires up Pakistan
Pakistan responded to Sri Lanka’s fast start with one of their own. Sugandika Kumari was hit for back-to-back fours by Muneeba Ali before Sidra Ameen hit one in the third over of the chase. Muneeba struck the ball sweetly through point first, before executing the sweep to perfection on the next.But Muneeba fell in the next over when she was run out trying to get a quick single. She twisted her ankle in the process, but her presence for a few more overs might have helped Pakistan carry on further after a bright start.Bismah gets Pakistan to the brink
Sri Lanka stayed in the game with the wickets of Ameen and Omaima Sohail by the 11th over, but Maroof kept things tight at her end. She played the ball around for plenty of singles, apart from four boundaries. She struck two through fine leg, one past short third and the fourth over long-on.Maroof added 42 for the fourth wicket with Dar but fell while trying to work the ball to the on side against Kumari. Little did she know her side would end up losing the game despite setting up the chase.

“He was really nice, and just said any time to reach out and even sent me a message on Instagram, so that was pretty cool”

AAP15-Mar-2023Ravindra Jadeja is a man of his word. The India allrounder had promised Australia spinner Matt Kuhnemann a masterclass after the Border-Gavaskar series – and he did just that.As soon as the fourth Test in Ahmedabad ended in a draw on Monday, Jadeja made time to speak to the Australian newcomer. A self-confessed “massive fan” of Jadeja, Kuhnemann revealed after taking 5 for 16 in the third Test in Indore that he spoke with Jadeja after his debut in Delhi.”I said, ‘Have you got any tips for me after the [second] Test?’ He said, ‘Yes, at the end of the series’,” Kuhnemann had said in Indore.Related

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The left-arm spinner was still buzzing on Tuesday about playing three Tests on his debut tour, after only flying over to join the squad following Australia’s series-opening defeat in Nagpur.Adding to it all, Kuhnemann was nicknamed “Jaddu” by his Sheffield Shield team-mates after running through South Australia in a game for Queensland in 2021.”It was probably about 15 minutes, he [Jadeja] was just giving me some awesome tips; we talked about everything,” Kuhnemann told AAP. “Nathan Lyon helped organised it [the chat] as well. He [Jadeja] was really impressed with Todd [Murphy], Gaz [Lyon] and myself so that was really cool to hear that from him.”He gave me some good tips for the next time we’re in the subcontinent, and some tips to go back home with as well. He was really nice, and just said any time to reach out and even sent me a message on Instagram, so that was pretty cool.”Interacting with some of the game’s greats during a whirlwind month has only fuelled the 26-year-old’s hunger and desire to keep improving at international level.Kuhnemann, Lyon and Murphy received the ultimate praise from Indian coach Rahul Dravid after the series, calling the Aussie trio the best spin attack the hosts had faced in their own conditions for more than a decade. All three had their turn taking bags of wickets across the four Tests, claiming 45 scalps between them, headlined by Lyon’s 22.”The way that it happened, I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Kuhnemann said. “Nathan Lyon took myself and Todd under his wing from the get-go, he was pretty much like a big brother to us over here.”I think we’re very lucky to have Gaz and his experience to learn off. I’m ready to get back in the nets, get back in there after speaking to Jadeja. I’m really keen to tinker with a couple of things, trying just to keep improving my skills and play as much cricket as I can.”If all of that wasn’t enough, Kuhnemann put his hand up to open as a nightwatch-opener during Australia’s second innings in Ahmedabad after Usman Khawaja was troubled by a leg injury. Kuhnemann became the first Australian to open and bat at No. 11 in the same Test match since Percy Hornibrook against England in 1929.

Shadman’s maiden Test century in Bangladesh’s second innings helped them get into a winning position against Zimbabwe in Harare

Mohammad Isam13-Jul-2021According to Bangladesh batter Shadman Islam, the team was so moved by Mahmudullah’s retirement announcement during the Harare Test against Zimbabwe, that the players felt motivated to win the match and dedicate it to the 35-year old. The young opener who made his maiden century in the second innings, said that they were all taken aback by Mahmudullah’s decision.”When we heard from (Mahmudullah) Riyad bhai that this was to be his last Test, we got very motivated to do well in the Test. We were all upset. He has done a lot for this team. We wanted to win the match for him. We all decided to dedicate the win for Riyad , and thankfully that’s what happened,” said Shadman, shortly after arriving in Dhaka with the rest of the Test specialists.Shadman’s response on Mahmudullah’s retirement has, so far, been the most direct from any Bangladesh player. Other Bangladesh players have been glowing in their tribute of Mahmudullah in social media posts after the match. But they have not directly mentioned his retirement, conceivably not to draw the ire of BCB president Nazmul Hassan who criticised Mahmudullah for announcing it midway through a match.Captain Mominul Haque mumbled a reply when the traveling media asked him repeatedly about the retirement in the post-match post conference in Harare. But he did credit Mahmudullah for his unbeaten 150 that put Bangladesh on top after a difficult start to their batting innings.Shadman and Najmul Hossain Shanto took full advantage of the 192-run lead, reaching centuries during their 196-run second wicket stand in the second innings. Shanto made 117 while Shadman reached his first ton.”What makes me happy is that my century helped the team to a Test win. We always believed that we were the better team, even in their conditions. Riyad , Taskin and Mominul made things easier for us with their batting.”The wicket was slightly different in the second innings, so we believed that we could give Zimbabwe a tough total in the fourth innings,” he said.Shadman is one of eight cricketers who returned home after the one-off Test. Captain Haque, Shanto, Saif Hassan, Yasir Ali, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed and Ebadot Hossain were the others. They will most likely sit out for the next three months when Bangladesh play plenty of white-ball cricket. The BCB hasn’t announced any red-ball competition.”One has to come to terms with how things are at the moment. The pandemic is not in anyone’s control,” Shadman said. “There’s no point getting disappointed [with lack of matches]. I will just keep training, and try to play well.”

Allrounder Shane Getkate and offspinner Simi Singh were omitted from the squad

Deivarayan Muthu15-Jun-2022North-West Warriors’ uncapped duo of Stephen Doheny and Conor Olphert have earned call-ups to the Ireland squad for the two-match T20I series against India, which will kick off their big home season also including visits by New Zealand, South Africa and Afghanistan.Doheny recently earned a 12-month retainer deal with Ireland while Olphert was handed an educational contract after Luke Georgeson gave up his Ireland deal to chase his New Zealand dream.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Doheny, who bats in the top order and can also keep wicket, has been rewarded for his strong form in the Inter-Provincial Twenty20 Trophy. He is the top-scorer in the competition, for North-West Warriors, with 158 runs in four innings at an average of 52.66 and strike rate of 126.40. As for Olphert, he is Warriors’ second-highest wicket-taker, with six strikes in four games at an economy rate of 7.66.Olphert’s elevation to the national side is aimed at building a robust fast-bowling pool for the long haul.”The T20I squad features a familiar core to the squad, but it’s pleasing to see a number of new faces earn their call-ups in Stephen Doheny and Conor Olphert,” Andrew White, chair of men’s selectors, said in a media statement.”Both Warriors’ players have impressed at inter-provincial level this season with consistent performances, while Doheny has also come off the back of a good tour of Namibia with the Ireland Wolves. Olphert has bowled quickly, particularly on good wickets at Comber last month, and his selection gives us an opportunity to look at him as a tactical option given what lies ahead for the rest of the year.”Allrounder Shane Getkate and offspinner Simi Singh were omitted from the squad that participated in the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Al Amerat and helped the side qualify for the main event in Australia later this year.”As always, there are numerous players who could probably consider themselves unlucky not to make these squads but runs and wickets are the currency we look for and the selectors believe we have picked squads that recognise and reward consistent form and performance on the field,” White said.The seam attack will be led by the experienced Barry McCarthy and Josh Little, who recently joined Paul Stirling in becoming a white-ball globetrotter. Little, the left-arm seamer, has had gigs in the T10 league, Lanka Premier League and IPL. His most recent gig was with Chennai Super Kings as a net bowler in IPL 2022, where he trained with the side in Surat before eventually cutting his stint short.Stirling brings with him big-hitting form from the Vitality Blast, where he hit 200 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 181.81 for Birmingham Bears. His tally included a career-best 119 off 51 balls, headlined by a 34-run over off Northamptonshire’s James Sales.In the absence of Simi, Andy McBrine is the only frontline spin-bowling option in the 14-man group. Gareth Delany (legspin), George Dockrell (left-arm fingerspin) and Stirling (offspin) can pitch in, if needed.The two T20s will be held in Malahide on June 26 and 28.

Michael Neser and Sean Abbott could provide back-up from county cricket

AAP19-Apr-2023Tearaway quick Lance Morris has been put on ice in a bid to rebuild his body for the home summer, after a back injury ruled him out of Ashes calculations.Australia opted to name only the four fast bowlers in their 17-man squad on Wednesday for the opening half of their tour of England, with Scott Boland picked alongside the usual pace trio.Morris had been part of Australia’s squad for the majority of the home summer, before the West Australian earned his spot in a touring party for this year’s series in India.Related

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But a flare up of a back injury has restricted him from bowling for up to six weeks, ending any hope of being in the initial touring squad and rendering him unlikely to be called up beyond that. He had also been due to play for Northamptonshire next month.”He’s having a bit of a de-load period, which I think is about four-to-six weeks, and then he will start to start to build after that,” chief selector George Bailey said. “Conservatively, we’ll probably look to rebuild Lance and hopefully have a really big crack at the summer.”He’ll get another scan in four-to-six weeks and we’ll get a better indication of of how that back’s going.”Bailey indicated on Wednesday that it was unlikely Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood would be able to play all six Tests, with the World Test Championship final and five-match Ashes series over in the space of two months.Hazlewood is returning from two lengthy injury lay-offs in the IPL, with the seamer in constant conversation with Australian medical staff on building up his workload outside of games.There are three short turnarounds throughout the England tour, with Bailey noting it was hard to determine if bowlers would be managed until it was clear how quick matches were completed.Australia have traditionally taken more than one back-up quick on long tours, but Michael Neser and Sean Abbott are among a plethora of Australians playing in the County Championship and able to be called up.”If we do need to call upon another quick we can we can be really specific around who we need and why,” Bailey said. “And then not necessarily have someone in the squad who ends up being superfluous.”Bailey also said Australia’s decision to include Mitchell Marsh as a back-up to Cameron Green shows officials realise an allrounder is now crucial to their team balance.

ECB chief executive promises that counties will be held to account in transition to new professional set-up

Matt Roller18-Apr-2024Yorkshire’s unsuccessful bid to host a Tier 1 team in England’s new domestic women’s structure does not amount to the club being “punished for past sins”. That is according to ECB chief executive Richard Gould, speaking after Yorkshire’s board said they were “shocked and disappointed” to learn they would not receive funding for a fully professional side until 2027.Northern Diamonds, the regional side in the north east, have predominantly been based at Headingley since formation although they will also play home games at Chester-le-Street, Scarborough and York in 2024. Durham will host a Tier 1 county in the initial eight-team structure from 2025, which Yorkshire’s board described as “tough to take”.”We believe we hit all of the criteria set out as part of the tender, so we will be taking time to investigate and understand the detail behind the decision,” Yorkshire’s board said in a statement, which also highlighted Yorkshire’s large active playing base of women and girls, and the county’s success in producing players that have gone on to play internationally for England.Yorkshire were heavily fined and deducted points last year over the club’s failings in response to allegations of institutional racism, and cited their disappointment that they would not be able to use a Tier 1 women’s team to help them achieve their ambition to become “the most welcoming and inclusive cricket club in the country”.But Gould denied that was a factor in the ECB’s decision. “It’s certainly not [that Yorkshire are] being punished for past sins,” he said, at an event launching a national tape-ball competition. “That’s not our role. Our role is to promote the game, not punish. We have responsibility when we have an opportunity such as this to get the best outcomes nationally.”Yorkshire said that the news was “frustrating and upsetting” for Northern Diamonds players and staff, with Heather Knight, England’s captain, confirming that the prospect of having to relocate from Leeds to Durham had caused “quite an unsettling time” for some of the Yorkshire-based domestic players. “It’s important that the girls are looked after and helped to transition into the new structure,” she said.Gould, however, insisted that such tough decisions would have to be part of the process. “This is professional sport,” he said. “It’s no bad thing. If you want to be paid to be a player in this set-up, you’re going to be a Tier 1 player.”Related

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• Yorkshire fined £400,000, handed points deductions following racism charges

• Essex focussed on 'future-proofing' after being awarded Tier 1 women's status

The Professional Cricketers’ Association anticipate some “teething problems” and have also, along with the ECB, pledged to hold counties to account in delivering on the proposals that formed part of their bids. “I’m in a region [Western Storm] that has three different counties,” Knight said. “You don’t have one county that’s accountable for you. Hopefully, that’s going to change.”Gould said he welcomed scrutiny from the PCA on counties. “There are always local issues: who gets into the gym at what time, who uses the nets at particular times. Those are small things, but they’re important things that need to be ironed out. This is all part of the education that we’re going through, but people will be held to account.”As well as Yorkshire, seven other counties were unsuccessful in their bids – though Glamorgan, like Yorkshire, have been told they will receive funding to host a Tier 1 team from 2027. Kent, Leicestershire and Middlesex all issued forthright statements in response. “Lots of clubs are disappointed,” Gould acknowledged.Knight believes the scale of that disappointment is a “sign of the progress that has been made” since she first played in Berkshire’s age-group system.”It sounds like there are some counties who are disappointed, which is a shame – but also pretty cool,” she said. “When I was playing a long time ago, a lot of counties weren’t interested.”The ECB say that their investment in women’s domestic cricket – which will be around £19 million per year by 2027 – could grow the number of female professional players in the country by 80% in the next five years, and Knight believes there is enough talent to sustain that structure. “It’s always an argument that the depth isn’t there… but it’s an argument that shoots itself in the foot,” she said.”If you don’t invest, you don’t grow the talent. There’s so many girls that have seen cricket and want to get involved, so they need that structure to get them in and keep them in the game. Hopefully, this will do that. Investment is key to growing the depth. There’s a lot of sports out there and it’s important that cricket is a viable [career] option.”Knight believes the revamp is “the next logical step” in the professionalisation of women’s cricket in England and Wales. “It’s going to be really interesting to see how it plays out. It’s super exciting to see the plans that have been presented, and I guess now it’s about seeing how they’re enacted and how women’s cricket is put alongside the men and given that equal opportunity.”

Tasmania poach Australia Under-19 World Cup winning offspinner Raf MacMillan from New South Wales

Alex Malcolm03-May-2024Paddy Dooley has been left off Tasmania’s contract list after the Tigers went on a spin-recruitment drive to land Test spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and Australia Under-19 World Cup winning offspinner Raf MacMillan.Dooley was recruited from Queensland for the 2023-24 season after joining Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL and played seven of Tasmania’s eight Marsh Cup games last summer. He picked up nine wickets, including scalps in six of the seven he played, at an economy rate of 5.82. But the recruitment of fellow left-arm orthodox Kuhnemann, who has played Test and ODI cricket for Australia, has meant that there was no room on Tasmania’s contract list for Dooley. He joins retired duo Matthew Wade and Sam Rainbird as the only omissions from the contract list.Related

• Kuhnemann joins Tasmania to push for a Test return

Tasmania have also signed MacMillan from New South Wales after his outstanding performances in the Under-19 World Cup. The 19-year-old took wickets in every game as Australia won the title. He took 3 for 16 and smashed 19 not out off 12 balls against England. He took 1 for 29 from 10 and made 19 not out in a 17-run 10th wicket stand to win a nail-biting semi-final against Pakistan. He then took 3 for 43 in the final against India.Tasmania have also signed young fast bowler Will Prestwidge from Queensland. The 22-year-old made 37 and took 1 for 49 on List A debut for Queensland late last season.Tasmania coach Jeff Vaughan was pleased with the new recruits as they look to go one step further in the Sheffield Shield next year after losing the final to Western Australia.”I am very happy with the quality of the players on our list, on and off the field,” Vaughan said. “We took a massive step forward as a program last year with some big changes to our squad, and we rewarded players who stepped up for us and showed us what it means to play cricket for Tasmania.”While we did see some success on the field, there are still many facets of the game that we can look to improve upon, and we are confident the quality of players we are bringing into our squad will help us go to the next level as we look to bring more success to Tasmania.”Tasmania contract list 2024-25: Gabe Bell, Iain Carlisle, Nick Davis (rookie), Jake Doran, Kieran Elliot, Jarrod Freeman, Bradley Hope, Caleb Jewell, Matt Kuhnemann, Raf MacMillan (rookie), Riley Meredith, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Aidan O’Connor (rookie), Mitch Owen, Will Prestwidge, Nivethan Radhakrishnan (rookie), Jordan Silk, Billy Stanlake, Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster, Macalister Wright