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Fixtures were cancelled with players going on strike in the final stages of the second season

Matt Roller23-Jul-2025A T10 tournament in the Cayman Islands featuring David Warner, Shakib Al Hasan, Alex Hales and Carlos Brathwaite has been plunged into uncertainty with fixtures unfulfilled over allegations of unpaid salaries.The Max60 Caribbean event was launched last year, but its second season has been blighted by off-field issues. ESPNcricinfo has learned that five fixtures on Tuesday were cancelled after strike action from players, the majority of whom had not received a payment that was due to be cleared 30 days before the start of the tournament.On Tuesday evening, Max60 posted on Instagram that all games had been cancelled “due to off-field issues” and announced that the final would take place on Thursday at 2pm local time between Caribbean Tigers and Vegas Vikings, who were first and third respectively in the league table.This post was later deleted and on Wednesday morning, the fixture was replaced by a “runner-up playoff” between Grand Cayman Falcons (who finished fifth) and Vegas Vikings, followed by a trophy presentation.Players have been supported in their strike action by the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), which said that the non-payment issues were the latest example of contracts being treated like “worthless pieces of paper”.”It’s disappointing to hear that players still haven’t been paid what they’re owed under their contracts,” Tom Moffat, the WCA’s chief executive, said. “Players have fulfilled their commitments in good faith the whole way along, but it’s unreasonable for anyone to expect them to continue to turn up and put on the show if the terms of their contracts have flagrantly been breached.”This isn’t an isolated or new issue. It’s another example of an officially sanctioned cricket event treating player contracts like worthless pieces of paper, and of the lack of protections for players who compete in events that have been sanctioned by the ICC or its members.”There are simple solutions to these issues and the game’s global leadership and regulations should protect the whole sport, and people within it.”Max60 is run by BMP Sports, a Dubai-based company which claims to be a “global market leader in cricket league ownership, sponsorships, franchising and more” on its website. It is affiliated with the Braves franchise, which has featured in T10 leagues in Abu Dhabi, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.BMP Sports and Max60 were both contacted for comment but did not respond at the time of the publication of this report.

Radha Yadav, Yastika Bhatia and Sayali Satghare, who were part of the previous T20I squad that played against England, have been left out

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2025Teenagers G Kamalini and Vaishnavi Sharma have earned their maiden India call-ups for the five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka later this month. Radha Yadav, Yastika Bhatia and Sayali Satghare, who were all part of the previous T20I squad that played against England, have been left out.Wicketkeeper-batter Kamalini, 17, whose heroics in the U-19 Asia Cup in 2024 earned her a WPL deal, played nine matches for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the tournament earlier this year. A big-hitting left-hand batter, she made an eye-catching unbeaten 11 off 8 in just her second match, including the winning four off the penultimate ball, for MI against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. She was one of the five players retained by MI for INR 50 lakh ahead of the WPL 2026 auction. In the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, she finished as the sixth-highest run-scorer with 297 runs in seven games.Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi, 19, finished with the most wickets in the Senior Women’s T20 (21 wickets in 11 games) for Madhya Pradesh, as well as the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal T20s (12 in five) for Central Zone. She was also the leading wicket-taker during India’s successful U-19 World Cup campaign earlier this year – which Kamalini was also part of – with 17 wickets.Left-arm spinner Radha, who was part of India’s recent ODI World Cup win, finished with four wickets in three games at the tournament. She came in as a replacement for Shuchi Upadhyay for the England tour in June and took six wickets in five games. Wicketkeeper Yastika, meanwhile, was ruled out of the World Cup with a knee injury and has not played any top-flight cricket since August. There are no other surprises in the squad, which will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur.The first two T20Is of the five-match series will take place in Visakhapatnam on December 21 and 23, while Thiruvananthapuram will host the last three games on December 26, 28 and 30.

India’s T20I squad vs Sri Lanka

Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Harleen Deol, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh Thakur, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), N Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma.

The visitors put in a woeful batting effort at Adelaide Oval as Australia secured the T20I series 3-0 to leave a whitewash on the cards

Valkerie Baynes25-Jan-2025Beth Mooney stood a class above with the bat before Australia’s bowlers ground a hapless England line-up further into the dust with a thumping 72-run win in the third and final T20I for a 12-0 lead in the Women’s Ashes.Mooney’s unbeaten 94 carried Australia to 162 for 5 on a slow Adelaide Oval pitch where Australia’s second-best score was fellow opener Georgia Voll’s 23. Then the home side’s bowlers, led by legspinner Georgia Wareham’s career-best 3 for 11, demolished the tourists for 90 inside 18 overs, their second-lowest total in T20Is with only two England batters reaching double figures.Related

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Yet again, England were complicit in their undoing with a host of poor shots punished by a merciless Australian fielding outfit before a crowd of 10,291. The result brought the possibility of a 16-0 series sweep tantalisingly close for the home side heading into next week’s day-night Test at the MCG.England made four changes looking to get some points on the board, albeit belatedly and with the Ashes already lost. Maia Bouchier made way for Alice Capsey and an unwell Lauren Bell was replaced by fellow quick Lauren Filer while legspinner Sarah Glenn was replaced by left-arm spinner Linsey Smith. And while the spinners did well to contain Australia – Mooney’s performance aside – defending a modest total proved far too easy for a side which has completely dominated their opposition all series.

England spinners keep Australia honest

After a bright enough start from openers Voll and Mooney, who had struck three boundaries off Freya Kemp in the second over of the match, England’s spinners kept a lid on the Australians, who became mired in a rare 33-ball stretch without a boundary. Capsey entered the attack in the eighth over and struck with her fifth ball as Voll holed out to Danni Wyatt-Hodge at deep midwicket.Then Mooney unleashed two boundaries in four deliveries from Filer to break the shackles. Phoebe Litchfield followed up with four down the ground off the first ball of the next over, from Capsey, and when Litchfield top-edged a reverse sweep over wicketkeeper Amy Jones’ head, it dropped dead between her and two other fielders. Then Litchfield was bowled attempting to sweep one that stayed straight and low from Sophie Ecclestone and Australia were 83 for 2.Georgia Voll took a superb catch to remove Sophie Ecclestone•Getty Images

Mooney magic

Ecclestone hoped she had Mooney lbw two balls later, only for the DRS to show the ball had pitched just outside leg stump. Mooney raised her fifty in 41 balls and from there loosened up, turning a Capsey full toss through fine leg then clearing point for two fours in three deliveries.When Ellyse Perry chipped Charlie Dean straight to cover, Grace Harris entered and thumped Ecclestone down the ground for the first six of the match. Two balls later, Mooney drilled a four through square leg. Wickets fell around her late, but Mooney kept adding to her tally. She ran brilliantly between the wickets in the final over with Tahlia McGrath, Mooney twice having to stretch to make her ground coming back for a second run and, despite an England review for lbw on the final ball, she kept her innings intact.It was the third time Mooney had reached fifty in her last four innings this Ashes and left her with 303 runs across both white-ball legs of the series, well clear of the next best, Heather Knight, on 172.

Everywhere England look

Australia’s stand-in wicketkeeper for most of the summer due to Alyssa Healy’s injury woes, Mooney took an excellent catch off Capsey’s faint edge, so faint it took a review to secure the wicket, the second to fall in as many overs after Darcie Brown – who came into the side for Kim Garth – had struck with her first ball to remove Dunkley, skying the ball to cover. Now England were 12 for 2, and Annabel Sutherland made it 23 for 3 inside three overs with a beauty that pinged the top of Sciver-Brunt’s off stump.Everywhere England looked, there was an Australian there to make life difficult, as has been the case all tour, and it was Wareham next with two wickets in three balls in the seventh over to send them lurching to 39 for 5 with Wyatt-Hodge holing out to long-off and Amy Jones pinned on the pad attempting a scoop.Freya Kemp gifted her wicket to mid-off for Brown’s second and Wareham claimed her third when Charlie Dean’s top-edge sailed to Alana King at square leg. The only blemish for Australia in the field came when Wareham put down a sitter at deep midwicket off Ecclestone, on 1 at the time.But then Voll took an excellent diving catch to remove Ecclestone and more clinical fielding from Perry to Mooney ran out Smith. Mooney stayed in the action to the last, whipping off the bails as Knight advanced to Tahlia McGrath, her score of 40 England’s best on a sorry looking scorecard.

The England captain will have a scan on Wednesday morning after missing the final day’s play in Hamilton

Vithushan Ehantharajah17-Dec-20242:05

Stokes: We came here to beat New Zealand and we did it

“I ain’t holding back,” England captain Ben Stokes said when asked if scaling back his workloads as an allrounder was necessary after suffering a recurrence of a left hamstring injury during the third Test against New Zealand at Seddon Park.Stokes pulled up on day three as New Zealand racked up 453 in their second innings, setting England a target of 658. The 33-year-old will have a scan on Wednesday morning in Hamilton and had his left thigh heavily strapped as he sat out the final day’s play, in which England were dismissed for 234, handing the hosts victory by 423 runs.It was a consolation win, as England claimed the Crowe-Thorpe trophy 2-1. Stokes was able to take part in the post-series formalities, walking with a limp but relatively pain free between his various media duties. He confirmed it feels less serious than the torn hamstring sustained in August while batting in the men’s Hundred, which forced him to miss four Tests (a three-match series against Sri Lanka and the first of a tour of Pakistan). He had to be helped off the field then, but this time walked off without assistance.Related

• 'Bionic Man' Ben Stokes embarks on rehabilitation after hamstring surgery

• Ben Stokes ruled out for three months with recurrence of hamstring tear

• Santner four-for sends England tumbling to 423-run defeat

• Stokes leaves field with recurrence of hamstring injury

• Stats – New Zealand pay England back in kind

Having built himself back up over the last month in New Zealand, Stokes bowled 23 overs on day one of the third Test – the most in a single day across his career – with the 36.2 overs he eventually managed the most in a Test in over two years.This latest setback means yet more rehabilitation for Stokes, who underwent knee surgery in November 2023 in a bid to return to the bowler he once was. Putting his body on the line is nothing new for him, but as captain he acknowledged the importance of offering more as an allrounder to give the team another dynamic.His returns on paper this series – averaging 52.66 with the bat and seven dismissals at 36.85 with the ball – suggested he was trending in the right direction. It is why he was crestfallen as he left the field on Monday two balls into his third over of the day.Stokes, though, is in no mood to tailor his approach going forward. Having got over the initial disappointment, he is confident a full return should come quicker second time around.”I worked really hard to get myself into position to play the role that I did this game,” he said. “And it’s just one of those unfortunate things. But nah, I ain’t holding back.”Every time you walk out to field as an athlete, you’re putting yourself at risk of getting injury. Whether you feel great or you don’t feel great. I worked my arse off to get to where I was in this game in particularly with my body. It’s just sod’s law – the first time in a while I feel like I’m young again, something happens.”Obviously, [I was] incredibly disappointed walking off yesterday, very emotional about the whole thing.Ben Stokes was all smiles with the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy•Getty Images

“You’re always asking yourself, ‘Could I have done more? Should have done this, should have done that?’ But you know, when you sleep in it, and you take the emotion out of it, you realise that when you’re walking out there, you’re always putting yourself at risk of an injury.”Tuesday also marked the end of England’s joint-busiest calendar year of 17 Tests, finishing with nine victories and eight defeats. Though the team ended with a loss, Stokes was satisfied with their third series win of 2024, especially given it was England’s first in New Zealand since 2008.”We came here to beat New Zealand,” he said, “a team who wherever they go in the world are very competitive and knew they were going to be full of confidence after their historic win in India.”To play the cricket that we did in the first two games was very, very pleasing. We came here this week with the same attitude, same mindset, that we always do in the first two games out here. We just didn’t play anywhere near our capabilities.”It’s obviously disappointing to end the tour and the year with a loss. But what we came here to acheive, we managed to achieve. It’s no mean feat coming to New Zealand and beating them becease they’re a very very strong team in their home conditions.”

While the latest scan, which Bumrah underwent in Bengaluru over the weekend, did not reveal anything untoward, it is learned he is not entirely ready to return to bowling yet

Nagraj Gollapudi11-Feb-2025In a significant jolt to India’s plans for the Champions Trophy, Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the tournament. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Bumrah is yet to completely recover from the discomfort in his back, an injury he picked up during the Sydney Test in January that also ruled him out of the England white-ball series.Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been left out of the provisional squad, and Varun Chakravarthy has been named as his replacement.While Bumrah’s latest scans, which he underwent in Bengaluru over the weekend, did not reveal anything severe, he is not entirely ready to return to bowling. There is no confirmation on the timeline of his return. It is likely he will resume running in a couple of weeks and then gradually get back to bowling. His progress will be monitored by the BCCI’s medical team in Bengaluru.This is the second ICC tournament Bumrah will miss because of injury, having sat out the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia owing to a back injury that eventually required surgery.Related

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Bumrah’s replacement is Harshit Rana, who made his ODI debut during the ongoing England series. The ICC had set February 11 as the deadline for all participating teams to submit their final squads of 15 for the Champions Trophy. Any subsequent changes to the squad will need approval from the tournament’s technical committee.When the BCCI announced the provisional squad for the Champions Trophy and the England series in January, Rana was named as Bumrah’s back-up for the England ODIs. Rana made his ODI debut in the first game of the England series in Nagpur, sharing the new ball with Mohammed Shami. Rana started impressively, but Phil Salt then thrashed him for 26 runs in his third over. But the seamer from Delhi bounced back, picking three wickets to transfer the pressure back on England, which played a key role in India’s win.Eyebrows were raised after the selection panel, led by Ajit Agarkar, in coordination with the Indian team think-tank comprising head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma, had picked Rana ahead of the other contenders, including Mohammed Siraj, for the England series. Siraj has been India’s third-most senior bowler after Bumrah and Shami and was also part of their dominant run in the 2023 World Cup. However, in January’s media briefing while announcing the provisional squad for the Champions Trophy and the England series, Rohit explained that Siraj’s “effectiveness comes down a little” if he was not “going to take the new ball”.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rohit had also said that with a question mark over Bumrah’s fitness, the decision makers collectively had confidence in Shami controlling the front-end of the innings and left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh capable of handling the death overs.

Varun replaces Jaiswal in Champions Trophy squad

Varun has been drafted into the squad as Jaiswal, along with Siraj and Shivam Dube, have been moved to the line-up of non-travelling reserves.Last week, Rohit had strongly hinted at Varun’s inclusion in the squad, saying that the spinner “clearly had something different about him”. Varun has taken 31 wickets at 11.25 since his comeback into India’s T20I squad, and on Sunday, he made his ODI debut as well, taking 1 for 54 in Cuttack.

India’s squad for the Champions Trophy

Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy
Non-travelling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, Shivam Dube

Lancashire have outside chance of victory after enterprising counterattack

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay31-Jul-2025Lancashire 137 and 226 for 5 (Wells 102) need another 247 runs to beat Glamorgan 261 and 348 for 7 dec (Northeast 132, Carlson 108) Two sessions of dominance by promotion-chasing Glamorgan will see them go into the final day of this Rothesay County Championship Division Two clash with Lancashire as favourites despite the hosts giving themselves a sniff of an unlikely victory with a thrilling counterattack.Both skipper Sam Northeast and Kiran Carlson scored centuries as the visitors took their overnight score from 95 for 2 to 348 for 7 by the time they declared just before tea with a lead of 472 and a minimum of 147 overs in which to dismiss Lancashire.In contrast to the first two days, where spin dominated, the Red Rose bowlers toiled, with Northeast and Carlson able to build a huge third-wicket partnership of 215.Although Chris Green finished with three wickets and match figures of nine for 175 the writing looked to be on the wall by the time Northeast stuck Lancashire in, only for Luke Wells to score a century of his own and leave the home side requiring 247 runs with five wickets in hand.Glamorgan set about things at a measured pace with Carlson reaching his second half-century of the game in the third over of the day.When captain James Anderson turned to Green, Northeast and Carlson ensured the Australian did not repeat his first-innings heroics by attacking both him and the left arm spin of Tom Hartley.Carlson progressed to his century off 120 balls and it took the introduction of Wells’ leg-spin to break the third wicket partnership when he trapped the Welshman in front for 106.The incoming Colin Ingram joined Northeast and immediately attacked, hitting 34 off 29 balls before he was stumped by Salt to give Wells his second wicket.Meanwhile, the experienced skipper was playing the sort of innings he has been for years with the 35-year-old bringing up his 35th first-class century off 183 balls before Ingram’s dismissal.Northeast eventually departed for 132 caught on the leg side boundary by sub Jack Blatherwick off Green prompting Glamorgan to have a dash in the pursuit of quick runs resulting in the wickets of Ben Kellaway (19) lbw to Green and Crane by the same bowler for one.Tea was followed by Lancashire beginning their reply with the attack-minded Salt joining Wells in the middle and soon returning to the dressing room after he edged James Harris to Ingram at first slip for one.Nevertheless Salt’s introduction showed some intent and that’s exactly what Lancashire displayed from then on with Wells leading the way.The former Sussex man and Keaton Jennings put on 72 for the second wicket before Lancashire’s ex-captain was caught smartly by Asa Tribe at short leg off a big turner from Crane for 33.Josh Bohannon then joined Wells and the third wicket pair began to give the hosts a glimmer of hope as they targeted Crane and injected some energy into the innings.82 runs were hit off 10.2 overs with extravagant shots combining with frantic running to suddenly put Glamorgan on the back foot for virtually the first time in the match.Order was restored when Bohannon edged Asitha Fernando behind for 29 but with Wells reaching his century with a booming six off Kellaway before he was brilliantly caught and bowled by James Harris for 102, leaving the dangerous Marcus Harris and the in-form Matty Hurst at the crease, hope still sprung eternal for the watching home crowd.Some of that hope dissipated when Hurst was bowled by a sharply turning delivery from Kellaway for 11 but with the likes of George Balderson, Green and Hartley still to come after Tom Bailey’s elevation to nightwatchman, an unlikely and record breaking run chase could still be on the cards.

Cooke makes 84 in key stand as Northants are made to work for wickets at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay08-Sep-2025Asa Tribe hit a career-best unbeaten 181 to keep Glamorgan’s promotion hopes firmly alive and put his side in a dominant position on day one of this Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Glamorgan were indebted to the 21-year-old Jersey international after losing four wickets before lunch after winning the toss, Luke Procter claiming two scalps. Opening the innings, Tribe never looked in real trouble, helping himself to 25 fours and two sixes in a fluent, confident innings and accounting for the bulk of the top-order runs.Sam Northeast (17) and Ben Kellaway (23) kept him company in half-century stands, but it was not until Chris Cooke’s arrival that Glamorgan mounted a substantial partnership, the keeper scoring 84 (12 fours, one six) while adding 162 for the sixth wicket with Tribe. Although Cooke fell before the close, Glamorgan were in a healthy position at 367 for six.Earlier Northamptonshire handed first-class debuts to left-arm pacer Ben Whitehouse and off-spinner Nirvan Ramesh, 17, who became the county’s third youngest debutant since the war.Zain ul Hassan was the first Glamorgan wicket to fall in the eighth over, driving outside off-stump to Procter and edging an easy catch behind.Tribe dealt almost exclusively in boundaries. He drove handsomely through midwicket against the seamers before a punch through cover point off Whitehouse brought up Glamorgan’s 50 at the end of the 15th over.Whitehouse meanwhile unsettled Northeast. After the Glamorgan skipper punched one to the boundary, Whitehouse struck him on the arm causing a short delay. Northeast recovered to slap a wide delivery from Justin Broad through extra cover to bring up the 50 partnership with Tribe off 58 balls, but the all-rounder found some late movement to draw the edge through to second slip.Tribe though looked imperious, reaching 50 off 63 deliveries. He pulled dismissively against Whitehouse who was guilty of bowling too short throughout both spells.Procter struck for the second time when he jagged one back sharply to Kiran Carlson who offered minimum foot movement and inside edged to the keeper. The impressive Ramesh then claimed his maiden first-class wicket when Colin Ingram (18) attempted to turn the ball to leg and was well caught off the leading edge by Procter in the covers, and while Tribe took consecutive boundaries off Calvin Harrison, Glamorgan went into lunch four down for 115.Tribe started positively after the interval, sweeping Ramesh over deep midwicket for six, while Kellaway eased into his work with a sumptuous cover drive off Liam Guthrie and a reverse sweep off Ramesh as Glamorgan moved past 150, Tribe bringing up the half-century partnership off 59 balls with a backfoot punch off Guthrie.With Ramesh bowling consecutive maidens at one end, Northamptonshire turned to Broad to try to force the breakthrough and he instantly troubled Tribe outside off-stump. But it was Harrison who bowled Kellaway round his legs as he went to sweep.New batter Cooke took the aggressive option against Broad but was almost undone by one that jagged back and kept low.Tribe reached three figures off 150 balls with his first false shot, under-edging an attempted sweep against Harrison, the ball running past the keeper for four. He endured a few nervous moments against Procter who beat him several times outside off-stump, but he duly moved past his previous highest score of 107 made against Leicestershire in June, despite suffering from flu at the time.After tea Cooke swung Harrison over the leg side for six to bring up the 100 partnership off 183 balls before reaching his own half-century. He continued to attack, clubbing spinners Harrison and Saif Zaib over midwicket, while Tribe hit Zaib straight for six, Glamorgan going on to pass 300 shortly before the new ball became due.Tribe steered Procter through midwicket to bring up the 150 stand off 246 balls while Cooke cut Guthrie powerfully for four. The bowler soon made the breakthrough when Cooke pulled and was well caught low down by Broad at deep backward square-leg.With Tribe still content to capitalise on anything loose and joined by Timm van der Gugten, Glamorgan secured a third batting bonus point shortly before the close.

Brett Lee is unsure what his body will allow him to do next

Peter English17-Nov-2009

Lee’s latest setbacks

2006-07
Tears ankle ligaments in New Zealand, misses 2007 World Cup
2008-09
Suffers giardia during India tour
Broken foot leads to more surgery
2009
Side strain rules him out of first three Tests of Ashes tour and not picked for final two
2009-10
Elbow problem sends him home from India one-day series and recurs in Sydney on Sunday

Self-belief has been one of Brett Lee’s best assets along with extreme speed. Throughout his Test career, which began with a wicket in his first over, Lee has known what was going to happen next, whether it be achieving a milestone or pin-pointing a date for his return from a well-managed injury. This time, coming to the end of an awful year, he is unsure what his body will allow him to do next.The bone spur problem in his right elbow means he will probably face surgery and be out for up to three months, ending his chances of appearing in a Test this summer. Previously he would have accepted the setback with a grimace and headed for the surgeon, physio and fitness trainer to plot a way back.Following his recovery from foot surgery at the start of the year came a side strain that kept him out of the Ashes in the middle of it, and with this latest problem he is starting to doubt whether he will play a 77th Test or take a 311st wicket. His last appearance was at the MCG last December when he limped off to the surgeon.”At this point in time I do not need to make a call,” he said at the SCG. “I still want to play for Australia but that all depends on how the operation takes place and then how the fitness is and how much I want it.” He finds the prospect of not playing Test cricket “scary and challenging”, but as he accepts this injury his mind switches from being desperate to play on to thinking about signing off.Desire has never been a problem before, not when he thought his career was over after breaking the same elbow in 2001, or when he was sitting behind Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Stuart Clark in the pecking order during the fourth Ashes Test in Leeds. He was fit, ready and shattered when the team was named, but he still wanted to field under a baggy green. Now he craves – and needs – a break.”I have had setbacks before and I can’t see why I cannot come back from this, but I also, to be honest, need to get away from the game for a little while to work out what my future holds,” he said. “I want to have this forced rest and if surgery needs to happen that means anything from six to 12 to 14 weeks away from the game, which would be the perfect opportunity for me to get away from everything and work out what I want from cricket.”He sounded like Shaun Tait when he stepped off the international circuit due to mental and physical exhaustion caused by the depression of so many comebacks. It won’t just be care for Lee’s 33-year-old body that will be needed over the next couple of months.Another issue pecking at him has been being away from his young son Preston for the long periods demanded of a player wanting to appear in all forms of the game. Since the start of last year’s India tour Lee has been troubled by personal problems as well as fitness ones.”The hardest things for me over the past 12 months were getting injured during the Ashes but, most importantly, being six months away from my little boy, that has been really tough,” he said. “They are all things I need to weigh up.” Don’t expect him to be flying out of Sydney any time soon.While any comeback will be subject to a number of fitness and family conditions, one thing is not negotiable. “If I can’t bowl fast then I won’t bowl,” he said. His job has led his body to this rickety condition but he has always refused to follow the method of Dennis Lillee, who extended his career by slowing down and focussing on swing and seam.For Lee it has always been about speed. “When you try to bowl 155kph for over 16 or 17 years, there is a lot of wear and tear on the body,” he said. “I will try to get the elbow right.”If I don’t play another game for Australia or play another game of cricket again then yes, I am very pleased with what I have achieved. It’s more than I would ever had expected at the age of 10. But I still think there is a lot of cricket left in me yet, which is why I am not making any call on my future.”

Important stands with Matt Critchley and Simon Harmer prevent Hampshire taking control with ball

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 22-Jun-2025Charlie Allison made it back-to-back centuries as he steered Essex into a commanding position on the first day of the Rothesay County Championship match against Hampshire at Chelmsford.Before his 140 against Surrey last month, Allison’s highest first-class score was 28. But the 20-year-old right-hander followed up his Oval heroics with 101 when the Championship resumed after its break for the Vitality Blast.He was the senior partner in a 107-run seventh-wicket stand with Simon Harmer, 16 years older, that carried Essex towards 292 for 8 at the close after they chose to bat. He also put on 66 for the fifth wicket with Matt Critchley, whose 71 came from 104 balls and included nine fours and a six.Kyle Abbott took his season’s tally to 35 wickets with three Essex scalps, but Hampshire let slip their morning advantage as a blustery, overcast day gave way to bright evening sunshine.Initially, it looked as if Essex’s travails of late – one win across both formats this summer – were being lain bare on a green wicket that gave encouragement to Hampshire’s seam attack. By midday Essex had lost three of their top four. Paul Walter mistimed a flick off his legs low to a diving square leg, Dean Elgar was beaten for pace by James Fuller and Jordan Cox ducked into a short ball from Eddie Jack and spliced the ball high to third slip.The premature departures did not preclude Essex handing county caps to the latter pair during the lunch interval. Former captain Graham Gooch handed one to Elgar while Cox received his from Jason Gallian, previously his cricket master at Felsted School, now chairman of the cricket committee.Back in the middle, Critchley was putting behind him his struggles with the bat in the Vitality Blast. He contributed 38 of the 53-run fourth-wicket stand with Tom Westley that included a six over long leg off Liam Dawson and a well-timed sweep for four, also off the England white-ball spinner.Westley was more circumspect, though the four fours in his 77-ball 28 were venomous in their execution and included one from his first ball through midwicket off Abbott and an imperious pull against Fuller. However, he departed lbw to one from Abbott that might otherwise have just clipped the top of the stumps.Under gathering grey clouds, Critchley reached his half-century from 84 balls amid a flurry of boundaries, the milestone four pulled through midwicket off Felix Organ. Another time he went in tiptoes to late-cut Jack to the third-man rope.Allison kept pace with Critchley and he launched Dawson effortlessly over extra cover for a six that brought up the fifty partnership in 13 overs. Later he hit another straight over the same bowler’s head. However, the stand was worth 66 when the wily Dawson had Critchley playing over a shorter-pitched delivery that looked as if it might have missed leg stump.Abbott had figures of 3 for 12 from 13 overs when he had Michael Pepper edging to the wicketkeeper. But that just brought together Allison and Harmer for a patient partnership that steadied Essex and ultimately gave them a measure of control.Harmer brought up the hundred partnership in 33 overs when he swatted Jack to the midwicket boundary. But with Allison on 99, he turned the ball to square leg, the pair hesitated and Harmer sacrificed his wicket as Jack’s throw went to the bowler’s end.Allison duly reached his century from 188 balls with 11 fours and two sixes, but one run later he dragged on to Organ and was bowled off the last ball of the day.

Neither team will read too much into how individuals have fared, but there are broad, team-level issues they may want to look into

Karthik Krishnaswamy12-Nov-2024

Big picture – both teams have issues to address

This series is a bit of an oddity, with two sides at below full strength, with a number of big names rested for more pressing engagements, facing off in a format that’s taken a bit of a back seat in terms of wider relevance, with no immediate world event to build towards. It’s also an oddity in that it’s four matches long, rather than three or five.For all that, it’s been extremely competitive, and at 1-1 could be shaping up for a blockbuster second half. After sharing honours on the coast, South Africa and India now move to the pace, true bounce and high altitude of the Highveld with all to play for.Given that both sides are testing out young players and new combinations, neither team will read too much into how individuals have fared so far. But there are broad, team-level issues they may want to look into.Related

• Pace set to reclaim centrestage as series moves to Highveld

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• Samson of 2024 meets Rohit of 2013

South Africa have faced 16 overs from India’s two wristspinners, and scored 91 while losing 12 wickets. The format is different, but Ravi Bishnoi and, in particular, Varun Chakravarthy seem to be exerting the same sort of influence that Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal did on the ODI leg of India’s tour of this country in 2017-18, when they shared 35 wickets in five games.India’s issue is structural, and one that’s cropped up from time to time over recent years: their batting in the first two T20Is seemed to stop at No. 7. They only scored 40 runs in the last six overs of the first match, and failed to turn Sanju Samson’s storming century into a truly awe-inspiring total. In the second, they lost early wickets, and never recovered thanks in part to this lack of depth.How the two teams sort out or work around these issues could well determine how this series finishes.

Form guide

South Africa WLLWL
India LWWWW

In the spotlight – David Miller and Abhishek Sharma

In this series so far, David Miller has been out twice to Varun – the second off a peach that turned past his outside edge and bowled him for a golden duck – in 13 balls, while scoring 14 runs off them. Miller prides himself on his spin game, which he has transformed over the last three years, and will undoubtedly be working extra-hard on picking Varun’s variations and getting on top of him.He announced himself with an audacious 47-ball 100 against Zimbabwe in only his second appearance, but his eight other T20I innings have brought Abhishek Sharma only 70 runs, with only two of them going past the ten-ball mark. Abhishek’s no-holds-barred approach, which is exactly what earned him his international call-up, comes with the in-built risk of early failure, and getting the best out of him will require India’s team management to ensure they judge him on processes and not outcomes, helping him become a more rounded player while backing his attacking instincts.Lutho Sipamla has been brought in for the last two T20Is, and he has form behind him•Getty Images

Team news

Lutho Sipamla has joined South Africa’s squad for the third and fourth T20Is, and the fast bowler comes into the series with form behind him. He picked up the Player-of-the-Match award for his four-wicket haul in the final of the CSA T20 Challenge in late October, and followed it up with another match-winning contribution for Lions against Titans, a first-innings four-wicket haul in the CSA 4-Day Series. If South Africa bring him into their XI, either Andile Simelane or the legspinner Nqaba Peter may have to make way.South Africa (possible): 1 Ryan Rickelton, 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Aiden Markram (capt), 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Andile Simelane/Lutho Sipamla, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Nqabayomzi PeterThere is no quick-fix for India’s batting depth issue within their squad, but they could try and mix things up nonetheless. Three players in their squad are still awaiting their first T20I caps: fast bowlers Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yash Dayal and the explosive lower-middle-order hitter Ramandeep Singh.India (possible): 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Arshdeep Singh, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

Pitch and conditions

Centurion hosted two incredibly high-scoring T20Is in the space of two days last year. First, South Africa clattered their way to 131 in a rain-shortened, 11-overs-a-side contest, only for West Indies to haul down their target with three balls to spare. Then the hosts exacted a spectacular revenge, with Quinton de Kock’s 44-ball 100 helping them haul down 259 in just 18.5 overs and set a new record for the highest T20I chase. Expect plenty of runs, then, though the steep bounce at the venue could also bring fast bowlers into play if there’s a little bit of help from the surface. A clear and pleasant day is expected.3:33

2nd T20I takeaways – Varun, Stubbs, Coetzee show how good they can be

Stats and trivia

• Of the six South African grounds that have hosted at least three T20Is since the start of the decade, Centurion has been the highest-scoring, with batting teams going at 10.90 per over and averaging 33.25 runs per wicket.
• Miller (81) has the most catches by a non-wicketkeeper in all T20Is.
• Varun already has eight wickets in this series, and has a great chance, with two matches remaining, of going past the Indian record of most wickets in a bilateral T20I series of nine, held jointly by R Ashwin and Bishnoi.
• Since his debut in July 2022, no Full Member player has taken more wickets than Arshdeep’s 89 in T20Is. Arshdeep is well on course to take over as India’s highest wicket-taker in the format, needing just eight more to go past Chahal’s tally of 96.

Quotes

“Everyone on the team hates losing. In the first game, we didn’t play at our best, if we can call it as it is. And then the second game, the whole focus was just to try and give us the best chance to win. In the second game, we were a lot more focused on winning those small battles because in T20 two or three overs is actually [significant], there’s a lot that can happen. So for us, it was just a focus point in terms of just trying to win those small battles. And I think we won most of the small battles, even though it was a low-scoring game.”
“I’ve had a really good bowling partner in Jassi . He has helped me enormously in taking a lot of wickets by creating pressure from the other end. So a lot of credit goes to him as well. But the main thing is how well I can adapt to the conditions and the situations of the game, how I can attack the batsman early on and take some early wickets. And even at the death how I can outsmart them and bring the game back into our hands.