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England’s motivation for this summer is to claim the Test series wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan that eluded them in their last campaigns against each team

Andrew Miller22-Apr-2016You’d have thought that Ben Stokes would be sick of the sight of batsmen teeing off after the agonies he endured at the hands of Carlos Brathwaite in the World T20 final in Kolkata earlier this month.And yet, after spending the morning in the company of Joe Root at Woburn Golf Course in Buckinghamshire, it is safe to surmise that Stokes – and the rest of the England team – have parked that near-miss in India and are ready to take the positives (as only sportsmen can) into their next international assignment: the Test series against Sri Lanka that gets underway next month.”I’d been back in the country for about eight or nine days before I realised I wanted to get back to training,” said Stokes, whose hectic round of sponsors’ engagements in recent days – from a game of street cricket in Soho to a bout of WWE in Newcastle and now to an Investec golf day – reflects the extent to which his and England’s exploits, in victory and defeat, have captured the imagination this winter.Though the winter ended in a manner that Stokes will not wish to dwell on for too much longer – with his head in his hands and Brathwaite’s fourth six in a row disappearing into the Eden Gardens stands – England’s shortcomings in that contest cannot detract from the sense that a real team ethic has been forged in the course of 18 extraordinary months.”The amount of people who’ve said how excited they were by the World Cup, and how we should be proud of what we achieved, it was a lot more than I thought it would be,” said Root. “That is really nice to see. That puts a smile on your face and gives us a lot of confidence.”The squads vary from format to format, and the captains too, with Alastair Cook and Eoin Morgan taking charge of red- and white-ball cricket respectively. However, Stokes and Root have been integral players throughout, from England’s reboot in limited-overs cricket to their hard-earned Test series wins against Australia and South Africa. Root in particular believes that the confidence forged in one format can be carried across to the others.”It’s a completely different playing XI, but we are implementing how we want to play in all three formats,” he said. “Cooky has been like Morgs in reminding us that we got here by playing in this way for our counties and through the last 18 months, so let’s keep trying to push that. We don’t want to get to a certain level and stop, we want to keep trying to improve and play positive and aggressive cricket.”Teeing off: Stokes prepares to unleash at Woburn•Investec

“In one-day cricket, I think perceptions have been changed for a while now,” he added. “We’ve said previously we’ve got inexperience and we are going to make mistakes, but we want to play a certain way and everyone’s committed to doing that.”We won’t get it right every time, but the more we do that, we’ll get better and better, and we’ll learn along the way, both from getting it right and getting it wrong. Hopefully throughout this summer we’ll get more consistent and become a really strong side.”England’s motivation for this summer, said Root, was to claim the Test series wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan that eluded them in their last campaigns against each team – at home to Sri Lanka in 2014 and in the UAE against Pakistan last winter. That, he added, would complete a clean sweep of the trophies available to England in Test cricket, and help to propel them towards another of their goals – the reclaiming of the No.1 Test ranking that they last held in 2011-12.”Of course, that is obviously a main goal of ours,” he added. “But as with anything, you can look miles ahead and fall miles short, so you have to take it very slowly. If we win both series it would be a huge achievement.”England’s batting line-up for the first Test against Sri Lanka, at Headingley on May 19, may be significantly altered from the team that was beaten in the fourth and final Test against South Africa at Centurion in January. Not only are they now looking for a replacement for James Taylor, who was sadly forced to retire last week with a serious heart condition, there is talk of Root – the best batsman in the team – being pushed up the order to No. 3, from where he will be better placed to influence the course of an innings.”Who knows?” said Root, who averages more than 65 at positions 4 and 5, from where he has scored eight of his nine Test hundreds. “There have been lots of runs scored in the County Championship so far, but I’ve not had any conversations with the coaches yet about batting orders. I feel pretty settled at 4 but if they want to change things up, I’m sure we’ll have a discussion and see what’s best for the side.”One man who would prefer Root to stay exactly where he is, however, is Stokes, who has played some of his finest innings alongside his team-mate at four-down – not least their game-changing stand of 161 in the Lord’s Test against New Zealand last summer.”His record at 4 and 5 has been incredible,” said Stokes. “I’d personally like him to stay at 4 as he’s been so successful. When we’ve got off to bad starts, he’s come in and still kept the run-rate going, and also it would mean he’s closer to where I’m batting, and I enjoy batting with him.”The reason for their success as a partnership, Stokes added, was their shared sense of enjoyment and relaxation in the heat of the battle.”Some players are very keen and switched on when they are batting in the middle,” he said. “That is them. They stay with themselves in their own bubble, and you know that and respect that, you let them do what they want.”But me and Joe are very similar in the middle – having a laugh, not taking things too seriously, letting things go on. It lets us both play our natural games, which we want to do anyway, but it almost frees us up even more. I know Rooty scores quick, he knows I score quickly. We don’t put any pressure on each other.”As for Root himself, he finished the World T20 as one of the most talked-about young cricketers in the game, with most commentators agreeing it is a three-way shoot-out between him, India’s Virat Kohli and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson when it comes to identifying the best current batsman in the world.The player himself, however, only has eyes for the team cause. “You hear stuff and it’s nice when people say nice things about you, but it’s about scoring runs, isn’t it?” he said. “It’s not about personal gain. It’s about winning games of cricket and being part of something really special with your team-mates. By contributing runs, hopefully that will bring all that stuff along.”Investec is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. For more on Investec private banking, visit investec.co.uk/banking

White, who has been in the role since February 2012, said it “feels like the right time to step aside”

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2023New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White has announced his decision to step down from the role in August.White, who took over the position in February 2012, is just the fourth chief executive after Chris Doig, Martin Snedden and Justin Vaughan to lead NZC since the adoption of the Hood Report recommendations in 1995.”NZC is in a secure financial position with a solid balance sheet and long-term commercial agreements in place,” he said in a statement. “The BLACKCAPS are strong; women’s cricket is healthy, our high performance programme is producing excellence, and the community game is stable. It feels like the right time to step aside.”During White’s tenure, the New Zealand men’s team won the inaugural World Test Championship and reached the final of the World Cup three times (one T20 and two 50-over World Cups). Under him, New Zealand also took a big step towards pay equality, announcing that their women cricketers will earn the same match fees as the men under a new five-year deal in 2022.”David’s legacy has been immense,” Snedden, now serving as NZC board chair, said. “Our high performance systems have never been stronger, our cricket network has a level of financial security and stability never before experienced, and the future for women and girls has never been brighter.”David’s commercial acumen has driven revenue, enabling increased investment across the organisation. His administrative skills have unearthed unique, bespoke solutions for our high-performance programmes and infrastructure – no better illustrated than in the all-weather, turf-based training facilities now located throughout the country.”White, a former Test cricketer, had also served as chief executive of Auckland Rugby and, before that chief executive of Wellington Rugby before taking up the NZC role.”Under David, cricket in New Zealand has become far more inclusive, especially in regard to women and girls, our tangata whenua, and our Pasifika communities,” Snedden added.”When you think of how he navigated the Covid-19 pandemic, preserving the integrity of the community, domestic and international game, and his strong influence at ICC level, it makes you realise just how lucky we’ve been to have him at the helm.”

Defeat for Perth Scorchers makes their push for a semi-final berth all the more difficult, as they suffered their sixth loss in nine matches

The Report by Tristan Lavalette18-Jan-2019Masterful batting at the death by James Faulkner bookended his spectacular opening bowling onslaught to lead Hobart Hurricanes to a nerve-jangling victory over a shell-shocked Perth Scorchers at Perth Stadium.Faulkner claimed three wickets in his first seven deliveries to leave Scorchers reeling at 3 for 7 before the home side recovered to post a seemingly sizeable total of 9 for 177.In an unpredictable contest, Hurricanes looked out of the chase on several occasions and needed 16 runs off the last over against Scorchers ace bowler Andrew Tye.Enter Faulkner, who lived up to his moniker of ‘The Finisher’ as he needed just three deliveries to seal a memorable victory and move top-of-the-ladder Hurricanes a step closer to a finals berth.The stinging defeat leaves BBL powerhouses Scorchers (three wins and six losses) in jeopardy of missing the knockout stages for the first time.Faulkner tears through Scorchers The match was slightly delayed due to the ODI at the MCG going the distance and Scorchers’ innings started with India still needing 14 runs to complete a series triumph.Those who tuned in late missed Faulkner run through Scorchers’ vaunted top-order with a masterclass of swing bowling. Once a mainstay of Australia’s limited-overs teams, the 28-year-old reminded everyone of his talents removing Cameron Bancroft (0) with the third delivery of the match as the in-form opener hit straight to gully.Faulkner struck two balls later when he trapped struggling opener Michael Klinger lbw for a golden duck with a gem of an in-swinger. Klinger, however, could consider himself unlucky after replays showed the ball would have missed the stumps and had also pitched outside leg.A luckless Klinger, the BBL’s all-time leading scorer, fell off the seventh legal delivery of a Ben Dwarshuis over last start against Sydney Sixers and has scored a miserable 115 runs during a wretched campaign.Faulkner’s most important scalp came in his next over with the prized wicket of Ashton Turner for two. With another biting in-swinger, Faulkner deceived Turner who who had smashed 210 runs in his past four innings.Nathan Coulter-Nile celebrates a wicket with his team-mates•Getty Images

Archer’s horror show, Scorchers’ counterattackDespite a horrendous start, Scorchers did not revert to conservatism with Sam Whiteman counterattacking Faulkner impressively by smashing two huge sixes in the fifth over. Whiteman combined well in a 77-run partnership with Hilton Cartwright to get Scorchers back into the match but they were aided by monumental struggles from quick Jofra Archer.The 23-year-old’s spell ended prematurely after bowling two beamers in his first 10 deliveries. He received a warning in his first over after miscuing a slower ball full toss to Whiteman before repeating the dose.Archer had also misfired on his fourth delivery with a short delivery flying way over Whiteman and resulting in a free hit. He conceded 19 runs during his brief bowling spell as his lacklustre campaign continues.Hurricanes, however, recovered by picking up four wickets from overs 12-to-15 as the Scorchers slumped to 7 for 117 before dynamic batting at the death from Tye and Nathan Coulter-Nile, who smacked consecutive sixes off the last two balls, lifted Scorchers to a strong total – a score unimaginable after the first 13 deliveries.Short falls earlyD’Arcy Short, the BBL’s leading run-scorer, has spurred Hurricanes’ sizzling start to the season with his imperious batting setting the tone at the top. There was added spice in the contest with Short playing against some of his Western Australian teammates, who hoped to have inside knowledge in how to stop the rampaging southpaw.There was much resting on Short after Matthew Wade fell in the second over, but he was unable to find his groove against a weakened Scorchers attack minus Jason Behrendorff, Jhye Richardson and Ashton Agar.Short (13) perished attempting a trademark belligerent hoick off Andrew Tye’s second delivery leaving Hurricanes in a hole at 2 for 40.Debutant Caleb Jewell took it upon himself to revive the visitors with a slew of shots marked by sweet timing. Jewell (32 off 20 balls) was feeling confident after smashing an Aaron Hardie delivery for a huge six but fell two balls later in the seventh over as Scorchers took control of the contest.Bailey fights gamely before Faulkner’s heroicsHurricanes’ chances looked dire when Simon Milenko fell at 5 for 96 in the 13th over but George Bailey summoned his wealth of experience to ensure a tense finish. He put the foot down against spinner Usman Qadir in the 14th over with a six and two boundaries as Scorchers’ inexperienced attack started faltering under pressure.Bailey found willing support through Faulkner and inched Hurricanes within 25 runs of the target until the match flipped again when he was caught behind off Tye in the 18th over.Hurricanes appeared to be up against it needing 16 runs off the final over before Faulkner’s finish for the ages. He hit Tye’s first ball for six over fine leg and then smoked a boundary on the next ball to move Hurricanes closer.Faulkner memorably iced the match with a straight six to trigger scenes of jubilation from the Hurricanes players amid stunned silence at Perth Stadium.

England seamer has previous IPL experience with CSK, RCB, SRH and KXIP

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2023 • Updated on 09-May-2023England fast bowler Chris Jordan has joined Mumbai Indians as a replacement player for the remainder of IPL 2023.Jordan went unsold at a base price of INR 2 crore at the auction that was held in December last year, but has previous IPL experience with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings.Related

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The 34-year-old has picked up 27 IPL wickets in 28 innings at an average of 30.85 and an economy of 9.32. Jordan last played in the IPL in 2022 for Super Kings, where he managed two wickets in four outings.Mumbai have struggled with their international fast bowlers this season with Jasprit Bumrah unavailable, Jhye Richardson ruled out and Jofra Archer recently returning from Belgium after meeting an elbow specialist. While Riley Meredith replaced Richardson, it is not yet known who Jordan has replaced in the Mumbai camp.*Jordan has recent T20 experience with a season with eventual champions Gulf Giants at the ILT20 tournament in February. He finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker, picking 20 wickets in ten innings, averaging 13.80. He also played three T20Is against Bangladesh last month.Archer is expected to play for Mumbai on Sunday evening against Rajasthan Royals, with the side hoping to move up from ninth on the IPL points table.*

“It’s sad actually that we haven’t toured England again after doing so well, especially in white-ball cricket”

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2023Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh’s ODI captain, has expressed his frustration that his side are not given the opportunity to tour England and Australia more often.Bangladesh have not toured England for a bilateral series since 2010, when they played two Tests and three ODIs. Tamim, then aged 21, hit hundreds at Lord’s and Old Trafford, and while Bangladesh were heavily beaten in both Tests, they took the ODI series to a decider thanks to a memorable win in Bristol.Related

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Their most recent bilateral tour to Australia was even longer ago, a three-match ODI series back in 2008. They are due to travel there for two Tests in March 2027, according to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, but are not due to play an away series against England in this edition of the FTP.”That’s a long way away now, 2010,” Tamim told the UK’s . “But those innings I will always remember. Scoring a hundred in England is not easy, especially for a team like us. The memories are something that, when I’ve finished cricket, I will take forever in my heart.”Those two are really close to my heart, but the most important thing is you guys need to invite us more often. That was the last time we played there, which is unfortunate. Bangladesh is in a situation now where we should tour Australia and England more often and I don’t know why that doesn’t happen.”It’s been 13 years now and we haven’t been back to England. It’s sad actually that we haven’t toured again after doing so well, especially in white-ball cricket.”There are more than 600,000 people in England and Wales who registered as Bangladeshi in the 2021 census, and Bangladesh’s fixtures at the 2017 Champions Trophy and 2019 World Cup attracted substantial crowds.And Tamim believes that would be repeated if Bangladesh were invited for a bilateral tour. “I can guarantee you, it will be less England fans and more Bangladeshi fans, for sure,” he said.”If you remember the 2017 Champions Trophy, we actually outnumbered the English fans… whatever format we play, if we get invited to play in England, it will be a full house.”Bangladesh are due to tour England later this year, but their opponents will be Ireland. The teams are due to play three ODIs in the final fixtures of the ICC’s Super League, which are expected to be staged at Chelmsford in the second week of May. The fixtures have not yet been confirmed.

Brisbane Heat will also be missing Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw for the Challenger final at the SCG

Tristan Lavalette31-Jan-2023Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers have been left pondering the sizeable batting holes of their departed Test players ahead of Thursday’s clash at the SCG with a grand final spot up for grabs.Heat captain Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw, along with Sixers opener Steven Smith, will be unavailable for the ‘Challenger’ final due to being part of Australia’s Test tour of India.The Heat trio sparked a resurgence with the team winning six of their last seven matches after being mired for much of the season near the bottom of the ladder.They each made important contributions in finals victories on the road against Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Renegades to have Heat positioned for an unlikely tilt at a second BBL title.Related

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But without three of their top four, Heat’s batting depth will be tested as they recalled Nathan McSweeney, Max Bryant and Sam Heazlett to curb an expected fired-up Sixers attack, who were clobbered by Scorchers batters Ashton Turner and Cameron Bancroft in the qualifying final.McSweeney has only played three matches this season, but notably smashed 84 off 51 balls against Sixers in Heat’s 15-run victory at the Gabba in a high-scoring contest on January 1.Once part of a devastating opening partnership with Chris Lynn, big-hitter Bryant failed to fire from seven matches this season and averaged just 15.71.The 27-year-old Heazlett has not played this season, but the bright finals lights shouldn’t faze him having mustered 48 BBL matches over the past seven seasons.”We have lost some of our Australian players but the guys we are bringing in have played the format before so I don’t have a problem with it,” said Heat coach Wade Seccombe. “They have performed when they came in.”Sixers don’t have as many holes to fill, but nonetheless need to replace Smith, who lit up the BBL with ballistic batting marked by consecutive centuries.Nathan McSweeney will return to Brisbane Heat’s line-up•Getty Images

“We’ve played 10 games without Steve and had a few wins along the way so we’re familiar with this group,” said veteran batter Jordan Silk, who re-signed with Sixers on a three-year deal.Sixers appear to have a ready made replacement in stalwart Daniel Hughes, who has been a reliable batter for Sixers over the years but restricted to just three matches this season.”[Hughes] has trained well, he’s been great around the group all year. He’s probably one of the more unlucky players in the competition to not be playing,” Silk said. “He’s been a reliable performer at the Sixers for a number of years.”There are other options with Kurtis Patterson, who starred as an opener during Perth Scorchers’ title-winning run last season, possibly being considered to move up the order having batted at No. 3 since Smith’s return.While allrounder Hayden Kerr could rekindle his elevation from last season’s corresponding match, where he memorably hit an unbeaten 98 as an opener to lift Sixers past Adelaide Strikers in a last-ball thriller.”[Kerr] is a vital piece for us down in that middle to lower order,” Silk said. “Whether we’d see his value at the top in a game like this, I’m not sure what’ll happen there. He’s almost been probably too good at the role he’s played at six to warrant moving him.”As they eye a seventh grand final appearance, Silk said Sixers would target Heat’s new-look batting line-up.”They have some big holes from a batting sense,” Silk said. “Looking back to the game at the Gabba, where they were without those [Test] batters, [Josh] Brown and McSweeney stepped up. Queensland produce very good cricketers. We will do our research so we can stop them.”The winner plays Perth Scorchers on Saturday at Optus Stadium with a crowd of more than 50,000 expected.