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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.

Things are improving, he says, but wants the club to be “kept under review to make sure this really is the start of something important and meaningful”

Matt Roller12-Jan-2022After seeing signs of positive change at Yorkshire CCC since Lord Patel took over as chair, Azeem Rafiq has called upon the ECB to reinstate the club’s right to host international cricket at Headingley.Lord Patel, who replaced Roger Hutton as chair in November, told the on Wednesday that he was “working hell-for-leather” to meet the ECB’s set of criteria before an early-spring deadline, and Rafiq wrote in a newspaper column that he hoped Headingley was able to host internationals in 2022.Rafiq said that the idea that young children in Yorkshire would be “denied the high-level cricket that could inspire them” was “the last thing I want” and that instead of helping to solve the problems in the English game, the club’s suspension from hosting internationals “could end up adding to them”.Related

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“It has been a whirlwind since I appeared in front of MPs almost two months ago, and what Yorkshire and Lord Patel have done to bring change is definitely a step in the right direction,” Rafiq wrote in the . “That is why I believe the time is right to say they should be given back the international cricket so vital to their very survival. The people of Yorkshire should be able to watch England in Test and white-ball games at Headingley this summer.”It just seems outside the county everyone wants to throw the book at Yorkshire and my concern is some want to do that in order to make themselves look better or deflect attention away from their issues. I don’t agree with that because it will not drive change.”The ECB stripped Yorkshire of their right to host international fixtures and major matches in early November until they have “clearly demonstrated that it can meet the standards expected of an international venue, ECB member and first-class county” after describing their handling of Rafiq’s allegations of institutional racism as “wholly unacceptable”.There has since been a mass overhaul of personnel at the club, with 16 staff losing their jobs and Darren Gough hired as director of cricket. The search for a permanent head coach is ongoing, and the club has received more than 80 applicants covering the various vacancies on their coaching staff.Lord Patel has called an emergency general meeting in February in order to vote on changes to the club’s rules•AFP/Getty Images

Headingley is due to stage two men’s internationals next summer, England’s Test against New Zealand from June 23 and their ODI against South Africa on July 24. The fixtures are still listed on Yorkshire’s website, though tickets are unavailable at the moment.”I am not saying everything is now hunky-dory at my old county and we can all move on,” Rafiq wrote. “Yorkshire must be kept under review to make sure this really is the start of something important and meaningful. Everything is not fine yet, not by a long way.”At first in all this I believed international cricket should be taken away from them. But they have done enough to warrant getting it back, for now at least. I want to see England playing at Headingley this summer. I may even pop down to watch myself.”The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee is due to publish its own report into racism in cricket on Friday, following the conclusion of a series of parliamentary hearings last year, with the ECB’s own investigation yet to be completed.Lord Patel has called an emergency general meeting in February in order to vote on changes to the club’s rules, and has opened applications for six new non-executive directors. He has also proposed that two representatives of the Yorkshire membership sit of the board of director.Meanwhile, Yorkshire are expected to keep their place in Division One of the County Championship, though they could face a points penalty for the 2022 season. County fixtures are due to be published in the next two weeks.

“Some balls hit the gloves, others scooted low at shoe-height from the same spot,” a player who was involved in the game told ESPNcricinfo

Shashank Kishore21-Dec-2022The second day of the Ranji Trophy fixture between Railways and Punjab at Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi had to be suspended after the surface was deemed “dangerous and unfit for play” by the match officials.As many as 24 wickets had fallen in a little under four sessions of play in just 103 overs; 20 of those went to the seamers. Punjab, who had taken a 12-run first-innings lead after posting 162, were tottering on 18 for 4 in their second innings when play was halted.As the first drinks interval neared on Wednesday, on-field umpires K Madanagopal and Rajeev Godara apprised match referee Youraj Singh of the situation, before both captains – Mandeep Singh (Punjab) and Karn Sharma (Railways) – were spoken to. It was eventually decided that the match would start afresh on Thursday on a new surface, adjacent to the one the game had started on. This means the Elite Group D contest has now effectively been reduced to a two-day fixture. A fresh toss will take place with teams permitted to change their XIs.”They could have repaired the surface and resumed on the third day from where the match was stopped, but the match officials decided to play on a fresh surface,” a Railways team official said. “We were in a fantastic position but will possibly lose out on a chance to win because of this decision.”ESPNcricinfo understands that the ground authorities had wanted to prepare a grassy surface, but early-winter chill and heavy dew had hampered preparations in the lead-up to the game.”The pitch was uneven. Some balls hit the gloves, others scooted low at shoe-height from the same spot,” a player told ESPNcricinfo. “It was a green wicket but the match officials decided it was too uneven and inconsistent for play to continue.”The truncated nature of the contest left both Railways and Punjab with the prospect of going two rounds without an outright result, something that didn’t look like a possibility when play started on Wednesday. Punjab were denied by bad light and had to settle for first-innings honours against Chandigarh in the opening round, while Railways were handed a 194-run loss by Vidarbha despite Karn’s career-best 8 for 38.Surfaces at the Karnail Singh Stadium have come under the scanner in the past too. In 2011, BCCI’s technical committee had put the venue on a watchlist for producing poor pitches.In 2012, it was barred from hosting matches for two years, after the committee had found the local curators to have deliberately left the surface underprepared to help Railways try and force outright results in a bid to progress further in the Ranji Trophy. At the time, Railways had temporarily shifted their home base to Bhubaneswar, before their original home venue was reinstated in 2014.

He found success on India’s slower surfaces last year, and with the WI and USA offering somewhat similar conditions, Behrendorff hopes to make the same impact

Tristan Lavalette05-Feb-2024Again fit and firing, and coming off an eye-catching year where he enjoyed a breakout IPL season, left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff hopes his success on slower surfaces will prove alluring as the national hierarchy contemplate Australia’s squad for the T20 World Cup.Behrendorff will be pushing his selection case in the upcoming three-match T20I series against West Indies starting on Friday in Hobart. He is one of four quicks in Australia’s squad with Behrendorff likely to play in two of the matches, including game three at Optus Stadium in what will be his first international appearance on his home ground.”There’s probably going to be a bit of rotation [with the quicks],” Behrendorff told reporters in Perth. “Anytime you get to play cricket for Australia in a World Cup year… it’s a great opportunity to put your name up. I’m really happy that I’m involved in the squad. Hopefully, I can continue to play some good cricket.”Behrendorff, 33, has long been identified as an appealing option for Australia. Towering at 6 foot 4, Behrendorff generates an awkward bounce and can swing the ball sharply. Behrendorff was once considered a potential Test replacement for Mitchell Johnson, but constant back issues meant he had to focus on the shorter formats.He has not played a first-class match since late 2017, but continually starred, over the years, for BBL powerhouse Perth Scorchers and for Western Australia in the 50-over Marsh Cup.Related

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Behrendorff occasionally played white-ball cricket for Australia and memorably claimed a five-wicket haul at Lord’s during the 2019 World Cup, where he ripped through eventual champions England in a 64-run Australia victory.But Behrendorff’s body constantly betrayed him and he appeared to be overtaken by a slew of emerging quicks, including state team-mates Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris.As he entered his 30s, there were fears that Behrendorff might have missed his chance but he’s been able to stay on the park for the last couple of years leading to a revival at the international level.”I’ve had a decent run at just playing cricket and staying on the park, so I’ve been able to develop my game and just get that consistency,” he said. “That was the thing with those injuries from 24 to 29, I played maybe six months out of every 12.”Hopefully I can really tack that [years] onto the back end of my career and play as much as I possibly can into my late 30s.”After an impressive IPL season with Mumbai Indians, where he claimed 14 wickets in 12 matches, Behrendorff last September ended a two-year international absence when he took 2 for 25 in a T20I against South Africa in Durban.He subsequently was a standout for Australia during the now-forgotten T20I series against India in the immediate aftermath of the World Cup. In uncompromising conditions for quicks, Behrendorff was outstanding in four matches with 6 wickets at 17.83 and an economy rate of 6.68.Behrendorff had an epic performance of 1 for 12 in four overs, including 17 dots, to defy the conditions in Guwahati as India racked up 222 for 3 in game three.He was a constant threat with the new ball in trademark fashion but also showed his prowess at bowling through different phases in the innings as he unfurled his repertoire of canny slower balls, cutters and yorkers. It led to Behrendorff recently being named Australia’s T20I player of the year.”I played four out of five games and there were short turnarounds, so that was really a big confidence boost for me in terms of getting on the park day after day,” Beherendorff said. “I was able to execute my skills, that was the biggest thing for me.”It was a great learning opportunity for me and getting to bowl in different phases of the innings in an international match.”The slower surfaces in India are somewhat similar to the pitches in the Caribbean, where Australia will be entirely based at the T20 World Cup also co-hosted by the United States.Australia haven’t toured the Caribbean often in the past decade, but Behrendorff did play two T20Is in Saint Lucia in 2021. Australia will travel there to play Scotland in a group fixture on June 15.”It was an amazing experience to play over there…get used to those sorts of wickets which are a bit different,” he said. “Some of them are similar to what we faced in India in recent times.”So I guess drawing on that bank of knowledge, knowing what I do really well but also adapt to those conditions and the size of the grounds [if he plays].”While he waits for his T20 World Cup fate, Behrendorff will soon return to Mumbai as he looks to build on last season’s IPL campaign.”It’s an exciting period with Hardik Pandya coming back and it’s going to be a great feel around that group again,” he said. “Hopefully we can get back up towards the top of the table.”

Gazi Ashraf Hossain said they decided to not make any tweaks after a conversation with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe

Mohammad Isam25-May-2024Bangladesh chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain is keeping the faith in the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup keeping in mind the ICC’s May 25 deadline to submit the final squads for the tournament. Bangladesh had the opportunity to make changes after they lost the first two T20Is – and hence the series – against USA in Texas with the same squad.”After speaking to the captain [Najmul Hossain Shanto] and coach [Chandika Hathurusinghe], we decided to keep this squad,” Ashraf said. “We are hoping they do well in the T20 World Cup. We are keeping faith in the existing squad. We never expected that the team will start the tour with a series loss [against USA]. But that’s the reality. We have another 12 days in hand. We have to get out of this disappointment. They know that if the team does well in the World Cup, this will be forgotten quickly.”Ashraf was speaking at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka where the BCB called up 21 players for the Bangladesh Tigers’ training camp from May 26. Ashraf said the camp includes six players designated as T20 World Cup reserves although Mohammad Saifuddin has opted out for the first two weeks due to a family emergency.Related

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“Since nobody was in training, we started the Bangladesh Tigers’ camp. We are keeping some players ready for white-ball cricket so that when facing a crisis, we can send replacements,” he said. “They are all World Cup standbys. (Anamul Haque) Bijoy is there if there’s a crisis around Litton (Das). (Nurul Hasan) Sohan is there for Jaker Ali. Khaled, (Parvez Hossain) Emon, Nasum (Ahmed) and (Mehidy Hasan) Miraz are also in the camp. Nasum was suffering from jaundice, so he might join the players in the Sylhet phase next month.”Saifuddin has been given a leave till June 10. He is attending to a family situation. He was one of the six players asked to join the Bangladesh Tigers’ training camp. We will now prepare Khaled with the others.”Bangladesh’s opening batting combination has been under scrutiny this year, particularly with Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar looking out of form. Tanzid Hasan has been the only opener to have scored a little consistently although he has played only six T20Is since his T20I debut against Zimbabwe earlier this month.Ashraf said they are not looking for a makeshift opening option just yet because he feels it is a specialist’s job. He said they should be able to pick openers from those who did well in the BPL this year.”Facing the new ball is a challenge everywhere, so you won’t see many teams nowadays sending makeshift openers,” he said. “Unless they really have to. Cricket has moved on from using pinch hitters.”We are supposed to have 24 openers playing in the BPL, if you consider each team having a reserve opener apart from the regular pair. I don’t think it is a good practice if we have to think about a makeshift.”Ashraf also informed that Taskin Ahmed, who suffered a side strain earlier this month, could be training properly from June 5. “Taskin could start light training from June 1. He is recovering quicker than expected. He could be bowling with a full run-up from June 5,” he said.Bangladesh, in Group D, open their T20 World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka on June 7 in Dallas before heading to New York to play South Africa (June 10), and then to St Vincent to take on Netherlands (June 13) and Nepal (June 16). They will also play two warm- up games, against USA on May 28, and opposite India on June 1 before the main tournament.

Bangladesh squad for T20 World Cup

:Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Taskin Ahmed (vice-capt), Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Tanvir Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan
Traveling reserves: Hasan Mahmud, Afif Hossain

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

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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.”

The Renegades folded for 60 after the defending champions had taken 130 off their last 10 overs

Andrew McGlashan13-Dec-2020Sydney Sixers 4 for 205 (Philippe 95, Silk 45*) beat Melbourne Renegades 60 (Dwarshuis 4-13) by 145 runsJosh Philippe is still waiting for his first Australia cap, but it can’t be far away. He fell five runs short of a maiden T20 hundred as his superbly-paced 95 set up defending champions Sydney Sixers for their first win of the season, before the Melbourne Renegades put in an embarrassing batting display to slump to the heaviest defeat in the BBL.Philippe, who struggled to get into top gear and was dropped on 24, formed stands of 78 with stand-in captain Daniel Hughes and a destructive 70 in five overs with Jordan Silk who finished with 45 off 19 deliveries. Despite losing a wicket to the first ball of the Power Surge, the Sixers took 32 off the two overs – the best so far in the tournament.The Renegades only avoided beating their own record for the lowest total in BBL history (57) when Kane Richardson connected with a late six but two balls later he was cleaned up by Ben Dwarshuis who finished with 4 for 13.A hug from the coachThe maturing nature of Philippe’s batting stood out last season when he was a central figure in the Sixers’ title – including the match-winning innings in the rain-reduced final – and it was on display again here. He wasn’t slow at any point but things weren’t quite flowing as he sat on 27 off 24 balls after eight overs. By then the Sixers had lost two wickets, including the in-form James Vince who edged a sharp delivery from Richardson, and Philippe had been given his life when Beau Webster spilled a caught-and-bowled chance in the seventh over.But as the innings approached the halfway mark, Philippe found his touch, ending the 10th over with a six and a four against Jon Holland. During drinks, and the tactical chat, he got a hug from coach Greg Shipperd which suggested things had gone to plan. Two overs later he had a half-century off 36 balls.A proper surgeThe Power Surge has been a mixed bag so far with wickets often falling in the quest to make the most of those two valuable overs. The Sixers were building nicely when they called it at the start of the 15th over but, first ball, Hughes cut a short delivery from Peter Hatzoglou to backward point and you wondered if it would pay off for them. Well, it most certainly did. Hatzoglou’s over went for a useful 12, but it was the next one, from the experienced Richardson, that really did the damage as Silk, who had struggled to 13 off 12 in the opening match against the Hurricanes, struck five fours in six deliveries. The Sixers were charging into the death overs.Philippe short, but others go longSilk continued to locate the middle of the bat including a leg-side six that registered 95 metres just as he was talking to the TV commentators. Philippe had the strike for the final over, needing five for his century, and though he middled his drive off Josh Lalor, he picked out Aaron Finch at short cover. Dan Christian sent his first delivery into the stands as Lalor struggled to land his yorker and another Silk boundary brought up the 200 from the penultimate ball of the innings. In all, the last 10 overs had cost 130 runs.Renegades nowhereIt was a tough chase, but a forgettable attempt. From the moment Finch picked out mid-off in the second over things came off the rails. A standout feature was the Sixers’ fielding: Steve O’Keefe (third man), Carlos Brathwaite (third man) and Silk (deep square) all made brilliant outfield takes which typified a team on song. After his first two overs, Dwarshuis had figures of 3 for 6 and Brathwaite helped himself to a brace in his opening over. At one stage five wickets fell in 13 deliveries with the Renegades appearing set for a new low before they at least avoided that.

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.”

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.”

“We are lucky that we have guys who have played plenty of cricket in these parts of the world,” the stand-in captain says

Sidharth Monga04-Oct-20232:47

Can New Zealand make it to their third straight ODI World Cup final?

New Zealand are usually one of the best-prepared teams for world tournaments, which lets them even the scales against teams that have larger populations to choose from. They need to latch onto any small advantage in order to have the kind of proud record they have: making at least the semi-finals in the last four World Cups.Four years since losing in the final to a cruel boundary countback rule, New Zealand begin what will almost certainly be the most attended World Cup against the same opposition, but without perhaps that extra preparation advantage of advance scouting.This is a weird old tournament. New Zealand made it to the venue of the tournament opener in Ahmedabad two days before the match but had not been to the ground even once when their stand-in captain Tom Latham spoke to the press. The day was jam-packed with a quick training session to be followed by a launch event involving all the captains.India is anyway a tough place to scout. There are so many venues that they have to wait years to get their next ODI, which gives little data about the characteristics of the surfaces. Some venues – such as Ahmedabad – have two different kinds of soil on the square with two completely different sets of behaviour.Related

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To make it worse, the teams have hardly played their full-strength squads between the two World Cups, either through injury or preserving their best players in what have become gruelling schedules.All this makes it critical that New Zealand’s other celebrated quality – adaptability, which is not independent of the scouting – does the heavy lifting. That is what Latham spoke the most about in his press conference on the eve of the World Cup opener.”Obviously, the end goal is to be there at the end [of the tournament], which I’m sure every team has,” Latham said when asked if he was confident they could adapt. “But I think something we pride ourselves on as a group is being able to adapt as best we can. We are lucky that we have guys who have played plenty of cricket in these parts of the world, whether it be against India or in the IPL.Tom Latham says New Zealand will tap into players’ experience of playing the IPL•Getty Images

“We have got that mix of experience where we are able to lean on guys around. [Some] guys have played at this ground, some guys haven’t. So adapting is a really important part of playing over in these conditions that can change throughout the game. It is being able to think on our feet a little bit and make sure we stay ahead of the game.”The build-up to the tournament hasn’t been great for New Zealand. They are effectively selecting from a squad of 13 for the first match: Kane Williamson and Tim Southee are recovering from their injuries and are not yet ready.Since the band is not yet properly together, it hasn’t perhaps put them in a contemplative mood around how some of them might be coming towards the end of a golden run of three or four World Cups.”I’m sure guys don’t want to jump the gun,” Latham said. “Everyone is in a slightly different situation in terms of what the future may look like. But for us, we are trying to enjoy the next sort of couple of months together as a group, and have it however that pans out. Hopefully for the good. We are just trying to enjoy each other’s company over the next period of time at such a special occasion playing cricket over here in India. Embrace what comes with being over here, I’m sure guys will make decisions around what that may look like for them in the future.”

Latham on Williamson: It’s like he had never left

“It’s obviously great to see Kane back, to see him batting. It’s like he had never left to be honest, in terms of with the bat. It’s great to see him moving really well. He is playing all the shots that he used to play, which is great, and to see him back in the field is another stepping stone in terms of where he needs to get to in terms of his recovery. It’s a day-by-day process with him making sure that whenever he is available he has ticked everything off all that he needs to do.”

Southee is tracking along well, says Latham

“He is tracking along really well. He is nearly two weeks post-surgery. So for him, it’s a day-by-day process as well in terms of making sure that he is in the right frame in terms of bowling and fielding. I’m sure once he gets back into his skill, he will be willing to go if that opportunity comes.”