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“First it will be decided whether we are going or not, then the government decides where we will go,” PCB chairman says

Umar Farooq16-Jun-2023Pakistan’s involvement at the 50-over World Cup in India later this year remains subject to their government’s approval. According to PCB chairman Najam Sethi, the board has written to the ICC, following the release of a draft schedule to all participating countries last week, to stress that they cannot unilaterally approve the fixture list.”We have written to the ICC that we can’t give approval or disapproval to this (World Cup schedule),” Sethi said. “It’s our government who has to decide, just like when it comes to India, it’s their government that decides when they go to play. There is no point asking us if we will play in Ahmedabad. When the time comes, first it will be decided whether we are going or not, then the government decides where we will go. Our decision will rest on these two important conditions.”Related

• Pakistan's foreign office is evaluating the team's involvement in ODI World Cup

• India vs Pakistan set for October 15 in draft schedule of ODI World Cup

The 2023 World Cup, as reported by ESPNcricinfo, is slated to begin on October 5. The India vs Pakistan fixture is set for 10 days later in Ahmedabad. Pakistan are scheduled to play across five venues during the league phase. They haven’t toured India since the 2016 T20 World Cup.There has been an unprecedented delay in announcing the schedule; World Cup itineraries are put out at least a year in advance. A fresh update may come on June 27.The BCCI secretary Jay Shah had originally indicated the fixture list would be made available during the World Test Championship final, played on June 7-11 in London. But that didn’t happen.Sethi suggested the delay could be because of the PCB needing more time to respond after the ICC had sought feedback on the World Cup itinerary from the boards of all the participating countries as well its broadcasters. “The BCCI were about to announce the schedule but we told them we can’t confirm without government approval.”Sethi did not put a timeframe on when the Pakistan government would give them an answer, but it is unlikely to be soon considering the country is preparing for the general elections due to take place in October.Najam Sethi speaks to media personnel outside the PCB headquarters•PCB

Even in 2016, the PCB had sought government clearance after which a three-member team came to India to do recon of the venues where Pakistan were scheduled to play their matches. Eventually Pakistan’s match at Dharamsala was moved to Kolkata.”I have taken up the issue with Prime Minister and they haven’t deliberated about this,” Sethi said. “The PM said they have to involve the foreign office as well and have to think through so it’s premature [to ask permission now]. Also, we don’t know who will be in power by then so there is no development right now. But when there is a stable government, the time will come and we will ask them [whether we can tour India].”We have also told ICC that considering the security situation, if our government allows us to go we will go otherwise we can’t do much. But if they give us permission then it comes down to our venue preference where we are going to play. It’s the government’s decision, not the board’s so we leave it to them. The PCB and BCCI can’t decide. Our respective governments will take that call just like we did back in 2016.”India and Pakistan will be facing each other several times over the coming months with the Asia Cup starting August 31. The tournament will be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka with PCB as the official hosts. This hybrid model was PCB’s idea in response to Shah saying India will not be visiting Pakistan for the Asia Cup.The PCB took strong exception to Shah’s statement and initiated discussions with all participating boards until finally there was a consensus. While Sethi said a full schedule will be put out in a week’s time, it is known that four matches will take place in Pakistan and remaining nine will be held in Sri Lanka, including the final. India and Pakistan, who are in the same group as Nepal, will face each other twice during the group stages, and then once more if they make the final.”The formula we gave to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) was a middle ground, it was not like win or lose but it was a rational way to the problem. The schedule is being worked out, we demanded few changes and the debate is ongoing on it, but they have already said that there will be four games in Pakistan. There’s a misconception that there are two hosts, all the gates receipts are ours. Initial four matches will be in Pakistan and then the teams will travel back to Sri Lanka. It’s a very tight schedule and there are lots of logistical issues. We sat together with broadcasters and the five participating countries and it wasn’t easy to finalise it. But finally, we have broken the ice and tackled all the problems.”Sethi also highlighted how difficult it was to arrive at this solution. “India has a big clout in the ICC, and you can well imagine how much their clout would have been in the ACC. We did a lot of hard work, nobody was willing to listen to us. I pulled the strings, did several meetings in Dubai and Bahrain, and countless Zoom calls and then we reached that we are the hosts. They were even saying that we will take the hosting rights from you and give them to Sri Lanka. But finally, our hybrid model was accepted. The importance of the hybrid model will be known to you in the future when we want to use it.”

Rory Burns adds 79 to give Division One leaders edge in London derby

ECB Reporters Network19-Jul-2023Surrey 312 for 5 (Smith 120*, Burns 79) vs MiddlesexJamie Smith registered his second century of the season to give LV= Insurance County Championship leaders Surrey the edge on the opening day of their London derby against Middlesex at Lord’s.The 23-year-old produced an accomplished knock to finish unbeaten on 120, while captain Rory Burns hit 79 as Surrey – seeking their first red-ball victory in north London since 1997 – posted 312 for 5 after being put in to bat.Ethan Bamber was the pick of the Middlesex bowlers, somehow completing the day wicketless despite a relentlessly consistent effort as he sent down 22 overs that cost only 40. Fellow seamers Tom Helm and Ryan Higgins gained more tangible reward for their labours with the ball, returning figures of 3 for 86 and 2 for 70 respectively.With Middlesex resting captain Toby Roland-Jones, the reins were handed to former Surrey batter Mark Stoneman – who succeeded in his first task by winning the toss and opting to bowl in overcast conditions.Higgins, who opened with an eight-over stint, struck early by pinning Dom Sibley in front of his stumps and almost followed it up with the wicket of Tom Latham when he had yet to get off the mark. The New Zealander’s sharp edge flew towards second slip, but the diving Sam Robson was unable to cling on and Latham took advantage as he and Burns settled down to construct a steady partnership of 94.Bamber beat the bat on several occasions without success before making way for Helm, who offered up a couple of full deliveries that Burns gratefully dispatched to the short leg-side boundary.The Surrey skipper went to lunch on 45 and duly advanced to his first half-century in 10 innings – since an innings of 88 against Middlesex at the Oval in May – by clipping Higgins off his pads to the fence.A change of ends for Helm paid dividends as he rocked Latham almost off his feet, stooping to dig out a venomous yorker and then dismissed him for 38, tempting him into a top-edged hook that sailed into the hands of long leg.Having taken some time to get off the mark, Smith gradually found his rhythm, clouting Tim Murtagh for successive cover boundaries as he began to dominate the third-wicket stand of 57.Burns, having survived a slash through the slips off Higgins, advanced down the track in his next over and could only steer the ball to gully, where Holden sprang to his right to snap up the catch.There was a close call just after tea for Smith, who was one short of a half-century when Ben Foakes sent him back attempting to steal a single, but he regained his focus to pass 50 for the fourth time this summer. Foakes departed for 20, flicking Helm to square leg and Will Jacks soon became the seamer’s third victim, caught behind after stepping away to leg and aiming an untidy cut at a short delivery.Smith might have followed on 94, edging Murtagh towards gully – but this time the chance eluded Holden and the Surrey man advanced to three figures from 137 balls, bisecting the leg-side field for a carefully placed two.Jordan Clark kept Smith company until stumps, chopping Higgins to the point boundary to bring up his side’s second batting bonus point as he progressed to 34 not out.

Madushanka has been ruled out of the Asia Cup and Kumara is likely to be unavailable for the tournament as well

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Aug-2023Sri Lanka’s bowling stocks have been ravaged by injury, with Dilshan Madushanka now ruled out of the Asia Cup, and Lahiru Kumara also likely to be unavailable. This, after Dushmantha Chameera had earlier been ruled out of the tournament as well.Legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga is also recovering from a grade two strain in the thigh, and may not play a part in the Asia Cup, depending on the speed of his recovery as well as Sri Lanka’s longevity in the tournament. It appears unlikely that he will play a role in the group stage, in any case.Related

• Shanaka stresses on 'good brotherhood' between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

• Chameera could miss entire Asia Cup, Hasaranga unlikely for initial games

Madushanka had torn an oblique muscle during a practice game on Friday, and may even be battling to regain fitness ahead of World Cup in October, Professor Arjuna de Silva, SLC’s chairman of the medical committee told ESPNcricinfo. Chameera, likewise, has a pectoral injury that puts him in some doubt for the start of the World Cup as well.Kumara, meanwhile, has suffered a side strain – a recurring injury. His recovery time is not expected to be as long as that of Chameera or Madushanka, but may put him out of the Asia Cup completely as well.Kumara, Chameera, and Madushanka are among Sri Lanka’s quickest bowlers, and their absence will create problems for Sri Lanka’s attack, which had carried them through the World Cup Qualifier in June and July. In the absence of these quicks, Sri Lanka will likely have to rely on the likes of Kasun Rajitha, Pramod Madushan, and Matheesha Pathirana, all of whom have at least some experience.Hasaranga, meanwhile, could be replaced by left-arm spinning allrounder Dunith Wellalage, although legspinning allrounder Dushan Hemantha may also be called up.Sri Lanka’s first match of the Asia Cup is against Bangladesh, on Thursday. They have to avoid finishing last in a group also featuring Afghanistan, to make it to the Super 4 stage.

Ben Manenti also played his role with the bat after an injury-hit Tasmania had made early inroads

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2023Stand-in captain Jake Lehmann struck a century to steer South Australia out of strife against Tasmania on the opening day of the Sheffield Shield season.Lehmann, appointed captain while Travis Head is on Australian duties, struck 115 of South Australia’s 307 in Adelaide, with Ben Manenti making 71.Tasmania started well in reply and reached 94 for 1 at stumps with Caleb Jewell picking up the form he showed for Australia A.Related

• Sheffield Shield previews: Western Australia eye hat-trick, who can challenge them?

• How Jewell learnt to bat again and entered Australia debate

• Exciting quick Liam Haskett could debut as Western Australia look to bring the heat

South Australia were in morning trouble at Karen Rolton Oval on Tuesday after losing 4 for 19 in a horror nine-over stretch.Openers Kelvin Smith and Henry Hunt put on 30 runs at a healthy clip before the tumble. Smith was superbly caught, high to his left, by first-class debutant Mitchell Owen at third slip.Paceman Gabe Bell doubled up by dismissing Daniel Drew, nicking to first slip, before Owen captured his maiden Shield wicket.Hunt feathered a glove to a leg-side short ball and the 22-year-old medium-pacer Owen, in his next over, bowled Nathan McSweeney, the Redback chopping on attempting an off-side leave.At 49 for 4, Lehmann and recruit Jake Fraser-McGurk, the promising 21-year-old who departed Victoria in the off-season, launched a daring counter-attack.The pair smacked 59 runs from seven overs – Fraser-McGurk’s 37 from 23 balls featured two sixes and five fours before skying to mid-on from spinner Jarrod Freeman before lunch.Lehmann posted his half-century during a brisk seventh-wicket stand with the aggressive Manenti, who followed suit in reaching his milestone from 45 balls.The pair put on 104 for the seventh wicket with Manenti’s rapid-fire 60-ball knock including 11 fours and two sixes.Lehmann, with valuable tail-end support from Wes Agar and Brendan Doggett, continued to his 10th first-class ton – his 143-ball gem included 18 fours – and his second in consecutive Shield matches having finished last season with a century against New South Wales.

The Sri Lankan allrounder made short work of the chase on a cool, blustery day

Tristan Lavalette26-Oct-2023Chamari Athapaththu smashed a blistering half-century after she produced a disciplined performance with the ball as Sydney Thunder comprehensively beat Melbourne Renegades at a gloomy Cricket Central ground.Having taken 1 for 20 off four overs to help restrict Renegades, Athapaththu tore into the bowling in her 54-ball whirlwind of 80 as Thunder reached the target in the 18th over.Athapaththu traded mostly in boundaries and none was more impressive than when she whacked offspinner Ella Hayward for a massive straight six to reach her half-century in style.She holed out in the 14th over, but Thunder continued on their merry way to start the season with consecutive wins coming off last season’s wooden spoon.Renegades had few answers with the ball as they suffered a letdown following their thrashing of defending champions Adelaide Strikers.With rain having fallen throughout the day in Sydney, there were fears of a washout but the match started on schedule and Thunder elected to bowl in bleak and blustery conditions.It wasn’t easy for the batters with seamer Marizanne Kapp in her season debut proving difficult to attack with the ball coming off the wicket slowly.Opener Hayley Matthews, who has yet to get going with the bat this tournament, backed her aggressive approach against Kapp but it was fraught with danger in the tricky conditions.She got away with a skier that landed safety in the third over before a few balls later slogging Kapp straight to cover.Debutant quick Ebony Hoskin had a dream start after coming on in the seventh over when she had Josie Dooley caught behind with a brilliant delivery that swung late to hit the edge.With Kapp providing her words of wisdom, the 20-year-old Hoskin showed no signs of nerves and showcased her renowned energy in an impressive debut.Hoskin bowled just one more over in the innings as Thunder relied on Athapaththu’s accurate offspin to tie Renegades down.Renegades couldn’t get going in the first half of their innings with Tammy Beaumont brilliantly run out by a direct throw from Phoebe Litchfield at cover.They looked to Harmanpreet Kaur and Courtney Webb after their match-winning near century stand against Strikers.Harmanpreet’s fluent touch continued as she made a mockery of the conditions with two boundaries off her first three balls before Athapaththu had her caught behind after she played loosely outside off stump.But Webb found much-needed support from Georgia Wareham in a 78-run partnership and they capitalised on increasingly ragged Thunder bowling and fielding.Wareham superbly attacked on the leg side during the power surge and smashed three consecutive boundaries off seamer Hannah Darlington in the 15th over.Wareham needed a boundary off the final delivery of the innings to reach a deserved half-century, but could only score a single.Any confidence Renegades had of mustering a strong defence of the total was quickly eroded by a rampaging Athapaththu as Thunder cruised to victory amid the drizzle.

The two teams meet for their fourth separate series in India this calendar year, not including the World Cup which finished four days ago or the WTC final

Alex Malcolm22-Nov-20231:37

Finch on Australia’s plans with Smith for T20Is

Big picture: More India vs Australia coming your way

Nothing exemplifies the problem with the international cricket schedule quite like this T20I series between India and Australia. To start a five-match series four days after an ODI World Cup final is absurd in itself, although there is precedent as recently as 12 months ago with England forced to front up for a three-match ODI series against Australia four days after their T20 World Cup triumph.On top of that, haven’t these two sides played against each other enough this year? They played a four-Test series in India in February and March, followed by a three-match ODI series. They played in the World Test Championship final in June straight after the IPL. They then played a second three-match ODI series in India in September just two weeks out from the ODI World Cup, where they met at the start and the end of the tournament. Not to mention the two sides played a three-match T20I series in India in September last year. Australia’s involvement in the Ashes series and India’s Asia Cup and Asia Games adventures in between times only add to the completely nonsensical scheduling of this series.But, it’s on, and we’ll watch it. India have quite rightly rested nearly all of their World Cup squad, with the exception of Suryakumar Yadav who will lead the side, Ishan Kishan and Prasidh Krishna, although Kishan played just two games in the World Cup and Prasidh none. Shreyas Iyer will return for the last two games of the series after being rested for the first three while coach Rahul Dravid is also missing the series with VVS Laxman taking charge after coaching the victorious Asain Games team.Related

• Ashwin admits India were undone by 'tactical brilliance and execution' from Cummins

• Warner to miss T20I series against India after World Cup triumph

• Suryakumar to lead India for Australia T20Is; Axar returns

• Borovec to coach Australia for India T20Is with McDonald resting

• Captain Wade unsure if he will be Australia's first-choice keeper at T20 World Cup

Australia have kept more of their World Cup squad in India with seven players remaining plus Tanveer Sangha who has been a travelling reserve for the entire tournament. They only have added seven new faces including Matthew Wade who will captain the side, which means at least four of those who are still celebrating Sunday’s win will have to sober up enough to take the field. David Warner was originally picked to play in the series but made a late decision to withdraw and has been replaced by Aaron Hardie. Spencer Johnson has also been withdrawn from the original squad due to injury with Kane Richardson replacing him. Pat Cummins, the ODI captain, and Mitch Marsh, the stand-in T20 captain for the last series Australia played in South Africa, have flown home alongside Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green. Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald has also flown home to Australia with assistant coach Andre Borovec taking charge for the first time.Whilst there are plenty of reasons not to play this series, it should be noted that the next T20 World Cup is just over six months away. For both sides, these five matches are part of only 11 scheduled T20Is before that World Cup.It should be noted too, that for as meaningless as Australia’s three-match ODI series was against England last year in days after the T20 World Cup, it did provide the opportunity for Travis Head to nail his spot as Australia’s ODI World Cup opener and gave Cummins the chance to captain in ODIs for the first time. With that in mind, there are opportunities here for players on both sides to bed down roles for the T20 World Cup next year.

Form guide

India WWWWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Australia WWWWW

In the spotlight: Kishan and Wade

Ishan Kishan hasn’t been able to bed down his T20I spot•AFP/Getty Images

This is a golden chance for Ishan Kishan to bed down the role of wicketkeeper ahead of the next World Cup. Kishan had the role for the first eight of India’s T20Is this year but lost his place after just two games in the five-match series against West Indies in the Caribbean and the United States in August and was replaced by Sanju Samson. There was no room for Samson in this squad and Jitesh Sharma has been named as the second wicketkeeper. With Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad both part of the squad, Kishan could be locked in a three-way battle for the opening spot. Only twice in his 29-match T20I career has Kishan batted outside the opening spot – at No. 3 in March 2021 and at No. 6 in July 2021.This looms as a really interesting series for Matthew Wade. The fact that he has been named as captain in the absence of Cummins and Marsh suggests he is still very highly regarded by the Australian selectors but even he admitted he is unsure whether he will be the first-choice wicketkeeper at next year’s T20 World Cup. Josh Inglis usurped Alex Carey in the ODI World Cup side and despite what appear as modest returns, he showed his capabilities in big moments and is one of Australia’s best players of spin bowling in the middle overs in both white-ball formats. But the Marcus Stoinis-Tim David-Wade axis at Nos. 5-7 have actually been the most reliable aspect of Australia’s T20 batting in the last two years. There would need to be a good reason to break the band up for the T20 World Cup, given their experience in big moments and their power on slow pitches. Wade can take the discussion completely off the table if he bats, keeps and leads well in this series.

Team news

Guessing the two XIs would be a fun trivia game for any fans ahead of this series. India’s XI is a complete mystery, as they have played so many different combinations in recent times; but it would seem likely that Suryakumar will slot in at No.3 and Ishan Kishan will likely keep, but where he bats remains a mystery. Axar Patel should be a lock to return.India (probable): 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel/Washington Sundar, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Prasidh Krishna/Avesh Khan, 11 Mukesh KumarAustralia are purely looking for sober cricketers. Steven Smith could well play as he was set to open in the T20I series against South Africa before he was ruled out with a wrist injury. Marcus Stoinis and Sean Abbott should play given they both missed the World Cup semi and final and Tanveer Sangha will probably get a chance to allow Zampa to relax.Australia (probable): 1 Steven Smith, 2 Matthew Short, 3 Aaron Hardie, 4 Josh Inglis, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Tim David, 7 Matthew Wade (capt, wk), 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Jason Behrendorff, 11 Tanveer Sangha

Pitch and conditions

It will be humid and there is a chance of a couple of showers in the afternoon. It was similar weather when these two sides met in an ODI at the same venue in March and Australia quicks help set up a 10-wicket win. Australia also won a low-scoring T20I at the same venue in 2019. Ball has tended to dominate bat in the three T20Is played at the ground.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have played five internationals at the two grounds in Visakhapatnam including four ODIs and one T20I and have only lost once.
• Suryakumar Yadav will become the ninth India T20I captain since the start of 2021 and the fourth this year after Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
• Matthew Wade has captained Australia’s T20I side in seven matches previously including against India in 2020. He also led Australia in their final match of the 2022 World Cup when Aaron Finch was injured.

Quotes

“Keeping the T20 World Cup in mind, the games we are going to play till then are very important. My message to them [younger players] is very clear: be fearless and do whatever it takes to help the team. And they have been doing that in the IPL; they have played a lot domestic cricket as well recently. So they are in a good nick, which I have heard from our support staff.”
“Traditionally, the pitches are very, very good for batting over here. In the West Indies, they tend to slow up and take a little bit of spin. So any opportunity we get on a slowish wicket with a bit of spin is an opportunity for someone to put their hand up and show what they can do.”

The hosts were struggling at 121 for 6 before the game was washed out in Harare

Hemant Brar13-Dec-2023No result Rain came to Zimbabwe’s rescue in Harare, forcing a washout after Ireland had reduced them to 121 for 6 in the first ODI.Zimbabwe had started aggressively after being sent in to bat, with Tinashe Kamunhukamwe smashing 28 off just 15 balls. But once he got out, the innings fell apart. The continuous rain, though, meant the match had to be called off after only 25.3 overs.Earlier, Mark Adair got the ball to nip off the seam in both directions and even bowled a maiden to Joylord Gumbie. But from the other end, Kamunhukamwe took apart Josh Little. He hit three fours in the left-arm seamer’s first over, and a four and a six off successive deliveries in the next to move to 25 off just ten balls.That forced Paul Stirling to bring on Graham Hume. Kamunhukamwe tried to attack him as well but miscued a pull and was caught at mid-on for 28. The wicket put the brakes on the scoring rate, with Zimbabwe managing only 16 from over sixth to tenth.Craig Young then bounced out Innocent Kaia to make it 48 for 2 in the 11th over. Sikandar Raza and Gumbie tried to stabilise the innings. Raza was lucky to be dropped on 10 by wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker when he chased a full and wide delivery from Little.But Little got his man soon after with the same ploy. The only difference being this time he was bowling from around the wicket.Gumbie had occupied one end but he was struggling to keep the scoreboard moving. In the 20th over, he was run out after having a mix-up with Ryan Burl when both batters found themselves at the keeper’s end. Gumbie contributed 28 but consumed 59 balls for it.On the very next delivery, Burl also departed, under-edging Young to the keeper as Zimbabwe slipped from 79 for 2 to 81 for 5. Clive Madande and Brandon Mavuta added 40 off just 37 balls to take the side past 100 before Hume returned to castle Madande.Immediately after that, lightning forced players off the field. Soon, rain also made an appearance and brought a premature end to the contest.The second and third ODIs, to be played on Friday and Sunday, are also expected to be affected by rain.

Former club and ECB chair set to resume role despite controversy

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2024Colin Graves’ takeover of Yorkshire has been approved by the club’s members at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) at Headingley. Pending regulatory approval from the Financial Conduct Authority, he will become chair of a new board.Graves, who previously chaired the club from 2012 to 2015, warned members that the consequences of failing to approve his offer to refinance the club would be “far-reaching” and could include administration or insolvency. He required the support of two-thirds of the members present, and received 88.3% of the valid votes cast.His previous tenure covered part of the period for which Yorkshire were fined £400,000 for failing to address the systemic use of racist or discriminatory language, and Graves “personally and unreservedly” apologised to victims of institutional racism at Yorkshire last month.He was criticised by the ECB last year after dismissing previous allegations of racism as “banter” but the governing body have since described his return as Yorkshire’s “only viable option” and encouraged him to continue the club’s recent work in making cricket a more inclusive sport.The club said in a statement: “The Yorkshire County Cricket Club Limited (YCCC) is pleased to announce that the special resolution voted on at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held in the Long Room at Headingley, on Friday, 2 February, 2024 was passed.”One special resolution was voted on during the meeting, with the resolution passed by members. The result of the vote for the special resolution to make a number of changes to the rules of the Club required in relation to a refinancing proposal from Colin Graves as set out in the notice of the was announced, with members voting in favour of the rule changes.”In total, 746 members voted for the resolution, while 99 voted against and 48 invalid or spoiled votes were discounted.Graves will be joined on the Yorkshire board by three other members of the consortium whose offer of emergency funding to the club was voted through: Phillip Hodson, the Yorkshire-born former President of MCC; Sanjeev Gandhi, a former non-executive director of the Hundred, and Sanjay Patel, the long-term ECB executive who left his role as managing director of the Hundred last summer.Under the terms of the deal, Yorkshire will receive an immediate injection of £1 million, followed by further investment worth £4 million. Graves’ original involvement with the club came about in similar financial circumstances in 2002, when as the founder of the Costcutter supermarket chain, his bailout saved them from bankruptcy.His family trust, which is managed by independent trustees, is still owed nearly £15 million by the club.Graves has been invited to give evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee next month, with chair Dame Caroline Dinenage MP saying last month that his return “risks undermining what progress has been made so far”.

England will not be making any additions to the squad with one Test in Dharamsala remaining after the Ranchi encounter

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2024Rehan Ahmed’s tour of India has been cut short, with the England legspinner returning home for an urgent family matter. In a statement, the ECB also said Rehan will not be returning for the rest of the series, and neither will England seek a squad replacement.Rehan, the 19-year-old, featured in England’s first three Tests against India. He picked up 11 wickets at an average of 44, including a match-haul of 6 for 153 in Visakhapatnam. He was, however, left out of the England XI for the fourth Test beginning in Ranchi. It is understood Ben Stokes’ decision to omit Rehan was not related to him having to return home, which only emerged after the team had been announced at 1pm on Thursday. Rehan was present at England’s final training session that afternoon, helping out with various drills. He flies home on Friday, day one of the fourth Test.Earlier this month, England had to wait on Rehan’s availability for the third Test after learning of “paperwork discrepancies” with him on arrival from the UAE before the third Test. However, it was resolved, and Rehan picked up three wickets in England’s 434-run defeat in Rajkot.For the fourth Test, England are lining up with offspinner Shoaib Bashir replacing Rehan. The other spinner in the England XI is left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, their highest wicket-taker on the tour with 16.

After fifties from Rahmat and Omarzai, Afghanistan lost 6 for 43 to collapse to 266 all out

Madushka Balasuriya14-Feb-2024Sri Lanka made light work of a potentially tricky target of 267, running it down in just 35.2 overs as they completed a dominant seven-wicket win in the third and final ODI in Pallekele, and with it secured a 3-0 whitewash of the series.Pathum Nissanka recorded his second century in three games to become the highest run-scorer in a three-match series for Sri Lanka with 346 runs. Here he racked up a 101-ball 118, and in the process became the fastest Sri Lankan to 2000 ODI runs, achieving the feat in 52 games – 11 games quicker than next fastest Upul Tharanga.But for much of his innings, Nissanka was content to play the supporting role as Avishka Fernando broke the spine of the chase during a belligerent 66-ball 91. Having offered up his customary early chance – an inside edge on 10 that Ikram Alikhil not only failed to hold on to, but one that ended up injuring his finger and ruling him out of the game entirely – Avishka proceeded to punish the Afghans in an innings that included 10 fours and five sixes.Afghanistan did themselves few favours, straying short of a length for four of those five sixes as Avishka disdainfully picked them up over the leg side. His mistimed drive to extra cover saw him fall nine runs short of a fourth ODI ton, but by then Sri Lanka had piled on 173 runs – their second 150-plus opening stand of the series.The onslaught though only continued following his dismissal as Nissanka duly upped his scoring rate and Kusal Mendis joined in on the festivities. Their stand of 78 came off just 55 deliveries, though neither was able to see the chase through to the finish, falling in quick succession.That honour went to Charith Asalanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama, who ran down the 14 runs with little fuss as Sri Lanka won with 88 balls to spare.Afghanistan for their part will rue a missed opportunity. Despite fifties from Rahmat Shah and Azmatullah Omarzai – and a blazing start from Rahmanullah Gurbaz – they lost 6 for 43 at the end to be bowled out for 266.With the series wrapped up, Sri Lanka had brought in Dunith Wellalage and Akila Dananjaya for Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana. On a drier-than-usual surface, the pair proved able deputies and produced figures of 2 for 38 and 2 for 54 respectively. Asitha Fernando grabbed a pair as well, with Pramod Madushan being the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 45 in what was a well-rounded bowling display from the hosts.In all it proved to be a frustrating outing for the Afghan batters, who were unable to build on a succession of promising starts. When Gurbaz struck Madushanka for four consecutive boundaries in the first over of the match, it seemed that Afghanistan were set to make amends for their poor batting effort in the last game. Sri Lanka however reeled in the visitors well, with just 65 runs allowed in the opening powerplay.Pramod Madushan showed his death-over wares•AFP/Getty Images

Wellalage and Madushan impressed during this period, giving away just 23 runs between them, and in turn made up for Madushanka’s uncharacteristic lack of control. The bowlers were also aided by some solid ground fielding, highlighted by Avishka’s excellent pick-up and throw to run out Ibrahim Zadran – a drop in the slips by Asalanka the very next ball off Gurbaz was a rare error in the field.Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi had spoken before the match about the need to put on more partnerships, and in this respect Afghanistan delivered. Following an opening stand of 39, there were partnerships of 57, 58 and 57 for the second, fourth and fifth wickets respectively. Where they faltered however was in capitalising on these platforms.Gurbaz, despite his fast start, was not able to keep up his scoring rate and fell sweeping – bowled around his legs – for an ultimately laboured 48 off 57. Shahidi followed shortly after, edging a Dananjaya googly to slip.This brought Rahmat and Omarzai together and the pair sought to rebuild. Between the 20th and 30th overs they scored at a hair under run-a-ball to keep the scoring rate touching six an over, but just as they might have been looking to accelerate Rahmat was trapped leg before looking to sweep Wellalage.While this did not halt Afghanistan, it did delay any potential period of acceleration. Omarzai and Ikram Alikhil proceeded to put on the third fifty-plus stand of the innings between the 30th and 40th overs, but then once more just as Afghanistan were on the cusp of upping the ante Sri Lanka struck. Alikhil was surprised by a Wellalage delivery that ripped back in from wide outside off to clip the outside of off stump.From this point on Sri Lanka barely gave the opposition a sniff, with just 42 runs given away from the 40th over onwards. Madushan, Asitha and Dananjaya loomed large in this period, with the two fast bowlers sharing the last five wickets between them to close out the Afghan innings.