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He will work with fellow Australians Andrew McDonald and Steven Smith

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2020Former Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne has been reappointed as the team’s mentor and brand ambassador for IPL 2020.He will work with the head coach Andrew McDonald – the pair was former team-mates at Victoria – and captain Steven Smith.ALSO READ: IPL 2020 Team Preview: Combination questions for Rajasthan Royals with Ben Stokes doubtful“On my dual role, it’s always a great feeling to be back with Royals – my team, my family,” Warne said in a statement released by the franchise. “It’s exciting to be working across all elements of this franchise that I love. We have worked towards our vision of becoming a global team that fans around the world love and follow. This season I am looking forward to working as a team mentor and joining up with an excellent backroom staff in Zubin Bharucha [head of cricket] and Andrew McDonald. Hopefully, we can have a successful season and achieve big things in the coming months.”Jake McCrum, the Royals’ COO, welcomed Warne back into their set-up. “He is one of the all-time greats of the game and is very special to us here at Rajasthan Royals. Shane is someone who exemplifies our vision of driving innovation and we’re delighted to have him with us supporting both the growth of our franchise globally, while also motivating our players for success on the field.”The IPL will run from September 19 to November 10 in the UAE. The Royals, who finished seventh last season, will open their campaign against Chennai Super Kings on September 22 in Sharjah.

ECB says all 18 first-class counties have agreed to play in the same red-ball and white-ball competitions

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2020First-class counties in the UK will compete for the Bob Willis Trophy in a four-day competition as part of a shortened 2020 domestic season, the ECB has confirmed.The ECB said on Friday that all 18 first-class counties had agreed to play in the same competitive red- and white-ball competitions, following a delayed start to the season due to the Covid-19 pandemic.As reported by ESPNcricinfo in May, the four-day competition will feature three regional groups of six teams who will each contest five first-class games with a five-day final expected to be played at Lord’s. The winner will claim the Bob Willis trophy, named after the former England captain who died in December. A shortened Vitality Blast competition will begin on August 27.ALSO READ: County Championship could include Lord’s final with hopes for August startNeil Snowball, ECB managing director of county cricket, said in a statement on Friday that the counties had “been united with a common goal to get back to our core function of playing cricket”.”The commitment of the chairs and chief executives of the first-class counties to work together to achieve that ambition has been resolute and we will remain in close discussion as we continue to assess risk factors that need to be mitigated in order to ensure the safety and welfare of their players, coaches and staff,” Snowball said.”We are all delighted that agreement has been reached across the game and we are now in a position to look forward to and prepare for a new men’s domestic season starting on 1 August.”ESPNcricinfo understands that the counties voted by a narrow margin to play first-class and T20 cricket in the abbreviated season while some, including Hampshire, held safety concerns about hotel stays and voted to start the season with a 50-over competition and not play first-class cricket in 2020.Venues would contact ticket holders for men’s domestic matches and first-class county members to inform them of the options available to them after a new fixture schedule has been announced, the ECB said.

Usman Khawaja made his Test debut 1768 days ago. Since then he has been dreaming of scoring a Test ton for Australia. Now he has it

Brydon Coverdale at the Gabba05-Nov-2015Usman Khawaja wondered if this moment would ever arrive. When he made his Test debut 1768 days ago, Ricky Ponting was still officially captain (though he did not play that match), Tim Nielsen was coach and Julia Gillard was prime minister. Michael Clarke came and went, then Steven Smith took over. Mickey Arthur came and went, now it’s Darren Lehmann. The prime ministers since then are too numerous to list.Through it all Khawaja kept dreaming, and hoping, and finally his first Test century arrived, late in the afternoon on the first day of the 2015-16 home summer, on his adopted home ground. The release of emotion was obvious in his celebration, a running leap and wave of his bat, before his batting partner and captain, Smith, gave him a hug.”It was just elation, the biggest amount of emotional relief,” Khawaja said. “I’ve wanted to get a Test hundred for Australia my whole life. There were times over the last three or four years I thought it might not happen. When it did happen the build-up of a lot of emotions came out because it’s what I always dreamt about.”The first one is always the hardest, I’ve said, so it’s massive for me. I scored my first first-class century here and now my first Test century. I’m just really excited about the day we’ve had as a team, that’s as good a day as you get. We’ve got a lot of hard work coming up but I’m very excited at the moment. And I like to live in the now, so I’m just enjoying this at the moment.”Khawaja’s hundred came with a swivelled pull for four, and it came from 123 deliveries, an innings in which he showed the kind of positive intent that had sometimes been lacking in his earlier stints as a Test batsman. He lifted the spinner Mark Craig for two classy sixes and never looked like getting bogged down, which had been a problem earlier in his career.”The hard work was done at the top by Davey and Burnsy, they batted beautifully,” Khawaja said of the 161-run opening stand between David Warner and Joe Burns. “It allows us at No. 3 and No. 4 to come out and play a few more shots because the ball is a bit older and the bowlers are a bit tired… It’s a real nice wicket out there and it was easy to play positive for that reason.”I just kept looking to score runs. It makes it easier when you have Davey at the other end, it takes a bit of pressure off you when he’s going, you don’t feel like you have to score very fast. I kept looking for runs, as you do when you’re playing well. Fortunately I got a few in my area and I got off to a flyer, which doesn’t always happen, and kept the momentum going.”There was a moment of concern for Khawaja when he collided with a New Zealand fieldsman while completing a run, and immediately hobbled around in discomfort. Khawaja had surgery on his left knee after suffering a serious injury last summer, but he was able to bat on and complete his hundred without any further problems.”I got a little jar on my left knee, the one I had surgery on,” he said. “It hurt like crap. I was making sure I was all right. It was sore for 10 overs but by the end of it, it was pretty good.”

The opener will make his return in the one-day match against South Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2021David Warner will make his Sheffield Shield comeback against South Australia after returning to New South Wales colours in the Marsh Cup match in Adelaide on Thursday.Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are also back for the four-day match but Pat Cummins, who will captain the one-day side, has been rested.Warner played the last two Tests against India while still significantly hampered by the groin injury he sustained in the ODIs at the end of November which ruled him out of the rest of the white-ball matches and first two Tests.Speaking on commentary of the New Zealand-Australia T20I series last week, Warner said how he expected to feel the effects of the injury for up to nine months but he is hopeful that it can be managed.Related

• \Smith's century helps set up victory for new captain Cummins

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• Swepson set to miss the rest of season with stress fracture

Warner comes into the New South Wales one-day squad as a replacement for Daniel Hughes who has a shoulder injury although the opener is available for the Shield. Steven Smith remains sidelined by the elbow problem which he first felt at the end of the series against India and has since flared up during his return to domestic cricket.”We all know Davey’s quality as a player in all formats and it’s great to see him back for the Blues for this game,” New South Wales coach Phil Jaques said.”He has worked really hard on his rehab and has been great around the group when he’s been at training. It will be fantastic to have his experience around the team over the coming weeks.”Starc missed the last Sheffield Shield match against Victoria following the death if his father while Hazlewood was rotated as part of the management of New South Wales’ fast bowlers.New South Wales one-day squad Pat Cummins (capt), Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Oliver Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Liam Hatcher, Matthew Gilkes, Moises Henriques, Nick Larkin, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson, David WarnerNew South Wales Sheffield Shield squad Peter Nevill (capt), Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson, Daniel Solway, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

His resignation comes less than five months into his two-year contract with the BCB

Mohammad Isam17-Dec-2019The BCB has accepted Charl Langeveldt’s resignation as the Bangladesh bowling coach after he emailed the board explaining that he has an offer from Cricket South Africa. Akram Khan, the BCB’s cricket operations committee chairman, confirmed Langeveldt’s departure less than five months into his two-year contract.”Langeveldt said he has offer to work in South Africa’s senior side, which is why he requested the BCB to let him go,” Akram told the Bengali daily on Tuesday. “We have decided to release him.”Langeveldt’s link with a role in the South Africa team is part of an overhaul in their coaching setup, which saw Mark Boucher named head coach recently.Langeveldt, who was appointed by the BCB on July 27, came in as part of a similar overhaul in the Bangladesh coaching staff. He replaced Courtney Walsh, while Russell Domingo took over as head coach in place of Steve Rhodes. Daniel Vettori later joined as spin-bowling consultant, replacing Sunil Joshi.With Bangladesh touring Pakistan next month, the BCB has exactly a month to replace Langeveldt although Champaka Ramanayake, the BCB academy’s bowling coach, could take over on a temporary basis as he has done in the past.

AB de Villiers used the build-up to South Africa’s game against Pakistan as an opportunity to state his admiration for Wasim Akram, the best bowler he has seen

Firdose Moonda in Birmingham06-Jun-2017South Africa have produced their fair share of world-class fast bowlers over the years, but AB de Villiers reckons no one matches up to Pakistan great Wasim Akram. He called Akram a one of a kind bowler whose swing skills are unmatched on the current global stage.De Villiers, who was watching coverage of the Australia-Bangladesh game on Monday, saw a television insert featuring Akram during a rain delay and
tweeted: “Amazing footage on Skysports2! @wasimakramlive was one seriously talented bowler. Crazy skill!”Asked before South Africa’s game against Pakistan at Edgbaston whether he thinks anyone in the current Pakistan squad could match Akram, de Villiers took his answer one step further and said no one in world cricket does.”I haven’t seen a bowler as good,” de Villiers said. “It was just nice to watch the programme, and I felt that I needed to just get it out there. I get along with him [Akram] well. He’s at Kolkata with the IPL every year, and we always have nice chats. And to actually get a bit of insight in the programme on how he used to bowl and what he was thinking while he was bowling is really nice. He has obviously shared all of that with a lot of players in the past, not only with Pakistan players but a lot of players at the IPL. But that’s something you’re born with. It’s a natural skill that he was born with.”Akram’s IPL influence may have extended to one of de Villiers’ men. Morne Morkel was a member of the Kolkata squad until the most recent season when he opted to sit out of the event, and has since shown an increased ability to bowl reverse-swing. In the absence of Dale Steyn, who has suffered from a shoulder injury for much of the last two years, Morkel has provided South Africa with a key skill, especially in Test cricket. Against India in Nagpur in 2015 and against New Zealand in Dunedin earlier this year, Morkel moved the ball significantly.The second of those performances was on Morkel’s comeback after nine months on the sidelines with a back problem. He has since also been recalled to
the ODI squad and played in South Africa’s opening match against Sri Lanka, where he bowled first change. His six overs cost 31 runs and came at a
time when Sri Lanka were batting well. Morkel did his bit to pull them back.Still, that does not guarantee Morkel will feature in the rest of the tournament, especially after coach Russell Domingo made it clear that South Africa might opt for an allrounder, depending on conditions and the balance of the XI. Which way they will go against Pakistan on Wednesday it not yet known. By 1pm on Tuesday, South Africa had not seen the pitch which remained under covers.Rather than be perturbed by the possibility of having to leave plans to the last minute, de Villiers was markedly unconcerned. He said he considers South Africa under “no pressure,” despite losing to Pakistan in the last global event – the World Cup in 2015. “We don’t feel any pressure. We are confident going into this game, without being arrogant or overconfident. We feel it’s an opportunity, once again in this tournament to shift the pressure onto all the opposition we might face.”This, carpe diem-like approach, has been the theme of the South African campaign. Both JP Duminy and Wayne Parnell have spoken of “staying in the moment,” something de Villiers admitted has become something of a mantra.”It’s just an awareness of not thinking of the past or the future, as simple as that. If we live in the past, there’s lots of scars that we can think of, lots of bad experiences. Some good ones, as well. The future, it’s something we can’t control as of yet. So it’s just wise to try and stay in the moment with what you’re confronted with,” he said. “It’s just a little saying that I feel is quite powerful for us to focus on the very next ball and not – well, not the very next ball, but
the one that you’re actually dealing with at that moment and not trying to think of how you’re going to finish your over or the few boundaries you just went for. Every bowler has the opportunity to influence the game, and that’s the idea behind it.”And none of them, according to de Villiers, have influenced it as much as Wasim Akram.

Mohammad Yousuf believes that rain saved his young team from defeat on the final day of a closely-fought Test series against New Zealand

Cricinfo staff15-Dec-2009A combination of resilience for two days and rain on the last enabled Pakistan to escape with a draw in the third Test in Napier. Chasing 208 in a minimum of 43 overs, New Zealand’s openers, BJ Watling and Tim McIntosh, added 90 in 19 overs before it began to rain and play was abandoned. Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan captain, was a relieved man and admitted the rain had helped Pakistan avoid defeat and secure a 1-1 draw in the series.”We were lucky. Allah helped us because of rain, otherwise it would be difficult to defend 208 on this track,” he said. “In the first innings we made 223 on this track which was very less. After that we saved the game, I think it is a good performance.”On a beautiful batting surface, Pakistan imploded in the first innings and were reduced to playing catch-up once New Zealand secured a lead of 248. The visitors put up a resolute batting effort in the second innings where six of the top seven batsmen went past fifty, a performance that pleased Yousuf.Looking back at the closely fought series, Yousuf said that the teams were similarly matched but that New Zealand had home advantage. According to him, Pakistan cricket would suffer unless they had a better balance between home and away games. “If we play some games in Pakistan, it will help our youngsters and seniors as well. It is very difficult to play away series all the time with the conditions against us”, he said.Yousuf was concerned about the inexperience in his batting line-up, but believed that the performances of Umar Akmal and Danish Kaneria were good signs for the upcoming tour of Australia. “I am worried about our batting because of lack of experience,” he said. “This game, we threw away our wickets in the second innings. The bowlers did not get our wickets. They worked hard, but we threw away the wickets.”Umar Akmal batted so well through the series. Danish Kaneria bowled well in the last two Tests. On this track, he took seven wickets, I think it’s the best bowling I’ve seen in a long time because there was no help for spinners.”Yousuf did not want to play up his side’s chances in Australia, but expected his side to play competitive cricket, irrespective of the result.

Eleven venues ‘paired’ with men’s grounds, ‘bespoke player selection’ model for women – ECB

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2019The ECB have revealed 11 venues which will host women’s matches for The Hundred, along with the selection process that will determine the make-up of each team.Player registration for the new competition starting next July is open this month but, while the men’s edition will have a player draft on October 20, the women’s version will have a two-stage “bespoke player selection process”, according to the ECB.During stage one, which runs until the end of September, each team is obliged to sign two players from the current England Women’s central contract list. During stage two, from October 1 until May 30 next year, each team will sign their remaining 13 players from three different player pools; remaining England Women’s centrally contracted players, overseas players and domestic players.Teams can sign a maximum of one further England women’s centrally contracted player during stage two and can sign a maximum of three overseas players.The head coach of each team will lead their respective player selection process.Former England captain Charlotte Edwards, recently appointed head coach of the Southampton-based women’s team, said: “It’s really exciting that we’ll have an open market system and that all of the teams will be recruiting their own players for the first time. It shows how the women’s game has evolved and developed.”The depth of the women’s game isn’t yet at a stage where a draft would be the best way forward, and it’s important that we don’t just match the template of the men’s game. There are areas in which the needs of the women’s game are different and it’s right that we find the right approach for them.”The women’s venues have been “paired” with the host grounds for men’s matches, with Old Trafford’s partner ground yet to be announced.Women’s competition head for The Hundred Beth Barrett-Wild said: “The venues for the men’s and women’s competitions respectively are working together incredibly closely and that connection will help The Hundred inspire more people to attend, watch and play cricket.”It’s particularly exciting that the Women’s Competition will be seen by fans across all 18 First-Class counties, this represents a huge opportunity to grow women’s cricket – while the double-headers at the men’s venues provide another chance to present the men’s and women’s teams on the same platform.”Men’s venues – paired women’s venues:Sophia Gardens – The Bristol County Ground, The Cooper Associates County Ground, TauntonEdgbaston – Blackfinch New Road, WorcesterHeadingley – York CC, South Northumberland CCLord’s – The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford, The County Ground, NorthamptonThe Oval – The County Ground, BeckenhamOld Trafford – TBCTrent Bridge – The Pattonair County Cricket Ground, Derby, The Fischer County Ground, LeicesterAgeas Bowl – The 1st Central County Ground, Hove

Hope was struck on the helmet during his unbeaten 108, while Roach hurt his right hamstring while bowling

Mohammad Isam in Sylhet14-Dec-2018Shai Hope and Kemar Roach were ruled out of the third ODI against Bangladesh in Sylhet mid-way through the game. Both were put under observation after they were injured on the field during the match.Hope was hit on the helmet with the ball deflecting off his bat as he tried to pull the first ball of the 50th over. It initially appeared to have not been much of a blow as he only called for the physio after facing two more Mohammad Saifuddin deliveries. He continued batting and remained unbeaten on 108 at the end of the innings but didn’t come out to field. In his absence, Shimron Hetmyer assumed the wicketkeeping duties.Roach, meanwhile, bowled only three overs in the Bangladesh innings before walking off holding his right hamstring. Roach’s hamstring spasms are being monitored by the team physio. Roach is not part of the West Indies T20I side and will be returning home after the third ODI. Hope is, however, part of the T20I squad. The series begins in Sylhet on December 17.”Kemar Roach is not in the T20 squad, so he gets time to heal,” captain Rovman Powell said after the match. “His foot is a little bit sore. Shai Hope is a little bit dizzy from the ball that he got struck in the head. Hopefully, overnight into tomorrow he can recover. He will be a vital part of the T20s.”

A CA investigation has found no evidence for further pursuit of the claim that an Australian player used a racial taunt against the England allrounder during the 2015 Ashes series

Daniel Brettig24-Sep-2018A Cricket Australia (CA) investigation of Moeen Ali’s allegation of a racial slur from an Australian player during the 2015 Ashes series has found no evidence for further pursuit of the claim.In an extract from his new book, Moeen stated that an Australian player had called him “Osama” during the first Test of the series, in Cardiff, and that he had told the England coach Trevor Bayliss, who then raised the matter with Australia’s then coach Darren Lehmann. However, the unnamed player involved denied the allegation, claiming he had called Moeen a “part-timer”.When Moeen’s account of events came to light, CA indicated that the governing body was in touch with the ECB, and that a further investigation would take place. The CA integrity unit, until recently headed by Iain Roy but now helmed by Sean Carroll, subsequently interviewed numerous Australian players from the 2015 Cardiff Test and team management, while also communicating with the ECB’s own integrity unit.The investigation concluded on the weekend, and it is understood that no other player said they heard the alleged remark. “We have followed up with the ECB and our team management and confirmed that the incident was investigated at the time, with a response provided to Moeen,” A CA spokesman said.”Moeen elected not to progress the matter any further and we have not been able to ascertain any new additional evidence through our enquiries. As such, the matter is considered closed. We take a zero-tolerance approach to remarks of this nature; they have no place in our sport, or in society and any allegations raised with us are treated seriously and respectfully.”Representatives of our country are expected to uphold a high standard of behaviours and values, and they are fully aware of the consequences should they fail to do this.”Bayliss has said that Moeen did not want the matter to be taken further, a process that would have involved the ICC and the racial vilification clauses of its code of conduct. “He didn’t want it to go any further. He was happy for it [to be dealt with between the two teams],” Bayliss told News Corporation. “He’s a very softly-spoken sort of a bloke. He doesn’t want to create too many problems for anyone.”I’m not going to make too much of it, it was bloody three years ago, let’s move on. [Cricket Australia] can do what they like I suppose, everyone has sort of forgotten about it and moved on since then. I don’t see it as any real big deal. It was a hard-fought series. But no, I thought [relations after that point] were OK. You’re not party to what goes on out on the field and certainly nothing else was reported or anything through that series so we just left it at that.”Under the CA code of conduct, the governing body would have had the option of re-opening the matter and laying a charge if new evidence had been found by the integrity unit.Meanwhile, CA’s own cultural reviews are believed to be in their closing stages, with the report on the organisation’s wider operations submitted by Simon Longstaff, the director of the Ethics Centre and has been viewed by the directors of the governing body’s Board. This review of the organisation is expected to be made public. According to the reviews’ terms of reference:”The first, overarching independent review will investigate whether any wider cultural, organisational and/or governance issues within CA, and more broadly within Australian cricket, should be addressed to ensure these events never occur again, either on tour or whilst playing in Australia. This review will investigate links between player behaviour (particularly on this tour of South Africa) and the organisational, governance and culture within CA and Australian cricket.”The separate player review will, in consultation with a small panel of current and past players, consider a behavioural Charter for the Australian men’s cricket teams that balances the performance demands of elite cricket with expectations of all Australians in regard to on- and off-field role modelling.”It is expected that at various stages the findings from this Wider Cultural, Organisational &/or Governance review will cross-check with the work of the panel that is exploring a Charter for the Australian men’s team – and, where appropriate, incorporate any findings or relevant information into its work.”The review of the Australian men’s team, conducted by the former Test opener Rick McCosker, is set to be submitted shortly, with a concurrent drafting of a charter for player behaviour also near to completion, as indicated by the national team captain Tim Paine before his departure for the tour of the UAE to play Pakistan last week.”Cricket Australia has committed to sharing the findings from the concurrent reviews before the season begins,” a CA spokesman said. “There are still a number of steps to be taken before the process is complete. At such time, we will engage key stakeholders, among them the media. It would be inappropriate to comment on speculation or provide a running commentary while the process is ongoing.”