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Head coach pays price for poor season, as assistants take over for remainder of campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2024Northamptonshire have sacked head coach John Sadler, the day after their quarter-final defeat to Somerset in the T20 Blast effectively ended their season.Northants are winless in Division Two of the County Championship and finished eighth out of nine teams in their Metro Bank One-Day Cup group, winning two games out of eight. The Blast had been the one bright spark in an otherwise miserable season, but Thursday night’s defeat knocked them out of the competition.Sadler took over from David Ripley in September 2021 and oversaw a sixth-placed finish in Division One of the Championship in his first full season in charge. But results have tailed off, with only two Championship wins last year – culminating in relegation – and a winless 2024 campaign in the second tier.Adam Rossington and Josh Cobb both left the club during Sadler’s tenure after strained relationships with him, while Emilio Gay did not feature in the squad for Thursday’s quarter-final after agreeing a move to Durham at the end of the season. Tom Taylor also rejected a new contract with the club to join Worcestershire during Sadler’s time in charge.Northants confirmed on Friday that they have “parted company” with Sadler. “Throughout his tenure at Wantage Road, [he] has led the club with professionalism, dedication and a strong work ethic… and has been a much valued member of the Northamptonshire team,” a club statement said. “Everyone at the club wishes him well in his future career.”The club’s assistant coaches – Rory Kleinveldt, Greg Smith and Graeme White – will take charge for Northants’ three remaining Championship fixtures. “The process for recruitment of a replacement for the position is underway,” Northants added.

With Kings needing four off the last ball, the fast bowler conceded just one bye to take Zalmi to the top of the standings

Associated Press12-Mar-2024
Peshawar Zalmi successfully defended 147 to beat Karachi Kings by two runs in a nail-biter on Monday.On the last ball, Irfan Khan needed a four and fast bowler Aamer Jamal conceded only one bye.Zalmi moved to the top of the standings and will play the first qualifier in the playoffs on Thursday. Their opponent will be determined on Tuesday after the last round-robin game between other qualifiers Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators.Two-time champions Islamabad United are the other playoffs team and will take on the loser of Tuesday’s game in the Eliminator on Friday.
Kings, who were already eliminated from the playoffs race, finished fifth overall with four wins in 10 matches, while defending champions Lahore Qalandars had a dismal campaign with only one win and eight losses.Zalmi rode captain Babar Azam’s fifth half-century of the season, 51, and Rovman Powell’s brisk 30 off 18 balls to reach 147 for 6 on a tricky pitch, which offered plenty of turn. Even so, both batters were run out.Kings came agonisingly close in reaching 145 for 5. Tim Siefert (41) and James Vince (21) gave their team a resolute start of 61 by smashing 12 boundaries between them. Then the batters were strangled by Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq( 2-22) and Saim Ayub, (1-18), in the middle overs. Irfan Khan hit 39 not out and almost won it.Left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas, who picked up 1 for 11, bowled the most economical four-over spell of the league against Zalmi.

Craig Ervine will lead the side, and Sean Williams has returned after a break to add muscle to the line-up for the one-off Test

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2024Clive Madande, Brian Bennett and Johnathan Campbell, who are all part of the ongoing T20I series against India, are the new faces in Zimbabwe’s Test squad, which was named earlier today for the one-off fixture against Ireland later this month. Joylord Gumbie, who is yet to be capped in the format, is also in the squad of 15.Zimbabwe, who last played a Test match back in February 2023, in Bulawayo against West Indies, and are not a part of the ICC’s World Test Championship, will travel to Ireland for the first Test between the two countries, with the match slotted for July 25 to 29. The game will be played in Belfast.Leading them will be Craig Ervine, and making a comeback after missing that series against West Indies because of an injury is Sean Williams, who Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) said would “provide the team with the much-needed experience” along with Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani, Victor Nyauchi and Richard Ngarava. The last three are currently playing the T20I series against India, which Ervine has missed, with ZC saying Williams and he had not been considered for selection.Of the new faces, Bennett and Campbell have only played T20Is so far, while Madande has appeared in both ODIs and T20Is.Ervine, with 20 Test appearances over the years, and Williams, with 14, are the most experienced Test players in the travelling party, and while Zimbabwe don’t have a lot of pedigree in the format, their opponents have only played eight Tests since playing their first Test in May 2018. They lost their first seven Tests before getting their first win when they beat Afghanistan by six wickets in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.Ireland were expected to host Australia for three ODIs and three T20Is too, and while there is no word on whether those are still part of the plan or not, fund-related issues for Cricket Ireland have meant a cut in the number of home fixtures this summer.When Zimbabwe last played Test cricket, their squad had Gary Ballance, in what became his farewell appearance after he had switched from England to Zimbabwe. The players who were part of that two-Test series but aren’t in the mix now are Chamu Chibhabha, Innocent Kaia, Tanunurwa Makoni, Milton Shumba, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Brad Evans, Brandon Mavuta, Kudzai Maunze and Donald Tiripano.

Zimbabwe squad for one-off Test in Ireland

Craig Ervine (capt), Brian Bennett, Johnathan Campbell, Tendai Chatara, Tanaka Chivanga, Joylord Gumbie (wk), Roy Kaia, Clive Madande (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Prince Masvaure, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Sean Williams

He got there in 103 balls, breaking the record previously held jointly by Travis Head and N Jagadeesan in men’s List A cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2024Chad Bowes scored the fastest List A double-century on Wednesday for Canterbury against Otago in the Ford Trophy. Bowes brought up the milestone in 103 balls, before eventually falling for 205 off 110 deliveries.The record was previously held by Australia’s Travis Head and India’s N Jagadeesan, who both took 114 deliveries each to get to their respective double-centuries. Head achieved the feat for South Australia against Queensland in the 2021-22 Marsh Cup, while Tamil Nadu’s Jagadeesan did it during his record-breaking 277 against Arunachal Pradesh in the 2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy.Playing his 100th List A match, Bowes hit 27 fours and seven sixes as he helped Canterbury post 343 for 9 after they were put in to bat at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.”It might sink in over the next day or two, but obviously a great day here at Hagley and a good occasion to do something special,” Bowes said after his innings. “These things happen naturally, organically. You don’t plan for it or try to do it, so I’m glad it was my day. Probably not [hit he ball] consistently that well, so it was nice to get most of them out of the middle and hit it around the park. It started off really nicely so I just kept going and it was working so I didn’t try to rein it in too much and just kept the foot on the gas.”The 32-year-old got off to a quick start and continued to show his aggression despite losing his opening partner Henry Nicholls for a five-ball duck in the second over. He got to his half-century in 26 balls and brought up his century in 53 deliveries. He took another 50 deliveries to complete his double, before being trapped lbw in the 39th over by Matthew Bacon, who registered a five-for. This was Bowes’ best List A score, comfortably going past his previous high score of 126.Only two other batters in Canterbury’s top seven reached double-figures, with captain Cole McConchie’s 40-ball 27 the next highest score. However, No. 8 Zakary Foulkes gave them a late boost with a 46-ball 49 to take them close to 350.Canterbury bowled Otago out for 103 to complete a 240-run win.

“They have been doing that in the nets in the last seven to eight days to all our bowlers,” says Smriti Mandhana of Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja after record chase

Srinidhi Ramanujam14-Feb-2025It wasn’t a perfect opening night for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, so captain Smriti Mandhana was “really happy” to be on the winning side. Her team, the defending champions, conceded what was the fourth-highest total in the WPL, then went one better, chasing down 202 in exhilarating fashion. They chiefly had Richa Ghosh, Kanika Ahuja and Ellyse Perry to thank for this, and Mandhana heaped praise on her middle order for delivering after an early wobble.”It was brilliant to watch,” Mandhana, who was out for 9 in the second over of the chase, said after the game. “They [Ahuja and Ghosh] have been doing that in the nets in the last seven to eight days to all our bowlers. So, really happy that things clicked on. But yeah, I think after the first innings we knew with the dew coming, it was going to be tough to bowl. So we always thought that we were in the game.”The way Richa batted and Pez [Perry] batted was amazing to watch.”Related

• Blow by brutal blow, Ghosh slays Giants on WPL opening night

• Ghosh, Ahuja script stunning comeback as RCB complete WPL's biggest chase

• Stats – RCB kick off WPL 2025 with the tournament's highest-ever chase

RCB had been up against it after Ashleigh Gardner dented the visitors with the bat first, smashing a 37-ball 79, and then with the ball, removing Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge in the second over. But from thereon Giants had an awful time in the field with dropped catches, misfields, a missed run-out chance, overthrows and a flurry of full tosses. Perry, who was out in the 13th over, had done a repair job with 57 off 34, before Ghosh (64 not out off 27) and Ahuja (30 not out off 13) proceeded to snatch the game away.Ghosh took her time initially – she scored just 15 off her first 12 balls. A lot of match simulation before the tournament helped her deal with the high-pressure situation, she said later.”The plan was to take some time, and see how the pitch is reacting,” Ghosh said. “I wanted to take it deep, and I focused on my game. We [Ahuja and I] thought we could get to the total, and that we would play a positive game.”The preparation we did with sir [head coach Luke Williams] really helped us. We had a lot of match situation during practice matches. We kept targets that if the situation is so and so then what should we be doing. That helped me a lot.””Yes, the boundaries were uneven, but I didn’t have that in mind. I knew I could clear [the boundaries] so I was just reacting as the ball came.”Ahuja, who missed the last edition due to injury, was elated. In addition to her match-turning knock, she had returned 1 for 19 from three overs with her offspin.”It feels great. I’m really happy as I’m playing after a year,” Ahuja said. “All the visualisations and the rehab that I did seemed to have helped me mentally. I tried to become a better player.”I thought I’ll go for whatever is in my reach. We were looking at a [required] run rate of 10 or 12 runs an over, and that worked out. Thankfully, we won.”RCB had lost key players like Sophie Devine (unavailable), Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana and Sophie Molineux (all injured) ahead of the season, so they had to dig deep into their squad here. This resulted in three debutants: Prema Rawat, VJ Joshitha and Raghvi Bist. The inexperience in the bowling unit showed, and sloppiness in the field did not help. Mandhana backed her young players but said there remained “a lot of things to work on” if they are to defend their title.”I think we lost pretty much the top-three wicket-takers of last year,” Mandhana said. “And we had to start, but luckily we had good options. And whoever came in for the injured people, I think they were all brilliant replacements.”[But] I think definitely a lot of things to work on as a bowling unit and fielding unit. And we have two days off before the next match, so we’ll have good discussions around it.”

Club hope to give long-serving coach “send-off he deserves” after seven years in the role

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2025Hampshire hope to give Adi Birrell “the send-off he deserves” by winning the T20 Blast and Metro Bank Cup double after announcing he will leave the club at the end of the season. Birrell, 64, joined Hampshire ahead of the 2019 season but will complete his tenure later this month and return to his native South Africa to spend time with his family.After a convincing win at Durham in the quarter-finals, Hampshire head to Edgbaston on Saturday targeting a record fourth Blast title ahead of their semi-final against Northamptonshire. They will then face Worcestershire at Trent Bridge in the Metro Bank Cup final the following weekend, eyeing a first List A trophy since 2018.Hampshire have been competitive across formats under Birrell, winning the Blast in 2022 and finishing runners-up in the County Championship on three separate occasions. They have struggled in the Championship this year in the absence of James Vince, but have still thrived in both white-ball formats.Birrell also deputised as Southern Brave coach in the men’s Hundred this year, but is now unlikely to return to that role next summer. Hampshire are expected to lean on the global network developed by the GMR Group – their new Indian owners, who co-own Delhi Capitals – in recruiting his successor.”All good things come to an end, and we are sad to see Adi go,” Giles White, Hampshire’s long-serving director of cricket, said in a club statement. “It’s been a fantastic seven years at the club, during which he has become a hugely popular figure and overseen a successful period across all formats.”Under his leadership, the team has reached numerous finals, come close in Championships, and lifted the Blast title in 2022. His contribution has left a lasting mark, and he will be deeply missed by players, coaches, and fans alike at the Utilita Bowl.”We hope to give him the send-off he deserves, with two pieces of silverware still up for grabs in the next two weeks and important days ahead in the Championship. Everyone at Hampshire Cricket and the Utilita Bowl wishes Adi the very best as he looks forward to spending more time at home on the farm.”

Dream debut cameo with bat and ball for 17-year-old Jaydn Denly, nephew of Joe

ECB Reporters Network11-Aug-2023Jack Leaning led from the front as Kent Spitfires beat Surrey by 87 runs in a Metro Bank One-Day Cup contest at the Kia Oval that also featured a dream debut cameo, with both bat and ball, from 17-year-old Jaydn Denly.Skipper Leaning top-scored with 87 from 94 balls in Kent’s 50-over total of 330 for 6 and then bowled ten overs from the Pavilion End for just 37 runs with his off-spin to set the tone for a Surrey struggle to 243 all out in reply, with leg spinner Matt Parkinson also impressing as he took 4 for 43.Alex Blake, hitting 62 from only 50 balls, and Daniel Bell-Drummond, who scored 65, were other Spitfires’ batting stars in what was their third-highest List A total against Surrey.Only Ryan Patel, with 68, and Jordan Clark – seventh out for 55 off 48 balls – threatened to break Kent’s hold on the game as they worked their way through the Surrey batting line-up.Denly – the nephew of Joe Denly, who missed this game through injury – marked his debut by taking a wicket with his third ball. Brought on to bowl his left-arm spin when Surrey were 176 for 4 after 35 overs, he bowled Cameron Steel for 25 through an attempted paddle-sweep and then almost bowled Ben Geddes with a superb delivery as he went on to record a wicket maiden.Geddes did swing him for six before being bowled by Parkinson for 17 and Clark hit Australian fast bowler James Bazley for two big sixes and departed disgruntled after mis-hitting a waist-high full toss from Hamidullah Qadri to long on.Blake later took a brilliant diving catch on the long off boundary to dismiss Conor McKerr off Parkinson, who then hastened Surrey’s demise by bowling Dan Moriarty, and the match ended when Yousef Majid was bowled by Qadri, who finished with 3 for 50.Surrey’s chase began badly, with Dom Sibley edging a Grant Stewart outswinger behind to go for 5 and although Patel and Rory Burns added 98 for the second wicket – with Patel twice muscling Qadri’s off spin for legside sixes – the pair never really got on top of Kent’s bowling, with Qadri finally bowling Burns for 43 as the left-hander tried to cut a ball that was too full for the shot.Ben Foakes made only 7 before falling to Parkinson, leg-before sweeping, and Patel then fell in Nathan Gilchrist’s first over, skying to point after facing 67 balls.Kent’s excellent total was built around stands of 113 and 88 for the second and third wickets, off 19 and 13 overs respectively, and following a solid opening partnership of 48 between Bell-Drummond and Ben Compton, who made 27 before clipping Moriarty’s left-arm spin to wide mid on.Bell-Drummond’s fluent 78-ball effort included six fours and it was something of a surprise when he went back to Steel’s leg spin and was bowled by a ball that turned appreciably to hit the top of off stump.Leaning had by then driven Steel high over extra cover for six but it was the arrival of Blake at No. 4 which brought Kent’s real acceleration towards 300 and beyond.Blake warmed up by smearing and pulling successive Steel deliveries for four and when Dunn replaced him the powerful left-hander crunched the seamer brutally back over his head for a huge straight six.Two balls later Blake launched Dunn for another six over long on and then cut the last ball of the over for four to race to 44 and Kent’s total to 229 for 2 with ten overs remaining.Young slow left armer Majid’s reintroduction to the attack was greeted by a Blake reverse hit for four and a more orthodox lofted drive over extra cover to complete a 37-ball fifty. There was one more outrageous reverse scoop for four off Clark before Blake’s fine innings was ended by a clever boundary-edge catch by Patel, who threw the ball up as he stepped over the rope and completed the catch after he had jumped back on to the field of play.By then Leaning had also gone, skying an attempted pull at Clark to keeper Foakes, but a late flurry was provided by Stewart, with a clubbed straight six off Clark in a 13-ball 26, and by Harry Finch’s inventive 34 off 17 balls.A dramatic final over brought 20 runs as Finch ramped paceman McKerr for four, slashed him over point for six, drove him to extra cover for another four, and was leg-before to the penultimate ball trying to reverse-paddle. That meant one ball for Denly to face on his senior Kent debut and the teenager, a left-hander, cut away for four a low full toss with a real flourish.

It isn’t clear at this stage if he will be able to keep wickets, but if fit, Pant is likely to be the team’s captain again

Nagraj Gollapudi11-Dec-2023Rishabh Pant is set to return to action for Delhi Capitals, that too as captain, in IPL 2024. ESPNcricinfo understands that the franchise expects Pant, who missed the 2023 season after suffering serious injuries in a car crash in December 2022, to be fully fit by the end of February.Related

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• Pant 'really excited' to be part of Delhi Capitals' auction team

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• Gilchrist 'fascinated' by Pant's positive impact

It could not be confirmed, however, if Pant will return as a wicketkeeper-batter, his usual role, or as a specialist batter. But the franchise is understood to be happy to have Pant as captain and batter.The first hint of Pant possibly making an IPL return came in November, when he attended a Capitals camp in Kolkata, which was also attended by senior franchise support staff including Sourav Ganguly (director of cricket), Ricky Ponting (head coach), and Pravin Amre (assistant coach). Subsequently, Pant took part in the discussions around the retention and release of players ahead of the next auction, scheduled for December 19 in Dubai, as well as the drafting of an initial auction plan.