All posts by n8rngtd.top

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.

Marcus Harris and Michael Neser also drop off while Matt Short and Aaron Hardie are included

Alex Malcolm27-Mar-2024 • Updated on 28-Mar-20241:40

Paine: Perth a good place to start, but India have pace depth

Marcus Stoinis and Ashton Agar have lost their Cricket Australia central contracts for 2024-25 despite both being firmly in the mix to play in the upcoming T20 World Cup while fast bowler Xavier Bartlett has been rewarded with a deal for the first time having vaulted into international cricket late this summer.Aaron Hardie, Matthew Short and Nathan Ellis have all been added to the 23-player list. Jhye Richardson retains his spot despite not playing international cricket since 2022 and appearing in just two Marsh Cup games, one Sheffield Shield match and eight BBL matches in the recent domestic summer due to a spate of injuries.Related

• Stoinis 'absolutely fine' with not getting a CA contract, still keen to play for Australia

• 'It gives me flexibility' – Agar opts for freelance life while still committing to Australia

• Agar, Stoinis, Behrendorff and Tye go freelance without WA contracts

• Under-19 World Cup trio Konstas, Hicks and Anderson earn NSW contracts

• Cricket Australia cut Lyon's Lancashire stint short

Michael Neser and Marcus Harris have both dropped off the list after not playing any Test cricket in the last contract period while Matt Renshaw also misses out on a deal despite being the spare batter selected in Australia’s squad for the last four Test matches.The omission of Stoinis and Agar is noteworthy given they could both be involved in Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign. Tim David is another who is locked in for the World Cup but is not on the contract list. However, the T20 World Cup will be in June and falls under the previous contracting period.Xavier Bartlett is handed his T20 cap by Marcus Stoinis•Getty Images

The new contracts for 2024-25 do not come into effect until July 1. Australia do not play much T20 cricket in the 2024-25 contract year with only six matches scheduled. Australia’s focus is on the seven Tests scheduled against India at home (five) and Sri Lanka away (two), in the hopes of qualifying for the 2025 World Test Championship final, and the ODI Champions Trophy in Pakistan in February.Chair of selectors George Bailey said the list was put together with an eye to the future.”Matt, Aaron and Xavier have been extremely impressive in the early stages of their international careers,” he said. “Their performances and the way they have embraced the international stage has been exciting to watch.”The panel believes they have strong futures and are deserved of their contracts as they work towards striving to become regulars in the Australian setup.”

Contract list changes

In: Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matt Short, Aaron Hardie
Out: Michael Neser, Marcus Harris, David Warner, Ashton Agar, Marcus Stoinis
Extensions not retained:Matthew Wade, Tim David, Tanveer Sangha, Jason Behrendorff, Spencer Johnson

Players not contracted for 2024-25 still have the opportunity to qualify for upgrades. Eight players, including Hardie, Ellis, David, Short, Matthew Wade, Tanveer Sangha, Jason Behrendorff and Spencer Johnson all qualified for upgrades last year by accruing enough points through selection. Players need 12 points for an upgrade. Five points are awarded for a Test match, two for an ODI and two for a T20I.David Warner has also come off the contract list after announcing his retirement from international cricket following the T20I World Cup in June.Australia men’s contracts 2024-25 Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

Fast bowler to miss tours to Pakistan, New Zealand after problem picked up on routine scan

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2024Mark Wood, England’s fastest bowler, will miss the forthcoming Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand, after being ruled out for the rest of the year due to a bone-stress injury to his right elbow.Wood was withdrawn from the ongoing Sri Lanka series as a precaution, after suffering a right thigh strain while bowling during the first Test at Old Trafford. However, he subsequently underwent what he had hoped was a routine elbow scan, after feeling discomfort in the joint, and admitted in an Instagram post that he had received some “pretty rubbish news”.”During what I thought was routine check on a previously troublesome elbow, I was shocked to learn I’ve got some bone stress in my right elbow,” Wood wrote.As a result, he will miss England’s final six Tests of the year, three each against Pakistan in October and New Zealand in December.He will continue to work closely with the ECB medical team in the meantime, with the aim of returning to full fitness by early 2025, in time for England’s white-ball tour of India and the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, which is scheduled to begin in February 2025.Wood’s surprise at his diagnosis comes in the wake of some of the fastest bowling of his international career. During the Trent Bridge Test against West Indies in July, he hit a top speed of 97.1mph in an electrifying performance that culminated in a broken forearm for Kevin Sinclair, and had his captain, Ben Stokes, predicting he would break the 100mph before his career is done.Though he went relatively under-rewarded in that performance, he closed out the series with 5 for 40 at Edgbaston, his first five-wicket haul in a home Test. However, he bowled just 18.2 overs across two innings against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, before he was withdrawn from the action.”After the minor groin injury at Emirates Old Trafford, me and the medical team felt it was a good time to get my elbow looked at as it was a bit irritated,” Wood added in his Instagram post. “I’d put that down to the normal niggles every fast bowler gets and which I was playing through.”I’m especially surprised because I’ve been playing Test cricket and kept my speeds up.”I work incredibly hard on my fitness, putting in extra work with coaches and physios making this even more disappointing. However, I guess this is, ‘part of being a fast bowler’, like Stokesy says.”I will miss the rest of the year needing time to rest and build up, fully expecting to be back and firing in early 2025. I have been down this path before and will put in all the hard yards behind the scenes. I am very proud to represent my country and there is no better feeling. See you for some rockets in 2025!”In Wood’s absence, Olly Stone was recalled for last week’s Lord’s Test, his first Test since undergoing back surgery three years ago, with Josh Hull, the 20-year-old left-arm seamer, making his debut in the ongoing third Test at The Oval.

The ODI World Cup champions have been forced into a host of changes to their squad with all their first-choice quicks now missing

Andrew McGlashan12-Feb-20252:01

Finch: Big three absence a chance for Ellis to lead attack

Mitchell Starc has withdrawn from the Champions Trophy for personal reasons with Australia confirming a different looking 15-player squad that will be captained by Steven Smith.Australia had already been forced into a number of changes to their provisional squad due to the injuries to Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh alongside the retirement of Marcus Stoinis. Starc’s absence means they are without their entire World Cup winning frontline pace attack for the tournament in Pakistan and the UAE which starts on February 19.Related

• Asalanka's stunning hundred, Theekshana's four wickets turn tables on Australia

• Stoinis makes shock decision to retire from ODIs, out of Champions Trophy

• Cummins and Hazlewood ruled out of Champions Trophy

• Bumrah ruled out of Champions Trophy; Varun a late inclusion in India squad

Starc, who has asked for privacy around his decision, had looked in some discomfort in the latter stages of the second Test in Galle.”We understand and respect Mitch’s decision,” chair of selectors George Bailey said. “Mitch is deeply respected for his commitment to international cricket and the priority he places on performing for Australia.”His well documented ability to play through pain and adversity, as well as forgoing opportunities in other parts of his career to put his country first should be applauded. His loss is of course a blow for the Champions Trophy campaign but does provide an opportunity to someone else to make a mark on the tournament.”Smith will take on the captaincy in place of Cummins and Marsh having led Australia to a 2-0 victory the Test series against Sri Lanka.Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Spencer Johnson and Tanveer Sangha have been brought in from outside the original 15-player group that was announced. Cooper Connolly will be a traveling reserve.Fraser-McGurk, who averages 17.40 from five ODIs but finished the BBL with 95 off 46 balls for Melbourne Renegades, provides another top-order option in the absence of Marsh while left-arm quick Johnson is as close as possible to a like-for-like of Starc although is wicketless from two ODIs. Legspinner Sangha, who was already in Sri Lanka with the Test squad as a development player, joins Adam Zampa as a second frontline spinner.”The squad has changed significantly over the past month on the back of some untimely injuries and the retirement of Marcus Stoinis,” Bailey said. “The upside of that is that we have been able to call on players who have had international exposure and success over the past 12 months.”A strong core of some our most experienced players will provide a strong foundation in our attempt to win this edition of the Champions Trophy. We have a range of options to shape the playing XI within the tournament depending on the opposition and conditions we face.”Australia will prepare for the Champions Trophy with two ODIs against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Wednesday and Friday. Their first match of the tournament is against England on February 22 followed by South Africa (February 25) and Afghanistan (February 28).

Australia Champions Trophy squad

Steve Smith (capt), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa

Visitors need to re-write history after fifties to Clarke, James and Hameed set lofty target

ECB Reporters Network06-Sep-2022Leicestershire 93 and 20 for 0 (Evans 10*, Azad 4*) need 479 runs to beat Nottinghamshire 201 and 390 for 7 dec (Clarke 67, James 61, Hameed 60)Division Two leaders Nottinghamshire put their foot firmly on Leicestershire’s throat on day two of their rapidly evolving LV= Insurance County Championship match at Trent Bridge, setting their winless opponents a fourth-innings target way beyond anything achieved in the county’s history.After Monday saw 20 wickets fall on a first-day pitch conducive to swing and seam movement, with the home side bowled out for 201 but Leicestershire succumbing for a paltry 93 in reply, Nottinghamshire made good use of much more docile conditions before declaring their second innings on 390 for 7.It left Callum Parkinson’s team needing 499 runs to win – 105 runs more than the 394 the post-war Leicestershire team scored to beat Derbyshire at Grace Road in 1947, which remains the county’s highest fourth-innings total to win a Championship match.After the declaration, openers Sam Evans and Hassan Azad negotiated 13 overs at the close without mishap – although Azad was dropped at third slip off Dane Paterson on one – but two more days is too long for Leicestershire to survive, realistically, against a Nottinghamshire side intent on completing a seventh win of the season and stretching their lead over Middlesex, currently in second place, to 50 points.Earlier, there were half-centuries for Nottinghamshire’s Joe Clarke, Haseeb Hameed and Lyndon James. Michael Finan, the left-arm seamer, dismissed Hameed and Matt Montgomery to claim two more debut wickets, but such good balls as he did deliver had to be set against his 10 no-balls, giving him a match total of 17.In the morning, under cloud cover so heavy and threatening that bad light caused an interruption after only 39 minutes, Leicestershire had hoped wickets might tumble as they had on day one as Nottinghamshire resumed on 15 without loss. Yet they were disappointed.Instead, the home side progressed to 112 for 1 at lunch, with Ben Slater the solitary casualty. The pitch was offering less help to the bowler after the heavy roller was deployed, but Leicestershire served up too many loose deliveries.Slater – dropped on nine off Finan as third slip Rishi Patel spilled his fourth catch of the match – fell on 39, giving a rather tame return catch to Ed Barnes. Hameed completed an 80-ball half-century just before the interval.The Leicestershire vice-captain, enjoying his most productive summer since his breakthrough season with Lancashire in 2016, looked in complete control, so it came as a surprise when he was dismissed half an hour or so after lunch for 60, seeming to change his mind about whatever shot he intended to play to a short ball from Finan, yet still getting a touch, which Harry Swindells eagerly grabbed behind the stumps.If a second breakthrough was some kind of encouragement for Leicestershire, the next 75 minutes or so were not, thanks largely to Clarke, who looked as comfortable at the crease as he has all season, punishing every error as he rushed to a 45-ball half-century with nine fours.Combined with Montgomery’s 32 and another batch of no-balls from Finan, Clarke’s runs were enough to put the contest effectively out of reach of Leicestershire, the third wicket partnership adding 101 in 112 balls before Montgomery miscued a short ball from the errant Finan, the one bright spot in an awful over that cost 17 runs.Clarke, still without a first-class hundred this season, fell soon afterwards as Parkinson found his outside edge, but by then the Nottinghamshire lead was 353.James and Steven Mullaney extended it to 403 in less than 10 overs before the latter, making room for himself, was caught at slip off Louis Kimber. James went past fifty for the seventh time this season before he was caught behind off a rank legside delivery by Roman Walker and after Tom Moores was caught at deep backward point, terminating a six-over thrash with Liam Patterson-White, Mullaney signalled the declaration.

“Every half an hour or so you kind of remember that you just won a World Cup and get excited all over again”

Tristan Lavalette22-Nov-2023Captain Pat Cummins hailed Australia’s World Cup title as a legacy-defining triumph after a gruelling period overseas.Australia have been mostly away from home since February this year, and have had fiercely fought Test series in India and England. They beat India at The Oval to win their first World Test Championship before retaining the Ashes in a tempestuous series.With a core of their Test players at the 2023 ODI World Cup, Australia were in danger of running out of gas and they struggled initially with defeats to India and South Africa. But they steadily improved and got on a roll leading to an unforgettable six-wicket victory over favourites India in the final.Related

• Head hunts down victory as India fall prey once again

• Australia's irrepressible trio of quicks cement their legacy

• Cummins, and the 'satisfying' sound of silence

• Cummins: An Aussie World Cup winning captain like no other

Some of Australia’s title-winning players returned home on Wednesday with their elation masking the weariness of an arduous campaign.”Every half an hour or so you kind of remember that you just won a World Cup and get excited all over again. We’re still buzzing,” a bespectacled Cummins said at the Sydney Airport. “It’s been a big year. To top it off with this, it’s been amazing. I think they have created their own legacy. A World Cup, you only get one chance every four years and especially playing somewhere like India, it’s hard.”Adding to that an away Ashes series, a World Test Championship. We couldn’t have planned for much better. So a pretty satisfied group.”Some players, like Cummins, will have a breather before Australia’s Test summer begins in Perth against Pakistan on December 14. But for five players part of Sunday’s final, they have the tough task of fronting up for Australia’s five-match T20I series against India starting on Thursday.Travis Head, player of the final after his belligerent century, is among Australia’s squad, but there are doubts over his availability for the opener after putting in long shifts leading into this five-match series.”Heady was definitely in the votes,” grinned allrounder Mitchell Marsh, who spoke in Melbourne. “I’m not sure he’ll be playing that game. I’m no selector or coach but if he plays that game it will be a miracle.”Mitchell Marsh is all smiles as he fronts up to the media on his return back to Australia•Getty Images

Marsh, who captained Australia’s T20 team in South Africa ahead of the World Cup, is not faced with the difficulty of trying to get up for the series. Instead, he plans to have a rest ahead of the Test summer even though he appears to be in a battle with Western Australia team-mate Cameron Green for the allrounder position.”Tools down for a little while. Get home, see the family, relax, and get ready for the summer,” Marsh said. “Playing Pakistan who have played some great cricket this year…it’s always an exciting summer.”After a spectacular century in the third Ashes Test, Marsh supplanted Green who missed the match due to a hamstring niggle. Green was supposed to figure prominently in Australia’s World Cup campaign, but played just three matches with the last being against England on November 4.After making 47 in that match, Green said he wanted to play in WA’s Sheffield Shield match against Queensland in Brisbane starting on November 28 and also the subsequent Prime Minister’s XI four-day match against Pakistan in Canberra.Test wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey, who was dropped at the World Cup for Josh Inglis after the opening loss to India, said he would play for South Australia in their Shield match against Victoria next week.”Looking forward to getting back out there,” he said. “I don’t feel like Test and ODI cricket overlap, but we’ll wait and see when the Test selection comes out.”

Bairstow’s unbeaten 99 extends England’s lead before Wood’s pace is again the x-factor

Andrew McGlashan21-Jul-2023Another brilliant, high-octane spell from Mark Wood cracked open Australia’s second innings after Jonny Bairstow’s blitz continued England’s batting rampage at Old Trafford as they did all they could to buy themselves enough time to beat a poor weekend weather forecast and level the Ashes series.After Bairstow’s unbeaten 99, with 50 coming from his last 31 balls, had extended England’s lead to 275, Wood’s pace was again the x-factor in their attack. He had removed Usman Khawaja in his first over before returning deep in the final session to bounce out Steven Smith (claiming him for the second time in the game) for his 100th Test wicket and Travis Head to leave Australia tottering on 108 or 4.Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh survived through to the close, but it had been a chastening two days for Australia who will need all the help they can get to retain the Ashes here and avoid a decider at The Oval next week, for which they surely wouldn’t be favourites.Bairstow had been stranded one short of a rollicking century when James Anderson was trapped lbw by Cameron Green to end a barnstorming last-wicket stand of 66 which left Australia ragged and rattled. The ‘big three’ quicks – Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins – returned a combined economy rate of 5.22 and for just the second time in Tests together all conceded over 100.In theory, England had two-and-a-half days to make it count after scoring at an eye-watering 5.49 through their 107.4 overs. In reality, though, they looked sure to have far less time than that to secure the win they need to take the series down to the wire and remain on course to be only the second team to come back from 2-0 down to win. The forecast for Saturday remained exceedingly bleak while Sunday was not good – they will hope that, not for the first time, it proves wrong.England batted longer than many thought likely – they were 189 ahead at lunch and 209 when the ninth wicket fell – but clearly valued as big a lead as possible and with Bairstow carting the ball around the overs were being used effectively. Bowling time, though, will likely be at a premium but the four wickets they have taken means they may not need a huge window in the weather.They got through Australia’s opening pair either side of tea. Khawaja and David Warner had progressed reasonably comfortably against the new ball before Wood, in his first over, grazed Khawaja’s outside edge. Khawaja went for the DRS after talking to Warner and the spike was confirmed.Related

• England rue bad-light call as Ashes hopes slip away on dank day four

• Bairstow bombs Australia before Wood leaves England in the pink

• Free-flowing England post highest home Ashes total since 1985

• Northern mayors petition ECB to rethink 2027 Ashes allocation

Warner fell for another middling score when Chris Woakes claimed him for the second time in the game. After fizzing a delivery past the outside edge, he then had Warner in two minds and he deflected down into his stumps.Smith came close to falling second ball when he edged Woakes low to Joe Root at first slip. Root did not celebrate the catch at all, but indicated to the umpires he thought it was out and it was sent to the TV official, Kumar Dharmasena. After much rocking and rolling Dharmasena determined that Root had not got his fingers under the ball in what was another borderline decision in a summer where there have been numerous examples.Smith and Labuschagne worked hard to navigate their way through the final session on a surface showing signs of some variable bounce, which had been on display for Root’s wicket the previous day.But, once again, Wood made the difference as he got Smith into difficulties with a short ball that he attempted to pull and could only get a glove through to Bairstow. Unsurprisingly, England went at Head with the bouncer straight away and it only took seven deliveries to pay dividends when he fended a glove into the gully, unable to get out of the line.England had resumed on 384 for 4 after their Zak Crawley-inspired rampage the day before. They did not quite find top gear during the morning session, although these things are all relative and 122 runs still came from 24 overs. Australia delayed taking the second new ball and the softer, older version made strokeplay tougher work.Stokes had signalled his intent early by charging down and hoicking Starc over midwicket, but he and Harry Brook didn’t completely throw caution to wind. Stokes went to his half-century from 72 balls before playing around a delivery from Cummins to give the forlorn Australia captain his first wicket of the innings.Brook’s fifty came from 80 deliveries before he fell shortly after Australia opted for the new ball after 90 overs, the first time they had taken it in the series, when he top-edged Josh Hazlewood to long leg. Starc judged the catch expertly near the rope and as he ran in to his team-mates, mimicked scraping it along the ground in reference to his denied catch at Lord’s.Hazlewood added Woakes (England’s first duck of the series) and Wood before lunch, then claimed what will likely sit among his least-decorated five-wicket hauls when Stuart Broad skied a return catch.Jonny Bairstow launches another six over deep square leg•Getty Images

Stokes could have considered calling an end to the innings, but to roars from his home crowd Anderson came to the middle for what might have been his final Test innings on the ground. He played his part by fending off numerous short deliveries, but also managed one crunching pull against Cummins. There were chaotic scenes, too, during the partnership as he and Bairstow three times stole byes to Alex Carey, whose underarming at the stumps was less accurate than it at been at Lord’s.Bairstow went to his fifty with a trademark whip-pull for six off the hip against Starc – and that was just the start. He had now flicked to one-day mode (if that’s even a thing with England’s Test batting) and one of his sixes over the leg side endangered the windows of the new hotel complex. Even Stokes was seen mouthing ‘wow, that’s huge’ from the dressing room.Having got to 98 with a ferocious swat through the covers, a stolen bye at the start of the next over got him back on strike. Two balls later he drove firmly towards long-off and Anderson was ready to sprint back for the second, but Bairstow told him to stay put. Next delivery, Anderson went too far across against Green.It heralded the start of the third innings that will decide this match. England could not have done any more to set up their position; now all they can do is hope they get enough time to make it count. Australia, meanwhile, will be praying for two days of rain. It’s been a remarkable turnaround.

Also says he is not a fan of pre-seeding teams, which could potentially now force three table-toppers in one Super Eight group

Matt Roller16-Jun-20243:00

Starc on Hazlewood’s comment: ‘A throwaway line blown out of proportion’

Mitchell Starc accused the media of blowing “a throwaway line” from Josh Hazlewood “right out of proportion” after Australia’s win over Scotland ensured rivals England progress to the Super Eight of the T20 World Cup 2024.Hazlewood suggested earlier this week that it would be in Australia’s “best interests” to eliminate England at the group stage, speculating about a scenario where they could “drag out” their game against Scotland. The Australian camp has since played the comments down, insisting Hazlewood joking comment was taken out of context.Related

• Head: Anything possible in the last seven or eight overs

• Cummins: Australia would never have manipulated England's exit

• Australia expecting significant spin threat in Super Eight

• Stoinis breaks Scotland hearts, England through to Super Eight

With their Super Eight seeding predetermined and no points carried forward, Australia had nothing to play for in St Lucia except gaining playing time. But England hammered Oman on Thursday to overtake Scotland’s net run rate and then beat Namibia convincingly in a rain-shortened game on Saturday afternoon, which meant that Scotland needed to win to qualify.Australia rested Pat Cummins and Hazlewood and were a long way short of their best in the field, dropping six catches as Scotland set them a target of 181. They started slowly in the chase, showing limited intent, and at one stage needed 87 off 39 balls with England watching on nervously from Antigua.But Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis and Tim David took them home with two balls to spare and put to bed any questions about their approach to bed. Mitchell Marsh, their captain, laughed at the post-match presentation when he was asked how much England’s fate had been discussed: “I think more externally than internally, but we won today and that’s all that matters.”

Starc ‘not a fan’ of pre-seeding

The situation exposed the shortcoming of the tournament’s structure, with teams’ Super Eight opponents predetermined by seedings rather than their first-round finishing positions. Australia will progress as ‘B2’ despite winning all four group games.Depending on the result of Afghanistan’s game against West Indies on Monday night, three group winners could be drawn in the same Super Eight pool as a result.There is also information asymmetry in every group, with some teams advantaged by playing last and therefore knowing exactly what they need to qualify. “I think there’s a question to be asked about pre-seeding. I’m not sure I’m a fan of that.” Starc said, when asked if the ICC should schedule the final round of games within each group simultaneously to avoid potential integrity issues.But he also insisted that the comments Hazlewood made, directly responding to questions about possible scenarios, had nothing to them. “I think a throwaway line has been blown right out of proportion by you lot,” he said, referring to the media attending his post-match press conference.”You don’t stuff around with mother cricket and trying to worry about other results. We’re here to win games. It’s international cricket. England now are on the other side of the draw, so it really doesn’t make that much difference for the next three games. So yeah, I think that was blown right out of proportion by you guys.”Brandon McMullen, who top-scored for Scotland with 60 off 34 balls, said they had never questioned Australia’s intentions. “They’re always going to put up a good fight,” he said. “They’re never just going to roll over and let you win. I’m glad that it was a close game today. We showed that we can compete at this high level against the best players in the world.”Ashton Agar celebrates dismissing Michael Jones•AFP/Getty Images

Starc described Australia’s catching as “terrible” but played down the fact they had nothing riding on the result. “[It was about] trying different options for us, but still trying to be very competitive with ball and with bat,” he said. “We certainly dropped the mark in the field… It didn’t feel different. It’s still a World Cup game, you’re still playing for Australia and you still try to take wickets and win games.”Australia expect spin to play a major role in the latter stages of this tournament and bowled 12 overs of spin in total, including four from Ashton Agar in his first appearance of the World Cup. “We were in a position where we had plenty of options on the table,” Starc said. “We had a chance to rest the two big boys [Hazlewood and Pat Cummins] and get some gametime into Ash.”We have another game here [against India] in the Super Eight, so [it was about] getting accustomed to or having a look at conditions here as well… having some batting time into our middle order and some of our spinners obviously getting some time in different situations in the bowling innings, it was a good hit out. That was all we wanted and then we push onto the Super Eights.”Starc also played down concerns about his calf, having been rested for Australia’s win over Oman. “I had a scan, it was all clear, and I had the extra few days with the Namibia game and [came] back in today. It was all good to go. It was better off doing it in the first half of the tournament than when it gets busy in the second half.”

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.”

The opener scored his 10th List A century in just his 38th game

AAP16-Feb-2023Birthday boy Daniel Hughes has continued his golden week and special one-day campaign as NSW demolished Tasmania’s Cup final hopes with a 102-run win at North Sydney Oval.Opener Hughes, who turned 34 on Thursday, celebrated by scoring 126 off 130 balls to help NSW to a score of 291 all out after winning the toss.Tasmania, who would have risen from fourth to second with a win, were dismissed for 189.NSW rose from sixth to fourth with the bonus point win, but the final-round match on Sunday week between South Australia (third) and Victoria (second) should determine who meet Western Australia in the final in Perth on March 8.Coming off scores of 178 and 63 not out in the Sheffield Shield match between the two teams at the SCG earlier in the week, Hughes struck 15 fours and three sixes.He was the mainstay of the NSW innings with no other player scoring more than 36 as NSW were dismissed in the final over.Hughes notched his 10th domestic-one day century and boosted his competition-leading season run tally to 526 from six innings at an average of 87. He now has the second highest average in Australia’s domestic one-day cricket behind Michael Bevan.He was part of partnerships of 66 with Oliver Davies (36 off 41), 75 with Daniel Sams (33 off 45) and 65 with Ben Dwarshuis (34 off 25). The last two stands helped NSW recover from 5 for 140 and 7 for 216.It was also a fruitful day for the competition’s leading wicket-taker, with Tom Rogers (4-62 off 10 overs) moving eight clear of his closest rivals and swelling his season swag to 19.Tasmania suffered a big blow off the second ball of their chase with Australia white ball representative Ben McDermott caught behind down the legside for a duck off Sean Abbott.Left handers Caleb Jewell and Jake Doran put on 44 in fluent fashion but the Tasmanian innings subsided after that pair were dismissed.The innings slowed to a crawl with almost 15 overs between boundaries and only 60 runs off 20, with spinners Chris Green and Adam Zampa holding sway.Green also contributed with two good catches and a direct hit run out of Beau Webster from point, ending a 42-run with Mac Wright, who was trapped lbw later in the over by Abbott.