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Both men’s and women’s internationals in Australia plus the BBL, WBBL and some domestic cricket will continue to be broadcast on Sky Sport in New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2019New Zealand broadcaster Sky Sport has extended its deal with Cricket Australia to exclusively broadcast all Australian cricket for a further six years until the end of 2024-25.Sky Sport has been CA’s broadcaster in New Zealand for over two decades and the deal comes ahead of a summer where the New Zealand side will play three Tests and three ODIs on Australian shores.New Zealand are set to play their first Boxing Day Test in Australia at the MCG since the famous 1987 draw, before playing the traditional New Year’s Test in Sydney.They will begin their Test tour with a day-night Test in Perth, which intriguingly due to the five-hour time difference, will not finish until the early hours of the morning in New Zealand. The three ODIs will be played in March 2020.In addition to men’s international matches, Sky Sport will also broadcast women’s international matches, the Big Bash League and Women’s Big Bash League matches, some men’s domestic one-day matches, Prime Ministers XI matches, Governor-General’s XI matches and the Sheffield Shield final.Director of Sky Sport Tex Teixeira said he was delighted to continue the long-term partnership with CA.”We are excited to be extending our longstanding relationship with Cricket Australia,” Teixeira said.”With this deal we now have six incredible Australian summers of cricket to look forward to, including the Boxing Day Test which was last played between our two great cricket nations in 1987.”

Ed Smith’s first squad as national selector includes a couple of big calls

George Dobell15-May-20183:44

Buttler selection not a snub to county cricket – Smith

Jos Buttler has earned a surprise recall to England’s Test team at the expense of James Vince, while the Somerset spinner, Dominic Bess, was the beneficiary of his team-mate Jack Leach’s misfortune, as the new national selector, Ed Smith, unveiled his squad for next week’s first Test against Pakistan.Buttler, who has not played red-ball cricket for England since the tour of India in November and December 2016, has found a rich vein of form for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL this month, with a tournament-record five consecutive half-centuries, including unbeaten scores of 95 and 94 in his last two innings.”Jos Buttler is an outstanding talent, who is already a central part of England’s white-ball teams,” Smith said. “The selection panel feels that this is the perfect moment to reintroduce Jos to Test cricket, where he has already enjoyed some success, including a stint playing as a specialist batsman at number seven. Jos is playing with great confidence and flair, and he will bring unique qualities to the Test team.”

England squad for first Test v Pakistan

Joe Root (capt), Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

He will return to the middle order, with Jonny Bairstow retaining the wicketkeeper’s role and moving up the order, meaning Vince is fall guy after a winter of false dawns, in spite of a timely Championship double-century for Hampshire against Somerset on Monday. Joe Root will bat at No.3 with Dawid Malan at No. 4.Vince, who was recalled to the Test squad for the Ashes, in spite of a mediocre start to his career against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2016, made an attractive 83 in his first Test innings of the winter, at Brisbane in November, and signed off with 76 against New Zealand at Christchurch last month. However, in between whiles, he made just one more score of fifty in nine innings, with a propensity to get himself out when well set costing him dear.Buttler has outperformed the rest of his IPL side in May•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bess, meanwhile, has leapfrogged to the front of England’s spinning options, in the wake of a cruel injury for Leach in the nets at Taunton next week. A fractured left thumb means he will be out of action for both Pakistan Tests, and so will be unable to back up the promise he showed on Test debut in Christchurch last month. Moeen Ali was dropped for the final Test in New Zealand and has played no red-ball cricket since due to his spell at the IPL.”Dom Bess has made an excellent start to his first-class career,” Smith said. “He has impressed everyone with his performances for Somerset and when he has been given opportunities with England representative teams. With Jack Leach missing out due to injury, the selection panel wanted to invest opportunity in a young spin bowler. Dom’s strong form, character and all-round abilities presented a compelling case for selection.Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, who was recalled in Christchurch, will compete for the final fast-bowling spot while Mark Stoneman has retained his place at the top of the order despite a lean start to the season. He had faced pressure from an in-form Nick Gubbins.Meanwhile, Malan and Tom Curran have been awarded incremental contracts based on their performances in the 2017-18 period. Malan was one of the few successes in the Ashes while Curran became a regular part of the one-day side.

The Supreme Court is likely to appoint a committee of administrators to run the BCCI on Tuesday and amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium wants them to be empowered

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Jan-2017The Supreme Court is likely to finalise a committee of administrators to run the BCCI on Tuesday, and amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium has asked for this committee to be given the power to run the IPL, appoint the board’s representative to ICC meetings and take over non-compliant state associations.There has been a leadership vacuum in the BCCI since January 2, when the court removed Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke as president and secretary. The court said that it would appoint a committee of administrators to oversee the board’s operations until fresh elections are conducted and its constitution amended as per the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.Subramanium filed an intervention application in the court last Wednesday, in which he said it was important and urgent to empower the committee “to allay any misgivings that cricketing activities will be affected due to transition in the administrative structure” of BCCI and the state associations.”The reliefs are emergent and necessary to assist and empower the Committee of Administrators to carry out the mandate of this Hon’ble Court and effectively discharge the onerous responsibility placed on them to ensure that the reforms are implemented in its letter and spirit.”Subramanium asked the court to issue “a direction that the Committee of Administrators shall also be in charge of IPL and may appoint advisors as they deem necessary; an injunction restricting any person, groups of persons, association(s), State Cricket Association(s) from interfering in the functions of the Committee of Administrators; a direction empowering the Committee of Administrators to nominate any member to represent BCCI in the forthcoming ICC Conferences.”Additionally, Subramanium wanted the committee of administrators to take control of all state associations that have not complied with the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. Some of them are still holding out despite the court’s orders in October limiting their financial freedom. Subramanium added more pressure by asking, “upon the office bearers of State Cricket Associations not filing an undertaking in accordance with the orders dated 7.10.2016 and 21.10.2016, the Committee of the Administrators shall be in charge of such State Cricket Association(s) including its properties until freshly elected bodies are in place.”Another significant plea from Subramanium concerned the reinstatement of the Lodha Committee’s authority.In its January 2 order, the court had agreed to a request by the Lodha Committee to limit their purview to “overall policy and direction”. But a week later, the Lodha Committee answered a list of frequently asked questions on who could become a BCCI office bearer. Kapil Sibal, the senior legal counsel who has been representing BCCI and some of the state associations, asked the court on January 20 whether the Lodha Committee was eligible to reply to those FAQs. The court told Sibal it would address the matter in due course.To counter such doubts, Subramanium wanted the court to restore the Lodha Committee’s powers: “…A direction that the mandate of the Justice Lodha Committee to complete oversight, implementation and issuing directions if necessary in terms of the judgement dated 18.7.2016 shall continue in addition to the administration of BCCI and implementation of the reforms by the Committee of Administrators and, liberty be granted to the Committee of Administrators to seek guidance and directions from the Justice Lodha Committee and if necessary to apply to the Hon’ble Supreme Court for directions through the Amicus Curiae.”

A round-up of the Under-19 World Cup matches played on January 27, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2016Group AA half-century from Nazmul Hossain Shanto steered Bangladesh U19 to a total of 240, which their bowlers defended with ease despite a hundred from the South Africa U19 opener Liam Smith. Smith was sedate at the start of his innings, and South Africa lost wickets at regular intervals, with seamer Mohammad Saifuddin firing in pinpoint yorkers and Bangladesh’s impressive assortment of spinners strangling the run rate expertly. Smith picked up the pace as he approached his hundred, but South Africa’s challenge effectively ended when he was caught brilliantly in the covers by the Bangladesh captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz in the 45th over of the innings. Bangladesh eventually won by 43 runs, with Saifuddin and offspinner Mehedi picking up three wickets each.Having opted to bat first, Bangladesh made steady progress, with Pinak Ghosh and Joyraz Sheikh scoring 40s before the left-handed Nazmul guided them through the middle and late overs with an 82-ball 73. South Africa chipped away at the wickets, with seamer Wiaan Mulder picking up three, but there were useful contributions right through the Bangladesh order, ensuring they reached what proved an amply defendable total.Group CDan Lawrence and Jack Burnham’s centuries led England U19 to a massive win over Fiji U19 in their Group C game in Chittagong. After opting to bat, England piled up 371 for 3 and then bowled out Fiji for 72 to complete a 299-run win.Cakacaka Tikoisuva removed Max Holden early, but Lawrence (174 off 150) and Burnham (148 off 137) combined for a 303-run second-wicket stand in 265 balls. Callum Taylor struck a brisk 21 and the last six overs yielded 89 runs as England raced to 371.Fiji were never in the chase from the start, losing five wickets within the first six overs, with Sam Curran and Saqib Mahmood doing much of the damage. Both picked up three wickets apiece, with Mahmood’s figures reading 5-4-2-3. Peni Vuniwaqa provided brief resistance with a 74-ball 36, but it was nowhere near enough. He was the last man out in the 28th over.

A disciplined bowling performance from Scotland helped them to a 35-run win over Kenya in Aberdeen

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA disciplined bowling performance from Scotland helped them defend a middling score of 114 as they bowled out Kenya for 78 in the first T20 of the two-match series in Aberdeen. Scotland won the toss and elected to bat, with the openers putting on 40 for the first wicket. But Kenya fought back with a clump of wickets, two of them in the same over – 14th, bowled by Tanmay Mishra – reducing Scotland to 69 for 5 in the 15th.Preston Mommsen, the Scotland captain, and Moneeb Iqbal briefly resisted with a sixth-wicket partnership of 35. Scotland eventually reached 113 for 6 in their 20 overs, with Mishra returning with his best T20 figures of 3 for 25.Kenya started inauspiciously, losing a flurry of wickets to be reduced to 29 for 5 in the ninth over. Every one of Scotland’s bowlers picked up a wicket as only three Kenyan batsman were able to register double-digit scores. Kenya’s innings was wrapped up off the penultimate delivery of the 19th over to give Scotland a convincing 35-run win. Gordon Goudie was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 22.

Billy Doctrove has announced his retirement from umpiring in international cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2012Billy Doctrove, a member of the ICC’s Elite panel of umpires, has announced his retirement from international cricket. Doctrove, who served as an international umpire for 14 years, will not be seeking a renewal of his contract after it expires at the end of this month.Doctrove was due to officiate in the ODI and Test series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan but had to withdraw and return home to Dominica due to a family bereavement. The second Test between New Zealand and South Africa in Hamilton in March this year was his last international assignment.”After much consideration I have informed the selectors of my decision to retire,” Doctrove said. “It has been an incredible 14 years for me as an international umpire and I have enjoyed every moment of it.”It has been a dream journey and to supervise international matches which were played by many great players at iconic venues.”I am also honoured and privileged to have been part of the transformation process in cricket with the introduction of technology which is now considered as an integral component of international cricket and the introduction of the revolutionary twenty20 format which has taken cricket to a completely new level.”Doctrove made his international umpiring debut in 1998, in an ODI between West Indies and England in St Vincent, and stood in his first Test two years later when West Indies took on Pakistan in Antigua. He went on to stand in 38 Tests, 112 ODIs and 17 T20 internationals, including the final of the ICC World Twenty20 between England and Australia in Barbados in 2010. He became part of the ICC’s International Panel of Umpires in 2004 and was promoted to the Elite Panel in 2006.”It was a highlight to umpire in the ICC World Twenty20 final in Barbados,” he said. “That was a special and an unforgettable occasion. I am extremely thankful to my family and friends worldwide, for their support and encouragement that they afforded to me during my career.”I would also like to thank the WICB and the ICC for the many opportunities they provided me to serve this wonderful game.”Doctrove umpired in the controversial Oval Test of 2006 between England and Pakistan. His on-field partner then was Darrell Hair, who was at the centre of the controversy. Accusations of ball-tampering prompted the Pakistan team to refuse to take the field after tea on the fourth day and England were declared victors – the result was changed to a draw in 2008 before being reversed again to an England win in 2009.Doctrove was also Dominica’s first FIFA referee and between 1995 and 1997 he officiated in a number of internationals in the Caribbean, including a World Cup qualifier between Guyana and Grenada in 1996. He quit football in 1997.Vince van der Bijl, the ICC umpires and referees manager, said: “Billy has been an excellent servant of the game and we thank him on behalf of the entire cricket fraternity for his outstanding contribution as an international umpire for 14 years.”To have remained as one of the game’s top officials for that length of time has required Billy to be self-motivated, confident and well respected.”Billy is a very special man, with strong values, firm beliefs yet with an underlying gentleness and humour, and a great family man – a wonderful blend.”

New Zealand captain Aimee Watkins, will retire from international cricket after her team’s quadrangular series in England this summer

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2011New Zealand captain Aimee Watkins will retire from international cricket after her team’s quadrangular series in England this summer. Watkins, whose next assignment is the three-match Rose Bowl series against Australia, said the decision was influenced by her chronic knee injury as well as a desire to do things outside of cricket.”I’ve been playing internationals for ten years, so I’ve had a pretty good run and there are other things I want to do, including getting a full-time job,” Watkins, who has led New Zealand since 2009, told . “So I’m looking forward to finishing up and getting on with the next stage.”The knee [which has troubled Watkins over the past two years] has definitely slowed me down a bit, and I do most of my training on the bike now while trying to prolong my career. I had minor surgery on it a while ago, which didn’t help a lot.”An allrounder who bowls offspin, Watkins debuted for New Zealand in 2002. She has played two Tests, 98 ODIs and 32 Twenty20 internationals since. Watkins took over the captaincy after Haidee Tiffen’s retirement in 2009, and has led New Zealand to the finals of both the women’s World Twenty20s till date – in England in 2009 and in the Caribbean the following year.Coach Gary Stead said that a succession plan was in place but, since New Zealand do not have any other series lined up until February next year after the completion of the England tour, there was “plenty of time to sort things out.” Batsman Amy Satterthwaite has been named vice-captain for the upcoming tour, while allrounder Suzie Bates has also served as deputy in the past.Watkins is on the cusp of making 100 ODI appearances, which she is expected to do during the Rose Bowl series. The tournament’s one-day leg was called off mid-way in February this year following the Christchurch earthquake, which rocked the New Zealand team hotel. It will reconvene with three ODIs in Brisbane from June 12. The series currently stands tied at 2-2 after the four T20s that were played in December last year.

Bangladesh A gained a very slender four-run lead on what was a slow third day where only 176 runs were scored in nearly 80 overs

Cricinfo staff25-May-2010
ScorecardBangladesh A gained a very slender four-run lead on what was a slow third day where only 176 runs were scored in nearly 80 overs. Faisal Hossain’s exact 100 took the hosts to 272, before Omar Phillips led West Indies A to a lead of 105 with seven second-innings wickets in hand.Resuming on 205 for 5, Bangladesh lost their last five wickets for 67 runs, with only Faisal offering resistance. The offspinner Shane Shillingford struck in quick succession to get rid of Saghir Hossain and Suhrawadi Shuvo. Faisal reached his century off 197 balls before he was caught by the wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton off Gavin Tonge. Shillingford and Odean Brown took three wickets apiece to wrap up the innings.The Bangladesh seamers, Syed Rasel and Nazmul Hossain, took two early wickets to set West Indies back, but Phillips and Brendan Nash steadied the innings with an unbeaten stand of 52 for the third wicket.West Indies will look to accelerate on the final day and put up a competitive score, but it remains to be seen if there’s enough time in this match to enforce a result.

Unbeaten 67-run stand with Marizanne Kapp takes charge of run chase after hosts’ 125 for 4

ECB Media06-Aug-2024Oval Invincibles returned to winning ways with a comfortable seven-wicket win over Manchester Originals in the Women’s Hundred at Emirates Old Trafford.An unbeaten 67-run stand between Paige Scholfield and Marizanne Kapp from 37 balls took charge of the run chase after the hosts managed 125 for 4. In-form Scholfield crashed 48 from 27 balls after opener Chamari Athapaththu laid the foundation with 33 from 36 balls.Invincibles were equally as impressive in the field, highlighted by a host of sharp catches, with Aussie leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 22.Both teams were looking to bounce back after disappointing results on Sunday. The Originals lost to cross-Pennines rivals Northern Superchargers, while Invincibles arguably let one slip in their derby draw with London Spirit to mark a rare two-game winless run, Tuesday’s result putting the Oval outfit in second place on the points table.After a slow start, which saw the Originals manage 25 without loss after the powerplay, openers Laura Wolvaardt and Beth Mooney found the rope seven times in 15 balls.Mooney, the No. 2 draft pick, was just getting going when Seren Smale held a sharp chance at short third off Ryana MacDonald-Gay, who snapped up an even better catch at mid-on moments later to remove the competition’s second-highest runscorer Woolvardt.Originals started to slow, they went 34 balls without a boundary, before skipper Sophie Ecclestone added some much-needed late power to finish unbeaten on 26 from 15 balls.Invincibles set about proving that was not nearly enough on a good pitch with Sri Lanka star Athapaththu and captain Lauren Winfield-Hill adding 48 for the first wicket.Alice Monaghan removed Winfield-Hill and Alice Capsey in quick succession and when Athapaththu was lbw to Kathryn Bryce there was work to do at 60 for 3.Scholfield ensured any nerves were short-lived though as she found the rope on seven occasions, while Kapp added 19 from 11 to power the Invincibles home with seven balls to spare.Meerkat Match Hero Scholfield said: “I really enjoyed it. We’ve had a couple of tough games in a row. You learn more from losing than winning and we went away and studied what was going on and I think we were more disciplined today.”We just spoke about nudging her (Sophie Ecclestone) around and getting rotation of strike going and then going after the other bowlers.”

“He will serve for a very long time for Sri Lankan cricket, but we’ll have to keep an eye on how much he bowls”

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-20233:02

Moody: ‘Pathirana completely shut the door on Mumbai’s power-hitters’

Matheesha Pathirana “shouldn’t even get close” to red-ball cricket, in the opinion of MS Dhoni, his captain at Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023.Pathirana, a new-gen version of Lasith Malinga, has emerged as one of the aces in Dhoni’s pack in the IPL, and picked up three wickets for just 15 runs against Mumbai Indians at Chepauk on Saturday, bowling all his overs in the back-half of the innings.”I personally think he is not someone who should play a lot of red-ball cricket,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation, almost like a plea to the powers-that-be in Sri Lankan cricket. “I think he shouldn’t even get close to it. Even in white-ball cricket, the 50-over version he should play as less as possible. [He should] play the big ICC tournaments because he is not somebody who will change a lot. This [having an impact in short bursts] is what he will do, so you can always use him at crucial times.Related

• Lasith Malinga on Sri Lanka's two baby Malingas: 'It's absolutely mad'

• Shining, shimmering, splendid – the rise and rise of Matheesha Pathirana

• Malinga on Pathirana: 'I somehow want to make this guy even better than me'

• There's a new slinga in town, in CSK's yellow, spooking batters at the death

• Pathirana leads CSK to Chepauk canter over Mumbai

“But make sure that he is fit and available for all ICC tournaments and he will be a great asset for Sri Lanka. Not to forget, he is a really young boy. Last time [in 2022], when he came, he was slightly more lean, but he has added muscle, which means he has got pretty strong. I feel he will serve for a very long time for Sri Lankan cricket, but we’ll have to keep an eye on how much he bowls.”Pathirana was unsold in the auction ahead of IPL 2022, but was drafted in by CSK after Adam Milne was ruled out with a hamstring injury.Last season, he had played two games for CSK, picking up two wickets. This time, he has played seven games, in which he has picked up ten wickets – all at the death – at an economy rate of 7.60, the last number made even more remarkable by the fact that he has bowled only four of his 27.2 overs this season before the 12th.”People who don’t have very clean [conventional] action, batsmen find it difficult to pick them – in a format like this, where you have to go after the bowler, it makes it slightly difficult,” Dhoni said. “That is just on the action part, we are not talking about the pace that he bowls [at], the variations he has and the consistency he has got. All of it makes him special. What is important is to keep an eye on how much cricket he is playing.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Dhoni wanted to bat but was ‘outnumbered’

It was CSK’s third win in five games at Chepauk this season, but only the second 3.30pm game that was played at the venue. With rain forecast for the evening, Dhoni said he was not sure about his decision at the toss but went with the view of the majority of the CSK think tank and chose to field.”Frankly I was slightly doubtful. What I wanted was I wanted to bat first. But the think tank together said there are chances of rain,” he said. “I had a simple calculation. I said 3:30pm the game starts. Let’s say you win the toss and if you are batting first, maximum in one-and-a-half to two hours the game gets over. By the time rain comes, major part of the game would be done with. I was slightly outnumbered, and I said let’s go with the majority.”If there is some kind of confusion, we sit and talk about [it]. It is not about who has said what. Ultimately, we try to decide what is best for the team and you go with the majority. It was slightly confusing because I felt the wicket will slow down and it has always been very good initially to bat on. So I strongly felt that even if rain comes, majority of the game will be done and it won’t have an impact on the game directly.”CSK have two more home games left – against Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders – and an away game in Delhi to end the league stage.