All posts by n8rngtd.top

Jansen and Mulder shared six wickets before van der Dussen and Klaasen hit fifties in the paltry chase

Firdose Moonda01-Mar-20251:39

Do South Africa have the best attack in the tournament?

South Africa confirmed their spot in the Champions Trophy semi-finals with a commanding victory over a hapless England, who ended the tournament winless, captain-less, and on a seven-match losing streak.After choosing to bat first in Karachi, the most run-laden venue of the event, England played like a side that would rather not. They were bowled out for the lowest total of this Champions Trophy and gifted South Africa wickets in a display of carefree and sometimes careless strokeplay. South Africa were hit by both illness and injury-enforced absences and were not always at their best, but they caught particularly well in the field, paced their chase perfectly, and have plenty of positives to take into the knockouts.From a bowling perspective, the form of Marco Jansen, who picked up the first three wickets, continues on an upward curve while Keshav Maharaj was effective through the middle overs and Wiaan Mulder cleaned up the tail. South Africa’s batting line-up was without regular openers Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi (both unwell), and Aiden Markram (hamstring injury in the field). Rassie van der Dussen and Heinrich Klaasen both scored half-centuries in a match-winning third-wicket stand of 127. If anything, it gives South Africa a good selection problem going forward while England just have problems.Lungi Ngidi covered good ground to pull off a diving catch•Associated Press

Having already exited the tournament after their defeat to Afghanistan and with Jos Buttler announcing he would step down as captain, England had nothing to lose and were expected to play with freedom. They showed their intent early when Phil Salt cracked Jansen’s second ball over backward point and smashed the fourth one over midwicket to open the scoring with fours. But, instead of closing out the opening over quietly, he tried to pull the final ball – a short one – also but top-edged it to van der Dussen at midwicket to end his tournament with a total of 30 runs from 25 balls.Ben Duckett picked up from where Salt left off and scored two boundaries in three balls off Lungi Ngidi but Jamie Smith repeated Salt’s mistake and tamely pulled Jansen to Markram at mid-on. Duckett settled as he was fed balls on the pads but when he tried to clip Jansen fine, he got a leading edge back to South Africa’s destroyer-in-chief. England were 37 for 3 in the seventh over.That could have become 38 for 4 when Joe Root cut Kagiso Rabada to backward point and though Mulder got both hands to it, he could not hold on. Root went on to nail the drive and the pull and formed a 62-run stand with a confident-looking Harry Brook and England were building solidly. But they could not keep Jansen out of the game. When Brook belted Maharaj over midwicket, Jansen ran to his right from long-on and slid on his knees to take a wonder catch. Four balls later, Root was bowled when he missed a leg-side flick off Mulder and the ball hit his back pad on its way on to the stumps.At that stage, Buttler, playing his last innings as England captain, had only faced a ball and had a big job on his hands. He received little help from Liam Livingstone, who charged down the track to meet a Maharaj ball but South Africa’s left-arm spinner saw him coming, tossed it up and had him stumped. Livingstone has only made more than 20 runs once in his last seven innings.By then, England’s effort looked mostly a case of marking time while South Africa stayed focused on searching for wickets. Rabada was brought back at the halfway stage. He beat Jamie Overton first up, then kept him in check by forcing a defensive shot, and then had him caught at mid-on as the batter tried to attack. He looked to whip Rabada over the leg side but chipped the ball towards mid-on where Ngidi ran back and took a one-handed stunner as he hit the ground.Heinrich Klaasen was in fine hitting form•Associated Press

South Africa continued to catch well: Jansen took a low catch at midwicket to see the end of Jofra Archer and Maharaj made a tumbling grab at mid-off to end Buttler’s innings on 21 and give Ngidi his 100th ODI wicket. England were bowled out in the 39th over, and took South Africa’s concerns about a slow over rate with them.At that stage, South Africa’s semi-final qualification was assured because even if they lost the match, their net run-rate could not dip below Afghanistan’s. That took pressure off the chase but not necessarily off South Africa’s batters, who all wanted runs ahead of an important week. Tristan Stubbs, playing his ninth ODI and first in an ICC event, didn’t get any as he tried to play an Archer ball late but deflected it on to his stumps.Though his first over lasted ten balls as he struggled to find his line, Archer quickly improved and delivered the rest of his opening spell with good pace and better accuracy. He was rewarded with a second wicket, too, when Ryan Rickelton, who looked confident in his 25-ball 27, was bowled by a delivery that nipped back into him and smashed into middle stump.From there, it was all South Africa. While van der Dussen appeared at times frustrated by his slower scoring rate than Klaasen’s, the pair complemented each other well. Van der Dussen scored largely through the leg side while six of Klaasen’s 11 fours came through the covers. Klaasen reached his fifty with one of those shots off the 41st ball he faced. It was his fifth successive half-century in the format, which is the joint-highest for South Africa. Van der Dussen’s came off 72 balls as he rocked back to send Adil Rashid through square leg and bring up a second fifty in the competition. Klaasen departed when he tried to smash Rashid over fine leg but outside-edged to short third. David Miller hit the winning runs off the second ball he faced when he smoked Livingstone over the sightscreen for six.This is the third successive tournament for which South Africa have qualified for the knockouts, after the 2023 ODI World Cup and 2024 T20 World Cup. Their semi-final opposition and venue will only be confirmed after the match between India and New Zealand on Sunday. They will play the loser of that match either in Dubai on Tuesday (if it’s India) or Lahore on Wednesday (if it’s New Zealand).

Somerset claim three bowling bonus points by ripping through visitors in between showers

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Sep-2025The weather came to Yorkshire’s aid as their rain-ruined Rothesay County Championship Division One game with Somerset at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, ended in an inevitable draw.Starting the final day on 17 for no wicket in their first innings in reply to Somerset’s 441 for 6 declared, the visitors crashed to 57 for 6 in the morning session, Josh Davey and Lewis Gregory claiming two wickets each.With three runs added, the second of several showers forced an early lunch at 12.20pm and play did not restart until 3pm with 33 overs lost. Jordan Thompson then struck a belligerent 57, while Adam Lyth made 30 as Yorkshire battled to 134 for 9 by the time the players shook hands at 4.20pm.Rain having affected all four days, a draw had long looked the only likely outcome. Somerset took 14 points from the game to Yorkshire’s nine.The visitors had added 15 runs to their overnight total when Somerset made the first breakthrough in the fourth over of the day, Finlay Bean, on 10, edging a forward defensive shot off Gregory through to wicketkeeper James Rew. The next delivery saw Mayank Agarwal register a golden duck on his Yorkshire debut, the experienced India Test player getting a thicker edge to be comfortably caught at third slip by Tom Abell.Davey quickly followed up by clipping the off stump of James Wharton as he offered no shot and it was 41 for 4 when Jonny Bairstow, who had required treatment for an arm injury, fell for only 2, pouched by Tom Kohler-Cadmore at first slip off the same bowler.Matthew Revis departed for 9 to a back-foot swish at a wide delivery from Ben Green, which gave Rew a second catch. A short shower then sent the players from the field, with an initial four overs lost, and on the resumption Jack Leach pinned George Hill lbw in the left-arm spinner’s first over.Lyth had watched the carnage from the other end, enjoying moments of fortune himself on what was proving a tricky last-day pitch. On 16, the opener edged Kasey Aldridge fractionally short of Abell in the slips and when Leach appealed for a slip catch it was a bump ball.It was 60 for 6 when the rain returned, necessitating an early lunch. Hopes of a prompt resumption after the interval were dashed my more showers and it wasn’t until 3pm, with a further 29 overs lost, that play restarted.Without a run added, Dom Bess’s hopes of a meaningful score on his former home ground ended in the second over when he edged a third catch to Rew off Green. But 60 for 7 was as good as it got for Somerset as Thompson came out with immediate attacking intent. Two sixes over long-on off Archie Vaughan, the off-spinner having been surprisingly put on to replace Leach at the River End, began the counter-attack and eight fours flowed from the Thompson bat as the left-hander raced to a 42-ball half-century.Lyth was content to offer solid support in an eighth-wicket stand of 68, ended when Thompson fell lbw to Davey with the score on 128. It only remained to see if Somerset could glean a third bowling point and they didn’t have to wait long as Leach had Lyth caught at short leg by Abell.

India’s spin allrounders add 99 runs in the session – 100 for their partnership – to erase England’s lead

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2025

Ravindra Jadeja celebrates his fifty as Washington Sundar looks on•AFP/Getty Images

Tea Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja batted through the afternoon session, frustrating England and helping India creep towards a doughty draw. Washington and Jadeja both made battling half-centuries as England’s bowlers toiled without reward, adding exactly 100 in an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership that took India into the lead.Washington batted at No. 8 in India’s first innings, below Shardul Thakur, but was promoted to No. 5 for the first time in their second. He brought up his half-century by hooking Ben Stokes for six, then pulling him for four, and Jadeja raised his later in the same over thanks to Zak Crawley’s misfield.Dropped first-ball by Joe Root at slip off Jofra Archer’s bowling, Jadeja brought out his trademark sword celebration to mark his fifth half-century in his last six innings. He also became the seventh Indian – and the third this week, following KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant – to reach 1,000 Test runs in England.England’s close fielders were occasionally excited by tight leaves or half-chances, but there were far fewer genuine opportunities than they would have anticipated. Liam Dawson and Root both wheeled away between spells from the four seamers, but found little joy from a pitch which has not deteriorated as much as they must have hoped.India’s slender lead means that England will have to chase down a target if they do manage to run through the lower order, but the draw is the clear favourite. The two captains could shake hands at the start of the last hour if they wish, though Stokes will be reluctant to accept what would be only the second draw of his tenure as captain.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers made use of dry balls and a slow pitch, but West Indies had to bowl with slippery ones

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Oct-2024West Indies have been unhappy with the state of the pitches in Sri Lanka. After their 2-1 defeat in the T20I series in Dambulla, coach Daren Sammy went as far as to claim a “moral victory” for West Indies, for having supposedly pushed Sri Lanka into producing turning tracks for games two and three.In the first ODI, West Indies didn’t just get another dry surface, the weather in Pallekele also conspired against them. Having won the toss and batted first, the rains coming through in the 39th over of the West Indies innings could barely have affected them worse.Not only did the interruption last long enough to ensure that Sri Lanka’s bowlers – who had had dry conditions to operate in before the weather arrived – did not have to bowl with a wet ball. It also meant West Indies had to contend with a slippery ball right through the second innings – something Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka noted as a factor in his team’s victory in the post-match presentation.After the game, Nishan Madushka, who hit 69 off 54 balls on ODI debut, and was part of a match-winning 137-run partnership with Asalanka, reiterated this.”Their bowlers were really good, but because of the rain around, I think they had trouble gripping the ball,” he said. “There was less turn on the wicket too, to be honest. But they still bowled well. “In fact, when West Indies still had the new balls (they use one ball at either end in ODIs) and they had not yet become especially damp, their bowlers had dominated. Sri Lanka lost three wickets inside the first seven overs, before Madushka and Asalanka produced their big fourth-wicket stand.During that partnership, the batters repeatedly hit the balls over the boundary and into areas of the ground and drainage areas that were waterlogged, thereby substantially changing the condition of the ball. In fact, West Indies’ bowlers brought this to the umpires’ attention at least twice, but were not successful in having the balls changed for drier ones.Part of Sri Lanka’s strategy at 45 for 3 may have been to hang around until bowling became significantly more difficult. “What Charith said was to take the game as deep as possible – to start with dragging the game to 20 or 25 overs, before we reassess,” Madushka said. “I think that positive mindset affected me positively as well, and helped me perform.”With the two remaining ODIs also to be played in Pallekele, a notoriously wet venue, conditions may continue to play a significant role in the outcome. So far this tour, from West Indies’ perspective, they are the side that has been at a substantial disadvantage.

Sutherland started his captaincy reign for Renegades with a loss but produced an outstanding all-round performance with 36 not out and 2 for 20

Tristan Lavalette16-Dec-2024Captain Moises Henriques once again kept his cool in a tense chase as Sydney Sixers overcame a new-look Melbourne Renegades to start their BBL season with a five-wicket victory at the SCG.Chasing a tricky 170, Sixers wobbled in the middle overs before Henriques took over with an unbeaten 53 from 27 balls as the home team hauled in the target with nine balls to spare.The result could have been much different had Henriques been run out on 25 but Tom Rogers’ throw from midwicket was wide.Will Sutherland started his captaincy reign for Renegades with a loss but he produced an outstanding all-round performance with 36 not out and 2 for 20.Sixers, a BBL powerhouse who lost a home final last season, continued their long-time dominance over Renegades. It was their ninth win from ten games between the teams since 2018 with the other game being a no result.

Edwards’ promotion, Henriques finishes

It appeared a challenging chase on a ground where 150-160 has often proven enough in BBL games over the years.After the early loss of opener Josh Philippe, James Vince and Jack Edwards made it look easy in the powerplay with the ball zipping off the pitch in an apparent easing of batting conditions.Edwards made the most of his promotion to No.3 after Dan Hughes injured his arm while attempting a diving catch during Renegades’ innings. His placement was superb as he combined well with Vince in a 62-run partnership.But he holed out to quick Kane Richardson to fall short of a maiden BBL half-century as Sixers soon fell to 136 for 5 when Hayden Kerr had to retire after an apparent hamstring injury.Sixers still needed 34 runs off the final four overs, but Henriques wisely took the power surge and he smashed legspinner Adam Zampa for two sixes in the 18th over to effectively ice the game.Henriques and Ben Dwarshuis were in a rush as they finished the job far easier than had looked possible just moments earlier.

Hassan impresses in BBL debut

Pakistan-born, USA cricketer Hassan Khan proved he was a worthy recruit for Renegades with a solid debut in a tough situation. He entered the attack after the powerplay with Renegades under pressure and had to contend with Vince and Edwards trying to take him on.He recovered from early punishment and settled to showcase his variety as he mixed up his speed nicely. Hassan dismissed Jordan Silk, so reliable in the middle overs for Sixers, with a 72 kmh delivery as he helped put Renegades in a winning position.He finished with 1 for 27 from three overs in a performance to build on for Hassan, who plays for San Francisco Unicorns in MLC.Tim Seifert’s knock of 55 went in vain for Melbourne Renegades•Getty Images

Sixers’ attack rely on experience to fight back

After being thrashed in the powerplay, Sixers’ veteran attack relied on their experience to pull Renegades back.They’ve long mastered conditions at the SCG, where the spongy surface can make batting difficult, as Dwarshuis, Kerr and Sean Abbott mixed up their pace to help get Sixers back into the contest.They bowled into the wicket and made use of a ball softening after the powerplay. It wasn’t a perfect performance with the quicks unusually expensive, but Sixers left-arm spinner Joel Davies stepped up and bowled well from around the wicket to finish with 1 for 24 from 4 overs.

Seifert overshadows fellow recruits

After a disappointing seventh-placed finish last season, Renegades transitioned their roster following the departures of stalwarts Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh and Nic Maddinson.They’ve overhauled the batting and focused on power-hitting with the recruitments of Brisbane Heat title-winning opener Josh Brown, New Zealand’s Tim Seifert and Laurie Evans, who excelled last season in the middle order for Perth Scorchers.All eyes were on the dynamic opening combination of Brown and Jake Fraser-McGurk, who did not disappoint with a first ball boundary off Dwarshuis that was laced through point.Fraser-McGurk was keen to shake off his struggles in the recent white-ball series against Pakistan and connected on a length delivery from Edwards in the second over for a huge six down the ground.He raced to 21 until on his 12th delivery he was deceived by Abbott, who on his first ball cunningly unfurled a subtle change of pace.Brown had little of the strike to that point until taking over with the type of belligerent batting that lit up last season’s finals series. But he contributed a similarly teasing knock to Fraser-McGurk – hitting 22 off ten – as Renegades, who had smashed 44 in the powerplay, stumbled in the middle overs with Evans and Hassan falling cheaply.In contrast to Renegades other new recruits, Seifert paced his innings well to top-score with 55 off 42 balls and shared a 50-run partnership with Sutherland, who had a successful return after a side strain had kept him out of action since early November.

New competition continues cricket’s attempts to rid itself of elitist tags, as revealed in ICEC report

Andrew Miller30-Jun-2025Lord’s is well on its way to proving it is not the “Augusta of cricket”, according to MCC’s chair Mark Nicholas, following the launch of a new nationwide T20 competition, the Knight-Stokes Cup, aimed specifically at state-school pupils.The tournament, named in honour of England’s former women’s captain Heather Knight and current men’s Test captain, Ben Stokes, is for Year 10 pupils (ages 13-14) with separate events for boys and girls. It will begin in April 2026 with a season-long qualifying process, followed by regional knockouts and a finals day at Lord’s in September.The initiative, spearheaded by another former England captain Michael Vaughan, is a continuation of the sport’s bid to rid itself of the “sexist, classist and elitist” tags that it received following a damning 2023 report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC).The creation of a “national Under-15 state school finals’ day for boys and girls” was one of the report’s specific recommendations, alongside a call for MCC to discontinue its hosting of the annual Eton-Harrow and Oxford-Cambridge fixtures – two of the longest-running annual sporting contests in the world.A decision on the future of those historic fixtures has since been deferred until 2028, but Nicholas insists that MCC has made, and will continue to make, significant strides in broadening the reach of cricket’s most famous venue.”We’re an open-hearted body,” Nicholas told ESPNcricinfo. In particular, he contrasted the club’s bid for greater inclusivity with the explicitly exclusive offering of Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, the home of the annual Masters tournament, and a venue that is renowned for its strict rules and entry criteria for members and patrons alike.”People who say, ‘oh, we’re the Augusta of cricket’, we’re not at all,” Nicholas added. “Augusta is a fabulous exclusive place. Its mystery comes from its exclusivity. We want Lord’s and MCC to be inclusive. The fact that children can come here is very important for the future of cricket, and very important for the future of MCC and Lord’s.”Children who attend private school are significantly more likely to play professional cricket than those in the state sector, with the ICEC report citing 2021 statistics that showed 58% of England players were privately educated, out of a nationwide figure of 7% of pupils.Various factors contribute to this, including the cost of equipment and the standard of playing facilities. However, as Nicholas pointed out, the private sector also acts as a conduit for the best young talent in the country, citing the example of Harry Brook, England’s white-ball captain, who attended Sedburgh School in Cumbria on a sports scholarship.”It’s not absolutely right to say that there’s no state-school players involved in the England team,” Nicholas said. “But state schools have other priorities, and it’s not easy to fit cricket into the curriculum, especially when there’s pressure on GCSEs in the summer term.”While the incentive for state-school pupils to play at Lord’s is a strong one, Vaughan also recognises the importance of role models in driving interest in cricket. Twenty years on from his role in captaining England to glory in the 2005 Ashes, he backs the current men’s and women’s teams to provide similar star billing to the sport.”We talk about 2005 all the time, and all the stories been told,” Vaughan said. “But the proudest bit is when people of that age come and say, ‘I got into cricket because of ’05’.”They might be 28, they might be 30-35, but they would have been at school, and not necessarily at independent schools either. It’s then that you know you’ve done something great.”[The current men’s and women’s teams] have also played a part in changing people’s lives, and that’s why this tournament’s so important. Because, yes, it’d be great to create a new Heather [Knight] and a new Ben [Stokes], but it’s not about that. It’s about creating fans and cricket lovers.”That’s why this has been created, to make sure that, for the first time, a state school is going to be represented at Lord’s next year, and that’ll be every year going forward.”Speaking ahead of the announcement, Knight said: “As someone who played cricket from a young age at my local state school and then here at Lord’s including in a World Cup final, I’m proud to have my name associated with this new competition which will inspire thousands of state-school children across the country and continue the vital work that cricket is doing to create more opportunities for children from state schools to play and access the talent pathway.”Stokes added: “Coming from a state school myself, when I was informed that they wanted to name this competition after me, it was a pretty easy ‘yes’. Playing at Lord’s is the pinnacle of any cricketer’s career and something I dreamed of when I played cricket at my school so to open up the opportunity for boys and girls to play here is fantastic. I can’t wait to see the competition get underway next year and start to see some of the incredible talent that’s out there in our state schools come through the system.”

Surrey stumble despite resistance from Kalea Moore and Alexa Stonehouse

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay07-Sep-2025Lancashire Women stayed on course for the Metro Bank Cup semi-finals with a four-wicket win over Surrey at Beckenham.Grace Potts took 3 for 31 as Surrey were bowled out for 225, while Hannah Jones took 2 for 33 and was unlucky not to get two more. Kalea Moore was dropped twice off her bowling and she cashed in to make a career-best List A score of 67, while Alexa Stonehouse was the next highest scorer with 48.Seren Smale anchored the visitor’s reply with 67 not out, as they closed on 227 for 6, victory secured with 24 balls remaining. Stonehouse was the pick of Surrey’s bowlers with 3 for 34.Lancashire chose to bowl and quickly made inroads, reducing them to 60 for 5. Ailsa Lister dropped Bryony Smith off Potts when she was on 14 but two balls later Potts dismissed Smith with an outstanding one-handed return catch.Kira Chathli then went for 17, driving Kate Cross straight to Smale. Alice Capsey was run out by Fi Morris for 5 and Paige Scholfield was bowled by Hannah Jones for just a single.Jones then had Alice Davidson-Richards caught for 20 by Cross at mid-off, after she’d initially dropped her drive, but Phoebe Franklin and Moore responded with the biggest partnership of the innings to that point, putting on 61 before the former cut Phoebe Graham to Emma Lamb and was out for 25. Morris then had Alice Monaghan caught behind for 4.Moore cut Jones for a single to reach 50 and she was on 53 when she heaved Jones to the midwicket boundary and was dropped over the rope by Lister.In Jones’ final over Moore was put down again, this time on 67 and this time when Gaby Lewis missed a far more difficult chance at square leg. This time she couldn’t profit as Moore was lbw to Lamb in the next over, the 42nd.Stonehouse, who’d put on 55 with Moore, blasted a huge six off Cross but fell to Potts in the final over, holing out to Graham at mid-off and Potts then ended the innings one ball early when she had Danni Gregory caught, also by Graham, for 18.Lancashire’s openers put on 74 for the opening wicket before Lewis tried to pull out of a hook shot and edged Monaghan behind for 39.The visitors seemed to be coasting at 117 for 1, when two quick wickets opened a window for Surrey. Lamb tried to reach for a Stonehouse delivery and was brilliantly caught by a diving Franklin at backward point and Morris lofted Stonehouse to Scholfield for 6.Ellie Threlkeld went to an even better catch by Smith, who almost pirouetted to take a one-handed grab off Moore, but she made a useful 21 and by then Lancashire only needed 47.Smale eased past 50 by clipping Moore for four through midwicket.The target was down to three when two wickets gave the scoreline some respectability: Lister skied Stonehouse to Scholfield and although she was dropped, she hit the next delivery straight to Smith for 23. Collins ramped Franklin to Tilly Corteen-Coleman for a duck, but this merely allowed Cross to hit Franklin back over her head for the winning boundary.

John Wright, a prominent name doing the rounds for New Zealand’s next coach, will work with the national side briefly ahead of the first Test against Pakistan

Cricinfo staff20-Nov-2009John Wright, a prominent name doing the rounds for New Zealand’s next coach, will work with the national side briefly ahead of the first Test against Pakistan. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Justin Vaughan said that Wright, currently with the Invitation XI playing the touring Pakistanis in Queenstown, would pop in to be with the side.”But there is nothing more to be read into it than that,” Vaughan was quoted as saying by the . “He will be there helping out and before the game begins he will be heading off to continue his elite coaching work.”Wright had done a similar stint with New Zealand last year when West Indies played in Dunedin.Vaughan said that NZC had spoken to the internationals to have returned from the limited-overs fixtures against Pakistan in the UAE ahead of zeroing in on a coach. “What was gratifying was that the feedback from the tour was resoundingly positive, which gave me a sense of assurance that we did not need to rush our decision,” he said.Vaughan was hopeful of deciding on a replacement by February, when Bangladesh visit ahead of Australia. “It is a matter of looking twofold, assessing what the team’s needs are under the current environment and also what is sustainable into the future,” he said.

Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Toronto, cities with significant South Asian communities, are on the shortlist

Tristan Lavalette20-Jan-2025Major League Cricket (MLC), the fledgling T20 tournament in the USA, is set to expand from six teams to eight by 2027, with a move into Canada being explored in developments that could have wider implications for the sport.Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Toronto, cities with significant South Asian communities, are on the shortlist with final decisions expected this year. Market potential and local government support in helping build stadium infrastructure will be among the determining factors.Expansion officials travelled to Chicago recently and were believed to be encouraged by the local support. Visits to the other cities are expected in the coming months.MLC co-founder Satyan Gajwani will launch one of the franchises, while fellow co-founders Vijay Srinivasan, the league’s chief executive until recently, and Sameer Mehta will helm the other. Investors are likely to partner up with them once the two cities have been selected.Three of the six teams in the MLC are owned by IPL team owners – Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings – while Seattle, the only small-market franchise in the league, have ties with Delhi Capitals. San Francisco and Washington don’t have any IPL attachments, but have partnerships with Cricket Victoria and Cricket NSW respectively.”We have options ahead of us. I don’t think we’re committed one way or the other right now,” Gajwani told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s realistically a decision we will take closer to launch.”Expansion will likely lead to more games and a longer duration of the competition. MLC power brokers do eventually want a home-and-away season – where the teams play each other twice – to underpin the tournament.Last year’s second season ran for 23 days in July and overlapped with the Hundred in the UK. This season’s scheduling has not been announced, but a lengthier tournament is expected, although it might start earlier in June.The well-heeled MLC’s emergence has become a major talking point in English cricket, heightened when Jason Roy opted out of his ECB contract to represent LA Knight Riders, who have the same owners as KKR.”There are many cities in America that have large populations of people who already love cricket. But the goal is to grow the game and that means expanding beyond that fan base,” Gajwani said. “America is the largest sports market in the world. It’s also very competitive, and continuing to be relevant will be a challenge.”But I think the economics of sport in America are pretty robust. The NBA and NFL are in 28 cities. We’re in six right now. We still have a lot of headroom for growth in the medium to long term.”The tournament’s first two seasons were entirely played at the 7200 capacity Grand Prairie Stadium, a redeveloped baseball ground, near Dallas and the more modest Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina.Existing franchises – other than Dallas-based Texas Super Kings – have faced challenges getting suitable infrastructure off the ground. But there is confidence that San Francisco Unicorns will start playing home games this season at the iconic Oakland Coliseum, which up until recently was the long-time home of the Athletics in the MLB. The new franchises hope to play at home grounds from the start.Jason Roy opted out of his ECB contract to represent LA Knight Riders at the MLC•MLC

“In the ideal case, we firm up on the city, lock up a land deal and then build a stadium – whether retrofitted or building from zero,” Gajwani said. “The ideal outcome is that we play at home for our first game in 2027.”There is this balance of wanting to build something that’s right for where the market is, but have the flexibility to grow with the market. Every city will have its own dynamics.”The cities in the running may be further incentivised by the prospect of potentially hosting cricket matches at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Cricket will end a 128-year Olympic drought but venues have yet to be determined, with the men’s and women’s competitions possibly extending beyond Los Angeles.”There’s the added element that a fully-fledged cricket venue up and running by 2027 could possibly host matches at the Olympics,” Gajwani said. “The IOC or the LA Organising Committees will make that decision. But they openly said they’re looking for infrastructure that can host Olympic matches. It’s definitely a factor that we’re all thinking about.”The league also announced Johnny Grave as its new CEO, replacing Srinivasan. Grave is a prominent figure in cricket administration, having most recently served as CEO at CWI for seven years. He was previously the commercial director at the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) in England.”I am honored to lead the league at this transformative time,” Grave said in a statement. “Cricket is beloved globally and I am thrilled to see its fan base growing rapidly in the United States. I look forward to working with the MLC team to help elevate the league, engage with fans, and build a thriving, sustainable future for cricket in America.”

Tom Price bags five-for as Gloucestershire gloveman James Bracey takes seven catches

ECB Reporters Network09-Sep-2024Jack Davies posted his best first-class score of 91 as Middlesex built a strong platform after being put in by Gloucestershire in their Vitality County Championship clash at Lord’s.The Middlesex left-hander missed out on the chance of a maiden hundred after sharing a sixth-wicket partnership of 120 with Josh De Caires, who struck 64 as the home side were bowled out for 377.Max Holden’s battling knock of 77 had provided an initial foundation for the promotion contenders before he became one of seven dismissals for Gloucestershire gloveman James Bracey.The bowling honours were dominated by Tom Price, who finished with a season’s best of 5 for 81, and Ajeet Singh Dale, with figures of 4 for 70.Gloucestershire – who included 19-year-old debutant Archie Bailey among their seam quartet – were immediately rewarded for opting to bowl as Singh Dale’s opening effort seared back down the slope and crashed into Sam Robson’s middle stump.The lively Bailey, who entered the attack as early as the sixth over, might also have struck with his first delivery which found the edge of Holden’s bat, but dropped fractionally short of slip.However, Middlesex gradually settled down and Mark Stoneman raised the tempo with a flurry of cover boundaries, advancing to 42 before he attempted to hook Tom Price and top-edged it to provide Bracey with a routine catch.That ended Stoneman’s partnership of 71 with Holden, who reached lunch one short of a half-century as he and Leus du Plooy kept the scoreboard ticking along at more than four an over.Holden added that single off Tom Price to reach 50 soon after the interval, but the very next delivery accounted for Du Plooy, slanting across the left-hander to take the edge.Price and Bracey combined again to remove their former team-mate Ryan Higgins, caught swishing outside leg stump and the Gloucestershire keeper claimed his fourth dismissal of the innings when Singh Dale returned at the Nursery End to prise out Holden.But Davies looked in good touch, pulling and cutting against the seamers as well as driving spinner Zafar Gohar for the first six of the contest as he and De Caires shared Middlesex’s fourth partnership in excess of 50.The shot that took Davies to his own 50 was a streaky one, though, slashing across the line at Tom Price and edging over Bracey’s head for a boundary that also earned the home side their first batting bonus point.De Caires was given a life just after tea, with Cameron Bancroft spilling an edge to slip off Bailey, but he played the spinners with confidence and pulled Zafar off the back foot for a boundary to post his second half-century of the season.Singh Dale returned to take the new ball and, although Davies got away with a leading edge that flew through the slips, he was undone in the seamer’s next over as he nudged one that moved away into Bracey’s gloves.De Caires soon followed, trapped in front by a ball that followed a similar trajectory to Singh Dale’s first of the day before Tom Price wrapped up the innings by capturing the wickets of Luke Hollman and Henry Brookes.