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Moment of ‘pure joy’ for Knight, Cross as England stay in the series in epic fashion

Andrew Miller12-Jul-2023Alyssa Healy, Australia’s captain, has challenged her side to throw out the excuses and galvanise for a response, after conceding that England’s third consecutive victory in the white-ball leg of the Women’s Ashes has left the series “on the line now, proper”.After slipping to a 6-0 deficit following defeat in the one-off Test in Trent Bridge and the first T20I at Edgbaston, England have now roared back to contention, squaring the rubber at six points all with a nailbiting two-wicket win in Bristol, with two final ODIs to come at Southampton and Taunton.And while Australia need only to take victory in either match to retain the trophy that they have held since 2015, the fearlessness of England’s fightback – led on this occasion by Heather Knight’s superb captain’s innings of 75 not out but epitomised by an astonishing penultimate-over ramp for four from Kate Cross – has put real belief into their team’s challenge.Fittingly, it was left to Knight to seal the chase with an emphatic slap for four through point off Jess Jonassen, after which she flung away her bat and let her emotions pour out as she leapt into Cross’s arms and soaked up the acclaim of another packed house, with 5,731 fans in Bristol’s County Ground.”It was just pure relief and ecstasy,” Knight said at the post-match presentation. “I thought it was slipping away there when we were eight-down, we kept losing wickets at regular intervals and kept making it hard for ourselves, but I was just trying to stay in my little bubble and keep really calm.”At 235 for 8, England still needed 29 to save the series, with only Lauren Bell to come, but Cross settled quickly into her work with back-to-back fours off Jonassen, before Knight climbed into the spin of Ashleigh Gardner with a huge six over cow corner. And then, with the requirement into single figures, Cross unfurled the stroke that telegraphed the extent of England’s resolve.”Kate Cross, what a hero,” Knight said. “She was quite nervous when she came in, but we just broke it down, trying to get it in tens. And when fine leg came up, I just had a chat with her, ‘paddle’s on, I back you to do it’. I thought she might go pace off, but Crossy executed it brilliantly, and took all the pressure off.”Cross finished unbeaten on 19 from 20 balls from No.10, a priceless contribution that showcased all of her experience, and more than made up for a tricky day with the ball, with her six overs in Australia’s innings going for 42. What’s more, after being laid low by a tropical disease in March that disrupted Cross’s preparation for this series, it was further proof of the fighting qualities that had got her back to full fitness for this campaign.”I kept saying to her, ‘Lauren Bell’s in next, so keep going, keep getting it down,” Knight joked. “Poor Lauren was a bit nervous, but I’m really pleased for Kate. She’s probably not had the best day but she’s one of the most resilient people that I know, so to see her do that was outstanding.”Heather Knight gets low to reverse-sweep during her matchwinning knock•PA Images/Getty

For Healy and Australia, however, it was a deeply chastening loss. Last week, their 2-1 defeat in the T20Is was their first loss in any series since 2017-18; now they have lost their first ODI in 16 attempts – and only their third in 46 – and have lost three matches in a row for the first time since February 2017.”I mean, the Ashes is on the line now proper, isn’t it?” Healy said. “So if that doesn’t galvanise the group, I don’t know what it does. We obviously haven’t been in this position a lot. And you know, we either see it as an opportunity to learn and grow, or we see it as an opportunity to throw excuses out there. So it’s up to us to turn it around for the next two games, [because] that Ashes trophy is well and truly on the line.”Defending 264, Australia were rattled early on by a brilliant Powerplay onslaught from Tammy Beaumont and Alice Capsey, whose fast-paced 40s helped lift England to 84 for 1, their highest 10-over score in ODI history. And though their spinners in particular helped to stem the tide, the run-rate remained below five an over for the bulk of the remaining chase.And despite a scruffy display that contained 23 extras, the multiple World Champions refused to give up without a fight – a trait that gave Healy some comfort as she prepared for what will doubtless be a difficult post-match debrief.”It ended up going right down to the wire,” she said. “Look, we just got outplayed a little bit at the end but thought we fought really well to keep ourselves in the fixture. It was a good game of cricket all round.Related

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“We were probably 20 runs short with a bat, and then we bowled 20-odd extras so I mean, that’s 40 runs in the game, so it’s probably what’s done us at the end of the day.”We’ve been showing it in patches,” she added. “The way we took it as deep as what we did, shows it’s still there. We’ve just got to be better, got to be sharper in different certain areas to get ourselves over the line. And that’s what we’re going to have to find over the next few days.”England, however, also have room for improvement even after this thrilling win, in particular their own fielding display which was marked by six dropped catches and a missed stumping. Knight, however, credited the Bristol crowd for playing their part in keeping the team’s spirits high throughout, and carrying them over the line.”We can be a lot better as well,” Knight said. “It was definitely not our best day. But the fight in the side is remarkable and we showed that again today.””I found it a really tricky wicket, I don’t think I middled one until I was on about 30,” Knight added. “It was quite hard to feel fluent and to rotate the ball around but the crowd kept us in it.”We know Australia are a brilliant team and we’re going to have to go again in Southampton, but the support from the crowd was unreal. I had to not get too high when everyone was singing Hey Jude at the end, and try not to sing along in my head, but it’s been awesome.”The support’s really made the difference for us and hopefully that will continue over the next few games. It’s been an awesome series. I wouldn’t mind a few less nail-biters, to be sure, but it was just pure joy at the end.”

Batter will be given opportunity to “recharge batteries” after scoring 47 runs in eight innings

Matt Roller23-Jun-2021Derbyshire have dropped their captain, Billy Godleman, from their T20 Blast side despite an injury crisis which has stripped the squad back to its bare bones.Godleman has captained in T20 since 2019, when Dominic Cork took over as their Blast coach, and led the side to their first-ever Finals Day that summer, but has suffered a chronic lack of form this season, with 47 runs in eight innings and a top score of 15. He shuffled down to No. 3 in the absence of Wayne Madsen, the club’s all-time leading run-scorer in T20 cricket who tore a hamstring in the opening game of the season but has struggled to make any impact.Cork confirmed on Wednesday that Matt Critchley, the legspinning allrounder, would take over the captaincy for the remainder of the T20 season and that Godleman had been left out of the squad to play Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston on Thursday. Godleman remains the club’s County Championship captain though has managed only 236 runs in 11 first-class innings this season, averaging 23.60.Related

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“Now is the right time to pull him out of the cauldron,” Cork said. “It’s been a tough time for Billy. He hasn’t shirked any responsibility, but as a coach, it would be unfair to just keep letting him go on and on. I’ve spoken to him, and he will come out of the squad to recharge his batteries.”With Godleman left out, Derbyshire have only 11 first-team players confirmed to be fit and available for Thursday night’s game, with loanee Alex Thomson ineligible to play against his parent club, though Tom Wood and Anuj Dal will both take late fitness tests as they look to return from injury. Harry Came, the top-order batter, was signed on a three-year deal at the start of the Blast following Ben McDermott’s call-up to the Australia squad on the eve of the tournament, while Thomson and Conor McKerr have been brought in on loan from Warwickshire and Surrey respectively.The club confirmed last week that Madsen’s injury was more serious than first feared, keeping him out for a minimum of eight weeks and making him a doubt for Manchester Originals in the Hundred. Alex Hughes, Ben Aitchison, Dustin Melton, Nick Potts, Sam Conners and Nils Priestley have also been injured, along with Wood and Dal.”I understand the frustration, and I understand the criticism on social media, but Billy has been an integral part of this team for some time,” Cork added. “With nine injuries, it’s not easy, but we’ve just tried to get on with it.”Maybe if there had been players fit, this decision would have been made a little bit earlier, but without having those players available, you have to hope that a player with the pedigree of Billy pulls through. Unfortunately, it hasn’t, and I’ve had to make this decision.”Derbyshire have won only two of their first eight Blast games, and their chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals are minimal. “You need your senior players to be pushing these young lads and showing them the way, especially in T20 cricket,” Cork said.Elsewhere, Somerset’s club captain Tom Abell has torn a hamstring and has been ruled out for an indefinite period of time. Leicestershire have signed Abi Sakande, the former Sussex seamer, on a deal until the end of the season.

“We will take domestic cricket to that level too so that we can get international players from it”

Umar Farooq22-Dec-2022Najam Sethi has formally taken charge of the PCB, putting the revival of domestic cricket in the country at the top of his priorities. Following the removal of Ramiz Raja, as PCB chairman, and the current board, Sethi will head a 14-member management committee that will take interim charge of affairs. The committee will have 120 days in which they are expected to change the PCB’s constitution, bringing back the 2014 version to replace the current one (put in place in 2019).”I am back after four years and there is lots of work to do,” Sethi said upon arrival at Gaddafi Stadium, PCB’s HQ, on Thursday. “I am thankful to the Prime Minister because it was his wish to revive the 2014 constitution and revive departmental cricket; regions should be revived and encourage the private sector and take cricket forward. A lot has been done here over the last four years, which I don’t like to comment on. But the way we are seeing the cricket team and the problems of cricket players, we will try to solve them.”There’s been a famine for the last four years. Tell me how many cricketers have come through domestic cricket? It looks like only PSL is supplying players. PSL is a very big international brand and we will take domestic cricket to that level too so that we can get international players from it. My primary duty is to restore the spirit of the 2014 constitution. We will meet in a day or two and then we will discuss the major issues and let you know how we will move forward.”The change in PCB was brought in through a notification issued from the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office and a summary from the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC). The formal approval came in late on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Sethi and his allies then arrived at PCB headquarters by noon.Related

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Ramiz was in office until Wednesday and he signed off by approving Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming home Test series against New Zealand.The government has now given Sethi’s committee full executive power to work on reviving the department structure, which was abolished in 2019. Departments were removed from domestic cricket during Imran Khan’s premiership – he had been a longtime advocate for Pakistan’s domestic scene to replicate that of Australia’s, with six teams made up of Pakistan’s provinces playing in all tournaments. The committee will be tasked with the responsibility of forming a board of governors and electing a chairman, with Sethi himself in the fray, as stipulated in the 2014 constitution.How well the plan goes for reviving departments is unclear. A number of department sides had shut down their sporting operations even before Imran’s change and, in the current economic climate, there might not be much appetite for such organisations to hire a squad of cricketers. Sharif had already issued a directive in October this year to all 18 government departments/institutes to restore the governance of their sport structure in Pakistan and restore the finance to sports departments. The pick-up on that has been slow – ESPNcricinfo understands that Ramiz Raja as chairman had written to private banks to ask about reviving their teams but they had shown little interest.”Our sports ordinance, according to which the PCB is operated, is completely dependant on the patron – and he has a lot of rights,” Sethi said of the change in the PCB. “They have exercised these rights previously and he will continue to do so in the future too. But I think performance is very important. If you do not perform well then it gives an opportunity to the people to make a change. If your performance is good then there’s no reason to make a change. I thought we did well [during the previous tenure].”We delivered a lot. When the government changed (in 2018) last time I was assured at the highest level that I will not be removed. But I felt it was not the right thing. It’s the right of the patron to bring a man of his own choice and try to implement his own vision. I personally felt Imran Khan’s vision will do more improvement and that’s why I didn’t want to stand in the way. I could have gone to the courts and fought, but I thought to go honorably. I don’t want to go into detail about what happened over the last four years and how much they succeed. I won’t go into details and we will see how we will take things forward.”According to the 2014 constitution, the composition of the BoG is based on ten members as the body will include four regional representations (top-four teams from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy), four representatives of services organisations (top-four department teams) and two members to be nominated by the patron in his discretion. The federal secretary of the ministry of inter-provincial coordination or any other officer nominated by him shall be an ex-officio, non-voting 11th member. The term of each member of the BoG is three years – equivalent to one term of the chairman in a bid to promote continuity in the set-up.Imran’s model was also implemented by Ehsan Mani but it had drawn resentment in the cricketing circles in the country. A group of former board members and cricketers including Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Gul have been urging the government to revert to the previous domestic structure where departmental teams such as WAPDA, SNGPL and PIA were part of the first-class circuit. Imran’s orders to abolish departmental cricket, eventually stand revoked by Sharif, who succeeded him as premier.

He says the team is not unduly worried about losing the first ODI in a three-match series

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-20202:28

Really happy with the way I planned my innings – Iyer

Ever since his comeback into the Indian team after the 2019 World Cup, Shreyas Iyer has been among the most consistent batsmen in the side, flying under the radar perhaps given the exploits of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.In nine ODIs since August 2019, when Iyer returned to the team, he has averaged 53, with a strike rate of 104.95 (the best among Indians who have faced at least 100 balls since then). In 16 T20Is in the same period, Iyer has an average of 33.40 at a strike rate of 138.01. He is placed third and fourth on the highest run-scorers’ lists for ODIs and T20Is respectively since August, and quietly, Iyer has become an important member of a batting line-up he couldn’t break into just a year ago.Iyer has always had confidence in himself, so when his first ODI century didn’t result in a win for India, he was unperturbed.”I am very happy but if it had ended on a winning note I would have been even happier. But it’s the first of many, so I’ll take it in my stride and see to it that in the next matches, I finish on the winning side,” Iyer said at the press conference after India’s four-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the first ODI on Wednesday.That India lost despite putting on a mighty 347 for 4 didn’t cause any undue angst within the side.”We just sat and everybody was in their own zone. It didn’t matter to be honest. It’s just a loss and we have faced that before as well in our life,” Iyer said. “It’s not that we are facing it for the first time. So everybody is in their normal zone and it’s not something that hasn’t happened before. We’ve got that confidence in our team and in ourselves that we are going to bounce back strong. We have done in the past, so we’ve just got to take the positives from this game and move forward.”Iyer gave credit to New Zealand’s batsmen for hunting down a tall target, while also explaining how the surface at Seddon Park in Hamilton had changed as the game went on. Iyer’s own innings started slowly; he took 10 balls to get off the mark and he was on 11 off 28 at one point, having joined Kohli with India 54 for 2 in the ninth over. He eventually ended with 103 off 107, and shared stands of 102 for the third wicket and 136 for the fourth wicket in under 17 overs, with Rahul.”The pitch had become very good in the second innings. It was coming onto the bat and the dew factor also played an important role in this game,” Iyer said. “They batted really well, so credit has to definitely go to them for the chase.”It (the ball) was stopping and coming,” he said about batting in the first innings. “There was a variable bounce on the wicket, so we (Kohli and he) just decided that we need to take this phase and build a partnership. I’m really glad we took that situation completely out and had a partnership of 100, me and Virat. That set up momentum for the next batsman who came in and we ended up scoring 348 (347) which is a really good total. I’m really happy the way I planned my innings. I was keeping patient and I had that self-belief that once I cross a certain mark, I’ll be able to cover all the balls I played as dots.”Talking about KL Rahul, he’s been batting magnificently well. The way he’s seeing the ball… the time he came in and hit his first six, I literally asked him on the field, ‘Are you seeing the ball like a football?’ He just nodded and laughed. He’s been in tremendous touch and there’s lots to learn from him as well, as a batsman, the way he really plans his innings and then takes on the bowler.”Iyer also defended India’s fielding, which has seen several lapses and dropped chances on the tour of New Zealand, both in T20Is and the lone ODI so far.”Everybody goes through a bad day,” he said. “I personally feel we are a very good fielding side, and we have to try and hit the target (stumps) so that we create that momentum on the field. We need to cheer up the bowlers and all the fielders have be there in the game. So all these overthrows and all, it’s part of the game because the bowlers keep thinking of what they’ll bowl the next ball, and at the same time, it’s the fielders’ responsibility to back up obviously.”There are one or two instances that happened in the previous game, there’s a lot to learn from that. Obviously we are working hard on our fielding, it’s not that we are just giving up on the field. Even if you see that there are some places we need to improve, we have been doing really well. We have taken some amazing catches and run-outs in this game.”

Australian left-armer defended eight of the final over after Yorkshire were coasting chasing 171

ECB Reporters Network21-Jun-2024Australian quick Ben Dwarshuis defended eight off the last over to complete a thrilling come-from-behind Durham victory to beat Yorkshire and leapfrog them into the North Group’s top four places.Yorkshire, chasing 171, were cruising at 113 for 2 in the 12th over before leg-spinner Nathan Sowter bowled buccaneering Will Luxton for 33 and had Jordan Thompson brilliantly caught and bowled on the run towards long-on.Left-armer Dwarshuis then claimed his first wicket for Durham in the last over and defended four off the last ball against George Hill. The Vikings, replying to 170 for 6, finished on 167 for 7, handing Durham a fourth win in eight games – this by three runs. Yorkshire lost their fourth in eight.Dwarshuis was the hero in only his third game. The overseas man had been dropped after the first two games. Opener Graham Clark top-scored with 49 off 35 balls for Durham, while Adam Lyth top-scored for Yorkshire with 54.Visiting left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty impressed with two for 26, a return matched by Durham’s excellent seamer Ben Raine. But Sowter, who also affected a run out, contributed massively to the comeback.Considering Durham, who elected to bat, took 10 off the first over – a boundary piece for Clark and Alex Lees – Yorkshire did well to limit them to 44 for 1 after six overs.Clark struck the ball sweetly, but David Bedingham struggled to get going amidst a run-a-ball 21, ended when he pulled Jafer Chohan’s leg-spin to deep midwicket – 59 for 2 in the ninth over.Clark took back-to-back boundaries off Jordan Thompson to take the score to 88 for two after 12 but fell agonisingly short of a fifty when he dragged Moriarty on in the next, Durham now 91 for 3.And they were struggling to get going.But that impetus did come in the final five overs, with Ollie Robinson, Bas de Leede and Michael Jones all finding or clearing the boundary, the former two contributing useful scores of 33 and 28 before falling to Thompson and Dom Bess.Thompson had Robinson caught behind and bowled Raine, but 64 came off the last five overs.Lyth continued the flow of runs at the start of Yorkshire’s chase with a couple of leg-side sixes before losing opening partner and captain for the night Dawid Malan.He was brilliantly caught at cover by a diving Lees off George Drissell’s off-spin, leaving Yorkshire at 35 for one in the fourth over.Malan, who scored only seven, was leading Yorkshire after Shan Masood was injured in the Roses win 24 hours earlier.That dismissal brought Joe Root to the crease for his last domestic appearance before England Test commitments, and he breezed to 20.But when he was caught behind off Raine’s seam – 60 for 2 in the seventh over – Durham’s hopes were raised.Luxton tried his best to dash them in only his fourth career T20 appearance and his first of 2024.He hit two leg-side sixes and a four down the ground as 19 came off Drissell in the 10th over, taking the Vikings to 100 for 2.It seemed as if they were, by now in an unassailable position. Not so!Sowter bowled him and had Thompson superbly caught and bowled running towards mid-on. Lyth reached 50 off 35 balls but was also lbw to Raine. With those three dismissals, Yorkshire were 130 for 5 in the 16th and the game in the balance again.Sowter brilliantly ran Donovan Ferreira out with a direct hit from deep midwicket before Dwarshuis had Dom Bess caught at long-on in the last, which ended by Hill missing an attempted ramp off the last ball.

Three wickets off three successive deliveries in the final over left India needing one off one, before Rinku calmly bludgeoned a six as Sean Abbott bowled a no-ball

Tristan Lavalette23-Nov-2023Josh Inglis smashed his maiden T20I century, but Suryakumar Yadav responded masterfully in his captaincy debut to lift India past Australia in a tense series opener.Just four days after being part of Australia’s World Cup title, Inglis tore apart a new-look India attack in batting friendly conditions in Visakhapatnam with 110 off 50 balls.He dominated a second-wicket partnership of 130 with Steven Smith, who made 52 and was the only other Australia player fronting up from the World Cup final.But Suryakumar also shrugged off World Cup weariness with a belligerent 80 off 42 balls. There was a late twist after Suryakumar’s dismissal with India losing a slew of wickets and they needed one run off the final delivery.But Rinku Singh calmly bludgeoned a six off seamer Sean Abbott, who had delivered a no-ball, as India drew first blood in the five-match series.

Inglis equals Finch’s record

The tight scheduling of this series has been widely mocked and underscored by both teams fielding second-string teams. But with the T20 World Cup just over six months away, there was plenty at stake for a number of players.Smith and Inglis had points to prove. Smith has openly stated his desire to bat at the top having auditioned for the role late in last season’s BBL and peeling off consecutive centuries.Opening a T20I for the first time, Smith relished a grassless surface and quick outfield with three boundaries through the off-side in his first eight deliveries.But he was completely overtaken by a rampaging Inglis, who came in at No.3 after the wicket of opener Matthew Short in the fifth over. Playing as a specialist batter, with skipper Matthew Wade taking the gloves, Inglis hit a boundary off his first ball and didn’t slow down from there.He toyed with the quicks and spinners by unleashing his full range of strokes around the wicket. Inglis’ superb knock was highlighted by pinpoint placement, while he showcased a liking to get deep into his crease and hit over extra cover.Having reached his century off 47 balls, Inglis equalled Aaron Finch’s record that had been set a decade ago.Josh Inglis hit a century off just 47 balls•Getty Images

Tough captaincy start for Suryakumar

After a remarkable lapped reverse to the boundary from Inglis, all Suryakumar could do was grin. It was a tough initiation for Suryakumar, who was captaining India for the first time having been in charge of Mumbai 36 times across formats in domestic cricket.He was proactive and rotated his bowlers in the powerplay, getting spinners Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi into the attack. But nothing worked amid Inglis’ onslaught as Suyakumar resorted to giving his team a pep talk during the drinks break.Things could have been more grim had it not been for seamer Mukesh Kumar, who bowled superbly at the death.

But Suryakumar stands up with bat

Suryakumar did not enjoy batting on a slow Ahmedabad surface in the World Cup final. He was unable to do much against Australia’s clever tactics of bowling slower bouncers.Suryakumar much preferred this harder surface, while facing up to a second-string Australia attack. He hit two sixes off his first six balls to get India back on track after the early wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was run out without facing a delivery.On such a flat surface, Australia didn’t revert often to their slower ball bouncer tactic, but Suryakumar almost holed out on one such delivery bowled by left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff.He was well supported by wicket-keeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who only played in two early games at the World Cup. They slammed a 112-run partnership with Suryakumar taking over after the wicket of Kishan with a trademark assault to all corners of the ground. He also overcame cramps in what proved to be a memorable captaincy debut.

Sangha impresses under pressure

With Adam Zampa resting, legspinner Tanveer Sangha had his opportunity after not being used during the World Cup.It loomed as a baptism of fire with Sangha copping a thumping from Kishan in the ninth over. Wade boldly reintroduced Sangha four overs later with Kishan and Suryakumar well set.But Kishan could only hit straight to deep extra cover after Sangha changed his line and Wade decided to stick with him for the 15th over. Sangha repaid the faith by removing Tilak Varma with a googly to finish with 2 for 47 from 4 overs.However, Suryakumar kept the required rate under control, taking India to 194 in the 18th over before being dismissed by Behrendorff, with Aaron Hardie taking a great catch at mid on.With just seven needed off the final over, Rinku seemed to have all but sealed the win when he flashed the first ball over point for four. India were left with just three to get off five deliveries, but Abbott had Axar Patel caught off his own bowling in the third ball. Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh were both run out off the next two deliveries, leaving a nervous India needing one run off the last ball.Rinku, though, showed no nerves, lofting Abbott down the ground for maximum; replays, however, confirmed that the bowler had overstepped, meaning the win had been sealed with the no-ball.

The chairman and interim CEO have been sent back to the drawing board

Daniel Brettig17-Jul-2020Australian cricket’s state association owners have knocked back a revised offer for annual grants from Cricket Australia, sending the chairman Earl Eddings and interim chief executive Nick Hockley back to the drawing board in terms of their calculations.Hockley’s predecessor Kevin Roberts was forced to resign due to a range of disputes over the game’s finances amid the Covid-19 pandemic. While an interim arrangement has been reached with the Australian Cricketers Association for revenue calculations outside contract retainers and match fees to be made at a later date, New South Wales and Queensland remain at odds with CA’s proposals for reductions to grants that totalled more than A$127 million in the organisation’s most recent annual report.The latest offer, understood to have been tabled to the objecting associations earlier this week by Hockley – with the implication that their agreement would lock all states into the deal – reverted from forecast figures to actual figures but also called for the states to match grant cuts dollar for dollar with CA revenue downturns, so if the governing body’s revenue was down by 25%, the state associations would also take a 25% cut to their annual grants.ALSO READ: Inside the fall of Kevin RobertsWhile this linking of CA revenue to state grants appeared to offer improved terms, it was actually an inferior offer to that tabled to the states by Roberts and his chief operating officer Scott Grant in April. That proposal suggested that states would face a 25% cut to their grants only if CA suffered a 50% loss of revenue for the forthcoming summer, a scenario made moot by confirmation that India will fulfil its touring obligations and thus ensure a largely uninterrupted flow of broadcast rights cash into the game.Under those terms, had CA lost less than 50% of forecast revenue, the reduction in the states’ annual grants would reduce to less than 25%, likely to around half that percentage in the event that CA’s in-flow of cash was down by 25% for the coming season.CA’s first offer to the states had been for a 40% cut to their annual grants over two years, a level of possible severity that likely helped to trigger cuts amounting to more than 150 staff being made redundant across the country.Though it is unlikely that CA will cling to the most recent terms after the discrepancy was pointed out, its tabling to the states does not reflect well on Eddings’ board, given they have remained present throughout the period and called in Hockley to work as a more agreeable and broadly respected chief executive, after Roberts had ultimately burned too many bridges across cricket. The search for the permanent CEO goes on.However, the goodwill created by the change of chief executive has not been extinguished by this latest offer, with the states preferring to let Hockley and Eddings rework their figures rather than immediately agitating for more change.Irrespective of whether CA’s Board is dramatically recast in future, there will be change this year as a minimum of two board directors – Jacquie Hey and Paul Green – are up for re-election via a nomination committee and AGM process due to conclude in late October.Other positions on the nine-person board may also be discussed, with Eddings due to serve one more year as part of a three-year term. His predecessor David Peever was returned for a second term in October 2018, before being compelled to depart when NSW withdrew its support a handful of days later.

Hosts smash a record 59 off last three overs to deny Australia 3-0 sweep

Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Jun-2022
Dasun Shanaka made a furious late charge at a total that always seemed beyond Sri Lanka, crashing sixes over midwicket, smoking fours down the ground, and through cover, batting desperately to bring his team some joy out of the series.There was a bit of luck, but not that much. A wide that shouldn’t have been called, maybe. Australia’s bowlers missing their lengths a little more often than they usually would.But in the presence of packed and uproarious Pallekele crowd, Shanaka hunted down 75 off the last five overs in the company of Chamika Karunaratne, who occasionally produced big hits himself, but was more the captain’s hype man. Shanaka had hit only six off his first 12 balls, but then went into supernova mode, blasting 48 off his next 13 deliveries, taking Josh Hazlewood apart, then Jhye Richardson, then Kane Richardson in the final over, from which 19 had been required.