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Foxes lose by four runs despite unbeaten 83 from 50 balls by Wiaan Mulder

ECB Reporters Network02-Jul-2023Injury-hit Notts Outlaws confirmed their place in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast after defending a total of 168 for 8 to beat Leicestershire Foxes by four runs despite a career-best unbeaten 83 from 50 balls for the visitors by South African Wiaan Mulder.Rishi Patel made 37 for the Foxes, who looked favourites after posting 70 for 2 in the powerplay but could not build well enough on that start as two wickets each from Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Matt Carter and Calvin Harrison restricted them to 164 for 8.Wicketkeeper Tom Moores top scored for the Outlaws for the second match in a row with 68 from 40 deliveries to earn his side an away tie with Somerset as they bid to clinch a place at finals day for the seventh time.Captaining for the first time after Steven Mullaney (side strain) was ruled out, Alex Hales won the toss and opted to bat first. As his first scoring shot sailed over the extra cover boundary for six he would have had hopes of leading from the front with a trademark Hales innings.With Colin Munro and Samit Patel also (still) sidelined, the Outlaws needed something of that nature, but after a start bristling with intent Hales fell on 26 when he drilled a Michael Finan full toss straight to extra cover. Joe Clarke had already gone and Matt Montgomery was bowled without scoring as Roman Walker struck in his first appearance of the season.A powerplay 52 for 3 became 58 for 4 in the seventh as Lyndon James was well caught at point. At 77 for 4 from 10, Moores got the scoreboard moving with four and six off Colin Ackermann but then Haseeb Hameed lost his middle stump to the excellent Tom Scriven (4-0-19-1).Moores continued in the vein of his stand-out innings in Friday’s defeat to Birmingham Bears as he and Imad Wasim added 52 for the sixth wicket but the ball after Moores was dropped on the boundary on 57, Imad slogged Finan straight to wide long-on. Afridi perished first ball going down the pitch and Moores holed out in the penultimate over.The Outlaws were again without Olly Stone as they sought to defend but though Afridi struck with his first ball as Foxes skipper Peter Handscomb chipped straight to mid-on he could not repeat Friday’s extraordinary four-wicket opening over and the Foxes were well placed at 70 for two from six, albeit with Patel gone, victim of a brilliant one-handed grab by Hales at wide mid-on.Mulder was dropped at backward point off Jake Ball on 39 but leg-spinner Harrison kept the Outlaws in the game with two wickets for just two runs in the 10th, watching Ackermann give an easy catch to cover before bowling Lewis Hill behind his legs as the Foxes touched halfway at 92 for four.Two wickets for Imad Wasim as the Outlaws spinners applied the brakes saw Louis Kimber and Nick Welch fall cheaply seeking to break the shackles and at 103 for 6, still 60 short and with 42 balls left, the Foxes were under pressure for the first time in the match, although a couple of good blows by Scriven and 15 in one over by Mulder off Harrison brought that down to 32 from the last 24 deliveries.Yet only 12 runs off the next three with Scriven top-edging Matt Carter to short fine leg and a third catch for Hales on the run to remove Walker left 20 to get off the final over bowled by Ball, which Mulder opened with a six over backward point but ultimately proved five too many.

He admits New Zealand’s ODI tour to Bangladesh will be early for comeback but is working towards the small milestones

Ashish Pant11-Aug-2023Kane Williamson has admitted that making it to the ODI World Cup in India in October remains a “tough goal” for him. But Williamson is cautiously optimistic as he continues “to tick off the small milestones” on his road to recovery, having undergone surgery for a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] in his right knee in April.”To be at the World Cup is always special. It’s still just guesswork at the moment in terms of when the day is or how it’s tracking at the time,” Williamson told reporters at the Bay Oval about where he stands with regard to a potential comeback.”There’s a lot of work to do. I am just really following the programme, with the professionals for physio, the support staff and New Zealand Cricket. And it’s tough, because you do have some good days, and then you have a few variable ones.Related

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When asked what he thought his recovery chances for the World Cup were when he got injured back in March, he said: “Yeah, obviously slim, and still, you know, a tough goal. However, something like that [World Cup] in the back of your mind is obviously motivating and you want to keep seeing those improvements.”The New Zealand white-ball captain was speaking for the first time since posting a video on social media on August 1, where he was seen taking throwdowns in the nets. Williamson hasn’t started facing bowling in the nets yet but he will join the national side in England during the T20Is and ODIs to continue his rehab. He suggested that there was “definitely more movement” in the knee but also made certain that he wasn’t looking too far ahead of himself.”Yeah, good, just kind of on that same journey path really where there’s been some nice little progressions and working through some of those little milestones and return to the running phase, which I am in at the moment,” Williamson said of his recovery.”It has been nice to get back on the feet a little bit more and sort of get more into the net sessions and get slightly more involved as well. [There is] definitely more movement. I suppose that’s almost the name of the game…let’s get the strength and the movement to improve throughout. It is obviously a bit of a slow journey, as a number of others are experiencing.”Kane Williamson has started taking throwdowns in the nets•Gujarat Titans

While Williamson was unable to give a timeline about a possible return, he did suggest that making it to New Zealand’s tour of Bangladesh for the three ODIs in late September in the lead-up to the World Cup would “probably be a bit early”.”It’s a tricky one – you start entertaining a few earlier targets,” he said. “It is a lot about the healing element as well. You can have the strength work, the movement, the confidence, but the actual healing is what has to happen and there are a lot of things to really assess before that time. So, that [Bangladesh] series, by all accounts, is too early.”Williamson was also hopeful he was not far away from taking on the bowlers in the nets too.”Yeah, still, throws and things, working through some of those positions. I never really had to break it down so much ever in terms of some of the spin work, the variation and links, all these sorts of things that you never thought too much about,” he said.”Now, you’re really trying to exaggerate some of the movements and get them better prepared for the higher intensity stuff. But you know, it is progressing nicely, and hopefully not too far away, really from both.”Williamson said he was “really looking forward” to joining the squad in England, where New Zealand will play two T20 warm-ups on August 25 and 27, before the T20Is from August 30 to September 5 followed by the ODIs from September 8 to 15.”The team hasn’t spent that much time together anyway, but obviously being off the grid a little bit, it’s nice to be hitting over there and connecting with the group. One of the last tours that one and the Bangladesh one before obviously the World Cup, so it will be nice to spend some time with the team and do a bit of training and rehab with the group as well,” he said.

Gus Atkinson claims best figures by England T20I debutant as tourists slide to crushing defeat

Alan Gardner01-Sep-2023Harry Brook ensured the conversation about his 50-over World Cup omission would continue to bubble under, as he and Jonny Bairstow dismantled New Zealand’s attack during a century stand at Old Trafford. Gus Atkinson then confirmed his arrival as a fast man of international pedigree with the best figures by an Englishman on T20I debut as New Zealand were brutally dispatched in the second T20I.Bairstow batted through the England innings for 86 off 60 balls but it was Brook’s audacious strokeplay that had the crowd off their feet while adding 67 from 36, with five fours and as many sixes, as England powered to a commanding score after choosing to bat first.Atkinson, clocked at 95mph/152kph during the Hundred last month, claimed a wicket with his fourth ball in international cricket before returning to blast out the final three in the space of an over. Atkinson finished with 4 for 20, New Zealand plummeting from 72 for 3 to 103 all out – only three batters managing double-figures – as England consigned them to their third-heaviest defeat in T20s, and a 2-0 series deficit.Atkinson quick off the mark
“He’s got extra pace, and pace can create wickets,” Jos Buttler said at the toss, when asked about England’s newest quick bowler, Atkinson of Surrey (or Oval Invincibles in new money). Few outside the county borders knew much about the 25-year-old at the start of the season, even though he had been on the club’s books since 2017, but impressive returns and, more importantly, a propensity to push the speed gun well above 90mph, had seen him rocket up the pecking order and into England’s 50-over World Cup squad despite being uncapped in any format.The first cap duly came, having been given an extra couple of days to recover from his exertions in the Hundred final, and it didn’t take long for pace to create a maiden international wicket. His start was tight, the wheels in evidence – second ball, 92mph/148kph – and Devon Conway duly attempted to hit his way out of trouble, only to flick another 90mph/145kph delivery down the throat of deep backward square leg.New Zealand crumble in steep chase
With both openers gone for single-figure scores and Glenn Phillips hitting an Adil Rashid full toss straight to long-on – Brook again on the scene with a precisely judged leap – New Zealand were 44 for 3 and struggling to keep up with a required rate of almost 10 an over. Mark Chapman crashed Liam Livingstone’s first two balls for six and four but fell in the same over, and when Brydon Carse’s deck-hitting approach had Daryl Mitchell caught behind first ball, the jig was as good as up.It was still a tame ending, as Will Jacks bowled Mitchell Santner for a maiden T20I wicket, Adam Milne reversed Rashid straight to slip – a fine reaction catch from Moeen Ali – and Atkinson returned to end it in the space of five balls. Tim Seifert, who battled gamely for 39 off 31, top-edged a bouncer straight up, before Tim Southee was lbw attempting to scoop and Atkinson’s yorker thudded into the base of middle and off stumps to dismiss Lockie Ferguson first ball. As at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday, the game was done with six overs to spare.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bat first, bat steady
After Buttler had opted to bat at the toss, England’s powerplay effort of 40 for 1 suggested that conditions might not be conducive for outright carnage. Bairstow ticked along at just under a run a ball, and although Jacks fetched Ferguson for two fours and a six in the space of three balls, not everything was coming out of the middle – as evidenced by a flaccid pull off Southee that looped to mid-on in the following over.Dawid Malan, a T20I banker for England but coping uneasily with scrutiny over his 50-over World Cup spot, soon departed for a four-ball duck, done by Santner looping one up in the old style, to make it 43 for 2. Bairstow bludgeoned Santner into the crowd for his first six, before Brook twice smoked Ish Sodhi over deep extra cover from consecutive balls – the latter despite barely reaching the pitch – but a score of 76 for 2 at halfway would not have daunted New Zealand.Bairstow, Brook go big
A pair of Yorkshiremen on Lancashire’s home ground, Bairstow and Brook took a while to feel comfortable. England’s third-wicket pair were prepared to put in the groundwork, easing to a fifty partnership from 30 balls – and then came the signal to unleash. Bairstow, having notched a 40-ball half-century, slog-swept Southee over the ropes before hitting him down the ground for four and then six – the latter a huge straight hit into the pavilion – before Brook latched on to another wide slower ball and flogged six more over long-on, as the over went for 23.Bairstow made it three sixes in five balls by tucking into Sodhi, Brook adding another boundary with an impudent reverse-slap. Milne briefly put a break on the scoring with a boundary-free 15th, but Brook showed his touch by dabbing and driving Ferguson for another brace of fours, then went after Southee again with 6-4-6 from consecutive balls. A baseball slap down the ground took him to fifty off 31 balls, before whipping a full toss through midwicket, then picking the wide legcutter again and ploughing it over long-on.By the time Brook departed in the 18th, advancing to mistime Sodhi to long-on, the partnership had realised 131 from 65 balls – the highest stand in T20Is at Old Trafford. Although only 24 runs came from the last 16 balls, Milne completing an excellent showing to finish with figures of 4-0-23-0, England were as good as out of sight already.

Moves in search of first-team cricket after injury-interrupted spell on south coast

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2023Derbyshire have signed Aneurin Donald on a two-year contract from Hampshire.An explosive batter who can also keep wicket, Donald came through at Glamorgan and, aged 19, equalled the record for the fastest double-century in first-class cricket, off 123 balls.He moved to Hampshire at the end of 2018, but missed back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021 with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Donald was part of the squad that won the Vitality T20 Blast in 2022 but he only played 64 times across formats in his five years on the south coast, and was loaned to Derbyshire this summer, featuring twice in the Blast.”Aneurin impressed us during his short spell with us earlier this year and we were eager to bring him to the club,” Derbyshire’s head of cricket, Mickey Arthur, said. “He’s a powerful batter, capable of taking a game away from you very quickly, and he will also provide cover in the wicketkeeper department, an area we needed depth in.Related

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“He has been a part of a very good Hampshire side, one which has routinely competed for trophies, that’s the kind of player we want to bring to the club as we look to improve.”Donald, who scored two hundreds as Hampshire reached the final of the 2023 Metro Bank One-Day Cup, said he had turned down other offers in order to join Derbyshire, where he hoped to gain greater first-team opportunities.”I’m excited to have joined Derbyshire permanently; I know from my loan spell what a great group of players we have at the club and the high standards demanded,” he said. “At this point in my career, I need to be playing cricket and I want to be contributing to success, that’s why I’ve come to Derbyshire, because I believe this is a project I can fit into.”I had a few options at other counties, but the level of coaching and the project which is happening at Derbyshire really stood out to me. Mickey has spoken to me about his ambition for the Club and I’m looking forward to playing a part in that journey.”Giles White, Hampshire’s director of cricket, added: “Naturally, we are sad to see Aneurin go, but we understand and support his decision to find consistent game time at this stage of his career.”Aneurin has been an extremely popular member of the club since he joined in 2019. He is a great team man and over the years he has shifted the course of many games in the team’s favour.”We wish him nothing but the best for the future as he transitions into another phase of his career and thank him for his wholehearted commitment to Hampshire Cricket since his arrival.”

Mahika Gaur and James Rew collect Young Player awards at end-of-season event

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2023Tammy Beaumont and Harry Brook have been voted winners of the cinch Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Player of the Year awards, with Mahika Gaur and James Rew collecting the Young Player awards.Beaumont, winner of the women’s award in 2016, collected the accolade for a second time after a stellar summer in which she broke the record for the highest individual international score for England Women with her double-hundred in the Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, as well as finishing as the second-leading run-scorer in the women’s Hundred.Brook, who won Men’s Young Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022, added the senior award to his collection on the back of a prolific run of form in the Test team, as well as helping England to win the 2022 T20 World Cup.”I’m really pleased to win it,” Beaumont said. “I was shocked just to be nominated with lots of players having really good individual summers in Nat [Sciver-Brunt], Georgia [Adams] and Bryony [Smith]. I’m very grateful that my peers have voted for me and I think that’s what makes the PCA Awards so special because it’s voted for by your team-mates and opposition.”I tend not to look at my statistics, yes the double-hundred was nice but we didn’t win that game, so I should have got more in the second innings but I’m very proud of that achievement.”Brook, who forced his way into England Men’s ODI World Cup squad after hitting a 41-ball century in the Hundred, said: “I wasn’t expecting to win this award if I’m honest, the last 12 months have been a dream come true and this is a huge honour. To contribute to wins for my country has been fantastic and I want to continue doing that. I’ve had the experience of playing in different conditions with and against some of the best players in the world so to help win games of cricket for England has made it even sweeter.Harry Brook was named PCA men’s player of the year•Getty Images for PCA

“It’s a great feeling having players vote for you and I want to say thank you to them. Looking at the high profile names on this trophy and to be alongside them is incredible. To have done what I have in the last 12 months in international cricket is a dream and hopefully it continues.”Left-arm seamer Gaur became the third 17-year-old in succession to win the PCA Women’s Young Player award, after Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp. Gaur, who had previously been capped by UAE, made her England T20I and ODI debuts against Sri Lanka last month.”It means a lot more to me than a normal award because with the cinch PCA Awards, it’s the other players voting for you,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed moving over from Dubai and I’ve learnt lots this season, I didn’t think at the start of the year that I’d be playing for England so I’m really grateful.”Rew, meanwhile, enjoyed a breakthrough summer with Somerset. The 19-year-old wicketkeeper scored 1086 runs in Division One of the County Championship, including five hundreds, to become the first teenager to win the PCA Men’s Young Player award since James Taylor in 2009.”I was just trying to keep it simple and score runs, I was overjoyed just to be nominated for an award that has some amazing names on it, it’s really special for me,” Rew said.”I want to keep performing well for Somerset and try and put in a title challenge and hopefully I can break into the Somerset white-ball side and try to get into the England Test team in the future.”The PCA awards, held at the Troxy in east London, also saw Liam Dawson and Georgia Adams acknowledged for their domestic performances, Gloucestershire’s Tom Smith receive the Outstanding Contribution Award, and Special Merit prizes handed out to retiring England greats Katherine Sciver-Brunt and Stuart Broad.PCA Chief Executive, Rob Lynch, added: “This year was a momentous one for the game. To be able to celebrate all our winners at the most prestigious awards ceremony in cricket was the perfect end to a summer to remember. Congratulations to the four main award winners at this year’s cinch PCA Awards, all of them performed at an inspiring level and are deserving of their prizes.”Well done to all award winners from this season, your phenomenal performances have helped make this an unforgettable summer.”I would like to thank cinch for making the PCA Awards possible and for supporting the professional game.”

To qualify for semi-final, they need to beat England by an improbable 287 runs, hence will likely miss out for third World Cup in a row

Matt Roller10-Nov-20234:41

Babar: I don’t feel any pressure

How do you plan for a game which you need to win by 287 runs? That is Pakistan’s task against England in Kolkata on Saturday, in order to qualify for the semi-finals of the World Cup: not just to win, but also win by the biggest margin in the history of their men’s ODI team.It is the second consecutive World Cup in which Pakistan will head into their final group game requiring an implausible winning margin to overtake New Zealand on net run rate (NRR). In 2019, they needed to beat Bangladesh by around 316 runs at Lord’s to sneak through; this time, the required margin of 287 is only a fraction smaller.”It’s in our mind, and we will try to do it,” Babar Azam, their captain, insisted on Friday at Eden Gardens, emphasising that Pakistan still believe they can set up a semi-final against India. “We will try to execute our plans of how we will go tomorrow, and how we will achieve the target.Related

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“We can’t just go in and start firing blindly. We want that, but with proper planning – how we want to play the first ten overs, then the next 20; how we have to achieve that target. There are lots of things in this – like partnerships, [and] which players will stay on the pitch for how long.”Pakistan defied expectations in their most recent game, conceding 401 against New Zealand in Bengaluru before Fakhar Zaman hit 126 not out off 81 balls to lead them to an improbable victory via the DLS method. And Babar believes that Fakhar will hold the key on Saturday too.”I would say if Fakhar is [batting] in the match for 20 or 30 overs, we can achieve that,” he said. “Then follow up with [Mohammad] Rizwan, [and] Iftikhar [Ahmed]. We can do this, and we have planned for this.”Pakistan will effectively be eliminated before a ball is bowled tomorrow, since boosting their NRR will be near impossible if they are asked to bowl first by England. Even if they bowled England out for 100, they would then have to hit 17 consecutive sixes – that is, complete the chase in 2.5 overs – in order to move above New Zealand’s NRR.”There is one match left. You never know: it’s cricket,” Babar said. “We will try to finish on a good note, and then see. I think the South Africa match [which Pakistan lost by one wicket] cost us. We should have won that match; but unfortunately, we didn’t, because of which we are at this stage.””I think the South Africa match cost us” – Babar Azam on why Pakistan are “at this stage”•Associated Press

There was little else Babar could do other than talking up his side’s chances of qualification, but the prospect of winning by such a margin seems fanciful – even against an England side shot of confidence. In reality, Pakistan are highly likely to miss out on the semi-final for a third consecutive World Cup.Babar’s position as captain has come under significant media scrutiny back home over the last six weeks, and confirmation of Pakistan’s group-stage exit will only heighten the speculation surrounding his future in the role. Despite that, he insisted that the noise has not distracted him or his team.”It’s just because I have not performed the way I should have in the World Cup; that’s why people are saying that I am under pressure,” Babar said. “I am under no pressure. I have been doing this for the last two-and-a-half, [to] three years. I was the one who was performing, and I was the one who was the captain.”Everyone is saying something different: he should be like this, or like that. If someone has to give me advice, everyone has my number… I don’t think I was under any pressure or felt any different because of this. I try to give my best in the field during fielding; [and] during batting, I think about how I should make runs and make the team win.”He has had a respectable tournament with the bat, scoring 282 runs at 40.28 with four half-centuries, but has not hit the heights expected of him. “I wanted to give a good performance here. I had high expectations but I couldn’t perform as per expectations,” Babar said. “I accept that.”As for his future in the role, Babar said that it was out of his control: “About the captaincy, as I said, once we go back to Pakistan – or after this match – we will see what happens. But right now, I am not focusing on this: my focus is on the next match.”It might take a 287-run win to quieten the talk.

His unbeaten 55 off 19 balls turns a challenging chase into a cruise

AAP31-Dec-2023
Marcus Stoinis blasted his way back to form by helping the Melbourne Stars pull off their greatest BBL run chase in a seven-wicket win over the Adelaide Strikers on New Year’s Eve.After Chris Lynn (83* off 42 balls) and Matt Short (56 off 32) lifted the Strikers to an imposing 205 for 4 at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, Beau Webster (66* off 48) and Stoinis (55* off 19) silenced the bumper crowd of 42,505, raising victory with six balls remaining.Stoinis, who entered the match hopelessly out of touch with just 30 runs for the tournament at an average of six, battered the Strikers into submission, turning a formidable chase into a cruise.With the match in the balance in the 18th over, Wes Agar was incensed when his full toss which Stoinis clobbered for four was deemed too high and a no-ball, softening the equation for the Stars.But there was no luck required in the 19th as Stoinis, also the New Year’s Eve hero here 12 months ago, crunched James Bazley for 62466 for the win.After Tom Rogers (8) departed cheaply, Dan Lawrence (50) – virtually straight off a plane as a replacement player for departed Pakistani duo Haris Rauf and Usama Mir – lit up the powerplay. Lawrence, though, was run out in contentious fashion.D’Arcy Short’s bullet to wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen from deep square leg just beat Lawrence’s lunge, but while the ball spilled out of Neilsen’s gloves as the stumps were broken, the Englishman was given his marching orders by third umpire Donovan Koch.Stars skipper Glenn Maxwell (28) miscued impressive legspinner Cameron Boyce to Adam Hose in the outer, but then Webster and Stoinis’ fireworks show began.Earlier, master blaster Lynn and captain Matt Short had the Strikers at one stage eyeing a total nearing 250. After D’Arcy Short (25) spooned a return catch to spinner Corey Rocchiccioli, captain Short and Lynn smashed 83 off the next five overs and moved into first and second place on the competition’s run-scoring leaderboard.The skipper thumped three sixes before lofting a knuckle-ball from opposite number Maxwell (2-21) to Webster at deep midwicket.
Maxwell’s knuckle-ball variation also claimed Hose (14) as the Strikers’ progress stalled somewhat, but Lynn continued to fire against a depleted, rattled Stars attack.The BBL’s all-time leading run-scorer, Lynn belted four sixes and was well supported late by Jamie Overton but no total was enough with the mood Stoinis was in.

Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc are set to play their sixth Test in a row together in Adelaide which would be the most they have played together consecutively

Alex Malcolm07-Jan-20242:52

‘Convincing series win for Australia, as Pakistan’s top order under-delivered’

Australia’s fast bowlers appear on track to play a full summer of seven Test matches against Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand as both coach Andrew McDonald and captain Pat Cummins have been surprised at how strong all three are feeling physically following a huge year of international cricket.Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc have played 28 Tests together as a fast-bowling trio but it is only the second time in their careers they have managed to play five Tests in a row together.The previous time came with the help of an 11-month Covid-induced gap between the fourth and the fifth, after playing the full four-match home Test series against India in December 2020 and January 2021, and then the first Test of the Ashes in December 2021.Related

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But in this stretch, they have managed to play the last two Tests of the Ashes series together in July 2023, with all three playing a minimum of four Tests in that series while Cummins and Starc also played the World Test Championship final.They then played 10 of 11 matches together in the ODI World Cup, with Starc resting for one match prior to the semi-final, before playing unchanged through the Pakistan series. Amid all the talk about who will replace David Warner, McDonald confirmed they are set to go as an unchanged trio into the first Test against West Indies starting on January 17 in Adelaide and could play the next four against West Indies and New Zealand without a break.”There’s nothing to indicate they’ll need a rest,” McDonald said after the four-day win in Sydney. “They’ve got a little bit of a gap to the West Indies Test match. I could see pretty much an unchanged bowling line-up for Adelaide.”It’s probably something we’ve noticed, they’ve probably got better across the [Pakistan] series. In particular, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. And Mitch Starc, I think his ball speed in this game was at its highest.”Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc: Australia’s World Cup-winning pace trio•ICC/Getty Images

Australia’s selectors and support staff were not expecting the trio to have been so durable coming out of an arduous 2023. There were meticulous plans put in place for reserve quicks Scott Boland and Lance Morris to be ready for the Perth Test in anticipation of one or two of the main three to have come back to the squad with some soreness following the World Cup.But that scenario never eventuated which has meant both Morris and Boland have been sent back to the BBL to play some cricket, with Boland’s game of the BBL season for Melbourne Stars last night his first competitive match since November 19 when he took eight wickets in a Sheffield Shield outing against Queensland.Morris was also left frustrated that he was only allowed to play four of the first six Shield games for Western Australia and was only able to play one game of club cricket in Perth on restricted overs between his last Shield game on November 17 and his first BBL game of the season on December 20.McDonald said they had planned for reinforcements to be needed but three four-day Test matches against Pakistan had helped their cause.”In the background, we sort of plan for five-day Test matches, and if we were to go five days it’s going to put immense stresses and strain onto the bowling unit,” McDonald said. “I think we got, not lucky, but in the first Test match in Perth, there was a shortened second innings for the bowling unit.Pat Cummins was outstanding during the Pakistan series•AFP/Getty Images

“That gives you the flexibility to be able to then push them a little bit harder throughout the Pakistan series. And we’ve always said that we plan in the background. The players want to play every Test match. That’s really important. We want to pick the best Test team that we can at any particular time. So it’s just striking that balance in how many games they can play without compromising, I suppose their long-term futures.”Cummins said before the Sydney Test that he hoped all three could play the full set of seven Tests across the summer. After the win in Sydney, where he was named player of the series, he was surprised at how good he was feeling.”I felt great, body felt really good,” Cummins said. “There are times you bowl well and wickets don’t really follow that. Really happy with how it’s all going. Felt fresh, bowled where I wanted to, going through the gears.”By the end of the World Cup, bowlers are always carrying a few niggles, I felt a little bit sore and beaten up but after a few weeks rest I was a bit surprised how I turned up in Perth, I felt really good. After how much cricket we’ve played to not really have any injuries for our first XI is credit to the guys but also the medical staff and coaches and how they’ve managed us over the last year or two. Couldn’t be happier with how it’s all panned out.”

Western Australia won’t be able to call on their big-name international allrounders but have reached the decider largely without them

Tristan Lavalette14-Mar-2024Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green won’t be part of Western Australia’s push for a third straight Sheffield Shield title due to IPL commitments.After playing pivotal roles in Australia’s 2-0 Test series victory over New Zealand, Marsh and Green as expected will head to India ahead of the IPL starting on March 22. WA will host the five-day Shield final against Tasmania starting on March 21 at the WACA.Having stunningly resurrected his Test career with a century at Headingley during last year’s Ashes, Marsh has become a key all-format player for Australia and his heavy workload meant he did not play any domestic cricket this season.Related

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• Wade to miss start of IPL in order to play Sheffield Shield final

• Western Australia surge to home Sheffield Shield final in quest for hat-trick of titles

Marsh will play from the outset with Delhi Capitals, whose first match is on March 23 against Punjab Kings. The IPL will be important T20 preparation for Marsh, who is almost certain to captain Australia at June’s World Cup in the Caribbean and United States.Green played two Shield matches this season, highlighted by an unbeaten century against Tasmania, but will be eyeing a berth in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad with strong performances for Royal Challengers Bangalore.A no objection certificate from Cricket Australia was required for players to skip the Shield final and play in the IPL.Jhye Richardson and Ashton Turner are also expected to feature in the IPL as they work their way back from serious injuries. Luckless Richardson, who was picked up by Capitals in December’s IPL auction, suffered a left side strain during the BBL and was ruled out of the subsequent ODI series against West Indies.Richardson has started bowling at full intensity, but will be on a management workload during the IPL given his injury history.Turner has not played since the early stages of the BBL after undergoing knee surgery. But he has made a full recovery and will be able to fulfil his IPL commitments having secured a deal worth AU$178,000 with Lucknow, where he will be reunited with his former coach Justin Langer.Lance Morris won’t be fit for the final against Tasmania•Getty Images

Marcus Stoinis, who has not played a first-class match since February 2023, and Jason Behrendorff, who has become a white-ball specialist after being plagued with back issues, are also IPL bound.Lance Morris will not play in the Shield final as he makes a cautious return after a left side strain during last month’s ODI series against West Indies.He had been carefully managed through the early part of the home season to be fit for the Pakistan Test series, but has yet to make his Test debut. Morris is expected to target playing opportunities ahead of the T20 World Cup.WA’s main selection issue appears to be whether allrounder Aaron Hardie will be able to bowl following his recent calf injury. He played as a specialist batter in WA’s pivotal win against Victoria at Junction Oval.If Hardie can bowl, WA might call up D’Arcy Short or emerging spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly. Quicks Liam Haskett or Charlie Stobo could unluckily miss out after solid performances against Victoria.Tasmania’s bid to end an 11-year title drought has been boosted by Matthew Wade missing the start of the IPL season with Gujarat Titans so he can play in the final.Wade may only miss the first game against Mumbai Indians on March 25, with Titans’ next game against Chennai Super Kings taking place two days later. He has played the past two Shield matches for Tasmania as an opener, but only averaged 14.25 from four innings, and did not take the gloves.Quick bowler Riley Meredith is set to return after being rested in Tasmania’s home defeat to South Australia, which cost them hosting rights for the final.Nathan Ellis, who is fighting for a berth as a back-up quick in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, is unavailable due to his IPL commitments, but he hasn’t played a first-class match since early last year.

Australia amassed the highest total in Test cricket then the visitors’ top order was again knocked over

Tristan Lavalette16-Feb-2024South Africa 75 and 67 for 3 (Tucker 27*, Brits 18*, Garth 2-8) trail Australia 575 for 9 dec (Sutherland 210, Healy 99, Mooney 78, Gardner 65, Tryon 3-81) by 432 runsAnnabel Sutherland smashed a slew of records after notching an imperious double century on day two as a ruthless Australia closed in on a comprehensive Test victory against South Africa at the WACA.Sutherland’s 210 dominated Australia’s 575 for 9 – the highest total in women’s Test cricket – before captain Alyssa Healy declared early in the final session. Seamers Kim Garth and Darcie Brown again bowled spectacularly with the new ball and tore through South Africa, who slumped to 13 for 3.Related