Indian coach lauds “exceptional leader” Rohit Sharma for “giving so much of his time and energy in the dressing room to the boys”

Yash Jha19-Nov-20235:24

Dravid: ‘We gave it everything we had’

India fell “30-40 runs short” of a good total in the final, but it wasn’t because of a safety-first approach in the middle overs – that’s the line Rahul Dravid took in the wake of his team’s defeat to Australia in the 2023 World Cup title bout in Ahmedabad.”I won’t agree that we played with fear. We had 80 runs in ten overs. We had lost wickets, and when you lose wickets you have to change your strategy,” Dravid said at the post-match press conference.Rohit Sharma’s 31-ball 47 had set India on their way, with the team reaching 80 at the end of the first powerplay. But they only managed four boundaries in the rest of their innings to eventually finish on 240. Dravid attributed the slowdown to the loss of wickets at regular intervals, and not a lack of intent.Related

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“We haven’t played any fearful cricket in this final. In the middle overs, they bowled really well and we had lost three wickets. So a period of consolidation was needed, and every time we thought we could get on the attack, we would lose a wicket,” he said. “If you lose wickets, you have to rebuild. We didn’t set out to play defensively.”While Australia eventually coasted to the target with seven overs to spare and six wickets in hand, Dravid reckoned the game would have played out differently had India got 30-40 more runs on a surface he believed was tougher to bat on in the afternoon.”Just felt like the ball was stopping in the afternoon a little bit more than it did in the evening,” he said. “It felt like the ball came on to the bat a lot better in the evening. There was that period where the ball was stopping and we weren’t able to get boundaries. We were able to rotate the strike but we weren’t able to get those boundaries.”If we had got to 280-290 and they were 60 for 3 then it might have been a very different game. But 240, I think they were always one partnership away from getting there.”Sunday’s loss extended India’s run of near-misses at global events; in the last 13 months alone, they have faced a semi-final exit at the T20 World Cup, lost the World Test Championship final, and now the ODI World Cup final.”I’ve been involved in three… and I think we haven’t played really well on the day,” Dravid said. “I thought we were a bit short in Adelaide, in the semi-final [of the T20 World Cup, against England]. We lost the first day in the World Test Championship [final]. We didn’t bowl particularly well after Australia were three down. And here we didn’t bat well enough.”There’s not one particular reason you can pin it down to. I didn’t feel at any stage going into this game that there were any nerves or the guys were intimidated by the game. I thought the energy and the mental space the boys were in leading into this particular game was spot on.”Dravid, whose two-year contract as head coach runs out this month, heaped praise on Rohit for his leadership and his batting throughout the World Cup.”I think he has been an exceptional leader, always felt he’s led this team fantastically well,” Dravid said. “He’s given so much of his time and energy in the dressing room to the boys. There’s been a lot of planning, a lot of strategy, he’s always committed to those things.2:06

Should one of Kohli or Rahul have taken charge?

“His batting as well, I thought it was fantastic the way he set the tone for us. We knew that we wanted to play a certain way, we wanted to play a positive, attacking brand of cricket, and he was very committed to doing that. He wanted to lead by example, and I thought right throughout the tournament he was superb. Can’t speak more highly of him, as a person and a leader.”Dravid, who had made the walk towards the press-conference room even as Australia were being handed their winners’ medals, admitted that emotions were running high in the Indian dressing room.”There was a lot of emotions in that dressing room. It was tough to see as a coach, because I know how hard these guys have worked, what they’ve put in, the sacrifices they’ve made,” he said. “But that’s sport. That happens. It can happen. And the better team won on the day. I’m sure the sun will come up tomorrow morning.”We’ll learn from it, we’ll reflect, and we’ll move on. That’s what you do as sportsmen. You have some great highs in sport, and you have some lows in sport. And you keep moving on. You don’t stop.”

England are yet to determine which player will replace Topley but confirmed on Saturday night that Archer would not be considered for selection

Matt Roller22-Oct-2023England will try to identify “an X-factor player” as a replacement for Reece Topley, who has been formally ruled out of the rest of the World Cup after scans confirmed a fracture in his left index finger.Topley was struck while fielding a ball off his own bowling in England’s 229-run defeat to South Africa and could not complete his fourth over. He returned to bowl five further overs with his fingers taped together but could not bat, and the ECB confirmed on Sunday evening that his World Cup is over.Related

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England are yet to determine which player will replace Topley in their 15-man squad but confirmed on Saturday night that Jofra Archer would not be considered for selection. Archer is recovering from an elbow stress fracture and joined England’s squad in Mumbai last week as part of his rehabilitation.He was initially described as a travelling reserve but Matthew Mott, England’s coach, clarified that he was not in the picture to replace Topley: “He’s not going to be able to play a part in the end of this campaign,” Mott said. He has since left India, though the ECB insist that his rehabilitation is progressing as expected.Brydon Carse, the Durham fast bowler, made one appearance in England’s ODI series against New Zealand last month and also featured in the second-string side that played Ireland, and as such is the favourite to replace Topley in the squad. But Mott stressed that England will also consider alternative options.”Good question,” Mott said, asked if England would replace Topley with another seamer. “We’ll have to sit down and have a look at that. We’ll have to look at the upcoming games. If there is an X-factor player we can look at… that’s why we were very keen not to name the replacements and reserves, and it leaves a bit of an open mind for what we might go with.”England are unlikely to qualify for the semi-finals unless they win all five of their remaining fixtures and change their balance significantly on Saturday. As such, they may be tempted to bring in a batter – like Jason Roy or Ben Duckett – or a spin-bowling allrounder such as Liam Dawson, Will Jacks or Rehan Ahmed. Luke Wood is also a possible like-for-like replacement.Topley left the field with a ball remaining in his fourth over in England’s 229-run defeat to South Africa on Saturday night. He was struck on the index finger of his bowling hand while attempting to stop a straight drive from Rassie van der Dussen, and, after bowling another delivery, was unable to complete his over.He later returned to bowl with his index and middle fingers strapped together, dismissing both Aiden Markram and David Miller after removing Quinton de Kock with the second ball of the match. But, like the rest of England’s attack, Topley was hammered at the death by Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen, conceding 45 runs across his final two overs to finish with 3 for 88 from 8.5 overs.He did not come out to bat in England’s innings and was sent for scans in Mumbai, which confirmed the medical team’s suspicions of a fracture. “Topley will return to the UK in the next 24 hours,” the ECB said in a statement. “He will work closely with the England and Surrey medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation.”Despite being left out for their first match of the tournament against New Zealand, Topley leaves the World Cup as England’s leading wicket-taker, with eight in his three appearances. It is the second consecutive ICC event he has left early, after he was ruled out on the eve of last year’s T20 World Cup with a freak ankle injury, suffered when treading on a boundary sponge.

Trio won’t get franchise league NOCs for two years, the board statement said, while also having their national contracts delayed

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Dec-2023The Afghanistan Cricket Board has sanctioned Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq for “prioritizing their personal interests over playing for Afghanistan,” a board statement said on Monday. The board has therefore delayed their 2024 annual central contracts and also announced no NOCs (no-objection certificates) for the trio for the next two years, including the revokement of any NOC they currently possess.According to the ACB statement, the trio recently told the board of their desire to be released from the annual central contracts starting January 1 2024, while also asking for consent to play in franchise tournaments.”The insistence on not signing the central contract for these players was their involvement in commercial leagues, prioritising their personal interests over playing for Afghanistan, which is regarded as a national responsibility,” the board statement added. “By opting for their release, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to take disciplinary measures against these players.”The sanctions come after the board assigned a committee to “thoroughly investigate the matter and develop appropriate recommendations that best serve the ACB’s interests.””The decision by the Afghanistan Cricket Board is made with a focus on national priorities, aligned with the ACB’s core values and principles,” the statement further said. “It highlights the necessity for every player to maintain the ACB’s principles and prioritise the country’s interests above their personal ones.”

Melbourne Renegades will ‘continue to support’ Mujeeb

Mujeeb was recently picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL auction for USD 241,000. He is currently at the BBL in Australia with Melbourne Renegades. Renegades put out a statement saying the franchise had “received no communication” about a change in plans about Mujeeb’s availability, and that the franchise would “continue to support him for the rest of the BBL season”.”The Melbourne Renegades are aware of the matter between Mujeeb Ur Rahman and the Afghanistan Cricket Board,” the statement, put up on the franchise’s website, said. “The club has received no communication that Mujeeb’s availability for the BBL could change from original plans.”Mujeeb remains available for the Melbourne Renegades’ important match against Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium. Mujeeb is a world-class player and a popular member of the squad, and the club will continue to support him for the rest of the BBL season.”Naveen, who is with Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, and Fazalhaq Farooqi, also retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad, recently featured in the Abu Dhabi T10 competition. All three players also featured for Afghanistan in their sixth-place ODI World Cup run.

Skipper’s unbeaten 84 guides Tasmania to a four-wicket win over Queensland after an extraordinary Clayton century gave the hosts hope

AAP05-Feb-2024Jordan Silk has struck a classy unbeaten 84 to lead Tasmania to a four-wicket Sheffield Shield victory over Queensland inside three days at the Gabba.Chasing 224 for victory after Jack Clayton made an extraordinary 102 out of Queensland’s total of 160 in the second innings, Tasmania slumped to 13 for 2 and 99 for 4 on Monday, before Silk held the innings together with a match-winning captain’s knock.Silk was on track for his 12th first-class century, only for teammate Mitchell Owen (29 not out off 15 balls) to strike some lusty blows at the death to secure victory for Tasmania just before stumps on day three. The win keeps Tasmania on top of the Shield table, while Queensland are last with only one win and two draws from seven matches.Silk struck 13 fours in his unbeaten knock, but he paid special tribute to Tasmanian paceman Gabe Bell, who claimed player-of-the-match honours after returning figures of 4 for 40 and 6 for 39.”He’s going fantastic, career-best figures and a 10-wicket haul,” Silk said. “We don’t have that sort of [gettable] chase without his effort.”I’m really rapt with how everyone approached it. It was a good collective effort.”It’s not often we come here [to Brisbane] and get the points.”Queensland captain Jimmy Peirson was among the Bulls to struggle with sickness in the intense Brisbane heat. Clayton was physically ill during his epic 181-ball knock. Ben McDermott was the only other batter to reach double figures having fallen for 16 yesterday.”I’m feeling better today, but I was on my deathbed yesterday to be honest,” Peirson said.”It’s not fun, gastro. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the win today, but [if we can get] three wins in our last three games, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”Tasmanian opener Caleb Jewell was the first wicket to fall in Tasmania’s chase when his wild slash resulted in an edge through to the keeper. The Tigers were in early trouble at 2 for 13 when Tim Ward’s attempted hook off a rising Mark Steketee delivery gave Peirson his second catch.Charlie Wakim (36) and Silk helped steady the ship with a 60-run stand. But when Gurinder Sandhu trapped Wakim lbw before finding the edge of Jake Doran’s bat 10 overs later, Tasmania were looking wobbly at four down and still needing 125 more runs to win.Silk and Beau Webster (28 off 41 balls) led the counter-attack as Tasmania got their run chase back on track. Webster struck three fours and a six, but his bid to keep the runs flowing came undone when he inside-edged Liam Guthrie onto his stumps.Bradley Hope added some handy runs, before Owen struck three fours and a six to shut the door completely on Queensland.

Only Healy posed a challenge in Warriorz’s chase but spinners turned the match in RCB’s favour

Valkerie Baynes04-Mar-2024Was it a grimace or a grin that spread across Ellyse Perry’s face with the sound of smashing glass and screaming RCB fans ringing in her ears? A grin, surely, for she had just obliterated the window of a sponsor’s car with her fourth six of a remarkable innings which helped her side to a mammoth total and, ultimately, victory over UP Warriorz.Smriti Mandhana had already roughed up the Warriorz bowlers with her stunning 80 off 50 deliveries, her second half-century in three games, and Perry delivered the decisive blow with a 37-ball 58, the pair sharing a 95-run stand for the second wicket to set Warriorz a lofty victory target of 199.A determined 55 off 38 balls by Alyssa Healy gave Warriorz hope but it wasn’t enough as RCB held on to break a two-game losing streak in their last match at home in Bengaluru before the tournament moves to Delhi, giving Perry and her team plenty to smile about.

Mandhana magic

S Meghana moved up to open ahead of Sophie Devine and raced to 28 off 21 balls with five fours to complement Mandhana’s no-nonsense scoring. By the end of the powerplay, RCB were flying at 57 for 1, Meghana skying Anjali Sarvani to extra cover where Chamari Athapaththu stood waiting under a comfortable catch. Her departure signalled Perry’s arrival as Devine stayed in the dugout, RCB continuing to play with their batting order.Mandhana should have been out for 28 when she lofted Sophie Ecclestone down the ground but Athapaththu looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her up after she over-ran what should have been a straightforward catch. She sprinted in from long-off and then had to reach overhead but failed to hold on. Mandhana moved to 48 by advancing down the pitch and punching a Rajeshwari Gayakwad delivery over extra cover for a 75m six and she brought up her half-century off 34 balls swinging Grace Harris away through midwicket for a single. Perry chimed in with a maximum off Harris over wide long-on and Mandhana picked off three boundaries in one Athapaththu over followed by three more off Sarvani – plus one to Perry – leaving UP Warriorz looking bereft.An Ellyse Perry six ended up shattering the window of the sponsor’s car•BCCI

Smashing from Perry

By the time Mandhana holed out to deep midwicket off Deepti Sharma in the 17th over, she and Perry had done serious damage, with RCB cruising at 146 for 2. Gayakwad conceded 21 runs off the 18th over, chiefly through back-to-back sixes to Perry followed by another maximum, slog-swept by Richa Ghosh, who came in at No. 4. Perry raised her fifty off 34 balls charging at Deepti and smashing the ball back over the bowler’s head for four. But it was her heave over wide long-on two balls later off Deepti that was the highlight, leaving the ball to be fished from a mound of glass on the back seat of the promotional car and Warriorz with a mountain to climb. Perry fell in the final over, spooning an Ecclestone delivery to Poonam Khemnar at deep midwicket. Ghosh threaded the final ball of the innings through backward point for four as RCB finished just shy of the 200-mark.

Warriorz come out fighting

After a maiden from Renuka Singh to begin, Warriorz set off in keen pursuit, Healy smashing two sixes off Devine in the second over and Renuka conceding an eye-watering 24 off the next. Devine had Kiran Navgire caught by Georgia Wareham, running back from mid-on in the fifth over, but at the end of the powerplay, Warriorz were just one run behind where RCB had been at the same point in their innings. Healy greeted leg-spinner Wareham’s first ball with a slog sweep for six but she was left stunned when RCB removed Athapaththu on review. A wide-eyed Healy shouted, “no way” when ball-tracking showed the ball pitching in on leg stump and going on to hit middle stump halfway up, contrary to the expected path of a conventional leg-spinner.Harris was relaxed and smiling when she arrived to join Healy at the crease but Devine claimed her second wicket with a slower length ball which Harris looked to scoop, only to find Ghosh, who anticipated her shot and started moving to her left and leapt high in the air to claim an excellent catch. Undeterred, Healy helped herself to three consecutive fours off Wareham’s next over. But then Asha Sobhana, who had taken a five-for as RCB squeaked home by two runs in the first meeting of 2024 between these sides, struck with her third delivery of the match to remove Shweta Sehrawat cheaply. Healy brought up her fifty off 34 balls with four off Asha through midwicket but, no sooner had she nailed a reverse sweep off Sophie Molineux to the boundary than she was out, stumped by Ghosh off the next ball.

Asha does it again

Needing 52 runs off the last four overs, Warriorz weren’t done battling as Deepti and Khemnar offered neat cameos in a 41-run stand for the sixth wicket. Both struck four fours and a six en route to 33 and 31 respectively but, in an attempt to reel in the target, Deepti came down the pitch to Asha and skewed the ball straight up. Asha and Ekta Bisht – the latter making her WPL debut at the age of 38 – both went for the catch and Asha managed to hold on, despite becoming entangled with her team-mate and going to ground. Wareham soon removed Ecclestone but Khemnar wouldn’t give up, ending the over with a four and a six. But, with 29 needed off the last, the task proved too much. Molineux bowled Khemnar with the final ball of the match as she, Asha, Wareham and Devine all finished with two wickets apiece.

Two-time champions Lahore Qalandars finish their campaign with one win in ten games

Associated Press11-Mar-2024Quetta Gladiators finally sealed a playoff spot in the PSL after four years as Mohammad Wasim pulled Shaheen Shah Afridi for a last-ball six and handed Lahore Qalandars a six-wicket defeat on Sunday.That left the two-time defending champion Qalandars finishing their disastrous season with only one win in ten league games. Fourth-place Gladiators have 11 points and could still finish among the top two if they beat leader Multan Sultans in the final league game on Tuesday.Opening batter Saud Shakeel anchored Quetta’s run chase of 169 for 4 with an unbeaten 88 off 65 balls that included two successive boundaries against Afridi in the final over before Wasim smacked Lahore’s captain over mid-wicket for a winning six off the last ball.Left-arm fast bowler Jahandad Khan (2 for 30) squeezed Gladiators’ chase in the first half of the innings with the wickets of Jason Roy (18) and skipper Rilee Rossouw (13) before Shakeel and Khawaja Nafay (26) put on a 70-run stand.Earlier, Afridi hit 55 after promoting himself to No. 5 and Abdullah Shafique was 59 not out as Lahore made 166 for 4 after choosing to bat first. He hit two fours and four sixes and was involved in a 91-run partnership with Shafique. Shafique himself scored 59 in 39 in the first innings to help Qalandars finish on 166.

Athapaththu has moved past Nat Sciver-Brunt following her match-winning unbeaten 195 not out in the final ODI in South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2024Chamari Athapaththu, who scored an unbeaten 195 in just 139 balls to take Sri Lanka to a remarkable win over South Africa in their final ODI in Potchefstroom last week, has risen to the No. 1 spot in the ICC’s batting rankings for women’s ODIs.Athapaththu’s knock broke a number of records in women’s cricket, including the highest individual score in a successful ODI chase. It was also the second-highest individual score in a successful ODI chase across women’s and men’s cricket, behind Glenn Maxwell’s 201 not out against Afghanistan at the 2023 World Cup.Chasing South Africa’s 301 for 5, itself the result of Laura Wolvaardt’s outstanding 147-ball 184 not out – which took her series tally to 335 runs – Sri Lanka got home in just 44.3 overs to square the series. The second-best individual score for Sri Lanka in the chase was Nilakshika Silva’s 50 not out in 71 balls.

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Following that effort, Athapaththu achieved her highest-ever rating of 773 on the ICC table, and moved past Nat Sciver-Brunt, who has 764 points. Wolvaardt, who had entered the top five in the last update of the rankings, moved up two more spots, past Beth Mooney and Smriti Mandhana, to third place.Hayley Matthews, meanwhile, jumped seven spots to reach No. 11 on the same table after scoring 140 not out and 44 in West Indies’ wins over Pakistan in the first two ODIs of their three-match series.Among bowlers, Sadia Iqbal, the Pakistan left-arm spinner, moved up six places to enter the top 20 after returns of 2 for 38 and 1 for 36 in the two games against West Indies.

Fast bowler has ‘big smile on his face’, says captain Buttler, as he seeks to play down expectations

Matt Roller21-May-2024Jofra Archer will play an international match in England for the first time in nearly four years on Wednesday night, ending a 382-day wait since his most recent professional appearance. Jos Buttler, England’s captain, said that Archer is “desperate” to return after such a long injury lay-off and confirmed he will feature against Pakistan at Headingley if the weather allows.Back and elbow injuries have restricted Archer to seven matches for England in the last three years, all of which came on tours to South Africa and Bangladesh in early 2023. He has been gradually working his way back to competitive cricket, playing for his club Wildey in Barbados and bowling a six-over spell for Sussex’s 2nd XI last week.England have named Archer in their provisional 15-man squad for June’s T20 World Cup, which they must finalise with the ICC by Saturday. He bowled with good pace in the nets on Monday – including to Buttler – and had a lighter training session on Tuesday, in anticipation of his return on Wednesday night.Related

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“He’s got a big smile on his face,” Buttler said. “It’s great to see him back fit and bowling fast, and just being back around the group. I know how much he’s missed that. [Facing him] is never that fun, but he’s looking great.”You have to temper expectations. He’s been out of international cricket for a long time, and you can never quite replicate that. We all know what a superstar he has been, but manage those expectations: don’t expect too much too soon. He’s got such a high level of skill that he’s always going to perform well, but [he needs to] just enjoy being back playing cricket. As England captain and as a fan, people want to see him back enjoying his cricket.”Buttler confirmed that Archer will play on Wednesday night – if the rain holds off – and said England will “manage him through” the four-match series. “He’s fully fit, and the medical team will advise how best to manage that,” he said. “[He’ll play] as many as possible: he’s missed a lot of cricket and he’s desperate to get back out there and be a big part of the team.”Any player of Jofra’s calibre is a huge asset to any team. Absolutely, he makes us a better side and [gives us] a better chance of winning games. But we have to temper expectations, not put too much pressure on him, ease him back in. The great success would be him coming through this series with a big smile on his face and his body holding up. That would be a success to me.”Jofra Archer enjoys a lighter moment at England training•PA Photos/Getty Images

Babar Azam, Pakistan’s captain, said his team are “looking forward” to the challenge of facing Archer but do not fear him. “As a team, we are very excited to play Archer,” Babar said. “We have that pace of bowlers: Haris Rauf, [Mohammad] Amir, Shaheen [Afridi]. We are facing it everyday. We are not [feeling] fear; we are excited.”Harry Brook will also return to international cricket on Wednesday, after missing England’s Test tour to India on compassionate leave. “He’s got a brilliant head on his shoulders,” Buttler said. “He can handle most things… watching him bat, he looks in great touch and he’s going to be an England player in all formats for a long period of time.”Matthew Mott, England’s white-ball coach, oversaw training in Leeds on Tuesday after missing Monday’s session for family reasons. While performances in the next nine days will be more important than results, his side have not won a T20I series since they became world champions in Australia 18 months ago and will want to break that streak.Mott and Buttler both came under pressure during England’s catastrophic group-stage exit at the 50-over World Cup last year and cannot afford a repeat in the Caribbean. Buttler said he had learned valuable lessons in India: “Sometimes, when results don’t go your way, it’s easy – as an individual, or a group – to go a little bit internal. [You should] keep putting the team first every time, and make decisions based around that.”But he said England will not focus too much on their 50-over struggles over the coming weeks. “It’s a different format. Times move on: there are different chapters in the book. It’s a real honour to go to another World Cup as defending champions again, but it also feels like a new time. There are guys coming into the side who are more established and proper players now. It’s their team as well to take forward.”Buttler comes into this series after hitting two centuries in three innings at the IPL last month, and said he is in “a really good space” with his batting. Across 22 innings for Paarl and Rajasthan Royals this year, he has averaged 40.36 while striking at 142.30: “Sometimes, I feel like a bit of a victim of my own expectations,” he said.He also confirmed he will keep wicket in this series, but is likely to hand the gloves to Phil Salt at least once since his wife Louise is expecting the couple’s third child imminently. “My family comes first: I’ll be at the birth,” he said. “I’m not a doctor. These things can come on at any time. But I’ve got a plan in place… fingers crossed, everything will go well.”

He also confirmed his participation in the SA20 in January, though his “absolute priority” is still playing for New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2024Kane Williamson has confirmed that the SA20 will be his destination in January, after he declined a New Zealand central contract for the 2024-25 season, but added it was no indication that his international career was nearing an end.Williamson stressed that it was NZC’s rules around player availability to be eligible for a contract – they have to play Super Smash if not on international duty – that led him to make the decision, and that he remains committed to New Zealand outside of heading to South Africa.It could be that the only international cricket he misses is three ODIs and three T20Is against Sri Lanka, although reported there was some doubt over his participation in the one-off Test against Afghanistan in September. Williamson will play the WTC series against Sri Lanka and India away, the three-match home series against England, and then make an ODI trip to Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy in February.Related

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“There’s a number of great competitions on during that time, but SA20 looks really exciting,” Williamson told reporters on his return to New Zealand after the T20 World Cup. “Unfortunately, it meant turning down a central contract, however my priority still is, absolutely, playing for New Zealand. Think I miss maybe a handful of games over a three-week period.”It’s simply the contract, the rules that currently exist meant I wasn’t able to have one but in terms of playing for New Zealand I’m not missing almost any cricket really, so that was important to me.”In terms of how far Williamson’s international career extends, the reported that he and NZC CEO Scott Weenink had discussed the 2028 T20 World Cup to be staged in New Zealand and Australia when he would be 38. Publicly, Williamson remained coy although acknowledged major events and series – such as the Test series in Australia in 2026-27 – remained on his radar.”I want to play as long as I can,” he said. “I’ve really, really enjoyed my time captaining and it’s been a privilege and an honour to do that for a number of years. I’m excited with what’s next for the team in terms of the leadership as well and looking forward to being part of that.”In terms of a timeframe, it’s difficult to say. Want to keep being fit, doing as well as I can, keep trying to improve. That [2028] is a number of years away and it’s a year at a time. All major events and key series are things that whet the appetite and are an exciting prospect. They are down the line. Managing my time as well as I can after doing it for so many years is important and I know New Zealand Cricket are really supportive of that.”Williamson added that he was keen to continue international cricket across three formats, although his T20 spot may come under scrutiny as the team rebuilds from their group stage exit in West Indies.”Naturally after major events there are always different decisions that are made and you are always looking to bring different players through, but being part of this team is so dear to me and I want to remain in that community as long as I can, and as long as I’m offering value,” he said.Meanwhile, Weenink said that the casual playing arrangement afforded to Williamson would only be offered to a handful of senior players, citing Trent Boult, who opted out of a central contract in 2022, and Tim Southee as others who had earned that option. However, Test captain Southee is expected to be on the next contract list.”Those guys have certainly earned the right to be treated in a certain way, in that we want to try and prolong their careers,” Weenink told the . “If we had a hard and fast rule around certain players like Kane Williamson, we would lose him to playing for New Zealand earlier than we would need to.”That casual contract is not going to be offered to everyone and going off contract is pretty risky. There’s a lot of advantages to being on a New Zealand central contract and we will be prioritising the players who are centrally contracted.”

The left-arm spinner’s second ODI five-for bowled New Zealand out for another low score before the England opener scored her maiden international ton

Valkerie Baynes30-Jun-2024England sealed their domination of New Zealand via Maia Bouchier’s maiden international century and Sophie Ecclestone’s five-wicket haul to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in their three match ODI series.Ecclestone’s 5 for 25 from nine overs was instrumental in bowling New Zealand out for a sub-par total for the second game in a row – this time they were bundled out for 141 in 41.5 overs – and Bouchier saw England home with 25.3 overs to spare.Only four New Zealand batters, led by Amelia Kerr’s 43, reached double figures, but, as in the opening match of the series in Durham when they were all out for 156, it didn’t look like nearly enough. England’s bowlers kept New Zealand hemmed in, sending down 10 maidens between them, and Amelia faced 10 deliveries in seven overs for her last three runs.Early incisions by Kate Cross and Lauren Filer had New Zealand floundering at 10 for 2 in the sixth over.Ecclestone was introduced to the attack in the 12th over but it wasn’t until the 18th that she broke a sedate partnership of 46 in 72 balls between Sophie Devine and Amelia, her beautifully flighted delivery luring Devine well down the pitch, then dipping and turning to beat the bat as Amy Jones whipped off the bails.Maddy Green had faced 28 balls for her four runs before doubling her score by lofting the penultimate ball of Cross’ allocation to long-on. Green had reached 30 off 48 when Charlie Dean pinned her on the pad with one that turned sharply from outside off stump to end a 58-run stand with Kerr.Her dismissal brought Brooke Halliday to the crease, the standout performer with her half-century in an otherwise poor display by New Zealand’s batters in their nine-wicket defeat last Wednesday. But Halliday couldn’t repeat her innings after she was undone on 6 attempting to sweep an Ecclestone delivery, which clattered into off stump.Ecclestone made it two wickets in four balls and three for the match when, next over, she bowled Lauren Down for a duck with an excellent ball that turned past the bat and crashed into the top of middle stump. That ended Down’s first international appearance since giving birth to daughter Ruby in January before it had begun.Amelia faced 86 balls for her score, passing 2000 career ODI runs in the process, but her innings was otherwise uneventful, her dismissal via a return catch to Dean coming amid a collapse of seven wickets for 27 runs in 10.4 overs. During that time, Ecclestone also removed Izzy Gaze and Molly Penfold.It was Alice Capsey who took the last wicket when she had Jess Kerr caught slog-sweeping to deep midwicket by Nat Sciver-Brunt for 14 with only her fifth delivery of the day.Maia Bouchier celebrates after reaching her maiden international hundred•Getty Images

Tammy Beaumont survived New Zealand’s review when she was adjudged not out lbw on the first ball of the run-chase, Jess striking the pad with one that moved in but was shown to be tracking down the leg side.As in Durham, Beaumont and Bouchier broke the back of the target, this time via a 73-run partnership in 80 balls. Bouchier took charge here, even more so once Beaumont was run-out by the finest of margins for 28. Bouchier struck Amelia to cover, where Suzie Bates gathered and threw the ball back to the bowler to catch Beaumont short despite the dive.Bouchier was on 42 at the time but unfurled five boundaries in eight balls in the aftermath of Beaumont’s dismissal, four of them off one Devine over. She smashed another off Amelia through the leg side moments before Heather Knight despatched Halliday for the only six of the match, over deep square leg. Knight perished on 9, spooning Halliday straight to Amelia at midwicket.Bouchier was on 92 when she was given not out attempting to pull a Jess delivery, which rapped the back pad low down and New Zealand’s review was turned down on umpire’s call, keeping the century on the table.Bouchier skied the next ball and it dropped short of long-off as she and Sciver-Brunt scampered two and two singles took her past her previous best, 95, scored in the third ODI against Sri Lanka last September.With four more runs needed to win, Sciver-Brunt blocked the remaining four balls of Penfold’s over – one of them a full toss – to give Bouchier the strike. Bouchier tucked Jess’ first delivery to backward square leg and ran two more. Then, after a dot ball prodded towards point, Bouchier struck the next into the space through midwicket and took off for the two runs she needed to reach her ton and complete England’s victory.