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India allrounder impressed the Brisbane hierarchy during last year’s tour of Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2022Allrounder Pooja Vastrakar has become the latest India women’s player to commit to the WBBL, signing with Brisbane Heat.Vastrakar caught the attention of WBBL clubs with her outstanding performances on India’s tour of Australia late last year and followed that up with some excellent performances with both bat and ball in the women’s 50-over World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year.Poonam Yadav played for Heat last season and Smriti Mandhana has also previously played in Brisbane but played for Sydney Thunder last season. India’s women have had a lot of success in the WBBL with Harmanpreet Kaur named player of the tournament last season.Heat coach Ashley Noffke was delighted to have signed Vastrakar.”Pooja is an outstanding athlete,” Noffke said. “She bowls with sharp pace, can find the boundary with the bat down the order and is an absolute jet in the field.”We’re very pleased to welcome her to the WBBL and are excited about the experience we can offer her. She’s certainly a player of the future for India and one that we expect can make a difference for the Heat this summer.”Vastrakar is in India’s Commonwealth Games squad but will miss their opening clash with Australia on Friday after contracting Covid-19 before leaving India.Vastrakar joins New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr as Heat’s second overseas player for the coming season.Brisbane Heat WBBL squad: Jess Jonassen (capt), Amelia Kerr (NZ), Pooja Vastrakar (Ind), Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Mikayla Hinkley, Ellie Johnston, Charli Knott, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Sippel, Georgia Voll

Hosts recover from 44 for 5 to stun New Zealand in the Chappell-Hadlee series opener

Andrew McGlashan06-Sep-2022
Cameron Green walked in after a top-order collapse, held his composure amid a late wobble and fought through severe cramps as Australia clinched a thrilling opening match to the Chappell-Hadlee series.Green and Alex Carey added 158 for the sixth wicket after Trent Boult and Matt Henry sliced through Australia with the new ball to leave them 44 for 5 in the 12th over which included another failure for Aaron Finch. However, just when everything appeared in hand for Australia with 31 needed, Carey pulled to mid-on followed by Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc departing while Green ended up barely being able to run between the wickets.There was one lengthy stoppage while he was treated by the physio, then Adam Zampa played a vital hand to take some of the pressure off, only for a final bit of late drama to come when a brief shower scudded across the ground. In the end, it was a rather anticlimactic wide from Lockie Ferguson which ended the game.Green’s performance followed his maiden five-wicket haul against Zimbabwe in Townsville last week and he finished with the highest score of his international career.For both Carey and Green there were subtle positional changes involved: Carey was moved back down to No. 6 with Marnus Labuschagne recalled and when the top order crumbled, Green came in ahead of Maxwell at No. 7. Carey’s first ODI century came from a not dissimilar position against England, at Old Trafford, in 2020 while Green showed the Test-match qualities which have already stood out.Carey’s seventh ODI fifty came from 59 balls and Green’s first 61, both innings including crisp strokeplay and sharp running although the latter did bring one or two nervous moments. Green was dropped on 68 by Boult at fine leg from a top-edged hook and that appeared New Zealand’s last chance before the late twists.Although Boult finished on the losing side his opening spell was a reminder to savour every chance there is to watch a master craftsman if, as appears likely, his appearances in bilateral series are limited from here on.Finch could have allowed himself the chance to bat under the afternoon sunshine, but instead wanted a chase. He may have regretted that when he faced up to Boult in the evening. A chancy single into the off side, which became a five with overthrows, opened his account but he could not see out Boult’s over when the left-armer swung one back into his front pad.At the non-striker’s end David Warner appeared to signal it could be shaping down the leg side and after a conversation Finch called for the review, but the first replay showed it was going to be futile and the eventual ball-tracking confirmed it could not have been more out. He might have two innings left to leave his ODI future in his own hands.Trent Boult prolonged Aaron Finch’s misery by trapping him in front•Getty Images

Not that he was alone in finding Boult too good. Having been beaten the ball before, Steven Smith inside-edged a big drive into his stumps, then in his next over Boult produced another sharp nip-backer which caught Labuschagne on the crease.Henry formed a threatening double-act, cutting one back to clean up Marcus Stoinis after Warner had nailed a pull straight to deep square-leg. However, New Zealand could not find wickets from elsewhere through the middle phase although Ferguson could consider himself unfortunate, having caused problems with his pace.Both captains spoke of the “unknown” conditions before the game at a venue hosting international cricket for the first time since 2004. After New Zealand were put in, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson and Tom Latham all worked hard to get into the 40s before falling to spin, the latter two to Maxwell who struck three times in his third and final spell. Maxwell finished with the second-best figures of his ODI career and the last 10 overs for New Zealand read 60 for 6 with Josh Hazlewood also bagging three at the death.Martin Guptill, who was given caught behind in the first over but successfully reviewed could not get going – the six runs he scored came off the first two balls of the game – as he was tied down by Starc and Hazlewood, who both bowled maidens to him. Then, in the fifth over, Guptill drove, getting a thick outside edge towards backward point where Maxwell pulled off a stunning piece of fielding, diving full length to his left to grab a chance that appeared destined to elude him.Conway’s early caution began to get rewarded when he danced down to Green to loft him over cover for six. He had given himself an excellent foundation when he swept at Zampa and was out lbw. Having barely nudged four an over for much of the first half of the innings there was a sign of a gear-change from Williamson and Latham. But right on the 30-over mark, Williamson departed when he toe-ended a slog-sweep against Maxwell to deep midwicket.Latham and Daryl Mitchell built steadily through the next 10 overs to leave New Zealand 172 for 3 after 40 and with a chance to finish strongly with wickets in hand. However, Maxwell derailed those plans when he removed both set betters in the 42nd over – Mitchell chipping to midwicket and Latham sweeping – before adding Michael Bracewell in his next.When Boult put on a show, it looked like New Zealand would have enough but instead their wait for a win in Australia went on. At least for another couple of days.

His finger injury is not quite completely healed but it won’t impede him from playing against Sri Lanka

Andrew McGlashan28-Oct-2022Daryl Mitchell admitted having a moment when he feared the worst about his T20 World Cup prospects after fracturing his finger just weeks before the tournament, but he is confident ahead of his return to New Zealand’s middle order against Sri Lanka at the SCG.Mitchell suffered the blow while batting in the nets before the tri-series involving Bangladesh and Pakistan in Christchurch. However, after being assessed it was decided to retain him in the squad having been assured he would be ready for the second game – the rain in Melbourne has now pushed that a few days later – and though the injury is not quite completely healed, it won’t impede him.Related

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“When you are sitting in the X-ray room and you see a fracture in your hand, you think that’s probably the World Cup done,” Mitchell told ESPNcricinfo. “But we are really lucky that where the fracture is and the specialist gave us the timeframe to be back for game two, so it’s all gone to plan and just looking forward to getting out there now.”Mitchell took on the opening role in the last T20 World Cup after a last-minute change of tactics from New Zealand and carried them into the final with a brilliant, unbeaten 72 off 47 against England. This year, however, he has returned to the middle order, which is the position he will slot into – in place of Mark Chapman – at the SCG.It’s where the majority of his T20 cricket has been played, but like Matthew Wade for Australia, his versatility is a huge asset should it be required. It’s the variety of situations thrown up by being in the middle order that he most thrives off.”That’s one of my skillsets, I guess, to be adaptable to different positions,” he said. “It comes down to my personality in some ways, I’m a competitor, I just want to get stuck into whatever role I’ve been given and try to win games. Whether that means batting one, or wherever else, I’ll happily do it with a smile on my face.”I really enjoyed opening… but this role, the [No.] 5 position, it’s never the same, which is quite a cool challenge in that there are some sticky situations you have to come into and there’s also some fun times as well.”Earlier this year Mitchell enjoyed a spectacular run of form in the Tests against England where he scored 538 runs, the most by a New Zealander in a three-match series, including three centuries. While the format is vastly different to the challenge he will face over the next couple of weeks, there is an overall mantra that Mitchell has for his cricket about not trying to overburden himself.”I look back [on the England series] and it’s a culmination of a long time of learning your craft,” he said. “How you want to go about things, finding ways to succeed, then going through some phases to get to that position. For me, it’s about not trying too hard, remembering it is a game we play, and we are very lucky to be able to do it. If you keep enjoying the game, hopefully some success will come.”

There is a difference between being encouraged to play your shots and “being reckless”, says the batter

Danyal Rasool19-Oct-20221:56

Jongwe: ‘We could have gone about the chase in a better way’

Zimbabwe batter Sean Williams admitted his side might have taken their aggressive approach a touch too far in their defeat to West Indies, saying there is a difference between being encouraged to play your shots and “being reckless”.At 48 for 2 after five overs, Zimbabwe were well-placed to chase down West Indies’ 153, with the asking rate around seven. But rather than playing the situation, Zimbabwe continued to go hell for leather against the West Indies fast bowlers and kept losing wickets. The last nine wickets fell for 75 runs as West Indies sealed a comfortable 31-run win.”Having a positive approach is the way we want to play,” Williams said. “We have had quite a few victories by playing that way. If we want to play competitive T20 cricket, we would rather be bowled out for 70 than take it deep. But on the wickets side, we lost too many quite early even though the asking rate was in the sevens. It was going to be very difficult with a non-batter on one side. There were lots of lessons to be learned, even if it’s not nice to lose.”I 100% agree we don’t always need to go ultra-aggressive. But we still want to have that positive mental approach, because T20 is one of those games where a bad ball can get you out and a good ball can go for six.”It is an approach Dave Houghton, Zimbabwe’s coach since June, has actively encouraged, and it’s difficult to argue with the results. Zimbabwe eased to the T20 World Cup qualification without losing a game in the Qualifiers tournament in July, before beating Bangladesh in T20I and ODI series, and winning an ODI against Australia in Australia for the first time in their history. That was a remarkable turnaround, both in terms of results and approach, from an attritional brand of cricket they played under Houghton’s predecessor Lalchand Rajput, one that culminated in chastening home series losses against Namibia and Afghanistan.Against that backdrop, Luke Jongwe was willing to write off Wednesday’s batting performance as just a bad game at a bad time. “We didn’t really change much,” he said. “We just tried doing what we were doing in previous games. It’s just one of those days where it didn’t click. We just needed a good partnership of 50-60 runs to get us home but we didn’t do that today.”It was one of those games where when [Sikandar] Raza was out we needed sevens or eights [per over]. We could have gone about it in a better way, but our coach has been telling us to play positive cricket, and it just didn’t come through today. Dave has been trying to make us play our best cricket rather than being in our shells. It just didn’t work today.”Wednesday’s defeat, though, makes Zimbabwe’s final group game against Scotland on Friday a must-win. But if that game is washed out – there’s a forecast of rain that evening, when the game is scheduled – a completed game in the afternoon between West Indies and Ireland will knock Zimbabwe out of the tournament. After a remarkable turnaround over the past few months, it would be a cruel way to exit.

Quick fifty from Wyatt, Laura Harris’ cameo helped Heat to the highest WBBL finals score before Jonassen’s four-fer

Tristan Lavalette23-Nov-2022Danni Wyatt and Laura Harris starred with explosive batting as Brisbane Heat ended Hobart Hurricanes’ revival of a season to kick-start the WBBL finals.In the Eliminator, a must-win match between the third and fourth ranked teams, Heat grabbed a stranglehold of the contest with a high-octane batting effort after being sent in at Adelaide’s Karen Rolton Oval.Wyatt dominated early before Harris took over to power Heat to a huge total that proved too much for Hurricanes, who were playing their first final since the WBBL’s second edition in 2016-17.Hurricanes needed to produce a record chase and had a sniff through a half-century opening stand from skipper Elyse Villani and Lizelle Lee before falling away at the backend.Heat will play Adelaide Strikers in The Challenger at the same venue on Thursday for a spot in the final against Sydney Sixers.Wyatt lays strong platform
The attention was on Georgia Redmayne, who returned for the Heat after missing the past four matches due to a hamstring injury. She had been the WBBL’s leading run-scorer at the time, but was rusty early on a pitch offering some movement.Fortunately, she was able to take her time with opening partner Wyatt in commanding form as Heat smashed their second best powerplay of the season with 33 runs.Wyatt played bravely and monstered anything overpitched, helped by some inconsistent bowling from Heat, as she rattled spinner Molly Strano with her aggressive approach.The loss of a scratchy Redmayne for 14 did little to halt Wyatt, who reached her second consecutive half-century with a gorgeous cover drive to the boundary.But she fell shortly after to a superb wrong’un from Amy Smith’s second delivery to spark a Heat collapse, where they lost 3 for 6 mid-innings.Harris plunders Heat in near record
There was no consolidation from big-hitter Harris, who counterattacked with pure striking to turn the game in a 14-ball whirlwindShe wisely backed herself and took the power surge in the 14th over, where Harris took charge against seamer Hayley Jensen with three straight boundaries and a six to cap a 23-run over.Jess Jonassen helped wrap up victory•Getty Images

Harris continued her destruction in the power surge as quick Heather Graham could do little to stem the momentum.Harris eyed Melbourne Stars teenager Tess Flintoff’s 16-ball fastest-ever WBBL half-century, but that record bid was dashed when she was bowled by Nicola Carey in the 15th over.Heat enjoyed a late flurry through Charli Knott and Nicola Hancock to lift them to a mammoth total.Villani and Lee start confidently in the chase

To chase the formidable target, Hurricanes needed a strong platform and they did exactly that through Villani and Lee.They pounced on ragged bowling from Heat who were unable to find their lengths. Villani and Lee capitalised under the lights to power Hurricanes to 37 runs in the opening four overs in their second best powerplay of the season.Skipper Jess Jonassen tried to steady the ship and took matters in her own hands in the sixth over but her first delivery went to the boundary marked by a sloppy misfield, as Villani and Lee notched their half-century stand.Hurricanes remained on course until Villani was run-out in the eighth over after superb fielding from Knott at point changed the course of the game.Heat take care of business
Heat stymied Hurricanes after the wicket of Villani as the pressure rose on Lee, who struggled to recapture her earlier fluency. Hurricanes started to fall badly behind the required run and took the power surge in the 12th over in a bid to get back into the contest.But seamer Courtney Grace Sippel bowled superbly to snare the big wicket of Lee in a clutch over costing just one run.Hurricanes’ chase fell apart from there as Jonassen finished superbly to level Strano as the WBBL’s highest-ever wicket-taker. It was a statement win for Heat, who made amends after bowing out at the Eliminator last season.

Abbott picked up three wickets as Stoinis’ half-century went in vain

AAP06-Jan-2023English import James Vince fell short of a century but delivered at the top of the order to steer the Sydney Sixers to a six-wicket win over Melbourne Stars.Marcus Stoinis blasted 52 off 28 balls to lift the Stars to a competitive 5 for 173 at the MCG on Friday. But Sixers reached their target with just one ball to spare on the back of Vince’s unbeaten 91 from 59 deliveries and some late hitting from Jordan Silk.Silk belted a six from the third ball of Luke Wood’s dramatic final over and was controversially given out caught behind before Dan Christian hit the winning runs.The result was the Sixers’ ninth consecutive win over the Stars – a record BBL period of dominance by one club over another.It left the Stars languishing in last place, while the Sixers are level on wins at the top with the Scorchers and Thunder.The Sixers required 36 off the final three overs when Vince belted back-to-back sixes off Trent Boult (1 for 39).A further 11 runs were required off the last over and Vince should have been run-out looking for two off the first ball, but fellow Englishman Joe Clarke missed his first swipe at the stumps with the batter short his ground.The massive six from Silk (15 off 10) tilted the match the Sixers’ way but he was judged to have nicked Wood’s next ball behind and was given his marching orders. Christian hit his only ball faced off Wood for four, steering the Sixers to 4-176.Vince’s season-high innings included nine fours and two sixes as he fell narrowly short of becoming the first player in Sixers history to score a century.Earlier, Stoinis showcased his value as one of the BBL’s great entertainers in his first match since announcing a deal to play in the ILT20.The Stars’ premier power hitter was travelling at run-a-ball for his first 12 deliveries faced and exploded with 38 off the next 12, bringing the home crowd to life.Stoinis blasted seven fours and two sixes, playing the lead role as the Stars took 34 runs off Chris Jordan and Hayden Kerr during the power surge.Stars opener Tom Rogers, signed as a replacement for injured skipper Glenn Maxwell, rode his luck at times and cashed in with a career-best knock of 48 from 33 deliveries.But he was denied a maiden half-century at BBL level when he fell to a brilliant diving catch by Jordan in the outfield.Sean Abbott (3-31) was the game’s only multiple wicket-taker.The Stars lost Campbell Kellaway to a cut hand after he was hurt taking a catch to dismiss Daniel Hughes (28).

Central Stags, one of the finalists, have a lot of players based in the Hawke’s Bay area, which was severely impacted

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2023The Ford Trophy final between Central Stags and the winner of Saturday’s elimination final has been postponed from Sunday because of the devastation caused in the Hawke’s Bay area by Cyclone Gabrielle.A lot of the Stags players are based in Hawke’s Bay and Central Districts chief executive Lance Hamilton said Sunday’s final, which was to be played in Queenstown, was the last thing on players’ minds. No alternative date has been announced yet for the final.”It’s a player welfare issue, first and foremost,” Hamilton said. “We have multiple players without power and water, who have only the barest of communication capability, and who are concerned for family members and friends. It simply wouldn’t be fair to take them away from their families at this time. We’re deeply saddened to see the devastation the cyclone has caused to our region and our hearts go out to all those impacted.”Hamilton said that unlike the Stags team, the women’s Central Hinds side had only one plyer from the Hawke’s Bay area and the players were keen to proceed with their Hallyburton Johnstone matches against Canterbury in Christchurch this weekend.NZC chief executive David White said he supported Central Districts’ position. “Lives have been lost, homes and businesses have been destroyed, large swathes of the region are under water, and a number of people are still missing,” White said. “We had no hesitation in agreeing to CD’s request. Our thoughts are with all the people in the Hawke’s Bay, and elsewhere, who are dealing with the impact of this disaster”.The first Test between New Zealand and England started as scheduled in Mount Maunganui on Thursday, with the teams paying their respects for the lives lost during Cyclone Gabrielle.

Knights’ relegation leaves no team from the central region of the country in the top division

Firdose Moonda15-Mar-2023The Durban-based Dolphins have won the Division One title in South Africa’s first-class competition bringing the curtain down on the 2022-23 domestic season.Dolphins also competed in the final of the T20 competition, which they lost to Titans, but finished last in the one-day cup, which was won by Lions. All three teams will remain in Division One next season, alongside Western Province, Boland, North-West and Warriors, with Bloemfontein’s Knights the first team to be relegated in the restructured system. Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) Inland have moved up to Division One for the 2023-24 summer.The promotion-relegation system came into effect when the two-tier franchise and provincial structure was scrapped at the end the 2020-21 season. They moved to a 15-team entirely provincial set-up (though some provinces retained the names of the franchises they were part of), separated into two divisions, and allowed two seasons of settling-in time before the annual one-up-one-down comes into play.That means results for the first round of the promotion/relegation calculations were made on two seasons worth of competitions, in each format, for a total of six tournaments. From the 2023-24 summer, it will be one season’s worth – three tournaments – that will determine who stays in Division One and who moves down.In the 2021-22 and 2022-23 summers, Knights finished sixth out of eight in the first-class competition, sixth in the one-day tournament, and seventh and fourth respectively in the T20s. Although they were never placed last, the combined final placings meants they were the worst-performing Division One team over two seasons.Their relegation left no team from the central region of the country in Division One. The central region covers the Free State province, and has produced players including Allan Donald, Hansie Cronje, and more recently Dean Elgar and Gerald Coetzee, and is home to several elite sporting schools including Grey College. With Bloemfontein also excluded from the SA20, the isolation of the province from the country’s cricketing consciousness is growing and CSA is concerned about the development.”This is one of the issues that was unenvisaged when the system started. If someone had shown you the teams then, you would not have thought the Knights would be the ones to be relegated,” Eddie Khoza, CSA’s head of pathways, told ESPNcricinfo. “It is important for each member to take responsibility and show accountability for their systems. The franchise system provided comfort and we couldn’t see the gaps that were there. Now, we will need to take a deep dive into what is happening with some of our members and see what we can do to support them.”On the other hand, CSA is delighted with the progress of KZN Inland, who were only reinstated as an affiliate team last November, after several years under administration. In the 2021-22 season, they were third in the four-day competition, and won the one-day cup; this summer they were second in the four-day series and reached the final of the one-day cup. Division Two teams do not play a standalone T20 tournament. Their promotion meant they would be entitled to contract 16 players instead of the 11 at Division Two level, and are eligible to contract players for more money.Knights will suffer the opposite fate and are expected to lose their big names, including Coetzee, who is moving to Titans. The player-contracting window opens today and will close at the end of March.

Iyer has told BCCI medical staff that he wants to explore other options for his back issues before taking a final call on surgery

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2023Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer is a doubtful starter for at least the first half of IPL 2023. ESPNcricinfo has learned that while Iyer has opted out of surgery for a recurring lower-back injury, he has been advised rest as he continues his rehab. The injury had initially forced him to abort his participation from the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy before ruling him out of the ODI series against Australia.It is understood that there is no definitive date of return earmarked for Iyer, who will continue to be supervised by the BCCI’s medical staff at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru through the near future. Knight Riders, though, have not given up hope, and expect their captain to be back before the halfway stage of the IPL.Iyer’s issues, it is learned, concern a bulge in one of the discs in his spine, which has resulted in an impinged nerve. The nerve runs along the right leg and has caused shooting pain in Iyer’s calf, which is compounded by mobility issues. It is understood that Iyer has been given six injections in the recent past to help numb the pain in his back.Iyer, 28, first experienced discomfort in his lower back last December, immediately after the Bangladesh tour. He then missed out on selection for the ODI series against New Zealand at home and the first Test against Australia.He returned to play the second and third Tests of the Australia series. However, the back pain re-emerged during the final Test in Ahmedabad, where having fielded for the first two days, Iyer did not turn out to bat in India’s only innings in the match.After returning home, Iyer consulted a spine surgeon in Mumbai. He was presented with two options: rest, rehab and wait for the pain to subside before resuming strength and conditioning and mobility exercises. If that doesn’t work, then move to the second option: surgery. It is understood that the BCCI medical staff even consulted a London-based specialist, who had carried out Hardik Pandya’s back surgery, for a second opinion. The London expert, too, advised to stick the first option.Iyer has told the BCCI medical staff that he wants to explore options before taking the final call on surgery. He has also received full support from the Knight Riders management who helped him consult an Ayurveda specialist for a non-intrusive alternative medicine.

Who can be KKR’s interim captain?

The Knight Riders management has started discussing options for the stand-in captain Iyer’s absence. Sunil Narine and Nitish Rana are understood to be among the frontrunners but Knight Riders are deliberating hard on who could be a better choice as an overall package: man-manger, good communicator, leading team-mates and getting the best out of them under pressure in a match situation.Narine, Knight Riders’ best player since he joined the franchise in 2012, led Abu Dhabi Knight Riders recently in the inaugural season of the ILT20 in the UAE. It was a testing run for Narine the captain with a single win and eight defeats as Knight Riders finished bottom of the table in the six-team tournament.Rana has led Delhi in 12 T20s in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with eight wins and four defeats.