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The pacer quits with 56 wickets from 68 T20Is, and will remain available to play in the other formats

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2018India women pacer Jhulan Goswami has retired from T20Is, calling time on a career that began 12 years ago with the first ever T20I for India women in August 2006. The announcement comes with the Women’s World T20 – to be played in the West Indies – less than three months away.In a statement released by the BCCI, Goswami thanked the board and her team-mates for all the love and support she garnered during her stint with the T20I team and wished them luck going forward.With India last having played a Test match almost four years ago, Goswami quitting T20Is means that for all practical purposes she will now be playing only the ODI format for India.Goswami is the leading wicket-taker for India women with 56 wickets in 60 T20Is. Her 5 for 11 against Australia at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in 2012 are the best bowling figures for India in the shortest format.The Bengal pacer’s last appearance in a T20I was the Asia Cup final against Bangladesh women in Kuala Lumpur, which India lost by three wickets.Goswami, who made her debut international debut in 2002, is also the highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 203 scalps from 169 games, the only bowler with more than 200 wickets in the format. She has represented India in ten Tests, taking 40 wickets at 16.62. She remains the only Indian bowler so far with five-wicket hauls in each of the three formats.

England’s players open up on the “turbulent” circumstances that saw Charlotte Edwards retire after being removed from the captaincy in 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2017England’s players have discussed, for the first time, the “turbulent” circumstances that saw Charlotte Edwards retire after being removed from the captaincy in 2016.Mark Robinson, England women’s head coach, made the decision to shake things up after the team’s failure at the 2016 World T20, telling Edwards – still a world-class batsman and a pioneer of the game – she would not be part of his plans. Heather Knight was subsequently appointed as captain and went on to lead England to victory in the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday.Speaking before the final against India, Robinson said he believed he had made the right decision and that the team “had to go in a different direction”, having come to the conclusion that his players didn’t have enough belief.”I just knew it was right,” Robinson said. “When it’s that simple in your mind – and it wasn’t against Charlotte because Charlotte was still a very good player, but the team had to go in a different direction and we had to put things differently in place and it was something like 18 months before the next competition, this one. It was too long to wait and get through to before you start making changes.”During interviews to chart the team’s progress from the defeat in the semi-finals of the World T20 last year to their success at Lord’s, Jenny Gunn, the experienced allrounder who had been Edwards’ team-mate for more than a decade, said the decision to move on had come as a “bit of a shock”.Fran Wilson, one of the younger players who has enjoyed increased opportunities over the last 12 months, expressed similar feelings but felt Robinson’s call had been vindicated.”It was quite a turbulent time because Charlotte’s always been a part of the England team, as long as I can remember,” Wilson said. “So when it first all happened it was quite a big shock and probably affected the girls a little bit. But, I think in the long-run, what Mark Robinson has done has been really good for the team. That’s just testament to Robbo and the kind of faith he’s shown in all of us.”The change of leadership had immediate benefits, as England’s new opening pair of Tammy Beaumont and Lauren Winfield flourished during a run-soaked series win over Pakistan last year. Beaumont, in particular, has thrived under the guidance of Robinson, and was named Player of the Tournament after finishing as the top scorer in the Women’s World Cup.Beaumont won her first cap under Edwards, in 2009, and they opened together on several occasions. She gave credit to Edwards for laying the foundations for England’s future success.”It was a tough month or so,” Beaumont said. “Charlotte has been probably quite a big influence on the first half of my career. She’s also a good friend. It was hard to see her go through that but she’s moved on into the commentary box with dignity. She can look back at her career knowing that she did a great job for England and left us in a good place.”

Former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed has declined the BCB’s offer for the post of Bangladesh’s bowling coach

Mohammad Isam06-Jun-2016Former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed has declined the BCB’s offer for the post of Bangladesh’s bowling coach. Javed’s response came a day after BCB president Nazmul Hassan said the board was in talks with the ex-UAE coach.Javed declined the offer to continue in his new role as director of cricket operations with the Pakistan Super League franchise, Lahore Qalandars, but said he may be open to a short-term consultancy stint after the second season of the PSL later this year. Javed had stepped down as UAE coach in April, after a four-year tenure, to take up the role offered by Qalandars.”I have recently joined Lahore Qalandars and started working from last Friday only, so it’s not possible for me to take any other job,” Javed told ESPNcricinfo. “But I may be open for a short-term coaching consultant job after the second edition of PSL, not as full-time [coach]. Right now I am in a long-term relationship with the Qalanders and I am committed to them, and it’s not really reasonable for me to take up role with Bangladesh.”BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury confirmed that Javed had communicated his decision and the board is now looking at other candidates.”After we contacted him, Javed considered our proposal but [declined] because it would be very difficult to handle two important positions at the same time,” Chowdhury said. “As we were doing before, we are looking for other options in this position.”

Ruvindu Gunasekera made the most of an early let off to make 62 off 54 balls and guide Canada to a 34-run win over Bermuda via Duckworth-Lewis Method on Monday afternoon at Indianapolis World Sports Park

Peter Della Penna in Indianapolis04-May-2015Ruvindu Gunasekera made the most of an early let-off to make 62 off 54 balls and guide Canada to a 34-run win over Bermuda via Duckworth-Lewis method on Monday afternoon at Indianapolis World Sports Park. Canada moved to 2-0 with the win while Bermuda dropped to 0-2 and must now claw out of a major hole to have any shot of finishing in the top-two for a spot in the World T20 Qualifier later this summer.After having won the toss, Canada’s top order batted fluently, reaching 48 for 0 after the six-over Powerplay in cool conditions. The hard-hitting Gunasekera offered a simple chance in the next over on 19 when he mistimed a pull to fine leg, but was put down. Rizwan Cheema got out off the following ball from Janeiro Tucker for 29 but Gunasekera went on to add another 45 runs for the second wicket with Nitish Kumar.Canada’s aggressive mindset backfired a few times, most notably with Nitish who looked set to bat through the end of the innings but was bowled for 20 by Jacobi Robinson attempting a reverse sweep to make it 94 for 2. Robinson continued to burrow through Canada’s middle order by claiming Srimantha Wijeratne at cover for 9 and Jimmy Hansra at long-off for 8 to make it 119 for 4.Gunasekera was still around at the start of the 19th over and looking set to push for 160 but the wheels came off two balls later when the left-hander was bowled by Stefan Kelly attempting a flick. Kelly bowled Navneet Dhaliwal for 4 to end the 19th and spinner Delray Rawlins darted in a quicker ball to knock back Hamza Tariq’s stumps for 2 at the start of the 20th.Bermuda made it four wickets in 10 balls when Tucker ran out Satsimranjit Dhindsa on the second run after a poor backup, and Canada ended on 143 for 8.Moments later, rain started to fall and play did not resume for another two hours and 15 minutes. Bermuda eventually had their target adjusted to 105 off 13 overs.The chase got off to the worst possible start when Dion Stovell skied a chance first ball off Cecil Pervez and was caught running back from mid-off by Hansra. Two overs later, James Celestine fell in similar fashion for 2 before David Hemp got into a tangle with Tucker over a single to backward point. Nitish swooped in and fired a direct hit with Hemp five yards short of making his ground as Bermuda were reduced to 8 for 3 in three overs.Tucker provided a brief counterattack with a pair of lusty blows for six over long-on but he fell quickly for 20 to Hansra, attempting another hoick after backing away from his stumps. Dutta was brought on in the sixth over and struck in the eighth and tenth, causing Oliver Pitcher to hole out to long-on for 3 before bowling Robinson for 6. Tre Manders, who remained unbeaten on 17, ensured Bermuda batted out their overs to end on 70 for 8.

A commanding performance from Shane Watson delivered a handsome opening World Twenty20 victory for Australia over Ireland

The Report by Daniel Brettig19-Sep-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Shane Watson had an impressive day, and the O’Briens were among his victims•AFP

A commanding performance from Shane Watson delivered a handsome opening World Twenty20 victory for Australia over Ireland, as George Bailey’s team showed aggressive intent to pursue the one trophy missing from the national team’s display cabinet.Ireland had fancied their chances of upsetting Australia, but were left with their odds of progression diminished and their ears ringing from a few verbal barbs delivered by opponents in no mood to be accommodating to a team they had briefly been ranked below on the ICC’s T20 rankings earlier this month.Watson influenced proceedings from the first ball of the match, a bouncer Ireland’s captain Will Porterfield hooked to fine leg. He returned to the bowling crease to snuff out a mid-innings revival, then smashed 51 to ensure a modest chase that never assumed anything more than nuisance dimensions.Mitchell Starc and Hogg also delivered telling spells to help keep Ireland quiet, their 20 overs devoid of sustained momentum save for a rearguard stand of 50 between Kevin and Niall O’Brien from the depths of 33 for 4. Kevin O’Brien hinted at the mastery he had shown against England in the 2011 World Cup, but both he and his brother were out-thought by Watson in the same over.Aside from Watson’s all-round prowess, the other hallmark of Australia’s display was their aggression, manifested in a series of verbal stoushes with their opponents. The umpires intervened more than once, and no-one was left in any doubt about the Australians intent to make life as uncomfortable as possible for their opposition.Australia’s pursuit needed to be dogged by early wickets for Ireland to have a chance, but Watson and David Warner played with plenty of sense. They were helped by a wayward Boyd Rankin, who gave away four wides on the way to conceding 12 runs from the third over. Trent Johnston was taken for 19 in the fourth, and from that moment the result never seemed in any great doubt.George Dockrell accounted for Warner, who punched to deep midwicket, and Paul Stirling almost grasped a one-handed return catch from Watson. Having failed to take the half chance, both Stirling and Dockrell were to feel the brunt of Watson’s power, Australia’s vice-captain posting a half century from his 28th ball. An overly languid run through to the non-striker’s end was punished by Johnston’s direct hit, but by then Watson had done more than enough to put victory within sight and also underline his importance to Australia’s campaign.Michael Hussey was lbw to Kevin O’Brien, and Cameron White offered a difficult chance that Johnston put down off Rankin, leaving Australia to conclude their chase with less certainty than Watson and Warner had started it.Watson had taken the new ball for Australia, a move Ireland’s captain Porterfield would have noted from the warm-up games. What he did not expect was a first-ball bumper, as Watson tested the bounce to be extracted from a flint-hard Premadasa pitch. The ball was well-directed, Porterfield’s hook shot was hurried, and Mitchell Starc sauntered in from fine leg to take the catch.There were runs to be found in the pitch, Stirling cracking the final ball of the over to the cover fence to prove it, but Australia’s bowlers were sharp and varied enough to prevent Ireland from finding any sort of rhythm. Starc found a little swing but it was bounce that did for Stirling, his top edge sailing high for Watson to make a testy running catch look routine.Bailey introduced Maxwell’s off-breaks for the sixth over, and was rewarded when Ed Joyce toe-ended a drive to mid off. Brad Hogg’s introduction followed, and he too struck in his opening over when Gary Wilson played around a delivery pitching in line and straightening to win Aleem Dar’s lbw verdict. None of Ireland’s batsmen looked entirely capable of reading Hogg’s variations.Ireland were stuck in the T20 predicament of early wickets, the halfway point passing at a wobbly 46 for 4. The brothers O’Brien were left to fashion a salvaging partnership, Kevin O’brien hinting at his potential for destruction with a handful of boundaries. He responded to taunts from the Australian fieldsmen by clattering Starc through midwicket and cover, and the 50-stand was raised. But Niall O’Brien was unable to follow suit, bowled by Watson’s slower ball when trying to heave across the line.Watson was delivering a keynote spell, and he made it more so by coaxing Kevin O’Brien to touch a shortish, sharpish delivery on its way through to Matthew Wade. Called on to deliver the last over of the innings as well as the first, Watson allowed the innings’ only six to Nigel Jones, but the concession of 12 from the final six balls still left Australia’s batsmen with a chase they were always likely to negotiate in some comfort.

The five Kenya players who refused the newly offered contracts by the country’s cricket board have not been included in the squad for the two ODIs and the Intercontinental Cup fixture against UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-2011The five Kenya players who refused the newly offered contracts by the country’s cricket board have not been included in the squad for the two ODIs and the Intercontinental Cup fixture against UAE next week in Nairobi. The five players are: Alex Obanda, James Ngoche, Shem Ngoche, Elijah Otieno and Nehemiah Odhiambo.Five of the seven players who signed the contracts have been picked in the squad of 14, but Seren Waters and Ragheb Aga – among the seven – missed out on a place. Also included in the squad is Tanmay Mishra, who has made himself available for national duty though he’s chosen to play domestic cricket in India this season.”This is a new-look squad with some players being offered the opportunity to show what they can do at this level. The fact that some players have rejected new contracts and made themselves unavailable presents others with their chance,” Alpesh Vadher, chairman of selectors, said in a release. “We have a blend of players who have been involved with the squad for some time, players who have shown good form in domestic cricket and deserve a chance at this level and some who were not recently offered contracts and have a point to prove.”Squad: Collins Obuya (capt), Rakep Patel, Tanmay Mishra, Runish Gudka, Hiren Varaiya, Lucas Oluoch, Dominic Wesonga, Karen Kaul, Amit Shukla, Rajesh Bhudia, Rajesh Varsani, Ramesh Mepani, Mansukh Jesani (wk), Samarth Patel.

Sussex have submitted a revised application to the Brighton and Hove City Council Planning Department to modify the plans for the new South West Stand which is due for construction over the winter.

Cricinfo staff28-Jul-2010Sussex have submitted a revised application to the Brighton and Hove City Council Planning Department to modify the plans for the new South West Stand which is due for construction over the winter.The revised plan reduces the stand from 2,400 seats to 1,700 and includes a new reception and club shop, improved toilet facilities, and additional food and beverage outlets. The new plan will also see the current Wilbury office block remain rather than be incorporated in to the larger version of the Stand.With £2.5 million invested in the winter of 2009-10, the second phase of the county’s redevelopments will see a further £5 million expenditure plan put into place. Sussex expect the pitch-facing stands, along with the pavilion refurbishment and indoor school extension, to be completed in time for the next year’s season in April 2011.”Over the summer, we have been continuing to challenge our master plan to ensure it remains the most appropriate development of the County Ground and very best value for money,” said Dave Brooks, Sussex’s chief executive. “During those discussions, it became apparent that integrating the offices into the footprint of the South West stand did not meet those expectations and a better solution could be delivered by modifying the planning application granted in late 2009.”This is a very exciting time for the Club as this winter’s activity will complete the ground development project which has been around for nearly twenty years now. We are most definitely on the right track and once the building works are completed Sussex CCC will have a genuine claim to having the best county cricket ground in the country, and one which will enable the club to continue to invest in all levels of cricket within the county to offer the very best opportunity for continued on-field success.”Sussex is just one of several counties with ambitious redevelopment projects on the go as they vie to secure the right to host international cricket from the ECB, who have laid down strict criteria that grounds have to fulfill in order to be considered.

New policy will not apply at grassroots or in new Tier 3 county competition

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2024Transgender women who have gone through male puberty will be excluded from Tiers 1 and 2 of the ECB’s new women’s county competition, as well as the women’s Hundred, after the ECB chose to bring its eligibility policy into line with that adopted by the ICC in 2023.In a statement, the ECB acknowledged that the transgender issue was a “complex area” in which it was “impossible to balance all the considerations”, but cited concerns about player safety at the sport’s elite level in explaining its new position.The clarification comes ahead of the relaunch of women’s domestic cricket in 2025, and brings the English game into line with other elite sports in the UK, including swimming, cycling, athletics, rugby league and rugby union.The policy will not, however, be extended to the grassroots game, nor to Tier 3 of the county competition, which at this stage will comprise teams from the ECB’s national (formerly minor) counties, but which will be subject to promotion and relegation from higher tiers from 2029 onwards.”Considerable time has been taken to reach this policy position,” the board said in its statement. “The ECB recognises that transgender participation is a complex area, with many strongly held views, and it is impossible to balance all the considerations.”We want everyone to feel included and welcome in our sport, and believe the position reached strikes an appropriate balance by ensuring fairness in the elite game while ensuring inclusivity at a recreational level, with specific safeguards in place to manage disparities and ensure safety.”Related

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The ECB’s previous policy had permitted any player who identified as female to compete in professional club and England pathway teams, so long as they had written clearance.In November 2023, the ICC tightened its eligibility policy at the culmination of a nine-month consultation with its stakeholders, and stated that it had based its findings (in order of priority), on “protection of the integrity of the women’s game, safety, fairness and inclusion”.The most prominent player to have been affected by the rule-change was Canada’s Danielle McGahey, who featured in the ICC Women’s T20 Americas Qualifier in September 2023, but acknowledged soon afterwards that her career was over.The ECB added: “Having considered wide-ranging views gathered during the consultation, as well as in consultations conducted during 2023, and the relevant science and medical evidence, the ECB has decided that from 2025 it will adopt the same approach as the ICC for women’s professional domestic cricket. This provides consistency, given that a primary purpose of the top end of the domestic structure is to produce international players.”The detailed policy will now be developed over the coming months, in consultation with stakeholders, and is due to be formally in place in time for the 2025 domestic season. It will apply to Tiers 1 and 2 of the new women’s domestic structure from 2025, as well as the Hundred women’s competition.”

Brothers Jack and Matt fight in eighth-wicket stand but Gloucestershire succumb in final hour

ECB Reporters Network29-Jul-2023Worcestershire’s seamers demonstrated admirable resolve to forge a dramatic late victory over Gloucestershire on the final day of an enthralling LV=County Championship match at the Cheltenham Festival.Adam Finch claimed 4 for 83, Dillon Pennington 4 for 63 and Joe Leach 2 for 57 as the visitors bowled out their neighbours for 311 to win by 110 runs with just 8.5 overs remaining.Worcestershire had earlier declared their second innings on 316 for 8, setting Gloucestershire a notional 421 to win in 96 overs. They looked on course to achieve a routine victory when reducing the home side to 190 for 7 shortly before tea, only for brothers Jack and Matt Taylor to stage a defiant stand of 95 in 27 overs.It took a late burst from Pennington with the second new ball to finally end Gloucestershire resistance, the Shrewsbury-born seamer removing Jack Taylor for a season’s-best 98 and Zaman Akhter in the space of three balls. He then bowled Paul van Meekeren for seven to seal victory, leaving Matt Taylor stranded on 49 not out.Achieving back-to-back victories for the first time since 2019, Worcestershire’s fourth win of this season saw them bank 23 points, while Gloucestershire picked up five. Worcestershire have moved above promotion rivals Glamorgan into second place in the table behind runaway leaders Durham, and they boast a handy 14-point advantage over the Welsh county and are 21 clear of fourth-placed Sussex, who have a game in hand.For their part, Gloucestershire are still seeking their first win of the season after 11 matches and only Yorkshire, docked 48 points by an ECB Cricket Discipline Commission panel earlier this week, sit below them in the table.Required to score at 4.39 runs an over if they were to break their long winless run, Gloucestershire never seriously considered the prospect of victory after losing three wickets during the morning session.Eager to make amends following his first-innings failure, Chris Dent played fluently in accruing five boundaries and moving smoothly to 24, only to then push tentatively at a delivery from Leach and offering Jake Libby a straightforward catch at third slip with the score on 37.Joe Phillips and Ollie Price had staged a superb stand of 100 on day two, but were unable to repeat their first-innings heroics on this occasion, both falling in quick succession to Adam Finch. Attempting to work a ball just short of a length to leg, Phillips top-edged a catch to Brett D’Oliveira at point and departed for 26 in the 16th over.Having posted scores of 85 and 115 in his last two Festival innings, Ollie Price blotted his copybook, taking on Finch and directing a top-edged hook straight to Leach at deep fine leg. He had made just 13 and Gloucestershire were 76 for 3 and in need of a reassuring partnership.Hammond and James Bracey did their best to keep Worcestershire’s seamers at bay in a stubborn alliance of 53 in 19 overs either side of the lunch interval. Although looking out of touch and vulnerable throughout, Bracey battled hard in scratching 19 from 64 balls, before pushing at a ball from Leach and falling to a fine diving catch by Gareth Roderick behind the stumps.Wickets have fallen in clusters throughout this fluctuating contest and, sure enough, the returning Dillon Pennington had Tom Price caught at the wicket without scoring in the next over, further reducing the home side to 130 for 5.Gloucestershire’s most effective batsman in red-ball cricket this season, Hammond continued to serve up resistance, going to his eighth 50 of the summer from 72 deliveries. It is perhaps revealing that he has yet to convert a single one of those half centuries into a hundred, and this innings proved no exception to that rule, the Cheltenham-born left-hander attempting to pull Finch and playing on, undone by a ball that kept low.He had contributed 64, faced 106 balls and struck half a dozen fours and a six, and with him went Gloucestershire’s best chance of saving the game. Fired up and in the zone, the aggressive Finch generated additional pace to bowl Zafar Gohar for five in his next over from the College Lawn End.With 40 overs still to negotiate, Gloucestershire were 190 for 7 and reliant upon their last recognised batsman, Jack Taylor, who at least reached the sanctuary of the tea interval unbeaten on 40 in partnership with younger brother Matt.Attack proved the best form of defence for the elder Taylor, who drove Leach down the ground for his ninth four to raise his first Championship 50 of the season from just 54 balls.He was just two runs short of his hundred when controversy flared. Taylor blocked a ball from Pennington, who then attempted to shy at the stumps only to hit the batsman. Umpire Martin Saggers intervened as tempers flared, awarding five penalty runs to Gloucestershire and issuing Pennington with a verbal warning.Pennington had the last laugh however, Jack Taylor dragging the next delivery onto his stumps and departing for 98. Akhter fell two balls later, edging Pennington low to first slip, leaving Gloucestershire on the brink.

Solitary change to XI as Stokes returns to training after illness

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2022
Jamie Overton will make his Test debut against New Zealand at Headingley on Thursday, in place of James Anderson, as England’s captain Ben Stokes confirmed a solitary change to the team that sealed the series with their five-wicket victory at Trent Bridge last week.Stokes, who had himself been a concern after missing training through illness on Tuesday, came through a training session on Wednesday morning after linking up with the squad, and will lead out the side in search of a 3-0 series win after a brace of uplifting performances at Lord’s and Trent Bridge.Anderson, who claimed 11 wickets at 18.63 in the first two Tests to reaffirm his status as England’s attack leader, will sit the match out with an ankle niggle – partly with a view to next week’s delayed fifth Test against India at Edgbaston, which gets underway three days after the conclusion of the Headingley match, and which England need to win to secure a share of the series that was postponed last year due to Covid scare.Related

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“Unfortunately Jimmy’s not pulled up as much as we’d like to so Jamie Overton is going to make his debut this week,” Stokes confirmed during his pre-match press conference.That solitary change means that England will not, after all, field twins in the same Test for the first time in their history, with Jamie’s brother Craig remaining an unused member of the squad.Under the previous regime, Stuart Broad might have been considered for a rest after back-to-back fixtures, but in keeping with England’s new policy of picking their best available XI for each game, he will continue as the seam attack’s senior presence.Jamie Overton’s debut comes four-and-a-half years after his brother Craig made his first England Test appearance, and comes as reward for a fine start to the season with Surrey, for whom he has claimed 21 wickets at 21, and consistently bowled in excess of 90mph/145kph.England 1 Alex Lees, 2 Zak Crawley, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Matt Potts, 11 Jack Leach.