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Bittersweet emotions in victory and defeat ahead of conversion to county competition in 2025

ESPNcricinfo staff and ECB Reporters Network21-Sep-2024Kate Coppack, Sunrisers’ matchwinner in the last-ever staging of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, paid tribute to the resilience within the squad, as they capped the competition’s short history with victory over South East Stars in a rain-affected final at Grace Road.Coppack chose the perfect moment to produce career-best figures of 4 for 27, as South East Stars stumbled early in the powerplay then lost wickets at regular intervals thereafter, with only Alice Davidson-Richards’ superb 93 from 105 balls providing any lasting resistance.In pursuit of a sub-par 213, Sunrisers got themselves ahead of the rate early thanks to Cordelia Griffiths’ boundary-studded 57, and though they shipped three wickets in the first half of their innings, Grace Scrivens had the chase firmly under control with her unbeaten 39 from 47 balls, before a thunderstorm forced an early end to the contest.The victory, albeit via DLS, completed one of the more remarkable turnarounds in the short history of women’s professional cricket, given that Sunrisers did not win a single contest in each of the first three stagings of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.”There have been a lot of highs and lows as the Sunrisers so to end like that is really special,” Coppack, 30, told the ECB Reporters Network, having been a regular in their squad since 2021.”I wasn’t involved in the first year but Danni [Warren] and people have been building a team over the years. It was always going to take a while.”I think you have to give credit to Scrivens coming in as captain. She is still really young but has learned quickly and is good at balancing people and when to bowl them. Having the same group around for the last few years, and people having trust in us has really helped as we could have tried to start again when things weren’t going well.”Away from cricket, Coppack is a lawyer, while her family also run an alpaca farm. “I’ve always been a pay-to-play player and try to balance work as well,” she said. “There have been a couple of us who have been doing that, but it is nice to see the game go more professional.”For Warren, Sunrisers’ director of cricket, the victory was vindication for the team’s perseverance, even when the going was particularly tough in the early years of the competition. It also provides the squad with a fillip ahead of next year’s switch to a county format, with Essex taking over the management of the Tier 1 team that will represent the region.”It is the culmination of a lot of hard work for a lot of people, for players and backroom staff,” Warren said. “We started this era with a group of players who were untested and untried at this level and we have identified some gems.”They have done it as an exciting group of young players who are probably come together slightly more than the sum of their part. We are the underdogs – and we like that term.”There have been a lot of tears and a lot of soul-searching from a lot of people. The lowest point was the four overthrows off the final ball against Storm in 2022. The story of that time was that we found a way to lose, now we have found a way to win – and that’s a brilliant thing.”With this group of girls you don’t know who the hero is going to be, any of them can put in a performance. There will be a happy person sat in the corner later looking around the room and seeing how far we have come. But I don’t see this as the end of an era, I just see it as momentum into the next one.”Alice Davidson-Richards held the Stars top order together•Getty Images for Surrey CCC

Emma Calvert, South East Stars’ director of cricket, was understandably disconsolate as her team finished on the losing side in two finals this summer, following their defeat to The Blaze in the Charlotte Edwards Cup in June.”It is gutting,” she said. “It is the end of an era and a sad way to end that era. We wanted to go out there, put on a performance and win the trophy but we have no control over the weather.”DLS is a funny thing. I backed us to take those wickets and see it through to the end. But what happened, happened and congratulations to Sunrisers. I have seen how much effort has gone in to building that program and it is an incredible end to that journey.”Alice Davidson-Richards is an incredible player, we all know that. She is disappointed more than anyone because although she put on that performance her team didn’t win and that is what means the most to her.”South East Stars are set to be absorbed into Surrey’s all-conquering set-up from 2025 onwards, but Warren admitted it was a bittersweet moment as this initial domestic era comes to an end.”We are incredibly excited to become Surrey but in this moment it feels quite hard,” she added. “The girls are so excited to start the journey with the three feathers on our chest.”We have been on a journey and to get to two finals this year is an incredible end. November 1 is the official day we go live as Surrey, but before then we’ll have words tonight and have our awards and really celebrate what we have achieved.”Although we haven’t lifted a trophy today, we have achieved a lot and I think it is worth celebrating that.”

Focusing fully on the cricket and not the external hype becomes all the more important for Pakistan, given they really need points on the board

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Feb-20252:40

Aaqib: Naseem, Shaheen, Rauf remind me of troika from 90s

India vs Pakistan matches will always be passionate affairs. But for Pakistan’s players, this is just another opportunity to do the cricketing things they train to do as professionals. The hype, Pakistan’s coach Aaqib Javed feels, is external.”For the cricketers, this is a profession,” Aaqib said. “For them, it definitely is an honour. But, it is a profession. You try your best. In that, you sometimes lose as well. It is a match… one team will win, one will lose. How does it matter? Why so much pressure? Every game is different.”In a Pakistan-India game, the energy will remain high. And this is the beauty of this contest. What does the crowd do? When you play well, the crowd supports you, they clap their hands. When you play poorly, be it India or Pakistan, the home crowd will go against you. As a player, you shouldn’t keep the crowd in mind. We never kept it and neither should these players. What’s your focus? Ball, bat – that’s it.”Related

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Focusing fully on the cricket and not the external hype becomes all the more important for Pakistan, given, after their opening-day loss to New Zealand, they really need points on the board.There is also particular focus on this game, because although Pakistan are the official hosts, they have had to travel to Dubai, where India have set up camp, and have already played a match. There have been suggestions that it is India who are enjoying the closest thing to home advantage in this scenario. But Aaqib played those suggestions down.”There’s no advantage [for India] at all, because if you look at all the Pakistani players, they have been playing leagues here,” Aaqib said. “The PSL has been played here. So there’s nothing really – there’s no advantage or disadvantage.” Not to forget, nearly all of Pakistan’s home fixtures were played in the UAE between 2009 and 2019.The surface in Dubai is expected to play slower and lower than those in Pakistan, partly because the ILT20 was played here over the past six weeks. Very few of the strips on the square are fresh.”We also have to see the pitch and the ground here,” Aaqib said. “Are these similar to the one we have in Pakistan or are they different? We will play in accordance with the pitches, conditions and the opposition team.”

Allrounder continues batting after hit, but skips bowling stint to ice his shoulder

PTI30-Dec-2023India allrounder Shardul Thakur suffered a blow on his shoulder on Saturday in Centurion, while batting at the nets. How serious the hit was is yet to be ascertained, and scans will be carried out if required. As of now, there’s no confirmation that scans are needed – while Thakur seemed in considerable discomfort when hit and later did not bowl at the nets, he continued batting after the hit.The second Test between South Africa and India, which the visitors need to win if they are to square the series, begins on January 3 in Cape Town.Thakur, who was the first player to enter the throwdown nets, was hit on the left shoulder while facing throwdowns from a member of the team’s support staff. It happened about 15 minutes into the session. The ball kicked up from a length, had Thakur in a tangle, and hit his leading left shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.Related

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Once Thakur finished batting, the physio put an ice pack sling on his shoulder.India were having nets session on what was the scheduled final day of the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, which ended in three days with South Africa sealing an innings win. Thakur had made a handy 24 in the first innings of the Test, and 2 in the second before being squared up by a short ball – and fending to gully – in a way that resembled what happened in the nets. He did not have the best time of it with the ball either, registering figures of 19-2-101-1.

Club makes plea for “reasonable sanction” after previously admitting four charges

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2023The ECB has recommended that Yorkshire be fined £500,000 and face points deductions in all three competitions this season in the wake of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.Yorkshire pleaded guilty to four amended charges of bringing the game into disrepute earlier this year, with their punishment due to be decided after a Cricket Discipline Committee (CDC) sanctions hearing.Jane Mulcahy KC, representing the ECB, said the governing body was not trying to put Yorkshire out of business and aimed to “strike a balance” in its recommendations.The fine was broken down according to the four charges: £100,000 for mishandling the Rafiq inquiry, £100,000 for destruction of data, £150,000 for not taking action in relation to racist behaviour, and £150,000 for the systemic use of racist language at the club. It was suggested that £350,000 of the fine would be suspended, with the rest paid in instalments.The ECB also proposed sporting sanctions comprising a deduction of 48-72 points in the LV= Insurance County Championship, 4-6 points in the One-Day Cup and 4-6 points in the Vitality Blast.Yorkshire lost a swathe of sponsors over their handling of the Rafiq affair and face severe financial difficulties, with the club owing almost £15 million to the family trust of the former chair, Colin Graves, and in the process of seeking new investment.In a statement released ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, Yorkshire asked that the CDC consider imposing sanctions that “are reflective of the circumstances of the club” after almost two years of turmoil and concerted attempts to “encourage greater inclusivity and tackle discrimination”.”Racism and discrimination in any form is unacceptable and, as a board, we have been clear on the need to take accountability for the historical cultural issues that allowed racist and discriminatory behaviour to go unchallenged at the club,” the statement said. “The acceptance of four amended charges brought by the CDC was part of a continued effort to acknowledge what happened in the past so we can learn and move forward.”In making representations to the CDC panel, we hope to achieve a reasonable sanction which takes into account our acceptance of the charges, YCCC’s current financial position and the robust work we have undertaken to build the foundations for a club which is truly inclusive and welcoming to all.”The Yorkshire hearings took place on the same day that the ECB issued an apology to those who had experienced discrimination in the game following the publication of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report.

The cricket technical committee is expected to reach a decision on the fate of Pakistan’s coaching staff later this week

Danyal Rasool02-Aug-2023Misbah-ul-Haq will lead the technical committee that will advise the PCB chairman on cricketing affairs. The committee will include two other former Pakistan captains in Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez.Last week, PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf had announced the creation of a “high-profile” technical committee charged with reporting to him, to be headed by former Pakistan captain Misbah.Related

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The committee has been given wide-ranging powers, encompassing just about all cricketing activity in Pakistan. “The CTC (Cricket Technical Committee) will provide recommendations on cricket-related matters, including, but not limited to the overall domestic structure, scheduling, playing conditions, appointment of the national selection committees, appointment of national team coaches, central and domestic contracts and plans for the development of umpires, referees and curators,” a statement from the PCB said. “The CTC will have the powers to invite additional cricket experts, and shall report to the head of the PCB Management Committee on a regular basis.”The most immediate task the committee faces is a decision on the fate of Pakistan’s coaching staff. In an interview earlier this week, Ashraf said the committee would share their findings with him before a final decision, which ESPNcricinfo understands will be reached as early as the end of this week.The CTC will also be tasked with preparing for the upcoming Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which begins next month. The domestic structure will undergo a revamp this season, with departments returning to the fray. It is not yet clear if they will play alongside regions in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.”I am delighted to welcome Misbah-ul-Haq, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez on board for the betterment of cricket in our country,” Ashraf said. “These three former captains possess great cricket knowledge and understand the demands of modern-day cricket.”Domestic cricket structure is a pillar of any cricketing nation. We have to make it foolproof and its structure progressive. The presence of Misbah, Inzamam and Hafeez, three of Pakistan’s most experienced and decorated cricketers who rose through the domestic ranks, will help us in providing our cricketers the best system to thrive so that we can produce the best cricketers.”Misbah called his appointment as head of the committee a “great honour” and a “challenging assignment. I have no doubt whatsoever that we will be able to make a positive difference by providing recommendations that improve and enhance the state of the game from the grassroots till the very top.”The committee convenes ahead of Pakistan’s run-in to the World Cup in India in October. Pakistan play a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka in August, before the ODI Asia Cup begins on August 30, with Nepal and Pakistan playing the opener in Multan.

Namibia needed a comfortable 18 runs to win off 18 balls but couldn’t do it. Here’s how the action unfolded in the last three overs of the chase

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-20242:29

O’Brien: Wrong call to give Bilal the Super Over instead of Mehran

17.1 Mehran Khan to Smit, 4 byes, Good length ball outside off. Tries to cut, but extra bounce forces no connection, and it flies past the keeper for four more!17.2 Mehran Khan to Smit, no run, Fullish ball just outside off. Cut is stopped by point17.3 Mehran Khan to Smit, OUT, Twist? Perhaps not given Frylinck is still out there. But some Oman flags flutter as Smit holes out at long on. Variable bounce again as Smith tries to club Mehran for a big-shot, however it comes off the top-half of the bat.17.4 Mehran Khan to Wiese, no run, Full ball around off stump. Caresses a drive to cover17.5 Mehran Khan to Wiese, no run, Full ball wide outside off, but inside the tram-lines. The ball barely bounces and dribbles through to the keeper17.6 Mehran Khan to Wiese, no run, Good length ball on a fourth-stump line. The cut is hit well, but straight to the man lurking at point. Namibia need 14 off 1218.1 Bilal Khan to Frylinck, no run, Full ball on his pads and clipped to the leg side, but not for any run18.2 Bilal Khan to Frylinck, 1 run, Flat-batted down the ground for a single18.3 Bilal Khan to Wiese, SIX runs, Just clears wide long on! Length ball around leg stump and Wiese backs himself to clear the boundary with a big shot. Even though the timing isn’t perfect, he targets the shortest boundary of this ground, and Aayan’s attempt is futile.18.4 Bilal Khan to Wiese, no run, Yorker, fourth-stump line. Bit of tail away. Dug away to point18.5 Bilal Khan to Wiese, 1 run, Yorker on middle stump and all Wiese can do is keep the ball away from the stumps. Dug away to the leg side18.6 Bilal Khan to Frylinck, 1 run, Yorker length ball on off to end the over, but Frylinck manages to bunt it away to the off side for a single towards square leg19.1 Mehran Khan to Frylinck, OUT, Oh my days! More drama! Around the stumps. Full ball on middle and leg. Frylinck tries to clip it leg side but the hits his pad, and then it ricochets onto the stumps!19.2 Mehran Khan to Green, no run, And it is a dot ball! Green makes room at first but then returns to his normal stance as Mehran bowls a full ball outside off. Green attempts to ramp it over short-third but missesFive needed off four balls!19.3 Mehran Khan to Green, OUT, O man, Oman are in this! Green tries to play a cheeky leg-side scoop over short fine leg but he misses. Mehran’s full ball on off stump hits him on the pad and the umpire gives him out LBW. Namibia review. Crashing into the stumps!19.4 Mehran Khan to Kruger, 1 run, Kruger gets Wiese on strike with a single. Full ball outside off and pushed to cover’s left19.5 Mehran Khan to Wiese, 2 runs, Full ball on off and he creams the straightest of straight drives. Ball smashes into the stumps at the bowler’s end and it ricochets away towards cover for a couple of runs. The stumps have probably saved a boundary there!19.6 Mehran Khan to Wiese, 1 bye, WE ARE GOING TO A SUPER OVER! Good length ball outside off. Ball takes extra bounce and Wiese can’t cut. Keeper can’t grab cleanly either, and the ball falls to his left. Wiese and Kruger run across and the keeper tries a reverse throw while diving. He misses, and Kruger completes the run. We finish on a tie.

He will work in cricket as an independent contractor going forward

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2025Former New Zealand Women head coach Bob Carter will be stepping away from his role as the high-performance coach, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced on Friday. That will bring down curtains on a 21-year career in which he oversaw progress of New Zealand’s men’s and women’s teams.”I feel like I’ve lived the dream,” Carter said in an NZC release. “I’ve very much enjoyed offering support and contributing and, if that’s helped players or teams go on and achieve success, then that’s terrific – I’m delighted.”But I think what’s worked best at NZC has been the combinations, the teamwork, and the cooperation.”Born in Norfolk in east England, Carter played 60 first-class and 55 List-A matches for Northamptonshire and Canterbury before getting into coaching. He joined New Zealand men’s set-up in 2004 as an assistant coach to John Bracewell. After a five-year tenure, he was again appointed assistant coach to Mike Hesson from 2012 to 2014 before taking over from Haidee Tiffen as New Zealand Women’s head coach in 2019. He coached them in the 2020 T20 World Cup and the 2022 ODI World Cup that New Zealand hosted, before stepping down.”We’ve been able to create sides that have been greater than their sum of parts, and that’s a key ingredient in team sport,” Carter, who will work in cricket as an independent contractor, said. “Sure, the individual performance is important, but it’s the collective that has the greater potential. That’s where the magic is.”Bob Carter: ‘The reason the Black Caps have continued to produce great batters and bowlers is because we have a strong, underlying domestic system’•Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images

Carter, 65, said he was pleased to leave the role in Lincoln at a time New Zealand are doing well in international cricket. The women’s team won the T20 World Cup for the first time last year while the men whitewashed India in India in a Test series; no team had defeated India at home in a Test series since 2012, let alone returning a clean sweep.”It’s true that the game has evolved a great deal over the past twenty years,” he said. “But the flipside is that the basics and fundamentals of batting and bowling have never really changed.”Sure, the batters are playing shots we wouldn’t have dreamed of in the nineties, and the bowlers are producing options and change-ups with an incredible degree of difficulty. But within all that, the framework that allows the players to execute so successfully, is still the same as it was 50 years ago.”Our domestic cricket is very strong. I’m not sure that’s widely recognised. The reason the Black Caps have continued to produce great batters and bowlers is because we have a strong, underlying domestic system. The White Ferns have been in transition over the past couple of years, but the domestic competitions have brought new players through and invigorated the established ones.”The World Cup win last year was a great example of what that team is capable of.”Playing tribute to Carter, NZC chief high performance officer Daryl Gibson said, “Bob has been the voice of experience at Lincoln and has been involved in much of the success we’ve seen in the men’s and women’s games over the past decade or more. He’s part of a wider high-performance team that underpinned and supported one of New Zealand cricket’s golden periods – the legacy he leaves in terms of his contribution to NZC is enormous.”

Even if Sri Lanka win the next Test, they will finish below India – irrespective of the result in Ahmedabad – on the WTC points table

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2023India have qualified for the final of the World Test Championship (WTC), setting up a date with Australia for the biggest global honour in the format. Their presence in the final was confirmed after New Zealand pulled off one of the most dramatic wins ever, off the last ball of their first Test against Sri Lanka in Christchurch, by two wickets.The WTC final race had gone into Monday, with the results of both Test matches – in Ahmedabad and in Christchurch – equally relevant. If Sri Lanka had beaten New Zealand, they would have stayed in the race – if India didn’t win in Ahmedabad – but with Kane Williamson hitting an unbeaten 121 and Daryl Mitchell scoring a quick 86-ball 81, New Zealand pulled off a win that didn’t look possible for the longest time, off the very last ball of the game. The result put Sri Lanka out of the running for the WTC final.Now, following their loss in Christchurch, even if Sri Lanka win the next Test, they will only go up to 52.78 points. That will be lower than India’s 56.94 even if India go on to lose the Ahmedabad Test. If they draw – as looks most likely – India will finish on 58.80. Australia have already qualified: even if they lose in Ahmedabad, they will end with a percentage of 64.91.Australia and India are the only teams which have won at least twice as many Tests as they have lost in the current WTC cycle (in Tests which counted towards the WTC). Australia have been stellar with a 11-3 win-loss record so far, with series wins against England, West Indies and South Africa (home), and Pakistan (away). They also drew in Sri Lanka (1-1), with the only series defeat coming in India (assuming a draw or a defeat in Ahmedabad).India have a 10-5 record in this cycle, with series wins against New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Australia (assuming they win or draw in Ahmedabad) at home, and Bangladesh away. They drew 2-2 in England, and lost 2-1 in South Africa.The WTC title contest will take place at The Oval in London from June 7.