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The series will be tagged onto the tour of South Africa although ZC had also held out hope for a Test match

Tristan Lavalette28-Nov-2025The long Test drought between Australia and Zimbabwe is set to continue, but the countries will contest a three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe next year ahead of the 2027 World Cup in southern Africa.Before their Test and ODI tour of South Africa, earmarked for September-October 2026, Australia will have a brief stopover in Zimbabwe for a trio of ODIs, a development first reported by and likely to be officially announced in the coming weeks.The series is to be played in Harare, and possibly Bulawayo, with the flagship 10,000-seat stadium at Victoria Falls unlikely to be ready by then.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Zimbabwe Cricket had been pushing for a one-off Test match to be included in what would have been a showpiece of the tour. But it will not eventuate with Australia to undergo a heavy Test schedule, playing at least 19 Tests from mid-2026 to the Ashes tour of 2027. An ODI series also looms as important preparation for Australia with Zimbabwe to co-host the next 50-over World Cup along with South Africa and Namibia.Zimbabwe and Australia have only played three Tests against each other with the last two being in October 2003 in a short series best remembered for Matthew Hayden briefly setting a world record score of 380 in the first Test at the WACA.The only Test in Zimbabwe was played in 1999 when a Steve Waugh-led Australia won by 10 wickets in what proved to be wicketkeeper Ian Healy’s last Test match.The ODI series will end an eight-year absence for Australia in Zimbabwe. Australia were part of a T20 tri-series, also involving Pakistan, in 2018 while they last played the 50-over format there in 2014.While Test cricket between the nations remains on pause, Zimbabwe power brokers are confident that England will visit for a one-off Test match as an extension of their tour to South Africa in late 2026-early ’27. It is hoped the match will be played at Victoria Falls, named the Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium.England and Zimbabwe in May ended a 22-year Test drought with a four-day match at Trent Bridge. The countries have played just seven Test matches against each other, with only two in Zimbabwe – a 0-0 drawn series in December 1996.ZC have been actively trying to encourage countries to stopover en route to neighbouring South Africa and long circled late 2026 as opportunities to negotiate rare fixtures with Australia and England.”We are a Test nation, so playing the top countries like Australia and England at home will go a long way to making this format popular in Zimbabwe,” ZC chair Tavengwa Mukuhlani told ESPNcricinfo.”Playing against the best teams will help our players develop their skills in Test cricket. Understandably Australia wants to prepare for the World Cup, but hopefully we can play them in Test cricket in the future.”As ESPNcricinfo reported earlier this month, the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle is likely to feature all 12 Full Members in one division.It means teams will have more incentive to play Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland, who aren’t part of the current nine-team WTC. If the 12-team, one division WTC eventuates as expected – a final decision is likely at the ICC meetings in March – it has been widely assumed that those teams will mostly host one-off matches. No extra funding is expected to be available for hosting Tests.But Zimbabwe plans to host longer series in the next WTC, doubling down on their commitment to Test cricket. “Some countries might just play a minimum number of Tests, but we are hoping to play more,” Mukuhlani said. “We will aim to stage two or more Test match series against the likes of Australia and England.”

New Zealand overseas signing Tom Bruce notches first Championship fifty

ECB Reporters Network10-May-2024Dillon Pennington was Nottinghamshire’s outstanding performer as Lancashire were denied the prosperity they had been hoping for when they opted to bat on day one of their Vitality County Championship match at Trent Bridge.Skipper Keaton Jennings made 91 and overseas batter Tom Bruce 73 but Lancashire let a good position slip, tumbling from 190 for 2 to close on 306 for 8.Pennington inflicted heavy damage by taking 3 for 15 in an excellent five-over spell with the second new ball before seamer Dane Paterson dealt Lancashire a further blow by removing Bruce in the day’s penultimate over.With Australian spinner Nathan Lyon rested for this round, Lancashire have named England pace bowler Saqib Mahmood in their line-up for the first time in 12 months following a stress fracture.It had looked like evolving as Lancashire’s day until the last half-hour of the middle session, when Jennings and George Balderson, who had shared a third-wicket stand worth 107, were both out in quick succession.The morning session had been theirs until Josh Bohannon’s dismissal by Lyndon James from what would have been the penultimate ball before lunch. Bohannon had picked up four boundaries against the Nottinghamshire allrounder, albeit one off an edge, but was struck on the front pad as he looked for a fifth through the on side and was clearly out.Despite pace bowlers Pennington and the fit-again Olly Stone subjecting Lancashire’s openers to a testing opening passage on a used pitch with a decent covering of grass, Nottinghamshire’s only breakthrough prior to that had come in the 10th over, when Paterson found the edge to have Luke Wells caught at second slip.Encouraged by James’ breakthrough, which had ended what had been a threatening partnership between the aggressive Bohannon and a more measured Jennings, Nottinghamshire emerged from lunch with renewed energy. Yet it was Lancashire’s third-wicket pair who dominated for the next couple of hours.Jennings, having built a painstaking 128-ball half-century, which he completed with his 10th boundary, upped the tempo. A paddle sweep for four and a nicely driven straight six off Calvin Harrison’s legspin signalled growing assuredness and he looked well set for a second hundred of the season.But Nottinghamshire’s bowlers never let their effort levels dip and fought back in the half-hour before tea.Jennings will take the blame for his own demise, going for a reverse sweep against Harrison but able only to top-edge it to slip where Tom Moores – back in the Nottinghamshire side for the first time this season but unable to prise the wicketkeeper’s gloves from Joe Clarke – took an easy catch.But the departure of Balderson was purely down to the skill of the bowler, Stone’s impressive contribution deservedly rewarded when the batter was beaten for pace as he tried to flick across the line, squarely in front as the ball collided with the front pad. The two wickets transformed 190 for 2 into 196 for 4.Lancashire’s double setback meant two new batters at the crease, but with Bruce taking the lead, reaching a half-century off 69 balls, it took the second new ball for Nottinghamshire to restore a measure of parity on the day, Pennington striking twice in the space of nine deliveries as George Bell edged to first slip and Matthew Hurst to third.The ex-Worcestershire quick picked up his third scalp when England spinner Tom Hartley found the safe hands of Harrison at second slip, after which Bruce reined himself in noticeably. Lancashire picked up a second batting point but the loss of Bruce, leg before to Paterson, was another big blow.Before play began, players and spectators observed a minute’s silence in respect for Josh Baker, the Worcestershire spin bowler who died last week at the age of just 20. Baker represented his county against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge only last month.It was a particularly poignant moment for Pennington and Jack Haynes, who now wear Nottinghamshire colours but shared the New Road dressing room with Baker before switching counties at the end of last season.

Former India opener will explore “new opportunities in the world of cricket and the business side of it”

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2023M Vijay has called time on his international career to explore “new opportunities in the world of cricket and the business side of it”.Vijay played 61 Tests, 17 ODIs and nine T20Is in an international career that began in 2008 when he replaced Gautam Gambhir in India’s XI for the final Test of the 2008-09 Border Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur. He last turned out for India in the Perth Test in December 2018, and last played first-class and List A cricket, for Tamil Nadu, in late 2019. His last appearance in professional cricket was in the IPL, in September 2020.A classical Test opener, who, when at his peak, had a solid technique and immense patience against the new ball – his ability to leave the ball earned him great praise during India’s tour of England in 2014 – Vijay finished with 3982 Test runs in 105 innings at an average of 38.28. He made 12 centuries and 15 half-centuries, with a best of 167 against Australia in Hyderabad in 2013.Related

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“I am excited to announce that I will be exploring new opportunities in the world of cricket and the business side of it, where I will also continue to participate in the sport that I love and challenge myself in new and different environments,” 38-year-old Vijay said in a statement. “I believe this is the next step in my journey as a cricketer and I look forward to the new chapter in my life.”

Will Vijay explore opportunities in overseas T20 leagues?

In June last year, speaking at an event to launch the 2022 edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League, Vijay had said he wanted to “play as long as possible”. While he hasn’t said if he would be pursuing opportunities in T20 leagues around the world, Vijay’s retirement note didn’t make a mention of retirement from anything apart from international cricket.Not long ago, in fact, he had hinted at playing outside India. “I am almost done with BCCI and am looking for opportunities abroad,” Vijay had told former India batter WV Raman on Wednesdays With WV, a weekly show on . “After 30 in India, it’s a taboo. I think people see us as 80-year-olds walking on street.”The media should also address it differently. I feel you are peaking in your 30s. Sitting here right now, I feel I can bat the best way I can. But, unfortunately, the opportunities were less, and I had to search for chances outside. I honestly feel as a person, you can only do what’s in your hand. You can’t control the uncontrollable. Whatever happened, happened.”M Vijay had his best years in the IPL with Chennai Super Kings, winning the title in 2010 and 2011 with them•BCCI

Vijay was a key member of India’s Test squad for a five-year period between 2013 and 2018. From December 2013 to January 2015, when India played all their Test cricket away from home – in South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia – Vijay faced the most balls and scored the second-most runs for the team. He was also one of only three players to average more than 40.Though a Test opener in the classical mould, Vijay also featured in 106 IPL games and led two franchises: Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) and Punjab Kings. However, much of his success came for Chennai Super Kings, with whom he won two IPL titles, in 2010 and 2011. The triumph in 2011 was particularly special as Vijay earned the Player-of-the-Match award for his 52-ball 95 in the final against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Overall, he scored 2619 runs in the IPL, with two centuries and 13 half-centuries, scoring his runs at a strike rate of 121.87.Vijay also had short stints with Essex and Somerset in the English county championship.”My journey from 2002-2018 has been the most wonderful years of my life,” he wrote in his retirement note. “It was an honour representing India at the highest level of sport. I am grateful to the opportunities provided by the BCCI, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, Chennai Super Kings and Chemplast Sanmar [the corporate that runs Jolly Rovers, Vijay’s club team in the TNCA league].”

James Pattinson had a good all-round day to give Victoria hope of pushing for victory

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2021Travis Dean became the third Victoria batter to twice carry their bat through a Sheffield Shield innings to earn his team a narrow first-innings lead at the SCG.James Pattinson then struck twice either side of a rain delay in the final session to leave the visitors with hope of pushing for victory on the final day if the weather allows.Playing his first game of the season, Dean faced 300 balls as he contributed more than half Victoria’s total. He had previously carried his bat against the same opposition at the MCG in the 2016-17 season.Matthew Elliott and Bill Lawry are the only others to have done so twice or more for Victoria in the 129-year history of the Shield.Dean was dropped at slip by Kurtis Patterson on 43 but that was his only error of the innings. He added 143 for the fourth wicket with Jonathan Merlo to turn the innings around from 3 for 2 on the first evening.The pair were close to seeing out the opening session before Merlo was trapped lbw by Moises Henriques and then Sam Harper was caught behind for a duck off Tanveer Sangha.At 5 for 145, New South Wales would have had hope of a lead themselves but Dean then added 111 in 27 overs with Pattinson who struck the ball cleanly. Sangha eventually broke through and the final five wickets fell for 15 with Hayden Kerr striking twice on his debut.Pattinson removed the in-form Daniel Hughes in the first over of New South Wales’ second innings when the opener drove loosely to slip. On resumption, Matthew Gilkes also edged into the cordon where Peter Handscomb took a sharp catch.

Pair put on unbroken stand of 126 for fourth wicket to guide hosts out of trouble on opening day

The Report by Valkerie Baynes16-Jul-2020It was slow, steady and sensible after England’s difficult start – on and off the field.Dom Sibley’s 86 not out, amid an unbroken 126-run stand for the fourth wicket with Ben Stokes, rescued his side from 81 for 3 and put them in a far more comfortable position at the close than appeared likely earlier in the first day of a must-win match for the hosts.ALSO READ: Archer dropped after breach of biosecurity protocolsIt was a day when the drama of Jofra Archer’s match-morning omission dominated the narrative, after the revelation that he had breached biosecurity protocols by stopping at his house in Brighton en route from Southampton to Manchester.But Sibley did the needful for England in the face of a West Indies bowling performance which stuttered, then contained the hosts before running into serious resistance as Sibley and Stokes saw their side to stumps still only three wickets down.It could have been so much worse for England when they lost Rory Burns, Zak Crawley and Joe Root cheaply.Jason Holder won the toss and elected to bowl first in hopes of making the most of gloomy overhead conditions when play finally began 90 minutes late due to the mop-up operation required to deal with a wet lead-up to the match.Both sides took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, as they had done in Southampton, before play began.Holder played around with his attack in the hour of play to lunch, replacing Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach after just three overs each with himself and Alzarri Joseph. That was after Gabriel had looked uncomfortable in his run-up and out of rhythm. Roach, meanwhile, toiled hard for no reward once more.Gabriel – player of the match at the Ageas Bowl where his nine wickets, including a five-for in England’s second innings, helped West Indies to victory and a 1-0 series lead – returned with more control after the lunch break for another four-over spell. But he limped from the field with an apparent hamstring problem, returning in the evening session but without making any inroads in three more overs.Roach, who is only seven away from claiming 200 Test scalps, remains wicketless for the series despite bowling with accuracy for the most part.It was not until Holder brought offspinner Roston Chase on in the last over before lunch that West Indies made a breakthrough with Chase trapping Burns lbw with a ball that beat the inside edge and rapped him on the pads bang in line with middle stump.That signalled lunch but Chase struck with the next ball after lunch with one that spun a little as Crawley flicked low to Holder at leg slip. Crawley, whose second-innings 76 in Southampton cemented his place at the expense of Kent team-mate Joe Denly who made way for Root’s return from parental leave, was out for a first-ball duck.Root survived the hat-trick ball as he and Sibley built a 52-run partnership. But when Gabriel left the field Holder turned back to Joseph, who had accounted for three of Root’s previous four dismissals against West Indies going into the match. Joseph made it four in the last five with a full, outswinging delivery which Root swiped to Holder at slip.That left Sibley and Stokes in the middle and the pair set to work, Sibley keeping it low-key while Stokes produced the odd flash of strokeplay when it was warranted, including the first six of the series when he smacked Chase back down the ground.Sibley’s circumspection was familiar. After a duck in the first innings at the Ageas Bowl, he faced 164 deliveries in the second innings there before he was out moments after bringing up his fifty. This time, he stuck around upon reaching the milestone, grinding out his score off 253 deliveries so far.He was dropped on 68 when, in Gabriel’s first over since returning to the field, he sent a thick outside edge straight to Holder at second slip, only for the ball to slide through Holder’s hands, hit him in the stomach and fall to the ground.Roach was imploring when he reviewed a not-out decision for lbw which would have dismissed Sibley for 82 but, with the ball striking high on the front pad, the batsman survived on the umpire’s original call.Either Stokes, Sibley or both have been involved in each of the five highest partnerships of the series so far, all of them yielding in excess of 50 runs. Their union on Thursday took their team past England’s first-innings total at the Ageas Bowl of 204, which proved too low and was a factor in the hosts’ defeat there.If they are able to push on into the second day in Manchester, it will put less pressure on the England bowling attack, which has had an overhaul in the absence of Archer and the resting Mark Wood and James Anderson.Stuart Broad returned after being left out of the first Test and was joined by Chris Woakes and Sam Curran, with Stokes taking up the fourth seamer’s position. Their fresh legs could be key as England seek to thwart West Indies’ quest for a first Test series win in England for 32 years. But, after their batting performance in Southampton fell short, England will be happy to delay the appearance of their bowlers, regardless of who they are, a little longer.

Raina’s half-century turned around CSK’s floundering innings before Dhoni delivered the blockbuster finish

The Report by Danyal Rasool01-May-20193:19

Vettori: Dhoni’s captaincy made CSK spinners more dangerous

There was a five-over game at the IPL on Tuesday, and while this was played over the full 20, it was the final five of the Chennai Super Kings’ innings that effectively sealed Delhi Capitals’ fate.Having made a sluggish start, Super Kings innings came to life in the death overs, more than half of their 179 coming in the last six. It might have looked slightly above par at the change of innings, but on a pitch that obviously favoured the spinners, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja put on masterclasses, taking seven wickets for 21 runs between them that sealed a comprehensive 80 run win for the hosts.A half-century from Suresh Raina had kept things ticking along in a first hour firmly played on the Capital’s terms, but a cameo from Jadeja and yet another MS Dhoni blitz at the end was enough to undo most of the Capital’s good work in the early overs. The final over from Trent Boult, who had conceded just two in his first two overs, was tonked for 21, creating a wave of momentum Super Kings surfed on for the remainder of the game.The chase suggested a tight game as far as the opening Powerplay went, but a sensational collapse saw Shreyas Iyer’s side slip from 81 for 4 to 99 all out. A game that had begun so auspiciously for the Capitals finished up as a proper drubbing that leaves their quest for a top-two finish on shaky grounds.BCCI

The ageless MS Dhoni
Dhoni has spent much of 2019 making fools of those who wrote him off. He has always appeared to produce his best clad in the yellow of the Super Kings, and Wednesday’s performance was just another in the ever-burgeoning catalogue of memorable Dhoni performances for his beloved franchise.Super Kings were barely batting above a run a ball with 6.2 overs to go when he walked out to bat. He couldn’t quite get going straightaway, so found himself content rotating the strike, allowing a more fluid Jadeja to do the heavy lifting. But with seven balls left in the innings, Dhoni showed he showed his unmatched ability to make up for lost time, and then some.A six off a beamer from Chris Morris off the final ball of the 19th got him going, but it was the Capitals’ best bowler who would come in for the roughest treatment. Boult had kept Super Kings on a leash in his opening spell, with the hosts managing just seven runs off the first four.A boundary off the third delivery followed by a scampered single didn’t seem too bad, but Boult would send down a wide that enabled Dhoni to scurry back to the strikers’ end. The final two balls went halfway up the second tier to power Dhoni to 44 off 22, with 21 coming off the last over alone.This was Dhoni at his cavalier best; he has struck 46 sixes in the final over of an IPL innings, more than twice as much as anyone else. And he wasn’t nearly done, because Dhoni continues to take his wicketkeeping duties exceptionally seriously. Lightning-quick glovework behind the stumps saw both Chris Morris and Iyer, who top scored with a sparkling 44, stumped, the elegant flicking off the bail indistinguishable from the final hammered nail into the Capitals’ coffin.BCCI

The spin threat
Graeme Swann said at the pitch report the surface was such a delicious turner that he regretted having hung up his boots, but someone just three days younger than him continued to plug away. Imran Tahir, 40, presumably shared Swann’s excitement at how the surface looked, and showed everyone why when he came on.He was summoned first for the 11th over, and two balls later, made his initial mark. A google from Tahir flummoxed Axar Patel, who found himself lured into a drive, only to nick to Shane Watson at first slip. Four balls later, rising star Sherfane Rutherford was undone by another googly, a comfortable catch going straight to backward point.Tahir would take two more wickets to finish up with four for 12, but Jadeja at the other end was having an equally devastating effect. He had struck with his fourth delivery to send Colin Ingram packing with a sharp turner, and two more – thanks in part to Dhoni’s reflexes in his third over all but sealed Capitals’ fate. All told, eight of the Capitals’ wickets had fallen to spin, and their own inability to take advantage of the wicket in the first innings saw them pay a heavy price.CSK’s start
It all looked very different in an odd start to the match. Super Kings may have been put in to bat, but Dhoni had indicated he wanted that anyway, and for a side that opens with Watson and Faf du Plessis, they began exceptionally sluggishly.Watson was back to looking like the player who had struggled in the first ten games, while a beautiful opening spell from Boult, complemented superbly by J Suchith meant only seven were scored in the first four. Had the Capitals’ not lost complete control over the last six, in which Super Kings plundered 91, the chase would not have been as steep as it ended up being.The mental toll the target took, and indeed the manner it had been set, was enough to scramble the visitors’ minds, with the clear-thinking, unflappable Dhoni ensuring his side struck a telling blow ahead of the upcoming playoffs, where they could well play the first qualifier at home.

The selections of Tim Paine, and Shaun and Mitchell Marsh were all “gut feel” calls, Darren Lehmann said, while lauding the players for seizing their opportunities

Daniel Brettig19-Dec-2017Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has revealed the national selectors relied on “gut feel” calls to assemble the team that regained the Ashes in Perth, namely the choices of Tim Paine, Shaun and Mitchell Marsh.All three decisions attracted plenty of scrutiny: Paine had not been Tasmania’s first choice wicketkeeper in recent first-class matches, Shaun Marsh averaged only 39 in the three Sheffield Shield games before the Gabba Test and Mitchell Marsh appeared to be rushed back after shoulder surgery had left him playing primarily as a batsman.

‘One innings doesn’t make a career’

Mitchell Marsh cannot afford to rest on the laurels he gained from a breakthrough century in the Perth Ashes Test and has already been counselled to improve his bowling by the coach Darren Lehmann.
For all the emotion attached to Marsh’s display, Lehmann offered stick as much as carrot to the young allrounder while acknowledging the progress he had made. The retention of Pete Handscomb in the squad is a reminder that Australia’s selectors still see Marsh as a conditional option.
“The challenge for him is to back that up again to be perfectly honest,” Lehmann said. “One innings doesn’t make a cricket career. For him he’s got to back that up next game and do the right thing and continue to make runs. I thought his bowling was a little bit disappointing, which he spoke about with me the other day. He’s got to get his bowling right, his fielding right and his batting and if it all comes together that’s fantastic.
“It’s quite emotional when you see Swamp and Shaun, Swampy’s had an unbelievable two weeks for the Marsh family with Adelaide and now here. But Mitchell went back to refine his game a little bit, worked with some different people, and just looked like he enjoyed himself out there and that’s the key to those sorts of guys, those allrounders, you have allrounders in any team if you can. That was obviously really hard on Pete [Handscomb] missing out in this game, but the way Mitchell played was exceptional and really drove us to that total.”

However, in each case, the selectors were rewarded, as Paine has showcased his skills behind the stumps while also adding important runs, Shaun Marsh played handily in Brisbane and pivotally in Adelaide, before Mitchell Marsh bludgeoned England in the company of the captain Steven Smith in the last Ashes Test at the WACA Ground.”We were just going with gut feel to be perfectly honest and really pleased for the players that they turned up and played really well,” Lehmann said. “I was impressed with each one of those selections and the way they turned up in the series so far.”There is [satisfaction for getting calls right] I suppose but full credit to Trevor [Hohns] and Mark [Waugh] and Greg [Chappell] for that. Yes I’m on the selection panel but it’s a tough, thankless job, it’s just pleasing those guys get the credit where it’s due to be perfectly honest.”Those guys we picked were fantastic. You don’t know how it’s going to go when you first start and you cop a lot from people and media. That’s the way it is, so really pleased for the selection panel.”There was enormous relief in the Australian set-up after securing the Ashes at home, and Lehmann spoke frankly of the pressure the team and Cricket Australia had felt to deliver a winning result after defeat in England in 2015.”Ashes cricket is high pressure, everybody is nervous every ball, every session,” Lehmann said. “It’s been that way for 15 days so far, so they can go and express themselves a little bit more. We’ll be playing the same brand of cricket but obviously with less pressure on us. it’ll be interesting to see how we respond to that. Boxing Day and SCG are fantastic Test matches to be a part of.”It was extremely satisfying for the lads, they’ve worked so hard over the last few months to get the prep right, the way we played. The planning came together, so all credit to the players, the support staff were fantastic. The work behind the scenes was great. I’ve loved the way we have gone about it in all three Tests.”It was a lot closer than what the scores relate to. Certainly in Brisbane they had the upper hand at certain stages, but the captain was brilliant there. Obviously the bowlers were great in the second innings to get the job done. Adelaide was close and this one – albeit by an innings – it was still close, it came down to magnificent bowling from our quicks on the last day. It was a great day, the way the boys played.”Speaking about Smith, who has utterly dominated the series with the bat and led expertly for the most part, Lehmann said the 28-year-old could now be ranked with Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting and may well pass them by the end of his career.Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

“He’s running pretty hot isn’t he? I’ve been lucky enough to see all of his Test hundreds,” Lehmann said. “So for me, seeing him evolve from that first Test hundred at the Oval to now – he just changes his own plans to what the bowlers are doing and what the wicket’s doing, and what the game needs. He’s gone to another level, which is pleasing.”By the end it might be a bit different, but Pup and Ricky Ponting at times were exceptional captains and exceptional batters, when they were leading the team. Statistically you only see that at the end I suppose, but the way he’s gone about it, averaging 72 or 73 as a Test captain, that’s pretty special. For him to keep delivering what he needs to do is exceptional under the pressure he’s under in Ashes series.”Having won a second consecutive home Ashes series win, Lehmann was quick to point out that the Australians needed to replicate their mastery of the “big moments” away from home. A tour of South Africa looms and there will also be a trip to India before the 2019 World Cup and Ashes double in England. A youngish team led by Smith and with a high-class bowling attack now has the chance to grow together.”That’s the game itself, winning the big moments and transferring the pressure back to the other side,” Lehmann said. “I think we’ve done that really well in the first three Tests matches. It’s something we have to do when we travel away.”You’re always learning lessons whether home or away, as a coach, as a player, support staff, you’re always learning. They’ve got some good young players, we’ve managed to put them under pressure at the right times, and hopefully that continues for the next two Test matches. But some of those players will be involved in the next Ashes series, so we’ve got to make sure we keep evolving our plans and being better.”I’m pretty sure they can hang together, this group, they’re young enough to play for a few years together and that was the key 12 months ago even though we’ve changed some of those younger players. This group can hang together for the next 12-18 months and we’ve got to always evolve and get better at how we play and who we select and see where we go.”

The international players’ association has said the advice it has received concerning security in Pakistan is that travel to the country is still a risk for international players

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Oct-2016The security risk for foreign players travelling to Pakistan remains “unmanageable” according to independent consultants, the international players’ association FICA has said, after the PCB announced that the 2017 Pakistan Super League final would be held in Lahore.The league stage and the semi-finals of the PSL, the PCB’s T20 tournament along the lines of the IPL and the Big Bash League, is scheduled to be held in the UAE in February and March, with only the finals being played in Pakistan.”The consistent advice we have received from independent security consultants over the last few years is that playing cricket in Pakistan for foreign teams and players constitutes an unacceptably high security risk,” Tony Irish, the FICA chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “Although we are sure that PSL and PCB would do their very best to implement security plans, the advice of our consultants is also that this risk is unmanageable in the current environment.”FICA has a duty to relay that advice to players and, given that players are participating as individuals in PSL and they are not participating as part of a touring foreign team, it will be up to each individual player to decide whether or not to take that advice.”Irish said that FICA would seek an update on the security advice nearer to the tournament. “We understand how much people want to see foreign teams and players playing in Pakistan and therefore sympathise with cricket lovers and fans in the country. We hope that normal cricket will return to Pakistan as soon as it is safe to play there.”Zimbabwe is the only Full Member nation to have toured Pakistan since March 2009, when gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus as the players were travelling to the Gaddafi Stadium during a Test match. However, there was a suicide attack near the Gaddafi Stadium during that tour as well in 2015, but Zimbabwe stayed on to complete the three-match series. Over the last seven years, Pakistan have hosted their home series at neutral venues, predominantly the UAE.Chris Gayle joined Karachi Kings and will be captained by Kumar Sangakkara•AFP

The PSL chairman Najam Sethi had said there was a clause in the PSL player contracts that stated they would need to travel to Lahore if their team made the final. Summarising the nature of the clause, a PSL team official said players would be offered extremely high security and cash incentives if they were willing to go. However, there would also be no repercussions if they did not.Two player agents who manage cricketers from different countries told ESPNcricinfo the clause did not say that travel to Pakistan was mandatory. “There is a clause, but several international players have made their participation subject to security advice at the time and they cannot be compelled to go,” one agent said.Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who were part of the Sri Lankan team that was attacked in Lahore in 2009, are set to play in the PSL, as are England’s Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales, both of whom had pulled out of the ongoing tour of Bangladesh because of security concerns, although they are likely to be on England duty in West Indies when the finals are staged. The Karachi Kings team also announced Sangakkara as captain, and there are several other international players from Australia, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, South Africa, and New Zealand.During the inaugural season of the PSL in February this year, West Indies allrounder Andre Russell was the first international player to hint at a willingness to travel to Pakistan, though he admitted he would be “scared” too.

Batsman Chris Lynn will make his captaincy debut for Queensland in next month’s Matador Cup one-day competition in the absence of skipper Usman Khawaja

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2015Batsman Chris Lynn will make his captaincy debut for Queensland in next month’s Matador Cup one-day competition in the absence of skipper Usman Khawaja.The Bulls have also named three uncapped one-day players who could make their debuts in the tournament: fast bowler Billy Stanlake, English-born batsman Charlie Hemphrey and opening batsman Marnus Labuschagne.Khawaja was named in August as the new captain of Queensland after James Hopes stepped down from the role at the end of last summer, but Khawaja will be absent for the one-day competition due to his call-up for the Test tour of Bangladesh. Lynn should enter the tournament in some form after smashing 209 in a one-day club match this month.The 204-centimetre Stanlake is viewed as an exciting prospect in Queensland and could make his state debut, while batsmen Hemphrey and Labuschagne made their first-class debuts in 2014-15.Queensland have named a 14-man squad for the Matador Cup, which begins on October 5. The three-week tournament will take place in Sydney and will this year feature seven teams after the introduction of a Cricket Australia XI, to be made up of fringe players who miss out on making the squads of the six states.Queensland squad Cameron Boyce, Ben Cutting, Luke Feldman, Peter Forrest, Chris Hartley, Charlie Hemphrey, James Hopes, Marnus Labuschagne, Chris Lynn (capt), Simon Milenko, Michael Neser, Nathan Reardon, Billy Stanlake, Mark Steketee.

Regular captain Darren Sammy and batsman Chris Gayle have been rested by West Indies for the first two ODIs of their three-match home series against Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2013

West Indies squad for first two Zimbabwe ODIs

Dwayne Bravo (capt), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Narsingh Deonarine, Sunil Narine, Veerasammy Permaul, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Ramnaresh Sarwan
In: Veerasammy Permaul, Denesh Ramdin
Out: Darren Sammy, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Devon Thomas

Dwayne Bravo will lead West Indies in the first two Zimbabwe ODIs•Associated Press

Regular captain Darren Sammy and key batsman Chris Gayle have been rested by West Indies for the first two ODIs of their three-match home series against Zimbabwe. Allrounder Dwayne Bravo will lead the team in the matches, which are scheduled for February 22 and 24 in St George’s.Gayle, a WICB release said, had asked to skip the games, while it was decided that Sammy needed a break after playing in every match for West Indies over the past two years. The selectors are yet to name a vice-captain.Wicketkeeper Devon Thomas, who travelled with West Indies to Australia for their just-concluded limited-overs series missed out, making way for Denesh Ramdin to return. Ramdin’s last ODI for West Indies was against New Zealand in July 2012, though he played the World Twenty20 and the Test series against Bangladesh that followed.Fast bowler Jason Holder was also left out, with the selectors going in for the extra spinner in left-armer Veerasammy Permaul who had a fine first-class game for Guyana against Leeward Islands last week, taking a match haul of 9 for 115.Devon Thomas had a poor series in Australia with the bat, totaling 48 in five ODIs. Holder had played only two of those games, claiming the wicket of Aaron Finch in both matches.Veteran batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan, who made a comeback on the Australian tour after a contentious 18-month absence from the team, retained his spot despite getting two ducks in three ODIs in Australia.Marlon Samuels, meanwhile, is still sidelined, currently recovering from the facial injury that he suffered at the Big Bash League after being struck in the face while facing Lasith Malinga.Following the ODI series, West Indies also host Zimbabwe in two Twenty20s and two Tests.