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India captain wants to use Jadeja “a lot more with the bat”, citing example of his promotion in the T20I series

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Mar-20225:44

Rohit: Jadeja just ups his game every time we see him

R Ashwin is an “all-time great”. Ravindra Jadeja is one of the “top allrounders”. This is what captain Rohit Sharma had to say about India’s two most consistent match-winners at home, after they took 15 wickets between them in the innings-and-222-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Mohali.In the second innings, in which Ashwin took four wickets, he surpassed the tally of Kapil Dev, finishing with 436 Test wickets to Kapil’s 434. This makes Ashwin the second-highest wicket-taker for India, only behind Anil Kumble.”To me, he is already an all-time great,” Rohit said of Ashwin. “He has been playing cricket for the country for so many years, his performances have been so good over the years. He has given many match-winning performances.”Related

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Jadeja, meanwhile, was easily the most impressive cricketer in a one-sided match, hitting 175 not out in the first innings, before grabbing 5 for 41 and 4 for 46, as Sri Lanka batted twice in succession. It was Jadeja’s highest score in Test cricket by a distance. His batting average, which has been on a linear incline since 2017, has also never been higher than 36.46, where he currently sits after that knock.”To me, he is one of the top allrounders,” Rohit said while heaping praise on Jadeja. “Look at the performances: to score 175 not out and take nine wickets in the game, he’s just upping his game every time we see him. He’s very hungry, as you can see. That hunger is something that drives athletes to move forward. When I talk to him about certain things, he is very open-minded. He wants to take the responsibility, he wants to take the challenge.”The example was there in the T20 series against Sri Lanka. I just casually asked him if he would want to bat up the order, and he was open for it. This is why we asked him to go up in the first T20.”As a captain, I want to use Jadeja a lot more with the bat. We all know his bowling. Everyone knows about his fielding. He brings so much balance to the team as well.”India’s lower order also scored heavily in the Mohali Test. At one stage, they were 228 for 5, in seeming danger of being dismissed for less than 300. However, for the loss of only three further wickets, the hosts added a whopping 346, thanks largely to Jadeja. Ashwin also scored 61, and Mohammed Shami contributed an unbeaten 20.”It’s very, very crucial in Test matches – the lower order coming to the party,” Rohit said. “I clearly remember back in 2015 when Virat [Kohli] took over as captain, we wanted to create a strong lower-order contribution and a strong foundation for that.”This is why we kept emphasising how important it is for all the bowlers to go out and bat in the nets; try and improve one or the other skill. If possible, go put that contribution out.”

All the major movements ahead of the upcoming 2022-23 season

Deivarayan Muthu22-Jun-2022

Wellington

Wellington have lined up Adam Milne to fill in the Hamish Bennett-sized void after the 35-year-old quick retired from all formats of cricket following the last season. After being part of Central Districts for more than a decade, since his debut in March 2010, Milne will now work under head coaches BJ Watling and Bruce Edgar at Wellington. He joins Logan van Beek and Ben Sears in a potent seam-bowling group.Milne has not played red-ball cricket since October 2018, but he did not rule out the possibility of a return, for Wellington. He, however, added that, given his history of ankle and elbow injuries, workload management would be given priority. Milne is now fit again after having been sidelined from his IPL 2022 stint with Stephen Fleming’s Chennai Super Kings with a hamstring injury.Related

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“I think it happens in sport all around the world, but particularly with my history, it’s important to manage my expectations and the team’s expectations of how much cricket we are playing,” Milne said. “But I’ll try and play as much as I can. I think it’s again assessing how I’m feeling after games or from a week-to-week and if the body is saying that it needs a rest and that’s possible with the team… Obviously, [I’m] trying to keep myself in the best of shape to play as much cricket as I can.”In another move, Wellington have roped in batter Nick Kelly from Otago. The Victoria-born top-order batter also brings with himself CPL experience, having been part of St Kitts & Nevis Patriots.Batting allrounder Luke Georgeson, who recently withdrew his Ireland central contract to chase his New Zealand dream, has also won a deal with Wellington.Wellington’s first-round contracted players: Finn Allen, Jakob Bhula, Luke Georgeson, Troy Johnson, Nick Kelly, Iain McPeake, Adam Milne, Ollie Newton, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Michael Snedden, Nathan Smith, Logan Van Beek, Peter Younghusband

Auckland

Allrounder Simon Keene has earned his first domestic contract after having bagged 25 wickets in five first-class matches earlier this year, including career-best returns of 6 for 44 against Canterbury in March.Auckland’s first-round contracted players: Adithya Ashok, Cole Briggs, Mark Chapman, Louis Delport, Danru Ferns, Ryan Harrison, Ben Horne, Simon Keene, Ben Lister, Robert O’Donnell, Will O’Donnell, Sean Solia, Will Somerville, Ross ter Braak, George Worker

Central Districts

Milne’s departure has stripped CD of experience and firepower, but they have signed up a promising prospect in Brett Randell, who has moved from Northern Districts. Randell was the joint-highest wicket-taker in last season’s Plunket Shield, with 31 strikes in six games at 14.83. Randell’s entry boots a pace attack that has been further depleted by the injury-enforced absence of Ben Wheeler.CD’s first-round contracted players: Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Joey Field, Greg Hay, Jayden Lennox, Seth Rance, Brett Randell, Brad Schmulian, Ben Smith, Blair Tickner, Ray Toole, Bayley WigginsIsh Sodhi will play for Canterbury this season•AFP

Canterbury

Wicketkeeper Mitch Hay, allrounder Zak Foulkes and batter Matt Boyle have been awarded their first Canterbury contracts. After ten seasons with Northern Districts, Ish Sodhi, who resides in Christchurch with his family, will now represent Canterbury.Canterbury’s first-round contracted players: Cole McConchie, Chad Bowes, Matt Boyle, Leo Carter, Sean Davey, Cam Fletcher, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay, Ken McClure, Ed Nuttall, Will O’Rourke, Fraser Sheat, Henry Shipley, Theo van Woerkom, Will Williams

Northern Districts

Tim Pringle, the son of former New Zealand seamer Chris Pringle, has been handed his first Northern Districts contract. The left-arm spin-bowling allrounder was recently part of a New Zealand XI that faced a touring Netherlands side in a one-day fixture in March earlier this year. More recently, Tim made his international debut for Netherlands, where he was born, dismissing Liam Livingstone with a beauty.ND’s first-round contracted players: Joe Carter, Katene Clarke, Kristian Clarke, Henry Cooper, Matt Fisher, Zak Gibson, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Bharat Popli, Tim Pringle, Jeet Raval, Tim Seifert, Fred Walker, Joe Walker, Anurag Verma

Otago

In one of the major moves of the season, Glenn Phillips has shifted south to Otago from Auckland to reunite with his younger brother Dale. Glenn’s contract will not count towards Otago’s domestic contracts as he is already part of NZC’s central contracts list. This is another opportunity for Glenn to bowl more in domestic cricket and establish himself as an allrounder. He can also keep wicket although a back condition has limited that skill in the recent past.South Africa-born allrounder Dean Foxcroft, who had been locked out of the past two domestic seasons in New Zealand because of border restrictions and visa complications, is now set to return to Dunedin to resume his career. He had recently turned out for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL in February.Otago’s first-round contracted players: Matt Bacon, Max Chu, Jacob Cumming, Jacob Duffy, Dean Foxcroft, Jake Gibson, Andrew Hazeldine, Ben Lockrose, Jarrod McKay, Travis Muller, Dale Phillips, Michael Rae, Michael Rippon, Hamish Rutherford

Victoria had earned a handy first-innings lead but Liam Guthrie hit back for Queensland

AAP18-Nov-2023Queensland took two crucial late wickets to set up an absorbing final day in their Sheffield Shield match against Victoria.The home side were 156 for 6 in their second innings, an overall lead of 237. Victoria looked like they were taking firm control after tea on a see-saw third day, with captain Will Sutherland and Campbell Kellaway posting a crucial 90-run stand for the fifth wicket.But Mitchell Swepson bowled Kellaway for 30 and eight balls later Liam Guthrie had Sutherland caught behind for 66 in a massive double breakthrough.Related

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Sunday’s morning session will be telling, with Victoria needing a solid rearguard contribution from their lower order. It will then be a question of how well the Queensland top order weather the new ball in their run chase.Queensland’s James Bazley is out of action because of a hamstring problem and Guthrie has stood up superbly, taking 4 for 38 from 10 overs.”To keep them to lead of 230, it’s good for us,” Guthrie said. “To have them six down at stumps is a good effort.”Earlier, the visitors resumed on 106 for 5 and made a bright start. Jimmy Peirson and Jack Wildermuth put on 55 for the sixth wicket before Fergus O’Neill made the breakthrough, having Peirson caught behind for 28.Wildermuth fell nine runs later, caught behind off Mitchell Perry and top-scoring with 40. Gurinder Sandhu made an unbeaten 25 and Swepson contributed 16 at No. 11 as Queensland restricted Victoria’s first-innings advantage.Guthrie then snared three wickets to leave Victoria 48 for 4 and Queensland looking like they were taking control.Sutherland played an outstanding captain’s knock, hitting nine fours and two sixes off 77 deliveries. Kellaway’s 70-ball innings featured two fours and a six, but he was dismissed going for a big hit off Swepson.”I haven’t really got any runs this season, so it was a really good scenario that suits my game – I could be really positive and aggressive,” Sutherland said.”It’s definitely turned into a bit of a new-ball wicket.. we’re going to need to be really positive tomorrow morning.”

Current ACA boss and former NRL CEO to take over CA CEO role when Nick Hockley departs at the end of the summer

Alex Malcolm03-Dec-2024Todd Greenberg has been announced as the new Cricket Australia chief executive to take over from Nick Hockley when he steps down from the role at the end of the summer.Greenberg, the current Australian Cricketers’ Association CEO and former CEO of the National Rugby League, had long been the front-runner to replace Hockley.He has strong relationships with the players due to his current role but also played first-grade cricket in New South Wales. His background as NRL CEO and General Manager of Stadium Australia has given him extensive experience in management of broadcast partners, sponsors, stadia and live events.He was a key player in the most recent MOU signed between CA and the ACA and also toured Pakistan in 2022 alongside Hockley when Australia returned there to play international cricket in the country for the first time since 1998.CA chairman Mike Baird was thrilled with the appointment.”I’m delighted Todd Greenberg will join Cricket Australia as Chief Executive Officer,” Baird said.”Todd will bring enormous experience to the role from his time leading the National Rugby League and his current position as CEO of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, as well as his time in club and stadium management.”He is also a renowned driver of commercial growth and innovation, such as bringing the State of Origin to Melbourne and introducing the NRLW.”We are entering a period of great opportunity and the recruitment panel and CA Board was enormously impressed by Todd’s passion for cricket and his vision to build on the achievements of the past few years and continue the game’s growth.”I would like to thank Nick Hockley who will leave the game in a position of great strength at the end of the season with important foundations including our broadcast rights deal, MOU and seven-year content strategy in place.”Todd Greenberg (left) has traveled to Pakistan with Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley•Getty Images

Greenberg said he was excited to take on the new role as head of CA’s administration after beating out a field of candidates from within Australia and overseas.”I am grateful to be given the opportunity to take on this enormously important role in Australian sport and to further my involvement with a game I’ve loved since childhood.” Greenberg said.”This is an extremely exciting time for cricket with the rapid growth of the game across the globe creating fantastic opportunities, while also presenting some challenges to ensure Australian cricket retains its position at the very peak of the game.”Thanks to the work of the current administration the game has strong fundamentals in place. I want to ensure we build on this momentum so Australian cricket continues to thrive – from local parks to the nation’s biggest stadiums.”I’m grateful to all those at the Australian Cricketers’ Association where we formed positive and productive partnerships across the game, and I look forward to continuing and enriching these relationships for the betterment of cricket.”

Glamorgan claim second 50-over title in four seasons after 20-over contest on reserve day

ECB Reporters Network23-Sep-2024The last leg of Somerset’s treble bid went the way of the first two as Glamorgan won a truncated Metro Bank One-Day Cup Final on a gloomy reserve day at Trent Bridge that mercifully stayed dry long enough for them to lift the trophy for the second time in four years.In a match reduced in advance to 20-overs a side after Sunday’s total washout, overhauling Glamorgan’s 186 for 7 proved beyond them as the Welsh county, who beat Durham here to win the 50-over competition in 2021, came out on top by 15 runs, restricting Somerset to 171 for 6.Sam Northeast had anchored the Glamorgan innings with an unbeaten 63, while Billy Root added 39 off 27 balls, both hitting two sixes in a crucial fifth-wicket stand, Timm van der Gugten backing them up with 26 off just nine balls to bookend Will Smale’s 28 from 14 at the top of the innings.Skipper Sean Dickson hammered 44 from just 20 balls after Andy Umeed’s 45 from 36 for Somerset, but after offspinner Ben Kellaway and seamer Andy Gorvin had taken two wickets each, Glamorgan’s Jamie Mcilroy and Dan Douthwaite held their nerve with two fine overs at the death to finish the job.Beaten in the Vitality Blast final and knocked out of the race for the Vitality County Championship in the preceding nine days, the defeat left Somerset empty handed yet again.The only disappointment for the winning team was that their moment of triumph was witnessed in the flesh by only a smattering of spectators on the ground rather than the thousands who had turned up on Sunday.England spinner Jack Leach did not bowl a ball as Somerset opted to rely on five seamers, of whom George Thomas took 2 for 23 and left-armer Alfie Ogborn 2 for 36 from their four-over allocations.Sam Northeast cut loose for Glamorgan•Getty Images

After Sunday’s total washout forced the teams to return for the scheduled reserve day, play mercifully began on time, with the contest sensibly reduced to 20 overs per side even before the toss had been made, in anticipation of more heavy rain due to arrive in early afternoon.Somerset won the toss and opted to bowl as the Trent Bridge floodlights illuminated the misty gloom hanging over the ground.Ogborne took wickets with his third and fourth deliveries, bowling skipper Kiran Carlson before Tom Bevan shovelled tamely to short fine leg, but Glamorgan still put up 39 runs in the first four-over powerplay thanks to Smale’s aggression.Smale raced to 28 from his first 13 balls, living dangerously against Josh Davey with three boundaries over third but striking Ogborne cleanly over mid-on and for six over square leg. The threat he posed was removed when Dickson held a brilliant catch falling backwards at mid-off.After South African Colin Ingram, one of Glamorgan’s trump cards, picked out wide long-on off Thomas for just 11, Glamorgan were 71 for 4 from 10 and needed to find new energy.It came initially from Root, who cleared the rope three times, with Northeast eventually following suit with two of his own, one from a free hit, as Kasey Aldridge’s final over went for a damaging 29. They added 78 in 49 balls before Root was caught behind off Thomas.The next two wickets came quickly as Northeast’s failure to run as he was caught off a no-ball left the big-hitter Douthwaite stranded, before Kellaway sliced to short third, but van der Gugten’s swashbuckling cameo, encompassing four fours and a six off Davey hammered over long-off raised the total to something that looked defendable on a slow pitch.In reply, Somerset had Thomas run out in the third over of a stodgy powerplay and were some way off the pace at 63 for 2 from 10 after Lewis Goldsworthy, who had hit a century in the semi-final to down holders Leicestershire, picked out long-on off Kellaway, although Umeed was beginning to land some blows.A double setback followed as Umeed fell to a superb catch by Smale standing up to Andy Gorvin and James Rew was caught off a top-edged sweep as Kellaway landed his second blow, leaving Somerset 89 for 4 in the 13th and Glamorgan firm favourites.A blistering partnership of 66 in just five overs between Dickson and Archie Vaughan dragged Somerset right back into contention, Vaughan having survived Kellaway’s lbw shout on umpire’s call before he had scored.But after hammering 44 from 20 balls, hitting sixes off van der Gugten (twice) and McIlroy, Dickson reversed Gorvin to short third – from a delivery that might otherwise have been called wide – costing them critical momentum with 32 needed from 15 balls.It came down to Somerset needing 29 from the last two, a task that ultimately proved too much. Douthwaite picked up a wicket when Green heaved in the air to square leg and Vaughan’s boundary off the last ball was academic.

Cites disagreement with SportScotland over attempts to move on from last year’s damning racism report

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2023Cricket Scotland chair Anjan Luthra has announced his immediate resignation after just six months in the role, amid the ongoing fallout from last year’s damning report into racism in the Scottish game.Luthra tweeted a statement on Friday morning in which he expressed his disagreement with the way SportScotland – the body that oversaw his appointment as chair – was looking to run cricket, claiming it was bowing to “the demands of a lobby group and a handful of individuals associated with them – even if that means the wider sport and community will be negatively impacted”.Cricket Scotland was placed into special measures last year after the Changing the Boundaries report found 448 examples of institutional racism in the game.Luthra said in a six-month update earlier in March that progress had been made on diversity, only for his comments to be criticised by anti-racism organisation Running out Racism. According to the BBC, four members of Cricket Scotland’s equality and anti-racism working group subsequently resigned in protest.”Cricket Scotland can announce that Anjan Luthra has resigned as chair with immediate effect,” the board said in a statement. “The organisation thanks Anjan for his hard work and input during his time as chair.”The Changing the Boundaries report, carried out by Plan4Sport, was commissioned after revelations by former players Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh, both of whom have been critical of the board’s recent efforts.As well as lacking a chair, Cricket Scotland is also currently without a chief executive, after it was announced that interim CEO Gordon Arthur would be stepping down for personal reasons at the end of April.

Hardik Pandya’s issues with fitness appear to have tilted the scales against him

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-20246:24

Newsroom: What can we expect from SKY the captain?

Suryakumar Yadav is set to be appointed India’s new T20I captain ahead of Hardik Pandya, the incumbent vice-captain of the side, for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.Suryakumar will take over from Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20Is, along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, after leading India to T20 World Cup glory in the Caribbean last month.Though Hardik was Rohit’s deputy at the T20 World Cup and is a more experienced captain – he has led India in three ODIs and 16 T20Is, apart from leading Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians in the IPL – it is understood fitness concerns and workload management may have tipped the scales against him.Hardik had suffered an ankle injury during the 50-over World Cup at home last October-November and was out of action until the start of IPL 2024, when he returned to lead Mumbai. Hardik has featured in just 46 of the 79 T20Is India have played since the start of 2022.Suryakumar, meanwhile, has previously captained Mumbai in the domestic circuit. More recently, he led India to a 4-1 series win over Australia in the T20I series last November, followed by a 1-1 series scoreline in South Africa. Suryakumar is also among the first names in a first-choice India XI in the format.Related

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The T20Is in Sri Lanka will be India’s first assignment under new coach Gautam Gambhir, who takes over from Rahul Dravid after the T20 World Cup. It’s also seen as the first step towards building for the next T20 World Cup which India is set to co-host in 2026.A young Indian squad, led by Shubman Gill, just returned from Zimbabwe earlier in the week after completing a 4-1 T20I series win. The squad included just three players from the side that won the World Cup.It is understood that the selectors will meet on Wednesday to finalise the touring party. Along with three T20Is, the tour will feature three ODIs.

Tabraiz Shamsi stars with three wickets as South Africa are out-muscled in tight finish

George Dobell29-Nov-2020Dawid Malan justified his standing as the top-ranked batsman in T20I cricket with a match-winning half-century in the second match of the series against South Africa in Paarl.On a surface upon which nobody else could pass 30, Malan produced an innings of 55 from 40 balls to see England to a victory which gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. The final game takes place in Cape Town on Tuesday.This was not, in many ways, a typical T20. With the pitch offering just a little grip, run-scoring proved problematic throughout the game and England’s reply looked some way off the pace until well into their chase.So, instead of the skills for which this format is famed – the big hits, the audacious strokes, the outrageous strike-rates – Malan was instead obliged to demonstrate a calm head and an ability to pace the innings.He did so beautifully. After 30 deliveries, Malan had scored just 25. But he held his nerve and, from his next nine balls, thrashed five fours and a six as he timed England’s chase to something close to perfection.Although he wasn’t quite able to see England home – he was quite brilliantly caught by Reeza Hendricks, demonstrating both the presence of mind and athleticism to keep the ball in play on the long-off boundary – by the time he was dismissed, his side required just a run a ball. Despite a characteristically excellent final over from Kagiso Rabada, which brought the dismissal of Sam Curran, Chris Jordan was able to squeeze the penultimate ball of the match behind square for the run England required to seal the result.It was the ninth time Malan had passed 50 in his 18 T20I innings. And, on the ground where he made his first-class debut back in 2006, you suspect it would have been one of the more satisfying ones. It was also the sort of performance which justifies his on-going selection ahead of Joe Root.And while England may feel there is still room for improvement in their performance, they may take satisfaction from winning a tight game on this sort of surface. With the T20 World Cup scheduled to played in India, this is the sort of pitch – and, perhaps, the sort of low-scoring match – to which they will need to become accustomed if they are to fulfil their dream of holding both the 50-over and 20-over World Cups at the same time.Slow going
South Africa started well enough. They were 49 for 1 after one delivery of the sixth over (England were 29 for 1 at the same stage) and surely targeting a score in excess of 160. But their over-reliance upon Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis was underlined once more by the struggles of the middle-order.Once de Kock was dismissed, from the second delivery of that final powerplay over, South Africa only managed two boundaries off the bat in the next 12-and-a-half overs (there was one set of wides that went to the boundary) and none at all from the first ball of the 10th until the fourth ball of the 18th. Rassie van der Dussen, who faced 29 deliveries for 25 unbeaten runs without managing a boundary, found life especially difficult.Inevitably, thoughts strayed to what might have been, had the likes of AB de Villiers, Rilee Rossouw and Colin Ingram been part of this middle-order.Archer and Rashid re-affirm their value
Perhaps such an analysis of South Africa’s innings is unfair as it doesn’t reflect the slower-than-expected surface or provide enough credit to England’s bowlers. Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid, in particular, bowled beautifully in conceding 41 between them from their eight overs. The pair delivered 22 dot balls between them and only conceded one boundary each.Archer’s record is, perhaps, particularly impressive as he tends to bowl the majority of his overs in the powerplay – he typically bowls two upfront – and at the death. Despite this, since the start of the IPL, he has conceded just 4.62 runs an over on average in the 30 overs of powerplay overs he has delivered.Whatever issues England may have to resolve ahead of the T20 World Cup, those two spots are, fitness permitting, certain.The record holders
Both Jordan and Rashid achieved records of sorts during the South Africa innings. With the wicket of de Kock, Jordan drew level with Stuart Broad as England’s top wicket-taker in this international format. Both men have now have 65 with Jordan having slightly the better strike-rate but Broad maintaining the better average and economy rate.Rashid, meanwhile, drew level with Graeme Swann as England’s top T20I wicket-taker among spinners. Both have 51 wickets, with only Jordan and Broad above them among England players. A glance at those stats also provides a reminder of what a top player Swann was for England: his wickets came in a dozen fewer games than Rashid and with a favourable economy rate (6.36 to 7.57), average (16.84 to 25.41) and strike-rate (15.80 to 20.10). The game may well have moved on, but those remain excellent statistics.Impressive though such figures are, England still do not have anyone within the top 10 of T20I wicket takers. Lasith Malinga, with 107 wickets, leads the way.Shamsi’s best
Tabraiz Shamsi didn’t deserve to be on the losing side after a career-best T20I performance.Shamsi, the left-arm wristspinner, claimed 3 for 19 as he made excellent use of a large playing area that made six-hitting more problematic than in the first game, and a surface offering just enough grip to aid his spin. In dismissing Jos Buttler, who was beaten by drift as he charged down the pitch, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes, who both mishit sweeps, he went a long way towards derailing England’s reply.The decision to recall Anrich Nortje in place of Beuran Hendricks, who delivered a game-defining 17th over on Friday which conceded 28 runs, also added depth to the South Africa attack. Nortje bowled with pace and precision in conceding just four from his first two overs and twice striking Malan on the body.

“We’ve collaborated and agreed dates with CSA, who have confirmed the tour, acknowledged the arrangements and have been in receipt of the schedule for several weeks,” NZC says

Firdose Moonda20-Jul-2023New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is not open to negotiating the dates of the two-Test series against South Africa scheduled for February next year, despite CSA’s hopes that the matches could be moved to avoid a player availability crunch with the SA20. The matches, due to take place from February 4 to 17, 2024, necessitate that South Africa arrive in late January but will clash with the latter stages of the SA20 and CSA was hopeful of discussing a reschedule but NZC insists the fixtures are set, as per the FTP.”These Tests have been part of the FTP since it was announced two years ago,” Richard Boock, NZC’s manager of public affairs, told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve collaborated and agreed dates with CSA, who have confirmed the tour, acknowledged the arrangements and have been in receipt of the schedule for several weeks. Flights have been confirmed, dates for the practice game have been agreed, and we’re looking forward to the squad’s arrival. The Proteas are a popular and formidable Test team and we view them as an important part of our home summer schedule.”Related

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New Zealand were unable to adjust South Africa’s fixtures to any other time in a home season which also includes a visit from Australia, whose series must end before late March for the IPL.That means South Africa could be forced to field a makeshift Test side with a significant proportion of their first-choice players required for the SA20. Although South Africa’s centrally-contracted players are bound to both the national team and the SA20, CSA has guaranteed the SA20 first rights to the players over the January window and as such, the players will be obliged to play for their franchises rather than the national team. An SA20 mini-auction will take place in September which could see more players snapped up for the league and will also give CSA a clearer idea of who can make the trip to New Zealand.The series in New Zealand will be South Africa’s second engagement of the 2023-2025 World Test Championship cycle, during which they will only play two-Test series. It is understood that there are serious concerns within CSA of the quality of the squad South Africa will be able to send to New Zealand but no suggestion that they will forfeit entirely. On Wednesday, CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki told ESPNcricinfo the organisation was mindful of their bilateral obligations, while also stressing that the SA20 takes first priority.

Wicketkeeper found first series “mentally draining” but open to additional responsiblity vs Sri Lanka

Matt Roller14-Aug-2024Jamie Smith has revealed that he found his first three weeks as a Test cricketer “mentally draining”, but he is open to shuffling up England’s batting order to No. 6 against Sri Lanka in Ben Stokes’ absence.Smith kept wicket tidily throughout England’s 3-0 clean sweep against West Indies and made two attacking half-centuries down the order: 70 from No. 7 on debut at Lord’s, and 95 from No. 8 at Edgbaston after Mark Wood was deployed as a nightwatcher. And if England opt to replace the hamstrung Stokes with a seamer, Smith could be promoted to No. 6.Related

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• Smith unfurls his weaponry as England's hunch is vindicated

“It won’t bother me at all,” he said. “One of the things that’s been great in my career so far is I feel like I’ve batted in a variety of different positions and roles anyway, and I’ve gained some of these experiences. They might be at a lesser level in the County Championship, but I still feel like I’ve been able to adapt and get some experience under my belt – and the difference between No. 7 and No. 6 isn’t a massively great one anyway.”England have opted against calling up a replacement for Stokes, which leaves them with two options as to how they balance their side against Sri Lanka. They could bring in the uncapped Essex batter Jordan Cox at No. 6, leaving them with four frontline bowling options; or they could shift Smith and Chris Woakes up a spot, and replace Stokes with a seamer in Matthew Potts or Olly Stone.Smith has primarily batted at No. 4 in the Championship over the last two seasons – albeit as a specialist batter, with Ben Foakes taking the gloves for Surrey. Keeping wicket contributed to his workload against West Indies, and he admitted that he found Test cricket “more intense” than anything he had experienced previously in his career.Smith made two half-centuries in his first Test series, including 70 at Lord’s on debut•Getty Images

“The games didn’t go five days,” Smith said, “but for me, it was just mentally quite draining. It probably took more out of me than I was expecting, with all the emotions that came with it, the expectation, and a bit of added pressure… It’s been different for me. Mentally and physically, it was quite a lot in three weeks, going from county cricket into that, and with the potential for more stuff to come.”It prompted Smith to ask Birmingham Phoenix, his Hundred team, to miss their match against Southern Brave straight after the third Test. “It was nice to have just an extra week of a breather, basically,” he said. “I was very thankful to Birmingham for allowing that to happen.” He is now back involved as they push for a spot in the knockout stages.The break allowed Smith time to evaluate his first few weeks as a Test cricketer. “It was nice to have a little bit more reflection time,” he said. “It was a successful start, but it’s only just the start. It was nice to get out there and experience it all, and be in an environment which allows you to thrive, and where you can play with good confidence and be yourself.”Playing in the Hundred has also given Smith the chance to continue keeping ahead of the Sri Lanka series. “If I didn’t play in this, I would have had no match practice,” he said. “It will be difficult again going back to the red ball: it brings its own unique challenges when keeping. But there will be enough time to practise that in the lead-up to the series.”Smith made an impressive start to his Test career•Getty Images

Smith made his international debut last September in an ODI series against Ireland and England see him as an all-format player in the long term. But it will be a challenge to manage his workload in the next four months: they have a white-ball series against Australia straight after the Sri Lanka Tests, followed by Test series in Pakistan and New Zealand and a white-ball tour against West Indies sandwiched between them.”It’s in the back of your mind slightly with how busy the schedule is,” Smith said. “There seems to be a bit of a backlog over the next few months. It’s my aspiration to play all formats for England… but you are always looking further down the line on potential workloads, and jumping around series to series is not sustainable for anyone, really, with it being so crammed at the moment.”Smith’s situation is further complicated by the fact that he and his girlfriend are expecting their first child in December, which could affect his availability for some of England’s Test series in New Zealand. “It’s not been massively discussed,” he said. “I’ll just play it by ear… there’s no guarantee that I’ll be selected for anything moving forward anyway.”KP Snacks, the Official Team Partner of The Hundred, is continuing its initiative to build 100 new community cricket pitches across England and Wales, with 35 brand new pitches going down in 2024. To find out more and search for your nearest pitch, click here.