The Sydney Thunder have an outside chance of making the WBBL finals, but Blackwell may have just one match left

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2019Alex Blackwell has announced she will retire at the conclusion of the WBBL season, bringing the end to an 18-year career during which she was the most capped Australian female player.With the Sydney Thunder still holding a slim chance of reaching the finals quite when Blackwell’s final match will be is yet to be confirmed, but it could be that the game against the Melbourne Renegades on Sunday provides the swansong. She retired from international cricket in February 2018 after being capped 251 times for Australia.ALSO READ: The stands of Alex BlackwellBlackwell, who led the Thunder to the WBBL title in the inaugural 2015-16 season, is their leading scorer in this campaign, where she has had a key role in mentoring the Thunder’s group of young players, and hit 65 in their victory over the Melbourne Stars on Wednesday. It was after that innings that Blackwell told team-mates of her decision.”I’d decided before the match that I was going to retire,” she said. “It’s got to come to an end at some point. There’s been many highlights, but what’s been really cool [this season] is watching the next generation of Thunder players grabbing their opportunities. It’s been very special to be a part of that – I’m really satisfied.”I’ve been really happy with [the role of] mentoring out in the middle. I had an opportunity against the Stars to bat with [16-year-old] Phoebe Litchfield and Saskia Horley.”It was good to talk to them about what the good options were to go to – and to help clarify in their minds what was on, and where to back themselves.”Blackwell said that last season’s last-ball defeat in the semi-final against the Brisbane Heat had driven her to play another season.”I was heartbroken, but also amazed, by last year’s semi-final. I, well, a little bit selfishly thought to myself: ‘I’ve worked so hard to get to this point and contributed to cricket for a long period of time for it to reach this point’.”I thought the WBBL was an amazing competition to be a part of and decided I could go again – and I’m pleased I did. It’s been good fun, and I’ve enjoyed supporting Rachael Haynes because I think she’s led the team very well.”Chris Botherway, the Thunder’s acting general manager, lauded Blackwell’s legacy across all parts of the game.”Alex will be remembered as a Sydney Thunder legend,” he said. “She’s also one of cricket’s best ambassadors; proof the truly great players show class on and off the pitch.”There are very few players who have done more than Alex to inspire boys and girls to fall in love with cricket, and many of her current teammates are among them. She has worked tirelessly to help build the culture we enjoy at Sydney Thunder. As someone who gave the club her all, Alex can retire knowing her legacy will endure.”

A lengthy delay for rain hits England’s chances despite a breakthrough performance for Dom Bess

The Report by Alan Gardner18-Jan-2020Dom Bess became the latest of England’s young bloods to leave his mark on South Africa but the old foe of bad weather, coupled with some much-needed defiance from the home batsmen (plus a few dropped catches), prevented the tourists from maximising their advantage on day three in Port Elizabeth.With Bess producing his most impressive display in an England shirt to secure a maiden Test five-for, the threat of the follow-on loomed large for South Africa. But they were able to recover from a position of 109 for 5 thanks to Quinton de Kock’s third half-century of the series, as well as 136 balls of dogged resistance from the nightwatchman, Anrich Nortje.De Kock was unbeaten on 63 at the close, having put on partnerships of 45 with Nortje and a further 54 alongside Vernon Philander. He might have been dismissed three times by spin but on each occasion Ben Stokes was unable to hold on to sharp chances at slip – and with another 26 overs lost due to rain, England’s prospects of capturing a series lead before the teams move on to Johannesburg looked to have taken a hit.South Africa’s captain, Faf du Plessis, pronounced before the third Test that his team had made “huge steps in the right direction” against England, following a run of five consecutive defeats. While du Plessis could not extricate himself from his own run of bad form, falling to Bess for the second time in as many innings, the bloody-minded efforts of de Kock and, in particular, Nortje, gave his side something to rally around.Although there was no doubting England were on top, they seemed likely to find themselves in a battle against time, the elements and an unforgiving pitch – with de Kock’s rearguard blocking their path to enforcing the follow-on, and 92 runs still needed for South Africa to take the decision out of Joe Root’s hands.The morning session could scarcely have gone better for England, with Bess striking three more times to claim each of the five South African wickets to have fallen, before a delay of more than three hours began to impinge on hopes of a positive result in this match. When play was able to resume in mid-afternoon, de Kock succeeded in seeing off the fiery Mark Wood as he and Nortje combined to frustrate England further.South Africa’s wicketkeeper produced a number of fine strokes during a counterattacking innings, although at times he lived on the edge. Root might have removed him twice, on 30 and 56, with Stokes the culprit on both occasions. Another chance came late in the day, when de Kock was cramped by Joe Denly’s legspin and top-edged a cut low to Stokes’ right – but again England’s most-reliable catcher could not cling on.Stokes did have a more familiar impact with the ball, although the fact England waited until the 61st over to turn to his bowling – so galvanic in the victory at Newlands – raised questions about what might have been after the allrounder proceeded to dismiss Nortje with his 10th delivery.Nortje had already benefited from lapses in the field, Root putting down a simple chance at slip that would have given Bess his five-for. Having demonstrated his ability with the bat in South Africa’s victory in Centurion, Nortje dug in manfully in the face of Wood’s 150kph/93mph hostility – a half-chance to Ollie Pope at short leg the closest Wood came to getting his man. By the time Stokes drew an edge to slip, Nortje had played by far his longest first-class innings and kept England at bay for more than three hours.Such fighting spirit seemed to be lacking as South Africa set about their attempts to build a convincing first-innings reply. Resuming on 60 for 2, after Bess had struck twice on the second evening, they lost Dean Elgar in the fourth over of the day, smartly taken by the diving Pope at silly point as the ball ricocheted off bat and pad.Du Plessis seemed intent on taking the attack to England’s rookie offspinner, a 22-year-old playing in just his fourth Test, twice leaving his ground to stroke fours through mid-off. But Bess changed his line of attack to over the wicket, found some drift and grip and another inside edge plopped safely into the hands of Pope, at short leg this time.South Africa had been left in a mess against Bess, whose fourth wicket ensured career-best figures. He was not to be denied a fifth – becoming the youngest England spinner to take a Test five-for since Pat Pocock in 1968 – as Rassie van der Dussen dragged the ball into his stumps to give the unexpected tourist an unexpected starring role. But the rain and de Kock meant the day was not simply about Bess.

The tall offspinner has a strong chance of playing in the third Test, at the ground where it all began for him

Andrew McGlashan01-Jan-2020Will Somerville has recalled being in tears in the SCG car park when he was awarded a New South Wales contract in 2014 as he prepares for the chance of making a Test appearance on the ground six years later.

Williamson, Nicholls unwell

Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls sat out New Zealand’s training on New Year’s Day after reporting flu-like symptoms but it is not thought that they will be in doubt for the Sydney Test.
Both players came to the ground in the morning before it was decided they would return to the team hotel to rest.
“They’re fine, just not feeling really good today,” Shane Jurgensen said. “They had some flu symptoms and I’m sure they’ll be back training tomorrow. They’re pretty tough so just take a rest today. It’s been a big last two Tests and a good opportunity for them to have a day off and they’ll be here tomorrow.”

Somerville, the tall offspinner with three Test caps, who was a chartered accountant before a crack at professional cricket the age of 30, was a late addition to the New Zealand squad following the injury to Trent Boult. He admitted he had long had his eye on the fixture list following his return across the Tasman – lured by the prospect of more first-class cricket with Auckland – after a five-year stint with New South Wales.”It was a dream to get there [a cricket career] at 30 and I’ll never forget when Nathan Lyon had his second daughter that was my third Shield game which upgraded me to a full-time contract in 2014. I was just in tears in the car park, realising I was going to be a cricketer.”I did look at the schedule 12 months ago after I made my Test debut and I was pretty excited at the prospect. I was hoping to go on the tour and two days ago I got the call when I was playing T20 cricket for Auckland. I’m pinching myself that I’m here in front of the Members [Stand] talking to you guys.”It’s pretty special to be back where my kids were born. My mother and father in law live down the road in Coogee and the kids are staying there for the week. Very special, for sure.”He has helped bowl New Zealand to two victories (in Abu Dhabi and Colombo) in his three Tests, and in five first-class matches at the SCG took 23 wickets at 20.69. He is now a strong chance of coming into the New Zealand side for the final Test as they aim to try and avoid a whitewash, either as the lone spinner in place of the struggling Mitchell Santner, or as part of a twin-spin attack with Santner or legspinner Todd Astle, on a surface that is expected to turn.”I’ll see how things unfold in 48 hours, assessing the wicket and what the balance is going to look like. I’m hopeful for sure,” he said. “I’ll just draw on the group around me, the Black Caps and their experience more than anything. I’ve played here before so it’s familiar surroundings, [but] it’s Test cricket, a different kettle of fish and it’s going to be tough.”His nickname in the squad is ‘Dad’ on account of being one of the older members and his jovial spirit will be a boost to a team that has been heavily beaten twice in a series where it was hoped they would compete strongly.”He’s a great guy to have in the camp, he’s so positive,” Shane Jurgensen, the New Zealand bowling coach, said. “I’ll never forget when he got his first cap in Abu Dhabi to see the look on his face and the emotion. He just brings so much to the team, experience and he’s very calm and a lovely person, and a pretty good bowler.”During his time at New South Wales, Somerville bowled extensively with Steve O’Keefe and tried to learn all he could from Lyon when he wasn’t on international duty.”I spent a lot of time training as I didn’t play that many games in four years,” he said. “I bowled a lot with Steve, Beau Casson was our bowling coach and I always chatted to Nathan when he was around and tried to feed off the GOAT of offspin bowling. He’s got a very pure action and it’s nice to watch. I learned from those guys. I also spent a bit of time with Greg Matthews who gives a different perspective on things. A few really good words stick in my mind.”However, despite his time in Australian first-class cricket – and a 2016-17 season where he was New South Wales’ leading wicket-taker – there was only ever one team he wanted to play for internationally. “I always wanted to play for New Zealand, in the back of my mind growing up in Wellington, and I’ve always been an All Blacks fan.”

The 15-year-old broke compatriot Rohit Paudel’s record with a counterattacking fifty against USA

Peter Della Penna in Kathmandu09-Feb-2020The conveyor belt of teenage prodigies in Nepal has churned out a new sensation in the form of allrounder Kushal Malla, who on Saturday broke fellow countryman Rohit Paudel’s record to became the youngest player in men’s cricket to score a half-century in ODIs, during Nepal’s 35-run win over USA. Rohit had set the record in 2019 after making a fifty against UAE in Dubai, but Kushal bested him by making 50 off 51 balls at the age of 15 years and 340 days.Kushal entered the XI at the expense of Paudel, arriving at No. 6 with the score 47 for 4 after Nepal had been sent in. Three overs later they were 49 for 5 before Kushal commenced a thrilling counter-attack against USA’s medium-pace battery, bringing the crowd of 12,000 fans inside Tribhuvan University Stadium to their feet as chants of “Ku-SHAL! Ku-SHAL!” rang out around the ground.After a single to get off the mark, he struck four and six off USA’s fastest bowler, Cameron Stevenson, in the 22nd over. His sweetest strike of the day came three overs later when he drove captain Saurabh Netravalkar straight down the ground for his second six. He was spilled at mid-off when he offered a straightforward chance on 38 but made the most of it by clocking another six off Ian Holland’s medium-pace in the next over.A single took him to his half-century off 49 balls and he was so focused on the task at hand, rebuilding the innings during an 84-run partnership with Binod Bhandari, that he never raised his bat to acknowledge the crowd’s raucous ovation. He fell two balls later, pulling a short ball from left-arm spinner Karima Gore to deep midwicket.Kushal added to his batting exploits later in the day by contributing a superb spell of left-arm spin. He claimed the wicket of Elmore Hutchinson clean bowled to make the score 65 for 7 during USA’s failed chase of 191. He eventually ended with figures of 1 for 30 in 10 overs as USA were bowled out for 155. Despite Kushal’s all-round heroics, fast bowler Karan KC was named Man of the Match for Nepal after claiming 4 for 15, including the prized scalp of Holland for 75 as the ninth wicket when USA was threatening to rally in the final 10 overs.

Both senior players feature in red as well as white-ball deals, but no contracts for Mashrafe and Shakib

Mohammad Isam09-Mar-2020Following their axing from the Bangladesh Test side, Mahmudullah and Mustafizur Rahman have been included only in the white-ball players’ list in the latest BCB central contracts (January to December 2020), which, for the first time, has players separated according to formats. Mashrafe Mortaza, who has stepped down as ODI captain – but hasn’t announced his retirement – and Shakib Al Hasan, who is serving a one-year ICC ban, have not been included in the contracts.

Bangladesh contracts for 2020

Red and white-ball contracts: Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Only red-ball contracts: Mominul Haque, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed, Ebadot Hossain
Only white-ball contracts: Mahmudullah, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Afif Hossain, Mohammad Naim.

Apart from Mahmudullah and Rahman, three others were given white-ball-only contracts: Mohammad Saifuddin, and newcomers Afif Hossain and Mohammad Naim.Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mohammad Mithun, Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan earned themselves full contracts, for red and white-ball cricket, while Mominul Haque, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed and Ebadot Hossain got red-ball-only contracts.As such, players will be further divided according to categories: A+ (US$ 5000 approx.), A (US$ 3750 approx.), B (US$ 2500 approx.), C (US$ 1875 approx.) and D (US$ 1250 approx.).While Iqbal will be earning BDT 630,000 (an extra 30,000 as ODI captain), the highest salary, Rahim stands to earn BDT 600,000 (US$ 7500 approx.), as they are in both the red and white-ball lists, and are listed in A+ category in both. A player will get full salary for one format and half of the other format.Mahmudullah, who is only in the white-ball contract and also an A+ category player, will get BDT 400,000 (US$ 5000 approx.) per month.
As reported by ESPNcricinfo, the BCB had raised match fees for all three formats earlier this year. A Test match appearance will now fetch a player BDT 600,000 (US$ 7500 approx.), a jump from BDT 350,000 (US$ 4375 approx.) from 2017 to 2019. For playing an ODI and T20I, they will now get BDT 300,000 (US$ 3750 approx.) and BDT 200,000 (US$ 2500 approx.), respectively.Apart from Mortaza, who had requested the BCB to leave him out of the contracts, and Shakib, five others don’t figure in the list: Imrul Kayes, Abu Hider Rony, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Rubel Hossain and Shadman Islam.

The moves and new signings ahead of the domestic summer

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2020*= CA state contract
R= Rookie contract

New South Wales

Men’s squadAdam Zampa has returned to NSW after seven years with South Australia•Getty Images

Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Pat Cummins*, Oliver Davies (R), Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Ryan Hackney, Ryan Hadley (R), Liam Hatcher, Josh Hazlewood*, Lachlan Hearne (R), Moises Henriques, Baxter Holt (R), Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Nathan Lyon*, Nathan McAndrew, Arjun Nair (R), Peter Nevill, Kurtis Patterson, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha (R), Steven Smith*, Daniel Solway, Mitchell Starc*, Chris Tremain, David Warner*, Adam Zampa*In Adam Zampa (SA), Chris Tremain (Vic), Nathan McAndrew, Daniel Solway, Tanveer Sangha (R), Lachlan Hearne (R), Arjun Nair (R)
Out Steve O’Keefe, Nick Bertus, Ryan Gibson, Daniel Fallins, Chad Sammut, Greg West, Param UppalWomen’s squadSammy Jo-Johnson has left Queensland after nine years•Getty Images

Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Maddy Darke, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner*, Lisa Griffith, Rachael Haynes*, Alyssa Healy*, Emma Hughes, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Lauren Smith, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia WilsonIn Sammy Jo-Johnson (Qld), Anika Learoyd, Emma Hughes
Out Naomi Stalenberg (Tas), Rene Farrell (retired), Sarah Aley (retired)