Allrounder eyes player-coach role after setting up fairytale tie against old club Leicestershire

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Aug-2022Darren Stevens has admitted he was “gutted” that Kent decided not to offer him a contract extension and confirmed his intention to play county cricket next season, after helping to set up a fairytale Royal London Cup quarter-final against his old club Leicestershire.Kent announced two weeks ago that Stevens would be released at the end of the season after struggling to make an impact this year, but after hitting 49 off 41 balls to help them to a two-wicket win against Lancashire on Tuesday, he laughed off the suggestion that retirement is looming, even at the age of 46.”I didn’t think I’d be released,” Stevens told the ECB Reporters Network. “I’d hoped it would be down to me pulling the pin on it, but that’s not the case. They [Kent] have got other ideas and want to go in a different direction and that’s fine. It’s gutting, it’s disappointing, but that’s fine. I respect the club, I love the club and I just want the best for the club.””I love the game. I wouldn’t be playing now if I didn’t love it as much as I do, but I love it. I love the challenges of batting and bowling and red-ball cricket as well. I’ll keep playing until I think it’s right, and at the minute I don’t think it’s right [to quit].”Related

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Stevens said that Kent had not given him “a proper reason” for their decision to release him but that he could understand the logic. “They’ve signed Joey Evison, who’s a talented all-round cricketer, and I’m guessing that’s my spot in the Championship,” he said. “He’s a good little player from what we’ve seen so far and I’m sure he’ll be good for Kent for the future.”My job is to take wickets and get runs for Kent, so that’s what I’ll do until I finish. I want to [play next season]. I still feel like I’ve got a lot to give. I feel like I’m hitting the ball well and the ball’s coming out alright, so I feel like I can do a job for a club somewhere. I’d like a player-coach role but at the moment I still feel I can do a job with the bat and the ball.”He has struggled with the ball this year on flatter pitches, with four wickets at 92.75 in the Championship in 2022 after five consecutive seasons averaging below 20, and had to rush back from injury in order to play in Kent’s final group game in the Royal London Cup.”Two injuries haven’t helped me,” he said. “Getting a collarbone strike put me out for longer than I was expecting… that was hard to take. Getting back for the one-day stuff, I was pleased and I was ready to go, but then pinging my calf at Glamorgan was gut-wrenching; I’ve never done a calf before. It’ll be three weeks this Thursday, so I’ve done well to get back.”You couldn’t have written it, could you?” he said about the quarter-final draw, which pits Kent against his old club. “It’s a different challenge, a different place to play. We haven’t played white-ball cricket there for a long time.”Stevens has become a cult hero among county cricket fans•Getty Images

The romantic outcome would be a return to Grace Road next season, where his first-class career started some 25 years ago. Ben Mike’s impending move to Yorkshire means there is a hole for an allrounder: have Leicestershire been sniffing around before Friday’s quarter-final?”No, nothing yet,” he said, when asked if he had been offered a deal anywhere. “We’ll see what happens. We’ve got a quarter-final to play at the end of the week. If people call and offer things, we’ll have a sit-down as the weeks go on and decide, probably towards the end of the year.”He is also an improbable entrant for this weekend’s Big Bash draft. “My agent put me in for that,” Stevens said. “He called and said ‘I’ve put you in!’ I was like, ‘yeah, great, cheers.’ I think he’s put me in for everything. Why not? I still want to play. It’d be good, wouldn’t it? It’d be a good way to go out.”

Maddy Green took charge of the chase before the visitors suffered a late wobble

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2022New Zealand secured their first ODI series win in West Indies with a two-wicket victory in Antigua where Eden Carson claimed three wickets on debut then Maddy Green anchored the chase.It became tighter than it should have done for New Zealand as they lost 4 for 3 late in the chase, but Hayley Jensen struck the winning boundary after Carson survived two balls from Karishma Ramharack who had taken three of those wickets.Carson, an offspinner, had a terrific debut as she claimed the key wicket of West Indies’ top-scorer Hayley Matthews as her first scalp – lbw on the back foot – followed by Chinelle Henry and Shakera Selman. She, Fran Jonas and Amelia Kerr combined to cause plenty of problems and their combined figures read: 28-3-65-5. Kerr and Jonas conceded just 17 each from their 10 overs.West Indies had slipped to 29 for 3 in the 11th over and were in further trouble when Lea Tahuhu had Stafanie Taylor well caught by Isabella Gaze and Kerr had Kyshona Knight taken in the covers off a leading edge.Matthews and Henry built a stand of 47 for the sixth wicket before Carson made her impact and the lower order was left trying to see out the 50 overs.West Indies fought back with the ball early in the chase as New Zealand’s slipped to 51 for 3 but their run rate was good which meant little scoreboard pressure. Green and Lauren Down added 66 for the fourth wicket to break the back of the target, then Green and Brooke Halliday got them with six runs before the late stutter that did not prove costly.

Queensland build a dominant lead as Tasmania only managed three wickets all day

AAP07-Oct-2022Marnus Labuschagne appears to have lost little of his batting appetite over the winter after the Test run-machine opened his Sheffield Shield season with a century for Queensland against Tasmania on Friday.Labuschagne scored 127 in a controlled innings that lifted Queensland to 4 for 357, a hefty 210 runs clear of the visitors’ 147 at the midway point of the match at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.There were runs also for fellow Test batter Usman Khawaja and former Australian opener Joe Burns.Only one wicket fell in the opening two sessions as Tasmania’s bowlers found life much harder than it seemed to be on day one for the Queensland attack.Burns and Labuschagne put on 148 for the second wicket after Queensland resumed at their overnight 1 for 24.
As always, Labuschagne looked capable of batting all day only to be trapped lbw by former Test stalwart Peter Siddle. After shouldering arms at a Siddle inswinger, Labuschagne bizarrely seemed to be walking off before the umpire had raised his finger to confirm the dismissal. Labuschagne’s 24th first-class century included 19 boundaries and a six.It was a hard day’s toil for Tasmania’s attack who, though limiting the home side to just 2.5 runs an over during the opening session, created few wicket-taking opportunities.Former Australian Test skipper Tim Paine collected three catches at the wicket in his return to the game. The third was Queensland’s only failure of the day as Jack Clayton fell for a third-ball duck off the bowling of Riley Meredith.

Queensland quicks combined for nine wickets before Neser made a composed 30 not out to guide the hosts to stumps at 6 for 130 on a very seamer-friendly pitch

AAP10-Nov-2022Mark Steketee and Michael Neser have helped reduce Victoria to a 95-year low before Neser chimed in with the bat to leave Queensland well on top in their Sheffield Shield clash at Allan Border Field.Victoria were skittled for 63, their lowest Shield total since 1927, as the Bulls pace duo Neser and wreaked havoc. Queensland went to stumps 6 for 130 with a lead of 67, mainly thanks to Neser’s unbeaten 30 off 43 balls.The fringe Test hopeful put on 42 with Jimmy Peirson after the Bulls had fallen to 5 for 79 and in danger of spoiling their barnstorming start. Neser and Steketee entered the clash as the leading wicket-takers this season and their reputations were further enhanced following a magical few hours in Brisbane on Thursday.Steketee finished with 5 for 18 off 11 overs while Neser returned figures of 4 for 22 off 12.4 overs. Only three of Victoria’s batters reached double figures in what was their fourth-lowest total on record.Neser started the carnage by bowling Travis Dean for a duck with the third ball of the day. The in-form Marcus Harris followed soon after, closing the face too soon and ballooning a leading edge to Marnus Labuschagne at cover.Peter Handscomb entered the match with 518 runs to his name this season at an average of 172.7. But he was out for 5 when trapped lbw by Neser, leaving Victoria rocking at 3 for 5. Alarm bells rang ever louder when Nic Maddinson and Sam Harper fell cheaply to leave Victoria at 5 for 13 after nine overs.Wickets continued to tumble with only 20-year-old Ashley Chandrasinghe able to offer any semblance of resistance in what became a painful fight for survival.Amazingly, the damage could have been even worse for Victoria. Harper was lucky to survive a strong lbw shout when he shouldered arms to a Steketee delivery that seamed back sharply in line.The Bulls also dropped two catches during the morning session – both off the bowling of Neser.Neser would have had figures of 4 for 4 had Usman Khawaja held onto a sharp chance at third slip when Will Sutherland was yet to score. The star paceman then watched on in agony as another chance went begging – this time when Khawaja and Joe Burns clattered at slip to drop a Mitchell Perry edge.Queensland moved to 0 for 39 in their reply before losing Burns and Matt Renshaw in consecutive overs shortly before tea. Labuschagne’s indifferent start to the summer continued and when Khawaja edged Cameron McClure behind the visitors were back in the contest.

In the BBL a new batter must be ready to face up within 75 seconds of a wicket falling

AAP01-Jan-2023Adelaide Strikers overseas player Adam Hose believes Marcus Stoinis was too slow to face the first delivery of his matchwinning knock and the 75-second timed out rule should have been enforced.Stoinis blasted his way back to form on New Year’s Eve, crunching 74 off 35 deliveries in the Melbourne Stars’ eight-run win at Adelaide Oval. But according to Hose, Stoinis could have been sent packing first ball had the umpires upheld the Strikers’ appeal.The rule states that at the fall of a wicket, the incoming batter must be ready to face within 75 seconds. If the batter fails to arrive in time, they must stand to the side of the pitch for the first delivery of their innings and allow the bowler – in this case Wes Agar – a free ball at the stumps. If the ball strikes the wicket, the batter is out bowled.Related

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“To be honest, I was at cover for his first ball and I’m pretty certain he timed out – 75 seconds, he wasn’t ready,” Hose said. “I just hope that if it is the rule then we can play by it. That’s my only experience of the clock being run out.”We asked the question, we appealed, but nothing happened. I’m pretty certain his time was up.”Eleven days earlier, against Sydney Thunder, Hose, the incoming batter, was still scratching his guard and gardening when batting partner Matt Short yelled “Hosie, face up” as the 75-second countdown almost expired.”Umpires have been very hot on me the last couple of games getting to the crease,” Hose said. “I’ve been warned about it a few times and had to change my first-ball routine.”I guess that’s why my frustration came in, because they’ve been very hot on me. I just hope, moving forward into the rest of the tournament, if it’s going to be a rule then it has to be enforced.”Stoinis was aware of the ticking clock but rejected Hose’s claim, insisting Adelaide’s field was not set in time.”I checked centre [guard], then I was standing off because I could see the field moving,” he said. “I actually didn’t know that I had to stand there regardless.”Stoinis was also critical of the Strikers’ appeal for a timed out call against Hilton Cartwright in the 14th over.”The same thing happened with Hilts,” Stoinis said. “They [Strikers] appealed for that but the field was moving so it ended up being a dead ball. I wouldn’t appeal [for that]. The rule is in place if someone is trying to take advantage and slow the game down.”

Heat prevailed and meet Renegades in a knockout final at Marvel Stadium on Sunday

Tristan Lavalette27-Jan-2023Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne emerged from T20 droughts with spectacular half-centuries before rain thwarted Sydney Thunder’s hopes of chasing down Brisbane Heat’s massive total in the BBL elimination final.Kicking off the finals series, Khawaja and Labuschagne combined for a 128-run partnership to power Heat to the highest ever total at the Sydney Showgrounds.Chasing 204, David Warner was in a belligerent mood with 36 off 20 balls to provide hope for Thunder before Sydney’s temperamental weather reared in the seventh over with the home side eight runs short under Duckworth-Lewis Stern calculations.Play was set to restart with Thunder facing a revised target of 90 runs off nine overs – they were already 52 for 1 after 6.5 – but the match was ultimately called off due to persistent rain.Heat prevailed and meet Melbourne Renegades in a knockout final at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, while Thunder’s see-saw of a season ended in disappointment.

Khawaja and Labuschagne smash Thunder

Khawaja’s impact for Heat since returning from Australia duty has mostly been through his captaincy, like when he helped guide inexperienced quick Spencer Johnson in high-pressure moments.He had only averaged 16 in six innings in a disappointing start for his new BBL franchise. But against his old team, who he powered to the title in 2016, Khawaja showed his liking for the big stage and put the foot down after the drinks break with an assault on spinners Chris Green and Usman Qadir. He was unstoppable with a slew of innovative strokes, including reverse sweeps, to devastating effect, but his best shot was a gorgeous straight six off Qadir.Khawaja fell short of a deserved century but his fluency seemed to rub off on Labuschagne, who had struggled with his timing as he played anchor before unleashing some inventive strokes of his own to notch his first BBL half-century in his 23rd innings.Labuschagne, who had averaged just 16 runs with a strike-rate of 104, hit his first six of the season when he clubbed seamer Daniel Sams over long-on in the final over. He repeated the dose three balls later to lift Heat past 200 before his 48-ball 73 ended on the penultimate delivery of the innings. Labuschagne proved a point to critics that his formidable longer format batting can translate into T20 cricket.

Pawson’s horror debut

Thunder were shorthanded without frontliner seamer Gurinder Sandhu, who injured his calf in his last game against Melbourne Stars. The 28-year-old Ross Pawson was thrown into the deep end with a debut in the elimination final.Nathan McAndrew’s struggles in the powerplay led to Pawson coming into the attack in the third over and he was immediately lined up. His first ball was carved through point for a boundary by Khawaja, who then smashed two short deliveries to the rope. A rattled Pawson then dished up a waist-high full toss to cap a 15-run first over in the BBL. He hoped his fortune might change when he returned in the 11th over but it only stirred the ruthlessness in Khawaja, who hit two sixes.Pawson, who had earned his call-up through solid form in local Sydney ranks, did show glimpses of rapid pace but just couldn’t get his length right and finished a tough initiation with 0 for 32 off two overs.

Warner starts fast before rain spoils the party

Unlike his mate Steven Smith, Warner had struggled in his long-awaited BBL return and averaged just 12.6 in five innings. But here, he started aggressively and took a liking to left-armer Johnson by smashing three boundaries in the fourth over. It was the best Warner had looked during this BBL season and he threatened to play a heroic knock before rain intervened to end Thunder’s season.

The 30-year-old played 13 Tests and two T20Is for South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2023South Africa batter Theunis de Bruyn has announced his retirement from international cricket, saying it is time to focus on ‘the next chapter’. The 30-year old, who made his South Africa debut in a T20I against Sri Lanka in January 2017, represented the country in 13 Tests and two T20Is.”I’ve been fortunate to represent my country at the highest level of cricket and that’s been the proudest moment of my career,” de Bruyn wrote in a statement released by his domestic team the Titans. “I’ve lived a childhood dream, shared dressing rooms with my heroes and played cricket at some of the world’s most iconic venues; and I can’t say thank you enough for the opportunities I’ve got through this game.”Looking back at everything that I’ve achieved, it is time I say goodbye to international cricket and focus on the next chapter. I’m excited for what the future has to offer and looking forward to chasing more dreams and ambitions in life.”De Bruyn scored one Test century in 25 innings — against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2018.His last appearance for South Africa came in the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the MCG last year, when he had scores of 12 and 28 as they suffered an innings defeat. He then flew home ahead of the third Test of the series for the birth of his first child.De Bruyn was a part of the Pretoria Capitals team that reached the final of the inaugural SA20 competition. With 238 runs, he finished as the team’s joint-second highest run-scorer in the tournament, behind Will Jacks and level with Phil Salt.

Captain says team can become best fielding side in Asia after outperforming world champions

Mohammad Isam14-Mar-2023More specialist bowlers than batters in the playing XI, and a better fielding display than England could manage, gave Bangladesh the decisive edge in the 3-0 T20I series win, according to their victorious captain, Shakib Al Hasan. The home side completed their whitewash with a 16-run victory in the third game, after engineering a mid-innings batting collapse and then squeezing England’s runs in the final five overs.Similar bowling displays had been instrumental to Bangladesh’s wins in the first two T20Is too. Hasan Mahmud bowled two great overs in the end of England’s innings in the first game in Chattogram, which enabled Bangladesh to chase a moderate 157. In the second game, England collapsed twice in the middle overs to be outplayed in the four-wicket defeat.Shakib said that, instead of playing eight batters, they chose to have a cushion of bowling options. In the third game, that bowling depth came in handy in the latter part of the innings when both Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan fell in the 14th over; Mustafizur Rahman removed Malan while Buttler was run out next ball. Mehidy’s direct hit highlighted the fielding effort which saw marked improvement in their ground fielding and catching.”Our bowling unit was quite good in this series,” Shakib said. “We never had the luxury of playing with six proper bowlers as we often played with eight batters. We were always a bowler short. In T20s, you need that [bowling] cushion. Bowlers win you T20 matches, so having that extra bowler was helpful. We have a few more areas for tuning, thinking ahead to the next World Cup, but we have made a good start. I think the turning point of the match was that over. They lost both their set batters in successive balls. It proved to be decisive.”Everyone noticed our fielding in these three matches. We out-fielded England, who are themselves a good fielding side. It is a big tick mark. Our biggest improvement is in our fielding, when I consider every aspect. We should always field well, but we have targeted to become the best fielding side in Asia. After this performance, I don’t think we are too far behind.”Shakib praised the way Litton Das came back into form, as the opener made a career-best 73 in quick time. He added 84 runs for the second wicket stand with the player of the series, Najmul Hossain Shanto, with the pair’s running between the wickets particularly impressing the captain.”We didn’t know how much runs were enough on this pitch. So we were very open-minded,” Shakib said. “We first thought 140 was a good score. Then we got to a stage when we thought 170-180 would be our total. We didn’t get many runs in the last five overs, but we batted well in the powerplay and middle-overs.”They have seven or eight proper bowlers so we had to struggle at least once in the innings,” he added. “The way Rony and Litton started, and then Shanto and Litton build the innings, especially their running between the wickets, it was outstanding. The way they turned ones into twos and twos into threes, it put England under pressure.”Related

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Bangladesh’s sudden upswing in the T20I format had a lot to do with its proximity to the BPL, and the selectors’ willingness to pick the best performers from a tournament that ended only three weeks before the series. “Everyone in this team performed in this year’s BPL,” Shakib said. “It wasn’t too long ago before the England tour. The top five-six batters in this series were also the top run-getters in BPL. It is the same for the highest wicket-takers. The confidence did carry over, so I think that really helped us.”Shakib also told the long-term story of how this team gained confidence in T20Is. He believes it goes back to the Asia Cup last year when he took over the captaincy, but the real belief that they can win against major teams came in the T20 World Cup when Bangladesh won two matches for the first time in their history.”I have been leading the team since the Asia Cup last year,” he said. “We didn’t win a match there, but I thought we played good cricket. We were unfortunate not to reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. We were one win away from that achievement. We had a lot of doubt before the tournament, but the belief that we can compete with bigger teams started from the World Cup.”England’s lack of batting depth also played a hand in their success as Bangladesh knew that three or four wickets would bring them to the lower-order. “We had more confidence before this series, since we were playing at home,” Shakib added. “We capitalised on England being short of batters. It was our advantage that they didn’t have many batters after losing three or four wickets.”

Hamsphire fight back after Surrey dismantle top order

Vithushan Ehantharajah13-Apr-2023Surrey 37 for 0 trail Hampshire 254 all out (Brown 95, Lawes 4-58) by 217 runsIf you come to this part of south London, you’re guaranteed at least two things – Portuguese restaurants and wicketkeepers.There is a high concentration of both in this corner of Lambeth. As many as 10 of the former within a one-mile radius of the Kia Oval and four of the latter within the ground as part of Surrey’s XI for the visit of Hampshire. Probably more coincidence than anything else, but who could blame you for indulging the fan fiction that Alec Stewart’s penchant for a pastel de nata bred an Iberian culinary turf war?Nevertheless, if you want the best of either, this is a good part of the country to seek it. Usually, anyway. On Thursday, patrons of the Kia Oval for the defending champions’ 2023 homecoming were informed that one of the best wicketkeepers around was not part of the four. Ben Foakes, England’s incumbent behind the stumps – a position surely reinforced by 76 and 103 not out against Lancashire last week – was out with back issue. Not enough to raise concern, but enough to urge caution and bring a sense of disappointment no amount of custard tarts could overcome.Shorn of theirs and England’s number one, locals made do with Jamie Smith, a long-term international prospect, as deputy. Ollie Pope, who did it twice on the Test tour of Pakistan, was also a potential option, though he seemed happy enough standing at second slip. Skipper Rory Burns was once considered a capable understudy many moons ago. Trawl through the annals, and you’ll even find under-17 scorecards of allrounder Jordan Clark with a dagger by his name. By stumps, however, the leading wicketkeeper turn came from the opposition.Ben Brown stood above his peers with a diligent 95, holding Hampshire together on day one of this first battle of the summer between two title rivals. That the visitors made it to 254 in their first innings was a minor miracle, and Surrey’s score of 37 for no loss at stumps put the under-performance of Hampshire’s top-order into perspective.Brown arrived at the crease on 39 for 4, after James Vince had won the toss and chosen to bat first under bright blue skies. Kemar Roach worked over Felix Organ for his 50th first-class wicket for Surrey, then fortuitously bowled Nick Gubbins – the left-hander defending a ball that bounced and spun back onto his leg stump – for 51. At the other end, Vince had poked at Sean Abbott’s first delivery before Tom Lawes knocked out Liam Dawson’s off stump.Alec Stewart – a case of mild indigestion perhaps?•Getty Images

The 14th over hardly called for a “traditional” wicketkeeper in the modern sense. There was little to riff off beforehand and counter-attacking against a bowling group as rampant as they were relentless would have only gone one way. Just as well then that Brown strolled out.He is more batter-keeper than keeper-batter, and thus something of an anomaly among his full-time contemporaries. One who gets bowlers to come to him rather than the other way around, rarely straying from a self-imposed box, whether punching drives off the front foot or swivelling off the back foot to anything short. There are not many misjudgements, which makes the life he got on 3 all the more noteworthy.A hook off Sean Abbott burst through the hands of Lawes out on the square leg fence. Lawes would profit from Brown’s next error 146 deliveries later when the right-hander drifted across his stumps and was trapped in front, missing out on a 24th career century. The 20-year-old seamer made further amends to remove Keith Barker, the only other batter to offer resistance, before yorking Kyle Abbott to finish with 4 for 58.Brown used the time between his errors wisely, ticking over the scoreboard without taking undue risk, even for the 11 boundaries he managed. Even with the losses of Fletcha Middleton – caught behind for 32 after Smith had dropped him on 0 – and Ian Holland, Brown did not panic and go into cavalier mode. In Barker, he found an accomplished ally for a ball shy of 35 overs before their stand ended on 95.Brown has a degree of misfortune in that the gloves seem to distract from his batting, which is worthy of merit on its own. The straightforward methodology and average of 40.45 suggest he could have done it as a full-time pursuit, something lost by being a first-choice gloveman.That average has been steadily improving since 2015 and ticked over the magic 40 mark at the end of the 2021 season, where it has remained ever since. All the while, his keeping remains tidy, and in turn his value to Hampshire rises in tandem with the frustration of Sussex supporters. It remains a mystery why he was managed so poorly back in that 2021 summer when he was stripped of the captaincy. A mutually-agreed release from Hove two years ahead of time came to pass at the end of the year, ending an association that began as an under-11.Aged 34, international honours for a former England under-19 are probably gone, even if Brown has publicly stated he will keep pushing for a Test cap even when he’s 40. That he has rarely been mentioned in the numerous conversations around England’s keeping position over the years is best reflected in the “Foakes or Bairstow” one happening at the moment. The reliability of Foakes’ conventional batting is taken as read rather than a tick in his box.Brown falls into the same category. But, like Foakes, taking that for granted would be a mistake. Without his efforts, Hampshire could have been staring at a similar innings defeat they suffered here last season. Now, thanks to Brown, they will return with something to work with on day two.

While the tournament is set to be played between October 5 and November 19, the BCCI is yet to finalise the schedule

Nagraj Gollapudi27-May-2023The schedule for the 2023 World Cup will be unveiled during the World Test Championship final at The Oval, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has said. The board has prepared a list of more than a dozen venues across India, and the final shortlist will be shared with the ICC soon.Shah made these comments during a media briefing after the BCCI’s special general meeting in Ahmedabad which will host the IPL final on Sunday. While the ten-team World Cup is set to be played between October 5 and November 19, the BCCI is yet to finalise the schedule, with just about four months left for the start of the tournament.Related

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A total of 48 matches, including the three knockout games, are set to be played across the 46-day period. Ahmedabad aside, the original shortlist of cities on BCCI list comprised: Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot and Mumbai and Trivandrum. It is understood that Nagpur and Pune, too, are under consideration. It is likely that the league matches will be hosted across 10 cities, with two more cities staging the warm-up fixtures preceding the main tournament.

Asia Cup to be formally discussed at ACC meeting

Shah, who is also the current president of the Asian Cricket Council, said an emergent meeting of the ACC will be held to finalise whether the hybrid model proposed by the PCB for the 2023 Asia Cup is feasible.On Sunday, Shah will be meeting his counterparts from Sri Lanka Cricket, Bangladesh Cricket Board, and Afghanistan Cricket Board to informally discuss their views on the Asia Cup.Pakistan are the hosts of this year’s Asia Cup, scheduled for September, but with India declining to travel there, the ACC has been looking at alternatives. Recently, the PCB had suggested a hybrid model for the six-team tournament, where four of the 13 matches will be held in Pakistan. Both India and Pakistan are grouped together along with Nepal. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are part of the second group.The biggest challenge about the hybrid model concerns the travel involved. Shah said “two or three countries” had sent in their views, which will be formally discussed at the ACC meeting in the next ten days.Shah said, in his capacity as ACC chairman, he wanted the Asia Cup to go ahead this year. The tournament has not been be hosted in Pakistan or India since 2008 due to the political differences between both countries.