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PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi was originally meant to be part of the presentation after the final, but the host board said he was unwell and unable to travel to Dubai

Danyal Rasool10-Mar-2025The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked the ICC for an explanation after the Champions Trophy tournament director Sumair Ahmed was not included in the post-final presentation ceremony in Dubai on Sunday. Sumair, who is also the chief operating officer of the PCB, was in Dubai for the final in his capacity as tournament director and Pakistan’s representative at the final. Pakistan were official hosts of the Champions Trophy.After India beat New Zealand to secure the title, four officials were part of the presentation ceremony, including Jay Shah, the ICC chair, two from the BCCI, one from New Zealand Cricket but none from the PCB. Other than Shah, the officials present were BCCI president Roger Binny, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and NZC director Roger Twose. It is not customary for representatives of nations playing the final to feature in post-tournament ICC ceremonies, unless the final involves the host country.ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB was puzzled by the presence of Saikia, given that one BCCI official – Binny – was on stage anyway. But it is the exclusion of the host representative that has most antagonised the board. Representatives of the host nation are generally part of trophy presentations. The PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi was originally meant to be part of the presentations but the PCB said he was unwell and unable to travel to Dubai. They expected Sumair to stand in as Pakistan’s representative.Related

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While it is understood the PCB did not reach out to the ICC to inform it that Sumair would take Naqvi’s place on the podium, the Pakistan board believes the onus was on the ICC to contact it about Naqvi’s replacement. The PCB is aggrieved no ICC representative reached out to the board at any stage during the final to discuss plans for a Pakistani presence on the podium post-match.A PCB official said the ICC was yet to respond to the PCB with any explanation. ESPNcricinfo has also reached out to the ICC for a comment.The final was held in Dubai as part of a deal struck between the PCB and the BCCI. Naqvi was initially adamant the entirety of the tournament – the first ICC event Pakistan has hosted since 1996 – would be held in Pakistan. However, the BCCI said the Indian government had refused permission to their cricket team to travel to Pakistan. As such, the two boards reached an arrangement that saw India play all their games in Dubai, with all ICC events the two nations host over the next three years seeing the other side play their games at a separate neutral venue.This is the third time this tournament the PCB has approached the ICC for explanation following incidents they feel have undermined Pakistan as official hosts of the Champions Trophy. During the second game of the tournament, when India played Bangladesh in Dubai, Pakistan’s name was omitted from the logo on the official broadcast.The following day, when Australia played England at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the Indian national anthem briefly began to play instead of the Australian anthem. The PCB squarely held the ICC responsible, saying the anthem playlist was produced and distributed by the governing body, with the ICC in charge of playing the anthems before the matches. The ICC put the absence of the logo down to error, while, according to the PCB, the global governing body offered its regrets for the anthem mix-up and put it down to a DJ error.

Allrounder set to resume Test career, but his ICC disciplinary record is hanging over him

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2018Joe Root has conceded that Ben Stokes will have to be on his “best behaviour” when he makes his comeback to Test cricket against New Zealand in Auckland on Thursday, amid the very real threat of more time on the sidelines if he steps out of line.Stokes, who missed the Ashes after being arrested in Bristol in September and subsequently charged with affray, resumes his Test career with three active ICC demerit points to his name. He is therefore just one transgression away from triggering an automatic one-match ban, an issue that was brought back into focus this week by Kagiso Rabada’s disciplinary hearing during the South Africa-Australia Test series.Stokes’ points, which stay on a player’s record for 24 months, stem from three previous on-field incidents. In October 2016, he was sanctioned for an altercation with Bangladesh’s Sabbir Rahman, and then picked up two further Level 1 offences, against India at Mohali in November 2016, and West Indies at Headingley in September 2017.”You’re always aware of that,” said Root. “You want to make sure, not just that [your players’ behaviour] is sitting well with you, but they’re able to be on the field for the next game and next series.”I’m sure there might be a bit of noise about that after what’s happened [to Rabada] – about demerit points and missing games. He’ll have to be on best behaviour.”Stokes’ disciplinary status had been hanging over him even before his Ashes omission, with opposition teams beginning to realise that his hot-headed nature was liable to boil over if provoked. And, to judge by the events of Australia’s subsequent series, a flashpoint would surely only ever have been a matter of time.On Tuesday, Rabada was cleared to play in this week’s third Test at Newlands, after successfully appealing against a Level 2 charge, and two-Test ban, imposed in the wake of his shoulder-brushing incident with Steven Smith, the Australia captain, at Port Elizabeth.However, the nature of Rabada’s original punishment has highlighted a potential flaw in the ICC’s demerit point system, in that players with previous blemishes on their records are likelier to find themselves in repeated hot water.Radaba had already served a one-Test ban during last summer’s tour of England, after being caught swearing on the stump microphone after taking the wicket (of Stokes, as it happens) during the Lord’s Test in July.However, arguably the biggest incident of the Australia-South Africa series to date was David Warner’s off-field outburst against Quinton de Kock, which was caught on CCTV as the teams left the field during a break in play at Port Elizabeth. Warner was charged with a Level 2 offence and handed three demerit points – but because he had not previously attracted the attention of the ICC match referee, he did not automatically cross the four-point threshold for a ban.”It is a perception thing, I suppose, isn’t it,” said Root, “because no one really knows what’s said out in the middle. You can see what you think is going on. But I suppose the consistency of things has to be there. It’s certainly got people talking about Test cricket, hasn’t it? That’s one thing, for sure.”There’s always been that cloud of recent times between Australia and ‘the line’ – where theirs is compared to everyone else’s,” Root added. “But I’m sure they’ll come back and say they’re probably disciplined less than anyone else around world cricket – in terms of bans and fines.Asked if it was the captain’s responsibility to uphold a team’s standards of behaviour, Root said: “For me, it’s your team and you want to make sure…you’re heading up this team, and if it’s portraying an image of something you don’t like then I suppose that’s on you.”James Anderson last week insisted there was still a place for “emotion” on the field, in the wake of Rabada’s admission that he needed to curb his temper out in the middle, and Root agreed that there needed to some leeway for players to get their juices flowing during an intense passage of play.”I suppose you want to make sure you’re getting the best out of your players and they feel they can maximise their game – if they like to get in a little one-on-one battle with the batter, then they’re able to do so.”But [it’s] to a point which does not exceed your own line. That’s where I’m at with it. It has to sit well with me – and generally I think we’re very good at it.”Root hoped, however, that it was not the case that opposition teams were starting to target certain players in an attempt to trigger a reaction.”I wouldn’t want to go into a series as captain and my players be trying to get someone banned,” he said. “You want to beat the best team. That [would be] detracting from the game.”For me, it’s about making sure you’re doing everything you can to improve Test cricket and make it the best it can be – so that when you go and win, it’s that bit more special.”I think one of the problems is they’re on demerit points in the first place. They can almost use the excuse ‘I’ve been pushed to this point of getting banned’ – but they’ve got themselves into a position where they’ve got two demerit points to start with. People sort of forget that bit.”If then someone wants to behave out of order on the field, then that will be called upon … but I suppose that’s the responsibility of the match referee, to see if someone is trying to provoke it.”That’s his responsibility to keep an eye on that and make sure that’s not the case.”

There had been confusion as to the reasons of the delay, with some reports suggesting it was because he has also separately applied for a longer-term spouse visa

Umar Farooq23-Apr-2018Pakistan’s team took off for their tour of Ireland and England on Monday morning without one essential member of the squad: Mohammad Amir. The pace spearhead’s departure has been held back because of a delay in his visa, but the PCB are confident that he should be granted a visa this week.Amir is the most experienced member of an inexperienced pace attack, ahead of what will be his third bilateral tour of England. Late on Monday, Amir was informed he could collect his passport and he is expected to fly for London on Wednesday subject to the visa having been issued. There had been confusion as to the reasons of the delay, with some reports suggesting it was because he has also separately applied for a longer-term spouse visa which eventually places him on the path to a British passport.But the PCB has said that is not the case. “He [Amir] didn’t travel with the team as we are still awaiting for his visa,” PCB spokesman confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. “His visa status is still pending but we are optimistic that he is mostly likely to get the visa by Wednesday before he starts his journey same day.”The delay is not unusual for him, stemming potentially from concerns about the impact of his brief jail stint in the UK on spot-fixing charges. On Pakistan’s last tour of England in 2016, Amir had faced a similar delay in acquiring his visa, with the PCB ultimately engaging the ECB to support in the visa process. In 2014, Amir applied for a UK visa in his personal capacity but that was rejected.In 2016, Amir married a British citizen of Pakistani origin and has since visited the UK regularly. Last year he played county cricket for Essex and was also in London for the birth of his first child (as well as for the Champions Trophy). Amir is in the process of applying for an indefinite leave to remain visa which, potentially, allows him to acquire a British passport in the next five years.

There have been question marks over how the team has been too slow to start and aren’t always explosive at the end, but the head coach is having none of it

Melinda Farrell23-Jun-2019Justin Langer has hit back at criticism of the Australian side’s approach during the World Cup and backed his players’ form and game plans as they prepare to face England at Lord’s on Tuesday.Australia have lost one game – against India – in their campaign, compared to England’s two defeats at the hands of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but despite this Langer believes the hosts are still favourites.”Just look at their team,” Langer said at Australia’s training session at Merchant Taylors School. “Nothing has changed in a week.””We have seen how they played for four years. They are the best team in the world. I’m not really worried [about] what England are doing. It sounds like a coach’s cliché but it is the dead truth. We are concentrating on what we are doing. We are doing okay but we can get better.”A win for Australia at Lord’s would heap added pressure on England, who are yet to face the two undefeated sides of the tournament, India and New Zealand, and Langer expects the match to be decided by which team can best deal with their nerves.”You can look at it two ways,” Langer said. “We all have a bit to do. They have three games. They will be tough games but it will be like that in the semi-final. They should be welcoming that. If you are nice and battle hardened, then you might be weary, but you will be ready for the contest. For both teams, it is a good thing. We have England, New Zealand and South Africa, teams we have had good contests with. It is a positive for whoever makes the semis, if they are playing tough cricket going into it.”This tournament is going to be about who can hold their nerve in the big moments. We have got to concentrate on how we hold our nerve in the big moments. There are going to be plenty of them in the next three games and hopefully the semi-final.”I have said for 6-8 months, when it comes to a World Cup there is a lot of talk about statistics, but it comes down to match play and we have to play England on Tuesday better than they play us.”Glenn Maxwell almost throws himself off his feet•Getty Images

Australia have been forced to tinker with their line-up because of a side strain that kept allrounder Marcus Stoinis out for two matches while David Warner has admitted to struggling with fluency despite scoring two centuries and Usman Khawaja appeared to be less comfortable when coming in to bat down the order. And although they have faced questions surrounding the selection and form of some players, they have also ground out some of their wins without necessarily playing at their peak and now sit at No. 2 on the table. Langer was pleased with where they stood in the tournament but expressed his frustration at some criticism.”It is satisfying,” Langer said. “But everyone knows whatever we do people will try to pick holes in it. If Uzzie had not made runs the other day we would have been smashed but he did and nobody said anything. That is life. That is okay. That is the business we are in.”It is easy being a commentator.”Australia have generally taken a more conservative approach at the start of their innings, particularly with Warner scoring at a slower rate upon his return to ODIs. But Langer pointed to the way his side has improved over the months leading into the World Cup as proof their tactics are working.”We have a game plan,” Langer said. “We just got 381. It has been a long time since Australia got 381. There have been a lot of critics saying we can’t do that. But I have maintained for a long time that if we stick to our game plan and conditions are right we will be ok. We have done that for the last six months or so and hopefully we will keep doing that.”In Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, Australia have one of the most potent new-ball attacks in the tournament but Langer was nevertheless wary of England’s batting prowess, particularly in the form of Jos Buttler.”Jos Buttler is an unbelievable player. I love watching him bat. I hope he gets a duck in this game obviously, but I saw him at Somerset and he is an unbelievable athlete and an incredible finisher. He is the new Dhoni of world cricket. We know we will have to be on our game. But they have a number of players. Stokes, Morgan, even Woakes at the end smacks them over point all the time and pulls well. They have a very strong batting unit and we will have to be right on it.”

India’s batting order will be of interest given all the shuffling they have done so far

Sidharth Monga25-Sep-20255:02

Aaron to India: Don’t chop and change batting line-up

Big picture: Who will bat where for India?

The last time India and Sri Lanka faced each other in international cricket, Sri Lanka defended their home turf like wounded lions to blank India out in an animated ODI series. Now, though, they come up against each other in an Asia Cup dead rubber with Sri Lanka already knocked out and an unbeaten India already in the final.Related

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However, with India seemingly playing roulette with their batting order, there is always anticipation to see what the box of chocolates throws up next. In India’s previous dead rubber, against Oman, Sanju Samson was promoted to No. 3 and Suryakumar Yadav didn’t bat at all even though India lost eight wickets. In their last match, Sanju Samson didn’t get to bat even though India lost six wickets.There must be some method to what Suryakumar and coach Gautam Gambhir are doing, but the pundits on the outside haven’t been able to figure it out. What happens next is anyone’s guess.Sri Lanka have been on the receiving end of a fickle format. There hasn’t been much separating the three teams other than India in the Super Fours. Sri Lanka have lost both their tosses, and have just not been able to post winning totals. Against India, they will need more than the toss to go their way.

Form guide

India WWWWW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLWWWSri Lanka will hope to end a disappointing Super Fours stage with a consolation win•Asian Cricket Council

In the spotlight: Abhishek Sharma and Wanindu Hasaranga

One change India will not want to make is rest Abhishek Sharma and halt the almighty momentum he has on his side. He has 248 runs in this Asia Cup at better than two a ball. He has twice threatened to get to a century. You don’t ask a batter on such a roll to rest.Wanindu Hasaranga has gone for less than a run a ball through this tournament, and will relish bowling against a top line-up on a slow Dubai track. Especially outside the powerplay.

Team news: All eyes on India’s reserves

Like they did against Oman in the first round, there is a good chance India will experiment on Friday. Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma remain the only ones in the squad who haven’t got a game. It remains to be seen if India throw them into the mix. Playing Jitesh doesn’t necessarily mean leaving out Sanju Samson, who needs time in the middle before the final.India (probable): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Sanju Samson (wk), 5 Rinku Singh/Jitesh Sharma, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Arshdeep Singh.Sri Lanka haven’t quite found their ideal combination through the tournament, but wholesale changes won’t make sense either. They could perhaps look to get Kamil Mishara in for Chamika Karunaratne.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Charith Asalanka (capt.), 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Chamika Karunaratne/ Kamil Mishara, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Nuwan Thushara.

Pitch and conditions

As the tournament progresses, scoring quickly keeps getting harder. The powerplay, and what the set batters can do outside of it, remains critical.

Stats and trivia

• India and Sri Lanka have have faced each other in Dubai once previously. It was in the Super Fours stage of the Asia Cup back in 2022. Sri Lanka won the toss, inserted India, and won by six wickets.
• Hardik Pandya needs three wickets to become the second India bowler after Arshdeep Singh to 100 in T20Is.

The Australia coach said both Handscomb and Stoinis would feature in the XI for the semi-final against England

Melinda Farrell in Birmingham09-Jul-2019Marcus Stoinis will be fit to play in Australia’s semi-final against England and Peter Handscomb will be in the XI as a replacement for Usman Khawaja, according to Justin Langer.Stoinis appeared to have recovered from a side strain he sustained in Australia’s loss to South Africa and batted and bowled during Tuesday’s training session at Edgbaston.”He looks good,” said Langer after training. “It was a very good nets session actually, there was a bit of heat in there again and it was very competitive and that always brings the best out in ‘Stoins’, so he did a good job today and he’s fit to go.”Handscomb initially joined the squad as a replacement for Shaun Marsh, who was earlier ruled out of the tournament with a broken forearm. Matthew Wade and Mitchell Marsh were also called in as cover for Khawaja and Stoinis, but Langer indicated that only Handscomb was likely to come straight into the team.”I’ll tell you the truth. Peter Handscomb will definitely play, 100 percent” said Langer. “He deserves it. He was stiff not to be on this tour, he was so unlucky not to be in the initial squad after what he’d done to get us to that point. He’s in good form, he played well for Australia A, gives us that nice balance in the middle order. He’s got good temperament, he plays spin well, he’s on top of his game, so Pete will definitely play.”Australia’s relaxed air was evident as they prefaced their training session by singing happy birthday to Austin Marsh, son of Shaun. Later in the afternoon, some of the players wrestled with the toddler on the outfield. The previous day the entire squad walked barefoot around the outfield, a practice described by some onlookers as a type of connecting or ‘earthing’, but the notion of any new-age ritual was shot down by Langer, who said it was something he would often do with his opening partner, Mathew Hayden.”What was it called?” asked Langer. “I don’t know what you call it, we just took our shoes and socks off and walked a lap of the oval. It’s a nice thing to do, it’s a nice place to be. Haydos and I used to do it, just as a bit of a ritual before every Test match.”You can walk on the best grounds in the world with your shoes off. So there’s nothing to it. We walked a lap of the oval, we had a tough game against South Africa, it’s just about staying as relaxed as possible.”We know we’re going to be up against it. England are a great team and we’ve got to be at our best, and the best way to be at your best is to be nice and relaxed. It was just walking a lap of the oval with our shoes off. We could’ve done it with our shoes on and nobody would’ve said anything.”There is certainly a far more laid back appearance to this squad than the last time they faced England at Edgbaston. In the only T20I of their 2018 tour, Australia lost by 28 runs before going on to lose all five ODIs of the series. But this Australian squad has a very different look, both in personnel and mental state.”If you go back 12 months ago there wasn’t too much to be relaxed and chilled about in Australian cricket, was there?” Langer said. “And that’s the truth. We went through a major crisis in our cricket. It didn’t just affect our cricket, it affected our country, so there wasn’t too much to be relaxed about. We’ve had to work hard on being more humble in what we do and being focussed on playing good cricket but also being good people as well. And I know there will be some English people who will laugh about that but its actually true. We had to work hard on that and that’s a good bunch of players.”You get more relaxed as you start playing better as an individual or as a team. Maybe we are a bit more relaxed but only on the back of playing good cricket and having had to work hard on that.”While Australia’s squad bears little resemblance to the one that was trounced last summer, Langer said he admires the way England have built a strong squad through continuity.”They’ve been together for four years,” said Langer. “And going back to the question about this being a more relaxed squad, you get to know each other and enjoy each other’s company. They’ve got great continuity, England, and obviously have unbelievable confidence because they have played together for four years.”And they’ve obviously got a good game plan and a lot of very talented cricketers. All those factors combined is why they’re the best team in the world at the moment. And we’re aware of that – it’s going to be a really tough game on Thursday – but looking forward to it as well. It’s always nice, England playing Australia in the Ashes or big games like this. We’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”I have maintained it from day one, England are going to be really hard to beat in this tournament. They had a couple of little blips, but they fought back really strongly and that’s what we expected to happen.””Regardless of what happens on Thursday – and I’m sure Trevor Bayliss and Eoin (Morgan) are saying the same thing – regardless of what happens Thursday they would very proud of what’s happened in the past four years.”

Steve Denison has been handed one of the biggest personal fines in the history of accountancy regulation

George Dobell13-Jun-2018Steve Denison, the chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, is facing a lengthy exclusion from audit work after being handed one of the biggest personal fines in the history of accountancy regulation.Sky News have revealed that Denison, a former partner at accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is to be fined GBP500,000 and banned (ESPNcricinfo understands he actually voluntarily agreed to sign an undertaking not to audit and withdraw his name from the register of statutory auditors) for 15 years by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) for his part in the audit of BHS ahead of its controversial sale by Philip Green in 2014. Denison was lead partner on the BHS audit.The deal, which included a GBP215million write-off of debt, saw the lossmaking business with a large pension deficit sold to Dominic Chappell, a three-time former bankrupt with no retail experience, for GBP1. BHS subsequently went into administration and, after no buyer was found, was wound down. 11,000 jobs were lost and the pension deficit was assessed to be GBP571million. Green eventually agreed to pay GBP363million into the pension scheme after the Pensions Regulator initiated legal action against him.It is understood that Denison left PwC voluntarily last week. Sky News have reported that the fine will be reduced to GBP325,000 after Denison agreed to settle. He will be in his late 60s by the time the exclusion expires so it effectively ends his career. He is also understood to have agreed to remove himself from the register of statutory auditors, though he remains a chartered accountant.Denison had previously been obliged to appear before a House of Commons Select Committee who wanted to know why PwC had been prepared to sign off the company’s accounts as a going concern when insolvency seemed imminent.While there is yet to be any official word on Denison’s position at Yorkshire it seems inevitable he will stand down. The ECB’s ‘Fit and Proper Person’ test states that an individual cannot be on a board or general committee if they are “subject to any form of suspension, disqualification or striking-off by a professional body including, without limitation, the Law Society, the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority, the Bar Council or the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales or any equivalent body in any jurisdiction outside England and Wales, whether such suspension,disqualification or striking-off is direct or indirect.””The Directors of The Yorkshire County Cricket Club await the full report of the FRC relating to the conduct of its Chairman Mr Steve Denison in his capacity as an Audit Partner of PWC,” a statement from Yorkshire sent to ESPNcricinfo read. “Once all the information has been gleaned, the Board will decide an appropriate course of action.”No further comment on this matter will be made by the Club, or individuals, until the process has been completed.”

Thakur, Sai Sudharsan replace Nitish Kumar Reddy and Karun Nair for India, while Dawson comes in for the injured Bashir

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2025Toss Shubman Gill believes that a combination of a good batting surface and gloomy overhead conditions made it a “good toss to lose” in Manchester after England captain Ben Stokes won his fourth in a row and inserted India.No team has ever chosen to bowl at Old Trafford and gone on to win a Test match, but Stokes believes that his team can defy that trend. “There’s pretty decent overhead conditions for bowling,” he explained at the toss. “It’s a typical Manchester wicket: quite firm, a little bit of grass coverage. Hopefully, we can make use of it this morning.”India made three changes, two of them forced, and handed a Test debut to Anshul Kamboj, the Haryana and Chennai Super Kings seamer. Sai Sudharsan replaces Karun Nair at No. 3 after he failed to pass 40 in the first three Tests, while Shardul Thakur and Kamboj replace the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep.Gill said he was “a bit confused” as to whether he would have chosen to bat or bowl first, but was spared the decision as India lost their 14th consecutive toss across all men’s internationals. “The way we have played in the last three matches has been outstanding,” Gill said, isolating only the “small crunch moments” as the difference between the teams.England announced their XI two days before the game with a single, forced change from the side that won by 22 runs at Lord’s last week. Liam Dawson, the Hampshire allrounder, returns for his first Test in eight years, replacing Shoaib Bashir who fractured the little finger on his left hand while attempting a return catch in the third Test.

Australia’s captain will likely have a role to play against India later in the year but for now is taking things easy

Matt Roller10-Sep-20241:02

Marsh: Australia vs England always a fierce battle

Mitchell Marsh has hinted that his five-month absence from the bowling crease is unlikely to come to an end during Australia’s T20I series. Marsh has not bowled in a competitive match since tearing his hamstring during the IPL, including in last week’s 3-0 clean sweep up in Scotland.Australia have an abundance of allrounders in their T20 set-up, with Jake Fraser-McGurk the only man in their squad who neither keeps wicket nor bowls. With Marsh keen to give Cameron Green and Aaron Hardie opportunities with the ball, his own medium pace is unlikely to be required.Related

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“I’m sort of just building,” Marsh said. “I don’t tend to bowl myself too much, is the honest answer, and we’re lucky that we’ve got plenty of bowling options within our team, so we’ll see how we go… my bowling’s on line: whether or not I bowl, we’ll wait and see. We’ve got heaps of options. I’m always building something.”Australia will hope to have Marsh fully fit to bowl during their five-match Test series against India, which starts in Perth on November 22 – which he described as feeling “like a long time away”. Their management will carefully manage players workloads before that series, with Pat Cummins missing the whole England tour to give him a break from bowling.”A lot of our priorities will be geared around that,” Andrew McDonald, Australia’s coach, told on Tuesday morning. “You’ll see that unfold with the management of our players. We’ll be very pointed around who does what in terms of [Sheffield] Shield cricket coming into the summer to make sure that they are ready for that first Test match.”Australia play Pakistan in three ODIs and three T20Is in November, and it is expected that anyone included in the Test squad won’t feature in the T20Is. “We may have to give up a little bit in terms of that Pakistan white-ball series with certain players, to make sure that we are firmly prepared,” McDonald said. “We’re really keen for India to arrive.”This UK tour is Australia’s first men’s cricket since their Super Eight exit in June’s T20 World Cup, which saw them win their first five matches before back-to-back defeats against Afghanistan and India saw them crash out. Marsh has retained the T20 captaincy – and will also step in for Cummins in the five ODIs against England – but was coy on his long-term ambitions.”It feels like a lifetime ago now, that T20 World Cup,” Marsh said. “It was just disappointment: we went there with the hope of winning it, like every other team did, and unfortunately, we didn’t play our best cricket at the right time. In tournament play, that’s what you rely on…there’s a lot of cricket to be played between now and the next World Cup [in 2026] but hopefully I’m there.”McDonald isolated Australia’s fielding as the primary reason for their failure to reach the semi-finals, most notably dropping five catches in the defeat to Afghanistan. “We’ve got a few things that we need to work through, but clearly the key area for us that was disappointing was our fielding… that makes it really difficult for the captain and the team to function.”There was some discussion around Mitch Marsh and his captaincy, but if creating opportunities for the team with your bowling changes and your field positions is the way that we’re going to critique a captain, I thought he did a fantastic job. We just weren’t able to execute in those moments, and that really played out in the Afghanistan game.”

Bangladesh batter was dropped from the Champions Trophy squad on Sunday morning, and scored a BPL hundred later that day

Mohammad Isam13-Jan-2025Bangladesh batter Litton Das has accepted that he was dropped from the ODI squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy because of his poor form. Bangladesh announced their squad on Sunday morning and later that day Litton smashed an unbeaten 125 off 55 balls for Dhaka Capital against Durbar Rajshahi in the BPL.”The Champions Trophy selection wasn’t in my control,” Litton said after his performance. “The selectors took the call. They decide whom to play. My job is to perform. I haven’t been able to do that. I think I was a bit upset about it. I have the same mindset before and after the game today. The day has already passed. I have played a good knock but it’s in the past. I start from zero again. I will keep working hard, let’s see what happens next.”I was given a clear message. Maybe not from the selectors but it is easy to find out why I wasn’t picked in the team. I was dropped because I wasn’t performing. There’s nothing to hide about it. Basic, normal.”Related

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Litton hasn’t made it out of single digits in his last seven ODI innings and his previous 50-plus score was in October 2023. “Fans will support me but then when I don’t do well, people will be negative. That’s not really my concern,” he said. “I am focused on what I need to do. I haven’t been playing well, so I need to improve my game. I won’t change overnight, so I have to keep trying. People will love it when I score runs.”I am not out there to prove to anyone. I only look for improvement. I don’t think I was playing well for the last few months. I will try to become more consistent from this point, especially after this innings.”Litton began the BPL season poorly with scores of 31, 0, 2 and 9 before making 73 and 125 not out in consecutive games. The hundred helped Dhaka Capital end a run of six consecutive defeats.His unbeaten 125 contained 10 fours and nine sixes and his 241-run opening stand with Tanzid Hasan was the second highest partnership in men’s T20 cricket. Litton credited Shahin, a member of the Dhaka support staff who has given him throwdowns for years, for helping him out of his rut.”Shahin has been working in the [Dhaka Capital]) team. He has worked with Comilla Victorians for the last three years … He helps me in training all the time, and passes on information from time to time. He is capable of pointing out a batter’s mistake. That’s why I thanked him. But listen, please don’t make a news that he has now become a coach.”Litton believes Dhaka’s 149-run win against Rajshahi will help them perform better in the second half of the BPL season. “We have a good team but we haven’t been able to click so far. I think today was the first time we performed as a unit, both with bat and ball. We still have five matches left. Two teams are at the top, while the rest are around the same points. I think our run rate will improve after this game. We got our rhythm going. I don’t know if we can win the next games, but we feel more confident.”