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As soon as she was off the mark, Tammy Beaumont felt at home as an opener just as much as she looked the part, as her polished half-century led England to victory in their T20I series opener against West Indies.Beaumont scored a second-ball duck the last time the sides met, having returned to the top of the order in England’s 46-run win in the group stage of the T20 World Cup in March, after she had played a floating role through the tournament. It was the last international for either side before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, leaving players with an enforced break that Beaumont believes helped her game.”It’s amazing to be back out there and to really kind of kick us off at the top of the order, getting a chance back up there is just really good,” Beaumont said after her 62 from 49 balls handed England a 47-run win in the first edition of their five-match series in Derby.”You have to take that as, you know, your chance. A couple of weeks ago I was a little bit stressed thinking, ‘you know, I’m not hitting them that well and could end up out of the team here,’ because we’ve just got such a talented batting line-up at the moment and everyone wants a go at the top or in the top five. It’s not unthinkable that I would have been left out.”So I had a bit of a word to myself, said, ‘you’ve still got a hand in it, you’ve still got four or five games, just do your best, and just enjoy it and really embrace it’.”Having three months off fully from cricket reminded me of the reason I started playing, and the little girl that was just desperate to get out in the garden and play. So it was a good time to have a little mental break for me and start loving cricket again.”ALSO READ: Beaumont’s opening gambit sets up comfortable England winThe first ball Beaumont faced on Monday was a wild, out-swinging wide from Shamilia Connell, and she punished Connell’s third legitimate ball for four through midwicket to get off the mark and settle some nerves.Not only was Beaumont feeling the pressure of proving herself worthy of her place in the side, but she had also been tasked with setting England off to a strong start, with coach Lisa Keightley identifying batting in the Powerplay as one of the team’s key areas for improvement.”I was quite nervous going into tonight,” Beaumont said. “But once I got off the mark I was happy because obviously back in January I got nought against this lot.”As captains Stafanie Taylor and Heather Knight had indicated leading into the series, both teams wore the Black Lives Matter logo on their playing shirts and took a knee in support of the movement before play began.With England having won the toss and chosen to bat first, Beaumont was able to take part on the pitch in a gesture she felt was extremely important.”This is our first game and we really wanted to make a stand, particularly for Black Lives Matter,” she said. “It’s a really powerful moment.”It’s really important for anyone with any kind of platform to really stand up for what matters and certainly, for me, I feel like I’ve personally been educated since what happened in America.”It’s really opened my eyes to some of the white privilege that I get every day and for me it’s really important that we address this issue and stand together, really.”Deandra Dottin, making her comeback from a shoulder injury, didn’t bowl but she top-scored for West Indies with 69 from 59 balls. In reaching her fifty, she faced 21 dot balls, which was indicative of West Indies’ problem with their run chase against a miserly England attack.As in the lead-up to the series, Dottin gave questioning over her bowling short shrift, saying only that she wasn’t required “because we had enough bowlers”.”The knock for me was pretty good but unfortunately I didn’t get that opportunity to bring the game home for the team,” Dottin said. “I wouldn’t say they were better prepared than us, I just think that they actually came at us hard.”

Navdeep Saini, the Royal Challengers Bangalore fast bowler, has suffered a split webbing in his right hand while bowling in the match against the Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. He got hit on the right thumb while fielding off his own bowling, forcing him to immediately leave the field after the 18th over of the Super Kings’ chase in Dubai.A plastic surgeon was instantly called to stitch his right webbing. This puts him in considerable doubt for the Royal Challengers’ next game against the Mumbai Indians on October 28, even though Evan Speechly, the team physio, says he’d be working overtime to get him ready.”Saini has split his webbing in the last ball there,” Speechly told after the match. “He obviously got hit on the right thumb. Fortunately, we had a good hand surgeon who stitched up nicely. We will monitor overnight and check whether he can ready for next match. I cannot be sure when he is good to go but hoping he will play next match.”The injury is similar to what Virat Kohli suffered in the 2016 season. At the time, Kohli had nine stiches on his right hand but continued to play. He finished that season with 973 runs, the most by a batsman in a single edition.”Virat four-five years ago had it in Kolkata. We managed to stop the bleeding and he smashed a 100 [113, against the Kings XI Punjab] after we got a plastic surgeon who had stitched it. Unfortunately, you cannot compare the two injuries,” Speechly explained. “Some people manage it and some can’t.”It’s also because Saini’s injury is on his bowling hand, so it puts a lot of pressure on him. I cannot be sure when he will be good to go. I am hoping that he will be good to play in the next game and the rest of the tournament.”Saini has been key to the Royal Challengers’ turnaround this season. He has so far played in all 11 games, and while he has only picked up five wickets, he has been among the most economical pacers in the team, conceding just 7.95 runs an over.If Saini isn’t fit enough to take the field, the Royal Challengers’ have Umesh Yadav as a like-for-like replacement. Yadav, however, has struggled for consistency, featuring in just two games so far. They also have a spin-bowling allrounder in Shahbaz Ahmed on the bench.Only their net run rate separates third-placed Royal Challengers with table-toppers Mumbai. They’ve won seven out of their 11 games and are primed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, when they finished runners-up. The Royal Challengers play two of the top three – Mumbai and the Delhi Capitals – to round off the league stages.

The disparity between Glenn Maxwell’s record for Australia in T20Is with his performances in the Indian Premier League is stark, but the right-hand batsman put it down to having a “clearer role” with Australia as against the frequent changes in his batting position and roles that the changing landscape of various franchises in the IPL demanded. Maxwell averages 33.52 at a strike rate of 158.36 in 64 matches for Australia. In the IPL, while his strike rate has remained up there at 156.78, his average after 76 matches is 22.38.”I probably would not (compare IPL and Australia career). The way I have played international cricket, it has been more of a clearer role. I know exactly how the guys will bat around me,” he said in a chat with PTI. “My role in IPL changes probably for most games. In IPL, a lot of teams change their sides a lot. In the Australian set-up we have the same eleven for most of the games, we all know our roles really well.”Maxwell came to IPL 2020 on the back of some good form, having hit 77 and 108 in two matches of the three-ODI series in England, where Australia won 2-1. But he has totalled just 58 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 95.08 for Kings XI Punjab so far.ALSO READ: Maxwell ‘shattered’, Stoinis shines, and Warner vs Archer“When you are only together for two months in the year with IPL, there is going to be chopping and changing,” Maxwell said. “You are always looking for that right team balance. The team you pick at the start of the tournament might not have the balance you think as you progress.”We feel we are getting closer to that (team balance). I have had different experiences where I have not quite performed to the level people expect but there has been no lack of trying, (or) putting the effort in training.”Maxwell, who has also turned out for Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians in the past, had his best season in the IPL in 2014, hitting 552 runs (strike rate of 187.75) in a man of the tournament performance that took the Kings XI to the final for the first, and so far only, time in their history.”Despite the fact I did well in 2014, I actually thought my performance in 2017 was my best season,” Maxwell said of the time he made 310 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 173.18 for the Kings XI, also taking seven wickets at an economy rate of 6.57. “Being captain, Man of the Match multiple times and I bowled a lot more. I thought that was my best season in the IPL. I was able to combine some match-winning knocks with some mature knocks.”The following season, he played for Delhi but didn’t have great success. He did not take part in IPL 2019.

Tasmania and Canberra will host the first batch of BBL games this summer from December 10, before the competition swings into Queensland and Adelaide late in the month.Cricket Australia unveiled a long-delayed schedule for the first portion of the competition on Thursday, with 21 matches locked on up until New Year’s Eve. The remaining fixtures will likely include Sydney and Melbourne, with negotiations also ongoing around holding some games in Perth. It is believed that Melbourne may be lined up to host the tournament finals.The finals series begins with the Eliminator (January 29), followed by the Qualifier (January 30), the Knockout (January 31), the Challenger (February 4) with the Grand Final, which will have a reserve day in case of bad weather, on February 6.ALSO SEE: Full BBL fixture listHobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers, Perth Scorchers, Melbourne Renegades and Adelaide Strikers will all commence their campaigns in Hobart at Bellerive Oval, while Sydney Thunder, Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat will begin their tilts for the title in matches at Canberra’s Manuka Oval. Defending champions the Sixers will open the tournament against the Hurricanes.”Our ambition and really strong hope is that we can get BBL matches to every market,” Alistair Dobson, the head of the BBL, said. “As those border restrictions and movements become clearer almost daily that will allow us to lock that in with more confidence. If we can get games to every club’s home market, that’s certainly our desire.”On the prospect of a pre-determined location for the final, he added: “It comes up in our planning every year as to whether you lock in a venue and it allows you to do promotion and event planning. The flip side is that making sure you have passionate home fans in the stadium. BBL is known for its innovation and is prepared to take risks on those things so we are definitely open for it.”The 2021 fixtures for the tournament have been unveiled, but with their venues to be confirmed – there remains the possibility that these later rounds will revert to a more conventional home and away fixture should state borders and related restrictions be eased in the time of Covid-19.To allow the tournament to continue while the Australia-India day-night Test is held in Adelaide from December 17-21, there will be two morning matches on December on 19 and 20 in Hobart leading into the start of play at the Test.There will be no Christmas Eve fixture this year with the tournament resuming with a double-header on Boxing Day and there will also be a double header after the opening day of the Sydney Test on January 7. On December 26, the second of those matches at the Metricon Stadium will start at the relatively late local time of 8.20pm which means it could finish at close to midnight. Dobson indicated that some of these new timings may not be one-offs.”Sometimes when you have to look for different things it gives you the chance to try new things and there’s no reason if they are successful that we wouldn’t continue with them in the future,” he said.Adelaide Oval will host its traditional New Year’s Eve fixture when the Strikers take on the Scorchers. It is hoped that stadiums will be able to host crowds of up to 50% capacity during the December matches.The final day of the group games will be on Australia Day, January 26, which will be a triple-header of matches with two afternoon contests and one in the evening.”This is without doubt the most complex fixturing task ever undertaken by the league and we are excited with where it has landed. It has been a difficult year for so many people around Australia and we look forward to bringing the BBL to every state should border conditions allow us to,” Dobson said.”We’re also pleased to provide certainty to our clubs, players, broadcasters, commercial partners and governments today with confirmation of match-ups, dates and start times for the entire BBL campaign, and venues for matches through to the end of 2020. We are working through scenarios for the remaining 35 regular season matches and Finals series to be played in the New Year with our clubs, broadcasters, partners and governments. An announcement on these venues will be made in the coming weeks.”

Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the Afghanistan spinner, will return to Middlesex for the 2021 Vitality Blast. Mujeeb, 19, played for the club in 2019 and has re-signed after missing this year’s competition due to the impact of Covid-19.Hugely experienced in T20 cricket, despite his youth, Mujeeb has taking 132 wickets in 126 matches and has a career economy of 6.67. His 2019 spell at Middlesex was less spectacular in raw numbers – seven wickets and an economy of 7.23 in 10 appearances – but he did help the club reach the quarter-finals.Related

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“It’s great to have Mujeeb with us again for the Blast,” Stuart Law, Middlesex’s head coach, said. “He’s the number two-ranked bowler in T20I cricket, behind his countryman Rashid Khan, and brings great variety to our attack.”A great bloke to have in our dressing room as well, we are really looking forward to welcoming Mujeeb back next season.”Mujeeb is currently in action at the Big Bash League, having recovered from being diagnosed with Covid-19 on his arrival in Australia. He has featured regularly at the IPL for Kings XI Punjab, as well as at the CPL and BPL, and has been capped in all formats for his country.”I had a very enjoyable time at Middlesex in 2019 and I am pleased to be coming back to play, especially at Lord’s,” Mujeeb said. “Let’s hope we can do well.”

Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers have to win four games in a row if they want to take out the BBL title and it starts with Friday night’s Eliminator at the Gabba.Both sides scraped into the Eliminator with the Heat winning their last two matches to qualify while the Strikers had to sweat on both Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars losing on the final day to book a ticket to Brisbane to face the Heat.After a 14-game regular season there is plenty of evidence as to how the two teams are likely to line up, but these are three key areas that could decide the contest with views from the BBL’s player acquisition and cricket consultant Trent Woodhill.Batting-order challengesBoth sides have struggled with the bat throughout the season and both teams have consistently tinkered with their batting orders. The Heat have finally settled on Chris Lynn and Max Bryant as the opening combination with Marnus Labuschagne at No.3 after Bryant was made an X-Factor sub and batted at No. 6 in the Heat’s 82-run loss to the Strikers in Adelaide.The Strikers have also returned to the trusted opening combination of Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey that won them BBL 07, with both men finding form late in the tournament which means overseas batsman Phil Salt is out of position in the middle order.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Balance of the bowling attackXavier Bartlett bowled well in the two previous meetings against the Strikers. He was the only bowler to escape unscathed during Carey’s scintillating century at Adelaide Oval taking 1 for 30 from four overs, while he took a career-best 3 for 24 in the other meeting with the Strikers at the Gabba.The Strikers face a similar dilemma with Daniel Worrall. With the new ball often swinging at the Gabba, he seems a good option to include in the XI. The Strikers opted for him instead of left-arm spinner Danny Briggs in their last match against the Thunder and he knocked over Usman Khawaja with the new ball.”I think they’re just working through getting their bowling right,” Woodhill told ESPNcricinfo. “Is it an extra spinner or is it an extra quick? I think that’s the first one.”From the Heat’s point of view it probably then goes to, are they looking to utilize a [Matt] Kuhnemann, but if not, are they looking to utilise a Bartlett or a [James] Bazley. I think it’s then working out which way they want to go, what are their X-Factors and where they need support.”Related

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An important X-Factor?</bThe Heat have been the most adventurous side in the BBL with the use of the X-Factor.Bartlett was subbed out of the last win over the Scorchers without bowling a ball as the Heat opted for an all-round option in Jack Wildermuth to give extra batting after batting first. He has also previously been subbed out for Morne Morkel after bowling just one over upfront with Morkel bowl four overs in the last 10."It's not just about picking your XI," Woodhill said. "It's about how do we cover our bases if things go pear-shaped or we lose the toss or if we don't read the wicket right. That's a great match-up straight away with [Jason] Gillespie and [Darren] Lehmann."Briggs bowled four overs in each of the wins over the Heat taking 3 for 20 and 1 for 28. The Heat have not used a single left-hander in their top order in their last eight games with the left-arm orthodox of Briggs and the right-arm legspin of Liam O'Connor looking like an excellent option for captain Travis Head to turn to despite the absence of Khan."Obviously having no Rashid Khan brings them back to the pack," Woodhill said. "Do you play Worrall with a view that if bowl first you bowl him one upfront? If you bat first, you'll see if there's any movement. Do you bring in another spinner or another batter?"That's the beauty, they'll lob up on matchday with a plan but that may change once they look at the wicket which I'm guessing is going to be flat."