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Selected bowlers will begin individualised training next Wednesday

George Dobell14-May-2020Ashley Giles believes resuming training will be “safer than it is to go to the supermarket” for England’s players and support staff. Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket, has unveiled plans for around 30 players to return to training in the coming days and weeks, with a view to staging international fixtures from July.While Giles accepts “we are all nervous” of the threat posed by Covid-19, he said the measures put in place to ensure the safety of all involved could create “conditions where we can play some Test cricket”. He hoped the steps taken would assuage the understandable concerns of not just prospective England players and support staff, but those of the opposition, and West Indies in particular, who are scheduled to be the first tourists of the summer.ALSO READ: Players given opt-out as government issues return-to-training guidelines“These are the very first tentative steps back to playing cricket,” Giles said. “This is individual-based training, so in many ways we should be able to get control of the environment so it’s safer to go back to practice than it is to go to the supermarket. It should be that controlled an environment. In this first phase, this should be a safer environment than going about daily life as it is: shopping, etc.”I went shopping last week and it’s a really weird feeling when you go out. You are almost threatened by anyone who comes near you. It can be quite scary but we are doing everything we possibly can to answer all of West Indies’ questions. We will be speaking to Pakistan as well and mitigate as much risk as we possibly can. We can’t mitigate all risk but as much as possible to get guys comfortable.”We are also outside where we know the risks are far less. We will certainly carry out the right risk assessments at the venues. We will make sure all the staff are trained and that we have the right equipment, including PPE [personal protective equipment]. We will make sure everything is there for the guys to go about their business as safely as possible.”Would I be confident if I were a West Indies player? I would be nervous, certainly, but we are all nervous aren’t we? I’m not making light of this but there are risks every time you go outside the house. We need to mitigate as many of the risks as we possibly can.”While much of the ECB’s efforts are centred on creating something as close to a bio-secure environment as possible, Giles revealed that players will occasionally be allowed to leave the “bubble” in order to visit their families. This may be especially relevant to England’s Test captain, Joe Root, who is expecting his second child in July.”We are trying to create an enlarged household,” Giles said. “I’m currently living with four in my household, but there may be a household of 35 players and staff in and around that Test squad. Once they are in that environment and tested and clear, we hope they can lead pretty normal existences.”But it isn’t realistic to expect them to be in a bubble for 10 weeks. While these guys are used to touring for perhaps three or four months, these aren’t normal conditions and people will want to see families. They are going to want to get home and see their kids. So we have to look at ways we can make that happen.”We are going to have to find ways where we can get players out of the environment. We are either going to have to be smart with how we can get guys in and out of that environment or we are going to have to be smart with selection.”Joe Root watches on during England training•Getty Images

The players involved (approximately 30) and venues to be used – seven initially and then 11 as more players return to training – will be announced early next week. The first training sessions, involving only bowlers, will start next Wednesday. The seven venues have not been confirmed but are believed to be Chester-le-Street, Edgbaston, Emirates Old Trafford, Hove, Kia Oval, Taunton and Trent Bridge. While there may be some surprising names among the 30, some may be seen primarily as net bowlers.”We will need to take a bigger group of players in with us whether that be to cover injury, net bowlers or practice matches,” Giles said. “We will have a red-ball focus at first, with the white-ball players [coming] later. Initially, it will be guys with a red-ball focus who may or may not have been involved in our system this winter and before who we’d like to go back to training.”ALSO READ: Closed doors open opportunities for England fringe playersGiles also revealed that, at this stage, none of the players or support staff likely to be involved has either been infected or opted out of the resumption of training. He confirmed, however, that should anyone decide to do so, there would be no negative consequences. He also indicated that coaches from outside the current England system will be utilised.”It may happen and that’s fine,” he said. “These are different circumstances and there will be no prejudice. But I hope we can put an environment in place that’s safe enough for guys to trust us that they can go back and take those first tentative steps to cricket.”We’re definitely going to have to mobilise the help of some of our network coaches. So, at one venue, four or five bowlers may train individually but with the same coach. But with social distancing they shouldn’t be close enough to pass anything on. It’s essential we stick to these guidelines and do it properly otherwise it will cost us.”A big part of my job is trying to get cricket on. There are performance aspects of what we do which is about winning and being the best. But I also have responsibility to try and get cricket going. It has to be safe and it has to be right. We would never compromise the safety of our players and our people. We have to remain confident and, right now, I am confident.”I think we have all got to understand there is a huge economic cost to the whole game. Helping to keep the lights on everywhere is really important. We can play a big role in that. We are a business like everyone else. Businesses across the world are suffering right now and we have got to try and do our bit to protect the business.”

She will also captain the team having moved from the Adelaide Strikers

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2020The Perth Scorchers will be able to field a formidable top order in the Women’s Big Bash having secured the signing of Sophie Devine who has also been named captain.Devine joins Australia batter Beth Mooney as major acquisitions for the Scorchers as they look to reshape their batting unit following Meg Lanning’s move back to the Melbourne Stars.Devine has been one of the in-form players in the world over the last 18 months and was the player of the tournament in last season’s WBBL where she scored 769 runs and took 19 wickets for the Adelaide Strikers.ALSO READ: Beth Mooney quits Brisbane Heat to fill Meg Lanning’s shoes at Perth ScorchersShe then led New Zealand at the T20 World Cup earlier this year and has since been named their permanent captain. In the build-up to the World Cup she became the first player to make five consecutive 50+ scores in T20Is, a run she extended to six.Devine has strong links with Western Australia having been part of the WNCL set-up, a period she has credited for her prolific form. “It’s a huge honour to be joining the Scorchers and leading the side this season, it’s an exciting new challenge for me and the team as we build towards the WBBL finals,” she said. “When the opportunity to play for Perth came up it was a pretty hard one to turn down, the Scorchers have a great history in the WBBL and BBL and I’m really looking forward to joining such a successful club.”I have spent some quality time in the WA set-up, which has really helped me further my game and I am looking forward to playing under [coach] Shelley [Nitschke], we have a great relationship and I have played a lot of cricket with her too over my years with the Strikers.”Nitschke said: “Sophie has proven herself as one of the best T20 players in the world, we are privileged to have her join the Perth Scorchers. A match-winner with both the bat and the ball, Sophie will be a great influence on the group as both a leader and role model.”Devine is not the only New Zealander to have inked in their WBBL season with the Brisbane Heat have re-signed duo Amelia Kerr and Maddy Green as they hunt of a hat-trick of titles.Both players had important roles in the Heat’s title-winning campaign last season. Green scored 309 runs in 15 innings, including a vital 46 off 29 balls in the semi-final against the Melbourne Renegades, while Kerr took 14 wickets at 25.50 and an economy rate of 6.22 with her legspin.”Maddy took on the role we gave her and showed her class and composure throughout, as well as providing another element to our leadership group. Amelia has enormous presence for a player so young and she thrived in the WBBL environment,” coach Ashley Noffke said. “I think both players got a lot out of the experience, and they were certainly key recruits for us when it came to finalising our list.”There remains considerable work to do be done as to how overseas players will be accommodated in the tournament this season due to the travel restrictions imposed by Covid-19 but there is hope they will be available for the competition. New Zealand are scheduled to be in Australia from late September for a tour which includes three T20Is and three ODIs”Like a lot of things now, we have some plans in place but will need to be agile when it comes to finalizing things,” Noffke said. “New Zealand are due to be here playing Australia in September and October, so hopefully we can work things out around that.”The Heat only had one player – allrounder Delissa Kimmince – on contract after last season so there is plenty of business for them to do ahead of defending their title. Last week they announced Jess Jonassen as their new captain following the retirement of Kirby Short.

Kent openers avoid pitfalls after being set 248 in 32 overs

ECB Reporters Network18-Aug-2020Middlesex and Kent shared the Bob Willis Trophy spoils in Canterbury despite a late declaration that gave the dominant visitors a glimmer of hope at pulling off a fourth-day upset. As it was, Kent’s unlikely pursuit if 248 ended just after 5pm with the hosts on 70 without loss and with first-bumps all-round – no handshakes allowed under Covid-19 protocols – to mark the draw.Having shot out their South Group hosts for a modest 191 at the start of the day, Middlesex had set about extending their 78-run first-innings lead through openers Sam Robson and Max Holden.Accelerating after the lunch interval, they posted a 50 stand from 82 balls forcing Kent skipper Sam Billings to go on the defensive with his field placings in order to stem the run rate. Robson should have gone for 23 but his edged cut against Fred Klaassen was downed by Billings stationed at sole slip.In slowing the over rate and stemming the flow of runs, Kent hoped to reduce the likelihood of Middlesex snatching a last gasp win. Even so, Holden reached a half-century off 60 balls with six fours and celebrated with a straight six off spinner Marcus O’Riordan. The century opening stand came up in the 25th over and Robson posted his maiden fifty of the Trophy campaign from 96 balls and with four boundaries.With the lead already over 200, the first-wicket stand ended for 143 when Holden, on 72, sliced an attempted lofted drive against O’Riordan to Denly at extra cover. Inexplicably, Robson barely picked up the pace thereafter and had reached 82 not out from 143 when the players went in at tea. With his side 247 ahead, Stevie Eskinazi declared late in the interval, asking Kent to chase a nominal target of 248 in 32 overs at an asking rate of 7.75 an over.Batting again by 4.05pm, Kent resisted tinkering with the order or attempting any suicidal pursuit, allowing Daniel Bell-Drummond and O’Riordan to successfully see off the new ball bursts of Miguel Cummins and Ethan Bamber on what was a flat, fourth-day pitch. O’Riordan reached a career-best 34 not out and Bell-Drummond was unbeaten on 31 when the status quo was formally agreed just after 5pm and with 18 of the scheduled overs remaining.Kent had started the final day on 146 for 5 in their first innings and trailing in the match by 123 runs, but conspired to lose their last five wickets for 23 runs in the space of 11 overs with Cummins taking 5 for 62.In his warm-up over the Bajan dangerman allowed Kent’s nightwatchman Matt Milnes to clip two leg-side fours to move smoothly into double-figures. But, with his score on 16, Milnes went back in defence to the speedy West Indian and dragged the ball on to off stump.Joe Denly moved to within 11 runs of a century when his near three-and-a-half hour stay with 14 fours came to a surprise end. Shouldering arms to a James Harris offcutter, Denly appeared bemused when the ball grazed off stump to dislodge one bail. Four runs later, Darren Stevens meekly followed a Martin Andersson away-swinger to steer the ball off the bat face to second slip with a shot more akin to pre-match slip-catching practise.Three balls later, Grant Stewart, in aiming to leg against Harris, looped a chance to point off a leading edge to be well caught, overhead by a leaping Max Holden.Cummins returned to claim his fifth wicket by dismissing Hamidullah Qadri from a sliced, back-foot steer caught at third slip, and ensure Kent missed out on a batting bonus point by nine runs. Cummins, easily the fastest of the bowlers on display here, finished with 5 for 62, his best figures for Middlesex and for the past three seasons, while Andersson and Harris bagged two apiece.

Former head coach says letter from Roger Pugh was ‘almost excusing’ the issue of racism

Valkerie Baynes16-Sep-2020Jason Gillespie has condemned a letter from a leading official attacking Azeem Rafiq, saying “it was almost excusing” the racism Rafiq claims he faced while playing at Yorkshire.Gillespie, Yorkshire’s head coach from 2012 to 2016, described as “really poor” and “disappointing” a letter written by Roger Pugh, the chairman of ECB Yorkshire South Premier League, in his chairman’s blog earlier this month describing Rafiq as “discourteous and disrespectful”.The letter, which has since been removed, followed Rafiq’s claims that he experienced “institutional racism” while playing for Yorkshire, which left him on the brink of committing suicide.”I didn’t like that letter, seeing that letter, I think that was a personal attack,” Gillespie told ESPNcricinfo. “It didn’t address the actual issue that Azeem raised. It was like it was almost excusing the issue at hand because Azeem was a difficult character.”For me I thought the chairman worded his letter very wrongly and I’m convinced on reflection if he had his time again, he wouldn’t have written that letter because in my personal opinion that letter was wrong.”He was almost excusing the issue at hand, this racism issue, because Azeem was a difficult character on the field in some games of cricket.”Gillespie’s time at Yorkshire spanned both Rafiq’s stints at the club, from 2008-14 and 2016-18, which Gillespie said included some difficult times for Rafiq.ALSO READ: ‘Systematic taunting’ at Yorkshire, claims Rana Naved“Azeem has openly admitted, I saw it first hand, there were times when Azeem was a difficult character,” Gillespie said. “But racism is a completely different issue to a difficult character, or someone who has done the wrong thing, completely different.”I just thought it was a disappointing letter, and I think a lot of people would probably think exactly the same as me.”Gillespie said he did not see or hear any racist treatment directed towards Rafiq at Yorkshire. He recalls a moment when he saw that Rafiq, who had been struggling with his bowling at the time, was visibly upset, and offering to help.”I remember at the time thinking quite specifically that he’s obviously really upset about how his cricket is going because he was struggling with his bowling,” Gillespie said. “I had no idea he was actually going through other things, and the things that he’s actually alluded to.”I just stood there, put my arm around his shoulders and said, ‘mate, if you’re not okay, you can tell us, we’re here to talk, whatever you need, if you want a coffee, let us know’.”He’s alluded to since then that he was battling some other things as well which he’s been very open about but I don’t remember anything specific.”I can only go by what I saw and I saw a young man that was having some battles. I didn’t know what all those battles were. I knew that he was really struggling with his bowling but little did I know that all these other things were coming out and I was just doing what I do as a coach and a man manager, I was just there for a player and if he needed my support.”Azeem Rafiq has spoken out about racism at Yorkshire•Getty Images

Rafiq has described Gillespie – who led Yorkshire to promotion from Division Two of the County Championship in 2012 and then back-to-back titles in 2014-15 – as “amazing” during his time at the club, and gave similar praise to Joe Root and Paul Farbrace.Yorkshire have engaged an independent law firm to investigate Rafiq’s allegations and appointed a sub-committee including prominent figures in the British-Asian cricket community to review its findings.Now aged 29 and pursuing a career away from the game, Rafiq became the youngest captain in the club’s history when he led Yorkshire in a T20 against Durham in 2012. But his career at Yorkshire came to an end in tragic circumstances when he was released in 2018, shortly after the still-birth of his son.Gillespie recalled Rafiq as a talented captain before losing his way and then working towards his comeback in 2016.”His captaincy, his vibrancy, his leadership was excellent,” Gillespie said. “He gave great energy into that role and performed it well. Then there were a couple of years he probably just lost his way a little bit.”He did at times let himself down in and around the group. We discussed that. We ended up releasing him and he had to go and sort himself out, which he did. He went overseas for a little while and his cricket was coming back and we managed to get him back on board, which I thought was a great story in itself after the time he’d had.”Then I finished up at the club [in 2016] and left and then in the time after I left, things obviously reared up and it was sad for me as a former coach and having been around the group to see that that had happened, obviously disappointing.”

Sorry Hampshire slump to fifth defeat in a row as holders keep quarter-final hopes alive

ECB Reporters Network16-Sep-2020Aron Nijjar celebrated career-best bowling figures as Vitality Blast holders Essex Eagles thrashed Hampshire by 54 runs to keep their faint quarter-final dreams alive.Left-arm spinner Nijjar ripped through a shaky Hampshire batting line-up with figures of 3 for 22, while Jack Plom celebrated his maiden professional wickets to take 2 for 18.Tom Westley had earlier clubbed his first half-century of the year, with Dan Lawrence marooned on 49, as Essex reached 168 before Hampshire could only manage 114 for 9 in response.Needing 169 to win, Hampshire’s batting was a revolving door of wickets. George Munsey attempted three reverse-sweeps off Nijjar, with the third slapped to Sam Cook at third man, who took an outrageous catch high over his head. Captain James Vince was adjudged to have tickled down leg side to fall for a golden duck, the fourth time he had departed first ball in T20s against Essex, which also handed 21-year-old fast bowler Jack Plom his first wicket on his third appearance in the format.Sam Northeast and Joe Weatherley attempted to rebuild with a stand of 16, before the former hammered straight to Matt Quinn at mid-on and Ian Holland was bowled by Sam Cook.Nijjar then dismissed Weatherley and Lewis McManus in three balls – caught and bowled and knocked back by a long hop, respectively – leaving Hampshire on 38 for 6.James Fuller pulled a rare boundary, one of 14 in the innings, but was caught by Nijjar on the midwicket boundary.Fast bowler Quinn bowled a maiden at Chris Wood in the 13th over, before Simon Harmer had the top scorer caught at cow corner for 18.Ryan Stevenson swung away to cow corner but despite Mason Crane and Shaheen Shah Afridi remaining unbeaten, the Eagles recorded back-to-back Blast wins.Having chosen to bat first, Essex used partnerships to their advantage throughout their innings on a pitch perfect for batting.Cameron Delport and Westley got them off to a solid start with 57 in the first seven overs, despite Pakistani fast bowler Afridi’s three Powerplay overs going for just 11.Delport had struck two sixes in his 31 but didn’t quite time a straight slog off Crane as Stevenson pulled off a diving catch at long-off.Westley had struck Ian Holland for three off-side boundaries before using his feet to club Stevenson over midwicket and Crane through the covers as he reached a 35-ball half-century. It was Essex’s red-ball captain’s maiden fifty of 2020, having only managed 236 runs in his previous 15 innings in all competitions.He was dropped on 50 by Afridi at deep cover, but fell having added another single, when he nicked Stevenson behind to Lewis McManus – having put on 38 with Lawrence.Michael Pepper was yorked by Wood, but Lawrence and Ryan ten Doeschate ran hard to add an unbeaten 58 in the death overs.Lawrence had thrashed an aggressive 81 against Sussex in his previous outing but was more circumspect with just one six and four boundaries in his 49 not out, while ten Doeschate contributed 29 off 20 deliveries. The score was about par, but proven much too much for the sorry hosts – who have lost five matches in a row.

Hales was the second-highest run scorer in last year’s tournament and will be available for the whole competition

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2020Alex Hales will return to the Sydney Thunder for the Big Bash as he becomes the first overseas player to sign a new deal with the league ahead of what is expected to be the arrival of a significant number of England players.Tom Banton (Brisbane Heat) and Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers) are so far the only other confirmed overseas names for the tournament but they had existing deals with their clubs.Hales, who was dropped from the England side shortly before the 2019 World Cup after receiving a ban for using recreational drugs and has not played since, was the second-highest run scorer in last season’s BBL with 576 at 38.40 and a strike-rate of 146.93.”To get the chance to come back is exciting because we’re at the start of something,” Hales said. “I think the next two-to-three years is going to be very special for Sydney Thunder as a franchise. I really believe that, and to know I’m coming back to that means a lot.”It is expected that England names will feature strongly in this season’s BBL. ESPNcricinfo previously reported that Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy were lining up deals while Dawid Malan, the current No.1-ranked T20I batsman, is also in the mix and Liam Livingstone is tipped to head back to the Perth Scorchers.However, with England in talks about a limited-overs tour of South Africa in November it remains to be seen the availability of those who would be part of the squad. Overseas players arriving for the BBL will need to undergo two weeks of quarantine when they reach Australia amid the Covid-19 protocols.Shane Bond, the Sydney Thunder coach, said: “There’s a whole range of reasons to be excited about Alex extending his contract – and they’re exactly why we signed him in the first place. He is a great player who is available for the entire tournament.”He played brilliantly for us last year, but he was brilliant on-and-off the field. He was hugely popular with the players and support staff – and that’s how Alex is viewed wherever he plays.”We have some very talented players in our squad, and it is important to have those professionals, like Alex, around so they can learn off them as well. Everyone in the team is looking forward to having him back, he’s a brilliant bloke.”The revised fixture list for the BBL – which is currently due to start on December 3 – is yet to be confirmed by Cricket Australia but there is a chance it will be played in rolling hubs around the country to navigate the various Covid-19 border restrictions.

The match was called off at tea with only four wickets falling in the third innings on the final day

Alex Malcolm11-Nov-2020Will Pucovski’s attempt at a third consecutive century was the only storyline of note heading into the final day and a line-ball lbw scuppered those hopes early in the morning as the match between Victoria and Western Australia at Karen Rolton Oval petered out to a draw.WA’s decision to bat deep into the third day and surpass Victoria’s first innings total left Victoria with little else to do but see out the final day. Pucovski, with scores of 255 not out and 202 to his name this season, began the day unbeaten on 32 alongside Marcus Harris with time to carve out another big score prior to the Test squad announcement.But he was undone in the 11th over the morning having added just six runs to his overnight total. Cameron Gannon nipped one back off the seam and he was adjudged lbw despite being hit high on the leg and having survived a very similar appeal earlier in the morning. Victoria’s opening partnership of 84 was also 102 runs shy of their second-lowest for the season.Harris ground out 45 from 150 deliveries as the surface slowed considerably before chipping a catch to midwicket. Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson spent some valuable time at the crease, as did Matt Short who was batting for just the second time this season.Handscomb was undone by a neat delivery from Gannon that just left him off the seam while Maddinson was bowled through the gate driving at a full inswinger from Aaron Hardie before the match was called off at tea.Cameron Green did not bowl a single ball on the final day having bowled just four overs on the third evening.

His first assignment will be picking the side for home series against South Africa next month

Umar Farooq19-Dec-2020Mohammad Wasim, the Northern head coach and former Pakistan batsman has been named Pakistan chief selector until the 2023 World Cup. He has been asked to leave his coaching role with Northern at the end of ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy to lead the selection committee, and his first assignment will be picking the Pakistan side for home series against South Africa next month.The position was vacant for nearly three weeks after Misbah-ul-Haq stepped down as chief selector, a role he held for over a year alongside being Pakistan’s head coach. He continued only in the single role of head coach after picking the Pakistan senior side and the A team – Pakistan Shaheens – for ongoing tour of New Zealand. He officially stepped aside as chief selector on November 30.Pakistan had initially considered Mohammad Akram for the position, but the deal fell through over disagreement on the structure of the selection committee. Last year the PCB had revamped the structure of the committee, putting the head coaches of each of the six regional associations on the committee to assist the chief selector. Akram wanted an independent committee instead, but the PCB decided to stick with the existing model and so moved on to another candidate for the role of chief selector.Wasim, 43, is in his second term as head coach with the Northern Cricket Association. Last season, his side won the National T20 Cup and were runners-up in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. This year, stand second after eight rounds of the first-class tournament. The PCB confirmed he will complete the season with the team before they need to find a replacement.Wasim represented Pakistan between 1996 and 2000, playing 18 Tests and 25 ODIs for 783 Test runs, including a century on debut, and 543 ODI runs.”I have been very fortunate to have played with some of the finest cricketers and am confident that I will be able to [use] those learnings in this challenging role,” Wasim said on his appointment. “We have a busy 2021 ahead and I will focus on positive selections that not only address our short-term needs but also fulfil our long-term ambitions. We have immense talent in Pakistan and it is important that they are given opportunities.”This is a performance-oriented world and, as such, my philosophy will be to promote meritocracy and select squads according to home and international conditions and requirements. As a chief selector, I will always be willing to make the hard calls, if these are in the best interest of Pakistan cricket. I look forward to working closely with head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and captain Babar Azam as we collectively strive to take Pakistan cricket forward.”In a separate decision, the PCB recalled former wicketkeeper Saleem Yousuf as head of the cricket committee, from which Iqbal Qasim had resigned in September after saying the role was “toothless”. When the committee was formed in October 2018, it was said to have a wide-ranging role in overseeing all aspects of Pakistan cricket but was not given any decision-making power. The members were supposed to meet three times a year to discuss a variety of issues, including concerns at the first-class level that have drawn increasing attention over the last few years. But the committee has rarely functioned smoothly and has often been subject to changes.”Muhammad Wasim and Saleem Yousuf have sound knowledge of cricket, understand the rigours and demands of the modern game and are highly respected across the cricket fraternity,” Wasim Khan, the PCB’s chief executive, said. “Both the gentlemen are also aligned to the PCB’s five-year strategic pillar of strengthening our merit and opportunity-based domestic structure, as well as improving our international rankings across all formats.”Wasim’s appointment is also part of our strategy to groom, develop and provide leadership opportunities to our talented cricketers. After retiring from competitive cricket, Wasim has progressed through the ranks, having previously worked as a match referee, coach and selector. He is young, progressive and bold thinker who is in sync with our new High Performance Player Framework, and is one of very few people who are completely aware of the pool of talented cricketers available at the domestic level.”