Several senior players including Angelo Mathews will return into the Sri Lankan fold in coach Mickey Arthur’s final Test series

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Nov-2021

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Chris Gayle made a triple-hundred in Galle, Brian Lara hit 351 runs in one match in Colombo, and 688 in that three-match series, but this has to be one of cricket’s more surprising facts: West Indies have never won a Test in Sri Lanka. Partly this is down to their not having played on the island in their roaring 1980s – Sri Lanka too weak to attract them then perhaps, and too volatile geopolitically to have had a consistent touring schedule anyway. But still, since 1993, these teams have met eleven times in Sri Lanka; they have drawn just four of those games – three on a severely rain-affected tour in late 2010.Related

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• SL fielding coach McDermott tests Covid-19 positive

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On paper, this doesn’t seem like the West Indies team to improve that record, but it is clear this is an improving team. Their batting, for one, looks better than it did in 2016, when they last toured Sri Lanka. On their most-recent trip to South Asia, West Indies had pulled off a chase for the ages, debutant Kyle Mayers hitting 210 not out as West Indies hunted down 385 in Chattogram. They won the second Test, in Dhaka, too. In the next series, against Sri Lanka, in the Caribbean, they established substantial first-innings leads in both matches, even if they would eventually peter out to draws.Sri Lanka aren’t quite ripe for the plucking; Tests are still probably their safest format. But there is a little instability around this outfit that could hypothetically make them vulnerable. This series sees the return of several senior players – including Angelo Mathews – who had felt slighted during the months-long contracts standoff the players were involved in, with the board. This is also Mickey Arthur’s final Test series as coach, and the likes of batting coach Grant Flower, and bowling coach Chaminda Vaas, aren’t guaranteed their positions into next year either.As both matches are due to be played in Galle, spin is likeliest to decide the series. How will these flawed teams use it? How will they play it? On that front, Sri Lanka would seem to have a significant edge, particularly after West Indies’ tour match in Colombo was rained out.

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(completed matches, most recent first)West Indies LWLLD
Sri Lanka WDDDL

In the spotlight

Kyle Mayers may have created more buzz this year, but West Indies’ most consistent batter, by a slim margin, has been their captain, Kraigg Brathwaite. In 2021, he has hit 556 runs at 34.75, and given most of his 16 innings have come against the brand new Dukes ball, these are laudable numbers. But does he struggle against spin bowling, on turning tracks? He had one outstanding tour of the UAE in 2016, but even with his 328 from that series, his numbers in Asia (average of 28.87), lags behind his career stats. If he can spend substantial time at the crease (in his trademark shades-and-helmet), West Indies will likely make a bigger impact than they did in 2016, when they lost 2-0.66, 118, 244, 75 – so read Dimuth Karunaratne‘s last four Test knocks. The problem is, the most recent of these came way back in May, so it’s not as if you can say he comes into the series in form. Rarely does a home Test series pass by without a serious contribution from him, however, and he is especially good at Galle, where he has produced exceptional innings on tough pitches. West Indies’ bowlers will be desperate to neutralise him early.Dimuth Karunaratne has been Sri Lanka’s most consistent batter in recent Tests•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

The surface is likely to be spin-friendly, but with the amount of rain that’s been around in all parts of the country, the pitch is unlikely to start out very dry. Given the northeast monsoon is still in operation, expect frequent rain interruptions, particularly in the afternoons.

Team news

Sri Lanka had thought about giving Charith Asalanka a debut, but it appears that they will go in with a bowling-heavy side instead, fielding two legspinners – Lasith Embuldeniya and Praveen Jayawickrama, in addition to offspin-bowling allrounder Ramesh Mendis (Dhananjaya de Silva is also there to contribute with his offbreaks).Dinesh Chandimal is likely to keep wickets, with Niroshan Dickwella suspended for a year over breaking Covid protocols in England.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt.), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Oshada Fernando, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 7 Ramesh Mendis, 8 Suranga Lakmal, 9 Lasith Embuldeniya, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Praveen Jayawickrama.Jeremy Solozano, the Trinidad opening batter, could also be in line for a debut, as Brathwaite’s opening partner. With Roston Chase capable of delivering half-decent offspin, West Indies will also have to decide which of their other spin options – offspinner Rahkeem Cornwall, or left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican – plays. They could field them both, but that would mean their only serious seam options are Kemar Roach and Jason Holder.West Indies (possible): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt.), 2 Jeremy Solozano, 3 Nkrumah Bonner, 4 Roston Chase, 5 Jermaine Blackwood, 6 Kyle Mayers, 7 Rahkeem Cornwall, 8 Jason Holder, 9 Joshua da Silva (wk), 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Jomel Warrican/Jayden Seales

Stats and rivia

• This is West Indies’ second World Test Championship series in the new cycle. They had won one Test and lost one against Pakistan in August, giving them 12 points. For Sri Lanka, this is their first series in the new cycle.
  
• Kraigg Brathwaite averages 25.75 in four innings in Sri Lanka – his third worst average in host countries, after India (where he averages 19.91), and Bangladesh (21.16).
  
• Dimuth Karunaratne averages 51.36 in Galle, and averages 47.52 as captain. His career average is 38.62.
  
• Across conditions, West Indies have won just one of the seven most-recent Tests between these sides. Sri Lanka have won three of them.

Ratnayake will be assisted by former first-class batter Ruwin Peiris, who will be with the team as interim batting coach

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Jan-2022Former fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake has been appointed the Sri Lanka men’s national side’s interim coach for their three-ODI series against Zimbabwe, later this month. Sri Lanka have been without a head coach since Mickey Arthur’s contract ended on December 4. Ratnayake will be assisted by former first-class batter Ruwin Peiris, who will be with the team as interim batting coach.Ratnayake has taken on the role of interim coach before, usually when the team was in between permanent appointments. He has also repeatedly served as the side’s bowling coach. His current permanent role with SLC is as fast bowling coach at the high-performance centre. Peiris, meanwhile, is also presently a coach attached to the high performance centre.Mahela Jayawardene, who was recently appointed as consultant coach to all the national sides, is unlikely to be part of the men’s senior side’s backroom during the Zimbabwe series, as he will be with the Sri Lanka men’s Under-19 side, for their World Cup campaign in the Caribbean.Zimbabwe’s tour of Sri Lanka runs from January 16 to January 21. Sri Lanka’s next major assignments are the T20I tour of Australia, in mid-February, closely followed by a two-Test tour of India. The board is expected to have named a permanent head coach by then.

Since being dropped from the Indian Test side after a poor run, the opener has stormed back to form

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-20212:27

Rahul: Centurion hundred ‘took a lot of guts’

KL Rahul has learned to enjoy the defensive side of batting all over again. Having been dropped from the Test team after a lean run through 2018 and 2019 – he averaged 22.23 over 15 Tests in that period, mostly played away from home – Rahul has made a strong comeback this year, scoring 461 runs in five Tests at an average of 46.10, including centuries at Lord’s and Centurion that set up memorable India wins. He has credited a change in mindset for this transformation, specifically being able to enjoy leaving the ball outside off stump, an aspect of his game that has undergone a significant upgrade.”It’s something that I’m enjoying doing a lot, to be honest, and that’s the key to Test cricket – you need to enjoy leaving balls outside the off stump,” Rahul said after India wrapped up a 113-run win in Centurion. “I know we play a lot of one-day and T20 cricket and smashing the ball all over the park is exciting and it’s thrilling at the same time, but when you come to Test cricket you’ve got to learn to be disciplined and learn to play the waiting game and try and enjoy that sometimes.Related

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• Leave it to KL: How Rahul constructed a classic Test innings

“The mistakes happen when you get bored of doing the same things, but for me I’ve tried to enjoy leaving balls outside off stump, enjoy playing the defensive shots, enjoy tiring the bowlers out at times. That is what is expected out of me as an opening batter for the team.”This year, since I’ve started playing Test matches again, since England, I’ve started enjoying doing those things, and yeah, had a good knock here this game, I’ll have to go back again to Wanderers and try and do the same thing all over again, which is exciting to me.”Rahul now has hundreds in each of the six countries he has played Test cricket in – Australia, England, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. He rates the one at Centurion among his very best.”I think right up there, in terms of the conditions and the wicket and how challenging it was,” he said. “I think this innings will be right up there for me because it took a lot of guts and a lot of determination and discipline to get this century and get my team to a winning position, so yeah, it’s right up there.”KL Rahul poses with the Player-of-the-Match trophy•AFP/Getty Images

Rahul’s revival has come in a year of triumph for India as a Test team. They began it with a defiant draw in Sydney followed by a barnstorming win with a second-string attack in Brisbane, and they’ve followed it up with Test wins at Lord’s, The Oval and now Centurion, as well as home-series wins over England and New Zealand.”Look, I think it’s a super-super special year for Team India and the kind of achievements we’ve gotten in this year has been truly special and I think it will go down as one of the greatest years in Indian cricket history, especially Test cricket,” Rahul said. “The victories that you just mentioned have taken us a lot of hard work and a lot of discipline and we’ve worked really hard as a team for the last few years, and we’re slowly starting to see results and we’re very happy.”India’s pace attack has been key to the away victories, including at Centurion where Mohammed Shami bagged match figures of 8 for 107. Rahul said he found facing Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in the nets an even more daunting prospect than facing Test-match attacks in the middle.”Playing them in the nets is a lot more difficult, especially for me or a lot of batters who don’t enjoy [batting in the nets] that much,” he said. “These people put fear in us. They absolutely do not treat us as team-mates when we’re facing them in the nets, they’re very very competitive people and very very competitive athletes and players, so yes, we’ve very lucky to have such quality in our bowling line-up. And 2-3 others are sitting out as well, who have proven themselves and who are terrific fast bowlers, Ishant [Sharma] and Umesh [Yadav]. We have great bench strength as well.”The Centurion pitch – as predicted by many including Rahul himself in the lead-up to the Test match – was slow to start with before it quickened up significantly to enhance the threat of its up-and-down bounce. With this in mind, Rahul said India had won an important toss.”I think it was a really crucial toss for us to win, especially after we saw how the pitch started playing on day three and day four,” he said. “Yeah, I think winning the toss was really really crucial and it was very crucial for us to put a decent total up on board in the first innings, because we knew that the cracks would open up and it would get harder as the game progressed to score runs, so our aim was to get around 350-360 and give our bowlers a chance to go out there and do what they do, so really happy that we could do that.”

Chamari Athapaththu breaks into top ten after showing strong form in the Commonwealth Games Qualifiers

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2022Meg Lanning and Tahlia McGrath have moved up in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings among batters after guiding Australia to a 1-0 series victory in the T20I leg of the ongoing Ashes series. Lanning, the Australia captain, displaced Smriti Mandhana from third place, while McGrath vaulted up 29 places to 28th.In the first T20I in Adelaide, McGrath followed up figures of 3 for 26 with an unbeaten 91 off 49 balls, including 13 fours and a six. Lanning also fired with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 64 off 44 balls as Australia hunted down 170 with nine wickets and three overs to spare. The second and third T20Is ended in no-results following lashing rain in Adelaide.

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Shafali Verma regained the top spot on the table, leapfrogging Beth Mooney, who was sidelined from the Ashes games after undergoing surgery for a fractured jaw. Verma (726) now has a two-point lead over Mooney.Among allrounders, Ellyse Perry dropped out of the top ten in the list that continues to be led by New Zealand’s Sophie Devine.Meanwhile, Chamari Athapaththu advanced six places to break into the top ten. She made scores of 24, 86, 57, 30, 48 in Kuala Lumpur as Sri Lanka assured themselves of an opportunity to compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games to be played in Birmingham this July-August.

Bad light meant the visitors only had to face one over in the evening which raised a few questions over Pakistan’s tactics

Tristan Lavalette05-Mar-2022
Veteran Azhar Ali hit a brilliant 185 as an unwavering Pakistan batted a weary Australia further into the ground during a dominant second day to gain a firm stranglehold of the first Test in Rawalpindi.Azhar’s marathon 361-ball vigil ended midway through the final session when he fell seeking quick runs as Pakistan declared on 476 for 4 about an hour before stumps. Under the floodlights amid gloomy skies, Pakistan had to resort to spin to keep playing but only a solitary over from Sajid Khan was bowled before players left the field and stumps were called shortly after with Australia at 5 for 0.Pakistan might have been wiser to declare a little earlier considering the deteriorating light, which ultimately reprieved Australia openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner, but they should remain well satisfied after another commanding performance.After winning a crucial toss and electing to bat, Pakistan had three big partnerships at the top as their meticulous approach never gave Australia a sniff in the favourable batting conditions. It was a slow burn but they turned the screws in similar fashion to their success over Australia in the UAE in 2014 and 2018.In contrast, Australia toiled for 162 overs without little reward on a flat pitch and have almost been batted out of the contest during a sombre day, as the spectre of cricket legend Shane Warne’s shock passing overshadowed proceedings.A minute’s silence was observed before play in memory of Warne and victims of the terror attacks in Peshawar as players from both teams wore black armbands.The weary tourists, in their first overseas Test tour since 2019, face the daunting prospect of having to summon a rousing batting effort to stay afloat in the series opener. They will hope the pitch doesn’t start to wear after sole specialist spinner Nathan Lyon was unable to conjure rampant turn on day two that he produced early on day one. But Marnus Labuschagne found a bit of spin late on to whet the appetite of Pakistan’s spin heavy attack.It was a disciplined batting effort from Pakistan led by centurions Azhar and opener Imam-ul-Haq who combined for a second-wicket partnership of 208. Thwarting menacing short-pitched bowling from Pat Cummins, who was unsurprisingly the pick of Australia’s bowlers and the only quick to take a wicket, they stonewalled during a sedate first session yielding just 57 runs in 25 overs.After unwavering patience, as he crawled towards his 19th Test ton after lunch, Azhar went for broke on 97 and skipped down the pitch only to miscue Lyon over the leg side but safely into the boundary to trigger jubilation in the terraces, which filled towards capacity later in the day after only a smattering of spectators early, some of whom were holding placards honouring Warne.Pat Cummins was the only quick bowler to take a wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Cummins was rewarded for his persistence when he had the indefatigable Imam trapped lbw to end his brilliant maiden Test century of 157 from 358 balls. In a breakout performance, after a modest previous 11 Test output over four years, Imam reviewed in vain and trudged off but his superb knock provided Pakistan with the perfect platform to switch gears.Pakistan’s bid to accelerate suffered a setback after tea when skipper Babar Azam, who had shared a brisk 101-partnership with Azhar, was spectacularly run out by a direct throw from a pumped-up Labuschagne, who sought to lift Australia’s sagging spirit.Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhkar Ahmed were promoted up the order in a clear sign of Pakistan’s intentions after it had seemed the hosts were intent on extending Australia’s misery in the field into a third day.After eye-catching captaincy on the opening day, where he deployed eight bowlers and tapped deep into his bag of tactics, Cummins mostly stuck with his frontline bowlers although occasionally unveiled inventive fielding placings, including two fielders either side of square leg and a short mid-on to combat Azhar late in the first session.He finally turned to Labuschagne, who bowled four overs on day one, and his nice spell after tea was rewarded with the wicket of Azhar. His handy bowling further shone the spotlight on Cummins’ baffling decision to use the docile offspin of Travis Head early on day one, which sparked a slow-starting Imam into action.With the quicks being rebuffed by Pakistan’s stout batters, there was a heavy burden on Lyon who finished with 1 for 161 off 52 overs.After enduring criticism during the Ashes, wicketkeeper Alex Carey’s struggles behind the stumps continued throughout the innings marred by two dropped catches, including reprieving Rizwan on naught off Lyon in the final session.A flagging Australia will have to shrug off their tough start to the tour, their first in Pakistan in almost 24 years and with no warm-up matches, otherwise they are staring down the barrel of falling behind in the three-match series.

Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma half-centuries kept Mumbai in the game, but a poor spell against the spinners made them fall well short in the end

Shashank Kishore02-Apr-2022Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin exhibited their mastery at a pivotal moment in the game to ensure Rajasthan Royals successfully defended a strong total, set up by Jos Buttler’s 68-ball century. This meant a second straight win for Royals and a second straight setback for Mumbai Indians, known to be slow starters.This was one Mumbai would be particularly disappointed with because they were in control of the chase going into the last six overs, after Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma hit half-centuries to leave them needing 65 off 36 with seven wickets in the shed. After that, though, they lost three wickets for two runs over the next seven balls against spin as the chase derailed.Kieron Pollard kept hopes alive by biffing a few blows at the close, but an excellent penultimate over from Prasidh Krishna that went for just ten – no boundary was conceded – left Mumbai needing 29 off the final over. Mumbai just found one more boundary as Pollard kept finding the fielders, before the match ended with Buttler fittingly taking a catch to remove him as Mumbai fell short by 23 runs.The Ashwin-Chahal strangle
It’s unlikely the two would have been given four overs between them in the last ten overs had this been a night game. The absence of dew meant Sanju Samson could play around with his spinners and hold them back, and he did so superbly by bowling Chahal with the long boundary to the leg side, forcing batters to hit him against the turn.First, Chahal had Tim David lbw with a slider that fizzed through the deck in the 16th over. Off the next ball, he had Daniel Sams with a fine cocktail of dip and drift. Sams heaved it to the leg side and was caught smartly by a back-pedalling Buttler from midwicket. Chahal nearly had a hat-trick; it wasn’t to be because M Ashwin was put down by wrong-footed Karun Nair at slip. But, by then, the pendulum had swung the Royals’ way.Only an over earlier, the 15th, R Ashwin had dismissed Tilak Varma for a 33-ball 61 a delivery after the 19-year-old had reverse-swept him for a six. Ashwin responded by slowing it down significantly and beating the batter in flight as the stumps were knocked back to elicit a roar and a send-off.1:40

Did Chahal make the big difference in the end?

The Kishan-Varma partnership
Mumbai lost Rohit Sharma and Anmolpreet Singh early, but Kishan and Varma ensured they kept up with the steep asking rate by playing sensibly, especially at the start of their stand. They showed the maturity in knowing they had the games to accelerate later, thereby giving them an opportunity to set up shop.From time to time, Varma picked the boundaries, and along the way also exhibited some languid stroke-making ability. The one off Navdeep Saini, which he punched on the up to clear long-off, was a stunner.At the other end, Kishan was at his industrious best. Running hard, using his feet to spin, bringing out calculated hits without being reckless, and in the process, raising a half-century before Varma got there. The pair went on to add 81 off just 54 balls to set Mumbai up before they unravelled quite uncharacteristically.Buttler fantastic, Buttler tactful
Much before the Royals spinners left their mark, Buttler provided a treat to the 15,000 fans who had turned up on a hot afternoon at the DY Patil Stadium. He was caught by a Jasprit Bumrah toe-crusher early on, but soon found his bearings when he launched into Basil Thampi for three sixes and two fours in the bowler’s only over, inside the powerplay.Where Bumrah and Tymal Mills hit hard lengths, Thampi went full and was clobbered, as Buttler cleared his front leg and made merry. This forced Rohit to dig deep into his bowling reserves early in the game, and having Pollard cover up the remainder of the overs through the innings.Buttler was impressive against spin, too. At one point, with deep point set for the reverse, he outfoxed Mumbai by backing away outside leg to loft M Ashwin repeatedly over cover. Then, when deep point was moved to sweeper cover, he brought out the reverse hits.Jasprit Bumrah was exceptional, returning 3 for 17•BCCI

He found some solid company in Samson, who got himself in quickly to make 30 before falling to Pollard. Shimron Hetmyer provided some late fireworks, laying into Pollard in his final over to disturb perfectly acceptable bowling figures until then: 3-0-20-1 ended up being 4-0-46-1.Bumrah’s comeback
A week after a nightmarish start to his season, where his figures read 3.2-0-43-0, Bumrah bounced back in style, as his second spell late in the innings prevented a late Royals surge. The three best overs for the Royals batters had totalled 73 runs. Bumrah’s four went for just 17, and brought the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hetmyer and Buttler.Those of Hetmyer and Buttler in the death overs brought Mumbai right back in the game, as the Royals looked set to soar past 200, but finished with 194. At the break, Buttler said he wasn’t sure if it was a good score or not because of the short boundary on one side, but their spinners used the long boundaries to perfection to close out an impressive win.

Redbacks refresh their list after losing Worrell, Mennie and Kane Richardson, while four WNCL sides also announce contract lists

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2022South Australia have poached seam-bowling duo Harry Conway and Henry Thornton from interstate as well as offspinner Ben Manenti to bolster their bowling depth ahead of the 2022-23 Australian domestic season.Conway and Thornton were both part of the Adelaide Strikers in the BBL and have joined South Australia for more opportunities in the Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup.Conway, 29, has played 38 first-class matches – and reached Australia A level – but struggled for continuity in New South Wales playing just five matches last season while Thornton, 25, had left NSW last winter to search for opportunities in Victoria. He played four Marsh Cup games last season and was named Victoria’s Marsh Cup player of the season despite only taking five wickets. But he made his name as a replacement player in the BBL for Strikers taking 14 wickets in nine games in 2021-22 including 4 for 26 against Melbourne Stars.Both men join a South Australia squad that is starting to build fast-bowling depth after the recruitment of Nathan McAndrew and Brendan Doggett last season, which offsets the loss of Daniel Worrall and Joe Mennie, who have both moved to the UK, and Kane Richardson who has moved to Queensland.”It’s so exciting that lads come and spend time at the Strikers and feel South Australia is a great place to be,” South Australia coach Jason Gillespie said. “It’s wonderful to be able to get these guys over. Henry got drafted into the second half of the BBL and I thought he did remarkably well. He fit in so well to the group. He clearly enjoyed himself. The players enjoyed playing with him and it is fantastic to have him here.”Henry brings airspeed. He pitches the ball up and moves it away from the right-handers at pace. Harry is a tall fast bowler with plenty of skills. He can move the ball off the straight but also the height and bounce he can generate is fantastic. He’s also a big personality who aspires to be a leader around the group. He wants to be a leader and that is fantastic.”Ben Manenti celebrates•Getty Images

Manenti, 25, adds to South Australia’s thin spin stocks after making his first-class debut for Tasmania late last season. Manenti, originally from NSW, has been a regular in the Sydney Sixers squad over the last four seasons in the BBL but finally made his List A and first-class for Tasmania.”We’ve had our eye on Ben for a little while now, and what we are really excited about is his competitive nature and how he goes about his work,” Gillespie said. “He is a really competitive guy who plays to win, and we know that energy will add significantly to the squad.”South Australia played their last two Shield games last season without a specialist spinner, with legspinner Lloyd Pope still taking time to develop but he remains on SA’s list. Thomas Kelly and Jordan Buckingham have been upgraded to the main list after making their Shield debuts last season.The Redbacks have recruited some young batters with Australia Under-19 right-hander Aidan Cahill moving from NSW on a rookie deal.In the Scorpions squad, the South Australia women’s team, youngsters Ella Wilson and Paris Hall have been added alongside Strikers batter Madeline Penna who has moved from ACT. Former captain Tegan McPharlin retired from state cricket after 15 season at the end of last summer.Belinda Vakarewa has lost her WNCL deal•Getty Images

Elsewhere, former Australia quick Holly Ferling has moved from Queensland to the ACT for the coming WNCL season. Ferling, 26, adds plenty of international experience to the Meteors after the retirement of veteran Erin Osborne.”Whilst she is an extremely accomplished cricketer, having made 34 appearances for Australia across all formats, she is also a wonderful leader and will be a great mentor for some of our younger players,” ACT coach Jono Dean said.Former New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Rachel Priest and one-time Australia ODI seamer Belinda Vakarewa have not been offered new contracts with WNCL title-holders Tasmania while Corinne Hall has retired. Rachel Trenamen has moved from NSW to Tasmania while Saskia Horley has taken her place on the NSW Breakers’ contract list.South Australia men’s contract list Wes Agar, Jordan Buckingham, Kyle Brazell, Aidan Cahill, Alex Carey (CA), Bailey Capel, Jake Carder, Harry Conway, Brendan Doggett, Daniel Drew, David Grant, Travis Head (CA), Isaac Higgins, Henry Hunt, Spencer Johnson, Thomas Kelly, Ryan King, Jake Lehmann, Nathan McAndrew, Nathan McSweeney, Ben Manenti, Harry Mathias, Harry Nielsen, Lloyd Pope, Liam Scott, Henry Thornton, Jake Weatherald, Nick Winter.In Harry Conway (NSW), Spencer Johnson, Thomas Kelly, Ben Manenti, Henry Thornton | Out Ryan Gibson, Corey Kelly, Sam Kerber, Joe Mennie, Kane Richardson (Queensland), Daniel Worrall (Surrey).South Australia women’s contract list Jemma Barsby, Sam Betts, Darcie Brown (CA), Emma de Broughe, Josie Dooley, Ellie Falconer, Paris Hall, Brooke Harris, Tahlia McGrath (CA), Annie O’Neil, Bridget Patterson, Madeline Penna, Kate Peterson, Megan Schutt (CA), Courtney Webb, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Ella WilsonIn Madeline Penna, Ella Wilson, Paris Hall | Out Tegan McPharlin (retired), Alex Price, Eliza DoddridgeACT women’s contract list: Angela Reakes, Katie Mack, Kayla Burton, Gabrielle Sutcliffe, Chloe Rafferty, Carly Leeson, Matilda Lugg, Olivia Porter, Rebecca Carter, Amy Yates, Zoe Cooke, Holly Ferling, Alisha Bates, Angelina Genford, Annie WikmanIn Holly Ferling (Queensland), Alisha Bates, Annie Wikman, Angelina Genford | Out Erin Osborne (retired), Madeline Penna (South Australia), Nicola Hancock, Erica KershawTasmania women’s contract list: Nicola Carey (CA), Julia Cavanough, Maisy Gibson, Heather Graham, Emma Manix-Geeves, Sasha Moloney, Clare Scott, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Naomi Stalenberg, Molly Strano, Emma Thompson, Rachel Trenaman, Elyse Villani, Callie Wilson.In Rachel Trenaman (New South Wales), Clare Scott, Callie Wilson, Julia Cavanough | Out Corinne Hall (retired), Chloe Abel, Rachel Priest, Emily Smith, Belinda Vakarewa.NSW Women’s contract list: Jade Allen, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner (CA), Rachael Haynes (CA), Alyssa Healy (CA), Saskia Horley, Emma Hughes, Sammy Jo-Johnson, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Claire Moore, Lauren Smith, Tahlia Wilson.In Saskia Horley | Out Rachel Trenaman (Tasmania)

Senior figures from UK Sport, FA and Manchester City also invited to give input

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2022Andrew Strauss says that England’s ambition is to become the “best in the world at all formats of the men’s game within the next five years”, after announcing a panel of experts for the ECB’s high-performance review that includes Sir Dave Brailsford, the former head of the British Cycling team that topped the medal tables at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.Writing in a blog post on the ECB’s website, Strauss reiterated his intention to be “bold” in assessing the failings that have left England’s Test team with one victory in 17 matches since March 2021, and with their lowest ICC ranking since 1995. His aim, he added, is to have solid proposals for the game to vote on by September, in order for the restructuring to begin in time for the 2023 season.”Over the past 42 years, England’s Men have been the number one ranked Test team in the world for a total of 12 months, and 50-over number one for 64 months,” Strauss wrote. “In T20 cricket, we have held the top spot for 748 days since the inception of those rankings in 2011.”At the moment, we aren’t top in any format. So we want to set an ambitious and clear goal – to become the best in the world at all formats of the men’s game within the next five years.”It’s extremely ambitious because we’ve never done it before. But why can’t it be achievable? What’s stopping us – and what else could help us get there? That’s what I want our high-performance review to consider.”From within cricket, the ECB’s panel includes Rob Key, England men’s director of cricket, and Durham’s Marcus North, alongside Daryl Mitchell from the PCA and Mo Bobat, the ECB’s performance director.From outside the game, Strauss has also secured the expert input of Kate Baker, director of performance at UK Sport; Simon Timson, Manchester City’s performance director; Dan Ashworth, the former FA director of elite development, and Penny Hughes, the ex-chair of Aston Martin.However, Brailsford – who is currently the director of the professional cycling team Ineos Grenadiers – is arguably the most prominent name on the panel. Strauss has long been an admirer of his “marginal gains” philosophy, and adopted many of those principles on England’s victorious Ashes tour of 2010-11.Brailsford’s reputation within cycling was recently tarnished, however, when his ex-colleague, Dr Richard Freeman – the former doctor at British Cycling and Team Sky – was found by a medical tribunal to have ordered testosterone “knowing or believing” it was to be used to improve the performance of one of the team’s riders.”I wanted to find experts in high performance whatever that field, some who’ve been in the spotlight, others who’ve been in the background generating high-performance programmes or systems,” Strauss added. “Some with cricket knowledge and expertise, others from a wider sporting background. People with different experiences, who have undergone different journeys, but all of whom we can learn from. And people who are all keen to help cricket.”Strauss added that views would also be sought from cricket’s supporters, and that the whole process would have oversight from a group of first-class county chairs. The remit of the review will not, however, take in the international schedule, nor will it tackle the specifics of the domestic calendar until the remodelled structures have been put in place.”I read a lot of speculation about the domestic competition structure. Of course, this is an important part of the picture, but it’s not the only part,” Strauss added. “The review is designed to look at the high-performance system in its entirely, including the England men’s pathway and our high performance set-up.”And let’s be clear – we have no pre-built solution. At this stage the project is only just starting. There are no hidden agendas. I wouldn’t be bothering to carry out a review if I was already sitting here with specific proposals for change.”