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It all came together for the competition’s entertainers, with Stubbs, Baartman to the fore

Firdose Moonda10-Feb-2024Sunrisers Eastern Cape heard Durban’s Super Giants captain Keshav Maharaj’s assertion that character, not skill, wins trophies and decided to simplify it. “Bowlers win you trophies,” Sunrisers skipper Aiden Markram said on the eve of the final. “But I’m a batter, so I sort of disagree.”Markram was proved half-right when his line-up posted 204 – well above the first-innings average of 172 at Newlands – and more than enough to defeat Super Giants. But his earlier point held too. Sunrisers got to the final on the back of their bowlers and had the top three wicket-takers in the competition in their squad. Their varied and skilled attack had someone for every condition and carried a batting line-up that Markram admitted was “bits and pieces but just found a way to get us over the line” – apart from the day that it really mattered, when they blasted Sunrisers to a second trophy.Over the last month, Sunrisers have played and paced the perfect championship run, in both results and entertainment terms. Of the 11 close games in the competition (matches won by 10 runs or fewer or with six balls remaining or fewer), Sunrisers were involved in five and won four, which meant they were consistently entertaining. But on the flip side, and more importantly, their entertainers were inconsistent. “If you look at our player-of-the-match performances, it’s been a different person every time and that says the environment is good,” Markram said.Related

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In each of their seven league victories, a different player was recognised as the game-changer. There can be no better indication of a unit that is more than the sum of its parts than that, and the person responsible for creating that is veteran coach Adi Birrell. He is a crafty campaigner who compiles squads without any stand-out T20 franchise superstars but gets the most out of them. Last season, it was Roelof van der Merwe and Adam Rossington who were among the team’s leading lights; this time it’s Ottniel Baartman, Daniel Worrall and Tom Abell and you’d have to be among the more knowledgeable and passionate fans to know much about them, especially Baartman.A medium-pacer from the Karoo town of Oudtshoorn, Baartman spent the early part of his career in the country’s then semi-professional tiers playing for South Western Districts and Northern Cape. Ironically, it was a move to Durban that put him on the national radar and he was part of the Test squad that traveled to Pakistan in 2021, and recent white-ball squads but remains uncapped. Now, with his haul as the SA20’s second-leading wicket-taker, he has put his hand up as a candidate for the T20 World Cup and with an arsenal of slower balls, South Africa could do worse than give him a run, especially for the Caribbean leg.The same kind of responsibility could now be conferred to Tristan Stubbs, whose match-winning unbeaten 56 suggests he is ready for a bigger role in the national T20 side, where he has yet to kick off. In 17 international games, Stubbs has only scored one fifty and has not gone past 27 in his last 10 completed innings. Over the last year, he has needed a knock that could show he can translate his reputation into important runs in big games and that is what he did at Newlands. His moment came after a mid-innings lull which brought only 44 runs between overs 10 and 16, as Sunrisers entered the last phase of the innings. They scored 59 runs in the last four overs and Stubbs contributed 34 of them.Ottniel Baartman claimed the big wicket of Heinrich Klaasen•SA 20Stubbs had his captain – and the leader of national T20I side – Markram alongside him, and the latter also made a statement about his abilities in this tournament. Markram is an understated but astute leader, who can take charge of a diverse group of players and manage them well both tactically and personally. That’s what he will hope his IPL franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad have seen because, with the additions of Travis Head, Pat Cummins and Glenn Philips to their books at the most recent auction, Markram is not even guaranteed a spot in the starting XI, never mind his captaincy position. While there’s no arguing with Cummins’ suitability as a skipper or Head’s quality in the line-up, the way Markram led the namesake team in South Africa must have bought him some currency.And if it didn’t, he can take heart from knowing he has definitely won over his own people. Markram’s two wins in two seasons will give South Africans hope he is the right person to take them to the T20 World Cup, evidenced by the warmth with which his team was received around the country and especially at Newlands. Markram thrilled Capetonians when he grabbed a one-handed stunner to dismiss JJ Smuts in the qualifier earlier in the week. Locals were heard calling it the best catch they’d seen at Newlands. And so it’s no surprise that even with the home team out of the tournament, Capetonians packed out the final, largely in orange, and stayed until the very end of a one-sided encounter to celebrate cricket’s resurgence in the country.Overall, the SA20 will remember season two as a success. Data from the South African viewership of the first 17 days of the tournament showed a 36% increase on last year and, surprisingly, that almost two-thirds of the audience is over 50. So much for Gen Z, huh? A quick first-person glance around Newlands this week (over both the qualifier and the final) also revealed an older-than-expected crowd. And only a sprinkling of them took in the displays at the recently created Western Province cricket museum, which occupies the ground floor of the new development in the stadium’s precinct, and presents a sprawling history of cricket in the area. Perhaps another time, maybe even soon.Though all South Africa’s high-profile cricket has been played this summer, including the international fixtures, this week, the domestic four-day competition resumes before the domestic T20 competition (yes, another one!) will be played over March and April. Therein lies the opportunity for CSA to cash in on what they achieved over two seasons of SA20.Although the provincial teams do not have the same brand identities as the SA20 teams, there are geographical links and the interest in the format, along with the fact that it is a World Cup year, should prompt CSA into spending some money on marketing and making sure people attend matches. They don’t need to have the full franchise tournament experience, with stilt walkers and live music and incentives to take crowd catches, they just need reasons to watch the cricket. And South African players, as the SA20 has shown, provide plenty of that.

Nine games in, the tournament has already thrown up some unpredictable results and some extraordinary individual performances

Vishal Dikshit11-Mar-2022The opening game the World Cup needed
New Zealand vs West Indies was not expected to be the most high-profile match of the league stage, and, what was worse, it had to fight for eyeballs with Virat Kohli’s 100th Test and the return of the Australia men’s Test team on Pakistani soil after 24 long years.Related

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But, on opening day, the two teams still brought out a match for the ages when their power-hitters – Sophie Devine and Hayley Matthews – struck centuries to set the bar high for the other teams to follow.The five minutes of mayhem from Deandra Dottin at the end stole the show, though.Having not bowled in her last eight ODIs, or in training recently, Dottin went on to defend just five runs in the final over in dramatic fashion and gave the World Cup the perfect advertisement it needed.West Indies win, England don’t
West Indies were next up against defending champions England. This time, West Indies were defending a lower total – 225 – and by not letting England score just 14 runs from the last 24 balls, they threw the qualification race wide open with two wins in two games. For England, it was two losses in a row.England came into the World Cup on the back of a forgettable and winless Ashes campaign in Australia. Against the same opposition in their opening game, England showed class in getting to 298 chasing 311 for victory. There was a “shift in mindset”, as Nat Sciver said after the match, after they had not scored 200 even once in the three Ashes ODIs earlier.But they went right back to their Ashes ways in their second game. Only one of England’s top six got to double-digits and left too much to do for the lower order, and went down to West Indies for the first time in the Women’s World Cup, losing their first two matches in the World Cup for the first time too.Battling Bangladesh, and near upsets
Ranked higher than West Indies and Pakistan in ODIs, Bangladesh exhibited in their opening match with a solid bowling effort that they should not be taken lightly. Led by the 19-year-old left-arm quick Fariha Trisna, Bangladesh bowled out South Africa for 207, allowing only one fifty partnership. But South Africa’s bowling firepower was too much for them as they went down by 32 runs.Bangladesh’s batters, however, stepped up against New Zealand by getting off the blocks with 45 without loss in six overs against a wayward attack, but they fell flat later in the rain-curtailed game when the hosts pulled up their socks. The 50-plus opening stands in both matches was a testament to Bangladesh’s improved quality at the top, as they had put up only two 50-plus opening stands in 41 ODIs before this World Cup.Ayabonga Khaka and Shabnim Ismail have been at the forefront of South Africa’s bowling efforts•ICC via GettyThe near-upsets kept coming in the tournament, especially against South Africa. On Friday, Pakistan did a Bangladesh by limiting South Africa to a chaseable 223 with a middle-order collapse and their batters were on their way to seeing them through. But South Africa’s bowlers, led by Shabnim Ismail, once again kept their nerves under pressure and got them two points in the six-run win.Fielding, forgettable
The opening game did set high standards for the thrill quotient of the rest of the World Cup but not on the fielding front. Devine was dropped twice that evening, amid other sloppy efforts, after New Zealand had put down two as well.It barely got better from there. Laura Wolvaardt dropped two the next day, Australia spilled two sitters against England, and although there was the odd extraordinary effort – like Deandra Dottin’s stunner at point against England – the same match had as many as seven spills overall.India have been okay on the field. Pooja Vastrakar hit the stumps down for Suzie Bates’s run-out but she also dropped Katey Martin later, while wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh has pushed the bar high with sharp work behind the stumps.Overall, ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data has recorded a total of 35 drops and missed stumping chances so far, which is a terrible average of nearly four chances gone down per match. England lead the list with a total of eight misses, West Indies seven, and Bangladesh, South Africa and India have the least (two each).Those runs are coming fast
This World Cup has seen some low-scorers but it is so far also the best as far as scoring rate goes, at 4.76, going past the 4.69 of 2017. The tournament had also started off with a bang, seeing as many as four centuries on the first three days, from Devine, Matthews, Rachael Haynes, and Sciver.There haven’t been any since then but the conversion rate in this World Cup (four centuries in nine matches) is almost the same as in 2017 (14 in 30 games), which puts the current tournament on course to set a new record.

Cricketer. Captain. Mother.

An inspiration to all #IWD2022 pic.twitter.com/J5C6G3lewM

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) March 8, 2022

Who’s playing, when are the marquee games, where you can watch them, and more

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Feb-2020Why is this Women’s Twenty20 World Cup a big deal?
The popularity of women’s cricket has seen a dramatic rise in the past three years. Buoyed by India reaching the final, the 2017 Women’s 50-over World Cup had more than 180 million television viewers, according to the ICC. The next big tournament, the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup, had live coverage in more than 200 countries.This edition is being hosted in Australia, where the Women’s Big Bash League gets up to 300,000 television viewers for games, so the World Cup matches are expected to be well-attended and widely consumed on television.What’s changed about the tournament?
The Women’s T20 World Cup has been around since 2009, but for the first five editions it was run parallel with the men’s tournament. In 2018, for the first time, the tournament was held as a standalone event. This edition is also a standalone tournament.Is this bigger than the Women’s 50-over World Cup?
That’s debatable, but in an effort to attract young audiences the ICC has focused on increasing the number of women’s T20Is, making it the most commonly played format in the women’s game. Until 2017, the most women’s T20Is in a year featuring one of the top-eight teams was 55 in 2016 (a World-Cup year, meaning more T20Is naturally). In 2018, that number went up to 83 (another World-Cup year) and in 2019, it was at 48 despite there being no World Cup to boost numbers. By contrast, there have been just 86 women’s ODIs played since 2017.So when and where is the tournament?
The 2020 Women’s Twenty20 World Cup starts on February 21 and ends with the final on March 8. The tournament is being hosted by Australia, with games to be played at the SCG, MCG, WACA, the Sydney Showground Stadium, the Manuka Oval in Canberra, and the Junction Oval in Melbourne. Both semi-finals will be at the SCG, and the final will be at the MCG.How many teams are playing?
The tournament features ten teams: Australia, England, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, Bangladesh and, for the first time, Thailand. It’s also the first time a Thailand team is playing any cricket World Cup.What’s the format?
The teams are divided into two groups of five. Each team plays every other in their group, and the two teams with the most points in each group go through to the semi-finals.On which channel is the tournament being broadcast?
In India, you can watch the games on Star Sports’ channels on television or on Hotstar on the web or mobile. In Australia, you can catch the action on Fox Sports on television or on Kayo Live Stream on digital. Sky Sports will broadcast the games in England and New Zealand. And, of course, you can follow all the live scores, ball-by-ball updates and news on ESPNcricinfo.Who are the favourites?
Australia have won four of the six Women’s T20 World Cups so far, including the most recent one, and are the clear favourites this time around as well. They have lost just two of 14 T20Is since the start of 2019. England and India are the next strongest sides, with New Zealand the dark horses.What are some key dates to remember?
Australia play India on the opening day, February 21, and Australia play New Zealand on March 2 in the two marquee matches of Group A. India v New Zealand on February 27 could end up being a key encounter. In Group B, England v South Africa on February 23 and South Africa v West Indies on March 3 promise to be exciting games. You may also want to look out for first-timers Thailand’s first game, on February 22 against West Indies. Both semi-finals are on March 5, and the final on March 8.

South Africa wanted to make India “grovel” and spend more time than they would have liked on the field by batting an hour into the third session on day four of the Guwahati Test. South Africa extended their lead to 548 before declaring, effectively taking the home side’s chances of a win off the table.That was Shukri Conrad’s explanation, when the South Africa coach was asked why his side felt they needed to set India a target far greater than the record chase of 418 in a series where they have an unassailable lead. In answering, Conrad made reference to former England captain Tony Greig’s infamous comment – albeit in a different era and context – about West Indies in 1976 that galvanised the Caribbean team, who won the five-Test series 3-0.”We obviously looked at how best we were going to use the new ball, because in the morning we still wanted a newish, hardish ball,” Conrad said after the fourth day’s play. “What we felt is that when the shadows come across the wicket in the evening, there’s something in it for the quick bowlers, so we didn’t want to declare too early and not be able to use that.”And then, obviously, we wanted the Indians to spend as much time on their feet out in the field, we wanted them to really grovel, to steal a phrase, bat them completely out the game, and then say to them ‘Come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening.’ So, so far so good, but we also know that they’re not just going to roll over, we’re going to have to be at our very best in the morning.”Related

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South Africa have not won a series in India since 2000, had not won a Test since 2010 until last week in Kolkata, and have held the advantage throughout the Guwahati Test and want to make the most of it. After winning the toss and batting first, they recovered from 247 for 6 on day one to score 489 and then bowled India out for 201. Though South Africa could have enforced the follow-on, they chose to bat late on day three and continued deep into day four, keeping India on the field for a total of 229.4 overs. India go into day five on 27 for 2 after 15.5 overs in their second innings, and South Africa need eight wickets to sweep the series.With 90 overs of play scheduled for day five – though several have been lost in fading light on each of the previous four days – South Africa gave themselves a minimum of 106 overs to dismiss India. On a surface that Conrad admitted had “stayed remarkably good” for batting, one of the questions facing South Africa, who went into the match without a third seamer, was how long they would need to dismiss India.It took them 83.5 overs in the first innings, thanks largely to Marco Jansen’s ability to extract extra bounce which earned him 6 for 48. Since then, Conrad confirmed South Africa expected the surface to “deteriorate a little bit more” than it had but they felt an earlier declaration would have been futile and will be comfortable with whichever way the match ends, even if it is a draw.Tristan Stubbs countered India’s spinners with the sweep•Associated Press

“I don’t think there’s a right and a wrong in anything. We wanted India to come out again after lunch and spend time on their feet. We saw the effects of batting for two full days in the first innings and what sort of effect it had on them,” he said. “And it was never going to be easy for the opening batters to come this evening, with the new ball and shadows across the wicket. We felt we could have struck there. If tomorrow evening comes and we have them eight down and people say, ‘Well, see you told you so’… we’ve got to base it on our sound judgement and if that doesn’t work out, it doesn’t. I don’t think there’s a right and wrong in any of this but obviously, 2-0 is a lot better than 1-0. I’d like to think that the series is secured and we’re going to go all out for the win.”There is still evidence of good bounce in the surface and what Conrad described as “consistent turn,” which he backs his attack to exploit. “Hopefully Marco and the spinners can do the job tomorrow. We’re going to give it our best shot.”While Jansen’s wicket-taking abilities are well known, over the last two months South Africa’s spinners have been in the headlines during tours of Pakistan and India. Senuran Muthusamy, who has yet to bowl in this match, was player of the series in Pakistan, where he took 11 wickets in Lahore, while Simon Harmer is the joint-leading wicket-taker in the ongoing series against India. That South Africa have fielded as many as three spinners in two of the four Tests also demonstrates a changing attitude in the country’s cricket, which Conrad hopes can inspire a new wave of bowlers.”For the first time, we’ve thrown our weight behind spin bowlers. We’ve got quality spinners that can mix it with the best in the world and I believe we’ve got the balance of our sides right,” he said. “The big thing for me is that it provides hope for young spinners back in South Africa, where we were primarily seen as a country that just throws its weight behind fast bowling. I’d like to think that the young spinners back home are saying there’s hope for us now, because spinners are also part of the armoury for Proteas’ attack.”

Bond, who replaces Daniel Vettori, played at Edgbaston for Warwickshire in 2002

Matt Roller05-Nov-2025

Birmingham Phoenix have appointed Shane Bond as their new men’s head coach on a two-year deal. Bond, the former New Zealand fast bowler, will replace his compatriot Daniel Vettori, who is set to join the newly-rebranded Sunrisers Leeds as Andrew Flintoff’s successor.Bond is a highly-rated coach within the franchise world who has worked as an IPL bowling coach for the last decade, with both Mumbai Indians (2015-22) and Rajasthan Royals (since 2023). He has also previously worked as a head coach, with experience at Paarl Royals in the SA20 and Sydney Thunder in the BBL.His appointment marks the first major change at Phoenix under their new ownership model, with the franchise now run jointly by Warwickshire and the American investment firm Knighthead Capital, which also owns Birmingham City Football Club.James Thomas, who joined Warwickshire from Manchester City as performance director in June, has emerged as a key figure at Phoenix and ran the recruitment process for a new coach after Vettori’s departure.”We’re thrilled to appoint Shane as head coach,” Thomas said. “His elite coaching experience, proven success in global franchise leagues, and passion for player development will be a major asset.”Throughout a competitive selection process, his vision, tactical insight, and ability to build high-performing environments really stood out. He understands the demands of modern franchise cricket and what it takes to perform at the highest level.”Bond had a brief stint as an overseas player at Warwickshire in 2002, taking 12 wickets in four appearances, and said that he has a “strong connection to the club and the city of Birmingham” as a result.”I know what it means to walk out onto the Edgbaston pitch and represent the people in the stands,” Bond said. “I want to instil that into our players and create an environment which breeds success… I want my team to play a fearless, exciting brand of cricket which ultimately delivers success for the Birmingham Phoenix.”Bond’s appointment extends Phoenix’s New Zealand connection, with Vettori signing Trent Boult, Adam Milne and Tim Southee as his three overseas players last season. It remains to be seen whether any of them will return for 2026, with teams only permitted to make a maximum of four signings and retentions before the inaugural auction in March.There has already been significant movement among men’s Hundred coaches as new investors make their mark on the tournament: Andy Flower has joined London Spirit from Trent Rockets, Tom Moody has left Oval Invincibles for a global role with Lucknow Super Giants (including the Manchester franchise) and Flintoff has left Sunrisers after turning down a new contract.Vettori is expected to be confirmed as Flintoff’s replacement in the coming days, while former Hampshire coach Adi Birrell is set to take charge of Sunrisers’ women after coaching Southern Brave men in 2025.

Manchester United have now received an offer for an “insane” player ahead of the January transfer window, and he’s said yes to the move…

Man Utd could offload "insane" player in January

Just when Man United were looking like they might have turned a corner, they were brought crashing back down to earth against Everton on Monday night, with the Toffees emerging as 1-0 winners, in what was David Moyes’ first-ever win as a visiting manager at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils were unable to take anything from the game, despite playing against ten men for the majority of the night, with Idrissa Gueye being shown a straight red card after striking his own teammate, Michael Keane.

Having gone the five previous Premier League games undefeated, the loss serves as a reminder that the current squad is still some way off being able to compete for major honours, as pointed out by Ruben Amorim in his post-match interview.

As such, there is work to be done in the January transfer window and beyond, and Man United now have a decision to make when it comes to Joshua Zirkzee’s future, as AS Roma have submitted a loan with an option to buy offer for the striker.

That is according to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), which states Zirkzee is now edging closer to joining Roma, having ‘said yes’ to the January move, although it is currently unclear whether United are willing to sanction a departure.

The Dutchman is valued at €40m (£35m), with the Italian club willing to include an obligation to buy if they qualify for the Champions League, but it is not specified what sort of fee they would be willing to shell out.

Man Utd should cash-in on Zirkzee this winter

The 24-year-old has flattered to deceive ever since his arrival at Old Trafford, scoring just three Premier League goals in 37 appearances, and his recent performance against Everton was less than impressive.

The Netherlands international squandered one big chance and received a SofaScore match rating of just 6.3, the joint-lowest of any player, excluding Gueye, who was dismissed after just 13 minutes.

Related Alongside Zirkzee: Man Utd's "waste of time" must not start again for Amorim

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Having been lauded as “insane” by scout Ben Mattinson in the past, the £105k-a-week forward could succeed elsewhere, and he may have a part to play until Benjamin Sesko returns from a knee injury.

However, Amorim should definitely move Zirkzee on in the January transfer window and bring in a new striker to rival Sesko for a starting spot, with Man United recently renewing their interest in Bayern Munich star Harry Kane.

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has again defended divisive attacker Brenden Aaronson, who has been the subject of more abuse from his own fans, albeit while admitting that the USMNT star is an "annoying" player. It comes as Leeds are struggling to tread water on their return to the Premier League, sitting just inside the relegation zone on goal difference, with the pressure also mounting on Farke himself.

Aaronson criticism 'more than unfair'

With the second most goal-shy attack in the Premier League through 12 games, Leeds aren't scoring enough to get the points they need to be higher up the table. Aaronson has featured in all of those fixtures, starting nine of them, supposedly as a chief source of creativity from the right.

The American has contributed one goal and one assist and is frustrating fans, many of whom have openly let him know about it. Even Farke admitted he understood it because of inconsistencies in performances, but is also keen to point out that the criticism is "more than unfair".

He said after Leeds' 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday: "I have to say Brenden is a player who polarizes and can be annoying even for me. Sometimes he’s not clear enough and can be a bit hectic. But I have to say what we're doing in criticizing this young man – then we don't have to do all these mental health awareness days.

"He represents so many skills we want to stand for as Leeds United. He works his socks off, gives everything, is relentless and leaves his heart on the pitch. It's more than unfair at the moment. In the last three performances he was always there covering 13 kilometers per game. Why we're looking so solid on our right side – with all respect to Jayden [Bogle] – Brenden is so crucial to protect him."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportFarke concerned about impact of negative comments

Farke went on to address concerns about the kind of impact that persistent criticism and abuse could ultimately have on Aaronson.

"I'm just worried how we are as a society, with social media stuff, how we are as human beings," he said. "You just see the negative comments. If you see 5,000 negative comments about yourself as a 25-year-old guy, you think the whole world is on your shoulders.

"I could make my life easy and also slam him and then everyone would say, 'Yes, Daniel, tell him, great, we don’t like him anyway.’ But I protect human beings. This is what I do. I work with human beings, I don't work with robots. I also see what this lad is doing. And he is always a fantastic team-mate. He works his socks off.

"We feel better if we can put our anger just on other human beings. I don't like it. And when everyone is on his back, for such a young lad, is it really like how we want to treat human beings in our society? At least I don't want to treat them [like that].

"So we can criticize them, and we can think, 'Okay, you should not play football games' – whatever. But also, come on, watch, judge his performances, be at least a little bit fair. And if you don't want to do this in terms of relationship, come on, be a bit respectful with a young lad of 25-years-old. And then, otherwise, we don't have to have all this mental health awareness days, and we can put it into the bin."

Farke defended Aaronson in September

Farke also staunchly defended Aaronson back in September. "It's important to not put too much weight on his shoulders. Sometimes the feeling with Brenden is that we are a bit over-critical in public,” the Leeds manager said at the time. "We know Brenden has challenges in his offensive game in terms of decision-making, being a bit clearer and more straightforward. This is something we speak a lot about.It's not like I press a button and do my magic and he's a completely different player. In training we bring him more into positions where he has to take decisions. It's not like he is not willing to score or not highly motivated. Sometimes because he is so on it he is perhaps losing a bit of his calmness. But it's not helpful if everyone is always criticizing him."

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Getty Images SportLeeds needs points fast

It's more promising for Aaronson that his two Premier League goal contributions so far this season have both come within the last four games. Sadly for an already struggling Leeds, things aren't about to get any easier, with Manchester City away on Saturday, followed by visits of Chelsea and Liverpool.

To avoid another relegation back to the Championship, they need to start picking up points fast.