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Despite another fine innings by Michael Klinger, Essex gained sweet revenge for their defeat at Bristol last month by beating Gloucestershire by 18 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-2015
ScorecardMark Pettini scored 68 as Essex staved off Michael Klinger•Getty Images

Despite another fine innings by Michael Klinger, Essex gained sweet revenge for their defeat at Bristol last month by beating Gloucestershire by 18 runs in their NatWest Twenty20 Blast South Group clash.Klinger, who scored an unbeaten century in that first meeting, made his presence felt again with 104 not out – but it was not enough to save his side from defeat as they replied to Essex’s 181 with 163 for 7 at Chelmsford.Graham Napier played an important part in Gloucestershire’s woes with some hostile bowling that brought him three wickets for 30 runs from his four overs – and he received good support from off-spinner Tom Westley (2 for 27).Klinger was left ploughing a lone furrow as he completed his half-century from 32 balls – he was unable to call upon meaningful support as wickets tumbled at regular intervals around him.He moved into three figures with an on-driven six at the expense of fellow Australian Shaun Tait , one of three such massive blows in an innings which also brought him 10 fours. In all he faced just 64 deliveries while gathering his second unbeaten century in successive matches against the Essex attack.Gloucestershire fell well short of their target as Essex claimed their third victory in this season’s competition to keep alive their hopes of reaching the quarter-final stage.They had been given a super start by opener Mark Pettini, who shared in an opening stand of 46 in 4.1 overs with Jesse Ryder and one of 68 in eight overs with Westley.Essex had look set for a much more formidable score when they reached the halfway stage on 98 for 1 but they managed only 28 in their next five overs, during which they lost three wickets. One of those was Pettini, stumped by Geraint Jones off Kieran Noema-Barnett for 68 from 44 deliveries – including 10 fours and a six.Essex were then revived by James Foster and Napier, both of whom struck two sixes in their efforts. Left-arm spinner Tom Smith had halted the home side’s progress by removing Westley, Ravi Bopara and Nick Browne at a cost of 26 runs in his four overs.James Fuller and David Payne, with two for 22 and two for 25 respectively, were the visitors’ other main wicket-takers in a match watched by a near-capacity crowd of around 5,000.

Adam Wheater has said he received no assurances of a first-team place as wicketkeeper at West End despite claims made by Paul Grayson

Ivo Tennant05-Mar-2013Adam Wheater, who last week bought out his contract with Essex in order to join Hampshire with immediate effect, has said he received no guarantees of a first-team place as wicketkeeper at West End, despite the claim by his former coach, Paul Grayson, that this was the reason behind his decision to move counties.”I think Paul was trying to cover his own back in saying that,” Wheater said during a press conference before flying to Barbados with his new team-mates for a pre-season tour. “I am on a two-year contract and have been given no assurances.” He will compete with Michael Bates for the gloves at Hampshire.In Essex’s press release, Grayson was quoted as saying Wheater was their “third-choice keeper”, behind James Foster and Ben Foakes, and that “Hampshire have given him assurances that he will be their first-choice at the club.” Nigel Hilliard, the Essex chairman, supported Grayson, however. “I have no reason to believe Paul was lying,” he said.Although Hampshire allegedly did not make a formal approach to Essex and had previously attempted to tempt James Foster to join them, Hilliard did not want to take issue with them. “All sorts of approaches are made for players and we would not want to stand in the way of a player who was keen to leave,” he said.Wheater, 23, saw little prospect of keeping wicket regularly for Essex given that he expects Foster, the club captain, to play on for several more years. “The attraction for me in joining Hampshire is that they have a young side who are going in the right direction and are not too far from my family in Epping,” he said. “I have been looking at places to buy round Southampton but haven’t found anywhere yet.”He said “three or four” other counties had been interested in signing him, but he had not had any serious discussions with any of them. He has joined Hampshire, he emphasised, to become a wicketkeeper-batsman. “I would have become more frustrated at Essex if James Foster had not been such an unbelievably good wicketkeeper. I talked to him before leaving – we were born in the same hospital and went to the same school – but he could not be seen to be advising me to go.” Wheater would not divulge the payment he had to make to Essex to buy out his remaining year’s contract.There is no doubting Wheater’s ability with the bat – he made 2,463 runs for Essex at 39.09, a significantly higher average than Bates has mustered – and his wicketkeeping can only improve under the tutelage of Bobby Parks, but his signing is nonetheless a controversial one. Hampshire pride themselves on the young cricketers they have brought on over the past few years, one of whom is Bates, who has kept wicket to Danny Briggs’ left arm spin since they were ten years old.Bates, 22, signed a two-year contract with Hampshire in the autumn and is arguably the most talented young wicketkeeper in the country. His batting is improving if not yet consistent – he made his maiden first-class century last season – and the acquisition of Wheater will do little for his self-belief or the confidence of academy cricketers who will feel a natural progression to the first team is constantly under threat. Nor will it please the members, who doubtless would prefer to see the club develop and promote their own players rather than sign up outsiders, as in football.Tellingly – and modestly – Wheater said that Bates remains the better wicketkeeper. “We know each other from playing against each other at regional level,” he said. “I have benefited from playing for Essex as a batsman, and I would be happy to play for Hampshire as a specialist batter, but my trade is a wicketkeeper-batsman,” he said.It could yet be the case that Hampshire will alternate between the two for first-class and limited-overs cricket. One particular match which would have heightened their interest in acquiring Wheater occurred at Chelmsford last year when Essex, needing 360 to win, slumped to 222 for 7 before his innings of 98 brought them to within two runs of victory.Hilliard, who believes that Foster is the best wicketkeeper in the world, let alone the country, feels the specialist stumper will return to prominence in due course, regardless of whether or not he can bat. Keith Fletcher, the great sage of Essex cricket, is not so sure. “Neil Smith, who played in our first championship-winning side, would not play now,” he said. “David East might struggle to get in, even thought he played some important innings.”And, he added – alarmingly for the likes of Bates – “even the days of Bob Taylor have gone.”

Mohammad Hafeez has urged the PCB to schedule more Test matches for the national team because he believes it is the format that helps produce quality cricketers

Umar Farooq14-Jan-2013Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s Test vice captain, has urged the PCB to schedule more Test matches for the national team because he believes it is the format that helps produce quality cricketers. In the last five years, Pakistan have played 35 Tests, more than only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. England, in comparison, played 63.”It’s unfortunate that we get less Test matches,” Hafeez said in Karachi. “We played three Tests in January [2012] and then three in June, and again after six months we will play in South Africa, which is hard on us. I would urge the board to take up this issue and try to schedule more Test matches for us because I believe players only develop by playing Test matches.”Test cricket produces good quality cricketers, like we have found Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq. We need to promote Test cricket but if we play only six Tests in a year then it will be tough. I think PCB needs to fight for more Tests in the next fixture because you get quality cricketers from Test cricket.”According to the ICC’s FTP, Pakistan are scheduled to play 88 Tests between 2012 and 2020. They will play ten Tests in 2013 and then face a five to six-month break before hosting Australia for three Tests in October 2014. Pakistan have had to play their home Tests at off-shore venues such as England and the UAE after the Sri Lankan team was attacked by terrorists in Lahore in March 2009.Pakistan’s last Test series was in Sri Lanka in June and July and they head to South Africa later this month for a three-match contest, which begins on February 1. Their previous tour to South Africa was in 2007, and of this current squad only Hafeez, Younis Khan and Faisal Iqbal were in that tour party.”A Test series in South Africa will be challenging because the conditions are different. We played there in 2007 but this time we are carrying an entirely new combination,” Hafeez said. “We are going there ten days in advance and have a side match before the Test so it will give us some good preparation. They have a good combination of batting and bowling but we too are going there after winning our series in India, which has lifted our morale a lot.”Pakistan selectors on Friday named two rookie fast bowlers – Mohammad Irfan and Ehsan Adil – for the South Africa tour, along with Junaid Khan and Umar Gul. “It’s a decision of the selection committee,” said Hafeez, accepting his “side is short of another fast bowler” but he was confident this attack, which includes spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, would fare well in South Africa.”We have an emerging bowler in Junaid Khan and then Umar Gul is very experienced,” Hafeez said. “Mohammad Irfan is also progressing well.”

A total of 277 players (83 overseas) will vie for a maximum of 73 slots (23 overseas) in the auction in Delhi on November 27

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2025Allrounder Deepti Sharma and fast bowler Renuka Singh are the two Indian players among the eight listed in the marquee set that will open the bidding at the WPL 2026 auction. Sophie Devine, Sophie Ecclestone, Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr and Laura Wolvaardt are the others in the marquee set.Among the players in the marquee set, only Renuka (INR 40 lakh) and Wolvaardt (INR 30 lakh) have listed their base price lower than the maximum of INR 50 lakh.A total of 277 players have registered for the WPL 2026 auction for a maximum of 73 available slots. A total of 83 overseas players will vie for the 23 slots available for them in the auction that will be held on November 27 in Delhi.Three players in the marquee sets – Deepti, Ecclestone and Healy – have played for UP Warriorz (UPW), who have four right to match (RTM) options available. UPW retained just one uncapped player in Shweta Sehrawat.Related

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Tahlia McGrath, who played for UPW, and Sophie Molineux, who represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), are not part of the 23 players from Australia. That aside, there are 22 players from England, 13 from New Zealand and 11 from South Africa in the auction pool. Chamari Athapaththu, batter Harshitha Samarawickrama and left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera are the three from Sri Lanka. Athapaththu was part of UPW last season. Three players from Bangladesh – Marufa Akter, Shorna Akter and Rabeya Khan – have listed themselves at INR 30 lakh.India batter Harleen Deol, who played for Gujarat Giants (GG) for the first three seasons, has listed her base price in the highest bracket of INR 50 lakh and in the capped allrounders’ list. Her GG team-mate, Australia’s Phoebe Litchfield also has a base price of INR 50 lakh. But since GG have retained two overseas players, Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner, they cannot exercise their RTM for Litchfield.Alyssa Healy and Sophie Devine are part of the marquee set for the WPL 2026 auction•ICC/Getty Images

Radha Yadav, Sneh Rana, Grace Harris, Chinelle Henry and N Shree Charani are among those in the set of capped allrounders. In that set all players except Deol have a base price of INR 30 lakh.Assam’s Uma Chetry, who was the back-up wicketkeeper in India’s World Cup-winning squad, and allrounder Kranti Gaud, who has represented UPW, both have listed themselves in the highest bracket of INR 50 lakh. Australia legspinner Alana King (INR 40 lakh), India’s Asha Sobhana and Priya Mishra (both INR 30 lakh) as well as Saika Ishaque (INR 30 lakh), who was part of Mumbai Indians (MI) for the first three seasons, are all part of the first set of spinners, which is the sixth set.Left-arm spinner Thipatcha Putthawong is the only Thailand player listed, while Tara Norris, who played for Delhi Capitals (DC) in WPL 2023 and is the first player to pick up a five-wicket haul in the competition, is the only player from USA.UAE captain Esha Oza and wicketkeeper Theertha Satish round-off the four players from Associate teams. No players from Ireland or Scotland are in the list; Scotland wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce was part of DC last season.UPW and GG will enter the auction for WPL 2026 with the highest purse – INR 14.50 crore and INR 9 crore respectively – followed by RCB (INR 6.15 crore), MI (INR 5.75 crore) and DC (5.70 crore). MI and DC, who retained five players each, will not have any RTM option available.

Hockley stepped into the job last June following the sacking of Kevin Roberts

Andrew McGlashan31-May-2021Nick Hockley has been named the new permanent chief executive of Cricket Australia, having held the role in an interim capacity for almost a year.Hockley stepped into the job last June following the sacking of Kevin Roberts during the fallout to CA’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.”As Australia’s national sport, cricket is at the heart of our national and cultural identity. I am under no illusion about the importance of cricket to the lives of so many Australians, nor the magnitude and responsibility of this role,” Hockley said. “Leading Cricket Australia is the greatest privilege of my working life and I am committed to doing all I can to making a positive contribution to the game and the community.”It has been extremely rewarding to be part of CA, State and Territory Associations and the Australian Cricketers’ Association working together like never before over the past 12 months, to overcome the challenges presented by Covid-19 and deliver a summer for the ages. I look forward to building on this momentum and playing my role in deepening those relationships further, as well as playing a leading role in growing the game internationally alongside fellow ICC members.”Amid the pressure of funding cuts to states – which were eventually much lower than originally forecast – other than a battle with host broadcaster Channel Seven and the ongoing challenges of border closures, Hockley was able to steer the game through a turbulent 2020-21 season which enabled them to deliver a full professional programme. That included a tour by India, which involved tense negotiations almost until the final day, alongside two Big Bash tournaments and a full state professional summer.Related

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Despite having done an impressive job dealing with the impact of the pandemic, there have been questions raised as to whether Hockley has the broader vision to carry CA forward. But he now has the chance to make changes and decisions that were difficult while he still held the interim tag.”Nick’s contribution to Australian Cricket has been immense and on behalf of the board, I am most pleased to confirm his appointment as CEO, which was unanimously endorsed by the board,” Earl Eddings, the CA chairman, said. “From delivering the historic T20 Women’s World Cup to ensuring a safe and successful 2020-21 season, Nick has already proven himself to be in the very top echelon of sports administrators both in Australia and around the world.”Nick was named interim CEO at an incredibly challenging period for Australian sport, and society in general, and there were many instances where the once-in-a-generation obstacles in his path must have seemed overwhelming. But through his leadership, resolve, worth ethic and vision for the game, Australian Cricket emerged stronger than ever. For that, Nick deserves enormous credit.”Prior to his hasty elevation into the top CA role, Hockley had been chief executive of the 2020 T20 World Cup committee that had staged the record-breaking women’s tournament in Australia last year, and which concluded just days before the pandemic shut down global sport. Before that, he had worked on the 2015 men’s World Cup as well, having also previously been involved in the London Olympics.Confirmation of Hockley’s full-time job removes one of the leadership uncertainties around Australian cricket. Eddings is set to seek a second term as chairman at October’s elections, although there are significant divisions in the game over what would be a highly unusual move.On the playing front, the subject of who succeeds Tim Paine as Test captain potentially after next summer’s Ashes has not made much movement, while Justin Langer, the men’s head coach, is out of contract after the 2021-22 season amid rumblings of discontent in the dressing room.

Spending 179 and 159.2 overs on the field has led to them getting to a “breaking point”

Mohammad Isam01-May-2021The Bangladesh team reached a physical and mental “breaking point” on the third afternoon of the second Test in Pallekele, according to coach Russell Domingo. He was referring to the 179 and 159.2 overs they have been in the field over the two Tests against Sri Lanka with three rest days thrown in. Domingo however said that there were some soft dismissals as the visitors were bowled out for 251 – losing 7 for 37 – and ending the day behind by 259 runs.”The guys have spent so much time on the field in the last 4-5 days (over the two Tests),” Domingo said. “They are probably a little bit mentally fatigued after being in the field for 338 overs. It wears you down physically and mentally as a cricketer. It could be one of the reasons. Obviously, there were one or two soft dismissals.”All teams reach a breaking point. Our breaking point came this afternoon when we were batting. It has been a tough day for us. We have to try to be positive. There’s still a lot of cricket to be played. We have to make sure the guys are in a good frame of mind when we bowl tomorrow (Sunday).”Domingo also expects the less-experienced players in the line-up to make bigger contributions. And as part of that process, he wants to identify young players and back them. In return, he expects them to repay the faith to lessen the burden on the likes of Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim.”It is a batting unit that we need to support and identify roles for, and make sure get better,” he said. “There are six or seven batters who all need to contribute, and build partnerships. While Tamim has played really well, the focus shouldn’t be just on one particular player. We have some younger players who need to step up and put in big performances. We have to give them opportunities so that they can get to the levels of Tamim and Mushfiq in time to come.”The coach was also of the opinion that Iqbal should continue to bat aggressively upfront. The senior batter has scored four fifties in a row now, having shredded a slightly-conservative template.”In our particular line-up at the moment, we have four or five players who haven’t played ten Tests yet,” he observed. “There’s a lot of inexperience, so we need to encourage someone like Tamim to play positively, and take pressure off the younger players. Some of the younger players are not at east to express themselves, and play with that sort of intent.”Domingo also pointed towards Bangladesh’s previous Test series for inspiration, underlining how West Indies scaled their 395-run target in the fourth innings to win the Chattogram Test by three wickets.”We were part of an unbelievable Test match a few months ago, when West Indies chased down 387,” he said. “We know that we are way behind the game at the moment. We are under a lot of pressure. Sri Lanka are dominating at the moment. But if we can pick up early wickets, cause a little bit of jitters in the change room, you never know. Somebody comes out and plays a great innings. So we have to remain positive going into day four.”Did Bangladesh pick the best XI? Domingo certainly thinks so, despite the bowlers toiling away. “It is easy to say after three days of cricket that we picked the wrong team,” he said. “I don’t think we have (picked the wrong team). We have a balanced bowling attack, who we think can take 20 wickets. When we bowled on day one, there wasn’t much spin on offer. Obviously the wicket started to spin now, towards the end of day three. It was tricky for the batsmen.”

Series “strengthens Pakistan’s reputation as a safe and secure country but also a healthy one,” says PCB

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2020Multan will host international cricket after a gap of over 12 years when Pakistan’s three-ODI series against Zimbabwe is held there from October 30 to November 3. This will be followed by a series of three T20Is, all in Rawalpindi, before the visitors return home after a three-week stay in Pakistan, a tour that Zakir Khan, the PCB’s director of international cricket, said “strengthens Pakistan’s reputation as a safe and secure country but also a healthy one after having successfully overcome the Covid-19 pandemic”. All the matches will be played behind closed doors.Apart from signalling cricket’s resumption in Pakistan after the Covid-19-enforced hiatus, the series will mark the beginning of the World Cup Super League campaign – the pathway for direct qualification to the 2023 50-over World Cup – for both teams.

Series schedule

Oct 30 – 1st ODI, Multan
Nov 1 – 2nd ODI, Multan
Nov 3 – 3rd ODI, Multan
Nov 7 – 1st T20I, Rawalpindi
Nov 8 – 2nd T20I, Rawalpindi
Nov 10 – 3rd T20I, Rawalpindi

“The confirmation of the series schedule against Zimbabwe after having successfully hosted Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as well as Marylebone Cricket Club and HBL Pakistan Super League V, in the 2019-20 season not only strengthens Pakistan’s reputation as a safe and secure country but also a healthy one after having successfully overcome the Covid-19 pandemic,” Khan said in a PCB statement. “This series is critical to Pakistan as it aspires to qualify directly for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and, as such, every point in the Super League will count.”Our last ODI series was against Sri Lanka, 12 months ago, so the boys will have to hit the ground running and try to pocket maximum points.”The choice of Multan, which has hosted five Tests and seven ODIs over the years but none since an ODI against Bangladesh in April 2008, is an interesting one.”We have strategically scheduled Zimbabwe’s matches in Multan and Rawalpindi, the venues which will be hosting the National T20 Cup from 30 September to 18 October,” Khan said. “By the time Zimbabwe arrives, we would have gained enough experience on bio-securing hotels, player transportation, the venues and the players’ dressing rooms as delivery of this series will be under strict Covid-19 protocols to ensure the health and safety of all participants.”According to the PCB statement, Zimbabwe will have a 32-member playing squad travelling to Pakistan, to take part in both the series as well as some intra-squad warm-up matches. They will reach on October 20.”The squad will undergo two Covid-19 tests within a space of 48 hours prior to their departure in Harare, while the second tests will be conducted as soon as they arrive in Islamabad,” the statement added. “Players and Player Support Personnel testing negative in Islamabad will be eligible to resume training at a venue, which the PCB will confirm in due course.”Players and player support personnel testing positive during the tour will have to observe a five-day self-isolation and will only be allowed to re-integrate with the side after two negative tests.”In 2015 Zimbabwe were the first team to visit Pakistan after the terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore in 2009, paving the way over the next five years for a number of teams to return. Last year Pakistan hosted ints first Tests in the country since 2009 and earlier this year hosted the entire Pakistan Super League for the first time.

He believes Tests will continue to enjoy support in the playing community for longer than is being predicted

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2020Despite the discussion over reducing Test cricket from five days to four, Anil Kumble, former India captain and ICC cricket committee chairman, believes that the longest form of the game will continue to enjoy support in the playing community for lot longer than is being predicted.Kumble was talking about the demands of the T20 age and the shifting of player priorities at an event in Bengaluru to launch former India Test opener and women’s coach WV Raman’s book Talking about leadership on a panel with Raman and TVS executive vice- president P Madhavan, Kumble said he did not believe player priorities had shifted dramatically despite the success of T20 franchise cricket.”I don’t think so. I think everybody wants to play Test cricket, that’s very clear.” The generation of cricketers, Kumble said, “certainly want five-day cricket and that’s something very obvious… there is some challenge in keeping everyone focused and pushed towards playing domestic competition specially Ranji Trophy.” He commended players returning to first-class cricket to find their feet in the game again, a practice he said needed to be encouraged.A marked change in Indian cricket today he said was the palpable separation of the teams between formats, with very few being dead certainties across formats. In India, only captain Virat Kohli and in the recent past, opener Rohit Sharma and bowlers Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah have belonged to that list.”Very few players are common to formats and it’s getting lesser and lesser,” Kumble said. “But I don’t think there is any dearth of people wanting to play the longer format. I think everybody wants to, they realise that’s the biggest challenge and I’m sure that’s going to be the case for a long time.”Kumble’s advice to the Gen Z cricketer was simple: to be aware that they cannot let their guard down at any time. “You just need to be at it. There are a lot more opportunities for you to come back so that’s the one thing that is an advantage. To not look for anyone else to chart their careers out for them.”One thing I would tell any youngster is don’t look at somebody… Selectors are there to actually drop you, not pick you. Because you pick yourself. At the end of it, your performances count and then you certainly pick yourself. The selector or whoever is picking you is there to drop you not really to pick you… that I think one must be aware of.”Asked to name the single quality they look for in youngsters to judge whether they were in for the long haul, Raman said apart from talent itself, “a good indication is the pace at which a young player improves. Everything else is secondary.” To Kumble it was, “I’d like to look at how he bounces back after failure. How he comes back from a bad game, how he comes out of it.”Kumble accepted that the demand on the modern player in India was both in terms of tougher competition and more intense scrutiny. “One failure and heavens come down on you, that’s the part you need to be mature about handling. But you currently also have more opportunities to come back and show case your talent – in IPL or Ranji Trophy or any other format. It’s understanding what roles you play.” As for distractions Kumble said, while each era had its own share, dealing with it was the job of the player.”Yes there is social media now, but even when we were playing you had everyone else who was an expert- of what I should be bowling and how I should be bowling and when I should be bowling, and per se on whether India should bat first or bowl first or which bowlers should bowl at what time, those comments were always there.”Despite the 24X7 visibility of social media he said, the player’s response needed to be identical across generations, “Every generation just has to make sure that you stay away from all that and focus on all that you need to do, on that particular day and what your goal needs to be.”As for the heightened criticism from social media, Raman said players needed to adapt a “convenient memory.” The players’ job was “to try and be better than can, next time around. You don’t sulk or get absolutely overjoyed. It’s a case of having a convenient memory. Don’t moan keep going, that’s what happens in sport.”

Ashley Giles says scheduling will be looked at for 2021 with a view to shifting priorities

George Dobell01-Nov-2019A change of heart at the ECB could see the County Championship – rather than the One-Day Cup – played at the same time as the Hundred from 2021.Next summer the domestic one-day competition is scheduled to be played at the same time as the Hundred, meaning England’s best limited-overs players will not be available for 50-over cricket. But Ashley Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket, has suggested that decision could be reviewed after the 2020 season.While he insisted the 50-over competition would provide an opportunity for “young guys to get exposure” in 2020, he did admit that, ahead of the 2023 World Cup in India, the ECB may look to ensure the domestic competition is of as high a standard as possible and not hit by absences.”It definitely will be 50-over alongside the Hundred next summer, but this will be consistently reviewed,” Giles told in an interview in their November edition. “You could then move your 50-over back to the start of the year.”Fifty-over cricket remains really important. But we have to prioritise slightly differently over the next few years. We have two T20 World Cups ahead of the 2023 50-over World Cup. We’ll still play 50-over.”Can I sit here and say it’s the most important thing when it’s being playing alongside the Hundred – no, I can’t. You’d laugh at me. It’s actually a really good competition for some young guys to get exposure. Then in 2021 we might have a look at the scheduling again.”One option likely to be discussed by the ECB cricket committee now chaired by Andrew Strauss is the possibility of staging Championship games – perhaps offering half the points of matches at other stages of the season when all players are available – during the window designed to accommodate the Hundred. That will not be a universally popular option and may lead to suggestions that the ECB is compromising the integrity of the first-class game and, as a consequence, the development of the Test side.But Giles feels the benefits, not least playing more first-class in the prime weeks of the summer when conditions should encourage spin bowling, are worth further consideration.”People will say the integrity of the Championship would be in question,” Giles said. “But you could view it slightly differently:
play with a points system, and have a healthy mix of senior players who are not in the Hundred, alongside some 19 and 20-years-olds.”You could have four rounds of Championship cricket at the height of summer, on good pitches that might spin. A lot of county members like seeing the young players, at outgrounds. That would be great.”

Reflecting on Australia’s semi-final defeat, the coach acknowledged that the likes of Maxwell and Stoinis would be disappointed with how their World Cups had gone

Daniel Brettig13-Jul-2019Australia’s coach Justin Langer believes the absence of Usman Khawaja was critical to the team’s failure to put up a defendable total in their World Cup semi-final hiding by England, pinpointing his return to fitness as vital to the Test team’s Ashes chances next month.A hamstring strain in the final qualifying match against South Africa pushed Khawaja out of the line-up at Edgbaston, forcing a batting shuffle that saw Steven Smith at No. 3, Peter Handscomb in from outside the squad at No. 4, and Alex Carey bumped up to five. That rejigged order was soon 14 for 3, a hole from which escape was always going to be difficult.While Smith and Carey did their bit in a restorative century stand to briefly give Australia a foothold, further wickets were to underline the value Khawaja’s top order runs have provided on friendly days for bowling. Langer said Khawaja had been chosen with those very scenarios in mind.”He was a big loss,” Langer said. “We picked him believe it or not specifically for days like today when it was hard, you lose an early wicket, you want that No. 3, your Test No. 3, to score hundreds.”We didn’t have him but that’s all part and parcel. We got beaten by a much better team. A few people were laughing about it but I’ve said from day one England are favourites to win the tournament, they should be. They’re a great cricket team and they were better than us today. We were disappointing but they were better than us. And that’s okay, you want to be winning all the time but we got beaten by a better team.”I think you took Jason Roy out of England’s side and it made a big impact. You take your best players out of any team, whether it’s cricket or AFL or rugby, it’s always hard when you lose your best players. There’s plenty of talent in Australian cricket, no doubt about that. We’re seeing that in the Australia A stuff at the moment, we’re going to play 24 guys in two Australian teams leading up to the Ashes, there’s plenty of talent there, we just didn’t play as well as we should have.”Khawaja’s value as a top-order player in challenging conditions was aptly demonstrated in Langer’s very first Test as coach, a last day fight to grind out a draw with Pakistan in Dubai last year, and he can be expected to be a similar bulwark on Ashes days where the Dukes ball seams and swings. Reflecting on Australia’s semi-final defeat, Langer tried to balance his obvious pain with re-focussing quickly on the Ashes.”It was just a really, really disappointing day for us but it’s been a really good campaign,” he said. “Don’t underestimate the injury to Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh in that first 10 overs against South Africa – we fell 10 runs short of South Africa without one of our premier batsmen, who’s been a really important part of the last six months and this World Cup. And Shaun, he broke his arm two days before so that put a bit of a dampener on our campaign. But overall it’s been really good hasn’t it. We were on top until the last game, fell 10 runs short and then had a really poor game today. So very disappointing.”I’ve had my heart set on July 14 for probably 12 months so we got to July 11, we fell a few days short. So it’s disappointing, we’d have liked to be there in three days’ time, I’d rather be in England’s dressing room now, it’s always more fun winning than losing, but we have to turn to it now.”We’ve known this was going to be an unprecedented time in Australian cricket, a World Cup and then Ashes, so we’ll dust ourselves off, recharge our batteries, probably six or seven guys who’ll be in the Ashes as well need to recharge and then start a whole new campaign. We’ll take some lessons out of this, so it’s another big campaign. The Ashes is huge for Australian cricket and English cricket so we’ll dust ourselves off and be ready.”In naming the efforts of Mitchell Starc, Alex Carey, the captaincy of Aaron Finch and the contributions of a reintegrated Smith and David Warner among the high points of Australia’s Cup, Langer agreed that Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis had cause to analyse underwhelming tournaments. However, he defended Handscomb after a brief and unsuccessful innings in Birmingham.”They’ll both be really disappointed with the whole World Cup won’t they,” Langer said of Maxwell and Stoinis. “They were working really hard, giving it their best shot, but sometimes when your confidence is down a bit and its not something you can just flick a switch and you’re back and firing.Getty Images

“They still contributed – I think they were three and four in the fielding rankings, they’ve had little moments where they’ve had an impact. They’ll be disappointed, there’s a few guys who’ll be a bit disappointed but there’s been a lot more positives than negatives I think.”Pete came in for one game, he came in for a World Cup semi-final. He helped us win an unbelievable series in India, he helped us win five-nil [against Pakistan in UAE], and then was really, really unlucky. Then to have to come into a World Cup having not played any of the games its a really tough ask on him and it would’ve been for any of our players.”As for England’s highly orchestrated four-year drive to the final, in marked contrast to Australia’s more chaotic path, Langer echoed Finch in saying that the work of Trevor Bayliss, Eoin Morgan and company would be closely assessed for any valuable lessons. After all, the cup will no longer be Australia’s to hold.”It’s a good question. The big turnabout in our fortunes over the last six months was we got really clear with what our plan was, the way we’re going to play into this World Cup,” Langer said. “I mentioned in the press conference the other day that David Willey told me, they almost set four years ago, this is the squad we’re going to stick with, they obviously made a few little changes along the way, but you build up for that.”We’ve got lots of other really good competitions and goals to achieve with white ball cricket, T20 cricket there’s a World Cup coming up, and obviously Test cricket. We’re coming from a certain level and we’re making some improvements but we’ve still got plenty of improvements to make.”