Category Uncategorized

Even though Zimbabwe dominated most parts of the third day by taking a 64-run lead and then building on it, three wickets in the last nine balls of the day brought the Pakistanis back and has given both the sides almost equal chances of winning the Test

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2013Even though Zimbabwe dominated most parts of the third day by taking a 64-run lead and then building on it, three wickets in the last nine balls of the day brought the Pakistanis back and has given both the sides chances of winning the Test. Pakistan’s bowling coach, Mohammad Akram, said they were confident of getting a few wickets by keeping their line and lengths tight to build the pressure.”Our plan was to keep it tight,” he said. “We knew that if we did that, at some point the door would open and then we could push through it.”Zimbabwe had taken a first-innings lead in the first Test too but they had to bat last which put added pressure on them when they were set a target of 342 with a little more than a day left. This time, Pakistan will be batting last and are already 185 runs behind with six Zimbabwe wickets remaining. The pitch, Akram said, has not been causing difficulty till now and said it is still a “good wicket” for both bowlers and batsmen.”So far the pitch has played well,” he said. “Everyone was thinking there would be too many snakes in it but it has been good for batting, once you are in. Stroke-making was not easy but there is still something in it for batsmen and bowlers and it’s been a good wicket.”

‘Not a bad decision to open with Utseya’

Two of the four wickets Zimbabwe lost on the third day were of bowlers as Vusi Sibanda could not open due to illness and Prosper Utseya accompanied Tino Mawoyo at the top of the order in the second innings. Panyangara, the nightwatchman who fell for a duck, said Utseya was the right replacement to open with, instead of sending another top-order batsman. Even though Utseya scored only 5, Panyangara defended the decision of openng with him.
“He [Sibanda] was off the field after lunch because he was not feeling well,” Panyangara said. “The team decided Prosper would be the best one to go and open for us. If you look at it now, it wasn’t that bad. As much as we didn’t want to lose those wickets at the end, we are still in a good position because two of the guys who are out are not top order batsmen.”

Tinashe Panyangara also said the pitch had not deteriorated much so far but hoped that it would on the last two days. “I hope so,” Panyangara said with a laugh when asked if he thought the pitch would get worse. “Every day we’ve thought it would get worse and it hasn’t really. But maybe on the final two days it will. It has been playing up a bit but I wouldn’t say it’s got much worse so far.”Just like Pakistan who had plans of bowling tight, Panyangara said they had planned to bowl around the off stump to keep Pakistan’s scoring rate down. Pakistan had started the day at 163 for 3 but collapsed to 230 after lunch, losing their last six wickets for 19 runs. Brian Vitori, who had not been picked for the first Test, claimed the last three wickets in two consecutive overs to take his first five-for in only his fourth Test.”Our plan was to stay around off stump all the time and keep the run-scoring down,” Panyangara said. “If you look at the run-scoring especially after lunch, they never scored at more than three an over. We knew if we did that right, we would get wickets.”Despite Pakistan’s lower-order collapse, Panyangara said they would need “a day at the least ” to bowl Pakistan out in the fourth innings after setting them a target. With six wickets in hand, he said they did not have any target in mind and would try to get “as many as possible” before bowling in the fourth innings.

Members of the Australia women’s cricket team will be among the country’s highest-paid female athletes as part of a restructure of the Cricket Australia contract system

Brydon Coverdale21-May-2013Members of the Australia women’s cricket team will be among the country’s highest-paid female athletes as part of a restructure of the Cricket Australia contract system. The leading players could earn up to $80,000 over the next year as part of the new payment programme, with the top player retainer having increased from $15,000 to $52,000 and the minimum retainer having been boosted from $5000 to $25,000.There has also been a substantial increase in the player tour payments from $100 a day to $250 a day, which could add up significantly over the next year, when the national team will be touring for 85 days. Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland said the move was “a landmark step” for women’s cricket and a fine recognition of the success of the Australians, who currently hold both the World Cup and World Twenty20 titles.”We are still working towards the day when Australia’s female cricketers will be able to earn a full-time, professional living from cricket,” Sutherland said. “But the performances of our female stars justify this step and the day will come when future, full-time professional female cricketers will look back and thank those who went before them.”Sutherland said the success of the national team had contributed to a boost in female cricket participation, which has increased by 18% in the past year to 180,000 female participants across Australia. State players will also benefit from the cash injection, with Cricket Australia to provide each state and the ACT with $100,000 a year to help fund minimum standards for women’s cricketers contracted to play in the national competitions.”This is a massive boost for women’s cricket in Australia and I know all players thank CA and ACA [the Australian Cricketers’ Association] for agreeing to this additional funding,” current Australia player Alex Blackwell said. “Female players have never been better supported. With women’s cricket growing both here and internationally, the opportunities for players are increasing. These extra dollars will help strike a balance between the sacrifices required to reach the top levels and the rewards that come with this. It’s a great time to be playing and makes you look at the upcoming season with a huge level of excitement.”Lisa Sthalekar, who has recently retired from international cricket but remains a member of the ACA executive, said: “For such a long time, female cricketers have trained and played at the highest levels but took a financial hit to do so. From paying for a lot of their expenses to sacrificing earnings for time away from work, the cost has been significant to this point – and forced too many players to retire prematurely. These funds help show how far women’s cricket has come in recent times and will provide a wonderful incentive to current and future players to follow their dreams within a more supportive financial environment.”The first group of national players who will benefit from the new payment system has also been named. Fourteen players will be contracted for the next year, down from 18 last season, with the intention to concentrate on a core group of players.Holly Ferling, 17, has been added to the squad after impressing on debut at the World Cup earlier this year, while other additions from last year’s list include Ellyse Villani and Megan Schutt. Along with the newly-retired Sthalekar, the other players left out from the 2012-13 squad are Lauren Ebsary, Sarah Elliott, Sharon Millanta and Leah Poulton.Contract list for 2013-14 Alex Blackwell, Jess Cameron, Sarah Coyte, Holly Ferling, Jodie Fields, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Julie Hunter, Jess Jonassen, Meg Lanning, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani.

The Pakistan squad for Champions trophy spent the second day of their conditioning camp in Abbottabad focusing on their batting

Umar Farooq in Abbottabad04-May-2013The Pakistan squad for Champions trophy spent the second day of their conditioning camp in Abbottabad focusing on their batting. The players had a full-fledged session under the guidance of former players Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram, while the regular coaches, Dav Whatmore and Mohammad Akram, took a backseat.Misbah-ul-Haq, Nasir Jamshed and Umar Amin were batched together for a batting session with Miandad, while the bowlers – Mohammad Irfan, Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan – also spent time working on their batting with help from assistant coach Shahid Aslam. Ajmal, who is expected to play a significant role with the ball, showed he has worked on his batting with a couple of eye-catching shots – a back-foot cut and a slog over midwicket.Asad Shafiq, who scored four consecutive half-centuries recently in the President’s cup one day tournament, had an extended batting session for two hours. In the absence of Younis Khan, Shafiq will shoulder extra responsibility in the Pakistan middle order.”I have batted on a track that helped both bowlers and batsmen, a pitch similar to what we are (expecting) to get in England,” Shafiq said after the session. “My confidence is already up after playing in South Africa. I am trying to avoid being complacent and maintain my rhythm from these training sessions.””My plan is to bat for big runs as I know the responsibility in his [Younis] absence has gone up. As a team, we understand how important it is to score runs to support our bowlers, as our group is a tough one. It’s in our minds that we have to be ready and have to give our hundred per cent to winning the opening game.”Akram, who arrived today for a two-day visit, cited batting as the key if Pakistan are to succeed. He said that the team’s chances in Champions Trophy are ‘bright’ but batsmen need to contribute regularly. “If our batting clicks, our bowlers will follow it up on a good note,” Akram said. “Our strength has been the bowling. Even in my era, we never felt comfortable chasing the target. So our batsmen need to score runs.”The are indeed preparing well, but we need to see how they execute the plans there in the matchesm,” he said. “I always deem Pakistan as a favourite for such tournaments and with a proper planning we can beat any team any where.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai

The Preview by George Binoy26-May-2012

Match facts

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)When these sides met in Chennai during the league stage, Knight Riders won by five wickets•AFP

Big Picture

They are here, again. Those resilient, stubborn Chennai Super Kings. In another IPL final, their fourth in five seasons and their third in a row, pursuing a hat trick of titles. Love them, hate them or couldn’t care less about them, you have to give it to them – the Super Kings got game. They know when and how to turn it on, too, though this season they dangled off the edge of the precipice, holding on with their pinkies, for longer than was comfortable.Kolkata Knight Riders did not leave their chances hinging on an improbable combination of results over which they had no control. They reached the playoffs with a game to spare and made short work of Delhi Daredevils to enter their maiden IPL final. Their performances have been efficient and consistent and they should logically be favourites tomorrow. But they’re facing a resurgent side on its home turf.Super Kings are blessed with loyal fans and the pricklier among them bristle at insinuations that fortune played a role in their team making it to Chennai on Sunday. They got enough points, didn’t they? And they didn’t design the schedule, so they had to hope three results went their way to make the playoffs. And Kings XI Punjab just weren’t good enough to beat Delhi Daredevils, and Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore weren’t good enough to beat bottom-placed Deccan Chargers. What’s luck got to do with it?That Super Kings had to wait five days to know they would be able to defend their title was because of an out-of-sorts start to the season. At times they, the IPL’s least changed side over five seasons, looked passé compared to some of the other teams, who had strengthened squads with new personnel. Super Kings’ turnaround only began after ten league games, of which they had won four. They won four of their last six matches, so their form, when they entered familiar playoff territory, was satisfactory.And then they were near perfect. After clambering on to level ground, Super Kings’ misfiring batting line-up, the longest in the IPL, found its guns and annihilated Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils with breath-taking confidence.While Super Kings had abundant success in seasons past, Knight Riders had nothing. In the first three years, they were the only team without a top-four finish. So in 2011, Knight Riders abandoned failed strategies, completely overhauled their squad, and climbed to fourth in the league, but lost the eliminator. In 2012, they have gone farther, converting their second-place finish in the league into a berth in the finals by beating Daredevils in the first qualifier.Knight Riders also had an iffy start to the season, losing three of their first five games. Since then they’ve lost only two out of 11, acquiring the rarest quality in Twenty20 cricket – consistency. There were no dramas in their progress to the playoffs. Their success has been built around two people with supporting contributions from the rest. The captain Gautam Gambhir has been a reliable run-scorer, while the spinner Sunil Narine has confounded all and sundry with his unreadable variations.If they perform like they have this season, Knight Riders have little reason to worry. Whether they can perform in their first final, against opponents seasoned to such pressure, is the question.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Chennai Super Kings: WWLWW
Kolkata Knight Riders: WWWLL

Watch out for …

Sunil Narine: At present, he has the second most wickets this season, the best economy rate, and the best average for anyone who’s played more than two matches – 24 wickets, 5.20 per over and 11.95 per wicket. Gambhir’s used him in a variety of situations – early on to drag back a quick start, in the middle to exercise control over the game and at the end, when batsmen have only attack on their minds. Narine’s delivered each time. Gambhir’s utilisation of Narine in the final will be crucial. Super Kings bat until No. 9 so Gambhir will have to decide when and against whom Narine can have the greatest impact.The middle orders: With top orders evenly matched and Knight Riders shading the bowling battle, this is where Super Kings score heavily over their opponents. The line-up comprising MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, S Badrinath and Albie Morkel is far more reliable and powerful than the one comprising Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Manoj Tiwary, or variations of it. Knight Riders are more dependent on their top order than Super Kings are, although Yusuf Pathan did make his first proper contribution in the qualifier against Daredevils.

Team combination

Barring last-minute fitness problems, Super Kings are certain to play the same XI that won them the two knockout games to reach the final.A couple of Knight Riders players have hamstring concerns. Manoj Tiwary missed the knockout against Delhi because of a strain and was replaced by Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who impressed with 24 off 11 balls. Tiwary is likely to be fit, though, so either Shukla or Debabrata Das, who has also performed well, could make way. The bigger hamstring concern, however, is over L Balaji, who injured himself during the qualifier. Balaji has been the solitary Indian seamer in the Knight Riders attack so his absence could cause significant change to the team composition.

Meetings this season

At Chepauk, Knight Riders won by five wickets and two balls to spare. Super Kings were restricted to a middling total and the victory was more comfortable than the margin indicates.At Eden Gardens, Super Kings won by five wickets off the final delivery. Chasing 159, they* had reached 97 for 0 in the 11th over when Narine derailed the innings during a spell of 4-0-14-2. With 5 to get off the last ball, Bravo launched Rajat Bhatia over the long-on boundary.

Stats and trivia

• In the last five overs of the innings, Super Kings have scored at 10.64 per over on average this season, which is the second best after Royal Challengers Bangalore. Knight Riders have scored at 9.32 per over during this period. There is very little separating the sides’ run rates in the first six overs, though Knight Riders are a little faster.
• Knight Riders have had the best spinners of the tournament. They’ve taken the most wickets at the best average and economy rate – 48, 16.20 and 6.09. Their attack of choice in recent games has been Narine, Iqbal Abdulla and Shakib Al Hasan, with Yusuf chipping in. Super Kings’ spinners are second best, but by a distance.

Quotes

“When you go on to the field, you do not go there to make friends but you are there to get results in your team’s favour. You have to be aggressive on the field. That is how we have won matches and now we are in the final and not to just compete.”
.”With his action, it is difficult to catch him as to which side he is bowling, whether it is the one that comes in to a right hander or it goes out. The variation he has got and the consistency that he has got in maintaining line and length has been crucial.”
.*The text said Knight Riders earlier

A round-up of the semi-finals of the One-Day National Cup Division Two tournament in Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2011An unbeaten century from Rana Adnan and a collective bowling performance helped Lahore Eagles secure a place in the final by beating State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) by 73 runs in Karachi. Adnan’s 100 off 115 balls held the innings together and his partnership of 77 with Hamza Paracha, who made 51, set a platform for a considerable total. The middle and lower order, however, failed to contribute and Lahore slumped from 212 for 3 to 265 for 8. Jalat Khan took 3 for 53 for SBP while new-ball bowler, Mohammad Naved, was economical during his seven-over spell of 1 for 21.SBP’s chase never got off the ground. Their openers fell for single-digit scores and, after a 63-run stand for the third wicket, the steady fall of wickets resumed. Adnan Raees top scored with 49 and no one else got over 40. Lahore’s new-ball bowler, Emmad Ali, took 3 for 34 while Saad Nasim and Waqas Aslam took two apiece. SBP were eventually bowled out for 192 in 40 overs.Riding on Azhar Ali’s unbeaten hundred, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) chased the target of 273 to beat Karachi Zebras by six wickets and an over to spare in Hyderabad to secure their berth in the final. The chase had begun poorly, with KRL slipping to 19 for 3, before Ali led the revival along with Bazid Khan, who made 50. Bazid departed with the score on 117 but Ali Khan entered and blitzed 80 off 58 balls to shut Karachi out of the contest.Ali’s century had helped overcome Karachi’s strong total of 272 for 9, which was built around Asif Zakir’s run-a-ball 110. Rameez Aziz payed a supporting hand with 40 but there were no other contributions of note. Mohammad Irfan claimed 3 for 46 for KRL while Nauman Ali and Saeed Anwar jnr took two wickets apiece.

Cricket Australia will consider dismantling its out-dated board structure in favour of a more streamlined and representative model

Peter English13-Aug-2010Cricket Australia will consider dismantling its out-dated board structure in favour of a more streamlined and representative model. Talk of a move towards a commission-style executive was the result of a board meeting on Friday that also confirmed the start of an eight-team domestic Twenty20 competition for 2011-12.Currently six state sides play in the extremely popular Twenty20 Big Bash but that will be expanded to include regional outfits. “We’ve been asked to consider all the issues to go full-steam ahead with the league and launch it a year earlier,” James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, said.The board meeting came at the end of a week-long Australian cricket conference to plan for the future and the potential remodelling covers all levels. The initial top-level structure under discussion is a six-person board, with one member from each state, along with up to four invited directors. Changes to the six state boards are also expected.”There’s a whole range of reasons why the board has chosen to implement a review of the governance of CA,” Sutherland said. “Certainly one of the things we talked about quite often [at the conference] was the importance of cricket ensuring that we had the interests of the whole Australian community represented throughout cricket, from the board to volunteer level.”It is something the board wants to get into with some haste, there is some work that needs to be done between now and the next [board] meeting to see how it is to take place. There are numerous moves afoot in various sports for them to be changing their governance model, and one of the considerations for us will be to benchmark world’s best practice.”

Another impressive innings from Chesney Hughes raised Derbyshire’s hopes of
avoiding the follow-on before England all-rounder Luke Wright landed two late
blows at Derby

06-Jun-2010
Scorecard
Another impressive innings from Chesney Hughes raised Derbyshire’s hopes of
avoiding the follow-on before England all-rounder Luke Wright landed two late
blows at Derby.The 19-year-old Anguillan passed 50 for the fourth time in only his fourth
County Championship Division Two match but was out for 62 to the first ball back
after a break for bad light and rain.Wright then bowled 20-year-old Dan Redfern for 44 and at the close, Derbyshire
were 244 for 6, trailing by 185, in reply to Sussex’s 429. Skipper Chris Rogers had continued his prolific form with 75 before he was one of two victims for England spinner Monty Panesar who had figures of 2 for 42 from 17 overs.Robin Martin-Jenkins followed his century by removing Garry Park but the Sussex
bowling was inconsistent on a day when conditions suggested it would be awkward
for batting. Cloud cover and moisture in the atmosphere should have favoured the seamers but
James Anyon struggled with his line and there were too many loose balls for the
batsmen to put away.Sussex had put themselves in a strong position with the last four wickets
adding 303 to leave Derbyshire needing 280 to avoid the prospect of being asked
to follow-on.Yasir Arafat and Anyon put on 64 for the ninth wicket before Anyon swept the
left arm spin of Robin Peterson into the hands of deep midwicket and a direct
hit from point ran out Panesar.Arafat was unbeaten on 34 and he gave his side the perfect start by striking
with the fifth ball of the Derbyshire innings when he trapped Wayne Madsen lbw
playing half forward. But the prize wicket of Rogers fell from the visitors’ grasp when the
Australian was dropped on 15 in Anyon’s second over by wicketkeeper Ben Brown.Rogers had already started to head for the pavilion after he saw Brown take
the edge diving to his left but the ball appeared to slip from his glove when he
hit the ground. The Derbyshire captain made the most of his escape and greeted Panesar by
driving his first two balls to the ropes as he and Park rebuilt the innings.They had added 96 when Park reached at a delivery from Martin-Jenkins which he
should have left alone and was well caught low down at a wide second slip by Ed
Joyce.Greg Smith made only two before he sent a return catch to Panesar trying to
work the ball through midwicket and when Rogers jabbed into the hands of short
leg, Derbyshire were 127 for 4. But Hughes again played with composure and with Redfern was steering Derbyshire towards their target before Wright dismissed them both in the space
of three overs.Hughes, who had pulled Wright for six, was lbw playing slightly across the
line to end a stand of 98 and Redfern was bowled playing back to leave
Derbyshire still 36 short of saving the follow-on.

Bonner, Bravo and King strengthen batting for India tour after shock Ireland defeat

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2022Desmond Haynes has marked his first squad since replacing Roger Harper as West Indies’ lead selector by handing Kemar Roach an ODI recall after two-and-a-half years out of the side for February’s series in India.Roach is one of six additions to the squad that lost 2-1 at home to Ireland this month, with Roston Chase and Justin Greaves among the players dropping out of the squad after lean series with the bat.Fabian Allen has recovered from Covid-19 and replaces Gudakesh Motie in the 15-man squad, while Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo and Brandon King strengthen the batting group and Hayden Walsh Jr offers an extra spin option. Jayden Seales and Devon Thomas, neither of whom featured against Ireland, also lose their places.Related

• Kieron Pollard wants West Indies to bat entire 50 overs during the India series

• No changes in West Indies T20I squad to face India from England series

• Pollard comes down hard on WI players' approach to fitness

• Haynes replaces Harper as West Indies lead selector

• BCCI rejigs schedule of WI ODIs, T20Is to avoid clash with IPL auction

Roach has not played any white-ball cricket – either List A or T20 – since his most recent ODI, against India in 2019 but Haynes said that he had been recalled with an eye on early wickets.”Kemar Roach is one of our leading fast bowlers,” Haynes said, “and we believe we need bowlers up front to get early wickets. Kemar, with an economy rate of five, is certainly good enough to play.”The three-match ODI series, which will be played in Ahmedabad on February 6, 9 and 11, is part of the ODI Super League which forms the pathway for the 2023 World Cup, which is scheduled in India in October-November next year.After the shock series defeat against Ireland, which preceded the ongoing T20I series against England, West Indies captain Kieron Pollard had underlined that his team had a “batting problem”. Having successfully defended 269 in the first ODI against Ireland, West Indies struggled in the final two matches, scoring 229 and 212.Greaves struggled in all three matches and has now been replaced by Bonner, who made his ODI debut in Bangladesh series last year. Haynes said that Bonner had come on “leaps and bounds” in recent years and that he deserves “an opportunity to play in the 50-over format” and stressed his desire for competition for places ahead of the 2023 World Cup in India.”We want to have competition for places,” he said. “We want to reach a stage where we have a lot of players fighting for positions. We want to broaden the pool of players we have to choose from. The team we have selected is a very good side and we are looking at this tour as part of the preparations for the World Cup in India in 2023.”While the India tour also comprises three T20s, which will be played in Kolkata on February 16, 18 and 20, Haynes’ panel has opted to wait for the England series to finish before picking the squad.West Indies ODI squad: Kieron Pollard (captain), Fabian Allen, Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh Jr

Rehab in lockdown has posed challenges but England seamer is on the mend

Valkerie Baynes22-May-2020Kate Cross heard the crack and felt the pain in her leg, but it’s where her mind went racing to next that was hardest to take. Suddenly, lying on the Sydney Showground Stadium turf, she saw the 2021 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and she wasn’t there.Cross, the England seamer, suffered a severe sprain and multiple torn ligaments in her right ankle when she landed on the boundary rope attempting a catch during the warm-up for her side’s final T20 World Cup group match, against West Indies in March.”My first thought was, ‘I’ve snapped my leg in two here’. I thought my shin was facing the wrong way and my foot was off on all sorts of angles so I then got myself into a big panic about it and I think made the whole situation worse because then I was screaming, ” Cross tells ESPNcricinfo.ALSO READ: England women could return to training in weeks“They gave me the green whistle [pain relief inhaler] in Oz, which is quite a big deal, and everyone saw the pictures and thought, ‘God she must have snapped her shin bone or something,’ but I think they gave me that to try and help me breathe because I think I got into a bit of a panic attack about what was going on.”My brain immediately went to the 2021 World Cup in New Zealand and I thought, ‘That’s it, i’m not going to play in this, it’s going to be that bad an injury.’ When I was laying on the floor, that’s where I got to, in the space of probably 20 seconds. Obviously I’m really lucky that it’s nothing as serious as that.”It will likely be another five to six months before her ankle is completely pain free, plenty of time before England are scheduled to begin their 50-over world title defence in New Zealand in February. But it is telling just how much Cross wants it that her first thought upon suffering the injury was that it might all be taken away – again.Kate Cross receives treatment after injuring her leg during the warm up ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup match between England and West Indies•Getty Images

Cross missed England’s victorious 2017 World Cup campaign amid a two-year absence from the international scene, during which time she grappled with anxiety and depression.”Seeing the girls win the trophy in 2017 and missing out on that squad and having to sit in the crowd whilst the girls played in front of 25,000 people and lifted a World Cup on home soil, that was heartbreaking for me but at the same time it was one of the best days that I’ve been involved in cricket,” Cross says.”I remember thinking on that day, ‘Right, 2021, that’s going to be my year and I’m going to push really hard to get into that squad.’ I think that’s why when I had the injury my first thought went to the World Cup. It certainly showed me how important that World Cup is for me.”Cross enjoyed a fruitful 2019, forming a key part of England’s one-day attack alongside Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole in away series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan and a home summer against West Indies and Australia. While she was part of the T20 World Cup squad in Australia, she did not play a match in the tournament.”In terms of confidence, last summer gave me such a boost because I realised that I could be part of that team and help them win,” Cross says. “So hopefully that 2021 World Cup would be something that I could really thrive in.”Cross admits that the Covid-19 crisis has changed her outlook somewhat so that a return to any form of cricket in a safe environment would be welcome. There is no guarantee the World Cup will go ahead in light of the pandemic, and while Cross has let go some of the anxiety she felt over cricket’s uncertain near future, she admits the current lockdown has been tough.But there have been upsides, including the help of friends like former England team-mate Alex Hartley, temporarily moving back in with her parents and being able to find a focus in her ankle rehab.”Honestly, some of my worst days that I’ve had in probably two years have happened in the last eight weeks, particularly around when I wasn’t seeing any progress with my ankle and I was getting really fed up with that,” Cross says. “This is where Hartley was really good for me because I had a day where I think I stayed in bed pretty much all day and I must have watched, I think it was 10 episodes of on Netflix back-to-back.”I just said to her, ‘I’ve written today off, I’ve had a shocker.’ She said, ‘Look, you would probably have this day if we weren’t in lockdown, it’s fine to have these days, just don’t let those days become a habit, don’t then have the same day the following day, make sure you get up and go for a walk or whatever.'”So I’ve found that when I’ve had a bad day, then the next day I’ve been a bit more motivated because I’ve not wanted to fall into the trap of getting into those bad habits.”Cross spoke openly about her mental health struggles after returning to the England side in a one-dayer against New Zealand in July 2018. And, as difficult as it can be to revisit the topic at times, she is glad she put it out there.”I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to talk about it because I knew as soon as I’d done it, there was no taking it back,” she says. “I’m a talker anyway but I just thought, if I’ve got the ability to do something as powerful as helping one person get through a bad week or stop them from doing something silly, whatever it could have been, then I couldn’t believe that I didn’t want to do that interview.”It’s made me almost feel like it was worth going through what I went through because it’s just normal, everyone goes through it and everyone I speak to has said as soon as they started talking about what they were going through, things started changing. It just goes to show the power of talking.”

Only once have they moved out of the first round, but plenty of the squad have had stints in the WBBL

Firdose Moonda19-Feb-2020OverviewSouth Africa continue to tread water between the top tier of T20I teams and the more middling performers and this tournament could be used as a yardstick to measure their progress. On paper, they have all the ingredients of a strong T20I outfit: big-hitters like Laura Wolvaardt and innings builders like Mignon du Preez, fast-bowlers like Shabnim Ismail and consistent containers like Masabata Klaas and they even have a mystery spinner in Suné Luus. But at this event, their level of skill will be secondary to their ability to deal with pressure, and they should now have the experience to handle it well. Six of the 15-member squad have been on the international stage for more than 10 years and four others for more than five. The rest of the group form a strong succession line which bodes well for this competition and they will want the results to reflect that.SquadDané van Niekerk (capt), Chloe Tryon, Trisha Chetty, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Nadine de Klerk, Lizelle Lee, Suné Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Mignon du Preez, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Laura WolvaardtGroup fixturesFebruary 23: England, WACA
February 28: Thailand, Canberra
March 1: Pakistan, Sydney Showground
March 3: West Indies, Sydney ShowgroundT20 World Cup historySouth Africa have made first-round exits in all but one of the six previous editions of the tournament. They reached the 2014 semi-final in Dhaka, where they lost to England. Notably, they did not win a match in the first two tournaments they attended, and have only been victorious in eight of 23 T20 World Cup matches, a winning percentage of just over a third.Form guideSeries wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the six months after the last T20 World Cup demonstrated the team’s ability to bounce back but defeats to India and, most recently, New Zealand highlighted the gulf between the top teams and the rest.Key playersIt’s difficult to look past South Africa’s all-time highest T20 run-scorer Dané van Niekerk and their leading wicket-taker in the format, Shabnim Ismail when highlighting players who the team will rely on, but they will need other contributors. Opener Lizelle Lee will go into the tournament with high expectations after finishing fifth on the Women’s Big Bash League run-charts, , which includes a century and four fifties for the Melbourne Stars, while allrounder Suné Luus‘ legspin could prove an x-factor. Luus took 6 for 45 against New Zealand in their recent ODI Hamilton carried South Africa to a series sweep.What would be a success at the tournament?South Africa are targeting the 2021 50-over World Cup for glory so they may be willing to settle for something less in the event. The ICC’s rankings puts them sixth, which suggests that getting out of the group, which includes higher-ranked England and West Indies, will be tough but there’s a powerful motivation for them to punch above their weight. The coaching staff’s contracts end in April and a top-four finish would be a long way to seeing them retained.