While Wood has already submitted his paperwork for the auction, Root is clear he would do so only if it doesn’t detract from his Test commitments

Matt Roller14-Jan-2022Joe Root and Mark Wood are among the England players who are weighing their potential involvement in the 2022 IPL, with players required to submit their paperwork for next month’s auction by the end of the week.Root, England’s Test captain, has never been picked up by an IPL franchise and has not entered the auction since going unsold in 2018. The ECB is yet to confirm the centrally contracted players’ availability for the 2022 edition, but with England’s first Test against New Zealand starting on June 2, Root would likely be required to leave the IPL before the knockout stages if picked up.Related

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Wood has played in the IPL before, appearing for Chennai Super Kings in 2018, but withdrew from last year’s auction at the 11th hour in order to spend time with his young family.Both players said this week that they were interested in the prospect of playing in the IPL – Wood has already submitted his paperwork for the auction – but that they would only do so if taking part does not detract from their Test commitments.”I have not made a decision on the IPL just yet,” Root said on Wednesday. “It is something I will have to keep wrestling with. Time is ticking but I have a lot to weigh up. The thing I will weigh up is: will it have a negative impact on me playing Test cricket for this team? If I don’t think it will, then I will put myself in that position to play and put myself in the auction.”But I will never compromise or do anything that will detract from playing Test cricket for England. It is so important to make sure that is the priority for me and other players as well.”There is no guarantee that Root would get a deal if he put his name forward. He has not played a T20I since May 2019 and his England commitments in Test and ODI cricket have limited his availability for domestic T20 cricket: he made only six appearances in the T20 Blast between 2013 and 2019, and had a quiet short-form season in 2021, making 97 runs across six games for Yorkshire and Trent Rockets.Wood is more likely to pick up a contract. Overseas fast bowlers have been valuable assets for IPL franchises in recent years, and he attracted interest from Mumbai Indians before the postponed 2020 season as a potential replacement for Lasith Malinga.Wood has entered the auction at the highest base price, INR 2 crore (US$ 269,550 approx.) but said that the chance to improve as a T20 bowler ahead of another World Cup in Australia next year was more important than any prospective financial rewards.”There’s a World Cup at the end of the year I have my eyes on,” Wood, who turned 32 on Tuesday, said. “It hurt a lot this winter when we got knocked out in the [T20 World Cup] semi-final [by New Zealand] and it feels as a one-day group that it’s time to push hard to leave a legacy behind.Moeen Ali gives Jos Buttler are the two England cricketers to have been retained by their IPL teams•AFP

“At the minute, I’ll be in it,” Wood told reporters in Hobart on Thursday. “But it’s important to have that time at home and reflect. It’s just whether the time away from home, the bubbles… I’ve done Australia without my son (around), which has been quite hard, especially around Christmas, so I’ll have to see how the family situation is.”If I look ahead to the World Cup and I can learn something in the IPL, if I can put myself in pressure situations and try and get better for the end of the year, that’ll be good. We’ve a really good one-day team and this could be our time to really win things. That’s a burning desire.”From a financial side of things, it’s great to go in, but actually the reason is cricketing, because of what’s to come with England. I just felt the reason I’d have gone last year was purely financial; this year, it would be about trying to improve and put myself in those pressure situations for later.”We’ve seen the benefits to other fast bowlers. I was watching [Anrich] Nortje do well there. When we played the T20 competition [World Cup], he looked really good because he’s had that experience. If I can move my game forward that would be brilliant.”Moeen Ali (Super Kings) and Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals) were the two England players retained by their franchises for the 2022 season, with many of their other leading limited-overs players set to enter the mega auction in Bengaluru next month.

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

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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

The tournament will take place against steeply rising Covid cases in New Zealand

AAP25-Feb-2022Meg Lanning has labelled the ICC’s emergency World Cup rules as “interesting” but stopped short of criticising the governing body as the tournament nears.Australia face England on February 5 to begin their quest to reclaim the 50-over ODI World Cup, lost to the English five years ago.As host nation New Zealand grapples with its worst Covid-19 outbreak of the pandemic, organisers have scrambled to put in place rules that will allow the tournament to continue should players get infections.The most eye-catching is a regulation that teams can take to the field with just nine players and utilise up to two staff in fielding roles to ensure matches get played.Related

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“I’ve asked our physio and media manager what their preferred fielding position was if they were to take the field,” Lanning said, only half-joking. “Hopefully it doesn’t come to that for any team. It’s an interesting way to go about it.”If that did occur I think it’d be a pretty interesting situation. Hopefully for everyone in the tournament we don’t get to that point.”New Zealand reported 12,011 community Covid-19 cases on Friday, double the previous day’s count, ahead of an expected outbreak peak during the event. The government and ICC have issued strict biosecurity rules in an attempt to shield players from catching the virus.Asked whether the tournament should have been moved from New Zealand, Lanning said she “hadn’t thought about that at all”, offering her sympathy to the hosts. The ICC have also confirmed they will look to re-schedule fixtures in the event of Covid-19 outbreaks affecting squads.”It would be a nightmare trying to organise these tournaments,” she said. “We want to get cricket in. That’s the most important thing. Teams are going to have to be very flexible and understanding of things that are happening at really short notice.”Hopefully if this or that does happen, you can have a bit of a conversation around things and discuss what the options are and I’m sure that the the ICC will be making the best decision for the World Cup and making sure the games can continue on.”

Western Australian becomes the fourth CA chairman in four years, taking over from interim chair Richard Freudenstein, following the resignations of David Peever and Earl Eddings

Alex Malcolm17-Feb-2022Cricket Australia has appointed Dr Lachlan Henderson as the new chairman of the board to take over permanently from interim chair Richard Freudenstein.CA announced on Thursday that Henderson had been unanimously elected by the board following interviews with a short-list of candidates. All state and territory chairs expressed their support for the appointment. Henderson is the current chief executive of Epworth HealthCare having worked in the healthcare industry for 30 years, but he has an extensive background in cricket and cricket administration.Henderson takes charge of the CA board at a tricky time. He has become the fourth chairman in four years after the resignations of both David Peever in 2018 and Earl Eddings last year. He takes over following Freudenstein’s brief stint as interim chairman during which time both Australia’s Test captain Tim Paine and coach Justin Langer resigned, with Cricket Australia playing a role in both resignations.Henderson grew up in Western Australia and played state junior cricket for WA as well as first grade in Perth for University Cricket Club. He was chairman of the WACA for two years in 2015-16, having been on the WACA board since 2013, before moving to Melbourne to take up his post with Epworth. He has been an independent director at CA since 2018.”It is a privilege and honour to be elected chair and serve our national sport,” Henderson said.”I’m really excited by the opportunities ahead. The CA board is relatively new, with seven of the nine members having been on the board for less than three and a half years, and the imminent appointment of a new independent director will bring further fresh ideas and perspectives to the board.Related

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“My love of cricket began as a kid growing up in Perth and the game has always been a big part of my life, as a player, through my involvement with WA Cricket, the board of Cricket Australia and now as the elected chair.”I’m looking forward to working closely with our states and territory cricket chairs and associations, the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), our players and our partners, on how we unite and work together to ensure cricket continues to thrive into the future as Australia’s favourite sport.”As chair, my aim is to ensure the integrity and growth of the game in Australia with strong governance embedded at Cricket Australia and reflected in all levels of cricket, from elite teams to community clubs.”Among my other main priorities will be a focus on a strong, sustainable financial future for the game and building on the growth in our participation rates, particularly among girls and women, and our multi-cultural communities.”Freudenstein, who will step down as interim chair immediately but will remain on the CA board, praised Henderson’s appointment.”Lachlan’s extensive cricket administrative experience and impressive business background, leadership qualities, financial experience and deep understanding of the game ensures that cricket has a new chair who will continue to build unity, trust and respect across all levels of our national sport,” Freudenstein said.”He brings a combination of fresh ideas, a clear plan and broad experience together with continuity to the position, having served as a CA director for the past three years.”The short-list of candidates for this role was outstanding but it was the unanimous opinion of the CA board that Lachlan was best suited to be our next chair.”CA will begin a search to find a new independent director to join the board.

Six Pakistan players were in action for their counties this week. Here’s how they got on

Osman Samiuddin18-Apr-2022The second round of the 2022 County Championship concluded on Sunday, with another strong showing from the Pakistan representatives. Here we take a look at how they got on.

Division One

Mohammad Abbas

As good as Hampshire looked in the first round against Somerset, so they looked ordinary in the second; an innings win followed by an innings defeat. Mohammad Abbas took six cheap wickets in that win; he took zero in this defeat. He was still very Abbas though, tidy as ever (economy rate of 2.16) and forever probing around those areas batters feel least comfortable with. There were chances, one edge falling short of slip – an Abbas leitmotif – and another that went through second slip’s hand, but no tangible reward.Hasan Ali

If anyone of Pakistan’s vast contingent in county cricket needs a bit of a reset and a refresh, it is Hasan Ali. For most of 2021, he was second only to Shaheen Afridi as Pakistan’s best bowler. But since the T20 World Cup – and admittedly mostly in white-ball cricket – he has seemed out of sorts. An injury picked up in the PSL, allied to a range of flat pitches, meant he was quiet in the Tests against Australia and immediately questions began to surface about his position in the side. Hasan has always been a bowler of streaks: irresistible when he’s on a good one, ordinary when he’s on a bad one. Match figures of 5 for 94 in a 10-wicket thumping of Kent is a good sign for the county, and a better sign for his country. Most pleasing will be reports that his in-dipper was in good working order: he is a different bowler when he’s getting the ball to move about. The bonus is that he may come out of it having learnt something from the maestro himself, Jimmy Anderson. He’s keen to, not least the wobble-seam (a nice full circle that one, given Anderson picked it up watching Mohammad Asif in 2010).Haris Rauf

Of all Pakistani hook-ups with county cricket, none is more intriguing than Haris Rauf at Yorkshire, and that’s not even considering the off-field significance of a Pakistani Muslim player at Headingley. Rauf is due to play six first-class games, which means that if he plays them all, he will have played more first-class games this season for Yorkshire than in his entire career before arriving here. And though he was part of Pakistan’s Test squad against Australia, this is really the first time he’s going to be seen as a long-form bowler. First impressions? It’s going to be a ride. He was quick through the game on a slow surface in Bristol – the quickest in the game, hitting James Bracey twice with bouncers. He was expensive too, going at over five an over in the first innings and 3.55 in the second. Three wickets in each innings played a part in a six-wicket win, but he was also box-office viewing. On the first day, as Rauf’s radar struggled against Gloucestershire’s left-handers, he also bowled one over in which there were two dropped catches off successive balls and two wickets off successive balls. A sign of his freshness in this format: he bowled 27 overs in the second innings, the most he has ever bowled in a first-class innings and only the second time he’s bowled more than 20.Zafar Gohar

Zafar Gohar’s game began by getting stumped for a duck in the first innings, jumping out to Dom Bess, and ended by going at over six an over as Yorkshire chased 211 to win. In the middle, though, the least high-profile of Pakistan’s contingent did what he so often does: contribute. He was the most economical of Gloucestershire’s attack in the first innings, before partnering with Bracey in the second and putting on 104 for the sixth wicket. That helped Gloucestershire set Yorkshire a decent – but not, alas, impregnable – target.

Division Two

Shan Masood
Shan Masood is the leading first-class run-getter in England after two rounds of the County Championship: now there’s a thing. Masood added to an encouraging start at Derbyshire with the first double-hundred of his career against Sussex. It was against a weakened attack – Steven Finn apart, the rest of the frontline bowlers (two pacers and a left-arm spinner) had played 23 first-class games between them before this one, with a combined age of 57. But first-class runs are first-class runs and tellingly, for what it says about Masood’s recent form, they came at a good clip: at lunch, he was 74 off 88 and at close he was unbeaten on 201, still striking at over 74. He remains in Pakistan’s Test plans but the more runs he scores here, the more likely that he will, before the year is out, be back in Pakistan’s Test XI.Mohammad Rizwan

Serious question: is there a better cricketer in the world right now than Mohammad Rizwan? Probably, but not that many and not by much. Which is why Sussex will be one of the better-followed teams (outside of England) this season. In acquiring both Rizwan and Cheteshwar Pujara, they’ve pulled off somewhat of a coup. There’ll be plenty of focus on an Indian and Pakistani in the same side county side, a bit of a throwback to the 70s county circuit when Bishen Bedi and Mushtaq Mohammad turned out for Northants together. Rizwan was unspectacular on debut, 22 and four catches – Pujara, meanwhile, ground out a match-saving double-hundred – but it’s inconceivable that he won’t have greater impact as the season continues.

And the non-combatants …

Naseem Shah sat out this round of games, with Gloucestershire saying they were managing a “minor shoulder injury”. Azhar Ali will next be in action at home to Sussex on Thursday, with Worcestershire not in action this week. And Shaheen Shah Afridi is likely to make his Middlesex debut in the same round of games, when they take on Glamorgan in Cardiff.

Australian import hits 83 off 30 as Middlesex wake up to their false dawn

David Hopps07-Jun-2022There have been swingers in Radlett – famously so, as they were once the subject of a Channel 4 documentary – but sadly, as far as Middlesex were concerned, they were not of the cricketing variety. When it came to games between bat and ball there was hardly a nod and a wink to be had as Middlesex’s innings rarely got off the straight and narrow.For Hampshire, though, it was a case of bring on the party. Ben McDermott, stocky and belligerent – think Bob Hoskins with athletic talent – brought along his own playlist of sixes, nine of them included in a destructive innings of 83 in 30 balls.His stand of 132 in 9.4 overs with James Vince broke the record for Hampshire’s opening T20 stand for the second game running. Australia have omitted him from their squad for Sri Lanka and he is sticking around to make counties pay and seek a wildcard spot in the Hundred. I mean, why wouldn’t you?Middlesex did not bowl well at McDermott. Too often, they were short and straight, and seven of his nine sixes were walloped into the square-leg arc. They know as well as anyone how to defend Radlett’s small boundaries and the pitch was slow and low, but with only 142 for 7 in the bank and McDermott flexing his muscles and thinking “club ground”, there was little to be done against such a combative assault.The upshot was a nine-wicket victory for Hampshire, who won with eight overs to spare. Vince, England’s lost stylist, collected an unbeaten half-century to round things off. Hampshire escaped the foot of South Group as a result and they looked a likelier side than Middlesex to be in the shake-up when the group stakes reach their climax this time next month.