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Molineux, who lost her CA contract earlier this year, also leads Melbourne Renegades

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2022Meg Lanning has stepped down as captain of Victoria, handing over to allrounder Sophie Molineux.Lanning took on the state captaincy in 2014 as a 22-year-old but Australia commitments have limited the number of appearances she has been able to make in the WNCL.Although there is a window at the start of the upcoming season with Australia not playing internationals in late September, as they have in recent summers, further international duty will limit Lanning’s matches.Related

• WNCL set to be boosted by availability of Australian stars

• WNCL expanded as part of new 12-month Australian cricket deal

• Australia look to test their T20 limits in Commonwealth Games, World Cup double bid

“It’s been a huge honour to captain Victoria and I love representing my state,” Lanning said. “The Victorian squad has some fantastic young leaders and I’m excited to continue working with them in the seasons ahead.”Molineux, who also captains Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL, is currently outside of the national team having had her 2021-22 season cut short by injury then losing her central contract earlier this year.”Coming from country Victoria it’s a privilege to be named captain of the state,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of captaining the Renegades and am looking forward to the years ahead with Victoria.”Playing with and learning from Meg since I started at Victoria has been a great experience, she has an incredible understanding of the game, hopefully I’m able to take some of that into my own game.”Cricket Victoria’s head of female cricket Sharelle McMahon said Lanning endorsed Molineux as the outstanding candidate.”We’re fortunate to have Meg’s leadership skills to support Sophie and the full squad in years to come,” she said. “Sophie has done a fantastic job leading the Renegades and has long been seen as a leader within Victorian cricket. This is an excellent opportunity to further her leadership skills with our playing group.”Nicole Faltum did a great job stepping into the role last season and will continue to play an important role supporting Sophie.”The expanded WNCL, which will now feature teams playing each other twice, begins in September 23.

Somerset on course for high-scoring draw but may lack skipper for foreseeable

David Hopps27-Jul-2022Somerset’s satisfaction over mounting a successful resistance movement in Harmer Land was tempered by a hamstring injury to their inspirational captain, Tom Abell, which could threaten his involvement in the rest of the season as well as questioning his involvement in The Hundred.Abell missed two months with a hamstring injury last year and ultimately managed only one match for Birmingham Phoenix, where he is again contracted this season.It could be Friday, back in Taunton, before Somerset fully evaluate the injury, but they will be relieved that it is a different leg from the one that has bedevilled him in the past. Jason Kerr, their head coach, said: “Tom’s hamstring is pretty sore. We are looking to get a scan as quickly as possible, probably Friday back in Taunton. The first 24 hours will give us some information but hopefully it is not too serious and is just a tweak. He is in the form of his life coming off the back of a century last week and he was looking like getting another one so hopefully he is not out for too long.”Concern about Abell apart, a solid draw against Essex at Chelmsford would be a decent outcome for Somerset in their attempt to salvage their Division One status, not that anybody knows how Division One will look next season as the Championship continues along its merry way in blissful ignorance about what the future holds.Matt Renshaw’s 146, as responsible as Nick Browne’s double hundred had been for Essex in the first two days, was an impressive retort, even allowing for a slow surface which helped to negate Harmer’s threat at a ground where his offspin often causes havoc. It was his highest Championship score, the reward for six-and-a-half hours’ unstinting concentration.Kerr took the purist’s view – the coach’s view – terming it an “incredibly exciting day”, although “impressive” would have been easier to allow. It is worth recalling the words of a former Essex captain, Trevor Bailey. “Cricket is a situation game. When the situation is dead, the game is dead.” Renshaw turned a threat of defeat into a stalemate and he did so by taming Harmer at Chelmsford. He can take pride in that.Kerr reflected: “I think it was an incredibly exciting day, we were under an incredible amount of pressure. Whenever a team scores 500-plus, the scoreboard naturally creates some pressure and they have one of the best bowlers in the world in their side. Despite the wicket being slow, we knew it was going to be a challenge. Renshaw was outstanding. The way Matt played Harmer in particular was outstanding.”Renshaw and Abell’s partnership saw the runs flowing and had the scoreboard ticking nicely, which wasn’t easy with the pace of the pitch. That led to some exciting and competitive cricket… but I guess for the neutral it was quite attritional.”Harmer took two of the three wickets to fall and, even though his turn was desultory and what edges there were died well in front of the close fielders, he was still the dominant presence of an attritional day as he extended his figures to 2 for 84 from 48 overs. But Somerset have averted the follow-on with ease and the dreariest of draws looks inevitable.Abell, 27 not out overnight, accompanied Renshaw well into the afternoon, but he was forced to retire on 90 after he appeared to damage a hamstring taking a second run when their partnership had grown to 193 runs. Neither approached the enterprising style that had marked the beginning of their stand the previous evening, but with Somerset scheduled to face four sides in the bottom half when the Championship resumes in September, a draw will leave their fate very much in their hands.On his 100th first-class appearance, Adam Rossington was absent having taken a blow on a finger when he badly dropped Renshaw in the first over of the innings; the implications of that became painfully obvious. Will Buttleman stood in behind the stumps throughout the day, and he had a hand in Renshaw’s dismissal when he moved down the leg side to intercept a gloved hook against Aaron Beard.Renshaw, who has made five of his 15 first-class hundreds for Somerset, in two spells, found his concentration wavering after he reached three figures and he was twice reprieved, in consecutive overs, by Alastair Cook at first slip when on 106 and 108. The first, off the legspinner Matt Critchley, low to his left, was most catchable.George Bartlett played Harmer with confidence and his straight six took Somerset’s second-wicket stand to a record against Essex, but he was caught off the glove at short leg attempting a reverse sweep.

Quinn takes six in fast-forwarded contest, but Kent leave door ajar with second-innings slump

ECB Reporters Network20-Sep-2022Hampshire were skittled for 57 in 87 minutes by Kent in a serious dent to their hopes of winning the LV= Insurance County Championship title for the first time since 1973.Matt Quinn claimed six for 23 to rout Hampshire for the lowest first-class score at the Ageas Bowl and their worst total since 1984 – where they were bowled out for 56 against Kent at Canterbury in a set-up match.Hampshire’s fast bowling trident of Mohammad Abbas, Kyle Abbott and Keith Barker had all combined to see off Kent for 165 on a green pitch which offered some, but not excessive, movement – but still conceded a 108-run first-innings deficit.Kent struggled again in their second innings, reaching 20 for three at the close, but Hampshire – who started the round eight points adrift of leaders Surrey – knew that their dreams of a third pennant were fading, despite gaining a point on Surrey during the day.Quinn reflected: “That has been an eventful day on a very bowler-friendly wicket. It was a hell of a partnership between Compton and Evison. It just shows how well Compton batted today on that surface. He has been phenomenal all year and we really needed him to stand up today. The way he batted showed how good he is.”It was a wicket where if you put the ball in the right area then it does plenty. There was constant nip. On some wickets you get the odd ball that nips but in this game it seemed to have five balls out of six which moved.”I like to think I’ve bowled well all year and finally I have been rewarded. To get some wickets is a big relief. Bowling a side out for 57 is special and all the bowlers will be rejoicing after a tough season. We have been dreaming all year of knocking over a team like this all year.James Vince had chosen to stick Kent in and reduced them 32 for five before Ben Compton ground 63 off 161 balls, to provide a backbone in tricky circumstances.What followed was cricketing chaos.Felix Organ was caught at second slip in the fifth over, Joe Weatherley unconvincingly chopped onto his own stumps and Nick Gubbins followed one that angled across him behind.Quinn had picked up Weatherley from the Rod Bransgrove Pavilion End but swapped to the Hilton End to remove Vince, Hampshire’s top scorer with 19, and Ian Holland in the same over – the former caught off the inside edge and the latter pushing to first slip.Ben Brown was bowled by a Nathan Gilchrist beauty, before the last four wickets fell for just three runs – Barker chipping to mid-off, Aneurin Donald playing on, Abbott caught at second slip and Abbas castled.It was the joint 45th lowest total in Hampshire’s history, as they only managed to see out 101 deliveries.To go with Quinn’s six-for, Gilchrist and Harry Podmore both posted two-fors.Earlier, a Kent side shorn of Sam Billings, Jordan Cox, Matt Milnes, Grant Stewart, Zak Crawley and Joe Denly for all manner of injury, international and paternity reasons, battled to what appeared a below-par 165.Tawanda Muyeye lasted only five balls into the match when he was leg before to Barker and it took Abbas took just as long to take a wicket at the other end as Daniel Bell-Drummond edged behind to Donald – who continued to take the gloves despite Brown’s return to the XI.Jack Leaning stemmed the wicket-taking with a turgid eight off 57 balls but was bowled by Abbott attempting to work the ball into the leg side.It began a spell of aggressive bowling by the South African fast bowler – backed up by Holland bowling six straight maidens at the other end – which saw Ollie Robinson play on and Harry Finch lbw in consecutive balls.Amongst the tumble was the unflinching Compton, who never knowingly played at a ball not heading for his stumps in his 161-ball vigil. He had been in single figures for 36 balls and was happily stuck on 18 for 36 dot balls as he allowed the ball to go soft.Compton had started the season with three straight hundreds but had endured a demanding recent spell in which he had failed to reach double figures in his last six Championship innings.He reached his first half-century since early June in 141 balls during strong partnerships of 68 and 45 with Royal London Cup final hero Joey Evison and Harry Podmore.Hampshire’s attack chipped away and broke through at regular intervals thereafter with Abbott returning four for 46, Barker passing 50 wickets for the season with three for 30 and Abbas three for 29.In Kent’s second innings, Compton was caught at first slip and night watcher Conor McKerr caught behind, both to Abbas, and second night watcher Podmore was bowled by Holland. It meant 23 wickets had fallen on a dizzying day.

New Zealand continue to top tight Group 1, but Afghanistan bringing up the rear

Shashank Kishore26-Oct-20223:30

What have we learnt from this World Cup so far?

Heavy evening showers in Melbourne forced the tournament’s second washout, with New Zealand and Afghanistan splitting points on Wednesday.The match that was delayed to begin due to a spillover of the England-Ireland game earlier in the day – also due to multiple rain breaks – didn’t seem like taking off at any point.The covers came off multiple times only for the rain to return – often with force – either before or after inspections. Eventually, the umpires decided there wasn’t enough time to ready the outfield before the 10.04pm cutoff, even if the rain did subside.The result means New Zealand, who opened with a NRR-boosting win over Australia, continue to top Group 1 with three points in two games. Afghanistan’ chances of making the semi-finals, however, have received a big blow as they remain at the bottom with one point in two matches. All the other sides in the pool have at least one win in two games.Afghanistan will remain in Melbourne to take on Ireland on Friday, while New Zealand fly to Sydney where they play Sri Lanka on Saturday.

No respite for rock-bottom club as Derbyshire openers add 251 for first wicket

ECB Reporters Network27-Sep-2022Billy Godleman and Luis Reece scored their first County Championship hundreds of the season to put Derbyshire in a commanding position on the second day of the LV=Insurance match against Leicestershire.On a day of records at the Incora County Ground, Godleman, 158 not out, and Reece, 116, shared an opening stand of 251 to severely dent Leicestershire’s chances of ending their winless run in the Championship.The bottom club in Division Two endured three tough sessions in the field, taking only two wickets as Derbyshire closed on 356 for 2, a lead of 107.Leicestershire went into the day knowing they had to make early inroads with a ball that was only 16 overs old but a limited attack rarely looked like taking a wicket.Even Chris Wright was out of sorts by his standards and the lack of pressure on Godleman and Reece allowed them to settle in and accumulate steadily throughout the morning session.The closest Leicestershire came to breaking the stand was when Godleman, whose previous highest score in the Championship this year was 43, tried to hit Callum Parkinson over the top but the ball dropped just out of reach of the fielder running back from mid-on.By lunch, Derbyshire had added 89 runs in 32 overs to move to 146 without loss, only the fourth century stand between Godleman and Reece in six seasons of opening together.Although a dry, hot summer has favoured batting, the pair have struggled in the Championship but on a good pitch and faced with increasingly threadbare bowling, they made sure of ending the season on a high.Reece pulled Ed Barnes for six to bring up the 200 stand in the 62nd over which was Derbyshire’s fifth double-century partnership of the season, a record for the county.Five overs later he reached his century which came off 205 balls and Godleman needed one ball fewer to complete his, which gave the pair another entry in the county record books.It was the 16th instance of both openers scoring 100 in the same innings, the third time they have achieved the feat, equalling the Derbyshire record held by Kim Barnett and Peter Bowler.The next milestone passed was Derbyshire’s highest first-wicket stand against Leicestershire of 233, set by Denis Smith and Albert Alderman at Chesterfield in 1937, and it came as a surprise when Reece was dismissed two overs before tea.He chipped back a return catch as he went to drive Rehan Ahmed’s leg spin but there was no respite for the visitors as Brooke Guest joined Godleman to set another record.When Derbyshire reached a third batting point, they had scored 300 in the first innings of every Championship match at Derby this season for the first time in the club’s history.When the light improved enough for Leicestershire to claim a second new ball, Roman Walker had Guest caught behind for 40 but Godleman reached his 150 before the close on the day he passed 10,000 first-class runs.

It’s understood he felt unwell early in the day and left the ground around lunchtime

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2022Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has been taken to hospital in Perth as a precaution after feeling unwell.Ponting was at Optus Stadium on Friday conducting his Seven Network commentary duties during the first Test against West Indies when he started feeling unwell.It’s been reported Ponting suffered a heart scare, but no confirmed details have been made public about his condition.The 47-year-old walked out of Seven’s commentary box on the stroke of lunch, having been on the broadcast for the previous 40 minutes, and did not need any assistance. He was accompanied by close friend and former Australia coach Justin Langer to a car and sent to hospital as a precaution. He did not return for the rest of the day, but it’s understood he told colleagues he was feeling okay at hospital.”I wish Ricky the best,” Pat Cummins said after play on day three. “We were just chatting to him this morning out on the field. By all reports it sounds like he’s going okay. Anything like that is super scary, so we wish him the best.”There is a greater awareness of health issues around former cricketers after the recent death of Shane Warne which followed that of Dean Jones in 2020 and the cardiac episode suffered by Ryan Campbell.Ponting is a legend of Australian cricket after notching 168 Tests and 375 ODIs during his glittering career.

Shakib is carrying a rib injury that he sustained during the ODI series, but did bat in the nets on Test-match eve

Mohammad Isam13-Dec-2022Bangladesh’s fast bowlers have had their best year ever in Test cricket, but their batters have had a tough 2022. After the historic win in Mount Maunganui, Bangladesh have lost six out of seven Tests and their batters have struggled to put together big scores, individually and collectively. Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto are all concerns, but Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim have shown consistency in the format, while Shakib Al Hasan hasn’t been shabby either.Related

• Bangladesh fight back after Pujara, Iyer prop up India

• India look to climb up WTC table as Bangladesh watch Shakib's fitness

• Bowler to all-round match-winner – Mehidy comes of age

• 'Bowl patiently, wait for mistakes' – Taskin's mantra

Russell Domingo, Bangladesh’s head coach, said the big challenge for Test specialists like Joy, Mominul and Taijul Islam would to find their groove quickly – Bangladesh are playing a Test after six months, which isn’t much longer than India’s hiatus from the longest format.”Mominul and Joy last played international cricket six months ago. That’s the challenge with one-format players,” Domingo said the day before the first Test in Chattogram. “Shakib and Litton are playing week in, week out. It is not a big step-up for them. But Mominul and Joy are looking good, the way they are playing. I know the currency is runs, but technically they are looking pretty good. Joy has got a lot of starts, so it is just about finding that tempo and get the big score.”Shanto has scored just one half-century this year in eight Tests. He has also found form in the T20I and ODI sides of late, but has struggled for consistency there too.”He showed good signs in Tests maybe a year and a half ago,” Domingo said of Shanto. “He scored two centuries including one against Sri Lanka. It is tough for young players in the top order. Joy and Zakir (Hasan) are not natural openers. They prefer batting at No. 3 or No. 4. We have to be patient with these young players at this level.”Batting one, two and three is probably the hardest job in international cricket. Hopefully they repay the faith, and give the coaches and selectors something to hang on to.”With Tamim Iqbal out with injury, Zakir is likely to open with Joy. Zakir came into the limelight after his 173 saved Bangladesh A against India A last month, and he had also topped the run-charts in this season’s first-class competition in Bangladesh.”I have been very excited by him (Zakir). He has good energy,” Domingo said. “I know he has done well domestically; he has played a T20I for Bangladesh. I like the way he looks to score when he bats. A little Tamim-like in the way he bats. Nice and positive. Hopefully he can get off to a good, quick start tomorrow.”Shakib is an injury concern for Bangladesh. He has been struggling after taking a blow to the ribs in the second ODI against India, and also has a shoulder niggle. He was taken to hospital on Tuesday morning, but returned to bat in the nets for the first time in the lead up to the first Test. Taskin Ahmed, the pace spearhead will also not play the match as he recovers from a back injury.Shakib Al Hasan is an injury concern, after he copped a blow to the ribs during the ODI series•BCB

“We are not going to risk Taskin in the first Test,” Domingo said. “He has come off a layoff and a few injections. To get him to bowl for a day-and-a-half in these conditions in Chattogram may not be good for him.”(Nurul Hasan) Sohan was fantastic in the West Indies. He has the right character. Good keeper. Gives us a good competitive edge behind the stumps. Very vocal. Thoroughly deserves his place. I am backing Sohan as a keeper in the Test side. He is the one batter averaging 40 in the Test side; he has done well.”There has been a lot of chatter around the Chattogram pitch, known as Bangladesh’s batting paradise, but it was deemed “below average” by the ICC four years ago.”I want us to play on good wickets so that our cricket can improve,” Domingo said. “It probably led to us doing well in that one Test in New Zealand. I am always very nervous about preparing wickets that are massively over the top. It doesn’t benefit any of our games in the long term.”You could prepare raging turners for results right now, but that brings India into the game just as much. The same can happen on good wickets, where our batters can bat for a long time. Indians can bat for a long time too. It is a difficult situation.”

The high-profile series plays out against the broader narrative of a World Test Championship final

Alagappan Muthu08-Feb-20233:06

Ian Chappell’s Australia XI: Ashton Agar or Mitchell Swepson?

Big picture: get on the BGT hype train

There are no absolutes except for the absolutes, one of which is time and how everything fades in front of it. This is especially true of stuff that take place on a pretty green field because, well, they aren’t as important as that list of things you need to go get for your mum’s birthday or the supplies that your kid needs for class tomorrow.Except sometimes, a game stands in defiance of its fate. Bradman’s duck. Sometimes it just refuses to fade away. Kumble’s ten. Sometimes it becomes larger than life. 1983. And 2005. Sport finds a way to be more because its people find a way to be more; to be better.When Steven Smith yells “no run” after straight up leaving the ball, he is trying to be better. When Mohammed Siraj runs in again after just being hit for a boundary, he is trying to be better. When David Warner takes guard after being chewed up and spit out, he is trying to be better. When Cheteshwar Pujara plays through pain, he is trying to be better. This innately human trait binds the artist to their audience. It’s why a silly little game can bring so much joy.Related

• 'We are ready to play horses for courses' – Rohit Sharma on selection calls

• Lyon vs Pujara and Kohli; Ashwin vs Warner and Smith

• KL Rahul, still in no-man's land in Test cricket

• Meticulous Australia must avoid getting punched in the mouth

On Thursday, at 9.30am local time, Australia will officially renew their quest into the final frontier. They’ve attempted this ten times since 1969 and only once have they succeeded, prompting the need for distinctly out-of-the-box ideas, including – but not limited to – an R Ashwin clone. Side note, should we expect a Jofra Archer clone ahead of the Ashes now?India have their own challenges to navigate as well. They go into a series that could define their captain’s legacy without their best bowler and the phenom who won it the last time it was played. But that loss is mitigated somewhat by a feeling that these four matches could pretty much put the blue tick (wait, it’s gold now, isn’t it?) against their next superstar batter and the return of one of their biggest match-winners.Also, all this plays out against the broader narrative of a World Test Championship. In other words, we may be about to see the 2023 final happen four times before it actually happens on June 7. So what are you waiting for? Get on the hype train.2:59

Manjrekar: Kohli seems to be struggling to pick the length against spinners

Form guide

India: WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: DWWWW

In the spotlight: Virat Kohli and Marnus Labuschagne

The coronation has already happened on Insta. After Shubman Gill completed the set by scoring his first T20I century earlier this month, Virat Kohli put out a story with the words “Sitara” meaning star, and “the future is here”. All through his career, the former India captain has delighted in the success of his team-mates (Thank you, Kohli cam). Much more recently, he has shrugged off the notion that what he does on a cricket field is what defines him. This is Kohli as we’ve never seen him before. He has become totally SFW. But Australia are here and they usually have a way of getting his blood pumping.Australia have four left-hand batters in their top seven. India have just one. And this match will take place on a pitch which has been selectively watered to create a rough outside the left-hand batters’ off stump on a good to full length area. It’s home advantage but on a whole other level because the likelihood of backfiring – as it did in Pune six years ago – is minimal. This places the onus very clearly on Australia’s right-hand batters, so Marnus Labuschagne, over to you. In 2017, Australia did so many things right but struggled to find support for Smith. This time around, they have someone capable of not just matching him but possibly even beating him on the run-scorers chart.3:58

KL Rahul: There will be a temptation to go with three spinners

Team news: Suryakumar vs Gill vs Rahul

This section has been made redundant thanks to the excellent work of Karthik Krishnaswamy and Alex Malcolm, our reporters on tour. So for India, click here, and for Australia, click here.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill/KL Rahul, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Ravindra Jadeja, 6 Shubman Gill/Suryakumar Yadav, 7 KS Bharat (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Axar Patel/Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohammed SirajAustralia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Peter Handscomb, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Ashton Agar/Todd Murphy, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott Boland

Pitch and conditions

Spin-friendly (that sound you just heard is Ravi Shastri going woohoo!). And a clear threat to left-handers. Nagpur weather is usually hot and dry.2:58

O’Keefe: If you want to succeed as a spinner in India, your teammates need to back you

Stats and trivia

• India need to win at least three Tests in this series to put their qualification for the WTC final beyond any doubt. And considering their win-loss record at home over the last 10 years is 42 and 2, they’ll be fancying their chances.
• One of the two in 42 and 2 is Australia. They beat India in 2017 and then England followed suit in 2021.
• Axar Patel has 47 wickets in eight Tests so far. If he takes three more in his next match, he will be the fastest Indian to 50 Test wickets, alongside Ashwin (nine Tests).
• Usman Khawaja has been part of a Test squad that has toured India twice before – in 2013 and 2017 – but he is yet to play an actual game here.

Quotes

“Winning a series in India is like an Ashes away series [win], but even more rare. It will be a career highlight, an era-defining series if we win out there”

The omissions from that squad are uncapped seamer Duffy, legspinner Sodhi, and the injured Jamieson; NZC also announces T20Is vs UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2023There were no surprises in the 13 New Zealand named for their two-Test series against Sri Lanka that begins on March 9. All 13 players who featured in their recent 1-1 draw with England were named, with the omissions from that squad being the uncapped seamer Jacob Duffy, legspinner Ish Sodhi, and the injured Kyle Jamieson.Tim Southee will lead the squad that is coming off the high of becoming only the fourth team to win after following on, in a dramatic game which they snatched by one run in Wellington to level the series against England. The batting will continue to be anchored by Kane Williamson, with Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell and Will Young for support. Tom Blundell will continue behind the wicket, with Michael Bracewell the key in the spin department. Neil Wagner, fresh off his signature short-ball exploits against England, will spearhead the pacers along with Southee, the line-up including Matt Henry, Blair Tickner and Scott Kuggeleijn.Getty Images

Jamieson, who was withdrawn from the squad initially named for that England series, is due to undergo back surgery for an injury that has kept him out of international cricket since June 2022. The out-of-contract Trent Boult, who’s focusing on playing franchise T20 cricket, continues to remain unselected.The two Tests against Sri Lanka are part of the World Test Championship, and while defending champions New Zealand are out of contention for the final, Sri Lanka need to sweep the series 2-0 to have a shot at making the title bout. The first Test will be played in Christchurch, followed by the second in Wellington from March 17.New Zealand Test squad to face Sri Lanka: Tim Southee (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson, Will Young
Out: Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson (withdrawn from previous series)

New Zealand to face UAE in T20Is in August

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) also announced a three-match T20I series against UAE in the UAE for August. The three games will be played on August 17, 19 and 20, as the squad stops over in the UAE on its way to England for limited-overs assignments.August is peak summer in the UAE, with day-time temperatures often climbing to 45C. NZC said all three games will be played under lights.New Zealand have previously played UAE in just one international, an ODI during the 1996 World Cup.”In terms of the global cricket family, it’s important we keep helping each other, and growing the game on an international scale,” NZC chief executive David White said of the decision to play the series. “NZC has a close relationship with the Emirates Cricket Board and our players are very familiar with the environment. I know the Blackcaps will be looking forward to testing themselves against a competitive UAE team.”

Stirling will return to Edgbaston for a short stint as cover for Glenn Maxwell

Matt Roller28-Feb-2023Warwickshire have signed Paul Stirling on a short-term deal as cover for Glenn Maxwell during the final stages of the IPL season. The move appears to confirm he will not be involved in Ireland’s Test against England at Lord’s from June 1-4.Maxwell recently signed a contract that will cover the majority of the Blast season, which runs from May 20 until July 15, but he will miss the start of the campaign while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in India.Stirling will play a handful of games for Warwickshire – under their T20 guise as Birmingham Bears – at the start of the season, with the exact number dependent on RCB’s progress. Hasan Ali, the Pakistan seamer, is their other overseas player.Stirling was available for the majority of the competition last year and hit 119 off 51 on his debut against Northamptonshire, an innings which included a 34-run over off the young seamer James Sales. His returns dipped thereafter, and he ended the season averaging 24.07 – albeit with a strike rate of 174.86.Related

• Warwickshire hail 'amazing signing' as Maxwell joins for Blast

• Hasan Ali signs four-month Warwickshire deal for 2023

• Ireland's Tucker to miss Zimbabwe T20Is to play ILT20

• Stirling, Little to miss Ireland T20Is for T20 leagues

• PJ Moor named in Ireland's Test squads

“We’re very lucky to be able to call on somebody of Paul’s calibre as cover,” Mark Robinson, Warwickshire’s coach said. “It’s a short-term deal to cover what could be as little as one or up to three or four matches after the Blast Off.”Paul made a big impact last season and the one over in which he hit five sixes and one four in an over will live long in the memory of Bears’ fans. But he was also great to have in the Club and around the dressing room. He’s a great lad with huge domestic and international experience.”

Stirling set to miss England Test

Cricket Ireland announced on Tuesday that Stirling has been granted a No-Objection Certificate, which confirms he is highly unlikely to be involved in their Test against England at Lord’s from June 1-4 – four days after the IPL final in Ahmedabad.Earlier this month, Stirling was left out of Ireland’s squads for the upcoming Tests against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and coach Heinrich Malan suggested at the time that Stirling would focus solely on white-ball cricket before the 2023 World Cup in India.”It was a mutual discussion over more than one coffee,” Malan said at the time. “It’s all about… making sure that we find a balance between him playing for Ireland and then obviously some of his commitments he has around the leagues. This year, with a big white-ball focus in terms of a pinnacle event in the World Cup, we got to that agreement that, up until the World Cup, he will only play white-ball cricket for us.”Ireland will need to beat Bangladesh 3-0 in May and hope other results go their way in order to qualify automatically for that tournament, and are expecting to play in the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe this summer. They will also play in the European Qualifier for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the United States, which will be staged in Scotland in July.