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Progression to top division still in the balance for both teams after draw

George Dobell07-Jul-2021Warwickshire and Durham retained their hopes of qualifying for Division One in the LV= Insurance County Championship despite a frustrating final day at Edgbaston.The rain which had bedevilled this match throughout allowed just 28 overs on the final day. And while there was no lack of effort to get back on the pitch – quite the opposite, really – successive waves of rain rendered it all futile. Craig Miles, striking with the second delivery from the second new ball, completed a second five-for in successive Championship matches but David Bedingham was left eight short of a fourth century of the campaign.You could understand why everyone involved wanted to get back out there. With 20 overs left of Durham’s first innings in which both teams could earn bonus points (these are available in the first 110 overs of each first innings) and qualification for Division One looking tight, there was an obvious incentive.Both may yet come to rue dropped points here. Warwickshire, who took 11 points from this game (eight for the draw, one for their batting and two for their bowling) will feel that, from 195 for 3, they really should have made more than 237.Durham, meanwhile, let two points slip through their grasp due to a slow over-rate. So keen were they to make up that rate that it is understood that, from around mid-afternoon, they would have happily declared with Bedingham short of his century to have rushed through a few overs. It means they, too, took 11 points from the game.It all leaves Warwickshire the better placed of the teams going into the final round of games in the group. A high-scoring draw against Worcestershire at New Road should do it. Durham, meanwhile, probably need to beat Nottinghamshire. Both will have to watch out for Essex who, while someway off the pace at present, take on a weak Derbyshire team who are enduring a horrid season.If Warwickshire are to progress, though, they will do it with a squad stripped to the bones by injury and absence. Not only have they lost a coterie of seamers (Chris Woakes, Olly Stone, Olly Hannon-Dalby, Tim Bresnan, Carlos Brathwaite and Henry Brookes), but they are without their spinners, too, with Danny Briggs called up for England and Dan Mousley injured.It is understood they have enquired about various loan options – Surrey’s Dan Moriarty was one obvious lead – but with no luck. It is also understood they have had contact with various overseas players (including India’s Ravi Ashwin) but abandoned such plans as they felt it would be impossible to get a visa in time. Surrey’s plan to sign Ashwin may well stumble for the same reason. Kyle Mayers, who has been signed to play three T20 matches, could be drafted into the Championship side as a consequence.As a result, it seems likely that Jacob Bethell will win a first-class debut in their next game. He is only 17 and had a scan on a knee injury on Tuesday. But he is seen as an extravagant talent – albeit one whose primary skill is batting – and looked admirably calm in his two T20 appearances so far. Just as importantly, with Jake Lintott seen as a limited-overs specialist and the scan having cleared Bethell of serious issues, he is pretty much the only fit spinner available.Rob Yates may take issue with that description. He claimed his maiden first-class wicket in the final day of this game, luring Ned Eckersley into a chip to mid-wicket with one which dipped and turned a little. But it is Yates’ batting which is causing the excitement and you can understand why.After his first-innings dismissal here – his second shortly after completing a century this season – his coach, Mark Robinson, challenged him over whether he wanted to be a “good or great” batter. His point being, great batters go on and make double-hundreds. But given that Yates is 21, still a student and just recovering from an illness that kept him out of cricket for the best part of a month, and he is enjoying an outstanding season. Nobody in the land has made more centuries. A Lions call-up is starting to look like a possibility.The one man in this game whose batting impressed as much was Bedingham. He survived a chance on the third day and was fortunate, perhaps, to survive a leg before appeal on the fourth when he had 78. Liam Norwell was the unfortunate bowler.But he is clearly a class act. Like many of the best, he makes batting appear a simply business and, during the course of this innings, he extended his lead on top of the run-scoring chart to more than a hundred. Sooner or later, he will surely play international cricket with distinction.

He played 13 Tests, scoring his only century during the home series against India in 1961-62

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2022Easton McMorris, the former Jamaica captain and West Indies batter, has died at the age of 86. A right-hand opening batter, McMorris played 13 Tests between 1958 and 1966, scoring 564 runs at an average of 26.85.McMorris scored 13 and 16 on debut against Pakistan in 1957-58, lining up alongside Everton Weekes, Garry Sobers and Conrad Hunte. In his next match, against England in Bridgetown, he was run out at the non-striker’s end without facing a ball. He had to withdraw from the next Test after picking up an injury, but returned for the third and scored 73 in front of his home supporters.After missing out on West Indies’ tour of Australia in 1960-61, McMorris was recalled for the home series against India in 1961-62, where he hit the only Test century of his career, at Sabina Park. He followed that up with back-to-back fifties at Port of Spain.McMorris toured England in 1963 and 1966 but averaged just 13.38 in his four Test appearances, struggling to come to terms with the slower, greener pitches. He, however, continued to score heavily for Jamaica in the Shell Shield, in latter years as their captain, and ended his first-class career with 5906 runs from 95 matches, including 18 centuries.”I had the privilege to engage with Mr McMorris on a few occasions over the years. I found him to be an encouraging and selfless gentleman,” CWI president Ricky Skerritt said. “Easton was a true stalwart of the game and contributed significantly at all levels, on and off the field.”He was a leader at the Lucas Cricket Club, carrying on the legacy established by the great George Headley. After retirement from playing, he gave yeoman service as a board member of the Jamaica Cricket Association and manager of the Jamaica cricket team.”

South Australia went from struggling to avoid the follow-on to putting late pressure on NSW thanks to key performances from Alex Carey, Wes Agar and Brendan Doggett

AAP02-Nov-2022South Australia have pried the door open for a potential Sheffield Shield comeback against NSW, claiming three late wickets before stumps on day three to keep all results alive.Struggling to avoid the follow-on at one stage when they slumped to 8 for 229 in reply to NSW’s 5 for 389 declared, the Redbacks managed to scramble their way to 311.Wes Agar then struck twice and Nathan McAndrew once to leave NSW 3 for 35 at stumps, still with a lead of 113 and with both teams able to press for a win heading into the final day.Ultimately NSW were left to rue Moises Henriques putting Brendan Doggett down at first slip on two before he made 49 as part of an 80-run ninth-wicket stand with Ben Manenti. At that point the Redbacks still needed 6 runs to avoid the follow-on.”It could have gone either way, that gets taken and who knows where we are this afternoon,” Doggett said. “But we managed to make the most of the situation and get ourselves in the position to win this game.”The late revival will also have put a smile back on captain Travis Head’s face, after his lean run to start the summer continued in Wollongong. He was caught at first slip for 8 on Wednesday when he swung hard at a wide ball from Liam Hatcher and toed it to Henriques.It means the Test incumbent’s run of scores to start the Shield this summer stands at 76, 6, 5, 0 and 8, while also failing to pass 50 in three one-day games.Head has credits in the bank and is by no means under pressure to hold his spot for Australia’s first Test against West Indies in Perth on November 30.The left-hander was player of the season in last summer’s Ashes win, hitting two centuries and averaging 59.5 while batting at No.5. But he would no doubt like to find some runs before the start of this summer’s Tests, after also enduring tough tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka earlier this year.Head will either feature in up to two more Shield games before the first Test or potentially link up with Australia’s 50-over team for a three-match series against England.After Head fell in the midst of a collapse of 4 for 56, Alex Carey looked superb for SA, cover-driving Liam Hatcher for four three times in one over before going caught behind trying to hook the quick.Agar had earlier provided the morning spark for the Redbacks as nightwatchman with his maiden first-class half-century, before he swept Nathan Lyon to a man in the deep on 57.

Sanju Samson returns as well, while Shreyas was rested and Rahul not selected

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-20246:24

Is the Rohit-Kohli T20I selection a step forward or back?

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have returned to India’s T20I squad after an absence of more than a year from the format for the three-match series against Afghanistan, India’s last T20I series before the T20 World Cup in June.Rohit has been named captain of the squad while those who led the side in his absence, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, are injured and unavailable for selection.Rohit and Kohli have not played T20Is since India’s semi-final defeat to England in the T20 World Cup in November 2022, choosing to prioritise Test cricket and ODIs in the lead-up to the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup in 2023. Their selection now, which comes after India’s chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar flew to South Africa during the New Year’s Test in Cape Town, means that both players are back in India’s plans for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.India have mostly been led by Hardik in T20Is since the 2022 T20 World Cup, and Suryakumar stood in as captain after Hardik injured his ankle during the 2023 ODI World Cup. Suryakumar led India in the five-match T20I series at home against Australia and the three T20Is in South Africa in December but has also been ruled out for a couple of months because of an ankle injury he picked up in South Africa. Both Hardik and Suryakumar are expected to return for the IPL in March.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Ruturaj Gaikwad hasn’t been picked as he continues to nurse a finger injury that he picked up in South Africa last month. There is no place for KL Rahul in the 15-member squad, while Ishan Kishan has opted out, citing the need for a break to help him refocus on his game. Kishan also missed the two-Test series in South Africa for the same reason.Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma, who was part of the T20I series against both the Australia and South Africa recently, retained his spot and Sanju Samson, who hasn’t been in India’s T20I plans since touring Ireland with a second-string squad in August last year, comes in as his back-up. Samson struck his maiden international century during the ODI leg of the South Africa tour last month.Mumbai allrounder Shivam Dube also gets another crack in T20Is following an impressive IPL 2023 where he was Chennai Super Kings’ spin-hitter in the middle overs. Dube was most recently part of India’s second-string squad that clinched the Asian Games gold in Hangzhou in October last year. From there, he went into the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy and produced some useful cameos for Mumbai batting down the order. His role with the ball, though, was minimal.Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been rested keeping in mind their workloads ahead of the upcoming five-Test series at home against England. Also missing are Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja, who was vice-captain during the South Africa T20Is that India drew 1-1. Jadeja missed the first Test against South Africa because of a neck spasm.Deepak Chahar, who was named for the South Africa T20Is but didn’t take part due to a personal emergency, misses out altogether, with the selectors continuing with Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar. Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi form the spin attack. Kuldeep, who picked a five-for in his most recent T20I in South Africa, picked up three wickets for Uttar Pradesh in the first-round Ranji Trophy fixture against Kerala.Following the three T20Is against Afghanistan on January 11, 14 and 17, India host England from January 25 to March 11, after which the players will disperse to join their respective IPL teams for the 2024 season, which will conclude only a couple of weeks before the T20 World Cup begins on June 1.

India’s T20I squad for series vs Afghanistan

Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar

Fast bowler left out of table-toppers’ opening two T20 fixtures after fallow recent form

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2024Issy Wong, the England fast bowler, has joined Western Storm on loan for the Charlotte Edwards Cup after she was left out of the Central Sparks team for their first two matches of their T20 campaign.Wong, who turned 22 last week, played for England as recently as September and featured for Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League in March. But after a quiet start to the season in the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, she was not selected by the Sparks for their opening T20 fixtures and has pursued a move away.The ECB – who are Wong’s primary employer, as a centrally-contracted player – have approved her loan move to ensure she will be playing competitive cricket. Storm said in a statement: “The ECB have sanctioned the move to ensure fast bowler Wong is able to maximise her playing time over the coming weeks.”Wong played all three formats for England in the 2022 summer at the age of 20 and was one of the stars of the inaugural season of the WPL, taking 15 wickets to help Mumbai Indians to the title – including a hat-trick in the eliminator. But she has struggled for consistency since and has lost her place in England’s squads.This season, she has taken three wickets at 56.33 in five Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy fixtures and has also featured for an ECB Development XI against the touring Pakistan squad. She was a surprise omission from the Sparks’ T20 side, though they have won their opening two fixtures.Wong is likely to play a more prominent role for a Storm side who have lost their opening two matches and are currently without Lauren Filer, who is on England duty. She will also target more opportunities with the bat, having spent most of this season batting at No. 8 in 50-over cricket.

Australia allrounder signs three-month contract spanning Championship and Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2025Beau Webster, the Australian allrounder, will tune up for the World Test Championship (WTC) final by playing for Warwickshire in the County Championship, after agreeing a three-month deal for the 2025 season.Webster made 96 runs – including a first-innings half-century – on Test debut this month to help Australia clinch a 3-1 series win over India and a spot in June’s final against South Africa at Lord’s. He has since been picked for their upcoming tour to Sri Lanka and will be in contention for a place in their side for the final.His deal with Warwickshire runs from the start of May until the end of July, and he is due to be available in both the County Championship and the T20 Blast. If he is named in Australia’s squad for the WTC final – as expected – then he will likely miss a handful of Blast fixtures, with the final scheduled for June 11-15. Australia then have a tour of West Indies, which includes three Tests, from late June.Webster will likely be competing against Cameron Green for a spot in Australia’s final XI, and his inclusion may depend on Green’s return to fitness after a significant back injury which has ruled him out since September.Other members of Australia’s Test squad who are not involved in either the IPL or PSL may follow Webster’s lead in seeking out county contracts in the build-up to the WTC final. Two South Africa regulars in David Bedingham (Durham) and Kyle Verreynne (Nottinghamshire) have already secured deals.Related

• Verreynne seals Notts return ahead of WTC final

• Australia 'hopeful' Green could play WTC final as a batter

• Webster, Konstas included for Sri Lanka tour

• Offspin to pace, and a mountain of runs: Webster's rise to Test cricket

Webster will be representing his third county in as many years, after recent stints with Essex (in 2023) and Gloucestershire (in 2024). His stock has risen significantly in that time: his deal with Essex came about when he was playing club cricket in the UK, before he joined Gloucestershire for most of their successful T20 Blast campaign last summer.”I’m really pleased to sign for the Bears for part of the 2025 season,” Webster said. “Having played Birmingham League cricket [for Knowle and Dorridge] in the past, I have great memories of the people and the area. I played some Championship cricket last summer with Gloucestershire and loved the challenge of the competition.”Mark Robinson, Warwickshire’s head coach, said: “We’re delighted Beau has chosen to become a Bear. Since we first approached him he has made his international debut which shows how highly regarded he is thought of by Australia’s selectors. As an allrounder he will give us great balance in both the Championship and Blast.”

Moeen Ali returns to team hotel after aborted attempt to relocate him to Galle after Covid result

George Dobell06-Jan-2021England’s tour of Sri Lanka will continue – for now, at least – after the latest round of Covid-19 tests showed no new positive results.The squad will hold their first training session of the tour in Hambantota on Wednesday afternoon, where Moeen Ali has now returned to stay in separate accommodation, after an aborted plan to relocate him to Galle following his positive Covid test.There had been anxiety over the future of the tour after Ali’s test result upon arrival in Sri Lanka. Chris Woakes, who travelled from Birmingham to Heathrow airport in the same car as Ali, was also put in quarantine as he was considered a close contact and there were concerns that the virus may have spread through more of the tour party.News that the rest of the squad – including Woakes – tested negative after a new round of testing on Tuesday will be a significant relief both to the England camp and Sri Lankan authorities nervous over the prevalence of the virus in the UK.While it would be wrong to think the threat to the tour has passed completely – the entire tour party will be tested again on Thursday in the understanding that the virus sometimes takes several days to manifest itself – the news revives the prospect of the series getting underway as scheduled in Galle on January 14.Not all has gone smoothly, however. Although Ali was on Tuesday transferred to a hotel in Galle booked for just such an eventuality, upon arrival it was concluded by the ECB’s chief medical officer, Nick Peirce, that building work rendered it unsuitable.Related

• Joe Root hopeful best is yet to come ahead of 2021 that could define captaincy

• James Anderson: Sri Lanka have 'slight advantage' heading into England series

• Moeen Ali tests positive for Covid-19 as England arrive in Sri Lanka

• England touring party in Sri Lanka faces anxious wait on Covid-19 test results

As a result, he was transferred back to Hambantota – a round trip of over 250 kilometres – and, after an alternative option in the town was also rejected as “not up to standard as per the protocols” in the words of a team spokesperson, is now isolating in a separate wing of the team hotel. Woakes, too, remains in isolation but should be able to join the tour party next week if he continues to return negative tests.To round off a tough day for Ali, he is now experiencing mild symptoms of Covid-19. While nothing is confirmed at this stage, it is increasingly hard to see him playing in either of the Tests on the Sri Lankan leg of this tour, with some doubt as to his availability for the start of the series in India.

Bangladesh’s Test and T20I captain believes their recent successes have come about thanks to greater self-belief

Mohammad Isam08-Apr-2023Shakib Al Hasan is hopeful that Bangladesh’s productive 2022-23 season will translate to a good year ahead. He was talking about the two major 50-over tournaments later this year – the Asia Cup and the World Cup – from September to November. The World Cup is seen as a pivotal tournament for Bangladesh, a side whose favourite format is ODIs.They started the home season with a 2-1 ODI series win over India, followed by a 3-0 T20I series win against England, and then beating Ireland in all three formats. The challenge was to do well in the 13 nearly back-to-back matches starting March 1, but apart from the 2-1 defeat in the ODIs against England, they won the other series convincingly.Related

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• Hathurusinghe wants to give Bangladesh 'psychological safety'

• Shakib praises Ireland for spirited comeback

Shakib led the team admirably in the T20Is and Tests, introducing an aggressive style that Bangladesh has often shied away from. He also contributed significantly in the ODIs.Shakib said a mentality shift has really helped Bangladesh over the past five months. He said they realised the need for this mentality during the T20 World Cup last year when they needed to beat Pakistan in their last Super 12s match to have a shot at the semi-finals. They didn’t make it, eventually, but Bangladesh enjoyed their best T20 World Cup campaign, winning two games against Zimbabwe and Netherlands and pushing India close.”I think our biggest improvement is in our mentality,” Shakib said. “During our last match of the T20 World Cup last year, we spoke about how we used to think of ourselves as a small team. We weren’t really a small team but if we believed in ourselves, we could have reached the semi-finals. We lacked in that area, so we felt that we needed to change that aspect. Especially those who were in the T20 World Cup squad have undergone that mental change.”This is an important year when we have the Asia Cup and the World Cup. We want to play well over the next six months. We did well in the first four months this year. We will be mostly playing ODIs this year, a format we feel we are good at.”Shakib had previously mentioned that Bangladesh’s mental shift in T20Is started in the Asia Cup last year. Although it wasn’t evident immediately, the change became apparent when they beat India in an ODI series late last year. When they beat England 3-0 in T20Is, they did so while picking five bowlers in every game, with the intention of asserting themselves over the opposition. It was an important moment for a Bangladesh team that had previously considered themselves only an ODI force.The improved mindset in T20Is contributed to big scores in the ODI series against Ireland in Sylhet last month, and similarly high-scoring efforts in the T20Is in Chattogram. Even the choice of venues at home – Sylhet and Chattogram instead of mostly Dhaka – was a sign of progress. Usually Bangladesh fancy playing more in Dhaka as the Shere Bangla National Stadium offers more help to spinners, the team’s perceived strength.Taskin Ahmed has been part of a vastly improved pace pack, a key aspect of Bangladesh’s recent successes•BCB

With the fast bowlers slowly improving too, and with the team feeling the need to play on more batting-friendly pitches looking ahead to the World Cup in India, the BCB has assented to the senior players’ wish to play more in Sylhet and Chattogram. More white-ball matches are expected at these two venues in the coming months leading into the major tournaments.The BCB has also rung in the changes in the head coach’s role. Russell Domingo resigned late last year, after his position was made untenable by the BCB, which made clear it was looking for a new man in charge. The board had already replaced him with Sridharan Sriram in the T20I side, but a couple of months after Domingo’s exit, Chandika Hathurusinghe returned for a second stint.The move was highly unusual for Bangladesh but Hathurusinghe was BCB president Nazmul Hassan’s choice for a long time. Hathurusinghe’s vision has so far melded well with the rest of the team.”We want the same results, ideally.” Hathurusinghe had said before the Ireland T20Is. “That’s what we talk about that we are going to do the same processes in place for us. If we do our processes, I think we are a very good team. That’s what we can them to do – improve the processes every day.”It feels good anytime your team does well, especially when you have a plan in place before the series starts. Then we want to play on good wickets. We knew that our fast bowlers were good enough to give that kind of performance. When that comes to fruition, it gives a lot of confidence.”Bangladesh’s fast bowling too has improved, which has led to a wider group being picked in the squad. Fast-bowling coach Allan Donald is also looking to widen the net with the next batch of fast bowlers from domestic and age-group cricket.Bangladesh’s next assignment is a three-match ODI series against Ireland in Chelmsford next month. It is part of the ICC’s ODI Super League. Nothing is at stake for Bangladesh as they have already qualified to the World Cup, but Tamim Iqbal, the ODI captain, has mentioned his desire to finish high on the points table to go into the World Cup with a bit of pride and momentum under their belt.

Australia face selection squeeze after impressive return of Mitchell Marsh

Andrew McGlashan09-Jul-2023David Warner’s position could come under scrutiny for the Old Trafford Test with Australia facing a selection squeeze after the impressive return to the side of Mitchell Marsh.Cameron Green, who sat out the Headingley match opening the door for Marsh’s comeback, is on track to be fit for the fourth Test after a minor hamstring strain. He bowled and did sprints ahead of the final day’s play in Leeds as well as briefly acting as a substitute fielder.But Marsh’s stunning century on the opening day, in his first Test for four years, has made him very tough to leave out which means someone else will have to make way unless they opt not to bring Green straight back in.The spotlight has again returned to Warner after his twin failures at Headingley where he twice edged Stuart Broad to slip from around the wicket, making it 17 times he has now fallen to Broad.Related

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• Old Trafford Test: can Australia fit in both Marsh and Green? What about Warner?

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However, that followed some useful contributions earlier in the series, led by the 66 on the opening day at Lord’s in tricky batting conditions, although he was dropped in the slips on 20. His overall Test average since 2021 remains 28.17 and that includes the double century against South Africa at the SCG.Captain Pat Cummins, who is not a selector, said that Australia would use the break before Old Trafford to take stock of their options as they look to avoid the Ashes going to a decider at The Oval.”You keep all options open,” Cummins said. “We’ve got nine or 10 days now, so we’ll take a deep breath. We’ll go away for a few days.”But everyone comes back into it. Greeny should be fit for Manchester. Josh [Hazlewood] will be back in there as well. So we should have a full roster and we’ll have a look at the wicket and have a chat and work out the best XI.”Marsh’s third Test century, all of which have been against England, came from 102 balls while he also chipped in with a couple of wickets.Cummins conceded he would be difficult to omit. “Yeah, it’s possible but, I mean, it was a pretty impressive week, wasn’t it?” he said.David Warner smiles after being dismissed by Stuart Broad for the 17th time•Getty Images

Warner has mapped out his retirement plan, announcing earlier in the tour that he hoped to finish against Pakistan on his home ground of the SCG in January. Prior to that, the original Ashes squad was only selected up to the end of the Lord’s Test which raised further questions over Warner, but he did enough in the early matches to dampen talk somewhat.The situation Australia now find themselves in is not dissimilar to what happened on the 2019 tour when Marnus Labuschagne performed so well as Steven Smith’s temporary replacement that someone else had to make way for Smith’s return. On that occasion the fall guy was Usman Khawaja.Meanwhile, Cummins indicated that he remained on track to play all six Tests on the tour which he had stated as his aim before the World Test Championship final against India. He is the only Australian quick to play all four matches to date. England have had Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson in all three of their attacks, but the latter is now under an injury cloud after suffering back spasms at Headingley.”I feel great, actually, probably better than I would have hoped,” Cummins said. “I don’t have any niggles or injuries. So fingers crossed, should be sweet.”Elsewhere in the squad, Michael Neser has been released to play the next round of County Championship matches for Glamorgan while Josh Inglis, who flew home after Edgbaston for the birth of his child, will return on Friday. Jimmy Peirson filled in for him as reserve wicketkeeper.Australia’s players will break up for a few days and make use of the longer gap between these two Tests before beginning preparations for Old Trafford – the venue where they were able to retain the Ashes in 2019.Cummins gave a succinct response when asked if he felt England’s win would shift the momentum in the series. “No, not really. It’s 2-1.”

Meanwhile, Sunzamul became the fourth Bangladeshi bowler to complete 400 first-class wickets

Mohammad Isam12-Nov-2023Dhaka Division took a firm step towards clinching the NCL title after beating Sylhet Division by 52 runs in Chattogram. Sylhet head coach Rajin Saleh, however, accused and reported the umpires of bias towards Dhaka, after several lbw decisions went against his side.Dhaka made 266 runs batting first with Mahidul Islam getting his maiden first-class century. He made 106 with seven fours and a six and spent six hours and 36 minutes on the field. Sylhet fell behind by 55 runs after they were shot out for 211.Dhaka were then bowled out for 154, leaving Sylhet with a target of 210. But Sylhet got bowled out for 157 with spin allrounder Shuvagata Hom taking four wickets.Away in Khulna, defending champions Rangpur Division are risking relegation to Tier-2 after their drawn game against Dhaka Metropolis.Batting first, captain Akbar Ali and Tanbir Hayder struck big hundreds to get Rangpur to 435 runs. Akbar’s 179, his maiden century in the long format, had 17 fours and three sixes. He added 251 runs for the fourth wicket with Tanbir who made 169, which was his eighth first-class ton. Tanbir hit 17 fours and two sixes.Dhaka replied with 295 with half-centuries from Al-Amin and Abu Hider. Akbar missed out on a second century, falling for 97 on the fourth day. He struck seven fours and two sixes. Set 300 to win, Dhaka Metro ended up on 113 for four.File photo: Taijul Islam starred with a nine-wicket haul against Barishal Division•Getty Images

Chattogram Division climbed to top position of the Tier-2 points table after they beat Khulna Division by four wickets in their penultimate round match in Rajshahi. They clinched their highest successful fourth-innings chase in nine years after offspinner Nayeem Hasan took 7 for 75.Chattogram took a 34-run lead after they were bowled out for 189 in reply to Khulna’s 155.Khulna scored 294 in the third innings with Nurul Hasan hitting 134 with 18 fours and two sixes. He added 169 runs for the fifth wicket with Afif Hossain making 81. Nayeem took seven wickets or more for the fourth time in his career, as Khulna set Chattogram a 261-run target.Mahmudul Hasan Joy top scored with 54 while Mominul Haque and Yasir Ali got out for 42 and 46 respectively, as they reached the target in the third evening.Rajshahi Division returned to winning ways after their five-wicket win against Barishal Division in Bogra. It was celebration time for Rajshahi’s left-arm spin stalwarts; Taijul Islam starred with a nine-wicket haul while Sunzamul Islam became the fourth Bangladeshi bowler to complete 400 first-class wickets, in his 105th match.In the first innings, Taijul and Sunzamul took two wickets each as Barishal were bowled out for 196. But Rajshahi fell behind by five runs in reply. Moin Khan, who top scored with 63 in Barishal’s first innings, took four wickets.But Barishal couldn’t take advantage of the slender lead, as Taijul’s 7 for 76 restricted them to 218 in their second innings. Fifties from SM Meherob and Imran Uzzaman took them to their fourth-innings target of 224 on the third day.