Australia coach Andrew McDonald says star allrounder Glenn Maxwell needs to play his part when it comes to using his rest and recovery periods wisely after he was briefly hospitalised following a night out in Adelaide last Friday.Maxwell has not played any cricket since Melbourne Stars’ last BBL match on January 15. Before Friday’s incident in Adelaide, he had already been rested from Australia’s three-match ODI series with West Indies as part of his management around his previously broken leg. That meant Maxwell was not due to play again until February 9 when he is set to be part of Australia’s T20I side for the three-match series against West Indies.Maxwell was invited to a golf event in Adelaide and flew from his hometown of Melbourne to play on a very warm Adelaide afternoon. He then went drinking at a pub in the evening where he passed out and was taken to the emergency room of a hospital via ambulance and was later released without being admitted.Related

• Maxwell thankful for support after 'less than ideal' Adelaide incident

• Marsh to captain T20Is against West Indies with Warner named

• Fraser-McGurk and Bartlett handed Australia ODI call-ups

• Maxwell embarrassed, but set to avoid sanction after Adelaide incident

• CA investigates after Maxwell is hospitalised following alcohol-related incident

McDonald said Maxwell needed to have a look at the choices he was making after the selectors had given him an extra week off to rest before the T20I series.”I’ve spoken to Glenn, had a good chat with him yesterday around the incident,” McDonald told . “Him looking after himself needs to be a consideration moving forward. We’ve given him the opportunity to rest and rehab in that period of time and I suppose the lessons for him around that would be to take up his end of the bargain in that space and take care of himself.”We want to see Glenn Maxwell playing cricket for the next three to four years for Australia. Can he get to the next World Cup in 2027 in South Africa? Who knows. But he’s a key player in our white-ball formats. When he is out there we’re a far better team and on the back of that horrific injury that he did have, there’s going to be some management things that are put in place around him.”But we want Glenn Maxwell playing for Australia for as long as he can. We’re going to have to do our end and Glenn is no doubt going to have to hold up his end of the bargain.”All the information he’s given, he’s had a few drinks and clearly the night has ended the way that it did and that’s less than ideal from his perspective and our perspective. It’s an honest mistake. He needs to obviously have a look at what he’s doing at his end and is that the right thing to be doing at that time? Thankfully there’s no harm out of it. He’s well now.”That’s the other thing to consider in these instances, yes you can point the finger but there’s a duty of care from our end and he’s doing well and he looks as though he’ll return to play in that West Indies series in those T20 games which we’re excited for.”McDonald explained that the decision to rest Maxwell from the ODI series was on the back of the incident that had happened in November 2022 when Maxwell broke his leg in a horrific accident at a 50th birthday party. Maxwell himself said he needed “to be a bit smarter” about his management after he had to fly home from the South Africa tour last year due to soreness in his leg. McDonald added it was something he will need to do for the remainder of his career.The broken leg Glenn Maxwell suffered in late 2022 has continued to impact his recovery from matches•Getty Images

“It’s a discussion we’ve had for the last couple of weeks just around where he’s at physically, on the back of that major injury he had,” McDonald said. “It’s well over 12 months ago now. But that injury hasn’t allowed him to do the things that he’s wanted to do over a period of time and recovery is one of the biggest problems that he has had, pulling up from games. He just started to flag that at the back end of the BBL.”For those who know one-day international cricket well, it’s probably one of the most demanding formats for any player. The amount of speed they have to move at in the field and with the bat. Obviously, Maxwell being a three-dimensional cricketer, we felt it was a prime opportunity just to give him a little bit of a chop out to get ready for the T20s.”That’s going to be an ongoing management problem with Glenn, we believe. We had some good results in the World Cup but also if you think back to before the World Cup, going to South Africa, we had to pull the same lever in terms of managing where his body is at. So it’s got to be a consideration for him, how he looks after himself moving forward for the longevity of his career. But we’ve also got to weigh into that with the way that we manage him and we feel as though this is the best for him at this point in time.”Maxwell had an outstanding ODI World Cup for Australia, however he did miss a game due to concussion after falling off the back of a golf cart.Meanwhile, uncapped Victoria allrounder Will Sutherland had been called into Australia’s ODI squad for the West Indies series as a replacement for injured paceman Nathan Ellis.

Club could seek to sell historic Nevil Road Ground after more than 130 years of residence

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2023Gloucestershire County Cricket Club have confirmed they are exploring the possibility of selling their historic home ground in Bristol, and moving to a bespoke stadium outside of the city.The Nevil Road Ground in central Bristol has been Gloucestershire’s base since 1889, when the land was gifted to the club by WG Grace, and has been a regular venue for England men’s and women’s white-ball internationals since the 1999 World Cup.However, in recent seasons, the ground has been beset by drainage issues that caused the abandonment of each of its last four ODIs, including both of its fixtures at the 2019 World Cup, and most recently Ireland’s visit in September.Gloucestershire’s domestic season was similarly disrupted, with their opening fixture of the County Championship, against Yorkshire in April, being abandoned on the third scheduled day without a ball being bowled. According to their most recently published accounts, the club lost £570,000 to the year ending January 31, 2023, having recorded a profit of £92,000 in 2021-22.Due to its central position, the opportunities to overhaul the ground’s existing infrastructure are limited, and following a report in the Telegraph last week, which estimated that the land could be worth £40 million if it was sold to developers, Gloucestershire have confirmed that a consultation is underway.”To ensure the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of Gloucestershire Cricket, we must look at the possibility of relocating the club and are now looking to enter into more active negotiations around a potential move to an appropriate new site,” the club wrote.”Whilst the current ground is still able to deliver the very highest level of cricket and customer experience at Nevil Road, we have to also prepare for the future. As we continue to grow, the strain on infrastructure and facilities at Nevil Road will become increasingly challenging, as will access to and from the ground.”The opportunity to relocate is a highly exciting prospect for the club to explore, one that would allow us to enter the next stage of our history and thrive in the future as we continue to adjust with the modernisation of cricket, how it is delivered and the diversification of the overall business.”The club’s preferred site is close to the M4 in South Gloucestershire, on the outskirts of Bristol, making it “more accessible to larger parts of the county”, and also allowing it to be “purpose-built to host the highest level of world cricket events including ICC fixtures”.Gloucestershire Cricket chair, David Jones, said: “This is a significant turning point for cricket in Gloucestershire and Bristol as we look to secure the club’s long-term future in an ever-changing sporting world.”As well as delivering for our members the modern and low-carbon facilities they deserve in order to showcase an ever-wider range of world class events here in the South West, we are keen to continue our active role in the community to widen participation and inspire the next generation of sports women and men.”We look forward to engaging with our members, neighbouring residents, stakeholders and the public as we continue a journey that WG Grace started many years ago.”Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, and a former CEO of Bristol City Football Club, hailed the club’s “ambitious plans for growth”. With the board currently in consultation with counties over the future of the Hundred, one possibility being tabled is that two new teams will be introduced, including one in the South West, which would potentially add to the rationale of the development.”We are clear on the importance of Bristol, Gloucestershire and the South West to the game and recognise that continued investment at all levels is vital for the ongoing growth of cricket across the region,” Gould added. “It’s fantastic to see Gloucestershire displaying the ambition to provide cricket fans in the West Country with a state-of-the-art sports and leisure arena.”

This will be the England fast bowler’s first IPL stint

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2024

Mumbai Indians have signed English left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood as a replacement for the injured Jason Behrendorff for IPL 2024.Wood has been signed for his base price of INR 50 lakh.Wood has 147 wickets from 140 T20s, including five matches for England. While he has featured in several T20 leagues like the BBL, PSL and BPL, apart from The Hundred, this will be his first IPL stint.Behrendorff was ruled out of the IPL after he broke his leg in a freak accident while training in Perth last Thursday just before leaving for India.The injury to Behrendorff, who returned 14 wickets from 12 games last season, compounds problems for Mumbai in their fast-bowling department. Sri Lankan left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka picked up an injury during the second ODI against Bangladesh which has likely ruled him out from the initial stages of IPL 2024.Related

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Madushanka to miss rest of Bangladesh tour, initial stages of IPL 2024

Suryakumar Yadav in doubt for Mumbai Indians' season opener

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South African fast bowler Gerald Coetzee is also recovering from a pelvic inflammation and could be unavailable for Mumbai’s first few matches.Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Madhwal, Nuwan Thushara and Arjun Tendulkar are the other fast bowlers in Mumbai’s roster, while their new captain Hardik Pandya has confirmed that he is fit to bowl in the tournament. They also have Romario Shepherd as a seam-bowling allrounder.Star batter Suryakumar Yadav, who is recovering after two surgeries, is also a doubt for Mumbai’s opening match against Gujarat Titans.

A Manchester United icon feels it was a mistake for Cristiano Ronaldo to re-sign for the club and says he should have joined Manchester City instead.

Ronaldo rejoined Man Utd in August 2021Left in November 2022 after fallout with Ten HagTold he should have joined Man CityFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After becoming one of the world's best players at United between 2003-09, a 36-year-old Ronaldo headed back to Old Trafford for a second spell that ended up being much less fruitful. The Portuguese was strongly linked with Manchester City in August 2021 but ended up re-signing for the Red Devils instead – something ex-player Gary Pallister thinks was a mistake.

AdvertisementAFPWHAT PALLISTER SAID

The legendary ex-United defender told Betvictor: "Cristiano Ronaldo will never be forgotten for what he did in his first spell. But then again, he left. The second spell, I never thought it was a good idea for him to come back at that time. Looking at it from afar, he would have been far better off signing, if indeed Man City were interested, for City. I think he would have gone on to score a lot of goals for Man City if he'd have gone there. I think he chose the wrong time to come back to Manchester United. It would have tugged on the heart strings, no doubt, coming back to a place that he loved playing at. But we weren't the team for Cristiano to go into. We weren't good enough, we weren't going to create him the chances because he's a player that plays in the box and he comes alive in the box and Man City would have got him into them areas and he would have scored the goals – we needed more from Cristiano at Manchester United and I don't think he was capable of doing the running that he did in his pomp. I just think it was the wrong time for Cristiano to come back to Manchester United and it probably has affected that reputation that he built up. But looking at the club right now, you can understand his frustrations at the time."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The United that Ronaldo left in 2009 for Real Madrid was very different from the one he re-joined 12 years later. United's dominance of the Premier League was gone, and their powers were certainly on the wane during the ex-Juventus star's second stint there. While he still scored 27 goals in 54 games for the Red Devils, it could be argued that the veteran was not the best fit for the team, and his contract was terminated in November 2022 after an explosive fallout with then-manager Erik ten Hag.

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Ex-Sporting CP star Ronaldo, now 40, ended speculation over his Al-Nassr future by signing a lucrative two-year deal with the Saudi Pro League side earlier this summer. Now, the Portugal international is stepping up preparations for the new season.

Tasmania took regular wickets during the afternoon but Connolly’s performance on first-class debut lifted the hosts

Tristan Lavalette21-Mar-20241:52

Should players prioritise Sheffield Shield over IPL?

Captain Sam Whiteman stepped up in the absence of opening partner Cameron Bancroft before nerveless debutant Cooper Connolly halted Tasmania’s comeback late on day one of the Sheffield Shield final.Western Australia reached stumps at 325 for 8 after being sent in on a green-tinged WACA surface. Whiteman made a fluent 104 and combined in a first-wicket century partnership with D’Arcy Short, who replaced Bancroft having not opened at the first-class level since late 2019.Related

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Whiteman and Short’s efforts helped alleviate the big loss of Bancroft, who was ruled out of the contest with concussion after a cycling accident.Connolly, WA’s other inclusion, helped lift WA to what appears a solid first innings with his first fifty in professional cricket. He finished on 73 from 79 balls and will eye a century on day two as Connolly’s fearless approach showed exactly why WA have been so keen to get him in the line-up. He was supposed to play the season-opener against Victoria before suffering a toe injury from a freak boat accident.”If we got asked before the day that [at stumps] we’re still batting and over 300, you would take that nine times out of 10,” Whiteman said.Tasmania toiled, but were inconsistent and relied on offspinner Jarrod Freeman, who produced sharp turn to finish with 3 for 103 from 24 overs.Sam Whiteman acknowledges his century•Getty Images”I think we really clawed our way back in the game,” Freeman said. “If we can go bang, bang tomorrow then I think we are on top.”Without the formidable presence of Bancroft, Tasmania hoped to ruffle up WA’s rejigged top order but quicks Riley Meredith and Gabe Bell were inconsistent with the new ball.Whiteman had cut a relaxed figure ahead of the match, underlining his experience on this stage, as the roles of the openers were reversed. He was composed at the crease and drove elegantly to rattle off 21 off 14 balls.In a notable contrast, the innately attacking Short, who batted at No. 5 in his sole Shield match this season, was scratchy and made just 4 off his first 24 balls.Surprisingly picked ahead of teenager Teague Wyllie because of his experience and aggressiveness, Short rode his luck after gloving down the leg side on 13 only for Beau Webster to have overstepped. Short had more fortune in the next over when he was dropped at first slip by Caleb Jewell after playing rashly at a wide Iain Carlisle delivery.It proved costly for what appeared to be a jittery Tasmania hoping to end an 11-year Shield drought. Whiteman and Short batted through the opening session and shortly after lunch registered a rare century opening stand in the Shield this season.Short had streakily edged a boundary to reach his fifty, but fell on the next delivery when he nicked off a good line and length delivery from Bell, who had finally found his radar.Jayden Goodwin, who had been a contender to move up the order and replace Bancroft, fell cheaply to a Freeman delivery that straightened and caught the edge to first slip.Jarrod Freeman produced a beautiful delivery on the stroke of tea to remove Aaron Hardie•Getty ImagesHilton Cartwright has struggled in the Shield this season, but decided to end his slump by playing shots and he was particularly aggressive against Freeman. He combined well with Whiteman, who notched his second century in a Shield final much to the delight of his teammates in the terraces.Whiteman looked impregnable before he fell lbw to the hardworking Carlisle as Tasmania capped a decent session when Freeman bowled Aaron Hardie through the gate for a duck with a cracking delivery.Cartwright notched his half-century after tea, but Connolly took centre stage in the final session with brave batting. Undaunted by the big stage, much like when he was the hero of Perth Scorchers’ triumph in last year’s BBL final, Connolly drove at his first ball and edged between second slip and gully for a boundary.He did not hold back and clubbed a couple of sixes, including one that sailed high down the ground and into the lower tier of the Lillee-Marsh Stand.Tasmania needed some inspiration and they turned to the versatility of Webster, who unfurled his offspin and it did the trick when he bowled Joel Paris.But Connolly raced along to his fifty in only 48 balls to justify his selection, with left-arm quick Liam Haskett unluckily missing selection after taking six wickets against Victoria in the last round.Bancroft was at the ground before play with deep cuts evident on his right side of his face. He is recovering well from concussion and went for a light run yesterday.

Juan Mata says his family told him to leave Manchester United when Jose Mourinho became manager, having had difficulties with him at Chelsea.

• Mata opens up on Mourinho difficulties
• Portuguese sold Spaniard at Chelsea
• Were quickly back together at United

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mata was a key player for Chelsea but soon became surplus to requirements when Mourinho returned for his second stint at Chelsea. The former Spain international was quickly shipped off to United in January 2014, but a little over two years later Mourinho had been appointed at Old Trafford, with Mata a key member after two positive seasons with the club.

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  Mata would end up outlasting Mourinho at United, with the current Fenerbahce boss eventually given the boot by United in late 2018, whereas the midfielder stayed until 2022. He ended up making 285 appearances for the Red Devils but has now revealed he was urged by his grandfather to pack his things and leave when it was announced Mourinho would be managing him again.

• WHAT MATA SAID

  Appearing on the  podcast, Mata said: "The first call that I received was from my family and from my granddad saying, 'You have to leave. What's going to happen?' And I said, 'No, I'm going to see how it goes. I don't have any problem with him, and he doesn't have any problems with me.'

  "It is one of the things that I'm most proud of in my career is to have remained, to be calm and say, 'No, I'm going to try to show that I can play in his style.' And I did so. Our relationship was very natural. Actually, we have a good relationship.

  "I played games and we won things together. I played in all the finals, so I felt like an important player in his squad. My family told me, 'Okay, you were right,' but they were panicking a little bit."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Mata did end up making himself an important part of Mourinho's squad at United, starting victorious finals against Southampton and Ajax in the Carabao Cup and Europa League respectively. He had also helped them win the 2016 FA Cup when Louis van Gaal was still in charge.

Yorkshire have issued a public apology to Wayne Morton, their long-standing physiotherapist, as part of an out-of-court settlement after he was one of 14 people sacked in December 2021 at the height of the club’s racism crisis.Morton, 62, was dismissed from his role as head of sports science and medicine by the club’s former chair, Lord Kamlesh Patel, after putting his name to a joint letter criticising Yorkshire’s handling of Azeem Rafiq’s revelations about club culture, and accusing Rafiq of being on “a one-man mission to bring down the club”.The case of Morton’s company, Pavilion Physiotherapy Clinic Limited, was settled by Yorkshire for an undisclosed fee earlier this week, ahead of a scheduled High Court hearing on March 8. This brings closure to a chapter of the club’s history that is thought to have cost them close to £3.5 million in legal fees and severance payments.”The club can confirm that it has agreed a settlement agreement in respect of the ongoing civil claim brought against the club by Pavilion Physiotherapy Clinic Limited (‘Pavilion’),” Yorkshire said in a statement. “Pavilion has received a sum in damages and its legal costs. The amount is confidential between the parties and will not be disclosed.”The club apologises to Pavilion, Mr Morton and any other parties that may have suffered distress since and as a result of the termination of the contract with Pavilion by the club. The club acknowledges that Mr Wayne Morton of Pavilion worked with the club for approximately 38 years. The club thanks Mr Morton for his service to the club and wishes him and Pavilion well for the future.”Writing on Facebook in the wake of the settlement, Morton claimed he had been the victim of “horrendous, scurrilous untruths”, and thanked Colin Graves, the returning chair whose takeover of Yorkshire was ratified earlier this month, for overseeing the end of the legal stand-off.”Thankfully, the return of someone with integrity and a genuine love of Yorkshire cricket has seen the end to this monumental waste of money,” Morton wrote.”Sadly, it took over two years and over £400k in legal fees to end this nonsense that should have been sorted within weeks of the ending of my contract and the sacking of the employed staff.”With Graves set to take charge again, Yorkshire have opened nominations for member-nominated directors to join the board, with the club actively seeking to “encourage nominations from members from groups that are currently under-represented at the club or more broadly across the sector”. The process is expected to see two candidates nominated for election to the board at the AGM in April.Yorkshire have also announced the signing of South Africa allrounder Donovan Ferreira as one of their overseas players for 2024. Ferreira, who can bat, bowl and keep wicket, has been capped twice in T20Is and smashed an 18-ball half-century in the recently completed SA20.”I’m pleased to have secured Donovan for the T20 Blast,” Darren Gough, Yorkshire’s managing director of cricket, said. “He is an exciting addition to the team, and his all-round abilities and consistent performances in various international franchise leagues are indicators that he has a significant career ahead in cricket.”We hope he will play a big part in Yorkshire’s T20 campaign, and we are looking forward to welcoming him to Headingley.”

Strikers will travel to the Gold Coast and face Brisbane Heat in the Challenger on Monday

Tristan Lavalette20-Jan-2024Legspinners Lloyd Pope and Cameron Boyce starred on the traditional pace-friendly Optus Stadium surface as Adelaide Strikers ended Perth Scorchers’ historic bid for a hat-trick of BBL titles with an upset victory in the knockout final.Strikers will travel to the Gold Coast and face Brisbane Heat in the Challenger on Monday, with the winner to meet Sydney Sixers in the final at the SCG.It was a remarkable turnaround for Strikers, who were in big trouble at 48 for 4 before a hard-hitting 56 off 32 balls from Jake Weatherald ignited a comeback.Strikers then superbly defended 155 for 7 with Boyce and Pope combining for seven wickets, including stars Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis, to stun Scorchers.It was a shock exit for Scorchers, who had a late-season fadeout after losing to Sixers in a last-ball defeat that cost them second spot and the double chance.Scorchers and Western Australia had swept all six domestic titles over the last two seasons. But they could not stop red-hot Strikers, who defied the absences of ILT20-bound Chris Lynn, Adam Hose and allrounder Jamie Overton.After being sent in, Strikers’ hopes of setting a big target rested with skipper Matthew Short who was coming off scoring the most-ever runs in a 10-game regular season. He had also blasted Scorchers for a pair of 70s during the season. But it was his namesake D’Arcy Short who came out blazing before falling to a brilliant return catch from left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff.Matthew Short looked in ominous form when he whacked a short delivery from speedster Lance Morris to the boundary. Something special was needed to dismiss Short cheaply and veteran seamer Andrew Tye stepped up with a gem of an inswinging yorker that rattled the stumps.Strikers were seemingly shaken by the dismissal with Thomas Kelly struggling to score in the overs before drinks. In an inspired move, Hardie reverted to left-arm spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly who hadn’t bowled in Scorchers’ last three matches.Connolly justified the faith by dismissing Kelly before Hardie brilliantly ran out Harry Nielsen with a direct throw from mid-on to leave Strikers in ruins at 48 for 4.Jake Weatherald counter-attacked with a quick fifty•Getty Images

Veteran Weatherald has grabbed his opportunities since being a late-season inclusion and dominated after drinks. He used his feet superbly against left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, whose home struggles continued in contrast to his miserly bowling on slower surfaces on the east coast.Weatherald raced to his half-century in 30 balls, but fell shortly after when he failed to execute a reverse scoop against Hardie, who then dismissed James Bazley to put Scorchers well on top.But their death bowling woes against Sixers reared with Strikers smashing 45 runs off the last five overs. Ben Manenti, who in recent seasons has been a thorn to Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield, and Henry Thornton effectively threw the bat as Strikers finished with a competitive total.Strikers’ strong attack sensed an opportunity against a revamped Scorchers opening partnership of Sam Fanning and Marcus Harris, who were both late-season signings.Debutant Fanning started with a fearless approach to continually bludgeon through the offside. Fanning, 23, made a duck against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield in his only innings in domestic cricket this season. But he had entered with a century in local grade cricket and carried over that form with an assault on the new-ball, where he cracked two sixes off left-arm seamer David Payne in the fourth over.Fanning overshadowed Harris, who played sedately in his first innings since being overlooked for Australia’s Test team. It appeared like a fairytale was unfolding until Fanning holed out in the fifth over after scoring 31 of Scorchers’ first 38 runs.But it triggered a collapse of 4 for 10 capped by Hardie being clean bowled by Pope, who bowled well in tandem with Boyce in the middle overs.The pressure fell on Inglis, who plays aggressively against spin but he succumbed to a rampant Boyce as Scorchers crashed to 70 for 5 in the 12th over.Boyce was pumped up and Strikers were further buoyed when skipper Short took a spectacular diving return catch to dismiss Nick Hobson. Strikers were on fire as Bazley took a tough juggling catch on the boundary to snare Connolly to leave Scorchers’ faithful stunned and quickly heading for the exit.

Brisbane Heat finals hero leaves to join Renegades on a two-year deal and looks set to open alongside Jake Fraser-McGurk

Alex Malcolm11-Apr-2024

Melbourne Renegades have poached BBL-winning batter Josh Brown away from Brisbane Heat on a two-year deal as a replacement for the retired Aaron Finch.Brown, 30, burst onto the scene in the last two seasons as a mature-age find for Heat after dominating Brisbane grade cricket and had a huge impact for Heat helping them reach two finals and claim the title last season. It’s understood the initial two-year deal comes with the option of two more.In his first 23 matches in the BBL, Brown has made 624 runs at 27.13, striking at 149.64. He rose to national fame in the BBL finals last season smashing 140 from 71 balls, including a BBL record 12 sixes, against Adelaide Strikers in the Challenger to help Heat reach the final before backing that up with a matchwinning 53 in the final against Sydney Sixers.Related

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Under-19 World Cup trio Konstas, Hicks and Anderson earn NSW contracts

His form led to overseas T20 franchises chasing his services and he took up an offer to play in the Bangladesh Premier League with Chattogram Challengers. He also made his List A debut for Queensland when he returned from Bangladesh.Renegades general manager James Rosengarten said the struggling Melbourne franchise was thrilled to secure Brown as part of a new-look squad next season.”We are extremely excited to have Josh join our squad,” Rosengarten said. “We’ve identified a clear role for Josh in our batting order which will have a new look this year.”Josh possesses a good balance of aggression and composure, which we all witnessed in the recent BBL finals series. We’ve been watching Josh for a while so his strong season and BBL finals series were no surprise.”Brisbane Heat admitted they were disappointed to lose Brown having offered what they believed was a strong offer.”We provided Josh and his management with a two-year contract offer that was very lucrative and a significant uplift,” Joe Dawes, the new Queensland Cricket general manager, said. “However, we understand the lure of a four-year commitment for him as a player, even though we believed our offer was very competitive and more than fair.”Our fans will justifiably be disappointed that he won’t be with us going forward, and as a club, we are sad to lose Josh, no doubt.”Brown looks set to form a formidable opening partnership with Jake Fraser-McGurk. He was grateful to Heat for giving him the chance to play in the BBL.”I’ve enjoyed my time with the Heat, they gave me my opportunity, for which I’ll always be grateful and have cherished memories including winning a BBL Championship last season,” he said. “But I am extremely excited for a new challenge and hopefully achieve the same success with the Renegades.”It’s a young group with a lot of talent and firepower, especially in that batting group. I can’t wait to partner with the likes of Jake Fraser-McGurk and Will Sutherland and see what we can do.”

Liam Dawson continues prolific form with another five-wicket haul

ECB Reporters Network20-Apr-2024Liam Dawson claimed his 10th first-class five-wicket haul but Hampshire and Warwickshire’s Vitality County Championship clash slowed to a glacial pace on day two at Utilita Bowl.Left-arm spinner Dawson had five five-fors this time last year, but after a personal best season with 49 scalps, he now has double that number after chipping away at the Bears on a flat pitch.His five for 146 stopped Warwickshire at 455 before Fletcha Middleton and Nick Gubbins unhurriedly scored half-centuries in reply.The duo put on 124 together for the unbroken second wicket to get Hampshire to 140 for one – 315 behind the visitors – at the end of the day.Warwickshire resumed to find a pitch that had become slow and harder to score quickly on – the rate dropping from 3.5 runs per over on the first day to 3.1 on the second – but equally tricky to find breakthroughs with the ball.Nightwatchman Danny Briggs was a particular frustration for his former county as he stoutly kept Dan Mousley company for almost an hour, in a 46-run stand.His wicket, bowled about his legs by Dawson, wasn’t enough to give the hosts more than one bowling bonus point, while Warwickshire fell nine runs short of 400 in their quest for a fourth batting point.The switch back to Dukes balls hasn’t seen a marked difference to what was seen in the fixture with Lancashire, but Hampshire did get through five balls during their bowling effort as the ball regularly found itself out of shape. Warwickshire also needed to replace their original ball in the 40th over.Mousley was given a life on 32 when Ben Brown couldn’t stump him quickly enough, but Tom Prest’s leg-side line tactic had him bowled three balls later.Jacob Bethell got a start before chasing Mohammad Abbas outside off stump only to edge to Brown.Either side of lunch, Hasan Ali chipped Dawson to mid-on, before Michael Burgess returned from the interval to lose his middle stump to a nip-backer from James Fuller.Dawson ended the innings when Olly Hannon-Dalby advanced, swung and was castled. Dawson has already bowled 535 balls this season, only Simon Harmer has delivered more – and the Essex man has bowled in all three fixtures.Hannon-Dalby was rhythmic, accurate and impossible for Ali Orr to get in against. Orr managed one boundary but otherwise was pinned down against the tall seamer for 22 balls before he was lbw to a ball which nipped back.Gubbins almost followed Orr straight back to the Rod Bransgrove Pavilion but was spilled at second slip, before he and Middleton found a defensive groove.It was rarely an attractive watch from either batter but none of the seven bowlers used by Warwickshire could find a chink in their defences.Middleton was the fastest to fifty in 129 balls – the fifth time he had reached the milestone in the Championship since making his debut at the start of last season.Gubbins followed him there for the 57th time in his first-class career in 104 balls as he and Middleton serenely reached close in the spring sun. Gubbins ended the day on 67 and Middleton on 61.