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He served in a temporary role since late September 2017, succeeding Haroon Lorgat, for nine months

Firdose Moonda17-Jul-2018Cricket South Africa has confirmed acting CEO Thabang Moroe has been appointed to the position in a permanent capacity on a three-year contract. Moroe, who was previously the vice-president of the board, served in a temporary role since late September 2017, succeeding Haroon Lorgat, for nine months.Under Moroe, CSA lurched through several crises, most notably the postponement and ultimate cancellation of their premier 20-over league, the GLT20. The aborted competition cost the organization in excess of US$14 million and bills continue to mount as the franchise owners threaten legal action. CSA has since signed an equity deal with SuperSport, for a new tournament but no details of the event have been decided yet.Moroe has also overseen protracted and, at times, acrimonious negotiations with the players’ association, SACA. The MOU between CSA and SACA, which expired at the end of April, was not finalised in time for an immediate renewal and is yet to be announced as complete. However, the board still showed faith in Moroe and appointed him to the top job.”Mr. Moroe has done an excellent job over the past year in taking over this position in circumstances that were far from ideal,” Chris Nenzani, CSA President said.”In congratulating him on his appointment, I look forward to his continuing the path set out by his predecessor of achieving our goal to be the best-run sports federation on the continent and to be among the best in the world.”Moroe’s most pressing task will be to get the new 20-over competition off the ground, while minimising financial losses. There is also talk of an expansion of the existing domestic franchise system from six teams to eight and, as always, Moroe will have to focus on retaining national players as the lure of T20 leagues and the Kolpak deals loom.

Matt Rawnsley, the former left-arm spinner, is also understood to be on a three-man shortlist to replace Tom Scott at New Road while club are also looking for a new director of cricket

George Dobell17-Dec-2017Two former Worcestershire players have made it on to the short-list to be the club’s new chief executive.ESPNcricinfo understands that Vikram Solanki, a former captain, and Matt Rawnsley, a former left-arm spinner, are on the three-man shortlist.There was some thought that Tom Scott, the current CEO, might stay on. While he had tendered his resignation some time ago, there was some debate at the club over whether he might be persuaded to stay on once Steve Rhodes’ departure was agreed – the pair are not close – and once the constitution of the club had been changed to ensure the primacy of the CEO in the management structure. At present the club’s CEO and director of cricket are on the same level, though the changes will be put before the club’s members at the AGM in the new year.Eventually, however, it was decided that the recruitment process had reached a point of no return and that Scott’s departure would allow the club a fresh start after one of the more tumultuous episodes in their recent history. He leaves at the end of the week.While Rawnsley had nowhere near the cricketing career of Solanki, he has substantially more business experience. He is currently managing director at Barnes Group (a manufacturer of industrial and aerospace components) and has previous experience as sales manager for Caterpillar in North Africa, Middle East and CIS while he is also president of the UK Spring Manufacturers’ Association.Solanki, who made two ODI centuries for England, is currently an assistant coach at Surrey and served as chairman of the PCA.Meanwhile the search for a new director of cricket continues. While the club have reached out to Graeme Hick, currently the Australia team batting coach, he is understood not to have reacted with much enthusiasm (he declined to comment when asked about the role by ESPNcricinfo), with Kark Krikken, Ben Smith and Nic Pothas understood to other potential options. It may well be the club decides to appoint a head coach rather than a director of cricket.The role became vacant after Rhodes was sacked following an investigation into his failure to report the arrest of a young player in a timely manner. While Rhodes is understood to have found out about the arrest of Alex Hepburn on suspicion of rape in early April, he did not inform the club’s management until the player was charged in November. In the intervening period, Hepburn had played for the first team and agreed a new contract at the club.Rhodes’ departure, after 33 years at the club, appears to have polarised views. While some are horrified at his actions, others point out they were consistent with a man who was committed to protecting and nurturing young cricketers and who achieved promotion in the county championship last season with a team containing, much of the time, 10 home-grown players. It might also be noted that he had nothing to gain personally from trying to protect Hepburn.Either way, the successors of Scott and Rhodes inherit a club in a substantially better state on and off the pitch than has been the case for several years. Playing in Division One of the Championship in 2018 with a team containing some of the brightest talents in English cricket, they are also on a much more stable financial footing.

They had one win from three matches coming into the game and the captain – despite a bad injury – stepped up to deliver another

The Report by Danyal Rasool01-Mar-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

In a nutshell

Darren Sammy doesn’t need to lift a finger to guarantee his place on the immortality shelf as far as the Pakistan Super League was concerned. But the Peshawar captain’s heroics, hobbling out to bat on one leg, ensured he has taken pride of place on that shelf for the foreseeable future.Sammy hammered 16 off only four balls and propelled his side to a victory they looked to have all but squandered. Chasing 142, Peshawar had seemed on course for much of the innings, led by a disciplined – if a little sedate – 54-run partnership between Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Hafeez. But with 35 required off the last five, the partnership was broken, and suddenly the chase went into disarray. The equation turned very quickly turned into 16 off the last 7 when Sammy, who was injured while bowling, dragged himself out to the crease.It turned out his devastating physical power was undiminished, as he smashed two sixes off his first two balls, before a straight drive in the final over saw Peshawar clinch victory with two balls to spare.Quetta Gladiators will rue an innings that kept stuttering at crucial points, beginning with a disappointing Powerplay, before Shane Watson hit Mohammad Asghar for three sixes in an over to breathe some life into his side. He hit five sixes in a 32-ball 47, but after he was dismissed, no one apart from Rilee Rossouw was able to kick on, with 19-year old seamer Sameen Gul – in for an injured Hasan Ali – enjoying a stellar debut. Wahab Riaz was at his all too infrequent best, bowling yorkers at up to 150 kph and preventing Quetta from teeing off in the death overs. It turned out every one of those runs saved made a massive difference.

Where the match was won

Sammy will grab the headlines, and well he might, but in the wake of the defeat, Quetta will want to look at a strange approach to their batting Powerplay. Gul and Umaid Asif were opening the bowling for Peshawar – hardly repositories of experience. If Watson and Asad Shafiq, both of whom have been around the block, had taken the attack to them with only two fielders out, it might have tested the young bowlers’ temperament a bit more. Gul and Asif’s eight overs went for only 38 runs and fetched two wickets too, but in truth, they were allowed to settle into rhythm. By seven overs, Quetta had scored only 33 runs. That wouldn’t be par for any course, but on this Sharjah strip with the small boundaries, it was bound to cost them.

The men that won it

One would be hard-pressed to look past Peshawar’s talismanic captain here. After Mohammad Asghar had been smashed for 21 runs by Shane Watson in the eighth over, Sammy – a reluctant bowler these days – decided he would have a spell. He got rid of Umar Amin in his first over, and all told, his figures read 2.4-0-21-2. He was forced off by a calf injury, but he had made a massive contribution in keeping the Gladiators below 150.For all of his, and everyone else’s good work, though, it looked like the defending champions had bottled it at the end. The boundaries had been drying up perniciously, and suddenly 7 per over became 22 off the last two, with no experienced, specialist batsmen remaining. It was uncertain whether Sammy would come out to bat, and when he finally did to front up, it looked like a daft idea. The man could barely walk, scoring at over two runs per ball against Rahat Ali and Anwar Ali was rarely the preserve of able-bodied cricketers. However, two sixes and a four later, every jaw in Sharjah had dropped, and another chapter embellishing Sammy in the PSL had swiftly been written.Anwar Ali’s rotten dayWahab was at his fearsome best at the death, and Anwar Ali can’t have been looking forward to facing him in the 20th over. But first up, Wahab bowled one right in the slot, and the lower-order batsman caught it clean in the middle of the bat. It sailed over the boundary for six, briefly raising hopes of a strong finish. But unbeknownst to most, Anwar’s heel had nudged off stump, and one of the bails shuffled in its slot before popping out, a brilliant flash of electronic red the tell-tale sign. The importance of every run in this nail-biting game would not have been lost on Anwar, particularly after Sammy smashed him for a six and a four in the final over to wrench victory from his side.

Where they stand

Quetta and Peshawar each have two wins in four after today’s breathless finish, and sit third and fourth on the table respectively, separated only by net run-rate.

Ziaur Rahman and Irfan Sukkur put on fine batting performances to lead Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and Mohammedan Sporting Club to their respective wins

Mohammad Isam19-Feb-2018Uday Kaul’s third List-A century helped Shinepukur Cricket Club to an 88-run win over Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity at the BKSP-3 ground in the Dhaka Premier League. Kaul’s 137 came off 136 balls, and included 12 fours and three sixes.He added 65 runs for the third wicket with Towhid Hridoy and another 110 runs with Afif Hossain for the fourth wicket. Kaul fell in the 49th over, carrying Shinepukur to 294 for 7.Left-arm spinner Raihan Uddin then took three wickets while seam bowling allrounder Mohammad Saifuddin and Afif took two as Khelaghar were bowled out for 206 runs in 45.4 overs. Rafsan Al Mahmud was their top-scorer with 62 off 79 balls.Mohammedan Sporting Club crushed Agrani Bank by 159 runs to pick up their second win in the competition. Batting first at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mohammedan amassed 335 for 7, with the last 10 overs producing 103 runs. Irfan Sukkur’s 92 was the top score while Raqibul Hasan and Bipul Sharma contributed with 77 and 41 respectively.Mohammedan got off to a rollicking start thanks to the Talukdar brothers, Jony and Rony, who added 71 runs in the first 9.3 overs. Sukkur struck eight fours and two sixes in his 83-ball knock, while Bipul hit two fours and two sixes in his 29-ball cameo.Soumya Sarkar, one of several Bangladesh players to take the overnight train to Dhaka, fell for a duck in the first over as Agrani Bank struggled to put partnerships together. They were eventually bowled out for 176 in 37.4 overs with Subashis Roy, Qazi Onik, Enamul Haque and Bipul taking two wickets each.Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club picked up their third win by beating Prime Bank Cricket Club by five wickets. At the Fatullah Cricket Stadium, they chased down Prime Bank’s 228-run target in 44.4 overs.Ziaur Rahman top-scored with 67 off 76 balls. He added partnerships worth 70 and 65 runs for the first two wickets, with Shykat Ali and Rakin Ahmed respectively. Later, Nurul Hasan and Tanbir Hayder eased the chase with a 38-run unbroken sixth-wicket stand, in just 4.1 overs.Pace bowler Robiul Haque took three wickets as Prime Bank were bowled out for 227 runs in 50 overs. Captain Mehedi Maruf, who top-scored with 41, was one of many of their batsmen who couldn’t capitalise after a start. Abu Jayed and Elias Sunny took two wickets each for Dhanmondi Club.

Max Walters has become the third state chief in a little more 12 months to resign, due to internal squabbles over club cricket in the state

Daniel Brettig03-Jun-2019Max Walters, Queensland Cricket’s chief executive, has become the third state supremo to resign in a little more than 12 months, joining the former Victoria chief Tony Dodemaide in quitting at a time of internal squabbles over club cricket in their state.The New South Wales chief executive Andrew Jones also vacated the field earlier this year, though Walters’ exit appears to share more in common with that of Dodemaide and the former Cricket Victoria chairman Russell Thomas in 2018.Having joined Queensland in 2016, after the CA Board director Michael Kasprowicz temporarily stepped in as caretaker CEO in place of Geoff Cockerill, Walters and his chairman Sal Vasta have run into difficulty over the task of dividing up money raised by the state association off the back of strategic funding handed over by CA’s Board in the recent past.It is an issue being debated at several levels of Australian cricket, also including the fund delivered by the Australian Cricketers’ Association following the hot-tempered 2017 pay dispute over the current MoU between the players and CA.There, as in Queensland, the debate centres on how the money will be distributed, whether on a strategic case-by-case basis – much as the money was handed from CA to Queensland – or via uniform grants applied to every club. With Vasta also believed to be under pressure, Walters informed QC staff of his decision to quit in an email on Sunday night.”The past three years working at Queensland Cricket have been extremely rewarding and enjoyable. I originally committed to a three-year contract at QC, and with that period nearing its conclusion, now is the right time for me to move on,” Walters said.”I hope people will agree that Queensland Cricket has made positive steps forward during my tenure. There is now a solid launching pad for success into the future, both on and off the field. I wish every good fortune to Queensland Cricket, and would like to thank the army of tireless volunteers in all the Clubs, big and small, across our great State that keep cricket moving.”Dodemaide and Thomas both departed Cricket Victoria in 2018 following a series of disagreements over the shape of Premier Cricket and the governance of clubs in the state – Dodemaide facing criticism from his own club, Footscray, amid the arguments.Walters, meanwhile, has overseen considerable work on Queensland’s sustainability, both in terms of infrastructure funding and sponsorship levels. It was during Walters’ tenure that the Gabba’s traditional standing as the venue for the opening Test of summer came under strain, missing out in both 2016 and 2018. Next summer it will host Pakistan and was recently confirmed as hosting the opening Ashes Test in 2021. However India’s 2020 visit remains shrouded in uncertainty after the BCCI preferred to commence last summer’s home series in Adelaide.”Max Walters returned to Queensland Cricket in 2016 with the objective to make QC the State’s leading sporting organisation and to ensure that our strategy revolved around delivering outstanding life experiences for Queensland communities anywhere, anytime,” Queensland’s chairman Vasta said. “He has delivered in spades.”Corporate entities such as CUA and Betta, all three levels of government and the Queensland community at large all recognise the professionalism and expertise of QC that has been achieved under Max’s stewardship.”Our strategic plan is the envy of other sporting organisations and clearly allows fans, sponsors and the Queensland Cricket family at large to see and understand our priorities. Max has been front and centre over the past three years and leaves QC well positioned to make even greater strides in the future.”

Captain suffers another in-match injury as batting collapses in his absence

Firdose Moonda07-Sep-2025Temba Bavuma has suffered a left calf strain in the field in the third ODI against England and will only bat if required. The severity of the injury is yet to be determined but the niggle may cause some alarm bells for South African cricket. There are five weeks until they begin their World Test Championship title defence in Pakistan.This is Bavuma’s second in-match injury this year, after he strained his hamstring early in his innings during the World Test Championship final in June. On that occasion, he continued batting and made 66 in a match-winning 147 run third-wicket partnership with Aiden Markram. However, he missed South Africa’s Tests in ZImbabwe in July as he recovered from the injury.”It is a little bit sore now. I will know properly when I get home,” Bavuma said, when asked about the seriousness of his injury.Bavuma returned to action in the ODI series against Australia last month, where he played two of the three matches as his workload was managed. That was due to continue in this series but Bavuma has started all three matches. He is not part of the T20 squad and will next be in action in the Tests in mid-October.The latest setback will also be a concern for Bavuma as he looks to build towards the 2027 home ODI World Cup, where he hopes to lead South Africa. Bavuma will be 37 at the time of the tournament and, given his history of injury, may not be fit enough to play through the event. Bavuma had a hamstring injury at the 2023 World Cup and again in Tests against India later that year. He also has a long-standing elbow injury and bats with heavy strapping.In his absence, South Africa collapsed to 72 all out and a record 342-run loss in the third ODI, with Wiaan Mulder – Bavuma’s replacement at No.3 – falling for a duck.

Here are some key points after the announcement of the fixtures for a tournament that needed a shot in the arm after an underwhelming 2018-19 edition

Andrew McGlashan25-Jul-2019Shorter regular seasonAfter much criticism of last season, the home-and-away part of the season has been cut down from 54 to 42 days, beginning December 17 and ending on January 27 across the Australia Day holiday weekend. It will mean more double-header match days and some busy periods of playing and travel for teams – often with two games in three days – but the new timeframe keeps the majority of the league stage within the school holidays and should help stop the tournament drifting.New finals structureAs part of keeping the regular season alive with fewer dead games, five of the eight teams can now reach a new-look finals stage that gives the teams finishing in the top two a second chance to make the finals. After the competition expanded to a full home-and-away season last year it was clear that there wasn’t enough reward for consistency across the season with the team finishing fourth having the same route to winning the tournament as the side that tops the table. Playing 56 matches to lose just three sides is a lot although the teams in the 4th v 5th match would need to win four consecutive matches to take the title. The new format will also allow a little more time to market and prepare for the final with one of the hosts known a week before it takes place.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Christmas Eve night game ditchedThere have been some minor tweaks within the regular season, among the more significant being scrapping the evening game on Christmas Eve which last season was held at the Sydney Showground featuring the marquee Sydney derby but attracted a very modest crowd. The popular afternoon fixture on the same day – which will be Hobart Hurricanes v Melbourne Renegades – has been retained, but after that it will be about wrapping those last minute presents. For now, Christmas Day also remains clear of a match although that could be something reassessed in the future.BBL v India-Australia ODIAfter the New Year Test against New Zealand at the SCG, Australia’s men’s team won’t be in action on home soil again during the BBL. They are, however, playing a one-day series in India and one of those matches – the third on January 19 – will go head-to-head with the Brisbane Heat facing Melbourne Renegades at the Gabba. There are BBL matches on the days of the other two ODIs, but they are afternoon matches that precede the games in India for television audiences, while there are plenty which follow a day of Test cricket as has been standard.Regional venues retainedThe tournament is again being taken away from the major centers in attempt to spread the game. The Hurricanes will play their first ‘home’ game of the season in Alice Springs against Sydney Sixes – last year’s match at Traeger Park was moved away at the last minute due to an unfit outfield – while the Heat play two games on the Gold Coast over the Christmas/New Year period (December 20 and January 1). The Stars will also play the Hurricanes on the Gold Coast on December 27. There are four fixtures with venues to be confirmed: two for the Thunder who played in Canberra last season, one for Melbourne Stars, which is expected to be Moe in regional Victoria, and one for the Sixers in regional New South Wales.No easy answer to big name overseas starsIt is hoped that by shortening the regular season by 12 days and the whole tournament by a week that it will help attract overseas players who were put off by the length of last season. However, that was only part of the problem and budgets remain a key stumbling block to getting A list stars involved. When AB de Villiers’ signing was mooted, before he pulled out, it would only have been possible with funding from additional sources. There is, though, the chance that Australia’s international players will appear a little more often – those in the ODI squad to travel to India could be available for the final two regular season matches and the final, while any Test-only names who are wanted by BBL clubs will be free after early January.

Pattinson missed the entire last season because of a back stress fracture and will start bowling again this winter

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2018Australia quick James Pattinson has signed a two-year deal with Brisbane Heat for the Big Bash League. Pattinson, who had been with Melbourne Renegades between 2013 and 2017, missed the entire last season because of a back stress fracture – the fourth such time he had been diagnosed with the injury in more or less exactly the same spot in his back.He subsequently underwent a surgery in New Zealand late last year, the same procedure that helped prolong the careers of former New Zealand quick Shane Bond, and current players Matt Henry, Hamish Bennett and Corey Anderson.”I’m feeling very good physically after the surgery and I’m looking forward to getting back into some bowling during the winter,” Pattinson said. “The facilities at Allan Border Field are second to none so that will also be very helpful as I build towards the coming season.”Pattinson hasn’t played a competitive match since July last year but Daniel Vettori, the Heat coach, believed that his workload could be managed like how his former New Zealand team-mate and former assistant at the Heat, Shane Bond’s had been done.”Knowing how Shane and other bowlers have managed their career in similar circumstances will help us provide the right environment for him to deliver his best,” Vettori said. “As a senior player, James will also have the chance to do likewise and mentor some of our up-and-coming bowlers.”I’m sure the Heat fans will make him very welcome when he arrives and we’re looking forward to some more exciting matches with James in our squad.”Pattinson bolsters a pace attack that includes Mark Steketee, Brendan Doggett, and allrounder Ben Cutting. Pattinson said he was feeling “very good physically” and that he was looking forward to return to action.

Shafali’s 75 went in vain but India still won the T20I series 3-2

Valkerie Baynes12-Jul-2025England 168 for 5 (Wyatt-Hodge 56, Dunkley 46, Deepti 2-31, Arundhati 2-47) beat India 167 for 7 (Shafali 75, Dean 3-23, Ecclestone 2-28) by five wicketsThree wickets for Charlie Dean and Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s half-century in her 300th match for England set up a consolation victory for the hosts, who then held their nerve to pull off the highest successful run-chase in women’s T20Is on their home turf in another last-ball thriller against India, who won the series 3-2.Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley put on a 101-run opening stand, which allowed England to reel in a target of 168, set largely by Shafali Verma’s 75. Once they fell, however, England’s pursuit grew tougher and they needed six off the final over, which yielded two wickets for Arundhati Reddy but Sophie Ecclestone held her cool to take England over the line.Shafali wrapped up her comeback in T20Is with her best innings of the series at Edgbaston, a 41-ball knock which rescued India from 19 for 2 in the third over and helped them to a respectable total of 167 for 7 despite none of her team-mates reaching 25 and only three joining her in double figures.England put on an improved performance in the field, an area that has had them under fire since the T20 World Cup, and managed to keep India’s batters under some pressure, thanks to a regular stream of wickets. Em Arlott and Linsey Smith struck early before Charlie Dean claimed 3 for 23 with an economy rate of 5.75 and Ecclestone took 2 for 28.Em Arlott struck in her first over to remove Smriti Mandhana•Getty Images

England on top early

Arlott and Smith returned to the England attack for the first time since the second match in Bristol as the hosts rested seamers Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer ahead of the ODIs.Smriti Mandhana, the leading run-scorer for the series, struck back-to-back fours off Arlott in the opening stanza, over mid-off and pulled in front of deep backward square leg, but her cut off the final ball of the over sailed into the hands of Smith at point.Smith entered the fray in the third over and struck with her third delivery, a pinpoint-accurate ball which kept low as Jemimah Rodrigues stepped back to cut, missed and heard the stumps rattle.Shafali Verma struck 75 off just 41 balls•Getty Images

Shafali shines bright

After being dropped following India’s group-stage exit from the World Cup last October, Shafali was recalled for this series and had been making progress with scores of 20, 3, 47 and 31. She played a big part in lifting India to 47 for 2 at the end of the powerplay and shifted into another gear thereafter.Issy Wong conceded 20 off her second over, the seventh of the match, which Shafali opened with a four and finished with a thunderous six down the ground. She then pulled wide of midwicket and struck through a desperately diving Wong on her follow-through.Shafali dug out a full Ecclestone delivery and advanced, then retreated when she realised wicketkeeper Amy Jones was in a position to gather, an umpire review confirming the batter had recovered her ground before the bails were removed. She lofted Ecclestone’s next ball over extra cover to bring up her fifty off just 23 balls, drawing level with Mandhana as the second-fastest Indian woman to the milestone behind Richa Ghosh’s 18 balls against West Indies last year.Charlie Dean returned 3 for 23•Getty Images

Dean directs traffic

Shafali brought up India’s 100 with an emphatic four back over Arlott’s head and it took a brilliant catch from Maia Bouchier to remove her – and dim the memory of Bouchier sitting on her haunches with her head bowed as one of the many culprits in England’s poor fielding display against West Indies that saw them exit the T20 World Cup before the knockouts. Shafali skied a Dean delivery towards cow corner and Bouchier ran round to her right, timing her dive to perfection to take the ball cleanly just inside the rope.Dean had already bowled Harmanpreet Kaur for 15 and she picked up her third when she trapped Deepti Sharma lbw. Bouchier took another calm catch in the deep to remove Richa and give Ecclestone a second wicket after she had pinned Harleen Deol’s back leg directly in front, attempting to sweep. It was a welcome return for Bouchier, who was dropped after the Ashes in January and only recalled partway through India’s visit as injury cover for captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.

Wyatt-Hodge celebrates 300 in style

Wyatt-Hodge’s 66 at The Oval in England’s only other win of this series – also secured off the last ball – had broken a run drought going back to the Ashes in January.Opening partner Dunkley smoked a six over long-on off Arundhati, followed immediately by four down the ground. Their partnership passed fifty at the start of the sixth over and at the end of the powerplay, they were 57 without loss. Wyatt-Hodge accessed all areas with a quartet of fours off Arundhati’s second over. That put her on the cusp of her half-century, which she brought up off 30 balls with a pull through the deep midwicket region for two.Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley added 101 runs for the opening wicket•Getty Images

Down to the wire

Dunkley and Wyatt-Hodge fell to spin within eight balls of each other, Dunkley within one strike of her half-century when she was bowled by Radha Yadav and Wyatt-Hodge advancing to Deepti, sending a leading edge to Rodrigues at mid-on.Charani put down a sitter at short third off Amy Jones at the end of the 18th over, bowled by Arundhati, who had been expensive, conceding 41 off three overs. England needed six off the final over and when Arundhati sensationally claimed two wickets in the first three balls, they needed five off three. She took the pace off to bowl Beaumont with her first delivery of the 20th and Radha took a screamer off Jones at deep midwicket.Ecclestone and Paige Scholfield scampered three after Ecclestone sliced through backward point and a single to Scholfield meant they needed one off the last. With the pressure high, Ecclestone pushed to mid-on, where Mandhana pounced but her throw to the non-striker’s end missed and Ecclestone was home.

The final has been allocated to Lahore, but will be played in Dubai if India make the title round

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2024Dubai has been confirmed as the venue for all matches of the Champions Trophy 2025 involving India, including one of the semi-finals and possibly the final, too, if India get there.The schedule, officially released by the ICC on Tuesday, specifies that “semi-final 1 will involve India if they qualify” and will be played in Dubai, and, similarly, “semi-final 2 will involve Pakistan if they qualify”. Also, Lahore has been finalised as the host city for the final, but “if India qualifies for the final it will be played in Dubai”. Both the semi-finals and the final will have reserve days, an ICC statement confirmed.As reported by ESPNcricinfo on Sunday, the decision to host India’s matches at the eight-team Champions Trophy away from Pakistan, the official host country, and in the UAE was finalised after Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, met with Sheikh Nahyan Al Mubarak in Pakistan. Sheikh Nahyan is a senior UAE minister and also the head of the Emirates Cricket Board.Related

• Fakhar Zaman aims for Champions Trophy comeback

• The resolution of the India-Pakistan CT standoff was a win? Not by a long shot

• Coach Walter after home whitewash: SA will 'shine through' in CT

• Champions Trophy: India vs Pakistan on February 23 in UAE

Naqvi, the PCB chairman, said, “We are pleased that an agreement has been reached based on the principles of equality and respect, showcasing the spirit of cooperation and collaboration that defines our sport.”Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the ICC members who played a constructive role in helping us achieve a mutually beneficial solution. Their efforts have been invaluable in promoting the interests of international cricket.”The marquee Pakistan vs India match in the group stage will be played on February 23, a Sunday. The other two teams in that group are Bangladesh and New Zealand. India will face Bangladesh on February 20, and New Zealand on March 2.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Pakistan, the defending champions of the tournament, will start things off on February 19, against New Zealand in Karachi. Pakistan’s last league match, against Bangladesh, will be played in Rawalpindi on February 27.The second group has Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa. The matches for both groups – apart from the India games – will be played across Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi.The two semi-finals are scheduled for March 4 and March 5, and with both games being allocated reserve days, it’s not impossible that they end up taking place on the same day, though Dubai is usually dry at that time of the year.The hybrid model was finalised after the parties involved agreed that, in return, Pakistan’s matches at ICC events hosted by India till 2027 will also be at neutral venues. In all cases, knockout games such as the semi-final and the final will also be held at neutral venues.The agreement begins with the Champions Trophy, and will apply to the 2025 women’s ODI World Cup in India, and the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. It will also apply to the 2028 women’s T20 World Cup, the first tournament of the next events cycle that has now been awarded to Pakistan.