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Right-arm quick joined Lancashire last month on a short-time overseas deal but has now been registered as a non-overseas player

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2022Will Williams, the New Zealander who has played domestic cricket for Canterbury for the last decade, has joined Lancashire as a local player for the next three-and-a-half years with the use of his British passport. Williams joined Lancashire last month on a short-term overseas deal but has now been registered as a non-overseas player across formats, and is available with immediate effect. The move effectively ends his Canterbury career.Williams has a remarkable record in his first-class career, with 123 wickets at 23.15 bowling right-arm medium fast, and has also taken 81 wickets across the white-ball formats.”It was a big life decision to use my British heritage to take up local player status and give up my ability to play back in New Zealand,” Williams said. “However, I felt this was an incredible opportunity to learn and grow my game. I would like to thank the club – particularly Mark Chilton [director of cricket] and Glen Chapple [coach] – for making it happen.”The lads have made me feel at home here already and I am now looking forward to playing at Emirates Old Trafford for the first time in front of our members and supporters and helping this great club to challenge for trophies again.”Chilton said that Williams had been identified as a potential overseas player last winter before the club had learned that he held a British passport and was “considering the option” of moving to the UK to play as a local player.”Due to injuries and international selection, we required a seamer at short notice for last month’s County Championship matches,” Chilton said. “Following Will’s performances in those matches, and through conversations with him since, we have taken the decision to turn his short-term overseas contract into a local player contract.”This is an exciting opportunity for us, and for Will, and he has already been a really nice fit into the club in terms of the type of cricketer he is and we look forward to him developing with us over the course of the next three-and-a-half seasons.”Thanking the coach and support staff at Canterbury, Williams said that it was an “absolute dream” to play for the club.”Right from a young age it was my absolute dream to play for Canterbury, so I felt very fortunate every time I got to put the cap on. I’d like to say a massive thanks to all the staff at Canterbury Cricket and in particular, Peter Fulton, Brendon Donkers, and Dayle Hadlee, all of whom have helped me endlessly over the last 10 years.”Fulton, the Canterbury coach, had mixed emotions on seeing one of his bowling mainstays leave but wished him the best.”On a personal level, I am really pleased for Will as this is great opportunity for him to secure his future as a cricketer. Lancashire is a club with great history and I am sure Will is going to be an excellent addition for them.””Obviously we are really disappointed to be losing Will from a Canterbury Cricket perspective. He has worked incredibly hard over the last 8-9 years to become a mainstay in our side. His skill with the ball and his durability will be hard to replace. We wish him well and thank him for the years of service he has given to the province.”

Squad’s overseas roster of 14 dominated by players from England and Afghanistan; questions remain over Moeen’s availability

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2022Moeen Ali, Dawid Malan, Evin Lewis, Mohammad Nabi and Chris Woakes are among the 14 internationals signings snapped up by Sharjah Warriors for the inaugural International League T20 (ILT20).England allrounder Moeen was also signed up by Johannesburg Super Kings (from the owners of the IPL’s Chennai Super Kings) in South Africa’s new T20 league, which is scheduled to run largely alongside the ILT20 in January-February next year. That aside, Moeen is also expected to be part of England’s limited-overs squad that, as per the ICC’s new Future Tours Programme, is due to play three ODIs in South Africa in end-January and early February 2023.Noor Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen-ul-Haq, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Chris Benjamin, Danny Briggs, Mark Deyal, Bilal Khan and JJ Smit complete the rest of the 14, with Bilal and Smit the two mandated Associate players (from Oman and Namibia respectively) in the squad. Kohler-Cadmore, Benjamin and Deyal are uncapped in international cricket.The franchise, owned by Capri Global, a non-banking financial company based in India, will draft four UAE players in due course. The league is expected to allow nine overseas players in the XI for each game.An overlap in the schedule – leading to a premium on top players – is also expected with Australia’s Big Bash League (December-January) and the Bangladesh Premier League (January-February).Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and MI Emirates are the other ILT20 teams to have announced their overseas roster so far.Sharjah Warriors squad so far: Moeen Ali (Eng), Dawid Malan (Eng), Evin Lewis (WI), Mohammad Nabi (Afg), Chris Woakes (Eng), Noor Ahmad (Afg), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afg), Naveen-ul-Haq (Afg), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Eng, uncapped), Chris Benjamin (Eng uncapped), Danny Briggs (Eng), Mark Deyal (WI, uncapped), Bilal Khan (Oman), JJ Smit (Namibia)

The board has now taken ownership of the inaugural edition and on Tuesday announced six teams for the league

Umar Farooq31-Aug-2022The PCB has been forced to abandon the franchise model for the Pakistan Junior League (PJL – its T20 league for Under-19 cricketers) after bidders failed by a considerable distance to match the base price the PCB had set for franchise ownership. The board has now taken ownership of the inaugural edition and on Tuesday announced six teams from Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Gwadar, Hyderabad, Mardan and Rawalpindi.The six teams will play 19 games in Lahore from October 5 to 21 (revised from October 1 to 15). The board said 140 cricketers from 18 countries had expressed an interest in participating in the tournament. Players between the ages of 15 and 19 will be picked through a draft process, due to be held on September 6.The PCB called the move towards this ownership a “strategic decision” though the failure to find bidders in the market that met its own expectations is a blow to its ambitious plans for this league. “Instead of selling team rights, the PCB has made a strategic decision to take complete ownership of the inaugural edition,” PCB CEO Faisal Hasnain said in a release. “This gives us the chance to present to the world and to all our valued commercial partners that this is an event that has high value, context and is here to stay.Related

• Afridi, Miandad, Sammy and Malik roped in as PJL mentors

• PSL franchises, corporates on board for inaugural Pakistan Junior League

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“While the process for the sale of other commercial inventory is ongoing and we remain confident of attracting high-quality sponsors, I want to thank all the investors who expressed their interest in procuring team naming rights. We will continue the discussions with them after the completion of the tournament, with a future aim of building a long-term relationship.”Plans for the league were revealed earlier this year, the brainchild of board chairman Ramiz Raja. The board has avoided tapping into existing franchises in the PSL and wanted to have franchises in cities outside the PSL universe. The board believes there is enough interest among commercial sponsors and as many as 24 companies have expressed an interest at being involved in different capacities. But response to title sponsorships rights and for streaming the event digitally is believed to have been lukewarm so far: four companies came forward for the title sponsorship rights and one broadcaster for the digital rights, though in both cases the bids are believed to be below the PCB’s expectations.The board has roped in Shahid Afridi, Javed Miandad, Daren Sammy, Colin Munro, Imran Tahir, Vivian Richards and Shoaib Malik as mentors for each team in the league.”The Pakistan Junior League dovetails very nicely with the PCB’s Development Programme, through which we organise schools, clubs, City Cricket Association, Cricket Association and PCB-organised 50-over and three-day tournaments,” Hasnain said. “As the game’s regulatory and governing body in Pakistan, it is our responsibility to attract and create chances for our talented youth so that they not only make a career as a professional cricketer, but also solidify our bench-strength.”

The allrounder hit 82 in 48 and picked up a wicket, and the Zimbabwe bowlers did their bit, to script a 31-run win

Firdose Moonda17-Oct-20222:54

Takeaways: Is batting first the way to go at the T20 World Cup?

Zimbabwe re-announced themselves on the big stage with a win over Ireland in their first major tournament appearance since 2016. It was also Zimbabwe’s first World Cup win over Ireland in four meetings across the 50- and 20-over formats, and puts them second on the Group B table behind Scotland, who beat West Indies earlier in the day.In chilly conditions and on a surface with extra bounce, Zimbabwe were in early trouble on 39 for 3 inside the powerplay, but recovered to 79 for 4 at the halfway stage. Sikandar Raza took the reins from there on, and powered his way to his sixth T20I half-century while also sharing in a 58-run fifth-wicket stand with Milton Shumba.Raza went on to add 33 from 17 balls with No. 9 Luke Jongwe at the death to give the bowlers a decent total to defend. He took on the Ireland spinners, as Simi Singh and Gareth Delaney conceded 52 runs in the five overs they combined to bowl. However, the pace bowlers weren’t spared by Zimbabwe either, as Curtis Campher and Mark Adair’s seven overs cost 68, with only left-armer Josh Little posing a real threat.It turned out to be a good day for left-arm seamers, as Richard Ngarava made the first two incisions into Ireland’s line-up. But Blessing Muzarabani also joined the fun, as Ireland were reduced to 33 for 4 in the powerplay. George Dockrell and Campher put up some resistance with a 42-run fifth-wicket partnership, but once they were separated – by Raza! – Zimbabwe’s path to victory was clear.Though Zimbabwe were untidy at the end by dropping two catches and allowing Ireland’s tail to wag, their bowlers will be pleased with their returns. Wickets were shared, with seven falling to the quicks and two to the spinners. Sean Williams, who became the player with the longest T20I career of 15 years and 323 days, finished with 1 for 22.Sikandar Raza held Zimbabwe’s innings together with a 48-ball 82•ICC/Getty Images

Ireland’s short-ball strategy
Ireland’s fast bowlers clearly had a plan, which seemed to be to bowl short early on, and they stuck to it almost to perfection. Collectively, they only delivered one full delivery in the first five overs while testing Zimbabwe’s top four with pace, bounce and seam movement.Regis Chakabva was greeted with a ball that kissed his shoulder and cramped him for room, even as it nipped back. The ball eventually caught the shoulder of his bat on its way through to Lorcan Tucker. Wessly Madhevere faced more of the same in the opening over, and top-edged the third delivery he faced from Tucker for four.He should have been out in the next over when he pulled Mark Adair to Campher at deep square but Campher mistimed his jump and the ball went through his hands. Madhevere made the most of his let-off, rocked back and rolled his wrists to bring out the pull and the whip through midwicket.However, he tried to take on one short ball too many when he picked out Gareth Delany at deep backward square to give Little a second wicket in his opening spell. Zimbabwe also lost Craig Ervine to offspinner Simi Singh in the powerplay.Catching in tandem
Williams and Raza steadied and then accelerated Zimbabwe’s innings with a fourth-wicket stand of 42, which was dominated by Raza. Williams had just joined the party with a slog sweep off Simi that went over the short-square boundary for six. But when he tried to repeat it, he found an Ireland pair that was stationed on the rope with good awareness. Adair ran towards long-on to get underneath it but knew his left foot was close to the boundary, so he lobbed the ball back to Harry Tector, who had made his way in from deep midwicket. Adair timed his throw back to perfection as his momentum carried him over the rope, and Tector made sure he was there at exactly the right time.Stunning Sikandar – Part 1

What a year Raza is having. Since July 2022, he has scored five T20I fifties in nine innings, compared with the one fifty in 47 innings before that. Against Ireland, not only did Raza almost single-handedly ensure Zimbabwe got a solid total, he did so with complete authority over an attack who were dead-set on trying to bounce Zimbabwe out and too often got that tactic wrong.Raza hit 54 of his 82 runs on the leg side, with 39 off those coming off the pull shot. He hit the ball high and far, and demonstrated a technique that is not always present in a Zimbabwean line-up. Raza’s was the third-highest score by any batter batting at No. 5 or lower in T20Is.Blessing Muzarabani helped Zimbabwe reduce Ireland to 23 for 4 inside the powerplay•ICC via Getty Images

Ngarava, Zimbabwe count their Blessing(s)

Unlike Ireland’s quicks, Zimbabwe’s went fuller, and let the extra bounce and swing do some of the work for them and ripped through Ireland’s top order in the first four overs. Ngarava struck first when Paul Stirling inside-edged on to his leg stump. Two overs later, Tucker, who had successfully scooped Tendai Chatara over short fine-leg, shuffled across his stumps to sweep but was late on the stroke and was bowled.From the other end, Zimbabwe introduced their two-metre tall quick Muzarabani, who delivered a Test-match like delivery on a good length on fourth stump, which Tector edged to Ervine at slip. Three balls later, Andy Balbirnie went in exactly the same way although the ball was slightly short of length.Ireland were 23 for 4 after four overs and 33 for 4 at the end of the powerplay, with the required rate already over ten.Stunning Sikandar – Part 2
Why contribute in one discipline when you can in two, especially after you have significantly changed the way you execute one of them? That must have been idea for Raza, complete with a new, Sunil Narine-esque action, when he was given the ball in the tenth over, with Dockrell looking dangerous.Dockrell was on 24 off 18 balls and it was Raza’s job to slow things down. He did one better and foxed Dockrell with a delivery that came out of the front of his hand, snuck under the toe end of the bat and yorked the batter. If that wasn’t enough, Raza also took the catch when the ninth wicket fell to cap off a spectacular all-round performance.

The opener batted all day and was on 97 when the players shook hands with two balls left

AAP09-Oct-2022A thirsty Henry Hunt insists there’s no bad blood with Victoria despite stumps being called early with the South Australian opener stranded three short of a stoic Sheffield Shield century.Hunt (97 off 326 balls) was impenetrable on Sunday, refusing easy singles for the last hour to farm the strike as the Redbacks finished 7 for 207 after 107.4 overs in unlikely pursuit of 425.After creeping through the 80s at Adelaide’s Karen Rolton Oval, Hunt began the day’s final over on 93 and glanced Will Sutherland’s fourth ball for four. But after denying Victoria victory they denied him a century.Related

• Will Sutherland's maiden first-class hundred leads Victoria's recovery

• Boland quickly in the groove to earn Victoria healthy advantage

• Handscomb's century sets up Victoria's victory push

With two balls left and a result out of the equation, players shook hands for a draw to rob Hunt of potentially two swings at an eighth first-class hundred.”At the end of the day I just wanted to get off the field and have a beer,” a diplomatic Hunt said of the final over being cut short. “It’s nice to have personal success but the end result of the day was to try and get the draw.”Boxes ticked in that regard; hopefully I can maybe score a little bit quicker in the next game, hit a few more boundaries and it might be on the cards. Backs against the wall given the position we were in early after lunch, it was the best possible result for us.”Victorian captain Peter Handscomb’s day-three century was followed by a late declaration, with SA surviving 12 overs to resume on Sunday at 0-38 requiring a further 387 runs for an improbable win.Three wickets in each session extinguished hope of a successful chase, with debutant Fergus O’Neill dismissing Test pair Travis Head and Alex Carey.Head flayed at a drive but picked out short cover to officially kill-off the chase, while Carey’s grinding innings (2 off 38 balls) was ended when wicketkeeper Sam Harper snaffled an edge while standing up to the stumps.Allrounder Nathan McSweeney then struck a wide, looping Jon Holland full-toss to a diving Mitchell Perry at backward point to open up the tail.Victoria engineered another wicket when Nic Maddison’s direct hit from a tight angle found Wes Agar (19 off 56) just short of his ground.That was the only wicket to fall in the final session though, with No. 9 David Grant digging in for 45 balls without scoring to see it through with Hunt.There were few other chances, although Hunt survived a tight lbw appeal and almost chopped a ball onto his stumps in consecutive deliveries against spinner Holland.Sutherland went wicketless in the final innings but had a fine game, his first-innings maiden century followed by a four-wicket haul to give Victoria an 80-run first innings lead.

Cites disappointment at the team’s preparation for the World Cup and disagreements with the selectors and management

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2022Mohammad Nabi has resigned as Afghanistan captain citing his disappointment at the team’s preparation for the T20 World Cup and disagreements with the selectors and management.