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Play was delayed by 30 minutes after two members of England support staff and two family members returned positive Covid tests

Alex Malcolm27-Dec-2021Two members of England’s support staff and two family members of the support staff returned positive Covid-19 rapid antigen tests before play on day two of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. The match has continued as scheduled after all the players tested negative with rapid tests although there are now questions about how the series might play out from here.Play was delayed by 30 minutes when the England team was delayed arriving at the ground due to the entire squad needing to be tested following the positive cases. There will be a full round of PCR tests on the England touring squad later on Monday while extra precautions will be taken during play.”Cricket Australia has been informed that two members of the England cricket team’s support staff and two of their family members have returned a positive Covid-19 Rapid Antigen Test,” a CA statement said.”The affected individuals are currently isolating. The entire playing group and all other support staff have undertaken Rapid Antigen Tests this morning and all have tested negative. The England cricket team will also have PCR tests today, and both teams will take extra precautions throughout play. Both playing squads remain unchanged.”There is currently no further impact on fans or other parts of the venue. Cricket Australia and the MCC will continue to monitor the situation and follow the endorsed Victorian Government Covid-Safe Event Plan.”Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley spoke shortly after play began on day two and was confident the game and the series could continue.”They’ll go undergo PCR tests,” Hockley said. “We’ll work on the basis of all the available information that we have. But certainly the medical advisers, on the basis of this morning’s precaution, they felt it appropriate to continue with the match.”New South Wales recorded 6,324 new Covid cases on Monday from 97,241 tests on Boxing Day. Hockley was confident the fourth Test in Sydney, starting on January 5, was not in danger despite the higher case numbers there.”No, I don’t think so,” Hockley said. “I think we’ve shown that we’ve got great confidence in the protocols. They are increasing case numbers in New South Wales and in Sydney. We’ve got an exclusive property for the playing group. We are flying there by charter. This is something that we’re all having to live with. So again, [we’re] just extremely appreciative to the medical staff, both squads, both sets of playing groups for adhering to the protocols which are designed to keep everybody safe.”The players eventually arrived and began their warm-up in dribs and drabs but did stand in a semi-socially distanced huddle in the middle at one point. The Australians were unaffected having arrived at the ground at their normal time and begun their warm-ups in the nets.The Victoria government announced there were 1999 new positive Covid cases from 57,818 statewide tests done on Boxing Day. But the rules in Victoria are different to what was experienced in South Australia when Pat Cummins was ruled out of the second Test in Adelaide due to being a close contact of a Covid case on the eve of the Test match. Despite returning negative tests Cummins was forced to isolate for seven days due to the rules set out by the SA health department. In Melbourne, close contacts only have to isolate until returning a negative test.Meanwhile, Australian television broadcaster Channel Seven had to completely replace their commentary team on day two in Melbourne after it was confirmed that one of their team had returned a positive Covid test. Seven Network Head of Sport Lewis Martin confirmed that the main commentary team, which includes Ricky Ponting and Sir Ian Botham are isolating and would not be part of the broadcast until they return negative PCR tests. Seven’s BBL commentary team have stepped in to fill the breach.”The Seven Network confirms it is responding after a member of staff working on the Ashes broadcast at the MCG tested positive to Covid-19 on Sunday night,” Martin said. “The staff member was asymptomatic at the time of testing and has been in self-isolation since the moment the positive result was returned.”Seven is activating its Covid measures to ensure the health and safety of all staff, as well as the broader community, and is working in line with all relevant guidelines and regulations. We are working closely with the MCG operational team and Cricket Australia.”Just as the broader community is experiencing, we have Covid response scenarios in place to ensure the impact on Seven’s broadcast is limited.”

Could this also be the last time we see MS Dhoni in a Super Kings shirt?

Sreshth Shah19-May-20222:57

What can CSK take away from this season?

Big picture

For Rajasthan Royals, the equation is simple. With one game left, a win over Chennai Super Kings will secure second place and two shots at reaching the IPL final.If they lose by a small margin, they’ll most likely qualify as either third or fourth, but a big loss (together with big victories for Delhi Capitals and, especially, Royal Challengers Bangalore elsewhere) could still see the Royals missing out on a playoff spot, but the probability is low if not impossible.Big defeats usually happen when there is a batting collapse, and for the Royals, that aspect of their game gets a massive boost with the return of Shimron Hetmyer. Even though he missed two games for the birth of his child, his 19 sixes in the last five overs remain the most among all batters in IPL 2022. Add the return in Yashasvi Jaiswal’s form, Devdutt Padikkal successfully batting at No. 4, and the potential of Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson, and the Royals batting gives enough confidence, more so against a struggling Super Kings bowling unit that has not been among the wickets, taking only eight scalps in their last two games.In Super Kings’ previous game, they made four changes that appeared to show that the 2022 campaign was already over for the franchise and that they were looking ahead to IPL 2023. Against an in-form Gujarat Titans, their batting felt flat in their score of 133 for 5, and the bowlers were simply not experienced enough to trouble a batting side that was high on confidence. In the Royals, they’re up against a side with the same buzz.

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But the young bowling brigade at Super Kings does excite the neutral. There’s an opportunity for young Mukesh Choudhary to add to his tally of 11 powerplay wickets, already one more than the ten that Deepak Chahar took in the first six overs last season. Sling-action bowler Matheesha Pathirana has another chance to amaze at the IPL with his unique side-on deliveries with Lasith Malinga watching on from the Royals dug out.And finally, as broadcasters and journalists keep asking MS Dhoni every year since 2020. Will this be the last time we see the Super Kings legend in yellow as a player? You know the question is going to be asked. To know his answer, tune in to the toss.Shimron Hetmyer’s return to the side after the birth of his son is a boost for Royals•BCCI

Likely XIs

Rajasthan Royals: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 4 Devdutt Padikkal, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 R Ashwin, 8 James Neesham/Obed McCoy, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Prasidh KrishnaChennai Super Kings: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 N Jagadeesan, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 8 Prashant Solanki, 9 Simarjeet Singh, 10 Mukesh Choudhary, 11 Matheesha Pathirana

Strategy punt

• Moeen Ali to take the new ball for the Super Kings? Moeen has dismissed Buttler three times in six T20s.
• Does Samson use Yuzvendra Chahal in the powerplay or at the death? Gaikwad has been dismissed three times in four innings against the purple cap holder in T20s. But Chahal has also impressed in the final five overs. No spinner has bowled as many overs as Chahal in between overs 16-20, and no bowler (pace or spin) has taken more wickets in that period of the game than Chahal’s 13.

Stats that matter

• In the 11 games where Hetmyer has played for Royals, they hit a six every 7.6 balls in the last five overs. In the two games without Hetmyer, Royals have averaged one six every 30 balls between overs 16-20.
• Chahal (24 wickets) is two away from tying with Imran Tahir’s tally of 26 (in 2019) which remains the most wickets by a spinner in a single IPL season.
• Super Kings have only one batter with 300+ runs this season (Gaikwad), the lowest among any team.

Assistant coach to fly home from Pakistan, ruled out of World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2022England have been forced to make a late change to their coaching staff for the T20 World Cup after Richard Dawson, one of their assistant coaches, sustained a groin injury during their tour to Pakistan.Dawson was carried off the pitch at Karachi’s National Stadium after pulling up during a fielding drill in England’s training session on Saturday night and returned to the team hotel in a wheelchair later that evening.”After being assessed in Karachi, he will be unable to continue during this tour of Pakistan and will fly home to the UK on Wednesday,” the ECB said in a statement.Dawson was one of Matthew Mott’s three assistant coaches for this tour along with Carl Hopkinson and David Saker, with Michael Hussey due to join the staff ahead of the World Cup in Australia.The ECB said that a replacement coach for the World Cup would be “announced at a later stage”.England have separated coaching staff between Test and white-ball cricket since Rob Key’s appointment as managing director earlier this year but Dawson’s injury may require one of Brendon McCullum’s assistants to be drafted in.

Adam Lyth’s career-best bowling display in vain as Yorkshire fall two wickets short of first win of the season

ECB Reporters Network27-May-2024Ricardo Vasconcelos hit a valiant 129 not out as he attempted to power Northamptonshire to an unlikely victory over Yorkshire in this Vitality County Championship match which ended in high drama on a see-saw final evening at Wantage Road.Yorkshire had set up a tantalising run chase of challenging 326 to win in a little over two sessions, and when Vasconcelos warmed up for the T20 Blast game with 17 boundaries all around the ground, a home win looked a possibility.But a dramatic clatter of wickets as Yorkshire’s attack staged a late fightback set nerves jangling in the home dressing room, Vasconcelos had to switch gears to ensure his side held out for the draw, eight wickets down, in an innings full of character and maturity.At 165 for 2 in the 33rd over, with Vasconcelos sharing a quickfire stand of 63 in 55 balls with Karun Nair (36), Northamptonshire were set for an enthralling white ball style finish. But a persistent Yorkshire bowling attack fought back hard taking three wickets for 13, and the last six for 54, as first innings centurion Adam Lyth concluded a memorable 200th Championship match with career-best bowling figures of 4 for 56.In an innings full of character and maturity Vasconcelos held his nerve as Northamptonshire saw out the draw.Earlier Yorkshire captain Shan Masood (131 not out) declared his side’s innings on 264 for 6 just before lunch, dangling the carrot of a chase which would have been the tenth highest to beat Yorkshire by any team in its history.Ultimately, though, the loss of 17 overs during two stoppages for rain took too much time out of the game, and the captains shook hands shortly after 6.20pm. The draw leaves both sides winless after seven games, Yorkshire taking 14 points and Northamptonshire 13.

The 19-year-old opener was the centre of attention in his first two Tests and is now about to embark on his first tour

AAP14-Jan-20251:52

Smith: Konstas can bat conventionally too, he’s got ‘all the tools’

Sam Konstas has conceded his emotions got the better of him during his first Test series but the batting prodigy will keep backing himself on the tour of Sri Lanka.Konstas has not yet heard from selectors about their top-order plans for the two-Test series that begins on January 29, with Travis Head a chance to open after a fruitful shift to the top during Australia’s last subcontinent tour in 2023.Related

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Usman Khawaja’s track record against spin and gutsy 41 runs in the series-deciding run chase against India are likely to factor into plans, as would the chance to give teenager Konstas his first taste of Test cricket abroad.”It’s obviously a huge honour representing my country and touring to Sri Lanka. They’ve welcomed me with open arms and I’m keen to learn and get better,” Konstas said. “Obviously we’ve got a strong squad. If I do get the opportunity [to open], hopefully I’ll take it with both hands.”Konstas won hearts and minds with his creative shot selection during his first two opportunities, opening alongside Khawaja in Test victories against India at the MCG and SCG. But his ongoing battle with seasoned Indian foes captured just as much attention.En route to a half-century in his first innings, Konstas found himself at the centre of drama after Virat Kohli barged into him between overs at the MCG.Sam Konstas made a crucial half-century in tricky conditions against Perth Scorchers•Getty Images

His decision to chirp at Jasprit Bumrah backfired late on day one in Sydney, with a posse of Indian players swarming him at the non-strikers end when Bumrah dismissed Khawaja despite Konstas’ attempts at time-wasting. Konstas expected it would be easier to remain level-headed in Sri Lanka.”It’s going to be completely different with the crowds, obviously,” he said. “It was the first time playing with big crowds and maybe the emotions got to me a bit, reflecting on it. But obviously Sri Lanka are going to be tough to beat in their home conditions. I’m looking forward to that.”There has been no shortage of punditry questioning Konstas’ high-risk approach to Test cricket, especially after the teenager slogged straight to a fielder in the all-important final chase at the SCG.But he will remain his confident self if given a chance in Sri Lanka, where he has previously travelled for a 10-day skills camp.”I feel like I’ll just keep backing myself. Obviously I’m going to adapt with my different methods. I can’t wait for that to happen,” he said.Konstas will have one last hit-out for Sydney Thunder against Sydney Sixers this Friday before flying out to Australia’s training camp in the UAEThe 19-year-old has made two half-centuries in his first four BBL knocks, including 53 runs in the defeat of Perth Scorchers that sealed Thunder’s spot in the finals on Monday night.He was not selected in Australia’s squad for the Champions Trophy, having played only one List A game, but is keen to become a fixture in international white-ball cricket as well as Tests.”That’s a dream come true hopefully but they [selectors] haven’t said anything,” he said. “I’m just focusing on tonight. We had a good win and we’re off to the Sixers. I’m just being in the present moment and trying to score some runs.”

The Bangladesh batter says he still has a “lot of discomfort” in his back, but is hoping the physios will overcome it soon

Mohammad Isam24-Sep-2023Bangladesh’s batting crisis continued as they succumbed to a 86-run defeat against New Zealand in the second ODI in Dhaka. But the return of Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah will be encouraging, as both looked sharp although they couldn’t kick on after getting starts. Mahmudullah top-scored with 49 before hitting Cole McConchi’s long hop to short fine-leg; Tamim had earlier gloved while trying a lap-sweep against Ish Sodhi after making 44.Mahmudullah was playing his first ODI since early March, when he was part of the squad for the three-match ODI series against England. The national selectors had initially said that they were resting him but it was clear for the next six months that they were moving on from Mahmudullah. But with the World Cup looming and Bangladesh’s batting proving to be inconsistent, the selectors had to give Mahmudullah another chance ahead of the major event in India.Related

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Tamim meanwhile had missed most of the Afghanistan series in July, amid his retirement U-turn. He also missed the Asia Cup through a long-standing back injury. Tamim admitted that his return to action was a nervous one, especially with the bat, but once he timed a few shots, he felt better.”I was nervous today. I will be lying if I said it was just another game,” he said. “Whatever has happened in the last couple of months, I had nerves going out to bat. But after the first over, it came down. It was nice to hit the balls again. I think it was good to be out there but there’s certainly still a lot of discomfort in my back. The physios are trying to overcome it.”Mahmudullah also took a bit of time to settle down, but he was forceful through all the wickets that fell at the other end. Tamim said that Mahmudullah reacted well to the situation when he came out to bat when they were 70 for 4.”I thought he was excellent. I was in a small partnership with him. His intent looked really good. I didn’t feel he was out for six or seven months. He looked good. He fielded well.”Tamim felt that though Bangladesh could have kept New Zealand down to 200 or 210, the pitch was good enough to chase down the 255-run target, urging the team to take a serious look at their top-order collapses. Only once in the last seven innings have Bangladesh gone past 100 runs before losing four wickets.”This run chase was gettable on this wicket. I think we could have restricted them around 210-215. But this was a good wicket. I don’t think we got out to really good deliveries.”We have to look into (losing four wickets early) very seriously going into the World Cup. We can’t win a lot of games if we lose four or five wickets quickly. We lost early wickets but there were good patches today. But to win any game, you have to stop this (collapse). We have to look to minimise back-to-back wickets. The coach and captain aren’t the only ones in charge of this, the responsibility is among all of us.”

Abhishek, Klaasen and Markande shine for Sunrisers to keep Capitals rooted to the bottom of the points table

Shashank Kishore29-Apr-2023In a game of high drama where both sides kept landing punches at each other with neither backing off, Sunrisers Hyderabad pipped Delhi Capitals to arrest a three-match losing streak on a low, slow pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.At one stage, Capitals were on track to gun down a 198-run target when Mitchell Marsh and Phil Salt put together 112 in just 11 overs after David Warner fell for a second-ball duck.Then one wicket led to another, and before Delhi could realise, Sunrisers had clawed back courtesy the guile of Mayank Markande, who picked up 2 for 20. Sunrisers now have three wins in eight games to Capitals’ two in eight, which keeps them rooted to the bottom of the points table.

Abhishek’s powerplay salvo

Back to open the innings after a game in the middle order, Abhishek Sharma began positively, lofting Ishant Sharma for two successive boundaries in the opening over. Mayank Agarwal’s dismissal to a short ball gave Ishant some joy in his second over, but Abhishek wasn’t in a mood to slow down. He took Ishant for four boundaries in the seamer’s third over, hitting 43 in Sunrisers’ 62 for 2 after the first six.The reverse scoop, Heinrich Klaasen way•BCCI

Capitals’ comeback

The next four overs belonged to Capitals as they conceded just 21. Marsh left his mark on the game during this phase by taking pace off, the short boundaries notwithstanding, and allowing batters to force the pace on a surface where the ball was holding up. Two balls after he had Aiden Markram picking out deep midwicket, Harry Brook toe-ended a pull to the edge of the ring, Axar Patel the catcher on both occasions.

The Klaasen kick

After Abhishek raced to a 25-ball half-century, Heinrich Klaasen got into the game by taking apart Mukesh Kumar as the 11th over went for 24. Abhishek began it with two back-to-back fours and Klaasen finished it with a monstrous six down the ground off a legcutter. Axar, though, proved difficult to get away as he varied his pace and angles to finish with 1 for 29 from his four overs, the reward being the big wicket of Abhishek for a 36-ball 67. It could’ve been far more impressive if Klaasen hadn’t belted him for two sixes to end his spell. A 53-run stand between Klaasen and Abdul Samad off 33 balls and some late runs from Akeal Hosein helped Sunrisers muscle 62 off the last five overs.Mitchell Marsh and Phil Salt’s 112-run stand had kept Capitals in the contest•BCCI

Warner falls but Marsh fires

Sunrisers couldn’t have asked for a better start; Bhuvneshwar Kumar got Warner to chop on second ball of the chase. But Marsh and Salt raised the half-century of their partnership in just 29 balls by going after Hosein’s left-arm darts. Sunrisers tried to get overs out of spin seemingly in a bid to negate dew, but Hosein was far too short and the batters helped themselves to a nice spread against the short square boundaries.After five overs, ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster pegged Capitals’ chances of victory at 19.43%, but after seven, this figure had jumped to 45.68%. The reason for that partly was Marsh’s take-off against Umran Malik. Malik kept bowling short and into the body for Marsh to get inside the line and simply help it to beat long leg twice for sixes in a 22-run over. Salt opened and closed that over with two bludgeoning fours of his own against the short ball. That put Sunrisers under the pump.

Markande leads spinners into it

Markande used the slowness of the pitch to string together dots before dismissing Salt with a return catch that he just managed to hold on to. It was a big wicket considering Salt’s maiden half-century had set the tone for the chase. Then seven balls later, Manish Pandey ran down the track only for Abhishek to shorten his length and beat him in the air and off the pitch.It was now all on Marsh to see Capitals home, but that wasn’t to be as Hosein hit back superbly after the early onslaught by dismissing him. After being walloped out of the ground on the previous delivery, he bravely tossed it up for Marsh to go again, except this one gripped and turned and Marsh sliced it to Markram. That, right there, was the game for Sunrisers. Axar muscled a few towards the end, but the middle-order slowdown after the Salt-Marsh stand proved to be the difference.

Equity of pay across international and domestic cricket by 2030 necessary to address “historic underinvestment” in women’s game

Vithushan Ehantharajah26-Jun-2023The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) has recommended the ECB oversees “a fundamental overhaul” to the pay structure of women’s cricket in England and Wales.As part of the 317-page report published on Tuesday, the ICEC highlighted the disparity in the amounts paid to male and female professionals as an area to address. Its recommendations include equal pay at domestic level by 2029 and international level by 2030, as well as an immediate equalisation of international match fees for men and women.The commission found that in 2021, “England Men received 13 times the amount paid to England Women”. While the report acknowledges this reflects the fact women play less Test cricket, “credible evidence” showed the average salary for England Women was 20.6% the average of their male equivalents for playing limited-overs cricket – although the ECB considers this figure closer to 30%.Related

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Further disparity was unearthed around international match fees. While women receive 25% or less of the men’s fees, only those in the playing XI are paid, as opposed to the full squad as it is with the men. Given injury payments are calculated as a portion of match fees, that inequality becomes compounded.Differences in bonuses were also stark, with the report finding England Women’s fixed bonus pot equates to around 8% of the men’s, whose win bonuses are structured through a matrix considering each match win and then its contribution to a series win. Another area for improvement is ensuring women receive the same benefits as men at international matches. These include overseas tour premiums, hospitality provisions such as tickets, hospitality boxes for family at weekends, and transport for families to and from matches.The commission felt England Women’s average salaries, commercial pay, fees, bonuses and captain’s allowances should be equal to England Men’s in white-ball by 2028. They also advised the ECB to top-up prize money for the women’s ODI and T20I World Cups to mirror the men until the ICC fixes that gap.”There should be overall equal pay at international level by 2030,” the report said. “By this, we mean average pay, because we recognise that there will be different levels of pay within the teams, with the top players (men or women) being paid the most.”The recommendations around domestic cricket include salaries and bonuses in the women’s Hundred to be equal by 2025 and fully professional women’s regional teams by 2025. This includes rookie contracts introduced by the start of the 2024 season and a minimum salary equal to those in effect for first-class county players (circa £27,500).”The women’s game remains the poor relation of its male counterpart in English and Welsh cricket,” the commission said. “Whilst we found good evidence of significant year-on-year improvement, we also found undeniable evidence of inequitable investment and unequal treatment for which we found no reasonable justification. Significant pay disparities persist.”We consider it a matter of both fairness and justice that this is remedied at speed. Women have the right to equal pay for equal work and should not be penalised for having fewer opportunities to play than their male counterparts. Importantly, if the commitment to make cricket in England and Wales equitable is serious, it requires the game to acknowledge and address the historic underinvestment and lack of fair (or indeed any) remuneration that women have faced for decades.”

Australia offspinner says he wants to push for the 2027 Ashes and is also keen to make his BBL debut for Renegades before the Test summer

Alex Malcolm30-Oct-2023Nathan Lyon is poised to sign a deal to play a full County Championship season with Lancashire next year where he will team up with long-time rival Jimmy Anderson and has reiterated his desire to continue to play Test cricket until the 2027 Ashes series in England.Lyon is also aiming to play in the BBL for his new club Melbourne Renegades against his old side Sydney Sixers, who he said “basically sacked him”, ahead of his Test return against Pakistan in mid-December.Lyon, 35, made a successful return to Sheffield Shield cricket over the weekend in New South Wales’ loss to Victoria at the MCG. Lyon bowled 36 overs across two innings in the match and returned figures of 1 for 81 on a pitch that favoured the seam bowlers.Related

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Australia’s greatest-ever Test offspinner had not played a first-class game since he tore his calf badly during the second Test of the Ashes series at Lord’s in late June. Australia have seven Tests this summer against Pakistan and West Indies at home and New Zealand away but do not have another series scheduled between mid-March 2024 and the following home summer where they will host India in a five-match series.It presents an opportunity for Australia’s Test specialists to play county cricket with Scott Boland already signed to play with Durham. Lyon confirmed he has a contract on the table from Lancashire, which was first reported by the UK’s , and he is likely to sign this week.”There’s an offer on the table,” Lyon said at a cricket clinic in Melbourne on Monday. “I really wanted to see how this week went. It all went really well. So that’s a conversation when I get home with my wife tomorrow night. [We’ll] have a chat about heading over there. It’s looking pretty good that I’ll head over to Lancs hopefully, we’ll dot all the i’s, cross all the t’s, get that signed and head over there to play with Jimmy Anderson which will be good.Nathan Lyon played four games for Worcestershire in 2017•Getty Images

“At this stage, it’s a full season [contract] but there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge. But my intentions are to go over, play county cricket and go there and keep learning.”Lyon was set to do a stint in county cricket earlier this year ahead of the World Test Championship final and the Ashes but opted to remain at home. He played four matches with Worcestershire in 2017.His serious calf injury was a huge blow to Australia in the Ashes and he has admitted it took him to some dark places personally when he watched the remainder of the series from home in Sydney. But the injury has strengthened his resolve to continue playing Test cricket with the next away tours of India and England in 2027 clear targets in his mind.”It’s probably extended [my career], to be honest with you,” Lyon said. “I’ve always said I wanted to win in India and England. Haven’t been able to do that. So, it looks like we’ve got to go again.”Lyon is keen to play as much cricket as he can between now and then. He is scheduled to play two more Shield games for New South Wales against Western Australia and Tasmania before the Test summer begins, both at the SCG, but he will rest from the trip to Hobart to play Tasmania in between.He is also keen to make his BBL debut for Renegades on December 8 against Sixers at the SCG, just a day before the Test players are due to head to Perth to prepare for the first home Test of the summer against Pakistan at Perth Stadium starting on December 14.”That’s my plan,” Lyon said. “I haven’t spoken to Cricket Australia or the Renegades yet but my plan is to be available for selection. I’m looking forward to joining the Renegades. I feel like we’re getting all the old boys back together with Sids [Peter Siddle], and Sos [Shaun Marsh] and Finchy [Aaron Finch] and myself.Nathan Lyon has joined Melbourne Renegades in BBL after previously playing at Sydney Sixers•Getty Images

“But having someone like Quinton de Kock, who I absolutely idolised playing against, I think he’s exceptional and you can see what he’s doing for South Africa. It’s pretty special. I’m looking forward to it.”Lyon has been watching the ODI World Cup but said he is following as a fan and is not waiting by the phone after volunteering his services to coach Andrew McDonald prior to the tournament when Ashton Agar was ruled out with injury.He took great delight in seeing England lose to India overnight.”Absolutely loved it,” Lyon said. “It’s international cricket. I respect them as people. I think they’re very nice people. But when it comes to cricket, what do you want me to say?”

Karnataka, searching for a fifth title, now await the winner of the semi-final between Vidarbha and Maharashtra

S Sudarshanan15-Jan-2025Devdutt Padikkal put on a batting exhibition on an up-and-down surface at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara as he helped Karnataka to their fifth Vijay Hazare Trophy final. He continued his stellar run in the competition, hitting his seventh successive fifty-plus score in India’s premier 50-over domestic competition and in the process, knocked defending champions Haryana out.Padikkal made 86 off 113 balls – following his 102 off 99 against Baroda in the last outing, his first this season – and added 128 for the third wicket with Ravichandran Smaran as Karnataka chased down the 238-run target with relative ease. The win was set up by their bowlers led by left-arm quick Abhilash Shetty, who returned 4 for 34. His wickets included both Nishant Sindhu and Parth Vats, the two half-centurions from Haryana’s preliminary quarter-final win that knocked out Bengal.Legspinner Shreyas Gopal was instrumental in turning the tide Karnataka’s way with the ball when he broke a fluent second-wicket partnership worth 70 between Himanshu Rana and Ankit Kumar by trapping the latter lbw on 48. Thereon, Haryana lost 8 for 96 to collapse to 198 for 9. But a stroke-filled last-wicket stand between Anuj Thakral and Amit Rana, which included scoring 17 off the last over of the first innings, helped Haryana get to a total much more than Karnataka would have liked.Four-time champions Karnataka were jolted early in the chase when their top-scorer of the competition, the captain Mayank Agarawal, fell in the opening over. Anshul Kamboj got a fullish ball to jag in and hit Agarawal on the knee-roll, the Hawk-Eye showing it to clip the stumps. Padikkal, his opening partner since returning from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, managed to ride the uneven bounce and collect a few fours, even as KV Aneesh struggled at the other end. The No. 3 bat played 14 straight dots before heaving Sumit Kumar over deep midwicket for a meaty six to get going.Related

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If Padikkal brought Karnataka’s chase on track with his 62-run partnership with Aneesh, he dashed Haryana’s hopes with his alliance with Smaran. The pair took their time to settle, especially when Haryana pressed their spinners, Amit and Sindhu, into service. They were getting some balls to turn, some jumped from the rough but Padikkal broke the deadlock by stepping out to Sindhu and smoking him over long-on. He looked untroubled for most of his stay until he played a cross-batted heave, intending to finish the chase in a hurry, and top-edged Sindhu to mid-off with Karnataka 44 away.Smaran too scored a classy fifty, hitting three fours and three sixes and fell on 76 off 94 with Karnataka 13 away.Earlier in the day, Haryana were inserted and got a steady start through openers Arsh Ranga and Himanshu. Their partnership should have been nipped in the fifth over when Ranga edged Koushik behind, but Krishnan Shrijith failed to hang on. That did not cost Karnataka as Shetty struck with his second ball to have Ranga edge one to Padikkal at slip.That was Karnataka’s only success for some time as Himanshu and Amit scored fluently. They were helped by some wayward bowling, too, with Prasidh bowling a few wides down leg. Shrijith’s shoddy glovework also resulted in a few byes. The second-wicket pair for Haryana was doing well to set a base. Which is when Agarawal brought spin on to apply the brakes.Shreyas and left-arm spinner Hardik Raj tested both the edges of the batters, with the former using the googly to excellent effect. After he denied Haryana’s captain, Ankit, a fifty, Himanshu had an ill-timed dash down the surface against Raj and was stumped by Shrijith. Those twin wickets gave Karnataka enough of an opening. Dinesh Bana, Rahul Tewatia and Sumit Kumar all got starts but none lasted more than 36 balls.But that did not bother Karnataka, who made regular inroads to trigger a collapse. One that was enough to propel Karnataka to their first Vijay Hazare Trophy final since 2019-20 after three semi-finals and a quarter-final appearance in the last four editions. They will meet the winner of Vidarbha vs Maharashtra in Saturday’s final.