England allrounder says honour is a tribute to parents’ sacrifices during early years

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2022Moeen Ali has been awarded an OBE for services to cricket in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, and has conceded that “the door is open” to a possible return to Test cricket under Brendon McCullum’s new England regime.Moeen, 34, retired from Tests last summer, after claiming 195 wickets in 64 matches, in addition to 2914 runs at 28.29, with five centuries. He remains an integral member of the white-ball set-up, having been a member of the victorious 2019 World Cup squad, and was England’s stand-in captain in their most recent series in the Caribbean.However, speaking to The Guardian and PA Media, Moeen acknowledged that his honour is a reflection of his role-model status among the British Asian community that remains under-represented in the national team, having himself risen from community cricket in Sparkhill Park in Birmingham to more than 200 appearances for his country across formats.”It is obviously an honour and the more you think about it, the more you realise how nice it is and how rewarding it is,” Moeen said. “More than anything, I know it makes my parents happy and that’s the most important thing – one of the main reasons for accepting. It’s amazing and my family are really proud and happy.”I think it’s more about the journey I’ve been on, my background, my upbringing and all that,” he added. “Maybe the way I played a little bit and the way I go about my cricket, maybe that’s what people have liked or whatever.”From the word go, as soon as I played for England, people labelled me as being a potential role model. It is a big responsibility because you don’t want to let people down. But then as time has gone on, you kind of accept it and deal with it a lot better. You kind of do inspire a lot of people, especially from the inner city.”Moeen’s career owes a huge amount to the drive of his father Munir, who also helped to mould his cousin Kabir Ali into an England cricketer, and the love and support of his mother, Maqsood. And he said he was happy to be a “medal on their chest”.”I know if it wasn’t for them, that there’s no way any of us would have made it in any sort of cricketing capacity or had the strength to carry on at times. They made a huge effort and sacrificed their own lives in certain ways for us to make it.”Although for the moment Moeen remains an ex-Test cricketer, he admitted he was intrigued by the appointment of McCullum as England’s new head coach, in particular his stated determination to free up the players to perform with the same sense of liberation that many of them have frequently shown in white-ball cricket – including, in Moeen’s case, the IPL.”Baz [McCullum] messaged me asking if I was ‘in’,” he said. “I have played with him in the Indian Premier League and really enjoyed the way he works. We spoke and he mentioned potentially, in the future, if there is a tour – or whenever, really – would I be available? I said ‘call me at the time’. We’ll see.”The door is open. But I don’t want to disrespect [current England spinner] Jack Leach. It’s a difficult job – especially in England – and I know that I back him, I’m right behind him. I don’t want to put any pressure there, he’s a fantastic bowler.”I saw the suggestion of me not enjoying Joe Root’s captaincy but I did, he was always good to me. He’s a friend of mine and a great guy. When I retired I was finding it hard to get going. I had a few niggles, I was tired, I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I should.”But playing for England is amazing, especially at home. And even though it’s sad Chris Silverwood went as head coach and Root stepped down as captain, it’s always exciting when there is a new chapter. Brendon is a straight, honest guy, we’ve had a chat and maybe in the future, potential tours or whatever, who knows?”

A replacement has not yet been announced for the bowler, who was injured after a ball struck him on the arm during the game against Jersey

Peter Della Penna12-Jul-2022USA’s 2022 T20 World Cup Qualifier chances have taken a hit with fast bowler Ali Khan ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a fracture in his right forearm. He will fly this week from Zimbabwe back to Texas, where he is scheduled for surgery to insert a plate and screws to help repair the injury and is expected to be out for a minimum of six weeks.The injury happened in the 19th over of the first innings against Jersey on the opening day of the tournament on Monday, when Jersey batter Ben Ward drove a full delivery straight back to Ali. The 31-year-old fast bowler tried to get his hands up to protect his face while also attempting to catch the ball, but it struck the outside of his forearm, just above his wrist and ricocheted away for two runs.Related

• Former India Under-19 allrounder D Siva Kumar replaces Ali Khan in USA squad

• Tendai Chatara ruled out of rest of T20 World Cup Qualifier with collarbone fracture

• USA Cricket Committee member criticises board for financial and governance issues

• USA Cricket general elections to begin on July 8

Ali reacted immediately in severe pain and a several-minute delay ensued while he received treatment from the USA physiotherapist. He then tried to bowl one more delivery but his inability to grip the ball properly from the pain resulted in the ball sailing 10 yards wide of the pitch down the leg side to the boundary for five no balls. Ali then walked off the field immediately and took no further part in the match, which USA won by eight wickets chasing a target of 155 with 11 balls to spare, thanks to a century from Steven Taylor.USA won their second match of the tournament on Tuesday, defeating Singapore by 132 runs after posting a total of 201 before bowling out Singapore for 69 in reply. However, a far bigger test of USA’s bowling depth without Ali will come when they take on hosts Zimbabwe in the Group A finale on Thursday. Both teams have already qualified for the tournament semi-final, but the result will determine the seeding for the playoff phase.”My heart goes out to Ali,” said USA fast bowler Saurabh Netravalkar at the post-match presentation following USA’s win over Singapore after he claimed his side’s first-ever T20I five-wicket haul with figures of 5 for 12. “We want to do it for him. We want to make it to the World Cup for him. That’s what we promised him and we’ll do our best.”As of Tuesday, USA Cricket had not announced a replacement player for Ali in their T20 World Cup Qualifier squad. It is unlikely that a player would arrive in time to be available for USA’s final Group A match against Zimbabwe on Thursday but may possibly be available for the semi-final on Friday. Among the options being considered according to sources are New Jersey fast bowler Jessy Singh and Florida fast bowler Kyle Phillip.Ali’s injury not only ends his tournament early but may also put his participation in the Caribbean Premier League in doubt. He was re-signed by Trinbago Knight Riders for the 2022 edition which is set to start on August 31. Ali has represented TKR in every edition of the tournament since 2018.Ali shot to T20 franchise cricket superstardom in the 2018 CPL, taking 16 wickets for the eventual champions. He was part of another TKR title-winning side in 2020, and his performances that season helped him get signed as a replacement player in the 2020 IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders, making him the first USA player ever signed by an IPL franchise. However, he never took the field for KKR during that season.

Uncapped Arnav Jain also named as Netherlands look to manage in the absence of players participating in the Hundred and the Royal London Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2022Wicketkeeper-batter Wesley Barresi has been recalled for Netherlands’ three-match ODI series against Pakistan which begins on August 16 in Rotterdam, while uncapped 20-year-old batting allrounder Arnav Jain has also been named in the 15-member squad.Legspinner Philippe Boissevain, who played one ODI in the series against England, has been left out.Barresi, 38, last played international cricket in June 2019 in the series against Zimbabwe. Netherlands look to manage in the absence of players currently participating in the Hundred and the Royal London Cup, with up to seven players currently playing in those two competitions are unavailable for national selection. Fred Klaassen, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, and Timm van der Gugten are all currently participating in the Hundred, with Paul van Meekeren, Shane Snater and Brandon Glover involved in England’s domestic one-day competition.Scott Edwards, who was named captain midway through Netherlands’ series against England after Pieter Seelaar announced his retirement, takes charge of a full series for the first time.Pakistan arrived in the Netherlands on Saturday and will play three ODIs on August 16, 18 and 21. All three games will be played at the Hazelaarweg Stadium in Rotterdam.Netherlands squad: Scott Edwards (capt), Musa Ahmad, Shariz Ahmad, Wesley Barresi, Logan van Beek, Tom Cooper, Aryan Dutt, Arnav Jain, Viv Kingma, Ryan Klein, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Tim Pringle, Max O’Dowd, Vikram Singh

Billy Root adds 77 not out in clash between third and fourth-placed sides in Division Two

ECB Reporters Network20-Sep-2022A career-best double-century for Glamorgan captain David Lloyd put his side in the driving seat in this third vs fourth clash.Glamorgan finished the first day on 380 for 3, gaining four batting bonus points, with Lloyd on 203 not out, his second century coming off just 101 balls as Derbyshire’s bowlers toiled.Glamorgan first class debutant Tom Bevan offered good support with 48 in a century partnership which set the platform, while Billy Root made the most of a move up the order to No. 5 by contributing 77 not out in a partnership of 197.Derbyshire needed a win to overtake Glamorgan and stay in contention for promotion going into the final round of fixtures, but now find themselves with their backs against the wall with the Welsh County looking to push on to a huge first-innings total.Glamorgan were without India’s Shubman Gill with a heavy cold, while they also brought in off spinner Andrew Salter for all-rounder Kiran Carlson. Derbyshire gave a debut to South Wales-born paceman Adam Sylvester.Related

• Sean Dickson to join Somerset from Durham

• Matthew Potts, Ben Raine give Durham upper hand against Sussex

• Good day's work for Middlesex as batters share fifties around

• Gareth Roderick, Brett D'Oliveira make Nottinghamshire wait for fulfilment

With a winner between these sides having a chance to challenge second-placed Middlesex in the final round of matches, Lloyd’s day did not start so well when he lost the toss and was asked to bat on a pitch which had a greenish tinge.Three balls later and Derbyshire had lost opening bowler Ben Aitchison with a rolled ankle, which made the decision to bowl seem a little unfortunate. He did return to bowl one more over, and fielded at slip, but his future fitness in the game is doubtful.Anuj Dal took over the rest of that over and also made the first breakthrough, getting opener Ed Byrom caught behind.Bevan made his first class debut having made his breakthrough this season with a century against Hampshire in the Royal London Cup.He was slower than Lloyd at the other end, but also showed enough promise to mark him out as one for the future. While he has helped steer local side St Fagans to the South Wales Premier League title this season, he is likely to be otherwise engaged next year.He would have been disappointed to miss out on a half-century, attempting to get there in style hitting across the line at spinner Alex Thomson and skying the ball instead.Sam Northeast looked comfortable until he was clean bowled out of the blue with Luis Reece getting the ball to move off the seam.While wickets fell at the other end, Lloyd got better and better. Having moved to his half-century just before lunch, he moved to three figures comfortably before tea, no sign of nerves about his first hundred of the season as he smashed the ball aerially through mid on off Thomson to bring up the landmark.His previous highest score this season was 84, his average in the mid 20s with the allrounder having moved to regularly opening the batting.Soon after tea he surpassed his career-best score of 121 and carried on past 150, with Root offering steady support in another century partnership. Root moved to his half-century off 94 balls as the run rate increased with the second new ball.

“The surgery was successful… I will start my rehab soon and try to get back to cricket soon as I can”

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-20226:04

Uthappa: Hooda can fill Jadeja’s shoes

Ravindra Jadeja, who had to leave the Indian camp at the Asia Cup after their group-stage games because of a long-standing knee injury, has undergone surgery for the issue. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, he said, “the surgery was successful,” and added that he expects to “start my rehab soon and try to get back to cricket soon as I can”.

Former Sri Lanka women’s team coach has signed a two-year deal

Mohammad Isam27-Oct-2022Hashan Tillakaratne, the former Sri Lanka captain, has been appointed as the national women’s team head coach for the next two years by the BCB. He will join the set-up in November, with the side starting their build-up for next February’s T20 World Cup in South Africa around that time.”We have spent a long time looking for a coach. Finally we found one,” Shafiul Alam Chowdhury, the BCB women’s wing chairman, said. “We have signed a two-year contract with Hashan Tillakaratne. He will join us in the first week of November.”Tillakaratne’s first assignment will be the tour of New Zealand in December, where the team will play three T20Is and three ODIs – the matches will be played between December 2 and 18.He has some experience coaching women’s teams, having worked with the Sri Lanka national team since July last year. He came on the BCB’s radar when he took Sri Lanka to the Asia Cup final earlier this month in Sylhet. BCB representatives reportedly contacted him and finalised the arrangement during the tournament, where Bangladesh, the defending Asia Cup champions, failed to get into the last four. Tillakaratne had at least another year left on his SLC contract.At the Asia Cup, Bangladesh were being coached by former cricketer Mahmud Emon. Tillakaratne will be Bangladesh’s first foreign coach since early 2020, when former India cricketer Anju Jain left the job.Tillakaratne played 83 Tests and 200 ODIs between 1986 and 2004, leading Sri Lanka in 11 Tests towards the end of his international career. In Tests, he scored 4545 runs at an average of 42.87, and he hit 3789 runs at an average of 29.60 in ODIs.After retirement, Tillakaratne has been an SLC selector and has performed various coaching roles with the men’s senior and Under-19 teams.

Former Australia allrounder has enjoyed success with Brisbane Heat and Queensland Fire

Matt Roller11-Nov-2022Ashley Noffke, the former Australia allrounder, is a contender for the vacancy as England women’s head coach, ESPNcricinfo understands.Noffke, who played one ODI and two T20Is for Australia in 2007-8, has enjoyed recent success as head coach of Brisbane Heat and Queensland Fire, winning the 2019-20 Women’s Big Bash League and 2020-21 Women’s National Cricket League.He signed a contract extension last year that runs until 2025 but is understood to have been interviewed for the vacancy created by Lisa Keightley’s departure. Noffke is highly regarded in Australian cricket and previously worked as Australia women’s assistant coach under Matthew Mott, who became England men’s white-ball coach earlier this year.Jonathan Finch, the director of England women’s cricket, interviewed several candidates last week and an appointment is expected in the next 10 days. The job was advertised in September and the successful candidate will start on a three-year fixed term until November 2025.Two other contenders share the name Jon Lewis: the former Gloucestershire seamer who is men’s pace-bowling lead at the ECB, and the former Durham batter who has worked with England’s women as a batting consultant over the last 18 months.Further candidates for the role include Jon Batty, who has coached Oval Invincibles to the title in both editions of the women’s Hundred, as well as Michael Bates, the wicketkeeping and fielding coach who has worked extensively in the women’s game, and Gareth Breese, the Welsh Fire and England women’s performance pathway coach.Charlotte Edwards, the former England captain and current Southern Brave, Southern Vipers and Sydney Sixers coach, has previously ruled herself out of the running.England are expected to name a squad for their upcoming West Indies tour shortly after a coach is announced.

Jadeja and Rohit met with match-referee Pycroft to clarify visuals of spinner rubbing a substance on his bowling finger

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Feb-2023The Indian team management has told ICC match referee Andy Pycroft that Ravindra Jadeja was applying pain-relief cream to the index finger of his bowling hand in the video clips widely circulated on social media on the first day of the Nagpur Test against Australia.In the video footage, Jadeja was seen taking a substance off the back of Mohammed Siraj’s palm with his right hand. Jadeja then appeared to rub this substance on to the index finger of his left hand – his bowling arm – just before beginning to bowl a delivery. At no point in the footage was Jadeja seen rubbing anything on the ball itself, though he did have the ball in his hands at the time.Related

• What's the big deal with the Nagpur pitch?

• Rohit leads strong reply after Jadeja five-for

• Krishnaswamy: The underappreciated genius of Jadeja

The incident took place when Australia were 120 for 5, by which time Jadeja had already dismissed Marnus Labuschagne, Matt Renshaw and Steven Smith.ESPNcricnfo has learned that immediately after play ended on the first day, Jadeja along with India captain Rohit Sharma and the team manager, were shown a video clip of Jadeja’s actions. Pycroft, it is understood, wanted to just inform them about the incident and no charge has been laid against Jadeja.While the incident triggered debates on social and mainstream media, it is learned that the Australia team had not brought the matter to the attention of the match referee. According to the playing conditions, the match referee can independently probe such incidents without needing a complaint to be lodged. And under the Laws of Cricket, the bowler needs the umpire’s permission to apply any sort of substance on their hands to ensure the condition of the ball remains unaffected.Jadeja had made a successful return to international cricket after a five-month injury layoff on the first day of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He ran through Australia’s middle order, dismissing Labuschagne and Renshaw off successive deliveries, before picking up the wickets of Smith, Todd Murphy and Peter Handscomb. He finished with 5 for 47, as Australia were dismissed for 177 in their first innings in Nagpur.