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Litton Das’ 16th T20I half-century took Bangladesh to a four-wicket win against Ireland in Chattogram. As a result, the hosts levelled the three-match series 1-1 with this win, and broke a four-match losing streak in the format.Litton made 57 off 37 balls with three sixes and as many fours. But his dismissal, coupled with three more wickets in quick succession, left Bangladesh in some constraint in the end overs of the 171-run chase.When Bangladesh lost their fifth wicket in the 19th over, they still needed 22 runs to win off the remaining 14 balls. New batter Mohammad Saifuddin responded with a pulled boundary first ball, as Josh Little couldn’t grab the chance at short fine leg. When Bangladesh were six down in the 19th over and required another 14 runs in ten balls, Saifuddin hit a six over six and then a four – both off Mark Adair. He finished with a crucial 17* off seven balls, with two fours and a six.With three runs needed in the last over, Mahedi Hasan settled the matter with two balls remaining as a thumping drive through extra cover went for four.Ireland had earlier made 170 for 6 in 20 overs, although their rousing start was giving them hints of a 200-plus total. Bangladesh replied well with Parvez Hossain Emon and Litton giving them a fine start.Parvez Hossain Emon batted at a quick pace in the chase•BCB

Parvez cracks the whip

Parvez went after Matthew Humphreys, Ireland’s hero from the first T20I, for two fours in the first over, before going after Adair in the second. Parvez’s opening partner Tanzid Hasan, however, was run out after miscommunication even as Barry McCarthy, who was bowling the third over, lost possession of the ball while moving to his left.Parvez, though, didn’t stop his onslaught while his captain Litton aided him in the big-hitting. Litton and Parvez slammed Little for a six and two fours in the sixth over to give Bangladesh 66 runs in the powerplay. Parvez struck Gareth Delany for his second six, before falling in the legspinner’s next over for 43. Overall, Parvez struck five fours and two sixes in his 28-ball stay.

No luck for Little

JLittle was wicketless in the first T20I, and was unlucky when his captain Paul Stirling dropped Saif Hassan in the 11th over. The chance at cover was a difficult one, but Stirling is known for plucking these catches.Little had more bad luck when Delany grabbed a difficult chance at the deep-midwicket boundary. He had intercepted Litton’s pull with one hand, before settling under the ball in the second attempt. Replays, however, showed Delany’s towel, which was tucked behind his trousers, had touched the boundary rope. It was thus adjudged to be a six.File photo: Paul Stirling bashed 29 off 14 balls•ICC via Getty Images

Litton, Saif fall before final push

Litton and Saif kept Bangladesh’s run rate at par with the requirement. Litton lofted Delany for four before Saif struck him for a straight six in the 12th over. Litton then hit a beautiful six by going inside out over the covers to reach his fifty. Adair, however, got rid of him, trapping him lbw for 57.Three balls later, Saif gave long-on a catch off Delany, who bowled the delivery off 24 yards. Towhid Hridoy was then run-out for the sixth time in his career when he couldn’t reach the striker’s end, with his bat being in the air despite crossing the crease. When Nurul Hasan fell in the 19th over, Ireland sensed they were in the game.

Ireland openers go big

Ireland were off to a blistering start after they decided to bat first. Tim Tector was at it again, building on his 32 from the previous game. He struck Mahedi for three fours in the opening over, before Stirling lofted Nasum Ahmed for a four and six in the second over.Stirling then went after Saifuddin, hitting him for a six and two fours in the third over. Stirling, who bashed 29 off 14 balls, fell in the fifth over to a good catch from Saif in the deep, though Tector kept striking his pulls cleanly, as one of them landed deep into the second tier. Ireland’s 75 for 1 was their highest powerplay score against Bangladesh.File photo: Mahedi Hasan’s three wickets meant Ireland’s 88 for 1 quickly became 103 for 4•Bangladesh Cricket Board

Mahedi gives Bangladesh respite

Mahedi removed the Tector brothers, Tim and Harry, in the ninth over. He had Tim stumped off the first ball, when he swung at the ball, which went under the bat. Tim made 38 off 25 balls with two sixes, apart from his four boundaries. Mahedi then got one to skid below Harry’s bat to bowl him for 11. Mahedi also removed Ben Calitz for 7, also stumped by Litton. Ireland’s 88 for 1 in the ninth over quickly became 103 for 4 after 11.

Tucker helps Ireland recover

Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell got Ireland back on their feet with a 56-run fifth-wicket partnership. Tucker struck Nasum with a slog-swept four through mid-on, before slamming Tanzim and Saifuddin for three boundaries in the 16th and 17th overs.Dockrell, however, struck just one boundary in his 21-ball stay for 18 runs, while Delany, known for his big-hitting, struck just one six in the last over. Tucker was run-out off the last ball, having made 41 off 32 balls, with four boundaries.

The cricket strategy and officiating committee of Cricket West Indies, comprising a group of former legends and current leaders, have identified key areas of focus to raise the standard of West Indies cricket as well as short- and long-term actions. In the next six months, the CWI said, specialist coaches will be hired, a “state-of-the-art” high-performance centre will be set up, and there will be close coordination with franchises that employ West Indian cricketers so player fitness can be monitored.The committee, set up in August in the aftermath of West Indies’ 27 all out against Australia in Kingston, Jamaica, brought together Clive Lloyd, Brian Lara, Shai Hope, Roston Chase and Ramnaresh Sarwan, among others. The first step was to identify the challenges faced by West Indies cricket. A CWI statement on Thursday listed the major issues as:

• Declining quality of regional tournaments
• Technical, tactical, and mental skills deficiencies
• Underperforming franchise system
• Gaps in infrastructure and facilities
• Lack of specialist coaching support
• Limited ICC revenue share and financial constraints
• Fragmented player development pathways
• Inadequate fitness and conditioning standards

These, as well as the “action items” were “presented to and approved” by the CWI’s board of directors on September 25 at the quarterly meeting.In the short term, within the next months, “an internationally proven batting coach will be hired to work across the system, and a full-time sports psychologist/performance coach will join the senior men’s team” while “the women’s team role will also be upgraded to a full-time role”. That aside, “a capital [high-performance] project proposal will be advanced for a state-of-the-art facility at Coolidge Cricket Ground, including modern nets, gym, and rehabilitation infrastructure”, and “franchise teams will now submit individual development plans and meet new minimum standards” with player fitness “closely tracked, supported by a new regional fitness leaderboard”.The longer-term actions are more exhaustive, and include:

• A national cricket development framework unifying grassroots, school, academy, and high-performance pathways
• Comprehensive franchise reform to ensure accountability for player development and consideration of alternative professional models
• Establishment of standardised academies for ages 11-18 to feed into the high-performance programme
• Completion of the high-performance centre in Antigua as the regional hub for elite development
• Greater focus on financial sustainability, including lobbying for equitable ICC revenue distribution and new partnerships with governments, private entities, and philanthropists
• A structured mentorship framework connecting current and former West Indies players with emerging talent

Clive Lloyd has been vocal about lobbying with the ICC for more money•ICC/Getty Images

In early August, at the time the committee members met the press, Lara had said, “It’s been that case for years, where we are not in the same level-playing field as other playing countries. Back in the days when skill was the prominent factor, we excelled, we were the best team in the world. But the game has evolved, and technology and analytics, and we now have to see a new way of finding ourselves back to being very competitive.”I said not a level-playing field because a lot of the countries are far ahead in these sorts of areas. The skill factor of the game is still there, but not as prominent as it was in the past.”It’s a long road; it’s not going to happen tomorrow. It was not about the 27 runs. If it was 57 or 107, will we be feeling any better? I don’t think so. It was the fact that we’ve got something to address, and for us to get back on top, or to be a competitive nation in world cricket, we’ve got to address these situations and address them shortly, quickly, and hopefully we can reap the benefits in the years to come.”In many ways, it’s a starting point for West Indies cricket – at the moment, there is a women’s ODI World Cup which West Indies failed to qualify for, while the men are on the back foot after just one day’s play in a two-Test series in India – and CWI’s director of cricket, Miles Bascombe said, “While challenges remain, our commitment to cricket development across the region is unwavering, and all efforts will be made to prioritise the execution of these initiatives.”

In what was a must-win game for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Mohammad Rizwan and the bowlers helped them get the better of Guyana Amazon Warriors by five runs in a last-over finish in Providence.Chasing a mere 150, Amazon Warriors needed 11 from six balls with three wickets in hand. Naseem Shah held his nerve and had Keemo Paul caught at long-on with the first ball. For the rest of the over, he mixed slower balls into the pitch with yorkers to give away just five. While the result ended Patriots’ three-match losing streak, their playoff chances still look bleak. They need nothing less than a win in their last league match, against Barbados Royals on Friday, but also other results to go their way.Earlier, Patriots did not have a great start and were 26 for 3 inside five overs with Andre Fletcher, Kyle Mayers and Leniko Boucher all falling in single digits. But Rizwan’s 85 off 62 balls steered them to 149 for 6.Rizwan stabilised the innings with Rilee Rossouw and took the side to 64 for 4 at the end of ten overs. He was on 36 off 30 at that point but scored 49 off the next 32. In all, he hit eight fours and three sixes and was responsible for Patriots scoring 45 in the last four overs.Patriots’ Pakistani stars Mohammad Rizwan and Naseem Shah celebrate the big wicket of Shimron Hetmyer•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Amazon Warriors had a much better start, reaching 41 for 1 after the powerplay. But they could not build on that, losing two wickets in the next four overs to be 67 for 3 at the halfway mark. Patriots pegged them back further by dismissing Hassan Khan and Shai Hope in successive overs. Dominic Drakes had Hassan caught and bowled and Navin Bidaisee castled Hope with a slider that kept low.After 15 overs, both sides were 100 for 5. But while Patriots had a set better in Rizwan, Amazon Warriors did not. With 50 needed from the last five overs, Dwaine Pretorius tried to take on Waqar Salamkheil but perished attempting a slog sweep. On the very next ball, Salamkheil could have had Romario Shepherd caught behind but Rizwan was not sure if there was bat involved. Replay showed a clear outside edge.Shepherd rubbed it in by pulling the last ball of the over for a six. Paul did the same against Naseem in the following over but could manage only a leg bye from the other five deliveries.With 21 needed from ten balls, Jason Holder had Shepherd caught at long-on with a short ball. Quenton Sampson hit two fours off the next three balls to bring it down to 11 needed from the final over. But Naseem denied them.

Australia spinner Matt Kuhnemann said he had “never doubted” his bowling action despite being reported following the Test series in Sri Lanka; he was cleared following ICC testing on Wednesday.The outcome of the testing process was confirmed and Kuhnemann was given the green light to continue bowling in international cricket. Commenting for the first time since the Test series where he took 16 wickets in two matches, Kuhnemann thanked those who had supported him and added he felt the process had been fairly handled.”I am very grateful for all the support I have received from my family, friends and team-mates, and to Cricket Australia who stood by me throughout the process,” he said in a statement issued through Cricket Australia. “It was a disappointing way to finish what was such a successful Test series for Australia. I’ve never doubted my bowling action throughout my career and I’m always looking to improve the art of spin bowling in different conditions.Related

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“I thought the process itself was quite fair and I appreciated the professional manner in which testing was explained to me and then conducted.”Kuhnemann, who had never previously had his action questioned in a career dating back to 2017, could have continued to play domestic cricket while the testing process took place but sat out the previous round of the Sheffield Shield to manage the thumb injury he bowled with through the Sri Lanka series. But he suggested he could return before the end of the season with two rounds of the Shield remaining.”I’m looking forward to finishing the season with Tasmania once my thumb has fully healed and then getting into my off-field preparations,” he said.Kuhnemann is a likely inclusion for the three-match Test series in the West Indies in June-July where conditions at some of the venues may be conducive to two spinners, and he shapes as a key figure for Australia’s next subcontinent Test series, against India in early 2027.Matt Kuhnemann is still recovering from the thumb injury he carried through Sri Lanka•AFP via Getty Images

“We are pleased for Matt that this matter is now resolved,” Ben Oliver, CA executive general manager national teams, said. “It has been a challenging period for Matt, however he has carried himself exceptionally well.”He has had the full support of Australian cricket and he can now move forward to the next phase of his international career with great confidence.”During the series in Sri Lanka, Kuhnemann was termed Australia’s best bowler by Nathan Lyon, while stand-in captain Steven Smith had voiced his surprise at Kuhnemann having been reported.India spinner R Ashwin has previously spoken about how Kuhnemann’s wrist action when he delivers can create an optical illusion about the action.”An interesting feature of his action is his loading,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel during Kuhnemann’s debut Test series against India in 2023. “For Kuhnemann, his wrist breaks during his loading. So sometimes it will look like there is an elbow extension. There is nothing like that in his action. But there is wrist involvement, for sure.”

Matthew Kuhnemann says his surgically repaired right thumb is almost pain-free after bowling, batting and fielding in Brisbane on Thursday. He now awaits official clearance to fly to Sri Lanka to join Australia’s Test squad just a week after suffering a compound dislocation and fracture while playing in the BBL.The left-arm orthodox spinner is a key part of Australia’s plans for the two-Test series in Sri Lanka, with both Tests in Galle, but his tour looked in severe jeopardy when he was struck on the thumb during Brisbane Heat’s five-wicket loss to Hobart Hurricanes last Thursday.Kuhnemann, 28, was driven to the hospital that night by Heat team-mate Daniel Drew where he had the dislocation put back into place before having surgery the following morning to put a pin in the fracture.Related

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Kuhnemann’s recovery, though, has been rapid and he is hopeful he can fly to Sri Lanka after bowling eight overs at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Thursday. Kuhnemann also batted, facing throw downs from Heat and Queensland bowling coach Andy Bichel. He also took a few catches during the session that was overseen by Heat’s team physio Adam Smith.Speaking to reporters, Kuhnemann said he was feeling good but needed to consult Australia’s medical staff in Dubai via a conference call on Thursday evening, where the squad are holding a pre-tour training camp, before being cleared to join them when they fly to Sri Lanka in the next few days.”Nothing’s official yet,” Kuhnemann said. “I think it was more about just ticking off the boxes each day this week, and so far it’s gone to plan. I’m hoping so, but nothing’s come out yet. I’ll probably speak to the medical team this afternoon. My bowling, batting and fielding has gone excellent so far. So I’ll just relay that message. There’s a bit of a time zone difference and hopefully, I can get on the plane over there.”I’m feeling really good, really grateful with how it sort of progressed in the last week. It’s healed really well, and the surgery went excellent. Very fortunate and lucky so far that I’m sort of in a position to be able to bowl and bat and catch a few balls. Everything’s gone to plan so far. There’s not much pain at all any more, and no pain bowling and batting.”Kuhnemann has had a plastic thumb splint made to protect his right thumb and can wear it in games without needing to remove it as it is on his non-bowling hand. He has worn a similar splint in the past having previously broken the same thumb. He is confident that if a ball is hit back at him with power again, his thumb will withstand any blow.Matt Kuhnemann could yet feature in the Sri Lanka Tests•BCCI

“This is a conversation I had with the surgeons and doctors and it’s really stable now,” Kuhnemann said. “It’s probably more stable than it was beforehand. I’ve broken that thumb before and now I’ve got surgery on it, it’s probably in a better state.”I’ve played cricket with splints on and I’m very confident, it doesn’t affect my bowling or batting and fielding. If anything, I’m probably more confident in the field, because you’ve got something on your finger.”He said he would have no fear if a ball came at him in the field. “No, not at all,” Kuhnemann said. “That’s cricket in general. Balls have been hit back at me a lot harder, and I’ve been fine. So this is one of those freak incidents that it’s hit probably the exact spot it had to for it to cause some damage. I’ve already caught some balls. Andy Bichel’s already thrown some balls back at me straight away, so there’s no problem with that.”Kuhnemann was a very strong chance of playing in the first Test in Galle prior to the injury. He played three Tests in India in 2023 as part of a three-man spin attack alongside offspinners Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy. But the selectors have been clear in their desire to have a left-arm orthodox in the attack to complement Lyon, which meant Kuhnemann was in line to play if only two spinners were selected in the XI.Even if he is cleared to join the squad, a decision will still need to be made about his fitness to play. “I think everyone will have a bit of a say,” Kuhnemann said. “I think it’d be a good discussion.”I’ll just be honest with them, I think. So far, it’s tracking really well, so I’m confident. But there’s obviously protocols you’ve got to go through.”

India took a massive step towards leaving Brisbane with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy still level, as their last-wicket pair put on a rousing, unbroken 39 to steer their team past the follow-on mark. With only one day’s play remaining, Australia’s chances of winning this third Test have taken a big hit, particularly as they contend with the absence of Josh Hazlewood, who has been ruled out of this Test match and possibly the rest of the series with a calf strain.In Hazlewood’s absence, his two great fast-bowling buddies took on a massive workload, sending down 60% of the 74.5 overs of India’s innings, with Pat Cummins picking up four wickets and Mitchell Starc three.Related

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Their efforts, however, couldn’t stop India from getting past the magic figure of 246. KL Rahul survived a dropped chance off the first ball of the day – a portent of Australia’s fortunes – and went on to score 84, and Ravindra Jadeja contributed 77 brilliantly controlled runs, taking full toll of facing a depleted attack using an old ball on a predominantly new-ball pitch. When Cummins dismissed Jadeja with a well-directed short ball, however, India were still 33 short of making Australia bat again.It was then that Akash Deep joined Jasprit Bumrah, in a partnership of extraordinary assurance – Bumrah ended the day with a control percentage of 86 and Akash 90 – that reflected Australia’s straitened circumstances. It also reflected the duo’s skill and resilience with the bat. Bumrah hooked Cummins for six on his way to 10 off 27 balls, while Akash hit two fours and a six to finish on 27 off 31.It was Akash who moved India past the follow-on mark, slashing Cummins over a leaping gully fielder. Two balls later, he cleared his front leg and launched him for a massive six over wide long-on. That was the last scoring shot of the day with the umpires calling the players off the field for bad light after one more ball.It was another stop-start day at the Gabba, though not to the extent that it was on day three, and if it helped Australia’s depleted attack stave off exhaustion, it also ate away more time from the match. Only 57.5 overs were possible through the day.Pat Cummins ended the day with four wickets to his name•AFP/Getty Images

By the end of it, Australia were left ruing events at its very beginning. Cummins got the first ball of the day to rear at Rahul in the corridor, and he fended it straight to Steven Smith at second slip. Smith is one of the world’s great slip fielders – he went on to demonstrate this later in the day – but this time the ball simply bounced off the heels of his hands.Cummins struck soon after, removing Rohit Sharma with a terrific one-two. First, he zipped a short ball past his ribcage, not allowing him to connect with a pull. Then he shifted the ball full and outside off stump. Rohit didn’t get far enough forward to play this ball safely – and with his front shoulder too open – and ended up edging his attempted drive to the keeper.India were 74 for 4 at this stage, and had only faced 23.3 overs. Jadeja’s entry, however, calmed them down, and he settled into an innings where his control percentage hovered in the mid-90s throughout. It helped that Hazlewood went off the field soon after Jadeja walked in, after bowling just one over, and it helped that the ball stopped seaming and bouncing quite as awkwardly as it had done when it was new, but Jadeja batted with an organised gameplan that ensured he made the best of his circumstances.His wagon wheel against the fast bowlers gave a clear idea of it: plenty of checked drives down the ground with a vertical bat and a full face, plenty of flicks off his legs, but hardly anything through the covers with an angled bat. He also faced a lot of bowling from Lyon, so often his nemesis back home, but where Jadeja’s method of defending with bat and pad close together makes him an lbw candidate on Indian pitches, it was far less of an issue on this bouncy Gabba surface. He also brought out the sweep, a shot he isn’t known for, and picked up two fours and three singles with it.Steven Smith’s catch to send KL Rahul back was arguably the moment of the day•AFP/Getty Images

With Rahul looking increasingly solid at the other end and putting away a number of sweet off-side drives, India began to carve chunks out of their deficit. Then Smith made up spectacularly for his earlier error, stepping to his right in anticipation as Rahul shaped for the back-cut off Lyon, and dived to his right to grab the thick edge one-handed. Jadeja and Rahul had put on 67.It brought together India’s allrounders with 105 still needed to avoid the follow-on. The selection of both Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy may have left India’s bowling lacking depth, and may have contributed to their concession of 445. Now, though, it gave them the batting to try and save this Test match. Reddy continued his impressive showing in this series, this time when he was asked not to counterattack but bat normally and show the defensive side of his game. The seventh-wicket pair put on 53, before Cummins struck with a nearly 60-over-old ball, getting his Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mate Reddy to inside-edge onto his stumps.India now needed 55 with three wickets remaining, and it soon became 33 with one wicket remaining as Starc and Cummins, running on fumes, took out Mohammed Siraj and Jadeja, the latter bounced out cleverly while trying to farm the strike. Australia were nearly there, but, as Bumrah and Akash Deep proved, not quite.

West Indies levelled the T20I series in style, with captain Hayley Matthews at the forefront of a robust batting performance in a nine-wicket thrashing. Matthews hit an unbeaten 85, courtesy 17 fours, just four less than India’s 21, to help West Indies break a sequence of nine straight T20I losses to India.Matthews’ brilliance helped cover for a shoddy fielding display in which Qiana Joseph, who also fuelled the chase with 38, put down India’s stand-in captain Smriti Mandhanaonce, one of three lives she got on the night. However, India’s 159 for 9, in the face of dew and some serious batting muscle in the opposition, was never going to be enough.

Chetry, debutant Bist fall cheaply

India’s inexperienced top order left them wobbling. Deandra Dottin castled Uma Chetry with an in-ducker for 4. Afy Fletcher, who went for 39 in her four overs two nights ago, had debutant Raghvi Bist lbw for 5. In between these two strikes, Jemimah Rodrigues fell attempting to get inside the line and paddle. At 48 for 3 in the ninth over, West Indies had India on the ropes.Smriti Mandhana was dropped thrice before she completed her fifty•BCCI

Dropped catches let Mandhana off the hook

India received a massive fillip thanks to some West Indian generosity; they dropped Mandhana three times – twice by Chinelle Henry – between overs 11 to 14. Mandhana would soon run out of luck, though, in the 14th over, but not before raising a second straight half-century, off 37 balls. Between those dropped catches, India hit six fours and a six in a two-over period that fetched 36, going from 72 for 3 in 12 overs to 108 for 4 in 14.

Dottin brilliance helps West Indies pull things back

If overs 12 to 14 produced boundaries, the next two applied the skids as West Indies removed Deepti and S Sajana. But Richa Ghosh cut, pulled and flat-batted the spinners to race to 32 off 16. Just as she raised hopes of a sparkling half-century, she was sent back by a flying Shemaine Campbelle behind the stumps, caught as she attempted to scythe Dottin’s yorker.Then, in the final over, Dottin showed off her athleticism in running at least 20 yards around the long-on fence to pull off a stunning catch on the move to dismiss Radha Yadav.Hayley Matthews got to a fifty off 31 balls•BCCI

Joseph sets it up

Joseph made up for her fielding lapses by laying into rookie Titas Sadhu to kickstart the chase. Her fast hands and clean slogging brought her three fours and a six in an 18-run second over. Renuka Singh then came in for punishment as Joseph muscled a monstrous six in a 14-run over. The openers brought up a half-century opening stand inside five overs. Saima Thakor picked up her first T20I wicket when she deceived Joseph with a back-of-the-hand slower ball in the seventh over, but by then the base had been laid with a 66-run stand.

Matthews finishes it in style

That was to be India’s only moment of comfort on the field as Matthews quickly took charge to raise a 31-ball half-century in an over when she despatched left-armer Radha Yadav for four back-to-back fours. India managed 21 fours and a six in their entire innings. West Indies had matched that boundary count by the 13th over itself to make it one-way traffic. The series couldn’t have been levelled with a more emphatic chase.

Marcus Harris added 52 to his first-innings century to continue to build his case for a Test match recall but both sides bemoaned a lifeless Junction Oval surface as Victoria and Tasmania dawdled to a draw on day four in Melbourne.Harris made 52 off 70 balls in the second innings, after scoring 143 in the first, as Victoria cruised to 120 for 2 off 52 overs in their second innings on the fourth day after Tasmania had declared overnight with a 99-run lead. But given the surface had so little life in it, there was no prospect of Tasmania taking 10 wickets with time left to chase a target and the captains agreed to call the game off just before tea on the final day.Related

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• Timely centuries from Webster and Hope give Tasmania the lead

Harris played with similar fluency to his first innings, striking eight boundaries in his 52 before nicking a very full delivery from Kieran Elliott to potentially cost himself a chance at twin hundreds in the match.Ash Chandrasinghe was challenged by left-arm orthodox of Matt Kuhnemann, who tried to extract something from the footmarks outside the left-hander’s off stump. Chandrasinghe made 44 from 128 before Kuhnemann finally got one to bite from the dust to bowl him through the gate.Campbell Kellaway and Peter Handscomb blunted the bowling thereafter to thwart any chance of a collapse. Jordan Silk even tried himself for an over before the game was called off.Despite the flat nature of the pitch, player of the match Harris was pleased with his return. He had a brief conversation with Australia selector Tony Dodemaide on the ground after the match and revealed he looks set to play for Australia A against India A in a few weeks time.”He asked if I wanted to bat six and bowl seam up in the Test side,” Harris joked. “He was just talking about the Aussie A stuff. I think that’ll come out the next few days.”Australia A play two four-day matches against India A in Mackay and Melbourne before the Test season. Cameron Green’s likely absence from the XI opens the door for Harris to win a place in the side through performance, especially if Steven Smith moves back to No. 4 as expected.”It probably wouldn’t hurt if you made runs in it,” Harris said. “I’ve been in the situation a few times now where I’ve played those games. It’s not like it’s going to be the first time I’ve ever played for Australia A before a Test series. There’s obviously always a bit of attention around those games. Pressure wise, I’m not going to be trying to put the same pressure on myself as I had before. It will just be a great opportunity.”Victoria coach Chris Rogers and Tasmania coach Jeff Vaughan were left frustrated that a result was not possible. Silk and Handscomb had held discussions on the third day about trying to manufacture a result but could not find common ground, which both coaches stated was understandable given it was the first game of the season.There was no blame placed on the curator at the Junction Oval given the weather in the lead-in, but Rogers did not sugarcoat the result.”That’s not great for cricket and anyone involved,” he said. “We have a bit of a history here early on in the season of just having wickets that we we try different things, but we can’t seem to get anything out of it. So it’s frustrating.”Vaughan did not have an answer as to how to avoid these early season results, particularly in the two most southern states of Victoria and Tasmania.”I’ll feel for curators in that regards, because it is darn hard at this time of year to get high-quality result wickets,” Vaughan said.

The South East Stars are through to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final, after a thrilling fightback against the Southern Vipers in their semi-final at Beckenham.The Vipers had posted 220 for 9 from their 50 overs, Nancy Harman their top scorer with 38 and Tilly Corteen-Coleman taking 3 for 33 and the Stars looked dead and buried at 131 for 7 until a partnership of 90 from 86 balls between Alice Davidson-Richards and Kalea Moore turned the contest on its head.There were seven balls remaining when Davidson-Richards hit Alice Monagan for a single to send the Stars through to the final. Davidson-Richards, who was dropped on 31, finished on 90, while Moore was unbeaten on 52 and the Stars will now face the Sunrisers in Saturday’s final at Grace Road.The Vipers won the toss and chose to bat but lost Ella McCaughan in the third over for 2, caught behind off Corteen-Coleman.Rhianna Southby made a quickfire 20, but she swatted a bouncer from Alexa Stonehouse to Emma Jones and visibly remonstrated with the umpires before heading back to the pavilion.Phoebe Franklin then produced a superb forward diving catch at midwicket to get Naomi Dattani off Stonehouse for 9.Danni Gregory got Georgia Elwiss for 34 with a rank ball she pulled straight to Jones and Emily Windsor then tried to cut Gregory and was bowled for 30.Abi Norgrove was bowled by Kalea Moore for 25 before Nancy Harman and Alice Monaghan put on a useful 48 for the seventh wicket, although there was confusion at the end of the 36th over when the former hit a four and retained the strike. A single was also missed and as the scorers and analysts tried to work out what happened, Corteen-Coleman had Monaghan caught on the long-on boundary by Davidson-Richards for 26.The same duo removed Harman, this time as Davidson-Richards sprinted round the boundary, before Freya Davies was run out by Franklin off the last ball of the innings for 7, leaving Ava Lee unbeaten on 14.At the halfway point the Stars looked favourites but they lost Stonehouse for 10 when she skied Davies and Dattani took a steepling catch and Franklin then top-edged Davies and was snared by Lee for 7.Elwiss then took two wickets in as many balls when she sent Chloe Hill’s off stump flying then bowled Kira Chathli, leaving Aylish Cranstone to block out the hat-trick ball.The pivotal moment came when Davidson-Richards offered the simplest of caught-and-bowled chances to Lee and she was punching the air in anger when Lee somehow dropped her.When Cranstone was caught and bowled in the next over from the Beckenham End, by Rebecca Tyson for 27, the Stars were in trouble on 94 for 5 and things looked bleaker still for the hosts when Emma Jones drove Dattani to cover and was caught by Elwiss for 7.Priyanaz Chatterji was on 9 when Elwiss couldn’t cling on to a difficult return catch off her own bowling, but she couldn’t cash in as she drove Elwiss to Windsor having only added a single.Moore, however, re-injected some belief into the chase and kept the Stars ticking over at a run a ball until 18 were needed from the last three.Dattani bowled the 48th and it went for 14, effectively ending the contest and leaving Davidson-Richardson to hit the winning single.

A career-best 6 for 35 by Fi Morris for Lancashire Thunder was countered by a List A best for The Blaze of 4 for 23 by Grace Ballinger as the visitors ran out winners by 24 runs at Sale to keep their hopes alive in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. Defeat for Thunder ends their hopes of making the knockout stages of the competition.In a low-scoring contest, The Blaze – having started well – were pegged back to 197 all out at the hands of Morris once the spinner was introduced into the Thunder attack in the 30th over.By contrast Ballinger did significant early damage by taking the first four Thunder wickets but the rest of The Blaze attack combined to bowl Thunder out for 173 in the 46th over despite a hard hitting unbeaten 53 by Tara Norris to clinch a vital victory.The Blaze made a good start after being put in to bat with Sarah Bryce and Michaela Kirk laying a good foundation of 66 runs off 87 balls. But both openers fell in quick succession. Sarah Bryce was caught at mid-off for 34 trying to hit Darcey Carter, making her Thunder debut, over the top with Kirk bowled for 29 by Hannah Jones’ second delivery.And The Blaze were pegged back further when Marie Kelly edged behind for 7 off the first ball of Phoebe Graham’s second spell to leave the visitors 101 for 3 in the 24th over.Kathryn Bryce and Ireland all-rounder Orla Prendergast rallied with a 34-run alliance off 45 balls before the introduction of Morris transformed the innings as wickets tumbled.The Thunder off-spinner struck with a 17-ball sequence of 3 for 6 that began with her fourth delivery that Kathryn Bryce cut to Norris at gully for 31.Having made an attractive 29 off 34 balls, Prendergast fell lbw sweeping at Morris, as did Lucy Higham for 4.Hannah Jones returned to take her competition-leading 22nd wicket when Kirstie Gordon drove to Eve Jones at extra cover for 4 before Morris ran through the rest of The Blaze line-up in spectacular style bowling Ella Claridge for 6, having Grace Ballinger lbw for 6 and Cassidy McCarthy caught for 8 with The Blaze losing their last seven wickets for 62 runs.It was Ballinger who did the early damage with an impressive spell of left-arm swing that returned figures of 4 for 13 to destroy the Thunder top order, having Eve Jones caught at mid-off for 0, Alice Clarke caught at cover for 8 followed by Morris (10) and Dani Collins (0) bowled in the space of three deliveries.But having completed seven overs Ballinger limped off injured to be replaced by Prendergast who struck immediately with her sixth delivery which Seren Smale cut savagely but straight to Kirk at point for 13 with the Thunder innings in disarray at 41 for 5 after 15 overs.Ellie Threlkeld pulled a short ball from Prendergast to Higham at deep backward square for 10, Carter was bowled by McCarthy for 11 before Grace Johnson holed out to Kirk off Groves for 27 as Thunder continued to struggle.Ballinger returned in time to see Groves trap Graham lbw for 5 but a defiant last-wicket partnership of 50 – the highest of the Thunder innings – between Norris, who hit three sixes in a List A career-best 53 not out off 56 balls, and Hannah Jones, who finally fell to Kathryn Bryce for 17, held up The Blaze who eventually wrapped up victory with 26 balls to spare.