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Mumbai Indians head coach, who sits on ICC Cricket Committee, highlights controversial incident between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Apr-20222:02

Jaffer: Calling players back was way out of line from Pant

Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene believes there should be a discussion on whether the third umpire should alert the on-field umpires for over-the-waist no-balls, but he didn’t condone the role of Delhi Capitals’ players and support staff in the controversy that took place during the final over of their game against Rajasthan Royals last week. Jayawardene is also a member of the ICC’s Cricket Committee, the panel that oversees the playing conditions in international cricket.”Probably, the umpires did get it wrong, but the rules say that you can’t go to the third umpire or check on those things,” Jayawardene said on The ICC Review. “It is something, I think, going forward we need to look at: whether [there should be] the option for the third umpire to come on the field, on to the main umpires and inform them that it’s a delivery you should check. But… the spirit of the game, and to see things moving forward, it’s never an option for any coach or any player to come on to the field.”We are given an opportunity during the strategic time-out to come out in IPL, and that should be the only time the coaches or anyone else should be allowed.”Under the current playing conditions, all foot-fault no-balls are anyway checked by the third umpire. The on-field umpires can check the height of a delivery if it has resulted in a dismissal, but the ball in question went for a six.Three members of the Capitals’ contingent – captain Rishabh Pant, assistant coach Pravin Amre and bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur – were penalised by the IPL for breaching the code of conduct. Pant was fined his entire match fee, as was Amre, who was also handed a one-match ban; Thakur received a 50% fine.Those penalties resulted after Pant asked Amre to walk on to the field to speak to the on-field umpires after the third delivery of the final over of Capitals’ chase. Chasing 222, Capitals needed 36 runs from the final over. Rovman Powell hit three consecutive sixes off the first three balls.The third ball, however, was a high full toss. Capitals would have got a free-hit had it been deemed a no-ball, with the equation in that case reading 17 to get from four deliveries.While Powell and his batting partner Kuldeep Yadav argued with the umpires, Pant gestured them to come off the ground. Eventually, Amre was sent in. Pant admitted he had got carried way in the “heat of the moment”, but believed it was a no-ball, and that the third umpire could have “interfered”.Pravin Amre was fined and handed a one-match ban for walking on to the field to speak to the umpires•BCCI

Jayawardene didn’t like what he saw. “It is disappointing to see that. You are stopping the game, and people are coming on to the field,” he said. “But I honestly believe it was just the emotions carrying away. It was just the last over, a couple of sixes were hit and there was probably an opportunity [for Capitals to chase down the target].”Former Australia allrounder Shane Watson, who is also an assistant coach at Capitals, differed with Pant and said the umpires’ word was final and binding. Capitals’ head coach Ricky Ponting was not present that day because he was in isolation following a positive Covid-19 test in his family.Jayawardene said he had told the Mumbai dressing room the same when the incident was discussed. “We saw it on TV,” he said. “Most of the guys were watching it together, and afterwards as well, we had a chat. We will probably react in the dugout, but [for us] it’s never an option to go onto the field. That’s not the way things should be, but I’m pretty sure Rishabh and Pravin would regret what happened.”And Rishabh in his interview rightly said that it was because of the emotions how it happened. We need to give the benefit of the doubt [to Pant] and move on.”It remains to be seen whether the ICC Cricket Committee will bring up the waist-high no-ball topic for discussion at its next meeting. The committee, which usually meets a few times a year, has BCCI’s top administrators sitting on it: Sourav Ganguly, who replaced Anil Kumble as the chairman, and Jay Shah, who was added last month as representative of Full Member boards.However, the IPL need not wait for the ICC to ratify such a change should it want to implement it. In 2021, the IPL playing conditions did away with the soft signal for disputed catches and took away the responsibility of checking short runs from the on-field umpires. International cricket has not made any such change.

The captain says players are showing a willingness to learn in a bid to turn around their ODI fortunes

Deivarayan Muthu21-Jul-20223:21

Pooran: ‘The obvious goal is to bat 50 overs’

West Indies’ white-ball captain Nicholas Pooran has called for greater fight and game awareness from his players, irrespective of the conditions, after they were recently swept 3-0 by Bangladesh at the Providence.”As a group we felt like in international cricket 9.30 [am] games, you can’t control certain things. For us I felt the biggest learning is believe that we can fight – doesn’t matter the conditions,” Pooran said on the eve of the ODI series opener against India.”We need to assess as players really quickly and understand that if it’s difficult for us, it’s difficult for the opposition as well. For us as a batting group, we need to hang in there as long as possible in tough conditions and tough times and believe that whatever we got is respectable and gives us a chance in the game.”That’s the most we can ask of ourselves. I think Guyana was challenging for us, but we still learnt a lot being there as a group, coming from Pakistan as well, then into the Bangladesh series…the results wasn’t in our favour, but as a new group this is our challenge.”Related

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The challenge will only get stiffer against India although the visitors are missing several of their frontline players, but Pooran embraced it and lauded his team for their willingness to learn from the errors made against Bangladesh.”As I always tell the guys, no story ever starts well and it has started so for us in ODI cricket,” he said. “But I believe in the guys and believe in the talent that we have here and willingness of the guys to learn. Everyone wants to get better; everyone is asking questions. Everyone is asking how to get better and that’s something I admire from the guys so far coming from the Bangladesh series. We’re just looking forward to some things going our way because the guys have been putting in a lot of work and we’re looking forward to this India series to correct some rights and wrongs.”The forthcoming series against India is not part of the Super League, and West Indies have lurched from one defeat to another in ODI cricket of late, but Pooran insisted that they aren’t lacking any motivation to turn things around.2:14

Simmons: We need to win for the Caribbean people

“I think all the players are motivated and everyone wants to do well, which is really fantastic to see,” he said. “I don’t have to do too much to be honest. We just need to have really good conversation and believe in each other and continue to back our skills. I think the guys are gelling really well at the moment.”Pooran echoed head coach Phil Simmons’ comments in saying West Indies’ first goal in ODI cricket is to find a way to bat out 50 overs. He also wanted to hold his judgement on the batters and see how they fare on a Port-of-Spain pitch that is likely to be conducive to run-scoring.”Not only from my side but from a coaching side as well, our focus it to balance ODI cricket between T20 cricket and Test cricket,” Pooran said. “I think we haven’t found the right template yet and everyone can see that. We’re not batting 50 overs and that’s the first box we want to tick.”At the moment, when you ask me what brand of cricket we want to play in ODI cricket it’s difficult to say yet. For example, if you want to play aggressive cricket, it’s difficult to play aggressive cricket in tough conditions. So, for us, it’s all about finding ways to bat 50 overs – it doesn’t matter how we bat 50 overs – but I believe conditions do play a part in how we play our cricket.”For us, it’s ticking one box at a time and one step at a time. I believe that in T20 cricket we’re starting to know what kind of cricket we want to play; in Test cricket same thing, but the more games we play as an ODI unit I think we’re going to get better and a lot of the guys are going to have more games under their belt and they can have more experience and confidence as well. It will be nice if I can answer this question maybe after the New Zealand series, going by conditions and how guys react to certain situations as well.”Hetmyer working on fitness
Batter Shimron Hetmyer has linked up with the West Indies squad in Port-of-Spain, but Pooran made it clear that he isn’t available for selection for the ODI series. He is currently working with the coaching staff on his fitness, having missed out on West Indies’ recent squads on those grounds. Hetmyer last played international cricket for West Indies in November 2021.”Obviously, would love for him to be in this ODI series, but obviously he’s been doing a lot of work on his fitness and he has been putting in a lot of work,” Pooran said. “He wants to play for West Indies; the trainers and the coaches are working with him, so expect him to play sooner or later. I think he has a fitness test to pass shortly and so he’s preparing for that.”

Mignon du Preez’s half-century guided another good run chase by the Stars

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2020Suzie Bates’ tournament looked to be over with a recurrence of her shoulder injury in her comeback match as the Melbourne Stars continued their form with a fifth-consecutive victory. Bates was distraught when hurting herself attempting a throw from the boundary having made an encouraging 28 off 23 balls with the bat in her first game since damaging her shoulder against Australia early last month. Mignon du Preez’s 51-ball 61, in a second-wicket stand of 92 with Elyse Villani (46), did most of the work in the chase after a rare low score for Meg Lanning when she drove to cover in the third over. A late cluster of wickets made things a little closer, but Anna Lanning struck the winning runs with three balls to spare. Bates and Laura Wolvaardt had given the Strikers a solid foundation but they couldn’t accelerate during the middle overs. Bridget Patterson used up 16 balls for 6 and when Wolvaardt was bowled giving herself room against Tess Flintoff the innings was withering before Amanda-Jade Wellington struck 29 off 17 balls but it wasn’t enough. Nat Sciver took three wickets in the final over.Chloe Tryon played an important innings for the Hurricanes•Getty Images

The Hurricanes lifted themselves towards mid-table with a hard-fought victory against a Renegades side hit by struggling form and injuries. Their senior players came to the fore as Rachel Priest top-scored while Chloe Tryon added a vital 36 off 23 to counteract the loss of Hayley Matthews and Nicola Carey in consecutive deliveries. Molly Strano removed Tryon in the penultimate over to sit on 99 WBBL wickets, The Renegades, who lost Georgia Wareham for the rest of the season before the game, juggled their tactics with Carly Leeson promoted to open the batting but she was bowled swinging across the line second ball. Molineux and Amy Satterthwaite have both struggled with their strike-rates this season and though both were given lives the trend continued as their innings finished at under a run-a-ball. Lizelle Lee, shifted down to No. 4, kept the Renegades in the chase and when she was caught in the deep Courtney Webb and Josie Dooley kept the pressure on but 17 off the final over was a step too far against Belinda Vakarewa’s skills.

He sustained a blow to his right hand during nets; his replacement will be announced in due course

Vithushan Ehantharajah24-Nov-2024Jordan Cox has been ruled out of England’s Test series against New Zealand after sustaining a fractured right thumb during a nets session ahead of the final day of their tour match against Prime Minister’s XI.The incident occurred on Sunday morning in Queenstown where England have been preparing for the first Test, which begins on Thursday at the Hagley Oval. Cox was taken to a local hospital for a scan that revealed the extent of the damage. The 24-year-old was all set to make his Test debut with regular keeper Jamie Smith missing the tour for the birth of his first child.A replacement will be announced in due course, with Durham’s Ollie Robinson expected to be handed a maiden call-up, ahead of England’s white-ball regular Phil Salt and Essex’s Michael Pepper, who toured the Caribbean with the limited-overs side. Other keeping options included Somerset’s James Rew and Lancashire’s Matty Hurst, both of whom are due to tour South Africa with the Lions. Jonny Bairstow, still with a year remaining on his central contract, is unlikely to be recalled at this juncture.Related

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Ollie Pope stood in for Cox for the culmination of the warm-up fixture, but England will not want to burden him with more responsibility on top of his duties at No. 3. Having averaged 11 on last month’s tour of Pakistan, a strong showing from Cox might have tested the selectors’ loyalty to the vice-captain.Cox will now have to wait a little longer to complete the set of caps having debuted in the ODI and T20I formats in the last two months. He will remain with the squad in Christchurch and may opt for a break in Australia before returning home having had little time off since the end of the English summer.”I’m gutted for Jordan (Cox),” Test head coach Brendon McCullum said. “He has been shaping up nicely, both with the bat and gloves, since we got to New Zealand.”That’s sport, and unfortunately, these things happen. We will get around him and look after him. He is resilient, and his time will come at some point in the future.”The immediate aftermath of Cox’s injury left England short of bodies for play on Sunday, resulting in James Anderson donning the whites four months after he was pushed into international retirement. With three players opting out of the match for extra time in the nets, Anderson subbed in the field, alongside captain Ben Stokes who had chosen to sit out the first day’s play.Jacob Bethell and Rehan Ahmed will join the rest of the squad in Christchurch on Monday after a few days off following the white-ball tour of the Caribbean which finished last week. Cox’s replacement should be on deck in the next 48 hours.

Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain paid tribute to Shakib and said Mehidy has been picked in a batting-centric role

Mohammad Isam29-Sep-2024Bangladesh’s selectors have recalled Mehidy Hasan Miraz to the T20I squad for the three-match series against India starting next week. Mehidy played the last of his 25 T20Is in July last year, missing Bangladesh’s last 24 matches in that format while being a key allrounder in the two longer formats.There were also recalls for opener Parvez Hossain Emon and left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan.Related

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Shakib Al Hasan is the big absentee but this was expected following his announcement on Thursday that he was retiring from both Tests and T20Is. Soumya Sarkar is the other player who featured in the T20 World Cup earlier this year who has been left out.Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain paid tribute to Shakib, saying Bangladesh would have a tough time replacing him, and hoped Mehidy could step up to a batting-centric role in Shakib’s absence. Ashraf explained that Mehidy had been picked to bat higher up the order without a set bowling role.”The great Shakib Al Hasan has already announced that he has played his last T20I for Bangladesh,” Ashraf said. “We don’t have anyone to replace his experience and performance but we feel that Mehidy Hasan Miraz is a good batter who can handle the middle order. Mehidy can play as a batter. We didn’t pick him in the previous [T20] World Cup as we usually feel that he has a strong role as an allrounder in Tests and ODIs.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We didn’t feel his bowling was a great option in the powerplay in T20s. We didn’t want to disturb his rhythm in the other formats. This is why he wasn’t in our T20 World Cup plans, which we had clearly communicated to him. We are hopeful of seeing him higher in the order, just above the finisher’s role.”The new role will be quite a challenge for Mehidy, who currently has 248 runs in 20 T20I innings at an average of 14.58 and a strike rate of 118.66, with a highest score of 46. He has opened the batting twice, and batted once each at Nos. 5 and 6.Ashraf said that Parvez, the left-hand opener, impressed the selectors in various camps during the off-season. He added that Rakibul got the nod due to an injury to left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam.”We have made changes in the opening, middle order and spin attack while keeping the pace attack intact,” Ashraf said. “We have brought in Parvez Hossain Emon in Soumya Sarkar’s place. We have observed him in the recent camps. He is part of our future plans. Rakibul has taken Tanvir’s place, as the latter is recovering from a broken hand. Rakibul is useful with the new ball.”Ashraf said the selectors still believe the veteran Mahmudullah can do a job in the T20I side, despite his mixed-bag performance in the T20 World Cup earlier this year. “We have our future squad in mind,” he said. “We will give value to experienced players. We have belief in Mahmudullah. The captain will have all the options for combinations in this squad.”Bangladesh’s T20Is against India are in Gwalior (October 6), New Delhi (October 9) and Hyderabad (October 12).

Bangladesh squad for T20Is against India

Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Litton Das, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rakibul Hasan.
IN: Parvez Hossain Emon, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rakibul Hasan
OUT: Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan.

Sri Lanka went down by an innings and 222 runs, their worst-ever defeat at home

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Jul-2023Noman Ali claimed seven wickets with guileful, accurate left-arm spin, then Naseem Shah’s sublime reverse-swing spell in the Colombo heat closed out the match, as Pakistan completed about a domineering a victory on Sri Lankan soil as has been achieved in the last several years.Pakistan’s bowling was spellbinding, but the numbers of this victory themselves are epic. Pakistan won by an innings and 222 runs, which is Sri Lanka’s worst-ever defeat at home. They did it inside four days, despite more than a day’s play having effectively been lost to rain and bad light. Noman’s figures for the second innings were 7 for 70. And Naseem bowled an unbroken 7.4 over spell that was pure fire and reverse swing to shut the door on the opposition.It was Noman’s flight, dip, and changes of pace that made him an especial threat. Sri Lanka had started their second innings nicely, their openers making 69 together. But the moment Noman came into the attack he produced a spectacular delivery to dismiss Nishan Madushka for 33, and would then go on to scythe through the batting order. The ball to Madushka was bowled from around the wicket, drifted in, dipped, pitched on middle and leg, then leapt off the surface to beat the batter’s outside edge and clip off stump. That was in the last half hour before lunch.After the break, Noman was unstoppable. Dimuth Karunaratne was caught at short leg by Imam-ul-Haq – another sharp take at that position for Pakistan, who have been spectacular with their close catching all series. Kusal Mendis then attempted to hit Noman inside out and spooned a catch to cover instead, having failed to get to the pitch of the ball. Dinesh Chandimal was out cheaply gloving an attempted lap sweep, and even Dhananjaya de Silva – who had had a good series – fell cheaply, holing out to long on to complete Noman’s five-wicket haul.Angelo Mathews, who hit an unbeaten half century as the devastation unfolded at the other end, was himself struggling against Noman, particularly early in his innings. He struck some big boundaries, sure, but in between were nervy defensive strokes. He eventually gained confidence. But none of the Sri Lanka batters were comfortable against Noman, as he got plenty to bite off the surface, kept testing them on a length, and bowled few loose deliveries.When he took his sixth and seventh wickets – having Sadeera Samarawickrama caught at point after getting the ball to bounce more than expected, before having Ramesh Mendis stumped – there was still the chance he might take all ten wickets in an innings.But then Naseem was putting in a heroic spell at the other end. It is difficult to overstate just how much he was getting the old the ball to swing, particularly into the right-hander. He’d cover the ball as he ran in, to conceal the shiny side, and by extension, keep the batter unaware as to which direction it would move. And he was bowling serious pace – sometimes touching the mid 140kph range.In one over to Ramesh Mendis the 62nd of the innings – he struck the batter on the pads three times in successive balls. On the first occasion Pakistan reviewed a not-out decision which was upheld because the ball was swinging down leg. On the next two, Ramesh reviewed out decisions, and they both turned out to be missing leg as well. The ball was curving fast and late.Eventually, Naseem would get some reward. He bowled an especially long spell, partly, you suspect, because he did not want to give the ball up. He bowled Prabath Jayasuriya who left a ball that cannoned into his off stump (further proof of how far this ball was moving laterally), then made an eruption out of Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka’s stumps as well.Mathews’ half-century always looked like it was coming in a losing effort, so far behind were Sri Lanka. And although there has been rain around, Babar Azam’s decision to have Pakistan bat two further overs early in the day ostensibly to let Mohammad Rizwan complete an eighth Test half century, did not hinder them at all, so good were his bowlers, and so readily did Sri Lanka’s batting succumb.

Inglis and Stoinis stepped away against the unusual deliveries and they were declared ‘dead balls’

Andrew McGlashan05-Sep-2024Towards the end of the opening T20I between Australia and Scotland in Edinburgh, talk switched from Travis Head’s pyrotechnics to the ‘long ball’ tactics of left-arm spinner Mark Watt and the grey areas of the Law that his innovation approach challenges.The ball after having Mitchell Marsh taken on the rope, Watt delivered one of his 25-yard deliveries to Josh Inglis who made the very late decision to step away with it taking the leg bail. The umpire called ‘dead ball’, although he did appear to speak to Inglis. It happened again a short while later when Marcus Stoinis stepped away having started to face up, although on this occasion the ball missed the stumps.”It’s just trying to rush [the batters],” Watt has previously explained. “By the time I’ve let it go, the batsman looks up and the ball’s halfway down the wicket.”The wording of the relevant Law, 20.4.2.5, showed the umpire had made the correct call. “Either umpire shall call and signal Dead ball when…the striker is not ready for the delivery of the ball and, if the ball is delivered, makes no attempt to play it. Provided the umpire is satisfied that the striker had adequate reason for not being ready, the ball shall not count as one of the over.”However, the “adequate reason” for the batter to pull away is left for the umpire’s discretion and Watt clearly felt Inglis had been ready to face. Freeze frames of the moment Watt started his run up did appear to suggest that Inglis was still looking down when tapping his bat, although he was looking towards the bowler before the ball was delivered.On commentary, the former Scotland captain Preston Mommsen suggested Inglis had been fortunate. “The unexpected nature of the delivery coming from 23, 24 yards. He’s a very lucky man to still be there,” he said.There wouldn’t have been an impact on the result, but it’s not the first time the debate has been sparked as to whether Watt was denied a wicket. The same situation occurred in the T20 World Cup earlier this year when Oman batter Khalid Kail was ‘bowled’ after stepping away and umpire Chris Brown called dead ball. On that occasion Watt and captain Richie Berrington spoke to the umpire but on Wednesday, apart from a few gesticulations the game went on, although there were boos from the crowd after the second dead-ball call.During the World Cup example, Tom Moody, who was commentating for the game, believed Kail was ready and ball shouldn’t have been dead. “The batter’s looking up. He’s ready. To me, that is a legitimate ball,” Moody had said. “The ball is live. As soon as the batter has placed his bat down and faces up, looks up to the bowler, he’s ready to go.”Australia were on alert for the tactic when they faced Scotland in the T20 World Cup in St Lucia, where Inglis was a member of the squad and Stoinis was in the XI.

Legspinner moves north after seven seasons with Middlesex

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2022Legspinner Nathan Sowter has agreed a one-year contract with Durham after being released by Middlesex.Sowter, who was born in Australia but qualifies as non-overseas due to a British passport, had a spell on loan at Durham during last summer’s Vitality Blast, taking eight wickets in seven matches.”It is great that we have been able to secure Nathan Sowter to Durham for next season,” Marcus North, Durham’s director of cricket, said. “Nathan impressed during his loan spell in the summer and will bring a wealth of experience and quality to complement our current spin options in the shorter format.”Sowter was Middlesex’s third-highest wicket-taker in T20 cricket, with 71 at 20.33 over the course of seven seasons at Lord’s. He is expected to play in the One-Day Cup for Durham, depending on his involvement in the Hundred, having been in Oval Invincibles’ squad in 2021 and 2022.Sowter said: “I am really excited for this opportunity to come back to Durham after a short loan spell last season. I am looking forward to making an impact and contributing to success on the pitch with Durham.”

Allrounder says winning his comeback series against England felt like winning a championship

Matt Roller22-Dec-2023Andre Russell pledged to arrive at next year’s T20 World Cup “looking like a UFC fighter” after his comeback series for West Indies culminated in a four-wicket win over England in Thursday’s decider in Trinidad.Russell returned to international cricket after a two-year absence, having last represented West Indies at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. He was not in their plans for last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia, when selector Desmond Haynes said that West Indies had “moved on” from him, but won a recall after confirming his availability.He was West Indies’ leading wicket-taker in the series, largely bowling at the death, and scored at a strike rate of 169.35 with the bat. “It means a lot, to be honest, getting the call-up to come back and to join the West Indies team,” he told TNT Sports. “I’ve been working for the last two years, waiting on a call-up.Related

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“I’m just excited to be back and have a win,” Russell said, highlighting the role that Daren Sammy has played in his return. “The coach has been backing me a lot. I’m so happy. I feel like I’ve won a big, big championship with just a series win, that’s how much it means to me.”Russell arrived in the Caribbean immediately after playing in the Abu Dhabi T10, and said that the long-haul flight across the world had affected his performance after impressing in the series opener. “I was coming from Abu Dhabi where it’s a big time difference,” he said. “Flying back into Barbados I tried to stay up as late as possible to make sure that I get enough sleep so that I can [be] fresh for the game.”When I got to Grenada, I just couldn’t sleep. I start feeling sleepy at 6am in the morning, which would be the time that I would sleep in Abu Dhabi. Fans won’t know that, but I still get the pressure and the backlash and all of that. It just makes me stronger. I love my Caribbean fans and I know they are passionate about the game, and when we’re messing up, they will be on our backs.”I want to make sure that I do the necessary recoveries, drink a lot of coconut water and get my body right – massages, and all of that. That’s what I did to really be able to come in the last game, bowl three overs for 30-odd runs [37] – and then today was exceptional from all the bowlers.”Russell hopes to be part of West Indies’ squad for the T20 World Cup in June, when they will attempt to become the first men’s team to win the trophy for a third time. “I’ll be in better shape, to be honest: I’ll be looking like a UFC fighter,” he said. “This series win means so much. It [makes me] want to push myself to the limit.”He is due to play in the ILT20 and the IPL early next year, and said: “I have a lot of cricket to play and that’s good. When you’re playing cricket and in competition, your body is active and you’re not just sat at home waiting for the World Cup. We are definitely going to give some teams a good, good run for their money in the World Cup.”

Her departure will be the second big blow for UPW who are already without their full-time captain Alyssa Healy because of injury

Vishal Dikshit18-Feb-2025Chamari Athapaththu is set to miss the final phase of the WPL for UP Warriorz (UPW) to join Sri Lanka on a white-ball tour of New Zealand starting March 4 in Napier. Athapaththu’s departure will be the second big blow for UPW who are already without their full-time captain Alyssa Healy because of injury.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that as of now, Athapaththu is going to be available for UPW until February 26, which is four more games for them, before she tends to national duties. After their game on February 26, against Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru, UPW will fly to Lucknow for the final league phase of the tournament where they will play three home matches. They have played just one game so far and they left Athapaththu out of the XI in that clash they lost to Gujarat Giants.Athapaththu was named captain of Sri Lanka’s 16-member side released by SLC on Monday and the squad is scheduled to leave for New Zealand on February 22 for three ODIs and as many T20Is.Allrounder Amelia Kerr is the only New Zealand player in the WPL this season and she, unlike Athapaththu, is going to miss the bilateral series next month to play the entire WPL, including the knockouts if MI qualify for those again. If MI make it to the final, scheduled for March 15, Kerr will also miss the first two T20is slotted for March 14 and 16 in Christchurch. Last year too, Kerr had skipped the home bilateral T20Is against England to be available for the entire duration of the WPL.In 2024, the calendar clash between the final leg of WPL and the T20I series in New Zealand had become a much bigger issue when England captain Heather Knight (RCB) and Lauren Bell (UPW) had opted out of WPL completely to represent their national team. Coincidentally, Athapaththu had replaced Bell for UPW then.However, since then boards like the ECB have assured their players they won’t schedule international games during the WPL, which is set to move from the current February-March window to January-February 2026 onwards, according to the new women’s Future Tours Programme (FTP). To avoid such clashes between international series and other T20 leagues, the Hundred (August) and the WBBL (November) have also been given separate windows in the FTP that runs till 2029.