All posts by csb10.top

Sri Lanka have given their women’s T20I side a youthful overhaul ahead of the three-match series against West Indies, making six changes to the side that competed in last month’s T20 World Cup qualifiers. Among them are the under-25 trio of Imesha Dulani, Sachini Nisansala and Kaushini Nuthyangana – they have eight T20Is between them – and the uncapped 17 year-old Rashmika Sewwandi. There are also recalls for the veteran pair of Oshadi Ranasinghe and Ama Kanchana, who last turned out for a T20I in September and February 2023 respectively.Making way are Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera, Hansima Karunaratne, Anushka Sanjeewani and Achini Kulasuriya. Of these, the omissions of Sanjeewani and Kulasuriya are likely to raise eyebrows after both had made their mark in the recently concluded ODI series against the West Indies.Kulasuriya had taken three wickets across the first and second ODIs before being rotated out in the third. Her economical spells had also played a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s unbeaten run in the qualifiers. Sanjeewani meanwhile had seemingly smashed her way out of a lean patch with a match-defining 46-ball 55 two days ago.On the whole, the exclusions and their replacements have seen the average age of the squad drop from 29.4 to 26.25. Sewwandi, a batting allrounder, joins 15 year-old Shashini Gimhani – who made her debut in the qualifiers – in the 16-member squad, while there are now just six players above the age of 30.Despite these changes though, the batting unit remains as solid as ever, led by Chamari Athapaththu. Vishmi Gunaratne, still just 18, has already nailed down a spot at the top of the order, while the likes of Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hasini Perera, Nilakshi de Silva and Kavisha Dilhari were all in the runs during the West Indies ODIs. There could also be game time for Dulani and allrounder Sewwandi, along with Nuthyangana, who is the only recognised wicketkeeper in the squad.The spin department as ever is stacked, and will be headed by the experienced trio of Ranasinghe, Inoshi Fernando and Sugandika Kumari. They will be supplemented by wristspinner Gimhani and left-arm spinner Nisansala – fresh off a five-wicket haul in her last ODI – while also being able to call on the services of Dilhari and Athapaththu. Meanwhile Kanchana, Kawya Kavindi and Sewwandi are the seam bowling options.The first T20I will take place in Hambantota on June 24 followed by the second and third matches on June 26 and 28.

Sri Lanka women’s T20I squad

Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hasini Perera, Nilakshi De Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Inoshi Fernando, Sugandika Kumari, Ama Kanchana, Rashmika Sewwandi, Imesha Dulani, Shashini Gimhani, Kawya Kavindi, Sachini Nisansala, Kaushini Nuthyangana

Freya Davies’ impeccable four-for set up Southern Vipers’ no-nonsense seven-wicket bonus point victory over South East Stars to cement their place at the top of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy table.Former Stars fast bowler Davies hadn’t taken four in an innings since taking 4 for 23 in a T20 for England against New Zealand in March 2021, and last haul of four or more in 50-over cricket was a six-for for Sussex Women in 2018.But she extracted great pace to take 4 for 14 at Falkland Cricket Club, to restrict Stars to 120, with local star Ava Lee and Charli Knott both grabbing two wickets apiece.Knott – on her penultimate appearance – then made sure the chase was straightforward with a classy 57, as holders Vipers avenged their Charlotte Edwards Cup semi-final defeat to Stars in style.Vipers chose to bowl, and after a rain delay which knocked the overs down to 46 a side, they ruthlessly sliced through the Stars’ batting.Mary Taylor made the initial breakthrough when she found Tash Farrant edging a drive behind to Megan Sturge, who was keeping wicket for the first time due to a finger injury to Rhianna Southby.But Davies was the bigger danger in dumping the visitors to 22 for 4 with her swing bamboozling Bryony Smith, Alexa Stonehouse and Kalea Moore.The ball to bowl Smith and the one which Moore gloved behind were particular snorters in an often unplayable first seven-over spell of 3 for 10.Alice Davidson-Richards and Bethan Miles recovered things somewhat by putting on 35 but another collapse of 25 for 4 stymied Stars.This time it was the Vipers’ spin which took hold as Miles and Aylish Cranstone were undone by Knott’s smart offbreaks, before the Australian turned Elastigirl to incredibly catch Maddie Blinkhorn-Jones in the leg-side deep.It was the start of two wickets in an over for Lee – playing on the ground she began playing on at Under-11s for Falkland – as the England Under-19s spinner had Davidson-Richards caught behind.Chloe Hill and Ryana Macdonald Gay held things up with a patient 34-run partnership for the ninth wicket before Hill was run out at the non-striker’s end and Dani Gregory was Davies’ fourth victim and Sturge’s third.The reply was emphatic from Vipers. Where Stars had only scored six boundaries in their entire innings, Vipers, led by Knott, had equalled that inside 14 overs.Stars were also not helped by an apparent hamstring injury suffered by Farrant in the first over, which forced her to leave the field.Knott and Ella McCaughan put on 46 for the first wicket inside eight overs before the latter was outfoxed by a big turning offie from Moore.Georgia Adams, after a 43-run alliance with Knott, and Emily Windsor fell but Knott was graceful in dispatching width to reach a 56-ball fifty, her third half-century and fifth score over 40 for the Vipers.It was only right that Knott would cut the winning runs as Vipers romped to the target in 23 overs.

Brendon McCullum has been announced as England’s new men’s white-ball head coach, and will combine that role with his existing Test duties. McCullum has agreed a remarkable new three-year deal as part of what the ECB has termed a “strategic restructure” within the men’s set-up.The contract extension, announced on Tuesday, means that McCullum is set to oversee England’s white-ball fortunes, up to and including the next 50-over World Cup in South Africa in October-November 2027, while also guiding the Test squad all the way through to England’s next home Ashes campaign, earlier that same year.Marcus Trescothick, England’s interim head coach for the upcoming series against Australia, will continue in that role for the white-ball tour of the Caribbean in November, with McCullum officially beginning his twin tenure in January 2025, in time for their white-ball tour of India, and the ICC Champions Trophy which is set to take place in Pakistan in February and March.The deal comes in the wake of Matthew Mott’s sacking as white-ball head coach in July, following England’s disappointing defences of both their 50- and 20-over World Cup titles. It is a significant coup for the ECB, and their director of men’s cricket, Rob Key, given the apparent reluctance of a host of major names to put their names forward for the role.Related

• No end in sight for Adil Rashid after passing the 200 wickets summit

• Ben Stokes: Criticism of Ollie Pope reflects 'English culture towards sport'

• Ben Stokes: McCullum's white-ball appointment is an 'unbelievable move'

• Key goes all in on McCullum with England white-ball gamble

• Buttler doubt for Australia T20Is after pulling out of Blast QF

Ricky Ponting and Eoin Morgan, England’s 2019 World Cup-winning captain, were among the prime candidates to officially rule themselves out of contention, while Andy Flower’s status as one of the most sought-after franchise coaches in the world game meant there was little prospect of him returning to the ECB, a decade after his last stint as England head coach ended in 2014.McCullum himself had shown little interest in the white-ball role when he took over as England’s Test coach in May 2022. However, amid the subsequent success of his Test tenure, in particular the so-called ‘Bazball’ mentality that helped to liberate the team’s attitude to success and failure, he has now agreed to carry that ethos across to a white-ball set-up, captained by Jos Buttler, that is set to undergo a generational shift over the course of the coming international cycle.”I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Test team, and I’m excited to extend my role to include the white-ball sides,” McCullum said. “This new challenge is something I’m ready to embrace, and I’m eager to work closely with Jos and the team to build on the strong foundations that are already in place.”In so doing, McCullum will become the first England men’s coach since his Test predecessor, Chris Silverwood, to oversee both the red- and white-ball squads. And while the sheer volume of matches in England’s recent schedule has meant that a united role has been nigh on impossible – their T20I series against Australia, for instance, begins one day after the end of the forthcoming third Test against Sri Lanka – Key pointed to a relative “easing” in the fixture list from 2025 onwards that has made McCullum’s appointment more feasible.”I’m delighted that Brendon has chosen to do both roles now with England,” Key said. “I believe we are incredibly fortunate that a coach of his quality is prepared to commit wholeheartedly to English cricket. Being able to align all teams now is particularly exciting and we look forward to taking on all challenges that come our way.”For the last two years, constant clashes between formats have made it challenging for the white-ball environment; fortunately, these are easing starting from January. The timing of the schedule [from January] will allow him to dedicate the necessary focus to both roles, and we’re confident this restructure will bring out the best in our players and coaching staff.”McCullum added: “Rob Key’s vision for the future of English cricket is something that really resonated with me. The idea of a unified coaching structure, especially with the schedule easing next year, made perfect sense. I’m energised by the prospect of guiding both teams and am grateful for the support from the ECB and my family as I take on these added responsibilities.”Rob Key believes an eased schedule from 2025 will help McCullum•Getty Images

The prospect of a unified vision for England’s squads may be particularly beneficial to Test incumbents such as Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson, young players who have significant futures across both set-ups, but whose opportunities to transfer their talents across formats will be restricted this winter by the cramped nature of the schedule, with England’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean falling directly between their three-Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand.Similarly, younger players – such as Jacob Bethell, Dan Mousley and Josh Hull, who are likely to make their international debuts in the coming white-ball series against Australia and will be prime candidates for the West Indies tour – ought to be better placed to make their cases for Test honours with McCullum now overseeing their full international development.”The talent within English cricket is immense, and I’m looking forward to helping these players reach their full potential,” McCullum added. “My goal is to create an environment where everyone can thrive and where we can continue to compete at the highest level across all formats.”McCullum is due to leave England immediately after the conclusion of the Sri Lanka series at The Kia Oval this week, and will return to New Zealand for a short break before rejoining the Test squad ahead of the Pakistan tour in October.

The Bangladesh senior men’s team is set to arrive in Lahore on August 13, four days before their scheduled arrival, for a two-Test series. The team will train for three days each at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium before the first Test in Rawalpindi from August 21.The players’ preparations had been disrupted as a result of the ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh. The overseas coaching staff of the team also couldn’t join the players at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka last week because of security concerns. BCB is currently following up with the coaches’ respective embassies for security clearances.The departure ahead of schedule came after an invitation from the PCB to the BCB to ensure the visiting players have “adequate and fair training opportunities” ahead of the Tests.Related

• Mushfiqur, Taskin back in Bangladesh Test squad for Pakistan series

• BCB set to meet new sports head as calls for reform grow louder

• Naseem back in Test squad, Shakeel named vice-captain for Bangladesh series

• Bangladesh in turmoil: how will cricket be impacted?

“Sports is not only about winning and losing, it’s also about [camaraderie],” Salman Naseer, PCB chief operating officer, said in a statement. “I remain confident that the extra training sessions in Lahore will allow the players to showcase their best skills and talent on the global stage.”The Bangladesh players have been training individually at the Shere Bangla under coach Shohel Islam for the last three days.”We thank the PCB for giving the Bangladesh cricket team the opportunity to have additional training in Pakistan,” BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said in a statement. “This will certainly help the players to [acclimatise] to the conditions and prepare better for the ICC World Test Championship series.”Bangladesh’s Test cricketers had a training camp in Chattogram that was disrupted because of the anti-government protests across the country last month. There have been political rallies inside the Shere Bangla premises, too.The BCB ended up managing to send the high-performance team to Australia, and the Bangladesh A team to Pakistan. The latter’s departure was delayed by a few days, and the team reached Islamabad on Saturday. Bangladesh A will play two four-day matches and three one-day matches in Pakistan, which will run alongside the senior team’s Test matches in Rawalpindi and Karachi. The Bangladesh squad for the Tests is expected to be announced on Sunday.

Sarfaraz Khan ground down Rest of India (ROI) on day two, becoming the first-ever batter to make a double-century for Mumbai in the Irani Cup. He was part of a 131-run stand with Ajinkya Rahane (97) for the fifth wicket and a 183-run stand with Tanush Kotian (64) for the seventh wicket as ROI toiled away for 138 overs in Lucknow.The day started with Mumbai on 237 for 4. Sarfaraz and Rahane saw off the first 10 overs of the day before Rahane fell three short of a hundred to a bouncer from Yash Dayal, with the new ball under two overs away from being available.Related

• Rahane and Sarfaraz fifties drive Mumbai on opening day

ROI took it a ball into the 81st over and were rewarded almost immediately as Mukesh Kumar castled Shams Mulani. Kotian joined Sarfaraz with Mumbai on 280 for 6 and started watchfully. Then boundaries began to trickle in as the duo put away loose balls.Prasidh Krishna, running in from mid-on, dropped a tough chance handed by Sarfaraz on 97*, off Manav Suthar’s bowling. Sarfaraz brought up his 15th first-class century and the fifty partnership in the following (92nd) over.Mumbai’s domination was cemented in the afternoon session where they scored 111 runs off 26 wicketless overs at a run rate of 4.27. Sarfaraz set the tone with a boundary each off Suthar and Prasidh in the first two overs of the session.Then, with the ball just under 25 overs old, Sarfaraz smashed Suthar for a six and a four in the 105th over before Kotian flicked Saransh Jain for another six two balls later. Sarfaraz brought up his 150 and Mumbai their 400 with relative ease. Kotian had four boundaries when he reached his fifty before Mumbai finished the session on 449 for 6.Prasidh struck twice in two balls in the third over after tea, knocking over Kotian with a slower ball and trapping Mohit Avasthi lbw with an inswinger next ball. But Shardul Thakur’s entry at No. 10 showed Mumbai’s batting depth and allowed Sarfaraz, on 186*, to bat without having to worry about farming the strike.Sarfaraz took down Suthar for a six and a four in successive overs before bringing up his double-ton off his 253rd ball in the 127th over. Wasim Jaffer, Ravi Shastri and Yashasvi Jaiswal – all from Mumbai – have previously made double-centuries in the Irani Cup, but while representing ROI.The physio was often out on the field in the evening, allowing only 18 overs of play in the final session while Mumbai cruised past 500. Sarfaraz overturned a caught-behind call off Mukesh on 211, denying him a five-for. Thakur fell against the run of play in what turned out to be the last over of the day, playing on off Saransh for 36.A first-innings lead will be enough for Mumbai to clinch the trophy if the match ends in a draw.

Glenn Maxwell has been named to make his red-ball return in Cricket Australia’s Second XI four-day competition after being named in Victoria’s 12-man squad to play Queensland at the Junction Oval starting on Monday.Maxwell was named for his first four-day match in over 12 months as he begins a build towards potentially going on Australia’s Test tour of Sri Lanka early next year.It is unlikely Maxwell will play in Victoria’s next Sheffield Shield match which starts on October 20, just three days after the completion of the Second XI game. Some of Australia’s Test players including Steven Smith, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc are set for that match while Scott Boland is likely to make his Shield return in that game as well.Related

• Maxwell set for Shield return with Test hopes on the horizon

• Sheffield Shield preview: Western Australia chase history, Test stars to play early rounds

• CA schedule day-night Shield games to build pink-ball experience

The rules in CA’s Second XI competition allow for 12 players to play in the game, with 11 batting and 11 bowling, meaning rest and rotation is possible for players within the four days. Maxwell’s workloads are carefully monitored given the horrific leg injury he suffered two years ago. He turns 36 on the first day of the match and has played only two first-class matches in the last five years.Victoria coach Chris Rogers was very happy to have Maxwell playing with some of Victoria’s young Second XI players while being unsure when he will have him available for Shield cricket.”This is an opportunity for us,” Rogers said. “We’ve got a lot of young players who are playing, and anytime you get to throw in someone with that experience and talk about batting and fielding and strategy, that’s great for us as well.”Maxwell looks set to play the one-day domestic fixture against New South Wales on October 25, which could feature Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, but he is unlikely to be available for the third or fourth Shield rounds for Victoria which overlap with Australia’s ODI and T20I series against Pakistan.He would be available for Victoria’s fifth and sixth Shield games before the BBL begins and appears set to play at least one of those. Victoria play Queensland on November 24 at the Gabba in a pink-ball game under lights before hosting Queensland at the MCG on December 6.Australia’s selectors could also give him a run in a two-day pink-ball Prime Minister’s XI game against India in Canberra starting on November 30.Maxwell is a serious contender for Australia’s Test tour of Sri Lanka given his Test experience in the subcontinent. Maxwell was part of the Sri Lanka tour in 2022 and nearly played the first Test in Galle, with his ability as a spin-bowling allrounder seen as an asset in spinning conditions, especially if the Tests are set to be low-scoring and fast moving.All of his seven Test matches have been played on the subcontinent with his last coming in Bangladesh in 2017. The selectors have indicted previously that Shield cricket has no relevance to Test cricket in Sri Lanka given the conditions and style of cricket is vastly different but it is understood both Maxwell and Australia’s selectors are keen for him to play some red-ball cricket from a physical conditioning standpoint.Victoria have also named state captain Will Sutherland to play in the Second XI game after he was left out of the first Shield round as he continues to build his bowling following a serious back injury. He will bowl under restrictions.”He’s tracking well,” Rogers said. “This game was probably a bit too far where he was to bowl back-to-back days, and multiple spells. “But he’s ready to go for the Second XI and hopefully that’ll set him up well for the Shield game against New South Wales.”Rogers was unsure whether spin-bowling allrounder Matthew Short would be available for the next Shield game against New South Wales as he recovers from a minor adductor strain he suffered in the final ODI of Australia’s white-ball tour of the UK last month.Victorian Second XI squad: Will Sutherland (capt), Austin Anlezark, Liam Blackford, Dylan Brasher, Xavier Crone, Harry Dixon, Jai Lemire, Reilley Mark, Glenn Maxwell, Jon Merlo, David Moody, Doug Warren

Till Monday evening, Priyansh Arya must have been a relative unknown. But the people who matter at three IPL franchises – Delhi Capitals (DC), Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) – had certainly heard of him, and wanted him in their team for IPL 2025. Eventually, he went to PBKS, who forked out INR 3.80 crore (USD 450,000 approx.) for him. That’s what hitting six sixes in an over in a competitive local T20 league can do.But he did more than just hit those six sixes for South Delhi Superstarz at the inaugural Delhi Premier League in August this year. He was the leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 608 runs in ten innings opening the batting for his team.

Arya loves hitting sixes down the ground

In the very first match of the Delhi Premier League, against Old Delhi 6, Arya hit 57 runs in 30 balls, and followed it up with 82 in 51 balls against Central Delhi Kings, hitting seven sixes. The carnage continued. Against East Delhi Strikers, he scored 53 in 32 balls, against Old Delhi 6, he hit 107 runs in 55 balls, and against Central Delhi he again scored 88 in 42 balls.Then came that innings that made headlines. South Delhi Superstarz scored 308 for 5 in their 20 overs against North Delhi Strikers, and Arya contributed 120 in 50 balls in that. That was the game in which he hit Manan Bharadwaj, a left-arm spinner who even sent one delivery in right-handed to try something different, for six sixes in an over, the 12th of the innings. All of Arya’s sixes were in the “V” down the ground.Overall, his 608 runs came at a strike rate of 198.69 and an average of 67.56. He his 43 sixes in those ten innings.Priyansh Arya on Ayush Badoni: “I interact with him a lot on and off the pitch and his experience is very useful to me”•Delhi Premier League T20

On to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

The performance in the Delhi Premier League put Arya in the Delhi squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season – he had played the tournament, as well as the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, the previous season too – and while run-scoring hasn’t been as easy there as it was at the Delhi Premier League, he hit 102 in 43 balls, with five fours and ten sixes, against Uttar Pradesh. The timing couldn’t have been better: that century came November 23, the day before the IPL 2025 auction began.More importantly, take a look at who the Uttar Pradesh bowling line-up had: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shivam Mavi and Piyush Chawla. Apart from Bhuvneshwar, everyone conceded runs at more than ten an over.

The Gautam Gambhir connection

Arya’s parents are teachers in a government school in Delhi, and he trains under Sanjay Bhardwaj, Gautam Gambhir’s former coach.”When I was young, I used to watch Gautam Gambhir sir bat in the nets,” Arya told ESPNcricinfo during the Delhi Premier League. “When I grew up a little, I started talking to him. Apart from this, Ayush Badoni [of Lucknow Super Giants] is my good friend. He is also our captain in the Delhi Premier League and he has IPL experience also. So I interact with him a lot on and off the pitch and his experience is very useful to me.”

The bidding war at the IPL 2025 auction

DC first bid for Arya when he was introduced at his base price of INR 30 lakh on the second day of the auction in Jeddah. PBKS got involved. The price gradually reached INR 1 crore. RCB got involved around then. The price rose, till PBKS, who had more money to spare at that point, got their man at INR 3.80 crore.

This morning, Litton Das was left out of Bangladesh’s squad for the Champion’s Trophy 2025. By the evening, he was taking his frustrations – if any – out on Durbar Rajshahi at the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He slammed his maiden T20 hundred and batted through the innings for Dhaka Capitals, finishing on 125 not out off 55 balls with ten fours and nine sixes and a strike rate of 227.27. At his side for most of this was Tanzid Hasan, who will be going to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. The pair added 241 off 118 – the second-highest stand in all men’s T20 cricket – and Dhaka finished with 254 for 1, which is the highest total in the BPL.Related

• Litton Das: 'I was dropped because I wasn't performing'

• Litton and Shakib left out of Bangladesh's Champions Trophy squad

Litton got to his hundred off 44 balls, which makes it the second-fastest by a Bangladeshi player in men’s T20s, behind Parvez Hossain’s 42-ball hundred for Fortune Barishal in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup in December 2020. He finished fourth on the list of highest scores at the BPL, behind two efforts from Chris Gayle and one from Tamim Iqbal.Rajshahi had elected to bowl in the game and it seemed like a sound decision when Dhaka got to 22 for 0 after four overs. But then Tanzid took 21 off a Sunzamul Islam over, and Dhaka never looked back. By the end of this over, the fifth, Litton was 10 off 9, but he got going in the next, the last of the Powerplay, hitting SM Meherob for 4, 6, 4 off consecutive deliveries.Litton Das got to his hundred off 44 balls, the second-fastest by a Bangladeshi in men’s T20s•Dhaka Capitals

Litton brought up his fifty in the ninth over, with a six off a no-ball. By the end of ten overs Dhaka were 115 for 0 and they just kept going. Tanzid also brought up his fifty with a six, off Ryan Burl to end the 11th. Litton continued the pair’s pattern of bringing up their landmarks with a boundary, getting to his hundred in the 16th with a four off Shafiul Islam.Tanzid completed the set in the final over, taking four first ball to bring up his hundred, before hitting Shafiul for six more and then holing out for 108 off 64 balls (six fours, eight sixes, strike rate 168.75).By then Dhaka already had the record for highest total in the BPL, and the wicket hardly slowed them down with Sabbir Rahman and Litton hitting one more six apiece to close out the innings on a dazzling 254 for 1.In response, Rajshahi quickly wilted, falling to 34 for 5 before an unbeaten 47 from Ryan Burl held off the inevitable. Eventually, they were bowled out for 105 in the 16th over, falling short of their target by 150 runs.

Players from Australia and England have called for future multi-format Women’s Ashes series to include three Test matches, although the chances of that becoming a reality are slim, certainly in the next four years.In the upcoming series, the one-off Test – a four-day match under floodlights at the MCG – will be played as the final instalment of the Ashes for the first time since it was introduced in 2013. The match is worth four points for a win and two for a draw meaning one side could be in a position knowing that avoiding defeat would be enough to win the series.England need an outright points victory to regain the Ashes with Australia having clung on in 2023, which was shared 8-8 despite the visitors winning the Test at Trent Bridge, which began the series.Related

• Women's Ashes: Filer threatens to raise the roof, but can England keep Bell out?

• Onus on Australia to take Women's Ashes to the next level

• WPL, Hundred, WBBL given separate windows in new FTP

• Wyatt-Hodge lauds 'ruthless' Australia's batting depth

Prior to the multi-format concept, the Ashes was decided purely on Test cricket. The last time a series involved more than a single game was in 2005 and Australia allrounder Ashleigh Gardner has led the call for three Tests to go alongside the three ODIs and three T20Is.”From [the] workload [point of view], it would be quite tough with how busy our summers are, but personally I would love to see three, three, three,” Gardner, who took 8 for 66 in the previous Ashes Test, said. “It’s obviously going to make the tours a lot longer, [and] not sure where you are going to fit it in, knowing we are still going to have to play overseas competitions as well. It would be interesting to see over the next four to five years where that gets to.”But I know personally I’d love to play more Test cricket against England. Playing the one Test feels like a bit of novelty sometimes. We obviously have some really good white-ball games against England and other nations around the world but think the way our teams match up it would be a really cool Test series to see who would come out on top for that. But don’t think that’s probably going to change anytime soon.”England batter Tammy Beaumont, another star of the 2023 Test where she made a double-century, backed Gardner’s views on an expansion of the format, saying it would help build the storylines around a series.”Absolutely, I completely agree with Ash,” she said. “I’d love to see three, three, three. The best thing about the Ashes is the narrative, the rivalry, how it builds over time. You saw in the India-Australia men’s Test series, the narratives build in a five-match series, and even in a three-match series, whether it’s the kind of things like [Jasprit] Bumrah always getting the same people out or things like that. As an opening batter, that’s part of why you love the game, that battle of trying to maybe getting one-up on an opening bowler, think it builds even more in Test cricket. That’s why I love getting the whites on and I’d love to see more.”Late last year, the next four-year cycle of the Future Tours Programme was locked in and, while West Indies will return to Test cricket, further matches being added to Ashes series would appear unlikely.”Space in the calendar is a real challenge,” outgoing Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said. “What I would like to see is more countries playing multi-format series more regularly.”Ashleigh Gardner’s 8 for 66 secured Australia a vital victory in the 2023 Ashes Test•Getty Images

The next FTP also sees the Women’s Premier League (WPL) move to January, meaning this Ashes series is the last time for at least four years that Australia will be able to play in the prime summer holiday window with their main international block moving to February and March.While the 2023 Ashes in England, which took place concurrently with the men’s series, drew record crowds, there is a sense in Australia that the game hasn’t quite been able to recapture the momentum that was building when the 2020 T20 World Cup final was played in front of 86,174 at the MCG only for Covid to shut down the world a few days later. Alongside the MCG Test in this Ashes, T20Is will also be played at the SCG and Adelaide Oval.”This is such an important series for us,” Gardner said. “The Ashes in general in such a big series, pretty much just behind the World Cup for us in my opinion. We’ve been so successful over the last five or six years, it’s probably one part of our game we’ve been a little bit disappointed with is not seeing as many people as we would have like.”Obviously to have the T20 World Cup five years ago now and to pretty much sell out the MCG, then for Covid to kind of put dampener on the path Australian cricket was going… but fingers crossed after a pretty successful men’s Test series people can come and support our series as well because we are going up against our fiercest rivals and they just went against theirs.”

Virat Kohli believes India have a squad “ready to take on the world” for the next eight years, following their victory in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in Dubai.”When you leave, you want to leave the team in a better place, I feel we’ve a squad that’s ready to take on the world for the next eight years,” Kohli said on the broadcast after the game. “Shubman [Gill] has been outstanding, Shreyas [Iyer] beautiful, KL [Rahul] has finished games, and Hardik [Pandya] has been superb with the bat.”Kohli said the Champions Trophy triumph somewhat made up for India’s Test series loss in Australia. “It’s been amazing. We wanted to bounce back after a tough Australian tour, and wanted to win a big tournament, and we ended up doing that. So it’s an amazing feeling.”Related

• Virat Kohli tells BCCI that he wants to retire from Test cricket

• Why Axar Patel at No. 5 has been a good idea for India

• India's spin quartet pulls the strings in dominant display

• Stats – Four drops, a spin strangle, and 15 tosses lost in a row

• Rohit, Rahul, spinners lead India to third Champions Trophy title

Standing beside Gill during the celebrations, Kohli was asked for his thoughts on leaving the dressing room a better place when he eventually finishes up. “There’s so much talent in the dressing room,” he said. “They’re trying to take their game further and we [seniors] are just happy to be of help, sharing our experience and that’s what makes this Indian team so strong.”These are the things you want to play for [titles], playing under pressure and putting your hand up. The whole team, everyone has put their hands up sometimes or other during the course of the tournament. Everyone has put up impactful performances, we’ve been part of an amazing team, the amount of work we’ve done in the practice sessions, it feels great.”Kohli had words of appreciation for New Zealand. “Amazing, we’ve always been in awe with what they can do with the limited number of players they have had over the years, and just maximise their talent,” he said. “Every time we played against them in big games, we knew they were going to come with a set plan. No team in world cricket executes plans as well as they do.”Every fielder knows where the bowler is going to bowl, you can sense it, they’re all attacking the ball, they know the bowler is going to be accurate. Credit to them for being the most consistent team in the last few tournaments. The reason for that is the immense belief in their skills, and the amount of talent they have they utilise that to the maximum.”They’re easily the best fielding side in the world, a huge shout-out to them. They continue to display why they are one of the top teams in the world. Again, a great campaign. It’s sad to see a very good friend [Kane Williamson] on the losing side, but I’ve been on the losing side a couple of times when he has been on the winning side, so only love between us.”