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Tanveer Sangha still wants to become a three-format bowler for Australia, as the spinner prepares to play his first Sheffield Shield match in almost two years.Sangha will turn out for New South Wales against Queensland on Monday, marking his first red-ball game for his state since March 2022.In the time since, the legspinner has played two ODIs and seven T20Is for Australia while missing large parts of Shield action while overseas or injured.Related

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Such is Sangha’s predicament, the 22-year-old has now played more white-ball matches for his country than red-ball matches at first-class level. But despite that, Sangha maintains red-ball cricket can still be a priority as he hopes to one day add a Baggy Green to his limited-overs playing caps.”I definitely think all three formats is definitely up for play,” Sangha said. “There’s plenty of time still. Everyone says I’m young. I’m 22. You’re not going to peak until late 20s.”It’s the most difficult skill in cricket. I’m still learning, trying to pull leggies, wrong’uns, toppies, sliders and executing all these different variations. I’m just trying to think long term rather than short. It’s a long career if I do make it and I do get through all of it.”Sangha does not have to look far to see the impact of white-ball cricket on Test hopefuls. Adam Zampa has long stated his desire to earn a Baggy Green, but Sangha’s NSW and Australian white-ball team-mate has played only two Shield games in the past four seasons.Glenn Maxwell is another player virtually devoid of Shield matches in recent seasons, with only one since 2019.”That’s what I’m learning now while I was away,” Sangha said. “What can I still do while on a white-ball tour to make sure I’m maintaining my red ball-skills, shapes and bowling style?”Is there something I can just do once a week? Where in one training session I just focus on something specific to red ball, just so I can maintain it That’s the balance that now I’m trying to learn to be an all-format player.”For now, though, Sangha can also see his red-ball game benefiting his white-ball cricket as he maintains a goal of this year’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.”Red ball there’s so much more repetition. There’s so much more trying to get the batter out because they have so much time,” Sangha said. “But in white-ball cricket, they want to come at you. There’s more opportunity to get them out.”In red ball there’s quite a bit of thought and time that goes into trying to plan to get a better out, rather than just trying to be consistent. That’s where the art of spin bowling is. I’ve seen it with Warnie, [Ravichandran] Ashwin and Gaz [Nathan Lyon]. Each season I’m trying to get better and better, and not just be the same bowler in a few years time.”

Azeem Rafiq has criticised the expected return of Colin Graves as Yorkshire chair and urged sponsors to walk out on the club if he is reappointed.Rafiq – who spoke out against the racism he experienced as a Yorkshire player, leading to the club being fined £400,000 and docked 48 points in last year’s County Championship, in addition to sanctions against six individuals – said in a Sunday newspaper column he feared “nothing had changed” in the 40 months since he first raised the issue and that “all we have are empty words and broken promises”.Graves has reportedly been in talks with Yorkshire about a return, having previously been chair between 2012 and 2015, presiding over part of a period in which the club has subsequently admitted to an ECB charge of failing to address the systemic use of racist or discriminatory language. Graves refused to appear as a witness in November 2021 at the parliamentary hearings which followed Rafiq’s complaints and sparked controversy in a TV interview last June when he described allegations of racism – which he said were never raised with him at the time – as “banter”.Related

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“Maybe there is still time to act, still time to show some backbone, but it’s running out fast,” Rafiq wrote in the “I cast my mind back to November 2021, when under intense political pressure the England and Wales Cricket Board suspended Yorkshire from hosting international cricket because of its slow and substandard response to my testimony. In the hours that followed dozens of companies ended their associations with the club.”My question now is for Yorkshire’s current sponsors… Does Colin Graves reflect your values? Is it acceptable to describe racism as banter?”Sponsors found their moral compass before, and they need to find it again, because any organisation supporting this is complicit in it. There is still time for them to act, to leave now and stop Yorkshire stepping back in time and undoing what progress they have made in the past three years.”In 2002, Graves bailed the club out with a multimillion-pound loan, of which some £14.9 million is still owed to the Graves Family Trust. Graves revealed last week that a new ownership offer had been accepted and his consortium was in exclusive negotiations until January 5. Depending on the result of those negotiations, club members could be asked to vote on his proposal at an extraordinary general meeting.”I still believe that everyone deserves a second chance,” Rafiq said. “If Graves wants to lead the club and the game in a positive direction he can’t just say the right things, he needs to do the right things – not just words, but action.”He has to show he has accepted what has happened in the past, and is ready to take substantial action and offer clear direction now and when difficult decisions are necessary in the future. It is fair to say there has been no sign of any of this yet.”

Following a 72-ball 87 that lifted New Zealand out of the depths of 55 for 5, Glenn Phillips said his mantra for dealing with the demanding Dhaka pitch was simple: use your bat as much as possible. His counterattacking half-century, his second in Test cricket, meant New Zealand took an eight-run lead over Bangladesh in a low-scoring affair that was in the balance by the end of day three.Phillips struck 13 boundaries all around the dial, but his slog-swept sixes were especially effective. It caught the Bangladesh spinners by surprise and forced them to shorten their lengths, allowing Phillips to attack the ball even more.”I was just trying to play with my bat as much as possible and picking my poison effectively,” Phillips said after the day’s play. “[It was about] understanding that they’re going to bowl really good balls and what do I want to have in my court to be able to counteract those balls. I guess just trying to stick to my game plan as clear as possible. I accepted the fact that the pitch is going to have a little bit of turn and bounce in some stages, and [I was] not getting too caught up in that and just trying to stay calm and as clear as possible.Related

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“For me, it is about using my bat as much as possible. I’m generally not looking to leave many deliveries. I will defend balls that are there to defend and that are really well bowled. But on pitches like this, understanding that sometimes being a little bit more aggressive is almost the best remedy. If you can put a bowler off their length a little bit, then you can get them to bowl in the area that you would feel a bit more comfortable with.”How did Phillips prepare for this innings, having had a full day of rain to see out before resuming on the third morning on 5? Being interested in playing as much as possible, he analysed how the rest of the New Zealand batters made contact with the ball, but did not let that get in the way of his own technique.”I saw a graphic about the different contact points of our batters. Everybody has their different way of going about it. Some guys come a lot further forward, some guys go a lot further back. It’s just understanding what works best for that individual. For me, trying to stay a little bit leg side of it and use my bat as much as possible was probably the key.”Phillips could not go on to a hundred, however, and had seemed visibly upset about something when he nicked behind on 87. He explained what had happened: “Just at the last second when Shoriful [Islam] got into his delivery stride, someone walked out from the side of the sight screen. I should have pulled away but it was also in my head. It’s probably a bit too late and then I didn’t watch the ball and I didn’t pull away; I did neither and I nicked it off.”Phillips said that New Zealand would not want to be chasing much more than 180-200 heading into the fourth innings. “Obviously we had a bit of a tough start in our first innings and a couple of great catches from the Bangladesh boys, which put us on the back foot quite quickly. I think if the pitch doesn’t change – which I think with the time it has had under covers it will be pretty similar throughout the whole game – I would probably say anywhere around that 180-200 mark is going to be a good score and tough to chase.”Not impossible to do, but obviously it’s going to take some work, and we’re going to have to stick to our game plans really well. But if we can keep them to anything under 200 we’ll be really happy.”

Former New Zealand batter Lou Vincent can resume being involved in domestic cricket or any level below that with immediate effect, after the ECB revised the life ban imposed on him in 2014 for corruption.In a media statement on Friday, the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) said it was revoking the life ban having received from Vincent “compelling evidence demonstrating the very highest levels of contrition and remorse and the very best efforts to make amends wherever possible”.The CDC’s decision comes in response to a “clemency” appeal by Vincent. In 2014, the ECB had imposed a life ban on Vincent barring him from playing cricket at any level, entering any cricket ground, or coaching the game in a professional capacity after he admitted in an open letter that he was a “cheat”. Vincent had been handed 11 life-bans relating to events that occurred during his time at Sussex in 2008 and seven offences committed at the 2011 Champions League Twenty20.Related

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Gerard Elias, representing the CDC, said that it had heard not just Vincent before it’s decision to revise the ban but also the ICC, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the ECB. Elias said that “cogent and compelling” reasons were needed for the life ban to be downgraded, something Vincent provided. “In particular, this decision was taken in the light of Mr Vincent’s conduct following his sanction,” Elias said, “Namely: full and frank admissions and the fullest disclosures; immediate and total co-operation with cricket and civil authorities in various parts of the world; and, participation in anti-corruption education programmes for NZC and the ECB. I am satisfied that these factors justify an amelioration of the original sanction at this time.”In his first reaction to the relaxation of the life ban, Vincent, who’s now 45, said he was “very fortunate” to be able to return to cricket. “I made a terrible mistake many years ago, which I’ll deeply regret for the rest of my life, and I remain very sorry for the harm I caused,” Vincent said in a statement issued by NZC. “Being able to return to the cricket environment means the world to me and I feel very fortunate to again have that opportunity.”In the years after being banned, Vincent, who last played for New Zealand in 2007, started a new life as a builder in the small town of Raglan, a surfing destination in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Now, one of the things Vincent said he will look forward to is attending cricket matches with his family, something he was barred from during the life ban.Vincent thanked NZC and the New Zealand Players Association (NZPA), as well as his lawyer Chris Morris, for providing support and paving the way for his return. Heath Mills, the NZPA CEO, said Vincent had played a big hand in educating players in all sports about the evils of match-fixing, something the CDC had recognised. “The penalties have been particularly hard on Lou and he’s shown a lot of humility in owning his mistakes and setting about making amends,” Mills said. “I’m pleased the authorities have recognised his contribution to the fight against match-fixing and, also, his ongoing efforts to educate players and administrators around the world on anti-corruption.”NZC CEO Scott Weenink said though Vincent had “made a mistake… he’s given a lot to the game, not least in helping spread the anti-corruption message over the past decade, and it’s good and right that he can be more involved again.”

Bangladesh: Jahanara AlamEngland: Georgia Adams, Emily Arlott, Hollie Armitage, Hannah Baker, Tammy Beaumont (direct nomination), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey (Melbourne Stars), Kate Cross, Naomi Dattani, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley (direct nomination), Katie George, Dani Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Kirstie Gordon, Bess Heath, Amy Jones (direct nomination), Eve Jones (Melbourne Renegades), Marie Kelly, Heather Knight (Sydney Thunder), Emma Lamb, Katie Levick, Kalea Moore, Fi Morris, Grace Scrivens, Seren Smale, Sophia Smale, Bryony Smith, Linsey Smith, Eleanor Threlkeld, Mady Villiers, Lauren Winfield-Hill (Melbourne Stars), Issy Wong (Hobart Hurricanes), Danni Wyatt (Brisbane Heat)Hong Kong: Kary ChanIreland: Laura Delany, Gaby Lewis, Orla PrendergastIndia: Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur (Melbourne Renegades), Harleen Deol, Hurley Gala, Richa Ghosh, Mannat Kashyap, Amanjot Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy, Shikha Pandey, Shreyanka Patil, Sneh Rana, Jemimah Rodrigues (Melbourne Stars), Meghana Sabbineni, Deepti Sharma, Meghna Singh, Renuka Thakur, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha YadavNetherlands: Sterre KallisNew Zealand: Suzie Bates (direct nomination), Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Eden Carson, Sophie Devine (Perth Scorchers), Kate Ebrahim, Maddy Green (Perth Scorchers), Hayley Jensen (Hobart Hurricanes), Xara Jetly, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr (Brisbane Heat), Jessica Kerr (Brisbane Heat), Rosemary Mair, Nensi Patel, Molly Penfold, Lea Tahuhu (Sydney Thunder), Jess WatkinPakistan: Aiman Anwar, Nida Dar, Iram Javed, Fatima Sana, Syeda Aroob ShahPapua New Guinea: Kaia Arua, Sibona Jimmy, Tanya Ruma, Isabel TouaScotland: Abtaha MaqsoodSouth Africa: Anneke Bosche, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk (Brisbane Heat), Annerie Dercksen, Mignon du Preez (direct nomination), Shabnim Ismail (Melbourne Renegades), Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp (Perth Scorchers), Michaela Kirk, Masbata Klaas, Lizelle Lee (direct nomination), Sune Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Robyn Searle, Chloe Tryon (Sydney Thunder), Faye Tunnicliffe, Jane Winster, Laura Wolvaardt (Adelaide Strikers)Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (Melbourne Renegades)UAE: Esha Oza, Theertha SatishUSA: Tara NorrisWest Indies: Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin (Adelaide Strikers), Afy Fletcher, Chinelle Henry, Qiana Joseph, Hayley Matthews (Melbourne Renegades), Anisa Mohammed, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman, Stafanie Taylor (Adelaide Strikers)Zimbabwe: Mary-Anne Musonda, Kelis Ndhlovu*How retention picks work

• Have been in a Big Bash squad for a minimum of two seasons and haven’t been contracted to another team since
• Have been in a Big Bash squad the previous season
• Was in a team squad last season but did not play in the starting 13 and have been approved by the Big Bash Technical Committee
• Is otherwise approved by the Big Bash Technical Committee due to exceptional circumstances

Rashid Khan, who had been rested for the one-off Test in Mirpur last month, will return to captain Afghanistan in the two-match T20I series against Bangladesh. Rashid is also part of the ODI squad that will be led by Hashmatullah Shahidi.Mohammad Shahzad, who last played international cricket for Afghanistan at the 2021 T20 World Cup, was recalled to the T20I side that also included Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran. Hazratullah Zazai, who had been left out for the T20Is against Pakistan earlier this year, also returned to the squad.Related

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Wafadar Momand, who is uncapped in T20I and ODI cricket, too found a place in the squad alongside Sediqullah Atal, who made his T20I debut against Pakistan in Sharjah in March. Naveen-ul-Haq, who has taken a break from ODI cricket, but is active in T20 cricket, will form the seam attack along with Fazalhaq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai , Fareed Ahmad and Karim Janat. Rashid will be assisted by Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad in the spin attack.The two T20Is against Bangladesh will be played in Sylhet on July 14 and July 16.Afghanistan squad: Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad, Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Sediq Atal, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Wafadar Momand, Farid Ahmad, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Essex squeezed past defending champions Hampshire to reach the Vitality T20 Blast final via a rain-affected chase at Edgbaston. Simon Harmer, who hit the winning runs when Essex lifted the title in 2019, again applied the this time around as he drilled Nathan Ellis into the stands at long-on to complete a five-wicket victory.Having restricted Hampshire to 170 for 7 from 20 overs, Essex were then handed a revised target of 115 from 12 overs, following an extended delay for rain shortly after the start of their innings. Although Hampshire made quick inroads after the resumption to reduce Essex to 50 for 4 after 6.2, the arrival of Australia allrounder Daniel Sams brought a vital injection of power as he and Matt Critchley added 45 in 22 balls.Sams could not finish the job, well held on the boundary by Ross Whiteley, but despite Liam Dawson only conceding seven off the penultimate over to leave 13 needed from the last, Ellis – the hero in Hampshire’s dramatic victory a year ago – was hit for two sixes in three balls to end hopes of a defence.Hampshire’s innings had been a stop-start affair, held together by Joe Weatherley’s 63 off 39 balls. Spinners Critchley and Harmer picked up combined figures of 3 for 55 from their eight overs but a spirited finish from Weatherley and Benny Howell helped get Hampshire up to a par score.The rain delay took eight overs out of the Essex innings and seemed to tip the balance back towards the chasing side, with the requirement now 96 off 55 and the ball skidding around on a greasy outfield. They threatened to squander the advantage by losing 3 for 3 in the space of six ball, but Sams smashed three sixes in an innings of 29 from 17 to put them back on course for only a second Blast final appearance.Essex come out on top of DLS equation
Essex have based much of their approach to this year’s Blast on attacking come what may, so losing a wicket from the third ball of the innings would have been priced in. Adam Rossington’s flip off the hip went fine but Weatherley’s good day continued as he raced around the rope for a tumbling catch. But Essex’s start was scratchy as the clouds began to roll in, with Dan Lawrence dropped off a steepler by Dawson shortly before a heavy downpour took the players off for an hour with the score 19 for 1.The revised target left Essex needing to go at just above ten an over, and that had come down to 68 off 40 when James Fuller struck twice in the space of three balls: Michael Pepper caught at deep third off a wild hack and Lawrence edging a pull to the keeper. When Paul Walter was palpably lbw to John Turner in the next over, Essex were four down with the required rate climbing.”With wickets in hand and a smaller total, you would back yourself to get there,” Harmer said. “But in saying that when you lose wickets it’s tough to start again. You got to have your foot on the accelerator from ball one. So the way that guys like Critch and Dan Sams played, coming in there and striking from ball one was huge for us in the context of that chase.”Weatherley, meanwhile, described Hampshire as “bitterly disappointed” with the outcome. “With Duckworth-Lewis, it only takes is a couple of guys to hit a couple of sixes,” he said. “We still took wickets, if we hadn’t have done it would have looked a lot easier. It certainly feels unfair when they’ve got nine wickets in hand to get ten an over.”Hampshire start well, then stutter
Aaron Beard’s only over, the first of the Hampshire innings, went for 14 as both Ben McDermott and James Vince opened their accounts by whipping leg-side deliveries to the fence. McDermott then picked off Sams’ first two balls, the second via a domineering stride down the pitch before launching over long-off. An edged four wide of the keeper and two more off Sam Cook – one scooped over the head of short fine leg – took McDermott to 29 off 11 but he fell to his next delivery, pulling Cook straight to deep square leg.Hampshire at that point were 39 for 1 after three overs but Vince departed in the next over, chipping Shane Snater to mid-off, and Essex got a hold on the scoring to make it 55 for 2 at the end of the powerplay. The spinners then kept Hampshire in check, with Tom Prest, Dawson and Fuller all falling for middling scores and only five boundaries coming between the seventh and 16th overs.Weatherley, Howell add finishing touch
With wickets falling regularly, Weatherley had to take a circumspect approach, although he did hit one sweetly struck six down the ground off Harmer. Whiteley’s miscue off Walter left Hampshire 130 for 6 after 17, but the arrival of Howell added much-needed impetus at the death, as the seventh-wicket pair mirrored McDermott’s opening burst by lashing another 40 runs to the total. A wide full toss from Sams saw Weatherley bring up his fifty from from 34 balls, and the Hampshire No. 4 then spoiled an otherwise-decent penultimate over from Cook by going deep in his crease to slog-sweep a slower ball for six.Howell then helped plunder 14 off Sams’ closer, including a towering six over long-on the ball after being dropped by Snater, and although he was dismissed off the final delivery his 22 off 11 had given Hampshire something to bowl at. Thanks to the rain, however, and Sams late blows, it would not be quite enough.