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The Australia captain believed she may have been able to battle the pain for one match

Valkerie Baynes17-Oct-2024Alyssa Healy revealed a ruptured plantar fascia in her foot forced her to watch from the sidelines as Australia were knocked out of the T20 World Cup.Australia had hoped to have their captain fit for the semi-final, which underdogs South Africa won by a thumping eight wickets on Thursday night in Dubai, but the decision was taken not to risk her playing.Healy’s absence wasn’t confirmed until the toss but after the game she spoke for the first time about the full extent of the injury to the connective tissue which runs under the arch of the foot from the heel bone to the base of the toes suffered while running between the wickets during Australia’s penultimate group-stage game against Pakistan.Related

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“It’s a bit sore,” she said with heavy taping visible underneath her sock. “I ruptured my plantar fascia. I completely ruptured one and partially ruptured the other.”It was just a matter of function and pain and what I could handle. Ultimately, I probably only had one game in me and probably took the wrong risk at the end of the day.””It was a really hard decision to make last night as to whether or not we were going to give it a punt,” Healy added. “I tried to make the team decision and sat myself down instead of taking the risk.”Healy’s availability for the WBBL, starting on October 27, and India’s tour of Australia from early December, remains unknown.”I don’t know yet,” she said when asked how long she expected to be out for. “We’ll assess that when we get back. WBBL starts next Sunday so we’ll reassess that as we go.”Tonight was always going to be a real long shot and probably what I was going to have to go through to try and play the game wasn’t going to be very pretty either.”It was hard to do everything I needed to do to try and get out there tonight. Ultimately, I made the team decision to sit down and give the girls who are fully fit the opportunity to go out there and do that. It is what it is and hopefully it’s on the mend and we can play some more cricket next week.”Healy was an uncomfortable spectator as Australia scrapped their way to 134 for 5 in an uncharacteristically conservative innings after being sent in to bat first.Ayabonga Khaka and Marizanne Kapp struck early and Australia were kept quiet through the middle overs before Anneke Bosch made light of the run chase with an unbeaten 74, sharing a second-wicket stand worth 96 runs off just 65 balls with Laura Wolvaardt.”It was hard to watch, knowing that you can’t really go out there and help,” Healy said. “But it was good to see so many positives throughout the tournament. It hasn’t ended the way we wanted, but I think we’ve played some amazing cricket.”It’s knockout cricket, right? If you don’t quite turn up on the night and it doesn’t go your way, then you’re out. So, it’s pretty cutthroat. We’ve been in similar positions before and we’ve got ourselves over the line. So, it wasn’t to be tonight, but we’ll learn from that and get better.”Healy was full of praise for stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath, who had led Australia to victory by a thrilling nine runs against India in their final group game.”T-Mac’s had the opportunity to captain in my absence before and done it outstandingly well,” she said. “At the moment that it happened, everyone was pretty aware that things were a little grim and that people were probably going to have to play different roles.”I can’t fault the side at all in their optimism in taking on the challenge and going, ‘you know what, great, I get an opportunity to do this, do that, whether it’s opening the batting captaining, whatever it is’, so that’s where I feel like the group’s in such a great place.”It’s kind of a disappointing night because we’re actually in a really good place as a side and unfortunately one bad night people are going to write about us but I think where we’re at as a team is so exciting for the future.”

Former cricket and rugby league pro to join squads for tour of South Africa and Women’s Ashes

Valkerie Baynes14-Nov-2024Courtney Winfield-Hill will join the England Women’s set-up as an assistant coach for the upcoming tour of South Africa and the Women’s Ashes.Winfield-Hill, a 37-year-old former cricket and rugby league professional who was part of England’s backroom staff on the tour of Ireland in September, will be reunited with the squad in South Africa once she has finished her second-year stint as an assistant coach with WBBL side Brisbane Heat.Winfield-Hill worked with Trent Rockets in the most recent edition of the Women’s Hundred and previously held a regional academy coach role with Northern Diamonds as well as assistant coaching roles at Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League and England Women’s A and U19 squads.”I am really proud to be a part of the set-up,” Winfield-Hill said. “Since working with England teams, I have been made to feel nothing but welcomed and feel the ECB have invested in developing me as a coach.”The development of the domestic game over the last five years has been brilliant to watch and I have taken a lot from recent involvements with the England A, development games and the Ireland tour. South Africa and the Ashes are two exciting series and I am really looking forward to linking up and working with the group.”As a player, Australia-born pace bowler Winfield-Hill – who is the wife of former England and current Brisbane Heat batter Lauren Winfield-Hill – represented Queensland Fire and Brisbane Heat.After moving to England in 2018, she led Leeds Rhinos to a Grand Final and Challenge Cup double in 2019. She represented England at the Rugby League World Cup in 2022 having qualified on residency and now works for the sport’s governing body as Senior Women and Girls’ Partner.Courtney Winfield-Hill switched countries and sports to star for England at the Women’s Rugby League World Cup•Getty Images

Jonathan Finch, Director of England Women’s Cricket, said Winfield-Hill’s dual background in professional sport offered a fresh outlook to the current coaching set-up, led by head coach Jon Lewis.”Courtney has played such an important role in developing the up-and-coming players on our international pathway and adds tremendous value in any environment she is part of,” Finch said. “She will bring a different outlook on the game into the coaching team which will ensure the support we provide to players continually moves forward in what will be an exciting period for the senior team.”

Rahmat became Afghanistan’s highest run-scorer in Tests with an unbeaten 231 while Shahidi struck his second Test ton

Sreshth Shah28-Dec-2024Almost exactly 100 years since Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe became the first pair to achieve it in Test cricket, the Afghanistan pair of Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi batted out a full day of a Test match without being dismissed. In the process, Rahmat became the holder of Afghanistan’s highest Test score (231*), Shahidi struck his second Test ton (141*), and the pair comfortably broke the record for Afghanistan’s best Test partnership (361). All in all, their addition of 330 runs across 95 overs on the third day has taken Afghanistan to 425 for 2, now only 161 behind Zimbabwe’s 586.Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo ranks among one of the best places to bat among Test venues, and Zimbabwe’s first-innings score across the first two days suggested a placid third-day surface, which it was, barring the occasional ball that stayed low.The Zimbabwe bowlers were made to grind by the strong defensive game showed by Rahmat and Shahidi, but they were also let down by their fielding. There were atleast four catches dropped, all off Rahmat, along with a few half-chances. Both spin and pace proved ineffective to get a breakthrough, and the set batters pounced on the loose deliveries from the inexperienced bowlers, a regular occurrence through the day.Starting the day afresh from an overnight partnership of 31 and staring at a mammoth 491-run deficit, Rahmat took a single in the first over of the day to bring up his fifty. But some disciplined bowling from Blessing Muzarabani and Trevor Gwandu kept the run-scoring in check. It took 12 overs for the day’s first boundary when Rahmat picked up one, by cutting left-arm spinner Sean Williams for four, and it would be a ploy he would use against all three Zimbabwe spinners. With no variable turn off the pitch, the pair could also trust their game when coming down the track against the spinners, something Shahidi did often against the part-timers Brandon Mavuta and Brian Bennett. Five overs before lunch, Shahidi brought up his half-century, and two overs later, Rahmat had completed his second Test ton.Rahmat Shah claimed the Afghanistan record for the highest individual score•Zimbabwe Cricket

Then came the first big chance in the 69th over with Afghanistan at 198 for 2 and Rahmat on 107. Bennett got a length ball to turn lesser than expected, Rahmat’s prod brought an outside edge, and the ball flew past Craig Ervine’s left at first slip. On 134, Rahmat survived a dropped chance at long-on, and on 152, escaped two catching opportunities in one Muzarabani over. In between, the pair brought up their 200 stand by finding the fence through midwicket or cover when Muzarabani and Gwandu overpitched their deliveries. And going into tea, Afghanistan were 298 for 2, with 203 runs collected in the first two sessions.Fresh off the two dropped chances in the penultimate over of the second session, Zimbabwe were further deflated at the start of the post-tea session when Rahmat struck three fours off Nyamhuri in the first over after resumption. In the same Nyamhuri spell, Shahidi cut him for four to move to 99 and next ball, picked up a single to claim his second Test ton.As the second new ball also turned old, the boundaries dried up again, but a four through cover from Rahmat to start the 108th over brought up the 300-run stand. When Rahmat moved to 199 with a single soon after, the partnership ticked over to 308, a new record for Afghanistan.Shahidi, the only double-centurion for Afghanistan previously, then watched on from the other end as Rahmat joined him on that list, and it came not in the form of a circumspect single but a full-blooded drive through mid-on. As the ball trickled to the boundary, Rahmat was applauded by his team-mates and by the sparse home crowd as he also went past Shahidi’s score of 200* from 2021 to claim the Afghanistan record for the highest individual score.As the final hour of the day began, and it dawned on Zimbabwe that they might have their first-ever day of Test cricket without a single wicket, Ervine tempted the two batters with some unusual fielding positions – perhaps to buy a wicket or force them to do something different – but there was no budging.If anything, Rahmat and Shahidi reined in their strokes. Only three boundaries were scored in the final 13 overs – only three fours and one six – as it was clear their aim was to finish the day unbeaten. As Williams bowled the final over of the day without much drama, Rahmat and Shahidi walked back with smiles, were congratulated by a few Zimbabwe fielders, and were welcomed with a standing ovation by their team-mates and support staff.

UK prime minister weighs in on England’s clash in Lahore after cross-party group of politicians raise concerns

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2025Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, has called on the ICC to “deliver on their own rules” when it comes to women’s rights in Afghanistan*, as he weighed into the row over England’s scheduled Champions Trophy clash with the country’s cricketers next month.England are due to face Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26 in their second match of the tournament, and the ECB is under pressure to take action after receiving a letter from the Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, signed by a cross-party group of more than 160 politicians, including Jeremy Corbyn, Lord Kinnock and Nigel Farage.The letter raised concerns over the “insidious dystopia” and “sex apartheid” in Afghanistan, where women’s sport has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. The men’s cricket team has played England twice in this period, solely at ICC global events, including a famous victory in their most recent meeting at the 2023 ODI World Cup.”We strongly urge the England men’s team players and officials to speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban,” the letter, addressed to Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, continued.”We also urge the ECB to consider a boycott of the upcoming match against Afghanistan … to send a clear signal that such grotesque abuses will not be tolerated. We must stand against sex apartheid and we implore the ECB to deliver a firm message of solidarity and hope to Afghan women and girls that their suffering has not been overlooked.”Responding to the letter, Gould rejected calls for a boycott, saying that the Taliban regime’s clampdown on women’s rights is a matter that requires a “co-ordinated, ICC-led, response” rather than unilateral action from individual countries.That stance has now received support from Downing Street.”The ICC should clearly deliver on their own rules and make sure that they’re supporting women’s cricket as the ECB do,” the prime minister’s spokesman said. “That’s why we support the fact that the ECB are making representations to the ICC on this issue.”The erosion of women’s and girls’ rights by the Taliban is clearly appalling. We’ll work with the ECB on this issue, we’re in contact with them. Ultimately this is a matter for the ICC in relation to the Champions Trophy.”The situation echoes the dilemma that England’s cricketers faced at the 2003 World Cup, when Nasser Hussain’s team were urged to boycott their group-stage match with Zimbabwe, then led by Robert Mugabe – a decision that was ultimately left to the players, and resulted in a points forfeiture that scuppered their qualification for the tournament’s latter stages.Gould’s response to Antoniazzi confirmed that the ECB has no intention of engaging in a bilateral series with Afghanistan while the Taliban regime is in power, but insisted that their participation at ICC events was a matter for the governing body as a whole, and not for individual members.”The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime,” Gould wrote. “The ICC constitution mandates that all member nations are committed to the growth and development of women’s cricket. In line with this commitment, the ECB has maintained its position of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan,” he continued.”While there has not been a consensus on further international action within the ICC, the ECB will continue to actively advocate for such measures. A coordinated, ICC-wide approach would be significantly more impactful than unilateral actions by individual members.”We acknowledge and respect the diverse perspectives on this global issue,” Gould added. “We understand the concerns raised by those who believe a boycott of men’s cricket could inadvertently support the Taliban’s efforts to suppress freedoms and isolate Afghan society.”It’s crucial to recognise the importance of cricket as a source of hope and positivity for many Afghans, including those displaced from the country. The ECB is committed to finding a solution that upholds the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan while also considering the broader impact on the Afghan people.”We will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with the UK government, other stakeholders, the ICC, and other international cricket boards to explore all possible avenues for meaningful change.”*1900 GMT – This story was updated with Starmer’s response

A win will keep them in contention for the Shield final and their bowlers performed as a unit on the third day

AAP08-Mar-2025Queensland are on the verge of a crucial Sheffield Shield win after their bowlers quelled Tasmania’s fightback on day three at Bellerive.All seven batters at the top of the Tasmania order made starts in their second innings, but no one could replicate the day one century from Queensland and Test opener Usman Khawaja that set the tone for the game.Instead, Queensland reached 26 for 1 at stumps in their second innings on Saturday, needing another 56 to win. Barring a miracle Tasmanian bowling performance, the visitors will wrap up the match before lunch on Sunday.Related

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Queensland started the second-last Shield round in second-last place, but their likely win will keep them in contention for the final.Michael Neser put Queensland in the box seat on day two with his six wickets in 39 balls, then took another two on Saturday, giving him eight for the game.But after being made to follow-on 264 runs behind, Tasmania put up a fight in their second innings. They resumed on at 70 for 1 and opener Jake Weatherald top-scored with 71 as Tim Ward, Jordan Silk and Test allrounder Beau Webster also scored half-centuries.Neser made the first breakthrough, trapping Weatherald lbw after he had hit nine fours and a six in his 81-ball innings.After Ben McDermott’s great catch off the legspin of Mitch Swepson dismissed Ward, Doran and Silk put on 74 for the fourth wicket to give Tasmania some hope that they could put themselves back in the game.Jack Wildermuth then had Doran caught behind and, crucially, Mark Steketee trapped Silk lbw in the next over to put the brakes on the fightback.Webster rallied the tailenders to ensure Queensland would bat again, but the wickets fell steadily – including a brutal yorker from Neser that bowled Kieran Elliott.Steketee was the pick of the attack, taking 3 for 87 from 23 overs as Xavier Bartlett and Swepson claimed two wickets apiece.Riley Meredith had Matt Renshaw caught behind for 11 to start Queensland’s second innings but Khawaja and Jack Clayton will aim to wrap up the match on Sunday.

Visitors win basement battle despite all-round efforts of Amanda-Jade Wellington

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay15-Jun-2025Bess Heath demonstrated maturity aplenty to carry Durham to a four-wicket victory over Somerset in the Vitality Blast women’s competition at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.Chasing 139 to win, the visitors were indebted to the 23-year-old middle order batter, who scored 38 not out from 25 balls under pressure to help the visitors reach their target with 11 deliveries to spare. Suzie Bates top-scored with 49, while Somerset seamer Mollie Robbins returned figures of 3 for 22 in a losing cause.Put into bat, Somerset were in good shape at 75 for 2, thanks to knocks of 36 and 31 from Bex Odgers and Niamh Holland respectively. But Sophia Turner and Mady Villiers claimed two wickets apiece as Somerset lost their way during the middle overs, and it required a breezy 31 from Amanda-Jade Wellington to haul the cider county to a modest 138 for 7.Durham have now won two of their six games in the short format, but Somerset remain without a victory and continue to prop up the table.Eager to make amends with the bat following a series of modest scores, Somerset made a disappointing start, Amelie Munday chasing a wide delivery from Grace Thompson and finding backward point in the opening over. Doing her best to redress the balance, Odgers pulled Lauren Filer for six, while Holland twice drove Thompson to the boundary as the powerplay gathered momentum.Katie Levick’s legspin proved expensive as Durham struggled to stem the flow of runs in the face of aggressive batting from Somerset’s second-wicket pair, Holland ramping Filer for another six as the partnership realised 50. The stand was worth 58 when Holland, having contributed a progressive 31 from 20 balls, attempted to drive Villiers over the top and found long-on with the score 63 for 2 in the eighth.Odgers advanced her score to 36 from 33 balls and had a half-century in her sights, only to then dance down the pitch to Sophia Turner and be comprehensively stumped by Mia Rogers as Somerset slipped to 75 for 3 at the halfway stage.Sensing an opportunity to apply pressure, the experienced Bates and Levick successfully restricted the scoring and Sophie Luff and Fran Wilson, tied down and unable to find the boundary, both succumbed to frustration as the home side slipped to 91 for 5. Charlie Dean came and went quickly, removed by Levick, as Durham continued to turn the screw and Somerset were 102 for 6 when Wellington joined Alex Griffiths in the middle.Again cast in the role of saviours, the seventh-wicket pair dug their team out of a hole, adding 36 from 22 balls to disrupt the opposition bowlers and carry Somerset to their highest short-format total of the season so far. Adept at working the field, Australia international Wellington scored 31 off 17 balls and accrued five fours, while Griffiths finished unbeaten on 11.Somerset needed early wickets and Robbins removed Leah Dobson for 11 in the fifth, but the indefatigable Bates proved an altogether different proposition. The New Zealand international dominated the reply, contributing four boundaries in a powerplay that yielded 49 and staging an opening stand of 38 with Dobson to afford the chase solid foundations.Villiers took on Wellington’s legspin, harvesting a brace of fours before falling to the Australian with the score 49 for 2, but Hollie Armitage proved obdurate in contributing 14 at a run a ball in an alliance of 38 for the third wicket with Bates. Griffiths bowled Armitage to give the home side renewed hope and, when Robbins had Bates caught at mid-on in the 13th, Durham were 87 for 4, needing a further 52 at 6.5 an over with two new batters at the crease.Robbins was enjoying herself and she induced Rogers to hole out to Griffiths in the deep to further reduce the visitors to 93 for 5, at which point the contest was back in the balance. Katherine Fraser was run out by Griffiths for 10 to set-up a potentially interesting finish, but Heath demonstrated sound temperament in an unbroken stand of 20 with Thompson to settle the outcome.

Mitchell Starc strikes back with an early inroad before stumps in his 100th Test

Andrew McGlashan12-Jul-2025Australia suffered a dramatic collapse of 7 for 68 under the new Sabina Park floodlights as West Indies’ quicks enjoyed the conditions with Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph and Justin Greaves sharing all ten before Mitchell Starc struck back with an early inroad in his 100th Test.Starc, who had earlier collected a duck, went close on numerous occasions before removing debutant Kevlon Anderson, who inside-edged onto the stumps attempting a drive. West Indies had been forced into a makeshift opening pair of Anderson and Brandon King after Mikyle Louis, who had been recalled in place of the struggling Kraigg Brathwaite the match after he reached 100 Tests, and John Campbell picked up injuries in the field.Losing just one wicket in 45 minutes against this Australia attack with a pink ball under lights could be considered a success with King and Roston Chase doing well to see out the day. As has been the case in the first two Tests, the value of Australia’s total will only really be clear once West Indies’ innings develops.Related

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Australia were handily placed on 129 for 2 shortly before the dinner break with Cameron Green and Steven Smith well set, but Green fell to a wonderful delivery from Seales shortly before the break and then things started to happen quickly in the final session. Shamar Joseph removed Smith and Beau Webster while Travis Head fell to a stunning catch by substitute Anderson Phillip.Seales, Shamar Joseph and Greaves carried West Indies’ bowling after Alzarri Joseph was forced to leave the field due to back problems and was sent for scans. Meanwhile, Louis injured his knee when it was jarred in the outfield and Campbell took a blow in the chest at short leg.Substitute Anderson Phillip pulled off a stunning catch to dismiss Travis Head•Associated Press

The day had significant intrigue before a ball was bowled when it was confirmed that Australia had omitted Nathan Lyon for the first time where he was available for a Test since 2013 as they went with an all-pace attack. West Indies, meanwhile, thought conditions warranted recalling their specialist spinner Jomel Warrican. There was purchase for both West Indies’ spinners but considerable assistance for quicks throughout on a well-grassed surface, with life very difficult as day turned to night.The tempo of the early exchanges belied what would come later. Sam Konstas, who was dropped on 1, and Usman Khawaja battled through the first hour for 21 runs and went on to compile the longest opening stand of the series. By lunch, Australia were 50 for 1, having struck just four boundaries, although a sluggish outfield was partly to blame for that.Konstas was given a life when debutant Anderson spilled a chance at third slip in the fifth over and was skittish in his running early on, twice being at risk of being dismissed had there been direct hits. Having done some hard work against the new ball, he was trapped lbw by Greaves to leave him one innings in the series to make a mark.West Indies thought they had Green before the interval when Seales won an appeal lbw, but Green reviewed with a second to spare and the ball was sliding past leg stump. Aside from that moment, Green built on the positive work of the second innings in Grenada and, after tea, unfurled a couple of crisp drives.Khawaja had absorbed a lot of pressure and good deliveries before falling to a stunning catch by Shai Hope as he edged Shamar Joseph from around the wicket.Australia left out a fit Nathan Lyon for the first time since 2013•Associated Press

Smith was quickly out of the blocks, pulling his first boundary powerfully through midwicket, and took three more in a row off Greaves before being given a life on 24 when Warrican couldn’t cling on to a stinging return catch. With Alzarri Joseph off the field, Chase had to juggle his pace bowlers and resorted to twin spin of himself and Warrican for a period in the middle session.Shortly before dinner, Seales, who has been outstanding through the series, produced a wonderful delivery which straightened to Green to clip the top of the bails – replays showed that if the ball hadn’t deviated, it would have hit the middle of the bat.When Smith and Head resumed under the glare of the floodlights, it was clear that batting would be tough and that the batters weren’t going to hang around. Smith was beaten by the first ball of the session and then edged wide of the slips before being distracted by the clock at the Courtney Walsh End, which needed covering with a black cloth.Smith slashed an edge over the cordon against Shamar Joseph before a repeat was well caught by King at first slip. There was no repair act from Webster this time as he edged behind.Head hadn’t hit top gear as he initially tried to repel the bowling, but then attempted to launch Greaves over the off side and was spectacularly held by Phillips, running to his right of mid-off and flying horizontally to hold the catch.Bat-throwing time had clearly been declared. Alex Carey had already lofted a six over mid-off against Greaves and then edged behind. Pat Cummins launched three sixes as he flung the bat at nearly everything before picking out long-on. Shamar Joseph took his series tally to 17 wickets when he removed Josh Hazlewood.

Pair join Northern Superchargers after Pakistan players were snubbed in draft earlier this year

Matt Roller04-Aug-2025Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim have signed contracts with Northern Superchargers, assuaging concerns that Pakistani players would be locked out of the Hundred under new Indian owners.The ECB insisted earlier this year that the identity of new investors – four out of eight are based in India, and a further two are Indian-American – would have no effect on the involvement of Pakistani players in the Hundred. “We’re aware of that in other regions,” Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, said in February, “but that won’t be happening here.”Eyebrows were raised when no men’s players were signed at March’s draft, in contrast to previous seasons. But the snub could also be explained by the unavailability of Pakistan’s white-ball squads (due to a tour of West Indies and a tri-series in the UAE), their recent struggles in T20Is, and the late pullouts of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah last year.Related

• Pakistani paranoia fuelled by Hundred snub, but reasons may be closer to home

• Gould: Hundred IPL links won't affect Pakistan player involvement

Then, on Monday, Amir and Imad became the first two Pakistan players to sign deals for the 2025 season, as late replacements at the Superchargers for Ben Dwarshuis (full season) and Mitchell Santner (two games) due to international duty. The Superchargers’ incoming owners are Indian media tycoons the Sun Group, who will assume operational control on October 1.Amir and Imad will link up with Ben Stokes in the Hundred, who revealed on Monday that he will play an informal, mentoring role at the Superchargers as he starts his rehabilitation from the shoulder injury that ruled him out of England’s fifth Test with India. Stokes opted out of the Hundred earlier this year, but will support Andrew Flintoff and Harry Brook.”You will see me knocking about the Hundred, not in a playing way,” Stokes said. “I had to make a decision in January if I would participate in the comp, but that was after my hamstring surgery. I said I’d still like to be a part of it, so I will be milling about. I won’t have a notebook and pen. I said I would come and give my time to the team. I will be cracking on with my rehab.”Most of England’s Test batters will be available throughout the Hundred, though most of their fast bowlers will be resting. London Spirit have roped in John Simpson as their wicketkeeping to face Oval Invincibles in Tuesday’s curtain-raiser, with Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith both rested, while Glamorgan allrounder Dan Douthwaite has also signed a short-term deal.Mark Chapman and Farhan Ahmed have replaced Rachin Ravindra (international duty, four games) and Marchant de Lange (injury, full tournament) at Manchester Originals, while West Indies allrounder Akeal Hosein will deputise for South Africa’s George Linde at Trent Rockets for two matches.

The Hundred replacements:

London Spirit: John Simpson and Dan Douthwaite to replace Jamie Smith and Ollie Pope for August 5
Manchester Originals: Mark Chapman to replace Rachin Ravindra (August 6-13), Farhan Ahmed to replace Marchant de Lange; Amuruthaa Surenkumar to replace Ella McCaughan
Northern Superchargers: Imad Wasim to replace Mitchell Santner (August 7-10); Mohammad Amir to replace Ben Dwarshuis
Trent Rockets: Akeal Hosein to replace George Linde (August 10-14)

Precocious 42-ball century breaks London’s spirit to book place in Sunday’s final at Lord’s

Valkerie Baynes30-Aug-2025Northern Superchargers 214 for 5 (Perrin 101, Litchfield 35, Carey 31*) beat London Spirit 172 for 9 (Redmayne 50*, Knott 40, Ballinger 3-22, Sutherland 3-40) by 42 runsJust one delivery stood between 18-year-old Davina Perrin and a personal piece of history, but that became a mere detail when her astonishing 42-ball century powered Northern Superchargers to a record total and into Sunday’s Hundred final against Southern Brave at Lord’s.Perrin fell just short of Harry Brook’s 41-ball record for the fastest century in the competition, but her precocious efforts were more than enough to settle Saturday’s Eliminator against London Spirit at The Kia Oval, as Superchargers won by a thumping 42 runs.”One ball? Damn,” was Perrin’s response to Sky Sports immediately after the Superchargers’ innings ended on 214 for 5, the highest total of the women’s Hundred competition to date. “I’d better hit the gym so I can send those sixes a bit further.”But this was not a moment to dwell what her remarkable innings was not. This is what the women’s Hundred is about, unearthing a star of the future in a show that had first-time viewers and loyal fans transfixed.Perrin usurped the only other century in the history of the women’s competition, scored by Tammy Beaumont off 52 balls in 2023. Ending on 101 off 43, Perrin propelled Superchargers well beyond the previous team best of 181 for 3, set up for Welsh Fire by that Beaumont ton. And Perrin played the leading hand in knocking defending champions London Spirit out of the tournament.Perrin was part of the Birmingham Phoenix squads in 2022 and 2023 without playing a game, before moving to Superchargers last season, scoring 33 runs across four matches. Her previous innings of note this year had been an unbeaten 72 in her second match of the campaign as Superchargers defeated Trent Rockets by eight wickets in Nottingham.Her latest knock was impeccable. Perrin reached fifty off just 25 balls, including three sixes, over deep square leg, over long-off and then long-on all in the space of 13 deliveries.Perrin dominated a 105-run opening stand•ECB/Getty Images

She clubbed Eva Gray for a second six in one set of five – Perrin’s fourth of five in all – brilliantly over long-on again to leave Spirit in no doubt that hers was the wicket they needed. But she looked unstoppable when she cleared the boundary once more with an 82-metre slog over deep midwicket off Charli Knott.When Alice Davidson-Richards was run out attempting a second run, it ended a 49-ball opening stand worth 105.With the fastest century in the competition in sight, Perrin pulled Sarah Glenn to deep midwicket, the ball landing millimetres short of hitting the boundary cushion on the full, and she followed up immediately with another four cut expertly through backward point.Phoebe Litchfield chimed in with six, four, four off Dean as she built a handy 35 in 19 balls.While extra cover denied Perrin a run off the 41st ball she faced, that did nothing to dampen her celebrations off Gray’s next ball, as a superb late cut for four brought up her century.And she couldn’t remove the smile from her face as she strode off the field amid warm handshakes from her opponents and a standing ovation from the crowd when she was run out off a deflection from bowler Knott, after Annabel Sutherland had driven hard back down the pitch.”It felt pretty brilliant,” Perrin said. “It’s not every day you get to find yourself in that state of flow and in the zone. I’m not thinking a lot when I’m in a state of mind like that. I’m typically looking at taking every ball as it comes.”There was a time when the keeper turned to me and went, ‘Have you thought about your hundred yet?’ and I was like, ‘What, as in the competition?’ Then I was like, ‘Oh no, the hundred.’ That was the first time I glanced up at my score and I thought, ‘Ooh, this is going alright actually.'”Perrin’s innings took her into fourth place on this year’s run-scorers’ list with 243, behind only former Australia captain Meg Lanning, current Australia regular Litchfield, and England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt.Grace Harris, now sixth on that list after an explosive start to the tournament, had a day to forget. Her only set of five, the last of Superchargers’ innings, went for 22 runs as Nicola Carey powered her way to an unbeaten 31 off just 12 balls.Harris was then bowled for a second-ball duck as Grace Ballinger put an early dent in Spirit’s response with the first of her 3 for 22 in 20 balls. Ballinger followed with the wicket of Dani Gibson, bookending Kate Cross’s dismissal of Kira Chathli as Spirit slumped to 12 for 3 after 12 deliveries.Knott offered a fighting 40 off just 16, which included a 63-run stand for the fourth wicket with Cordelia Griffith, who was caught by Davidson-Richards to give Sutherland the first of her three wickets, and Georgia Redmayne raised an unbeaten 50 off 29. But Perrin had long since broken London’s spirit.

Earlier this season, Celtic forward Scott Sinclair was in a bit of a rut at Parkhead. 

The 29-year-old was on a downward trajectory, where he looked to be even less threatening than he was last season. He still played well, but there was a feeling that he was a marked man. He played 54 games in total last term, managing 18, goals which is definitely still a decent return.

However, compared to his 2016/17 season, where the winger scored 25 goals in all competitions in Celtic’s treble-winning season, this was a drop in standards. In this season, he was also voted the Celtic Supporters’ Player of the Year, Celtic Players’ Player of the Year, the PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year, and the SFWA Footballer of the Year. It was a momentous season where he looked to be the player that earned a move to Man City from Swansea back in 2012.

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Therefore, from a brilliant first season at Paradise, he slumped considerably, to the point where he was no longer a guaranteed starter this term. There was a sense that manager Brendan Rodgers was slowly turning off him. What’s worse for Celtic fans, he seemed to go missing in a lot of the club’s biggest games, and the fans were becoming acutely aware of this.

However, the former England under-21 international has had a major turn in form recently, where he has notched seven goals in his last five games. He is starting to emulate the form from two seasons ago, and that can only mean good things for Celtic. Their pursuit of their third domestic treble in a row is still well on track, however, the form of Sinclair bodes well for their European hopes.

Still in the Europa League, The Bhoys are desperately seeking to end their poor run in Europe. With the sudden upturn in form from players like Sinclair, that seems more possible than ever. With a visit from La Liga outfit side Valencia in a matter of weeks, this is Sinclair’s chance to show that he is back to his best.