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Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lanka’s former captain and newly-appointed chairman of selectors, has singled out winning the World Cup in 2011 as his “primary responsibility” in his latest role

Sa'adi Thawfeeq31-May-2010Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lanka’s former captain and newly-appointed chairman of selectors, has singled out winning the World Cup in 2011 as his “primary responsibility” in his latest role. de Silva, who scored an unbeaten century to take Sri Lanka to their only World Cup win, in 1996 against Australia in Lahore, said the national team had to win some major tournaments in its preparation for the ultimate prize, admitted it needed improvement at the top of the order and defended the 40-year-old Sanath Jayasuriya, who had a forgettable World Twenty20.”My primary aim is to help Sri Lanka win another World Cup,” de Silva told reporters in Colombo. “I’ve wanted another team to win a World Cup so that the people of Sri Lanka have something to talk about.”The other members of the committee are Ranjit Fernando, Amal Silva and Shabbir Asgerally. All four members have served in the capacity as selectors in previous committees.While acknowledging the need for the selectors to get the right combination ready for the World Cup, de Silva said a significant share of the responsibility had to come from the players. “A player must have the experience of having played in at least a minimum of 50 ODIs to be able to handle difficult situations when it comes to a World Cup,” he said. “We’ve got only nine months and to give a new player that amount of exposure is not adequate. We need to have some players with a mixture of experience and youth who can handle difficult situations. That’s our plan going forward to build up that combination.”For me this bunch of cricketers has talent and ability, we just need to put a few things right and win some major tournaments. To do that, a big part of the commitment and responsibility must come from the players.”While spelling out the areas Sri Lanka need to improve ahead of the World Cup, de Silva said: “The top of the batting order is a matter of concern. What we’ve realized is if the two openers fail we need someone to come and consolidate the innings. In a situation like that when we are looking around for options and if you can’t find suitable replacements then we are not prepared.”There has been plenty of criticism surrounding Jayasuriya’s performances in the recent past, with many calling on him to quit. de Silva, however, said Sri Lanka had to consider all options for the World Cup. “We know what Jayasuriya is capable of. We must have a proper replacement for every position. We have nine months to prepare for the World Cup and we have not discarded anyone so far and decided on the positions they should play.”You have to be fair to Sanath. He’s shown what he is capable of and he has performed over the years and done so much for the country. We should respect that. It’s fair that we look at every player the same way whether it is the youngest player or the most senior player. Anyone who gets out of hand which will affect the team, that is where when we will step in.”de Silva added the sports minister had given the selection committee an assurance that there won’t be any interference. “If he has any queries and if the people are questioning I am quite willing to listen to that and give them an opportunity and explain for what reasons we have taken certain decisions,” de Silva said.

Punjab’s Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh put on a record-breaking 298 for the opening wicket against Saurashtra

Shashank Kishore01-Jan-2025

Mayank hits purple patch

Mayank Agarawal, the Karnataka captain, recorded his third straight List A century, in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. However, it wasn’t enough as Hyderabad chased down 322 with two balls to spare. Hyderabad’s chase was fuelled by Tilak Varma, who laid the foundation with a 106-ball 99.After four games, Agarawal is currently the second-highest run-getter in the 50-over competition, having racked up 428 runs in five innings. His strike rate of 117.26 is the highest among the current top five run-scorers.Agarawal’s up-turn in form comes at a time when Karnataka’s senior players are all on notice, with the selectors keen on handing opportunities to younger players. The selection churn has already led to the likes of Manish Pandey and K Gowtham finding themselves out of favour, while a number of other senior players, like R Samarth and Karun Nair, have found homes with other state sides.Related

• Ayush Mhatre breaks Yashasvi Jaiswal's record for youngest to hit 150-plus in men's List A

• Anmolpreet Singh hits third-fastest List A century off just 35 balls in Vijay Hazare Trophy

• Samson and Pandey excluded from Vijay Hazare Trophy squads

Agarawal, who went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, has been in patchy form this season. He managed just 179 innings in seven innings at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. More importantly, he presided over Karnataka’s group-stage exit. In seven innings in the first half of the Ranji season, Agarawal managed just 203 runs at an average of 29.With four wins in five games, Karnataka are currently second in Group C, tied on 16 points with toppers Punjab. Mumbai, the T20 champions, are currently third with 12 points.

Nair leads from the front

Elsewhere, Agarawal’s former Karnataka teammate, Nair, has been in rip-roaring form for Vidarbha, whom he’s also captaining. Unbeaten in the competition, Nair’s scores so far read: 112*, 44*, 163* and 111*. The last of those knocks, also the most recent one, was instrumental in Vidarbha knocking the wind out of Tamil Nadu in Visakhapatnam, whose knockouts qualification has taken a slight hit.Nair currently sits on top of the run charts, his 430 runs in four innings coming at a strike rate of 116.21. His form has coincided with Vidarbha topping Group D with four wins in as many matches. Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are currently second and third.Nair was also the team’s top-scorer at SMAT.File Photo: Prabhsimran Singh made 125 off 95 balls against Saurashtra•BCCI

Abhishek, Prabhsimran set records

Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh, Punjab’s openers, put on 298 in their 424 for 5 against Saurashtra, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday.This is the joint second-highest opening stand in the tournament history, equalling the record set by Bengal’s Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Gharami in 2022.Abhishek, also Punjab’s captain, hit a career-best 170, off just 96 balls, while Prabhsimran hit 125. The record for the highest opening stand is currently held by Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan and B Sai Sudharsan, who put on 416 against Arunachal in November 2022.Punjab’s 424 is also the joint fifth-highest total in Vijay Hazare history. Saurashtra’s Arpit Vasavada was their top scorer with 104, but they fell 57 short eventually.A game prior to that, Arshdeep Singh recorded his second List A five-for, taking 5 for 38, as Punjab beat Mumbai, in Ahmedabad. Prabhsimran then hit an unbeaten 150, off 101 balls, as Punjab chased down 249 in just 29 overs to gain a massive net-run-rate advantage over the rest of the pack.Earlier in the tournament, Prabhsimran’s cousin, Anmolpreet Singh, recorded the third-fastest List A hundred – off 35 balls – against Arunachal.

Mhatre – fast climbing up the ladder

Mumbai’s Ayush Mhatre set a new record for the youngest player to score 150-plus in List A cricket, during Mumbai’s clash against Nagaland on Tuesday. Mahtre did it at 17 years and 268 days, bettering Yashasvi Jaiswal’s record (17 years, 291 days).Mhatre, who made his debut for Mumbai earlier this season, clobbered 11 sixes and 15 fours to make 181 off only 117 balls while powering his side to an imposing 403 for 7, which was 189 too many for Nagaland.

No final-day play possible in match that was blighted by the weather from the first day

ECB Reporters Network06-May-2024Middlesex 407 for 8 (Robson 162, du Plooy 131) drew with Leicestershire 306 (Handscomb 109, Bamber 4-68) Middlesex’s Vitality County Championship clash with Leicestershire ended in a damp squib of a draw with no play possible on the final day.The hosts led by 101 with two wickets left going into day four, but the rain which washed out the first day’s action returned with a vengeance early on the final morning drenching the outfield.Umpires Paul Baldwin and Robert White gave the ground every chance to recover, calling an early tea at 3:10pm following a 2:35pm inspection. However, further rain in the interim led to the abandonment at 3:25pm.
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The hosts earn 15 points to Leicestershire’s 12 leaving them both on 68 points, six shy of leaders Sussex. Middlesex however sit above the Foxes in the table on games won.Toby Roland-Jones, Middlesex’s captain, said: “It’s frustrating. We’ve lost two full days of a game we feel we’ve played pretty good cricket in and certainly the only reason we’ve ended up only 100 ahead is through I guess trying to fast forward things a little bit on that third evening.”When you find yourselves here with the way this place can dry and have two days where it hasn’t stopped raining is incredibly rare. Once you get that window here it can be pretty good to go in a couple of hours, so we’ve just been unlucky that’s not been the case.”The most important thing is we can be happy about the way we have gone about our cricket once more. Set 300 to try and hunt and get past, the guys went about it with great skill. That partnership between Robbo (Sam Robson) and Leus (Du Plooy) was obviously great to watch.”

Farbrace recruits veteran seamer and reliable allrounder for 2024 season

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2023Chris Wright, Leicestershire’s veteran seamer, will join Sussex from the start of the 2024 season on a two-year contract, with Lancashire allrounder Danny Lamb also making the move to the south coast.Wright, who turns 38 next month, has claimed 567 wickets at 32.30 in a 196-match first-class career that has spanned 20 seasons. His best innings figures of 7 for 53 came against Gloucestershire at Bristol in 2021.He will be available for all formats for Sussex, having picked up 174 domestic white-ball wickets in his career. This season, he has found a strong vein of form with the bat as well, averaging 56.8 in 10 innings in the County Championship. This includes twin scores of 66 not out and 40 not out in a memorable win against Yorkshire at Headingley.”I am delighted to be joining Sussex for the 2024 season and beyond,” Wright said. “I have long admired the club and am looking forward to contributing to its future success.”Speaking to Paul Farbrace [head coach] and having played against the team a number of times I am excited to be joining such a talented and ambitious group. Hopefully, I will take lots of wickets and provide some valuable experience to the team.”Farbrace added: “I’m delighted that Chris has committed the next two seasons to joining our project at Hove. He is a vastly experienced cricketer who will bring skill, experience, and a huge passion for the game.”Chris is someone I have admired for a long time, and his quality with the ball will be fantastic for our developing team and will help us to win matches.”Sussex will be the fifth county of Wright’s first-class career, following earlier stints at Essex and Middlesex, as well as a successful period at Warwickshire between 2011 and 2018, where he helped win the County Championship in 2012.Related

• Sussex close in on victory to cap a season of awkward progress

• Paul Nixon leaves post as Leicestershire head coach under 'mutual agreement'

• Leicestershire 'investigating allegations' amid Nixon's sudden departure

• Yorkshire bring Moriarty in as Championship spin cover

• Paul Nixon relieved of duties as Leicestershire head coach

Lamb, meanwhile, joins on a three-year deal. “I’m extremely excited for the opportunity,” he said. “A brilliant new challenge and one which I feel has come at the right stage in my career.”I’ve always enjoyed playing against Sussex and at Hove. I like what Sussex are about and the vision for the future with Paul Farbrace at the helm of a young ambitious squad. I can’t wait to get going and I look forward to contributing to the team in all formats.”Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s director of cricket, said: “Danny has found first-team opportunities limited over the last couple of years, so we completely understand the decision he’s made moving to Sussex. We wish him all the best for the next stage of his career.”A medium-paced allrounder, Lamb has an impressive record across formats but has struggled for game-time at Lancashire this year and has recently been playing for Gloucestershire on loan.

England vice-captain seeks to stay on a roll against an India side expected to fight back in second ODI

Valkerie Baynes29-Jun-2021After rediscovering some fine form with the bat, Nat Sciver is targeting more in Taunton, where she expects India to show some fight as England hunt an unassailable lead in the ODI leg of their multi-format series.England lead the series by four points to two after drawing the Test and then winning the first of three ODIs resoundingly in Bristol on Sunday, when Sciver and Tammy Beaumont combined for an unbroken third-wicket stand worth 119.Sciver had spoken in the lead-up to the Test, also in Bristol, of her hunger for more runs after scores of 7, 10 and 9* in the opening rounds of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and 2 for England against England A in a warm-up for the India series.After contributing a valuable 42 in the Test, Sciver kicked on with 74 not out as England’s batting depth was scarcely tested in an eight-wicket victory secured with 15.1 overs to spare.Related

• Sciver: England wary of 'fearless' India as they approach Test learning curve

• 1st ODI: England thrash India by eight wickets with all-round display

• Beaumont continues in 'ruthless, relentless' groove as England cruise

• Raj bemoans lack of strike rotation after India slip to heavy defeat

Turning her attention to Taunton, where England can go 2-0 up in the three-match 50-over series on Wednesday, Sciver was hopeful that her latest knock is a sign of more to come.”I’m really happy that I managed to put a partnership together with Tammy because in the games leading up to the series I’d been a bit frustrated in not being able to get a score,” Sciver said. “We’d spoken about having a partnership over 100 and just making sure that we were clinical so I was very happy to be out there at the end with her and I felt like I was in a good spot to push on.”Beaumont has been in scintillating touch, her unbeaten 87 marking the fourth time in as many ODIs that she has passed fifty and coming after another half-century in the Test. Most encouraging for Sciver, the England vice-captain, was that her return to form required no changes to technique or mindset.”I haven’t done anything different, just being patient,” Sciver added. “I was quite easily frustrated in the domestic games we had before the series, wanting to get a score just to feel good, but I was patient and just played my natural game, hit straight and made use of the bad ball.”It felt good to be out there in the middle with Tammy in the other game so hopefully it can be more of the same.”But where patience proved to be a virtue for Sciver, it was India’s undoing, their overall run rate of 4.02 ultimately taking them to a below-par 201 for 8 from their 50 overs, which included 181 dot balls. India posted 27 for 2 in the first powerplay and they took until the 32nd over to reach the 100 mark, captain Mithali Raj’s 72 holding the innings together but coming off 108 deliveries.Sciver expects to see a different approach from India in the day-night match in Taunton.Sciver’s partnership with Tammy Beaumont in Bristol was match-winning•PA Photos/Getty Images

“If we were in that position, we’d want to certainly punch back a bit harder and make sure that we don’t do the same things again,” she said. “So we’re expecting India to come out with a bit of fight tomorrow.”But hopefully with our skill that we’ve got with the ball and ruthlessness with the bat we can put on a good performance again.”England, whose victory in the first ODI was set up by a strong all-round bowling display led by Sophie Ecclestone’s 3 for 40, could be well-served targeting India’s dangerous openers again.Having removed destructive hitter Shafali Verma, making her ODI debut after twin half-centuries in her maiden Test the week before, and fellow Smriti Mandhana cheaply thanks to seamers Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole – who claimed two wickets each – the hosts were in a strong position to keep a lid on India’s scoring and put pressure on the middle order.”Their line-up is obviously very powerful at the top,” Sciver said. “The importance of the first 10 from our bowlers was massive and Anya and Katherine showed their class and really put the pressure on, made it hard for them to score, and then they had to go for a big shot.”

New South Wales had added 57 runs to their overnight score before declaring at 8 for 449

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2018
ScorecardRain and bad light meant that only 36.4 overs were possible on day two of the Sheffield Shield clash between New South Wales and Tasmania at the SCG.The rain arrived in the middle session and never abated. Earlier, the Blues batted on for nearly 12 overs and added 57 runs before declaring their first innings closed at 8 for 449.Moises Henriques only added 15 to his overnight score, while he watched Trent Copeland smash 44 from just 31 balls before he became Tom Rogers’ fourth wicket of the innings.Tasmania lost Alex Doolan to Gurinder Sandhu early in their innings but Beau Webster and George Bailey pushed the total to 1 for 79 before rain intervened.

In February, Steven Smith led Australia to a famous Test win in Pune. Now, he returns to the city as Rising Pune Supergiant’s new captain

The Preview by Akshay Gopalakrishnan05-Apr-2017

Match facts

Rising Pune Supergiant v Mumbai Indians
Pune, April 6, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)
1:41

Most of our players have enough game time – Rohit

Head to head

Overall: Both sides have one away win apiece against each other.

In the news

MS Dhoni will not be leading an IPL team for the first time after Rising Pune Supergiant handed the captaincy to Steven Smith. There are two others – Faf du Plessis and Ajinkya Rahane – who have captaincy experience, so the team won’t be short of ideas.Supergiant won’t have R Ashwin for the season because of a sports hernia, and Mitchell Marsh is also injured, but they signed the current No.1 T20 and ODI bowler Imran Tahir.Mumbai Indians had a change of guard, with Mahela Jayawardene replacing the 2015 title-winning coach Ricky Ponting. Mumbai don’t have players on the injury list, but do have a few returning from it.Rohit Sharma has played only two competitive matches since undergoing thigh surgery in November and scored 20 runs in them. He’s lasted two warm-up games without discomfort and said he’s overcome fears to last the season and beyond. Lasith Malinga will also be returning from an injury layoff but is likely to join the team on April 7, after finishing Sri Lanka’s home series against Bangladesh.

The likely XIs

Rising Pune Supergiant: 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Rajat Bhatia, 8 Jaydev Unadkat 9 Ankit Sharma, 10 Ashok Dinda, 11 Adam ZampaMumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Ambati Rayudu, 4 Jos Buttler, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Tim Southee

Stats that matter

• The average first-innings score at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune since 2014, in the IPL, has been 170. The team chasing has won five out of the eight games
• Ben Stokes has never bowled to Jos Buttler in a T20 game.
• Of all the current IPL teams, Mumbai Indians have managed the second-worst run rate at the MCA Stadium – 6.92, across three matches. Sunrisers are the only team to have done worse – they scored 119 for 8 (at 5.95 per over) against Pune Warriors in the 2013 season.
• Krunal Pandya’s strike rate of 191.12 in the 2016 IPL was the best among batsmen who faced at least 50 balls.
• Rohit Sharma is Mumbai’s most prolific away batsman with 1301 runs in 48 matches at 35.16. Ambati Rayudu, who has 1213 runs in 55 matches at 30.32, is second.
• Rajat Bhatia is one of three bowlers against whom Rohit has scored 100 IPL runs – the others are Piyush Chawla and Morne Morkel. Against Bhatia, Rohit has scored 100 runs in 63 balls, and has been dismissed twice.
• The only three bowlers to have dismissed Faf du Plessis more than once all currently play for Mumbai Indians – Harbhajan Singh (3 times), Mitchell Johnson (2), and Lasith Malinga (2). Against Harbhajan, du Plessis has been out three times in seven innings, and has only scored 49 runs off 47 balls.
• In the IPL, Steven Smith has scored at more than eight an over against each kind of bowler apart from right-arm spinners, against whom he has only managed a run rate of 6.52.

James Taylor produced an innings of class and style to help England to victory in a low-scoring ODI in Sharjah

The Report by George Dobell17-Nov-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Taylor produced an innings of class and style to help England to victory in a low-scoring ODI in Sharjah. Taylor, with an unbeaten 67, added 117 for the fifth-wicket with Jos Buttler to see their side to victory with nine overs and six wickets in hand, giving England a 2-1 lead in the series with only one match – in Dubai on Friday – left to play.The apparent comfort of that margin is somewhat deceptive, though. Not long after Taylor came to the middle, England were struggling on 93 for 4 and seemingly facing an uphill battle against spin bowling on a pitch that was beginning to turn sharply. Had Pakistan taken their chances, the result could well have been different.One of those chances was presented by Buttler. Moments after joining Taylor, he skipped down the pitch against the bowling of Shoaib Malik, yorked himself and should have been stumped by a distance.It was a moment that summed up a shoddy evening’s work from Pakistan. The excellence of their bowlers was undermined as chance after chance went down and the ground fielding sunk to a level some way below that required in modern international cricket. They also lost three batsmen to unusually dozy run outs.All England’s four highest scorers benefited from chances: Alex Hales was dropped on 7, a caught and bowled chance to the left hand of the impressive Mohammad Irfan; Eoin Morgan was dropped on 2, a much tougher caught and bowled chance back to debutant Zafar Gohar, playing in place of the injured Yasir Shah, and Taylor was missed, on 54, when Gohar appeared to lose the ball under lights and failed to lay a hand on the chance. While the chance given by Taylor probably came too late to change the result, any of the other three might have done.But this was still a fine performance by England. To win in these conditions – their nightmare conditions, really – to win despite losing a toss that should have proved disproportionately important and to win with young players providing the key contributions, was another step forward for a side that have progressed pleasingly since the debacle of the World Cup at the start of the year.Especially impressive was the contribution of Taylor. With a calm head, quick feet and an ability to scamper, manoeuvre and punish, he refused to allow the bowlers to settle and provided exactly the sort of dynamic, positive performance that England have been crying out for against spin bowling for many years.But England may be equally delighted with Buttler’s performance. It is no secret that he has lost form and confidence in recent times, so to register his highest international score in 21 innings (across all three formats) in such testing circumstances bodes well. If it proves to be the game that revived his confidence, it may prove highly significant.In truth, though, this was probably a game that Pakistan lost more than England won. In conditions that, for the first 50 overs of the match, offered no swing, no seam and precious little spin, Pakistan lost six for 29 in 12 overs and were only helped to a total above 200 by some uncomplicated thrashing by Wahab Riaz down the order.That is not to say that England did not bowl well. Chris Woakes, with a sharp short ball and decent yorker, claimed four wickets (three of them with that short ball), while Moeen Ali conceded just 30 from 10 overs of clever, well-controlled spin. But once Moeen and Adil Rashid, who came back from two early sixes courtesy of Mohammad Hafeez to concede just 20 from his final six overs, applied some pressure, Pakistan – clearly missing Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan – buckled surprisingly quickly.There was a moment, when Pakistan were 132 for 2 with more than 20 overs of their innings remaining, when it appeared a total approaching 270 was achievable. Yes, the pitch – used for the Test between these countries barely two weeks ago – was slow and the outfield slower, but there was, at that stage, no menace in it and England, without their key allrounder, had little in reserve should one of their bowlers experience a bad day.But Mohammad Hafzeez, attempting to turn an off cutter from David Willey around the corner, top-edged the ball to deep square leg and Sarfraz Ahmed skipped down the pitch in the next over and lofted a catch to deep mid-wicket. Iftikhar Ahmed pulled to deep square leg and Anwar Ali skied to mid on as he tried to thrash his way out of trouble.There was little rotation, little calm and little progress. For 11 overs in mid-innings – from the 26th to the 37th over – Pakistan’s most productive scoring shot was a single and, though there was a flurry of sixes in the final few overs, there were no fours after the 26th over and only three after the 16th.But it was the run outs that were particularly galling. Azhar Ali was dismissed when Hafeez, incorrectly presuming his chop into the off side would beat Taylor at point, called him for an unlikely single, before Mohammad Rizwan was turned back after setting off for another optimistic run. Then Malik, over committing while backing up, was beaten when attempting an impossible chance to Chris Jordan, the substitute fielder. They were basic, sloppy errors.But that should not obscure from the performance of Taylor. He has fought long and hard to win a recall to this England side but now, just a few weeks on, it is hard to see how he can be left out in any format.

Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Beth Mooney and Ash Gardner also claimed international awards

AAP03-Feb-2025Travis Head has been named Australian cricket’s Allan Border Medallist and Annabel Sutherland has won the Belinda Clark Award.It was the first time for each player to win Australian cricket’s highest individual honours. While Head was a favourite for the top men’s prize, also claiming the one-day international player award, Sutherland was third in the one-day voting and a distant sixth for the women’s T20I international award.But she was awarded top votes for the two Tests played by the Australian women in the voting period over the past 12 months, most recently scoring 163 at the MCG as the hosts capped their Ashes whitewash.Related

• Annabel Sutherland: WPL will provide intel about India before the World Cup

• Travis Head expects Sam Konstas to open in WTC final

• The finisher: ODI icon Bevan elevated to Hall of Fame

• Christina Matthews inducted into Australian cricket Hall of fame

• 'Defined his generation' – Clarke joins Australia's Hall of Fame

Sutherland the first woman to score a Test hundred at the MCG. In February last year, she scored 210 in the Test against South Africa at the WACA.The extra weighting for the Test votes proved the difference for Sutherland. It is the first time she has won any of the top women’s categories – the Belinda Clark Award, the ODI or the T20I player.”For me, I love batting, probably my Test record shows that, and I try and make the most of that when I get out in the middle,” Sutherland said.Head, who received his award from head coach Andrew McDonald at the team hotel in Galle, was a clear winner of the Allan Border Medal and is the first South Australian to claim the award. He also won the ODI category for the first time.Josh Hazlewood was named men’s Test player of the year•Getty Images

Head polled 208 votes for the Border Medal, well clear of Josh Hazlewood’s 158, with Australian Test captain Pat Cummins third on 147.Head is coming off a bumper 12 months across. The 31-year-old scored a staggering 1427 runs across all three formats in the 12-month polling period that began with Australia’s home Test series against West Indies last January, and ended with the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Smith has the next-most runs with 806, while only Adam Zampa (31) played more games than Head (29) in the voting period.A blistering 140 off 141 balls in his home Test match at the Adelaide Oval against India was an undeniable highlight for Head, and helped reignite Australia’s series after their heavy loss in the first match in Perth.Asked for the highlight of his past 12 months, Head said: “I feel like the Indian series, the Test series that’s just gone. Nice to contribute. It’s such a big five or six weeks.”Sutherland polled 168 to win ahead of Ashleigh Gardner, who won the Belinda Clark Award last year. Gardner polled 143 and Beth Mooney was third on 115, with Gardner and Mooney two-time winners.Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner took out the women’s T20I and ODI awards•Getty Images

While none of the top men’s winners were at the Monday night awards function in Melbourne due mostly to the current tour of Sri Lanka, the women were celebrating in the room after they dominated the Ashes series.Mooney and Zampa were named the top T20I players, while Gardner took out the women’s ODI category and Hazlewood the men’s Test honour.Ellyse Perry and Jess Jonassen were named the players of the WBBL tournament and, likewise, Cooper Connolly and Glenn Maxwell took out the BBL award.Boxing Day Test sensation Sam Konstas was named the Bradman Young Men’s Cricketer of the Year.West Australian Chloe Ainsworth won the Betty Wilson award for the top young women’s cricketer, while Beau Webster and Georgia Voll took the domestic awards.

Full list of award winners

Belinda Clark Award: Annabel Sutherland
Allan Border Medal: Travis Head
Women’s ODI Player of the Year: Ashleigh Gardner
Women’s T20I Player of the Year: Beth Mooney
Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year: Josh Hazlewood

Men’s ODI Player of the Year: Travis Head
Men’s T20I Player of the Year: Adam Zampa
WBBL Player of the Tournament: Ellyse Perry and Jess Jonassen

BBL Player of the Tournament: Glenn Maxwell and Cooper Connolly
Women’s Domestic Player of the Year: Georgia Voll
Men’s Domestic Player of the Year: Beau Webster
Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year: Chloe Ainsworth

Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: Sam Konstas
Community Impact Award: Cameron Green

Woolworths Cricket Blaster of the Year: Frankie Mountney
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductees: Michael Clarke, Christina Matthews and Michael Bevan

Harmanpreet admits that the short turnaround between the ODIs in Australia and the T20Is at home against West Indies is “very difficult” to deal with

Sruthi Ravindranath14-Dec-20242:52

Harmanpreet: Australia series was learning experience for young bowlers

Harmanpreet Kaur has put India’s failure to win crunch games in big tournaments – specifically at this year’s Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup – down to the “mindset” of individual players.”I think it’s only the mindset because, if you see, our team has very good players,” Harmanpreet said ahead of the T20I series against West Indies, which starts on Sunday. “All of them have done really well whenever they got the opportunity. I think in the big games it’s only about the mindset and what you’re feeling individually. Because, as a player, as a team, you can only talk about the things you have done well. At the end of the day, it’s only you who is dealing [with the situation and pressure] in the middle and it’s only about you, how you are going to take these things forward.”We discuss whatever is required to win but, at the end of the day, it’s the individual performer’s mindset, about how you are going to win the game for the team.”Related

• India, West Indies meet with T20I records to set straight

• India drop Reddy; Kashyap, Bist, Rawal get maiden call-ups

• Australia rebound after T20 World Cup disappointment

While India have won 13 out of the 20 T20Is they have played this year, they have lost all-important games. They had an unbeaten run in the Asia Cup in July till they lost big to Sri Lanka in the final. Then they missed out on making the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup after losing a must-win match against Australia in the group stage. In the Asia Cup final, Smriti Mandhana top scored for India when the rest of the batters failed. Harmanpreet’s solo effort with the bat went in vain against Australia.India are now coming into the T20Is against West Indies on the back of a 3-0 loss in the ODI series in Australia.”It’s really tough when you’re going through this patch,” she said. “At the same time, we can only talk about the good things we have done in the past. I think having team-bonding sessions are very important. So, when we were coming back from Australia, we had good talks on the flight because that was only time we could talk and think about how we can start this series. Yesterday was a good off-day and today we had a good meeting where we discussed how we have to go about in this particular series.”The scheduling hasn’t helped. These T20Is in Navi Mumbai take place right after the ODIs in Perth and Brisbane – the last was on December 11 – and while Harmanpreet said it was part of playing at the highest level, she admitted it wasn’t easy.The Indians have a very short turnaround between the ODI series in Australia and the T20Is at home against West Indies•PTI

“To be honest, it is difficult because you know we’re coming from Australia. After the game, only within four-five hours we left the country and came back to India,” she said. “But as professionals, these things happen and we just want to stay motivated. Yesterday was an off-day so we tried to rest well and we are looking forward to the game tomorrow.”Think when you have very less time, it’s very difficult to come back and reflect on the things which you have done in the past. At the same time, we just have to keep talking about the positives. The young girls who have come into the team have done really well in domestic and they are also positive. I think staying together is something which is very important, which we have been doing.”Harmanpreet was tight-lipped when asked about the omissions from the squad for the series.India have rung in several changes to the T20I side, but the exclusion of Arundhati Reddy and Shafali Verma have been major talking points, particularly considering Reddy was India’s joint-highest wicket-taker at the T20 World Cup and Shafali has the second-most runs in T20Is for India this year.”I would say to ask the right person, because I can only talk about the team that’s here, and what things we can do to win this series,” Harmanpreet said. “I think regarding Shafali or any other player, [it’s] better to ask the right persons.”