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Yorkshire 376 for 5 (Wharton 78, Bairstow 72, Luxton 71, Bean 57, Lyth 47) vs Surrey Jonny Bairstow completed a punchy 72 off 90 balls during less than a session’s play possible on day two between his Yorkshire side and Surrey at Scarborough.Yorkshire are handily placed on 376 for 5 from 110.1 overs in this 10th round Rothesay County Championship fixture which has seen just short of a day wiped out by the weather.The White Rose county started today, at 1pm following a wet outfield, on 282 for five, with Bairstow on 19 and Matthew Revis yet to score.They went on to complete a fifth-wicket partnership of 88, which Bairstow aggressively led before miscuing Indian spinner Sai Kishore to deep mid-on.Despite sunshine for a good portion of the morning, umpires Nigel Llong and Russell Warren were concerned about the condition of some problem areas, including both bowlers’ run-ups, following some heavy rain late on day one and into the evening.Rain then arrived to prevent any play beyond 2.35pm. The umpires called things off at 4.40pm.Yorkshire started well. Bairstow twice drove Dan Worrall through the covers for four as the score ticked beyond 300.Shortly after, he swept left-armer Kishore for six en-route to a 68-ball fifty, his sixth of the Championship season and third against Surrey after two in the defeat at the Kia Oval in mid-May.By that stage, Yorkshire had moved to 334 for four in the 100th over.For large parts of this season, 35-year-old Bairstow has been reserved at the crease in Championship cricket.During the early stages of day two, however, he was noticeably aggressive.And while he had success, it also contributed to his downfall as he miscued an attempted loft over the top against Indian left-arm spinner Sai Kishore and holed out to deep mid-on, leaving the score at 364 for five.Revis had reached 34 and Will Sutherland six by the time the rain swept across this North Marine Road ground, and no further play was possible.Bairstow, whose late father David’s ashes are scattered here at North Marine Road, is awaiting the birth of his second child. He may have to leave this game at any point over the next three days should his partner go into labour.

Sophie Devine has revealed that she contemplated international retirement during her recent break from cricket but says the lure of this year’s ODI World Cup played a big part in prolonging her New Zealand career.Devine took a step back from the sport at the start of 2025 to prioritise her well-being, pulling out of WPL 2025 after being retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru and missing two home white-ball series against Sri Lanka.Related

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Asked on Wednesday whether the thought of not returning to international cricket had run through her mind during her time off, Devine told reporters: “Completely honest? Yep. Certainly.”To be able to have to process through a few of those things, obviously I’m unfortunately not getting any younger, so they naturally sort of came into mind. But for me, yeah, look, just really excited to be here, just going to be focusing on each day as it comes and just really enjoying every day with the White Ferns.”Speaking ahead of her return for the T20I series against Australia starting in Auckland on Friday, Devine – who last week was picked up by Southern Brave for GBP 36,000 (NZD 80,000) with their first pick in the Women’s Hundred draft – said franchise opportunities and, chiefly, T20 World Cup champions New Zealand’s attempt to secure the double at the 50-over version in India later this year left her feeling that she had more to give.Devine captained New Zealand to the T20 World Cup in October 2024•ICC/Getty Images

“I’ve been playing cricket for a very long time and probably looking ahead in terms of what am I going to do when my time does come to hang up the boots,” she said. “Those opportunities are still something that really excites me, being able to go overseas and play in franchise cricket, but most importantly, it’s to play for the White Ferns. We’ve got a pretty big World Cup coming up later this year, which – all going well – hopefully I’ll be at.”Certainly the World Cup was probably the biggest one. I still felt like I’ve got a little bit more to give in the black shirt. So for me, I guess that opportunity was there, but also being okay with the fact that if I was done, I’ve had a pretty good run of it. But certainly watching the girls over the last couple of weeks, there’s certainly a big itch there that’s still to scratch.”Devine hasn’t played a competitive match since January 24, when she took 5 for 13 for Wellington against Canterbury in the Women’s Super Smash in Christchurch. Her last international appearance was during the home ODI series against Australia on December 23, capping a gruelling schedule which included tours of England and India either side of New Zealand’s T20 World Cup triumph in Dubai. She also played for Perth Scorchers in the WBBL through November.Devine has encouraged other players to to be open about needing time off to look after their well-being•ICC via Getty Images

“The last 12, 18 months have been massive for me personally, but also the White Ferns group, the amount of cricket that we’ve played, obviously winning the World Cup and things like that,” Devine said. “It probably hit me a little bit harder than I realised and for me, with the support of New Zealand Cricket, family, friends, I’ve been really fortunate to be able to have that time away.”Something that I’m really big on is that mental health and making sure that you do take the time, so I’m really thankful for the support that I’ve received.”Now aged 35, Devine has taken mental-health breaks fairly regularly during the latter stages of her career. She missed a large chunk of the 2023-24 Super Smash and she took an extended break during the New Zealand winter of 2021.She referred to her latest stretch of time out as “hibernation”, saying that she “went into hiding a little bit”, but in recent weeks had started watching her team-mates again as they drew their T20I series with Sri Lanka 1-1 and won the ODIs 2-0.Now feeling refreshed, Devine continued to encourage other players to be open about needing time off to look after their well-being.”Speak up, talk to people,” she said. “That’s probably been one of the biggest things, the support I’ve had around me and the professionals that I’ve had to help me. Everyone goes through their struggles and it might look different, it might feel different to each individual, but certainly to reach out, it doesn’t matter whether you are an athlete, whether you’re a student, it doesn’t matter who you are, to make sure that you get that support around you.”

Dimuth Karunaratne is set to retire from Test cricket after playing his 100th game this week, against Australia in Galle.Three factors have played into the decision. With Sri Lanka set to play only two further Tests until May 2026, there is barely any cricket for a long-format specialist such as Karunaratne to focus on. Karunaratne, 36, has also struggled for runs over the past 14 months, averaging 27.05 since the start of 2024. This is also Sri Lanka’s final Test of this World Test Championship cycle.”It was the right time to go, considering there are three or four younger players who could come in for the next WTC cycle,” Karunaratne told ESPNcricinfo. “Plus, this match was in Galle, where I made my debut, so it will be nice to finish things there.Related

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“After the first Test against Australia ended, I told SLC that the next Test would be my last.”Karunaratne had made his Test debut in November 2012 against New Zealand, at the same ground where he is now set to retire. He was dropped from the team briefly in 2014, but struck his first Test hundred towards the end of that year. He has hit 15 centuries since, more or less enjoying a consistent place in the Test team, until becoming one of its senior-most players.Through the course of his 12 years in Tests, Karunaratne has scored by far the most Test runs for a Sri Lanka opener, hitting 7079 at an average of 39.99 in that position. He will also become Sri Lanka’s seventh cricketer to 100 Tests, following Sanath Jayasuriya, Muthiah Muralidaran, Chaminda Vaas, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews.”Playing 100 Tests is a tough thing to accomplish, especially when you’re an opening batter and you’re doing the dirty work for the team,” Karunaratne told ESPNcricinfo. “If I have regrets, one of them would be not being able to get to 10,000 Test runs. I thought the way that I was going in 2017, 2018 and 2019, that I’d have the chance to get there. But then Covid hit, and Sri Lanka don’t play as many Tests anymore.”I’d also have loved to make it to a World Test Championship final and experience that feeling of being in a final. We were close twice, but it never happened.”Karunaratne captained Sri Lanka in 30 Tests. His first brush with the captaincy was his most fruitful. In early 2019, he was elevated unexpectedly to leadership after the previous captain, Dinesh Chandimal, was dropped from the side. Sri Lanka immediately claimed one of their great series victories, under Karunaratne, beating South Africa 2-0 away from home. He also captained Sri Lanka in the ODI World Cup later that same year, and has played 50 ODIs in all, but has never appeared in a T20I.Now based in Melbourne, Karunaratne hopes to pursue coaching after his retirement. “I’ll take a bit of a break for myself after spending so many years playing cricket,” he said. “But eventually, I’d like to get involved again.”The second Test against Australia – now Karunaratne’s last – begins on Thursday.

Since Ben Stokes became Test captain in 2022, he has made a note of addressing his England squad ahead of each series.His first that summer was an array of individual chats which took place St George’s Park, England’s national football centre, where the team had gathered for medical screenings, outlining his vision. Ever since, they have taken the form of speeches to the whole group – usually a refresher on the values and ethos that have been cultivated (and challenged) over the last two years.This time, however, Stokes took a different tack. With the team congregating in Queenstown ahead of Thursday’s series opener against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval, the captain stood up and, in his words, “cleared the air with the lads”.Perhaps for the first time, it was more for him than them. Stokes wanted to relay how unhappy he was with his conduct on the recent Pakistan tour. He had gone into the series still recovering from the hamstring tear that ruled him out of the Sri Lanka series at the end of the home summer. And though he was able to return to action for the second and third Tests in Multan and Rawalpindi after nine weeks out, he was not his best self, as England succumbed to a 2-1 defeat.He let his frustrations get the better of him on the field in Multan after an array of dropped catches and misfields, which he apologised for at the time. Then came a lax display of captaincy in the decisive third Test, compounded by two failures with the bat.Those around Stokes at the time noted something was off, and it soon emerged that his house had been burgled during the second Test, understandably taking his thoughts elsewhere. He wanted to return home to support his family, who were in the house at the time of the break-in, but stayed on in Pakistan at the insistence of his wife, Clare.Even with that mitigating factor, the weeks back home allowed Stokes to reflect that the image and negative energy he had projected was at odds with the leader he wants to be. The drive to regain fitness and his visible exasperations were, in his mind, selfish – counter-productive to the calm dressing-room environment he regards as a key pillar for an England side still working itself out.”It was one of my hardest trips,” said Stokes. “But also one that I’ve hugely benefited from.Related

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“I had my hamstring injury, and as soon as I could get going again, I had a focus on a date to get back. I worked incredibly hard for a very, very long period of time. And then when we got out to Pakistan, obviously pushing and pushing and pushing myself to get ready for that first Test, made a late call and then tried to get myself ready for the second Test.”I’ve been pretty honest with myself and pretty honest with Baz and the team as well, that I got so individually focused on myself over a long period of time of trying to get back from injury.”I actually I did physically drain and ruin myself, which definitely had some kind of mental impact on me. I sort of almost worked myself too hard to get back to fitness, and then all of a sudden, I was out in a Test match.”It’s made me realise that me being a captain, me being the leader of this team, I can’t take myself into that sort of area ever again – focusing on myself so much as an individual. And there’s no doubt that my frustration was showing when things weren’t quite going our way.”That definitely has an impact on, not only the players around me, but also the group and the management around you as well. Because everyone’s walking on eggshells around you, because they can sense it. But it wasn’t till I got home that I realised that then, obviously, with the robbery happening, that made more of everything for me out there.”Ben Stokes has a hongi with a Ngāi Tahu member at Hagley Oval•Getty Images

Stokes’ words in Queenstown were understood to be well received, with an encouraging sense that no such apology was necessary, but appreciated nonetheless. So much of Stokes’ captaincy is about looking out for others, whether diverting praise their way or shielding them from criticism.In a year in which England have lost as many Tests as they have won (seven), along with a destabilising injury and home invasion, falling short of those high standards is only human. Nevertheless, the drive for improvement is admirable ahead of what will be a challenging three-match series against the Blackcaps.”It was a realisation for me that, right, okay, if I ever find myself in this situation again, I need to maybe take a step back and think about what’s best for the team,” he added. “Because I feel like when you’re in a position that I’m in, you always need to be focused on that, as opposed to yourself, if that makes sense.”It was nice to get home, relax, chill out … you know, assess Pakistan, individually, which I think should hopefully help the team go forward again. I think it’s another step forward for me as a leader, as well as understanding certain things where I need to be better.”If Stokes is keen to re-ground himself, he could not have picked a better spot. He was, of course, born here in Christchurch before moving to Cumbria at the age of 12.He tends to bristle when his New Zealand roots are brought up, mostly through cynicism that his background is often used to discredit his Englishness. But Stokes remains fiercely proud of his Kiwi roots. That was particularly evident when he and Blackcaps skipper Tom Latham led their sides in the Mihi Whakatau – a traditional Māori welcoming ceremony – on the Hagley Oval outfield.England know not to expect as warm a welcome on the field, having failed to land a series win in four consecutive visits since 2008, but things are a little different for Stokes. Family connections remain strong in the South Island’s largest city, led by his mother, Deborah. And while Stokes’ motivation to drive England forward remains strong, the setting adds a unique emotional layer for England’s captain.”This is a great place to tour for the team, but obviously for myself, it’s more than that,” he said. “It’s a chance to see family, catch up with family who I don’t get to see. You know, pretty much the whole of the Stokes family is in Christchurch. They’re coming down to the Test match this week.”I came out earlier than the team did to surprise my family. Only a couple of them knew. They managed to keep it secret. So this tour, obviously, is more than just cricket for me. I try and enjoy this country as much as I possibly can. It’s a great place to tour, but, yeah, it’s great for me to be able to see people who I don’t get to see that often. And so there’s more to it for me than there is for everyone else here.”

Unless Bangladesh start to put together top-order partnerships, they will continue to suffer like they did in Chattogram against South Africa, according to captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. The home side sunk to an innings-and-273-run defeat, bowled out twice in a total of 89 overs. Bangladesh’s match aggregate of 302 runs is the lowest by any team at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, reputed to be the best batting pitch in the country.It played true to that reputation when South Africa posted 575 for 6 over the first two days, before Bangladesh imploded with the bat. They lost 14 wickets on the third day, ending the match bowled out for 159 and then 143 following on. Mominul Haque, who made 82 in the first innings, was out twice in one session.Related

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South Africa wrapped up a 2-0 series win, having won the first Test in Dhaka by seven wickets. Bangladesh had struggled there too, bowled out for 106 on day one.”We have been batting like this for a long time,” Shanto said. “If you don’t get top-order partnerships, the rest of the batters will find it difficult in red-ball cricket. I don’t know how our top-order batters prepare or think, but if it goes on like this, this will be the result. This was a good wicket. Even in Mirpur, the type of wicket it was, we shouldn’t have got out so quickly. Overall, we didn’t bat well in these two Tests.”While there have been individual efforts in recent Tests such as Mominul’s 82 out of Bangladesh’s first-innings total of 159, or even his century in Kanpur, these have tended not to come with sufficient top-order support. The lower order, instead, has been the source of resolute partnerships such as the 138-run seventh-wicket stand between Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Jaker Ali in the second innings in Dhaka or the 103-run ninth-wicket stand between Mominul and Taijul Islam after Bangladesh slipped to 48 for 8 in Chattogram. There was also the famous recovery from 26 for 6, courtesy Litton Das and Mehidy, that enabled Bangladesh to win the second Test in Rawalpindi two months ago, but Shanto felt these lower-order stands were only papering over the top-order cracks.”We are making runs individually,” he said. “Mominul made a century, but we couldn’t support him in Kanpur. Shadman [Islam] made 90-odd [in the first Test in Pakistan] but there was no support [from the top-order batters] at the other end. The top order can only help the team with big partnerships. We talk about winning after being 26 for 6 in Pakistan but our top order didn’t bat well. Top-order runs will ensure consistent performance from the team.”‘The worst thing is, I am getting out between 20 and 40. It is not good for the team’•Getty Images

Shanto conceded that his own lack of runs was also contributing to the top order’s collapses. He made 9 and 36 in Chattogram, as Kagiso Rabada first dismissed him with a brilliant delivery in the first innings, before he inside-edged one to Tony de Zorzi at leg slip off the left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy. Shanto has scored just a single fifty in his last 17 Test innings, 15 of which have come his appointment as full-time all-format captain in February.”I have an important role as a top-order batter. I am supposed to score runs,” Shanto said. “It is not happening, and the worst thing is, I am getting out between 20 and 40. It is not good for the team. I have to concentrate more in my batting.”Shanto however said that he continues to enjoy the Bangladesh captaincy and that it hasn’t affected his batting, although he has informed BCB president Faruque Ahmed that he doesn’t want to continue as captain. “After I speak to the president, either of us can give a clear message,” he said. “I have always said that I enjoy captaincy on the field. I never felt that I am the captain when I am batting. I didn’t think I have to do all of it on my own. I am only focused on the ball.”Shanto suggested that the team tends to suffer whenever there are distractions around it such as the discussions around his captaincy. There have been regular off-field issues since the Pakistan tour. Less than a week before this Test series against South Africa, the BCB sacked head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, while Shakib Al Hasan couldn’t fulfill his wish of playing a farewell Test in Dhaka after the government told him it couldn’t guarantee his safety due to the protests around the Shere Bangla National Stadium.”[Distractions] might have contributed, but it doesn’t mean we will play this poorly,” Shanto said. “Bowled out for 100 or 150 runs. Players have to adjust with these things, even though it is difficult. Still, it shouldn’t be this bad. We have to improve our skills and change our thinking. We have to find out specifically exactly what is happening.”

Impressive innings from imports Heather Knight and Chamari Athapaththu and savvy bowling from Hannah Darlington have helped Sydney Thunder avenge an early season WBBL loss to Hobart Hurricanes.Three days after Hurricanes won by 31 runs in Hobart, Thunder scored a 33-run victory in a match reduced to 17 overs a side after rain delayed the start at North Sydney Oval by 30 minutes on Thursday.Related

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Athapaththu (38 off 29) and Knight (48 off 28) helped the Thunder amass 146 for 5. Hurricanes smashed 18 off their first seven balls, but lost 5 for 13 in the last few overs.Darlington claimed the big wickets of Lizelle Lee and Heather Graham and Athapaththu completed a good all-round effort by taking 1 for 11 off three overs of tidy spin, dismissing England star Danni Wyatt-Hodge.England captain Knight, who missed the first game between the two teams, played some handsome shots and added momentum in the second half of the innings.She struck 14 off the last three balls of the one power surge over bowled by Molly Strano, lofting the first over long off and adding two fours in the same area. “It was really nice when you start a competition to hit the ground running and I thought ‘Atta’ was brilliant as well,” Knight told . “We managed to get in a bit of a partnership there and it set up things at the end.”Athapaththu, who was out for a first-ball duck on Sunday, was dropped at deep midwicket on 5. Her innings included sixes over deep midwicket and long off before she fell to a remarkable one-handed low diving return catch by Strano off a fierce drive.”I didn’t have much time to think about it, it was a tracer bullet, so pretty happy it just stuck,” Strano said.In reply, Lee clubbed boundaries off the first two balls of Hurricanes’ chase and three in the over then Wyatt-Hodge belted a six over backward point off the first ball of the second over.Thunder struck back with Athapaththu having Wyatt-Hodge caught at backward point. Nicola Carey, who scored a 50 in last weekend’s game, then chopped a delivery from Shabnim Ismail onto her stumps, a ball after the South African quick struck her on the helmet.Lee couldn’t maintain her early impetus and was adjudged lbw the first ball after the mid-innings break, though if she had used DRS, she would have been reprieved.A brisk fourth-wicket stand of 43 between Graham and Elyse Villani gave Hurricanes hope before they were dismissed in successive overs to trigger a decisive collapse.

South Africa’s Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma has added his voice to the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA)’s calls for an end to the gender-based discrimination, which excludes women in Afghanistan from playing sport and in others areas of public life.Speaking ahead of South Africa’s departure to the UAE, where they will play Afghanistan in three ODIs next week, Bavuma said that South Africans, whose own system of legalised race-based segregation ended 30 years ago, are in a unique position to relate to those who are suffering human-rights abuses. Thus, Bavuma reiterated the call for women’s rights to be respected.”I look at it in my personal capacity. It’s obviously something that is quite strong within my own values,” he said. “I support the idea of inclusivity and caring for women. We want everyone to have a fair chance within society, and we know that that is something that is relevant to us as a country in South Africa. I’m fully behind the sentiments that are expressed by SACA.”Related

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On Thursday, SACA issued a statement which both recognised Cricket South Africa (CSA)’s right to seek out fixtures – such as these against Afghanistan – and also asked CSA to “utilise the leverage available to it through this series to highlight that these rights for Afghanistan’s women’s players must be protected and respected”.CSA have not commented on whether there are plans to make any statements or gestures in support of Afghan women, but continue to discuss the issue of women’s cricket in Afghanistan through the ICC. Both white-ball coach Rob Walter, who on Monday said he had no part in deciding whether to play Afghanistan or not, and Bavuma have opted to leave the issue of whether to engage Afghanistan on the field with CSA.”I think I’ve got to respect the fact that there are people in positions who have that responsibility to speak more eloquently and articulate a little bit more of it,” Bavuma said. “In my own personal capacity, I definitely support the stance and the sentiments expressed by SACA. And I can understand where Rob as well is coming from in that we are selected to do a job in the cricketing field. And I think a lot of our energy will generally be dedicated to that at least.”The Afghanistan Cricket Board contracted 25 female players in 2020 but the Taliban takeover a year later left women in the lurch•Afghanistan Cricket Board

So far, the only board that has actively pulled out of competition against Afghanistan is Australia, while the ECB has also indicated it will not schedule series against Afghanistan. Both Australia and England continue to play Afghanistan at ICC tournaments. South Africa have never played against Afghanistan outside of a World Cup – in either ODIs or T20Is.With this being their first bilateral series, it is also the first time the South Africa team and CSA have had to consider the ethics of playing against Afghanistan, who have not had a women’s team since becoming Full Members in 2017, although they contracted 25 women players in 2020. Since then, with the Taliban takeover in 2021, all hopes of a women’s team have deteriorated as women have been eroded from society with little to no access to healthcare and education, among other things.Apart from South Africa’s shared history of legalised discrimination with Afghanistan, the country also has an epidemic of gender-based violence (GBV). This year, the World Population Review rated South Africa and Brazil as the two most dangerous countries for women. In response, there have been various initiatives against GBV, including in cricket. The national women’s team has an annual black day, where they swap their usual green-and-gold kit for black outfits, to raise awareness about the plight of GBV.Two weeks ago, national rugby captain, Siya Kolisi, had this to say after the Springboks beat the All Blacks in Johannesburg: “It’s 30 years of freedom; I want to say congratulations to South Africans. But we still know there are many people who are still not free. Hopefully, the next celebration we celebrate is the women who are free of gender-based violence.”

Shubman Gill has said working on his “defensive game” helped him turn his Test fortunes around against England earlier this year.Before heading into the home series against England, Gill’s average in Tests was 30.59. But batting at No. 3 across the five games, he hit 452 runs in nine innings, at an average of 56.50. That included two centuries and half-centuries each, as he overturned a run of low scores in the format. Returning to first-class cricket for the first time since then, Gill will be leading India A at the Duleep Trophy opener on Thursday.”I worked on my defence a little bit more, especially against the spinners,” Gill said at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where his side will face India B in the Duleep Trophy. “Playing on turning tracks, if you are not able to have that confidence in your defence [then it disturbs your game]. If you’re playing on a turning track, you should be able to defend a lot more. [It is] then you play scoring shots.Related

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“And with more T20 [cricket], and playing on, I wouldn’t say flat tracks, but [on] batting-friendly tracks – [and] more in the white-ball [games] – I feel it takes away a little bit of your defensive game over a period of time. So that was my focus in the England series.”After scoring 104 in the second innings of the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, he revealed he had asked the team management to push him down to No. 3 instead of playing as an opener, a position where he had batted 29 times.Despite the returns against England, Gill acknowledged that he is not quite there yet as a Test player, and that he intended to make up for it. India play ten Tests over the next four months, starting with two against Bangladesh from September 19.”Yes, definitely, I haven’t reached my expectations yet,” he said. “But we have ten Test matches ahead of us back-to-back. So hopefully after these ten Test matches, I will be able to meet my expectations.”

Gill: As captain, ‘you should understand your players a lot more’

Gill said that he never felt any “extra pressure” being part of the India leadership group, as the added responsibility required him to know more about his team-mates.Over the last few months, Gill has had plenty of leadership opportunities. That run started when he captained Gujarat Titans in the IPL after Hardik Pandya went back to Mumbai Indians. Gill then led India in five T20Is against Zimbabwe, after Rohit Sharma had retired from the format and several other senior players were rested.India reversed a 0-1 scoreline to beat the hosts 4-1, after which Gill had said that captaincy “brings out the best in me”. He was even named vice-captain for the T20Is and ODIs against Sri Lanka that followed.”My role as a batsman doesn’t really change,” Gill said. “Even if I am the captain or the vice-captain, the aim is to get runs and make my team win, [and] contribute in any way possible.”If you are the captain or the vice-captain, then you should be able to understand your players a lot more rather than when you are just a player. Sometimes, it happens that you have played with a lot of [these] players since childhood. You have played a lot of age-group cricket [together]. So, obviously, you are already connected, and so it is more fun to play with them.”And if you are enjoying your role in the captaincy, it is very important to lead with performance. So if you are getting all these things, then you enjoy everything.”

Mason Crane, the legspinner who played a single Test for England, has signed a three-year contract with Glamorgan. He is a product of the Hampshire youth system and has spent his entire professional career under contract with them, but has enjoyed a successful spell in Cardiff this season after moving on a season-long loan.Crane, 27, is Glamorgan’s leading wicket-taker in both the County Championship (24 at 42.87) and the T20 Blast (17 at 16.94) this season, and said he has “loved every minute” of his time at the club. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to make this move permanent,” Crane said. “I’m very excited for the next chapter and the years to come.”Grant Bradburn, Glamorgan’s head coach, said Crane had been “an outstanding addition” this season and that his success has been “testament to the culture our players have welcomed him into.” Bradburn said: “We feel very fortunate to have the quality of Mason here at the club and we look forward to building more success with him as part of our Glamorgan family.”Related

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• Glamorgan sign Crane on loan, Hamza for Championship

Crane made his professional debut for Hampshire as a teenager, making Kumar Sangakkara his first victim. He quickly rose to prominence, playing two T20Is for England against South Africa in 2017, and found himself in the Test squad for an Ashes tour later that year as the second spinner behind Moeen Ali.He was handed an unexpected debut at the age of 20 at the SCG and took a single wicket for the cost of 193 runs. Since then, he has struggled for regular opportunities due to injury and loss of form – particularly in first-class cricket – though he remained an important part of the sides that won the Royal London Cup (2018) and T20 Blast (2022).”I would like to thank everyone at Hampshire for an amazing journey over the years,” Crane said. “We have created some memories together that will last forever, but now is the time for me to start a new chapter. Thank you also to the fans for all the support and I wish everyone associated with the club all the best for the future.”

Northern Diamonds bowled Lancashire Thunder out for just 61 – the lowest total in the four-year history of the Charlotte Edwards Cup – on the way to a five-wicket victory with 6.2 overs to spare against their arch-rivals at Durham’s Seat Unique Riverside.Scotland left-arm seamer Rachel Slater returned a superb three for 12 from four overs bowled straight through with the new ball, while opener partner Lizzie Scott also struck twice added to two wickets for the off-spin of Erin Burns in a final group clash which started with neither side able to qualify for Saturday’s Finals Day.Having almost perfectly made use of helpful bowling conditions, the Diamonds slipped to 37 for four in this helter-skelter contest. But Thunder had left themselves with too much to do, and their former batter Rebecca Duckworth steered the hosts over the line with an unbeaten 21.Both sides finished this competition with three wins from their 10 matches. Diamonds have won their last two and Thunder have lost their last two.Given the Diamonds are hosted by Yorkshire as a region, this was the first of two Roses T20s in as many nights, with the men’s teams facing off at Headingley in the Vitality Blast tomorrow. And the first blow was struck by the White Rose county in emphatic fashion.Diamonds got off to a near-perfect start, beginning with the correct call at the toss.Captain Hollie Armitage elected to bowl on a green pitch which offered obvious seam movement and also prodigious swing for Slater and Scott, the latter playing her first game of this season’s T20 competition.Thunder slipped to 19 for four inside the opening five overs, losing key trio Emma Lamb, Australian Katie Mack and in-form Seren Smale, whose 88 not out in their defeat at Central Sparks on Friday represented – at the time – the highest score by any batter in this competition.Scott had Fi Morris and Mack caught, the latter brilliantly by a diving Katherine Fraser at backward point, and left-armer Slater bowled Lamb and Smale.Unfortunately for Thunder, things got worse quickly, and 13 from Tara Norris batting at number nine proved to be their highest score. Only three batters reached double figures as a procession of batters came and went on a sunny North East day.Captain Ellie Threlkeld was run out from cover at the striker’s end before debutant all-rounder Grace Johnson chipped Slater to mid-off – 24 for six in the seventh.Kate Cross was bowled by Australian Burns before, considering the circumstances, the riches of back-to-back boundaries through the covers for Norris off former Thunder seamer Sophia Turner took the score to 50 for seven in the 11th.But it was only a brief respite. Norris was bowled on the pull at Scotland off-spinner Katherine Fraser before Liberty Heap was stumped off Katie Levick’s leg-spin.And when Sophie Morris chipped Burns to cover, Thunder were all out inside 15 overs for a record low total.Left-arm spinner Morris and new ball seamer Cross then both struck twice apiece to give Diamonds something to think about at 37 for four after eight overs, 25 runs still needed.England’s Cross trapped Emma Marlow lbw and had Bess Heath caught behind to finish with figures of two for 14 from four overs.Duckworth’s unbeaten 21 represented the highest score of the match.