A leading player agent believes Australia could not sustain its own version of the Indian Premier League because the market is too small. The Australian Cricketers’ Association is dreaming of an Australian Premier League, but Neil Maxwell, who has Brett Lee in his management stable and is the chief executive of the Kings XI Punjab franchise, said only England and India were in a position to develop the big events.A smaller population combined with less opportunity for major broadcast and sponsorship deals limits the possibility of a stand-alone venture in Australia. “India and England are the only two markets that can sustain franchise tournaments,” Maxwell said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “[England has] the revenue, they have the pay TV and the population.”Let’s not beat around the bush, the major revenue is going to come from the television rights and then sponsorship helps too, but in Australia’s case the sponsorship is also weaker. You have to have consortiums who are prepared to invest in the tournament, and they will do it for the money, for the profit, and it’s going to be very different to India because of that lack of competition for the television rights.”Another idea that has emerged since the IPL began is having an Australian team in the league, which Cricket Australia will consider. However, Maxwell told the paper Australia would be better off benefiting from their players, which were their “biggest asset”. “Cricket Australia should probably try to set up a deal with the organisers to receive transfer fees,” he said. “So if someone ends up buying an Australian player they [Cricket Australia] are rewarded for producing that player.”
Glamorgan have turned to Australia to help ease their middle-order problems.They have signed Nick Selman, a 20-year-old from Brisbane with a dual passport, on a one-year contract ahead of the 2016 season.Selman represented Queensland in both cricket and Australian Rules football at age grade levels before choosing cricket as his first choice sport.Following spells with Kent and Gloucestershire 2nd XIs in 2015, Selman has joined Glamorgan after impressing in two late-season 2nd XI matches.”I’m very excited to be joining Glamorgan, coming to Wales and helping the county to build on their performances of 2015,” said Selman. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of helping the club push for promotion into Division One.”Glamorgan began the season well in Division Two but fell away badly and they were also one of the counties unable to surf the trend of rising attendances in Twenty20.Glamorgan chief executive and director of cricket Hugh Morris said: “We identified we needed more depth to our batting department and Nick is a talented young player who will have an opportunity to score runs for the county as he has done in grade cricket in Australia and in Second XI cricket over here.”Nick has played through the age groups for Queensland and has spent some time in county cricket already, so knows what to expect. I’m sure he will have a big future with Glamorgan.”
Tammy Beaumont, the Kent wicketkeeper-batsman, has been recalled to the England Women’s squad for the T20 series against South Africa but Mark Robinson, the new head coach, has kept faith with the players who lost the Ashes to Australia last yearBeaumont last played in the one-day series against India in August 2014 and her previous T20 came against Australia in Dhaka in the final of the 2014 World T20.She is only included in the 15-player squad for the T20 with Lancashire’s Kate Cross playing the one-day series.
Sarah Taylor is in line to win her 100th ODI cap during the series. She currently sits on 98 one-day appearances and will be the seventh England player to reach a hundred caps.The nine members of the squad who are currently playing the Women’s Big Bash will join the rest of the party in South Africa at the end of January for a 10-day training camp before the ODI series starts on February 7 in Benoni. The three ODIs will form part of the ICC’s Women’s Championship in which England currently sit fifth and South Africa fourth.It will be the first assignment for Robinson and he is looking forward to getting the team back into the middle.”Having started to work with some of them, having watched recent footage and through following the progress of those playing in the WBBL, there is no doubt that this is a hugely talented squad with enormous potential,” he said. “I am relishing the prospect of helping them unearth even more of that potential and to seeing them develop in their next chapter as professional cricketers.”The ICC Women’s Championship table is currently very tight so the next twelve months are vitally important for us. We need to hit the ground running in the three ODIs against South Africa, who we know will pose a strong challenge on home soil. I am excited to see what this England team can do.”
(D/L method) Scorecard Lisa Sthalekar ended with 3 for 9 to halt the Hurricanes’ charge•Getty Images
Not even the rain could stop Sydney Sixers. Inspired by the bowling of veteran Lisa Sthalekar, they romped to their ninth consecutive victory to set up a Sydney derby in the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League final.The rain had been forecast and, true to form, it would simply not stay away. Torrential, persistent drizzle in the early part of the day delayed the game’s start and reduced it to 14 overs per side. After Hobart Hurricanes won the toss, elected to bat and posted a subpar 8 for 86, the rain returned, with a misty vengeance, forcing ground staff to bring on the full covers.Hurricanes knew, having finished second in the ladder, that a no-result would see them advance to the final. The second innings of the match had been due to start at 4.37 pm, and could start no later than 5.12 pm, with Sixers set to bat just five overs. Fortunately for the Sixers, however, the showers eased, the covers were peeled back and, at 5pm, with eight overs to be bowled and a target of 55, the players returned to the field.When they did, the sun even dared to shine. The Sixers had just a two-over Powerplay, and Alyssa Healy was determined to take advantage of it, with a brutal drive off Julie Hunter, and twice pulling Pyke – for four then six – to take Sixers’ target below a run a ball. With 20 from the Powerplay and in a small chase with no margin for error for the Hurricanes, Healy was dropped at square-leg by Brooke Hepburn, and spared a stumping when dancing down the track by wicketkeeper Em Smith.Healy and Ellyse Perry were in no mood to let the Hurricanes off. They ran hard and picked off boundaries with ease, both strong in front and behind square on the legside. Despite Hunter’s best efforts – her second over, the sixth, included three dot balls – the Sixers strolled home with 10 balls to spare as Perry drove Knight through the offside. It had taken just 22 minutes.Earlier, Veronica Pyke looked to guide Marizanne Kapp’s second ball of the innings to third man, but only succeeded in edging behind, where Healy took a fine diving catch. Heather Knight found some rhythm, consecutively ramping and swinging Sarah Aley hard to leg for boundaries. With Erin Burns also looking at ease against Kapp, whose second over cost 15, the Hurricanes’ four-over Powerplay looked productive, with 30 runs scored for the loss of just Pyke.Enter Sthalekar. She tossed her first ball up, enticing Knight to drive down the ground, and the bowler dove to her right to take a fine catch. Her first two overs would cost just five runs to put the breaks on the Hurricanes, even if Amy Satterthwaite swiped twice to drive Lauren Smith for boundaries in the over between. Sthalekar was withdrawn from the attack and the batsmen settled again, with Burns late-cutting Perry beautifully. The Hurricanes looked well-placed on 68 for the loss of two wickets.Perry brought Sthalekar back to bowl her third and final over in the innings’ 11th, and the offspinner dismissed both set batsmen in three balls to derail the Hurricanes’ charge. First, Burns used her feet but slapped straight to cover. Then, off the last ball of her spell, Sthalekar gave a full ball plenty of flight and trapped Satterthwaite plumb in front.From there, Hurricanes’ innings never recovered, losing four more wickets, with Hayley Matthews inside edging Aley, Corinne Hall playing on to Kapp, and both Sasha Moloney and Julie Hunter run out going for the third in Perry’s final over. Indeed Sthalekar, surprisingly, provided the only blot on the Sixers’ superb finish, dropping Moloney at cover off Perry.Otherwise, this was a highly professional performance. Sixers were a team thrown together a matter of days before the tournament. They took time – six defeats – to find their feet. Now, however, they are within touching distance of completing a truly outstanding, unfathomable turnaround.
Scott Weenink will be stepping down as New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive. He has cited differences with “several member association” and the players’ association when it comes to “future priorities of NZC and long-term direction of the game” for his decision. Weenink will step away from the position on January 30, 2026 after a two-and-a-half-year stint.”After careful consideration,” Weenink said in a media statement, “it has become clear that I hold a different view from several member associations, and the NZCPA [New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association], on the future priorities for NZC, including the long-term direction of the game and the best role for T20 cricket in New Zealand. Given these differences, I believe it is in the best interests of the organisation that new leadership takes NZC forward from here.”While I am saddened to leave after such a successful period, I do not wish to create ongoing instability by continuing without the support of some key stakeholders. I depart with pride in the excellent progress made by NZC during my time as CEO, and confidence in the people in NZC who will carry the game forward.Related
Plans being developed for NZ20 league in January 2027
“I will return to the role of executive chair of Xceda Group, subject to regulatory approvals, in the new year. I will take with me great memories of my time with NZC.”Weenink was appointed chief executive of NZC in August 2023, and under him, New Zealand won the women’s T20 World Cup and a men’s Test series in India in 2024 and made the final of the men’s Champions Trophy in 2025.His announcement came in the wake of new that plans were being put in place to launch the NZ20, a franchise-based T20 league in the country, by January 2027.The league’s operating model would be similar to that of the Caribbean Premier League, with the tournament receiving the license from NZC but being managed independently. That tournament, once it’s in place, will replace the men’s and women’s Super Smash.The league requires approval from NZC. Don MacKinnon, who heads the NZ20 establishment committee, wishes to have clarity over that call, ideally by January 2026.
The MCC president, Ted Dexter, has gone on record as saying that Nasser Hussain, the England captain, might have kept to the letter of the law when he told left-arm spinner Ashley Giles to bowl over the wicket into the leg-side rough against Sachin Tendulkar in the Test series against India, but he was outside the spirit of the law.Now, Dexter believes that there needs to be a revision of the laws by MCC, and he is supported in that by the game’s governing body, the International Cricket Council. The ICC has been in touch suggesting that MCC might look at ways of closing this particular loophole that allows negative tactics to be employed.The tactics employed by Hussain attracted widespread condemnation, especially in India where Sunil Gavaskar, one of the country’s greatest batsmen and now both a media personality and chairman of the ICC cricket committee, tagged England as “boring.”Dexter, who was himself an innovative captain of England, said that leg-side bowling represented “a matter of pushing the laws to their limit to gain advantage.”He continued: “The umpires could have been stricter on the leg-side wide, and what we detected was an anomaly in the ICC playing conditions – just one sentence – which allowed the umpires not to intervene.”Since then we’ve been in touch with ICC – I’ve been in touch personally withSunil Gavaskar – and we’ve corresponded.”We’re thrilled that the ICC has asked the MCC for our proposals as to how todeal with it properly in the laws and the playing conditions, and we’ll seewhere we go from here.”Some critics suggested that the tactic had actually cost England the chance of squaring the series in the final Test in Bangalore. Tendulkar faced 198 balls for 90 before Giles had him stumped, but time was on India’s side even before rain came to wash out any chance of a positive result.Nevertheless, Hussain’s plan was designed specifically to counter Tendulkar in the prevailing conditions and, if the fault lay with the ICC playing conditions as Dexter maintains, it seems strange that the laws of cricket should be amended rather than the faulty playing conditions.
Newcastle United could offer Miguel Almiron to Villarreal as part of a deal for Arnaut Danjuma, according to The Sunday Mirror.
The lowdown
Eddie Howe was in charge at Bournemouth when the Cherries paid Club Brugge £14.8million to sign Danjuma in 2019.
Amid injury problems, he made only 14 Premier League appearances (six starts) in his first season on the south coast.
Howe subsequently resigned, but Danjuma exploded into life in the Championship, scoring 17 goals and providing eight assists in 2020/21.
That earned him a move back to the top level with Villarreal, for whom he’s made 28 appearances this season.
The latest
Howe has already been reunited with Callum Wilson, Matt Ritchie and Ryan Fraser on Tyneside and, in addition to Danjuma, he’s also said to be keen on bringing Lloyd Kelly to St James’ Park.
Reliable reports on the south coast say Kelly will be the subject of a summer bid from the Magpies, with scouts allegedly attending all his games, and it appears he’s not the only former Howe student catching the eye.
The latest reports (via The Boot Room) state that Newcastle have identified Danjuma as a target ahead of the summer transfer window.
Almiron is one of the players the club are willing to sell this summer, and they could attempt a part-exchange with The Yellow Submarine.
The verdict
What would this deal look like? Well, there’s about a £30million difference in the two players’ Transfermarkt valuations (Danjuma £45million, Almiron £14.4million) and so, assuming Villarreal are interested in the Paraguayan, there may still need to be a negotiation over the fee.
It’s easy to understand why Newcastle are keen on Danjuma though, his team’s top scorer this season with 13 goals in all competitions.
Five of those goals have come in the Champions League, and the Dutchman is currently preparing for a quarterfinal meeting with Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
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Villarreal vice-president Jose Manuel Llaneza has dubbed him a ‘Rolex player’, while talent scout Jacek Kulig considers him ‘one of Europe’s best dribblers’.
It’s certainly a signing, then, that the Toon could get excited about.
In other news, Keith Downie shares an update on Shelvey.
ScorecardFile photo – Smriti Mandhana top-scored for India with 55•Getty Images
Fifties from Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur, followed by Poonam Yadav’s four-wicket haul shaped India Women’s 107-run rout of Sri Lanka Women in the first ODI in Ranchi.After being inserted, Mandhana anchored the first half of the innings with an 81-ball 55 that included eight fours. After she fell at the end of the 27th over, Harmanpreet took charge of the innings with her 61-ball 50. Captain Mithali Raj also chipped in with a handy 49 that helped lift India to 245 for 6.In response, the only form of resistance the India bowlers faced was from Prasadani Weerakkody, who made a slow 69. Sri Lanka were well-placed at 122 for 3, but the India bowlers, led by Poonam, cut through their middle and lower order, as the visitors suffered a collapse that saw their last seven wickets fall for just 16 runs.
ScorecardAmit Verma’s unbeaten 74 helped Assam stay afloat, but by only just, on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Vadodara•Fotocorp
Saurashtra’s seam bowling has been an underrated virtue this season largely because of the havoc created by the Jadejas – Ravindra and Dharmendrasinh – on the raging turners of Rajkot. But their claim to early bragging rights in the semi-final was engineered by some first-rate seam bowling from the left-arm pair of Jaydev Unadkat and Hardik Rathod.Assam, after being asked to bat, struggled with yet another batting meltdown, with only Amit Verma, unbeaten on 74 after a nagging day-long examination, and KB Arun Karthik attempting to wear the opposition down. But Arun Karthik’s wicket in the 62nd over, brought about because of misjudgment in length to an indipper from Rathod, opened the floodgates; Assam lost three more wickets in the space of 11 overs, eventually ending the day on 193 for 7.While a whiff of the early-morning nip might have aided swing bowling, pronounced movement off the seam on a sturdy, grass-speckled surface was the defining aspect of Saurashtra’s bowling. There was pressure applied on both ends, with a chatty slip cordon making it harder for the batsmen.Not surprisingly, Rathod landed the first blow in the fourth over as Rahul Hazarika, hassled by a succession of prickly, good-length deliveries, poked one to first slip where Cheteshwar Pujara bent forward to hold a fine, low catch. His opening partner, Pallavkumar Das, was luckier as Pujara put down a similar chance, off Unadkat. Assam’s next casualty was Gokul Sharma, the captain, who was bowled by Unadkat.With Unadkat and Rathod mostly persisting with just short-to-good length, Sharma’s dismissal was an exception: it was full and snaked through Sharma’s feeble front-foot offering. Having received a reprieve early on, Pallavkumar couldn’t encash his luck for much longer as Rathod got one to cut back into his pads and the batsman was trapped in front of the stumps.Assam coach Sanath Kumar had said on Friday that his team’s wobbly batting had virtually made it non-negotiable for one of the three professionals to score heavily, and in Verma and Arun Karthik they had two willing volunteers. Having weathered the last few overs of Rathod and Unadkat’s extended first spells, they found a little respite in the third and fourth seam-bowling partnership of Deepak Punia and Chirag Jani, but it wasn’t much more. Punia was miserly all day, conceding only 36 runs from 21 overs.For Verma and Arun Karthik, the square cut and the flick were the go-to strokes, and once the surface calmed down a bit, they ventured to drive through cover more often. Whenever Saurashtra’s bowlers went for the bouncers – they even had a leg trap complete with a leg gully and a short leg standing deeper than usual – both batsmen rode them down or left them alone. While they managed only 54 runs in the second session, they had importantly deprived Saurashtra of a wicket.They would return after tea to build on those small gains, and the intent came through in the accelerated rate of scoring. But Arun Karthik’s wicket left the door ajar for Unadkat, who dismissed Syed Mohammad, the quarter-final centurion, and Swarupam Purkayastha in successive overs. Mohammad’s wild slash was a response to being tied down by some sharp seam bowling, and he was duly caught behind.Verma, though, didn’t flinch; the last ball of the day that had him squared up and beaten without getting him out summed up his toil.
With the football season over, players, managers, coaching staff and fans usually pack their bags and enjoy a well earned break in places we could could only dream of going. But for David Moyes, it’s a very different story. Moyes is already focusing his attention on next season and is intent on following in the footsteps of Harry Redknapp and Tottenham by breaking into the top four.
And Moyes has stated his intent with two summer signings already. Jermaine Beckford has arrived from Leeds on a free transfer and now Everton fans can look forward to another striker gracing the field of Goodison Park. João Pedro Pereira Silva.
Silva has been compared to former Portugal national side star Pauleta, because of their similar physique and the similar career path through the lower leagues in Portugal, rather than from one of the big clubs. The Portugal Under-20 international will no doubt bring goals to the Toffees armour having been second top scorer in the Portuguese second division with 14 goals for Desportivo das Aves. It’s a fantastic record when you consider it was his first campaign since graduating to the professional ranks at the club.
Everton had to fend off a lot of competition for the highly talented 6ft 2in forward having caught the attention of several English clubs.
The 20-year-old striker has penned a three-year deal after Everton agreed a fee of around £500,000. A bargain when you consider that Silva is one of the brightest prospects in European football. There is no doubt that Moyes has picked out a gem of a player and a player that will most definitely have fans on their feet once again.
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