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He played 13 Tests for West Indies between 1953 and 1957 before emigrating to New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2022Bruce Pairaudeau, the former West Indies and Northern Districts batter, has died aged 91.Pairaudeau, who was born in British Guiana in 1931, played 13 Tests for West Indies between 1953 and 1957 alongside Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Alf Valentine. He fell in love with New Zealand on a tour to the country in 1956. After emigrating to New Zealand, he captained Northern Districts to their first Plunket Shield title in 1962-63 before retiring from domestic cricket in 1966-67.Pairaudeau had made his debut for Guiana in 1947 at the age of 15 and scored his maiden hundred the following season. He then scored a century on Test debut against India in Port of Spain in 1953, but in 20 further innings he only got into double figures six times. He finished with an overall 454 runs in 13 Test matches at an average of 21.61.Related

• Archive: That familiar Guyanese accent

More recently in 2015, Pairaudeau and his friend drove from Hamilton to Napier to watch the visiting West Indies team train.”We heard a West Indian voice and when I looked at who it was, I thought it might be Bruce Pairaudeau. We knew he lived in New Zealand but we didn’t know he was coming over,” Philip Spooner, West Indies’ media manager, told ESPNcricinfo at the time “All the guys just loved meeting him.”Pairaudeau is survived by son Jeffrey and three grandchildren.

“All the pressure is on Sri Lanka and Namibia, having played in the Super 12s last year,” says Colin Ackermann

Firdose Moonda15-Oct-2022One squad has only one player who has been part of a World Cup before; the other carries 12 survivors from a disappointing campaign – three losses from three matches – that took place just a year ago. But neither UAE nor Netherlands are really feeling the heat ahead of the first round of matches at the men’s T20 World Cup.”All the pressure is on Sri Lanka and Namibia in our group, having played in the Super 12s last year,” Colin Ackermann, the Netherlands batter, said ahead of their opener against UAE in Geelong.Related

• 2021 to 2022 – How much have the teams changed

• Edwards, Dutchman from Melbourne, is coming home

• Kirsten, Christian added to Netherlands' coaching staff

While the expectations on both Netherlands and UAE might be low, preparation has been high, specifically when it comes to understanding Australian conditions.Netherlands packed their pre-tournament time with warm-up matches in Adelaide and Brisbane. They also brought in World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten and former Australia allrounder Dan Christian to their coaching staff to ready them for the challenges ahead.”I feel like our preparation this year is much better than last year,” Ackermann said. “And with Gary, he brings with him a wealth of experience, having coached some of the best teams in the world. He has also coached here in Australia with Hobart Hurricanes, so he brings a bit of experience of different grounds.”He is a fantastic batting coach, he understands the game extremely well, and the pressure points. He has worked closely with our batters, working on different options against certain types of bowlers, so he has made a big impact in a short space of time.”UAE have also been in Australia for some time, and spent it getting familiar with conditions that are markedly different to home.”With the wickets here, we know what to expect. There’s a bit more bounce in the tracks compared to back home,” Chirag Suri, UAE’s opening batter, said. “And dimensions of the grounds are different. Certain grounds are bigger in certain areas, it’s not the same circular grounds we get back home, so it’s good that we came earlier. We are in sync with conditions.”The last time UAE appeared at a major tournament was in Australia seven years ago for the 2015 ODI World Cup. No one from that squad has made the trip this time, and neither has their regular grey kit, which has been swapped out for a strip that reflects what the Emirates Cricket Board called “the beautiful winter” of their region. With dark blue bottoms and tops that brighten from blue through purple to magenta on top, they mimic a sunset (or a sunrise) and hope the new outfits will also translate to good results.Ahmed Raza is the only UAE player with any World Cup experience•Getty Images

“It’s a nice change. We are colourful now for the first time. We’ve got a fresh kit and a fresh team, and we’re looking for fresh performances,” Suri said. “There’s not one person in this team who has played a World Cup for UAE before [except Ahmed Raza, who was at the 2014 T20 World Cup]. It’s a completely new team, so the results could be completely different as well.”Like Netherlands in 2021, UAE lost all three matches the last time they played a T20 World Cup, in 2014. The only match they have won at a global ICC event was incidentally against Netherlands, at the 1996 ODI World Cup. It’s a record they hope to improve on as the spotlight grows on their 20-over game.The UAE will host the inaugural ILT20 tournament in January 2023, and while it will be headlined by a large international contingent, there are also aims to grow the local game.The T20 World Cup presents an ideal shop window for the UAE players to show what they can do.”Obviously the league coming is a big bonus for the players. It’s a huge platform for us to showcase our talent. We are producing a lot of good young players and to have this sort of platform, at that age, to rub shoulders with the best in the world, they’ll get to learn so much,” Suri said. “I think the guys are going to really enjoy it and good performances here will put us in good stead going into January.”

Western Australia are well placed for a fourth win of the season in a game dominated by the ball

AAP23-Nov-2022Western Australia set New South Wales the seemingly Herculean task of chasing 268 runs to win after 20 wickets fell for 220 runs on an eventful day of Sheffield Shield cricket.On a lively but not unplayable SCG pitch, both sides struggled to make runs. D’Arcy Short top-scored for WA with an unbeaten 38 on a grim day for the batting profession. The visitors were bowled out for 127 in their second innings after slumping to 7 for 45 shortly after tea.Short and debutant paceman Charlie Stobo steadied the ship with a 60-run partnership – the largest of the day – to drag their side past three figures.”As you’ve seen, getting 200 on this wicket is really challenging,” Stobo said.  “Getting [a lead of] 260, 270 is a real bonus, so pretty content at the moment.”Related

• Spin duo Green and Gray enjoy impressive starts for New South Wales

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Journeyman NSW spinner Chris Green continued his dream first-class debut, picking up a five-wicket haul to add to his four opening-day dismissals.Quick Mickey Edwards got his first wicket in the competition since 2018 after a torrid injury run, trapping opener Cameron Bancroft lbw for 1.Chris Tremain got the pick of the wickets, taking an exceptional return catch in his follow-through off Sam Fanning’s firmly struck straight drive.The Blues were earlier skittled for 93, 140 runs short of WA’s first-innings total. Matthew Kelly was the pick of the quicks for the visitors, taking 3 fpr 9 including a double-wicket maiden over that brought the dismissals of Jason Sangha and Moises Henriques.Stobo picked up his first wickets for WA, while spinner Corey Rocchiccioli helped clean up the tail with four of his own.Daniel Hughes top-scored for the hosts with 30 off 96 deliveries, battling admirably for each run as his partners fell around him.Fast bowlers took 11 of day’s wickets with the spinners nabbing nine on a green pitch offering plenty of turn and bounce after the NSW spin pair of Green and Toby Gray dominated on day one.”It’s obviously a bit of a difficult wicket,” Hughes said.  “You can’t play any cross-bat shots on that. You’ve got to play as straight as you can and wait for the spinner to drop short or the quicks to bowl full and just hit down the ground. That’s the key, and if we can do that for a long period tomorrow we’re in with a chance.”With South Australia leapfrogging them at the bottom of the table following their draw with Queensland, the winless Blues will need a massive batting effort to avoid defeat on day three.

Scorchers have lost Marsh, Evans, Munro and Patterson from last year’s title-winning XI while new recruit Phil Salt has also been ruled out

Tristan Lavalette15-Dec-2022Captain Ashton Turner
Coach Adam VogesSquadAshton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Faf du Plessis, Stephen Eskinazi, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Adam Lyth, Hamish McKenzie, Tymal Mills, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew TyeIn Faf du Plessis, Stephen Eskinazi, Cameron Green, Adam Lyth, Hamish McKenzie
Out David Moody, Laurie Evans, Mitchell Marsh, Colin Munro, Kurtis Patterson

What happened in the draft

Scorchers skipped their platinum pick despite former player David Willey’s availability. They retained Laurie Evans, who was a hero in last season’s BBL final, after Sydney Sixers made a play for him, but the Englishman’s contract was later terminated following a positive result on an anti-doping test. Scorchers also selected big-hitting batter Phil Salt, but like Evans he will miss the BBL season after suffering a shoulder injury during England’s recent ODI series against Australia. Left-arm quick Tymal Mills was set to return to Scorchers after seamlessly fitting into their star-studded attack during a short stint last season but was a late withdrawal from the tournament due to a family emergency. Without Evans, Salt, Mills and injured star Mitchell Marsh, Scorchers had to make late changes with former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis and English batters Adam Lyth and Stephen Eskinazi coming into the squad.Related

• Scorchers suffer double blow with Mitchell Marsh and Phil Salt ruled out of BBL

• Laurie Evans denies wrongdoing after positive dope test

Last season: winners

Scorchers returned to the top of the BBL after a remarkable triumph against the odds. Scorchers’ fourth BBL title was arguably their best after only playing one home game due to strict Covid-19 border rules in Western Australia at the time. After beating Brisbane Heat at Optus Stadium in their season-opener, Scorchers had to endure more than 50 days on the road but it didn’t matter as they won 11 of 14 games to finish the regular season on top of the ladder. They then twice beat two-time defending champs Sydney Sixers in the finals, including a 79-run thrashing in the decider to cap one of the greatest title campaigns seen in T20 franchise cricket.

International impact

Test allrounder Cameron Green should be available after the South Africa series. He’s only played 13 matches previously in BBL08 and 09 with little success, but there is much intrigue over how he’ll fare ahead of what might well be his first IPL season. Du Plessis and Lyth will be available for the first half of the season before heading to new T20 leagues in UAE and South Africa. Eskinazi, who has a terrific T20 record in England, is available for the whole season.

Key player

Scorchers will boast a new-look batting order this season. Along with the aforementioned Munro, Evans and Marsh, they will also be without opener Kurtis Patterson who signed with Sixers after a big season as a belligerent batter against type. Local batters Cameron Bancroft and Nick Hobson will probably get more of a run than initially expected in a Scorchers batting line-up that suddenly looks a bit vulnerable. They’ll be hoping explosive wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis can fire and he should be available throughout the season. Inglis, who made his T20I and ODI debuts this year, was a late withdrawal from Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign after a freak hand injury sustained while playing golf. He has struggled with the bat in his return but a rapid 85 against South Australia in the Marsh Cup reinforced his match-winning abilities. Inglis is highly rated by national selectors and should figure in calculations for the next ODI and T20 World Cups. A strong BBL will only strengthen his standing.

Young player to watch

Following in the footsteps of Marsh and Green, there is growing hype over emerging allrounder Aaron Hardie who is likely to finally carve out a permanent spot in Scorchers’ line-up. The 23-year-old had a breakout domestic season last year capped by scoring a century in the Sheffield Shield final to help Western Australia end a 23-year title drought. With his batting and seam bowling compared to childhood friend Green, who is five months younger than Hardie, he has caught the eye of national selectors and was part of Australia A ‘s tour to Sri Lanka mid-year and last month represented a formidable Prime Minister’s XI team against West Indies. Hardie’s form has been modest so far this domestic season, but with more responsibility amid a settled role for Scorchers he looms as a new BBL star.

Keightley, replacing Trevor Griffin, has signed a three-year deal

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2023Lisa Keightley has signed with WBBL side Sydney Thunder as their head coach for the next three seasons. A highly decorated coach, Keightley takes over from Trevor Griffin, who was the coach when Thunder won the WBBL title in the 2020-21 season, the second time they had won the WBBL.”I know Sydney Thunder has a good history, and it has won two titles [they also won the inaugural edition in 2015-16],” Keightley said in a statement released by Thunder. “There’s also a good group of players who have enjoyed success.”When I say it’s a challenge, it’s in the sense of the team having a couple of seasons where they’d want to be. I’ll be making sure we’re competitive and winning games of cricket. Thunder has a core of players who have played for a number of years and have enjoyed success. I’m hoping it won’t take too much.”Related

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Keightley played nine Tests, 82 ODIs and one T20I for Australia between 1995 and 2005. After retiring as a player, she has coached the Australia national team – the first woman to do so – and the England national team, and has also worked with New South Wales, Western Australia, and Perth Scorchers.The first woman to score an international century at Lord’s, in an ODI against England in 1998, and also the owner of the second-highest individual score by an Australian in an ODI – 156* vs Pakistan in 1997 – is currently in South Africa as the tactical performance coach for Paarl Royals, the domestic T20 team.

Phoebe Litchfield, Hannah Darlington are with Thunder

At Thunder, she would be working with, among others, two of Australia’s brightest young cricketers, Phoebe Litchfield and Hannah Darlington.”Hannah Darlington has had success, as has Phoebe Litchfield,” Keightley said. “Tahlia Wilson has been playing in [the NSW WNCL team] consistently over the years, and she’ll be looking to improve and have an impact.Lisa Keightley played nine Tests, 82 ODIs and one T20I for Australia•Getty Images

“I look at other players and see Sammy-Jo Johnson as a seasoned campaigner who is probably a little disappointed in how she played this year. However, she’s had success in the past, so I can see no reason why that can’t be turned around.”Then you have the likes of Lauren Smith, another player who has played for a number of years and had success throughout the WBBL. It’s a matter of, to me, some overseas players being in and around the quality that we’ve got, and then playing some consistent cricket.”Keightley said her focus was to create a unique brand of cricket while at Thunder.”I’m looking forward to connecting with the players, especially the Sydney-based ones to make sure when we go into that competition it doesn’t feel new,” she said. “I’m looking forward to helping them and discussing their games and where they’d like to be. I want to share my observations of how they’re playing, and maybe, the areas where they can grow, learn and stretch.”I think that would be a good transition to make during the year, rather than coming in two weeks before the WBBL. I think that’s the nice bit of the challenge; knowing when we play in the WBBL that they’re clear about the brand of cricket we want to play.”

Yorkshire bring in Australian Mickey Edwards as a local player

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2023Somerset have signed Matt Henry, the New Zealand seamer, as an overseas player for seven County Championship games and the duration of the T20 Blast.Henry has been hugely effective whenever he has played Championship cricket, taking 87 wickets at 15.94 across two spells at Kent, and has also represented Derbyshire and Worcestershire in his English domestic career.Somerset hope he will complement a seam attack that includes Peter Siddle, Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton. “We’ve got a nucleus of bowlers who are capable of ensuring that we take 20 wickets in red-ball cricket alongside a group of talented young bowlers who are incredibly aspirational and have already shown what they are capable of,” Jason Kerr, their coach, said. “Matt’s arrival will bring us even more potency.Related

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“He is a world-class performer who has demonstrated what he can do across all formats already within the English domestic game. He’s got good pace and can swing the ball. What he will provide off the field will be equally as important. He has experienced playing all over the world and will be able to share a vast amount of knowledge.”It’s important that we can rotate the bowlers throughout the summer to ensure that we can compete across all formats. Being able to rest players in order to keep them as fresh as possible will give us the best chance to remain really competitive.”Henry is due to arrive in time for Somerset’s Championship match against Lancashire on May 11, after New Zealand’s ODI series in Pakistan, and will leave the club on July 31. “I enjoy playing in English conditions and I’m looking forward to joining up with Somerset,” he said. “They are a club that are held in high regard, and I’ve heard only good things about the setup there.”

Mickey Edwards joins Yorkshire as local player

Meanwhile, Yorkshire have signed Mickey Edwards, a 28-year-old Sydney Sixers and New South Wales seamer, on an 18-month deal as a local player, thanks to a British passport. He will be unavailable for his Australian teams next season unless they register him as an overseas player.Edwards has a modest career record – he has only made 18 appearances across formats – but declared his ambition “to fight for a spot in the England team across all formats” in a press release. “I am confident that being at Yorkshire is the best place for me to achieve that,” he said.Darren Gough, Yorkshire’s managing director, said: “We’ve been tracking him over the winter and are excited to be welcoming him to our side. He’s got pace, height and skill and will present a real challenge for batters in all formats.”

The visitors restored some parity by inducing a collapse, picking seven wickets for 79 runs in the final session

Ashish Pant28-Feb-2023Aiden Markram celebrated his return to Test cricket in style notching up his sixth century but Alzarri Joseph’s pacy three-wicket burst helped West Indies storm back into the contest late in the day. South Africa ended day one of the first Test on 314 for 8.On a surface that had something in for the bowlers all day, Markram, playing his first Test since August 2022, put on a cover drive masterclass en route to 115. But West Indies restored some parity by inducing a collapse, picking seven wickets for 79 runs in the final session.Temba Bavuma won the toss in his first assignment as full-time Test captain and elected to bat first with the hosts getting in two debutants – top order batter Tony de Zorzi and fast bowler Gerald Coetzee. Kemar Roach came in for West Indies in place of Gutakesh Motie, who was out due to a back injury.Dean Elgar and Markram held their own in a near-perfect morning session for the hosts adding 99 runs in 28 overs. West Indies did have a chance to get that early wicket, with Elgar edging a straightforward catch to Jermaine Blackwood at third slip off Kyle Mayers, but the fielder made a mess of it.Shannon Gabriel troubled Elgar with the short ball, including a shoulder-high delivery that drew a top edge over the wicketkeeper’s head. There was also a leg-side trap in place for him, but the former captain survived all that and brought up his 23rd Test fifty off 84 balls.Markram, at the other end, back with renewed confidence after recently leading Sunrisers Eastern Cape at the SA20, played a couple of stunning cover drives to signal his intentions early. He was largely untroubled with whatever the West Indies bowlers threw at him as the duo went into the break unscathed.Markram started the second session from where he left off in the first driving Jason Holder in the gap through covers, which also brought up the hundred for South Africa in the 29th over. Gabriel continued with the short-ball ploy but Elgar, now more confident, brought out the ramp over the slip fielders.Alzarri Joseph’s scorching yorker knocked over Aiden Markram•AFP/Getty Images

Then it was Markram’s turn to bring up his half-century, his tenth in Test cricket, with a push through covers. Elgar ramped Joseph over slips again but the very shot brought about his downfall two balls later. Joseph moved the fielder to deep third and went for another bouncer, closer to Elgar’s body. He arched back, trying to ramp him again, but ended up hitting it straight to Blackwood who took a stunning catch after a bit of misjudgment.With de Zorzi in at No.3, West Indies would have harboured hopes of some sort of a comeback. The debutant, however, quickly put those thoughts to bed, adding 78 runs for the second wicket off 127 balls. South Africa went into tea 206 for 1 and eyeing a big first-innings with Markram unbeaten on 97 and de Zorzi largely comfortable on 22.Things, however, unravelled rather quickly in the final session. Markram had a scare on 99 when a caught-behind decision was sent upstairs but the on-field decision of not out was upheld. He did not waste much time, crashing Joseph’s short-of-a-length ball past point to bring up his first Test century since February 2021.However, a combination of an excellent piece of fielding and lazy running brought about de Zorzi’s wicket and opened the floodgates. De Zorzi’s cut was intercepted well at deep point by Tagenarine Chanderpaul. The duo ran two but for some reason, de Zorzi came back searching for a third only to be sent back. Chanderpaul fired in a wide throw that Joshua Da Silva palmed back onto the stumps, catching de Zorzi by surprise, who was found to be inches short.Two balls later Joseph pinned Bavuma bang in front of the stumps for a duck before a pinpoint yorker on the base of off stump left Markram’s stumps in a mess. From 206 for 1, the hosts had slipped to 236 for 5.Heinrich Klassen came out with an attacking intent even as Keegan Peterson, back after an injury, struggled for timing. Klaasen’s cameo did not last long, though, with Gabriel sending him back for 20 via a short ball that he pulled to Joseph at mid-on.The West Indies bowlers then stuck to a plan and got the ball to hoop around. Senuran Muthusamy was caught in front shouldering arms to a full-length Roach delivery, while Mayers ended Peterson’s struggle on 14.Coetzee struck two fours off his first two balls in Test cricket before bad light brought about an early close of play with only 82 overs possible on the opening day.

“Huge difference in a right-armer and a left-armer bowling a couple of inches outside the wide line to a right-hand batter,” argues the RCB quick

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Mar-2023Royal Challengers Bangalore strike bowler Harshal Patel is not convinced the use of DRS to review wides and over-the-waist no balls this IPL will increase the accuracy of decisions. While he admits he will use a review for a tight umpiring call, especially in the death overs, Harshal argues that technology might not be definitive in determining a wide or an over-the-waist no-ball, and suspects those calls will fall in a “grey” area.”Technology can definitely be helpful in situations where you can separate black and white. But these balls are always going to be grey, especially wide-ball lines. Because you can’t really judge how much the batter has moved, whether the ball was within his reach, the angle of the delivery…,” Harshal said in a chat with ESPNcricinfo before joining the Royal Challengers camp for the IPL.”There’s going to be a huge difference in where the ball finishes between a right-hander bowling the same [ball] a couple of inches outside the wide line and a left-hander bowling from over the stumps a couple of inches outside the wide line. When the [right-hand] batter tries to reach, it’s always going to be wider when he plays the left-hander, [and] it’s always going to be closer when he plays the right-hander.Related

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“I don’t know how many of these factors will be taken into account when making decisions. Obviously, they can’t take a lot of these factors into account because that will consume a lot of time. In my humble opinion, this doesn’t solve the problem. You have to call it the human factor in the game and move on.”Harshal’s fears came to the fore last Sunday in the final of the inaugural WPL, for which the BCCI had trialled the new playing condition of using DRS for wides and over-the-waist no-balls. The WPL final, between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, witnessed high drama early in the match when Shafali Verma was given out caught off an Issy Wong full toss which fell in that “grey” area Harshal described. Wong was celebrating with her Mumbai team-mates when on-field umpire Vrinda Rathi sent the matter to the TV umpire Pashchim Pathak, who took a few looks at the replay before ruling Shafali out.Such reviews will be a part of the two unsuccessful reviews each team will have per innings in the IPL, just like it was in the WPL. So, while it might not always go the way of your team, the option is there for the teams, but to use it smartly.”The other thing is you get only two reviews, right? Do you really want to use a review on a marginal call, which may or may not go in your favour, as opposed to use it in a situation where you can get the batter out,” Harshal said in response to that question. But if you have a review in hand and you are bowling at the death, a phase where fast bowlers tend to bowl wide yorkers outside the off stump?”For sure – 100%,” Harshal said, that in such a scenario he will press his captain to use the review.Incidentally, Harshal’s thoughts match that of former ICC Elite Panel umpire Simon Taufel, who last year told ESPNcricinfo why he disagreed with having wides and height no-balls being reviewed by technology.”With wides, for example, and here we’re going to, potentially according to you, or according to the player or the debate, take a wide call and throw that back to the third umpire for them to judge on something that might be marginal and is still a judgement call,” Taufel had said. “Are you going to be able to over-rule as a third umpire what a leg-side wide might look like? That’s a really interesting proposition to throw to a third umpire and say: I definitely think you got that wide wrong.”If you look at a ball that cuts across a right-hander from a left-armer [fast bowler], that cuts the wide guideline – that’s a pretty big call to over-rule. Can you clearly define for me what conclusive evidence is to overturn a wide both leg side, off side and height? And where do you then draw the line as to what a wide is? Because with wides, for example, you still got this opinion around: either could the batsman have played a shot? Has the batsman brought the ball sufficiently within reach? And you are putting them [under] a lot more stress and pressure around those definitions. Of course, if the ball has flicked the bat or the pad, and an umpire’s called a wide – yeah, that’s quite clearly an error. [But] I worry about where this is going to end up. Is everything that an umpire does likely to fall under the Decision Review System?”