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Mitchell Starc will put himself up for a return to the IPL next year, viewing it as ideal preparation for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA in June.If picked up by a franchise, it would be Starc’s first appearance in the tournament since 2015 – overall he has made 27 appearances in two seasons for Royal Challengers Bangalore.In 2018, he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders before withdrawing through injury and on other occasions has considered a return before opting to prioritise time at home amid a hectic multi-format schedule for Australia.Related

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However, next year is comparatively light for Australia with only the T20 World Cup scheduled between a tour of New Zealand in March and white-ball series against Afghanistan, Ireland and England from late August.”Look it’s been eight years. I’m definitely going back in [next] year,” Starc told the about his IPL ambitions. “Amongst other things, it’s a great lead-up to the T20 World Cup.”So a good opportunity to see if anyone’s interested in the IPL, then lead into the T20 World Cup. And it’s somewhat of a quiet winter next year…in comparison to this winter, so I think a perfect opportunity to put my name in.”One of the major reasons Starc has previously sidelined the IPL is his desire to ensure he is fully available for Test cricket. While not putting a timeline on how long his career will go, he would like to reach a century of appearances in the format. Glenn McGrath is the only fast bowler to achieve that milestone for Australia.Starc currently sits on 82 Tests and if he features in all of Australia’s upcoming fixtures on the Future Tours Programme, his 100th game would come up during the 2025-26 Ashes.”Not just get to 100, I’d like to be good enough to be picked for 100 Tests,” he said. “And then the big one obviously in a couple of weeks is the World Cup, which in India just goes to another level.”And then you look at the one-day format, it’s sort of four years in between World Cups, so where do I see myself in that mix? But I’ve got to get to the end of this World Cup first.”But we’ve got some superstars coming through. You’ve got your Jhye Richardsons, your Sean Abbotts, your Spencer Johnsons. You’ve got plenty of young guys coming through. [Lance] Morris is going to be a gun.”I try not to look too far ahead with anything. Obviously, we want to do well in the World Cup. Then we’ve got five Test matches here in Australia and then I haven’t actually played a Test in New Zealand, so hopefully I’m on that tour and look forward to that challenge as well.”

Manchester Originals 181 for 6 (Salt 86) beat Trent Rockets 171 for 5 (Kohler-Cadmore 64, Tongue 3-32) by 10 runsManchester Originals edged out holders Trent Rockets by 10 runs to disappoint a record crowd at Trent Bridge, defending 181 for six after Phil Salt had smashed a stunning 86 off 32 balls.A strong fightback from the home side’s bowlers gave their side a chance, restricting the Originals to just 69 from their last 56 balls after Salt’s 12 fours and five sixes had seen them 112 for one from 44 and on for a massive score.Daniel Sams (2 for 28) and Lewis Gregory (2 for 30) were outstanding given that it was a flat pitch, with Luke Wood recovering from a 14-run mauling off his first set of five to finish with one for 31 from 20.Yet Josh Tongue (3 for 32) and Paul Walter (2 for 24) were superb for the Originals, Walter’s defending of 14 off the last set leaving most of the 15,500 spectators disappointed that Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s 64 off 42, Colin Munro’s 36 off 22 and Joe Root’s 35 off 23 were not enough to get the job done as Originals moved level with second-placed Southern Brave on points and left the Rockets in fifth spot.Reasoning that Trent Bridge is a tough ground to defend a total, Rockets opted to bowl first but may have been having regrets as Salt hammered 30 runs in the first 10 balls on the way to a half-century from just 20 balls as the Originals, 58 for one in the powerplay, set off at a ferocious pace.Jos Buttler, a spectator as Salt found the boundary seven times in that opening assault, lifted his first delivery over the rope at extra cover but missed out on many more as Ish Sodhi grabbed a fine low catch at midwicket.Sam Cook put Salt down on 47, a straightforward catch at deep square leg off Sodhi’s bowling. But after feeling increasingly uncomfortable as the Lancashire player took him for back-to-back boundaries and a huge six over long-on, raising his boundary count to five sixes and 12 fours, it was Cook who had the last word, his next ball a slower one that bowled Salt behind his legs as he stepped across his stumps.Now the Rockets took the pace off and Gregory accounted for Max Holden, caught at long off, and Ashton Turner, falling to a much more difficult catch by Cook on the legside rope in a 25-ball spell immediately after Salt’s demise to ball 45 that saw just 30 runs added.The home attack were bowling much smarter now and Sams picked up a second scalp with a slow yorker that was too good for Laurie Evans, while Wood, having conceded 14 in five balls at the top of the innings, went for just 11 in two sets, coming back for his final set to concede just six more and scatter Jamie Overton’s stumps for good measure.The Rockets would have been pleased with their work as they came off the field but 182 was still a demanding target to chase, one which looked bigger still as Alex Hales succumbed to the first legitimate ball of their innings, a near-unplayable ball from Tongue that had him caught behind off the splice.Root and Kohler-Cadmore soothed the blow with 65 off 40 balls, Root getting off the mark with a single before bringing the reverse-ramp into play for his first boundary, but ultimately perishing playing a similar stroke, caught behind by an alert Buttler off the left-arm seam of Paul Walter. Nonetheless, at 84 for two from 50, the home side had a good base.Kohler-Cadmore and Munro built on it pretty well but with 28 needed from 14 the outcome was in the balance and that balance tipped towards the Originals as Tongue returned to dismiss both in his final set, Munro caught behind off a thin inside-edge as the bowler cramped him for room before Kohler-Cadmore, looking to ease the pressure with time running out, holed out to point off a big top edge.Zaman Khan went for nine runs off his final set to leave 14 needed by Rockets off the last five and Walter was up to task, conceding only three and picking up a second wicket as Sams holed out off the last ball.

Warwickshire 155 for 2 (Yates 53*) trail Kent 171 (Stewart 50, Hannon-Dalby 4-56) by 16 runsWarwickshire dominated the first day of their LV= Insurance County Championship with Kent at Canterbury, reaching 155 for two at stumps, a deficit of just 16. Rob Yates was unbeaten on 53, while Sam Hain was 29 not out.Earlier Oliver Hannon-Dalby took 4 for 56 as Kent were bowled out for 171, a score that would have been even lower had Grant Stewart not blasted 50 from 45 balls. The hosts’ last three wickets added 93, more than half their total.Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, originally signed for the Vitality Blast, made a rare first-class appearance and bowled five overs, taking nought for 17, having been awarded his Warwickshire cap in a short ceremony before the start.Kent chose to bat in broad sunshine at the Spitfire Ground, but approached their innings as if they were still in T20 mode. Their openers were diligent enough in seeing out the first ten overs but the loss of Ben Compton seemed to flick a switch, ushering in a spell of four wickets for 19 runs in the space of 4.5 overs. Chris Rushworth started the collapse when he found Compton’s edge and he was caught behind for 9.Joe Denly lasted just just four balls before he was lbw to Henry Brookes for 1 and Harry Finch’s first red-ball appearance of the season was even shorter as he made a three-ball duck, Rushworth finding his bottom edge and Michael Burgess taking a sharp catch standing up to the stumps.Jack Leaning had made a relatively untroubled 7, but when Tawanda Muyeye nudged the ball to mid-on he hared down the wicket and made it almost as far as the striker’s end before realising his partner hadn’t moved, allowing Will Rhodes to walk in and break the wicket.Jordan Cox nearly met the same fate and although he was spared by a misfield, he’d made just 15 before he pulled Hannon-Dalby to Alex Davies at square leg. A disastrous session for the hosts came to an end when the same bowler had Muyeye lbw for 38.If that decision was harsh, Muyeye was the only batter who could really claim he had been unlucky. Joey Evison went for 4 in the second over after lunch, victim of a tumbling catch by Burgess after he’d nicked Hannon-Dalby and it was left to Stewart to play the Stokes role. He smashed Hannon-Dalby for a six that sailed over cow corner and through the branches of the St. Lawrence lime tree and was joined by Matt Quinn for a stand of 40 that proved the highest of the innings.Quinn’s frenetic 15-ball cameo yielded a six and three fours before Brookes had him caught by the sub fielder, his brother Ethan, for 25.Arshdeep Singh hit his first ball for six, but he left the pyrotechnics to Stewart, who dumped Hannon-Dalby for successive sixes over cow corner before his luck ran out when the same bowler had him caught on the boundary.It had been an entertaining hour, but it looked a low score and lower still as Warwickshire advanced to 69 without loss. The opening stand was broken when Alex Davies was lbw for 42, perhaps unluckily, to Evison. Hamid Qadri then had Will Rhodes caught behind for 25, but Yates was on 42 when Kent missed a difficult chance to run him out and he and Hain were otherwise unflustered as they batted through the evening session.

As Usman Khawaja punched Stuart Broad’s full toss down the ground to pass 50 for the third time in four innings, he strolled down towards his partner Marnus Labuschagne. Without smiling, he shook Labuschagne’s hand and held up his bat reluctantly, as though asking the crowd to settle down so he could resume his innings.The TV cameras cut to the Australian supporters in the Mound Stand, all wearing their canary yellow caps, then the away balcony. David Warner, George Bailey, Pat Cummins, Andrew McDonald, Travis Head and Michael di Venuto sat applauding quietly.Watching from a chair at the front of the dressing room, set slightly back from the balcony, Steven Smith was waiting to bat. Smith clapped, too, then let out an uncontrollable yawn. It was that sort of afternoon at Lord’s, a soporific return to the normal rhythms of Test cricket after a series that has been played in fast-forward.Related

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Forget Joe Root’s reverse-scoop and Travis Head’s half-cut-half-slap. Ignore Cummins’ swipe down the ground for six and Zak Crawley’s cover drive. The defining shot of the first eight days of this Ashes series has been altogether more restrained.It has been played 189 times already, 34 of which came on a grim, murky Friday afternoon under the floodlights: Khawaja calmly, watchfully defending one of England’s three main seamers – Broad, James Anderson and Ollie Robinson.Khawaja has faced 486 balls from those three seamers in this series. He has defended 39% of them and has left a further 24%. He has scored 173 runs off them – at a strike rate of 35 – and been dismissed only once, when attempting to squeeze Robinson through backward point in Birmingham.There have been eight days of play in this series and Khawaja has been unbeaten overnight in half of them, the fourth coming at Lord’s on Friday. After seeing out 123 balls in the gloom, he will resume tomorrow on 58 not out with the chance to put the second Test beyond England’s reach.Khawaja has faced 711 balls in the series, more than twice as many as any other batter on either side. His strike rate of 39.52 is, by some way, the lowest of any batter who has faced more than 10 balls; his aggregate of 281 runs is more than 100 runs clear of his nearest competitor, Root.His innings on Friday was characteristic of his series: unflustered, organised and ruthless. He had a life on 19 when Anderson, at short midwicket, allowed a pull to burst through his hands, but otherwise played late and with the control that has eluded most batters. If this really is the Bazball Ashes, nobody told Khawaja.Khawaja’s opening partnership with David Warner was seen as one of Australia’s few areas of vulnerability heading into this tour; at Lord’s, they have added 73 and 63 in perhaps the toughest batting conditions that either side has faced in the match.Usman Khawaja raises his bat on reaching fifty•Getty Images

“They’ve been fantastic,” Mitchell Starc said. “They’ve played a lot of cricket together. There was a big focus heading into the series on the way they wanted to go about their cricket and they’ve both been fantastic openers for a long time. Uzzie’s form over the last couple of years has been phenomenal.”They’ve created a really good partnership over a long period of time. To come into a big series like this [and make] some of the starts they have has been quality, to see them go about their business there. Obviously the opening partnership is a key one but throughout our top order, everyone has stepped up at different moments.”While England’s openers, Crawley and Ben Duckett, have both performed creditably, Khawaja has been the difference between the teams so far. He was named Player of the Match at Edgbaston and he will have the chance to add to his 75 runs at Lord’s on Saturday.England have become preoccupied with trying to save Test cricket over the last 12 months; Khawaja is perfectly content with just playing it. He is not the sort of player that has Lord’s crowds rushing back from their long lunches or skipping dessert on the Nursery Ground; he is not the sort who will care, either.It is worth considering whether, if he qualified for them, this England team would find room for Khawaja. Earlier this year, Ben Stokes was asked by Nasser Hussain if a young Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott or Michael Atherton would have a chance of forcing their way into England’s Test plans.”I’m not saying that’s not the way to play,” Stokes replied, while hinting exactly that. “But in this day and age and this era, while I’m captain and Baz [Brendon McCullum] is coach, that’s not something we’re looking for. That’s the truth. That’s not what we want. We want players who will go out there and put pressure on the bowlers straightaway.”Khawaja is not one of those – yet he has been the best batter on either side. He will be back again on Saturday, defending against Anderson, Broad and Robinson once more.

The dates and venues for the 2023 Asia Cup have finally been officially confirmed, with the tournament set to take place in Pakistan and Sri Lanka between August 31 and September 17. A detailed schedule, however, has not yet been released.The tournament was originally meant to be held entirely in Pakistan but a hybrid model became necessary after the BCCI said India would not travel to Pakistan. As reported by ESPNcricinfo, in the hybrid model approved by the Asian Cricket Council, four of the 13 matches will be played in Pakistan and the remaining nine in Sri Lanka.This will be the first time since 2008 that matches of a multi-nation tournament will be staged in Pakistan. “I am elated that our hybrid version for the ACC Asia Cup 2023 has been accepted,” Najam Sethi, chair of the PCB management committee, said. “This means the PCB will remain as the event host and stage matches in Pakistan with Sri Lanka as the neutral venue, which was required due to the Indian cricket team’s inability to travel to Pakistan.”Our passionate fans would have loved to see the India cricket team in action in Pakistan for the first time in 15 years, but we understand the BCCI’s position. Like the PCB, the BCCI also requires government approval and clearance before crossing borders.”I now look forward to continuing our discussions and deliberations with the ACC and Sri Lanka Cricket to iron out a few minor operational and logistical details so that we can launch our event planning and preparations.”The 2023 edition will have India, Pakistan and Nepal in one group, and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in another group, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the Super Four stage. The top two from the Super Four stage will then face off in the final. Matches will be played in the 50-over format as preparation for the ODI World Cup in India in October-November.The hybrid model was proposed as a solution due to India refusing to tour Pakistan owing to strained political relations between the two countries. The PCB, as appointed hosts, were keen to ensure that at least part of the tournament was played in Pakistan. The UAE was in the running as a neutral venue but Bangladesh raised concerns over the extreme weather there in September.Sri Lanka are the defending champions, though the 2022 event was played in the 20-over format. The last 50-over Asia Cup was played in 2018 in the UAE, where India beat Bangladesh in a thrilling final.

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals returned to winning ways with a spectacular performance against Kolkata Knight Riders after five defeats in their previous six games, but they have little room to relax. If they lose to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday, the maximum points they can finish on is 14, which will leave them depending on several results going in their favour to qualify for the playoffs.Though they can still make it with 14 without the help of net run rates (NRR), it is also possible for five other teams to finish on 15 or more points, thus knocking out Royals. Royals have an excellent NRR of 0.633 though – second only to that of Gujarat Titans at present – so that could come in handy if things get tight on points.Related

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On the other hand, if they win both games then Royals will almost certainly qualify. That is because their two games are against teams who also need to win all their matches to finish on 16. It is possible that Royals and Mumbai Indians might fight for the fourth spot if Titans, Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants finish on more than 16, but in that case Royals’ NRR will certainly trump Mumbai Indians’ (they are currently on -0.117).

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers are in a similar position as Royals in that they need to win all games to finish on 16, but there are a couple of crucial differences: they need to win three on the trot, not two; and their NRR is languishing at -0.345.If Royal Challengers lose on Sunday, they will almost certainly be out even if they win their last two and end up on 14 points. That’s because three teams – Titans, Super Kings, and at least one of Super Giants or Mumbai Indians – will finish on more than 14 points, and Royals’ NRR will ensure they are placed higher too.Even if Royal Challengers win all three, it could still come down to NRRs as six teams – Titans, Super Kings, Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers and Punjab Kings – could all finish on 16 or more points.

Chennai Super Kings

A win against Knight Riders will ensure that Chennai Super Kings enter the playoffs, but it won’t yet confirm a top-two finish, as Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants can get to 17 or more points.Even if they lose on Sunday, Super Kings will get another chance to get to 17 when they play their last game, against Delhi Capitals in Delhi on May 20. However, if they lose both these matches, then they will be at the mercy of other results as four teams can finish on 16 or more points.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Wins in their two remaining games will take Knight Riders to 14, which will still leave them relying on other results. Their best case would be for Titans to win their last two, Royal Challengers to beat Royals and then lose their last two, Super Giants and Royals to lose their last two, and Punjab Kings to lose to Delhi Capitals in their return game on Wednesday. Then Titans, Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will qualify, leaving Knight Riders and Punjab Kings to fight for the fourth spot on 14 points. There isn’t much to choose between their NRRs at the moment (-0.357 for KKR and -0.268 for Punjab Kings) which means Knight Riders will still have to win handsomely to lift their NRR.