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It was, according to Saber Chowdhury, then president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the third most important event in the country’s history, after independence and the re-establishment of Bengali as the national language.More than two years on from Bangladesh’s elevation to full Test status by the International Cricket Council (ICC), it has been exposed for what it always was: a decision made more on political than on sound cricketing grounds and taken on the misleading euphoria of a One-Day victory over Pakistan, the former governing power, in the 1999 World Cup.It has devalued the game at the highest level and attached an unfair burden on Bangladesh’s enthusiastic and talented cricketers who were clearly not prepared for it.Just as significantly, as one crushing defeat has followed another, the high expectations of a passionate public have been undermined.The few thousand spectators spread around the 30 000 capacity Bangabandhu Stadium on Tuesday as the West Indies completed the latest humiliation, by an innings and 310 runs, jeered their players. Their patience is wearing thin.It was Bangladesh’s 15th defeat in their 16 Tests, their 11th by an innings. They drew the other only because the weather intervened.Their promotion, gained under the presidency of the canny Indian administrator Jagmohan Dalmiya, provided the Asian bloc with a fourth full member among the ten around the ICC table. But it did not provide Test cricket with a team worthy of the status.Gordon Greenidge, the eminent West Indies opening batsman who was the national coach at the time, was a plaintive voice amidst the tumult warning that, given its domestic structure, Bangladesh would be embarrassed by such a move.He had been hailed, feted and given honorary status when Bangladesh won the ICC Trophy for associate members that secured them automatic entry into the World Cup for the first time in 1999.But he quickly turned villain for his honest and, as it inevitably proved, accurate judgement. He was dismissed even before the World Cup ended and has subsequently and unhappily witnessed his prophesy come to pass.He was in Bangladesh again recently as television analyst for the three One-Day Internationals of the West Indies tour, now welcomed by those who have come to understand the merit of his original concern and by a new administration keen to have him return as national coach.His original apprehension was based on cricketing common sense.Players with talentPlayers of potential obviously abound in a country of 130 million. Mohammad Ashraful became Test cricket’s youngest century-maker with 114 against Sri Lanka, aged 16 and on debut last year. He was one of four teens in the first Test against the West Indies, a reflection both of the talent and of Bangladesh’s desperate move to make the most of it.Had there been older players with more first-class experience to call on, such boys could be left to develop their game at their own level instead of being thrown in at the deep end.There was, and is, another potentially constraining factor although it is not peculiar in this part of the world. The government appoints the president of the board and he picks his committee.Chowdhury, who was at the helm for the inaugural Test in 2000 as a government appointee, was replaced and put in jail on corruption charges admittedly unrelated to cricket, when the party in power lost elections last year.A new dispensation is now in office, not unmindful of the fallout if results continue to be as bad as they have been but always with a political constituency to consider.So what can be done?It is clearly unrealistic, and unjust, to expect the ICC to now kick Bangladesh out of Test cricket because of its original error.Instead, it needs to commit more of its resources to improving standards here, exposing its junior and "A" teams to international competition and coaching.For a start, the Indian board, of which Dalmiya is now president, can start by including a Bangladesh team in its annual Duleep Trophy zonal tournament, as the West Indies board did last season in incorporating Bangladesh "A" into the Busta Cup.It’s the least he can do after his role in their premature promotion to Test level.For the time being, through no fault of the Bangladesh players, their opposing teams and players will continue to embellish their records with more victories and cheap runs and wickets.

The 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) will have its final on a weekday (Thursday, February 5), and not over the weekend, for the first time, and feature two double-headers, both on Saturdays, after kicking off on January 9.The 28-day-long tournament will be played across two venues: Navi Mumbai, where India won the ODI World Cup in early November beating South Africa in the final, and Vadodara. The first 11 matches, including the two double-headers, will be played at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, and the remaining 11 matches, including the eliminator on February 3 and the final will be played at Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium.The dates and venues were confirmed by the WPL’s chairman, Jayesh George, on Thursday, the day of the WPL auction. All games bar the earlier fixture on the double-header days will be evening affairs.The week of the final is a busy one for multi-team competitions, with the men’s Under-19 World Cup finishing the day after the WPL final, on February 6, and the men’s T20 World Cup starting the following day, on February 7.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Apart from having a weekday final, this is the first time the WPL will be played in the January-February window. The first three seasons were played in February-March just before the start of the IPL. This will also be the first time the WPL will not clash with major international fixtures.Mumbai Indians (MI) are the defending champions of the WPL and have won two titles in three editions so far, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) the other past winners. Delhi Capitals (DC) have been runners-up in all three seasons. The other two teams, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz, have never made the title round.Ten days after the WPL ends, India will start an all-format tour of Australia, playing three T20Is, three ODIs and a Test from February 15 to March 9.

WPL 2026 schedule

Jan 9: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 10: UP Warriorz vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 10: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 11: Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 12: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs UP Warriorz
Jan 13: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 14: UP Warriorz vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 15: Mumbai Indians vs UP Warriorz
Jan 16: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 17: UP Warriorz vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 17: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Jan 19: Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 20: Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 22: Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz
Jan 24: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 26: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 27: Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 29: UP Warriorz vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 30: Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians
Feb 1: Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriorz
Feb 3: Eliminator
Feb 5: Final

Matthew Short made India pay for sloppy fielding on his BBL home at Adelaide Oval before Cooper Connolly showcased composure at the death as Australia clinched the ODI series on a day where Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had contrasting fortunes with the bat.Chasing 265 under lights, after player of the match Adam Zampa took four wickets with the ball, Australia were in trouble at 132 for 4 before Short and Connolly steadied the ship with a half-century partnership. Short, in his 17th ODI, made a career best 74 off 78 while inexperienced allrounders Connolly and Mitchell Owen helped secure Australia’s series triumph on the back of a seven-wicket victory in the first ODI.There was a late twist with Australia losing three quick wickets, but Connolly’s calmness ensured the third ODI in Sydney will be a dead rubber.Related

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The performances of Short, Connolly and Owen will please Australia’s hierarchy, looking to build depth with an eye towards the 2027 World Cup. Owen blasted 36 off 23 balls in his debut ODI innings, while Connolly finished 61 not out from 53 balls as Australia reached the target in the 47th over.Connolly had only made 10 runs in three previous ODI innings, but has shown a knack of performing in big moments in his fledgling domestic career.Even though they fought to the end, it’s been a disappointing return for India in the 50-over format in a shaky start to Shubman Gill’s ODI captaincy reign.After being sent in under sunny skies at the Adelaide Oval, India – sticking with the same XI – could not quite get going despite teasing on several occasions with Rohit and Shreyas Iyer threatening with a 118-run third-wicket partnership.

For the first time in his legendary ODI career, Kohli has fallen for consecutive ducks but Rohit fared much better with 73 off 97 balls as he overtook Sourav Ganguly into third place on India’s ODI runs list.Australia’s trio of quicks conjured movement off the surface, with swing bowler Xavier Bartlett proving an inspired selection having replaced a resting Nathan Ellis. After Josh Hazlewood bowled without reward in his opening spell, Bartlett rocked India’s top order with the dismissals of Gill and Kohli in the seventh over.Adam Zampa took four wickets•Getty Images

Bartlett and legspinner Zampa claimed seven wickets between them, but Hazlewood again was the standout despite not taking a wicket after conceding just 29 runs from 10 overs.After a new-ball assault in Perth warmed the hearts of Australia’s hierarchy ahead of the Ashes, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc continued their strong start to the international summer with probing bowling.Hazlewood started with two maidens in a seven-over burst and particularly troubled Rohit, but was left frustrated after two unsuccessful reviews.There has been a lot of pressure on Rohit with his future uncertain as India start building towards the 2027 World Cup. After a scratchy 8 in Perth, Rohit was almost run out in the third over by a direct throw from Owen only to scramble back just in time.Rohit could do little against the unrelenting accuracy of Hazlewood, who targeted a fuller length with plenty of seam movement on offer. At one stage Rohit went 17 balls without scoring a run against Hazlewood.With runs at a premium and having had little of the strike, a flustered Gill tried to counterattack but hit Bartlett to counterpart Mitchell Marsh at mid-off. In a contrast to his Test reign, Gill has started his ODI captaincy quietly with scores of 10 and 9.All eyes were on Kohli after his long-awaited return to international cricket ended with an eight-ball duck in Perth. He lasted just four deliveries here after being trapped plumb lbw by an inswinger from Bartlett, who later admitted on the television broadcast that he was trying to bowl an outswinger.

Before this tour, Kohli had never made a duck in 29 previous ODI innings in Australia as he walked off to warm applause on a ground that he had enjoyed plenty of success across formats.Rohit continued to look unconvincing, crawling to 14 off 40 balls, before finally getting hold of Hazlewood and muscling him down the ground. Iyer’s fluency rubbed off on him as Rohit’s confidence blossomed until falling tamely to an innocuous short delivery from Starc, who was brought back in the 30th over.Having entered the attack in the 21st over, Zampa enjoyed his return to the team after missing the opening ODI due to paternity reasons and knocked over Iyer and KL Rahul as India slumped to 174 for 5.Axar Patel quietened those sceptical of him batting at No.5 with 44 off 41 balls to be one of India’s few bright spots so far on tour.India tried hard with the ball but were left to rue missed opportunities to dismiss Short, a fringe white-ball player trying to bed down a permanent position amid a transition of Australia’s ODI batting-order.Quicks Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj started well with the new ball, pinning down normally freewheeling openers Marsh and Travis Head, who finally smashed Australia’s first boundary in the seventh over.Cooper Connolly made his maiden ODI half-century•Getty Images

Such is Marsh’s recent form that he has somewhat emerged as a left-field option for the Ashes, but he lost patience and tamely on 11 nicked off to Arshdeep while Head succumbed shortly later to gift Harshit Rana a wicket.Short entered at No.3 despite a fielding mishap at slip resulting in a bloodied finger on his right hand. There was pressure on Short after he failed in Perth.On a ground he has long dominated for Adelaide Strikers in the BBL, Short was much more proactive from the get go but did receive luck after surviving a run-out chance on 14 before being dropped by Axar at point.

Axar’s thumb throbbed from the stinging blow and he had to leave the field briefly as Short and Matt Renshaw built a half-century stand to get Australia on track. Renshaw has publicly spoken about his efforts to shut out external noise as he has made his way into the ODI team almost a decade since his international career started.Like in Perth, he looked untroubled and cruised to a run a ball 30 before being clean bowled by a looping delivery from Axar. India were right back in the game when Alex Carey, replacing Josh Philippe in the XI, was knocked over by Washington Sundar, succumbing to the sweep shot that has caused him some problems in his career.But Rana’s tactics of bowling short backfired as the pressure eased amid a flurry of big hits from Owen and Connolly.

Lancashire 241 for 6 (Lister 96, Threlkeld 92) beat The Blaze (K Bryce 124, Elwiss 55) by five runs Lancashire Women maintained their hold over The Blaze in this season’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup to book a place in the final despite Kathryn Bryce’s magnificent 124 in a tense semi-final at Trent Bridge.Ellie Threlkeld’s side await the winners of Wednesday’s second semi-final between Hampshire and Surrey at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton. The final is on the same ground on Sunday.Lancashire Women beat The Blaze home and away in the league phase and pulled off a five-run victory in this match despite being without the competition’s top runscorer, Emma Lamb, who is with England ahead of the Women’s World Cup, and another of their key batters in Eve Jones, who is injured.With the bat they recovered from 52 for four to post 241 for six after Scotland international Ailsa Lister hit a career-best 96 from 91 balls and captain Threlkeld a season’s best 92 from 128.Seamers Grace Potts, who limped through most of her spell after suffering an injury in her first over, took three for 32 and Kate Cross ( three for 47) then led an excellent bowling display, restricting the home side to 236 for nine.Bryce and Georgia Elwiss (55) combined to add 150 for the fourth wicket in The Blaze’s reply but a superbly disciplined Lancashire attack ensured that The Blaze were never on top of the required scoring rate and that pressure paid off for them as the home side, 179 for three with 10 overs remaining, ultimately fell short.Lister and Threlkeld shared a 166-run partnership for the fifth Lancashire wicket, 21-year-old Lister underlining her potential by hitting 11 boundaries before she was stumped in search of the one more needed for a maiden hundred, the home side rueing a dropped catch when she was on 66.Seamers Cassidy McCarthy (two for 27) and Orla Prendergast, who conceded only 26 runs in 10 overs, impressed among The Blaze bowlers.Asked to bat first on the pitch that would have been used for England’s washed-out T20 international against South Africa last Sunday, Lancashire Women found themselves in trouble at 33 for three after 10 overs.McCarthy uprooted Gaby Lewis’s middle stump and had Seren Smale caught at short backward square, the left-armer Grace Ballinger finding the edge to have Fi MorrisAlice Clarke – tasked with filling the shoes of Lamb at the top of the order – fell to a good catch on the legside boundary as she pulled Prendergast and with their opponents 52 for four in the 18th, The Blaze were well on top.But Threlkeld brought her experience to bear in guiding her younger partner through a testing period before the pair kicked on from the 35-over mark, upping the scoring rate to seven per over for the next 12 before Lister, spared by the normally safe hands of Kathryn Bryce at deep midwicket on 66, went down the pitch to Kirstie Gordon’s left-arm spin and paid the price.Threlkeld departed in the next over, run out going for a second by McCarthy’s arrow throw from the point boundary.The Blaze, missing their three England players but accustomed to managing without them, would have seen chasing 242 as well within their compass, although less so after matching their opponents in losing three wickets in their opening powerplay.Mahika Gaur bowled Sarah Bryce with a full delivery before Kate Cross removed Georgie Boyce, caught and bowled off a leading edge, and Prendergast, who stepped across to be leg before for a second-ball duck, leaving The Blaze in peril at 37 for three.But just as Threlkeld and Lister rescued Lancashire, Elwiss joined Kathryn Bryce to turn their side’s innings around. Yet though Bryce passed fifty for the seventh time this season from 64 balls, none of Threlkeld’s six bowlers conceded runs easily.Bryce brought up her hundred, the fifth of her career in List A cricket and a first in Blaze colours, from 121 balls as the partnership ticked over to 150, but the big breakthrough for Lancashire came shortly afterwards as Elwiss, who had clocked up her fifth half-century of the season, was caught at backward point on the reverse sweep off Fi Morris, with 55 still needed off 52 balls.The wicket opened up one end for the visitors and after Marie Kelly, Michaela Kirk and and Lucy Higham all went cheaply, The Blaze needed 33 from 18 balls, which came down to nine off the last over, but when Bryce holed out to mid-off to give Potts her third wicket, their chance had gone.

Trent Rockets beat Northern Superchargers by five wickets at Trent Bridge to continue their 100 percent start to The Hundred this season.In front of their home fans for the first time this campaign, Rockets – who beat Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston on Friday – restricted Andrew Flintoff’s Superchargers to 128 for 9 from their 100 balls and won with relative lack of alarm, though Superchargers did well to take the game deep.Runs were perhaps expected given the weather and the manner in which Superchargers women’s team batted in the day’s first game, but on a dry surface the ball gripped and few batters seemed able to bat with much freedom. That meant the Rockets never ran away with the chase but they had enough to see it home with four balls to spare.With the ball, spinners Akeal Hosein and Rehan Ahmed took two wickets apiece for the hosts and never allowed the Superchargers to get going, though it was Australian allrounder Marcus Stoinis who broke the most crucial partnership, that of top-scorer Harry Brook and Graham Clarke, who put on 56. Stoinis would go on to take two wickets in two balls, and conceded no runs from his five balls.It was a similar tale when it was time for Superchargers to defend, with Imad Wasim taking two wickets in two balls, and three overall, and Adil Rashid giving next to nothing away alongside two wickets, but Stoinis and Adam Hose scrambled Trent Rockets home with four balls remaining in front of 13,497 happy home fans.Meerkat Match Hero Akeal Hosein said: “I was grateful for that start [two early wickets] and thankful to be able to put my team in a winning position early on.”I think both ends of the wicket played differently. The top end here where I started off, it was a bit sticky, it gripped a bit, and then when I went on the other end it was a bit low and skiddy, so it’s about just working out what works well at each end and sticking to that plan for as long as possible.”It’s a happy bunch. It’s a talented bunch as well, and we have one goal in mind. Whenever the ball is thrown to us, it’s our opportunity to make it happen for the team. It’s very good to have a good group of bowlers. So even if it doesn’t go your way on that day, you know you’ve got your brothers to cover you.”On the close finish, he added: “I walked across from the dressing room with all confidence. I had no pads on, you know? So that’s the confidence I had in the boys to get over the line. But with that being said, it was closer than we would have liked, but we were glad to get over the line.”

Australia opened their Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup with a dominant nine-wicket win over Scotland in the Group D game in Bangi.Fast bowler Caoimhe Bray starred with figures of 3 for 1 in 3.2 overs, while left-arm quick Eleanor Larosa and left-arm wristspinner Hasrat Gill shared five wickets among them to help Australia skittle Scotland for a mere 48 in 15.1 overs. Australia chased down the target in 6.4 overs with opener Katy Pelle remaining unbeaten on 29 off 18 balls.In Kuching, rain played spoilsport with the match between Samoa and Nigeria abandoned without a single ball bowled. The Pakistan–USA fixture also ended similarly in Johor, with the match abandoned without a ball being bowled.Meanwhile, in the England vs Ireland match in Johor, England rode wicketkeeper-batter Jemima Spence’s 37 not out off 27 balls and Charlotte Lambert’s 14-ball 25 to post a competitive 144 for 7. Ireland were put under pressure when they lost two early wickets inside four overs, however, rain forced the game to end without a result.Rain had a say in the New Zealand vs South Africa game as well, but not enough to prevent a result. Asked to bat first in Kuching, South Africa scored 91 for 7 in the 11 overs they got, with the opening pair of Jemma Botha (32 in 24 balls) and Simone Lourens (21 in 14) and international wicketkeeper Karabo Meso (25 in 14) doing most of the scoring. New Zealand could only manage 69 for 5 in reply despite opener Emma McLeod’s 34 in 25.Bangladesh, meanwhile, bowled Nepal out for 52 in 18.2 overs after inserting them in Bangi, and then knocked off the runs in 13.2 overs.

Scott Borthwick has stepped as Durham captain but will remain an integral figure at the club after signing a two-year player-coach contract.Borthwick, 34, came through the Durham academy and played a key role in their 2013 County Championship title win. He left for Surrey in 2016, winning another Championship down south, before returning to Chester-le-Street as captain in 2021 and overseeing the club’s return to Division One.Borthwick averaged 19.77 in the Championship last season, with two fifties, but scored a maiden one-day hundred. He will continue to be available to play across formats, while taking on coaching responsibilities with the academy, pathway teams and both men’s and women’s professional squads.”I’m delighted to be taking on this new role as player-coach,” Borthwick said. “I’ve been fortunate to achieve so much as a player with this club, from an 11-year-old in the academy to being club captain – so there is nowhere I would rather start my coaching journey than with Durham.”I’m grateful to Marcus [North], Ryan [Campbell] and the coaching staff for providing me with this opportunity and I’m looking forward to learning from the talented coaches and staff we have across our teams, whilst training hard and remaining available to play and be the best possible player still.”Durham has given me so much in my career so far and I can’t wait to get started on this new chapter.”Marcus North, Durham’s director of cricket, said: “Scott has been an integral part of Durham Cricket for many years and his love for the club remains as high as it ever has been. After conversations following the 2024 season, and looking ahead to the future, Scott will now move into the next stage of his career with a player-coach role, something which we see as the perfect fit as a club and for Scott.”His leadership qualities and knowledge of the game will benefit the wider club which is exciting for the players he will be working with, albeit he will remain available to play for the first team.”Scott will add real value to our support staff throughout our professional teams and pathways for both the men and women alongside his playing contributions. We look forward to playing a part in his coaching career over the next few years.”Scott’s return to club as captain back in 2021 was a critical factor in us achieving promotion back to Division One. I would like to thank him on behalf of Durham Cricket for his tremendous contribution during his four years as captain.”

Only twice in eight previous editions of the women’s T20 World Cup has a side lost out on a semi-final berth because of an inferior net run-rate. Sophie Devine has been part of both those heartbreaks, in 2014 and 2023. As luck would have it, New Zealand are faced with yet another net run-rate scenario this time around as well.By Sunday evening, New Zealand would have a fair idea of what they should do to progress. An Indian win against Australia will mean they will have to beat Pakistan by a certain margin to qualify. India losing will mean they can beat Pakistan by any margin and qualify.This may seem like a potentially sticky scenario to face, but Devine, the New Zealand captain, doesn’t see it that way. “We’re really pleased with the position we’re in,” she said ahead of the Pakistan match in Dubai. “I think if you asked us at the start of the tournament that we’d have fate in our hands in terms of the semi-finals race going into our last game, we would’ve taken it.Related

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“I guess we’re really fortunate as well that we play last in our pool. So, we know exactly where the situation will lie before we play [Pakistan]. For us it’s simple, we reflect, review, watch the Australia game – “go, Aussie girls” – with a lot of interest. Hopefully our Aussie mates do us a favour.”New Zealand could’ve overtaken India’s net run-rate had they achieved their target of 116 in 14.3 overs against Sri Lanka. Asked if that thought ever crossed their minds, Devine was clear they weren’t “too focused” on that.”I’ve seen it so many times in different competitions and different leagues where you start focusing on those little things like net run-rates, I’ve seen teams lose completely when they’re in a position to win,” she said. “Cricket has a funny way of biting you in the bum.”We wanted to make sure that we won the [Sri Lanka] game, and we still did it comprehensively with a couple of overs to spare and wickets in hand. So, we’re in a really good position where we know exactly where our ball is going to lie before our last game.”If we’ve got to go about things slightly differently, we’ve got the options to do that with a squad that’s really flexible, that we’ve got an order that can change and we’ve got a lot of spinners, a lot of bowlers that can come in and out of the side and do a job.”Devine was equally mindful of what Pakistan could do to them. Only last December, they beat New Zealand in New Zealand by a 2-1 margin in the T20Is. In the subsequent ODIs, Pakistan managed to tie the third game and take it into a Super Over before winning.Monday’s fixture could be an emotional one for Fatima Sana, who has returned to the UAE from Pakistan after attending her father’s funeral. And Devine doesn’t want to leave anything to chance against a team that can sting them.”I think we’d be more concerned if there weren’t issues to work on,” she said. “So you’re right, Pakistan, they’ve got a lot to play for in terms of pride, and obviously with Fatima Sana, you know, regards to her family for their loss, and them wanting to play for her.”In World Cup games, you don’t need any more motivation to get out of bed. So, we certainly know, maybe it’s going to be a big ask and I guess our focus will be on us and making sure that we’re focusing on how we’re going to play.”The tournament has been up and down for New Zealand on the performances front. They broke a 10-match losing streak to beat India at the start of their campaign but stumbled against Australia to cancel out the net run-rate boost.Against Sri Lanka, especially with Chamari Athapaththu going strong at the 10-over mark, it seemed as if New Zealand may have been staring at a 130-plus target, but they bounced back to restrict them to 115, which they chased down courtesy Georgia Plimmer’s brisk half-century.Asked about the wild fluctuations in fortunes, Devine underlined how they’d been trying to remain neutral through the highs and lows, rather than letting the emotions drain them in an already intense competition.”It’s a very Kiwi nature that we stay pretty placid, pretty calm,” she said. “You can sometimes exhaust yourself riding the roller-coaster, especially at World Cups. Living on the emotions day to day can be pretty draining. So we spoke a lot about being really calm and level in this group and everyone’s doing it slightly differently.”

Kent reduced Hampshire to 213 for 7 at stumps on a weather-affected first day in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury.Matt Parkinson took 3 for 31 and George Garrett 3 for 60 as the hosts exploited the conditions at the Spitfire Ground. James Vince hit 88 for the visitors, but their next highest scorer was Liam Dawson, who made 31.No play was possible before lunch, but when Kent won the toss a home supporter was moved to say: “If we can’t bowl a side out in these conditions, we never will.” And while the bar is admittedly low, this was as good a day as the division’s basement side have enjoyed at the St Lawrence in red-ball cricket all season.It was damp, overcast and blustery and Fletcha Midleton was soon bowled by Garrett for 8, playing the wrong line. Joey Evison then removed Toby Albert with his second ball for 11, playing on, before Nick Gubbins joined Vince. They put on 83 for the third wicket before Gubbins was caught behind off Garrett for 24.When the light deteriorated, tea was taken at 3.10pm, with Hampshire on 135 for 3. Conditions improved significantly after the restart but Ben Brown tried to hook Garrett and was caught by Evison for 9.Vince was on 77 when he pulled Evison to midwicket and although Joe Denly couldn’t take the catch, the former England man atoned with a brilliant diving one-handed grab when Vince tried to drive Parkinson through cover.Parkinson then got Liam Dawson for 31, caught by Charlie Stobo at second slip, but Harry Finch missed a chance to stump James Fuller when he was on 1, but he’d only added six more when Finch took his chance at redemption, grabbing a violently turning ball from Parkinson.With darkness encroaching once again, play was eventually abandoned for the day at 5.47 pm, with 11 overs remaining.

Birmingham Phoenix will meet Southern Brave in The Hundred Eliminator at The Kia Oval on Saturday after a nine-wicket victory over Manchester Originals.Moeen Ali’s side came out on top in a 30-ball-per-side match at Edgbaston, earning themselves the point they needed after rain delayed the start.Phoenix chased down their target of 42 with ease, Jamie Smith depositing Fazalhaq Farooqi over the boundary twice in the first five balls to set the tone for the chase.After a quieter second five from Farooqi, Ben Duckett smashed Tom Aspinwall’s first ball for six and then hit three of his next four to the boundary as the rain teemed down in Birmingham, the umpires remaining unmoved, determined to see the game to a result.Smith (14) was caught on the cover boundary by Sikandar Raza off Scott Currie, but Duckett (22*) and Moeen (6*) knocked off the remaining seven runs required with eight balls to spare, the skipper securing the win with a six off Currie over fine-leg.Winning the toss and bowling first, Birmingham Phoenix struck early, Kiwi speedster Adam Milne removing Matthew Hurst from the second legal delivery of the match when the young Lancastrian skied a chance to Liam Livingstone at mid-on.Milne’s compatriot Tim Southee took the second set and was immediately smashed into the stands by Phil Salt. He was then sliced over short-third by Max Holden from the final ball of the powerplay as the Originals took their score to 15 for 1.At the halfway point of the innings, the Originals were 22 for 2, Salt (12) mistiming a cross-bat shot off Milne from the 15th ball of the innings to give Livingstone his second catch of the evening.Sean Abbott then accounted for Paul Walter (1), caught at deep cover, to make it 24 for 3. Holden (15) continued to swing hard, the left-hander top-edging Southee for another boundary, but his luck soon ran out when he failed to go over mid-off as Livingstone held onto a third catch.Chris Wood closed out the innings, conceding just three runs and taking the wicket of Raza, caught by Jacob Bethell at deep midwicket as Originals closed on 41 for 5, hitting just one six in their innings.Phoenix had just 42 to chase to earn a trip to South London and they did it with ease, ensuring Andrew Flintoff’s first year as Northern Superchargers Head Coach would end with a fourth-place finish.Meerkat Match Hero Milne, who took 2 for 8, said: “To come out of the shortened game and into The Hundred Eliminator is very good for us.”There was a little bit of swing and seam so it was nice to use that first up, but in these shortened games anything can happen, so [you] just mix it up.”Anytime it’s moving around off the straight it’s nice. There’s been lots said but as a bowler it’s nice to have a little bit going your way sometimes in these shorter formats, there can be flat wickets and not much movement, so it’s nice to see a bit of swing and seam occasionally.”