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New Zealand will be boosted by the return of fast bowler Rosemary Mair for the women’s T20 World Cup 2024, after she suffered a back injury during their home series against England in March. Meanwhile, their captain Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates are set to play their ninth T20 World Cup when the competition begins in the UAE in October.This means the two would have played in every edition of the T20 World Cup.Mair, who has 18 wickets from 24 T20Is, will bolster a pace attack comprising the experienced Lea Tahuhu, Jess Kerr, Hannah Rowe and Molly Penfold, while Brooke Halliday is also an option as a fast-bowling allrounder. The spin-bowling department includes Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Fran Jonas and Eden Carson.It’s a largely experienced squad, with wicketkeeper-batter Izzy Gaze the only player not to have played a T20 World Cup before.New Zealand squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024•ESPNcricinfo

“I’m really pleased with this squad; I think these are our best 15 players to adapt to what will likely be varied conditions,” New Zealand head coach Ben Sawyer said. “Soph [Devine] and Suze [Bates] have a huge amount of tournament experience from World Cups to franchise leagues, so we’ll certainly be leaning on that knowledge in what’s going to be a pretty intense competition.”Rosemary’s had an unfortunate run with injury over the past few months, and she’s worked hard to be fit for this tournament. She’s proved herself as one of our key pace options and we’re excited she’s returning.”New Zealand will also tour Australia for three T20Is in the lead-up to the World Cup, with the same squad set to participate in the games on September 19, 22 and 24 in Mackay and Brisbane.They then play warm-up games against South Africa and England on September 29 and October 1, respectively, before the start of the World Cup proper, where they face India in their first match on October 4. Apart from India, those in New Zealand’s group include Australia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.The World Cup will be Devine’s last assignment as New Zealand’s T20I captain.

New Zealand squad for women’s T20 World Cup 2024

Sophie Devine (capt), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Jess Kerr, Amelia Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu

Sri Lanka’s top-order batters were good, and their spinners were even better. This was captain Charith Asalanka’s take on what had enabled his team to overcome India, a side which they had lost to 16 times since 2015, but beaten only on three occasions in ODIs.In this series, played on raging turners, Sri Lanka tied the first match, won the second game comfortably, and then trounced India in the third match by 110 runs.Three times they bowled out their opposition, and spinners took 27 of the 30 India wickets on offer. The three top wicket-takers in the series were all Sri Lanka spinners – Jeffrey Vandersay taking eight despite playing only two of the games, Dunith Wellalage claiming seven, and Asalanka himself taking six.Sri Lanka did not have their premier spinner Wanindu Hasaranga in games two and three either, after he was ruled out with a leg injury.”The biggest positive was winning a series against India after 27 years,” Asalanka said. “The other big positive were the spinners. We had relied on Wanindu Hasaranga, but we’ve had Vandersay and Dunith playing well here too.”Related

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But while on such helpful tracks, the spinners were perhaps expected to thrive, Sri Lanka’s top order also provided the kinds of platforms they have frequently failed to provide, especially against India.The highest score of the series was Avishka Fernando’s 96 in the third match. But fellow opener Pathum Nissanka hit 101 runs in a low-scoring series, and Kusal Mendis also contributed 103, thanks largely to his 59 in Wednesday’s match.”On these pitches, until the ball gets a little older, it’s easier to bat, and it takes less spin,” Asalanka said. “What we planned was for someone in the top order to get a big score, and for others around him to play around him and get to a good score. Today that was really successful, as Avishka got to 96, which isn’t easy on a pitch like this.”But the coaching staff and me as the captain gave that challenge to the batsmen playing up the order, including me. If you look through the series the middle order was a little hit and miss, but the top order was successful, so we were able to get to those targets.”The top order gave great starts and that’s the biggest change I see in this team. If you look at our one-day cricket two or three years ago we weren’t getting good starts. As the No. 5 batter, I was coming in at the 10 over mark quite frequently. But now there’s a foundation, and that’s a sign of us maturing.”For turning things around after their 3-0 thrashing in the T20Is, Asalanka credited a team environment that prioritised freedom, for which he said interim coach Sanath Jayasuriya was also responsible.”As a team we tried to create a good environment, after talking to the coach,” Asalanka said. “We tried to give a lot of freedom to our players and to show their talent. We don’t put much pressure on them. We identify what the positives and negatives are and we back their strength. If they fail it’s not a problem. If you have that backing you can play against a good team like this. In the T20s though we lost there were positives in our top order. I knew as a captain that when we play to our potential, we can compete against the best.”

Kent have signed Melbourne Renegades seamer Tom Rogers for the second block of Vitality T20 Blast group games.Rogers, 30, has several years’ experience in the Big Bash League with Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes but this will be his first stint in county cricket. In all T20 cricket, Rogers has taken 60 wickets at 24.78 with an economy of 8.38.”We’re pleased to have got Tom on board to sure-up our bowling options going into the ‘business end’ of this South Group stage,” Kent’s director of cricket, Simon Cook, said. “He has a lot of experience and has skills that will be useful to us with both the ball and the bat, too.”Rogers will reinforce Kent’s bowling in the Blast, with Xavier Bartlett having only been made available for the first eight group games and Wes Agar returning to Australia early due to a shoulder injury.Kent are currently second from bottom in the South Group, having won two games, but could still fight their way into contention for a top-four spot.”I’m grateful for the opportunity to play in the Vitality Blast and I’m excited to be joining Kent,” Rogers said. “We know that every game is vital for us now, and I want to do my part in getting results as a Spitfire in the near future.”

Stafanie Taylor scored an unbeaten 28 off 26 balls after Afy Fletcher’s four-for had kept Sri Lanka under check, as West Indies secured a six-wicket win in a rain-affected game in Hambantota to level the three-match T20I series 1-1. This was also West Indies’ first win of the tour.Chasing a DLS-adjusted target of 99 in 15 overs, Taylor and captain Hayley Matthews provided the visitors with an ideal start of 44 runs in 6.5 overs, and in the process ensured West Indies were always ahead of the DLS-par score.After Matthews fell to a Sachini Nisansala arm ball, Taylor then ensured she was around to anchor the chase.In an 18-ball 24-run second-wicket partnership with Shemaine Campbelle, she took a backseat choosing to give strike to her more aggressive partner, who contributed 16 off 13. The subsequent dismissals of Campbelle, Qiana Joseph and Chedean Nation came about as a result of West Indies’ positive approach, but the required rate was always below run a ball.Aaliyah Alleyne then finished off any lingering hopes Sri Lanka might have harboured with a trio of boundaries off Kavisha Dilhari in the penultimate over of the innings.At no point though had West Indies let the game get out of hand. While Vishmi Gunaratne and Chamari Athapaththu were going strong in their 44-run opening partnership, that had still come at a touch under run a ball. And once Fletcher spun one past Athapaththu to disturb her stumps, none of the other batters could up the scoring rate on a sluggish surface.Gunaratne hung around for a laboured 24 off 35, but was trapped lbw in the 14th over by a Fletcher googly. Earlier, the legspinner, who had utilised the strong cross breeze to good effect, snuck one under Imesha Dulani’s attempted sweep and then had Harshitha Samarawickrama top-edging on the way to figures of 4 for 23.Dilhari had briefly shown some promise of a late counterattack scoring 14 not out off just six balls that included two boundaries when rain brought the first innings to an abrupt end after 15.2 overs.

Shafali Verma, originally not part of India’s Women’s World Cup squad – either the main 15 or the reserves – has received a late call-up as a replacement for Pratika Rawal, who has been ruled out with an ankle injury. Shafali, 21, is available for India’s semi-final against Australia on October 30.The selectors picked her over Tejal Hasabnis, who was the only batter among India’s reserves for the World Cup.When the World Cup squad was announced in August, Shafali was left out – and Rawal was preferred as Smriti Mandhana’s opening partner – because the selectors prioritised consistency over X-factor. Shafali hasn’t played ODIs for India since October 2024 but has been involved with India A in the 50-overs format. She scored 52 against Australia A in Brisbane in August and 70 against New Zealand A in Bengaluru in September.Related

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In December 2024, Shafali also scored 527 runs at an average of 75.28 and a strike rate of 152.31 in the domestic one-dayers for Haryana, including a top-score of 197 off 115 balls against Bengal. She followed that up with a sensational WPL 2025 season for Delhi Capitals, becoming the fourth-highest run-getter in the season and the most prolific Indian batter, with 304 runs at a strike rate of 152.76.As Rawal’s replacement, Shafali could come into the playing XI for the semi-final against Australia right away. The opening partnership between Mandhana and Rawal had been critical to India’s progress into the semi-finals. They have featured in two of the tournament’s top five batting partnerships so far – 212 against New Zealand and 155 against Australia. Rawal averaged 51.33 in six innings, with scores of 75 against Australia and a match-winning 122 in India’s crucial game against New Zealand.Pratika Rawal walks off the field after twisting her ankle•Getty Images

Rawal, the tournament’s second-highest run-getter, injured herself while fielding during India’s last league game against Bangladesh. In the 21st over of Bangladesh’s innings, Rawal twisted her ankle as her foot got stuck in the turf while she attempted to stop a boundary. She did not bat later, with Amanjot Kaur opening instead. The match was eventually washed out without a result. Only Mandhana has scored more runs than Rawal in this World Cup.If Shafali does not make the XI right away, India could open with Harleen Deol or Amanjot against Australia. Uma Chetry – who opened in the warm-up game against New Zealand, and played the match against Bangladesh with regular wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh out with a niggle – is another option, as is Jemimah Rodrigues, who has opened 18 times in ODI cricket previously.An ICC release stated that Shafali’s inclusion was approved by the Event Technical Committee on Monday evening. The committee includes Wasim Khan (Chair, ICC General Manager – Cricket), Gaurav Saxena (ICC General Manager – Events & Corporate Communications), Abey Kuruvilla (BCCI Tournament Director) and Mel Jones (Independent nominee).

Lancashire Lightning are through to Finals Day and – 10 years on from their first – will get the chance to win a second Vitality Blast title next Saturday having beaten Kent Spitfires by three wickets chasing 154 in an engaging Emirates Old Trafford quarter-final.England fringe fast bowler Luke Wood struck with the first ball of a contest which saw the Spitfires scramble to 153 all out in 20 overs, the left-armer finishing with an excellent 3 for 29.No Kent batter reached 30 and they were unable to deny a Lightning side also including star man Liam Livingstone, James Anderson and Phil Salt a 10th Finals Day appearance.Like Wood, fellow England international Livingstone was key to Lancashire’s victory in front of a 12,000-plus crowd. Having returned 2 for 21 from four overs of spin, he helped recover their chase from 5 for 2 with a brilliantly destructive 85 not out off 45 balls with seven sixes. The hosts won with nine balls remaining.Livingstone is the only member of this Lancashire team to have won the Blast in 2015.Lightning made the perfect start, as Wood had Tawanda Muyeye caught at mid-off with the first ball of the match. It was the second time he had struck with the first ball of an innings in this campaign.Kent then scored runs at a decent rate but lost wickets at key moments. Daniel Bell-Drummond miscued Anderson to backward point, Zak Crawley was caught behind having gloved a pull at Jack Blatherwick and Livingstone’s first ball ousted a sweeping Sam Billings caught at deep square leg, leaving the score at 71 for 4 in the ninth over.Joe Denly had started nicely, including lofting Blatherwick’s first ball for six over long-off. But he also fell – on 28 – to strengthen Lancashire’s grip at 81 for 5 after 10 overs, miscuing a similar shot to long-off against Tom Hartley’s left-arm spin.The trend continued. Joey Evison muscled sixes off the spinners but fell for 27 to a smart boundary catch at long-off from Wood off Livingstone with the score on 115 in the 15th.Grant Stewart also hit two sixes in a brisk 25 before playing on to Tom Aspinwall, who struck twice with his seamers. And Kent had to try and bat the overs out, which they did. Still, their total had the feeling of being well short after Wood struck twice in the last over to remove Fred Klaassen and Nathan Gilchrist caught at deep midwicket.But visiting hopes were raised as they reduced the Lightning to 5 for 2 inside two overs of the chase as Stewart’s seam had Salt caught at deep backward square leg pulling and Klaassen’s left-armers forced Luke Wells to play on off his thigh pad.Klaassen was superb for 3 for 14 from four overs.Livingstone, on 15, top-edged a pull at Gilchrist into the back of his neck shortly afterwards and underwent a concussion check but carried on.He lost captain Keaton Jennings caught on the scoop against the outstanding pace of Klaassen – 31 for 3 in the fifth over – before taking the sting out of the situation in dynamic fashion.He took on the legspin of former county colleague Matthew Parkinson, three times smashing him over long-on for six in the ninth over as he reached his first fifty of this season’s Blast off 25 balls and took the score to 84 for 3.Experienced Australian Ashton Turner holed out off Evison almost immediately afterwards, but Kent desperately needed Livingstone’s wicket.It didn’t arrive, and even Parkinson getting Michael Jones for 28 off 16 balls and Hartley in the 14th over, leaving Lancashire 118 for 6, wasn’t enough to turn the game.Livingstone hammered Parkinson over long-on – and over The Point conference building – for six more, and his knock confirmed that Lancashire will play Somerset or Birmingham Bears in the semi-final at Edgbaston.

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has received a sponsorship of US$ 50,000 from CABS, a Zimbabwe-based financial institution, aimed at directly supporting the country’s five first-class provincial teams.According to a ZC release, the funding will go to Eagles, Rhinos, Tuskers, Mountaineers and Southern Rocks, the five teams that compete in the Logan Cup, the Pro50 Championship and the domestic T20 competition. The release also said it will be a direct-to-team funding model, that will help them make investments in key areas such as coaching, talent development and player welfare. The direct funding model enhances financial transparency and governance, that will help in clearer budgeting and stronger accountability, the release stated.”We are grateful to CABS for coming on board as a valued partner in our domestic cricket journey,” ZC managing director Givemore Makoni said. “This kind of corporate support plays an important role in strengthening the game’s foundation and enabling long-term growth.Related

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“For our provincial teams, it means greater stability and the ability to invest more consistently in key areas such as player welfare, coaching and talent development – factors that are essential to building a stronger pipeline for the future of Zimbabwean cricket.”CABS managing director Mehluli Mpofu said: “This sponsorship is more than support for cricket – it is a commitment to the dreams of Zimbabwe’s young people. Across the country, there are talented, passionate youths who see sport as a pathway to opportunity, purpose and pride.”At CABS, we recognise that potential. By investing in domestic cricket, we are answering their call, building platforms for growth and helping shape a future where every young Zimbabwean has a chance to shine.”CABS has a long-standing relationship with cricket, dating back to 2004 when it supported T20 competitions. The release also said the institution has “quietly but consistently backed cricket development initiatives, helping to uncover and nurture emerging talent across the country” over the past two decades.The development comes during a bumper year for Zimbabwe in which they have already played seven Tests and also hosted a T20I tri-series recently with South Africa and New Zealand. They are set to host New Zealand for two Tests starting July 30.