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The pair’s half-century stand consigns Sylhet Sixers to their first loss in the competition

Mohammad Isam08-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPCB/PSL

The curtains came down on Sylhet’s BPL 2017 with a relatively straightforward chase that saw Khulna Titans prevail by six wickets to open their account this season. That meant the home franchise, Sylhet Sixers, were consigned to their first loss in four matches.Khulna, who completed the chase in 18 overs, benefitted from Michael Klinger’s calm. The Australia batsman, who made 47 not out on BPL debut, found support from Carlos Brathwaite, who struck an unbeaten 23, to cruise home in style.Sent in to bat, Sylhet posted 135 for 5 on the back of captain Nasir Hossain’s 47. The sluggish nature of the surface resulted in batsmen holing out in attempting big shots, with Mahmudullah and the impressive West Indies bowler Jofra Archer, who cranked the pace up and bowled consistently over 145 clicks, took two wickers each.Khulna’s redemption
After conceding 200 plus in their first game, Khulna were a lot tighter and consistent in their lengths. This helped them overcome a poor start, after Upul Tharanga and Danushka Gunathikala went briefly on a rampage. Gunathilaka made a crisp 25-ball 26.Nasir and Ross Whiteley added 57 runs for the fifth wicket, but there was hardly any zing about their batting. Nasir finished on an unbeaten 47 off 35 balls with five boundaries while the usually aggressive Whiteley made 27 off 23 balls as they made 135.Taijul gives Sylhet a footing
Opening the bowling, Taijul put Khulna under pressure with his build-up of dot balls that eventually resulted in the wickets of Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Chadwick Walton and Rilee Rossouw in the first 6.5 overs. Khulna still needed 92 at that stage. Taijul bowled a charging Shanto, while Walton too was bowled trying to force him on the off-side. Rossouw’s reverse sweep on 19 found Krishmar Santokie at short third-man.Klinger’s calm helps Khulna prevail
Mahmudullah and Klinger added 50 for the fourth wicket, until the Khulna captain was caught at long-on in the 14th over. Brathwaite, batting at No 6, started with a six and in the same over Klinger struck two fours to reduce the target down to 23 off the last five overs. The rest of the chase was simply a formality.

Craig Overton was diagnosed with a cracked rib after aggravating an injury sustained when he was hit by Pat Cummins while batting in Adelaide

George Dobell in Perth16-Dec-2017Craig Overton has opted to play on in the third Test in Perth despite being diagnosed with a cracked rib. Overton, who was struck in the ribs while batting against Pat Cummins in the second innings of the second Test in Adelaide, sustained a further blow in a similar area when he dived to take a caught-and-bowled chance on the second day in Perth.He was subsequently sent for a scan ahead of play on the third day, which ESPNcricinfo understands showed the crack. It is thought it was caused by the bouncer but aggravated when he attempted to take the catch.While such an injury would usually rule a bowler out of the rest of the game – and potentially series – Overton opted to take some painkillers and, after attempting to bowl in the nets before play, declared himself fit for action.While Overton had no more success than any of his seam-bowling colleagues during the first two sessions of a tough day in the field for England, he impressed with the probing length he bowled and his enthusiasm in the field. At one stage he hit the stumps with a direct hit while fielding in the ring and at another he became entangled in the boundary rope as he attempted a desperate, diving save in a vain attempt to cut off a boundary.And while this was a day on which England’s grip on the Ashes loosened considerably, Overton’s bravery and determination at least offered some encouragement for England supporters.

The T20 squad had no room for Mali, Sune Luus or Laura Wolvaardt but included Odine Kirsten, Nadine de Klerk and Moseline Daniels

Firdose Moonda26-Jan-2018South Africa have named uncapped medium-pacer Zintle Mali in their women’s squad to face India in three ODIs next month. The squad of 14 otherwise comprises familiar names who represented South Africa at the Women’s World Cup last June-July.

South Africa limited-overs squads

ODIs: Dane van Niekerk (capt), Marizanne Kapp, Trisha Chetty, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Laura Wolvaardt, Mignon du Preez, Lizelle Lee, Chloe Tryon, Andrie Steyn, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Zintle Mali
T20s: Dane van Niekerk (capt), Marizanne Kapp, Trisha Chetty, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Odine Kirsten, Mignon du Preez, Lizelle Lee, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Moseline Daniels

The team have not played a match since their semi-final defeat to England in Bristol on July 18 but will need to find their feet quickly. The three matches against India will form part of the ICC Women’s Championship (IWC), which will decide which teams qualify for the 2021 World Cup. The South African women held a team camp late last year and some of memebers have been playing in the Women’s Big Bash League, so they are not entirely without game time but coach Hilton Moreeng knows the importance of being on the ball immediately.”It’s been a long break for the squad and preparation has been very good building up to this important, first IWC series and we are going to make sure that we keep working hard and that we arrive prepared for it. Come the first game against India, we need to make sure that we hit the ground running,” Moreeng said. “We know that the series against India is going to be a tough one. We need to make sure that we capitalise on the home-ground advantage as a team to make sure that we bring the right results to the fore.”The squad will be led by Dane van Niekerk and with headliners Mignon du Preez, Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail. Youngsters Laura Wolvaardt, Raisibe Ntozakhe and Sune Luus are also in the mix.South Africa and India will also play five T20s after the ODIs, of which the final three will be staged as double-headers with the men’s series. The matches are being viewed as preparation for the Women’s World T20, which will take place in the West Indies in November this year. The T20 squad had no room for Mali, Luus or Wolvaardt but included Odine Kirsten, Nadine de Klerk and Moseline Daniels.”Going into the T20s, for us it is going to give us good preparation against a very good side. The televised double-headers are the cherry on top to make sure that we keep improving and raising the awareness regarding women’s cricket in the country and making sure that we build towards the ICC Women’s World T20 in West Indies. Every game that we play from now on will be with that in mind,” Moreeng said.

During their nail-biting victory against Afghanistan, Zimbabwe were lifted by the strong support from a huge crowd in Bulawayo, especially when their spirits were down

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo07-Mar-20180:40

WATCH – Bulawayo goes wild as Zimbabwe win thriller

“Was that stressful?” Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer joked to the wide-eyed gaggle of local journalists after his team’s nerve wracking two-run win over Afghanistan in Bulawayo.Queens Sports Club doesn’t have the gladiatorial grandeur of Wanderers, the storied history of Lord’s, or the spectacle of Eden Gardens, but during Zimbabwe’s backs-against-the-wall win the electric atmosphere rivalled any match to have taken place on more hallowed grounds. Zimbabwe’s victory wasn’t so much about individual performances, as it was the combined efforts of the fielders, bowlers and a broiling, festive crowd of spectators. It was high drama, and at the very end, with the tension rising to almost unbearable levels, Afghanistan blinked first.”We knew we had a score on the board,” Cremer said. “In competitions like this, it doesn’t matter how small the target is, if you have runs on the board there’s always that pressure.”It’s supposed to get tense, we’re playing for our countries – both teams – and it has to get tense,” said a breathless Sikandar Raza after the match. “We say that the team that panics first will lose. We just kept our composure. In that last over we thought ‘we’re right into it, one mistake or one bad shot … ‘ Let’s just drag it into the last over, and if they panic they’ll lose.”Defending a sub-par total, in the last over, against a team who are among the tournament favourites, Zimbabwe showed remarkable depth of character. “It’s the fact that we have friendship, we have brothers in the team, and we don’t let each other down,” Raza said. “We fight until the very end, until the game is either lost or won. And today great character was shown.”Afghanistan went into that last over – bowled by Brian Vitori – needing just four runs to win, but with only nos. 9 and 11 to do it. Dawlat Zadran and Shapoor Zadran had shown tenacity to keep Afghanistan clinging on after being 177 for 9. After missing a swipe at the final delivery of the penultimate over, Shapoor had finally let his emotion show, angrily miming the shot he should have played.When he edged the next ball he faced, Vitori’s third in the last over, the floodgates opened, with hundreds of spectators rushing onto the field. The overjoyed masses that ended up in the middle were a vital part of what had just unfolded.”They played a huge role today,” Raza said of a capacity Queens crowd. “When my head was dropping, when Nabi’s dropped catch was ringing in my head, and I wasn’t getting a breakthrough and there were a few edges that dropped short or went to the boundary, the fans never let me drop my head. And not just me, everyone who went to the ropes today, the fans were cheering them on. They were the real 12th man today.”The energy of the crowd clearly spilled onto the field, and Zimbabwe were noticeably animated – even after Raza dropped a simple chance to give Mohamad Nabi a second life. He went on to make 51 before Raza removed him – of course.”Nabi was a big fish, and I dropped him, and I kept saying to myself, and the skipper kept saying to me as well: ‘You have to get him out now, and you will get him out’,” Raza said. “And the fact that the whole team was behind me and motivating me, it gives you a bigger heart to try and get someone out and not bowl too defensively.”Raza kept tossing the ball up, and in his eighth over – the 37th of the innings – he ripped the heart out of Afghanistan’s middle order. Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, and Rashid Khan were dismissed in the space of six inspired deliveries. With the third dismissal, Raza sprinted out to deep midwicket, where the crowd was most concentrated, and the team and fans celebrated together.”We took three chances, and those chances paid off in that over where we got three wickets, which certainly was quite pleasing,” Raza said. “And humbling.””I think that over from Raza, that’s what we needed,” said Cremer. “Because those guys can bat, and if they had just applied themselves they could have got that score easily. But Raza has been excellent for us. Not only with the bat, but he’s turning into the bowler with a golden arm for us. That over was the turning point in the game.”‘On a steaming hot late summer’s day, Raza’s exertions with the bat and in the field resulted in serious cramping, with the physio called onto the field and Raza eventually hobbling off for an over. But wild horses couldn’t have stopped him from coming back, still limping, for the thrilling denouement.”Skipper said to me ‘see what you can do, if you can try and spend an over here and see how your body feels, otherwise you can go out’, and I said ‘I will not leave you here. And we’ll see how far we can go.'”For his 60 runs and three wickets, Raza was named Man of the Match. He was quick to share the glory. “I thought it should have been Blessing or BT (Brendan Taylor) sitting here now with the Man of the Match because I thought those two were the real heroes.”It wasn’t just me, it was everyone together. It was the character. The way the boys showed courage and we held our composure. Most importantly the way we stayed united out there. And that helped us to win the game.”This victory should feel as sweet to the fans as it does to us. Maybe people from the outside don’t realise how many things are hinging on these qualifiers for our families, for our futures. Most importantly, there are 15 million people [in Zimbabwe] looking for something to smile about, looking for something to give them hope, looking for happiness. We’ve just got to make sure that we give each of those 15 million people something to smile and cheer about.”

Spinner says he has lost the “buzz” when it comes to playing Championship cricket, after accepting a white-ball-only contract

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2018
Adil Rashid admits that he has lost the “buzz” when it comes to playing Championship cricket, after speaking out for the first time about his decision to accept a white-ball-only contract with Yorkshire this summer.Rashid, who is an integral part of England’s plans in both 50-over and 20-over cricket, particularly leading into next year’s World Cup on home soil, was overlooked for selection in this winter’s Ashes, in spite of being the team’s leading wicket-taker on the Test tour of Bangladesh and India in 2016-17.However, he insisted that that omission had not been a significant factor in his switch to a white-ball focus. Instead, he said that his “heart would not have been there” had he carried on turning out for Yorkshire in Championship contests, and he feared letting his county down had he done so.”It’s very much my decision,” Rashid said. “It’s something that I’ve thought about and felt I had to do, and has been inside me for a little while.”The enjoyment, the spark, the buzz. All that came into it. I couldn’t go through another season doing this — it could affect my performance, my bowling and that could easily rub off into other competitions and white-ball stuff.”Rashid’s relationship with Championship cricket has been under scrutiny for some time, ever since he controversially made himself unavailable for Yorkshire’s title showdown with Middlesex at Lord’s in 2016, citing “fatigue and family reasons”. Yorkshire went on to lose the match, and their chance to secure a third County Championship title in as many seasons.”Last year playing red-ball cricket for Yorkshire, my thought was that if I wasn’t giving 100 percent then I would be letting the team down and also myself down,” he said. “It was a decision made purely because of how I felt playing red-ball cricket at this time. My mind’s not there, my heart’s not there, I’m letting the team down but also myself down.”Rashid’s stance puts his Test career on indefinite hold, with his 10-match haul of 38 wickets at 42.78 hinting at what might have been. With Alex Hales also choosing a white-ball contract with Nottinghamshire this week, and others – notably Liam Plunkett and David Willey – reported to be considering similar moves, there is a concern in English circles that this trend could mark the beginning of a schism in the domestic game.”Yes, maybe … that’s the way the game’s going,” Rashid said. “Personally, when I made that decision, I didn’t think about that — ‘Oh, people might follow, what if [they do]?’. That’s not my job, what people do or how they feel or ‘you may follow me or not follow me’. I just made the decision purely because of how I felt. If people want to follow — ‘he did that, so we can do it’ — then that’s their decision.”However, Rashid made the important point that his own decision had been influenced to a large degree by the itinerary of the county season, with the majority of red-ball matches being squeezed to the beginning and end of the season. This leaves spinners in particular as bystanders for long periods of seam-dominated games, but Rashid said that he would reconsider his position in 2019 if the fixtures were more favourable.”That was a big part of it,” he said. “Early season, I may not bowl much. A couple of overs here and there. Doing that, I wouldn’t get my rhythm — two overs before lunch, a few overs before tea. That wouldn’t help my confidence. At the stage, I’d just be going through the motions.”It’s not a permanent thing. It’s for this season, to see how it goes, how it unfolds and what happens. See what my mind says and what my heart feels. If it changes I could be going back to red ball cricket next season. That’s a long way away, and a lot can change. At this moment in time I’m very content with what I’m doing.”

The defeat confirmed Kalabagan’s demotion to the First Division Cricket League in 2018-19

Mohammad Isam29-Mar-2018Shahriar Nafees’ second hundred in this season’s Dhaka Premier League trumped Mohammad Ashraful’s fourth as Agrani Bank beat Kalabagan Krira Chakra by six wickets in their relegation play-off match.Batting first, Kalabagan reached 246 for 5 in 50 overs. Ashraful made 103 off 137 balls with eight fours and two sixes. He added 163 runs for the fourth wicket with Taibur Rahman who struck 10 fours in his 82 off 93 balls. Riyazul Huda struck three sixes in his unbeaten 13-ball 27.In reply, Nafees and Salman Hossain put together 172 runs for the second wicket. Nafees made 109 off 142 balls with 13 fours and two sixes, while Salman struck eleven fours in his 83 off 93 balls.The defeat confirmed Kalabagan’s demotion to the First Division Cricket League in 2018-19. The relegation play-off between Brothers Union and Agrani Bank on April 4 will decide who will join Kalabagan in the lower division next season.

Mark Wood’s return from IPL was rewarded with a career-best six wickets in front of England selector Mick Newell as Durham made Derbyshire sweat

ECB Reporters Network14-May-20181:43

County round-up: Vince makes England case with double century

ScorecardA career-best performance by England fast bowler Mark Wood was not enough to give Durham victory as Derbyshire held out for a draw in the Division Two match at Derby.Wood, who left the IPL only a week ago, showed he is ready for next week’s First Test against Pakistan by taking 6 for 46 in 23 overs but determined batting from Derbyshire’s lower order kept Durham at bay.After wicketkeeper Daryn Smit batted 80 minutes for 34, Tony Palladino and Ravi Rampaul dug in for nine overs to take Derbyshire to 279 for 9, a lead of 186 when the players shook hands at 5.05pm.England selector Mick Newell watched Wood for a second time in the match and he would have been impressed by his rhythm and pace during two pre-lunch spells.Paul Collingwood, Durham’s captain, said of Wood;s comeback: “We needed something special and Woody provides that with his international class. We got the ball reversing and as soon as it starts reversing, he wants that ball in his hand and he was exceptional.”Wood was always likely to be the biggest threat to Derbyshire’s chances of batting out for a draw and he made the first breakthrough when Luis Reece chopped onto his stumps in the 12th over of the day.Ben Slater and Wayne Madsen added 55 but Wood switched to the Racecourse End to remove them both in consecutive overs.Madsen was unable to avoid a lifting delivery and was caught behind for 32 and Slater was smartly snared at short leg for 42 with Derbyshire only four runs in front.A good morning for Durham got even better in the last over before lunch when Alex Hughes tried to leave a ball from Cameron Steel and was caught behind to leave Derbyshire only 21 ahead at the interval.Durham were frustrated after lunch as Billy Godleman and Matt Critchley added 63 in 17 overs until Steel had Critchley caught behind for 40 and James Weighell moved one away in the next over to have Godleman taken at first slip.Hardus Viljoen dispatched Steel over wide long on for six but when Wood was recalled, he edged a drive to second slip and the fast bowler celebrated his fifth wicket after tea when Smit pushed at one and was well caught by Stuart Poynter.Duanne Olivier was caught behind for his fourth duck in five innings but with Wood visibly tiring, Palladino and Rampaul added 37 runs to dash Durham’s hopes.

Durham had one of their worst displays over 50 overs to leave their coach Jon Lewis rueing a day that began badly and got worse

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2018
ScorecardOpener Alex Davies made Lancashire’s second-highest individual score in List A cricket as his side defeated Durham by 192 runs in their Royal London One-Day Cup match at Emirates Old Trafford.Davies hit 147 in his team’s 314 for seven in 50 overs and that proved to be far too many for Durham’s batsmen who replied with 122 all out in 31.1 overs.In terms of runs, this represented Durham’s second worst defeat in List A cricket. It is exceeded only by the county 193-run loss to Sussex at Hove in 2009.Jon Lewis, Durham’s coach, was scathing about his team’s display. “I can’t defend a lot about that, it was pretty poor from the start,” he said. “We seem to be surprised by the intensity and accuracy that one-day cricket requires.”At one stage, however, it seemed the visitors might be chasing an even more intimidating total as the in-form Keaton Jennings helped Davies bring up Lancashire’s first hundred runs inside 14 overs.The pair eventually broke their county’s first-wicket record in List A cricket against Durham and had put on 175 in 28.2 overs when Jennings made room to whack Nathan Rimmington to leg but was bowled for 73.Karl Brown then added 51 with Davies but the determination of Durham’s bowlers not to be overwhelmed on a warm Manchester afternoon was rewarded when four wickets fell for 12 runs in 3.3 overs.Brown skied a slog off James Weighell to Michael Richardson running in from mid-on, and some nifty footwork from the same bowler ran out Liam Livingstone for two. Dane Vilas chipped a catch back to Ryan Pringle and when Steven Croft edged Weighell to Stuart Poynter, Lancashire were 238 for six in the 40th over.A measure of reconstruction rather than all-out acceleration was required but Jordan Clark managed to add 56 in eight overs with Davies before the opener was caught at short third man by Mattie Potts when attempting a reverse ramp off Rimmington.Davies had batted for all 14 balls of his side’s 50-over allotment and had hit 16 fours and one six in his 137-ball innings. Rimmington bowled Joe Mennie in the final over to finish with three for 64. Weighell returned figures of two for 59 while Ryan Pringle bowled as well as anybody for his one for 51 off ten overs. Clark ended the innings on 48 not out off 34 ballsDurham were left to reflect that their daunting target could have been 50 runs greater they not checked Lancashire’s progress so effectively early in the final quarter of the innings.However, at no stage in their innings did the visitors threaten to get close to their distant goal. The procession of Durham batsmen back to the pavilion began in the third over when Paul Collingwood came down the wicket to Tom Bailey but was smartly stumped by Vilas when the wicketkeeper noticed that Collingwood was very slow to regain his crease.Mennie’s then had both Ryan Pringle and Graham Clark leg before for 15 and eight respectively, these dismissals being bridged by that of Richardson, who was bowled off the inside edge for one when attempting to cut Bailey.That left Durham on 32 for four and although Will Smith and Tom Latham attempted a limited recovery with a 30-run stand the game was all but lost.Smith was bowled for eight when attempting to scoop Livingstone and Latham was leg before on the back foot to the same bowler for 26. The final four wickets were taken by the spinners Matt Parkinson having Poynter and Potts caught in the cordon and Weighell being brilliantly taken at midwicket by a diving Livingstone off Stephen Parry for 23.The match ended when Rimmington blasted back a return catch to Parry in the 32nd over. Five Lancashire bowlers took two wickets, the most economical being Bailey with two for 16.

This is what BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry wants to know, even as coach Ravi Shastri says the yo-yo test as a measure of fitness is ‘not going to go anywhere’

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-20185:39

Taking on the yo-yo test

How has the yo-yo test become a prerequisite for selection in the Indian team? In an exhaustive letter written to the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA), BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry has raised this question about the yo-yo test. The letter comes even as coach Ravi Shastri has suggested the test will be a regular feature for the Indian team going forward. has the full copy of Chaudhry’s letter, which states: “I keep reading about the yo-yo test being a criterion for selection in the Indian team. Is this correct? If so, who took this decision and when and what is the rationale for the same?”At which forum was the decision taken to have a minimum score on the yo-yo test as a prerequisite for selection in a BCCI-selected team? Who all were present in the meeting that decided this?”Most importantly, once this decision was taken, to whom was the same communicated? Was it communicated to all first-class players in India? Was it communicated to all List A players in India? Was it communicated to all state cricket associations to communicate to their players?”Chaudhry’s questions come after a number of players were sidelined after failing the yo-yo test in the lead-up to the England tour. Ambati Rayudu was dropped from the ODI squad for the three-match series in England after he failed the yo-yo test. Sanju Samson was also withdrawn from the India A squad for the one-day tri-series in England after falling short of the 16:1 benchmark.Fast bowler Mohammed Shami, meanwhile, had been sidelined from squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Bengaluru after failing a fitness test as well; reportedly, he also underwent yo-yo tests, though the results of these tests could not be confirmed. Previously, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh had been the first high-profile players who failed to meet the 16:1 benchmark after it was introduced, and teenaged allrounder Washington Sundar failed it and missed out on selection for a T20I series at home against New Zealand last year.Coach Shastri has often prioritised fitness, even saying last year that he wanted his team to be the best fielding side at the 2019 World Cup. Now, as the senior team departed for England on Friday, he emphasised on the importance of fitness once again, particularly playing up the role of the yo-yo test.”You have a certain ability, but with fitness you can enhance the same ability,” he said. “That is why we emphasise on this yo-yo thing. And whoever thinks it’s a one-off, he’s sadly mistaken. He can go for a walk. The philosophy is simple: you pass, you play; you fail, you fail.”So this is not going to go anywhere and the captain leads from the front, the selectors are on the same page, the entire team management is on the same page, and the boys have responded extremely well.”Shastri’s predecessor Anil Kumble, speaking to the media in Chennai, said that communication is particularly important when it comes to fitness. “It’s about the communication you have with a cricketer,” he said. “If he knows what’s expected of him on the fitness front and what the benchmark is, then what’s the problem?”Last week, Saba Karim, the BCCI general manager for cricket operations, told the that conducting yo-yo tests only after the teams – A and senior – had already been selected for their England tours was a “one-off”, given it was not possible to have the tests beforehand while the IPL was on.

ESPNcricinfo has learned that visiting teams for the World T20 regional qualifier have already been notified that Raleigh has been tentatively pencilled in as the host site

Peter Della Penna19-Jul-2018A new turf-wicket facility in North Carolina is set to be announced as host of the 2020 World T20 regional qualifying tournament scheduled for September 16 to 23, according to multiple ESPNcricinfo sources. The top two finishers out of the four-team event – featuring hosts USA, Canada, Belize and Panama – will advance to the Americas regional qualifying final in 2019 where Bermuda and Cayman Islands await.The September tournament would be held at Church Street Park, a $5.2 million dedicated cricket pitch opened in the Raleigh suburb of Morrisville in 2015. The ground’s address is 5800 Cricket Pitch Way, highlighting the support in the local Morrisville community whose 25,000 population includes a 30% South Asian demographic. In addition a natural-turf wicket, the ground has floodlights that are good enough for club cricket regulations but not believed to be adequate for international cricket.ESPNcricinfo has learned that visiting teams for the World T20 regional qualifier have already been notified that Raleigh has been tentatively pencilled in as the host site. However, an official announcement for the host city has yet to be made despite the tournament’s scheduled start less than two months away.Multiple sources have confirmed that local cricket officials in the area are hosting ICC officials this weekend for a final inspection of the pitch and facilities at Church Street Park to make sure it is suitable for international cricket before giving the all-clear to assign it as the tournament host site. Church Street Park has hosted national junior tournaments and regional tournaments for senior men’s cricket before. It was also used as one of eight sites for USA Cricket regional combines this spring, but it has never hosted an international tournament.If the North Carolina venue does gain the hosting assignment for the T20 Qualifier, it will also most likely host the 2018 Auty Cup between USA and Canada as well. However, if Church Street Park fails its ICC inspection this weekend, the most likely venue to host both the T20 Qualifier and the Auty Cup would be Woodley Park in the Los Angeles suburb of Van Nuys. Woodley Park hosted the Auty Cup and WCL Division Four within weeks of each other in October 2016.Sources have told ESPNcricinfo that USA Cricket and Cricket Canada officials have been engaged in discussions to hold the Auty Cup immediately after the conclusion of the T20 Qualifier to save on travel costs and streamline logistics. The Auty Cup would most likely remain a three-match 50-over series format, with USA using it as preparation for ICC WCL Division Three that is due to be held in October or November at a location yet to be announced.Church Street Park is used regularly on a weekly basis by the Triangle Cricket League, which was founded in 2009 to support the rapidly growing cricket community in the area of North Carolina, known as the Research Triangle. The ‘Triangle’ is a geographic reference to the major university cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, which are less than 25 miles apart and home to North Carolina State University, Duke University and the University of North Carolina respectively.Church Street Park is located four miles southwest of Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Due to its proximity to the Research Triangle, it also has strong local support infrastructure that makes it an appealing venue to host international tournaments.One of the most prominent supporters of the facility and cricket in the North Carolina community is Alvin Kallicharran. The 69-year-old former West Indies opening batsman has been a North Carolina resident since 1995 and continues to do youth coaching in the area. The fruits of that labor are starting to show as Smit Doshi emerged last year from North Carolina junior cricket to be picked at age 15 as the youngest player in the USA U-19 squad that went to Toronto for the U-19 World Cup Qualifier.Then-ICC head of global development Tim Anderson led an ICC delegation that also included the regional development manager Ben Kavanagh and ICC Americas high performance manager Tom Evans to visit the Church Street Park site when it first opened in 2015 and highlighted the venue’s potential as a future tournament host site.”There’s not a lot of good cricket grounds in America and you guys, you’ve got one,” Anderson was quoted by Raleigh’s newspaper as telling Morrisville officials during an open public meeting in November 2015. “This is beautiful. We were saying – we’re all from Australia – and this would be a good cricket ground in Australia.”