A 63-year-old man has been charged by police after former Scotland international Majid Haq was allegedly racially abused at a match.
The incident took place when Haq was umpiring a game at Greenock Cricket Club on Saturday.
Allegations by Haq and former Scotland team-mate Qasim Sheikh led to an independent review which concluded last year that Cricket Scotland was institutionally racist.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “A 63-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with racial abuse which happened in Brisbane Street, Greenock, on Saturday 12 August 2023.
“A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal and the man is expected to appear in court at a later date.”
Sheikh sent out a message of solidarity to his former team-mate.
He wrote on Twitter: “Still people will live in denial, social media trolls will continue to abuse and push a dangerous narrative that only further fuels racism. I’m sad my friend @MajidHaq was subjected to this and he has my full solidarity.”
A Cricket Scotland statement relating to the alleged incident on Saturday said it “condemns in the strongest possible” terms the alleged behaviour.
It said: “Racism has no place in sport or society. It is a scar on cricket, and Cricket Scotland is wholly committed, along with our partners, to eradicating racist behaviour and attitudes from our game.
“As this incident is now part of a live criminal case, Cricket Scotland is
unable to comment further.
“However, the governing body can confirm it is working in conjunction with the CSMOA (Cricket Scotland Match Officials Association), WDCU (Western District Cricket Union) and Greenock Cricket Club to ensure internal disciplinary proceedings proceed swiftly and appropriately, following due process.”
A number of changes have taken place at Cricket Scotland since the damning report was published in July last year detailing 448 examples of institutional racism, and the governing body is working through a number of referrals on incidents that were flagged up during the review.
Cricket Scotland was placed in special measures by sportscotland as a result of the review.
A spokesperson for the national agency for sport said: “We are deeply concerned about recent reports in relation to racism in Scottish cricket and it is vital all complaints of this nature are robustly investigated and dealt with appropriately and as a matter of urgency.
“We are in close contact with Cricket Scotland relating to events of this weekend.
“Sport should be a fun and welcoming place for all, free from racism, discrimination and inequalities and we will continue to support Cricket Scotland as it addresses these issues.”
Player of the Match Romario Shepherd took a T20I career-best 4-31 and Brandon King scored an impressive unbeaten half-century to lead the West Indies to a commanding eight-wicket win over India and take the five-match series 3-2 in Lauderhill, Florida on Sunday.
Replying to India’s score of 165-9, the West Indies cruised to 171-2 with 12 balls to spare.
The Caribbean men who have been having a tough time of it this past year, won the first two matches but then lost the last two making Sunday’s match a must-win for either team. The odds favoured India who emphatically won the fourth match by nine wickets at the same venue on Saturday, but the West Indies defied expectations and the tourists to produce their most complete performance of the series to beat India in a multi-match series for the first time since 2016.
After losing Kyler Mayers for 10 in the second over, Brandon King stepped up when it mattered most, scoring an unbeaten 85 from 55 balls. It was his highest international score in T20 Internationals. The Jamaican put on 107 for the second wicket with Player of the Series Nicholas Pooran, who made 47 before he got out going for a reverse sweep to a full delivery outside off and was caught at slip to hand Tilak Varma with a wicket off his second delivery in international cricket.
Pooran’s dismissal seemed to spark a sense of urgency in King, who smashed Chahal for consecutive sixes in the 16th over and then smashed Varma for a six and a four in the 17th to bring the West Indies within sight of victory.
Captain Shai Hope, who replaced Pooran, meanwhile, raced to 16 from just 12 deliveries before ending the match off the last ball of the 18th over with a straight six off Jaiswal to finish unbeaten on 22.
India won the toss and chose to bat first and almost immediately regretted the decision after Akeal Hosein dismissed the dangerous opening pair of Yahashvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill for five and nine, respectively.
Suryakumar Yadav held down one end but India was unable to put together any lasting partnerships and lost wickets steadily. Roston Chase dismissed Tilak Varma for 27 opening the door for Shepherd to wreak havoc on the Indian lower order, removing Sanju Samson (13), Hardik Pandya (14), Arshdeep Singh (8) and Kuldeep Yadav for a duck.
In between, Jason Holder got the wicket of Axar Patel for eight as the Indian batters struggled to withstand the incisive bowling of the West Indies. Holder eventually broke Suryakumar’s resistance, trapping him lbw in the 18th over.
Shepherd finished with 4-31 and Hosein 2-24 while Holder took 2-36.
New penalties for slow over rates have been introduced for the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) ahead of the 2023 season.
As is customary in the T20 format, each team will have 85 mins to bowl their overs, but this will be monitored more closely at this year’s tournament. The fielding side is expected to have completed the 17th over of the innings after 72’15, the 18th by 76’30 and the 19th by 80’45. Over rates will be monitored by the third umpire and communicated to the captains via on-field umpires at the end of every over, as well as to the crowd and TV audience, with graphics showing how far they are behind (or ahead of) the over rate. Dispensations will be given for injuries, DRS and time-wasting by batting side where appropriate.
To ensure that games are finished in good time, penalties for slow over rates will kick in from the 18th over, and will be as follows:
Michael Hall, CPL’s Tournament Operations Director, said: “We have been disappointed that our T20 games have been getting longer and longer each year, and we want to do what we can to arrest this trend. It is the duty of those involved in cricket to ensure that the game keeps moving and we have sensitized both the franchises and our match officials to this duty ahead of the tournament. Our hope is that these in game penalties are not needed, but we believe they are proportionate and necessary.”
The 2023 CPL gets underway on Wednesday with defending champions, the Jamaica Tallawahs, facing the St. Lucia Kings.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill starred to help India get a series-leveling nine-wicket over the West Indies in the fourth T20 International at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill on Saturday.
The West Indies made 178-8 from their 20 overs after winning the toss and choosing to bat first.
Shimron Hetmyer led the way with a 39-ball 61, his fifth T20I fifty, including three fours and four sixes.
Shai Hope provided good support with 45 off 29 balls against Arshdeep Singh’s 3-38 off four overs. Kuldeep Yadav continued his good form in the series with 2-26 from four overs in support.
India’s opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill then made quick work of the West Indies total, batting beautifully to put on 165 for the first wicket before Gill fell in the 16th over for a 47-ball 77. Gill’s knock included three fours and five sixes.
The partnership put the pair level with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul for the highest opening partnership for India in T20 Internationals. Rohit and Rahul did that against Sri Lanka in Indore six years ago.
In the end, India needed just 17 overs to reach 179-1. Jaiswal ended 84* off 51 balls including 11 fours and three sixes.
The fifth and series-deciding T20I will take place on Sunday.
Reigning champions, St. Mary, maintained their winning streak in the 32nd Kingston Wharves U15 Cricket Competition when they defeated Clarendon by 89 runs on Tuesday.
Commencing their triumphant journey at the Ultimate Cricket Oval in St. Ann on July 25, St. Mary's triumph in the opening match has set the tone for their winning run. The second match witnessed a commanding triumph against former national champions, Manchester, on their home turf of Manchester High School. This triumph was mirrored in their third match at Boscobel, where they emerged victorious against the St. Catherine Cricket Association.
With their eyes firmly set on victory, St. Mary exhibited their exceptional skill once again at the Boscobel Cricket Ground, this time facing off against Clarendon. In a thrilling encounter on Tuesday, the St. Mary team secured an impressive 89-run win against Clarendon.
Clarendon faced a setback as they arrived late to the venue and subsequently lost the toss. St. Mary seized the opportunity, taking to the wicket and amassing a total of 142 all out in 25.2 overs. Noteworthy performances were delivered by three standout batsmen - Dijon Taylor, Tyson Gordon, and Akeem Palmer.
Dijon Taylor's exceptional 27-run contribution stood out, complemented by Tyson Gordon's 14 and Akeem Palmer's 11. Perico Henry emerged as the chief wicket taker, securing an impressive four wickets for 35 runs, with Talbert Wallace and Danjay Larmond contributing two wickets each for 23 and 39 runs respectively.
In response, Clarendon's batting faltered, managing a modest 53 all out in 20.3 overs. The team struggled from the outset, losing their first two wickets without any substantial runs on the board. Despite the efforts of Perico Henry and Deshaun Smith, the team struggled to gain momentum.
The standout performer for St. Mary was undoubtedly Shavaughn Boyd, who secured an impressive 6-17 runs in just 5.3 overs. Boyd's efforts were supported by Devantae Miller's 2 for 8 and Tedian Noyan's 2 for 10.
St. Mary's dominance parallels the unbeaten streak of former national champions, Westmoreland. Their victories against St. Elizabeth, Trelawny, Hanover, and St. James have solidified their status as a force to be reckoned with in the competition.
As the preliminary round draws to a close, the anticipation for the upcoming quarter finals intensifies. This year, the competition has seen a significant alteration under the guidance of O’Neil Cruickshank, the Jamaica Cricket Association's cricket operations manager.
The shift to a one inning one-day format allows young players the freedom to bat as long as their skills and determination permit, marking a departure from limited overs cricket. Furthermore, teams are now able to include up to four players outside the age criteria, while female participants under the age of 19 are also welcomed to participate.
Looking forward, Cruickshank revealed an exciting prospect - the announcement of 28 exceptional young talents at the conclusion of the competition, who will embark on a journey of preparation for the national team. This pioneering initiative aims to groom and equip these budding stars for success in regional tournaments.
With 19 teams participating across four zones, the competition continues to captivate cricket enthusiasts. The absence of St. Thomas this year, owing to cricket-related challenges in the parish, further underscores the determination and resilience demonstrated by the competing teams.
Indian batter Ambati Rayudu has joined the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots for the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League. Rayudu will replace Tristan Stubbs who is now no longer available.
Rayudu is a veteran of 61 international matches for India and has played 291 T20 matches so brings a vast amount of experience with him. Rayudu was part of the Chennai Super Kings that claimed their fifth IPL title in May this year.
With over 4000 runs in the IPL and international pedigree, Rayudu represents a big signing for the Patriots who will be looking to reclaim the CPL title they won in 2021.
The 2023 CPL season gets underway on 16 August with the Patriots playing their first match against the Trinbago Knight Riders on 19 August.
Mahesh Ramani, Chairman of St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, said: “As the Chairman of St Kitts & Nevis Patriots it has always been my endeavour to try & attract impact making talent to our team in pursuit of our goal to be Champions.
“In that endeavour, it is my pleasure to let the Patriots fans know that we have signed Ambati Rayudu as one of our overseas players for the 2023 season.
“I am sure Ambati’s seasoned expertise of having won multiple championships with various teams in an illustrious career in India will undoubtedly enrich the experience of our young players as we chase our second CPL title in 2023.”
Shabnim Ismail has revealed how representing Welsh Fire in The Hundred is helping her fill the void left by her retirement from international cricket.
The pace bowler has been integral to reviving the fortunes of the Cardiff-based side, who finished rock bottom last summer, and powered them to the top of the table with a nerveless hat-trick at the death to see off Birmingham Phoenix on Thursday night.
Ismail is a proven winner in the 100-ball format, having helped Oval Invincibles to the title in 2021 and 2022, but did not shrink from the challenge after being drafted by the struggling Fire and has thrown herself into the task.
The 34-year-old called an end to her South Africa career earlier this year but feels that doing her bit for the principality is helping her find her peak performance.
“When I moved I didn’t really realise it wasn’t just Welsh Fire the club, but Wales the country. I’m so proud to play in the Welsh colours,” she told the PA news agency.
“I’m calling myself an honorary Welshwoman, of course! I’m retired from internationals but I’m lucky that I still get to play for a country. To represent a nation, it almost feels like I’m back with South Africa at a World Cup. It makes me play with my heart on my sleeve and do well for them.
“I was nervous first of all coming into the team but it has been like a family, an amazing welcome. I always say I can only produce the goods and play to the best of my ability when I’m comfortable in the environment and here I know I can speak my mind with no drama, everybody trusts me.”
Ismail certainly had no problem finding her finest form when she conjured a classic finish to defeat the Phoenix in a nail-biter at Edgbaston. Defending four runs from the last three balls of the match she dismissed Tess Flintoff, Erin Burns and Issy Wong. More remarkable than the feat itself, though, was the fact that Ismail did not even realise she had done it.
“I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I told the team I wanted the last five balls. But I was so in the zone I didn’t even know I had a hat-trick,” she said.
“I just didn’t realise it was three in a row, in my head every wicket was a dot ball. I didn’t even hear the crowd initially, but it pumped me up when I did. I think we made the whole of Birmingham angry.”
Welsh Fire now find themselves in the unexpected position of leading the way after two years of under-delivering but, if that is a surprise to some, Ismail called it before a ball had been bowled.
“When I met Breesey (head coach Gareth Breese), I told him ‘we are going to win this’,” she said.
“I told him things will be different this year. He told me ‘baby steps, one at a time’ but I keep telling him we’ve got this. Now we all believe, we know we can do it.”
The best young cricketers in the West Indies are assembling in Trinidad & Tobago for the West Indies Rising Stars Boys’ Under17 Regional Tournament that features both 50-Over and two-day formats and will run from August 12-31.
For this 2023 edition, Cricket West Indies (CWI) is introducing a two-day red ball format to add to the pre-existing 50-Over format for the Rising Stars Under 17s Regional Championships. Teams will compete for the West Indies Rising Stars U17s 50-Over Cup and the West Indies Rising Stars U17s 2-Day Championship.
Graeme West, CWI’s High-Performance Manager said: “The introduction of the Two-Day component at the Under 17s level is a significant step forward in the development of multi-format cricketers for the future. It is essential that our young talent enjoy the challenge of the red ball format, igniting their ambitions to play Test Cricket.”
The West Indies Rising Stars Under 17s Tournament will feature five rounds of 50-over white ball matches from August 12-20 and three rounds of two-day red ball matches from August 23-31 to be played at the National Cricket Centre (NCC), Inshan Ali Park, PowerGen Sports Ground and Gilbert Park Cricket Ground (GPCG). A champion will be crowned at the end of each format, as WI Rising Stars Under 17s 50 Over Cup Champions and WI Rising Stars Under 17s 2-Day Champions.
This tournament is a key element of the West Indies Future Stars development programme, allowing the best players in the region to test themselves within their age group. The tournament is pivotal for identifying talent and facilitating player progression to produce the next generation of West Indies senior international cricketers.
Miles Bascombe, Director of Cricket added: “The addition of the two-day format presents coaches and players with the opportunity to craft skills for the longer format at an earlier stage in the players’ development. It is also a tangible way for CWI to demonstrate its commitment to securing the future of West Indian Test Cricket.”
CWI’s strategic plan has committed resources into developing the game at every level and these tournaments therefore play a vital role in the strategy to develop the talent pool and produce the next generation of West Indies players. The West Indies Rising Stars Under 17s Championships completes the full 2023 calendar of CWI’s regional age group cricket which featured the men’s West Indies Rising Stars Under 15s and Under 19s Championships, as well as the Rising Stars Women’s Under 19s Championship.
You can follow LIVE ball-by-ball scoring of the West Indies Rising Stars Under 17s Championships matches on the new www.windiescricket.com match centre.
MATCH SCHEDULE
West Indies Rising Stars Under 17s 50-Over Cup Championship
Matches start at 9:30am local time (8:30am Jamaica time)
Saturday 12 August
Trinidad and Tobago vs Windward Islands at NCC
Barbados vs Guyana at GPCG
Leeward Islands vs Jamaica at Inshan Ali Park
Monday 14 August
Jamaica vs Guyana at NCC
Trinidad and Tobago vs Leeward Islands at Inshan Ali Park
Windward Islands vs Barbados at GPCG
Wednesday 16 August
Leeward Islands vs Barbados at Inshan Ali Park
Windward Islands vs Guyana at GPCG
Trinidad and Tobago vs Jamaica at NCC
Friday 18 August
Trinidad and Tobago vs Guyana at PowerGen
Leeward Islands vs Windward Islands at NCC
Barbados vs Jamaica at GPCG
Sunday 20 August
Trinidad and Tobago vs Barbados at NCC
Leeward Islands vs Guyana at Inshan Ali Park
Jamaica vs Windward Islands at GPCG
West Indies Rising Stars Under 17s 2-Day Championship
Matches start at 10am local time (9am Jamaica time)
23-24 August
Trinidad and Tobago vs Leeward Islands at Inshan Ali Park
Windward Islands vs Barbados at PowerGen
Jamaica vs Guyana at NCC
26-27 August
Windward Islands vs Guyana at NCC
Trinidad and Tobago vs Jamaica at GPCG
Leeward Islands vs Barbados at Ishan Ali Park
30-31 August
Leeward Islands vs Jamaica at GPCG
Barbados vs Guyana at Inshan Ali Park
Trinidad and Tobago vs Windward Islands at NCC
FULL SQUADS
BARBADOS: Zion Brathwaite, Zishan Motara, Xaundre Baptiste, Shaquan Belle, Gadson Bowens, Joshua Branch, Preston Clarke, Reviera Cottle, Edwin Currency-Barnett, Kyron King, Akeem McCollin, Jatario Prescod, Dre Springer, Jaden Webster.
GUYANA: Jonathan Van Lange, Rampersad Ramnauth, Kevin Kisten, Vickash Wilkinson, Romeo Deonarain, Ari-Afrizal Kadir, Nityanand Mathura, Sanjay Algoo, Golcharran Chulai, Salim Khan, Bruce Vincent, Darwin Joseph.
JAMAICA: Tyriek Bryan, Jordan Pinnock, Demarco Scott, Brian Barnes, Kev-Aundrae Virgo, Aan Ennis, O’mari Wedderburn, Eejay Spence, Dantae Calrke, Niclo McKenzie, Roshawn McKenzie, Rasheed Harriott, Ralique Thomas, David.
LEEWARD ISLANDS: Matthew Miller, T’yanick Honore, Eirette Richards, Zavio Henry, Jevon Manners, Ozan Williams, Jared Jno Baptiste, De-Andre Drew, Israel Morton, Caiden Francis, Carlton Pluck, Mekaili Tonge, Xaveek Toppin, Devanand Singh.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Fareez Ali, Cristian Rampersad, Riyaad Mohammed, Luke Ali, Brendan Boodoo, Samir Saroop, Niall Maingot, Aaidan Racha, Ishmael Ali, Aneal Rooplal, Alexander Chase, Alvin Sonny, Jordan Mohammed, Stevon Gomez.
WINDWARD ISLANDS: Justin John, Jelani Joseph, Edmund Morancie, Joel Durand, Jahson Vidal, Earnisho Fontaine, Kirtsen Murray, Kirt Murray, Johnathan Daniel, Theo Edward, Khan Elcock, Tyler Venner, Devonte McDowall, Kodi Grant.
Spencer Johnson was a phonecall away from gatecrashing this summer’s Ashes and underlined his credentials as one of Australia’s next big things with a record-breaking debut for Oval Invincibles.
The left-arm quick produced sensational figures of three wickets for one run in Wednesday’s victory over Manchester Originals – the cheapest 20-ball spell ever recorded in The Hundred.
Even more remarkable was the fact that the 27-year-old had never set foot on English soil before and only arrived in the country on Monday, having played in the final of Canada’s Global T20 the day before.
“I don’t know when it will sink in really, I’m not even sure it will. I’m pretty speechless,” he told the PA news agency.
“You never come into a game expecting to concede one run, especially bowling at players like Jos Buttler and Phil Salt first up. I was trying to remember where the one came from and I couldn’t picture it. I’m enjoying it now because it will probably never happen again, but was quite cool to be a part of.
“It was raining when I arrived in England so I didn’t have a chance to have a roll out in the middle the day before, and I didn’t know how I was going to feel out on the pitch. But playing out there at the Oval felt awesome.”
Johnson’s whirlwind week also saw him called up by Australia for the first time, for the T20 series against South Africa at the end of the month.
Had things been different he could have found himself thrown into this summer’s unforgettable Test series against England, which finished 2-2 after gripping the cricket world for seven weeks.
He was on another franchise assignment with Los Angeles Knight Riders when Cricket Australia told him he may be needed for the fourth and fifth Tests, though left-armer Mitchell Starc eventually played through despite some injury niggles.
“I reckon I watched every ball of that series,” he said.
“I was placed on standby for the last couple of Tests so I had to be following things pretty closely.
“I grew up admiring Starcy my whole life, ever since he came on the scene. He’s the ultimate athlete, durable, fast, takes crucial wickets.
“I like the way he goes about things, I’d love to be anywhere near him to be honest. Test cricket is number one at the forefront of my mind, hopefully in a couple of years I’m still bowling well and I get a chance (to face England), but we’ve got another six games here with Invincibles and that’s as far ahead as I’m thinking now.”
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The first of those comes against Northern Superchargers at Headingley on Friday, where compatriot Matthew Short will be looking to do more damage to Johnson’s figures than the Originals managed.
“I know I’ll go for more than one next time, it’s one of those things that will probably never happen again,” he admitted.
“Cricket is pretty fickle game, but if it’s swinging and I’m hitting the right length, we’ve seen it can be tough to score. Shorty has got me a couple of times back in Australia and I’m looking to level the playing field!”
Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma both hit fifties as India defeated the West Indies by seven wickets in the third T20I at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Tuesday.
The hosts posted 159-5 off their 20 overs after winning the toss and choosing to bat.
Brandon King led the way with a run-a-ball 42 while Captain Rovman Powell made a rapid 19-ball 40* including one four and three sixes.
Kuldeep Yadav took 3-28 from his four overs for India.
India’s chase started shakily with the wickets of debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill within the first five overs.
Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma then combined to put on a match-winning 87-run third wicket partnership.
Yadav led the way with a shot-filled 44-ball 83 including 10 fours and four sixes while Varma ended 49* off 37 balls.
Captain Hardik Pandya also chipped in with 20* off 15 balls as India finished 164-3 off 17.5 overs.
Alzarri Joseph took 2-25 from his four overs for the Windies.
The West Indies now have a 2-1 lead in the series heading into the final two games.
The series will now move to Florida for the fourth and fifth T20Is on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
World Cup winner Alex Hales will join the Jamaica Tallawahs for the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League. Hales will replace Naveen ul Haq who is no longer available.
Hales has played more than 400 games of T20 cricket and is one of just nine players to have scored more than 10,000 runs in the format. Hales is the highest English run scorer in the T20 format and has experience of playing in the CPL having won the tournament with the Barbados franchise in 2019.
Hales will join the Tallawahs once his commitments in England are completed.
Ben Stokes may regret his attacking approach to the Ashes after what England great David Gower sees as a missed opportunity.
England have transformed their red-ball fortunes under captain Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, winning 13 of their 18 Tests after embracing a free-flowing, attacking mentality in the longest format.
An Ashes series victory proved a challenge too great, though, with England recovering from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 – a result that saw Australia retain the urn.
Stokes' tactics have come into question, with England's insistence on attacking sometimes their downfall, and Gower believes the all-rounder may look back with slight regret.
Gower told Stats Perform: "Stokes says that he doesn't want to worry about hindsight, which doesn't win you any games and all the rest of it.
"But there will be thoughts along those lines, because when they look at it next year, it says 2-2 and you were part of that team that could have regained The Ashes.
"Stokes could have been At The Oval, with that little urn in his hand saying I have regained the Ashes or you better say 'we' with this team ethic.
"That would be there again for all to see for the rest of history. But I'm afraid it’s not quite the case."
While Gower suggested Stokes may reconsider his plans at a future date, the former England captain still hailed the new approach against the red ball.
He added: "My view is a mixture of old and new. I love the new approach, especially the culture that Stokes and McCullum have bred in the team since that partnership came together last year.
"I'd imagine that playing in that dressing room must be an enormous pleasure because it takes the pressure off a bad day, takes the pressure off failure, and it encourages people to look ahead.
"The one thing that could have made this series different is being slightly more match aware, slightly smarter at key moments.
"England could have made more runs in the second innings at Edgbaston, put themselves further ahead, played Australia a little bit further out of the game made it harder for them to win the game. In the end, Australia win the game.
"England could have batted like Stokes did at Lord's when the bouncer barrage was coming, Stokes took the blows to the body, and others played shots that got them out.
"There was a collapse from 180 for none, as it were, suddenly were 200 for plenty. And things like that change games in Test cricket.
"Five-day cricket is all about sustaining the effort and the quality throughout, but a bad hour or a bad session can cost you games and that's what happened at Lord's."
A high-quality Ashes series was likely only robbed of a winner due to the rain at Old Trafford, where the fourth Test was washed out on the weekend with England in the ascendancy.
Australia return Down Under with the urn but Gower believes – despite the thrilling encounters – both sides may look back with some sense of a missed opportunity.
He continued: "I think for both teams, at the end of the series, Australia looked a bit muted, because although they retained the Ashes, they struggled in the last three games.
"Australia would have rued the fact they let things slide a little bit, at the same time I'd give all the credit to England, for the way they played their cricket to put the pressure back on Australia.
"It was interesting to watch the Australians, they had a very brief celebration in front of the crowd at The Oval but it wasn't sort of leaping up and down saying we've held the Ashes.
"You don't do laps of honour when you've drawn a series, you do laps of honour at the MCG when you have won The Ashes Down Under. Graeme Swann and the sprinkler and all the rest of it.
"It was probably almost a feeling of, actually, we've put everything on the field. They put everything into that series, both sides.
"At the end of it, not so much a relief but a sort of acknowledgement, that 2-2 is probably fair. You sit down and you feel relief, it's a shame that it's all over.
"People would have loved to see this thing, carry on almost you play 10 Tests, keep up the intensity, keep up the rivalry. But there's also a sort of sense of well, it's over now.
"You cast your mind back to all the ups and downs of six, seven weeks of high-pressure cricket."
Daniel Vettori has replaced Brian Lara as the head coach of IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Vettori, a former left-arm spinner for New Zealand, was previously head coach at Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2014-2018 and is currently working as the assistant coach with the Australia men's team.
The latest update means Sunrisers will have a fourth head coach in six seasons, with Tom Moody (2019 and 2022), Trevor Bayliss (2020 and 2021), and Lara (2023) preceding Vettori.
Lara had replaced Moody ahead of the 2023 IPL season, but the side finished last (tenth) with four wins and ten losses.
At the moment, Vettori is head coach of the Birmingham Phoenix men's team at the Hundred, and since May 2022, has been with the Australia men's national side. His coaching resume also includes stints with Barbados Royals in the CPL, with Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League and with Middlesex in the Vitality Blast, all as head coach, and a spell as spin-bowling consultant with the Bangladesh men's national team.
In his previous run as a head coach in the IPL, Vettori helped RCB get into the playoffs in 2015 and the final in 2016 where, incidentally, they lost to Sunrisers.
This is now the third high-profile coaching appointment ahead of the 2024 IPL season, with Justin Langer taking over from Andy Flower at Lucknow Super Giants and Flower later joining RCB in the same role.
Sunrisers have had a lean time of it in the IPL in recent years, perhaps explaining the revolving door for the coaches. Since IPL 2021, they have won only 13 games while losing 29.
From 2016 (when they were champions) to 2020, Sunrisers reached the playoffs every season, but they have failed to replicate that success since. They will now hope to end a three-season streak of finishing outside the top four with the combination of Vettori and captain Aiden Markram at the helm.
The Montreal Tigers are champions of the 2023 Global T20 Canada after a five-wicket win over the Surrey Jaguars in the final at the CAA Center in Brampton on Sunday.
The Tigers restricted the Jaguars to a modest 130-5 from their 20 overs after winning the toss and electing to field first.
Jatinder Singh led the way for the Jaguars with an unbeaten 57-ball 56 while Ayaan Khan made 26 off 15 balls including two sixes.
Montreal’s bowling effort was led by 17-year-old Aayan Afzal Khan who took 2-21 from his four overs while Andre Russell also bowled well for his 1-24 off four overs.
Player of the Match and player of the series, Sherfane Rutherford, then led the successful chase with a responsible 38* off 29 balls as the Tigers reached 135-5 off 20 overs.
Rutherford’s knock included three fours and two sixes. Captain Chris Lynn also contributed 31 while Russell hit 20* off just six balls including the match-winning six off the final ball with the Tigers needing two to win.
Iftikhar Ahmed tried his best for the Jaguars with 2-8 from his four overs.
Rutherford ended the tournament with 220 runs from eight innings at an average of 44. Barbadian Matthew Forde took 15 wickets to finish as the top wicket-taker.
Australia captain Pat Cummins is expected to recover from a fractured left wrist ahead of the World Cup but Marnus Labuschagne has been omitted from the squad.
Cummins will be sidelined for six weeks after injuring his non-bowling hand when diving in the outfield on the opening day of the last Ashes Test at the Kia Oval earlier last month.
He was able to play a full part in the last four days in a 49-run defeat to England that saw a thrilling, seesaw series finish all-square at 2-2, with Australia retaining the urn as holders.
Cummins will miss three T20s in South Africa from 30 August to September 3, with Mitch Marsh stepping in as skipper, but is set to return for the five-match ODI leg of the tour from September 7-17.
Cummins, who has only captained two ODIs since succeeding Aaron Finch last October, will lead Australia on to World Cup hosts India for three warm-up matches between September 22-27.
Australia then begin their World Cup campaign against India in Chennai on October 8.
“Pat has an undisplaced fracture of his left radius which requires six weeks rehabilitation,” said Australia’s chair of selectors George Bailey.
“We expect him to join the squad during the South African ODI Series. We view a period of enforced rest for Pat as a positive ahead of this important World Cup campaign.
“There are still a number of games he could play before the World Cup which is more than enough for him to have a strong preparation.”
Labuschagne has featured in Australia’s last nine ODIs and 30 since making his debut in January 2020 but he has a modest career average of 31.37 with just one century.
That dips to just 22.30 in his last 14 ODI innings with a disappointing strike-rate of 69.87, which has led to Labuschagne being axed from the set-up.
The uncapped duo of leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha and all-rounder Aaron Hardie have been included in an 18-strong squad, which Australia will trim down to a provisional 15 in September before the World Cup.
Glenn Maxwell will miss the ODI series against South Africa due to paternity leave but is set to rejoin the Australia squad for the three-match series in India.
“This side has been extremely impressive for several years in limited overs cricket,” added Bailey. “There is an enormous amount of skill and experience in the group which you need in a World Cup.”
Australian ODI squad: P Cummins (captain), S Abbott, A Agar, A Carey, N Ellis, C Green, A Hardie, J Hazlewood, T Head, J Inglis, M Marsh, G Maxwell, T Sangha, S Smith, M Starc, M Stoinis, D Warner, A Zampa.
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