England captain recalls being asked if she did “the ironing for the men” in her team as a youngster

Valkerie Baynes30-Jun-2023

Heather Knight says she is not surprised by the findings of a damning report into inequality in cricket, recounting her own experience of sexism in the sport.Responding to the report and recommendations of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) released this week, Knight, the England Women’s captain, said that while much progress had been made, there was still a “long way to go”. She also recalled how she had been asked if she did “the ironing for the men” when she played men’s cricket as a youngster.”It’s been really sad to hear about anyone that’s not felt welcome in our game – nobody should be made to feel unwelcome in our sport,” Knight said on the eve of England’s first T20I against Australia in the Women’s Ashes at Edgbaston, where more than 19,000 tickets have been sold.”This is a really important step for cricket, and cricket – having done this report – can really lead the way in terms of being more equitable, more diverse and more inclusive,” Knight said. “It’s really important for me to say as a woman in cricket it’s not at all surprising, the recommendations that have come out of the report – but it’s really important to say cricket has come a hell of a long way since I was a kid.”I started out playing men’s club cricket and being asked ‘do you do the ironing for the men when you finish playing?’. Tomorrow I’ll lead my side out in front of a near full-house with 85,000 tickets sold for the whole series.”Cricket has come very far but it’s also got a long way to go. As a group of England women cricketers we feel really strongly about this. We want to be a key part of that in pushing the game forward.”Related

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'Home of cricket is still a home principally for men': Lord's castigated for lack of Women's Tests

The ICEC report found that racism, sexism, elitism and class-based discrimination have existed and still exist within the game.Knight, who was among 4000 people to give evidence to the commission for its 317-page report titled “Holding Up a Mirror to Cricket”, is only aged 32, so her experience is by no means ‘historical’ and she said such behaviour was still going on. But she said she was encouraged by changing attitudes and would encourage young girls to take up the sport.”There still are instances where this goes on but I think it has changed a lot,” Knight said. “I went to watch a friend, a female in an [otherwise] male team recently, and she got quite a hostile reaction because she was female from one player in the other team. But I think the reaction of the people on the field was really important and I don’t think that probably would have happened previously.”Everyone can be an ally of anyone in the sport and make people feel welcome. So if you’re younger and want to get into cricket, I’d say, do it, there’s no better time. I wish I was a youngster getting into cricket now. There’s no better time to be a female playing cricket so yeah, come and join in and hopefully you feel welcome.”Among the report’s 44 recommendations was a call for equal pay between women and men at domestic level by 2029 and international level by 2030. The report also said ICEC was “alarmed” by the “truly appalling” fact that England Women have never played a Test at Lord’s, saying: “The ‘home of cricket’ is still a home principally for men.”The third ODI against India at Lord’s last year was the first time England Women had played a match at Lord’s since they won the 2017 World Cup final there, although they are due to play their third T20I against Australia at the venue on July 8. And Richard Thompson, the ECB chair, has said England Women will host a Lord’s Test in 2026, acknowledging that it should have happened sooner.”I’d love to play a Test match at Lord’s and it’s very nice to see Richard Thompson say the other day that there’ll be a Test match there in the next few years, that’s brilliant,” Knight said. “We’ve actually got a game at Lord’s later in the week, I’m really excited to play that, it’s a place that’s very special. We’ve obviously won a World Cup there as well which makes it even more special for the girls that were involved in that.”I’m also involved with the MCC Foundation, which is a charity that do a hell of a lot of work with state school children in this country and a hell of a lot of work overseas as well. So, yeah, it would be nice to play a Test match there in the future and that sounds like it’s going to happen.”As ticket sales for this Women’s Ashes series hit record levels, Knight paid tribute to the pioneering work of players like Rachael Heyhoe Flint, who in 1976 became the first woman cricketer to set foot – in a playing capacity – on the main ground at Lord’s when she captained England in an ODI against Australia. She was also central to the campaign to allow women to become members of MCC in 1998, becoming one of the first female members of the club the following year. A gate named after her was unveiled at Lord’s last year.”The crowds seem pretty good actually for The Oval and Lord’s which is great to see and just thinking about people that weren’t allowed in at certain places in cricket previously and how they fought to get a seat at the table and have their voices heard, I think is really important,” Knight said.”Rachael Heyhoe Flint at Lord’s [is] probably the most obvious in terms of that so those sort of pioneers we’re very thankful for and hopefully that change can really accelerate and move on.”

Manchester United are ready to swoop for young Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens to solve their goalkeeping issue amid an injury to Andre Onana.

• United interested in Lammens
• Initial talks have taken place
• Onana is injured amid Martinez links

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  United are expected to 'step up their interest' in 23-year-old Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Lammens, reports Alex Crook of talkSPORT on X. Initial talks have taken place with interest dating back to January, confirmed Ben Jacobs in another post on X. report a deal for Lammens may cost £17million (€19.6m/$22.9m).

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  With Onana injured for most of pre-season and doubts existing over his long-term future at Old Trafford, the signing of a young goalkeeper could be a smart move. Not only can he provide cover in the present, the former Club Brugge academy star is viewed as one of Europe's brightest goalkeeping prospects and could make United's No. 1 jersey his own in the long term. This move may cast doubt over United's pursuit of Emiliano Martinez.

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  During his time at Brugge, Lammens once scored a goal against Real Madrid in the 2019/20 UEFA Youth League group stages, heading home to earn a 2-2 draw and send his side through to the knock-out round play-offs. Lammens made 41 appearances last season in his first year as Antwerp's No. 1, keeping ten clean sheets as his side finished fifth in the Belgian Pro League.

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  Should a transfer to Old Trafford go through, Lammens may be thrust straight into Ruben Amorim's starting XI for the Red Devils' Premier League Summer Series clashes with West Ham United and Bournemouth. It is believed Onana may be back from injury to feature against Everton on August 3. In the meantime, United will hope to finally get a deal for Bryan Mbeumo over the line. A £71m fee has reportedly agreed with Brentford.

Retiring Jharkhand stalwart hopes to realise his dream of winning the Ranji Trophy by “helping the team from the outside”

Rajan Raj20-Feb-2024A day before the start of the Jharkhand vs Haryana Ranji Trophy fixture at Jamshedpur’s Keenan Stadium, while the local Jharkhand boys were training, a young boy strolled out to the turf. When a securityman stopped him, he teared up and said he only wanted a selfie with Saurabh . Saurabh Tiwary wasn’t around at the time, but the fans didn’t know that. After the boy, a few others attempted to get into the ground to try and meet him.Tiwary’s popularity in the Jharkhand cricket circles has to be seen to be believed. Plus, of course, a few days earlier, it had become known that Tiwary would retire at the end of Jharkhand’s run in the ongoing season, which came on February 19, also at the Keenan, as Jharkhand beat Rajasthan to finish their Ranji Trophy campaign. When Tiwary went out to bat a second time in that game, the opposition players lined up to give him a guard of honour.”Saying farewell to your favourite thing isn’t easy, my friend,” Tiwary, now 34, said afterwards. “When I left the dressing room and was entering the ground, it was very emotional. My whole journey, from the time I was a kid to now, flashed before my eyes. I started my career here [at Keenan Stadium] and am finishing here too. My favourite people, including my coach [Kajal Das] had come to be part of the occasion. Sometimes, it’s difficult to express the feeling.”Related

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Once the farewell match got over, Tiwary walked over the pitch, tears in his eyes, bent down and kissed the turf. Das, who has also coached the Jharkhand team in the past, was in attendance, and recalled an old story that gives you a glimpse into Tiwary the person.”He must have been 15 or 16, and a ball hit his head during training. He needed some stitches. He went to the hospital and came right back to me. I told him to pad up and go bat in the nets [and he did so] – I wanted to see if he was scared and wanted to test him,” Das said. “I have never had a student as dedicated as Saurabh. His keenness to be at the ground and his hunger for runs is unmatched.”Tiwary wore the India cap – in three ODIs, in late 2010 – and had a lengthy run in the IPL, playing 93 matches across 11 seasons between 2008 and 2021, missing out only in 2014, 2018 and 2019. The only time Jharkhand won a domestic tournament, the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2010-11, Tiwary was the captain. Add to that 8076 first-class runs, 4050 in List A cricket, 3454 in T20s… one dream, however, remained unfulfilled.”Cricket has taught me two things. One is that you have to fight for everything, and the second is that you need to understand you won’t get everything in life. Some things will remain out of reach,” Tiwary said. “I had a dream that we will win the Ranji Trophy but I couldn’t achieve it. That takes us back to the thing about fighting for everything. I will now try to play my part in helping the team win the Ranji Trophy, but from the outside. And I will do whatever I can to make it happen.”

Newcastle United may be nearing a critical decision regarding the future of Alexander Isak, who is reportedly eager to move on from St James’ Park. While the Magpies have attempted to persuade him to remain with a lucrative long-term contract offer worth £300,000 per week, the Swedish international is said to be eyeing a move to familiar rivals Liverpool.

Newcastle ready to offer Isak a new deal Forward determined to undertake a fresh challenge Magpies would profit more by selling to the Reds Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

With concrete interest coming from both Liverpool and Saudi Arabian giants Al-Hilal, Newcastle supporters are bracing themselves for an exit that now seems more likely than not. Yet while fans would prefer to see him go abroad rather than strengthen a Premier League rival, suggests that parting ways with Isak in a domestic deal could be far more beneficial for Newcastle's long-term finances.

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Liverpool are willing to negotiate a deal worth around £120 million ($161m) for the Swedish attacker. To accommodate this massive investment, the club are open to offloading key players such as Harvey Elliott and Darwin Nunez, with winger Luis Diaz also being eyed by Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, the Magpies are reportedly hoping for a £150m ($201m) fee for Isak, and both Al-Hilal and Liverpool are considered the only realistic suitors who can afford such an amount when including wages and agent commissions, pushing the overall cost close to £250m ($335m). But Premier League and UEFA financial rules complicate matters, particularly because both Newcastle and Al-Hilal share ownership ties through Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

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In the Premier League, any transfer between two clubs with shared ownership is subject to a mandatory "fair market value assessment" to ensure the fee isn't artificially inflated. This means that even if Al-Hilal were to pay a record sum for Isak, the amount Newcastle could officially claim as profit under the league’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) might be significantly reduced, especially if regulators deem the transaction to exceed reasonable market value.

UEFA’s regulations are even more unyielding. For clubs involved in European competitions, such as the Champions League, deals between entities under common ownership are considered to generate zero profit in Financial Fair Play calculations. In other words, a blockbuster deal with Al-Hilal would have no positive impact on Newcastle’s FFP status.

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On the contrary, if Isak were to join Liverpool, the entire transfer fee would count toward Newcastle’s PSR and FFP assessments, giving the club a much-needed financial boost while staying compliant with regulations. This is compounded by Isak’s own preference to continue playing in the English top flight. Remaining in the Premier League keeps him in one of the world’s most competitive leagues, maintaining his exposure at the highest level.

Matt Short named for New Zealand but will miss West Indies series due to a hamstring injury with Aaron Hardie replacing him

Alex Malcolm05-Feb-2024Steven Smith, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have been named in Australia’s full-strength T20I squad for the upcoming three-match tour of New Zealand which Mitchell Marsh will captain as the selectors declare their hand in what will be the team’s final series before the T20 World Cup in June.Chair of selectors George Bailey had mooted last month that Smith would return to the squad after being rested from the upcoming T20I home series against West Indies which begins in Hobart on Friday. Cummins and Starc will also return in New Zealand after missing the West Indies series. Travis Head has also been named. He was originally selected to play in the West Indies series but has been withdrawn to rest ahead of the New Zealand series.Marsh will lead the full-strength squad but the selectors have yet to confirm if he will captain at the World Cup. That will likely be done after the New Zealand series as it will be the first time Marsh will captain when Andrew McDonald is coaching. McDonald rested from the South Africa T20I series that Marsh captained last year and is also resting from the West Indies series later this week.Related

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• Marsh to captain T20Is against West Indies with Warner named

• Short ruled out of final ODI with McDermott called up

Matthew Short has been named in the squad to tour New Zealand but was withdrawn from the West Indies series on Tuesday due to the low-grade hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday’s second ODI in Sydney. Aaron Hardie will replace Short in the squad for the West Indies’ T20I series but has not been included in the New Zealand squad.Nathan Ellis has been named as the fourth fast bowler behind Cummins, Starc and Josh Hazlewood for the New Zealand series although he is still recovering from a rib injury. He has edged ahead of Jason Behrendorff and Sean Abbott in the pecking order with the latter two named as standby players for the New Zealand tour despite playing in the West Indies series while Cummins and Starc rest.Spencer Johnson is on standby for the West Indies T20I series in case Ellis needs more time ahead of the New Zealand tour.”Travis, Pat, Mitchell and Steve rejoin the squad following the series against the West Indies with Jason Behrendorff and Sean Abbott amongst the standby players from those playing the upcoming T20s,” Bailey said. “The next six games will provide us the opportunity to start shaping what we think our World Cup squad will look like and potential roles within that.”We will also fully utilise the opportunity to monitor and watch the performances of the Australian players in the IPL immediately preceding the World Cup.”There is no room for Cameron Green in the T20I squad with Bailey stating last month that the selectors wanted him to focus on his red-ball preparation for the New Zealand Test series that follows the T20Is. The selectors are confident Green will get enough T20 cricket at the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Australia squad for New Zealand T20I series

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

USA’s top three all fired fifties to take the team to 230, and Canada could only muster 199 in reply

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2024

USA’s top three batters – Steven Taylor, Andries Gous and the captain Monank Patel – all raised half-centuries, as the team made 230, paving the way for a comfortable 31-run win in Prairie View.USA, after being inserted, began strongly, as the openers Taylor and Monank added 104 in 8.3 overs. Taylor initially played the more aggressive foil, striking seven fours and three sixes during his 25-ball 54, before getting dismissed by Parveen Kumar. USA, however, did not slow down, as Gous and Monank both produced fifties for a second consecutive game. Monank blasted 10 fours and two sixes for his 68 off 35 balls, while Gous’ 35-ball 57 featured three fours and four sixes. The carnage did not stop there though, as Aaron Jones provided a late flourish, smashing four sixes during a 20-ball 34 to take the total past 200. Canada used seven different bowlers, and five of them went at 11 and above an over.Canada, in reply, lost their opener Srimantha Wijeyeratne for a first-ball duck, but Aaron Johnson and Pargat Singh led a recovery with a 95-run partnership. At 112 for 1 inside 11 overs, Canada had a glimmer of hope, but both Johnson (74) and Pargat (27) were dismissed in quick succession, giving USA the firm advantage. A few other batters made quick starts – including Harsh Thaker with an unbeaten 34 – but USA were never really threatened, as Canada eventually folded for 199.Seven different USA bowlers were among the wickets, with Saurabh Netravalkar, Shadley van Schalkwyk and Harmeet Singh scalping two apiece.

Ollie Pope has made himself available for Surrey’s opening match of the County Championship, against Lancashire at Old Trafford, and says he’s fully focused on giving Alec Stewart the trophy-laden send-off he deserves, as Stewart embarks on his final season as the club’s director of cricket after 11 transformative years in the role.Pope, whose 196 against India at Hyderabad was the outstanding performance on England’s recent Test tour of India, has turned down the chance for a break – in part to make up for lost time after he missed seven months with a shoulder injury sustained during last year’s Ashes, but also because he feels “frustrated” by his failure to kick on in India, where he was limited to 118 runs at 14.75 in the final four Tests.”I feel pretty fresh,” Pope said during the launch of Rado as the official timing partner of England cricket. “If I had scored another three 70s or something in the series, I might be feeling slightly differently, but I almost feel frustrated. I feel like I’m in really good nick without putting together those scores. So hopefully I can go and find that rhythm of putting together big scores at No. 3, unless Stewie drops me!”Pope’s nadir in India came with a pair in the fourth Test in Ranchi, although his twin dismissals in the series finale in Dharamsala – stumped on the stroke of lunch for 11 in the first innings, then caught off a top-edged sweep for 19 in the second – led to criticism for his frenetic approach at the top of an innings.”I understand it,” he said. “I think the issue for me in that series is something that I’ve worked hard on in England and I’ve got better, I think, to make myself a bit more consistent in these English conditions.”In that second innings of the first Test when I made that score, I tried to be busy, so I think it is a fine line. When it doesn’t go right, it looks frenetic. When it does go right, it looks busy and good.”Related

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• Rehan Ahmed: 'I'm not yet the bowler I want to be in five years'

• The inside story of county cricket's most eye-catching transfers

• Pope: 'Reverse sweeps as safe as a defensive shot' in these conditions

• Pope plays himself out of form

Little wonder therefore that he is keen to get straight back into the middle with his county. “There’s no question I just want to play,” he said. “We’ve got 12 Test matches so I probably won’t play every county game, but I might miss one in that first seven or eight games. I’m itching to get back to just scoring runs and representing Surrey, without making myself knackered.”This club is a great place to play cricket and it’s a good way of just challenging myself going forward. I’ll get to face the likes of Nathan Lyon in that first game as well. I’d be nice to try and keep improving my game against him before another Ashes series away, potentially. There are always small gains to be made. Especially while I feel as fresh as I do.”Pope’s availability is a bonus for Surrey as they begin their bid for a hat-trick of County Championship titles, a feat last achieved by Yorkshire in 1968. But on a personal level, as one of the core of young players – alongside the likes of Sam Curran, Tom Curran and Will Jacks – around whom the club’s recent success has been built, Pope admits he is “gutted” by the news of Stewart’s impending departure, which was broken to the squad last Thursday.”I sadly missed the meeting when he announced it to the boys, but I had a phone call with him straight after,” Pope said. “I can’t imagine a club where you don’t see Stewie in at 6am every day, on the rowing machine, or on the treadmill, or doing some weights. That’s because he loves the club and loves being here. And he’s also ridiculous at his job as well.”The pair’s personal relationship is encapsulated in two photos, taken 11 years apart – the first from 2007 when, as an eight-year-old, Pope received Surrey’s Under-9 Player of the Year award from Stewart at The Oval, and then at Lord’s in 2018, when the same man presented him with his first Test cap.”Every player in the club, and every member of the coaching staff, feels like they’ve just got so much to owe him,” Pope said. “Whether he sees the talent in you, or sees the good person in you, he brings it out. So he’s going to be a massive, massive loss for the club. It’s going to be sad when he leaves but hopefully we can win a couple of trophies for him this year to give him a good send-off.”Ollie Pope will feature in Surrey’s opening match of the Championship season•Getty Images

Success may be taken as read at Surrey under Stewart, but Pope admitted that, as a player in the youth set-up, he’d been conscious in his early years at the club of the difficulties behind the scenes, particularly in the wake of the death of Tom Maynard in June 2012, and the subsequent inquest into the club’s behavioural standards.”It was kind of an unspoken thing, and you’d see it eke in now and then,” Pope said, recalling the period in which Stewart was parachuted in as first-team coach following the sacking of Chris Adams at the start of the 2013 season. “You can see why Stewie is how he is, because he obviously ran a pretty tight ship at the start.”There’s a lot of freedom within the players. But I think a lot of what the club has achieved – and hopefully we can go on to achieve a lot of good things in the next few years – that largely will be because of what he’s created here and set the tone for.”Some of what happened in the past, there are obviously some sad stories that came from it, and it obviously needed a slight change. And that’s what happened. And Stewie was probably the main leader with that.