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Queensland captain Stuart Law has paid tribute to the depth of his state’s resources and the quality of its emerging players in the wake of its 235-run victory over Tasmania in the 2001-02 Pura Cup Final here in Brisbane today.”The new guys that came in (to our eleven) really stuck their hands up; they really wanted to win badly and they produced,” said Law after watching a side deprived of the services of Matthew Hayden, Jimmy Maher, Andy Bichel, Nathan Hauritz and Adam Dale hand its state its third successive first-class title and its fifth in the space of eight seasons.In the lead-up to the game, Law had stressed that his squad had been persistently faced by adversity this summer, highlighting the problems posed by injuries and the absence of an unusually large number of players to international commitments.And, in its aftermath, he could barely have been more fulsome in his praise of how his players had responded to the challenge.”We’re just over the moon with what the young guys coming into the side have achieved.”They did the job; they had to learn different methods and the way that we wanted them to play the game instead of fitting in with their natural, aggressive tone.”To go through 20-odd players for the summer is something new to Queensland. And to still come out on top at the end of the summer (represents) a fantastic effort.”I’m really proud of our guys.””It’s to do with the whole culture that we’ve created,” added Law of the Bulls’ extraordinary string of successes over the course of the last decade.”No-one’s more important than the next person (in our squad). You might have a guy who has played for 10 years but he’s no more important than a guy who’s playing his first game.”You’ve got a guy (like Daniel Payne) who’s coming in and playing his second game – which happens to be a Pura Cup Final – and he doesn’t score the runs that he wanted to score but he takes two of the greatest catches you’d want to see.”And not have any fear whatsoever in his body.”That says a lot for this cricket team and the way that (coach) Bennett King, and John Buchanan in years gone by, have set it up.”Queensland’s win ensured that there is now no captain in Australian domestic history who has led a state to more first-class titles than Law. Richie Benaud, who was at the helm during a golden period for New South Wales cricket, remains the only other leader with five victories to his name.Today’s triumph also sealed the first ever run of three consecutive title victories by a Queensland team, adding even further lustre to the run of success that has emphatically broken a 63-year championship drought.

Ed: Maria Naureen is our correspondent from Karachi, a FM 101 radio talk-show host, cricket radio commentator and sports journalist

Gloucestershire pace bowler Marchant de Lange led the charge with three wickets to set up Gloucestershire’s first Vitality County Championship victory since September 2022 on the final day of this clash against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Northamptonshire resumed on 144 for 2, needing 414 more runs to win, or more realistically to bat out the whole day to secure a draw. For a while that looked a possibility as India international Karun Nair and George Bartlett shared a fluent stand of 83 in 24 overs. But the second new ball proved decisive as Josh Shaw and de Lange, bowling a feisty spell, removed both set batters as Northamptonshire lost three wickets for nine runs in 5.4 overs.With Ajeet Singh Dale mopping up the tail, the end came quickly as Northamptonshire’s final five wickets fell for just 35 runs, and while they passed 300, they ultimately lost heavily by 256 runs.Northamptonshire started the day by adding 81 during the morning session for the loss of two wickets. Nightwatchman George Scrimshaw survived for the first half an hour before he played an expansive drive outside off stump to one from Shaw and edged behind to wicketkeeper James Bracey.Luke Procter reached his fifth half-century of the season with a glorious cover drive off Shaw, but his gritty knock came to an end in less elegant fashion. The Northamptonshire skipper tried to work a full toss to leg, only to get a leading edge off the back of the bat, the ball looping up to give Tom Price the easiest of caught-and-bowled chances.Bartlett, fresh from an unbeaten century at Leicester, endured a nervy start. Almost stumped off the second ball he faced thanks to some sharp glovework from Bracey, he then narrowly avoided playing on to Tom Price, instead picking up a streaky boundary off the inside edge.Nair played some sumptuous cover drives before lunch and came down the pitch to dispatch Zafar Gohar over long-on as well as putting pressure on the fielders by running some sharp singles. He endured one nasty moment shortly before the interval when he was struck on the helmet as he attempted to duck under a short ball from de Lange which failed to get up.Bartlett looked more settled after lunch and started to score freely, while Nair brought up his half-century off 80 balls with his eighth boundary. But despite Zafar finding plenty of turn with his slow left-armers, Gloucestershire’s decision to take the new ball proved key.First Shaw made the much-needed breakthrough when Bartlett fell to a fine diving catch down the leg side by Bracey, away to his left.Meanwhile the tussle between a fiery de Lange and Nair continued to provide drama. The India batter was in the wars once more when he was struck on the glove by de Lange, but finished the over with a big smile after he leant back and purposefully uppercut the South African over the slips for four.De Lange though had the last laugh when Nair was caught in two minds between a pull shot and an upper cut, the ball ballooning up to Shaw running in from mid-on. De Lange, bowling his second consecutive wicket maiden, then picked up Saif Zaib who prodded at one just outside off stump and was caught behind – the fast bowler’s eighth wicket in the match.Liam Patterson-White looked positive, cutting Zafar crisply for four before taking a brace of boundaries off de Lange, but his stay ended soon after when he went to cut Singh Dale and was bowled.Siddharth Kaul was next to go, bowled by Zafar, before Singh Dale had Ben Sanderson caught behind to give Bracey his fourth catch of the innings and spark celebrations in the Gloucestershire dressing room.

Kent 217 for 9 (O’Riordan 60, Munsey 59) beat Middlesex 196 (Gilchrist 5-45) by 21 runsKent seamer Nathan Gilchrist recorded his best List A figures of 5 for 45 as the Spitfires finally broke their Royal London Cup duck with a 21-run victory against Middlesex.Gilchrist’s opening burst wrecked Middlesex’s top order at Radlett, while off-spinner Hamidullah Qadri returned 3 for 47 to ensure the home side were bowled out for 196.Half-centuries by Marcus O’Riordan – who reached that landmark for the first time in List A cricket – and George Munsey enabled the Spitfires to post 217 for 9 after rain reduced the contest to 35 overs apiece.Middlesex slid to 49 for 4 in reply and a valiant partnership of 57 from 44 balls between Josh de Caires and James Harris was not enough to complete the fightback.The game eventually began just after 1pm and Kent, having lost the toss, quickly found themselves in trouble at 7 for 2.Harris nipped one through to bowl Tawanda Muyeye first ball, while Ethan Bamber trapped Ollie Robinson lbw before the pugnacious Munsey and Jack Leaning rebuilt with a stand of 86 from 84.Munsey cashed in outside his off stump, dispatching both Middlesex’s opening bowlers for successive boundaries as he reached 49 before grinding to a halt while wickets fell at the other end.Leaning was bowled swinging across the line at Thilan Walallawita, while De Caires collected his maiden first-class wicket when Harry Finch pulled him into the hands of deep square leg.Nineteen-year-old debutant Toby Greatwood matched that feat, finding Munsey’s outside edge to remove him for 59 and following up with the wicket of Grant Stewart to finish with two for 30.O’Riordan took up the baton for the Spitfires, clubbing Martin Andersson for three leg-side fours as he added an invaluable 69 from 58 with Qadri, who hit an unbeaten 35.O’Riordan was eventually run out for 60, attempting an ambitious second to long leg before Bamber picked up two late wickets in as many balls, returning three for 41.Middlesex got off to a shaky start in pursuit of the target, with the in-form Stephen Eskinazi pulling Stewart’s fifth delivery straight to deep square leg.Stewart’s first three overs went for just five, increasing the pressure before Gilchrist cemented the Spitfires’ advantage with three quick wickets.Varun Chopra nudged the seamer to slip and Middlesex skipper Peter Handscomb – who had started with a lively 17 from 10 balls – was adjudged lbw before Robbie White fell in the same fashion soon afterwards.Max Holden batted solidly for 32 before he was bowled around his legs by Qadri, but Harris kept Middlesex in the frame, hitting a six and five fours in his brisk 34 until Matt Quinn had him caught behind.Qadri collected the wicket of De Caires for 43 and also took a diving catch on the boundary to dismiss Walallawita before Bamber holed out to complete Gilchrist’s five-wicket haul.

A first-wicket stand of 144 between Luke Wright and Phil Salt helped Sussex beat Glamorgan by 33 runs in the Vitality Blast. The two openers guided their side to an imposing total of 201 for 8 which was always going to be difficult to chase.And so it proved as Glamorgan were all out for 168 with David Lloyd making 51. Sussex’s 16-year-old legspinner and Player of the Match Archie Lenham continued his fine Blast form with 4 for 26. A second defeat in as many days leaves Glamorgan needing a miracle to make the quarter-finals while Sussex remain in the qualification mix, having ended a run of two defeats and five no-results.Sussex won the toss, chose to bat, and made a rollicking start. Wright smashed a straight six over long-on but his opening partner Salt was just as aggressive as Glamorgan’s bowlers were put to the sword.Sussex reached 77 without loss after just six overs as both batsmen peppered the boundary. Wright went to 50 from just 24 balls and the 100 came up in only the ninth over. Salt’s half-century came from 28 balls with eight fours, but he was finally cleaned up by Dan Douthwaite.Wright immediately followed him back to the pavilion in the same over when he was caught behind by Chris Cooke for 77 from 41 balls.Sussex were still primed for a huge score at 145 for 2 with seven overs to go, but Ravi Bopara made just 12 and their middle order struggled to replicate their opening pair’s heroics. David Wiese failed and Harrison Ward went first ball, but consecutive sixes from Australian Travis Head helped Sussex past 200. Douthwaite finished with impressive figures of 3 for 28.Glamorgan took 16 and 12 from Mitchell Claydon’s and Tymal Mills’ first overs in response as Lloyd started with a bang. It helped Glamorgan to 61 without loss from the first six overs. Lloyd was more aggressive than partner Kiran Carlson who was the first to go, caught at long-on by Head in Bopara’s first over.Sussex waited until the eighth over to introduce Lenham, but his first six balls went for just four runs. Glamorgan then needlessly lost Colin Ingram, run out for 3.Lloyd went to 50 from just 27 balls but when he was superbly caught on the square-leg boundary by Will Beer off Lenham, Glamorgan were 82 for three at the halfway stage. Douthwaite did hit Bopara into the River Taff and the Sophia Gardens changing rooms for back-to-back sixes, but Lenham got him and James Weighell too as Sussex were comfortable winners.

The final of next season’s WBBL will be played following the opening day of the Australia-Afghanistan Test on November 27 while there will be a further increase in televised matches.The tournament, which will start on October 14 at North Sydney Oval following Australia’s multi-format series against India, is also set to return to a country-wide fixture list with at least 11 venues being used after last year was played entirely in a Sydney-based hub due to the pandemic although contingencies will apply should Covid-19 continue to impact state borders as is currently the case.”Like all sporting leagues, we remain conscious of the need to be flexible in response to the challenges of the pandemic,” Alistair Dobson, the general manager of Big Bash leagues, said. “This schedule provides us with a number of options should we need to pivot, and the lessons of WBBL|06 and KFC BBL|10 stand us in good stead should we need to do so.”The Afghanistan Test will be played in Hobart which means if the Hurricanes were to earn hosting rights for the final – they have never previously gone beyond the semis – it would not be played at Blundstone Arena. There will also be hosting rights up for grabs for the two semi-finals on November 24 and 25.In total, 47 matches will be fully broadcast on television – a further increase in last season’s 36 – will all the games again being streamed.The competition is set to follow the ‘festival weekend’ model used in 2019-2020 when a group of matches are played at a particular venue. It means that while every team faces each other twice it is not a full home-and-away schedule and some games are at neutral venues.The WBBL has traditionally focused itself around the smaller, boutique venues in the various states and in previous seasons has taken the game to regional venues such as Mackay, Cairns, Burnie and Ballarat.Brisbane Heat will take WBBL matches to Metricon Stadium for the first time (it has previously hosted BBL) and also return to Mackay with Allan Border Field being redeveloped.The Sydney Thunder are the defending champions after they defeated Melbourne Stars at North Sydney Oval in what was the first night-time decider in the competition’s history. The Thunder’s opening game will be against Adelaide Strikers on October 16. The tournament became a standalone event for the first time in 2019-2020 having previously been run alongside the BBL.There is an expectation that a number of India players will be among the overseas names involved this year with ESPNcricinfo having previously reported Shafali Verma is heading to Sydney Sixers who have made room on their list by not re-signing Marizanne Kapp (who has joined Perth Scorchers) and Dane van Niekerk.Overseas players will again be required to undertake two weeks quarantine due to Australia’s closed borders although the Indians will already have served that period ahead of their international commitments. England’s internationals are unlikely to be available this season due to the tour of Pakistan in October, but South Africa, New Zealand and West Indies currently have clear schedules.For the Australian players the WBBL is part of a busy summer with the multi-format Ashes taking place from late January followed by the delayed ODI World Cup in New Zealand during March while domestically their will also be the Women’s National Cricket League.The story was updated upon confirmation of the fixtures

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Tamim Iqbal cruised to a 41-ball fifty in a rain-affected match•AFP

In a nutshellContinual rain in Sharjah meant only 16 overs were possible in the game between the PSL’s top two sides this season. Quetta Gladiators won the toss and, as has been the theme of the tournament, put Peshawar Zalmi in to bat. There were no less than three weather interruptions in Peshawar’s innings, which saw Tamim Iqbal bat through, finishing unbeaten on 62 off 46 balls. It was a pitch more reminiscent of the fifth day of a sub-continental Test match; the ball spat off the surface, and anyone who could turn their arm over was thrust into the attack. Case in point: Rilee Rossouw bowled for the first time in T20 cricket, and had Eoin Morgan caught at first slip off his very first ball.Sarfraz Ahmed appeared to have read the surface right, and left-arm spinners Zulfiqar Babar and Mohammad Nawaz were asked to open the bowling. Peshawar made a bright start, before Hafeez holed out attempting to clear cow corner in the sixth over off Mahmudullah – one of three Bangladesh players arriving after the one-off Test in India. Kamran Akmal fell without scoring, before Rossouw snared Morgan as Peshawar lost three wickets for one run, and threatened to come unstuck.But Sohaib Maqsood ably partnered Tamim thereafter, and the pair battled turning deliveries and dark skies to take their side to what looked to be a daunting 117 in their allotted 16 overs. With the rain coming down again, Quetta’s target was revised twice, but no cricket was possible, leaving the frontrunners to share of the spoils.Quetta’s indiscipline, Akmal’s slumpOn a pitch that heavily favoured spin, Quetta let themselves down at times. Their spinners repeatedly bowled unacceptably short lengths that allowed Tamim and Maqsood regular pressure-releasing shots in the first ten overs. They then appeared to be in disarray following the third rain break after 12.1 overs, as Tamim and Maqsood smashed 41 runs in the next 17 balls. Zulfiqar Babar was the chief culprit, as in a particularly atrocious 15th over, he compensated for his short length early on by floating a pair of friendly full tosses to Tamim. The batsman smashed both for six over midwicket as Peshawar surged to 117. In a completed game, that indiscipline might have been decisive.When Kamran Akmal smashed 88 off 48 balls in the season opener, it looked like this might be a tournament the Akmal family would remember for a long time. However, with Kamran’s stay lasting all of three deliveries today, the brothers now have four ducks in their last seven innings in the PSL, two apiece. The momentum the pair had been building up to stake a claim in the national side is fizzing out again.Where they standQuetta and Peshawar both gained a point from the abandonment, and now have five each – one more than third-placed Islamabad United. Peshawar are ahead with a superior net run rate.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has broken into the top-five rankings for batsmen across formats, climbing to no. 4 on the T20I list after his team’s 3-0 sweep of Bangladesh. Williamson is ranked fourth in Tests and fifth in ODIs. Virat Kohli is the only other batsmen to occupy positions in the top-five rankings across formats.With 145 runs in the three matches, Williamson was the highest scorer from either side. His 57-ball 60 on Sunday helped his side recover to 194 after a slow start, before the bowlers snuffed out Bangladesh’s fight during the chase to win by 27 runs. With the 3-0 win, the team retained their No. 1 ranking in the format.”Really pleased with the series as a whole,” coach Mike Hesson said. “We were put under pressure at times during all three games with both bat and ball, and different players stood up and that’s critical for us as a developing side even though we are ranked number one in the world.”It shows our consistency over the last 18 months to two years. We’ve been the most consistent side in Twenty20 cricket around the world, and in different conditions, having played in India and other places around the world. It’s a nice mantle to hold, although it doesn’t drive us so much. But it is nice to reflect on.”Hesson was especially pleased with the manner in which a young team put its hand up. New Zealand handed out debut caps to four players during the series, and most players in the squad were in their 20s. “The nature of Twenty20 is that you need guys who can turn the game on its head. You need that with both bat and ball, and we’re fortunate enough that we’ve got some really talented players,” he said.”Sure, they might be a little bit inexperienced, but they’ve certainly got the ability to change a game on their day, and that’s what T20 is about. Some of our match winners are quite young and raw, but there’s some really good signs there.”Colin Munro, who slammed a 52-ball century in the second T20, leaped up 20 places to 19th position, while Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi achieved career-best rankings. New Zealand also succeeded in discovering young talent from the domestic circuit in the form of Lockie Ferguson, Ben Wheeler and Tom Bruce.”It’s a nice sign for us moving forward that we can bring players in from domestic cricket in the Super Smash and they can do well, which is great,” Hesson said.Among other big gainers, Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman broke into the top ten among T20I bowlers, displacing Shakib Al Hasan as Bangladesh’s highest-ranked bowler.

ScorecardSaurabh Tiwary’s 84-run stand with Ishank Jaggi helped consolidate Jharkhand’s innings•KCA/Ranjith Peralam

Virat Singh and Saurabh Tiwary made good use of perfect batting conditions at the St. Xavier’s College Ground in Thumba to help Jharkhand take the first-innings lead on the second day of their final Group B clash against Odisha.Having folded for 152 on the opening day, Odisha needed to grab the chances that came their way. But they let off Tiwary on 5 at short fine leg. The Jharkhand captain struck 65 before retiring hurt; Jharkhand ended the day on 236 for 5 for a lead of 84.The day began with a fiery spell from Suryakant Pradhan. Sumit Kumar was bowled by one that cut back in at pace and uprooted leg stump. Virat walked out to a chirpy cordon and a short-ball barrage from Pradhan, who was pacy and hit good lengths to extract bounce on a flat deck. He also grazed the shoulder of Anand Singh on an occasion.Jharkhand’s batsmen, however, kept the score ticking, running sharply between wickets, making for a neat contrast to Odisha’s start on the first day. When Pradhan erred in his length, they were smart in using his pace to pick up boundaries.Anand and Virat added 63 for the second wicket to offset the early loss of Sumit, before Govinda Poddar, the Odisha captain, broke through, having Anand caught at cover. Poddar was denied a double strike when Tiwary lobbed a catch that the short fine leg fielder missed in the last over before lunch.Virat showed good judgement outside off and used his feet well against the spinners. The fifty came with a straight six after stepping down the track to Poddar. Virat handled the short and fuller balls with ease, cutting and driving to equal effect. But when he fell, it was to a nothing shot, trying to guide a wide ball from Basant Mohanty and finding point.Tiwary, though, was unafraid to loft the ball when it was pitched up. Shortly after he retired hurt, Mohanty struck for Jharkhand when Ishank Jaggi charged down the track and missed a fuller ball that took out off stump.A couple of muscular straight sixes from Kaushal Singh provided some late entertainment before Jharkhand suffered a late setback. Ishan Kishan, who had benefitted from some neat tucks and a swept boundary, was trapped lbw by Deepak Behera in the penultimate over of the day. But given the amount of dust on the surface, this lead could soon swell into a decisive one.

Cricket South Africa chief executive Haroon Lorgat has called on the ICC to clarify the rules around polishing the ball, particularly with regard to what constitutes an “artificial substance”, after South Africa’s captain Faf du Plessis was found guilty of ball tampering.A decision has not yet been made on whether du Plessis will appeal the verdict, which resulted in him being fined his entire match fee from the Hobart Test but cleared to play in Adelaide this week. During the Hobart Test, du Plessis shined the ball with saliva while he had a confectionery item in his mouth, which the ICC determined was in contravention of Law 42, which allows players to polish the ball provided no artificial substance is used.”At this stage we’ve advised Faf to reserve his position with regard to the match referee’s finding and wait for the full reasons of his decision before deciding his next step,” Lorgat said in Adelaide on Wednesday. “Very understable, Faf is obviously disappointed by the decision and I can fully understand.”In fairness to both him and the ICC, this is an unprecedented case involving unique issues of policy, science and performance that need to be carefully considered at the highest levels of the game. There are also issues relating to fair and just process, interpretation of the rules, and importantly, the consistent application of the Code of Conduct that needs to be considered.”CSA believes that the Laws of the game do not currently define the term ‘artificial substance’, leaving room for inconsistent application of the rules. For instance, the Laws currently prevent the use of ‘artificial substances’ to polish the ball, yet artificial cotton fibres from playing kit can be used to shine the ball.”Players also regularly chew gum when applying saliva to the ball, or ingest sugary drinks and sweets during short breaks in play before shining the ball. No action is taken in such circumstances by the umpires.””Test match cricket is a competitive sport at the highest level and players and fans deserve certainty around these issues. Integrity and consistent application of the rules are important for everyone. We’ll consult with our legal teams. We want to engage with the ICC in a constructive matter, and we want to deal with this properly.”The Code of Conduct charge was laid by ICC chief executive David Richardson, who is also a qualified lawyer. On Wednesday, Richardson said on Australian television that the ICC “drew the line” because du Plessis’ actions were “pretty obvious”.”Probably in this case in particular, we drew the line,” Richardson told the Nine Network. “We said, ‘we need to charge’ because in our eyes anyway it was pretty obvious that he was using the residue from the sweet directly on the ball.”I think the bottom line is if you want to change the condition of the ball by polishing it, in other words improving it, keeping it, retaining its condition, do so, but don’t use any artificial substance.”