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West Indies women have picked seamer Tremayne Smartt as a like-for-like replacement for the injured Shakera Selman, for the upcoming limited-overs tour of New Zealand. Smartt hasn’t played international cricket since West Indies’ tour of India in 2016. Her inclusion is the only change from the squad that had been named for the home series against Sri Lanka.Cricket West Indies (CWI) chairman Courtney Browne said continuing the momentum from the series win against Sri Lanka would be crucial in the lead-up to the side’s World T20 defence in November.”We will be hosting the ICC Women’s World T20 event later this year and as defending champions we will want to put on a good show in front of home supporters and win again,” Browne said. “This tour will help us assess where we are and tighten up on those areas that need close attention.”The squad will come together in Barbados for a preparatory camp before travelling to New Zealand where they will have another camp. The three-match ODI series will get underway on March 4, followed by five T20Is.West Indies women squad: Stafanie Taylor (capt), Anisa Mohammed (vice-capt), Merissa Aguilleira, Britney Cooper, Reniece Boyce, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Akeira Peters, Tremayne Smart

Lancashire have offered Steven Finn a lucrative, long-term deal in an attempt to lure him away from Lord’s.Finn made his debut for Middlesex as a 16-year-old in 2005, the youngest man to do so since Fred Titmus in 1949. He is out of contract with the club at the end of the year, though, and has so far not signed the new deal offered him by Middlesex.Finn’s attraction to Lancashire is obvious. The sort of fast bowler who relishes a heavy workload and has a relatively good injury record, he appears to have dipped behind a few others in the England pecking order – he hasn’t played a Test since October 2016 or an ODI since May – so could be expected to be available for county action for most of the season. He also has a good record in all formats of the game and is bowling well enough that he was called into the England squad as cover when Mark Wood was injured.He might also feel that moving from Lord’s – where the pitches tend to offer bowlers very little – might provide more opportunities to impress. Aged 28, he should have several good years ahead of him.Finn currently has an ECB central contract, but it not certain to see it renewed in the next round of deals which kick-in from October.”There have been approaches for Steven,” Middlesex’s director of cricket, Angus Fraser, told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve been in negotiations and he’s asked for a bit more time. But he’s a Middlesex boy and we very much want him to say.”Lancashire’s leading seamer this season has been their overseas player, Ryan McLaren, and they may be concerned that Kyle Jarvis could be persuaded to return to international cricket with Zimbabwe.

I see witnesses have come forward to defend Ben Stokes. That’s great. So he can play in the Ashes then?Well hold on a minute. Somerset and Avon Police are still investigating the incident and the ECB has suspended him indefinitely as it awaits developments.The guy’s a hero. If Stokes had saved me from a beating, I’d have been down the nick in no time. What took these guys so long?Cricket’s not their thing apparently and they had no idea who he was until a policeman knocked on the door. But according to the they regard Stokes as “a real gentleman”.That’s good. So now Stokes has an alibi, why not just get the first taxi to Heathrow?It’s not an alibi. The footage still shows someone who looks very much like him throwing punches. As far as that goes, nothing has changed.It was self-defence, we all know that.An argument of self-defence would certainly help his case. But a court might still be asked to decide whether the level of force used was reasonable based on the circumstances as Stokes genuinely believed them.So if he is going to be charged, get on with it and find him not guilty. The first Test in Brisbane is less than a month away…“Slow but sure moves the might of the Gods,” as Euripides had it.Eh?The wheels of justice turn slowly.How slowly?Government figures suggest it takes an average of 24 weeks between the offence and the case being concludedBut that’s the end of the Ashes. And some.The middle of March. And the same figures indicate Bristol Crown Court can take twice as longSurely sometimes famous people deserve special treatment? This affects the enjoyment of millions of people.All right, you’ve convinced me. Get him on the plane.

Australia’s captain Steven Smith ruled a line under the Durban stairwell saga in a players-only meeting at St George’s Park on Wednesday, and said he took responsibility for both the way the team performed in a 118-run opening Test victory but also the way things were allowed to get out of hand between the vice-captain David Warner and Quinton de Kock.Smith and his opposite number Faf du Plessis are due to meet with the umpires and the match referee Jeff Crowe on Thursday, to work to ensure the remainder of the series is played on a “hard but fair” platform agreeable to both sides. In the face of heavy criticism of the team’s behaviour from the likes of the former captain Ian Chappell, Smith said that he was proud of the fact that since the start of the ICC’s demerit points system in 2016, only twice had the Australians infringed before Durban.But he agreed that the events of Kingsmead had to be left behind in order to successfully take advantage of the series lead won in the first Test, on a Port Elizabeth surface that features both grassy and bare patches, with the promise of more reverse swing on offer to the fast men once the ball starts to lose its shine. Australia’s team for the second Test is unchanged, though several members of the touring party are currently battling gastro.”It sort of overshadowed what was a really good win for Australia in the first Test match. I pulled the guys together, just the playing group, and said let’s not let these incidents overshadow the way we played and get in the way of the way we want to play in this series. It’s about continuing to play a good, hard, aggressive brand but knowing we don’t want to cross the line, we want to stay within the spirit of the game and let cricket be the main thing on show. That’s what we are here to do.”I obviously brought the boys together and told them it wasn’t ideal the things that happened last week, let’s move on from that and focus on our skill. Make sure we’re playing them on skill and not letting emotions get in the way of what we’re trying to achieve. As captain you take responsibility of your team and what’s going on, so I do take responsibility for that. Whether I could have done anything to change the events of what happened in the last Test, I’m not sure, but I do take responsibility.””We’re going to meet with the umpires and the match referee as well, to ensure that things don’t get out of hand. Something like this can certainly make some sparks for the rest of the series, but that’s not the way I see it and I don’t want the series to pan out that way. What happened in the last game I think both sides, or our side certainly has some regrets in the way things were done. I can’t speak for them but it’s about ensuring that cricket is the main talking point for the rest of the series.”One issues seemingly in need of clarification is what constitutes “personal” sledging on the field. South Africa have felt that the targeting of individual players such as de Kock with comments about their appearance, weight or other areas is personal, whereas the Australians tend to view personal sledging as being about family members, as was the case with the words directed at Warner. Smith also categorically denied that Warner had said anything about de Kock’s family to spark the exchange.”I think you know when you say something personal about someone. I think it’s reasonably obvious,” Smith said. “And what Quinton said to Davey was certainly personal. There’s no doubt about that. And I’m pleased with Davey that he stuck his hand up, said he made a mistake and he could handle things better. He’s accepted his charge and we’ll move on from that.”In the last two years I think we’re the team with the least indiscretions – code of conduct or anything. We’ve played the game in a pretty good way. It’s the Australian way to try to play the game hard, aggressively, and stay within the boundaries. This week we probably went outside those boundaries on a couple of occasions – and that’s not what we are about.”I know all the guys had absolutely no idea he even had a sister, so I think that’s completely fabricated and a load of garbage to be honest.”While relations between the two sides remain frosty, Smith said he hoped that his own cordial relationship with du Plessis could be the starting point for better exchanges over the three matches still to come. “I get on well with Faf,” he said. “I’ve played IPL with Faf for a couple of years and shared plenty of dinners together and a few drinks here and there, so I get along well with Faf, there’s absolutely no problem there at all.”

Big picture

Ben Stokes flying to New Zealand and signing up with Canterbury has been the big news of the week, but there is the small matter of New Zealand’s thin Test summer at home, starting with the two-match series against West Indies.The last time West Indies faced New Zealand in a Test, in June 2014, Jason Holder made his debut and was part of a team that suffered a series defeat at home. Three years later, Holder faces New Zealand as the captain of young side that has defended 189 against India in an ODI, hunted down 322 in the Leeds Test after suffering an innings-and-209-run defeat at Trent Bridge, and sealed a 1-0 Test series win over a full-strength Zimbabwe team in 2017.He believes West Indies are in a “pretty good place” with the present team and heading in the “right direction”. From fearing for his international career, Kemar Roach has fit in as the leader of the attack, which includes Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph, and Miguel Cummins. Contrastingly, New Zealand are in a not-so-good place. For starters, they haven’t played Test cricket since March, while West Indies have played eight Tests since. They will also have to cope without the injured BJ Watling and Tim Southee, who is on paternity leave.

Form guide

New Zealand: DLDWW (completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies: DWLWL

In the spotlight

With a rock-of-Gibraltar defence and excellent judgement outside off, Jeet Raval is arguably the best candidate to negotiate the new ball on what is expected to be a green top. The opener had a breakout season last summer, and was subsequently added to New Zealand’s list of contracted players for 2017-18. Can he build on the gains now?Unlike Raval, Jermaine Blackwood isn’t really a big fan of defence. Case in point: his second scoring shot in Test cricket was a disdainful thwack over long-on off Trent Boult. Blackwood, though, hasn’t passed fifty in his last 12 innings in internationals and tour matches, and could face competition from Shimron Hetmyer.

Team news

New Zealand have already announced their XI, picking Matt Henry over Lockie Ferguson as a replacement for Southee, and handing a Test debut to wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Blundell at his home ground.New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham, 2 Jeet Raval, 3 Kane Williamson (capt.), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Colin de Grandhomme, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultSunil Ambris, who cracked 153 off 145 balls in the middle order in the tour game against a New Zealand A attack that contained seven international bowlers, is likely to make his Test debut and occupy the spot vacated by Kyle Hope.West Indies (probable) 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shai Hope, 4 Sunil Ambris, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Jermaine Blackwood, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Jason Holder (capt.), 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Devendra Bishoo, 11 Shannon Gabriel

Pitch and conditions

Early sightings of the pitch showed grass cover almost indistinguishable from the outfield, but that can often be misleading at this ground. ”It [The pitch] always looks a little bit [green] like that,” Kane Williamson said on Thursday. “There’s always something in the wicket if you do bowl well. But generally, it’s a fair surface which quickens up on day two and three”. The weather is expected to be largely fine for the duration of the match.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies haven’t won a Test in New Zealand since February 1995 when they secured a mammoth innings win at this venue.
• Trent Boult seems to relish bowling at the Basin Reserve: he has 27 wickets in six matches at an average of 28.07, including a 10-for against West Indies.

Quotes

“He [Henry] has been playing well for a long time and hasn’t had the opportunities that he’s deserved. He’s a different bowler to Lockie and has been bowling with good pace, and does tend to move the ball well.”
“Consistency is always our downfall. I think once we get on the park and play as one, I think the performances will come.”

Cameron Bancroft will be pitted against Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and perhaps Dale Steyn in South Africa during the looming Test series in March, if the Australia captain Steven Smith’s words are anything to go by.Despite struggling over the course of his first Ashes series, notably showing evidence of technical trouble in the region of his off stump, Bancroft is highly regarded by the Australian team set-up after spending six weeks in camp. This is partly for his high work ethic and eagerness to improve, and also for an off-beat personality summed up when he had Smith in stitches when describing his pre-series altercation with Jonny Bairstow in the aftermath of the Gabba Test.Given all these attributes, the 25-year-old Bancroft has won Smith’s support ahead of the selectors’ discussions about who should travel to South Africa. As if to remind them of the player discarded to make room for Bancroft, the Queensland opener Matt Renshaw is set to play in England’s 50-over warm-up match before the ODI series, but Smith gave no indication of wanting to change back to another opening partner for David Warner.”He’s worked hard and he probably hasn’t scored as many runs as he would have liked throughout this series,” Smith said. “But he’s a good young player, he’s a great character and he’s got a terrific work ethic. The more he plays, he’s going to continue to improve and get better. If the selectors keep the faith – I hope they do – it will only be good for him and good for the group.”Smith had plenty of praise for his team after wrapping up a 4-0 series victory over England to regain the Ashes, and pinpointed Nathan Lyon’s direct hit to run out James Vince on the first day of the series in Brisbane as pivotal to the overall outcome. “The moment that changed the whole series was Nathan Lyon and the run out [of James Vince] at the Gabba,” Smith said. “That was such a huge moment in the series. Those sort of plays can change the series. I certainly think that was a series-changing moment.”I think all the bowlers did an exceptional job. Lyon got a lot of rewards throughout the series and bowled exceptionally well. I was looking yesterday when we were out on the field it came up with all the wickets this series the bowlers had got, each one of them had over 20. It showed the guys have bowled together as a group, bowled in partnerships and for one another and helped us take the 80 wickets that we needed to win the four Test matches. Nathan’s been exceptional with that as well. His consistency has been outstanding.”Pat Cummins was hostile after lunch•Getty Images

As for the ability of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins to remain fit for the matches that mattered at the front end of the series, Smith spoke warmly about how the team’s support and medical staff had mapped out plans to have the “big three” pacemen at their best. “They’ve done it so well throughout this series. It’s been nice to have those three guys playing together,” he said.”So much went in to ensure those guys were right for this series. A lot of credit has to be given to the support staff, medical staff and all of that for getting it all right and coming together the way it did. It’s nice to have those options available. All those guys bowl a little bit different to each other but all bowl really good pace. In Australia that works really well, it’s been great.”Having started the Ashes by laughing alongside Bancroft, Smith had also generated plenty of mirth by how he reacted to Shaun Marsh’s spontaneous decision to try to hug his brother Mitchell Marsh upon completing a hundred rather than finish a second run. The resulting near-run out made Smith briefly apoplectic, but he could laugh about it in the afterglow of the Sydney victory, while also acknowledging how much the Marsh brothers had contributed to the scoreline.”Looking back, it was quite funny,” Smith said. “When I’m watching or when I’m playing I’m sort of always in the moment. Watching the ball not going to the fence and seeing them start to hug in the middle just seemed a little bit bizarre. I just wanted them to get back in their ground and not get run out. Shaun came in the rooms after and I said ‘what happened there?’. He goes ‘I just wanted to hug him, I didn’t care about anything else, I just wanted to hug him’. It was a strange moment but a pretty special moment for the two brothers.””Everyone has had a role to play and had some impact on this series. You see the two Marsh boys…Shaun throughout the whole series and Mitch in the last three Test matches … have been magnificent. All the guys have had an impact in the series and that’s what has been so special about it. It hasn’t just been one or two guys stepping up and doing the job. You can’t really win an Ashes series when that’s the case, so it’s been good that so many different people have stood up at different times to help us win the series.”As for the future, Smith has previously stated his goal of winning the Ashes away from home, something no Australian team has done since 2001. He was unsure of whether or not the current team should be favoured to win next time around, but did indicate that he felt keeping a young team together over time would help all of its members to gain in strength and confidence.”A lot can change between now and then. That’s still a long time away. But this team has been magnificent this series, the cricket we’ve played has been great,” Smith said. “I think the more we play together the more we’re going to get better as a group. We’ve just got to keep getting better and improving as a team. England in 2019 is a long way away but it is a real challenge for us as well and a bucket list for mine to win an Ashes series in England.”I think it’s different obviously to playing with a Kookaburra here. It can move around consistently at times. I think everyone is vulnerable to a moving ball. It’s about just trying to find a way to have a solid defence and a game plan that can work in those conditions. Over the next couple of years guys are going to continue to develop and get that game plan in place.””It’s a tough tour, going to England, it’s a great place to play and a difficult place for any team travelling. England play incredibly well at home. I don’t know who would be favourites. But I now do look forward to going over there in 2019.”

The Associates can compete with Test teamsThere were three victories and one tie for Associates over Test teams in the tournament. Scotland beat Afghanistan and tied their group game against Zimbabwe; Hong Kong upset Afghanistan in the group stages; and then UAE, ranked 14th in the ICC ODI rankings, beat Zimbabwe in a crunch Super Six game, knocking them out of the tournament. The tournament was more competitive than many expected, with 13 victories for lower-ranked teams against higher-ranked ones and every team winning at least one game.This meant there were no easy rides to the World Cup. Before the tournament, West Indies were heavy favourites to qualify, with Zimbabwe and Afghanistan expected to duel for the second qualifying spot. But West Indies were left staring at an early exit when they fell behind in a tight Super Six game against Scotland – they eventually won by five runs on the DLS method. Afghanistan just about made it to the Super Six round after two losses to Associates in the group stages. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s tie against Scotland and shock loss to UAE left them out of the World Cup for the first time since their first appearance in 1983.Nepal’s win over PNG and Hong Kong’s loss to Netherlands secured them ODI status•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Nepal’s remarkable rise culminates in ODI statusAs recently as 2010, Nepal were playing in the sixth tier of world cricket. In less than a decade, they have risen to become one of 16 teams with official ODI status. They made the final step in the World Cup Qualifier, beating Hong Kong to finish fourth in their group and then Papua New Guinea in a playoff match to guarantee an eighth-place finish and with it ODI status. They will now be an ODI team until at least 2022, and while this does not guarantee fixtures against Full Members, it is a remarkable achievement.Crowds prove cricket is still alive in ZimbabweIt has been 15 years since Zimbabwe hosted a major ICC tournament, and there has been a steady decline in their cricket since, causing concern over the future of the sport there. But the crowds throughout the World Cup Qualifiers ranged from encouraging to vociferous, especially when the home side was in action. Attendances were so good, tournament organizers were forced to move a crucial game between Zimbabwe and Scotland from the smaller Bulawayo Athletic Club to the better-equipped Queens Sports Club. They were rewarded with a thrilling tie.With a number of games not being televised, fans took to social media to give a sense of the atmosphere at the grounds during Zimbabwe’s games. Merna Cremer, wife of Zimbabwean captain Graeme Cremer, became a minor celebrity among cricket fans when she live-tweeted scores from the Scotland game during a long powercut at the ground, a period when nobody, not even the ICC, had updates to share.Playing conditions come under scrutinySince not every game was being televised, the ICC decided not to implement the DRS during the tournament, despite there being World Cup spots at stake. Scotland were left bemused after two crucial decisions went against them and played a significant role in their narrowly missing out on qualification.Another questionable move was not having reserve days for any of the matches. The tournament was played in the middle of Zimbabwe’s wet season, and both the West Indies-Scotland and Zimbabwe-UAE Super Six games were affected by rain. Interestingly, Scotland had qualified for the 2015 World Cup after winning a crucial Super Six game on a reserve day, but were denied by the lack of one this time around. The ICC’s decision to cut the number of teams in the World Cup from 14 to 10 had already caused disgruntlement among lower-ranked teams and Associates, and that this tournament did not have some of the playing conditions other ICC events do only heightened that ire.

Jamie Porter, the Essex seamer, has been given the all clear following the stress fracture which ruled him out of the England Lions tour to Australia late last year, and is now stepping up his preparations for the Lions trip to the West Indies next month.Porter, who took 75 wickets in Essex’s County Championship winning campaign, was diagnosed with a hot spot in his back – later confirmed to be a stress fracture – before the Lions left for Australia. He was withdrawn from that part of England’s plans and given a recovery process which included joining the Pace Programme at Loughborough and on their pre-Christmas trip to Desert Springs in Spain.A second trip to Spain now beckons on a four-day warm-weather training camp with the Lions before the squad flies out to Jamaica on January 31 for a tour that includes three four-day matches and three one-day games against West Indies A.

Updated Lions squads

Whole tour
Keaton Jennings (Lancashire, capt), Joe Clarke (Worcestershire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Sam Curran (Surrey), Jamie Porter (Essex), Paul Coughlin (Nottinghamshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Nick Gubbins (Middlesex), Alex Davies (Lancashire). Dominic Bess (Somerset)
Red-ball only
Haseeb Hameed (Lancashire), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Toby Roland-Jones (Middlesex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Mason Crane (Hampshire)
One-day only
Sam Northeast (Kent), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Tom Helm (Middlesex), George Garton (Sussex), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire)

Porter’s injury meant he had to watch the Ashes from afar rather than being alongside the main squad with the chance of a call-up if needed which he admitted was “tough to swallow”.”I got told I had the hot spot and then had a CT scan, so there was a three-day period where we were scratching our heads wondering if I could get through Australia with it,” he told the ECB website. “But when the scan results came back and I saw the stress fracture, that was definitely the final blow.”You look at what followed in the week or so after that, with people in the Ashes squad going down injured, and you just never know. Hopefully I will get the opportunity with the Lions in the West Indies to put things right and put my name in the hat again.””I had my final scan results back on Friday and it’s all clear,” he added. “So I’m back bowling at full whack, and I feel good – and I do want to hit the ground running.”Another pace bowler to suffer a back injury, Toby Roland-Jones, will also continue his comeback on the red-ball portion of the Lions tour. He was hit with his stress fracture just days before the Ashes squad was due to be named, for which he would have been a certain selection following an impressive start to his Test career against South Africa and West Indies.Elsewhere in the Lions squads, Essex’s Dan Lawrence, who was initially only included for the first-class leg of the trip, has been added for the one-dayers to replace Liam Livingstone after his call-up to the Test squad for New Zealand.Livingstone, Ben Foakes and Mason Crane are part of the squad for the three four-day matches against West Indies A before they link up with the Test team for the two-match series at the end of March.Sam Curran, the Surrey allrounder, won’t be part of the pre-tour camp in Spain after the England Lions management decided he was better served continuing his overseas stint with Auckland.

Jon Holland, the left-arm spinner, has been ruled out of Victoria’s JLT One-Day Cup opener because of a precautionary knee surgery due to “wear and tear.”He will be sidelined for up to a month. The vacancy created by Holland’s injury will be filled by Fawad Ahmed, the legspinner.Holland, who played two Tests on the tour of Sri Lanka last year, reported discomfort in his right knee more than a week ago. The injury flared up in Perth during Victoria’s first net session, leading to a “minor surgery” on Wednesday.”Jon reported some discomfort in his right knee following training last week. Initial scans proved inconclusive but Jon continued to feel some discomfort while bowling in Perth and we decided surgery would be the best option ahead of the season,” said Nick Adcock, Cricket Victoria’s Sports Science and Sports Medicine manager.”The surgery on his right knee was successful, and we’re hopeful Jon can return to training after two-four weeks recovery.”Ahmed is the second injury replacement for Victoria in this tournament. Earlier in the week, Xavier Crone was called in to the squad after fast bowler John Hastings injured his back at training.

AFP

18.1 Mohammad Saifuddin to Miller, SIX, he tries the slower one but it’s pretty full and Miller picks it. He waits and then swings his arms to send that sailing over wide long on again. That’s the first six off Saifuddin in this innings18.2 Mohammad Saifuddin to Miller, SIX, full and outside off, Miller picks the length early again, gets under it nicely and drives it inside-out over the covers, taking the fielder out of the equation for six more18.3 Mohammad Saifuddin to Miller, SIX, make that three in a row! It’s on his legs as he shuffles across a bit, another full delivery and Miller simply times the flick well and that’s gone behind square on leg for six more18.4 Mohammad Saifuddin to Miller, SIX, four out of four, what’s happening here! SA are over 200 already! Another full delivery down leg, another way to get the legs out of the way and another flick that dispatches the ball over the long-leg boundary18.5 Mohammad Saifuddin to Miller, SIX, those two fielders can keep staring and track the trajectory of the ball sail over them! Five in five. It’s short this time, Miller is in the crease and pulls it over the leg side18.6 Mohammad Saifuddin to Miller, 1 run, oh, Miller has driven that along the ground after going down on a knee. The disappointment shows on his face as soon as the ball goes off his bat. Saif bowled it full and wide and survived