Enjoyed chatting to Ben McDermott about his switch to being a freelance franchise cricketer. He hasn’t played for Australia for 2 years but a recent call up to their T20 squad vs India has revived his hopes. He is set to bat 4-5 for ‘Canes in the BBL www.espncricinfo.com/story/bbl-20...

Finn Allen and Mitch Marsh will open the batting for Perth Scorchers. Allen hopes to learn from Marsh how to balance the demands of international and franchise cricket. Allen will miss part of NZ’s T20I series in India if Scorchers make finals www.espncricinfo.com/story/finn-a...

Cooper Connolly appears to have a decent shot at earning a maiden IPL deal. Chatted to him about that, confidence from a breakout ODI knock vs India & embracing batting under pressure Connelly will be at No.3 for Perth Scorchers in today’s BBL opener www.espncricinfo.com/story/cooper...

Amid its 15th season, there are winds of change for the BBL as privatisation talks accelerate. A deep dive into its history, current proposals/sticking points & interested investors from India/US. Plus potential expansion into NZ, Singapore & Malaysia www.espncricinfo.com/story/winds-...

Finn Allen will miss the start of New Zealand's T20I series in India if Perth Scorchers make the BBL finals. The series looms as important prep ahead of the T20 World Cup Allen will be available for Scorchers' whole campaign & will open with Mitch Marsh www.espncricinfo.com/story/finn-a...

Outgoing Western Australia coach Adam Voges will take the reins of Seattle Orcas in next season’s Major League Cricket. It comes after Voges took up an assistant role at Trent Rockets in the Hundred as he furthers his T20 coaching development www.espncricinfo.com/story/mlc-20...

Zimbabwe had hoped to host a one-off Test v Australia next year. Instead there will be 3 ODIs - important prep for Australia ahead of the 2027 WC co-hosted by Zimbabwe. But Zimbabwe are confident of hosting a Test v England at Victoria Falls in '26-27 www.espncricinfo.com/story/austra...

England players arriving at the ground, looking relaxed. There are dark clouds around Perth. Thunderstorms forecast during the day, might help stretch out this Test #Ashes

Two hours before the toss. Long lines outside the gates already evident. Should be around 50k at Perth Stadium. Perfect weather today ahead of potential rain on days 2-5

The radical plan to split Test cricket into 2 tiers appears to have failed. The WTC is set to expand to include all 12 teams in one division for 2027-29. The ODI Super League is set to be revived while Associates push for a global qualifier for T20 WC www.espncricinfo.com/story/icc-ne...

Straight after the Shield match, Cameron Green had a 30-min bowl in the middle of the WACA before rain cut it short. He is expected to bowl in the next Shield match but it remains unclear if there will be overs restrictions www.espncricinfo.com/series/sheff...

Sad to hear about the demise of indoor cricket. Spent some time around the game a decade ago for this Cricket Monthly feature, tracing its Dennis Lillee-inspired origins to its rise in the 1980s and eventual fall www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/101018...

While the ODI series will be mostly a celebration of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill is set to emerge into prominence in Australia. Gill's cut a relaxed figure so far on tour as he becomes the poster child of Indian cricket www.espncricinfo.com/story/shubma...

A few notes on India's opening training session of their Australian tour. It was dominated by the returns of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who had contrasting fortunes in their 40-minute net sessions www.espncricinfo.com/story/aus-vs...

Virat Kohli is back in the nets, looking quite sharp in Perth ahead of the ODI against Australia. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul also part of the training session About 20 fans watching on

Good to see Jhye Richardson having a bowl in the nets during Australia’s training session ahead of the India ODI. He’s slowly making his way back from shoulder surgery, hopefully a return to the field isn’t far away

Faisal Hasnain, a former ICC CFO & ex-Pakistan chief, and Indra Nooyi, the legendary ex PepsiCo boss, could be sounded out to head an interim USA Cricket board. The USA Cricket saga is set to dominate next month's ICC meetings www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

T20 franchises in Paris, Berlin, Barcelona and Rome? This could be a reality as per the longer-term plans for the European T20 Premier League. The long-proposed league, backed by Netherlands, Ireland & Scotland, is finally set to launch in August 2026 www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

ACE is taking USA Cricket, its strategic partner to operate Major League Cricket, to court. The future of MLC is under threat and ramifications could extend to cricket's Olympic return. Embattled USA Cricket is "welcoming" the legal proceedings. www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

A T20I between Australia-India at the Oakland Coliseum? International cricket could be played at the iconic 60,000-seat ground, which is set to host more MLC games in 2026. Australia and WI believed to be keen on playing at the Coliseum down the track www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Seattle Orcas are another MLC franchise to signal interest in potentially investing in the BBL. Their high-profile ownership consortium includes the Delhi Capitals. In the meantime, they are looking at a potential strategic partnership with a BBL team www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

The latest USA Cricket saga could have implications on the Olympic cricket stadium to be built in LA. Knight Riders are set to fund the permanent facility & hope to play MLC games there next yr But the deal has yet to be signed off as the saga heightens www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Washington Freedom are poised to build a cricket ground in Frederick, 45 miles north of DC. If it gets local govt approval then Freedom hope to play there next MLC season International cricket could be played there with WI keen on more games in the US www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Washington Freedom owner Sanjay Govil, a DC-based tech entrepreneur, says he is "absolutely" interested in potentially investing in a BBL franchise. Govil recently secured a 50% stake in Welsh Fire in the Hundred. www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

After a gripping India-England series, a working group will look into Test cricket's future. *Two divisions seems inevitable, but promotion-relegation? *A revived Test Match Fund to support smaller nations has stalled *An increase of 4-day Tests likely www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Some Associate news floating around *Push for regional Olympic qualifiers for Brisbane 2032 *Calls for review into scorecard funding model in wake of transparency concerns *No new Full Members ahead but US seen as a chance if they finally sort things out www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Despite a loss on-and-off field, West Indies remain keen on hosting Australia in Tests. CWI believe cricket's Olympic status can ignite the sport in the Caribbean, while developing the Americas region is key. Creating an Americas Cup is among the goals www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

A few tidbits from the ICC's recent meetings: *Could be a look into capping the number of T20 leagues players can compete in *32-team T20 World Cup a goal *Push for more 4-day Tests *No new Full Members on the horizon *T10 won't be an official format www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

A regional event is expected next year to determine West Indies' representative at a global Olympic qualifier 8 teams set to battle in the qualifier for the final men’s Olympic spot Top ranked team per region + USA automatically qualify to LA (men's) www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Issues discussed by the ICC board ahead of their final meeting tomorrow *Olympic qualifying (men's) likely to be based on regional rankings + one qualifier *32-team T20 World Cups mooted *USA Cricket to be given more time to fix governance issues www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

There are changes on the influential Chief Executives' Committee after Gurumurthy Palani (France), Anuraag Bhatnagar (Hong Kong) and Gurdeep Klair (Canada) were elected. Incumbent Sumod Damodar and Vanuatu chief Tim Cutler among those to miss out www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

The ICC's Annual Conference starts tomorrow in Singapore. Some issues to be discussed: *Expanded T20 World Cup *Test's future *Olympic qualifying format *2024 T20 WC Inquiry update *USA Cricket faces suspension *Two countries to receive ICC membership www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Momentum is building for T20 qualification tournaments - not rankings - to determine which countries make the cut for the Los Angeles Olympics. Top Associates could feature in the qualifiers. The issue will be debated at the ICC meetings in Singapore www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Washington Freedom have identified a site near the DC area to build a cricket ground. They are hoping Washington can become a hub for international cricket in the US and attract major white-ball series www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

8 candidates will contest the CEC election with 3 coveted Associate spots up for grabs Important for smaller cricket nations fighting for more funds as India strengthens its power grip with incoming CEO Sanjog Gupta on the heels of Jay Shah’s ascension www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

If it goes ahead, the Asia Cup in September will be played in the UAE. Officials remain hopeful that India won't pull out. The Asia Cup essentially bankrolls the Asian Cricket Council, providing invaluable funds for smaller nations in the region www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

The salary cap in Major League Cricket is tipped to increase as anticipation rises over its next domestic media rights deal. Increased revenue would not only lure more big names, but also help MLC turn a profit www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

The Korogi Athletic Park, near Nagoya and with three baseball fields, is set to be repurposed into a permanent cricket ground. It is hoped to leave a legacy post 2026 Asian Games. There are long-term strategies for Japan to host major cricket events www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Zimbabwe started discussions on resuming bilateral ties with England a decade ago. In a template, the ECB are funding some tour costs of the one-off Test with Zim as Zimbabwe now look to end long Test droughts with India and Australia www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Steve Smith will have a short stint in Major League Cricket- sandwiched between the WTC final and tour of West Indies. It's a tonic for MLC with Pat Cummins, Josh Inglis, Travis Head, Marco Jansen & Ryan Rickelton missing the season due to Test duties www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Mitch Owen will play in MLC for the first time after signing with Washington. He is in hot demand - currently playing in the IPL - & a player to watch ahead of next year's T20 World Cup. Veteran quick Jason Behrendorff has also signed with Washington www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Marco Jansen will be unavailable for the Major League Cricket season due to Test commitments - the WTC final & 2 Tests in Zimbabwe which were moved forward. It's on the back of Jansen & other SA players missing IPL playoffs. Test cricket holding sway www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

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There is hope permanent cricket infrastructure can be built for next year's Asian Games in Japan, with a site earmarked in outer Nagoya. Officials want to avoid a New York-like pop-up stadium from last year's T20 WC. Final decision expected next month www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Quick Xavier Bartlett will play Major League Cricket for the first time after signing with San Francisco Unicorns. The MLC season starts in June. Bartlett is currently amid his debut IPL season ahead of a busy slate of white-ball cricket for Australia. www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

New Zealand Cricket will partner with a new franchise in an expanded Major League Cricket that is expected to be based in Toronto or Atlanta. There will be two new teams by 2027. The other will likely be Chicago or Philadelphia www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

Cooper Connolly will play in Major League Cricket after signing with San Francisco Unicorns. It will be his first taste of overseas T20 franchise cricket and looms as important preparation ahead of a busy international schedule for Australia www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

An ICC working group is set to be established & tasked with addressing issues over cricket’s 3 formats. Focus on Test divisions, ODI Super league/scrapping two balls. Also will look at T10 - but there is limited support for it being an official format www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

The ICC quarterly meetings have started in Zimbabwe. Some topics likely to be discussed: *Test divisions/ODI future *T20 World Cup USA Inquiry *Olympic qualifying *ICC CEO announcement nears *Update on Afghanistan women's issue but no sanctions for ACB www.forbes.com/sites/trista...

An ICC board director says he would vote against a two division Test proposal if it does not include promotion and relegation. The plan has not been tabled at ICC board level but is expected to be discussed at meetings in Zimbabwe in the coming days www.forbes.com/sites/trista...