Cricket News In General And From Around The World

Jason Roy ends England deal to play in America's Major League Cricket..By Stephan Shemilt, Chief cricket writer.

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Jason Roy has become the first England player to end his national contract in order to play franchise cricket.

Opener Roy has opted to cancel his incremental England deal - worth £60,000-£70,000 - to play in the American Major League Cricket, where he could earn £150,000 for one season.

The 32-year-old will still be available for national selection.

Roy said: "To be very clear, my priority is England cricket, especially with a World Cup soon upon us."

Writing on social media, he added: "It is for me, and for any player, the greatest honour to receive a cap to play for their country.

"I wanted to clarify that I am not and never will walk away from England."

An England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement said: "Jason Roy has informed the England and Wales Cricket Board that he wishes to take up an agreement with Major League Cricket in the USA later this summer.

"The ECB have agreed for him to play in the competition on the proviso that he gives up the remainder of his ECB incremental contract, which both parties have agreed to.

"The ECB wish to clarify that this decision will not affect Jason's selection for England teams going forward. We have absolute confidence and faith that Jason is committed to England cricket."

Roy has been a key component of England's dominance of the global white-ball game, a regular in the side that was crowned 50-over world champions in 2019.

However, a loss of form saw him dropped from the squad that won the T20 World Cup last year and, in October, he saw his central contract downgraded to an incremental deal.

With Major League Cricket taking place between the T20 Blast and The Hundred, Roy might have been ordered to rest by England, especially with the defence of the 50-over World Cup on the horizon in India in October and November.

Instead, Roy will end his England deal, forgo the rest of his salary up to its expiry at the end of September.

"Representing my country continues to be my proudest moment as a professional cricketer," added Roy.

"I hope to play for England for many more years. That remains my priority.

"I've had clear and supportive conversations with the ECB about participating in Major League Cricket. The ECB were happy with me to play in the competition as long as they didn't have to pay me for the remainder of the contractual year.

"As a single-format player with no central contract I wanted to take the opportunity to play this competition as there are currently no scheduling conflicts with England. It benefits me as an England player to play as much competitive cricket as possible."

Writing on Twitter former England captain Michael Vaughan wrote: "I don't get the big issue about Jason Roy. He hasn't got any England games and has been offered a nice contract in the States so he has taken it. It is inevitable that we will see more of this in the future. And I have no problem with it."

Though there is some overlap with the Blast, it is understood Roy will remain with his county Surrey if they reach finals day, before returning to play for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred in August.

Roy has played five Tests, 116 one-day internationals and 64 T20s for England, scoring almost 6,000 international runs.

1st JUNE 2023 - TEST MATCH SERIES - DAY 1 OF 4 - LORDS - (England won the toss and decided to field)

Ireland 172 all out, (56.2 overs) McCollum 36, Stirling 30, Campher 33, Broad 5-51, Leach 3-35, Potts 2-36

England 55-0 (8 overs) Crawley 20, Duckett 33.

England trail Ireland by 117 runs with 10 wickets remaining

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Stuart Broad 5-51

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England v Ireland: Stuart Broad takes five as hosts dominate at Lord's..By Stephan Shemilt, Chief cricket writer at Lord's.

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Stuart Broad pressed his case for inclusion in the first Ashes Test by taking five wickets as England dominated Ireland on the first of the four-day Test at Lord's.

Broad claimed 5-51 and was supported by 3-35 from left-arm spinner Jack Leach in Ireland's 172 all out.

That represented something of a recovery from the Irish, who at one stage were 19-3 before James McCollum battled to 36, Paul Stirling countered for 30 and Curtis Campher added 33.

On an ideal day for England, opener Zak Crawley ended a run of eight Test innings without a half-century, riding a degree of good fortune to make 56.

Crawley shared 109 for the first wicket with Ben Duckett before being caught and bowled by Ireland debutant Fionn Hand.

Duckett continued his fine form in moving to 60 not out, joined by Ollie Pope, who is unbeaten on 29.

England closed on 152-1 from only 25 overs, just 20 behind and already well placed for a ruthless and swift victory.

'England have set a marker' - what they said

England bowler Stuart Broad on BBC Test Match Special: "It was a nice feeling. I was happy with how we bowled as a group. Conditions were fantastic first thing this morning and that's what you want at Lord's because you have to make the new ball count.

Ireland all-rounder Curtis Campher on TMS: "There were moments, but whenever we got on top we didn't prolong those periods. we are disappointed today but we'll come back stronger tomorrow.

"It was a great challenge for our batters. It was a tough, hard day but we showed determination. Broady is a top-class bowler and it is just about limiting them."

Former England captain Michael Vaughan on TMS: "You can see England's confidence. They want to do things that no other team has done and they want to win in two days here."

Former Ireland wicketkeeper on Niall O'Brien on TMS: "I expect it is going to be a difficult evening in the Ireland camp. They will be disappointed, especially the batters, because it was a bit tough this morning under the clouds but it was not difficult for batting.

2nd JUNE 2023 - TEST MATCH SERIES - DAY 2 OF 4 - LORDS - (England won the toss and decided to field)

Ireland 172 all out, (56.2 overs) McCollum 36, Stirling 30, Campher 33, Broad 5-51, Leach 3-35, Potts 2-36

England 503-2 (80 overs) Crawley 55, Duckett 182, Pope 197 not out, Root 52 not out

TEA: England lead Ireland by 331 runs with 8 wickets remaining

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3rd JUNE 2023 - TEST MATCH SERIES - DAY 3 OF 4 - LORDS - (England won the toss and decided to field)

Ireland 172 all out, (56.2 overs) McCollum 36, Stirling 30, Campher 33, Broad 5-51, Leach 3-35, Potts 2-36

England 524-4 dec (82.4 overs) Crawley 55, Duckett 182, Pope 205, Root 56, McBrine 2-99

Ireland 362 all out (86.2 overs) Tector 51, Tucker 44, M Adair 88, McBrine 86 not out, Josh Tongue 5-66

England 12-0 from 4 balls, Crawley hit 3 x 4's

England win by 10 wickets


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Equity in Cricket report: 'Absolutely horrific' stories show 'culture is rotten'..By Matthew Henry, BBC Sport.

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The ICEC was announced by the ECB in March 2021 in the wake of global movements such as Black Lives Matter and Me Too

WARNING: This article contains descriptions of racism and other offensive and discriminatory language and behaviour.

An obscene joke about a Muslim cricketer's prayer mat and "predatory behaviour" towards women were some of the "absolutely horrific" stories revealed in a damning report into discrimination in cricket.

The long-awaited Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report was published on Tuesday and said racism, sexism, classism and elitism were "widespread" in the English and Welsh game.

Chair Cindy Butts said stories told to the commission showed the sport's culture was "rotten".

"We heard of women being constantly stereotyped, demeaned, facing predatory behaviour," Butts told BBC sports editor Dan Roan.

"We heard from women who are having to walk into score boxes and face signs that say 'no bras allowed'. This is 2023, not 1923."

Butts described "routine" use of racial slurs, including one 13-year-old on a talent pathway being racially abused and told to "go back home".

"We heard from a Muslim former player who had to endure the indignity of his team-mates laughing and joking about one of the players using the prayer mat to clean up after sex," Butts added.

"The stories were absolutely horrific and it goes to show that the culture in cricket is rotten."

'Women subjected to sexting and harassment'
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England captain Heather Knight

The report looked into recreational and professional cricket and the evidence gathered came from more than 4,000 respondents.

Among those to give evidence were England men's Test captain Ben Stokes, women's captain Heather Knight, former men's captain Joe Root, World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan, and Azeem Rafiq - the former Yorkshire player and racism whistleblower.

"We heard that there are problems throughout cricket, including the England dressing room, at the recreational level, at the board level, including for young pupils as well, and people on the on the talent pathway throughout cricket," Butts said.

As well as racism, the report was particularly damning when highlighting sexism - saying women are treated as "subordinate" to men at all levels of the sport.

"What we've seen is that women are vulnerable when around a drinking culture - they are subjected to sexual harassment, lots of sexting," Butts said.

"We've heard from a number of women who talk about being vulnerable and being exposed and having unwanted advances made on them by men."

The report also found "significant" disparities in the amounts invested in men's and women's cricket, with England men receiving 13 times the overall amount paid to England women for all formats.

It found:

In white-ball cricket, the average salary for England women is 20.6% of that for England men, while the England women's captain's allowance is 31% of that awarded to the men's captain.

Regarding England international match fees, women's fees are 25% of men's for shorter-format matches, and 15% for Test matches.

In domestic cricket, the average salary for a player in a women's regional team is equivalent to 45.5% of the average salary of a men's player at a first-class county.

In the Hundred, the highest salary tier for the women is just £1,250 more than the lowest tier for the men.

Excluding the Hundred, the total prize money for women is just 10% of the total prize money for men.

Improving is our 'single biggest priority' - ECB chair
The report made 44 recommendations, including that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) makes an unreserved public apology for its failings.

Speaking to BBC Sport, ECB chair Richard Thompson offered a "heartfelt apology" to those who have been "discriminated against and excluded".

He said making improvements on the back of the findings was the game's "single biggest priority" and reiterated his desire, stated last September, to make cricket the country's "most inclusive sport".

"I think this report will accelerate that process now," said Thompson, who was appointed last year.

"At the time I said it will probably take us five years to achieve that. And I think now we've probably got a bigger hill to climb based on what we've read in this report in terms of achieving that level.

"But cricket does reach communities that no other sport does."

The report acknowledged "the problems we identify are not, sadly, unique to cricket", adding: "In many instances they are indicative of equally deeply rooted societal problems."

What else did the report say?
The report found racism in cricket is "not confined to pockets or a few bad apples" but is "widespread and a serious problem".

It said there is "a culture in which overt discrimination often goes without serious challenge", which includes "racist, misogynistic, homophobic and ableist comments and actions, and a 'laddish' drinking culture that can sometimes make women vulnerable and at risk of unwanted or unwelcome behaviour, as well as alienating others due to religious and/or cultural beliefs".

A total of 50% of respondents had experienced discrimination in the past five years.

One Asian recreational player told how he and a team-mate had been "called terrorists", and after complaining, was accused of "attempting to defame" the club in question.

A former professional player said "as a black cricketer, I had to be three times better than my white counterparts".

The commission also said it was "alarmed" by repeated references to "the bank of mum and dad", with respondents stressing the importance of financial support from parents in determining whether they made it as a cricketer or not.

The report recommended the historic Eton versus Harrow and Oxford against Cambridge fixtures should not be played at Lord's from 2023 onwards, in order to stop the message of elitism, and questioned why the England women's team has not played a Test at the venue.

"It's absolutely shocking that women haven't had the opportunity to play a Test match at the so-called home of cricket," Butts said. "I think that's awful.

"And when you know that Eton and Harrow have an automatic right to play at Lord's, I think that is absolutely disgraceful. I think it speaks to the elitism in cricket."

Criticism of the fixtures was part of what the report called a prevalence of "elitism and class-based discrimination".

A lack of cricket in state schools and a talent pathway structurally aligned to private schools is partly to blame for "elitism and class-based discrimination", it said.

Butts said: "We have concluded that it is and it's not just institutionally racist, we say that it's institutionally and structurally sexist and has class-based discrimination.

"We have thought long and hard about using that term, but we believe it's a term that applies when you look at the evidence that exists."

up and coming Somerset batsman James Rew hit his maiden 200 score today at just 19 years of age, aiding his team to recover from a creaking 80-5 to amass 500 all out, achieving at one time was an impossible dream of a fourth batting point

Major League Cricket: American T20 franchise wants England's top players..By Timothy Abraham, BBC Sport.

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Major League Cricket players, founders and administrators rang the New York Stock Exchange closing bell to celebrate the launch of the US' new professional cricket league

Major League Cricket wants to sign up England's best players for future editions but its founders have dismissed claims it is a threat to English cricket as "short-sighted".

The inaugural T20 franchise tournament in the United States starts on Thursday (Friday 01:30 BST) with two England World Cup winners - Liam Plunkett and Jason Roy - involved.

"American sports fans want to see the best in the world. That's the demand in US professional sports," MLC co-founder Vijay Srinivasan told BBC Sport.

"They don't want second-tier talent. They insist on the best. England is fortunate to have some of those with the likes of Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook."

England opener Roy decided to cancel his incremental white-ball deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) - worth £60,000-£70,000 - to play in MLC, where he could potentially earn £150,000 for the tournament between 13th-31st July.

The 32-year-old previously claimed his "priority is England" with a 50-over World Cup in October but a lucrative franchise T20 tournament, and one which runs parallel to the English summer, has been seen as a threat to the England team and county cricket.

Srinivasan insisted that notion was "a little bit short-sighted" and MLC is "not looking to step on anyone's toes".

He added: "We want the best in the world to come here and we want to do it in a way that makes sense for the player, makes sense for their national team obligations and so on.

"We need to find a window in the global cricket calendar that makes sense to get the best players.

"I think MLC is bringing a lot of mainstream attention to the sport in the US and that's going to help the global cricket ecosystem."

'The US needs a competitive national team'
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Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan (right) co-founded Major League Cricket in January 2019

The US men's national team have not qualified for a major ICC tournament since the 2004 Champions Trophy but will participate in the 2024 T20 World Cup as co-hosts alongside West Indies.

As an associate ICC member, USA Cricket only receives a fraction of the budget full ICC members get, and Srinivasan believes the sizable investment in the sport's infrastructure by MLC will be a boost to cricket in the country and help drive the national team forward.

This year's MLC will be played at two grounds - in Texas and North Carolina - but owners of the six franchises are committed to building new stadiums, while the tournament itself will give exposure to a quota of homegrown players.

"One of the things we identified was that cricket in the US is not going to be successful unless the US has a strong cricket team," added Srinivasan.

"It's not about putting up a tournament, then coming back 12 months later and doing it again. There has to be something more.

"What we are doing is not building these stadiums to play MLC once a year. We want the US men's, women's and U19s teams to be playing in these venues where the best teams in the world come and play against them.

"On the back of it, the US needs a competitive national team. That's why when the ICC T20 World Cup comes to the US next year we want to make sure the US can compete with the rest of the world.

"The world of cricket is going through a big transition but for us, MLC is a platform for all things US cricket. We don't view it in isolation and a stand-alone thing that is detached. There's a lot more legs to the stool."