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The West Indies allrounder lit up the first night of the Women’s World T20, but she isn’t close to being done

Melinda Farrell in Guyana10-Nov-2018Most players don’t like to reveal individual goals. It puts too much on the line, raises expectations and lays a marker; anything short of reaching it can too conveniently be deemed as ‘failure’.But Deandra Dottin is refreshingly upfront, if economical with words. So, still sporting the sweat that bore witness to her career- and tournament-best figures of 5 for 5 against Bangladesh, she chuckled and calmly revealed she plans to score two centuries during this tournament, to add to the brace already in her locker. Not one, but two.”I have two more coming for sure,” she told reporters. Two more coming for this tournament? “Yes, please.”Dottin was the first woman to score a T20 international century, against South Africa during the 2010 edition of the World T20. She did it in just 38 balls. It wasn’t just a lightbulb moment for the women’s game, it was a supernova: Oh guess what? Women can play a power game.And while many were – rightly – in raptures over Harmanpreet Kaur’s brilliant century in India’s opening match against New Zealand, it’s worth remembering that Dottin reached that milestone in 11 fewer balls.On a marathon first day of the WT20 that started with the blinding batting of Kaur, it was Dottin’s bowling that provided the fireworks at night to go with the drum beats that rumbled around Providence. In a way that reflected the conditions and the reality of playing three international T20s on one pitch, batting became progressively difficult during the day as the pitch wore and the humidity and lights became factors.Deandra Dottin’s juggling act after an impressive show with the ball•International Cricket Council

But Dottin’s performance was as much about using her natural abilities as it was about exploiting the conditions. After Bangladesh’s bowlers had restricted the defending champions to 106, there was little room for error in the West Indies bowling attack.Dottin had been promoted to open the batting – reflecting West Indies recent sluggishness in the Powerplay – but she became Jahanara Alam’s second victim when she misjudged a cut shot and was well caught by a diving Fahima Khatun. She decided to use that as motivation; if she could no longer win the match with the bat then she could still do it with the ball.The allrounder has a relatively short run-up that belies the power she generates; she was regularly touching 75 miles per hour on a pitch that was at its most sluggish.”We’ve been working a lot on sprinting and moving fast, running between the wickets and stuff, our turns and those quick steps,” Dottin said. “But for me, I’ve been putting in a lot of extra work, doing a lot of running and a lot more sprints.”I think it’s having a big input on my bowling, as well.”Dottin beat the Bangladesh batsmen for pace and fooled them with subtle movement; four of her five wickets came from the ball clattering into the stumps. The Bangladesh batsmen, sometimes lacking in foot movement and defensive technique, had no answers.She has two main expressions: one, a glowering frown of a glare, was evident when she was out for just eight runs. The other, a joyful and gleaming metallic grin burst through a little brighter with each of her wickets. When she took her fifth, she broke out into a dance with her team-mates, “Just a crazy dance that we all made up off of a song called ‘Level Up,’ she explained after the match.To what extent Dottin will continue to level up in this tournament remains to be seen. She has already bowled what she regards the best T20I spell of her extensive career (only two players in this competition – Jennie Gunn and Suzie Bates – have played more matches).”Well, I rate this one as one of the top performances I’ve had,” said Dottin. “Most of the performances I’ve had in the past were with the bat, but coming through with the ball is very tremendous.”And, if Dottin ticks off her goal of notching two centuries in the next couple of weeks, it won’t be just a level up but an unprecedented level unlocked.

Imran Khan, the Pakistan prime minister and patron of the PCB, has rejected the board’s new proposed domestic cricket model, insisting that departments should have no role in the game

Umar Farooq27-Mar-2019Imran Khan, the Pakistan prime minister and patron of the PCB, has rejected the board’s new proposed domestic cricket model, insisting that departments should have no role in the game.The PCB put together a model in which department teams such as HBL, WAPDA and PIA would remain relevant stakeholders alongside regional sides – although initially even the PCB had decided to strip departments of their playing rights. But this idea was knocked down by Imran, who does not want departments in the system in any capacity. He has instead directed the PCB to rework the structure to include just six provisional teams – two from Punjab, and one each from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.Imran was a strong advocate of a domestic structure with only regional sides for much of his playing career, enamoured especially by the Australian Shield Cricket structure. There are many now – as there were then – who believe such a model will not work in Pakistan, where the population is nearly nine times that of Australia. The prime minister believes that the sizeable talent in the country must not be allowed to go to waste, with it being the PCB’s responsibility to provide a conducive environment for that talent to flourish. He was also concerned about the exodus of cricket talent over the years.With all this in mind, a PCB task team worked out a plan to reduce the number of regional teams in the system, but also kept the departments alive, making them sponsor of the regional teams and in effect, giving them a significant role in the domestic circuit.A presentation on the new model was prepared by Haroon Rasheed, the PCB’s director of domestic cricket. A team of PCB officials then called on Imran for a briefing. While the model came close to what Imran had asked for, the role of the departments in any capacity was instantly ruled out.The proposal was based on a structure that included eight regional teams, either from a city or from a province, while the various departments like HBL, WAPDA and PIA – long the backbone of Pakistan’s domestic cricket – were constituted to finance each region. The idea behind this proposal was to make each region self-sufficient, with funding from both the PCB as well as the departments.The PCB confirmed such a meeting had taken place, but sought to downplay any rift between the prime minister’s objectives and the PCB’s, telling ESPNcricinfo they had been proceeding in accordance with Imran’s directives.There are currently 16 teams on the domestic circuit playing in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy – eight from the regions and eight departments. The new model aimed to cut down the number of top-tier teams to just eight, with only the regional sides allowed to play first-class cricket.

ECB reduce qualification period from seven years to three, following board meeting at Lord’s on Wednesday

Andrew Miller29-Nov-2018Jofra Archer could be set to play for England in the both the World Cup and the Ashes next year, after the ECB announced a change to its eligibility criteria – from seven years to three – following its board meeting at Lord’s on Wednesday.Archer, 23, was born and raised in Barbados, and represented West Indies at Under-19 level. However, he has been on Sussex’s books since arriving at the county in 2015, and has risen to become one of the most sought-after all-round talents in the world game – a quick and accurate fast bowler and hard-hitting batsman, who was bought by Rajasthan Royals for £800,000 in last year’s IPL auction.Under the previous ECB regulations, Archer had been braced to serve a seven-year residency qualification, which would have made him available to England in 2022, by which stage he would have been 27. The terms of that regulation also required him to be in the UK for 210 days a year – causing conflicting priorities for a man who would be a marquee pick at any T20 tournament around the world.In a press release, the ECB confirmed the changing criteria for players such as Archer, who had moved to the UK after their 18th birthday, stating that the new regulations brought the board into line with the ICC’s own regulations, which were themselves amended this year from four years to three.The change will come into force on January 1, 2019, meaning that Archer could conceivably make his England debut on the tour of the Caribbean that starts later that month.However, it is understood that, in order to meet his 210-day limit in time for that tour, Archer – who is currently playing in the T10 in the UAE – might have to renege on some of his oversees commitments, including this winter’s Big Bash. Otherwise, he will be become eligible to play for England in March.”The exact date of Jofra’s qualification will depend on the time he spends out of the country during the rest of 2018-19,” said a Sussex spokesman. “Qualifying for England has long been an aim of Jofra’s and Sussex Cricket is delighted for him that this ambition will now be realised sooner than previously envisaged.”Reacting to the news on Twitter, Archer wrote: “It may or may not happen but I would love to debut in front of my family.”
The new ECB eligibility criteria for players, both men and women, from January 1, 2019, are:a) British Citizenship and,

b) Either born in England/Wales, or 3 years residence (a total of 210 days/year April-March) and

c) Not played as a local player in professional international or domestic cricket in a Full Member country within the last 3 yearsThe decision could be a massive fillip for England going into their home World Cup campaign, in which they start as favourites after a remarkable turnaround in fortunes in recent seasons.Eoin Morgan, the England ODI captain, was understood to have been an advocate for Archer’s fast-tracking – albeit he denied this in comments back in June – for if England lack one attribute in an otherwise very well rounded squad, it is a reliably quick spearhead, to complement an attack in which Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid are arguably the first-choice picks.When fit, Mark Wood has been a preferred option to provide England with a pace injection, but his ongoing ankle issues mean his availability cannot be taken for granted, while Liam Plunkett – who plays a crucial role in the middle overs of an ODI innings – will have turned 34 by the time the tournament gets underway.

England captain insists that a change of coach would be a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction, and says it’s up to the team to improve

George Dobell at Headingley31-May-2018Joe Root has defended Trevor Bayliss after speculation that the England coach could be sacked if England lose again in Leeds.Were England to lose in Headingley, it would be their third series loss in a row and their seventh defeat in 10 Tests. They would also slip to No. 7 in the ICC’s Test rankings.And while it seems unlikely Bayliss would be removed from his position as limited-overs coach – England are rated No. 1 in the world in ODI cricket, after all, and reached the final of the more recent World T20 tournament – it is possible he would be replaced as Test coach if Pakistan prevail in the second Test.But Root, the England captain, insisted such change would be a “knee-jerk reaction” and instead suggested it was his team who should take responsibility for playing “below par these last six months”.”I love working with Trev,” Root said. “I think he does some really great things for this team.”As Jimmy Anderson said yesterday, he can’t do it for us on the field. Ultimately we need to play better. We’ve been below par these last six months.”I don’t see why there’s a need for a change. I think it’s the easy thing to have a knee-jerk reaction and change everything.”Although Root accepted the England dressing room was “low on confidence” and the potential loss of Ben Stokes through injury was far from ideal, he said there was no place for self pity and urged his side to see the game as an opportunity to put things right.”We’re low on confidence after a difficult winter,” Root said. “But there’s no place for “poor-mes” in international sport. We have some very talented players across all departments. It gives opportunities when someone misses out.”The approach is to go out there and put it right. And maybe prove a point to certain people. That can be a driver. I’m looking forward to getting out there straight away and hopefully turning things round.”There’s always noise. When you’re playing well you can lull yourself into thinking you’re playing better than you are. It can be the same the other way round. I’ve been consistent for a while and not kicked on. The same challenges are there for me.”Mentally, I’m really up for that challenge and that fight. Whether that be the captaincy or my batting. I’m really looking forward to this week and I’m glad it’s come about so soon. Now it’s just going and doing it.”

Worcestershire trail by 392 runs as Ben Raine adds 71 for hosts before showers force early close

ECB Reporters Network14-Apr-2023Worcestershire 96 for 2 (Pollock 41, Libby 19*, Potts 2-41) trail Durham 425 for 9 dec (Bedingham 118, Raine 71, Lees 70, Gibbon 4-92) by 329 runsTwo wickets from Matthew Potts allowed Durham to make inroads into the Worcestershire batting line-up before rain ended day two prematurely in their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash at Seat Unique Riverside.The home side posted 425 for 9 declared in their first innings after Ben Raine scored an impressive 71 to build on David Bedingham’s century and Alex Lees’ knock of 70 from day one, securing four batting bonus points to the total.Ed Pollock got the Worcestershire reply off to a blistering start, scoring 41 from just 26 balls before he was bowled by Potts. The England seamer produced a timely peach to remove Azhar Ali just before the close, signalling that he is well prepared to fill the void of Chris Rushworth’s departure. The visitors will resume day three 329 runs behind with eight first-innings wickets in hand.Resuming on 363 for 7, Durham were in need of further runs to shore up their exploits from day one. Raine continued his rich vein of form against Worcestershire following on from his century in the contest between the two sides at the Riverside last season. He sent a cut through backward point to the boundary to register his 14th fifty in first-class cricket.Raine and Paul Coughlin tormented Worcestershire with a record-breaking stand of 213 last season, and proved to be a thorn in their side again by reaching their century stand, securing the fourth batting bonus point for Durham in the process. There was no repeat of their mammoth effort as Coughlin fell for 42 and Raine was caught on the fence before Scott Borthwick declared.Pollock displayed no appetite to see out play until lunch as he unleashed an assault against the new ball. The left-hander bludgeoned nine boundaries to bring up the visitors’ fifty in the sixth over. The ferocity of Pollock’s innings fired up Potts and the England seamer took delight in dismantling his stumps for an entertaining 26-ball knock of 41.Azhar and Jake Libby were more sedate in their approach as the sunshine was gradually replaced by cloud cover. The elements allowed Potts, Raine and Coughlin to control the run rate while beating the bat on several occasions. It appeared as though Durham’s search for a breakthrough would end in frustration as the rain closed in.Azhar was put down by Ollie Robinson for 29 down the leg-side in a rare error from the gloveman. However, his reprieve lasted only two balls before Potts pinned the former Pakistan international lbw just before rain ended the day’s proceedings early.

Tournament will run into February and will comprise 33 matches

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2022There are only 100 days to go for the start of a new franchise T20 league, with Cricket South Africa’s SA20 scheduled to begin on January 10 next year.The league has six teams – MI Cape Town, Durban Super Giants, Johannesburg Super Kings, Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape, which represents the city of Gqeberha – in the fray. All of them are owned by groups that also own teams in the IPL.Related

• Pollard to lead MI Emirates, Rashid put in charge of MI Cape Town

• SA20 strikes landmark broadcast deal for Indian market

• SA20 auction: Tristan Stubbs the biggest buy

• SA20 squads: a look at how they stack up

• Temba Bavuma not picked for SA20

Each squad comprises 17 players – with a maximum of seven internationals – and they filled their rosters at the player auction on September 19, where batter Tristan Stubbs was the most expensive player after being bought for approximately US$ 520,000 by the Sunrisers franchise.Johannesburg Super Kings will be led by former Chennai Super Kings stalwart Faf du Plessis, and their assistant coach Albie Morkel – another former CSK player – was bullish about the opening season of the league.”The player auction was a huge success for us as Jo’burg Super Kings and for the league itself,” he said. “There were a lot of quality local and international cricketers picked up and that will certainly produce competitive cricket from the teams …We have already started doing work behind the scenes and can’t wait for the action to start come January 10th.”Robin Peterson, the former South African spinner and MI Cape Town general manager said the league would be extremely valuable for the development of cricket in South Africa.”The SA20 is going to have a massive impact on South African cricket,” he said. “It is going to revolutionise the game in our country and if used correctly and to its full potential, it will be an exciting competition. Being on the ground working at domestic level, there is a certain level of excitement from cricketers that there is a league within our own country. There’s knowing that if they showcase their skills, who knows where it may lead to, be it playing for the Proteas or getting deals around the world.”The SA20 will comprise 33 matches, to be played from January 10 into February. All teams will play each other twice – on a home-and-away basis – during the league followed by two semi-finals and the final.

M Vijay, Mohammed Shami and Wriddhiman Saha will play for India A in their third and final four-day match to prepare for the first Test against England

Shashank Kishore08-May-2018

India A squads

Tri-series: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Shubhman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), Vijay Shankar, K. Gowtham, Axar Patel, Krunal Pandya, Prasidh Krishna, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shardul Thakur
Four-day matches: Karun Nair (capt), R Samarth, Mayank Agarwal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Hanuma Vihari, Ankit Bawne, Vijay Shankar, KS Bharat (wk), Jayant Yadav, Shahbaz Nadeem, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohammad Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Rajneesh Gurbani

Under-19 World Cup winners Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill have broken into the India A squad that will tour England in June-July. The selectors also decided, in consultation with India coach Ravi Shastri, that M Vijay, Mohammed Shami and Wriddhiman Saha would play for India A in their third and final four-day match to prepare for the first Test against England at Edgbaston, which begins on August 1.Shaw, 18, already has five hundreds in ten first-class matches and a pair of fifties for Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing IPL season. He has found a place in both the 50-overs and four-day squads while Gill is only part of the limited-overs leg of the tour. Shreyas Iyer will lead the 50-overs squad in a tri-series that also involves England Lions and West Indies A, while Karun Nair will lead India A’s four-day squad.Shaw aside, Mayank Agarwal and Vijay Shankar feature in both squads. Agarwal’s selection comes on the back of a breakout 2017-18 domestic season, in which he made 2141 runs across formats, the most by an Indian batsman in a single season. Shankar, meanwhile, is being groomed as a back-up for Hardik Pandya as a seam-bowling allrounder. A BCCI official confirmed that the team management was keen to see how Shankar would perform with the ball in seaming conditions.Rajneesh Gurbani was the only member of Vidarbha’s Ranji Trophy-winning team find a place in the India A squads. Gurbani picked up successive five-wicket hauls in a thrilling semi-final win against Karnataka and in the final against Delhi, a performance that included a hat-trick.Sanju Samson was picked as a specialist batsman for the 50-over squad, but MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors, didn’t rule out the possibility that the wicketkeepers would be rotated. Rishabh Pant and KS Bharat are the designated one-day and four-day keepers on the tour.The 50-overs squad had three allrounders in Krunal Pandya, K Gowtham and Axar Patel. Gowtham was dropped from the India A squad that played New Zealand A last year for “insulting the Duleep Trophy”, but has forced his way back in after impressing for Karnataka and Rajasthan Royals. Axar, meanwhile, will have an opportunity to press home his case for India’s home season, having been left out of India’s limited-overs squads for their tour of England. After his India A commitments, he will play six County Championship fixtures for Durham.India A’s tour kicks off with the tri-series followed by three four-day fixtures (two against West Indies A from July 4 to 7 and July 10 to 13, and one against England Lions from July 16 to 19).

Solid support from Harry Came and Anju Dal enables home side to recover from 58 for 4

ECB Reporters Network05-Sep-2022Derbyshire 306 (du Plooy 82, Came 78, Dal 56, Rushworth 3-60) vs DurhamLeus du Plooy enjoyed another good day at Durham’s expense as Derbyshire recovered in the LV=Insurance County Championship match at the Incora County Ground.The Division Two promotion hopefuls were struggling at 58 for 4 but du Plooy followed his two centuries in the game at Chester-le Street in July with 82 from 123 balls. Harry Came scored a career-best 78, sharing a stand of 143 in 32 overs with du Plooy before Anuj Dal added 56 as Derbyshire were bowled out for 306, Chris Rushworth and Ben Raine both taking three wickets.Durham’s decision to bowl on a well-grassed pitch looked a good one when Rushworth and Raine reduced Derbyshire to 31 for 3. Luis Reece went to the second ball of the match when he edged Rushworth into the gloves of Tom Mackintosh and Billy Godleman’s poor season in the Championship continued when he played on driving at Raine in the next over.Brooke Guest again looked the part at No. 3, showing good judgement in challenging conditions but Derbyshire lost another big wicket in Rushworth’s sixth over. Wayne Madsen had to play at a ball that seamed away and was caught behind for 9 and Guest, who scored a hundred at Chester-le-Street in July, was also the victim of a good delivery.Guest drove Rushworth down the ground for four and, with du Plooy, was starting to rebuild the innings when Raine nipped one away to take his off stump.Another wicket before lunch would have plunged Derbyshire into deep trouble but Came and du Plooy negotiated nine overs and batting became increasingly easier in the afternoon.The inevitable change of ball came after 40 overs but Durham probably wished they had stuck with the old one as du Plooy drove the first delivery from Raine back past the bowler for his ninth four to reach 50 from 73 balls. He took three more fours from the over and with Durham’s bowlers failing to maintain the consistency they showed in the morning, du Plooy and Came played with increasing assurance.Came scored his maiden first-class fifty at Trent Bridge earlier in the season and two sixes off Liam Trevaskis got him moving towards a second. He launched the left-arm spinner down the ground before dispatching a full toss over the ropes and with du Plooy punishing anything short or overpitched, the momentum swung towards Derbyshire.The pair looked set to bat through the session when du Plooy aimed a loose forcing shot outside off stump at Trevaskis and was caught behind.Durham’s bowlers could not apply any sustained pressure after tea and Came pulled Oliver Gibson for his fifth four to pass his previous best score of 70. But Gibson, who bowled at a lively pace, yorked him just before the second new ball which accounted for the tail although Dal completed another half-century to secure a third batting point before he was out in the last over of the day.

A low-key opening day of the series finished early and without a runaway winner, though South Africa were probably slightly the happier after keeping Australia to 225 for 5

The Report by Brydon Coverdale01-Mar-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt wasn’t exactly a whimper, but neither was it much of a bang. Perhaps low-key is the best way to describe the opening day of the series at Kingsmead. Durbanites didn’t flock to the venue, and what the vast majority of the city missed was a couple of half-centuries from Steven Smith and David Warner, a few fifty partnerships, five wickets, and a day that was shortened by 14 overs due to bad light. It was a day without a runaway winner, though South Africa will probably go to bed slightly happier.Play ended with Australia on 225 for 5, with Mitchell Marsh on 32 and Tim Paine on 21. Like most of the Australians before them, they had made starts, but nobody yet managed to push on to an influential score. South Africa’s bowling was consistent and admirable, and there were two wickets each for Vernon Philander and Keshav Maharaj, and one to Kagiso Rabada. Their catching was sharp, though their reviewing was awful. Having lost the toss, they would be comfortable with their position.Most notably for South Africa, they prevented Warner and Smith from really getting away. Smith brought up his fifth consecutive score of fifty-plus in Tests, and Warner shook off his recent struggles against the white ball to extend his run of fifty-plus Test scores in South Africa to six. But like a pair of rockabilly tragics, they both got stuck in the fifties.Philander snared Warner for 51 with the final ball before lunch to leave Australia three-down at the long break, having already lost Cameron Bancroft and Usman Khawaja cheaply. Warner fell to an excellent catch from AB de Villiers at second slip and it was the second brilliant take by the South Africans in the session – Quinton de Kock had dived to his left to pouch a tough chance to remove Khawaja for 14 when Rabada nibbled one away in his first over.Keshav Maharaj claimed the wickets of Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh•AFP

Although just a single wicket fell in the next session it was arguably as valuable as the three that fell before lunch, for it was that of Smith, the best Test batsman in the world and the man to whom Australia look for stability. On 56, Smith edged one off the spin of Maharaj and saw the ball ricochet off the wicketkeeper de Kock and lob up to be easily grabbed by de Villiers at slip. It left Australia at 151 for 4, and less than ten overs later Maharaj added Shaun Marsh, who limply pushed outside off and edged behind for 40.There was no shortage of action in the opening session, with South Africa out of reviews by the 11th over. They wasted their first on the third ball of the Test, when Morne Morkel’s delivery to Bancroft was shown to be both high and wide of leg stump, and the second review disappeared when Maharaj’s first ball spun sharply in to Warner – too sharply, for it would have missed leg stump comfortably.They were potentially costly errors, and South Africa later could have had Shaun Marsh lbw on 19 if they had a review left in the bank. Rabada fired one in from around the wicket and struck Marsh low but was given not out on field; ball-tracking showed the delivery cannoning into leg stump. That they picked up Marsh before he did too much further damage must have been a relief.The only Australian who failed to reach double figures was Bancroft, whose place in the Test side becomes more tenuous with each failure. Bancroft took the strange decision to walk across his stumps against the second ball he faced from Philander and edged behind for 5, the manner of his dismissal hardly what might have been expected of a man noted for patience.By the close of play, all of his batting colleagues had made better starts, though Australia’s position was not especially strong. On an understated day of Test cricket, it was the hosts who narrowly took the honours.

Seamer moves north after building impressive record over four seasons in Canterbury

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jul-2022Yorkshire have made their first domestic signing under new management after Matt Milnes agreed a three-year deal which will see him join from Kent.A number of players will leave the club this year: Steven Patterson announced on Thursday evening that he had been told he would leave at the end of the season and stood down from the club captaincy, while David Willey and Tom Kohler-Cadmore have already confirmed moves to Northamptonshire and Somerset respectively.But the signing of Milnes, who has impressed across formats for Kent since his move from Nottinghamshire in 2018, serves as a vote of confidence in Yorkshire’s new regime. That has been led by Ottis Gibson, who was brought in as head coach ahead of this season after the mass staff sackings which followed Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of an institutionally racist culture at the club during his time as a player.”We are delighted to have signed a top-quality player in Matthew Milnes,” Darren Gough, Yorkshire’s interim director of cricket, said. “He’s a very skilful fast bowler who will add some great competition to the group of seamers that we have here at Yorkshire.”He’s shown what he can do with a red ball, and we are confident he will be a force within our Championship side, as well as offering another great option to our white-ball teams.”We have seen this year the importance of having a good group of fast bowlers, with the schedule meaning rest and rotation is required for them at times to keep everyone as fresh as possible and avoid injuries.”Milnes said: “I have had four happy and successful seasons with Kent, and I will always be grateful to Paul Downton, Matt Walker and my team-mates for their support over the years.”It was a tough decision, but this feels like the right time to embrace a new challenge. I am excited by the prospect of joining Yorkshire and working with Ottis and his coaching staff. Hopefully, this will help me improve and push on to higher levels.”