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Labuschagne, Marsh lead Australia’s fightback on rain-curtailed day
As expected, rain had a major say on the fourth day at Old Trafford with two sessions fully washed out. After a long wait, play finally had gotten underway during what would normally be the second hour of the post-lunch session. When play resumed, the odds were heavily stacked against Australia, more so the overnight pair of Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh. To their credit, the duo weathered the storm rather solidly, negotiating whatever England threw at them with calm.
A lot of the initial phase was about defiance but Marsh did surprise some with an attacking shot early, a nonchalant drop-kick that wasn’t all that far away from Moeen Ali who ran to his left from deep square leg. That apart, the partnership was mostly compact in their shot selection and gave England very few chances when together. Labuschagne gradually started flowing in terms of run-scoring even as Marsh dug deep at the other end.
A moral victory of sorts came for the pair when, after about 90 minutes of play, the umpires told Ben Stokes that England couldn’t operate their pacers anymore due to fading light. It meant that spin had to be bowled from both ends and Moeen came in, as did Joe Root. It allowed Labuschagne to up a gear as he eased towards a well-deserved Test ton, his second overseas. However, it was spin that would eventually break the partnership.
Shortly after completing his century, Labuschagne appeared to be a tad lazy against Root who was getting some bite off the dry Old Trafford surface, constantly threatening the outside and inside edges. His arm-ball in particular had a bit of fizz about it and that’s what got Labuschagne, whose half-hearted late cut ended up as a bottom-edge which Jonny Bairstow pouched on the rebound. It wasn’t given on-field but Bairstow egged Stokes to review and was proven right.
Cameron Green appeared a bit shaky, particularly against spin, and also survived a review at the stroke of Tea. Meanwhile, Marsh has looked quite flawless at the other end although spin is starting to have a say on this tired surface. England would have fancied to have a few more overs of spin in the final session but that wasn’t to be as the rain returned to wash out the remainder of the day.
The weather forecast for the final day is just as ominous as it was for the fourth day, if not worse. England will hope that they get at least a session like they did today or more as they seek to gun down the remaining five wickets. As for Australia, they showed a lot of fight today in the 30 overs that they had to face but will need to do a lot more of that on a wearing surface, if weather and light permits.
Brief scores:
Australia 317 (Mitchell Marsh 51, Marnus Labuschagne 51; Chris Woakes 5-62) and 214/5 (Marnus Labuschagne 111, Mitchell Marsh 31*; Mark Wood 3-27) trail England 592 (Zak Crawley 189, Jonny Bairstow 99*, Joe Root 84; Josh Hazlewood 5-126) by 61 runs
Minister of Power and Energy Kumara Jayakody and Ministry Secretary Prof. Udayanga Hemapala have resigned from their respective positions today (17)
Rwanda will host the inaugural Women’s Challenge Trophy, which starts on April 18 in Kigali with Rwanda taking on Italy, in the first game and Nepal facing USA in the second game later in the day. The tournament, which will run till May 1, also features Vanuatu, and has a total of 20 games over ten match days.
The tournament is a new one in the ICC’s calendar, organised to provide match exposure to the second rung of Associate women’s teams. The eight-team Emerging Nations Trophy, introduced last year, featured the highest-placed teams from the ICC’s five regions, and this one pits the next-highest-placed teams. The teams were confirmed based on their positions at the regional T20 World Cup qualifiers last year.
“A double round-robin format assures maximum match exposure for teams, so that participants are better prepared to play stronger opposition in the years to come,” the ICC said in a statement. “This falls in line with the ICC’s commitment to deliver competitive cricket with context for all its members as it moves to continuously grow the women’s game.”
The matches will be played at Gahanga Cricket Stadium, a facility that has two adjoining grounds which host international cricket – Gahanga Cricket Stadium Main Oval and Gahanga Cricket Stadium Oval B.
“This tournament is a testament to the growth of Rwandan cricket and would not be possible without the unwavering support of our stakeholders, partners, and the ministry of sports,” president of Rwanda Cricket Association Stephen Musaale said. “To our incredible fans: we call on you to fill the stands at Gahanga with your energy and passion. Let us show the world the warmth of Rwandan hospitality as we cheer on our team in this historic chapter of our sporting journey.”
Schedule of matches
April 18: Rwanda vs Italy and Nepal vs USA
April 19: Rwanda vs Vanuatu and Italy vs Nepal
April 21: Rwanda vs USA and Vanuatu vs Italy
April 22: Rwanda vs Nepal and USA vs Vanuatu
April 24: Nepal vs Vanuatu and Italy vs USA
April 26: Rwanda vs Vanuatu and USA vs Nepal
April 27: Rwanda vs Italy and USA vs Vanuatu
April 28: Rwanda vs Nepal and Italy vs Vanuatu
April 30: Italy vs USA and Nepal vs Vanuatu
May 1: Rwanda vs USA and Italy vs Nepal
(The first matches will start at 9am local time and the second at 1pm local time)
The ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) is investigating allegations of corruption involving Cricket Canada, one of which focuses on a game involving Canada from the recent men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
ESPNcricinfo understands the ACU has two active investigations that span elements of Cricket Canada and allegations of breaches of the ICC’s anti-corruption code at international and domestic level as well. The existence of the allegations emerged in a documentary ‘Corruption, Crime and Cricket’, produced by the fifth estate, a Canadian investigative documentary programme. The 43-minute film, aired by the public broadcaster CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) on Friday, makes wide-ranging accusations of corruption and governance at Canada Cricket.
According to the documentary the claim of corruption at the World Cup comes from Canada’s game against New Zealand. Under scrutiny is the fifth over of New Zealand’s chase when the captain Dilpreet Bajwa came on to bowl. Bajwa, then 22, was appoi ted captain three weeks before the tournament began.
Primarily a batting allrounder who bowls offspin, Bajwa took the ball with New Zealand 35 for 2. Canada had opened the bowling with pace in Jaskaran Singh and Dilon Heyliger, but in a poor start they conceded 15 and 14 runs respectively. They switched to spin as early as the third over, when Saad bin Zafar came on and bowled a wicket maiden. Heyliger took a wicket in the next over – the fourth – and then Bajwa came on. He began the over with a no-ball, bowled a wide down the leg side and ended up conceding 15 off the over.
The other investigation stems from a recording of a telephone call involving then Canada coach Khurram Chohan, in which he claims that senior (now former) Cricket Canada board members put pressure on him to select certain players to the national side. The audio was leaked last year and has been under ACU investigation since. The recording also contains claims of attempts to fix in matches, though those involve challenges in corroborating with actionable evidence.
“The ACU is aware of the programme broadcast by CBC,” Andrew Ephgrave, interim General Manager of the ICC’s Integrity Unit, said in a statement to ESPNcricinfo. “Consistent with its established operating procedures, the ACU is not in a position to comment on the substance of any allegations contained within it.
“Governance matters in relation to ICC Members are considered by the ICC, where they fall under its jurisdiction, in accordance with the ICC’s standard constitutional processes.
“The ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit operates across three core functions: intelligence, prevention and education, and investigation. These functions operate concurrently and are applied wherever there is a credible basis to believe the integrity of the sport may be at risk.”
The documentary also interviews another former coach, Pubudu Dassanayake, who makes a similar claim on undue influence being applied on him in squad selections, in his case for the 2024 T20 World Cup. The fifth estate said the board tried “to force” Dassanayake to select certain players and when he didn’t, he was told his contract would be terminated. Dassanayake is suing Cricket Canada for wrongful dismissal.
Canada’s players faced delayed payment of prize money due to them from the 2024 T20 World Cup and the documentary claims that national players were uncontracted from July 2025 and then put on small retainers for four months leading up to this year’s T20 World Cup.
The documentary also explores the links of organised crime after a former player claimed he was threatened. That investigation, Ephgrave told the fifth estate is beyond the ACU’s remit. “I am aware of some allegations. That very much is a domestic matter for whenever that is taking place. And very much a law enforcement responsibility,” Ephgrave said in the documentary.
(Cricinfo)
Minister of Power and Energy and Ministry Secretary resign from posts
Rwanda to host inaugural ICC Women’s Challenge Trophy from April 18
Canada T20 World Cup match under ICC corruption investigation
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