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When Rohit Sharma completed his first ODI century in Mumbai, he took some time to savour it, settling into a relaxed acknowledgement of the applause with his arms outstretched. Even at about 60% capacity, the crowd was rather loud for their local hero.

West Indies captain Jason Holder on…

What went wrong: “We definitely didn’t play well. The way we started the series and the way we have played so far, we certainly didn’t do any justice today. Gave away too many runs. I felt it was a very good wicket, the outfield was lightning. It was a wicket where once you get in, you can go really big. Unfortunately none of our batters just really got it and gave themselves a chance to bat deep into the innings.”
Coping with the rising asking rate: “The asking rate definitely plays on your mind as well, you know. Obviously a big total and you need to be up with the total for a majority of the innings. We never really got any momentum up front, lost too many wickets up front. And the two run-outs didn’t really help us. Set us back really – two of our better players, and we didn’t really have any momentum in the middle. Credit to India, they bowled reasonably well upfront and caused trouble.”

Rohit likes playing at the CCI’s Brabourne Stadium. It is the venue where he made his first T20 hundred, an unbeaten 101 against Gujarat in 2007, and two years later made 309 in a Ranji match against the same opposition.”I have played a lot of cricket at CCI and I have always enjoyed batting here,” Rohit said. “It is a good pitch and you get value for your shots. It has a fast outfield, so you don’t need to try and hit too hard. You can find the gaps, and that’s what I was looking at.”When you come to a ground where you have played enough cricket, you feel confident of going into a match. That was my mindset before walking into bat. I understand the nature of the pitch and what it does when the spinners are bowling. Those things are important. Like I said, I’ve had lot of opportunities to play here and it was going about and doing the same thing.”Rohit Sharma scored his seventh 150-plus score at Brabourne•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

This hundred, Rohit’s 21st, comes in the middle of a purple patch and falls in line with a pattern of increasing scores every time he has gone past 50 over the last month. After scores of 52 and 83* in the Asia Cup, Rohit made an unbeaten 111 against Pakistan in the same tournament, and in the next instance of making a 50-plus score, Rohit finished with an unbeaten 152 at the start of this series. Incredibly, he managed to better even that score, but the three-time ODI double-centurion said didn’t think of a fourth at any point.”While batting, I don’t think about scoring hundreds or double-hundreds. I just want to go bat, score runs and get the team to good positions,” Rohit said. “The three double-hundreds that I’ve got, I had never thought about getting them. Even today, in fact, Rayudu was telling me that I can get a double-hundred. But I was just trying to focus on my batting and not think about how I’m going to get to double-hundred. I wanted to score runs and make sure that we get enough runs because CCI can get tricky while [defending]. But we bowled well to get them out.”There were signs that Rohit was alluding to in terms of balance between bat and ball, and perhaps nothing nailed down that hypothesis better than the 224-run margin of victory. And among the stars of India’s 377 defence was left-arm fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed.”In the first innings when me and Shikhar were batting, we were not finding it that easy because it was doing a little bit,” Rohit said. “You can’t just go straight away and start playing shots. You need to spend some time. So in my opinion the pitch was on offer for both batsman and bowlers. It was probably one of the best pitches that I’ve played on in India.”When the left-armers swing the ball the way Khaleel did today, it’s always going to trouble the batsman no matter what sort of batsman he’s bowling against. If he’s swinging the ball the way he is, any batsman in the world will find it difficult. He’s maturing very fast, he understands his bowling. And the management also understands where he needs to be come the World Cup. I hope he continues to do that because it’s only going to be better for us. Come New Zealand, and the World Cup in England, where the ball swings a lot, he might be very handy there.”

Seven state associations of the BCCI have written to the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) and the office bearers asking them to immediately suspend the board’s chief executive Rahul Johri pending inquiry into anonymous allegations of sexual harassment against him that emerged a fortnight ago. They want the allegations to be probed by an independent panel of three individuals, one each of whom should be nominated by the state associations, the office-bearers, and the CoA.Hours after these letters were sent, the CoA announced that an independent panel will look into the allegations against Johri. There is no input from the states in the constitution of the panel. The states, the general body of the BCCI, don’t have any powers to act until the new constitution as mandated by the Supreme Court is adopted and general elections are held. The CoA runs the BCCI until such time.The state associations are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Haryana, Gujarat, Saurashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Goa. Two of them – Gujarat and Tamil Nadu – have also informed the CoA that Johri will not be allowed inside their premises. The TNCA, for example, has banned Johri from the MA Chidambaram Stadium pending inquiry.Each of the letters – accessed by ESPNcricinfo – has expressed concern at the lack of transparency and due process in the handling of the matter and the absence of communication with the BCCI’s stakeholders. They have raised a concern that the BCCI lawyers – with whom only Johri is empowered to deal – are not in a position to provide the CoA independent legal advice on how to handle allegations against Johri.”Have the steps taken/procedure followed by the CoA or the office bearers in this matter been taken on the basis of legal advice?” the Haryana Cricket Association has asked. “Who has given the advice? Does Mr. Rahul Johri interact with these lawyers who have advised the CoA on this matter? On account of the various directions issued by the CoA, do these lawyers not essentially depend upon Mr. Rahul Johri’s decisions to some extent? We would like to see a copy of the advice from the lawyers and their details and the number of cases and dates of hearing on behalf of the BCCI that Mr. Johri has interacted with them on.”What assurance can be given to the members that the legal advice being given by the lawyers in this matter is in the best interest of the organisation rather than in the best interest of Mr. Johri? How many times has Mr. Johri interacted with these lawyers by phone or by email since the allegations saw the light of day?”The anonymous allegation against Johri first appeared in a tweet on October 12, after which he was given a week to explain himself. There had also been an anonymous email to the BCCI in January 2017, alleging “sex harassment” by Johri at his previous employment.The letters from the state units contend that the CoA’s response was not consistent with how the CoA has dealt with other matters. Mohammed Shami’s contract was withheld pending enquiry when his wife accused him of domestic violence. In October 2017, the board “dismissed” the Pune curator Pandurang Salgaoncar on an allegation of pitch fixing based on a sting operation, which is not permissible evidence in court, without any investigation. In July 2018, an Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association official was suspended immediately after a sting operation involving bribery for selection. He has subsequently been cleared by a panel.The state associations have also brought up another internal complaint of alleged harassment – following which the complainant, a BCCI staffer, was transferred within the organisation – that has been reported in the media but neither acknowledged nor explained by the BCCI. These allegations first appeared in letters written by the petitioner who originally took the BCCI to the Supreme Court, Aditya Verma. The letters say the allegations haven’t been discussed with state units either.The Saurashtra Cricket Association referred specifically to this case. It asked:”a. Is there any truth to the allegations that an employee had complained of harassment?b. Was an employee made to write a letter of apology?c. Was the employee who complained of harassment made to write a letter stating that all was ok?d. If there is any truth in the set of facts, what was the procedure that was adopted by the office bearers/ CoA/ Management in this matter?”It is worth noting that the BCCI’s Internal Complaints Committee was set up two months after this alleged incident, in April this year. In the absence of such a committee, such matters are referred to the Local Complaints Committee under the district administration.

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) remain at loggerheads with the ECB over the men’s T20 Blast’s schedule. The union, which represents all professional players in England and Wales, has reiterated concerns about player welfare after only a small reduction in the number of back-to-back matchdays in the schedule for 2025 unveiled by the ECB on Thursday.The ECB heralded a reduction by “almost a third” in the number of back-to-back fixtures (down from 55 in 2024 to 37 in 2025) in the men’s Blast in a press release on Thursday. Neil Snowball, the ECB’s managing director of competitions and major events, said the reduction showed that they “have listened to the players” after “constructive conversations with the PCA”.But while the PCA are encouraged by the changes, they believe they do not go far enough. “There remains a significant number of fixtures on successive days which suggests little improvement compared to the 2023 schedule,” a spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. “There is a lot more work needed to meet player welfare needs.”The counties generally prefer to play a majority of their Blast fixtures between Thursday and Sunday, citing a beneficial impact on ticket sales. But players have become increasingly vocal in the last 18 months about the drawbacks of that model, with back-to-back games heightening the risk of injury and diminishing the quality of cricket played.In May, a survey by the PCA revealed a startling 81% of county cricketers had been left fearing for their physical health due to their season-long workloads.The PCA are represented by interim chief executive Daryl Mitchell on the Professional Game Committee, who sign off on the domestic schedule and are involved in discussions around the fixture list ahead of its publication.The ECB’s revamp of domestic women’s cricket for 2025 will see the eight Tier One women’s teams compete in the Women’s T20 Blast and the ten Tier Two teams in a second tier. Every county will host at least one men’s and women’s joint-matchday, with a total of 52 double-headers due to be staged across 20 different venues.Related

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Snowball said that the Blast will be “bigger and better” in 2025, while Beth Barrett-Wild, the director of the women’s professional game, said the joint announcement of fixtures marked “the beginning of a new era” for English cricket: “It’s one of the clearest demonstrations to date of our aligned ‘one game’ approach to the delivery of men’s and women’s domestic cricket moving forwards.”The first women’s Blast Finals Day will take place at The Oval on July 27 while the men’s knockout stages will continue to be staged in September, six weeks after the conclusion of the group stage. England’s best white-ball players will again miss men’s Finals Day, which is set for September 13 and clashes with a T20I series against South Africa.The rest of the men’s county fixtures will be released by the ECB on Tuesday morning, with no change in the volume of County Championship and One-Day Cup matches. Fixtures for the Hundred are likely to be released early next year, with the tournament staged in its usual August window.Key T20 Blast fixtures 2025:May 29 – June 1 – ‘Blast Off’ weekend (opening fixtures)
July 18 – ‘Friday Finale’ (final group-stage matches)
July 26 – Women’s Tier 2 Finals Day (Northampton)
July 27 – Women’s Tier 1 Finals Day (The Oval)
September 3-6 – Men’s Quarter-Finals
September 13 – Men’s Finals Day (Edgbaston)

Oval Invincibles came out on top by five wickets in a tense match on a slow, low wicket at Trent Bridge to earn the right to face London Spirit in the Hundred eliminator at The Oval on Saturday.South African allrounder Marizanne Kapp starred with both ball and bat, taking 3 for 8 from her 20 balls and scoring an unbeaten 26 to guide the Invincibles home.”I’m just happy to get over the line today,” Kapp said. “I’ve been in that situation a lot of times for all the franchises I’ve played for around the world, so it helps a lot. I can’t think about [the eliminator] at the moment: today was too stressful. But I’m happy to go through.”Chasing 92 to win, the Invincibles started the chase positively, Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu striking three early boundaries before falling caught at long-off to the offspin of Ashleigh Gardner for 16.Captain Lauren Winfield-Hill went lbw to Heather Graham to see the Invincibles 33 for 2 and they were 33 for 3 one ball later when Alana King bowled Alice Capsey with a beautiful legbreak.Alana King roars after knocking back Alice Capsey’s off stump•Nathan Stirk/ECB via Getty Images

At halfway, the Invincibles were 45 for 3, Paige Scholfield looking industrious against the turning ball with her side still requiring 47.With the rate required hovering around a run a ball, Kapp launched a counter-attack, striking Graham for two boundaries to relieve some pressure before Scholfield hit back-to-back fours off Nat Sciver-Brunt to take the equation to 22 required from 30.Scholfield fell for 26 with eight still required, and Mady Villiers (1) went with seven needed, but Kapp remained cool to see the London side home with six balls to spare.Kapp’s skill bookended the match. She bowled the first 10 balls of the innings and was well rewarded, striking twice to remove Grace Scrivens for a duck and then having Bryony Smith (1) spectacularly caught by a flying Villiers two balls later.Trent Rockets then found themselves in even more trouble at 3 for 3 after 13 balls when a back-of-a-length delivery from Rachel Slater kept low and claimed the big wicket of Sciver-Brunt, also for a duck.Gardner’s 43 kept Rockets in the game, but after her dismissal their innings fizzled out to end 91 for 8 – a total that Kapp was able to overhaul to ensure passage to the last three for Oval Invincibles.

Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed made unbeaten centuries as Nottinghamshire Outlaws bounced back from defeat at Leicester in their opening match with a eight-wicket victory over Sussex Sharks in their Metro Bank One-Day Cup match at the picturesque home of Welbeck Cricket Club in the north of the county.Opener Slater, who averages more than 53 in the List A format, again demonstrated his penchant for 50-over cricket by scoring 107 with Outlaws skipper Hameed making 101 not out as they shared a county List A third-wicket record partnership of 209 to inflict a heavy opening-match defeat on their Group B opponents, who managed only one win in the competition last season.Sussex were bowled out in the 48th over for 216 despite Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s 90 from 109 balls. The all-rounder hit nine fours and a six but found himself ploughing almost a lone furrow in an under-par performance by his side, who have up to now enjoyed a successful season, booking a home quarter-final in the Vitality Blast and building a healthy lead in Division Two of the Vitality County Championship.Luke Fletcher (three for 35) and Toby Pettman (three for 44) were the most successful Outlaws seamers, although Brett Hutton, who took one for 41 bowling his 10 overs in a single spell, made a strong comeback after three months out with an Achilles injury. Left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White (two for 35) also impressed.The Outlaws stuttered at the start of their chase, finding themselves eight for two after losing Freddie McCann for two and Jack Haynes without scoring, but Sussex were unable to make any further inroads as their opponents cruised home with 50 balls to spare.The 19-year-old McCann, in his second List A appearance following his debut at Leicester on Wednesday, spooned a catch to mid-on off Ari Karvelas, while Haynes registered his second consecutive duck with a loose shot that had him caught behind, after which Slater was fortunate with a top-edge off Karvelas that flashed just out of the wicketkeeper’s reach.But with a required rate of only 4.34 runs per over and a quick outfield, Slater and Hameed did not need to take risks and were able to comfortably pace their innings once the newness of the balls had worn off, moving the total to 48 for two from 10 overs, 93 for two from 20, and 140 for two from 30.Slater found the gaps regularly enough to pass fifty for the 18th time in this format from 54 balls with eight boundaries, Hameed reaching his from 69 balls with his third four, a return to form he will have enjoyed after enduring a lean time in 2023, if not the shot that took him there, a streaky edge off the leg-spin of Archie Lenham.The left-handed Slater was seldom troubled, reaching his seventh List A hundred when he pulled Karvelas for his 13th boundary as the Outlaws closed in on their target, Hameed hitting the same bowler for six, four, four and one to complete his.Sussex found the going tough from the outset after opting to bat first. The pitch seemed to lack pace and, in the face of excellent, tight bowling at both ends from Hutton and Fletcher, they lost both openers for 33 by the second ball of the 11th over.Tom Clark nibbled at one outside off stump off Hutton before Tom Haines edged his drive against Fletcher, Tom Moores doing the rest behind the stumps.Joined by Hudson-Prentice, Oli Carter sought to rebuild but the arrival of Pettman in the attack made scoring no easier.The 26-year-old seamer, who has had limited opportunities in his four years with Nottinghamshire, was making his first senior appearance since last August but made it count with two wickets in two balls as a frustrated Carter found the fielder at mid-on and Sussex captain John Simpson was leg before.Simpson’s dismissal exposed Sussex’s inexperienced middle-order and Hudson-Prentice soon lost two more partners as 19-year-old Daniel Ibraham was caught at slip and 18-year-old Henry Rogers, on debut, skied to long-on as Patterson-White found immediate turn.Hudson-Prentice and 20-year old off-spinner Bertie Foreman added 64 before some smart relay fielding involving extra cover Ben Slater, bowler Lyndon James and ‘keeper Tom Moores ran out the younger player.Fletcher returned to dismiss Lenham caught behind and Karvelas via a miscued pull, in between which Hudson-Prentice cracked consecutive boundaries off Pettman before he was caught at mid-off, as Sussex were all out with almost three overs wasted.

Bad light and determined resistance by Lewis McManus frustrated Sussex’s bid to pull off an unlikely victory over Northamptonshire on a gripping final day at Hove.McManus batted for an hour as four partners came and went and Northants lurched to 170 for 9 before umpires Paul Baldwin and Surendiran Shanmugam decided it was too gloomy even for spin with Northants ahead by 63.The loss of more than 100 overs eventually proved decisive but Sussex will have drawn a lot of encouragement after making most of the running, especially on the last two days. They took 15 points and Northants 13.Having established a first-innings lead of 107, they reduced Northants to 57 for 4. Skipper Luke Procter (41) settled the nerves before left-arm spinner James Coles revived Sussex hopes with three of the four wickets that fell in 7.1 overs after tea that left them 152 for 8.McManus and Ben Sanderson resisted for eight overs until the light improved sufficiently to enable Sussex skipper John Simpson to bring back his quicks Jayden Seales and Ollie Robinson for two overs each.Robinson responded with an unplayable yorker to uproot Sanderson’s middle stump, a fitting way to celebrate his 400th first-class wicket. Spinners Coles and Jack Carson returned but the light didn’t improve and the players shook hands shortly after 6pm.