LinkedPrime
Jobs

Articles by Katya Witney,Null

5 articles found

Pakistan speedster banned, multiple players sanctioned by ICC after Asia Cup disciplinary hearings
Technology

Pakistan speedster banned, multiple players sanctioned by ICC after Asia Cup disciplinary hearings

The hearings were conducted by members of the ICC elite panel of match referees, and concerned incidents which took place during matches between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup earlier this year. Tensions were high during the matches, which took place in the backdrop of the armed conflict between the two countries earlier this year. Both captains did not shake hands before the group stage match, in an incident which became 'handshake-gate' with Pakistan's following match against UAE delayed by an hour amid uncertainty over their future participation in the tournament.ALSO READ: Winners without a trophy – A blow-by-blow account of how the India-Pakistan post-final drama unfoldedWhat were the charges against individual players?The ICC heard charges relating to five players across the three matches India and Pakistan played against each other during the tournament.From the group stage game on September 14, Suryakumar Yadav was found guilty of breaching Article 2.21 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to conduct which brings the game into disrepute, and was fined 30 per cent of his match fee and handed two demerit points. Sahibzada Farhan was also found guilty of breaching Article 2.21 and was issued with an official warning and given one demerit point. Haris Rauf was found guilty of the same offence and fined 30 per cent of his match fee and given two demerit points.Arshdeep Singh was investigate for an incident during the Super Fours game on September 21, however he was found no guilty of breaching Article 2.6. That article refers to 'using a gesture which is obscene, offensive or insulting'.After the final, Jasprit Bumrah accepted a charge for breaching Article 2.21 and was given an official warning and one demerit point. Rauf was investigated for a further incident in the final, and was again found guilty of breaching Article 2.21. He was fined 30 per cent of his match fee and received two more demerit points. Why was Haris Rauf banned following the hearings?After being found guilty of two offences, Rauf has been banned for Pakistan's first two ODIs against South Africa on November 4 and 6. Rauf was issued a total of four demerit points from the incidents during the Asia Cup, meaning he reached the threshold for demerit points allowed on a player's record in a 24 month period. The demerit points were thus converted into two suspension points, which were converted into a ban. Two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test match, or two ODIs, or two T20Is, whichever comes first for the player. Pakistan played their first ODI against South Africa today (November 4), which Rauf did not take part in as per the ban. He will also be unavailable for the second game.Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.

Zimbabwe veteran faces end of international career after disclosing drug addiction
Technology

Zimbabwe veteran faces end of international career after disclosing drug addiction

Williams withdrew from Zimbabwe's squad on the eve of the T20 World Cup Africa qualifier in September, citing personal reasons at the time. A statement from Zimbabwe Cricket released today (November 4) stated that, during an internal investigation into the reasons for his unavailability, Williams disclosed to the board that he had been struggling with drug addiction, and that he had voluntarily entered rehabilitation. Zimbabwe went on to win the Qualifier, beating Namibia in the final, and subsequently qualified for the 2026 men's T20 World Cup.The statement also referred to "a history of disciplinary issues and repeated unavailability" from Williams, "which has impacted team preparations and performance"."While ZC commends him for seeking rehabilitation, withdrawal from team commitments under circumstances involving potential testing raises serious concerns regarding professional and ethical standards," continued the statement. "After careful consideration, ZC has concluded that Williams will no longer be considered for national selection. Consequently, it is not feasible to continue his national contract beyond its expiry on 31 December 2025."Williams has played 273 matches for Zimbabwe across his career, which has spanned more than 20 years. He made his international debut in 2005, and has scored more than 8,000 cross-format runs for Zimbabwe. Earlier this year, he became the longest-serving active international cricketer.However, this is the latest of several incidents between him and the Zimbabwe Cricket board. Early in his career, he turned down a central contract in order to play overseas, but changed his mind months later. He did the same in 2008, where he went to play in South Africa only to come back to Zimbabwe weeks later. In 2014, he was left out of a tour of Bangladesh after a reported dispute with then head coach Stephen Mangongo. Williams also served as Zimbabwe captain on 21 occasions across formats. Earlier this year, he made 88 in a one-off Test against England in Nottingham, and made 77 off 45 balls in his most recent appearance for Zimbabwe in a T20I against Namibia."ZC sincerely acknowledges and appreciates his immense contribution to Zimbabwean cricket over the past two decades," read the statement from Zimbabwe Cricket. "Williams has played a pivotal role in some of the most significant moments in our recent history, leaving a lasting legacy both on and off the field."Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.

Former county coach fined for ‘offensive game' ranking female colleagues’ appearances
Technology

Former county coach fined for ‘offensive game' ranking female colleagues’ appearances

The charges levied against Silver related to his time working with Yorkshire, between August and October last year. The first charge related to an inappropriate sexual advance to a female colleague, while the second concerned an offensive and improper 'game' relating to female colleague's appearances. In the full judgement of the case, the first charge relates to messages which Silver sent to a female colleague who was "junior in age and position" in October 2024 after an evening out which included drinking alcohol. In the messages, Silver suggested a "sleepover" with the colleague which "appeared to constitute a sexual advance". The recipient told the panel the messages made her feel "weird", while Silver admitted sending the messages and that they were an error of judgement. He also asserted that they were a "joke".ALSO READ: County cricketer receives one-game ban for shouting n-word at teammateThe second charge relates to an incident from August 2024 at the Scarborough Cricket Festival. During the event, the judgement states that Silver engaged in a game in which he was heard to say "go on, how many" by a junior female member of staff at Yorkshire CCC. Silver told the Cricket Regulator that he had played a "game" with another male, where they discussed "how many drinks it would take for them to kiss each of the regional coaches". He asserted that the "game" was played in his hotel room and did not involve mention of any female member of staff at Yorkshire CCC.Yorkshire conducted formal disciplinary proceedings against Silver earlier this year and his employment was terminated with four weeks full pay in lieu of notice. The Cricket Discipline Panel issued Silver with a suspended fine of £500, and required him to complete a course addressing professional boundaries in the workplace. In making his decision, Richard Whittam KC said: “The conduct admitted by the Respondent has no place in modern society and no place in the cricket environment. Women who participate in cricket in any way must be able to do so in a safe and inclusive environment.”Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.

Players considering their futures as USA Cricket boardroom chaos puts Major League in jeopardy
Technology

Players considering their futures as USA Cricket boardroom chaos puts Major League in jeopardy

Why was USA Cricket suspended by the ICC?The board’s suspension, which was based on “repeated and continuous breaches of USA Cricket’s obligations as an ICC member”, means the management and administration of the US national teams has been temporarily taken over by the ICC. Suspension will also not affect the USA’s participation in the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup, which they qualified for as a top eight finisher in the last edition.USA Cricket declared bankruptcy earlier this month, and has several ongoing lawsuits against both the organisation and individual members of the board.'You hear some stuff from the media, some stuff from emails'“It’s been difficult to try and figure out exactly what’s going on,” Sanjay Krishnamurthi – USA all-rounder with 23 international caps – tells Wisden.com. “You hear some stuff from the media, and some stuff from emails. There have also been some confidential video calls [for players], but it’s been a bit slow.“Our [pre-T20 World Cup] training camp has been affected, so we’ve got to make the most of what we can training locally. I hope that we have some sort of preparation after our 50-over series, but we’ll have to see.”Read more: Inside USA Cricket’s power struggle – The bitter fight for control of the gameThe most concerning part of the crisis for players has been the termination of USA Cricket’s partnership with American Cricket Enterprises [ACE]. ACE are a consortium of high-profile investors who own Major League Cricket and Minor League Cricket, and also have funded US national team activities since 2019. USA Cricket allege multiple failures of ACE to deliver on their obligations set out in the deal, including national team funding and building a high-performance centre. ACE strongly deny those claims, and are currently suing USA Cricket alleging unlawful termination of the deal.USA men were set to have a high-performance training camp, funded by ACE, and a warm-up series against West Indies A, to prepare for the T20 World Cup in February, and for World Cricket League Two, which is USA’s pathway to qualify for the 2027 World Cup. Under the current circumstances, they are unlikely to take place.The termination of the deal also puts the future of MLC in jeopardy. The deal gave ACE exclusive rights to facilitate a T20 League in the USA. Without the deal, they no longer have those rights.“There’s huge nervousness and uncertainty with the current situation,” ACE CEO Johnny Grave told Wisden.com. “MLC isn’t something you organise in a couple of months. International players want to know about their summer plans and secure their earnings for next year now, so we need to contract them and arrange their visas ASAP.”Krishnamurthi, who plays for San Francisco Unicorns in MLC, and scored 253 runs in this year’s editions – including 92 off 40 balls against LA Knight Riders – is similarly wary. “Should the termination remain in place, I think it’s reasonable to think that these tournaments might not happen or might happen on a much smaller scale with ACE not wanting to put in as much investment,” he says.Also read: 'Everything is at risk' – What the USA Cricket crisis means for the future of MLC and LA28“If these tournaments were to not happen then it would definitely change my outlook on American cricket, because these are the most important opportunities, especially Major League, that we get to showcase our skills to the world. Without it, it’s pretty hard to show your skills as an American cricketer in order to get into other leagues.“I wouldn’t necessarily be as comfortable putting all of my eggs into cricket [should MLC cease to continue], and I believe others feel a similar way from the conversations I’ve had.”The USA will be back in action this weekend, as they resume their campaign in World Cup League Two. They will begin a tri-series against Nepal and the UAE in Dubai, having last played in May. USA are currently second in the league table and in a strong position to advance to the Qualifier for the 50-over World Cup for the first time.*Photo credits San Francisco UnicornsFollow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.

England's grit under pressure shows Edwards effect in action
Technology

England's grit under pressure shows Edwards effect in action

Catches went down, tempers were lost and then-head coach Jon Lewis felt the need to step onto the field at the drinks break to try and regain some form of control. That loss against the West Indies was a tipping point. It preceded England’s devastating loss in the Ashes, which itself prompted a regime change. Appointing Charlotte Edwards as head coach wasn’t so much about clearing out players or making bold selection calls, but drawing on the experience of England’s grittiest former player to instil in this group how to win ugly. Sitting in her first press conference as coach, she clearly stated what she’d come on board to do – “it’s about winning”.Progress was made over the summer, first against West Indies and then, despite the series scoreline, in some key moments against India. But, no matter the opposition or manufacturing scenarios, there’s no way to create the kind of scenarios which have been England’s biggest Achilles heel outside of global knockout tournaments. Against India in Indore, they were faced with a situation that, based on previous responses, they were odds on to lose.India needed a run a ball with wickets in hand, and the world's most in-form batter at the crease. England had collapsed with the bat for the fourth game running, and fallen short of the kind of score thought to be match-winning on a decent surface. While it wouldn’t dump them out, a loss would make their path to the semi-finals – the minimum expected of them from the tournament – more complicated. But against the run of play, England found a steel they’ve previously lacked.When Linsey Smith was brought back on to bowl in the final 10, she drew the error from Smriti Mandhana. Nearing her third hundred in the last month, she rushed down the pitch, looking to launch down the ground. Instead, she was undone by the gentle drift Smith gets, and spliced the ball moving away from her to Alice Capsey five meters in from the rope.England have qualified for the semi-finals of the 2025 World Cup!They squeeze past India in Indore, clawing the game back after the hosts needed 57 off 57 with seven wickets in hand 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿#WomensWorldCup #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/2gnqtTvYLw— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 19, 2025There were several key factors in that dismissal that went differently from how England have held up in those moments before. Firstly, the bowler. Smith came back into England’s plans over the summer, and since then, she’s been their best bowler. She’s taken more wickets in their ODIs in that time than anyone else, and conceded her runs at exactly four an over. In this World Cup, she blew South Africa away in their opening game, and has been used as their go-to option in the powerplay.Opening with Smith in that South Africa game was a risk. South Africa have big hitters in their top-order more than capable of clearing the inner-ring. But the drift Smith generated with the new ball has meant that she’s been a dangerous weapon in that role so far in the tournament. Against India, it was at the death that she was at her most dangerous. Not only did she get just enough of that drift to trouble the middle-order, but she switched up her angles, going over the wicket to the right-handers and round to the left. She conceded just four runs off the 48th over, and defended 16 off the last.“My role has been made pretty clear, a lot of powerplay, a lot of death, I’m glad it came off today,” said Smith after the game. “I’ve been practicing that death plan all week, trying to bowl a tight line into their heels and try and block off that off-side.”“It’s [around the wicket to left-handers] something I’ve played around with, I’ve actually not done it a lot against the lefties, coming round in the powerplay. But it’s something we’ve spoken about tactically and we think it’s working well. I’ve still not got one to go to slip yet but I’m adamant I’m keeping it in for one more game maybe.”Smith’s success since coming into England’s first XI also shows the benefit of picking players with the experience and game-smarts to keep their head in high pressure situations. Smith had to wait more than seven years between making her international debut and breaking through into the mainstream. All the while, she was learning her craft on the domestic circuit, playing in knockout matches for the Southern Vipers and developing both on the field and off it.At the other end of that spectrum, there’s Alice Capsey, who took the crucial catch to dismiss Mandhana. Capsey was catapulted into the spotlight during the early years of The Hundred, and has rarely been out of England squads since. In that T20 World Cup game against West Indies, Capsey dropped a clanger which would have stopped Qiana Joseph in her tracks, at a point where England could have pulled the game back. A number of England fielders were guilty that day, as they also were at points over the summer. Last night, three catches were held in the final 10 overs of the game. It was that which was the most obvious difference between what had gone before and now.All of that added up to the kind of win England have found elusive. Part of the credit should also go to Nat Sciver-Brunt, in a tough challenge of her captaincy, which she came out of having controlled the situation. Not only did it secure them semi-final qualification, but it fulfilled exactly the remit Edwards was brought on board to instil. A gritty, ugly, important win.Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.