Let us look at some of the most-discussed cricket stories on the news on 12 July.
Conway, Ecclestone named ICC Players of the Month
Devon Conway and Sophie Ecclestone have been named ICC Players of the Month for June.
Conway became the first New Zealand player to win this award after an impressive first month in Test cricket. This includes a double hundred on Test debut against England at Lord’s. He then scored two fifties in his next two games, one of which came in the WTC final in Southampton, against India.
Ecclestone, the 2018 ICC Emerging Player of the Year winner, pipped Shafali Verma and Sneh Rana to become the second Englishwoman to win the award. Tammy Beaumont had won it in February.
Derbyshire-Essex abandoned due to Covid-19 scare
A County Championship fixture between Derbyshire and Essex was abandoned on 12 July after a Derbyshire player tested positive for Covid-19.
Derbyshire CEO Ryan Duckett has not revealed the player’s identity, but said that he is now self-isolating. The club added that his teammates are in self-isolation as well after being deemed close contacts. With not many players left to field, the on-field umpires decided to abandon the game.
This is the third time that Covid-19 hit in County Championship. Peter Handscomb sat out of Middlesex’s fixture against Leicestershire after testing positive. Kent had to field an entirely new squad after a member of its original team tested positive a day before their match against Sussex.
Ireland Women named 14-member squad for Netherlands T20Is
Ireland named a 14-member squad for their upcoming four-match T20I series against Netherlands Women, starting 26 July in Dublin. They have recalled Mary Waldron, while Laura Delany will be continuing her captaincy duty for the side.
Waldron had last played a T20I in 2019. She then switched to umpiring and officiated in the WBBL in that same year. Eimear Richardson and Sophie MacMahon have also been recalled.
Ireland Squad for Netherlands T20Is: Laura Delany (c), Ava Canning, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Lara Maritz, Sophie MacMahon, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron.
PSL facing scheduling challenge for next edition: Report
The Pakistan Super League faces a scheduling dilemma for the 2022 season, reported ESPNCricinfo. The PCB was hoping to play Australia in Pakistan in the window which usually occupied by the tournament.
Since its inception in 2016, the PCB has been conducting PSL between February and March. But keeping Australia’s visit in mind, they did consider the April-May window for the next edition, which would clash with the IPL timings.