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Hilton Moreeng has denied a rift in the South African women’s changeroom despite a group of players expressing their grievances with his continuing as the head coach.Moreeng, who is in his 11th year in the post and has had his contract extended until December 31, went as far as to describe the environment as “not unhealthy,” following a two-week camp where players were given the opportunity to air their views. He did not elaborate on what was discussed but indicated the squad is united on the eve of their departure to Pakistan for a six-match white-ball series starting September 1.Asked how he is going to manage players who have written to Cricket South Africa to express their desire for a change in coach, Moreeng batted away any suggestion of a schism. “There are challenges here and there and these internal things we discuss. The landscape has changed. The country has become professional but regarding the changeroom being divided, it’s not something that has happened,” he said. “We are building as a team. Whatever challenges we encounter, which are in every changeroom, is one of those you discuss as you go along. Extended conversations have happened. We had a camp. We could speak and find out what the actual challenges are. We also need to stay focused on the job at hand. It’s not an unhealthy situation. You need to have discussions.”Related

• CSA to be less rigid in applying fitness standards

• Moreeng to continue as South Africa women's coach despite calls for change

• Luus steps down as South Africa captain ahead of Pakistan tour

• South Africa's women's team to get equal match fees as the men

• South Africa name Wolvaardt as women team's interim captain

Chief among those conversations is the one Moreeng had to have with Sune Luus, who opted to step down as South Africa captain earlier this week. The 27-year-old had served as a stand-in several times and had great success recently, taking them to the final of the T20 World Cup. At that tournament, she even opened up about making the team her own.CSA initially did not provide a reason for Luus resigning but later said she chose to “to focus on her cricket.” Moreeng echoed that line. “She decided to step down because she wants to contribute to the team and focus on her performances. In the beginning, it was tough but we had to accept that’s how the player feels. She feels she can contribute more (not as captain).”Laura Wolvaardt, who Moreeng praised for having a “very good cricket brain,” has taken over in interim capacity for the Pakistan and New Zealand series, which close out South Africa’s year. A decision on the permanent captain will be made towards the end of the year. That is also when a longer-term coaching appointment will be made with the board now accepting applications. Moreeng did not explicitly say if he will put his name in the hat again but confirmed that he still has ambitions for the national women’s team. “I have enjoyed working with the players from the first day. When we started as a team, it’s always been one of our visions to give ourselves a chance to win a World Cup and to have a professional league,” he said.Already one of those goals has been met. This week, CSA announced that the top-tier of women’s domestic cricket will be made professional and that each of the six teams competing can contract 11 players and a full-time backroom staff.Moreeng came close to achieving the second – winning a World Cup – when he oversaw South Africa’s run to the T20 World Cup final earlier this year. “As a country, we can say, we are closing the gap slowly,” he said. “When you look at the top three teams, we are closing the gap.” Given that he has also taken the team to the last two ODI World Cup semi-finals, he called it “frustrating,” to hear calls for his ouster but added “that is the country we live in.” It is ESPNcricinfo’s understanding that the players are not unhappy with Moreeng as a person, but are after a change of ideas.

Cameron Green believes it would be a “stretch” for him to open the batting in Test cricket as the moment gets closer when Australia’s selectors will need to decide how to balance the playing XI for Old Trafford.Green missed the Headingley Test with a minor hamstring issue – which he said he would have been able to play through if needed – and Mitchell Marsh grabbed his opportunity with a scintillating hundred on the opening day to rescue Australia. Marsh also bowled tidily and the selectors now face a quandary over how – or if – to fit Green back into the team.The least disruptive route would be to take the rare option of not playing a frontline spinner, leaving out Todd Murphy, who was sparsely used in Leeds, and using Green as part of an all-pace attack supplemented by Travis Head, but coach Andrew McDonald has been firm on how he prefers a balanced bowling group.Related

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• Harris not expecting Ashes chance given Warner has 'done well'

• Old Trafford Test: can Australia fit in both Marsh and Green? What about Warner?

• What happens next? Recapping the crazy men's Ashes

• Ollie Robinson insists he's '100 percent fit' for Old Trafford after back spasm

Therefore, the selection squeeze has turned the spotlight back on David Warner, who failed twice against Stuart Broad at Headingley. While McDonald stopped short of guaranteeing his spot, he did cite the value of the opening stands he added with Usman Khawaja at Edgbaston and Lord’s. Warner has been supported by Ricky Ponting in recent days to retain his spot and leaving him out would also require a reshuffle of the order.Marsh and Green have even been floated as potential options given they have done it in white-ball cricket – Marsh recently in ODIs and Green in T20s – although neither has regularly been higher than No. 4 in first-class cricket, and it remains a very unlikely solution.”I think it’s a bit of a stretch,” Green said of the possibility of him opening the batting in the fourth Test. “I think being an allrounder [makes it a stretch] – probably Shane Watson is the only one who comes to mind doing that – [and] I’m not too sure how much he bowled.”Watson was recalled to open the batting midway through the 2009 Ashes and it went on to be his most successful position in Test cricket, with an average of 41.79. On average, he bowled close to 15 overs in those matches and he claimed the third-most wickets (43) of a pace bowler to have opened the batting. Green currently averages a little over 13 overs per Test.”I think anyone would be happy to bat anywhere to play Test cricket,” Green added. “You always put your hand up for selection but have to wait and see what selectors think.”The other option the selectors will need to consider is whether to bring Green straight back in. His returns with bat and ball on tour, which includes the WTC final against India at the Oval, so far have been underwhelming, with respective averages of 19.16 and 45.60.Cameron Green hasn’t quite found his stride so far•Getty Images

“It’s been a tour so far with a lot of learning,” Green said. “Most of the time, I’ve got myself out rather than to do with the conditions. I think that’s to do with the wickets, it’s been quite flat. I am just trying to learn as much as I can and hopefully it holds me in good stead moving forward.”Unlike most of the squad who have taken a complete break in the gap before Old Trafford, Green has continued to train. He said his absence from the third Test was a very precautionary move and he could have pushed through. He picked up the hamstring niggle batting in the second innings at Lord’s and was able to bowl 13 overs afterwards which included the sustained short-ball approach.”[There were] no real issues at the time, it was more it’s just a long tour so I think everyone kind of wanted to get a break throughout one of the games, so that was my game,” he said. “The body is all good. Felt completely fine bowling. Think I just took off for a single and felt something very, very minor.”Green and Marsh are very close and while the latter’s superb return to Test cricket may mean Green now has to wait for his next outing, there was delight in his team-mate’s success.”We both have a great relationship,” he said. “We’re so happy for each other when one gets picked…I kind of look up to Mitch, so I’m so happy to see him play well. There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to come back and play an incredible game, which he did.”

Australia’s reserve opener Marcus Harris is resigned to the fact that he may not play in the Ashes, praising David Warner for his performances despite twin failures in the Headingley Test.Harris, 30, is the only specialist reserve batter currently in the squad after Matt Renshaw was released following the second Test at Lord’s. But he is not expecting to play a part in the series unless there is an injury to one of Australia’s top five batters.Since Australia’s loss at Headingley, all the selection talk has revolved around trying to fit Cameron Green back into the team after Mitchell Marsh made himself indispensable following his stunning opening-day century and crucial wickets, having replaced Green when he was withdrawn due to a hamstring niggle.Related

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• David Warner's spot could come under scrutiny for Old Trafford Test

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• Stuart Broad vs David Warner: 17 and counting

• David Warner hoping for SCG farewell from Test cricket in January 2024

Warner has been mooted publicly as the man who could make way given his continued struggles against Stuart Broad. But Green, and others within the Australian team, have tempered suggestions that either he, Marsh or Travis Head could be viable options to open the batting at Old Trafford.Harris echoed those sentiments and acknowledged that he is unlikely to be considered until after Warner’s planned Test swansong in January next year, given that Warner and Usman Khawaja have produced three 50-plus opening stands in the series so far while England’s opening duo of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have managed just one.”Davey’s earned the right to pull the pin whenever he wants to pull the pin and he’s done well this series,” Harris said.”England’s not an easy place to open the batting and him and Uz have got us off to some good starts. So if I have to wait until then, so be it. But if something comes up earlier, I’m ready to go. Davey’s obviously a bit of a lightning rod for opinion.”Even if you’re not getting the big runs that you want to get, if you can still contribute to the team in some way, shape or form, I think you’re doing a job. But that’s coming from an opening batter so I’m probably biased towards that.”Harris was called upon midway through the 2019 Ashes series and found the challenge every bit as difficult as Warner, making just 58 runs in six innings.Marcus Harris has made nine first-class centuries in England•Getty Images

But Harris has accrued three years’ worth of County Championship experience since then and has built an impressive first-class record in England, averaging 45.83 from 52 innings with nine centuries, including two this season for Gloucestershire.Given his experience in English conditions, Harris cautioned against asking a middle-order batter to open the batting in a Test match in England.”I think it depends on the conditions and where you are,” he said. “Like you saw in the subcontinent, it is probably the best time so to have someone destructive like Heady, he can open the batting there. But I think probably in England and in Australia, the way the wickets have been the last couple of years, and New Zealand, those sorts of wickets, it’s more of a specialist position. And you want your destructive players like Greeny or Mitch or Travis to be coming in against a bit more of an older ball.”Maybe those first two wickets were alright. Definitely, Edgbaston would have been okay, but I think like we saw at Lord’s, whenever there were some overheads, and at Headingley, it was hard work. My experiences from county cricket [are] if you cop the wrong time of the day to open the batting, especially if you’re a destructive batter, it’s probably not ideal.”Harris is strong in his belief that he is a much-improved player compared to both his last England tour in 2019 and his last Test opportunity in January 2022.”I have been exposed to a lot more conditions,” Harris said. “Since then I have been to Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and played three county seasons here. Being an overseas pro to county teams is a different experience to playing Shield cricket. I just feel more well-rounded. That series taught me a lot in 2019. At the time it didn’t seem good, but I have probably benefited from it in the long haul.”I feel like I am ready to go whenever that chance comes. Whether that is this tour or not, so be it. I am in a good place mentally and with life. Whenever it comes up, I’ll be ready to go.”Harris has not played since making an unbeaten 122 for Gloucestershire against Durham on May 21, with the attack featuring Test bowlers Matthew Potts and Ajaz Patel.He was given the option of playing county cricket last week to get some middle time under his belt, as Michael Neser did for Glamorgan, but he opted to go on a golf trip to Scotland with Marsh, Josh Hazlewood, and Australia bowling coach Daniel Vettori.”I got given the option,” Harris said. “I thought it would be good to have a couple of days off and get away from cricket altogether. I have been here since April 1 so it has been a pretty long tour. The training we can do now with how big the squad is as a collective, during the games is as good, if not better, than playing a game of cricket. I don’t feel like I haven’t had a lot of cricket.”Might have been a different story if I just came on the Ashes and hadn’t played any county cricket. But personally, there hasn’t been any issue for me.”

Glamorgan have brought in Cam Fletcher, the New Zealand A wicketkeeper-batter, as short-term cover for Colin Ingram, as they bid to reach the knockout stages of the T20 Blast for the first time since 2017.Ingram injured his Achilles in their defeat to Essex at Chelmsford last week and Fletcher, who has been playing club cricket for New Farnley in Yorkshire, will join the squad ahead of their fixture against Surrey at The Oval on Tuesday.Fletcher, 30, generally bats in the middle order for Canterbury in domestic T20 cricket in New Zealand and has an impressive record in the format, averaging 35.10 with a strike rate of 131.80.Related

• Cam Fletcher: 'It took me a long time to figure out the kind of player I wanted to be'

He was named in New Zealand’s Test squads to play South Africa and England earlier this year but remains uncapped at international level, despite a number of appearances for New Zealand A over the past five years.Ingram is a significant loss for Glamorgan. He has scored 329 runs at 54.83 in the Blast this year, striking at 166.16, and is their all-time leading run-scorer in T20 cricket. He is expected to return later in the group stage, with Fletcher provisionally signed for the next week.Glamorgan have suffered a number of injuries in the Blast this year, with David Lloyd, Eddie Byrom and Dan Douthwaite all missing their most recent fixtures. They are also missing Michael Neser, who is with Australia’s Test squad for the Ashes.But they have still made a strong start to the Blast season under new white-ball coach Mark Alleyne, with five wins and four defeats. They sit fifth in the South Group, two points behind fourth-placed Hampshire with a game in hand.

Michael Neser could yet bolt into Australia’s World Test Championship squad with Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh facing tight timeframes to be available for the showdown against India.Hazlewood (side) and Marsh (adductor) came home early from the IPL with minor niggles and though both have since returned to bowling, and there remains confidence they’ll be ready for the Ashes, the clash with India at The Oval on June 7 may come too soon.Australia will effectively need to make a call by Sunday (May 28) when their 15-player squad for the final has to be submitted under the ICC rules for the final. Those traveling from outside the UK arrive on Saturday.Related

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• Australia embark on quest for defining victories

• Robinson cleared to join England squad after ankle scan reveals no damage

• Labuschagne fills his boots, Neser and Abbott make Ashes case, Green's brilliance extends his IPL stay

Hazlewood is the more significant of the two names and CA said earlier in the week that scans on his return to Australia had shown no damage to the side. However, with six Tests in less than two months there would be a risk of pushing him too soon.”We knew when he went to the IPL that everything would have to go perfectly on the back of the Achilles setback in India and this stage everything is good,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald told . “But it will have to go perfect for him to be part of that World Test Championship final and available.””We feel it’s almost like a home summer. We usually pick four quicks and travel around and add players when we need. We’ve got Michael and Sean [Abbott] over there and feel they can be added in at any time depending on if new information comes to us.”Neser, who picked up his impressive Sheffield Shield form in his county stint with Glamorgan, where he has scored 311 runs and taken 19 wickets, would provide cover for both players although Abbott brings a similar all-round package.Michael Neser currently has two Test caps•Getty Images

Both Neser and Abbott will join the Australia squad when they reach London late next week and begin training following a bonding camp in the northwest of England.Neser’s omission from the original squad was the most debated call, but he and Abbott have had the benefit of playing competitive cricket in recent weeks. McDonald said that Neser’s continued excellence did not surprise him and, perhaps significantly, made mention of his batting returns which have seen him average 38.66 since the start of the last Australia season.”He’s really pressing to be genuine allrounder, probably not a top six allrounder, but definitely a No. 7 or 8,” McDonald said.Overall, however, and particularly with a view to the first Ashes Test on June 16, Australia have fewer injury concerns than England who have lost Jofra Archer, face a nervous wait on James Anderson and are uncertain how much captain Ben Stokes will be able to bowl. They did, however, get a boost with a positive update on Ollie Robinson.”You don’t know how much to read into the information coming out around the injuries, how significant they are, but there is no doubt that they’ll be having more conversations around where their injury list is at than we are,” McDonald said. “It’s always nice when you haven’t got those moving parts and it’s quite settled going in.”

Cameron Green’s format switch

Cameron Green will face increasing demand on his time•BCCI

In terms of allrounders, the key name for Australia remains Cameron Green. He lit up the IPL earlier this week with a maiden T20 century to carry Mumbai Indians into the playoffs which meant his stay at the tournament is extended.McDonald acknowledged the quick turnaround between formats will be a test for Green. He found it tricky last season after the T20 World Cup, although in that case had had precious little batting time, and there were already signs he was adapting when he returned from his injury layoff during the Test series in India.”The thing for me he’s adaptable, he’s a man for all conditions, he’s always engaged in the game whether with bat, ball and in the field…he’s high-end talent and is showing the world what he’s got,” McDonald said. “The challenge for Cam now is as he starts to become a three-format player is how he focuses [on] that, shifts between formats, and he’s going to have another challenge in front of him going deep into the IPL finals to get ready for the World Test Championship match. So that will be a challenge for him, but he’s a fast learner and every hurdle he’s got over so far.”Glancing into the not-too-distant future, managing Green across three formats will become one of McDonald’s key challenges.”We’ve declared our hand with his entry into T20 cricket last year and now what’s done in the IPL would suggest he’s tracking to be a three-format player for us. Then it’s finding the balance within all of that,” he said. “You can’t be everything to everyone and they’ll be some series where he needs to be managed like all the other players when they play three formats. The demand’s going to go up then clearly there’s other leagues that will want access to him at certain times. It’s going to be a bit of a juggling act but he’s got a good head on his shoulders and we’ll be able to work with him.”

Darren Gough has been appointed head coach of Lahore Qalandars. His first assignment with the franchise will be the Global Super League (GSL) in Guyana, which starts on November 26.The appointment is understood to be a prelude to a more permanent role in Qalandars’ stock competition: the PSL. Aaqib Javed, who served as head coach and director of cricket operations for Qalandars for eight years, quit last month to focus on a new role at the PCB with Pakistan cricket: he is now a member of the selection committee for the Pakistan men’s national team.Qalandars won back-to-back PSL titles in 2022 and 2023 before stumbling this year, finishing bottom. Aaqib’s departure left a vacancy at the franchise, one they wish to ensure is filled well before the PSL begins in April next year. Gough, who retired in 2006 as England’s leading ODI wicket-taker (and is still No. 2 on the list behind James Anderson) is understood to be keen on the role, with the GSL seen as a useful opportunity to allow him to get his feet under the table before a permanent decision is made.”It’s an absolute honour to have been asked by the Lahore Qalandars to be the head coach for the upcoming Global Super League in Guyana,” Gough said in a statement. “I’m really excited about this opportunity because I’ve been fortunate to work with the Qalandars in Lahore on several occasions, assisting with their PDP [player development programme].”We know that Lahore Qalandars are all about giving young players opportunities they’ve never had before -developing their skills and shaping them into players who can go on to represent the Qalandars, and hopefully make Pakistan cricket proud.”Gough most recently served as managing director at his old club, Yorkshire, after being appointed in December 2021 following the racism allegations that rocked the club. He parted ways with Yorkshire in March this year. Before that, he had a stint as England’s bowling consultant in 2020. Not long after Gough joined Yorkshire in 2021, the club launched a partnership with Qalandars aiming to “nurture talent [by] reducing barriers to entry” following the racism crisis.Sameen Rana, co-owner of Qalandars, said Gough’s vision aligned “seamlessly with our commitment to player development”, referring to the appointment as an embarkation on “a new journey”.The GSL will be contested by five teams. Qalandars are joined by Hampshire Hawks from the T20 Blast, Rangpur Riders from the BPL, Victoria from Australia, as well as the hosts, Guyana Amazon Warriors. The final will take place on December 7.

MS Dhoni is one of five players set to be retained by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, along with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube and Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana.The amounts CSK are paying to each retained player is yet to be confirmed but they will lose at least INR 65 crore from their overall purse of INR 120 crore. The five retentions will leave them with one right-to-match option at the auction.Dhoni, 43, is likely to be retained as an uncapped player after the IPL brought back a rule that allows those who haven’t played international cricket for five years to be considered in the uncapped category. He hasn’t played for India since the 2019 ODI World Cup.Related

• Dhoni: 'I just want to enjoy the game for next few years'

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October 31 is the deadline by which the ten franchises have to submit their list of retained players to the IPL ahead of the mega auction. The teams have been allowed to retain up to six players ahead of the mega auction before the 2025 season, of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals and two can be uncapped players. While the IPL has set minimum deductions from the auction purse for each player retained – INR 18 crore for the first player, INR 14 crore for the second, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore for the fourth, INR 14 crore for the fifth, and INR 4 crore for an uncapped player – the franchises are free to pay more or less than those amounts to their retained players.Dhoni had handed over the CSK captaincy to Gaikwad ahead of IPL 2024, and played a limited role with the bat even though he continued as their main wicketkeeper. He didn’t bat in the first two games in 2024, and overall faced only 73 deliveries across 11 innings. Four of those innings came at No. 8, and one at No. 9. That was down to Dhoni, now past 43, managing his workload after having knee surgery in 2023.Earlier this week, Dhoni had said that he wanted to “enjoy whatever last few years of cricket I’m able to play”. He also revealed that one of the reasons why he faced so few balls last IPL was because the T20 World Cup was immediately after that, and he wanted to allow players like Dube and Jadeja “to prove themselves to get into the Indian team”.