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ScorecardJamie Porter led the Essex attack in bowling out Hampshire twice inside three sessions for a three-day win to move to the top of the Specsavers County Championship first division, at least for 24 hours.Porter took seven wickets in the match for 45 runs, including career-best first-class figures of 5 for 24 in the first innings, as Hampshire, following on 245 runs behind, disintegrated for a second time.Hampshire had started the day 268 runs short of making Essex bat again. They were all out for 115 – having been 34 for 7 during the second evening – and fared little better when sent straight back in, losing by an innings with more than four sessions to spare. Essex collected 22 points for their efforts, Hampshire just one.Only Lewis McManus showed an aptitude for the fight in both innings, following his first-innings 39 with 37. George Bailey weighed in with 32, but the rest dropped like flies. South African Rilee Rossouw bagged a pair. Offspinner Simon Harmer only bowled five overs in the match, yet claimed figures of 3 for 23.Hampshire’s second innings got off to the worst possible start when Liam Dawson shuffled across his stumps in Porter’s second over and was trapped lbw to one that angled in. James Vince tried to move things along and had reached 17 when he drove Neil Wagner forcefully into the covers where Nick Browne took the catch low down.Michael Carberry had survived a let-off on two when Tom Westley floored an in-and-out chance into his midriff at second slip. It did not prove too costly as Carberry went to Harmer’s first ball in the match, the last one before lunch, when he was pinned lbw. He had occupied the crease for 20 overs while scoring six runs.Harmer’s second ball after lunch accounted for Rossouw, plumb leg before, for a second duck of a match in which he faced the grand total of three balls. His last Championship innings had been 99 against Middlesex.Jamie Porter claimed seven wickets in the match•Getty Images

Porter made it 50 for five when Sean Ervine played around a straight one and turned to see his off-stump land 10 yards beyond its starting place, the bails eight yards further on.George Bailey hit four boundaries in his battling 32 from 82 balls before he nicked Matt Quinn behind. Lewis McManus showed the same stickability as his first-innings 39 and had reached 37 second time around when he hooked a short ball from Wagner to Quinn at long leg.Kyle Abbott was unable to repeat his first-innings heroics, failing to beat Ryan ten Doeschate’s direct hit from mid-on to the non-striker’s end. Gareth Berg, on 24, played all round one from Harmer. Mason Crane launched Tom Westley for six and next ball skied one to ten Doeschate at mid-on and it was all over 15 minutes before tea.Essex had wrapped up the Hampshire first innings inside nine overs in the morning with Porter taking two of the three wickets to fall.McManus and Abbott had staged a rearguard action with an eighth-wicket partnership of 75 in 20 overs to lift Hampshire from the doldrums of 34 for 7 and into three figures. However, both fell inside seven balls from Porter.Abbott had just pulled Quinn over midwicket for six when Porter got one to swing in and catch the edge of Abbott’s forward prod for Alastair Cook to take the catch at first slip. McManus, having faced 74 balls for 39, followed when caught in two minds by a ball that slanted past his indeterminate movement to take off-stump out of the ground.Fidel Edwards did not hang about for long, Westley completing the catch at second slip at the second attempt to give Wagner his first wicket of the game.

After two washouts from two matches, Australia have been left with no option but to treat their final Champions Trophy group game against England as if it were a knockout. On Monday, Australia were firmly on track for victory against Bangladesh when rain set in to leave them four overs short of the 20 required to constitute a match, after they were also rained off against New Zealand.That has left Australia in second position in their group on two points from two matches, and means that whichever team wins the New Zealand-Bangladesh fixture on Friday will be ahead of Australia, irrespective of the England-New Zealand result today. So, Australia must beat England the following day in order to progress to the semi-finals.”It would be frustrating if the results don’t go our way towards the end of the tournament,” legspinner Adam Zampa said after the Bangladesh game. “If we do scrape into the finals, then it doesn’t really matter. It is what it is at the moment. If we can play well against England and get into the finals, none of what has happened really matters.”We just spoke about it in the team meeting then. We’re looking at it as a quarter-final. Australians in ICC tournaments in the past have thrived on that pressure and hopefully we can do the same.”Playing his first match of the Champions Trophy, Zampa picked up 2 for 13 against Bangladesh but was asked to bowl only four overs, and did not come on until the 35th over, after part-time offspinner Travis Head had already sent down eight overs. Zampa has often been overlooked in Australia’s ODI selections recently, despite being their leading wicket-taker in the format last year.”It probably didn’t help with the two left-handers in,” Zampa said. “Heady’s bowling really well at the moment and the other end was with the wind, so the quicks were coming from that end. Heady is doing a great job. Preferably Smithy doesn’t want me to bowl to two left-handers. Luckily we do have Heady and Maxy to bowl those overs.”I think we’ve seen with selections in Australia and other places, with the firepower and the depth that we have with the quicks and the allrounders and Heady bowling really well, I only come into consideration when the wickets suit. I think a used wicket like today was somewhere I could play a role.”Having spent some time getting legspinning advice from Shane Warne in Birmingham last week, Zampa is now seeking counsel of a different kind. His unusual hairstyle, which team-mate Glenn Maxwell described as “very shocking”, looked a little more respectable in the Bangladesh game.”It probably wasn’t in the best nick for a couple of days but now the missus has arrived and she said I’ve got to tone it,” Zampa said. “As you can see it’s a little bit of a different colour than it was a few days ago. It’s a little bit different… Happy with it now.”I reckon I’m the guy the blokes go to for a bit of a mood change. The last couple of hours or so I was trying to keep the boys up and about. Undies on the head a little bit when you’re watching the rain. Try and make the boys laugh wherever I can.”

ScorecardAdam Voges helped keep Hampshire at bay•Getty Images

Middlesex began their Specsavers County Championship title defence with a hard-fought draw with Hampshire – after Adam Voges found prolonged support from the tail to stave off defeat.Hampshire had looked set to ease to victory after three wickets with the second new ball but the visitors held on at the Ageas Bowl. Both sides took 10 points to give each an unbeaten start to the season – after Hampshire had beaten Yorkshire in the opening round.Middlesex were in defensive mood throughout the fourth day with a slender lead of 27, with six wickets in hand, going into the day. Voges and nightwatchman Steven Finn saw off the first 57 minutes of the morning.Voges in particular looked unmovable, with a desperate lbw shout against him the closest the hosts can to an early scalp. Finn, who had been prolific in his blocking, was the only wicket to in the morning when he was caught out by substitute fielder Fraser Hay at midwicket after a cunning Brad Wheal short-ball plan paid off.Hampshire struck three balls after taking the new ball, Voges chasing Kyle Abbott on the cut to edge behind. In doing so, Voges became the third batsman to fall in the 90s in the match. Only two more runs were scored before James Franklin nicked Abbott to Jimmy Adams at second slip with a delightful delivery. Then five balls later Gareth Berg pulled out the delivery of the day when he managed to get one to spit off a length to have John Simpson caught at the wicket.But Toby Roland-Jones took the sting out of Hampshire with a time-consuming 25. The Wisden Cricketer of the Year did depart when he clipped Wheal to Adams while attempting a slog pull.If Hampshire had taken the last wicket quickly there was still time for a thrilling chase but a perplexing over from Wheal saw Tim Murtagh pull him three times straight down the ground.

Australia’s intent to fight the Border-Gavaskar series to the finish has been made clear by the calculated gamble of selecting Pat Cummins to replace the injured Mitchell Starc for the last two Tests in India.Most of the focus on Cummins has been about ensuring he is fit to be considered for next summer’s home Ashes series, but a head-turning display for New South Wales on his Sheffield Shield return at the SCG this week has encouraged Trevor Hohns’ selection panel to call-up the fast man ahead of that more conservative schedule. Provided he acclimatises quickly he is every chance of being slotted straight into the team for the third Test in Ranchi.Starc had picked up a stress fracture in his right foot during the second Test in Bengaluru, and his exit has opened a path for Cummins to return to the Test squad for the first time since his memorable debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011.That week Cummins bowled with high pace and precision to earn man of the match honours at the age of 18, also striking the winning runs to help the Australians secure a tense, two-wicket victory over the Proteas to level the series. He has returned older and wiser but once more at a juncture of high significance for the national team.Cummins took eight wickets on his return to Sheffield Shield this week, nearly six years after his last first-class appearance in the 2011 Sheffield Shield final. Figures of 4 for 57 and 4 for 47 in the Blues’ eight-wicket win over South Australia helped convince the newly reappointed selection panel that his ability to make an impact with speed and movement made him the ideal substitute for the explosive Starc.0:51

Quic Facts – Cummins back after missing 64 Tests

“In selecting Pat, we were looking for a strike bowling replacement option,” Hohns said. “Pat has impressed in his return to cricket this summer with consistent performances in his ODI, Twenty20 International and Big Bash matches. He has also had a very good Sheffield Shield return for New South Wales, after six years off, where he made a notable Shield best 4-57 in the first innings, before bettering those figures in the second innings with 4-47 in his man-of-the-match performance.”A raft of foot, side and back injuries in the wake of the 2011 Wanderers Test match caused Cricket Australia to take a longer view of Cummins, holding him out of Sheffield Shield and Test cricket while making use of him in the ODI and Twenty20 teams. His only first-class matches between 2011 and this year were for Australia A.Late last year, Australia’s captain Steven Smith was quizzed on whether it was feasible that he could be working with Cummins during the India Tests. While saying such a scenario was “possible”, Smith reserved judgment by saying “he’s obviously got to play some Shield cricket first and see how he goes”. One Shield match, and an unexpected chance to push India all the way on the current tour, have turned possibility into reality.

Misbah-ul-Haq, who did so much to steer Pakistan away from the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, has spoken of his disappointment at having to face up to another case of corruption in Pakistan cricket. Six years ago, Misbah took over a Test side gutted by the sudden loss of its captain and opener, Salman Butt, as well as its new-ball pair of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir. This time, he was already captain of the Islamabad United side from which Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were chargedfor alleged breaches of the PCB’s anti-corruption code.”Nobody wants Pakistan and Pakistani players to be associated with fixing again,” Misbah told ESPNcricinfo. “After six years of hard work such things happening again is a matter of great concern and disappointment. I am really disappointed. But, I think whenever such things happen, you have got to be very strong to face them. Forget about the individuals who are responsible and try to make sure that things are not happening again; move forward, try to perform better, try to be disciplined and improve the reputation around the world.”This latest case, during the ongoing Pakistan Super League, has come as the Lord’s trio stands all but reintegrated into the Pakistan system. Misbah has captained Amir at the international level through the course of 2016, while Butt and Asif are back playing domestic cricket. ESPNcricinfo understands Butt is also in contention to make the national squad for the tour of the West Indies in March. But given what has happened in the PSL, the PCB could be forced to rethink that situation.Frustratingly for the Pakistan board, the latest incident has come after six years of concerted effort to tighten its anti-corruption code and practices. Men’s and women’s teams, at all levels, are given lectures before any tour or series, emphasising the dangers of corruption, as well as the ways in which approaches might occur. Players are given literature in Urdu as well. At the domestic level, apart from the regular programme, Amir, Asif and Butt gave anti-corruption lectures in which they spoke about their experiences.The alleged incidents of corruption in the PSL have come as big blow for the PCB, which had taken great steps to stamp it out of Pakistan cricket•PCB

Both Sharjeel and Latif are Pakistan internationals. Sharjeel, especially, was on the verge of becoming a vital cog in the national side. He has played 25 ODIs and 15 T20Is since his debut in December 2013, and over the last year or so, blossomed into the kind of opener Pakistan needed, especially in limited-overs cricket. He was one of the few bright spots in Pakistan’s chastening tour of Australia recently, from the time he made his Test debut in Sydney to his three fifties in the ODI series. Potentially, under the PCB’s anti-corruption code, he could be facing a life ban.Losing Sharjeel and Latif, along with Andre Russell before the season began for an anti-doping code violation, has hit Islamabad hard as they try to defend their title. At the halfway stage of the PSL, they have two wins and two losses.”It obviously affects you when your match-winners and best players go down, but then, there are other boys on the bench raring to go in, and they are equally good,” Misbah said. “There are tough situations, but it’s about the environment and the winning habit so that it doesn’t matter who comes and goes. The boys take inspiration from every win. They are building up, they are getting the confidence, and with couple of victories, we have a way forward in this PSL. They know their roles, they are always ready to chip in and win us games. Our squad is capable enough to retain the title this year.”Islamabad retained their 17 players this season. The core of their side, however, is an aging one, with several of them over 35 years old. But for Misbah, that is an asset.”Philosophy is just to have players who have better understanding about the game,” he said. “Players who are fit for the game, know their roles, handle pressure very well, and if there are younger players around, then they have good chance in making in our squad as well. It’s not deliberate, but this is actually helping us because we have players from around the world who are mature and experienced in this format. This is actually an advantage for us in many ways as we have players who are mentally strong.”

Match facts

January 19, 2017
Start time 1120 local (0320 GMT)

Big picture

Pakistan find themselves in the unfamiliar position of trying to capitalise on a win down under – their first in any format against Australia in Australia for more than a decade. In Melbourne they won in a fashion that emphasised the strength of their bowling attack, by allowing the batsmen a target within their reach. Perth and the WACA Ground offer the opportunity for a similar result, as the Perth Scorchers have demonstrated in mastering the defensive elements of the Twenty20 format in building an enviable record in the west. The left-armers Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan should enjoy the pace and bounce on offer, provided they find the right length for the conditions. Equally intriguing will be whether the stand-in captain Mohammad Hafeez can utilise his spin bowlers on a surface not likely to be as sluggish as the MCG was.Australia’s mixed priorities – win this series but also keep an eye on the looming tour of India – mean a changing team for Steven Smith to lead. Peter Handscomb is following up his richly successful early Test matches with an ODI debut in place of Mitchell Marsh, while Mitchell Starc did not even fly west in order to rest up. This means another opportunity for Billy Stanlake, who could manage only three overs on debut in Brisbane.

Form guide

Australia: LWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan: WLWWW

In the spotlight

Following his barnstorming century before lunch on the first morning of the SCG Test David Warner  has made a quiet start to the limited-overs portion of the summer, seeming strangely subdued by his naturally aggressive standards. Perth affords the chance for fast-scoring conditions, and the hosts will want a better display from Warner to help underpin a more substantial top-order display after the false starts of Brisbane and Melbourne.Returning to the team at the MCG, Junaid Khan demonstrated his quality to help put Pakistan in a position to win. His intelligence and tightness as a bowler should serve him well in Perth, where consistency and subtle movement can be rewarded. An Australian top-order lacking in certainty after a pair of poor displays will also be a strong reason for Junaid to approach the bowling crease with plenty of intent.Mohammad Amir should enjoy the pace and bounce that may be on offer in Perth•Getty Images

Team news

Mitchell Starc has been rested from the ODI, with Billy Stanlake returning in his place. Peter Handscomb is in for his ODI debut in place of Mitchell Marsh, while Chris Lynn has been ruled out of the remainder of the series with a neck complaint.Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Peter Handscomb, 5 Travis Head, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Billy Stanlake.Pakistan will consider recalling Wahab Riaz for the WACA Ground, but should otherwise try to preserve the combination that won so well in Melbourne.Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez (capt), 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Hasan Ali/Wahab Riaz.

Pitch and conditions

The WACA Ground surface is not as swift as it used to be, but should afford decent pace and carry to bowlers prepared to bend their backs. The forecast is for a fine and warm, somewhat overcast day.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan have won four of six ODIs between the two teams in Perth, though Australia’s two victories came in the most recent meetings in 2010
• Peter Handscomb will become Australia’s third ODI debutant of 2017 after Chris Lynn and Billy Stanlake. There were seven – Scott Boland, Joel Paris, Adam Zampa, Travis Head, Daniel Worrall, Joe Mennie and Chris Tremain – in 2016

With an injured Angelo Mathews returning home, Upul Tharanga has been named stand-in captain for the five-match ODI series against South Africa, ahead of Dinesh Chandimal, who will lead the side in the series-deciding third T20I on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka’s ODI squad

Upul Tharanga (capt.), Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thikshila de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Lahiru Madushanka, Asela Gunaratne, Sandun Weerakkody, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Kusal Mendis, Chaturanga de Silva,Sachith Pathirana, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lakshan Sandakan, Isuru Udana.

Seam-bowling allrounder Lahiru Madushanka and wicketkeeper-batsman Sandun Weerakkody received their maiden call-ups in ODIs and are due to join the squad already in South Africa along with left-arm spinning allrounder Chaturanga de Silva, who has played six ODIs.They will act as cover for fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep and opener Danushka Gunathilaka who have returned home with hand and back problems respectively.In November, when both Mathews and Chandimal were injured, Tharanga became Sri Lanka’s 19th captain in ODIs, and led them to a tri-series win in Zimbabwe. This came after Tharanga was dropped for the home series against Australia, only playing in the fifth ODI after the series was lost.Chaturanga last played for Sri Lanka in 2014, but he has worked his way back into contention with strong performances in first-class cricket. He picked up 35 wickets in six matches at 21.71, including two five-wicket hauls, in addition to 560 runs at 50.90, including six fifties, for Nondescripts Cricket Club in the Premier League tournament.Madushanka hit 346 runs and took 15 wickets in seven matches in the same tournament, while Weerakoddy, opening the batting, scored 530 runs in six matches. He is the third wicketkeeper-batsman in the squad behind Nondescripts Cricket Club team-mates Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella.The first ODI begins in Port Elizabeth on January 28.

ScorecardJoe Clarke top scored before he was bowled•Getty Images

England Lions completed a clean sweep of their one-day series against the United Arab Emirates in Dubai thanks to the depth of their batting and the quality of their bowling and fielding.The Lions top order failed to fire for the second game in succession after they were put in on a tricky pitch, with only Joe Clarke of the top five passing 30. But they still posted a decent total of 223 for 8, the highest of a low-scoring series, thanks to handy contributions lower down the order, led by 40 for the Surrey allrounder Sam Curran, who later impressed with the ball, alongside Craig Overton and Ollie Rayner, who both took three wickets.The UAE threatened to pull off an unlikely win led by Adnan Mufti, a 31-year-old left-hander from Rawalpindi, on his debut, but Mufti was run out by Liam Livingstone’s powerful throw from the long-on boundary with the UAE still 16 runs short.”I think it was quite good for us to be in a tight game at the end there,” said Rayner. “Their left-hander played really well and we had to work hard to get the win. Through the series we’ve had lots of different guys taking wickets with Stuart Meaker in the first game and Tom Curran in the second, and a few of us shared them out a bit today.”Overton is on his fourth Lions tour even though he is still only 22, and aiming to make up for lost time after suffering injuries in each of the last two winters. “It’s been frustrating with the injuries the last two years, but I had a good season with Somerset and so far things have been going well,” he said.Curran, returned to the team with his older brother Tom rested following his five wickets as the Lions clinched the series on Saturday, made the first breakthrough courtesy of a low one-handed catch by Clarke, who was keeping for the first time on the tour.Ben Foakes, who had worn the gloves in the previous two matches, then showed his ability in the outfield with a sharp catch at midwicket to give James Fuller his first success.Rohan Mustafa, the opener who has been UAE’s best batsman all series, was leading the charge again until he launched Rayner straight down the ground and Overton intercepted just inside the boundary. With the first ball of his next over, Rayner had Mohammed Usman, another left-hander, lbw sweeping, and when Overton claimed a deserved wicket in a probing opening burst of 4-2-2-1, UAE had slumped from 71 for 2 to 81 for 5.Rayner claimed a sharp return catch for his third wicket, and Tom Alsop snapped up Saqlain Haider at point to give Fuller his second. Then Overton returned to collect a couple more, although the Lions were relieved when Livingstone ended the last-wicket resistance.Livingstone had also made an impression with the bat, hitting two sixes in a fourth-wicket stand of 65 in 14 overs with Clarke. But they fell in quick succession to leave the Lions on 115 for 5, and they were indebted to Curran, the youngest member of the squad, for showing maturity as well as ability in partnerships of 45 with Foakes and 34 with Fuller.The Lions must now switch quickly to red-ball mode, with practice at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday before a four-day match against Afghanistan.

ScorecardFile photo – Holly Huddleston paved the way for New Zealand’s entry into the Women’s World Cup with 4 for 20•Getty Images

New Zealand women’s bowling prowess came to the fore with right-arm medium pacer Holly Huddleston taking 4 for 20 before half-centuries from Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine studded their seven-wicket win over Pakistan Women in the fourth ODI in Nelson.That meant New Zealand extended their dominance in the series to go 4-0 up with one match remaining, and more importantly, become the third team after Australia and England to seal a spot in next year’s Women’s World Cup, leaving just one direct entry to be filled up.Pakistan, asked to make first use of a new surface at the Saxton Oval, stuttered to 158 in 48.1 overs, before New Zealand chased the total down with 165 balls remaining, having struck at well over seven an over.Bates dedicated the performance to victims of the earthquake that shook New Zealand on Monday. The match was preceded by a minute’s silence and players of both teams wore black armbands. “We wanted to pay our respects after a challenging and tragic week for New Zealand,” she said. “It’s been a tough week for some of the players who are based in Christchurch too, along with everyone else, and we wanted to go out and play some cricket to take our minds off that and honour those people who are really struggling at the moment.”Early signs did not point to such a one-sided contest, however, as Pakistan had got themselves into a strong position, scoring 107 in the 28th over for the loss of just Nahida Khan for 16 in the 13th over. But Ayesha Zafar’s dismissal, caught and bowled off Amy Satterthwaite’s right-arm medium pace, for 52 – her maiden ODI fifty – triggered a collapse with Pakistan losing their last nine wickets for 51 runs.Satterthwaite dismissed Bismah Maroof for a first-ball duck, but Javeira Khan denied her the hat-trick. Captain Sana Mir tried to keep the fight going with 31, but ran out of partners rapidly, and was the last batsman dismissed. Huddleston finished with 4 for 20 in 7.1 overs. Lea Tahuhu and Satterthwaite took two wickets each and were both economical, while Bates and Ameila Kerr took one each.New Zealand got off to a flier with Bates and Rachel Priest putting on 38 in 3.4 overs. Bates flayed Sadia Yousuf for five consecutive fours in the second over of the chase. Although Mir dismissed Priest with her fourth ball, it hardly slowed New Zealand down. Bates kept the carnage going in the company of Devine, promoted to No. 3, adding 94 in 14 overs.Bates biffed 66 off 52 balls and Devine struck 54 at just over a run a ball. Bates fell in the 18th over and Devine became Javeira Khan’s only victim less than three overs later, but with New Zealand needing just 17 and almost 30 full overs to play, it was too little too late for Pakistan.

Test matches in Australia will be in need of a new naming rights sponsor from mid-2017 after it was revealed that Commonwealth Bank’s new $15 million deal to support diversity in the game over the next three years is in fact a reduction of the bank’s investment in cricket by more than a third.The previous deal between the bank and Cricket Australia, announced in May 2013, was set to last four years to a value of no less than about $50 million. It included name sponsorship rights to the Australian Test team playing at home and home Test series. But ESPNcricinfo has been told this will not be renewed beyond July next year.”Commonwealth Bank remains a proud partner of Cricket Australia and is excited to rebalance its sponsorship to help even up the gender and diversity scales in professional sport,” a Commonwealth Bank spokesperson said. “On top of the initiatives announced yesterday, we will continue to support the Test series until July 2017 and throughout the upcoming summer series.”At the time it was a significant expansion of the bank’s role in support of Australian cricket, for its previous deal had covered the Southern Stars women’s team and grassroots competitions for a far less significant sum. It arrived at a febrile time for the game down under also, with Mickey Arthur about to be sacked as coach and replaced by Darren Lehmann ahead of back-to-back Ashes series.”Over the last 26 years we have been involved with Australia’s favourite sport from grassroots to grandstands,” the Commonwealth Bank chief executive Ian Narev said at the time. “Test Cricket is the pinnacle of Australian cricket, so we are proud to strengthen our commitment to the game by becoming the new sponsor of the Australian Test team and Test series.”The bank was duly the beneficiary when a team clad in their logos not only won the Ashes 5-0 at home but also went on to win 2-1 in South Africa. Qantas subsequently took up sponsorship of Australian touring teams. Vodafone had previously been the naming rights sponsor for home Tests, a deal that began in 2010.The “rebalance” of the bank’s sponsorship will now be directed at women’s cricket, indigenous players, players with a disability and local clubs. However the downgrade in financial investment will also leave a shortfall for CA’s commercial and financial divisions to have to work through unless the next Test match naming rights sponsor can match or improve on the 2013 deal.”We have taken this opportunity to review our sponsorship structure, and have decided to separate Naming Rights Sponsorship for the men’s international team and the series itself,” a CA spokesman said. “This means that, from summer 2017-18, the men’s team will have one naming rights sponsor, and the Test series will have another. Next year will be an Ashes series, which presents a very attractive proposition for any of our existing or potential partners.”We have already tested this proposition with the market, where we have received a very enthusiastic response. An association with the Australian men’s cricket team is clearly a highly attractive proposition for corporate Australia and we anticipate that this rebalancing of the portfolio will lead to significant revenue growth in corporate sponsorship. We have full confidence that we will have new commercial partners in due course.”