Good Week, Bad Week: Maiden centuries, history-makers and lots of rain

Each weekend, The Cricketer takes a light-hearted look back at the winners and losers of the past seven days. BEN STEVENS takes charge for this week’s review…

Each weekend The Cricketer takes a light-hearted look back at the winners and losers of the past seven days.

BEN STEVENS takes charge for this week's review…

GOOD WEEK

Lorcan Tucker

Scoring a century on your Test debut is pretty special.

Lorcan Tucker became Ireland's second Test centurion, after Kevin O'Brien's 118 versus Pakistan in 2018, when he scored 108 against Bangladesh on Thursday.

The 26-year-old wicketkeeper saved Ireland from an innings defeat in Mirpur, hitting 14 fours and a six to turn 27 for 4 into a 131-run lead by the end of day three.

They eventually lost by seven wickets on day four but, as everyone knows, nothing is sweeter than a hundred in a losing cause.   

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Finlay Bean

You may remember his name from the absurd innings of 441 for Yorkshire's 2nd XI last summer. But now you know Finlay Bean for scoring the first century of the 2023 County Championship season. 

The Harrogate-born left-hander caressed the Leicestershire bowlers around Headingley, including taking England starlet Rehan Ahmed's first over for 22.

With 118 runs on the first day of the season, Bean will hope to capitalise on the absence of Yorkshire's senior batters in the early weeks of the season and nail down a spot at the top of the order.

Australian women's cricketers

A new five-year deal between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association will see payments for professional women rise by 66 per cent.

CA are reportedly injecting a further $53m (approximately £28.5m) into women's cricket, which will see the average salary for a domestic female player rise to $151,000 (£82,000). Furthermore, the Women's Big Bash League salary cap has been increased to $732,000 (£394,000) per year.

Following the success of the inaugural WPL, the investment represents a deserved show of faith in the quality and potential of the women's game, and Australia's desire to remain ahead of the chasing pack.

^{Cricket Australia are pumping money into women's cricket [Mark Kolbe/Getty Images]}

Kim Cotton

It's also been a good week for female officials, with Kim Cotton writing her name in the history books.

The 45-year-old became the first female on-field umpire to stand in a men's international between two full-member nations when she took to the field for the second T20I between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Dunedin.

Cotton, who was born in Auckland, has previously umpired over 60 women's internationals and was named as one of the on-field umpires for the final of both the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup and the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup.

Suyash Sharma

The first week of the IPL has been kind to its debutants, and perhaps none more so than 19-year old mystery spinner Suyash Sharma.

Kolkata Knight Riders' impact player took 3 for 30 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, dismissing Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat and Karn Sharma as his side romped to an 81-run victory at Eden Gardens.

It was also the Indian's first professional game…

BAD WEEK

Liam Livingstone

Whilst he should be in India celebrating two wins from two for Punjab Kings, Lancashire's big hitter was watching from the Old Trafford boundary as his county began their County Championship season versus Surrey on Thursday.

Nearing a return from an ankle injury sustained on his Test debut against Pakistan this winter, Livingstone is still awaiting ECB clearance to fly out and join up with the Kings.

Until then, he is stuck in a frustrating cricketing purgatory, somewhere between Manchester and Punjab. 

^{No play was possible on day one in Taunton [Harry Trump/Getty Images]}

Somerset and Warwickshire fans

You wait all winter for your beloved team to return to action, only for the day to be called off an hour and a half before the start of play.

Despite Taunton being bathed in sunshine on Thursday morning, heavy overnight rain rendered the outfield unplayable as fans on Twitter were left to debate the accuracy of weather radars.

To make matters worse, every other county got at least some cricket in on the opening day of the season.

The hover cover at The Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground

What could be more County Championship than an opening day wash-out you ask?

Try a faulty hover cover in Glamorgan.

Severn-side rivals Glamorgan and Gloucestershire had only managed four balls of the season before the heavens intervened, but the scheduled 12pm restart became an early lunch thanks to an unexplained mechanical hitch with the hover cover. Village.

Andrew Strauss

Following England's 4-0 loss in the 2021/22 Ashes, the former ECB director of cricket and England Test captain led a high-performance review of English cricket's domestic structure.

Fifteen of its 17 recommendations were initially adopted by the ECB, but CEO Richard Gould has this week admitted that the changes, which included a reduced number of red-ball games, are now 'dead in the water'.

Gould, who left a role with Bristol City Football Club to join the ECB, suggested that part of the reason was the drastically improved fortunes of the England Test team over the last 12 months.

Welcome to IPL (Yuzi style) Roooot! 😂💗 pic.twitter.com/bI4rPoRHSE

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 6, 2023

Joe Root

England's baby-faced run machine joined up with Rajasthan Royals this week for his debut IPL season. Good week, right?

That is until a video emerged of him and Yuzvendra Chahal dancing to Bharosa Tere Pyar Te.

Indulge in it and decide Rooty's fate in this week's list yourself…