Whole lotta coaches goin' out
June is the month for the men in charge of cricket teams to throw the towel in
Having this month elbowed Graham Ford out of his job, SLC are on their tenth head coach in seven years. As Nic Pothas' position is only temporary, the board may soon begin searching for a more permanent appointment. The Briefing has taken the liberty of drawing up an advertisement, which the board is welcome to use:
One month after Ramachandra Guha resigned from the BCCI's Committee of Administrators, lambasting the "superstar culture" within the organisation, Anil Kumble has parted ways with the national team, thanks in part to disagreements with Virat Kohli.
England had issues with their pitches in the past six weeks. Having been blown away on a Lord's greentop by South Africa in the approach to the Champions Trophy, they were stunned on a used Cardiff surface by Pakistan, in the semi-final. On both occasions the state of the pitch came into focus. Eoin Morgan criticised the Lord's pitch directly, and after Cardiff, said the surface was "too much of a jump" for a team that had played their most recent match at bouncier Edgbaston.
For the last few months, one of the best players in the world, and maybe the greatest batsman of his generation, has plodded around cricket fields a little dead in the eyes. AB de Villiers hasn't played a Test since January 2016 and, at only 33, is now talking about trimming his cricket commitments with a view to retiring in 2019.
The 2017 Champions Trophy gave the cricket world a surprise that brought unspeakable joy to tens of millions: the Google Doodle stick-cricket game.
The Women's World Cup has broken new ground with its visibility and popularity this year, and hopes are high the tournament can inspire a new generation of cricketers. It might also have brought an end to a long-time bugbear of women cricketers around the world - the query about which male cricketer is their favourite. Before the tournament began, India captain Mithali Raj dispatched the question like a long hop to the boundary, when she responded: "Do you ask the same question to a male cricketer? Do you ask them who their favourite female cricketer is?"
Hasan Ali and Ben Stokes may have lit up the Champions Trophy, but the best performance of the month might have come in St Lucia, where Rashid Khan claimed 7 for 18 in what was frankly a ridiculous spell of legspin bowling. Two wickets came from his first two balls, and by the time he completed his fourth over, he already had a five-for. With Afghanistan's schedule about to become a lot busier over the next few years, Rashid could have the honour of becoming the first player from his nation to be accused of putting IPL commitments over national duty.
Ireland and Afghanistan have been granted Test status this month, which is an affirmation of their readiness for the rigours of cricket's toughest format.
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo's Sri Lanka correspondent. @andrewffernando