12:43 PM GMT Danyal Rasool Pakistan Test captain Azhar Ali has joined Misbah-ul-Haq, the head coach and chief selector, in asking for the World Test Championship to be extended looking at the way the cricket calendar has been affected because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ali, in an online video conference, said he could get behind the idea of playing behind closed doors should that be the only way to get…
Nathan Lyon and Hampshire agree contract cancellation
11:32 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Hampshire have moved to cancel the contract of Nathan Lyon, the Australia offspinner who had signed as an overseas player for the 2020 summer, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lyon, Australia’s third-highest Test wicket-taker, had been set to feature across a large part of the season – depending on international commitments – but with half of the County Championship already lost, and uncertainty about how…
International return for Kolpaks would need CSA to 'swallow their pride' – Simon Harmer
My fault if I don’t play international cricket again – Harmer (1:36) Simon Harmer would relish another chance at international cricket just to test the limits of his own ability. (1:36) 6:18 PM GMT The loss of the Kolpak route into English cricket could be to the benefit of South Africa, although it would require CSA to build bridges with the players who have stepped away from the international set-up….
'I see light at the end of the tunnel' – Michael Holding on West Indies cricket
6:02 PM GMT Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope. These three men from three different islands in the Caribbean are the reason Michael Holding can see “light at the end of the tunnel” for West Indies cricket, which he feels can once again become a global force if the young talent is nurtured properly. “I see light at the end of the tunnel because I see talent,” Holding said…
Ashley Giles remains positive as West Indies pin hopes on touring in July
We will get some cricket this summer – Ashley Giles (2:19) The Director of England Men’s cricket Ashely Giles believes some form of cricket will be played this summer. (2:19) 5:11 PM GMT Ashley Giles, England’s director of men’s cricket, has said that “everything is on the table” when it comes to staging international cricket in the UK this summer, even as it looks increasingly unlikely that the Test series…
Umar Akmal won't contest PCB's corruption charges
3:41 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Umar Akmal has foregone the right to defend himself against the PCB’s corruptions charges and will instead wait for a sanction to be confirmed. His case will go directly to the Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel after Akmal decided against requesting a hearing before the Anti-Corruption Tribunal. All that remains, then, is for the charges to be confirmed by the Disciplinary Committee Chairman, Justice (retired)…
Zimbabwean Jackie du Preez who played for South Africa dies at 77
11:45 AM GMT Jackie du Preez, the Zimbabwean who played two Tests for South Africa in the 1966-67 season, has died in Harare at the age of 77. Du Preez was suffering from a long-standing heart condition. Du Preez played in pre-independent Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) and was one of several of his countrymen, including Mike Procter, to go on to represent South Africa. He was a legspinner, unusual in the country…
Bangladesh-Australia Test series postponed amid Covid-19 threat
10:12 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Cricket Australia (CA) have mutually agreed to postpone the two-Test series that was scheduled for June, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect daily life around the world. The series was to be played between June 11 and June 23 in Chattogram and Dhaka, and is part of the World Test Championship cycle. It was also to be Australia’s first…
Cheteshwar Pujara's Gloucestershire move off after county season delay
9:51 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Gloucestershire have confirmed that Cheteshwar Pujara will not play for the club this year. Pujara signed a deal to play the first six games of the County Championship season in February, and was set to become Gloucestershire’s first Indian player since Javagal Srinath in 1995. But with the first seven rounds of the Championship postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and international travel severely limited,…
Nervous expectation around Adelaide as England take on feisty Sri Lanka
8:28 AM GMT Big picture It’s taken England longer than most countries to wake up to the fact that Sri Lanka aren’t just here to make up the numbers any more – but you get the impression that the penny might finally be dropping. For twice in the space of the last three years, Arjuna Ranatunga’s men have delivered upon England defeats so seismic, it’s hard to imagine a day…