Month: February 2017

Gordon Hollins could be set to move offices at Lord’s © ESPNcricinfo Ltd The ECB could be about to lose one of the key architects of their new T20 competition more than two years before it is launched. ESPNcricinfo understands that Gordon Hollins, the ECB’s chief operating officer, has been shortlisted for the role of chief executive at MCC. Derek Brewer, the current MCC chief executive, has already announced his…

Rashid Khan: “I love pressure. Mentally, I get myself ready for pressure. That’s how I like to play.” © Peter Della Penna/ESPNcricinfo Ltd Rashid Khan was at opposite ends of the cricketing spectrum – and then somewhere in-between – as the IPL auction played out this morning. Physically, he was in Harare with not much to do on a rest day between ODIs against Zimbabwe. Mentally, he was in Bangalore:…

Darren Lehmann has said the final call for David Warner’s opening partner will be taken only later © Getty Images A decision between Matt Renshaw and Usman Khawaja as David Warner’s opening partner looms as Australia’s only major selection question-mark ahead of the first Test against India in Pune later this week. Australia’s coach, Darren Lehmann, said that Shaun Marsh would join captain Steven Smith in the No. 3 and…

Andile Phehlukwayo showed his calmness in a pressure situation © Getty Images There were wide eyes and a wide smile from Andile Phehlukwayo as he reflected on his second match-winning hand with the bat in a brief international career. With AB de Villiers, one of the game’s great batsmen at the other end, it was Phehlukwayo who hit the crucial boundaries late in the Hamilton chase. South Africa needed 22…

Ben Stokes, who had a base price of INR 2 crore (USD 300,000 approx) got 42 bids at the auction © AFP England allrounder Ben Stokes was bought for INR 14.5 crore (USD 2.16 million approx) by Rising Pune Supergiants at the tenth IPL player auction in Bangalore on Monday. Stokes’ bid sparked to life a low-key beginning to the auction in which several of the early players on sale…

South Africa in New Zealand 2016-17 February 20, 2017 The legspinner hasn’t had many opportunities for New Zealand this season, but understands his position and is learning to cope with the pressure Ish Sodhi opened the door for New Zealand when he had Faf du Plessis lbw © AFP There may have been more than a hint of immediacy bias – the perception that immediate emotions are more intense than…

Karachi Kings 174 for 4 (Malik 51*, Babar 46, Iftikhar 2-8) beat Peshawar Zalmi 165 (Afridi 54, Sohail 3-28, Usman 3-32) by nine runsScorecard and ball-by-ball details File photo – Babar Azam got Karachi’s innings off to a solid start with 46 off 38 balls © Getty Images In a nutshell Karachi Kings fought off a magnificent rearguard from Peshawar Zalmi, spearheaded by Shahid Afridi, to hang on to a…

File photo – Reeza Hendricks struck 13 fours in what turned out to be a match-winning century © Getty Images Reeza Hendricks did the job with bat and ball for Lions, in their opening Momentum Cup game against Warriors, setting up a 44-run win at the Wanderers. Hendricks first scored 101 off 104 in a 178-run opening stand with Stephan Cook to lay the platform for Lions’ 329-run total, before…