Month: February 2017

Adam Milne and Mitchell McClenaghan have not played for New Zealand since last year’s World T20 © Getty Images New Zealand are keen to consider injury-hit quick bowlers Adam Milne and Mitchell McClenaghan for the Champions Trophy but head coach Mike Hesson has conceded that getting them enough cricket to prove their fitness will be a challenge. Both players have spent considerable time on the sidelines. Milne, the right-arm fast…

AB de Villiers on the New Zealand series: ‘It’s definitely a build-up towards the Champions Trophy, it’s a big goal of ours to go there and win that tournament’ © Getty Images AB de Villiers, South Africa’s one-day captain, believes there has never been as much belief in the squad as they currently have in the midst of an 11-match ODI winning streak. A win in Hamilton on Sunday will…

Match Facts February 19, 2017Start time 2.00pm local (0100GMT) Ross Taylor, the focus of much attention in recent times, returns for the one-day series © Getty Images Big Picture New Zealand have seen off the No. 1 ODI side in the world this season. Now they get to try to do it all over again. Overturning Australia in the Chappell-Hadlee series knocked off their crown, with South Africa, who are…

File photo: Babar Azam top-scored for Karachi Kings with an unbeaten 47. Their next best contributor was extras (9) © Getty Images In a nutshell Karachi Kings registered their first win of this year’s PSL, beating the defending champions Islamabad United by eight runs by the DLS method. In a game severely disrupted by rain at the Sharjah Cricket Ground, Karachi won the toss and elected to bowl. Both teams…

Peter Richardson takes a nap in the dressing room in 1956 © Getty Images Peter Richardson, the former Worcestershire and Kent batsman who played 34 Tests for England, has died aged 85. Richardson was brought into the England side at opener in 1956 after the retirement of Len Hutton and made scores of 81 and 73 on debut against Australia. His maiden hundred came in the fourth Test at Old…

“As a Worcestershire player, we really look forward to the T20 … Now people are realising that only a quarter of us will play” © Getty Images The proposed new T20 competition in England is likely to dilute the quality of domestic 50-over cricket and provide “another kick” to its future, according to new PCA chairman, Daryl Mitchell. While Mitchell, the Worcestershire top-order batsman who was recently elected to the…

Peshawar Zalmi 117 for 3 (Tamim 62*, Maqsood 30*) v Quetta GladiatorsNo resultScorecard and ball-by-ball details File photo: Tamim Iqbal cruised to a 41-ball fifty in a rain-affected match © AFP In a nutshell Continual rain in Sharjah meant only 16 overs were possible in the game between the PSL’s top two sides this season. Quetta Gladiators won the toss and, as has been the theme of the tournament, put…

The quality of pitches for T20 has proved a contentious point in the past © Getty Images The ECB is looking into the possibility of using artificial pitches in its proposed new T20 competition. Keen to ensure the best-possible surfaces (for batsmen, anyway) for a competition seen as vital in attracting a new audience to the game, the ECB recently held a meeting with county groundsmen where the idea was…

Tony Pigott, centre, is one of the ECB’s Cricket Liaison Officers © PA Photos The ECB has expanded its group of Cricket Liaison Officers (CLOs) for 2017, with a plan to have one present at every match. Andy Smith, the former Surrey allrounder, has been appointed to the new role of Cricket Operations Manager to oversee the CLOs. Five new CLOs, all with extensive experience of the county game, have…

Dane van Niekerk has upped her ante after taking over the captaincy © Getty Images and Cricket Australia The South African management is eyeing a semi-final finish or better for their women’s team, who qualified for the World Cup with victory over Sri Lanka on Friday. South Africa missed out on automatic entry into the tournament after finishing outside the top four in the ICC Women’s Championship but secured their…