Manjrekar: ‘A lot of cricketing sense at the auction’ (6:20) Sanjay Manjrekar and Ajit Agarkar analyse some of the biggest buys of the IPL auction (6:20) 7:30 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff The IPL has signalled that it might move away from the auction system after criticism of the system as “undignified and cruel” and “humiliating” to players. New Zealand has become the first country where administrators have dared to voice…
7:06 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff The Wanderers pitch has been rated “poor” by the ICC for the third Test between South Africa and India, which saw heavy criticism from the cricket fraternity. As a result, Wanderers has received three demerit points, which will hang over the venue for five years. One of South Africa’s premier cricket grounds, Wanderers has escaped an immediate ban. But if the venue commits any more…
6:46 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff New Zealand left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner has displaced team-mate Ish Sodhi as the No. 1 bowler in T20Is, following his haul of four wickets in the home series against Pakistan. Ish Sodhi, who took two wickets in the series at an economy rate of 8.66, has moved down to third place. Santner leads the second-placed Rashid Khan by one point. He is the fourth New…
The victorious England squad © Getty Images Trevor Bayliss has challenged his England one-day cricketers to embrace the notion that they are favourites to win the World Cup in England in 2019, in a bid to pre-empt the pressure and expectation that will be generated by their impressive development in the 50-over format. England completed the bilateral leg of their tour of Australia with a 4-1 series win in the…
Highlights – India hand Pakistan their worst defeat (4:14) The 203-run defeat was the largest Pakistan had ever suffered in the Under-19 World Cup (4:14) 4:19 AM ET Pakistan’s Under-19 World Cup began with a loss to Afghanistan, and will now end with a clash against the same opponents in the third-place playoff. On their drive to Queenstown for that fixture, they will have time to reflect on what may-have…
2:36 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Cheteshwar Pujara will warm up for India’s Test series in England by playing county cricket for Yorkshire. Pujara will share overseas duties with New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, and he is so intent upon making a good impression that he is due to arrive in the UK in time for a pre-season friendly against Leeds Bradford MCCU fixture on April 7. There was little to…
1:51 AM ET Australia captain Steven Smith has questioned whether England’s bull-at-a-gate batting approach will stand up to the pressure of a World Cup. Smith also said he wanted the Australia squad that will play five ODIs in England this year to be as close as possible to their desired 2019 World Cup combination. England’s methods, rejuvenated since their 2015 World Cup failure, place emphasis on a hyper-aggressive start with…
Rajiv Shukla and Anirudh Chaudhry attend the IPL governing council meet © PTI BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry has “vehemently” denied he had issued threats to the board’s chief financial officer (CFO) Santosh Rangnekar on three separate occasions. Challenging that claim, Rangnekar suggested he was happy to take a polygraph test if Chaudhry was willing, too. In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, Chaudhry said the allegations were “frivolous” and…
12:13 AM ET Two more editions of the burgeoning Women’s Big Bash League will help build anticipation for a standalone Women’s World Twenty20 tournament in 2020, with a showpiece final expected to draw the largest crowd for a women’s cricket fixture. That’s the view of Australia’s captain Meg Lanning, who was visibly enthused by the concept of the World T20 standing apart from the men’s event as a forerunner to…
3:00 AM ET India 272 for 9 (Gill 102*, Kalra 47, Shaw 41, Musa 4-67) beat Pakistan 69 (Nazir 18, Porel 4-17) by 203 runs Ishan Porel took Pakistan’s first four wickets Getty Images Shubman Gill converted his record sixth fifty plus score in Youth ODIs into a magnificent backs-to-the wall century to help India stroll into Saturday’s final against Australia in Mount Manganui. He was helped in no small part…