Month: November 2018

12:44 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff The Pakistani fast bowler’s curse has struck once again, an injured shoulder almost certain to rule Mohammad Abbas out of Pakistan’s deciding Test against New Zealand next week, but also potentially the South Africa tour next month. Abbas injured his right shoulder diving in the field during Pakistan’s innings win against New Zealand in Dubai. He played through the Test with painkillers but a shoulder…

3:00 AM ET Alex Malcolm Queensland 271 (Burns 96, Siddle 4-62) and 2 for 90 beat Victoria 167 (Handscomb 81, Finch 50, Steketee 4-52) and 191 (Harris 62, Handscomb 53, Steketee 4-49) by eight wickets Queensland’s seamers helped inflict Victoria’s first defeat of the season inside three days at the Gabba. Michael Neser claimed the all-important wicket of Glenn Maxwell early on day three before Mark Steketee cleaned up the…

11:48 PM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Craig McMillan, the New Zealand batting coach, has urged his batsmen to come up with “precise and clear” plans against Yasir Shah ahead of the third Test against Pakistan, which begins on December 3 in Abu Dhabi. Yasir’s match figures of 14 for 184 in Dubai were instrumental in Pakistan levelling the series after they lost a pulsating first Test by four runs. Looking ahead…

Australian cricket’s house of cards (2:04) Way too many heads have fallen in Australian cricket since the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. Here’s the lowdown (2:04) 7:11 PM ET Australia’s coach Justin Langer admits the four months that remain for Steven Smith and David Warner to serve their Cricket Australia-imposed bans may be necessary time to rebuild relationships and ensure that the former leaders, alongside Cameron Bancroft, can be properly integrated members…

3:00 AM ET Paarl Rocks 98 for 2 (Davids 46, Markram 29) beat Durban Heat 80 for 6 (Miller 22, Fortuin 2-6, Moreki 2-18) by 32 runs (DLS method) Henry Davids hits out during his 56 LatinContent/Getty Images A frustrating rain-filled evening in Durban eventually turned joyful for Paarl Rocks as they lifted themselves off the bottom of the points table. Paarl were denied their regular complement of overs, thanks to…

1:28 PM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Yasir Shah’s match-winning haul of 14 for 184 – the second-best match figures in Tests for Pakistan – in the second Test against New Zealand in Dubai has sent coach Mickey Arthur into raptures. The leg-spinner ripped through New Zealand in the first innings, claiming eight wickets in two sessions on day three, before picking another six in the second. Arthur reckoned that Yasir’s performance…

12:15 PM ET The drama surrounding Mithali Raj has taken another twist with head coach Ramesh Powar revealing the player had threatened to pull out of the Women’s World T20 and announce retirement in case she was not allowed to open. Powar has also said that Raj, who is India’s ODI captain, should stop “blackmailing and pressurising” coaches and putting her interests ahead of the team’s. These revelations are part…

11:20 AM ET There could be Women’s Caribbean Premier League on the cricket calendar in the near future with the tournament’s chief operating officer indicating it is not a question of “if” but “when”. Pete Russell was responding to questions raised by West Indies batsman Britney Cooper after her team was knocked out in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, when she claimed they could have done better if…

3:00 AM ET Tshwane Spartans 188 for 6 (Dean Elgar 79*, AB de Villiers 39, Simon Harmer 3-26) beat Jozi Stars 186 for 5 (Reeza Hendricks 55, Pite van Biljon 42, Jeevan Mendis 2-37) by four wickets Tshwane Spartans have the leading six-hitter and the most effective bowler of the Mzansi Super League in their ranks, but before today they had lost three of their four matches. AB de Villiers…