Month: January 2019

12:19 PM ET South Africa will be testing more than just their all-round options and bowling combinations in the decider of their series against Pakistan on Wednesday. They’ll also be testing their big-match temperament and gaining vital experience of how to deal with must-win games – experience that could be vital in overcoming the knockout anxiety that has haunted previous World Cup campaigns. “It sounds very cliché, but for me…

3:00 AM ET How the game played out Rangpur Riders picked up where they left off 24 hours earlier, producing another commanding performance to trounce Rajshahi Kings by six wickets with eight balls to spare. Considering the ease with which Riders overhauled a target of 187 set by Dhaka Dynamites on Monday, Kings’ first innings total of 141 was never going to seriously challenge Riders. Kings batsman Laurie Evans admitted…

3:00 AM ET Danyal Rasool Big Picture While South Africa have been open about their intention to use this series for experimenting ahead of the World Cup, Pakistan were decidedly more conservative in their selection. The hosts rested key players like Quinton de Kock and Dale Steyn for the first two ODIs and the on-fire Duanne Olivier for the last three. That afforded debuts to Beuran Hendricks and Rassie van…

9:30 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan has claimed that a miscommunication within the chain of command was behind Sabbir Rahman‘s recall to the Bangladesh ODI side three weeks before the end of his six-month suspension. ODI captain Mashrafe Mortaza had last week refuted chief selector Minhajul Abedin’s comment that Sabbir was solely the captain’s choice, saying that he doesn’t have veto power in selection….

8:45 AM ET Big Bash League club chiefs are set to meet united in their belief that Cricket Australia should allow overseas players to be paid outside of a salary cap that has proven ineffective in securing bankable international names for a competition wrestling with its limitations in the first year of a lucrative new broadcast deal. As the governing body plots changes to next season including a shift of…

3:00 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff India A 222 for 4 (Pant 73*, Jacks 2-35) beat England Lions 221 for 8 (Pope 65, Mullaney 58, Thakur 4-49) by six wickets Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur were instrumental in India A securing a fourth successive victory over England Lions in their five-match unofficial ODI series in Thiruvananthapuram. Thakur picked up 4 for 49, his new-ball spell helping topple the visitors’ top order…

8:14 AM ET Being part of Australia’s Test squad this season has been a double-edged sword for Peter Siddle, putting him closer to adding to his 64 caps but also limiting his time actually playing. Siddle’s appearance for Adelaide Strikers in their heavy defeat against Sydney Sixers at the SCG was just his seventh outing since the end of the November – four have come in the Big Bash and…

3:00 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Comilla Victorians 117 for 3 (Tamim 54*, Shamsur 36) beat Chittagong Vikings 116 for 8 (Mosaddek 45*. Afridi 2-10, Saifuddin 2-23, Riaz 2-23) by seven wicket How the game played out Comilla Victorians exploited the conditions to great effect and then chased down a meager total with little trouble as they climbed to the top of the table. On a day of rain delays and…