Month: April 2019

8:07 AM ET Ben Foakes has admitted he was surprised to be dropped by England for their final Test of the winter, just a few months after being named Man of the Series in Sri Lanka, but is willing to contemplate whatever potential avenues are open to him in an attempt to remain in contention for the Ashes. Foakes was left out in St Lucia, despite a fine start to…

5:37 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff There was little doubt in R Ashwin‘s mind that Kings XI Punjab would bat first if he won the toss against Delhi Capitals in Mohali on Monday. But Shreyas Iyer won the toss, and Kings XI were put in on a ground where defending a target has been difficult in the recent past. Yet, Ashwin felt confident, because there was grip on the track, which…

4:52 AM ET Justice DK Jain, the BCCI ombudsman, has issued notices to the pair of Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, asking them to be present for hearings in the controversy related to their remarks on an Indian TV chat show recently. The hearings will take place in Mumbai, with Pandya’s scheduled on April 9 and Rahul’s the next day. This is the first issue Justice Jain, who was appointed…

2:41 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff The conclusion of the Pakistan-Australia series means all the ODIs are finished before World Cup squads need to be named by April 23. New Zealand will be the first to reveal their hand on Wednesday. ESPNcricinfo correspondents look at how all the teams are coming together ahead of decision time Afghanistan (Peter Della Penna) On their World Cup debut in Australia and New Zealand, Afghanistan…

1:08 AM ET The Australia season has come to an end but for plenty of players that does not mean putting the kit away. A host of names will be heading to England for county stints, some carrying Ashes hopes with them. Here’s where you’ll find them over the next six months Joe Burns (Lancashire) Put himself in the Ashes frame with 180 against Sri Lanka in Canberra but it’s…

5:13 PM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Shreyas Iyer, the Delhi Capitals captain, admitted he was left “speechless” after watching his batsmen crumble to defeat following a collapse of seven wickets for eight runs, the worst in IPL history. Although they managed to win their previous match via a Super Over against Kolkata Knight Riders, this was the second game in succession in which Delhi had thrown away the advantage, and a…

4:58 PM ET Durham’s new director of cricket Marcus North has expanded on his decision to award the county captaincy to Cameron Bancroft less than three months after his return from a nine-month ball-tampering ban. North, who represented Australia in 21 Tests, even judges that Bancroft will prove himself to be from the same mould as Michael Hussey, another Western Australian who briefly played for Durham in 2005, whose abiding…