Close Assistant editor Daniel Brettig had been a journalist for eight years when he joined ESPNcricinfo, but his fascination with cricket dates back to the early 1990s, when his dad helped him sneak into the family lounge room to watch the end of day-night World Series matches well past bedtime. Unapologetically passionate about indie music and the South Australian Redbacks, Daniel’s chief cricketing achievement was to dismiss Wisden Almanack editor…
Kohli powers majestic four (0:12) Kohli powers majestic four (0:12) 11:07 PM ET Few sounds are sweeter in sport than bat on ball. If you have played cricket yourself, you know the rich, velvety feeling of instant wellbeing, the bat feeling light in your hand, and the contact not so much a collision between two hard objects as it sweet union, the wood absorbing the impact of leather softly, and…
8:40 PM ET Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has dismissed talk of his possible retirement from the game at the end of the World Cup, saying that he hasn’t given the matter any thought. He did, however, reiterate that this would be his last World Cup. “This is definitely my last World Cup, but I will not be retiring after the tournament,” Mashrafe, 35, told ESPNcricinfo. “I don’t want to think…
6:54 PM ET Alex Malcolm Imagine you are about to fulfil a life-long dream, playing in an Ashes series for Australia in England. Imagine you are a legspinner, in the mould of your hero Shane Warne, on the cusp of playing your first Test match. But, imagine going into the series having never played a long-form game of cricket in your life. That is the task facing Australia’s 20-year-old legspinner…
5:24 PM ET Mahela Jayawardene looks set to be named as head coach of Southern Brave, The Hundred side based in Southampton. Jayawardene, the former Sri Lanka batsman, has forged an excellent career in coaching, including twice leading Mumbai Indians to victory in the IPL. He also had a brief stint as a consultant coach with the England team and recently turned down an approach to work with the Sri…
5:11 PM ET Assumptions that Reece Topley‘s cricketing career is over appear to be premature. There is at least a possibility that he will revive his professional career with Sussex in this summer’s Vitality Blast as he tries to pull off a remarkable recovery against the odds. Topley has suffered four stress fractures to his back in recent years (two separate breaks that then reoccurred) and has not bowled a…
Jun 26, 2019 ECB Reporters Network Leicestershire 273 for 7 (Azad 92, Cosgrove 63) trail Northamptonshire 299 by 26 runs Hassan Azad‘s carefully compiled 92 saw Leicestershire build a steady reply to Northamptonshire’s 299 on the third day at Wantage Road. Azad batted for over two sessions to help Leicestershire reach 273 for 7 before bad light curtailed the day 15 overs early. Following a century in each innings against…
3:00 AM ET Paul Edwards at Hove Durham 384 (Bancroft 158, Eckersley 118) and 284 for 3 dec (Lees 143) beat Sussex 232 (Carse 5-43) and 240 (Robinson 59, Raine 6-27, Rushworth 4-44) by 196 runs Cameron Bancroft made a shocking admission on the third evening of this game. He confessed he did not yet know the lyrics of “Blaydon Races”, Durham’s famous victory song. “When we sing it, one…
2:45 PM ET Melinda Farrell Close Melinda Farrell is a presenter with ESPNcricinfo Gary Stead is backing Colin Munro and Martin Guptill at the top of the order as New Zealand aim to bounce back from their first loss of the World Cup, against Pakistan. The openers have struggled to make runs since their first match of the tournament and there has been speculation that one of them could make…
Jonny Bairstow goes on the attack © Getty Images Jonny Bairstow has a message for England’s players, fans and critics: keep calm and carry on. After three defeats in the World Cup so far, including in their last two matches, Bairstow and his team-mates have heard the criticism – from taxi drivers to commentators and former players. But he says they are not letting any negative noise in and will…