The World Test Championship begins with the Ashes battle between England and Australia on August 1 3:00 AM ET Big picture “Right. Let’s be doing this. Is this mic on?” “HELLO BIRMINGHAM!” *** Yes, it’s back! After yet another intense bout of Ashes hype and build-up, lasting … ooh… a matter of hours, cricket’s greatest rivalry is revved up and ready to take centre stage once again. The time for…
10:01 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Former Glamorgan captain Malcolm Nash, best known for being slammed for six sixes in an over by Garry Sobers, has died at the age of 74. Reports suggested that Nash had collapsed while attending a sports dinner in London on Tuesday night, and died in hospital overnight. Nash played 17 seasons of first-class cricket, from 1966 to 1983, turning out in 336 matches in which…
England’s top-order musical chairs (0:45) Since the last Ashes, they have not gone more than four Tests at a stretch with the same top three (0:45) 9:11 AM ET England are all set for yet another top-three combination in the first Ashes Test, with Joe Root moving up the order and Rory Burns and Jason Roy opening together for the only the second time. We take a look at how…
7:54 AM ET England captain Joe Root will believe Australia have ceased to be the mouthy, win-at-all-cost combination he had encountered two years ago only when the behaviour of Tim Paine’s men stands up under the extreme pressure of an Ashes series. Numerous members of England’s squad were left bruised if not outright scarred by their experiences on that tour, bullied by Australia’s pacemen and batsmen and also subjected to…
7:48 AM ET Matt Roller Close Matt Roller is a freelance cricket journalist. @mroller98 Since their dominant innings win there in the 2001 Ashes, Australia have been abject at Edgbaston, while it has quickly turned into England’s best venue. A boisterous, partisan crowd, helpful conditions for their seamers with the red ball, and assistance for spinners with the white have combined to create a lethal cocktail for touring teams, and…
6:04 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Mumbai Indians, the IPL 2019 champions, have added West Indies batsman Sherfane Rutherford to their squad, after trading legspinner Mayank Markande to Delhi Capitals. Rutherford is known for his big-hitting abilities. Playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors in his debut season of the Caribbean Premier League last year, Rutherford made a mark against Trinbago Knight Riders, smashing a 13-ball 45, with six sixes and a four,…
5:41 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Ian Bell will play no part in Warwickshire’s County Championship campaign for the first time since 2000, after being ruled out for the remainder of the 2019 season due to a tendon issue in his left knee. Bell, who had been on the comeback from a foot injury sustained during the Pakistan Super League in February, reported the knee concern following Warwickshire’s Second XI Championship…
3:00 AM ET Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne elected to bat first after winning the toss against Bangladesh in the third ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium. Having already clinched the series in the second game, Sri Lanka rested four of their regulars. They brought in Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga and Kasun Rajitha for Isuru Udana, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhananjaya de Silva and Lahiru Thirimanne. For Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman…
Play 00:48 Ashes not about redemption for Smith, Warner – Langer Australia have traded off the breakup of the fast bowling “big three” by selling Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood the idea that spreading the workload among more pacemen will extend their careers, with the captain Tim Paine declaring his team have been “way too reliant” on them. James Pattinson is guaranteed to play in the opening Ashes…
I always felt as a cricketer growing up, if someone from Tamil Nadu or Mumbai made 120 runs, I had to make 200 to be noticed – Andhra’s Venugopal Rao 12:54 AM ET Shashank Kishore Earning Greg Chappell’s praise and being in the same dressing room as his batting idol Sachin Tendulkar are two of Venugopal Rao‘s fondest memories as an India cricketer. On Tuesday, the 37-year old middle-order batsman…