Essex sets up Championship showdown with Somerset after big win over Yorkshire

Jul 8, 2019 Yorkshire 208 (Harmer 5-76) and 38 for 3 trail Essex 328 (Westley 81, ten Doeschate 70*) by 82 runs “It’s not all about me,” Simon Harmer might have pleaded on a day when others contributed significantly to Essex’s commanding position at Chelmsford. But at least symbolically it was because when Harmer had Tom Kohler-Cadmore lbw with a sharply turning short ball minutes before the close it emphasised…

July 9, 2019
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Handscomb "definitely in", Stoinis fit – Langer

1:24 PM ET Marcus Stoinis will be fit to play in Australia’s semi-final against England and Peter Handscomb will be in the XI as a replacement for Usman Khawaja, according to Justin Langer. Stoinis appeared to have recovered from a side strain he sustained in Australia’s loss to South Africa and batted and bowled during Tuesday’s training session at Edgbaston. “He looks good,” said Langer after training. “It was a…

July 9, 2019
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Sophie Molineux called into Australia Women's Ashes squad

1:07 PM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Australia have called spinning allrounder Sophie Molineux into their squad for the Women’s Ashes Test, which starts next Thursday in Taunton. The left-armer has played three ODIs and 15 T20Is, taking 21 wickets for her country, but has yet to feature in Tests. Molineux missed the original cut for the Ashes squad in June, as she was continuing to recover from shoulder surgery, but has…

July 9, 2019
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Edgbaston set for sparse attendance after ticketing confusion

1:04 PM ET It’s one of the biggest matches in the recent history of England cricket and it has been a sell-out for weeks, but there seems a good chance there may be many empty seats at Edgbaston on Thursday. What is the problem? It looked, for a while, as if India may be involved in Thursday’s match. As a result, the side’s supporters snapped up many of the tickets….

July 9, 2019
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Billy Stanlake ruled out of Derbyshire T20 stint

12:08 PM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Billy Stanlake, the beanpole Australian fast bowler, has been ruled out of Derbyshire’s T20 Blast campaign through injury. Derbyshire had signed Stanlake as a replacement for Kane Richardson, who was called into Australia’s World Cup squad, but after a routine scan detected a minor issue, the 6ft 6in quick was made unavailable. The situation mirrors Stanlake’s aborted move to Yorkshire for the 2018 tournament, when…

July 9, 2019
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Nepotism talk has 'made me strong mentally' – Imam-ul-Haq

11:49 AM ET It’s a big point of interest in cricketing circles in Pakistan – Inzamam-ul-Haq‘s tenure as chief selector got over after Pakistan’s campaign at the 2019 World Cup, and there is uncertainty over whether he will get an extension, with the PCB currently reviewing the national team’s performance for the past three years. What, then, does Imam-ul-Haq‘s future look like? “I don’t care about the pros and cons…

July 9, 2019
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Australia a great team, 'but we're a different sort of animal' – Liam Plunkett

10:12 AM ET Liam Plunkett believes this England side are “a different animal” to their predecessors and “can beat anyone in the world” if they play well. Plunkett made his international debut in 2005 and played his first World Cup match in 2007, but admits to have never previously been part of a side who he thought could win the tournament. “For me, being involved in England squads of the…

July 9, 2019
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Handscomb will treat semi-final as 'any game'

11:52 PM ET It’s been a strange year for Peter Handscomb. He started it recalled to the Test side, one game after being dropped, and was then dropped again. He was called into the ODI squad, scored plenty of runs, but was left out of the World Cup squad. Now he’s in the World Cup squad after Shaun Marsh’s broken wrist and is very close to coming straight in for…

July 9, 2019
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Yardy named New South Wales batting coach

10:34 PM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Michael Yardy, the former Sussex captain and England allrounder, has been named New South Wales batting coach, replacing Beau Casson who has decided to return to Western Australia for family reasons. Yardy, 38, has been Sussex batting coach since early 2017 and has been combining that with being the 2nd XI coach since the 2018 English season while also working with the England Young Lions….

July 9, 2019
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