7:09 AM ET Liam Brickhill Zimbabwe’s cricketers will play for free if needs be in order to keep cricket in the country alive. “We will play for free,” a senior squad member confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. “As long as we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our next assignment is the qualifiers. We will play for free.” The focus for Zimbabwe’s cricketers remains participation at the men’s…
6:42 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff The inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) kicks off on August 1 at Edgbaston with the first Ashes Test, before Sri Lanka host New Zealand from August 14 and India play their first Test in the West Indies from August 22. Here’s a look at what some key players are saying about the new competition, which is expected to add context to every Test series. Virat…
Michael Gough (extreme right) was on the ICC list of umpires for the 2019 World Cup 5:53 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Umpires Michael Gough and Joel Wilson have been promoted to the ICC’s Elite Panel for umpires for 2019-20. Gough and Wilson, who officiated in the recent World Cup, have replaced S Ravi and Ian Gould on the Elite Panel. While Gould retired from umpiring during the World Cup, Ravi,…
Gerald Mlotshwa, chairman of Zimbabwe’s Sports and Recreation Commission, that was put in charge of running Zimbabwe cricket 4:21 AM ET Liam Brickhill The interim committee running Zimbabwe Cricket has issued a statement instructing all employees, apart from the board originally suspended by the Sports and Recreation Commission last month, to report for work on Thursday or face “legal” and “disciplinary consequences”. This is not the first time that the…
‘If Bancroft plays, England beware’ – Waugh (2:00) Steve Waugh praised the mentality of Australia’s returning players Steve Smith, Cameron Bancroft and David Warner ahead of the 2019 Ashes Series. (2:00) 3:00 AM ET Australia’s coach Justin Langer has declared James Pattinson and Usman Khawaja certain starters for the opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston, while also consigning Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle to a three-way duel for the…
1:05 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff New Zealand begin their World Test Championship campaign at a place where they haven’t played long-form cricket in seven years. Sri Lanka. And their record in the country isn’t great either – six losses in 15 games. In an effort to change all that, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has sought out a man with insider knowledge on the conditions and the opposition: former Sri Lanka…
11:29 PM ET Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai Despite an up-and-down 2018 in Test cricket and a difficult county stint this year, India’s Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has received the backing of Virat Kohli, who reaffirmed that he was a “solid player”. Speaking before the USA and the West Indies tours, where India will play their maiden World Test Championship series, Kohli expected Rahane to “come around” as he has “done…
Play 02:00 ‘If Bancroft plays, England beware’ – Waugh Wielding his bat like a cutlass and swinging it with enough gusto to twice be caught at third man against India last summer, Travis Head would not, at first glance, look to be an Australian player ideally suited to the subtleties required to bat successfully in England. There have been numerous similarly swashbuckling Australian talents who never quite cracked it in…
6:13 PM ET Alex Malcolm Cricket Australia has opted not to reprise a fully-fledged home and away domestic 50-over competition in 2019-20 as the format continues to feel the squeeze in the summer schedule. However, CA has placed a priority on playing more 50-over domestic games on international-sized grounds in order to better replicate international conditions. The games have also been spread over three months instead of one and the…
4:59 PM ET Joe Root will return to No. 3 in the batting order in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, revealed at the end of the Ireland Test on Friday that he was intending to ask Root to move back to No. 3. But it now transpires that Root approached Bayliss before that conversation could take place and suggested the move. As a consequence,…