Month: December 2019

1:05 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Ashley Giles, the ECB’s managing director for men’s cricket, has questioned whether England’s multi-format players have had the necessary time to “get over” their gruelling summer schedule. England have played more days of international cricket than any other team since the start of May, with the World Cup and the home Ashes series quickly followed by a tour of New Zealand. Members of the Test…

12:33 PM GMT Halfway through the Test series, several Sri Lanka players have expressed confidence that Pakistan is safe to tour. Not only that, captain Dimuth Karunaratne now even regrets pulling out of the ODI leg in September. Pakistan and Sri Lanka had originally been slated to play the ongoing Test series in September, and the limited-overs leg at this time of year. But so intent was the PCB on…

Iain Nairn bats during the Physical Disability World Series 2019 semi-final between England and Afghanistan  12:04 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Iain Nairn, captain of the England Physical Disability team, has announced his retirement from international cricket after a seven-year career. Nairn, 39, who plays with a prosthetic right leg, led England to victory in the T20 World Series in 2015, which was organised by the Red Cross as the first…

11:38 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Ireland’s Test schedule for 2020 has suffered a further blow, with the confirmation that Sri Lanka have postponed their scheduled one-off Test match in February. The news comes just days after Ireland were forced to cancel their home Test against Bangladesh, due to what their CEO Warren Deutrom described as the “financial headwinds” being faced by the board since their accession to Test status. According…

11:10 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Shaheen Afridi will play for Hampshire in next year’s Vitality Blast. Shaheen, who has become an important part of Pakistan’s seam attack in all formats over the past 18 months, is expected to be available for the duration of the T20 competition as an overseas player. “I am delighted to sign with Hampshire for the upcoming Vitality Blast competition,” Shaheen said. “I have always enjoyed…

10:46 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff An MCC team, captained by Kumar Sangakkara, will play a series of matches in Lahore next year, as the prospect of a more regular return of top-level cricket to Pakistan gathers pace. Pakistan are currently taking on Sri Lanka in their first home Test series since March 2009, when the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked outside the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore. The opening match…

9:04 AM GMT Jacques Kallis will join South Africa’s backroom staff as a batting consultant for the summer, completing the support staff of the new regime. Kallis and Charl Langeveldt, who opted out of a two-year-deal with Bangladesh after just five months to take on the role of bowling coach, have been confirmed as being part of Mark Boucher’s staff. That brings the total number of former internationals involved to…

Dec 17, 2019 Sidharth Monga West Indies won the toss again and inserted India in a must-win contest for the hosts in the three-ODI series. It was a big advantage for the visitors as pitches tend to quicken up in the night and dew becomes a factor too. West Indies made two changes to their winning combination. The return of Evin Lewis strengthened their batting further, and legpsinner Hayden Walsh…

5:54 AM GMT Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, is counselling the MCC (Melbourne Cricket Club) against overreacting to the abandonment of the recent Sheffield Shield game between Victoria and Western Australia by preparing a safe, flat surface for the Boxing Day Test match next week. Under pressure from both CA and the MCC to produce a more equitable surface from the same ageing pitches in concrete trays that…