7:29 AM GMT Sreshth Shah December 30: Hobart Hurricanes v Melbourne Stars in Hobart Our XI: Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, Hilton Cartwright, Caleb Jewell, Glenn Maxwell, D’Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Riley Meredith, Qais Ahmad, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Lamichhane NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about a late injury (or other relevant) updates Captain: Glenn Maxwell Maxwell’s struck 83 and 43 in two of his three…
6:54 AM GMT Pieter Malan is set to become South Africa’s eighth Test debutant in five matches during the New Year’s Test. Malan will replace the injured Aiden Markram, who has been ruled out of the series with a fractured finger, according to South Africa’s head coach Mark Boucher, who is on the selection panel. Boucher, assistant coach Enoch Nkwe, captain Faf du Plessis and independent selector Linda Zondi pick…
6:03 AM GMT Four-day Test matches are set to become mandatory as part of the World Test Championship from 2023 onwards, with the ICC’s cricket committee likely to formally consider the change in 2020 amid widespread discussions among member boards about how to reduce numerous pressure points in the global cricket calendar for the future. However, the world’s cricketers stand as the most likely source of opposition to the change,…
Full steam ahead for Australia bowling cartel (0:34) Nathan Lyon reiterated that none of Australia’s fast bowlers will be putting their hand up for a rest ahead of the Sydney Test against New Zealand. (0:34) 3:37 AM GMT It has been a tough season for visiting captains to Australia against a dominant bowling attack. Between them, Kane Williamson and Azhar Ali have scored 119 runs in eight innings. It is…
1:57 AM GMT Nathan Lyon has dismissed Shane Warne’s suggestion that he be rested against New Zealand at the SCG to make room for a Mitchell Swepson debut, indicating that he would prefer to bowl in tandem with the Queensland legspinner in Australia’s last Test until a tour of Bangladesh in June. Warne, whose opinions have become ubiquitous from the commentary box, had trained with Swepson during the MCG Test…
Faf du Plessis shakes hands with James Anderson after South Africa sealed victory 7:11 PM GMT Maybe the timing was simply unfortunate, but supporters of England’s Test team could have been forgiven for scratching their heads in bewilderment earlier this week. For just around the time that England were being bowled out for 181 in their first innings in Centurion – the fifth time in 12 first innings they have…
4:00 PM GMT A “gut feeling” and the spark of a fight led to South Africa taking the crucial wicket of Ben Stokes and getting their own back against Jofra Archer as they took the series lead against England. South Africa’s first Test win in six matches and first since January hinged on a key moment and a key battle: Stokes’ wicket in the second innings and the contest with…
3:56 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff New Zealand have called up offspinner Will Somerville to their squad for the third Test of their series against Australia as an injury replacement for Trent Boult. Boult fractured his hand while batting in the Boxing Day Test, and is set for four weeks of rehabilitation back home before he is fit to play again. He had also missed the first Test of the series…
3:22 PM GMT England have confirmed that Dom Bess, the off-spinning allrounder, will remain with the squad when they move on to Cape Town for the second Test. While Bess was not an original member of the tour party, he was added to the squad when it became clear that Jack Leach, in particular, was struggling with the sickness bug that has now affected, by Joe Root’s reckoning, 14 England…
2:10 PM GMT Matt Roller Close Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets at @mroller98 England head coach Chris Silverwood has defended captain Joe Root‘s decision to bowl first after winning the toss against South Africa, despite the decision backfiring as South Africa sealed a 107-run win at Centurion. On the first morning of the game, Root admitted that he faced a “tricky decision” at the toss…