Month: April 2020

11:42 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Derbyshire have deferred the contracts of Sean Abbott and Ben McDermott until 2021 as a cost-saving measure for this season. Abbott had been due to arrive in April and leave in July, while McDermott’s contract ran from May until August, but with the season postponed at least until the end of May and likely beyond on account of the coronavirus pandemic, and uncertainties surrounding international…

10:47 AM GMT The PCB, in a bid to deal with a possible funds’ crunch because of the Covid-19 pandemic, has decided not to spend on the infrastructure at its stadia and save in the region of Rs 5 billion ($30,086,690 approx.), which could be used to safeguard the interests and well-being of its cricketers and staff members. A plan is being chalked out to prepare for the worst-case scenario,…

5:35 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Following the heady heights of the T20 World Cup triumph last month, Australia Women’s thoughts were set to shift to how to reclaim the 50-over title which escaped them in 2017 when they exited in the semi-final against India. But while the tournament in New Zealand is still ten months away, like the rest of the sporting world there are now a host of unknowns…

The PCB has not been hit as hard as other boards by the pandemic, but it is still planning for the worst-case scenario where the T20 World Cup is postponed  6:05 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, has warned of the financial fallout to world cricket if the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held later this year, is impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. The tournament is…

5:08 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff New Zealand seamer Matt Henry has become the latest player to have his county contract cancelled on account of the coronavirus pandemic. Henry was due to join Kent – for whom he starred in 2018 – for seven County Championship games at the start of the season, but with all professional cricket cancelled in the UK until May 28 at the earliest, it became clear…

Sam & Tom Curran share ‘village’ home training techniques (1:09) England and Surrey brothers explain how they’re doing their best to be ready for cricket’s return (1:09) 5:00 PM GMT Tom Curran has admitted that an enforced break from cricket over the last few weeks has come as a “shock to the system”, but said he was trying to use the time off to refresh mentally, hopeful that the game…

4:33 PM GMT IPL 2020 is likely to be postponed indefinitely owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is understood that the BCCI has not set a new window yet for the tournament which was to be held between March 29 and May 24. The decision to postpone the IPL was discussed by the BCCI’s top brass including Sourav Ganguly (president), Jay Shah (secretary), Brijesh Patel (IPL chairman) over a conference…

3:55 PM GMT Pakistan is preparing to enter a new broadcasting landscape this year, planning a new deal for the first time in recent memory without a bilateral series against “unreliable” India – according the PCB chairman – to sell. Though they have not played a full bilateral series against their neighbours since 2007-08, the value of each of their broadcast deals this century have included series with India. That…

‘If you can keep your cool longer than the opposition, then often you finish on top’ – Michael Hussey (18:31) Sanjay Manjrekar and Michael Hussey discuss the art of finishing, MS Dhoni, and the future of CSK without Dhoni (18:31) 11:35 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Michael Hussey thinks MS Dhoni is the greatest finisher of all time. Having shared a dressing room with the former India captain for seven years…

4:57 AM GMT Australia’s No. 1 spin bowler Nathan Lyon has revealed members of the Test team are becoming increasingly resigned to the likelihood they will make their return to Test cricket in front of empty stadiums next summer, leading them to ponder how India’s captain Virat Kohli will handle an atmosphere devoid of the noise and energy of a crowd to play to. Back in March, the Australia ODI…