Disinfecting the ball during a match to be part of the future as the game? © AFP Disinfecting cricket balls during a match could be part of the future as the game looks to adapt to the risks posed by Covid-19. Maintenance of the ball has become one of the key topics as the sport tries to map a way back from its pandemic shutdown given shining has traditionally involved…
10:22 PM IST Umar Akmal has filed an official appeal against the three-year ban imposed on him by the PCB, challenging the length of the sanction and hoping to get it reduced. Akmal was expelled from all representative cricket after he he failed to report details of corrupt approaches made to him ahead of this year’s PSL. The PCB confirmed the receipt of Akmal’s appeal and will form a panel…
10:13 PM IST England’s bowlers have been obliged to delay their return to training due to complications in delivering safety protocols. The ECB had hoped that bowlers in the enlarged training squad picked to prepare for an anticipated return of Test cricket in July would be able to return to training at their respective local county grounds on Wednesday. But issues in establishing uniform practices that minimise the chances of…
We came into the middle and I said ‘I feel awful’ – Trescothick (1:44) Former England and Somerset batsman Marcus Trescothick discusses the issue of mental health awareness in cricket (1:44) 9:03 PM IST Valkerie Baynes A charity which provides mental health services to professional cricketers past and present faces a £250,000 funding shortfall because of the Covid-19 lockdown. As with many charities, the ban on mass public gatherings has…
Old Trafford could be turned into a ‘bio-secure environment’ to host behind-closed-doors internationals © AFP Lancashire have expressed hopes that some fans will be able to attend matches this summer as they prepare for the “green light” to stage England fixtures behind closed doors at Emirates Old Trafford. Extensive plans have been drawn up to play international cricket in ‘bio-secure’ conditions in recent months, with the ECB accepting that the…
7:39 PM IST Matt Roller Close Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets at @mroller98 Gloucestershire have cancelled this summer’s Cheltenham Festival due to the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning that this will be the first year in peacetime since 1871 that they have not played a game at the College Ground. All professional cricket in England and Wales is currently suspended until July 1 at the earliest, but…
6:43 PM IST Valkerie Baynes Up to 24 domestic women’s cricketers will receive retainer payments from June 1 as the ECB tries to ease some of the financial hardship of their season being disrupted by the Covid-19 lockdown. The ECB was due to award full-time contracts to 40 domestic players this year under a plan to transform women’s and girls’ cricket, with those players involved in a 50-over competition between…
5:07 PM IST Andrew Fidel Fernando Sri Lanka Cricket is intent on constructing a new 40,000-capacity stadium in Colombo in addition to the existing R Premadasa Stadium in Khettarama. Primarily, the board appears to be interested the highest-capacity sports venue in the country in order to strengthen bids on major ICC events in the next rights cycle. This, despite calls by players for Khettarama’s existing training facilities to be enhanced….
3:19 PM IST Valkerie Baynes You’re 22 years old and you’ve already played two Tests for England but you’re sitting in your county changerooms, having been dismissed cheaply at the business end of the Championship season. How do you tell your team-mates that you don’t care how you got out, you’re not bothered about the match, that this flood of tears is way, way more than frustration at losing your…
Shane Warne has never accepted the decision to drop him in 1999 © Getty Images Last week ESPNcricinfo published a stats piece about run-outs, with the top figure being that Steve Waugh had been involved in the most of any player during an international career – and that on 73 occasions it was his partner who ended up walking back. There were a host of other interesting nuggets, but this…