England cricketers often wear black armbands as a mark of respect during Test matches 10:52 PM IST The England team could wear blue armbands during the Test series against West Indies in recognition of the contribution of NHS workers and other care staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. Tributes to care workers, who have borne the brunt of the virus in their efforts to keep others safe, have been a feature…
Amy Jones and Lauren Winfield have both returned from Australia © AFP via Getty Images Lauren Winfield and Amy Jones will resume training along with the rest of the England squad on June 22 after returning to the UK from Australia. Both players were stranded overseas and unable to fly back because of restrictions on international travel imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the cancellation of most commercial flights,…
7:39 PM IST ESPNcricinfo staff Heather Knight, the England women’s captain, and Middlesex all-rounder James Harris have been appointed as vice-chairs of the Professional Cricketers’ Association. The two players will take up their positions on the PCA board in support of the chairman Daryl Mitchell, with a remit to champion the ongoing interests of professional cricketers in England and Wales. “I am delighted to welcome both Heather and James onto…
Umpires will be able to levy a five-run penalty after two warnings for saliva application under new regulations 6:37 PM IST ESPNcricinfo staff The ICC has decided to allow player substitutes only in Test cricket if a player shows symptoms of Covid-19, and has also introduced a system of issuing two warnings per innings followed by a five-run penalty for repeated use of saliva on the ball. Those decisions were…
5:45 PM IST Matt Roller Close Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets at @mroller98 Andy Balbirnie, Ireland’s captain, is hopeful that his team’s three-match ODI series against England will go ahead in July after a “very reassuring” briefing from the ECB last week. Ireland returned to training on Monday to begin their preparations for the tour, which is due to be played at the Ageas Bowl…
5:25 PM IST Plans to create a bio-secure environment for Pakistan’s training camp ahead of their tour of England have been shelved following the rapid growth of coronavirus cases in the country. ESPNcricinfo understands it has become increasingly difficult for the PCB to construct a secure bubble between player lodgings and the training facility. The Pakistan squad had been expected to fly in the first week of July, with their…
Chamari Atapattu goes on the attack © Getty Images Sri Lanka captain Chamari Atapattu is the only player to earn a top contract in 2020, as Sri Lanka Cricket announced a 35-strong list of centrally-retained women players. As has been the case in the past year, these contracts are valid for only six months at a time (members of the men’s team get 12-month contracts), with this lot having gone…
4:37 PM IST ESPNcricinfo staff Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, has indicated that the World Test Championship may not prove fit for purpose in a post-Covid world, after warning that the sport needs to take stock of its priorities at international and domestic level to address the pandemic’s long-term implications. Speaking on the eve of West Indies’ arrival in England for their rescheduled Test tour, Harrison warned that a…
1:40 PM IST ESPNcricinfo staff Cricket Australia appears to heading for another confrontation with its players amid their belief they need to make significant cuts in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Here’s how the situation is playing out June 5Analysis Summit required to stop Australian cricket’s chaos June 4News Australian Cricketers Association to formally challenge Cricket Australia revenue forecasts June 3News CA claims cuts will reduce A$142 million revenue hole…
© BCCI Former West Indies captain Daren Sammy has called out what he said were possibly racist references to his skin colour while he was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room in IPL 2013 and 2014. He said he wasn’t aware at the time of the racist connotation of the word used, and has asked his former team-mates to clear the air on it. In a video post on…