Adam Wheater, Essex’s wicketkeeper, is set to retire from professional cricket at the end of the 2022 season. Wheater, 32, made his first-class debut for Essex in 2008, and spent four seasons with Hampshire from 2013 to 2016, before returning to Chelmsford to play a pivotal role in the club’s run of red-ball success in recent seasons. After rejoining the club on a loan spell in 2016, Wheater played key…
The BCCI has banned Boria Majumdar, the Kolkata-based journalist Wriddhiman Saha had pointed at for “threat and intimidation”, for two years. Majumdar will not get press accreditation for domestic or international matches in India, interviews with any “registered players”, and access to cricket facilities owned by the BCCI or the state/member associations. In a missive sent to its members, the BCCI said that a three-member committee comprising vice-president Rajeev Shukla,…
David Warner has emphasised the need for the top three to contribute big runs as Delhi Capitals look to escape the lower half of the table and secure a playoffs spot in IPL 2022. Capitals are currently seventh among the ten teams with eight points from nine matches, but could move up as far as fourth, potentially, if they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday. Given the sheer number of teams…
Suranga Lakmal, who ended his international career following the tour of India earlier this year, makes way, as do fellow quicks Lahiru Kumara and Dushmantha Chameera, who is being rested from red-ball cricket until the T20 World Cup later this year. Related Chris Silverwood named Sri Lanka’s new head coach Shakib back for first Test against SL; Shadman, Jayed dropped There is also no room for legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay, nor…
Australia have consolidated their top position in the ICC men’s Test team rankings, while India and New Zealand remain the No.1 teams in the T20I and ODI rankings, respectively. The ICC’s annual update reflects all completed series since May 2019. The series played before May 2021 are now weighted at 50 per cent and subsequent ones at 100 per cent. Australia extended their lead to nine points over second-placed India…
Australia could consider playing five specialist bowlers plus an allrounder in Sri Lanka as a way of sneaking three spinners into the side for back-to-back Tests in Galle. They picked three specialist spinners, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Swepson and Ashton Agar, in their Test squad last week along with three further specialist spinners – Todd Murphy, Matt Kuhnemann and Tanveer Sangha – for the Australia A tour to take place just…
New Zealand coach Gary Stead is confident that Kane Williamson will be able to withstand the rigours of Test cricket when he returns from a long-standing elbow problem against England next month. “Absolutely, yep,” Stead said when asked if Williamson would be ready for the start of the series. “He’s going really well. Been talking to him regularly the last week or so and he has no issues at all,…
When Mayank Agarwal lost the toss – the eighth Punjab Kings had lost in 10, making them the second-unluckiest team in the tournament – he must have felt distraught because they are pretty close to getting into must-win territory. However, seconds later, he was handed what he wanted: an opportunity to chase a total. After a fairly comprehensive defeat, Gujarat Titans’ captain Hardik Pandya confirmed that they didn’t make the…
Punjab Kings 145 for 2 (Dhawan 62*, Rajapaksa 40) beat Gujarat Titans 143 for 8 (Sudharsan 65*, Rabada 4-33) by eight wickes A stifling bowling show, led by Kagiso Rabada‘s four-for and penurious figures of 4-0-17-0 from Sandeep Sharma, restricted table-toppers Gujarat Titans to a below-par 143 and revived Punjab Kings’ campaign for the playoffs race. Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Liam Livingstone made short work of the chase which…
Allrounder Michael Bracewell has been included in a New Zealand Test squad for the first time as part of the initial 20-player group for the series against England next month. There are also spots for the uncapped Cam Fletcher, Blair Tickner and Jacob Duffy in the enlarged squad which will cover for likely IPL absentees during the warm-up matches and then be trimmed before the first Test at Lord’s on…