Rahul Dravid walked and sat on a wooden bench alongside the nets at Edgbaston. On the adjacent bench was Jasprit Bumrah, padded up, bat by his side. Bumrah had just finished a batting session. You can’t know the exact words the duo exchanged, but on the available evidence, Dravid’s gestures indicated him checking if Bumrah was fine. Bumrah nodded back and smiled. With Rohit Sharma still testing positive for Covid,…
In a small sample size, the third Test between England and New Zealand was perhaps the best example of the problem-solving, spirit and intent Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes want from their team. The reaction to being 55 for 6 in their first innings, the manner in which they picked off New Zealand to restrict them in the second innings, then chasing down 296 in 55 overs for the loss…
India remain undaunted by the prospect of facing a revitalised England side, one much changed in attitude to the side they played in the first four Tests of the Pataudi Trophy last year. That series finds its culmination in the Edgbaston Test which starts on Friday. England are fresh off a 3-0 sweep of the WTC champions New Zealand, and playing a brand new, ultra-attacking style of cricket. India lead…
While one Indian men’s team is playing England at Edgbaston in the rescheduled fifth Test, another will be involved in two warm-up matches ahead of July’s T20I series against the same opponents, on the back of their 2-0 series win against Ireland in Malahide. For the England series, Rohit Sharma is back as India captain, with the first match starting at the Ageas Bowl on July 7. Related Balbirnie ‘bitterly…
Rohit Sharma will return as captain for both the T20I and ODI series against England, while Virat Kohli will play the second and third T20I, followed by the three ODIs. Rohit has been laid low after contracting Covid-19 and will not play the fifth Test against England, with Jasprit Bumrah named captain in his absence. Rohit played the tour game Leicestershire, scoring 25 in the first innings, but has since…
Dan Christian, Nottinghamshire’s T20 captain, has confirmed that this season will be his last with the county, as he prepares to play his final match at Trent Bridge against Durham on Friday. Christian, 39, is the only man to have led Nottinghamshire to T20 glory, having lifted the trophy twice: first in 2017, then in 2020, when he delivered Player-of-the-Match performances in both the semi-final and final. In addition, he…
“Crikey, this bloke is a leader.” That was what Paul Farbrace, then England’s assistant coach, thought in October 2016 when Jos Buttler stood in for Eoin Morgan during an ODI series in Bangladesh, his first captaincy experience in senior cricket. England, missing Morgan and Alex Hales due to their shared concerns about security, won the series 2-1 under Buttler’s stewardship, overcoming a partisan home crowd and the heat and humidity…
Buttler, 31, regularly deputised as captain during Morgan’s seven-and-a-half-year tenure and has captained England in nine ODIs and five T20Is to date, most recently in the third ODI against the Netherlands in Amstelveen last week. His first assignment as captain will be the T20I series against India which starts on July 7 at the Ageas Bowl, for which England are due to name their squad on Friday lunchtime. That fixture…
Big Picture It kind of doesn’t feel right, but in a Covid-19 world, we must make do. This was supposed to be the grand finale of a thrilling Test series that had packed drama, emotion, storylines and loads of skill, endurance and discipline. It was all headed for one final Test with India chasing a historic series win and England fighting to defend their home turf even though they didn’t…
From falling out with the head coach to becoming his new boss, Enoch Nkwe has completed a triumphant return to South African cricket. The 39-year old who resigned as assistant coach in 2021 in part due to differences with Mark Boucher has now been appointed Director of Cricket by CSA. Nkwe beat former South Africa spinner and current Warriors coach Robin Peterson to the job. He succeeds Graeme Smith whose…