New Zealand 159 for 5 in 33 overs (Bates 51, Kerr 47*, Matthews 3-28) beat West Indies 168 for 7 in 35 overs (Henry 44, Kyshona 36, Jonas 2-22) by five runs (DLS method) New Zealand started their West Indies tour and the Women’s championship cycle with success, thanks to Suzie Bates‘ 51, Amelia Kerr‘s 47*, and Fran Jonas’ two-for. Amelia also chipped in with 47* to complete a five-run…
Fast bowler Adam Milne has been included in New Zealand’s squad for the T20 World Cup after missing recent tours due to an Achilles problem. Milne was part of last year’s tournament in the UAE after being called up as a replacement for Lockie Ferguson. During a career interrupted by injuries, he has taken 32 wickets at 26.68 in 31 T20Is. He forms the frontline pace options alongside Ferguson, Tim…
Shelley Nitschke has been named the new head coach of the Australia women’s team for the next four years, after having taken on the role in an interim capacity since Matthew Mott left earlier this year. Nitschke, who had been an assistant coach with Australia since 2018, was in charge of the side as they secured gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and had been the frontrunner for the…
South Africa power-hitter Tristan Stubbs fetched the highest bid of Rand 9.2 million (USD 520,000 approx.) during the inaugural SA20 player auction in Cape Town. Sunrisers Eastern Cape won a fierce bidding war against MI Cape Town and Jo’burg Super Kings to snap up their homegrown hero. Uncapped batter Donavon Ferreira, who plays for Titans, also created a big stir. Having listed his base price at Rand 175,000 (USD 10,000…
The conference room in Karachi is a cosy little place, one that feels overcrowded when a high-profile press conference is imminent. There’s a flurry of activity as journalists scramble to get themselves to one of the black leather sofas, demand for which far outstrips supply. On a muggy September evening under the glare of the cameras, that effect is further amplified. However, it wasn’t the size of the room, or…
The sense of occasion will not be lost on Moeen Ali when he walks out for the toss at Karachi’s National Stadium on Tuesday night. Jos Buttler’s calf injury means that he will captain England against Pakistan, the country from which his grandfather emigrated after the second world war, on their first tour of the country in 17 years. He has led England four times before but this time will…
Big Picture Post the 2021 T20 World Cup, India have played a total of 29 T20Is heading into this series. Australia, meanwhile, have played just nine. Irrespective of their prep, Australia might turn up in their usual confident manner at the T20 World Cup – but this time they’ll have to defend the title in their backyard. And they have quite a bit to figure out compared to their better-prepped…
Big picture Seventeen long years ago, in the cold of a misty December night, England’s cricketers made their way off the field at Rawalpindi after a consolation victory in the fifth and final ODI. It was the final act of a tour in which little had gone right for England in either red- or white-ball format, not least for their all-conquering 2005 Ashes team, which had collapsed to a 2-0…
KL Rahul is working on his strike rate, but also feels his detractors are perhaps not the best informed. “Look, [it’s] obviously something that every player works towards,” Rahul said on the eve of the first T20I against Australia, the penultimate series for India before they go to the T20 World Cup. “No one is perfect. No one in that dressing room is perfect. Everyone is working towards something. Everyone…
New South Wales legspinner Tanveer Sangha has been ruled out of the first part of the domestic season with a stress fracture of his lower back. Sangha, who has been involved with Australia’s white-ball squads, is aiming to return to action during the BBL where he will play for Sydney Thunder. He was with the Australia A squad which toured Sri Lanka earlier this year, taking seven wickets in the…