There is a lot of talk about whether the Australia men’s team has fallen out of favour with the general public. Regardless of how much truth or otherwise there is around that, there could be no doubt about the affection felt for Travis Head when he brought up a hometown century at Adelaide Oval. Most of the 24,449 spectators who attended the opening day were still there when Head drove…
Richard Thompson, the ECB chair, has acknowledged that the scale of English cricket’s problem with discrimination is likely to prove “challenging for the sport” when the full findings of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) are published early next year. However, writing in the introduction to the ECB’s 12-month review into its game-wide Action Plan, Thompson insists that the progress outlined in three of its own EDI reports…
Big Picture Harder, faster, better, stronger. England have taken the Daft Punk approach to reviving their Test fortunes, not to mention reshaping the format as a whole. But how can you raise the bar after scoring close to 1000 runs at well above a run a ball, then crowbarring out the 20th wicket to secure one of the most-remarkable – and hardest-earned – victories in Test history amid the lengthening…
“He’s stable and out of danger,” Kandy Falcons’ team manager said. “He is available for selection and will be able to participate in the Kandy leg of the tournament.” The incident occurred in the fourth over of the game, when Karunaratne ran back from cover to take an over-the-shoulder catch off Carlos Brathwaite’s bowling. While Karunaratne held on to the chance, it was not before the ball landed flush on…
Naseem Shah‘s availability for the second Test against England in Multan is in significant doubt with an ongoing shoulder niggle, first sighted during the Rawalpindi game. This has put a further strain on Pakistan’s pace bowling resources, as they are already without Shaheen Shah Afridi and Harris Rauf, who debuted in the first Test but injured his quad and is now out of the series. Naseem was Pakistan’s standout bowler…
Legspinner Nathan Sowter has agreed a one-year contract with Durham after being released by Middlesex. Sowter, who was born in Australia but qualifies as non-overseas due to a British passport, had a spell on loan at Durham during last summer’s Vitality Blast, taking eight wickets in seven matches. “It is great that we have been able to secure Nathan Sowter to Durham for next season,” Marcus North, Durham’s director of…
Meg Lanning’s indefinite break from the game means Alyssa Healy will lead Australia Women for the first time in her career during the opening T20I against India on Friday. Lanning has been the captain since 2014, while Healy was named the vice-captain in October this year, after Rachael Haynes announced her retirement. So is Healy merely subbing in for Lanning, or will she try to leave her own stamp on…
Bangladesh A 252 and 49 for 2 (Shadman 22*, Saurabh 1-10) trail India A 562 for 9 dec (Easwaran 157, Jayant 83, Musfik 3-129) by 261 runs Bangladesh A were left needing another final-day rescue act after India A took a lead of 261 runs in the second unofficial Test in Sylhet. The hosts were 49 for 2 at stumps on the third day after India A declared their first…
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has lauded newly appointed batting coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar for the calmness he brings to the side, and said there should be no problems for the team in adjusting with him. Kanitkar will oversee the side during the upcoming T20Is against Australia, having been given the job after the BCCI moved Ramesh Powar to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) as men’s spin-bowling coach as part of a…
Batting in Test cricket is not all fun and games, even if England are making it look that way. That’s the word from returning South Africa batter Rassie van der Dussen, who favours a balance of powers in the red-ball game rather than the run-dominant approach England have taken since Brendan McCullum and Ben Stokes took over in May. In the Bazball era, England have scored runs quicker than anyone…