Month: December 2022

Gary Ballance, the former England batter, has been released from his contract with Yorkshire, after requesting the chance for a fresh start to his career following the damaging revelations that emerged during the club’s racism scandal last year. Ballance, the former club captain, played 23 Tests, as well as 16 ODIs, between 2014 and 2017, scoring four centuries at an average of 37.45 that compared favourably with many of England’s…

Mushfiqur had missed Bangladesh’s previous Test series in West Indies to perform Hajj, while Yasir and Taskin were injured. Zakir, 24, made it to the 17-member side after scoring 173 for Bangladesh A in the first four-day game against India A in Cox’s Bazar last week. His innings helped Bangladesh A draw the game despite being nine down and on the verge of an innings defeat. Zakir, a top-order batter…

Josh Hazlewood is in doubt for the start of the series against South Africa after being ruled out of the second Test against West Indies in Adelaide with a side strain. Initially his withdrawal from the match was attributed to “general soreness” but further investigation revealed the side strain. He will return to Sydney on Friday for rehabilitation and be assessed again after the West Indies series. Michael Neser was…

India’s home international season is scheduled to begin on January 3 with a T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka, a week after their ongoing tour of Bangladesh ends on December 26. That will be followed by another ODI and T20I series in January, against New Zealand, followed by four Tests and three ODIs against Australia in February and March before the IPL. India host Sri Lanka for three T20Is…

Young Sydney Thunder legspinner Tanveer Sangha is racing the clock to play in the BBL this season and put his name forward for Test selection ahead of a busy international cricket schedule. The 21-year-old has been sidelined with a stress fracture in his back but is hoping to return before the end of the Big Bash League season. “It was definitely a big blow,” Sangha told reporters on Thursday. “I…

David Warner‘s manager James Erskine has claimed that Australia were given the go-ahead to tamper with the ball after their defeat against South Africa in Hobart in 2016-17, when Australia were bowled out for 85 and lost by an innings and 80 runs in little more than two days. “Two senior executives were in the changing room in Hobart, and basically were berating the team for losing against South Africa,”…

Stand-in Australia captain Steven Smith won the toss and elected to bat against a revamped West Indies line-up in the day-night Test in Adelaide. Australia too were forced to make changes from the side that claimed the first Test by 164 runs. They had a new-look attack, with regular captain Pat Cummins failing to overcome a quad strain he picked up during the first Test, while quick Josh Hazlewood was…

At around 1pm at Multan’s Ramada Hotel, a handful of England players (those who weren’t off to play golf with head coach Brendon McCullum) were milling around as a group of Pakistan players were getting a tune-up at the onsite barber. Meanwhile, Ben Stokes was holding court. It was, for all intents and purposes, a run-of-the-mill press engagement. The first of this week’s duties ahead of the second Test, which…

Ollie Pope could keep his spot behind the stumps at the expense of Ben Foakes, while Mark Wood is primed for a return as England address selection conundrums ahead of the second Test against Pakistan. Following a historic 74-run victory in the first Test, England arrived in Multan on a high but with considerations over their XI, given the magnitude of the events in Rawalpindi. A virus in the camp…

Bangladesh allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz said that setting small goals, calming each other whenever panic set in, and not worrying about the final total were key elements of his record-breaking partnership with Mahmudullah in the second ODI against India. Their 148-run stand for the seventh wicket helped Bangladesh win by five runs and clinch their second successive series at home against India with a game to spare. Related Bangladesh hold…