South Africa allrounder Dwaine Pretorius has retired from international cricket with immediate effect. “I am shifting my focus to T20 and other shorter formats for the rest of my career,” he said. Pretorius played 30 T20Is, 27 ODIs and three Tests and taken 77 wickets across formats. He has also featured in two World Cups and holds the South Africa T20I record for best bowling figures (5 for 17 against…
Norma Whiteman, the Australia Test cricketer, has died at 95. A middle-order batter and medium-pace bowler, Whiteman (also known as Norma Johnston) played seven Tests from 1948 to 1951. Until her passing, Whiteman was the oldest Australian Test cricketer alive. “Everyone across Australian Cricket will be saddened to hear of Norma’s passing,” Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said. “As a pioneer, Norma not only made a wonderful contribution as…
Sinikiwe Mpofu, the Zimbabwe women’s assistant coach, has died aged 36. Her death comes less than a month after her husband, Shepherd Makunura, who was the men’s team fielding coach, died on December 15. According to the Zimbabwe Cricket website, Mpofu was pronounced dead on arrival at a medical facility after she collapsed at her home in Masvingo on Saturday, and a post-mortem to determine the cause of her death…
Using three frontline quicks remains an option for Australia on their tour of India with Pat Cummins keeping an opening mind about the balance of the side that they will need. The last time they won in India, on the 2004 tour, their bowling attack was based around the three-pronged pace of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz alongside the spin of Shane Warne and then some part-time overs….
Pat Cummins says there has to be a better way for the third umpire to adjudicate on catches after Richard Kettleborough was forced to make three contentious decisions during the third Test. Sydney match umpires lodged reviews for three catches taken low to the ground in the slips at the SCG. On each occasion, third umpire Kettleborough found evidence the ball had touched the ground before the fielder was able…
The BBL continues to produce incredible drama. Here are a few things that stood out in the first week of the new year. Zampa’s contentious run out attempt They say any publicity is good publicity and the BBL has not been short of controversial moments this season that have stirred global debate. Just two days after Michael Neser’s contentious juggling catch on the boundary, chaos ensued when Stars skipper Adam…
Big picture: Pakistan, NZ build for ODI World Cup Very little seems to ride on the ODI series these days, something especially true for this three-match rubber between Pakistan and New Zealand. Both sides have qualified for the World Cup later this year, and hosting the limited-overs matches as the dessert rather than hors d’oeuvre makes it feel insubstantial. That is especially true of Pakistan, who will end a difficult…
Sydney Sixers 134 for 3 (Silk 59*, Henriques 53*, Green 2-29) beat Sydney Thunder 133 for 8 (Whiteman 42, Ross 34, Abbott 3-9, Dwarshuis 2-28) by seven wickets Paceman Abbott spearheaded a strong Sixers bowling effort as they restricted Thunder to 133 for eight in their Sydney Smash derby at Sydney Showground Stadium. Sixers slumped to 25 for three after four overs, but middle-order linchpins Silk and Henriques took control…
Dean Elgar insists he has the “hunger and the drive” to continue as South Africa’s Test captain after a second, successive series defeat and despite his own poor form. Since taking over the captaincy mid-2021, Elgar has not scored a hundred and averages 28.40, with no scores over 36 in his last 10 innings. While he admitted he needs some time off, Elgar has committed to leading South Africa in…
It was a pair of spinners who played the decisive hand on the final day at the SCG, but not the two Australia had hoped for. The defiance shown by Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer, while not saving the follow-on, took enough time out of the game that Australia could not force a result with just 47 overs remaining. It was always going to be a tall order for the…