Month: April 2023

The ECB is “exploring” a possible breach of their anti-corruption rules by Test head coach Brendon McCullum regarding his relationship with bookmaker 22Bet India. McCullum’s deal with the Cyprus-registered company was announced in November 2022, six months after he was appointed to his current role with the England men’s side. However, over the past few weeks, adverts on YouTube and posts from the 41-year-old’s social media feeds have come under…

Essex 98 for 3 trail Lancashire 207 (Bell 60, S Cook 5-42) by 109 runs James Anderson warmed up for this summer’s Ashes by claiming the prized scalp of former England captain Sir Alastair Cook in his first LV= Insurance County Championship appearance for 11 months. Lancashire’s decision to bat first on a straw-coloured wicket meant Anderson remained tucked up in the pavilion until required to bat shortly before tea….

Somerset 28 for 2 trail Nottinghamshire (Duckett 75, Hameed 65, Gregory 7-84) by 228 runs Back injury healed; fracture recurring. Such has been the story of Lewis Gregory’s bowling career. It has become such a dispiriting routine that it was no wonder he often chooses to describe himself as a batting allrounder. But everything came right on a bowlers’ day at Trent Bridge as he returned career-best figures of seven…

Surrey 37 for 0 trail Hampshire 254 all out (Brown 95, Lawes 4-58) by 217 runs If you come to this part of south London, you’re guaranteed at least two things – Portuguese restaurants and wicketkeepers. There is a high concentration of both in this corner of Lambeth. As many as 10 of the former within a one-mile radius of the Kia Oval and four of the latter within the…

Warwickshire 367 for 3 (Yates 128, Hain 124*, Mousley 72*) vs Kent Rob Yates and Sam Hain punished Kent heavily for a miscalculation with the toss as Warwickshire amassed 367 for three on the opening day of their LV=Insurance County Championship match at Edgbaston. Yates struck 128 (217 balls) and Hain an unbeaten 124 (235) to enhance their England credentials at the expense of a Kent attack which toiled on…

Durham 363 for 7 (Bedingham 118, Lees 70, Gibbon 4-75) vs Worcestershire David Bedingham pressed his international credentials with a brilliant century on day one of Durham’s LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash against Worcestershire at Seat Unique Riverside. Before the start of the season, Bedingham declared his intention to play for his home nation of South Africa rather than await his availability for an England call. He duly…

Gujarat Titans 154 for 4 (Gill 67, Saha 30, Brar 1-20) beat Punjab Kings 153 for 8 (Short 36, Jitesh 25, Mohit 2-18) by six wickets Another day, another last-over thriller. This one, though, wasn’t as topsy-turvy as a few of the earlier games in IPL 2023. But, it still required the ice man Rahul Tewatia‘s services. With four needed off the last two balls, Tewatia calmly scooped Sam Curran,…

Leicestershire 243 for 2 (Ackermann 79*, Hill 75*, Budinger 72) vs Derbyshire Half-centuries from Sol Budinger, Lewis Hill and Colin Ackermann saw Leicestershire lay the foundations for a big first innings score after being put in on a shortened first day of their LV Insurance county championship fixture against Derbyshire. Bowling first was an understandable decision on the part of Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy after play could not start…

Northamptonshire 111 for 3 (Procter 39*) trail Middlesex 149 (Higgins 70, Sanderson 3-19, Tremain 3-34) by 38 runs Middlesex endured another nightmare start as Northamptonshire seamer Ben Sanderson took advantage of their fragile top-order on the first morning of this LV= Insurance County Championship clash at Wantage Road. Sanderson, returning to the side after recovering from a sore knee, took three wickets for just two runs in his opening burst…

Big Picture – KKR and SRH both on the rise Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad were both thrashed in their first games of the season and there was no single noteworthy performer for either team. But brighter days are already here. It’s been three days since that miracle innings but Knight Riders will still be on a high. Two 200-plus scores – one defended and one chased – will…