Ben Stokes has requested “fast, flat” wickets for the Ashes this summer and revealed he has an XI in mind for the first Test at Edgbaston on June 16. Since taking over as Test captain at the start of last summer, Stokes’ team, under the guidance of head coach Brendon McCullum, has adopted a quicker scoring rate that has propelled England to 10 wins out of 12. In that period,…
Mumbai Indians 173 for 4 (Rohit 65, Tilak 41, Mukesh 2-30) beat Delhi Capitals 172 (Axar 54, Warner 51, Chawla 3-22, Behrendorff 3-23) by six wickets Mumbai Indians held their nerve with the last ball of a scrappy, tension-fuelled basement battle against Delhi Capitals to claw themselves off the bottom of the IPL standings with their first win in three attempts this season, and condemn their opponents to a fourth…
Rohit Sharma‘s match-winning 65 against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday night was an innings of two phases. He raced to 37 off 17 balls in the powerplay as Mumbai made a blazing start to their chase of 173, and slowed down thereafter, his last 28 runs coming at exactly a run a ball. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rohit said the two phases had worked out just as planned: he went…
If Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma wants to rekindle his IPL batting form, he should bat a minimum of 50 balls to provide heft to an otherwise inexperienced middle order. That is the suggestion from former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who believes Rohit needs to “revisit” his approach in the IPL. A string of losses in the first half of the season is nothing new for Mumbai, who have…
Charlotte Taylor, the star of Southern Vipers’ first Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy title, has earned a six-month professional contract with the club. Some two-and-a-half years since her 6 for 34 spun Vipers to victory over Northern Diamonds in the inaugural final of the competition, Taylor joins four other players on six-month deals announced on Tuesday as the club’s list of professional women’s players swelled to 16, compared with six when…
Big picture – Can Royals conquer Chepauk too? On most days, playing at Chepauk gives Chennai Super Kings a distinct advantage, but Rajasthan Royals have the resources to neutralise their home advantage. After a stutter in a close game against Punjab Kings, Royals have resumed regular service, beating Delhi Capitals comprehensively to go with the thrashing they handed Sunrisers Hyderabad. Their batters have posted 190-plus totals in all three games…
A round-up of the fourth week of matches at the 2022-23 2022-23 Dhaka Premier Division League, as Abahani Limited drop points after eight wins in a row, while star-studded Mohammedan Sporting Club get into the top six. Key takeaways – Abahani Limited’s winning run ends Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club beat Abahani Limited to break their eight-match winning streak on Monday. They are now on 16 points each on top of…
“For a Perth boy, the facts are everywhere else is cold.” Ryan Campbell has been taking a tour around the boundary at Hove, with his Durham side striving for breakthroughs in their Championship match against Sussex. It is, by recent standards, a beautifully sunny spring day, but Campbell is well wrapped up as he leans on an advertising board and discusses how he ended up at English cricket’s most northerly…
In the earliest start ever for an Indian domestic season, the Duleep Trophy – the inter-zonal first-class competition – will kick off the 2023-24 calendar on June 28, while the Deodhar Trophy – the inter-zonal 50-over tournament – returns after a gap of three years. The season, comprising 1846 matches, will end with the Ranji Trophy, which will run from January 5 to March 14. The Duleep Trophy and Deodhar…
Australia A 253 (Hardie 115, Jewel 66, van Beek 4-72) and 336 for 8 decl (Renshaw 140, Ward 63, van Beek 3-61) drew with New Zealand A 246 (Solia 60, Bruce 44, Hay 43, Buckingham 6-58) and 174 for 3 (Cooper 61, O’ Donnell 44*, Swepson 3-85) Mitchell Swepson made the most of some welcome overs with the Dukes ball before pumping up Queensland team-mate Matthew Renshaw after Australia A’s…