New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl versus England England have handed Harry Brook a chance to open the batting and stake a dramatic claim for a last-minute World Cup berth, after Jason Roy suffered a back spasm and was ruled out of the first ODI against New Zealand at Cardiff. With Jonny Bairstow also missing out after picking up a shoulder niggle in last week’s fourth T20I…
Big picture – Sri Lanka in sight of 13th successive win Sri Lanka are one win away from ODI eminence. If they beat Bangladesh in their Asia Cup Super Four game on Saturday, they will become the team with the second-longest winning streak in the format. Only the Australians of 2003 achieved a longer streak (21), while Sri Lanka are currently tied with Pakistan (12 wins in 2007-08) and South…
The India vs Pakistan game on September 10 is the only game that has been allocated a reserve day in the Super Four round of the ongoing Asia Cup. The final, which is set to be played on September 17, will also have a reserve day. Rain had forced a washout in Pallekele when the two teams first faced each other in this Asia Cup. Rain then returned in India’s…
Will Sutherland has been named Victoria’s new Sheffield Shield captain and is also set to lead Australia A in three 50-over matches against New Zealand A in Queensland starting on Sunday. But his Australia A side won’t feature Test and Victoria offspinner Todd Murphy who has been withdrawn from the series due to a niggle, however, it is understood to be minor. Sutherland, 23, led Victoria in four Shield matches…
South Africa were well on track to defend a below-par 222 in the first ODI against Australia and had them at 113 for 7, but an unbeaten 112-run partnership between concussion sub Marnus Labuschagne and No. 8 Ashton Agar saw Australia cruise to a comfortable win. Bavuma, who was not on the field for most of Australia’s chase as he recovered from a cramp he picked up while batting, was…
Green was hit behind the left ear when he ducked into a Kagiso Rabada bouncer off the second ball he faced after walking out at No.4 for the first time in his ODI career. Green retired hurt and didn’t return. Cricket Australia confirmed he had a precautionary scan and will now enter an eight-day concussion protocol where he will be monitored daily by the medical staff. He is not going…
Australia women’s captain Meg Lanning has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I and ODI home series against West Indies and is instead set to make a gradual playing return via domestic cricket as she continues her recovery from an undisclosed medical issue. Lanning’s name did not appear on the two squad lists Australia released on Friday with Alyssa Healy returning as stand-in captain having recovered from the broken finger…
Ben Stokes has ruled out the possibility of bowling at the World Cup, but says he has “a really good plan” in place to overcome his chronic left-knee injury and play as a “genuine allrounder” next summer. Stokes played the final three Tests of this summer’s Ashes series as a specialist batter and will fulfil the same role when he returns to England’s ODI side on Friday, most likely at…
Cameron Green has been substituted out of Australia’s opening ODI against South Africa in Bloemfontein with a concussion after he was hit by a Kagiso Rabada bouncer in the sixth over of the chase. Marnus Labuschagne took his place in the line-up. Green had only just arrived at the crease after Rabada removed Mitchell Marsh with the first ball of his third over and defended the first delivery he faced….
Big picture: Lord’s finalists reunited Change of week, change of format, change of headspace, same opponents … sort of. Forget the exploratory joustings that played out in a deeply peculiar T20I series, one in which England were a class apart until they were not, and in which New Zealand went from distracted cannon-fodder to destructive bomb-squaddies in the space of 48 hours. This time, things will be deadly serious from…