Shoaib Bashir, England’s debutant offspinner, has described the dismissal of Rohit Sharma for his first Test wicket in Visakhapatnam as “very, very special” – and said that the lengthy delay in being granted his visa had made his debut “more memorable”. Bashir bowled 28 overs on his first day as a Test cricketer, returning figures of 2 for 100. He dismissed Rohit in his fourth over, caught at leg slip,…
“I’ve just got to keep trying to do my best for Queensland, and if I get an opportunity at the higher level, just try and take it” • Cricket Australia/Getty Images No one predicted Xavier Bartlett would be playing for Australia this summer. Not even Xavier Bartlett. The fact that he made his debut in an ODI, having not played a 50-over List A game for Queensland since September 2022, makes it…
Australia batter Cameron Bancroft will return to Gloucestershire this year after signing a deal to represent the club across formats in the 2024 season. Bancroft was recently overlooked by Australia’s selectors for the Test opening spot vacated by David Warner, but has been prolific for Western Australia in the last two Sheffield Shield seasons. He was named men’s domestic player of the year at the Australian Cricket Awards earlier this…
Megan Schutt never thought she’d play one game for Australia, let alone 200. But she is revelling at the prospect of achieving the milestone when Australia host South Africa on Saturday in the opening fixture of the three-match one-day series at her beloved home ground, the Adelaide Oval. “It makes you feel a bit old, to be honest,” Schutt, the 31-year-old quick, told reporters on Friday. “Game one, I didn’t…
New Zealand and South Africa will play for the Tangiwai Shield, the trophy for the two-match Test series that’s set to begin on February 4 in Mount Maunganui. The trophy commemorates the tragic events of 1953, when 151 people on the train from Wellington to Auckland on Christmas eve – including Nerissa Love, the fiancé of New Zealand fast bowler Bob Blair – lost their lives in the country’s worst…
Toss Sri Lanka chose to field vs Afghanistan Sri Lanka have made the unusual decision to bowl first in a home Test, with the surface at the SSC bearing a green tinge. Often Test-match pitches at this venue are dry, and spin-friendly. Sri Lanka have also picked a pace-heavy attack, handing a debut to fast bowler Chamika Gunasekara, who had impressed in the first two rounds of the ongoing National…
Toss Australia chose to bowl vs West Indies Australia will unleash Lance Morris and Xavier Bartlett on ODI debut after winning the toss and bowling first at the MCG in the first match of a three-match series. Morris was handed his first ODI cap by vice-captain Travis Head while Bartlett received his from Queensland and Brisbane Heat teammate Marnus Labuschagne. Australia are experimenting with their side in their first ODI…
One of the first people involved in West Indies cricket to set eyes on Shamar Joseph has recalled the excitement at seeing him bowl. Roland Butcher, who played international cricket for England, was a West Indies selector until earlier this year and was present at various stages through Joseph’s rapid rise which made global headlines with his 7 for 68 at the Gabba to bowl West Indies to a famous…
Hampshire have signed Michael Neser, the Australian seamer, for their first eight T20 Blast games of the season. He will also be available as cover for Kyle Abbott and Mohammad Abbas for a handful of County Championship fixtures. Nathan Ellis, Neser’s compatriot, has been a revelation for Hampshire over the past two seasons and spearheaded their attack during their title-winning run in 2022. But a clash with the T20 World…
Rajat Patidar grew up hoping to be a fast bowler. But an ACL injury in 2014 forced him to shift to batting. A decade on, he’s on the cusp of a Test debut, as a middle-order batter. With Virat Kohli and KL Rahul unavailable, Patidar could well slot in at four or five. If that happens, it will be the start of another chapter for Patidar, the 30-year-old from Indore…