Month: November 2024

Afghanistan opt to bat vs Bangladesh Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss against Bangladesh in the first ODI in Sharjah, and opted to bat first. Afghanistan handed a debut to left-hand opening batter Sediqullah Atal, with regular opener Ibrahim Zadran ruled out due to an ankle injury. Atal, however, has played six T20Is already. Afghanistan also included four spin-bowling options in their side: legspinners Rashid Khan and part-timer Rahmat…

Kusal Perera has not played an ODI in almost a year, but has made this squad on the strength of his 55 not out in a T20I against West Indies. Shiraz, 29, has been an excellent domestic performer, taking 84 wickets at 18.75 in List A cricket, but has so far bowled only four overs in internationals. On the T20I front, Sri Lanka have retained the exact squad they had…

The victory at Karen Rolton Oval completed a wonderful week for South Australia after they earlier completed their first Sheffield Shield win over the Victoria in nine years. Harvey’s unbeaten 134 off 110 balls, his first in the format, was complemented by skipper Alex Carey initially in an 80-run opening stand before Drew (108 not out off 86) made an equally impressive ton to chase down Victoria’s 286 for 7…

David Warner has called on Cricket Australia to fully explain what happened when the ball was changed on the final day of the Australia A-India A game in Mackay. The Indian players, particularly wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan, were angry when a different ball was handed to them by the umpires before play. Audio picked up over the stump microphone heard umpire Shawn Craig saying there were scratches on the previous one…

Australia wicketkeeper Josh Inglis has been named the interim T20I captain for the upcoming series against Pakistan, in the absence of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, and will also lead in the third and final ODI in Perth with Pat Cummins, Steven Smith and Josh Hazlewood all resting. Cummins, Smith, Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Marnus Labuschagne will not play the third game to finalise preparations for the Border Gavaskar Trophy…

Nathan McSweeney will open for Australia A in the second four-day match against India A at the MCG in the clearest indication yet that he is a strong contender for the vacant role in the Test side. McSweeney, the Australia A captain, has never opened in first-class cricket but will partner Marcus Harris in a move that confirms they are the two frontrunners for the Test role, with Cameron Bancroft…

Cricket Australia’s Code of Conduct Commission ruled that Warner’s ban, which was handed down after the Newlands ball-tampering scandal in 2018 and prevented him holding any leadership position in Australian cricket, should no longer be in place. It opened up the route for Warner to captain Thunder with him available for the entire season. Related Warner signs for full BBL, Smith inks three-year Sixers deal Warner’s leadership ban overturned by…

Perth Scorchers 142 for 8 (Mooney 77) beat Brisbane Heat 114 (L Harris 40, King 5-16) by 28 runs A smart half century from Beth Mooney and a five-wicket haul for spinner Alana King have propelled Perth Scorchers to a 28-run WBBL win over Brisbane Heat at the WACA. Mooney rescued her side after a mid innings collapse left them precariously placed at 106 for 6 in the 17th over….

Big picture: The battle of experience vs potential It’s been an unlikely clash of ideologies in the Caribbean so far. In Thursday’s one-sided rout, the value of experience was writ large across Evin Lewis’ matchwinning onslaught: despite missing out on ODI cricket for three years, his muscle memory was keenly attuned to the challenge, as he rode out England’s new-ball threat to demolish his opponents in barely 25 overs. In…

Zafar Gohar, the former Pakistan spinner, has joined Middlesex on a two-year contract after qualifying as a local player. Gohar spent four seasons with Gloucestershire as an overseas signing, but has now received British citizenship. He last played for Pakistan in 2021, when he won his sole Test cap in Christchurch. He was also capped in an ODI against England in 2015. “Zafar is a player that we have admired…