Victoria 43 for 2 (Harris 26*) trail Queensland 172 (Renshaw 59, Perry 5-33, O’Neill 5-51) by 129 runs Victorian paceman Fergus O’Neill has produced an over of magic to put the hosts on top of their Sheffield Shield encounter with Queensland at the MCG. O’Neill (5-51) and Mitchell Perry (5-33) wreaked havoc to skittle Queensland for 172 on Friday, with only Matt Renshaw (59) and tail-ender Mark Steketee (44 not…
Harry Brook has hailed his 123 on the opening day of the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington as the best of his eight Test hundreds, eclipsing the 317 he scored against Pakistan two months ago. Brook’s 115-ball innings – including a century from 91, his second-fastest in Tests – has put England in command at the Basin Reserve, with New Zealand closing on 86 for 5, 198 behind…
On Thursday, that saw the final round of group fixtures at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), as many as 17 teams were in contention for the eight remaining knockouts spots. At the end of an engaging day’s play, this much was certain: Punjab won’t be defending their title this season despite Abhishek Sharma’s heroics, Mohammed Shami will have an opportunity to garner more match time with Bengal and Ajinkya…
Toss New Zealand chose to bowl vs England Tom Latham chose to insert England on a “traditional”, green-tinged surface at Basin Reserve, as New Zealand looked to find a way back into the three-match series after going 1-0 down in Christchurch. “Whether you win or lose you’re always looking to improve,” Latham said of how his side would respond to defeat. “The guys have worked hard the last couple of…
Ryan Rickelton doubted himself. He wondered if, after being among the top run-scorers in domestic cricket for several seasons, he could transfer that talent to the international stage. More importantly, he doubted if, on 98 in his first innings in his preferred position at No.3, he had hit the ball and been saved from an lbw decision. But he was two runs away from proving his own potential to himself…
Rob Key has conceded that Jofra Archer‘s decision to play in the IPL next year will put him “a couple of months behind” schedule in his attempted Test comeback. However, the league’s new rules left the ECB’s management feeling unable to deny him the opportunity to earn two seasons’ wages. Archer has not played a Test since February 2021 due to back and elbow issues, but has been injury-free in…
A likely breakthrough has emerged in the impasse over the 2025 Champions Trophy: the ICC and the PCB are believed to have reached an in-principle agreement to adopt the hybrid model for global tournaments being hosted in Pakistan or India until 2027. Such an arrangement would allow the two to play their games at ICC tournaments being hosted by the other at a neutral venue. Though the agreement has been…
Toss Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first against Zimbabwe Pakistan have won the toss in Bulawayo and elected to bat first. Having sealed the series, they have made four changes to their side: Sahibzada Farhan, Qasim Akram, Arafat Minhas and Mohammad Hasnain come into the side. Saim Ayub, Irfan Khan, Haseebullah Khan and Haris Rauf are rested. Zimbabwe make just one change, with fast bowler Trevor Gwandu…
Alastair Cook, England’s former Test captain, believes Jacob Bethell’s temperament can make up for his lack of red-ball experience, after he came through a challenging maiden Test in Christchurch with his reputation enhanced. Bethell was thrust in at No.3 for the first Test against New Zealand, after a hand injury prevented Jordan Cox from making his own Test debut, with Ollie Pope moving down to No. 6 as a makeshift…
Joe Burns has been announced as Italy’s new captain. The former Australia batter had shifted his allegiances to Italy in May this year. Burns, who was born in Brisbane, had qualified for Italy through his mother’s heritage and made his debut for them in June. “I am honoured to take on this role and represent Italy on the international stage,” Burns said in a statement. “For me, it is a…