Month: December 2024

Ryana MacDonald-Gay has earned her place in England’s Women’s Ashes Test squad after making a successful debut in South Africa this month. MacDonald-Gay, the 20-year-old seam bowler, has played two ODIs and one T20I after making her international debut on England’s tour of Ireland in September. She impressed both captain Heather Knight and South Africa’s star allrounder Marizanne Kapp in taking 2 for 50 during South Africa’s first innings, though…

Shafali Verma smashed a 115-ball 197 for Haryana in the quarter-final of the senior women’s One-Day Trophy against Bengal on Monday in Rajkot. Shafali hit 22 fours and 11 sixes in her innings as Haryana posted 389 for 5 and won by 261 runs. It was her second hundred in the ongoing competition, having opened the tournament with a 98-ball 139 against Uttar Pradesh. In seven innings so far, Shafali…

South Africa will find a way to “pull together” for the Champions Trophy 2025 after suffering their first ODI whitewash at home and without any more match practice with a full-strength squad ahead of the tournament, according to white-ball coach Rob Walter. After overseeing the 3-0 defeat to Pakistan, Walter has been left with an ODI record of two series wins from six but does not think bilateral form accurately…

Australia 290 (Gardner 74, Litchfield 50, Sutherland 42, Kerr 4-54) beat New Zealand 215 (Bates 53, Green 39, King 3-34, Sutherland 3-39) by 75 runs Ashleigh Gardner continued her batting resurgence with a rapid half-century and Annabel Sutherland produced another superb all-round effort as Australia wrapped up a 2-0 series victory after overwhelming New Zealand in the third ODI at the Basin Reserve. In their last match before next month’s…

Hard-hitting middle-order batter Bevon Jacobs has been handed his maiden New Zealand call-up by being picked for the upcoming three-match home T20I series against Sri Lanka. Jacobs was part of the New Zealand XI side that took on Sri Lanka in a 10-overs-a-side tour match in Lincoln on Monday, although he did not get a chance to bat. Jacobs’ call-up comes barely a month after he was picked up by…

India will play their Champions Trophy 2025 matches in the UAE. The decision, though widely expected, was finalised after Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, met with Sheikh Nahyan al Mubarak in Pakistan. Sheikh Nahyan is a senior UAE minister and also the head of the Emirates Cricket Board. “The PCB has picked the UAE as a neutral venue for the Champions Trophy,” PCB spokesperson Amir Mir said. The Pakistan vs…

Brisbane Heat 175 for 7 (McSweeney 78*, Renshaw 54, Pope 2-17) beat Adelaide Strikers 174 for 6 (Jamie Overton 45*, Prestwidge 2-16) by three wickets Nathan McSweeney has rebounded from his Test axing to inspire Brisbane to a last-ball BBL victory over Adelaide Strikers with a brilliant and unbeaten 78. He was “devastated” on being dropped from Australia’s side for the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but the 25-year-old got…

Toss South Africa chose to bowl vs Pakistan Temba Bavuma chose to chase in a rain-delayed third ODI at the Wanderers, in a series already lost to Pakistan. In drizzly conditions, the start of play was pushed back 15 minutes and there is more rain forecast in the evening, which could mean an adjusted target as the match goes on. That means 18-year old tearaway Kwena Maphaka, schooled up the…

Joe Root has been recalled to England’s ODI squad for February’s ICC Champions Trophy, as well as the 50-over leg of the India series that precedes it, in the first big call of Brendon McCullum‘s tenure as head coach across red- and white-ball formats. Root, who turns 34 later this month, is set to finish 2024 as the No. 1-ranked Test batter in the world, after a stellar personal year…

The Indian team management is not concerned about any injury worries to Rohit Sharma after the India captain was struck on the knee during practice at the MCG on Sunday and needed some attention from the physio. Fast bowler Akash Deep also took a blow while batting but later brushed any injury issues for both players aside. Rohit, who seems to be settling into his middle-order role – he let…