Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane has backed his team-mate Rohit Sharma to “get a big one” as the India Test captain returns to the Ranji Trophy after low returns in his last eight Tests this season. In the three Tests in Australia and five at home before that, Rohit managed only 164 runs from 15 innings to average a dismal 10.93. Rohit now returns to the domestic cricket – although likely…
Bangladesh beat Scotland by 17 runs in Bangi to become the second team after Australia to reach Super Six from Group D. Scotland can also qualify if Australia beat Nepal later in the day. After being sent in, Bangladesh posted 120 for 9. In response, Scotland could only manage 103 for 8. Legspinner Anisa Akter Soba was the star for Bangladesh with figures of 4 for 25. Bowling first, Scotland…
Don’t ban the Afghanistan men’s side from playing international cricket but do expect them to do more for the women and girls who don’t have the same rights they do. That’s the opinion of two formerly contracted Afghanistan women’s players living in exile in Australia. Firooza Amiri and Benafsha Hashimi fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021 and have narrated their story of escape to a new life on…
Bangladesh 184 (Nigar 68, Mostary 23, Ramharack 4-33, Alleyne 3-24) beat West Indies 124 (Campbelle 28, Nahida 3-31) by 60 runs Bangladesh are one win away from direct qualification for this year’s Women’s ODI World Cup after they beat West Indies by 60 runs in the second ODI in Basseterre on Tuesday. It was Bangladesh’s first win against West Indies in any format as they levelled the series 1-1 after…
David Warner has helped the Sydney Thunder to believe again according to coach Trevor Bayliss as the team’s fairytale BBL resurgence stretches into the finals. A year ago, they were preparing for a post-mortem on the equal-worst season from any BBL team in a decade. Not since the Thunder outfit of 2013-14 had a side won only one match in a BBL summer. But led by new captain Warner, they…
Steven Smith was fearful he had done significant damage to his elbow when he felt pain throwing in the BBL last week in what would been a major jolt to Australia’s plans in Sri Lanka. But after advice from a specialist Smith was cleared to join the training camp in Dubai where he arrived on Tuesday and is planning on resuming batting in the next couple of days. He is…
Brendon McCullum begins his tenure in charge of England’s white-ball teams with T20I and ODI series in India ahead of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. On the first pod of 2025, Alan Gardner was joined by Matt Roller and Vithushan Ehantharajah to discuss how McCullum might overhaul their fortunes. Topics include reinvigorating Jos Buttler, bringing back Joe Root and a focus on pace in the seam attack. Source: ESPN Crickinfo
Big picture: Teams in transition Gautam Gambhir and Brendon McCullum have many things in common. They were both stellar openers, they were both captain and coach of Kolkata Knight Riders at different times, they’re both known for their “aggressive” mindsets when it comes to approaching the game from the dugout, and, now, they both find themselves trying to shepherd two teams in transition. India’s has been easier with three superstars…
Jos Buttler, England’s captain, says he doesn’t believe a boycott of Afghanistan cricket is “the way to go”, ahead of the men’s teams’ scheduled meeting in next month’s Champions Trophy. The contest, set for Lahore on February 26, has come under sustained political scrutiny in the past few weeks, following a letter from Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi to Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, which called out the “insidious dystopia”…
Axar Patel has been promoted to being India’s vice-captain, and Hardik Pandya is no longer this team’s deputy. Could that affect T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav‘s dynamics with Hardik, who, come the IPL, will be captaining Suryakumar? Not at all, Suryakumar said on the eve of the first T20I in Kolkata. He might not have the tag of vice-captain, but his “good friend” Hardik remains a a key member of India’s…