England 232 for 2 (Duckett 80*, Root 72*) trail Pakistan 556 (Masood 151, Salman 104*, Shafique 102, Shakeel 82, Leach 3-160) by 324 runs Joe Root strode to the top of England’s Test run-scoring charts, while Ben Duckett allayed any overnight concerns about his thumb injury, as the pair added 119 unbeaten runs for the third wicket. Between them, they picked up where Zak Crawley had left off to drive…
Root acknowledged the landmark with a wave of his hand – and then his bat – to England’s players and coaching staff, who stood to applaud him on the dressing-room balcony at the Multan International Cricket Stadium. He started this tour 70 runs behind Cook’s career aggregate of 12,472, and went clear of him by driving Aamer Jamal down the ground. Speaking ahead of the first Test, Root had played…
Tasmania 201 for 4 (Silk 50*) trail Victoria 428 for 9 dec (Harris 143, Handscomb 129, Perry 58*, Bell 3-63) by 227 runs A fighting unbeaten half-century from Tasmania captain Jordan Silk has kept the visitors in the contest after Victoria threatened to take a massive first innings lead on the back of a strong all-round day from Mitchell Perry at the Junction Oval. Silk and Beau Webster guided their…
Eoin Morgan believes that England must recall Joe Root and Ben Stokes to their white-ball set-up ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Root and Stokes last played ODIs at the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, where England’s attempt to defend the title they won for the first time under Morgan’s leadership in 2019 culminated in an ignominious group-stage exit. Neither player will feature in the three-match series…
New Zealand veteran Suzie Bates will play for Hobart Hurricanes for the first time in the WBBL after being signed as an overseas replacement player for the back end of the tournament. Bates, 37, has played 100 WBBL matches representing Adelaide Strikers, Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers across eight seasons in the competition. The all-time leading women’s T20I runscorer was not selected at this year’s WBBL draft. But with England’s…
Who will open for Australia? Who should open for Australia? Should Steven Smith continue at the top of the order or shift back to number four? These questions have surrounded the Australian Test set-up for a while, and are only gaining traction ahead of India’s visit to Australia next month. “Steve Smith made the call to be able to go and open, and I think he should stay there”. That’s…
Kane Williamson is set to miss the opening Test against India in Bengaluru with his departure from New Zealand delayed by a groin strain he suffered during the Sri Lanka series. The rest of the squad remains unchanged from the disastrous tour of Sri Lanka. Although Michael Bracewell will only be available for the first Test in India before departing for the birth of his second child. Ish Sodhi will…
The chatter surrounding India’s No. 3 slot has taken another twist, with Smriti Mandhana saying that the batter will be chosen based on the conditions and match situation. “The wicket condition and ground conditions are a lot different to what we thought when we came here,” Mandhana, India’s vice-captain, said on Tuesday. “It just depends on the match situation, who we are playing, how the wicket is playing, and what…
“Chamari, are we going to see some shots?” Alyssa Healy’s wisecrack from behind the stumps during the Australia game has been playing on Chamari Athapaththu‘s mind over the past few days. It’s because Sri Lanka, coming off a historic first-ever series win against England and a maiden Asia Cup triumph, are now on the brink of elimination following big losses to Pakistan and Australia. Athapaththu’s own contributions in those games?…
What would India’s last two Test tours of Australia look like without Cheteshwar Pujara? The man who copped blow after blow, batted hours on end, and made Australia’s bowlers sick of the sight of him is no longer part of India’s set-up. But as far as former Australia allrounder Shane Watson is concerned, India’s newer-looking Test side, with its dynamic batting options, will continue to make life difficult for Australia…