James Pattinson: “I got through a fair bit, I think I bowled close to 35 overs last week in the nets, which is a substantial amount in the nets.” © AFP James Pattinson is licking his lips at the prospect of returning to Australia’s Test team on a pitch that should offer him – and his sore shins – some assistance. Pattinson appears almost certain to replace the injured Peter…
Henry Nicholls showcased his potential as a Test batsman during his 59 on debut in Wellington © Getty Images The day after Australia won the first Test in Wellington, New Zealand coach Mike Hesson was asked to nominate the positives he would take from the defeat. Trent Boult’s improving consistency was one, in Hesson’s reckoning, but the other was the impressive debut of Henry Nicholls. New Zealand might have lost…
The ECB has today announced England’s 15-player squad for the ICC Women’s World Twenty20, which will be played alongside the men’s competition in India next month. Charlotte Edwards will captain the side, which includes her Kent team-mate Natasha Farrant, who has been called-up for an ICC world event for the first time. Farrant, a young left-arm seamer, arrived in Johannesburg on Sunday (14th February) to join the England women’s squad…
Alex Hales carried his sensational one-day international form into Twenty20 cricket with a swashbuckling innings in England’s warm-up match against a strong South Africa A outfit at Boland Park. Having hit four fifties and a century during the tourists’ 3-2 ODI defeat to the Proteas, the opening batsman smashed 78 off 52 balls in Paarl. Hales blasted nine fours and three sixes, reaching his half-century from just 32 balls, while…
[embedded content] David Willey stressed the importance of starting the Twenty20 leg of their tour of South Africa with an impressive performance. The tourists prepared for their two-match T20 international series with the Proteas, which starts on Friday, with a 44-run victory over South Africa A at Boland Park in Paarl. Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan both starred with the bat, hitting 78 and 42 respectively in England’s 202 for…
Islamabad United 151 for 5 (Haddin 54, Misbah 38*) beat Lahore Qalandars 150 for 5 (Akmal 72*, Maqsood 57, Irfan 3-22) by five wicketsScorecard and ball-by-ball details File photo – Misbah-ul-Haq blasted 38 off 19 balls to take Islamabad home in 19 overs © Getty Images A three-wicket haul from Mohammad Irfan and a brisk half-century from Brad Haddin set up Islamabad United’s five-wicket win against Lahore Qalandars in Dubai….
England XI 202 for 6 (Hales 78, Morgan 42, Parnell 3-26) beat South Africa A 158 for 8 (de Bruyn 56, Topley 3-29) by 44 runsScorecard Alex Hales continued his blistering form ahead of the T20 series © Getty Images Alex Hales continued his prolific limited-overs form with a sixth successive fifty-plus score, while captain Eoin Morgan club five sixes in a 13-ball onslaught, to push the England XI to…
Peter Siddle went off the field with a back problem on the third day of the Wellington Test © Getty Images Peter Siddle has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch due to back pain. Siddle bowled only eight overs during New Zealand’s second innings in Wellington before back spasms forced him from the field after tea on day three; he returned on the fourth…
Skipper Charlotte Edwards wants England to use the Twenty20 series against South Africa to fine-tune their preparations for the World T20. The tourists face the Proteas, who they beat 2-1 in the one-day internationals, in the first of three T20s tomorrow in Paarl ahead of next month’s showpiece in India. “We have been a pretty successful T20 squad over the last few years so we are looking to build on…
[embedded content] Jason Roy and the rest of the England team took time away from the cricket field to take a trip down to Nyanga Township near Cape Town and join local kids in a game of football. The England opener, alongside Jos Buttler, swapped the cricket bats for football analysis as they gave their verdict on their team-mates during an 11-a-side match. With Chris Jordan likened to Manchester United…