Sri Lanka won five World Test Championship Tests in 2024, putting them in contention for making the World Test Championship final in 2025, as recently as December. Three of those victories came away from home, which is what made that run especially impressive. Since his big runs have dried up, Sri Lanka’s totals have become substantially skinnier. There is the 229 for 9 in the ongoing Test, but of their…
England-Afghanistan to go ahead despite ECB speaking out over 'gender apartheid'
The ECB board has confirmed that England’s men will fulfil their fixture against Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy this month, despite describing the “appalling oppression” of women in the country as “gender apartheid”. Richard Thompson, the ECB’s chairman, said in a statement following a board meeting on Thursday that a “coordinated international response” would achieve more than unilateral action. The board has come under political pressure to boycott the fixture,…
Iyer cuts movie night short after late selection call: 'Went off to sleep straightaway'
Shreyas Iyer, who scored a match-winning 36-ball 59 in the first ODI against England in Nagpur, was originally meant to sit out the match. Iyer revealed this in a post-match interview with the broadcasters. India were without Virat Kohli, who was ruled out of the match with a swollen right knee, and they handed the opener Yashasvi Jaiswal an ODI debut. Rather than coming in for the injured Kohli, however,…
Muzarabani's seven headlines Zimbabwe's dominant opening day
Ireland 260 (McBrine 90*, Adair 78, Muzarabani 7-58, Ngarava 2-65) trail Zimbabwe 72 for 1 (Welch 33*, Kaitano 26*, McCarthy 1-25) by 188 runs What started out as a potentially one-sided day in Bulawayo was anything but. Ireland zig-zagged through multiple ups and downs, however, Zimbabwe ended up dominating the day. In reply, Zimbabwe lost Ben Curran early but Takudzwanashe Kaitano and Nick Welch’s healthy starts saw off 21 overs…
Mohammad Abbas swaps Hampshire for Nottinghamshire on six-match deal
Mohammad Abbas, the Pakistan seamer, has swapped Hampshire for Nottinghamshire, where he will be available for six fixtures in the forthcoming Rothesay County Championship. Abbas, who has claimed 758 first-class wickets at an average of 20.66, will begin his stint in May, following the conclusion of Fergus O’Neill’s month-long spell with the side. He will then return to the club in September for the closing stages of the County Championship…
Ireland's Aimee Maguire suspended for illegal bowling action
Ireland left-arm spinner Aimee Maguire has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after her action was deemed to be illegal. She subsequently got her action tested at the ICC-accredited testing centre in Loughborough on January 21, where it emerged that the amount of elbow extension in her bowling action exceeded the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC regulations. “As a result, in accordance with…
Vaughan six-for as England U19s complete 10-wicket thrashing
England U19s 353 (Sawant 130, Fonseka 52, Rossouw 5-74) and 25 for 0 beat South Africa U19s 224 (James 84, Hansen 63, Jack 3-42) and 153 (Rowles 71, Vaughan 6-19) by 10 wickets Young Lions captain Archie Vaughan put the finishing touches on a comfortable 10-wicket win over South Africa Men U19s in the second Youth Test at Cape Town. Vaughan helped tidy up the home tail on the fourth…
Cummins and Hazlewood ruled out of Champions Trophy
Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have both been officially ruled out of the Champions Trophy. The two of them and Mitchell Marsh “are managing some ongoing injuries and haven’t come up in time for the Champions Trophy,” selection chair George Bailey said on Thursday. Australia have until February 12 to finalise their Champions Trophy squad. It’s the same day on which they play the first of two ODIs against Sri…
England bat; debuts for Jaiswal and Rana, Kohli injured
England elected to bat in the first ODI against India, after Jos Buttler won the toss in Nagpur for the opener of this three-match series. The big news is there is no Virat Kohli after the 36-year-old suffered a right knee injury on Wednesday evening. As such, Rohit Sharma’s XI is a mix of new and old, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana making their ODI debuts. The host’s entire…
Swepson moves to Melbourne Stars on deadline day
Melbourne Stars have signed Queensland legspinner Mitchell Swepson on a three-year deal on the final day of the BBL’s first player movement window. Swepson, 31, had been Brisbane Heat’s acting captain during the most recent BBL season when Colin Munro was injured, with permanent skipper Usman Khawaja playing just one game for the season. The legspinner played for Heat for 10 years and was a key contributor to their 2023-24…