3:45 PM GMT Ashley Giles says that England’s players are “not blind to the reality” of English cricket’s financial situation amid the Covid-19 outbreak, as their representatives continue talks with the ECB over the prospect of pay cuts to their newly announced central contracts for 2020-21. Despite praising the efforts made by England’s players to “keep the lights on” during a pandemic-blighted summer, Giles warned that the new contracts –…
Gareth Batty braced for possible Oval farewell in Surrey quarter-final
Still got it – Gareth Batty, who turns 43 next month, belts out an appeal © Getty Images 22 years after his first appearance for Surrey at The Oval, Gareth Batty has accepted that Thursday’s T20 Blast quarter-final against Kent could be his last. It would be foolish to rule out the possibility of him extending his playing career, not least after a Blast campaign in which he has conceded…
Mid-table Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab beset by bowling worries ahead of key contest
7:53 PM IST Karthik Krishnaswamy Big picture The Kings XI Punjab might still be wondering what hit them after the Rajasthan Royals pulled off the most madcap of heists against them. The Mumbai Indians might still be pondering the what-ifs after a Super Over defeat to the Royal Challengers Bangalore. They will have to put the wondering and pondering away quickly, though, because the IPL carousel is relentless and remorseless….
Ashley Giles backs Jonny Bairstow to fight to regain Test berth after losing central contract
2:02 PM GMT Ashley Giles, England’s director of men’s cricket, believes that Jonny Bairstow still has the hunger to regain his Test place, despite his exclusion from the ECB’s list of red-ball contracts for 2020-21. Bairstow, who turned 31 this week, has played just one Test match in the past 12 months, making scores of 1 and 9 against South Africa at Centurion after being called into the team as…
Warwickshire changes afoot as Paul Farbrace lines up fresh blood
Paul Farbrace became Warwickshire’s sport director in 2019 © Getty Images A review of the coaching set-up at Warwickshire is underway with the expectation there could be changes in personnel. Warwickshire finished without a win in their five Bob Willis Trophy matches in 2020 and failed to qualify for the quarter-final stages of the T20 Blast. In 2019, Warwickshire just survived in Division One of the County Championship – they…
Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2020: Rolling Report
1:02 PM GMT Sidharth Monga Welcome to ESPNcricinfo’s Rolling Report of the 12th IPL 2020 match, between the Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders. We’ll be seeing the likes of Steven Smith, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer locks horns with Andre Russell, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Pat Cummins, Shubman Gill and others. You can also follow ball-by-ball commentary of the game here. If the blog doesn’t load for…
Four-match Women's T20 Challenge likely to be held between November 4 to 9
12:21 PM GMT Annesha Ghosh The third edition of Women’s T20 Challenge is set to take place between November 4 and 9 in the UAE. The tournament, which the BCCI had said in August would be played during the IPL playoffs’ week, will feature a total of four matches played between three teams. ESPNcricinfo understands that both the Indian and overseas players will arrive in the UAE by the third…
Where and when to watch RR vs KKR live match at 7:30 PM IST on September 30, 2020
12:14 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Having started the 2020 season with two wins, including a record-breaking highest successful IPL chase on Sunday courtesy Rahul Tewatia and Sanju Samson, they go in to Wednesday’s clash with a chance to emulate this. They played their opening two games in Sharjah, where they made scores of 216 and 226, and will now play on a bigger ground and on perhaps a more challenging…
Shane Bond urges pacers to adapt 'quickly' as Mumbai Indians eye turnaround against Kings XI Punjab
11:31 AM GMT Shashank Kishore Fast bowlers need to show quick adaptability in the face of changing surfaces in the UAE as IPL 2020 progresses. This is what Shane Bond, the Mumbai Indians bowling coach, has been talking about extensively with his bowling group as they look to rebound after two losses in their first three matches. “We have to adapt as quickly as we possibly can,” Bond said ahead…
England players and ECB negotiating over pay cuts as Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley, Dom Sibley win Test contracts
10:59 AM GMT Matt Roller Close Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets at @mroller98 The ECB are still negotiating with England players regarding the salaries of central-contracted cricketers for 2020-21, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was announced on Wednesday that Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Dom Sibley have been awarded their first England Test central contracts, with Jonny Bairstow dropping off the red-ball list,…