1:54 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Multan will host international cricket after a gap of over 12 years when Pakistan’s three-ODI series against Zimbabwe is held there from October 30 to November 3. This will be followed by a series of three T20Is, all in Rawalpindi, before the visitors return home after a three-week stay in Pakistan, a tour that Zakir Khan, the PCB’s director of international cricket, said “strengthens Pakistan’s…
Royal Challengers Bangalore's lower order, Kings XI Punjab's death bowling in sharp focus
KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, two of the many Karnataka boys in the Kings XI Punjab team © BCCI Big picture On the eve of the IPL’s opening match, the Royal Challengers Bangalore released a new anthem, which triggered a social-media backlash from fans who were angry that most of its lyrics were in Hindi rather than Kannada, the official language of Karnataka, the state the team is based in….
KKR vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2020 – Rolling Report
1:20 PM GMT Sreshth Shah Welcome to ESPNcricinfo’s Rolling Report of the fifth IPL 2020 match, between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians. It’s Knight Riders’ first game of the tournament, and in their corner are the likes of Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav. On the other, are Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Quinton de Kock. Can Knight Riders open with a win? If…
Hamstring niggle likely to keep Ambati Rayudu out for one more game
1:00 PM GMT Ambati Rayudu has a minor hamstring niggle, which will likely keep him out of the Chennai Super Kings’ third match of IPL 2020, against the Delhi Capitals on Friday in Dubai. But, ESPNcricinfo understands, the Super Kings are optimistic about Rayudu and allrounder Dwayne Bravo, who has a knee injury, being available for their fourth match, which will be on October 2 in Dubai against the Sunrisers…
Mitchell Marsh ruled out of IPL 2020 after ankle injury
Mitchell Marsh clutches his ankle after taking a tumble © BCCI Mitchell Marsh has become the first player to be ruled out of IPL 2020 due to injury. Marsh hurt his ankle during the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s first match of the tournament, on September 21 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. West Indies allrounder Jason Holder will be Marsh’s replacement. Add that in the intro para as last line. This is the…
BCCI chooses not to renew contracts of 11 National Cricket Academy coaches
A senior BCCI functionary hoped the coaches will be re-hired when work resumes at NCA 7:33 AM GMT The BCCI has decided not to renew the contracts of 11 National Cricket Academy (NCA) coaches, four of them former India players, in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, because of which there has been no activity at the academy in Bengaluru for the past few months and no plans for a…
Sanju Samson: I worked on my range-hitting skills during break
7:14 AM GMT Convinced that possessing an array of shots is a must to go with power-hitting, the Rajasthan Royals wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson says he worked on these aspects during the coronavirus-enforced break. The work done by Samson was there to be seen when he pulverised the Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday night, setting up a win with his blistering 32-ball 74, studded with nine sixes and a four. That…
World's best Beth Mooney bolsters her self-belief ahead of new challenges
Alyssa Healy looking to keep World Cup form rolling as Australia return to the field (1:04) The wicketkeeper says despite six months off she feels the Australian women’s team can keep momentum going from their T20 World Cup win (1:04) 5:29 AM GMT Beth Mooney‘s focus on greater self-belief and quicker adaptation to specific sets of conditions and match scenarios underlines why she will enter Australia’s first international assignment on…
No fans for Blast knock-outs as ECB warn of 'severe' consequences of further lockdown measures
Behind closed doors: Stuart Broad bowls in front of empty stands © Getty Images The ECB has reiterated that the impact on cricket would be “severe” if fans were unable to return to grounds for the 2021 season, after the UK government confirmed that plans to reintroduce spectators to sporting events were being paused. Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, the prime minister Boris Johnson confirmed that…
Gambhir slams Dhoni's decision to bat at No. 7: 'Makes no sense to me'
Gambhir: MS Dhoni batting at No. 7 makes no sense (4:14) Gambhir believes MS Dhoni should have been leading from the front in the chase (4:14) 8:52 PM GMT Varun Shetty MS Dhoni batting at No. 7 against Rajasthan Royals was an “absolute miscalculation” according to former India batsman and two-time IPL-winning captain Gautam Gambhir. In a sharp criticism of the Chennai Super Kings captain on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out,…