Chennai Super Kings' Ruturaj Gaikwad unavailable for IPL 2020 opener against Mumbai Indians

8:25 AM GMT Ruturaj Gaikwad, the second player in the Chennai Super Kings contingent to test positive for Covid-19 last month, will not be available for selection for the team’s opening game, the IPL 2020 tournament opener against Mumbai Indians on September 19. Gaikwad has finished his two-week quarantine and is understood to be asymptomatic, but he is yet to clear the two mandatory Covid-19 tests put in place by…

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Saif Hassan returns positive again in second Covid-19 test

Saif Hassan made his Test debut earlier this year on the back of strong domestic performances  3:47 AM GMT Bangladesh batsman Saif Hassan has returned positive in his second Covid test which was taken exactly seven days after he first tested positive. BCB haven’t added Hassan’s name in their list of 27 cricketers considered for the preliminary squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka. If he recovers in time,…

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Justin Langer casts doubt on Steven Smith's return after 'rusty' net session

Australia need ‘problem solvers’ in the middle order – Langer (1:27) Justin Langer insists Australia are working hard to improve but calls for an improvement in the middle order. (1:27) 12:29 AM GMT Australia coach Justin Langer has cast doubt on Steven Smith‘s return for the deciding ODI against England just a few hours after sounding confident he would be able to take his place following the blow to the…

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Hamish Rutherford fifty steers Worcestershire to victory over Northamptonshire

3:08 AM IST ECB Reporters Network Worcestershire 178 for 6 (Rutherford 62) beat Northamptonshire 170 for 7 (Levi 50) by 8 runs Hamish Rutherford‘s first half-century of the Vitality Blast helped Worcestershire to just their second win of the tournament and heaped more pressure on Northamptonshire’s stalling campaign in an eight-run victory at Wantage Road. Rutherford’s 62 in 37 balls underpinned Worcestershire’s 178 for 6 before Northamptonshire were held to…

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Derbyshire pull off first victory of season to dent Leicestershire's quarter-final bid

Wayne Madsen hits out © Getty Images Derbyshire 147 for 8 (Godleman 34, Griffiths 4-35) beat Leicestershire 143 for 4 (Dearden 36*, Cohen 2-23) by four runs Leicestershire Foxes suffered a setback in their bid to reach the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast as Derbyshire Falcons pulled off a first victory of the season in a low-scoring North Group affair at the Fischer County Ground, Leicester. Having restricted the Falcons…

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Matt Taylor puts Gloucestershire on brink of quarters after Ian Cockbain blitz

9:31 PM IST ECB Reporters Network Gloucestershire 173 for 6 (Hammond 49, Cockbain 44) beat Birmingham Bears 123 (Hain 43*, van Burren 3-33, M Taylor 3-29) by 50 runs Ian Cockbain proved the scourge of Birmingham Bears again as Gloucestershire moved to the brink of qualification for the Vitality Blast quarter-finals with a 50-run Central Group win in Bristol. Having smashed an unbeaten 84 in the corresponding game at Edgbaston,…

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Chris Woakes: 'Teams have realised we can win from any position'

Teams know England can win from any situation – Woakes (1:00) Chris Woakes believes teams now respect England’s ability to win from any position. (1:00) 3:21 PM GMT Chris Woakes says that England’s unprecedented recent success in white-ball cricket has given them the belief that “they can win from any position”. Woakes was instrumental in England’s stunning fightback in the second ODI on Sunday, claiming three quick wickets at the…

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South Africa loses ODI sponsor Momentum

2:29 PM GMT Cricket South Africa will lose men’s ODI sponsor Momentum whose contract expires in April 2021 because the financial services company is ” not satisfied with the current state of affairs at CSA regarding governance and other reputational issues.” Momentum will continue to sponsor the women’s national team until 2023. More to follow Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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England players cannot be exempt from ECB cuts, says Chris Woakes

Play 01:04 We have to expect anything with central contracts – Woakes Chris Woakes has admitted that the England team cannot be “exempt” from the cost-cutting measures that the ECB have been forced to implement, after extending his sympathies to the 62 board employees who have lost their jobs due to the financial impact of the the Covid-19 pandemic. However, speaking on the eve of the final international fixture of…

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Crisis in South Africa: No clarity on task team details after CSA-SASCOC meeting

1:58 PM GMT The details of the task team that will look into Cricket South Africa’s administrative and financial affairs remain a mystery despite CSA meeting with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) on Monday evening. The meeting took place four days after SASCOC instructed CSA’s board and executive to stand down after nine months of what SASCOC called “maladministration and malpractice,” which demanded the mother body’s…

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