12:32 PM ET Andrew Fidel Fernando South Africa have picked only one frontline spinner at the SSC, and on a track as dry as this, even their opponents felt that was probably a bad move. The visitors have maintained through the series that pace is their traditional strength and that it is on pace that they will continue to depend, no matter what the conditions. But following a first day…

9:43 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Sri Lanka legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay has been put on probation with a one-year suspension sentence from all forms of international cricket and also fined 20% of his annual contract fee. Vandersay was penalised by SLC for a misconduct reported over a night out in St Lucia during the recent West Indies tour. It means he can continue to play but will be suspended from all…

6:00 AM ET Mohammad IsamESPN Neil McKenzie, the former South Africa batsman, has been named Bangladesh’s batting consultant. He will join the senior squad on July 24, during the one-day series in the West Indies. McKenzie, who has been given the role till the 2019 World Cup, fills the last vacant position in Bangladesh’s coaching staff, a position that had remained vacant for nearly a year. Steve Rhodes and Ryan…

3:00 AM ET Danyal Rasool Toss Pakistan elect to bat first v Zimbabwe On another bitterly cold day in Bulawayo, Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and opted to set a target in the fourth ODI against Zimbabwe. After Pakistan’s crushing win in the third game that wrapped up the series, the visitors go into this one with an unchanged line-up. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 67 in the…

3:00 AM ET Toss Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat v South Africa Dimuth Karunaratne drives with a straight bat AFP South Africa’s attack, armed with only one specialist spinner, were put straight into work in Colombo after Suranga Lakmal opted to bat in the second Test. Despite the spinner-friendly surface, South Africa opted to leave out left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi and go into the match with only…

PCA chairman Daryl Mitchell (right) with chief executive David Leatherdale, currently on sick leave  Jul 18, 2018 Professional cricketers in England and Wales have come out overwhelmingly in favour of the retention of a two-division Championship with promotion and relegation in a powerful message to the ECB working group currently debating the future structure of the first-class game. The players’ message will quicken the belief that a move to a…

Calum MacLeod became the first Scotland player to score an ODI ton against England  3:00 AM ET ECB Reporters Network Derbyshire 211 for 2 (MacLeod 104, Madsen 50*) beat Northants 180 (Kleinveldt 36, Hughes 4-42) by 31 runsScorecard Calum MacLeod‘s 58-ball century led Derbyshire to their first win in this season’s Vitality Blast with a 31-run win at Wantage Road that kept Northamptonshire winless from five matches. MacLeod’s second T20…

3:00 AM ET ECB Reporters Network Somerset 178 for 6 (Myburgh 46, Anderson 39, Trego 32) beat Middlesex 175 for 5 (Holden 84, Bravo 32*) by four wicketsScorecard Powerful New Zealand allrounder Corey Anderson bludgeoned Somerset to a convincing four-wicket win over Middlesex at Lord’s. Anderson’s 39 off 24 balls proved decisive, Middlesex left to rue dropping him when he was on two. The drop was one of two caught…

3:00 AM ET Sussex 286 (Finch 76, Brown 59, Salt 57; Miles 4-68) and 295 (Finch 98, Payne 4-69) beat Gloucestershire 306 (Hammond 103, Dent 65, Archer 4-62) and 247 (Bracey 87, Roderick 66, Archer 4-29, Robinson 4-49) by 28 runsScorecard Fifteen minutes after tea on a soon-to-be-fabled evening James Bracey lofted Ollie Robinson to deep square leg where Danny Briggs dived forward to take a fine two-handed catch. Immediately…

12:59 PM ET Could Adil Rashid be persuaded to make a return to Test cricket on the strength of his white-ball form? Don’t rule it out, is the message from Trevor Bayliss, after describing Rashid’s recent performances against Australia and India as “the best I’ve seen him bowl” since he took over as England’s head coach in 2015. Rashid claimed 20 wickets at 23.95 in England’s nine-match ODI campaign this…