Australia vice-captain David Warner said players are even willing to be unemployed in order to retain the fixed revenue model © Getty Images Australian cricket’s custodians are “crazy” to be creating added risk for the future of international cricket at a time when the game has become a seller’s market due to the influx of domestic Twenty20 tournaments. That’s the view of the former Australian Cricketers Association chief executive Paul…
Counties seek extra funding in anticipation of broadcast deal
The County Ground, Bristol, which hosts limited-overs games but not Test matches, is a Category B venue Julian Herbert / © Getty Images The first-class counties have asked the ECB for extra funding to help with cash-flow problems and infrastructure repayments. The request, which has been initiated by the Category B and C counties (the non-Test hosting clubs), is understood to be for a minimum £300,000 a year. The counties,…
ICC mulls scrapping Champions Trophy
David Richardson discussed the possibility of two World T20s in a four-year cycle that could involve 16 or even 20 teams in a bid to globalise the game © Getty Images The ICC is once again mulling over the prospect of scrapping the Champions Trophy, in favour of two expanded World T20 tournaments in a four-year cycle. Talk of the impending demise of the tournament has become almost a ritual….
SCG curator Tom Parker steps down
Outgoing SCG curator Tom Parker (left) with Allianz Stadium curator Michael Finch © SCG Trust The long-serving SCG curator Tom Parker will step down later this year, just a few months before Australia’s home Ashes series. Parker has spent 20 years in charge of the SCG pitch and turf, and will be joined in his exit by Allianz Stadium curator Michael Finch, with the SCG Trust planning to bring both…
Davies' risk brings handsome reward for Lancashire
Lancashire 278 for 5 (Davies 115, Vilas 76*) trail Hampshire 395 (Bailey 127, Abbott 97) by 117 runsScorecard Alex Davies steadied Lancashire with a fine century © Getty Images Alex Davies irritates opponents and seems to greatly enjoy doing so. Very many other cricketers have possessed a similar cast of mind, of course, but few achieve their goal with quite the gleeful devil evinced by Davies. For example, Hampshire had…
Full text of Anil Kumble's statement
Hours after resigning as India coach, Anil Kumble tweeted “thank you!”, and attached a statement to his tweet. The full text of the statement is as follows: I am honoured by the confidence reposed in my by the CAC, in asking me to continue as Head Coach. The credit for the achievements of the last one year goes to the captain, the entire team, coaching and support staff. Post this…
Patel and Pattinson put Leicestershire to the sword
Leicestershire 134 (Pattinson 5-33) trail Nottinghamshire 548 for 9 (Patel 247, Taylor 61) by 414 runsScorecard Samit Patel logged back-to-back double hundreds for Nottinghamshire © Getty Images Samit Patel produced his second double-century in consecutive matches before James Pattinson ripped through Leicestershire’s batting with an explosive burst of genuinely fast bowling to put Nottinghamshire into a strong position at the halfway stage of their Specsavers County Championship match at Trent…
Kumble resigns as partnership with Kohli becomes 'untenable'
Play 03:19 Bal: Kumble’s exit sends bad message to next coach Anil Kumble has stepped down as India coach, four days before the limited-overs tour of the Caribbean begins. A few hours after his resignation, Kumble tweeted a statement, saying he was “informed for the first time yesterday [Monday] by the BCCI that the captain had reservations with my style and about my continuing as head coach”. Two days before…
Beleaguered Yorkshire brace for a thrashing
Yorkshire 186 for 9 (Ballance 53*, Higgins 3-32) trail Middlesex 446 (Robson 159, Stirling 111, Sidebottom 3-69, Rashid 3-94) by 260 runsScorecard Toby Roland-Jones enhanced his Test claims with another fruitful day against Yorkshire © Getty Images On the last three occasions that Yorkshire have come to Lord’s in the County Championship, they have been defeated in remarkable, deeply contrasting ways. In 2014, Middlesex chased down 472 in the fourth…
Clark's maiden ton sets up Durham
Durham 281 for 4 (Clark 109, Collingwood 71*) trail Glamorgan 295 (Selman 103, Rushworth 5-52) by 14 runs Scorecard Graham Clark’s century put Durham on top © Getty Images Graham Clark‘s maiden century put Durham in command on the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at Chester-le-Street. It was evenly balanced when Paul Collingwood joined Clark on 87 for 3 in reply to 295, but Durham’s…