Tom Harrison is pushing through a change to the ECB’s constitution to lay the groundwork for a new T20 competition © Getty Images Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, has defended the introduction of a new T20 tournament, slated to get underway in 2020, by insisting that the concept will “future-proof” the game in England and Wales. Harrison also stated he would like “as much cricket as possible” to be…
Ireland, Afghanistan eye slice of Test pie
Match facts March 28-31, 2017Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT) Ed Joyce (in pic) needs 84 runs to reach 1000 runs in the Intercontinental Cup. © ICC/Saleem Sanghati Big picture When the Intercontinental Cup was initiated by the ICC as part of their global development programme, the concept of an Associate using the competition as a vehicle to vie for Test status was a pipe dream. Thirteen years on, it’s…
Victoria in command despite Sayers' seven
South Australia 1 for 19 trail Victoria 487 (Harris 120, Dean 94, Pattinson 80, Gotch 52, Sayers 7-84) by 468 runsScorecard Chadd Sayers finished with 7 for 84 © Getty Images Chadd Sayers claimed seven wickets and South Australia gloveman Alex Carey equalled the all-time record for most dismissals in a Sheffield Shield season, but Victoria remained in control on the second day of the final in Alice Springs. The…
Dickwella out of series with hairline fracture
Niroshan Dickwella picked up an injury on Sunday © Associated Press Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella has been ruled out of the ongoing ODI series against Bangladesh after suffering a hairline fracture in his left hand. Dickwella had sustained the injury on Sunday, at training. Though it was originally thought to be a minor injury, he had had trouble gripping his bat on Monday. Subsequent X-rays then confirmed the fracture. Team manager…
Mashrafe wants batsmen to emulate 'big teams'
‘The batsmen should learn how to convert 50-60 into a hundred, which is what big teams do’ – Mashrafe Mortaza © AFP Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza wants his batsmen to continue converting starts into big scores, like how “big teams do”, in order to push totals higher. Tamim Iqbal‘s 127 played a major role in Bangladesh reaching their second highest ODI total, 324 for 5, in the first match in…
Kuldeep's skills, consistency massive for a wristspinner – Gambhir
Play 04:33 ‘Let Kuldeep be the way he is’ – Gambhir Gautam Gambhir, who has led left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav for Kolkata Knight Riders since 2014, believes that his strongest attribute is his consistency of length. Kuldeep made a sparkling Test debut in Dharamsala, claiming figures of 4 for 68 in the first innings. Although Kuldeep has played just three IPL matches for the Knight Riders over three years, Gambhir…
Tigers circle wounded prey
Match Facts March 28, 2017Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT) Bangladesh won only their second ODI in Sri Lanka to take a lead in the series © AFP Big Picture A win in a landmark Test, post-match calls from the prime minister, outstanding performances from debutants, seniors producing their best work – this hastily arranged tour was only supposed to be the postscript to Bangladesh’s high-profile visits to New Zealand…
'First innings letdown put us in a spot'
Play 01:17 Hard and very disappointing day – Graeme Hick The Australian players may have enough time to reflect on the missed opportunities that – barring a miraculous performance on Tuesday morning- will likely cost them a series victory. The game seemed finely balanced when Australia began their second innings, trailing India by 32 runs, but the batting line-up crumbled under a sustained assault of both short-pitched bowling and spin….
'Give the fielding team three balls to pick from' – Morkel
Morne Morkel: ‘It’s a grey area because when they change the ball, they pick a ball for you’ © AFP South Africa were thrown off guard by a 59th-over ball change in Hamilton, according to Morne Morkel. New Zealand were building steadily in the middle session, on 163 for 1 when umpires Bruce Oxenford and Rod Tucker ordered a ball change, having felt the ball had gone out of shape….
Essex sued over paedophile link to cricket festival
Essex will not be taking part in further events organised by the London Schools Cricket Association © ESPNcricinfo Ltd Essex are being sued by a former youth team coach for wrongful dismissal after he warned of inappropriate standards of care at a festival at which a convicted paedophile was one of the organisers. ESPNcricinfo understands that Doug Frame, a former manager of the Essex Under-13 and Suffolk Under-17 teams, alerted…