New T20 will 'future-proof' English cricket – Harrison

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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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'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….

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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…

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