ECB chief backs four-day Test concept

Tom Harrison said four-day Tests could be viable if the conditions were right © AFP Tom Harrison, the chief executive of the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has signalled his support for a move towards four-day Tests, as part of a wider plan to keep the format viable amid the inexorable rise of T20 cricket. Speaking to The Times, Harrison warned there was a “risk of loving [Test cricket]…

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Ferguson and Cooper keep South Australia alive

South Australia 225 and 406 (Ferguson 90, Cooper 83, Dalton 71, Zampa 63, Bell 4-97, Rainbird 3-88) lead Tasmania 332 by 299 runsScorecard File photo – Callum Ferguson top scored with 90 © Getty Images Callum Ferguson and Tom Cooper were instrumental in setting Tasmania a target of 300 for victory in Hobart, where South Australia must win to have any chance of making the Sheffield Shield final. The Redbacks…

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Cartwright's 170 gives Western Australia hope

New South Wales 309 (Cowan 69, Hughes 69, Henriques 50, Behrendorff 4-70) and 1 for 6 need another 397 runs to beat Western Australia 9 for 436 dec and 4 for 275 dec (Cartwright 170*, Copeland 3-72)Scorecard File photo – Hilton Cartwright smashed his highest first-class score © Getty Images Hilton Cartwright plundered an unbeaten 170 at nearly a run a ball to give Western Australia a fighting chance of…

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'Asked for real hard cricketers' – du Plessis

Morne Morkel, returning from injury, was as “tough as you could face” on the third day, said captain Faf du Plessis © Getty Images At 1pm on Friday, South Africa were at risk of losing a Test. By 7pm on Saturday, they had won it. It took them just 30 hours to turn things around and they did it the full 360 degrees. “It’s happened a few times this season…

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Head returns to Yorkshire for T20 Blast

Yorkshire will hope to see more of Travis Head in 2017 © Getty Images Travis Head, the Australia limited-overs batsman, will return to Headingley this summer as Yorkshire’s overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast. Head, 23, played four times for the club in last season’s competition, scoring 113 runs at a strike rate of 134.52 before being called up for Australia’s ODI series in Sri Lanka. He has played…

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Karunaratne battles but Bangladesh can dare to dream

Sri Lanka 338 and 268 for 8 (Karunaratne 126, Mustafizur 3-52, Shakib 3-61) lead Bangladesh 467 by 139 runsScorecard and ball-by-ball details Dimuth Karunaratne’s fifth Test century kept Bangladesh at bay for large parts of day four © AFP The Test is tantalisingly poised. Sri Lanka, holders of a proud home record, stretched their lead to 139 thanks to two centuries: of runs from Dimuth Karunaratne and of balls by…

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Goswami, Easwaran fire Bengal into finals

Bengal 329 for 4 (Goswami 101, Easwaran 101, Tiwary 75*) beat Jharkhand 288 (Dhoni 70, Jaggi 59, Ojha 5-71) by 41 runsScorecard File photo – Shreevats Goswami struck his sixth List A century to help Bengal put on 329 in the second semi-final © AFP Bengal openers Shreevats Goswami and Abhimanyu Easwaran struck centuries to help them post 329 for 4, before Pragyan Ojha took five of Jharkhand’s last six…

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Mohammed breaks into West Indies T20I squad

Earlier this month, Jason Mohammed made 70 and 52 in his first international match in nearly two years © Getty Images Jason Mohammed, one of the only bright spots to emerge from a series whitewash by England, has been called up to the West Indies T20I squad for the first time. The 30-year old batsman struck back-to-back fifties earlier this month and could be vital to a side that is…

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Need to play spin a 'hell of a lot better' – Williamson

‘We spent a bit of time in India when it went square and showed better application than we have in this match’ – Kane Williamson © Getty Images Captain Kane Williamson struggled to fathom how the Wellington Test escaped so quickly from New Zealand’s grasp, and he could barely hide his frustration that spin was central to their demise. Having recovered on the opening day to post 268 – on…

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Pujara, Cummins leave Test on even footing

India 360 for 6 (Pujara 130*, Vijay 82, Rahul 67, Cummins 4-59) trail Australia 451 by 91 runsScorecard and ball-by-ball details Play 02:22 ‘Pujara’s resilience only reason India still competitive’ Pat Cummins and Cheteshwar Pujara fought an absorbing duel for supremacy in Ranchi on a day when nothing came easily for either side. Australia sought to squeeze India’s first innings with tight bowling throughout and Cummins’ impact bursts, but by…

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