Lunch Australia 475 for 4 (Khawaja 195*, Smith 104, Nortje 2-55) vs South Africa Rain might have thwarted Usman Khawaja’s bid for a maiden Test double-century after the first session of day three was washed out at the SCG. Khawaja remains stuck on his highest Test score of 195, while Matthew Renshaw is five not out in his first Test match since 2018 having tested positive for Covid-19 before play…
Jafer Chohan, 20-year-old legspinner, signs rookie contract at Yorkshire
Jafer Chohan, a 20-year-old legspinner, has joined Yorkshire on a rookie contract until the end of the 2023 season. Chohan, who came through the ranks at Middlesex and played in the Berkshire side that won last season’s National Counties 50-over competition, has since impressed at the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) and will link up with the Yorkshire squad next week. In his time at SACA, Chohan was able to…
Sam Cook signs two-year extension to Essex contract
Sam Cook, Essex’s prolific seam bowler, has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the club until the 2025 season. Cook, 25, claimed 51 wickets at an average of just 16.23 in last year’s County Championship, and now boasts an overall first-class record of 213 wickets at 19.37, making him the first player to reach the 200-wickets milestone while averaging less than 20 since Derbyshire’s Alan Ward…
Pakistan fast bowlers' workload in focus after Naseem, Rauf named in ODI squad
Pakistan’s interim chief selector Shahid Afridi said it was “impossible” for fast bowlers to play all three formats consistently. Speaking in Karachi following the announcement of the Pakistan’s ODI squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand, Afridi emphasised the value of rest for fast bowlers, and the need to manage formats. “You need to keep two bowlers whose priority is Test cricket,” Afridi said. “We’ve selected 5 fast bowlers…
Alec Stewart takes leave from Surrey role due to family illness
Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, has been granted a temporary leave of absence from the club due to a family illness. Stewart’s wife Lynn has been fighting cancer since 2013 and, as she begins a new course of treatment, he has decided to temporarily step away from his day-to-day duties at Surrey to care for his wife and family. In a statement issued on his behalf by the club,…
Short and Lynn power Strikers to highest successful BBL chase
Adelaide Strikers 230 for 3 (McDermott 57, Jewell 54) beat Hobart Hurricanes 229 for 4 (Short 100*, Lynn 64, Dooley 2-25) by seven wickets After Hurricanes posted an imposing 229 for 4, Short crunched Pakistan allrounder Faheem Ashraf for back-to-back boundaries in the 20th over to raise his century and victory by seven wickets with three balls to spare. With regular skipper Peter Siddle sidelined, Short celebrated his temporary elevation…
India choose to bowl and hand a debut to Tripathi
India chose to bowl vs Sri Lanka India won the toss and elected to field first in the second T20I at the MCA stadium in Pune. Hardik Pandya, the India captain, expected the surface to remain the same throughout the game, and suggested dew as one of the reasons behind him electing to field first. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, went with the same side from the first T20I….
Young players to watch in BPL 2023: Jaker Ali, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury and more
Saim Ayub(Rangpur Riders)This 20-year old Pakistan opener made 416 runs for Sindh in the National T20 Cup last year, at a strike rate of 155.22. His one and only Pakistan Super League season, in 2021, didn’t go well but big runs in this season’s BPL could get him back on the radar. Ayub is strong on both sides of the wicket, often pressing hard in the Powerplay period, and also…
Clark praises 'brave' Lanning as Australia captain returns
Cricket legend Belinda Clark has tipped Meg Lanning to return to her brilliant best now that her five-month hiatus is over. Victoria’s 50-over clash with New South Wales at Junction Oval on Thursday marked national captain Lanning’s first match since she took a break to focus on herself after Australia’s Commonwealth Games gold medal success in August. She made a solid 29 runs from 33 deliveries, belting five fours, before…
Haris Sohail, Fakhar Zaman return to Pakistan squad for New Zealand ODIs
Pakistan have recalled middle-order batter Haris Sohail and opening batter Fakhar Zaman for their three ODIs against New Zealand next week. The 16-man squad also includes maiden call-ups for 29-year-old middle-order batter Tayyab Tahir, legspinner Usama Mir, and middle-order batter Kamran Ghulam. Shadab Khan misses out due to injury. Tahir was recently the Player of the Match when he scored 71 in the Pakistan Cup final for Central Punjab against…