“I’m back, baby!” That was Steven Smith‘s declaration after one cover drive during his unbeaten 80 in the first ODI against England in Adelaide a fortnight ago. He’s back alright. Back in a big way as he helped himself to an unbeaten double century against a hapless West Indies attack. “I think from the first one-dayer against England, where I sort of implemented the work that I’ve been doing, it…

Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed has been ruled out of Bangladesh’s first ODI against India in Mirpur due to a back injury, while captain Tamim Iqbal is also in doubt for the game due to a groin injury he picked up during a warm-up match on Wednesday. Related Bangladesh reaping rewards of Taskin and Litton’s changed mindsets ‘It gives us a breather but it’s not the ultimate goal’ – Tamim on…

South Australia 8 for 309 (McSweeney 118, Weatherald 100) vs Tasmania Tasmania wicketkeeper Jake Doran left the field feeling unwell after testing positive to Covid-19 and was replaced by Tim Paine on day one of the Sheffield Shield clash against South Australia. South Australia batters Jake Weatherald and Nathan McSweeney scored centuries to put their side in a solid position at 8 for 309 having been sent in to bat…

New South Wales 2 for 61 trail Victoria 209 (Abbott 4-56) by 148 runs Adam Zampa‘s push for a Test ticket to India started on a positive note, with the New South Wales legspinner claiming three wickets on day one of the Sheffield Shield clash with Victoria. Zampa (3-57) and Sean Abbott (4-56) did most of the damage on Thursday as the Blues skittled Victoria for 209. In reply, Daniel…

Toss England chose to bat vs Pakistan Illness-hit England won a crucial toss and opted to bat in their first Test in Pakistan for 17 years to begin the three-match series in Rawalpindi. Play was set to start as scheduled despite England being struck down by a sickness bug on the eve of the match and batting first could give the majority of players affected some extra time to regain…

Lunch Australia 402 for 3 (Labuschagne 204, Smith 114 not out, Khawaja 65) Brathwaite 1-3, Mayers 1-39) vs West Indies Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith notched milestones before lunch on day two, pummelling an uninspiring West Indies attack as Australia strengthened their grip on the first Test at Optus Stadium. With Australia starting day two at a commanding 293 for 2, Labuschagne and Smith combined for a 251-run partnership on…

Shemaine Campbelle and Kycia Knight are back in West Indies’ squad for the three-match Women’s ODI series against England, which is set to be played in Antigua from December 4 to 9. While West Indies will welcome the return of these two experienced keeper-batters from injury, they will be without allrounder Stafanie Taylor, who is yet to recover fully from the injury she suffered during the third ODI against New…

The first Test between Pakistan and England in Rawalpindi is set to begin today as scheduled, with the ECB informing the PCB on Thursday morning that they were in a position to field a XI. The prospect of the match being delayed by 24 hours arose on the eve of the Test after an illness swept through the England camp, casting doubt over whether the visitors would have enough fit…

“If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.” On Tuesday, Ben Stokes announced Liam Livingstone will be making his Test debut against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. Just 24 hours later, with the start of the first Test up in the air as a virus coursing through the England squad threatened to leave them shy of 11 fit cricketers, Livingstone remained at ease when asked if he was prepared to wait a little…

Ben Stokes has left the door open for a possible U-turn on his ODI retirement for England’s defence of the 50-over World Cup next winter. The allrounder, currently in Pakistan captaining the Test side on their first tour of the country in 17 years, retired from one-day cricket in the summer to focus on the other two international formats. In doing so, he said managing his workload in a convoluted…