Play 01:02 ‘I don’t want to commit to captaincy’ – de Villiers At first glance, you could convince yourself that Test cricket is in rude health. The Gauteng Cricket Board hopes for a record crowd – maybe as many as 90,000 – over the five days at The Wanderers and, on the evidence of Cape Town, both these sides contain young players who can engage and inspire a new generation…
Debutant Sangha, Hatcher fashion Australia win
Australia Under-19s 206 (Sangha 102, Sameen 5-44) beat Pakistan Under-19s 183 (Hafeez 48, Hatcher 5-39) by 23 runs (D/L Method)Scorecard A five-for by fast bowler Liam Hatcher and a knock of 102 by debutant batsman Jason Sangha set the base for Australia Under-19s’ 23-run win (Duckworth-Lewis method) over Pakistan Under-19s, their first win in the tri-nation tournament in the UAE. Batting at no. 6, Sangha’s 113-ball century helped Australia recover…
Site visits underway for flood-stricken clubs
The ECB has started a series of planned site visits to clubs affected by the recent adverse weather as part of urgent recovery work to return grounds to a playable condition. North-based ECB Facilities and Investment Manager Dan Musson will tour clubs throughout Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Northumberland with all visits to be carried out before the end of January. The initial visits are aimed at assessing any damage sustained and determining…
Welcome to the Bullring, don't get comfortable
On the Highveld, the cricket is rarely dull © Getty Images Let’s get this out of the way: Johannesburg is not Durban or Cape Town. There is no seaside holiday feel, no mountain as a muse, no accidental tourists. Jo’burg is hard work in every way. It’s where the country’s money is made, where the hussle is, and if you believe the locals, where the energy is electric. It’s the…
Former South Africa cricketer charged with matchfixing
The eve of the Johannesburg Test has been overshadowed by another match-fixing story © AFP A former South African national player has been charged with corruption involving match-fixing, ESPNcricinfo has learned. The player, who has yet to be named, is understood to be the same “intermediary” who was the subject of a CSA press release in December, following attempts to influence results in South Africa’s domestic competition, the Ram Slam…
Uncontracted players still eligible for selection – WICB
The WICB has said that Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy are eligible for World T20 selection, provided they meet the selection panel’s criteria © ICC Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Darren Sammy will be eligible for selection for upcoming tournaments, including the World Twenty20, despite not being given annual retainer contracts by the West Indies Cricket Board. The only condition the WICB…
Pace to the fore as South Africa seek series leveller
Match facts January 14-18, 2015Start time 10.30am local (0830 GMT) Hardus Viljoen could make his Test debut © Getty Images Big Picture After the hectic festive period, everyone has had a chance to take stock over the past week following two Test matches that have provided much intrigue and many talking points. England hold the advantage at 1-0, but South Africa finished the Newlands Test in much better shape than…
Hathurusingha, Whatmore aim to build settled combinations
Chandika Hathurusingha: “We have settled line-up in ODI cricket but in T20s I don’t think we have our combination or gameplan understood.” © BCB Chandika Hathurusingha and Dav Whatmore, the head coaches of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, have said that the four-match T20 series between the two sides will give them a chance to try out new combinations. With the Asia Cup T20 looming and a World T20 to follow, Bangladesh…
Burns replaces retired Bodenham on umpires list
The England and Wales Cricket Board today announced the appointment of the former Warwickshire and Somerset player Michael Burns to the First Class Umpires’ Full List for 2016. He has been added to the Full List following the recent retirement of Martin Bodenham who was appointed to the First Class List in 2009 following a distinguished career as a football referee. He remains the only individual to have officiated across…
Lehmann last-ball six seals Strikers' win
Adelaide Strikers 4 for 146 (Ludeman 57*, Milenko 3-25) beat Hobart Hurricanes 143 (Paine 45, Neser 3-26) by six wicketsScorecard and ball-by-ball details One-ball hero: Jake Lehmann hit a six when the Adelaide Strikers needed four © Cricket Australia/Getty Images It seemed an almost unfair task. Adelaide Strikers batsman Jake Lehmann had not faced a delivery in the entire BBL but needed to hit a four off his first ball…