Kolkata – Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni sought to downplay expectations Tuesday about his side’s prospects at the World Twenty20 despite starting as roaring favourites to win the title on home turf. India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni takes part in a press conference in Kolkata on March 8, 2016 ahead of the World T20 cricket tournament © AFP Dhoni’s men have been on a roll since the start of…
Sammy hails Gayle as T20’s ultimate destroyer
Kolkata – Skipper Darren Sammy hailed controversial star batsman Chris Gayle as T20 cricket’s most destructive player Tuesday as he insisted the West Indies’ troubled build-up to the World Cup would not undermine their prospects. Gayle was branded a sexist after flirting with an Australian TV presenter live on air in January during the Big Bash League and some Caribbean fans are unhappy he is often unavailable for national duty…
Sri Lanka sack selectors ahead of World Twenty20
Colombo – Sri Lanka’s sports minister sacked the country’s cricket selectors Tuesday and appointed a new panel headed by former player Aravinda de Silva, just days before they begin their World Twenty20 campaign. Sri Lanka’s new chief cricket selector and former cricketer Aravinda de Silva (R) and selection panel member and former cricketer Kumara Sangakkara arrive ahead of a press conference in Colombo on March 8, 2016 (AFP Photo/Ishara S.Kodikara)…
Wakely signs new Northants deal
Northamptonshire captain Alex Wakely has signed a new two-year contract that will keep him at Wantage Road until the end of the 2018 season. The 27-year-old made his first-class debut in 2007 and has gone on to score 4,263 runs for Northants at an average of 30 with four hundreds. Wakely’s career highlights include leading his county to the Twenty20 title – their first trophy in 21 years – and promotion to County Championship Division One in 2013….
Northants suffer £450,000 financial loss
Northants declared losses of almost £450,000 after another difficult year © ESPNcricinfo Ltd Only three months after Northamptonshire’s chairman claimed the club was in the best financial position it had been in for 20 years, the board has declared losses of almost £450,000 for the financial year ending September 30, 2015. That follows a loss of £305,636 for the previous year. Turnover is down (from £3.67m to £3.65m), the operating…
Rivalry resumes in high-stakes clash
Match facts Thursday, March 10, 2016Start time 1930 local (1400 GMT) Hong Kong captain Tanwir Afzal hopes his side can add to good recent results against Afghanistan Graham Crouch / © IDI/Getty Big picture Three-fourths of the way through their game against Scotland on Tuesday, Afghanistan seemed on course for yet another slip-up in the preliminary stage of a big tournament. But they recovered, thanks to a combination of luck,…
Mathews hopes to rise to unexpected challenge
Angelo Mathews wants his team to play with freedom at the World T20 © AFP Angelo Mathews has admitted he was not mentally prepared to take over as Twenty20 captain after Lasith Malinga resigned because of fitness problems. Mathews said he could not refuse the leadership once Sri Lanka Cricket offered it to him. “I was not,” Mathews said in Mumbai, when asked if he was immediately open to taking…
South Africa women clinch thriller to take series 2-1
South Africa Women 119 for 3 (Lee 33*) beat West Indies Women 115 for 8 by four runsScorecard Lizelle Lee helped South Africa over 100 and in the end it proved enough (file photo) © Getty Images South Africa staged a sensational comeback in defence of a below-par total to claim a first T20 series win over West Indies and sound a warning ahead of the World T20. South Africa’s…
Ben Stokes urges IPL-style Twenty20 league for England
Mumbai – All-rounder Ben Stokes led calls among teammates Wednesday for England to form its own franchise-based Twenty20 league, saying the pioneer of the game’s most popular format was now lagging behind its rivals. Ben Stokes wants English cricket chiefs to rethink the structure of the domestic Twenty20 competition (AFP Photo/Paul Ellis) While nearly all the other Test-playing nations now have city-based T20 leagues featuring no more than eight teams,…
Edwards expects closest ever World T20
Charlotte Edwards has seen the women’s game come a long way and expects the advances to continue © Getty Images Charlotte Edwards has led England to World Cup and World T20 titles and has been in charge of her team for the last 10 years but at her arrival press conference in Chennai she was, briefly, mistaken for an ICC official. Soon the questions on the challenge posed by competing…