Match facts Wednesday, March 8, 2016Start time 1800 local (1600GMT) All eyes will be on Aaron Phangiso if he is cleared to play in Cape Town © AFP Big picture For the second time this summer, a limited-overs series enters the final match with the sides locked all-square. This one will cap off a blockbuster season of international cricket that has captured the imagination of the country’s cricket-lovers. Australia’s visit…
Rohit plays down hype around Amir
Mohammad Amir had Rohit Sharma lbw for a duck in the Asia Cup © AFP India batsman Rohit Sharma has called Mohammad Amir a “normal bowler,” saying the hype around the returning Pakistan quick was unjustified. Instead, Rohit hailed emerging India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah as a “rare talent”. “Stop talking about him already,” Rohit said of Amir in Kolkata. “He isn’t the only bowler, Pakistan have five other bowlers…
'A relief to have specific death bowlers' – Dhoni
Play 03:37 Preparing myself for those 10-12 ball innings MS Dhoni, heartened by the new-found assuredness surrounding India’s death bowling, has said an efficient all-round attack has minimised his longstanding bowling worries. Since the start of the Australia T20s early in the year, India’s bowling, especially at the death, has received a boost with the emergence of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya as well as Ashish Nehra‘s second coming. While…
Sibanda's fifty takes Zimbabwe closer to main draw
Zimbabwe 158 for 8 (Sibanda 59, Afzal 2-19) beat Hong Kong 144 for 6 (Atkinson 53, Tiripano 2-27) by 14 runsScorecard and ball-by-ball details Play 03:00 Watch the highlights of Zimbabwe’s 14-run win against Hong Kong Vusi Sibanda‘s first T20I fifty and Elton Chigumbura’s audacious finishing ensured Zimbabwe had enough runs to beat Hong Kong, although they will be disappointed in an all-round messy performance. Three run-outs stunted what should…
Spin-heavy Afghanistan bat against Scotland
Toss Afghanistan chose to bat v ScotlandLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details Dawlat Zadran would lead Afghanistan’s pace attack © Chris Whiteoak Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai chose to bat against Scotland in the second match of the opening day of the World T20 in Nagpur. Stanikzai attributed the reason behind his decision to the flat track and his hopes of getting more turn in the second half of the match. Stanikzai…
Heather Knight: From Plymstock to India
To celebrate International Women’s Day, England vice-captain Heather Knight reflects on her cricketing journey. The #PledgeforParity campaign is the heartbeat of International Women’s Day this year, focusing on how both men and women can help gender equality to be achieved more rapidly (this doesn’t mean you have to purchase a bra to burn boys!). With this in mind, it’s prompted me look back at my cricketing journey, from being a…
Invisible batsmen help Netherlands prepare
Netherlands’ bowlers have been sharpening their skills without a batsman in the way © IDI/Getty Images Twenty20 nets are usually the testing ground for wacky new ideas; it is rare to see cricketers go to basics in T20 nets. As the Netherlands captain Peter Borren kept playing his reverse paddle sweeps against the spinners, the next net had no batsman. On the surface it might not seem another innovation, but…
Netherlands' chance to bring down another Full Member
Match facts Wednesday, March 9, 2016Start time 1500 local (0930 GMT) Remember the time Netherlands chased down 190 in 13.5 overs at the World T20? © ICC Big picture Two years ago, the Netherlands needed to chase 190 runs in 14.2 overs against Ireland to qualify to the main draw of the World T20. Nobody gave them a chance during the ten-minute innings break before they took about an hour…
Sibanda fifty takes Zimbabwe closer to main draw
Toss Hong Kong chose to bowl v ZimbabweLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details Tendai Chatara came back to the Zimbabwe side after recovering from a shin injury © AFP Forty-four-year-old Ryan Campbell became the oldest debutant in T20 internationals as Hong Kong chose to chase in the World T20 opener in Nagpur. Hong Kong have opted to bowl 10 times of the 12 in which they have won the toss, showing…
Associates hopeful of funding boost amid ICC governance review
The Netherlands and Scotland are among the prominent Associate nations to have suffered an overall funding reduction © ICC The ICC is considering increasing funding for Associate and Affiliate nations as part of the ongoing review into its governance and structure. The news will go some way to appeasing Associate representatives aggrieved by the effects of the ICC’s 2014 financial and administrative restructuring, informally referred to as the Big Three…