Match facts February 12-16, 2016Start time 10.30 local (21.30 GMT) Usman Khawaja has the chance to prove himself against the moving ball © Getty Images Big Picture More than five years after their last cricket contact outside of ICC events, Australia and New Zealand resumed Test combat late last year. If a slow start by the tourists is discounted due to their ordinary preparation – including the Blacktown abandonment –…
Bangladesh Under-19 bat on overcast morning
Toss Bangladesh Under-19s chose to bat v West Indies Under-19sLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details West Indies Under-19s would look to Alzarri Joseph for a strong start in the semi-final © International Cricket Council Bangladesh Under-19s captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz opted to bat in their semi-final against West Indies Under-19s on an overcast and foggy morning in Mirpur. Miraz thought it was a good track to bat on and they would…
Bird to play ahead of Pattinson
Jackson Bird’s last Test match was against England at at Durham in 2013 © Getty Images Jackson Bird will play his first Test since the 2013 Ashes tour after he was given the nod ahead of James Pattinson and Chadd Sayers for the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington. Australia’s selectors chose Bird, Peter Siddle and Josh Hazlewood as the three frontline fast bowlers, due to uncertainty that Pattinson’s…
Bayliss enthused by World T20 chances
[embedded content] Head Coach Trevor Bayliss thinks England can become the first nation to lift the World T20 trophy for a second time after the 15-man squad was announced this morning. Bayliss will lead England into a major tournament for the first time with a squad captained by Eoin Morgan and littered with match-winning talent such as Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Joe Root. The 53-year-old Australian knows how to…
Dawson included in ICC World T20 squad
England selectors today announced a 15-man squad for the ICC World T20 beginning next month in India. Eoin Morgan’s squad includes one uncapped player, Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson. 25-year-old Dawson impressed during the recent England Lions series against Pakistan A. Although not originally selected for the current limited-overs series against the Proteas, Dawson will travel to South Africa later this week to meet up with his team-mates. Steven Finn, who…
Dawson rises to the top
For Liam Dawson, selection in England’s squad for the ICC World T20 in India next month continues a remarkable transformation in fortunes since Hampshire allowed him to join Essex on loan midway through last summer. Dawson had not made a single appearance for Hampshire in the NatWest T20 Blast in 2015 when the county’s first-team coach Dale Benkenstein confirmed his departure for Chelmsford at the end of June, saying: “We…
Watson, Sharjeel blitz gives Islamabad second win
Islamabad United 169 for 2 (Sharjeel 79*, Watson 79) beat Lahore Qalandars 166 for 6 (Rizwan 50, Azhar Ali 27, Sami 2-21) by five wicketsScorecard and ball-by-ball details Shane Watson, leading Islamabad United in Misbah’s absence, led from the front with a belligerent 47-ball 79 © PSL A display of uninhibited ball striking from Shane Watson and Sharjeel Khan helped Islamabad United secure an eight-wicket win over Lahore Qalandars in…
Pressure on seniors as South Africa search for balance
World T20 2016 February 10, 2016 By leaving out the Morkels, who boast a wealth of experience in Indian conditions, and packing their World T20 side with allrounders, South Africa’s selectors may have overburdened their senior core group South Africa have left Morne Morkel and his brother Albie, both of whom have considerable IPL experience, out of their World T20 squad © Getty Images For the first time in recent…
South African trio receive MCL clearance
Richard Levi is one of three South Africans now given clearance © BCCI A late agreement has allowed the South African players involved in the MCL to participate in the semi-finals and eased concerns about the future of the competition. Shortly after the ICC issued a thinly veiled warning that the competition’s ‘approved status’ could be reviewed in light of the involvement of players with inadequately completed No Objection Certificates,…
100 days until Blast off
With 100 days to go until the NatWest T20 Blast kicks off, the anticipation amongst counties, players and fans continues to build ahead of arguably the biggest and best domestic campaign in recent memory. Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch are just a few of the big-hitters that will feature in the competition along with local drawcards such as England internationals Alex Hales, Adil Rashid and Jason Roy. Here…