There were some concerns raised about the visibility of the seam during the inaugural day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand © Getty Images A fresh prototype of the pink ball will be trialled during the next day-night Sheffield Shield round later this summer, as negotiations intensify around more flood-lit Test cricket in 2016-17. The salient criticism of the Adelaide Test between Australia and New Zealand centred on the seam,…

The Women’s Big Bash League has rated well so far © Getty Images The Women’s Big Bash League has continued to gain strong support, with the Ten Network confirming it would move two of the remaining three matches to its main channel. The Sydney derby between the Sixers and the Thunder on Saturday January 16 will be shown on Channel Ten, as will the final on Sunday January 24, which…

West Indies 7 for 248 (Ramdin 30*, Roach 0*) v AustraliaScorecard and ball-by-ball details Further heavy rain in Sydney led to the abandonment of the fourth day’s play © Cricket Australia For the first time in more than 25 years, two consecutive Test days were washed out in Australia without a ball being bowled, as heavy rain continued in Sydney on Wednesday. Only 68 balls had been bowled on the…

File photo: Mohammed Shami is eager to suit up again after being out of international cricket for nearly a year © Getty Images Of the four players lined up for a joint media interaction ahead of the Indian team’s departure to Australia, Mohammed Shami came across as the most badass. He and three others – Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey and Umesh Yadav – trotted out in suits, as did the…

England spent more than 200 overs in the field for just the second time this century as the second Test against South Africa was set for a high-scoring draw in Cape Town. There was brief hope that England might push for victory when they claimed three quick wickets after lunch as they finally saw the back of Proteas skipper Hashim Amla after almost 12 hours at the crease. Amla’s fourth…

Assistant Coach Paul Farbrace admitted missed chances in the field took the shine off a determined England bowling performance in the second Test against South Africa that appears to be heading for a draw. The tourists were made to toil in the field for more than 200 overs, for just the second time this century, as South Africa declared two runs behind their first-innings total on 627 for seven on…

Tim Southee has played just one ODI since June © Getty Images New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match T20I series against Sri Lanka after scans showed a bruise on the bone of his left foot. Southee had sustained the injury during the third ODI in Nelson, and was subsequently replaced in the ODI squad by Matt Henry. An NZC release confirmed that…

Barry Richards has said he would select Stephen Cook to open for South Africa in Tests © Getty Images Barry Richards has some advice for Stiaan van Zyl. “He should bat at No. 3, where he is best.” He also has some advice for South Africa’s decision-makers. “If I was a selector, I would have selected Stephen Cook. He has had 10 years of producing some very good scores and…

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited 238 and 56 for 3 need another 104 runs to beat United Bank Limited 208 and 189 (Younis Khan 98, Bhatti 8-56)Scorecard File photo – Bilawal Bhatti’s figures of 8 for 56 were his best in first-class cricket, as were his match figures of 11 for 95 © AFP An eight-wicket haul from Bilawal Bhatti shot out United Bank Limited for 189 in their second…

MS Dhoni – “Ashwin just makes my job slightly easy, especially for a consistent period of time when my fast bowlers have not done well” © AFP MS Dhoni has praised R Ashwin‘s evolution as a bowler, noting the numerous transitional hurdles Ashwin had to cross in his career. “He [Ashwin] is slightly different. He is a thinking cricketer,” Dhoni said. “He thinks a lot about his bowling which is…