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…

Jos Buttler crashed a 46-ball hundred for England’s ODI team after being dropped from the Test side © Getty Images Jos Buttler is facing a tricky decision over his future as he decides whether to fight for his Test place or appear in this year’s IPL season. Buttler was dropped from England’s Test team during the tour of the UAE, having averaged 13 with the bat in the seven matches…

MS Dhoni – “I have been doing a bit of planning when it comes to my body and my fitness, but I look slimmer, I am not lightweight” © Associated Press It has been some time since you last saw MS Dhoni with jet-black hair. While the greying of the temples could be masked by cosmetic methods, the more striking sighting is a visibly trimmer, fresher Dhoni. It was the…

Sheikh Sohel, the BCB disciplinary chairman, has said Tamim Iqbal should have ‘shown more patience’ when provoked by Sylhet team owner Azizul Islam © AFP Tamim Iqbal, the Chittagong Vikings captain, and Azizul Islam, the Sylhet Super Stars owner, will both be fined for their altercation during the BPL match on November 23. BCB disciplinary chairman Sheikh Sohel said the fines would be announced after the Bangladesh-Zimbabwe T20 series. Sohel…

Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, described the security plans put forward by the ICC and BCB as “very comprehensive.” © AFP Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, Warren Deutrom, has said that a decision is likely to be made within the next 24 hours about whether to send a team to Bangladesh for the Under-19 World Cup. Ireland Under-19s have been invited to replace Australia, after they officially pulled out of…

Stuart Law – “When I come to Dhaka and in Bangladesh in general, it has been a warm welcome” © AFP Stuart Law, the Bangladesh Under-19s’ technical advisor, believes the Australia Under-19 players will be disappointed to miss out on playing in the world stage, after Cricket Australia pulled the team out of the Under-19 World Cup. Law himself was due to arrive in Bangladesh last October, but he came…

Adil Rashid got the better of England and Yorkshire team-mate David Willey as Adelaide Strikers defeated defending champions Perth Scorchers to move two points clear at the top of the Big Bash League. Willey was threatening to fire the Scorchers to an unlikely victory, hitting three sixes and a four, but Rashid had him caught in the deep in the 17th over for 31 off 17 balls. Willey was the…

Some counties fear plans afoot at the ECB © ESPNcricinfo Ltd There is growing concern amid the first-class counties at what some of them claim is a “power grab” from the ECB designed eventually to pave the way to a city-based T20 competition. An ECB spokesman has dismissed the suggestion that a governance review and the ongoing debate over the restructuring of the county game are linked as “a conspiracy…