Allrounder Shams Mulani had a bumper 2021-22 domestic season, starring with both ball and bat. Top wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy: check. Five half-centuries in nine innings: check. Winning the Under-25 CK Nayudu Trophy for Mumbai: check. In the 2022-23 season-opening Duleep Trophy, Mulani threatened to tick off another landmark – a maiden first-class hundred – but fell agonisingly short by three runs when he spliced a return catch to…
Joe Root: 'I've never had more fun playing professional cricket'
Not only did he agree that they were, he was able to pinpoint a specific moment too, when a format that he has spent more than a decade playing, watching and analysing made his jaw drop. It was during the second of their six Tests wins this summer, as Jonny Bairstow (136) and Stokes (75 not out) blazed New Zealand all over Trent Bridge in a 179-run stand off just…
Sarah Glenn reaches second spot in ICC women's T20I bowling rankings, closes in on Ecclestone
England’s spin-bowling allrounder Sarah Glenn has reached a career-best-equalling second position and moved closer to compatriot and No. 1 Sophie Ecclestone in the ICC women’s T20I bowling rankings after her four wicket-haul against India in the first of three T20Is, in Chester-le-Street on Saturday. Her 4 for 23, which helped England to a nine-wicket thrashing after restricting India to 132 for 7, meant she is now 13 points adrift of…
Cummins: Unrealistic to be only captain across all formats
Pat Cummins has conceded it’s unrealistic for him to be Australia’s sole captain across all three formats, as he again called for David Warner‘s lifetime leadership ban to be lifted. Cricket Australia officials have the next two months to decide who will replace Aaron Finch as the country’s ODI skipper, after the opener announced his retirement from the format. A call on the captaincy of Australia’s T20 team is also…
Boucher disappointed with South Africa batters after a 'missed opportunity' in England
Outgoing coach Mark Boucher expressed his disappointment that South Africa’s batters did not give their bowlers enough of a chance to challenge England in what he called a “missed opportunity” to win what was his last Test series in charge. Speaking after the 2-1 series defeat, but before his resignation was made public, a visibly downcast Boucher rued South Africa’s lack of runs which failed to back up a strong…
Natasha McLean, Sheneta Grimmond return to West Indies squad for New Zealand ODIs
Newly-appointed captain Hayley Matthews will lead the side for the first time. This will be West Indies’ first series in any format since they lost the semi-final to eventual champions Australia in the ODI World Cup in March earlier this year. Performances in the inaugural Women’s 6ixty and CPL were taken into consideration while picking the squad, a CWI release said. Grimmond took 2 for 22 for Trinbago Knight Riders…
World No. 1 Ecclestone signs with Sydney Sixers
Sydney Sixers have landed the first major new addition in their WBBL revamp, contracting the world’s top-ranked bowler in Sophie Ecclestone. Ranked No.1 in the world in both the one-day and T20 formats, Ecclestone confirmed on Tuesday she will play in the WBBL for the first time this summer. In doing so, the 23-year-old will play under former England captain Charlotte Edwards, who will coach the Sixers for the first…
Captaincy takes Amy Jones right out of her comfort zone
Amy Jones is the first to admit that captaincy doesn’t come naturally to her. So when she was thrust into the role on the international stage because Nat Sciver had chosen to step away for mental health reasons, it was Sciver who initially helped convince her she could do it. “It’s definitely not something I’ve been gunning for quietly for a while at all,” grinned Jones on the eve of…
Mark Stoneman's 72* restores order but not dominance for Middlesex against Glamorgan
Middlesex132 for 4 (Stoneman 72*, Harris 3-47) trail Glamorgan 214 (Cooke 52, Higgins 4-59, Murtagh 3-58) by 82 runs London in the second week of September: a Lord’s final, the Last Night of the Proms and wistfully relaxed afternoons at the cricket. Not this September, though; this year the one-day final has been moved to Trent Bridge, the flag-waving sing-song has been cancelled and Glamorgan’s attempts to bed down at…
Emilio Gay makes hay for Northants as Surrey's pace-setters are forced to toil
Northamptonshire 249 for 4 (Gay 145, Keogh 75*) vs Surrey Surrey have been one of the driving forces in trying to reverse the marked decline in black players in English professional cricket, so they will need no reminding that if Emilio Gay keeps turning in the sort of polished hundreds that he delivered at Northampton, it could have a wider significance for the game. Gay was also a player on…