Big picture As the dramas of the opening week of this World Cup can attest, there really aren’t any pushovers at this level any more. The reduced parameters of the 20-over format, allied to the dog-eat-dog competitiveness that caused each of the eight first-round teams to win and lose at least once in their quest for the main event, ensure that every underdog can and will have his day, if…

It was so close and yet so far for Queensland in a drama-charged final session when bad light robbed them of Sheffield Shield victory against NSW with three overs remaining. The Bulls openers needed 26 runs to win from the final five overs at Sydney’s Drummoyne Oval in what seemed like a formality. Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw polished off 10 of them in two overs before the umpires took…

Travis Basevi, the architect of ESPNcricinfo’s iconic StatsGuru search engine, and one of the website’s most vital influences in the 1990s and early 2000s, has died at the age of 47 following a two-year battle with cancer. Basevi was born in Geelong, Australia, in March 1975, but it was while studying in Sydney as a teenager in the early 1990s that he first encountered the nascent CricInfo, via the Internet…

England seamer Chris Woakes is in doubt for the side’s T20 World Cup opener against Afghanistan as he battles quad stiffness. His injury might further stretch England’s options in the powerplay and the death. After England were rocked this week by the loss of in-form seamer Reece Topley for the entire tournament, Woakes was tipped to be a starter for the clash on Saturday at Perth’s pace-friendly Optus Stadium. But…

Toss: Scotland chose to bat vs Zimbabwe Zimbabwe’s captain Craig Ervine recovered from a mild asthma attack that kept him out of their last match against West Indies to lead the team in a must-win clash against Scotland. But his first involvement with the game didn’t quite go according to plan. He called incorrectly at the toss and was asked to chase by Richie Berrington. Scotland, who are unchanged, batted…

Big picture Less than one year after New Zealand were blown away by Australia in the 2021 T20 World Cup final in Dubai , the two teams come together once again, this time to launch the main draw of the 2022 T20 World Cup at what will be a packed SCG. However, with the La Niña weather event in play there is a 90% chance of rain in Sydney, which…

When New Zealand came across the Tasman in late March 2015 for the ODI World Cup final they could not have been a more confident team, after surging through the tournament unbeaten on home soil, dreaming of the chance to topple their fellow hosts at the MCG to claim the title. Related Weather watch: High chance of rain affecting Aus vs NZ, Ind vs Pak Daryl Mitchell unlikely to be…

Pakistan batter Shan Masood has been taken to hospital after suffering a blow to the side of his head during a training session in Melbourne. He was struck by a stray shot off the bat from Mohammad Nawaz; as Masood was not batting at the time, he wasn’t wearing a helmet. The incident occurred as Pakistan trained at the MCG ahead of their first group match against India on Sunday….

Sri Lanka women’s captain Chamari Athapaththu will return to Melbourne Renegades as a replacement player for the remainder of the WBBL following the withdrawal of India captain Harmanpreet Kaur. The Renegades lost last year’s player of the tournament due to a back injury following India’s Asia Cup triumph. Renegades had signed English batter Eve Jones as a short-term replacement but have added Athapaththu as an experienced batting option. Sri Lanka’s…

It’s perhaps understandable, given he has only just taken over as BCCI president, that Roger Binny was unlikely to go into the nuts and bolts of every single burning issue in Indian cricket during his first press interaction. Nonetheless, his answers in Bengaluru on Thursday gave you a peek into what the general sentiment in the BCCI regarding domestic cricket – and player contracts specifically – is. “I think domestic…