England moved inexorably towards a crushing series whitewash against Pakistan on Thursday with three days still remaining in a one-sided third Test at Edgbaston.
Is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a post-Test cricketer – or could he revolutionise the format? | Jonathan Liew
The 15-year-old is tailor-made for short-form cricket, but he may just have the power to reimagine red-ball batting
The ball is short outside off. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi goes to pull it, hoiks it high to deep midwicket, is out for 44 off 37 balls. Almost immediately, a portion of the 12,000 fans who have risen at dawn to queue outside the Chepauk Stadium for free tickets begin to vacate their seats. The Duleep Trophy final in Chennai between East Zone and South Zone is scheduled for five days and has been going for barely an hour. But for some, the show is already over.
Of course, Sooryavanshi is part of the reason the final is taking place in Chennai in the first place. It was originally slated for the national academy on the outskirts of Bengaluru, only to be moved in order to accommodate the thousands of fans desperate to glimpse the child prince of Indian cricket in the flesh. Sooryavanshi is the hottest player in the world right now, a 15-year-old left-handed jaw-dropping genius with records spilling out of his pockets. But when it comes to red-ball cricket, the classic form of the game, he’s still – by any objective measure – not very good.
Continue reading...Pakistan’s woes roll on as SEVEN-wicket session stuns visitors in England masterclass
Pakistan slumped to 100-7 at lunch on the opening day of the third Test at Edgbaston on Wednesday after yet another dramatic collapse during their sorry tour of England.
‘Once it’s gone, it’s gone’: Great’s big fear over ‘$1bn’ BBL shift as NSW drops heated reply
Former Australian cricket captain Greg Chappell has urged the national body to be particularly careful as it races towards privatising at least some of the BBL clubs, saying there are clear concerns to be addressed.
‘Niggly situation’: Aussie star’s record BBL team switch… and whack over import pay anger
Australian star Adam Zampa will switch to a fifth Big Bash League team for the 2026/27 season.
England seek calm end to chaotic Test summer against penitent Pakistan
Late-night drinking incidents and a post-Bazball reboot have given the hosts plenty to think about, while the tourists have their own problems to sort out
There are some chilly white-ball games still to come this month and with it the sight of Kevin Pietersen back in England training kit for the first time in 12 years. KP is down with the kids these days, 6/7 memes and the like, and starts a new life as the “specialist mentor” to Harry Brook’s young thrusters.
But the final Test of the summer that starts at Edgbaston on Wednesday does feel like an end of sorts, or at least one last push before a breather for the side that has undergone the more significant recalibration. And that is before we get on to Pakistan and a tour that has descended into a bonfire of players and a phone-snatching investigation into “discipline and conduct”.
Continue reading...Aussie heavyweights’ verdict over seismic BBL shift… and what it means for comp’s future
Australian captains Pat Cummins and Sophie Molineux have thrown their support behind privatisation of the Big Bash League, after Cricket Australia confirmed on Tuesday a plan to allow states to sell shares in their BBL teams.
‘$1 billion’ Big Bash shake-up confirmed with first club officially on sale… three more could follow
Cricket Australia has officially welcomed private ownership to the Big Bash League after months of back and forth between the states and the national body over the domestic T20 competition’s future.
‘Profound honour’: Legend’s bitter exile finally ends in surprise England coaching call
Kevin Pietersen has joined England’s white-ball coaching team as a “specialist mentor” in the build-up to next year’s World Cup, 12 years on from the controversial end to his international career.
‘Owed thousands’: Dizzy’s shock reveal on Pakistan drama… and ‘untouchable’ figure to blame
Australian great Jason Gillespie has delivered a scathing assessment of the man behind Pakistan cricket’s “volatile and chaotic” current state – and revealed he’s still owed “thousands” from his stint as coach.
Marnus’ ‘year of frustration’ led to a painful, private act… and sparked this honest admission
It was an act borne of frustration, a release of emotion more than 12 months in the making, the moment in Mackay where Marnus Labuschagne signalled enough was enough.
New BBL reality arrives as CA confirms sell-off plan… with tax penalty twist for three holdouts
Australian domestic cricket is set to radically change, with Cricket Australia pushing ahead with plans to privatise the Big Bash League despite protests from several states.
Pakistan launch player conduct investigation during dysfunctional England tour
Mobile phones of players confiscated as part of inquiry
Nine fined during Pakistan’s recent tour of Caribbean
Pakistan have launched an investigation into “discipline and conduct” during their highly dysfunctional tour of England, with two players understood to have had their mobile phones confiscated as part of the probe.
A spokesperson for the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed on Monday that an investigation is currently under way and while no individuals have been named, it follows the removal of seven players from their original touring party last week in response to going 2-0 down with one Test still to play.
Continue reading...County cricket: Somerset are starting to dream but it’s very tight at the top
It’s also close at the bottom of the table, where Yorkshire, Essex and Leicestershire are fighting to avoid relegation
This article is from The 99.94 Cricket Blog
Continue reading...Kevin Pietersen gets surprise call-up as mentor for England cricket team
First time former captain involved since 2014 sacking
Joins McCullum’s backroom staff for the next year
Kevin Pietersen has been appointed as a “specialist mentor” to England’s white-ball teams during the run-up to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in late 2027.
Announced on Monday morning, the move marks the first time Pietersen will have worked with the senior England side since he was controversially sacked as a player in the wake of the 2013/14 Ashes whitewash in Australia.
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