Ben Stokes came to the defence of Ollie Pope by saying the vice-captain’s century against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge had answered an “agenda” against the Surrey batsman.
Stoinis, Inglis flurries not enough for Punjab as Delhi prevail in final over IPL thriller
Samir Rizvi hit an unbeaten 58 after Karun Nair celebrated his India Test recall with 44 as Delhi Capitals ended their IPL season with a consolation win over Punjab Kings on Saturday.
Time for the ‘Prince’: India entrusts 25yo star to lead new era as 18-man series squad revealed
Shubman Gill, long Indian cricket’s “Prince” in waiting, has been entrusted with leading a new era as India announced the team for next month’s all-important tour of England.
Telling Sam Konstas act emerges as Aussie teen expected to be left out for World Test Championship
Sam Konstas is reportedly set to be snubbed for the World Test Championship final for a batsman who has never opened at the international level, but the teenager is doing all he can to change selectors’ minds.
He’s back! Stokes makes statement in Test return, Zimbabwe star hits record-breaking ton
Ben Stokes struck twice on his return to Test cricket as England enforced the follow-on against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge on Friday despite a record-breaking century from Brian Bennett.
Cummins stars in hit to IPL team’s top-two hopes… but big Aussie boost firms for playoffs
Pat Cummins starred with the ball in hand while Ishan Kishan top-scored with 94 not out as Sunrisers Hyderabad scripted a 42-run consolation win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League on Friday.
Aussie brothers make history as Marsh records first IPL ton in upset win
Mitchell Marsh struck his first Indian Premier League century as Lucknow Super Giants pulled off an upset 33-run win against table-toppers Gujarat Titans.
Audition could swing Marnus vs Konstas; Green surge to spark Aussie shake-up: State of play
It is a rare occasion when a domestic match abroad carries significant implications for Australia, but that will be the case when Glamorgan meets Middlesex in a match beginning on Friday in Wales.
England faces ‘hard decision’ after dominant Ashes tune-up as under-pressure star sends message
England’s top three of Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope all made hundreds as they piled on the agony for a hapless Zimbabwe in a one-off four-day Test in Nottingham.
Bazball’s moment of truth arrives in year that will define era of McCullum and Stokes
One-off Zimbabwe Test at Trent Bridge the launchpad for a decisive summer for England and their abstemious captain
So where are we up to right now? Still Bazball 2.0? The start of Bazball 3.0? Given Ben Stokes has knocked the grog on the head this year, perhaps it should be Bazball 0.0% ABV.
Although, jokes aside, that recent revelation on one of those man-chat podcasts said a fair bit about Stokes’s nature. Not only has he temporarily paused drinking during his recovery from hamstring surgery but, so taken by this, he has even bought shares in an alcohol-free spirits company. England’s Test captain is someone who, when he sets his mind on something, sees it through to the extreme. Even abstinence.
Continue reading...Ben Stokes targets No 1 spot in world Test rankings: ‘One more place to go’
- Ashes rivals Australia sit above England in ICC table
- Zimbabwe Test is captain’s first action since December
England under Ben Stokes have never lacked ambition, but they go into a defining period of Test cricket with one in particular in mind: to become the first England side in 15 years to take top spot in the International Cricket Council’s rankings – officially the best in the world.
“If we win what we’ve got coming up, the likelihood is that we will be at the top of that leaderboard,” Stokes said. “There’s no doubt in my mind we have the ability to be that team.”
Continue reading...‘I don’t have words’: 14yo sensation’s touching act for legend after half-century in IPL win
Teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit a half-century as Rajasthan Royals ended their IPL season with a consolation six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.
‘Be humble’: Brendon McCullum’s plea to England stars over ‘dumb’ comments as Bazball reality finally sinks in
England head coach Brendon McCullum on Tuesday urged his side to “show some humility” as they prepare to start a defining period in his reign.
County cricket talking points: Notts stay top but Surrey are on the prowl
Nottinghamshire remain top of Division One after defeat at Durham but, cue the Jaws music, the champions are coming
At the end of day one, Haseeb Hameed had carried his bat for 206, his team had posted more than 400 and Nottinghamshire’s position at the top of Division One was secure. At the end of day four, all of that was still true but quite a lot had happened in-between.
Continue reading...Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams: ‘It’s been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs – mainly downs’
All-rounder has been playing for his country – on and off – for 20 years and is relishing Thursday’s Test in England
In a Zimbabwe squad not exactly packed with experience – only three of its 16 members have played as many Tests as the 21‑year‑old English spinner Shoaib Bashir – Sean Williams is the most glaring of exceptions. When Jimmy Anderson took off his England cap for the final time last summer, 21 years, six months and 27 days after his debut, Williams took over as the cricketer with the longest ongoing international career: by the final day of the one-off Test at Trent Bridge this week he will be able to look back at precisely 20 years and three months at the highest rung of the cricketing ladder.
And still he is breaking new ground: England, who have not played Zimbabwe in any format since 2003, would be the 28th opponents of his international career, taking him two short of the world record held by the retired Kenyan Collins Obuya. “Definitely for me as an individual, it makes it massive,” he says.
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