South African bowler Kagiso Rabada is at risk of missing next month’s World Test Championship final against Australia after testing positive for a banned substance.
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Continue reading...Sam Cook selected for England Test squad as injured Chris Woakes misses out
- Essex bowler, 27, gets first call-up for Trent Bridge Test
- Four-day game against Zimbabwe starts on 22 May
Sam Cook has been selected for England’s one-off Test against Zimbabwe later this month – reward not only for his excellence in the County Championship but also a commendable, unwavering desire to play the longest format.
Aged 27 and having taken a truckload of wickets for Essex at just 18 runs apiece, Cook could have been forgiven for wondering if the call would ever come. During the most recent winter, with six-figure offers from three different franchise tournaments, he could also have been forgiven for putting his bank balance first.
Continue reading...‘Timing wasn’t great’: Forgotten Australian opener Cameron Bancroft opens up on form slump, Test ambitions
Former Australian opener Cameron Bancroft remains motivated for a long-awaited Test recall despite revealing he has not spoke to national coach Andrew McDonald recently.
Cricket NSW to review Michael Slater’s Hall of Fame status as disturbing fall from grace continues
Cricket NSW will consider removing former Australian opener Michael Slater from the Hall of Fame and revoking his Life Member status following his domestic violence convictions.
14yo phenom suffers second-ball duck as IPL heavyweights knocked out
Rohit Sharma shined with the bat and Karn Sharma spearheaded a fine collective bowling effort as Mumbai Indians cruised to a massive 100-run win over Rajasthan Royals on Thursday, officially ending their opponents’ chances of reaching the playoffs.
Australian cricket great David Boon has officiated his 396th and final match as a match referee
Australian cricket great David Boon says he felt “privileged” to stay so connected to international cricket and walked away with “mixed emotions” after officiating in his 396th and final match as a match referee.
Bangladesh star joins Test greats with stunning century and five-for to set up big win
Bangladesh won the second and final Test against Zimbabwe by an innings and 106 runs on Wednesday, a decisive victory in less than three days to level the series.
Pom quick admits teammates were ‘a bit dumb’ with ‘rubbish’ Bazball comments
Mark Wood has accepted some of the comments made by his fellow England players to the media have been “a bit dumb”.
Misfiring Maxwell’s IPL campaign set to be over with ‘pretty bad’ injury
Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell missed Punjab Kings’ IPL match on Wednesday with a fractured finger and is likely to be out injured for the rest of the T20 tournament.
Leg-spinner’s stunning hat-trick, impact star’s huge Ricky rap as Kings mount IPL title charge
A hat-trick by Yuzvendra Chahal and skipper Shreyas Iyer’s 72 helped Punjab Kings to a four-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, officially ending their opponents’ slim chances of reaching the playoffs.
Mitchell Starc narrowly misses hat-trick as reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders keep IPL dream alive
West Indies’ Sunil Narine put in a fine all-round performance to keep holders Kolkata Knight Riders alive in the IPL with a tense 14-run win over Delhi Capitals on Tuesday.
Stick or twist? England’s selectors weigh up options for Zimbabwe Test
If Zak Crawley’s form is a worry the middle-order is not, but Ben Stokes’s role as an all-rounder remains unknown
It may be viewed as an amuse-bouche before the main course of India in June, but England’s one-off Test against Zimbabwe is fast approaching. Selection is imminent – for the four-day match Trent Bridge that gets under way on 22 May and a training camp in Loughborough that precedes it – and after four rounds of the County Championship, the contenders are beginning to take shape.
Continue reading...County cricket talking points: Notts take top spot but Surrey are stalking
Josh Tongue was on form again as Nottinghamshire beat Sussex to move ahead of the pack in Division One
Josh Tongue’s second five-fer of the season will have England’s chief selector, Luke Wright, licking his lips at the prospect of getting the tall pacer back in the phalanx of fast bowlers all countries need these days. For now, Haseeb Hameed is having his say about his speedster’s work and Nottinghamshire sit atop Division One as a result.
Continue reading...Jofra Archer’s form and swagger is back. Can he bloom for England again? | Jonathan Liew
Fast bowler was unfairly demonised by beige fans but has just turned 30 and is honing his skills for a tough summer
This season, in an attempt to distract everyone from the fact that its main sponsors are one of the world’s largest steel companies and the literal state of Saudi Arabia, the Tata Indian Premier League has been planting trees for every dot ball bowled during the tournament. At the post‑match presentation, the bowler who delivered the most dot balls in the game is awarded a ceremonial sapling. Which means that on four occasions this season – the most of any player – Jofra Archer has been contractually obliged to receive a small tree on live television.
The first time Archer gets his sapling, he eyes it with the kind of narrow-eyed suspicion any of us might exhibit. By the time he gets his fourth sapling – 10 dot balls against Delhi Capitals, 180 trees planted – he’s basically a pro at this. Shake hands. Look straight into the camera. Gaze at the sapling tenderly, as if he’s going to plant it himself, in his own garden, sheltered and watered, and definitely not throwing it straight into the first bin he finds.
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