Azmatullah Omarzai’s all-round show and an unbeaten century by Sai Sudharsan marked the return of Indian Premier League action on Sunday with victories for Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans.
IPL resumes after Kashmir conflict with English players facing ODI overlap
- Bethell, Salt and Livingstone back in action for RCB
- Starc and Curran among those opting to stay back home
Only eight days after the competition was suspended amid mounting hostilities along India’s border with Pakistan the Indian Premier League returns on Saturday, with most of the foreign players who scattered across the globe in the 48 hours after the competition collapsed now back in the country, their pursuit of runs and wickets having been temporarily replaced by the rapid accumulation of air miles.
The plug was in effect pulled on the tournament 10.1 overs into a game between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala on 8 May, when as rockets landed only 80km to the west the floodlights went out, fans were told to leave and players rushed back to their hotel. That match has been rescheduled for 24 May in Jaipur; all the remaining games are to be played in only six venues, with Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata joining Dharamsala in being cut from the schedule.
Continue reading...Sports quiz of the week: Giro d’Italia, Virat Kohli and two FA Cup finals
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Continue reading...Starc set for $400k sacrifice as fellow Aussie to return to IPL despite injury concerns
Mitchell Starc has become the highest profile Australian cricketer to withdraw from the remainder of the Indian Premier League amid concerns over the India-Pakistan conflict.
‘Ensure that our cricketers are not shut-out of history’: Windies plead for Olympic chance
Cricket West Indies have urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to give Caribbean nations a chance to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Games and avoid the region being “shut-out of history”.
IPL eases replacement players rules as international stars withdraw following India-Pakistan conflict
The Indian Premier League on Wednesday introduced temporary replacements for the remainder of the tournament to allow franchises to fill open spots due to withdrawals of overseas players.
Jamie Smith: ‘To win an away Ashes would be every England cricketer’s dream’
England’s wicketkeeper-batter on the innings that changed his career, the influence of Kevin Pietersen and a huge year of Test cricket ahead
“When the pressure’s on,” Jamie Smith says intently on an otherwise languid morning at the Oval, “it definitely gives you more of a focus. You can’t get away from the fact that, when the game is on the line, you want to be the one that takes it on and wins it. Look at some of the best players that have played the game – and the impact they’ve had in situations where they’ve been needed the most.
“Look at Stokesy [Ben Stokes, his England captain] and some of the innings he’s played where he’s rescued the side from defeat or led them to victory. They’re the things that get remembered. So it would be nice to be the sort of player that can do similar.”
Continue reading...‘Let he without sin…’: SA coach lashes Paine, flings barbs at Aussies as fuse lit for fiery final
South African coach Shukri Conrad has laid out the increased motivation to “topple” Australia in the World Test Championship final, hitting out at the “big three” notion after making it to the Lord’s decider ahead of India and England.
Aussie stars vow to return to the subcontinent for T20 commitments after ceasefire
Pakistan’s T20 League is set to resume from Saturday after it was postponed following a series of attacks by India and Pakistan last week, with Australian David Warner vowing to return.
Injury-riddled South Africans unveil six-man pace attack for Aussie Lord’s clash
Kagiso Rabada will lead a South African pace bowling attack weakened by injury in the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s in London from June 11 to 15.
England expect most players will choose country over IPL for West Indies ODIs
- League playoffs clash with international assignment
- Buttler, Bethell, Jacks could have allegiances tested
England expect most of the five IPL players picked for their one-day international series against West Indies to report for international duty rather than complete the rescheduled tournament.
The IPL’s league phase will now conclude on 27 May, two days before England play their opening game against West Indies at Edgbaston, meaning that Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton, whose teams have already been eliminated from playoff contention, will certainly be free to play for their country.
Continue reading...County cricket talking points: Notts soar higher as Lancashire sink lower
Nottinghamshire hammered Hampshire to take a 12-point lead at the top, while Lancashire fell to another bad defeat
A second consecutive win – a 366-run evisceration of Hampshire – lifted Nottinghamshire 12 points clear at the top of Division One. Haseeb Hameed’s team are clearly the outstanding team in the Championship with more than a third of the season already gone.
Continue reading...Beyond the runs: Virat Kohli’s obsessive intensity left indelible mark on Test cricket | Jonathan Liew
The retiree’s final innings may have been unremarkable but his entire career was a testament to his relentless pursuit of excellence which helped redefine Indian cricket
At dawn on a pale pastel morning in late January, thousands of fans started queueing outside the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Before long the queues turned chaotic. Scuffles broke out. Three people were injured and a police motorcycle was damaged. Armed security personnel were deployed inside and outside the venue, occasionally stepping in front of the sightscreen and causing play to be stopped.
But the consequences of Virat Kohli playing his first domestic red-ball game for Delhi in 12 years are less interesting than why he was there in the first place. Kohli rolled up in his Porsche two days before the game, arriving early to beat the crowds and so he could fit in a full gym session before team fitness drills and net practice. Desperately short of form, and yet a desperate romantic, Kohli had come to worship at the altar. One last crack at Test cricket. One last attempt at rekindling the skill that had long deserted him.
Continue reading...Staggering truth behind exile; spin reality now clear as Shield heroics rewarded — Winners and Losers
Cameron Green and Sam Konstas have been named in Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship final and Test tour of the West Indies.
‘Not finished product’: Bailey’s big opener call as Aussie selector lifts lid on Konstas dilemma
Teenage tornado Sam Konstas remains in contention to open in the World Test Championship Final against South Africa at Lord’s next month despite a belief in Australia cricket that a specialist opener is not a necessity.