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Continue reading...Pat Cummins’ Sunrisers Hyderabad suffers heaviest defeat after $4.4m star’s blitz in IPL final rematch
India batter Venkatesh Iyer smashed 60 off 29 balls to fire holders Kolkata Knight Riders to an 80-run hammering of Sunrisers Hyderabad in a comeback IPL win on Thursday.
County Championship bursts back into life with calm before the storm
The 125th edition – the calm before the 2026 storm – begins on Friday with notable names headlining the cast list
The cut of the grass, the shine of a boot, the sigh of a drop, the joy of a catch, the crunch of a four, the hope of the spring. Time stealthily gouging out lines, on faces, over scars, around knees. A first season. A last.
Here, suddenly, is April, unexpectedly sunny and dry. And with it, 135 years after the first County Championship (minus one year for Covid, four for world war one and six for world war two), the 125th.
Continue reading...Carl Hooper’s life in sport: from West Indies to Australia via county cricket
The West Indies batter on his effortless style, playing with his idols and how leadership brought out the best in him
Born in Georgetown, Guyana, Carl Hooper, 58, played 102 Test matches for the West Indies between 1987 and 2003, scoring nearly 6,000 runs, taking 114 wickets with his wily off-spin and captaining the side in 22 of those appearances. Known as one of the most stylish, if not necessarily most consistent, batters of the era, he also played 227 ODIs and had five prolific seasons with Kent, making 22 first-class centuries in 85 matches for the club.
Hooper returned to the county game with Lancashire in 2003 and is one of only three players to have scored a first-class century against all 18 first-class counties. “He was so talented, yet he didn’t understand just how good he was,” wrote Brian Lara of his former teammate. “People would ask why he didn’t do full justice to his brilliance, and you know what, there is no clear reason for it.”
Continue reading...Australia primed to play first day-night Test overseas… and it’d be perfect for Gabba revenge
Australia is primed to play its first day-night Test away from home, with a chance for revenge after Shamar Joseph’s heroics for the West Indies at the Gabba.
Ex-England skipper bounces back from horror moment to hand IPL powerhouse their first loss
England’s Jos Buttler hammered an unbeaten 73 to lead Gujarat Titans to a thumping eight-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.
The Spin | Intriguing and deep list of overseas stars head for County Championship
Familiar faces such as Kemar Roach will feature, as will the two Camerons in Bristol – Bancroft and Green
Those of us lucky enough to watch county cricket in the 1980s, with a packet of Salt’n’Shake in one hand and an autograph book in the other, could tick off Viv Richards at Somerset, Malcolm Marshall at Hampshire, Michael Holding at Derbyshire (imagine!) and Courtney Walsh at Gloucestershire in only a couple of games. And that was just for starters.
The growth of franchise cricket means that players at the peak of their powers will rarely now sign on the dotted line to spend their entire summer in northern climes perfecting their red-ball skills. But the appeal remains, like a sudden blast of Madonna’s Into the Groove from a passing car as you wait for the lights to change. The 2025 County Championship overseas roster is an intriguing one. Choose your games carefully and you have a chance to watch some of the world’s best do battle against each other and the indignities of the British weather.
Continue reading...Discarded Mitchell Marsh handed Test lifeline as potential Ashes role revealed
Mitchell Marsh remains a part of Australia’s long-term Ashes plans, with national selector George Bailey insisting the all-rounder’s Test career isn’t over.
Former captain Charlotte Edwards named new England women’s cricket coach
Former captain Charlotte Edwards has been appointed as the new head coach of the England women’s team, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Tuesday.
Prabhsimran Singh powers Punjab King to IPL thrashing over Lucknow
Wicketkeeper-batsman Prabhsimran Singh scored an explosive 69 off 34 balls as Punjab Kings cruised to an eight-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday for their second win this IPL.
‘Stiff’ admission over contract list’s most brutal calls; why Marsh won lifeline: Winners and losers
Cricket Australia has announced a relatively stable men’s contract list for a bumper 2025/26 season, but there have still been several big calls made.
Sam Konstas rewarded for breakout summer with first Cricket Australia contract
- Opener no guarantee to win back spot for WTC final
- Matt Kuhnemann and Beau Webster also added to 2025-26 list
Teenage sensation Sam Konstas has been rewarded with his first Cricket Australia contract but is no guarantee to win back his opening spot for the World Test Championship final. The NSW opener joins spinner Matt Kuhnemann and Tasmania allrounder Beau Webster as additions to the contract list for the 2025-26 season.
Kuhnemann starred across two Tests in Sri Lanka, before having to deal with clearing his name after being reported for a suspect action. Webster had already been upgraded last season, but has been retained following a stunning ascension to Test level for the Border-Gavaskar series decider in January.
Continue reading...Cricket Australia reveals list of contracted men’s players for 2025/26 season
Cricket Australia has announced its list of contracted men’s players for the 2025/26 season, with spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, teenage opener Sam Konstas and all-rounder Beau Webster earning a contract for the first time.
Too easy to ‘throw stones’: Aussie superstar hails fallen Knight amid warning of English revival after Ashes debacle
While the ramifications from Australia’s whitewash of the women’s Ashes continue in England, star all-rounder Ellyse Perry opted against rubbing salt into the rawest of wounds when declaring their arch rivals will bounce back from the drubbing last summer.
‘Extremely old and tired’: Cricket bosses call for SCG upgrade amid stadium arms race
Cricket NSW chief executive Lee Germon has backed calls for the Sydney Cricket Ground to undergo a facelift as pressure mounts on the iconic venue to keep pace with rival cities.