With the sport increasingly dominated by franchises, teams are often deprived of talents they have developed and nurtured. Even at Test level, the likes of New Zealand and world Test champions South Africa do not have access to some of their best players due to more lucrative franchise contracts. Five-Test series are now the domain...
Hampshire have signed India white-ball batter Tilak Varma on a short-term deal for four County Championship matches. Varma has made an outstanding start to his international T20 career, hitting 749 runs in 25 games with an average of 49.93 and a strike rate of 155. The 22-year-old left-hander has two centuries and three half-centuries in...
India have announced their squads for the white-ball series against England, with opener Shafali Verma making a return to the T20 side. Verma, 21, was dropped from India’s squads in November but impressed in the Women’s Premier League for Delhi Capitals with 304 runs at a strike-rate of 152.76. However, she remains out of favour...
Mike Hesson has been appointed Pakistan’s white-ball head coach. Hesson, who coached his home country New Zealand for six years, replaces interim coach Aaqib Javed. His appointment follows a turbulent period where ex-South Africa batter Gary Kirsten stood down from the role after just six months and former Australia bowler Jason Gillespie stood in temporarily....
The decision to recruit Morgan would appear a shrewd one by the MCC as it comes in the wake of an agreement to sell a 49% stake in London Spirit, the Lord’s-based franchise in The Hundred, to a consortium of tech billionaires. Morgan’s extensive experience of franchise cricket, in addition to his breadth of knowledge...
Harry Brook: Rob Key plays the odds in preferring batter to Ben Stokes as England white-ball captain
Before Brook’s debut he was described as “dumb” by Stokes, something for which the all-rounder later apologised. His answers may be brief but do not mistake that for a lack of cricket brain. Brook’s 317 against Pakistan last year may take the headlines but one of his best innings was in the drawn 2023 Ashes...
This is Brook’s first full-time captaincy role with England, though he led the ODI side in a five-match series against Australia in September when Buttler was injured. He was due to play in this year’s Indian Premier League but pulled out to manage his workload. He has not played since a disappointing run in England’s...
But the coming months will shape his legacy as Test captain, and England’s hopes of regaining the Ashes in Australia would be almost destroyed if they were to lose Stokes. Any further burden on his body would be a huge gamble. “Let him get the Ashes urn in his hands,” said Vaughan, who was speaking...
Sam Billings says there has been no contact from England over the vacant men’s white-ball captaincy. England director of men’s cricket Rob Key and coach Brendon McCullum have not ruled out the possibility of the next captain coming from outside the current squad, with the former saying “nothing is off the table”. Billings, 33, has...
Eoin Morgan says England could make a “left-field call” with their new white-ball captaincy and create an arrangement where Test skipper Ben Stokes is parachuted in to do the job for major tournaments. England are looking for a new captain for the men’s one-day and T20 sides after Jos Buttler resigned following their early exit...
It is a month since Buttler resigned after two-and-a-half years in the role, but there has been little public movement towards a replacement. Managing director Rob Key said England will not rush the decision and will consider Ben Stokes combining the job with his role as Test skipper among various other options. Coach Brendon McCullum...
After India won the ICC Champions Trophy, can anyone stop them in the white ball game? Source link...
Aside from the captaincy, wicketkeeper Billings also said any rebuild of the England white-ball team is an “opportunity” for players trying to force their way into the international set-up. “The talent in domestic cricket in this country is always there, certainly in white-ball cricket,” said Billings. “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. It will...
James Anderson looks at what the future holds for the England white-ball team. Source link...