Cricket

Toss Bangladesh opt to bat v Pakistan In what is a must-win game for the visitors if they are to keep the series alive, Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah decided to bat first on a wicket with significantly more grass than there was on the pitch yesterday. They make one change from the team that succumbed in

Big Picture New Zealand actually had a fairly decent game with the ball – their plans were good, execution not always but spot on but more on than off – but they still lost comfortably to India in the series opener. This tells you two things: when India are chasing, you need to put on

January 25: Melbourne Stars v Brisbane Heat in Melbourne Our XI: Marcus Stoinis, Chris Lynn, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Handscomb, Marnus Labuschagne, Ben Cutting, Ben Laughlin, James Pattinson, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Lamichhane Captain: Marcus Stoinis He’s been the Stars’ batting lynchpin this season, contributing in every other game and helping them to the

January 25: Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Renegades in Sydney Our XI: Aaron Finch, Moises Henriques, Steven Smith, Beau Webster, Mohammad Nabi, James Vince, Josh Philippe, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Boyce, Tom Curran, Kane Richardson NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates. Captain: Steven Smith Smith

“Hit him again,” came the cry from an exasperated South African supporter, as Anrich Nortje geared up to deliver the final ball of his sixth over, eight minutes after his previous delivery, which sconed Zak Crawley on the helmet. It was hardly a classy piece of advice for the quick bowler – and the Wanderers

23-overs-a-side India Under-19 115 for no loss (Jaiswal 57*, Saxena 52*) beat New Zealand Under-19 147 (Mariu 42, Lellman 31, Bishnoi 4-30, Ankolekar 3-28) by 44 runs (DLS method) India were challenged for the first time in the tournament but they escaped unscathed. Their opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Divyaansh Saxena set the game

Ben Stokes could be in trouble with the match referee after an angry exchange with a spectator on the first day of England’s final Test against South Africa. Stokes paused as he left the field following his dismissal and, in response to comments from a spectator, appeared to say: “Come say that to me outside

Former India players Chetan Sharma, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Nayan Mongia and Ajit Agarkar have applied for two positions in the Indian men’s selection committee after the board invited applications last week. PTI reported that two others, the former India and Madhya Pradesh duo of Rajesh Chauhan and Amay Khurasiya, have also thrown their hat into the

Jofra Archer has been forced to pull out of England’s team for the final Test in South Africa after suffering a recurrence of elbow pain. Archer missed the previous two Tests after reporting pain in his right elbow. He had impressed in training over the last few days, however, and was set to play in

New Zealand A 295 for 7 (Worker 135, McConchie 56, Neesham 33*, Porel 3-50, Siraj 2-73) beat India A 266 for 9 (Pandya 51, Kishan 44, Vijay 41, Neesham 2-24, Duffy 2-35, Jamieson 2-69) by 29 runs George Worker‘s 144-ball 135 helped New Zealand A pull level in the three-match one-day series in Christchurch, as

Toss Bangladesh chose to bat v Pakistan Bangladesh opted to bat at the Gaddafi Stadium in the first T20I. Mahmudullah had no hesitation putting Pakistan out in the field; Pakistan lost all three T20Is at this venue against Sri Lanka when they were asked to chase. Rubel Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz sat out for

The Melbourne Stars coach David Hussey has been fined A$ 2000 after claiming during an in-play TV interview that he walked on the pitch while wearing spikes before the match against the Adelaide Strikers at Adelaide Oval. The match officials viewed footage of the interview – which was conducted during the ninth over of the

Good morning… if you’re a water bird that is. Yes, it’s raining at the Wanderers, I’m afraid, and chilly, so we have a delayed toss and no sign of a start to this fourth and final Test in Johannesburg with England leading the series 2-1. Word from George Dobell is that Jofra Archer will be

Toss India opt to bowl v New Zealand India captain Virat Kohli asked New Zealand to bat in the first of the five-match T20I series, at Eden Park. The visitors left out Rishabh Pant and handed the keeping gloves to KL Rahul, who pulled off the double duty in India’s previous two limited-overs matches at

Kane Williamson is open to the possibility of playing under another captain if it results in the betterment of New Zealand cricket. However, he also said he has been enjoying the captaincy across formats. “For me it’s always been about what’s best for the team,” Williamson said. “If those discussions [about captaincy changes] are to

Melbourne Stars have signed another uncapped Pakistan quick Dilbar Hussain as an overseas replacement player for Haris Rauf ahead of Saturday’s BBL clash with Brisbane Heat. Rauf has left the Stars to play for Pakistan in a three-match T20I series against Bangladesh starting in Lahore on Friday. Rauf is a chance to return for the

January 24: Perth Scorchers v Adelaide Strikers in Perth Our XI: Josh Inglis, Liam Livingstone, Jonathan Wells, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Jhye Richardson, Fawad Ahmed, Rashid Khan, Ashton Agar, Chris Jordan, Wes Agar NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates. Captain: Mitchell Marsh Marsh

January 24: New Zealand v India, 1st T20I, Auckland Our XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson, Rishabh Pant, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about a late injury (or other relevant) updates. Captain: KL Rahul