Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed hopes the team’s “high confidence” in Cardiff will stand them in good stead when they return to the Welsh capital to face England in a Champions Trophy semi-final on Wednesday. It will be Pakistan’s second key match at Sophia Gardens in a matter of days after a tense three-wicket victory over … Read more
England called up uncapped quintet Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Tom Curran, Mason Crane and Craig Overton on Monday for their three-match Twenty20 series against South Africa. The five, who have no international appearances between them in any format, are given their chance as several key players including Test captain Joe Root and star all-rounder Ben … Read more
It may not have been the most profound piece of batting advice Steve Smith has ever given when he told Ben Stokes during the Indian Premier League that he was “losing his backside a bit”. But the Australia captain could have been forgiven for wondering why he’d said anything at all as England all-rounder Stokes’s … Read more
Tamim Iqbal’s superb hundred helped take Bangladesh to 305 for six against England in the opening match of the 2017 Champions Trophy at the Oval on Thursday. The left-hander received excellent support from Mushfiqur Rahim (79) in a third-wicket partnership of 166. That was Bangladesh’s highest stand in a one-day international outside of Asia, surpassing … Read more
South Africa captain AB de Villiers insisted his side had done nothing wrong after they found themselves caught up in a fresh ball-tampering row on Saturday as they lost their one-day international series against England. The hosts somehow managed to win by two runs at Southampton to go 2-0 up when it seemed South Africa … Read more
England beat South Africa by just two runs to win the second one-day international at Southampton on Saturday to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. South Africa, set 331 to win, finished on 328 for five, with Quinton de Kock making 98. The world’s top-ranked ODI side needed 20 off the last … Read more
Moeen Ali insisted no one in the England camp was getting carried away after they underlined their Champions Trophy credentials with a comprehensive 72-run one-day international win over South Africa at Headingley. Wednesday’s success saw England go 1-0 up in a three-match series against South Africa, top of the International Cricket Council’s ODI rankings. The … Read more
England captain Eoin Morgan led from the front with a superb century as his side posted 339 for six in their day/night first one-day international at Headingley on Wednesday. His 107 was his 10th ODI hundred for England and came off 93 balls, including five sixes. Morgan’s innings helped England recover after they had slumped … Read more
Veteran paceman Mitchell Johnson, who took key wickets in Mumbai Indians’ IPL final triumph over Rising Pune Supergiant, has been hailed as an influential force off the field too by captain Rohit Sharma. The 35-year-old Australian struck two crucial blows in the final over to drive Mumbai to a one run victory in Hyderabad on … Read more
Five things we learned from the 10th Indian Premier Premier league after Mumbai Indians beat Rising Pune Supergiant in Sunday’s final: Ben Stokes finally repaid the $2.16 million worth of faith Rising Pune Supergiant placed in him. The Englishman was the most expensive foreigner ever signed for the IPL and the best paid player this … Read more
Rising Pune Supergiant might be packed with cricketing heavyweights, but skipper Steve Smith Saturday credited the youngsters for the team’s success in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament. Pune’s Indian talent in Washington Sundar and Rahul Tripathi have won crucial games for the side that boasts of star players like Smith, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and … Read more
Steve Smith’s Rising Pune Supergiant eye their maiden Indian Premier League crown as they meet tournament favourites Mumbai Indians in a mouth-watering title clash in Hyderabad on Sunday. Pune, who ended seventh in the eight-team Twenty20 tournament last year, had a mixed start this season only to pick up momentum towards the business end. Pune’s … Read more
South Africa captain AB de Villiers believes England all-rounder Ben Stokes has taken his game to the “next level” in the Indian Premier League but stressed the tournament had improved many of his players too. The Proteas are set to come up against Stokes in a three-match one-day international series starting next week that will … Read more
Rising Pune Supergiant will head into this week’s Indian Premier League play-offs without star all-rounder Ben Stokes after he was recalled to England’s one-day international squad. Stokes — paid a record $2.16 million to play the eight-week IPL season — was instrumental to Pune reaching the knockout phase after a brilliant debut campaign in the … Read more
New Zealand set Ireland a target of 290 to win the second match of the ODI tri-series in Dublin with Neil Broom top scoring for the Blackcaps with 79. Ireland captain William Porterfield won the toss for the second successive match and although the wicket is not as green as the one served up against … Read more
Rising Pune Supergiant’s record-breaking investment in Ben Stokes has paid dividends, with the England allrounder delivering a blistering maiden Twenty20 century to secure his Indian Premier League team a crucial victory. Stokes — whose $2.16 million contract broke the IPL signing record for a foreign player — hit an unbeaten 63-ball 103 during the Supergiant’s … Read more
The 10th season of the Indian Premier League starts on Wednesday, marking a decade of scandal and success for the flashy Twenty20 competition beloved by India and watched across the globe. The latest edition of the glitzy league — famous for its pyrotechnics, cheerleaders and huge signing bonuses — gets under way with defending champions … Read more
Ian Bell is hoping success in Twenty20 cricket will help convince England’s new hierarchy he’s ripe for a return to the national team — and a tilt at a remarkable sixth Ashes series victory. The middle-order batsman hasn’t played a Test for more than a year but after a stint in Australia’s Big Bash League, … Read more
Ian Botham says “box-office” Ben Stokes deserves every penny of the more than £1.7 million ($2.1mn) that the England all-rounder will rake in playing in the Indian Premier League. Stokes set a record for an overseas player in the cash-rich Twenty20 competition when Rising Pune Supergiants shelled out for him at last week’s auction. The … Read more
England all-rounder Ben Stokes became the most expensive foreign player in Indian Premier League history when he was bought by the Rising Pune Giants for more than $2 million at auction Monday. The 25-year-old fetched seven times the amount of England’s limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan, who was sold to the Kings XI Punjab for 300,000 … Read more