Cricket

Graeme Smith has revealed that he has been struggling with worsening tennis elbow during the England tour and says he will need to take some time out over the next few months to be ready to face Australia.

A decision on whether to tour Pakistan should not come down to individual New Zealand players as younger members of the squad may feel pressured into going, according to Heath Mills.

Cricinfo previews the first of five ODIs against South Africa at Headingley.

A round-up from the latest Championship matches as Kent take control against Lancashire and Essex suffer an injury blow to Danish Kaneria.

Steve Harmison has come out of ODI retirement and has been added to England's squad to face South Africa after Ryan Sidebottom was ruled out of the opening match at Headingley due to a groin injury.

Gloucestershire 129/2 * v Northamptonshire 349/10

Hampshire 316/10 v Somerset 385/7 *

Essex 282/10 & 10 * v Worcestershire 258/10

Kent 283/10 & 145/1 * v Lancashire 125/10

Middlesex 367/10 v Leicestershire 184/3 *

Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen both topped the run-scorers' lists for the fifth time in a series each recently. We look at players who topped the runs and wickets charts in a series most often.

Can you create a market for cricket in places like the USA and China by playing at the Olympics? Or do you first try to make the citizens of those countries more aware of the game so there is then a demand for it?.

Arlott wasn't perfect and this book readily admits so, presenting a realistic profile that is an act of both love and courage.

For the Indian middle order, it has become a matter of survival, and Ganguly is the most vulnerable. If his time is indeed up, he will leave behind a rich legacy.

Selectorial troubles, injuries to major players; the three Ws and the opposition spinners at top of their games. When all that could go wrong for England did, against West Indies in the summer of 1950.

This article was submitted by CWO. What is it about the Indian cricket that compels its fans to frantically call upon the heads of the players? It all starts with the team the selectors put on the field. The selectors are above all when it comes to Indian Cricket, their focus on a goal or the lack of that focus is what drives Indian cricket. The fans will do what the can to try and push the selectors for some answers, but they will receive none. Indian cricket is headed in a direction, right or wrong, we don’t know for sure. What we do know is at this time we have a team that was selected…

India’s loss to Sri Lanka in the Test series, with the Flab Four indulging in a “rabbits in headlights” muddle through, resulted in a silver-lining for a perpetual recent bridesmaid of Indian cricket. Thanks to Sachin Tendulkar injuring himself in the 3rd Test, Badrinath got a call-up as his replacement for the ODIs. Earlier, Badrinath had spoken out fiercely for the first time on being overlooked yet again. The appalling aspect of his initial non-selection was that none of the selectors bothered talking to him about where he actually stood and whether or not he was at all…

This may be a headline that is written too soon — and I agree that it is the person who lives dangerously that writes off a Dravid-Laxman-led revival. However, I would be most surprised if India wins this Test match from here. India go into day-4 just 14 runs ahead and with most of their recognised batsmen back in the hut. Dravid and a limping-Laxman would perhaps need to live in Harry-Porter-Land to pull this one off. Harbhajan Singh is looking for a miracle from Dravid and Laxman! He said, at the conclusion of the 3rd days’ play, “We are looking to have good partnership in…

As expected, MS Dhoni has returned from a self-inflicted “rest” and has been selected as captain of the Team India ODI side to take on Sri Lanka after the conclusion of the Test series. Ishant Sharma has been “rested” for the Sri Lanka ODIs, but will return for the Champions Trophy. Munaf Patel, who has been picked for the Sri Lanka tour, will only play in Sri Lanka. Parthiv Patel has been included as MS Dhoni’s understudy for the Sri Lanka tour. However, Parthiv Patel will return to India after the Sri Lanka ODIs and will not take part in the Champions Trophy.

Contributed by CWO A couple of years ago, I came across an article about a corporate business man and his leadership skills. Although I do not remember the article’s name or the person who was quoted in it, a certain aspect of that article stays with me even today. The six qualities that he listed as imperative to define a good leader were: Integrity A deep understanding of the business Consistency Willingness to admit a mistake The ability to listen Decisiveness Let us set our sights on Anil Kumble and see how he measures up against the above criteria. His is a hard gig. After all, he has,…

Last week a snap election was called here in WA.You might be wondering why you care, and you probably don't, but for me in my current job, well, my feet haven't touched the ground since it was announced.This does have relevance to cricket, because I had to cancel my trip to Darwin to see Australia play Bangladesh. The match was on the same day as the election. Dedicated, am I not?It also means that posts, if any, will be few and far between.So, if not before, I will be back after the election night hangover has subsided.Go Australia! Boo England!

Jumping on the female cricket blogger bandwagon, say hello to Nightwatchgirl.Her blog looks quite a bit like mine - but don't be fooled. She is English.She touts her blog as being the Non-Expert Expert's Guide to the Greatest Game of All.She's clearly displeased with the appointment of KP and is on the hunt for someone to captain England (I think my brother applied - a far better candidate).She's pretty cool. For English.Welcome to the indefatigable world of cricket blogging.

There was a picture of Gilly in today's West Australian (look, I have to read it for work. I don't enjoy it).Gilly thinks Twenty20 cricket should be introduced to the Olympics in, er, 2020."Cricket was part of the 1900 Olympics, when Great Britain beat France," he said.Was that the last time Great Britain beat France at anything? Probably because they got to utilise the services of Irish, Scottish, Welsh players."I believe the Olympic Games is the vehicle the sport should use to aggressively sell the message of our sport to all 202 competing Olympic nations, so our sport is strong and robust…

When I first saw a picture of a teary Michael Vaughan my first thought was that he'd realised how stupid his hair looked and was making an apology to the world. Then I realised what a foolish notion that was - as if he'd think his hair looked stupid.So I see he's resigned. How shocking. Are you shocked? You shouldn't be. Denial is not just a river in Egypt (hilarious, I know). And now that I've been able to stop laughing at the resignation and apparent surprise, I can write about how Kevin Pietersen should be England's next captain.If they want the Ashes back, he's their only hope.So, they…

England captain's run total exceeds his IQ.

After the disappointing Test series and the Twenty20 wash-out, England head into a five match one-day series against South Africa, starting at Headingley on Friday. It is less than 12 months ago that England embarked on a World Twenty20 tournament in South Africa with a squad supplemented by one-day specialists like Darren Maddy, Chris Schofield and Jeremy Snape. Wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior damaged a finger in the course of the tournament and was then replaced by Phil Mustard who was given an extended run behind the stumps before giving way to Tim Ambrose All of that in less than a year…

There has been a fair amount of comment since the news was announced that Mike Selvey was not going to be part of the Test Match Special team and I thought it was a good opportunity to explain the thinking behind this decision. Firstly I would again like to thank Mike for his outstanding contribution to the programme. The decision was not an easy one, but we felt that the time was right to introduce some more recent Test cricketers into the commentary mix. Over the 51 years of the programme TMS has always evolved and occasionally a new voice has arrived. It is important for the commentary…

Welcome to Ask Bearders, where Test Match Special statistician Bill "The Bearded Wonder" Frindall answers your questions on all things cricket. Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from. Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.Q. During the recent Test…

By Simon Mann at Lord's Grant Flower, the oldest man on the pitch, transformed a tense final into a comfortable canter for a buoyant Essex team as Kent paid for their careless batting. Flower was not the obvious match-winner coming into the game but he has played more one-day internationals than anyone on either side and he used that experience to wrestle the match away from Kent.Alastair Cook's bizarre downfall against Robbie Joseph had put Kent on top for the first time in the game. Flower immediately took his only liberty, driving a good length ball over extra cover to get off the mark.

It seems rather strange that we have now finished this year's Test summer as early as the second week in August. But don't worry, we have plenty more cricket coverage to keep you entertained over the next few weeks. This Saturday we will bring you commentary on the final of the Friends Provident Trophy from Lord's. It promises to be an exciting match between two of the in-form sides this season in Kent and Essex. Kent's Rob Key, who was close to being named as the new England captain, will have the chance to impress again on the big stage while Essex boast the likes of Ravi Bopara and Graham…

Derbyshire tie with Yorkshire in their Pro40 Division Two match.

Sussex close day two at The Oval 358 runs behind Surrey at 97-3.

Kent close day two at Canterbury with a lead of 303 at 125-1 in their second innings, having bowled out Lancashire for 125.

Somerset close the penultimate day at the Rose Bowl with a lead of 69 over Hampshire at 385-7.

Steve Harmison comes out of one-day international retirement to join England's squad to face South Africa.

Star Australian paceman Brett Lee confirmed here Thursday that the breakdown of his marriage was behind his decision to miss the upcoming one-day series against Bangladesh. Cricket Australia (CA) announced on Wednesday that Lee would miss the three-match series for personal reasons, and rumours immediately surfaced that it was because his two-year marriage to Liz Kemp was over.

The International Cricket Council Wednesday said it is likely to make a final decision on the ill-fated Champions Trophy in Pakistan on Sunday. The eight-nation biennial event, scheduled for September, has run into serious doubts after players from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and England raised security concerns.

Reuters - Fast bowler Munaf Patel has been fined for breaching the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Code of Conduct during the second one-day international against Sri Lanka. Patel was fined 75 percent of his match fee after being found guilty of breaching a clause referring to obscene, offensive or insulting language after umpire Gamini Silva turned down an lbw appeal during the Sri Lanka innings.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni capped Zaheer Khan's devastating spell with a crucial 39 as India posted a tense three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second one-day international here on Wednesday. Left-arm seamer Zaheer ran through the top order in his incisive opening spell to finish with 4-21 as India bundled Sri Lanka out for a meagre 142.

Pakistan on Wednesday invited wavering foreign teams to inspect security arrangements for the Champions Trophy in a last-ditch bid to keep next month's tournament from being shifted or cancelled. The International Cricket Council (ICC) was due to hold a meeting in Dubai later Wednesday which could decide the fate of the September 12-28 event after reports that defending champions Australia were set to boycott it.

Marcus Trescothick's story is quite depressing. He's probably (to date) England's best batsman in ODIs of all time, although Kevin Pietersen will undoubtedly get past him. Yet, he retired from international cricket earlier this year after opting out of a pre-season tour with Somerset. This wasn't the first time the stress/depression related illness had struck though. In 2006, before England's

The newly introduced review system whereby players can seek reviews of on-field umpiring decisions has just completed one trial run. I'm fairly sure that this isn't the only trial run it will go through. I wouldn't be surprised if it was also used for the India-Australia series later this year, if not for some other series held earlier. I still believe this is a good thing, as long as the ICC

I get a feeling that Andrew Strauss is totally pissed off with Kevin Pietersen beating him to the captaincy. Either that, or he's just being brutally honest. Sample some of his quotes when he spoke to AFP and The Guardian. I would have liked to have done the Test job and, to that degree, I am disappointed I have not been given the opportunity. It is a brave decision because KP hasn't done much

Yesterday, Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood resigned from their captaincy roles. Vaughan had taken back his test captaincy from Andrew Flintoff while Collingwood had replaced Vaughan, who resigned before he was pushed. Kevin Pietersen was announced a few minutes ago as England's new captain. The bit in the media release that made me cough was this:I have learned a great deal about leadership

The Indian team's batting performances in the last decade can be roughly divided into three phases. Phase 1 would have been from 1998-2001 where Sachin Tendulkar was really the only one making runs. The entire batting revolved around him. Dravid, Laxman & Ganguly were yet to establish themselves while Azhar was on the downhill slope. This was the period where he had some unforgettable knocks

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Looking at the recent India-Sri Lanka test series one can see that pretty soon we will be seeing a majosr shift in the Indian test team’s composition. The Fab 4, aka Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman, have not contributed at all to the team’s win in the second test. Its been 5 consecutive failures by these 4 talented and legendary batsmen. Tendulkar is coming back from an injury so he would likely take some time to get into some form. Ganguly should hang up his boots and leave now with his pride intact. Laxman still has a couple of years left and needs to get into some sort of…

Day 2 Highlights Part 1 YouTube Direktvideo link Part 2 YouTube Direktvideo link Part 3 YouTube Direktvideo link Part 4 YouTube Direktvideo link Part 5 YouTube Direktvideo link Part 6 YouTube Direktvideo link Part 7 YouTube Direktvideo link Part 8 YouTube Direktvideo link Part 9 YouTube Direktvideo link Part 10 YouTube Direktvideo link Bookmark:

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200m World Record in the Final at the Beijing Olympics200 metres in 19.30 seconds100 metres in 9.69 secondsBoth from a still start.In the shorter race, he raced only about 75-80 metres, basically cruising to the line.In the 200m, he was running into a slight headwind!He makes all the cliched adjectives used to describe explosive athletes come to life.The commentary is very nice too.

Munaf Patel has been fined 75% of his match fee by Referee Chris Broad after he was charged by the four umpires - three Sri Lankans and Umpire Doctrove of a Level 2 offence under the ICC Code of Conduct. Munaf has been found to have breached the famous clause 2.8 - "using language that is obscene, offensive or of a seriously insulting nature to another player, umpire, referee, team official or spectator."There are a number if interesting linkages and issues here. First the trivia - Clause 2.8 was in the news first thing in 2008, when the Indians complained that Bradley Hodge had used abusive…

Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly have been the most stable middle order in Test Cricket in this decade. The epithet "Big Four" though, has been attached to them, through no fault of their own. If you remember, for many years, it was the "Big Three" (excluding Laxman). When it became apparent the Ganguly (Test average 36 against good opposition in the period 2000-2008), was not quite living up to this exalted tag, but VVS Laxman was, it quickly became the big four. Once Ganguly returned to the Indian Test team, for most of 2007, the Indian middle order did well.The…

Even though i must admit that i don't enjoy watching India being thumped (a rare phenomenon in recent years), i have to say that the last few weeks have been very pleasurable ones as a cricket fan. On the cricketing front, Ajantha Mendis has emerged as a potential superstar - a Malcolm Marshall to Muralidharan's Andy Roberts. Whats more, he has emerged while Murali is well and truly a great bowler, at the peak of his powers. Further more, his bowling action is pristine, beyond reproach, unlike Murali's. He possesses variations, and the ability to turn the ball both ways already, something…

Just read this story about Saina Nehwal's final match at the Beijing Olympics. Some reporter actually asked her whether she got complacent!!! What kind of question is that? Consider Nehwal's interesting and illuminating comment about not being able to judge the drift - something which tells you a bit about the sport, that question is just plainly crass and disrespectful. Nobody expects journalists to be polite, and to not ask difficult and pointed questions. But they ought not to make fools of themselves.On the drift question, i watched Nehwal's first game, and remember noticing her judgement…

I’m confused by the apparent sacking of Mike Selvey from TMS. I’ve always found him an analytical, generous figure in a box often containing some loud and abrasive characters. He’s been broadcasting for nearly my entire life, and is one of the voices I instinctively trusted to be quietly witty and unfailingly accurate. But he’s clearly not part of Adam Mountford’s grander plans: Firstly I would again like to thank Mike for his outstanding contribution to the programme. The decision was not an easy one, but we felt that the time was right to introduce some more…

December 21, 2006: “After careful consideration and having taken advice from several people who have been close to me throughout my career, I have decided to retire from one-day international cricket with immediate effect,” said Harmison in a statement. “This has been a difficult decision but I want to play at the highest level for as long as I can and believe that concentrating solely on Test cricket is the best way forward for me during the next phase of what will hopefully be a long England career.” August 21, 2008: “After recently being asked by the England…

Yes, that was my initial reaction too. Why? Turns out Usain, the fastest man in the world, is a cricket nut - as befits a Jamaican sportsman, I suppose. And he wants to meet one of his heroes, Matthew Hayden. “I can’t wait to come to Australia and I’m trying to find a way to get down there because it sounds great and you’re fun people,” Bolt said. “And one of my favourite cricketers in the world is from your way. I am a huge fan of Matty Hayden and he’s a cool customer out in the middle and I like his style.” Hayden’s response is…

As I’m sure everyone is aware, Great Britain (GREAT Britain) are leading Australia in terms of gold-medalage. And one Australia journalist has laid the blame firmly at the feet of Rod Marsh: No one wins silver or bronze, which brings me back to Marsh. England hardly won anything until Marsh defected to England in October 2001 and directed a shambling cricket team from rock bottom to zenith in four years. The Poms hadn’t won the Ashes in sixteen years but they regained them in a magnificent home series in 2005, while Marsh, a former Australian wicket keeper looked on. He quit the…

Aberdare cricket club has one. Und auch des Deutschen Cricket Bundes. But the richest cricket board in the world, the BCCI, has stubbornly refused to be apart of the internet - until now. In a few days (though I’ll believe it when I see it), BCCI.TV will launch as their official presence on the sprawling tinterweb. Hang on a minute - BCCI dot what? Dot…TV? Either the Indian board have an unquenchable thirst for sardonic humour - I know for a fact they emphatically do not - or, and this is a far bigger worry, this is to be the start of something really monstrous. Chances are that…

Having watched him and tracked him for quite a while now, and with the form he’s shown in the last two majors, I cannot help but believe that Camilo Villegas will win a major soon. You heard it here first. He has this crazy insouciance when he plays, as if it is perfectly reasonable and normal to try and birdie every hole, and to eagle a few as well. Reminds me of a young Calcavecchia, a young Gamez. A cavalier attitude that brings to mind Viv Richards and Seve Ballesteros. An attitude that yells “I’m really enjoying this”. An attitude that says that it is perfectly…

When I read this evocative piece by Tim O’ Reilly on Linking To Yourself, and began to understand just how widespread the “habit” had become, I began to wonder. Doesn’t it make you go blind, or something like that? It should. I thought Peter Kirn’s comment summarised it elegantly: 1. Link externally when appropriate; don’t create a walled garden. 2. Identify internal links as such; provide an option. 3. Link to what’s useful to people As David Weinberger said in Cluetrain, hyperlinks subvert hierarchies. Broadcast models and walled garden approaches…

People tend to value scarce things more than they value abundant things. Not all scarce things, though, as this site shows:There I was, blithely catching up on my reading after returning from the vacation. Blog by blog, checking up on the recent output of the people I spend time “following”. Quietly reading Zephoria. And, following the links in answers to bizarre questions, I found myself in Graham’s Paddock. So what’s the strangest collection you’ve personally come across?

Cricket: Just getting back into the swing of things after a truly lazy vacation, I noticed that a reader (named Murali!), in a recent comment, asked me what I thought about the recent Indian “collapse” in the first ODI versus Sri Lanka. Once I realised that the match had taken place in Dambulla, I became less concerned about the result. Here’s why, as told by Cricinfo: Over the last 10 years, the team batting first has scored less than 200 runs more often than not, 12 times out of 21. Eight different teams have managed to “achieve” this, and they lost 9 times out…

For many years now, we’ve tended to go on holiday with two other families we’re close to; the children have all grown up together, and when they’re happy, everyone’s happy. Most of the time, we tend to do things together, fifteen people with an age range between eight and fifty. But we always make an exception: one night, we just go out as “adults”, the three sets of parents together. And last night was that night. We went to a place called Fonda San Miguel, specialising in Mexican food. While I’ve been there before, yesterday was special, special…

Cricket-blog gets a lot of reciprocal link requests (hence the insanely long blog roll in the right margin). Not long ago, I received a link request from wattacoach.com and was intrigued by the website. They sell video coaching lessons from a team of coaches who've all played or coached first class cricket. You upload a video of your own bowling or batting action and one of their coaches sends back a video lesson analysing your technique and providing drills to improve it. I asked if they did a video lesson on my legspin action, could I post it on Cricket-blog. They agreed. Not having a video…

Radio comedian (and Thank God You're Here background extra) Ed Kavalee made the comment that the Australian women's cricket team "can’t bowl, bat, field or throw, or play sport in general". Having boasted that he could score 100 runs against them, 4 Australian women took up the challenge. Due to the wonders of YouTube, the technology that never fails to deliver, the result is as follows. Note - after viewing Kavalee's batting technique and noting he score 34 runs, I'd be reasonably confident of notching a half-century :-) h/t to Cricket With Balls

One glance at the Border Medal Award night will tell you being an international cricketer is akin to being a rockstar as far as snaffling babes is concerned. But Mahendra Dhoni, a rockstar among rockstars, takes it to another level and has been forced to employ an all-female commando unit to fight off zealous female fans. I've heard of beating them off with a stick (or even a cricket bat) but never 15 elite soldiers "trained rigorously in warfare and ambush techniques". I'm picturing Dhoni walking down a market street with hordes of shrill women streaming out of building doors, only to be…

Finally, after 6 weeks of rained out weekends (whatever happened to the Australian drought?), I finally got some club cricket last weekend. We batted first and the captain forgot about me when writing in the batting order, finally putting me in at #6. He apologised, I usually batted at #3 or #4, but I was pleased. This fitted in perfectly with my grand experiment to transform from a plodding top-order, part-time bowler into a slogging middle-order, wicket taking legspinner. An ambitious goal - my bowling efforts so far had been underwhelming at best. But shoot for the stars, I always say.Our…

“I never play cricket. It requires one to assume such indecent postures.” – Oscar Wilde I’m not sure what Oscar Wilde’s exact thoughts about cricket were, but he certainly must have imagined a Kevin Pietersen changing his grip from right hand to left hand, forcing the wicketkeeper to move from the right side to the left side while the bowler is in the middle of his run-up, and in all the chaos, thrashing the bewildered bowler for a six. Yeah, I’m sure, that’s what he thought in the morning calm, between the sip of tea and the jotting of the quote…

From the outside looking in, Mahendra Singh Dhoni looks like a very different player to the exciting thrashing machine who made his debut a few years ago.  It’s almost as if he has changed his game from someone who finished games in a blistering hurry to someone who now tries to finish games in a more clinical, Michael Bevan type fashion.  Is this what India wants to see?  Is this what India needs?  The two questions may beg two very different answers.  The new Dhoni is probably not as exciting to watch but he’s a lot more dependable.  He’s batting like a captain.  He’s always…

England vs South Africa:  If the weather holds good during August, my prediction is that South Africa will prove too strong for an unpredictable English outfit.  Across the park, South Africa look to have too many athletes and too much power.  If there’s a bit of rain about, it then becomes a bowler’s game where the toss becomes important too.  That’s a 50/50 proposition. Modern one-day cricket is now a power game, brought on by the confidence that T20 cricket has bred in the big hitters.  It is now entirely feasible to expect 80+ runs in the last ten overs, even under…

England and South Africa continue to provide us with Test series’ that emphasise how close they are in ability and execution. This might raise the hackles of the Africans who would point to their far superior Test ranking and claim that they are a far stronger side than England. That may well be true across a whole calendar year but somehow, when the two sides meet, the gap seems to narrow. The final scoreline needs to be read in the context of a brave fightback by South Africa at Lords in the opening Test. If not for this courageous performance, against huge odds, the final result might…

Stunning debuts and sad farewells (perhaps).  This Test series will end up being memorable for a number of reasons, not least of all, the end of one dynasty of Lion Kings and the midnight roar of the new kings of the jungle. Let us dwell first on the inevitable questions that will be asked in India about whether their great batting order is on the cusp of being disbanded.  Tendulkar is almost exempt from that bloodletting.  His status as one of the all-time greats of the game should ensure that he gets to choose the time and place of his abdication.  He has earned that right.  I’m not…

Without being too melodramatic about it, I think a lot more rests on the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in September than merely seeing which team wins this bi-annual event. Depending on what some countries (or cricketers) choose to do about overcoming their misgivings about touring Pakistan, the ramifications will be felt for years to come. Why do I say this? Because I think that the current East-West divide that is forming, eloquently articulated by Michael Clarke (see my earlier post), has the potential to create a tit-for-tat game of chess that will negatively impact on the global game.

Andrew Flintoff is hoping England's new-look line-up can finally find consistent success on the world stage.

Ryan Sidebottom has been ruled out of England's day-night international against South Africa at Headingley tomorrow.

Bangladesh will be ready to fill the void if teams decide to pull out of next month's Champions Trophy in Pakistan, according to their coach Jamie Siddons.

Bumble gets to the bottom of his cap mystery and looks forward to a bright future for English cricket.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has described paceman Zaheer Khan as one of the team's shining lights during a difficult tour of Sri Lanka.

Kent batted rubbish - Rob Key admitted it and he’s absolutely right. They even lost me a fiver. Oh well, I won it back and more on the start of the Premier League so happy days! Speaking of the Premier League (the football kind not the cricket kind), now that it has started cricket will start to find press and tv coverage harder to come by. Unless anything really outstanding happens in the upcoming ODI series against SA, cricket will be nothing but the odd mention a few pages in, which is par for the course and accepted pretty much by now. Clubs around the country have only a couple of…

This Saturday sees the final of the Friends Provident Trophy, between two sides we’re pretty much sick of seeing on TV i reckon, Essex and Kent. Due to their success in the various formats of the game, everyone is pretty well used to the two teams that will be lining up at Lords, and these two also met on Twenty20 finals day when Kent came out winners - and I can’t see any reason why this Final will be any different. Kent’s powerful team will be too much for the teamwork but not big names of Essex, if they survive the rain that is expected to come in (who’d expect any…

“We’ve got Australia in a few months’ time and that’s a whole new challenge”, said Graeme Smith at the end of today’s final test (which we WON!), and he’s right. Although Australia aren’t the completely settled side of a couple of years ago, they won’t capitulate like we did on occasions in this series. They won’t have five out of six batsmen struggling for form against their attack, they won’t have a bowling “unit” as unthreatening as we were at Headingly, and it should be a good test for both teams. If you had any…

So much to talk about after just one more test match, and a broken finger making typing difficult - I’ll keep it short! I know the squad has been named - this has been written as if it hasn’t and is my opinion on what I’d do! Long and short of it - we lost. Decisions went for and against both teams, so I’m not going to moan about them, but the team do look a little bit lost, and maybe a change of captain is the right thing to do. Fresh impetus, ideas and outlook may be what we need after a pretty unsuccessful summer. Whether or not KP is the man for the job I…

This is going to be a short post seeing as I managed to break my finger taking a caught and bowled on Saturday (yes, I kept hold of the ball!), and typing isn’t proving the easiest thing to do in the world at the moment, but I didnt want to let the finals day go past without saying anything. Despite my prediction of two teams getting to the final being slightly incorrect, I was nearly correct with my choice of winner! It was a great final (aside of the pain I was in whilst watching it), really tense and never sure which way it was going. It was everything you want in Twenty20 cricket,…

The Australian Cricketers' Association has rejected suggestions that it ignored a comprehensive report on the security situation in Pakistan when making its decision to advise Australia's players not to tour.

The fate of the Champions Trophy hangs on Sunday's telephone hook-up after it emerged that India and Pakistan have hardened their position on the tournament going ahead as scheduled from September 12 onwards in Karachi and Lahore, leaving the ICC with the possibility of a cancellation otherwise.

At 36, most first-class cricketers are winding down and perhaps trying to eke out a couple more years while their bodies and skills hold up. They are rarely considered exciting prospects, yet those are the words Australia's chairman of selectors used on Wednesday to describe Bryce McGain, the Victoria legspinner.

Kevin Pietersen should focus on England's immediate challenges before predicting success in an Ashes series that is nearly a year away, according to Australia's vice-captain Michael Clarke.

Bangladesh are ready to step into the Champions Trophy if any teams pull out of the tournament, according to the coach Jamie Siddons.

Tamim Iqbal blasted 85 from 45 deliveries but Bangladesh fell 14 runs short in their warm-up match against the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) in Darwin.

Bangladesh are ready to step into the Champions Trophy if any teams pull out of the tournament, according to the coach Jamie Siddons.

Richard Levi's 72 of 88 balls helped the South Africa Academy beat the Bangladesh Cricket Board Academy by 18 runs.

Although Zimbabwe Cricket might be refusing to play Kenya, it has nevertheless unveiled its preparations for the coming year.

Mashrafe Mortaza and Dhiman Ghosh combined for an unbeaten 97-run eighth-wicket partnership that gave Bangladesh their first win on their Australian tour.

Steve Rhodes, the Worcestershire director of cricket, has insisted that Simon Jones's latest knee injury does not threaten his long-term future in the game.

Steve Harmison has come out of ODI retirement and has been added to England's squad to face South Africa after Ryan Sidebottom was ruled out of the opening match at Headingley due to a groin injury.

The fate of the Champions Trophy hangs on Sunday's telephone hook-up after it emerged that India and Pakistan have hardened their position on the tournament going ahead as scheduled from September 12 onwards in Karachi and Lahore, leaving the ICC with the possibility of a cancellation otherwise.

Kevin Pietersen should focus on England's immediate challenges before predicting success in an Ashes series that is nearly a year away, according to Australia's vice-captain Michael Clarke.

Azeem Rafiq, the 17-year-old Yorkshire offspinner, who was at the centre of the club's elimination from the Twenty20 Cup when he was found to be ineligible, has been given special dispensation by the ECB to play first-team cricket for the rest of the season.

Chennai Super Kings, the IPL team that has qualified for the Champions Twenty20 League in December, is likely to release captain MS Dhoni in the later stages of the tournament to help him prepare for India's Test series against England, a top franchise official has said .

The fate of the Champions Trophy hangs on Sunday's telephone hook-up after it emerged that India and Pakistan have hardened their position on the tournament going ahead as scheduled from September 12 onwards in Karachi and Lahore, leaving the ICC with the possibility of a cancellation otherwise.

It could very well have been Sri Lanka's day had it not been for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Subramaniam Badrinath. Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene believed their partnership took the game away from his side and helped India square the series 1-1..

Mohinder Amarnath, the former Indian allrounder, has been appointed consultant of the Bengal team. Besides working with the senior team, Amarnath will also be in charge of the district cricket in the state.

On the day when Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Kumar provided unanticipated boosts to the country's Olympic campaign, India's one-day team tussled and tugged their way to a series-leveling victory in Dambulla. .

Paul Strang, the former Zimbabwe legspinner, has been appointed the high performance coach of Auckland Cricket.

A decision on whether to tour Pakistan should not come down to individual New Zealand players as younger members of the squad may feel pressured into going, according to Heath Mills.

The fate of the Champions Trophy hangs on Sunday's telephone hook-up after it emerged that India and Pakistan have hardened their position on the tournament going ahead as scheduled from September 12 onwards in Karachi and Lahore, leaving the ICC with the possibility of a cancellation otherwise.

New Zealand's squad has not softened its view on attending the Champions Trophy despite a detailed security briefing by an ICC task force.

The Pakistan Cricket Board is adamant the Champions Trophy will not be moved despite the real threat of teams pulling out of next month's tournament.

Cricket Australia remains non-committal about the defending champions attending next month's Champions Trophy in Pakistan. The ICC was due to discuss the tournament, scheduled for September 12-28, at a meeting in Dubai on Wednesday, with a move to Sri Lanka being considered as one possible outcome..

The fate of the Champions Trophy hangs on Sunday's telephone hook-up after it emerged that India and Pakistan have hardened their position on the tournament going ahead as scheduled from September 12 onwards in Karachi and Lahore, leaving the ICC with the possibility of a cancellation otherwise.

The Australian Cricketers' Association has rejected suggestions that it ignored a comprehensive report on the security situation in Pakistan when making its decision to advise Australia's players not to tour.

Nasim Ashraf, the chairman of the PCB, has resigned from his post on the same day that the patron of the board, Pervez Musharraf, resigned from the presidency.

The Australian Cricketers' Association may have told its players not to tour Pakistan for the Champions Trophy in September, but concerns are growing in Pakistan that the decision was made based on hasty, possibly inaccurate security assessments.

England women's opening Twenty20 against South Africa has been postponed from Wednesday to Saturday owing to rain at Chesterfield.

Graeme Smith has revealed that he has been struggling with worsening tennis elbow during the England tour and says he will need to take some time out over the next few months to be ready to face Australia.

The fate of the Champions Trophy hangs on Sunday's telephone hook-up after it emerged that India and Pakistan have hardened their position on the tournament going ahead as scheduled from September 12 onwards in Karachi and Lahore, leaving the ICC with the possibility of a cancellation otherwise.

South Africa Academy bounced back from their narrow loss in the first game to thump the Bangladesh Cricket Board Academy by an innings and 63 runs inside three days in Pretoria.

Richard Levi's 72 of 88 balls helped the South Africa Academy beat the Bangladesh Cricket Board Academy by 18 runs.

Injuries to Sachin Tendulkar, during the third Test, and Virender Sehwag, during training on the eve of the five-ODI series, have given India a major headache ahead of the remaining four matches - that of finding a solid opening combination.

The fate of the Champions Trophy hangs on Sunday's telephone hook-up after it emerged that India and Pakistan have hardened their position on the tournament going ahead as scheduled from September 12 onwards in Karachi and Lahore, leaving the ICC with the possibility of a cancellation otherwise.

It could very well have been Sri Lanka's day had it not been for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Subramaniam Badrinath. Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene believed their partnership took the game away from his side and helped India square the series 1-1..

Watching India clearly weighed down by the finger freak waiting in the wings, unsure about how to tackle tidy medium-pace, anxious about what could be unleashed at any moment, and it was hard not to get a sense of dj vu.

On the day when Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Kumar provided unanticipated boosts to the country's Olympic campaign, India's one-day team tussled and tugged their way to a series-leveling victory in Dambulla. .

Chris Gayle says West Indies will not be taking it easy when they meet Bermuda in the one-day tri-series in Canada on Wednesday.

The captain Ramnaresh Sarwan guided West Indies to an easy six-wicket win over Bermuda in their opening match of the Associates Tri-series in Canada.

The fate of the Champions Trophy hangs on Sunday's telephone hook-up after it emerged that India and Pakistan have hardened their position on the tournament going ahead as scheduled from September 12 onwards in Karachi and Lahore, leaving the ICC with the possibility of a cancellation otherwise.

Fidel Edwards is an injury doubt for the triangular series in Canada after pulling up in training with a back problem. He will have a scan on Wednesday, but it is unlikely a replacement will be called up for the short tournament.

Amit Jaggernauth, the offspinner, has been named the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board's (TTCB) National Senior Cricketer of the Year.

Six of the eight starters in the 100m Olympic final were from the Caribbean, more than in any previous Olympic final. Wow! Just wow!

Tony Cozier writes about Shiv Chanderpaul’s heroics yesterday in a tone reserved for very few: In the midst of the [West Indies batting] breakdown, he took a shattering blow on the back of the helmet from a bouncer from Lee. The contact reverberated around Sabina Park like a gunshot, a familiar sound in these parts. He instantly [...]

Mike King has no sympathy for Marlon Samuels: A message had to be sent to Samuels and those who are foolhardy enough to commit any such transgression. Richie Richardson is saying the ban is too harsh, but I don’t quite agree, and I feel no compassion for any modern-day player providing information on match conditions or [...]

ICC active CEO Dave Richardson responds to the two-year ban on Marlon Samuels: “In terms of the punishment handed down, minimum penalties were agreed by the ICC Board, including all Full Members, and they reflect the seriousness of the issues at hand. “Corruption is a serious matter, dealing with it effectively is fundamental to the integrity of [...]

Caribbean novelist George Lamming believes the delayed appointment of Sir Frank Worrell as West Indies captain was one of the most shameful acts in West Indies cricket history. “That was one of the most humiliating things I can recall in West Indies cricket,” Lamming said. “The nearest I came to . . . I was crying. [...]

The fate of the Champions Trophy hangs on Sunday's telephone hook-up after it emerged that India and Pakistan have hardened their position on the tournament going ahead as scheduled from September 12 onwards in Karachi and Lahore, leaving the ICC with the possibility of a cancellation otherwise.

Zimbabwe's confirmation that they won't take part in next year's ICC World Twenty20 in England comes as a relief for Scotland, who will replace them by virtue of finishing third in the recent qualifying tournament.

Walter Chawaguta, the former Zimbabwe Under-19 coach, has taken charge of the national team, Cricinfo has learnt. Chawaguta replaces Robin Brown, whose contract expired in July, making him the third person to coach Zimbabwe in a year.

Zimbabwe have confirmed they will not take part in next year's ICC World Twenty20 in England following meetings with the ICC in Dubai. The decision means Scotland, who finished third at the recent qualifying event in Belfast, will take their place next June.

Although Zimbabwe Cricket might be refusing to play Kenya, it has nevertheless unveiled its preparations for the coming year.

ICL India defeated ICL World by ten runs in the inaugural edition of ICL 20s World Series Championship at Hyderabad.

The ICL World booked their place in the final of the Indian Cricket League's World Series Twenty20 competition by beating ICL Pakistanis by six wickets at Hyderabad on Monday.

India XI entered the final of the ICL 20s World Series cricket championship with a 32-run win over Pakistan XI in its final league match.

The youthful exuberance of India XI prevailed over the experience of the World XI as the former notched up a 44-run win to stay on course for a berth in the final of the ICL 20s World Series.

The third match of the ICL 20s World Series featured the ICL India team taking on the formidable ICL Pakistani at the Lal Bahadur Stadium at Hyderabad.

West Indies' Nikita Miller was strong on Wednesday against Bermuda. West Indies defeated Bermuda by six wickets on Wednesday and advanced to this weekend's final of the one-day cricket tri-series against host ...

Lee told to take stock after bust-up - and get back on the field ASAP Jamie Pandaram Regret ... Lee will miss ODIs against Bangladesh.

While speaking about a new-found maturity on his return as England's wicketkeeper, Prior was given an unexpected opportunity to show he had improved his much-maligned glovework.

Warwickshire pace bowler Boyd Rankin has been named in the Ireland squad which will play Kenya for The Carnegie Cup in three one-day internationals, starting on Sunday.

David Morgan, the ICC president, believes Twenty20 could fit neatly into the Olympic schedule, but has warned the sport to think carefully about a push for a spot at the 2020 Games.

3 News NZCricket: Bombs 'part of picture' for Trophy decisionNew Zealand Herald, New Zealand - 55 minutes agoThe Pakistan suicide bombing overnight which killed 59 people will " form part of the picture" when New Zealand Cricket makes its decision over whether or Players could feel pressured to tour - Mills CricInfo.comQuit Pakistan tournament - NZ cricketers Stuff.co.nzNZ Players Assoc frustrated with ICC Newstalk ZBNew Zealand Heraldall 16 news articles

Tasmanian Brett Geeves replaces Brett Lee for Bangladesh one-day Adelaidenow, Australia - 2 hours agoCricket Australia today confirmed Geeves would take the place of fast bowler Lee, who has confirmed he'll miss Australia's one-day series against Bangladesh Lee told to take stock after bust-up - and get back on the field ASAP The Canberra TimesBrett Lee confirms split with wife NDTV.comTigers' fortunes turn The MercuryReuters UK - The Australianall 245 news articles

Sky NewsPakistan cricket needs strong administrator with visionDaily Times, Pakistan - 3 hours agoBy Muhammad Ali Pakistan cricket is at a crossroads again. With the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf, it was expected that his close associates ICC has messed up by delaying decision on Champions Trophy Expressindia.comCricket Australia deny pulling out Times of IndiaTime running out for cricket tourney Stuff.co.nzSify - Independent Onlineall 1,277 news articles

SifyCricket in Chennai: A unique cooperationSify, India - 3 hours agoHowever, the appeal, unlike international cricket played in the city, does not extend to attracting spectator support, perhaps because its most loyal

TopNewsIt’sa wrestle for sports other than cricketHindu Business Line, India - 7 hours agoWhile government plaudits will be quick to come, will corporates look to sign on successful sports people outside the sphere of cricket? Media should move beyond cricket MerinewsBindra: I’d like to change the face of Olympic sport in India Calcutta TelegraphIndia Wins Wrestling Bronze in Beijing Olympics Desicritics.orgSINDH TODAY - Press Trust of Indiaall 420 news articles

Andrew Flintoff is hoping England's new-look line-up can use its five-match series against South Africa's powerful side as a springboard to finally finding consistent success on the world stage.Englan...

The International Cricket Council says it will likely make a final decision on Sunday on whether to host the ill-fated Champions Trophy in Pakistan.The eight-nation biennial event, scheduled for next ...

Fast bowler Steve Harmison has ended his one-day international retirement and returned to England's squad for the series against South Africa. The 29-year-old Durham star had retired from internati...

Burly all-rounder Ian Blackwell struck his second Championship century of the season to help Somerset to a lead of 69 at 385-7 with a day left at Hampshire. After large chunks of the first two days...

Sussex require a further 210 to save the follow-on after closing day two at The Oval 358 behind Surrey at 97-3. Jon Batty resumed on 96 and sealed his second ton of 2008 before his stand of 232 wit...