English cricket fans set to be welcomed back to grounds for full summer of international action November 18, 2020 English cricket chiefs have announced a full programme of international action — with fans in attendance — for next summer. England’s men’s will play India in a five-Test series starting August, following white-ball matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The women’s side will host one-day and Twenty20 series with South Africa and New Zealand, while [...]
Coronavirus: The County Championship might have to be sacrificed this summer for good of the game, says Angus Fraser March 26, 2020 The County Championship might have to be sacrificed this summer so that domestic cricket can come out of the coronavirus pandemic in the strongest possible position, according to Middlesex’s managing director of cricket Angus Fraser. The start of the cricket season has been pushed back from 12 April to 28 May at the earliest by [...]
Chris Tremlett: The 2010-11 Ashes win in Australia was the surreal, unforgettable highlight of my career March 18, 2020 There is only one place to start when it comes to picking the favourite memory from my cricket career: the 2010-11 Ashes series in Australia. A few years out from the tour I was miles off being a part of England’s Test team Down Under. I had been involved in previous England squads but was [...]
Coronavirus: The impact on the sporting world as numerous events are disrupted March 12, 2020 In the space of a week the coronavirus pandemic has gone from having a minimal impact on the world’s sporting events to causing vast swathes of postponements and contests played out behind closed doors. This week saw the first Premier League game postponed due to Covid-19, Champions League matches played in empty stadiums and two [...]
Marquees, team bonding and repetition: The secrets of a county cricket pre-season March 11, 2020 A month out from the start of the County Championship, players are beginning to ramp up their preparations behind the scenes. Pre-season has changed a lot since I began my career. In those days players were often on six-month contracts, meaning the off-season was left up to the individual. Players might go abroad to keep [...]
England have the spin options to be successful in Sri Lanka once again and climb the Test Championship table March 4, 2020 England flew out to Sri Lanka on Monday ahead of their upcoming Test tour of the country, which will have an added significance. The World Test Championship may have started on 1 August last year but it has only now started to come into focus for those competing in it. Having won five of their [...]
England Lions’ success in Australia comes as a welcome boost for Sri Lanka tour and the 2021 Ashes February 26, 2020 Coming at the end of a successful tour of South Africa for England and in the same country as the current Women’s T20 World Cup meant the exploits of England Lions in Australia were always likely to fly under the radar. But the achievements of England’s development side deserve attention, because earlier this week they [...]
England have entered a new era and have a good chance of challenging Australia in the Women’s T20 World Cup February 19, 2020 England begin their Women’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign against South Africa on Sunday and it is an exciting time for the side. Many of the faces remain the same but they have a new head coach in charge after Lisa Keightley replaced Mark Robinson in January. Although Keightley is familiar to many, having previously been [...]
England right to be excited about the Twenty20 World Cup after flexing their muscles in 2-1 South Africa series win February 16, 2020 England came into their Twenty20 International series with South Africa out of practice in the format, confident, but not entirely sure about the specifics of their route to this year’s World Cup. Through their mastery of the 50-over format over the last four years they knew they had the players and attributes required to be [...]
Ben Foakes deserves an extended run as wicket-keeper in England’s Test side after being picked for Sri Lanka tour February 12, 2020 England may still be in South Africa, but the squad for their tour of Sri Lanka was named on Tuesday and the series isn’t far away. The team will fly out next month ahead of the first Test on 19 March and the 16-man squad features some interesting calls. I am happy to see Ben [...]