England

Dinner England 279 for 5 (Brook 79*, Foakes 27*) vs New Zealand Harry Brook rumbled along to 79 not out from 64 balls, to back up Ben Duckett‘s opening-session 84 from 68 balls, to provide the substance to another of England’s new-style Test innings in the pink-ball Test at Mount Maunganui. However, New Zealand’s put-upon

The eve of the first Test of the home summer is rarely the best time to be addressing cricket’s existential matters. But here was Tim Southee at the Bay Oval, just two matches into his captaincy, talking about the players not here – one in particular – and what it might mean for the game

Stuart Broad will return to the England team for Thursday’s first Test against New Zealand after missing the series against Pakistan. Broad, on his fifth tour of New Zealand, sat out the three-match series at the end of 2022 for the birth of his first child, Annabella. With Olly Stone and Matthew Potts also hovering

Eoin Morgan, England’s 2019 World Cup-winning captain, has announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket with immediate effect. He captained London Spirit to the Hundred’s eliminator last year, was a losing finalist in the Abu Dhabi T10 with New York Strikers, and made seven appearances for Paarl Royals in the recently-concluded SA20. Morgan

Ireland opt to bat vs England Laura Delany said Ireland were “itching to get out there” after choosing to bat first in their T20 World Cup opener against England at Boland Park in Paarl. “It looks like a really good wicket,” Delany said, on a baking-hot afternoon in the South African sunshine. “Our preparation has

New Zealand began their preparations for the first Test against England without a full deck as Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc on the travel plans of a number of their squad members. They trained on Monday morning at Bay Oval without Tom Blundell, Henry Nicholls, Matt Henry, Will Young, Blair Tickner and three support staff after

The drive to Mount Maunganui from Hamilton takes barely a session, through the lush greens and postcard backdrops you’d associate with New Zealand. But on Sunday the vistas were blurred by the first winds and driving rains ahead of Cyclone Gabrielle’s visit to the North Island at the start of next week. Preparations ahead of

The pair would play the next match in Napier, too, going on split 16 wickets between them as England secured what remains their last series victory in these parts. A month shy of 15 years on, and 1,225 more dismissals between them later, they return to the country where it all truly began. It’s tempting

Toss West Indies chose to bat vs England Hayley Matthews won the toss and was able to name Stafanie Taylor in her XI, as West Indies chose to bat on a baking hot day in Paarl. Taylor did not bat or bowl in either of West Indies’ warm-up games, and last played a T20I in

Toby Roland-Jones, the former England seamer, has taken over from Tim Murtagh as Middlesex’s red-ball captain. Roland-Jones, 35, will be embarking on his 14th season at the club, having made his debut back in 2010. In that time, he has taken 453 first-class wickets in 122 appearances, and will be leading Middlesex on their return

A higher threshold for batting bonus points, a reduction in the number of points available for a draw, and a two-round trial of the Kookaburra ball, are among the tweaks to the County Championship ahead of the 2023 season, in a bid to keep the domestic game aligned with the aggressive approach of the England

“Cheers Broady!” beamed Ollie Pope, smiling from ear to ear, cheeks tinged with a bit of embarrassment. Moments before he sits down for Friday’s media engagement at the team hotel, Pope is informed of the words of Stuart Broad, who had been in that chair five minutes earlier. “I think Pope is a great leader

In another era – heck, even this time last year – an England men’s Test coach announcing that organising is “not one of my fortés” would be a major red flag. Yet as Brendon McCullum volunteered that fault on the first-floor decking of the team’s Novotel Hotel base in Hamilton, the admission was understandable. McCullum

Sri Lanka A 332 (Croospulle 128) and 202 for 3 (Madushka 84*, Mendis 67) lead England Lions 405 (Smith 126, Lees 97, Bohannon 54) by 129 runs Jamie Smith struck a 71-ball century, the fastest in England Lions history, to give his side an outside chance of a victory push in the second unofficial Test

England XI 465 (Brook 97, Lawrence 85, Root 77, Foakes 57) vs New Zealand XI For a warm-up fixture that had started to feel like an afterthought before it had even begun, England made the first meaningful day of cricket on this tour count. A score of 465 was blitzed in 69.2 overs against a

Hamilton is hardly a city known for its vibes, least of all on a Tuesday after the Waitangi Bank Holiday. But the Novotel Hotel situated just off the main strip is its own little hub of activity, threatening to make enough noise to stir this sleepy town, if only for this week in February. It

The world’s elite female cricketers will have to find a way to manage their expectations and emotions when the Women’s T20 World Cup collides with the Women’s Premier League auction on February 13. About 45 players (including the entire Indian squad) competing in the ICC tournament, which starts on Friday, could be picked in the

England U19 314 (Singh 67, Hurst 55) and 254 (McKinney 70, Foreman 58*) beat Australia U19 268 (Singh 64, Anderson 53, Foreman 4-66) and 276 (Blackford 106, Kelly 5-69) by 24 runs Ben McKinney, the England men’s Under-19s opener, said that his team had taken inspiration from Ben Stokes’ seniors after securing a first Youth

Jos Buttler, England’s white-ball captain, has admitted to “frustrations” that his team’s preparation for the defence of their 50-over World Cup title has been hampered by scheduling clashes ahead of this month’s tour of Bangladesh. However, Buttler insists there will be no consequences for those players who have made themselves unavailable for the tour –

Ireland will stage their final Super League series against Bangladesh in May at a venue in England to maximise their chances of World Cup qualification. Ireland’s hopes of finishing in the top eight of the Super League will rely on South Africa and Sri Lanka’s results against Netherlands and New Zealand respectively. But unless Sri

Andrew Strauss believes that the proliferation of T20 franchise tournaments could be a sign of the “democratisation” of world cricket, arguing that “no one, not even the BCCI, controls the game anymore”. Strauss, England’s former Ashes-winning captain who oversaw the ECB’s High Performance Review last year, warned his audience at the annual MCC Cowdrey Lecture

Surrey and England allrounder Tom Curran has taken the decision to step away from red-ball cricket, citing his physical and mental health along with a desire to focus on limited-overs cricket. Curran, 27, has played 61 first-class matches, including two Test caps picked up during the 2017-18 Ashes series. However his appearances in the longer

Sri Lanka A 136 and 228 for 1 (Fernando 114, Madushka 91*) trail England Lions 467 (Haines 118, Fisher 53, de Silva 3-59) by 1o3 runs Tom Haines‘ century on debut has put England Lions in a commanding position on day two of the second unofficial Test in Galle. The Sussex opener scored 118 from

Toss South Africa chose to bowl first vs England South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to field against England in the third and final ODI between the sides in Kimberley. While the hosts are looking to seal the series 3-0 and further bolster their hopes of qualifying directly for this year’s

Big picture: South Africa aiming for series sweep The series has been won, but it’s not quite mission accomplished for South Africa, who are a win away from getting up into the top eight of the World Cup Super League. Two clinical performances against the reigning world champions (albeit England’s crown has slipped a fair

“This is just the beginning,” smiled Shafali Verma, the Under-19 India captain who had just led her country to a maiden World Cup title in women’s cricket. The beauty of that statement was that it is – and isn’t – just the beginning. For many of its participants from 16 nations, the inaugural ICC Under-19

Toss South Africa chose to bowl v England An almost all-new South Africa attack will make use of a fresh strip in the second ODI against England. Despite the bowlers snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in Friday’s series-opener, and World Cup Super League points on the line, South Africa opted to bench Kagiso

Big picture: Can England bounce back on sticky Bloemfontein surface? South Africa ticked an important box in their bid to automatically qualify for the 2023 World Cup with victory in the first ODI on Friday night. Even if they go on to lose the series, that one win is enough to keep their hopes of

Jason Roy put what he described as a “horrible year” behind him with a career-saving century in Bloemfontein on Friday, and admitted afterwards that the angry emotions that he unleashed upon reaching three figures had been “locked away in a cupboard” throughout his run of lean form. Roy’s 79-ball century was his 11th in ODIs

Sky Sports will broadcast all World Cups in the UK and Ireland under an exclusive eight-year deal struck with the ICC for an undisclosed sum. The arrangement marks the first time the two organisations have shared a direct contractual relationship and forms part of the ICC’s drive to sell media rights individually in key markets.