Former England batter Graham Thorpe ‘seriously ill’ in hospital
Former England batter and assistant coach Graham Thorpe is “seriously ill” in hospital, the Professional Cricketers’ Association has said.
Steve Smith Sport News
SL vs AUS: Pat Cummins Rested From T20Is, Marcus Harris Dropped From Australia Test Squad For Sri Lanka
Australia dropped Ashes opener Marcus Harris on Friday from an otherwise settled squad for the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in June and July. Scott Boland remains the back-up seamer ahead of Jhye Richardson in the Pat Cummins-led 16-man squad for the world's top-ranked Test team. They are part of an overall 34-man squad named for the all-format tour which also includes three T20s and five one-day internationals. Cummins will not play in the Twenty20 fixtures while spinner Adam Zampa will miss the entire tour due to the impending birth of his first child.
'Best Test batter': Shane Watson picks Virat Kohli ahead of Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Babar Azam
Shane Watson has picked Virat Kohli as the best batter among the 'big five' in Test cricket, preferring to not read much into the Indian maestro's failure to score a hundred since November 2019. As per Watson's list, the former India captain has pipped the likes of Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Babar Azam. "In Test match cricket, I am always going to say Virat Kohli," Watson said when asked by Isa Guha who he thought is the best Test batter in the world, in his latest episode of the ICC Review. "It's nearly superhuman, what he is able to do because he has such high intensity every time he goes out to play," Watson added. While Kohli has slipped to 10th on the ICC rankings, the Indian great continues to hold a remarkable Test batting record. He has scored 27 Test centuries and 28 half-centuries and currently has a Test batting average of just under 50.
Aussie Star Names "Fab 5" Test Batters, Rates Virat Kohli Above Steven Smith, Babar Azam
Former Australian star all-rounder Shane Watson has rated the "fab 5" batters in world cricket right now in cricket's longest format. While the official ICC rankings take into account the performance of players in matches played in a particular time period and ranks them accordingly, there is always an unofficial list of batters, who have dominated the game over a period of time.
Afghanistan's Rashid Khan longs for more Test opportunities
Rashid has played all five of Afghanistan's Tests since the country was granted full membership of the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2017. They were scheduled to play a one-off Test in Hobart in November but Cricket Australia postponed the match citing uncertainty over the future of women's cricket under Afghanistan's Taliban rule. Rashid lamented missing out on an opportunity to Test his craft against the likes of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.
Afghanistan's Rashid longs for more test opportunities
NEW DELHI : Star Afghan spinner Rashid Khan longs for opportunities to play test matches against top teams but is content plying his trade in franchise cricket until that happens, the 23-year-old told Reuters on Friday.
Josh Inglis Gets Australia Contract, Matthew Wade And Marcus Harris Axed
Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and out-of-favour opener Marcus Harris were among those axed on Thursday from Cricket Australia's list of nationally contracted players, but Josh Inglis was a winner. Others omitted include all-rounder Moises Henriques, batsman Ben McDermott and bowlers Jhye Richardson and Kane Richardson. Paceman James Pattinson, who is now retired, and former Test captain Tim Paine were also absent. Paine remains on an indefinite break from the game after a sexting scandal.
Josh Inglis gets Cricket Australia contract; Matthew Wade and Marcus Harris axed
Matthew Wade and out-of-favour opener Marcus Harris were among those axed on Thursday from Cricket Australia's list of nationally contracted players, but Josh Inglis was a winner. Others omitted include all-rounder Moises Henriques, batsman Ben McDermott and bowlers Jhye Richardson and Kane Richardson. Paceman James Pattinson, who is now retired, and former Test captain Tim Paine were also absent. Paine remains on an indefinite break from the game after a sexting scandal. The number of players in the group, which forms the core of Australia's international squads, was the maximum 20 allowed. Those who missed out can still though represent Australia. Dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman Inglis was a key addition for 2022-23 while Mitch Marsh, Scott Boland, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Swepson all retained their places having earned contract upgrades last season.