Jason Gillespie says new England one-day captain Eoin Morgan has every chance of playing himself into form for the World Cup while on Big Bash League duty for the Sydney Thunder.
Morgan – confirmed as Alastair Cook’s successor in the 50-over format on Saturday – made the most of a brief bat in the Thunder’s 56-run win over Brisbane Heat, striking 12no off five balls.
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Batsman Joe Burns is a surprise addition to Australia’s squad for next week’s Third Test which starts on Boxing Day in Melbourne.
The 25-year-old Queensland right-hander was named as a replacement for injured Mitchell Marsh with in-form Australia already holding a 2-0 lead in the series.
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Alex Hales must replace Alastair Cook at the top of England’s ODI batting order for the World Cup, says Sir Ian Botham.
Cook has been removed as captain and left out of England’s 15-man squad for next year’s tournament following a barren run of form with the bat that has seen him pass fifty just once in 20 ODI innings in 2014.
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Eoin Morgan is the right man to revitalise England’s World Cup bid if he is named as the new one-day captain, say Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton.
Morgan is the favourite to succeed Alastair Cook, who according to Sky Sources will no longer lead his country in the 50-over format following a selectors’ meeting on Friday.
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Steven Smith heaped praise on Mitchell Johnson after the left-hander’s brutal 88 helped Australia secure a first-innings lead over India in the second Test.
“I said before the Test match that I wanted to lead from the front with my performances, so hopefully I’ve done that.”
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Jacques Rudolph will captain Glamorgan in all formats of the game after he was announced as club captain.
South African Rudolph, who joined Glamorgan in September 2013, takes on the captain’s responsibilities after an impressive run of form in the 2014 season.
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Leicestershire’s former director of cricket Phil Whitticase has left the club, ending a 31-year association with the county.
The 49-year-old started out at Grace Road as a teenage wicketkeeper and made his debut in 1984, the start of a 12-year playing career, spanning 132 first-class matches.
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Former England and Lancashire all-rounder Andrew Flintoff will be available to play whole of the upcoming Big Bash for Brisbane Heat.
The 37-year-old was scheduled to play in the back half of the competition as a replacement for fellow overseas player Daniel Vettori, who is set to link up with New Zealand for their World Cup preparations.
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The Big Bash League kicks off again this week – and there will be plenty of English participation.
Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen will no doubt garner plenty of attention when they perform for Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Stars respectively over the next month or so.
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Sir Ian Botham is tipping Kumar Sangakkara to maintain his brilliant form for Sri Lanka against England in Tuesday’s final one-day international in Colombo.
The Sri Lanka batsman, who is due to retire after the World Cup, signed off in his final ODI on his home ground at Pallekele on Saturday with a match-winning century to seal the series against England.
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Sir Ian Botham is tipping Kumar Sangakkara to maintain his brilliant form for Sri Lanka against England in Tuesday’s final one-day international in Colombo.
The Sri Lanka batsman, who is due to retire after the World Cup, signed off in his final ODI on his home ground at Pallekele on Saturday with a match-winning century to seal the series against England.
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Former Australia paceman Jason Gillespie thinks the time has come to give Ireland full Test status.
Test match crowds are dwindling at the moment and Gillespie, who currently coaches Yorkshire, thinks the presence of Ireland and their ‘Blarney Army’ fan club could help to reverse that trend.
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Fast bowler Liam Plunkett and batsman Sam Robson were in impressive form for an England Performance Programme XI in South Africa.
Yorkshire paceman Plunkett took 4-36 against North West Dragons in Potchefstroom while opening batsman Robson contributed an unbeaten half-century as the tourists made 103-1 before the close of play on day one of the two-day match.
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Australia batsman David Warner and India pair Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli have been fined by the International Cricket Council after incidents during the fourth day of the first Test in Adelaide.
Warner and Dhawan clashed after the former was bowled by a Varun Aaron no-ball.
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Captain Kane Williamson hit an unbeaten 70 to lead New Zealand into a four-wicket triumph over Pakistan in Sharjah and level their one day series at 1-1.
Williamson stood firm in a Kiwi fall and was still in the crease with former skipper Daniel Vettori as four leg byes saw them past Pakistan’s goal of 253 for success with four overs to spare.
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David Warner says Australia and India’s verbals on day four of the initial Test in Adelaide were only “cricket”.
Warner exchanged heated words with Varun Aaron and Shikhar Dhawan after he was bowled off a no ball by the previous, while the Australia opener also came face to face with touring skipper Virat Kohli afterwards in the day.
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Matt Prior is backing Jos Buttler to become a massively successful wicketkeeper-batsman for England – if he bats in the correct place.
Buttler, 24, now wears the gloves in most types of the game because of his nation but has allowed his greatest for the one-day international stadium, scoring a maiden – and thrilling – hundred against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in May during the latter overs.
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Former skipper Kyle Coetzer will help captain Preston Mommsen in Scotland’s World Cup squad after head coach Grant Bradburn named his provisional 24-guy lineup.
Northamptonshire’s Coetzer is among five contracted county players lining up for the Scots, alongside Durham’s Calum MacLeod, Rob Taylor of Leicestershire, Sussex’s Matt Machan and Josh Davey of Somerset.
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Allrounder Jesse Ryder continues to be omitted from New Zealand’s first 30-man squad for next year’s Cricket World Cup.
Ryder, who last played for New Zealand in January, was seen with an outside potential for choice after powerful performances in national limited overs matches and for Essex near the close of the English summer.
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Australia will stage several tributes to the late Phillip Hughes as of this week’s first Test against India at the Adelaide Oval.
The Australian players will wear Hughes’ Evaluation cap amount 408 on their playing tops for the match, while players and team direction will even wear black armbands in honour of the former teammate.
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