8:00 AM GMT Australia chose to bat v New Zealand Australia’s captain Tim Paine won the toss and chose to bat first against a severely depleted New Zealand side on day one of the New Year’s Test at the SCG. Flu-like illness swept through the visiting team in the lead-up to the match, ruling out
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2:08 PM GMT Bangladesh go into the Under-19 World Cup as one of the most successful teams in the world. They have won 18 Youth ODIs since the last time the trophy was up for grabs – joint-highest alongside India – and their captain Akbar Ali is confident of several more standout performances. Bangladesh depart
5:41 AM GMT New Zealand are crossing their fingers they can put together a healthy XI for the final Test in Sydney after illness struck the camp forcing Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls to sit out training for the second day running. Mitchell Santner, whose position in the side was under scrutiny after two poor
11:27 PM GMT Sreshth Shah January 2: Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Stars in Sydney Our XI: Marcus Stoinis, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Chris Morris, Daniel Sams, Adam Zampa, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Green, Dale Steyn NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant
12:36 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Angelo Mathews has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the T20I series against India starting from January 5, and could play his first T20I in nearly 16 months if picked in the XI. Mathews last played in this format for Sri Lanka as captain, in a one-off match against
7:26 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Since his debut in the second half of 2018, Deepak Chahar has made rapid strides to be among the near-certainties in India’s T20I squad, while staking his claim to a regular spot in the ODI squad as well. Chahar enjoyed a particularly productive 2019 in the shortest format, for India
4:12 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff England are “cautiously” backing an ICC proposal to scrap five-day Tests from 2023. The ICC’s cricket committee are expected to formally consider a proposal in 2020 to make four-day Tests mandatory as part of the World Test Championship in a bid to ease pressure in an increasingly crowded international schedule.
Dom Sibley in action during England nets earlier in the tour © Getty Images England have finally received some encouraging news on the health front, with Dom Sibley feeling better after being struck down by the illness that has cut a swathe through the visitors’ camp. Opening batsman Sibley became the latest player to succumb
6:31 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Jess Duffin, the senior Australia cricketer, will become the first elite women’s player to be covered under Cricket Australia’s new policy on parental leave after announcing news of her pregnancy to the cricket board. The update also means that Duffin will not be in contention for a spot in the
6:00 PM GMT Chris Silverwood has insisted England “will not be afraid” to take tough selection decisions if necessary. Silverwood, the England coach, will have to weigh up whether or not his side should pick a spinner for the second Test in Cape Town starting on January 3. If they do, it could leave him