Eye-watering, life-changing Indian Premier League deals for the likes of Ben Stokes and Tymal Mills are positive for cricket February 22, 2017 While Kevin Pietersen has a point when he says the lucrative £1.4m Indian Premier League (IPL) contract handed to Twenty20 specialist Tymal Mills this week is a slap in the face for Test cricket, I believe it’s predominantly positive for the game. Some domestic players work hard day in, day out for their counties, striving to [...]
Indian Premier League record-breaker Ben Stokes given permission to miss England one-day series February 21, 2017 Record-breaking all-rounder Ben Stokes has been given clearance to miss England’s one-day series with Ireland in May in order to feature for the Rising Pune Supergiants in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Stokes became the most expensive overseas player in IPL history on Monday after joining the Pune outfit for £1.7m, but faced the prospect of [...]
Ben Stokes ready to prove his worth after securing lucrative, life-changing Indian Premier League deal February 20, 2017 England's Test vice-captain Ben Stokes has backed himself to live up to the price tag after becoming the most expensive foreigner in Indian Premier League (IPL) history. Stokes attracted multiple bids from rival IPL franchises during Monday’s auction before the gavel came down in the final round following a bid of 145 million rupees (£1.74m) by [...]
Joe Root declares himself ready to lead England February 15, 2017 Newly-appointed England Test skipper Joe Root has dismissed concerns over a lack of captaincy experience, insisting he has been serving an apprenticeship for the top job for years. The 26-year-old was officially unveiled as England’s 80th Test captain at his home ground Headingley on Wednesday, having been offered the job by director of cricket Andrew [...]
Vital for Joe Root to take a leaf out of Andrew Strauss’s book on captaincy February 15, 2017 When then England captain Andrew Strauss used to come up to me during Test matches around 2010, he would be decisive. In turn, I would be absolutely clear about my role in the team and what was expected. It makes everyone’s job a lot easier when a skipper establishes that level of clarity and in [...]
Steven Finn called up for West Indies one-day tour and handed chance to stake claim for England’s Champions Trophy squad February 14, 2017 Seamer Steven Finn has been handed the opportunity to stake his claim for a place in England’s squad for the Champions Trophy after replacing the injured David Willey for next month’s Caribbean tour. Finn has not played white-ball cricket for his country since September 2015 but has been called up for three one-day clashes with [...]
Alastair Cook was a nice, reliable England Test captain but not a great one February 8, 2017 Alastair Cook will not be remembered as one of England’s great Test captains. He will be recalled as a nice, reliable and uncontroversial skipper who over the last couple of years has taken a young England side to pretty good heights and laid the foundations for that team to achieve more in the future. Others [...]
Alastair Cook talks up Joe Root but throws three other names into mix for next England captain February 7, 2017 Erstwhile England skipper Alastair Cook has extolled the virtues of would-be successor Joe Root, describing his heir-apparent as someone who would command huge respect in the dressing room. Root, 26, has been installed as the frontrunner to replace Cook, who brought his four-and-a-half-year reign as England Test captain to an end on Monday, admitting he [...]
Alastair Cook’s reign as England Test skipper in five moments February 6, 2017 NEW KID ON THE BLOCK Cook’s first tour in charge saw the tourists, together with a reintegrated Kevin Pietersen following the South Africa text message debacle earlier that year, shock MS Dhoni’s India in their own back yard – England’s first victory there in 28 years. The left-hander led from the front, notching 562 runs [...]
Alastair Cook will remain a key figure in England side for years despite quitting captaincy, insists director of cricket Andrew Strauss February 6, 2017 England director of cricket Andrew Strauss has backed Alastair Cook to remain a key figure in the side for many years to come despite quitting his role as Test captain. Cook, who succeeded Strauss as England skipper in August 2012, called time on his tenure having captained his country for a record 59 Test matches. [...]