Sponsors departing the England crease opens up chance for a new wave of commercial interest while the Test team are on a high January 26, 2023 They say bad news comes in threes. For the England and Wales Cricket Board, the announcement last week that three of its major sponsors would not be renewing their deals looked on the surface like a significant challenge for its commercial team. Yet, for the nation’s second most popular sport, there are plenty of reasons [...]
Women’s IPL: Winning bids confirmed for league valued at £450m January 25, 2023 The five winning bids for the Women’s IPL – known as the Women’s Premier League – were confirmed this morning with a combined value of £444m. The five Women’s IPL teams will see franchises in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Lucknow – the series kicks off this year. The inaugural Women’s IPL comes 15 years [...]
England v South Africa: The 2023 ODI series to kick off a World Cup year January 24, 2023 It’s yet another World Cup year and English international cricket returns on Friday when Jos Buttler’s side take on South Africa in a trio of ODI matches on the African continent. England are the best one-day team in the world and begin their preparations for this year’s Cricket World Cup – held in India in [...]
Ed Warner: Cricket has a membership dilemma January 19, 2023 English cricket is braced to be declared institutionally racist. The results of an independent inquiry are imminent. The England and Wales Cricket Board is corralling the boards of the 18 first-class counties to prepare their statements of contrition. Quite what the hundred thousand-plus members of said counties will think is another matter, though. All but [...]
Former Surrey county cricket coach joins Middlesex January 17, 2023 Former England cricketer and Surrey cricket coach Ian Salisbury has joined Middlesex in a consultant role. Salisbury was coaching Sussex until the end of last season and joins the Lord’s-based outfit immediately. Salisbury, 52, will work alongside fellow consultant coach Mark Ramprakash under the first team coach Richrd Johnson, club coach Rory Coutts and director [...]
Ed Warner: The row over sport banning Russian players will be even bigger in 2023 January 12, 2023 Wimbledon will be here before we know it. Expect the debate about banning Russian and Belorussian stars to start soon. The tug of war over the two bellicose nations’ participation at next year’s Paris Olympics and Paralympics has already begun. Schisms within sports and between their leaders and politicians are inevitable. Last year, backed (or [...]
Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum pitch Bazball to county cricket teams January 10, 2023 England Test cricket captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have given Zoom presentations to county head coaches on the subject of Bazball, according to reports. The how-to guide was delivered by the duo from England’s footballing HQ St George’s Park on Monday and focuses on the ethos that has seen the Test side [...]
SA20: What is it, when is it on and why people keep talking about the IPL January 10, 2023 South Africa’s Twenty20 competition, the SA20, starts tonight with six teams owned by IPL franchises battling for the inaugural trophy. Here’s what you need to know. The SA20 teams There are six teams in this competition, all privately-owned by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises. The Joburg Super Kings, Durban’s Super Giants, MI Cape Town, Paarl [...]
The South African cricket league with Archer, Buttler and IPL influence January 9, 2023 Tomorrow, on a sunny summer evening in South Africa, the world’s newest T20 cricket league gets underway. But this one is like something sport has never seen before. Because every one of the six franchises – each based out of a different South African city or region – is owned by an Indian Premier League [...]
Alec Stewart takes temporary leave of absence from Surrey cricket January 5, 2023 Surrey County Cricket Club’s director of cricket Alec Stewart will take a temporary leave of absence from the London club. The former England captain will step away from the Oval due to the illness of his wife, Lynn, who has been fighting cancer for nearly a decade. Surrey chief executive Steve Elworthy will take on [...]