Cricket

Pakistan 218 and 298 for 5 (Shafique 139*, Jayasuriya 4-113) need another 44 runs to beat Sri Lanka 222 and 337 Abdullah Shafique, who batted through all but four overs on day four, remained not out on 139 at lunch on day five, inching Pakistan closer to what would be a monumental Test win chasing

South Africa “were a bit more up for it” in the opening match of their all-format tour, according to Rassie van der Dussen, as they outplayed an overworked England on a scorching day in Durham. With international schedules in the spotlight, not least because of Ben Stokes’ ODI retirement, it did not go unnoticed that

Ben Stokes has urged the authorities to stop considering players as “cars” and hopes his ODI retirement will be a wake-up call. The allrounder was speaking ahead of his 105th and final ODI after taking the decision to retire from the format. In a statement detailing his decision, he spoke of a desire to lighten

The 3-0 ODI series sweep in the Caribbean was “special”, but Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladesh 50-overs captain, has been speaking to his team-mates about not getting too excited with the result. After all, as he says, “there was too much help for the spinners”, which won’t often be the case while on the road. “Any

After a shock omission from England’s T20I squad for the Commonwealth Games, which will also contest the final three-match leg of the multi-format series with South Africa starting on Thursday, Beaumont’s 119 off 107 balls as England won the third and final ODI in Leicester by 109 runs sent a clear message that she’s still

Big picture In many ways, the Ben Stokes farewell ODI at Durham will be a welcome distraction for England. Two series defeats to India, both 2-1, the last of which, in the 50-over format, was confirmed on Sunday in a comprehensive five-wicket defeat at Emirates Old Trafford, has made life after Eoin Morgan seem a

Lunch Sri Lanka 222 and 132 for 2 (Fernando 64*, Mendis 45*) lead Pakistan 218 by 136 runs Twenty-one wickets had fallen across the first two days of this first Test in Galle. On a pitch clearly taking big turn, though, Kusal Mendis and Oshada Fernando took advantage of some indisciplined spin bowling from Pakistan

Australia 103 for 1 (Mooney 45*, Lanning 39*) beat Ireland 99 for 8 (Stokell 22, King 3-9, Brown 2-9) by 9 wickets Superb spells from Alana King and Darcie Brown have helped Australia thump Ireland by nine wickets in the 2nd match of the Tri-Nation Women’s T20I series in Bready. After rain had washed out

West Indies white-ball captain Nicholas Pooran has criticised the pitches used for the ODIs against Bangladesh in Guyana, after the home side lost the series 3-0. The subcontinent-style surfaces at the Providence Stadium put a lot of emphasis on the toss. Bangladesh called correctly in all three games, and won by chasing low totals. Pooran’s

Lunch Pakistan 104 for 7 (Babar 34*, Jayasuriya 5-41) trail Sri Lanka 222 by 118 runs Prabath Jayasuriya terrorised Pakistan’s middle order on the second morning in Galle, claiming four wickets for 39 runs, as he bowled unchanged from the fort end. By lunch, Pakistan were in disarray. They still had a watchful Babar Azam

Hampshire 152 for 8 (McDermott 62, Parkinson 4-26) beat Lancashire 151 for 8 (Croft 36, Fuller 2-19, Dawson 2-23) by 1 run It’s only right to begin at the end, especially when the end came twice. With four required for a Lancashire victory on account of equalling Hampshire’s 152 by having lost seven wickets, Nathan

Ottis Gibson lamented Yorkshire’s “worst bowling performance of the season” as they failed to defend 204 in their Vitality Blast semi-final against Lancashire. The margin of defeat by six wickets with eight balls to spare looked a fair way off when Tom Kohler-Cadmore set the foundation for the total with 66 from 44, before allrounder

Toss Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat against Pakistan Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat in the first of two Tests against Pakistan, in what is now a tried-and-tested move in Galle, where the pitch is expected to take progressively more turn as the match wears on. Dimuth Karunaratne

The ECB have insisted they are “committed to driving progress and increasing the reach” of the Vitality Blast after the competition’s 20th season saw a 15 percent decline in ticket sales compared to pre-pandemic numbers. The Blast’s 2022 season concludes with Finals Day at Edgbaston on Saturday, which will be the competition’s earliest-ever finish. The

Ben Stokes will not play in the T20 series with South Africa or the Hundred, the ECB have announced. The news came as part of the announcement of the limited-overs squads for the upcoming three ODIs and three T20Is against South Africa, which begins next week. Stokes missed the T20 series against India to rest

Veteran spinner Steve O’Keefe has signed on to play another BBL season with Sydney Sixers. O’Keefe will turn 38 just prior to the BBL season starting but has decided to continue playing under long-time mentors coach Greg Shipperd and captain Moises Henriques despite having retired from first-class cricket several years ago. “Greg [Shipperd] and Moises

“Kyun ho rahi hain, yaar. Matlab mujhe samajh mein nahin aata, bhai. (Why is this discussion happening. I can’t understand this)” India’s captain Rohit Sharma put up a bemused expression just as a journalist had started a question on Virat Kohli. Kohli’s form in the last few years has become a national debate, with some,

The ICC has banned Bangladesh fast bowler Shohidul Islam for 10 months for failing a dope test in March. Shohidul, who admitted to breaching Article 2.1 of the ICC Anti-Doping Code and accepted the suspension, will be available from March 28 next year, after his sentence was backdated to May 28, the date of his