Cricket

3:07 AM GMT As may happen with many leagues and tournaments around the world, the Sheffield Shield was decided in the boardroom rather than on the pitch as coronavirus brought the Australian summer to an early and abrupt finish, but few could argue that New South Wales were not deserving of the title even if

12:45 PM GMT Alex Hales has confirmed he is self-isolating at home after developing symptoms of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) following his return from the Pakistan Super League. The PSL’s organisers confirmed on Tuesday morning that the competition’s semi-finals and finals had been postponed indefinitely after a player had shown symptoms of the virus. PCB chief

10:01 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Jofra Archer has spoken out against racist abuse and called for action against its perpetrators after posting screenshots of direct messages he had received, on his Instagram story. “I [have] given a lot of thought about reacting to this and I hope that no-one else has to deal with stuff

5:36 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Virat Kohli‘s demeanour on the field has pleased and upset people equally, with some welcoming his in-your-face pumped-up aggression, and others calling for a more restrained approach. As far as Madan Lal, the new head of the BCCI’s cricket advisory committee, is concerned, asking Kohli to “mellow down” makes no

3:09 PM GMT Big Picture When the PSL left the UAE behind as a temporary staging venue, the expectation was that it would also mean leaving behind an era of matches often played with plenty of empty seats. But the Coronavirus outbreak has meant a form of spectator-less deja vu in Lahore for the first

12:27 PM GMT In the battle of the big-budgeted clubs, Nahidul Islam‘s unbeaten 53 and two wickets helped Prime Bank Cricket Club to a nine-run win over Gazi Group Cricketers at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. Batting first, Prime Bank posted 251 for 6 in 50 overs with Rony Talukdar top-scoring with 79

5:54 AM GMT As with sport around the world, Australia’s international season came to an abrupt end amid the increasing measures against coronavirus. On home soil the men’s team went unbeaten but life was tougher on the road. Here’s a recap of a season that featured Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand, India and South Africa

Toss: Karachi Kings opt to bat v Quetta Gladiators Khan touch this: Ali Khan’s 5 for 46 were also his career-best figures © Peter Della Penna Karachi Kings won the toss and elected to bat against Quetta Gladiators, who face an improbable task to join the hosts in the semi-finals. With Lahore Qalandars chasing down

11:26 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Stuart Broad has backed the “very tough, but necessary” decision made by the ECB to postpone England’s tour of Sri Lanka over fears about the COVID-19 pandemic. The ECB announced on Friday that the two-Test series had been postponed indefinitely, stating that “the physical and mental wellbeing of our players

1:59 PM GMT Danyal Rasool Toss Karachi chose to bowl v Islamabad Karachi Kings have won the toss and will bowl. This is a game that has severe ramifications for both sides, with Islamabad United guaranteed elimination if they fail to win today. On the other hand, victory for Islamabad will virtually ensure they reach

5:08 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Improving Bangladesh’s team culture will be of top priority for newly appointed Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal. The 30-year old has called for greater discipline and collective effort after taking over from Mashrafe Mortaza, whose five-year stint ended earlier this month. The BCB’s top brass had convinced Iqbal to succeed

11:14 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Joe Root, the England captain, says that his team’s overwhelming reaction was one of “relief” after their two-Test tour of Sri Lanka was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour’s postponement was confirmed with England midway through the second day of their final warm-up match in Colombo, ahead of

Marnus Labuschagne goes inside out against spin © EPA The remaining two matches of the Chappell-Hadlee one-day series will not take place along with the three-match T20I series between the two teams in New Zealand later this month due to new travel restrictions imposed by the New Zealand government amid the coronavirus pandemic. More to

5:28 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff The ECB are preparing themselves for the possibility that portions of the English domestic season could be played behind closed doors, postponed or cancelled outright, as the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to sweep the game. In the wake of this morning’s postponement of the Test tour of Sri

12:57 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff England’s tour match against a Sri Lanka Board President’s XI was called off 11 overs after tea on the second day, a few minutes after the ECB confirmed that the Test series scheduled for later this month had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ALSO READ: England series in

3:30 AM GMT Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has denied it was “irresponsible” to play Sunday’s women’s T20 World Cup final in front of more than 86,000 spectators at the MCG. However, he has acknowledged the potential exposure of many in attendance to the coronavirus helped lead to the decision to play the

6:39 PM GMT England’s Test series against West Indies and the T20 Blast are under threat from the COVID-19 pandemic, with both events scheduled for a period that the UK government has identified as the likely peak of the virus in the country. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed at a press conference on Thursday afternoon

9:56 AM GMT It is now a strong possibility that IPL 2020 will take place behind closed doors, in light of the coronavirus threat, with the Indian government indicating it will not stop sporting events from taking place as long as they adhere strictly to health-ministry guidelines discouraging mass gatherings. On Wednesday, the World Health