Cricket

10:45 PM IST The ICC has suggested teams would need to exercise caution over bowlers’ workloads to avoid a serious injury like stress fracture of the spine as players get ready to resume training after nearly 10 weeks in lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With international teams set to return to play in a

10:28 PM IST Chris Woakes believes that his first day back at training has given him an insight into how the rest of the England summer will pan out, after admitting that the strict social-distancing protocols at his home ground of Edgbaston would “take up some headspace”. Woakes bowled five overs at about 50% intensity

11:06 PM IST Players and umpires will need to keep to “social distancing” norms on and off the field. Players will not hand over personal items such as caps, sunglasses and sweaters to the umpires any more. Players should use a hand sanitiser regularly once they have had contact with the ball. Umpires should consider

5:18 PM IST ESPNcricinfo staff West Indies women will have a new head coach soon, with the board having started the recruitment process to replace the outgoing Gus Logie. The former West Indies batsman had been appointed interim head coach in October 2019 and his last assignment was the T20 World Cup in Australia, where

7:33 AM IST ESPNcricinfo staff Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has given India’s tour a “nine out of 10” chance of happening later this year as the game grapples with how to resume amid the Covid-19 pandemic. He also indicated there was a chance Australia could still undertake their limited-overs trip to England

9:25 PM IST Nagraj Gollapudi Close News editor, ESPNcricinfo Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor at ESPNcricinfo Firdose Moonda Is Sourav Ganguly a dark horse to replace his countryman Shashank Manohar, the outgoing ICC chairman? Ever since it emerged that Manohar would not stand for another term after his tenure ends with the ICC annual conference

10:20 PM IST The prospect of Chris Broad officiating in a match involving his son, Stuart, could provoke a rethink at the ICC ahead of the resumption of international cricket in England. The ICC cricket committee recently recommended a suspension in the use of neutral officials to cope with challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.

6:58 AM IST The BCCI will give freedom to the Indian players to decide for themselves whether to return to play as and when cricket restarts in the country. That is the assurance given by Rahul Johri, the BCCI chief executive, who said player safety would be given “paramount importance”. Johri also said the board

11:01 PM IST Dave Cameron, the former president of Cricket West Indies (CWI), has threatened legal action against the board unless they hand over a copy of an audit critical of his period in office. The audit, requested by Cameron’s successor and conducted by PKF, suggests a lack of financial control posed a threat to

7:30 PM IST A 25-man Pakistan squad to tour England – yet to be picked – will remain under bio-secure conditions for up to three months starting from early June in Lahore to the end of the England tour in August. Players will stay at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore from early June

Disinfecting the ball during a match to be part of the future as the game? © AFP Disinfecting cricket balls during a match could be part of the future as the game looks to adapt to the risks posed by Covid-19. Maintenance of the ball has become one of the key topics as the sport

10:22 PM IST Umar Akmal has filed an official appeal against the three-year ban imposed on him by the PCB, challenging the length of the sanction and hoping to get it reduced. Akmal was expelled from all representative cricket after he he failed to report details of corrupt approaches made to him ahead of this

9:03 PM IST Valkerie Baynes A charity which provides mental health services to professional cricketers past and present faces a £250,000 funding shortfall because of the Covid-19 lockdown. As with many charities, the ban on mass public gatherings has forced the cancellation of most fundraising events for the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, the charity arm of

7:19 AM IST Allrounder Cameron Green has been termed a “scary” talent by his Western Australia team-mate Ashton Agar. Green, 20, who has been likened to Andrew Flintoff, is tipped as an international star in the making if he can overcome the back problems which prevented him from bowling for much of the 2019-2020 season.

11:01 PM IST Babar Azam, Pakistan’s new ODI captain, has likened the challenge of facing down Covid-19 to the decade-long absence of international cricket in his country. Until last year, Pakistan were forced to play home internationals overseas as a result of the 2009 terrorist attack and, with the prospect of matches being staged behind

9:08 PM IST An audit into the financial problems affecting West Indies cricket has found a “massive hole” in its coffers and, according to board president, Ricky Skerritt, sounded “an alarm bell” for its future. The report, compiled by external and independent auditors PKF, suggests Cricket West Indies (CWI) has suffered from overly optimistic revenue

1:10 PM IST Bangladesh bowling coach Ottis Gibson has urged Mashrafe Mortaza to retire from international cricket as he doesn’t see the bowler in head coach Russell Domingo’s plans for the 2023 World Cup. Mortaza, who stepped down from captaincy during Bangladesh’s last home series, against Zimbabwe in February, hasn’t made any announcements about retirement

11:20 PM IST On Sunday, the Indian government relaxed restrictions on sporting events, allowing them to resume behind closed doors in the country, and as far as cricket is concerned, it means the IPL could take place in 2020. The BCCI welcomed the government’s decision, but said it was premature to think about the IPL