English Premier League
fromwww.bbc.com
1 day agoMcSweeney and Sales fight back against Middlesex
Northamptonshire's McSweeney and Sales lead a strong recovery with an unbeaten partnership, trailing Middlesex by 112 runs at the end of day two.
The head coach, Dan Vettori, insisted it was strictly a cricket decision. There wasn't a discussion, it was just about who was the best option for us. We missed out on Adil Rashid, so then the priority was to get a spin bowler, and we didn't think that quality was in the local market so we had to look overseas.
Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed was bought by Sunrisers Leeds for 190,000 pounds ($254,000) in the men's auction for the Hundred, despite concerns that Indian-owned teams might avoid signing cricketers from Pakistan. In February, media reports suggested that Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds would not consider signing Pakistani players for the United Kingdom-based competition amid tensions between neighbours India and Pakistan.
Ex-players and politicians urge the ICC to step in and mend ties amid the ongoing regional cricket crisis. Pakistan's decision to boycott their T20 World Cup game against India has been termed a political move, with cricketers and politicians in both countries and around the world urging the International Cricket Council (ICC) to resolve the dispute. The Pakistani government on Sunday issued a statement saying its men's cricket team will participate in the global tournament but will not take the field in the match against archrivals India on February 15.
The England and Wales Cricket Board and all eight of The Hundred team franchises reaffirm their commitment to ensuring The Hundred continues to be a competition that is inclusive, welcoming and open to all. The Hundred was established to reach new audiences, grow the game of cricket and ensure that everyone—regardless of their ethnicity, gender, faith, nationality or other—can feel they belong in our sport.
Curran has warmed up with strapping on his right leg. Wasn't stopping him bowling. He was wearing it the other day also, probably no big deal Share Our man on the ground, Simon Burnton, has been in touch with the most important report of all the weather. He reports: Sunshine! Last night Kandy was on the receiving end of an extraordinary 10-hour thunderstorm, and the chances of this game being played felt very slim.
A sports agent was, according to the BBC, informed by an official of the ECB that Pakistani players on his list of cricketers looking to sign up for the Hundred would not be considered by teams linked to the IPL. Another agent described the situation as an unwritten rule' across T20 leagues with Indian investment.
The reversal late on Monday brought relief to millions of fans on both sides of the countries' shared border as well as tournament organisers and coaches. The Indian camp said it would be delighted to play against a quality side. It's great that the game is back on. We kind of never changed the preparation, India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Tuesday.
He said the clash would not be a routine game for the co-hosts. When you play an India vs Pakistan game it's more about the occasion. It's a big platform, obviously. No matter how many times you say, it's just another game It's human tendency, you know which game you're about to play, the 35-year-old said. Whatever we have worked hard on and practised, we try to execute them in the game.
Cricket's global governing body hopes to persuade Pakistan to reverse decision to boycott India T20 World Cup fixtures. The International Cricket Council is in talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board to resolve the boycott of its T20 World Cup 2026 fixture against India on February 15. Any clash between archrivals India and Pakistan is one of the most lucrative in cricket, worth millions of dollars in broadcast, sponsoring and advertising revenue.
After Pakistan announced their boycott of the forthcoming T20I World Cup match against India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) was quick to lament the position the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had put fans in. [Pakistan's] decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, the ICC said in a release, before going on to make special mention of millions in Pakistan, who will now have no India fixture to anticipate.