The Champions Trophy’s format is a favourite with players and fans and all eight teams in it, including England, can dream of victoryAll eight teams competing in the Champions Trophy are here now; all can harbour thoughts of winning it. It takes five wins in a row to be guaranteed the delight of raising the cup to the skies in south London on 18 June. This is a far more palatable format for the players than the World Cup because no time is wasted. It is far more palatable for the fans as well. If the sun continues to shine the tournament will be a success.From 1 June to 12 June there will be a match every day at one...
Australian cricketers have a history of taking on their board over money but this time it seems they are making a stand for those further down the ladderSo let’s unpack the sun cream, cancel the Melbourne Christmas party and stop studying our Aussie phrase books because the Ashes may never happen this winter. David Warner, no-nonsense opening batsman, has morphed into a no-nonsense Scargillian spokesman in the dispute between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (the players union).“If it gets to the extreme they might not have a team for the Ashes,” said Warner, who speaks as forthrightly as he bats. “We won’t buckle at all; we are standing together and very strong.” Related: Australian Cricketers' Association responds to...
The Champions Trophy is a tournament to be savoured from the first match with England players in the IPL hearing that opponents are petrified of themThe Champions Trophy is on the horizon. This may not be a source of universal excitement in the sporting firmament but for cricket fans it should be treasured. This tournament can be a cracker. The format allows no slack: with eight teams participating there are no dead games and 18 days between the opening match at The Oval and the final there on 18 June.Bangladesh, who ousted West Indies from the final eight thereby splintering the old order, are already around, meeting Ireland in a rain‑ruined match in Dublin on Friday. So, too, are New...
The Surrey and England spinner is not the first ‘clever bastard’ to jack in our all-consuming game and his decision to call it quits at 25 is probably very wiseIt is such a consuming, mesmerising game that the number of professional cricketers who have retired prematurely is remarkably small. Last week Zafar Ansari, five months after making his England debut, joined a select band, notable for players who are very bright or very rich or occasionally – and nauseatingly – both.Most professionals keep going until the evidence is overwhelming that they are beyond their peak. Until recently this determination to persevere was not so much for monetary gain but because this crazy sport has the capacity to get under the...
Unlike before the disastrous 2015 World Cup, the selectors are keeping to their long-term plans which means no place for Stuart Broad or Lancashire’s exciting Liam LivingstoneThe England one-day squads announced by the national selector, James Whitaker, at Edgbaston took no one by surprise, which is probably a good thing. Just before the 2015 World Cup this same group of selectors jettisoned their captain, Alastair Cook, leaving Eoin Morgan in a particularly nasty lurch and then summoned up Gary Ballance as a potential No3. Whereupon England performed as tepidly as a cup of tea that had been ignored for 20 minutes before slinking home in disgrace, without even reaching the quarter-finals.This time they are sticking solidly to plan A. Morgan...