India are likely to face their stiffest opposition from South Africa, England and New Zealand in defence of the title they won at Edgbaston four years agoCoach Darren Lehmann Related: Everything up for grabs for England in the quickfire Champions Trophy | Vic Marks Related: England deserve Champions Trophy favourites status under Eoin Morgan | Vic Marks Continue reading...
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...
Simon Harmer, Stiaan van Zyl and Hardus Viljoen have signed Kolpak deals in the past few weeks but the days are numbered for the controversial loophole that has had a big effect on cricket in two countriesIn February 2000, a butterfly flapped its wings in the small town of Östringen, just over the German border from France. And with that one flap, English cricket was changed for a generation. Maros Kolpak, a goalkeeper in the second division of the German handball league, signed a new three-year contract with his team, TSV Östringen. Because he was Slovakian, the national federation decided to register him as an overseas player. Under league rules, each team was only allowed two foreigners in its squad....
Area of the game once deemed a necessary chore has improved more than any other part of it in the last decade - and a catch or run-out may make a good memeFlick your eyes across to an analogue clock and you’ll sometimes find that the second hand seems to stand still. Neuroscientists call this the “stopped clock illusion” and use it to prove how unreliable our perception of time can be. There was a fine example of a similar phenomenon at the Waca last weekend, at a quarter past two in the afternoon, when David Warner knocked the ball down to the off side and started out on a quick single. Temba Bavuma came sprinting in from point. He...