England batsman Kevin Pietersen will visit medical specialists this week to assess if he will be fit for the third Ashes Test against Australia starting at Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 30.
Australia recovered from stage fright at the most celebrated theatre in world cricket to fight their way back into the second Ashes Test against England on Thursday.
England will play five bowlers in the second Ashes Test against Australia starting at Lord's on Thursday after releasing reserve batsman Ian Bell.
Australia batted throughout a rain-interrupted third day of the first Ashes Test against England to take a 44-run first innings lead over the hosts on Friday.
Australia overhauled England's first innings total of 435 on Friday during a productive second session on the third day of the first Ashes Test.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting and opener Simon Katich scored unbeaten centuries during a second wicket partnership of 189 on the second day of the first Ashes Test against England on Thursday.
England fought their way into the ascendancy on the opening day of the first Ashes Test on Wednesday before two late wickets put Australia firmly back in the match.
Australia fast bowler Brett Lee will miss the first Ashes Test against England starting on Wednesday after tearing a muscle in his left rib area.
In contrast to the ebullience of some of the other Twenty20 World Cup contenders, England open the tournament on Friday almost apologising for their presence.
An unprecedented auction in Mumbai last year transformed the face of cricket between the first two Twenty20 World Cups. The IPL was a direct result of India's success with a team of tyros in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa two years ago.
Olympic champion Sammy Wanjiru has targeted the men's world record in the London marathon on Sunday (9:45 a.m.) if conditions are favourable and the pace fast.
The England spinner's seeming inability to come to terms with the rules of a sport which rewards him with a handsome annual income has raised one question mark about his overall capacity to master orthodox left-arm spin.
A golf ball, a cricket stump, a brick stand supporting a large water tank, bats fashioned from gum trees and plain dirt pitches. From these primitive beginnings Australian Don Bradman fashioned a career so extraordinary that the annual Wisden cricket almanac has commemorated the centenary of his birth with the publication of "Bradman in Wisden."
South Africa frustrated England's attempts to force a result on the final day of the first test at Lord's on Monday with more stubborn defence on a somnolent pitch to earn a draw. A rearguard action, which started on Saturday evening when South Africa followed on 346 runs in arrears, ended on Monday with the visitors 393 for three in their second innings.
Monty Panesar exposed South Africa's historic fallibility against spin bowling on Saturday with four for 74 on the third day of the first test at Lord's. Panesar helped dismiss South Africa for 247 in their first innings in reply to England's 593 for eight declared. The visitors were 13 for no wicket at the close in their second innings after being asked to follow on.
A bitter-sweet legacy from the brutalities of the apartheid years lingers in South African sport.
Rain ruined the third day of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord's on Saturday with only 8.5 overs possible during a frustrating day for players and spectators. In that period, a 40-minute session before lunch, England took their overnight score of 68 for no wicket to 89 without loss in reply to New Zealand's first innings 277.
Matthew Hoggard has points to prove to both the selectors and the England batsmen if he makes the starting XI for Thursday's opening Test against New Zealand at Lord's. Hoggard, the fulcrum of the England pace attack since the turn of the century, was jettisoned along with Steve Harmison when his team unexpectedly lost to the Kiwis in Hamilton this year.
England all-rounder Paul Collingwood was confident on Monday of playing a full part in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's starting on Thursday after an injection on his injured right shoulder.
Cricket returns to Lord's on Thursday only days after the ground was enveloped in snow to open a season that will show if England can mount a credible challenge to Australia next year. With rain predicted for the rest of the week, the four-day match between MCC and county champions Sussex may be largely spent dodging April showers. No member of the England team that defeated New Zealand 2-1 in March is playing.
© 2025 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances