MUMBAI: England all-rounder Ben Stokes was unsure if his Rajasthan Royals team mate Jofra Archer would be able to play any part in this year's Indian Premier League due to injury and praised the fast bowler for prioritising his national team commitments. The paceman missed the final test against India with a right elbow injury but returned for the five-match Twenty20 series, claiming a career-best 4-33 in the fourth match in Ahmedabad. Archer subsequently withdrew from the three one-dayers in India to return home and the English cricket board said that he will miss the start of the April 9-May 30 IPL. "We're not sure how much of it he'll be able to play a part, if any," Stokes told reporters on Thursday. "One thing that we need to be very mindful of is that Jofra does need to give this elbow a chance to recover." England have a packed schedule for the home summer with test series against New Zealand and India and white-ball fixtures against Sri Lanka and Pakistan before ... » Learn More about Cricket-Stokes glad Archer putting England commitments first
Ben stokes
Cricket-Bairstow, Stokes blast England to series-levelling win over India
PUNE, India (Reuters) - Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes displayed audacious strokeplay during a 175-run stand against India in the second one-day international to help England chase down a steep 337-run target with ease for a series-levelling six-wicket victory on Friday. Opening batsman Bairstow smashed seven sixes and 11 fours in his knock of 124 while Stokes hit 10 sixes and four fours before falling one short of a deserved century as the touring side reached their target with 39 balls to spare. India batsman KL Rahul earlier continued to make the most of his return to form with a century, anchoring the innings with a classy 108 to help the hosts reach 336-6 after England's stand-in captain Jos Buttler won the toss and decided to field. England made three changes to the side that lost the opening ODI by 66 runs, drafting in Dawid Malan, debutant Liam Livingstone and fast bowler Reece Topley. India's total never looked out of reach for England's batting lineup after ... » Learn More about Cricket-Bairstow, Stokes blast England to series-levelling win over India
Yadav, Kishan good enough to play T20 World Cup, Tendulkar
SILIGURI, India (Reuters) - Batting great Sachin Tendulkar is convinced Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan are good enough to be in the India squad when the nation hosts the Twenty20 World Cup later this year. Both the top-order batsmen made their India debut in the ongoing T20 series against England, with Kishan smashing an incendiary fifty in his first match. Yadav, who plays with Kishan for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, had to wait until his second match to get a bat but also produced a match-winning half-century in Ahmedabad. "There is no question how talented both the players are," Tendulkar told Reuters in a telephone interview. "It eventually boils down to selection and the selection committee. But I can say that having played in IPL against all the leading foreign players, they are ready to play (in the Twenty20 World Cup)." As the Mumbai Indians mentor, Tendulkar had a ringside view of the duo in the IPL and was not surprised how they performed ... » Learn More about Yadav, Kishan good enough to play T20 World Cup, Tendulkar
Injured Archer ruled out of India ODI series, IPL start
AHMEDABAD, India: England fast bowler Jofra Archer will miss the one-day series against India and the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) next month after his elbow injury deteriorated, the English cricket board said on Sunday. Archer missed the final test against India with the injury but returned for the Twenty20 series, claiming a career-best 4-33 in the fourth match in Ahmedabad. India, who prevailed in the preceding test series, won the Twenty20 series 3-2 on Saturday. "Jofra Archer is returning to the UK for further management and investigation of his right elbow injury," the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement after naming a 14-man squad for the ODI series. "Jofra's elbow issue has deteriorated over the course of the T20 International series and made it increasingly challenging for him to maintain performance levels. "As a consequence, Jofra will miss the start of this year's Indian Premier League," the ECB added. Archer, 25, is expected ... » Learn More about Injured Archer ruled out of India ODI series, IPL start
Cricket-Seamers help India clinch thriller and series despite Curran heroics
PUNE, India: India seamers Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar snared seven wickets between them to help the hosts beat England by seven runs in a thrilling third one-day international on Sunday and win the series 2-1. England's chase of 330 appeared all but over when they were reduced to 257-8 in the 40th over but Sam Curran and Mark Wood, who made 14, kept their side in the hunt with a stubborn 60-run stand for the ninth wicket. All-rounder Curran, who was dropped on 22 and then again on 87, remained unbeaten on a career-best 95 but could not hit the required 14 runs in the final over with England finishing on 322-9. On a sweltering day in the western Indian city of Pune, the hosts were dismissed for 329 after being put in to bat with Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya scoring half-centuries. The target did not appear too imposing for England, who chased down 337 with 39 deliveries remaining in the previous match, but Kumar's early breakthroughs put the ... » Learn More about Cricket-Seamers help India clinch thriller and series despite Curran heroics
Cricket: StarHub to broadcast all 60 ‘live’ IPL matches
SINGAPORE - Cricket lovers in Singapore will be able to continue to catch all the thrills and spills from the Indian Premier League (IPL) season on local telco StarHub, which said on Tuesday (April 6) that it will broadcast all 60 IPL matches 'live'. The new season starts on Friday (April 9) with the opening game between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The Twenty20 tournament is one of the richest and most popular domestic leagues in the world, and features stars like India's MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, and England's Ben Stokes. StarHub customers can catch the IPL matches at either 6pm or 10pm streamed exclusively over India's video streaming app Hotstar. Singapore Cricket Association (SCA) chief executive officer Saad Khan Janjua, who admires players such as Mumbai's Suryakumar Yadav and Punjab Kings' Chris Gayle, said: "There is a decent-sized cricket following in Singapore, as well as expats from cricket-loving nations such as India, ... » Learn More about Cricket: StarHub to broadcast all 60 ‘live’ IPL matches
Joe Allen out of Wales v Czech Republic World Cup qualifier
Wales midfielder Joe Allen will miss the World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic after picking up an injury in this week's 3-1 defeat to Belgium, caretaker boss Robert Page confirmed on Friday. Allen, 31, limped off only seven minutes into the match against Group E favourites Belgium on Wednesday -- a miserable return to international action for the influential player. Allen, who had not played for Wales since 2019 after suffering an Achilles injury, was one of their star performers as they reached the Euro 2016 semi-finals. "We've lost Joe, which is a shame," said Page. "It is a big loss for us. It's disappointing not to have him. He'll have to go back to the club (Stoke) now and they'll assess him." Wales play a Cardiff friendly against Mexico on Saturday while the Czechs, 6-2 winners away to Estonia in their opening qualifier, are at home to Belgium. Wales host the Czechs on Tuesday. Only the group winners progress automatically to the finals in Qatar in 2022. ... » Learn More about Joe Allen out of Wales v Czech Republic World Cup qualifier