Ben stokes

        All-rounder Ben Stokes is confident he will be fit to bowl in England’s upcoming five-test series in South Africa after undergoing scans on his troublesome left knee.Stokes felt pain during the opening day of the second test against New Zealand and did not bowl again that day, though he did return later in the match to bowl a further 25 overs.“I got some scans when we got back in England and there’s nothing really showing up on the MRI scans, which is good news,” the 28-year-old told British radio station TalkSport.“I just need to toughen up I guess but it’s alright and it’s just treatment now. I will be fine to bowl.”Stokes had surgery to repair torn cartilage in the same knee in 2016. The first test of the series begins at Centurion on Dec. 26. … [Read more...] about Ben Stokes says will be fit to bowl in South Africa

IMAGE: Umpire Aleem Dar. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar will break Steve Bucknor's record of officiating in most Test matches when he stands in the first Test match between Australia and New Zealand, beginning in Perth on Thursday. The 51-year-old, who took up umpiring after a decade of playing first-class cricket in Pakistan, made his debut in Dhaka in 2003 during England's tour of Bangladesh and will be standing in his 129th Test match as on-field umpire after. "This is one milestone I had never thought of when I began my umpiring career. It is a truly amazing feeling and a high point of my life when I take the field here in Australia; thousands of miles from where I started my international career at home in Gujranwala," said Dar in an ICC statement. "Steve Bucknor was my idol and it is only sinking in now that I will have officiated in more Test matches than him. In the nearly two decades of my international career, I have had the good fortune of … [Read more...] about Buzz: Umpire Dar set to break record

London: Limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan will return to lead England in the One-Day International and Twenty20 series against India, which starts next month. The 30-year-old Morgan will be joined in both the squads by top-order batsman Alex Hales. Both the players are back in the international set-up after having opted out of the ODI series in Bangladesh in October due to security concerns. Middle-order batsman Joe Root also returns to the 15-member squad having been rested for England's ODI series victory over Bangladesh. Pacer Ben Duckett, Steven Finn and James Vince will return home after the Test series. Under Morgan and head coach Trevor Bayliss, England have won nine of their last 12 ODIs. England will play three ODIs and three T20s during the three-week tour with the ODI opener taking place on January 15 in Pune. Before the start of the limited overs series, England are scheduled to play a warm-up matches (50 overs) against India A on January 10 at the CCI ground in Mumbai. … [Read more...] about IND v ENG: Eoin Morgan returns to lead England ODI, T20 squads against India

Photo: Twitter @ANI Mumbai: England, led by limited over specialist Eoin Morgan, had their first net session at the Brabourne Stadium here on Sunday after returning to India at the end of their Christmas and New Year break. The entire team, barring key batsman Joe Root, had a three-hour training session this morning in cooler temperatures than they had witnessed during the five-Test rubber in which the visitors were drubbed 4-0 by Virat Kohli's Indian team. Nine members of the vanquished Test squad have returned to play under Morgan who was himself not part of the defeated team led by Alastair Cook who is, in turn, not part of the ODI and T20 party. Root, who has stayed back for personal reasons, is expected to join the squad here on January 12, the day the visitors will play their second warm-up game against an India A squad to be led by the fit-again Ajinkya Rahane. "Root is set to join the team on Thursday and travel with the team to Pune (venue of the first of three ODIs on … [Read more...] about England have first net session ahead of limited over contests

Photo: PTI Kanpur: Having finally won a game in India by beating the home side in the third ODI, England are feeling a lot more confident going into the three-match T20 International series that begins here tomorrow, captain Eoin Morgan said. "I think confidence is the big word in T20 cricket, confidence and momentum. At the moment the guys are feeling lot more confident than they were after game two. They were doing a lot of hard work and did not get much reward. Having had a win under our belt, we are looking forward to the three-match T20 series in what could potentially be very exciting," Morgan said on the eve of the series opener. England beat India by five runs at the Eden Gardens in the third and final ODI for their first win on the tour. Morgan informed that Joe Root has recovered from a niggle that kept him out of the third ODI in Kolkata and is available for selection for tomorrow's T20 match. However, pacer David Willey will not take part in tomorrow's game. "David … [Read more...] about We are much more confident going into T20s: Morgan