London, May 18 (IANS) Former England Test captain Mike Smith, widely known by his initials MJK, has died at the age of 92, the Warwickshire County Cricket Club said on Monday.Smith, who combined a distinguished cricket career with a brief stint as a rugby union international in 1956, represented England in 50 Tests and captained the side on 25 occasions from 1958 to 1972. In all, Smith made 2,278 runs, including three centuries and 11 fifties, and was awarded his OBE in 1976 for services to cric…
Latest County Championship News & Updates
New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) Liam Dawson has brought the curtain down on an accomplished First-Class career, with the Hampshire and England all-rounder announcing his retirement from red-ball cricket in a move aimed at extending his white-ball future.The 36-year-old will continue to represent Hampshire County Cricket Club in the T20 Blast and the One-Day Cup, ending a First-Class journey that saw him become one of the county’s most influential performers of the modern era.Dawson departs the Champi…
New Delhi, May 12 (IANS) Somerset’s plans for the start of their T20 Blast title defence have suffered a major setback after Australia selected Riley Meredith for next month’s white-ball tour of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The fast bowler, who returned to Taunton for a third straight Blast stint this season, will now miss Somerset’s opening six South Group matches because of international duty with Australia between May 30 and June 14.Meredith had been expected to lead Somerset’s pace attack …
New Delhi, May 6 (IANS) Former England captain Michael Vaughan has strongly criticised the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for the delay in appointing a new national selector, calling the situation “ridiculous” as the team approaches an important Test series against New Zealand. The position has been open since Luke Wright announced he would step down on January 22. He left after the T20 World Cup in March. Even though the vacancy has lasted over four months and the County Championship…
New Delhi, April 21 (IANS) Northamptonshire County Cricket Club have secured the services of head coach Darren Lehmann for the long term, with the former Australia international signing a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2029 season.Lehmann, 56, took charge in October 2024 and made an immediate impact, guiding Northamptonshire to the T20 Finals Day in his debut season, their first appearance at that stage in nine years. The campaign included a notab…
New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) England’s Test captain Ben Stokes has described himself as fortunate to have avoided more serious consequences after sustaining a facial injury earlier this year, as he continues his recovery with an eye on the upcoming international season.Stokes sustained a broken right cheekbone and several facial injuries in February after being hit by a cricket ball while training with Durham’s academy players. He subsequently had surgery and is now close to returning to compe…
New Delhi, April 14 (IANS) Yorkshire have signed Pakistan international Hasan Ali as their overseas player for the upcoming T20 Blast. The experienced Pakistani fast bowler will replace Naveen-ul-Haq, who is out due to injury.Naveen suffered a stress fracture in his right shoulder. He had already missed the T20 World Cup earlier this year and will not be available for his stint at Headingley. His absence is a setback for Yorkshire, who had originally signed the Afghan pacer for the competition.W…
Melbourne, April 1 (IANS) Cricket Australia has unveiled a streamlined 21-player central contract list for the 2026–27 season, reflecting a clear emphasis on red-ball cricket ahead of an unusually demanding Test schedule. With 15 Tests lined up over the next year, selectors have prioritised players suited to the longer format, resulting in several high-profile exclusions.Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett are among the notable inclusions, both securing their first full national contracts afte…
London, March 26 (IANS) India leg-spinner Rahul Chahar will return to Surrey for their final eight matches in the upcoming County Championship season, the club said on Thursday. Chahar, 26, made a stunning debut for Surrey last year, claiming 10 wickets in a victory over Hampshire, including second-innings figures of 8/51.They are also the best figures by a debutant bowler in the club’s history, breaking William Mudie’s 166-year-old record of figures of 7/61 in 1859. Chahar has represented I…
London, March 18 (IANS) England wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith believes missing out on a place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 could prove to be a blessing in disguise, adding that time at home would give him a valuable block of red-ball preparation ahead of the Test summer starting in June against New Zealand.Smith had a difficult Ashes series, managing just 211 runs and a single half-century across five Tests as Australia won 4-1. After going unsold at last year’s IPL auction, Smith…