Nortje takes six wickets, Elgar scores 92 to put SAfrica in driving seat

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 3 (Reuters) - South African seamer Anrich Nortje claimed a career-best six-wicket haul and opener Dean Elgar backed it up with an unbeaten 92 runs as the home team forged an early advantage over Sri Lanka on the opening day of the second test.

Fitness key for South Africa, Sri Lanka

Fitness will play as big a role as form when South Africa and Sri Lanka finalise their teams for the second and final Test, starting at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Babar ruled out of second Test against New Zealand

Pakistan’s talismanic captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand starting in Christchurch on Sunday as he struggles to overcome a broken thumb. The announcement from team doctor Sohail Saleem came just hours after stand-in captain Mohammad Rizwan said Azam had batted well in the nets but wanted more practice time before being confirmed in the starting XI.

Former India captain Ganguly hospitalised after chest pains

Indian cricket legend Sourav Ganguly was rushed to hospital Saturday after complaining of chest pains, the chief minister in his home state said.

Players free to quit tour if they are down, says England skipper Root

New Zealand’s Williamson overtakes Smith, Kohli as top Test batsman

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has overtaken Australia’s Steve Smith and India captain Virat Kohli to be the number one Test batsman in the world in the latest ICC rankings released Thursday.

New Zealand’s broken-toe hero Wagner to miss second Pakistan Test

New Zealand’s first-Test hero Neil Wagner will miss the second Test against Pakistan and is expected to be out for more than five weeks as he recovers from breaking two toes during this week’s dramatic victory, his coach said Thursday.

BCB consider two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in April

Bangladesh Cricket Board chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury revealed that the board was considering a short tour of Sri Lanka in April. BCB recently restarted negotiations with Sri Lanka Cricket about the postponed tour from 2020 and as per the latest developments, the two boards are studying the feasibility of a two-Test series and possibly augment that with a few white-ball games

New Zealand has nail-biting win in 1st test against Pakistan

New Zealand beat Pakistan by 101 runs in the first cricket test which ended very late on the fifth day Wednesday, achieving their third straight win in three home tests this summer and taking a 1-0 lead in the two-test series. At the same time New Zealand overtook Australia to claim the No. 1 world ranking in tests for the first time in its history.

Mulder, Sipamla star as S Africa complete innings victory v Sri Lanka

Australia thrash India by eight wickets to take 1-0 series lead

Josh Hazlewood took five for eight as Australia romped to an emphatic victory by eight wickets in the first test at Adelaide Oval on Saturday after skittling India for 36, their lowest innings score in 88 years of test cricket.

England tour of Sri Lanka dates confirmed

England have confirmed their postponed two-Test series against Sri Lanka has been rearranged for January. The tour was due to take place in March, but was cut short during the warm-up games because of the coronavirus pandemic.

South Africa-England ODI called off amid Covid scare

The first ODI between South Africa and England in Cape Town has been called off, less than an hour before the toss.

Dimuth positive as Lanka brace for ‘tough’ South Africa tour

When Dimuth Karunaratne took a group of young cricketers to South Africa last year, the prospects of a thrashing loomed ominously on the horizon. With Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal out of the series, the chances of even a draw were remote, leaving alone a win. However, what ensued at the end of the two-match series was truly remarkable as Sri Lanka clinched it 2-0.

Finch, Smith tons, Hazlewood strikes as Aussies crush India in ODI

Skipper Aaron Finch and Steve Smith blazed centuries and Josh Hazlewood ripped apart the Indian top order as Australia wonby 66 runs in the first one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

Colombo Kings stunKandy Tuskers in LPL opener

Isuru Udana starred with the bat and ball as Colombo Kings came back from nowhere to stun Kandy Tuskers in the opening match of the Lanka Premier League, LPL 2020, at Hambantota on Thursday.

Angelo Mathews will ’absolutely’ be bowling during Lanka Premier League

Angelo Mathews will ’’absolutely’’ be bowling through the course of the Lanka Premier League, even if Andre Russell - the tournament’s star player and Mathews’ Colombo Kings teammate - will take it easy with the ball initially.

ICC probes Sri Lanka T20 league over alleged match-fixing

The International Cricket Council is investigating an alleged attempt to fix Sri Lankan Premier League matches due to start Thursday, a media report said.

Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga pull out of LPL

Foreign players, franchise staff and tournament organisers continue to arrive in the Sooriyawewa area ahead of the start of the Lanka Premier League, but the tournament has been hit by two further high-profile player withdrawals.

Ex-Sri Lankan cricketer Nuwan Zoysa found guilty under ICC Anti-Corruption Code

Zoysa was charged under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code in November 2018, and now he has been found guilty on all charges after he exercised his right to a hearing before a Tribunal.

England set for first Pakistan tour in 16 years

England will make their first trip to Pakistan for 16 years when they play a two-match T20I series in Karachi next October as part of their preparations for the T20 World Cup.

Mahela says ‘no’ to Sri Lanka coaching

With just one win away from annexing their third IPL title in four finals under his watch, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene can easily land a lucrative coaching stint with the Sri Lanka national team.

LPL finally gets government green-light

The government has finally given the greenlight to play the Lanka Premier League despite the worsening COVID 19 situation in the country. The government decision

ICC ban concludes: Sanath Jayasuriya’s free to involve in cricket again

The global cricketing authority had banned the former Sri Lanka cricketer from all forms of cricket after he admitted breaching two counts of the ICC Anti Corruption Code.

IPG defaults first payment to SLC despite reminders

The Innovative Production Group (IPG), the event rights holder of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) has failed to settle the rights fees to date, even though the agreement entered into between Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and IPG on October 14, 2020, required an immediate payment.

LPL faces road block from ‘stubborn’ health authorities

Injured Rohit left out of India’s squad for Australia tour

Andre Russell, Faf du Plessis among five overseas players to pull out of Lanka Premier League

Five foreign players, including Andre Russell, Faf du Plessis and David Miller have withdrawn from the Lanka Premier League (LPL) less than a week after they were drafted into franchise teams.

IPL experience ‘unbelievable’

It would be an overstatement to place him in the class of Chaminda Vaas, one of Sri Lanka’s finest left-arm seamers with an unparalled impact on the game which includes 520 wickets across all formats.

LPL will position Sri Lanka in global sports map- Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa

The Lanka Premier League (LPL) will position Sri Lanka on the global sports map, Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa wrote in his personal blog.