4 d. ago New Zealand v Australia: men’s third T20 international cricket – live

Updates from the third match at Bay Oval in TaurangaAny thoughts? Get in touch with an emailNew Zealand captain Michael Bracewell says he is happy to bat first and confirms his side is unchanged too:TEAMS: Continue reading...

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5 d. ago New Zealand v Australia: men’s second T20 international cricket – live

Updates from the second match in Tauranga Play at Bay Oval starts 7.15pm local/4.15pm AEST Any thoughts? Get in touch with an emailTim Robinson’s first T20I century in Game One was a ripper in a losing cause. The Black Caps were 6-3 in the second over, with Josh Hazlewood removing Tim Seifert in the opening over and Ben Dwarshuis striking twice in two balls to send Devon Conway and Mark Chapman back to the sheds before Robinson swaggered out. Playing his 13th T20I, the tousle-haired 23-year-old scored an unbeaten 106 off 66 balls.Robinson smashed six fours and five sixes along the way and ended his blitzkrief in style, with a four and a six from the last two balls! Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Ruthless Australia crush New Zealand by six wickets in first T20I

Mitchell Marsh smashes 85 to clinch victory in series openerAustralia lead 1-0 in three-match T20I series v New ZealandAny thoughts? Get in touch with an emailJosh Hazlewood has the new ball and Tim Seifert will face the first. Here we go, folks!Back at Bay Oval, the wind is whipping the young flag bearers off their feet. Umpires Chris Brown and Shaun Haig are taking the ground first, followed by the players. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago New Zealand v Australia: men’s first T20 international cricket – live

Three-match trans-Tasman series opens in TaurangaAny thoughts? Get in touch with an emailJosh Hazlewood has the new ball and Tim Seifert will face the first. Here we go, folks!Back at Bay Oval, the wind is whipping the young flag bearers off their feet. Umpires Chris Brown and Shaun Haig are taking the ground first, followed by the players. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Ireland v England: second men’s T20 cricket international abandoned due to rain – as it didn’t happen

Updates from the second match of the series in Malahide Taha Hashim on Phil Salt | Sign up for The Spin | Mail JimYou knew it, I knew it. This one is kiboshed by rain.Still nowt official outta Malahide. There was some action with the covers a while ago but in a ‘kicking the tyres on a clapped out old banger’ sort of way rather than a ‘chances of play are significantly improving’ sort of way. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Ireland v England: second men’s T20 cricket international delayed by rain – live

Updates from the second match of the series in Malahide Taha Hashim on Phil Salt | Sign up for The Spin | Mail Jim“It was spitting and now it’s back to a light drizzle.” Taha is really earning his corn today. I’d call him Michael Fish but he’s too young to know who that is. He’s probably too young to know Schafernaker. Not a criticism.My friend/comrade/mentor/squeeze Jon Hotten has also dipped his quill about all things Phil Salt, you’ll have a squizz if you know what’s good for ya:But numbers are just one way of expressing what Phil Salt does, what he is part of. They’re like the score to a great symphony, understandable as the method of conveyance, but hardly like hearing the music. Indeed, you don’t need to be able to read the music to listen, in the same way that you can watch without the slightest interest in interpreting the statistics.So what is it like to watch Phil Salt? What language do we need for that? Because he is not one for the aesthetes or the classicists, is he? Hi...

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3 w. ago Ireland v England: first men’s T20 cricket international – as it happened

The remarkable Phil Salt fell just short of another century as England chased 197 to beat Ireland by four wickets1st over: Ireland 7-0 (Stirling 5, Adair 1) Luke Wood takes a couple of deliveries to get going. His first ball is a wide; his first legal delivery is larruped to the cover boundary by Stirling.The rest of the over is better. An inswinging yorker is well defended by Stirling, who then inside edges past the stumps. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago England v South Africa: third men’s T20 international abandoned by rain – as it didn’t happen

IT20 series between England and South Africa tied 1-1 after rain washes out decider in NottinghamEngland Head Coach Brendon McCullum has been in the Sky Pod chatting to Ian Ward and Nasser Hussain.“We balanced things a little bit better,” he says of England’s tempo with the bat in the Test series v India. “We grew up quite a lot through that series... We saw the emergence of the fast-bowling cartel we’ve been trying to build over the last couple of years. I left the series thinking we’d become a better team, despite the 2-2 result.” Continue reading...

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3 w. ago England v South Africa: third men’s T20 international delayed by rain – live

Updates from the last match of the series at Trent BridgeSign up for The Spin newsletter | And you can mail James Weather Watch: We’ll start losing overs from 3.30pm. We are yet to hear about a cut-off time for a five-over slogathon. That’s probably the best we can hope for at the moment.Weather Watch: It is still raining. I’m going to make a brew and have a shout at the clouds. Back soon. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago England v South Africa: third men’s T20 cricket international – live

Updates from the last match of the series at Trent BridgeSign up for The Spin newsletter | And you can mail James Bad news! The covers are now being dragged back on as the rain starts up again, this time a bit heavier. It’s going to be one of those afternoons I fear.Good news! The covers are coming off at Trent Bridge though Stuart Broad is the local lad and he is worried about the rain radar. We can do a five overs a side game if it comes to it and Shaun Pollock jokes that South Africa won’t want to bowl twenty overs at England while they are in this blistering form. Continue reading...

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