ECB chair to step down after just a year in the job October 7, 2021 Ian Watmore has stepped down as chair of the England and Wales Cricket Board after serving just a fifth of his five-year term. The ECB said the decision was mutual. Watmore said he was stepping down “in mindfulness of my own wellbeing and that of the game which I love.’ Watmore and the ECB have [...]
England cricket chiefs set to make decision on Ashes participation October 4, 2021 The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) plans to decide this week whether to send a team to Australia for the men’s Ashes this winter. The series is in doubt because of Australia’s strict Covid-19 protocols, although talks are continuing between both countries. A major sticking point has been whether players’ families can accompany them, [...]
Moeen Ali’s entitled to chase the franchise dream September 28, 2021 On Monday morning, England spinner Moeen Ali announced he would be stepping away from Test match cricket but would continue to play the game’s white-ball formats. Some traditionalists might condemn Moeen for turning his back on the oldest and longest form in favour of so-called disco cricket, but onlookers should pause for thought before judging [...]
Liam Livingstone’s summer has made him undroppable for the World Cup September 28, 2021 The road to the highest level of any sport is never straightforward and England cricketer Liam Livingstone has encountered his fair share of hurdles this year in search of a T20 World Cup place. Now, following a summer of batting fireworks, Livingstone has not only secured a spot in the squad for next month’s tournament [...]
Fifth Ashes Test can’t go ahead unless rules change, says Australian sports minister September 28, 2021 Australia’s sports minister Richard Colbeck has raised further doubts about the viability of this winter’s Ashes series, insisting the final Test in Perth cannot go ahead under current Covid-19 regulations. Western Australia’s state rules require arrivals to quarantine for 14 days, but England and the hosts may only have five days in between the fourth [...]
Legal Q&A: What uncertainty around the Ashes means for England, the players, contracts, sponsors and broadcasters September 21, 2021 Lawyer Jamie Horner examines the legal issues around this winter’s Ashes series between England and Australia, which remains in the balance due to Covid-19 restrictions Down Under. What are some of the key legal issues around this Ashes series? The key issue is the difference between Covid-19 restrictions in the UK and the more draconian [...]
England withdraw from World Cup warm-up tour games in Pakistan September 20, 2021 The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have withdrawn their men’s and women’s sides from the October tour to Pakistan. The men were due to play two warm-up games prior to the T20 World Cup, which begins in late October. England women were due to link up with the men and play two T20 double [...]
Opinion: England cricket chiefs should fight to reschedule fifth Test with India and reject alternative offer of two Twenty20 internationals September 13, 2021 England and India should today have been concluding the fourth day of the fifth Test in a series which reminded everybody that there is space for five-day cricket among the razzle-dazzle of The Hundred. Instead, the Test was called off. Covid concerns from India, similar to those expressed by England in South Africa last year, [...]
England Men’s summer 2022 cricket schedule confirmed: New Zealand Test series, white-ball July and South Africa in all formats September 8, 2021 England cricket chiefs have confirmed the men’s team’s schedule for next summer, which will begin with a three-Test series against world champions New Zealand. They will then play one-day and Twenty20 series against India and South Africa in July before another three-Test series with the Proteas in August and September. “It has been a scintillating [...]
World 12s: Plans unveiled for rugby union’s £250m answer to the Indian Premier League, featuring eight franchises playing 12-a-side, 30-minute matches September 7, 2021 Some of rugby union’s biggest names have announced plans to launch a new 12-a-side tournament, World 12s, in England next year. The competition would feature eight franchise teams playing in 30-minute matches over three consecutive weekends in August and September. World 12s chairman Ian Ritchie, the former head of the Rugby Football Union and Premiership [...]
