The Buzz
Does the Australian team know when the Ashes begin?
ESPNcricinfo staff
12-Sep-2025
Has no one taught Australia how to use team calendars? Cricket Australia put poor Nathan Lyon on the spot to talk about the Ashes, starting with when it begins, but it doesn't look like Lyon knows. He did what anyone would have in the circumstances - called the rest of his team-mates.
First he called up Mitchell Starc, who was less than helpful. "I think Josh would know," he said, passing the buck onto his fast-bowling colleague Josh Hazlewood. He had even less help there: "No chance" he'd know, said Hazlewood. "Build the man statue," said Lyon, equal parts amused and exasperated. Scott Boland helpfully asked Lyon to check on the Cricket Australia app, doh! But surely the captain must know? Pat Cummins should have it written down on his calendar and circled thrice in red, right? A long pause later, the answer, from Cummins: "Uhhhh nah, is it on Google?"
Full postWorld's strongest man Mark Henry visits the Barbados Royals
ESPNcricinfo staff
05-Sep-2025
Barbados Royals are struggling in CPL 2025, with no wins in their first five games. They could do with some powerful inspiration to find the strength to turn the season around. To that end, they were paid a visit by Mark Henry, known as the world's strongest man - a two-time Olympian with the USA, a former world champion in powerlifting, and a former WWE participant.
Henry, 54, was a super-heavyweight weightlifter who competed at the 1992 (Barcelona) and 1996 (Atlanta) Olympics. He also competed in powerlifting and strongman events, winning several titles and medals through the 1990s. He joined the WWF (now WWE) in 1996 and left wrestling in 2000-02. Henry competed in strongman events, and has won the Arnold Strongman Classic, an annual competition named after Arnold Schwarzenegger featuring strength athletes from all over the world.
Henry visited the Royals camp in the CPL recently and spoke to the players, including captain Rovman Powell, about how he had watched a bit of cricket on TV, especially in the UK and in India. It looked like Powell and head coach Trevor Penney had shrunk when they handed Henry a pink Royals jersey which said 'WORLD'S STRONGEST MAN' with the number '01' on the back.
Full postDelhi boys Rana and Rathi in ugly face off in DPL game
ESPNcricinfo staff
30-Aug-2025
What's a Delhi Premier League match without a bit of needle?
Nitish Rana is a star in Delhi cricket. Digvesh Rathi, in the little we have seen of him, has shown that he has no problem getting under the skin of opponents, as well as getting on the wrong side of match officials, again and again.
So when the two went head-to-head in a match between West Delhi Lions (Rana's team) and South Delhi Superstarz (Rathi's team), sparks flew. Rathi was the bowler. He went through his action but didn't release the ball, Rana mock-swept it, Rathi walked back, smile on his face. As one would expect, when Rathi went again, Rana backed out. At that point, though a few words were exchanged between the two, the commentators seemed to be enjoying the needle in the middle.
Full postSeventeen years later, Bhajji-Sreesanth slapgate footage in public domain
This week, a never-before-seen video clip of the incident resurfaced, courtesy Lalit Modi
ESPNcricinfo staff
29-Aug-2025
Few off-field dramas have lived rent-free in the collective memory of Indian cricket fans quite like "slapgate" from IPL 2008. Harbhajan Singh's altercation with Sreesanth has been whispered about, memed endlessly, and retold in a dozen versions - but until now, never actually seen.
That changed this week when a video clip surfaced online, courtesy Michael Clarke's podcast with Lalit Modi, showing the infamous moment in all its raw awkwardness. Grainy but unmistakable, the footage captures Harbhajan's flash of temper, Sreesanth's stunned reaction, and teammates trying to calm things down.
One of the wildest moments in IPL history, Unseen footage of the Bhajji-Sreesanth slapgate that never been aired#IPL pic.twitter.com/E9Ux8bodOW
— Vishal (@Fanpointofviews) August 29, 2025
Issy Wong explains why pizzas come in square boxes
ESPNcricinfo staff
29-Aug-2025
Issy Wong can get you wickets and talk about the kind of random things that come up when you're doing nothing on a random Tuesday afternoon, whether it's discussing the existence of aliens or explaining why pizzas need to be delivered in square boxes.
In this rapid-fire interview, Wong, with every answer, proves what a cool friend she would be.
She starts off by picking her favourite cheese, Babybels, which might seem basic, but hey, she's not being a try-hard. Then on the matter of whether there are aliens, she answers, quite sensibly, with a definite yes. "The universe is infinitely big. It's going to keep on until infinity till they find a solar system where there's aliens."
Full postWhen Wasim Akram got bricked
ESPNcricinfo staff
26-Aug-2025
Hazing the newbie is a cherished tradition across sports, and Wasim Akram wasn't spared either. During his early county cricket stint in England, Akram recalled being the victim of a long-running prank by Lancashire teammate Michael Watkinson. At the time Akram was only 21, alone in a foreign country and still adjusting to life away from Pakistan. "Remember those days when we used to have those cricket bags? We used to call them coffins without wheels. Now you can carry it or you have people carry it for you. In county cricket we used to carry our kit bags ourselves. And I was very young, and didn't know I have to wash my old clothes - we're a bit spoiled in Pakistan, our moms do everything!"
'I'd been carrying a massive brick around for a month'
— Stick to Cricket (@StickToCricket) August 25, 2025
Wasim Akram recalls some pranks in his early cricket days pic.twitter.com/9J7cx5F2En
The first month, Akram found himself lugging around an increasingly heavy kit bag. He assumed it was the burden of his equipment and perhaps the weight of unwashed clothes piling up in it. Only when he finally ran out of clean clothes and decided to clear his bag did he find out what he'd been lugging around all this while - the gift of a hefty brick to prank the newcomer.
Full postWho is the best keeper in India? Ruturaj Gaikwad has an intriguing answer
ESPNcricinfo staff
22-Aug-2025
Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad must be used to being quizzed by journalists, but how does he cope with the kind of questions kids ask?
While interacting with students at the CSK Academy, Gaikwad jokes his way through the Q&A session. First, he asks how many support teams other than CSK and then teases them about not being picked by their academy coaches. Then he's asked a tough question himself: do you play for CSK? Gaikwad's response leaves the kid scratching his head.
Then Gaikwad, who was 27 when he took over the franchise captaincy from CSK legend MS Dhoni, was asked what it was like to lead a side with players older than him. "Very good, I enjoyed a lot. I scolded all seniors," Gaikwad said.
Full postLondon Spirit players share secrets about each other
ESPNcricinfo staff
18-Aug-2025
Players spend a lot of time with each other during tournaments, so it's a good time to spill some secrets for fans.
Among the Southern brave squad, who's most likely to get locked in their hotel room? Turns out that's already happened to Maia Bouchier! She is also likely to be the one to shadow-batting in public and to clap when the plane lands.
Who's most likely to watch their own highlights and repost them on social media? Twenty-one-year-old batter James Coles appears to be the popular choice. Like Bouchier, he also seems likely to be the one to clap when the plane lands.
Full postRishabh Pant turns pizzaiolo
ESPNcricinfo staff
14-Aug-2025
The last we saw of Rishabh Pant was him being golf-carted off the field at Old Trafford after suffering a foot fracture, but then hobbling back in on one leg to try and add a few more runs to India's score. It was all very heroic and sombre.
The good news is that the injury has done absolutely nothing to dent his sense of humour. He recently posted a video of him in a pizza kitchen in an unnamed location, attempting his hand at pies; no, he wasn't bowling. The kitchen cameo comes weeks after he limped through a gritty 54 at Old Trafford despite the injury, helping India draw the fourth Test. Now, with six weeks on the sidelines, Pant's swapping the middle order for the middle rack of the oven.
Full postWhat are Kane Williamson and David Warner's favourite Oasis songs?
ESPNcricinfo staff
13-Aug-2025
British rock band Oasis are on a reunion tour, so naturally it's the right time to ask cricketers what their favourite song from the group is. These were the picks from London Spirit Men's players:
Captain Kane Williamson picks "Don't Look Back In Anger" from the 1996 album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, although, along with several other of his team-mates, "Wonderwall" also features high on his list "after the amount of buskers I've heard play that."
For David Warner, "Wonderwall" is the only Oasis song he knows, while Ryan Higgins needs some help, asking team-mate Richard Gleeson: "What do Oasis sing?"
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