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Root awards club batsman after matchwinning knock
Joe Root went back to his roots over the weekend by paying a surprise visit to Abbeydale Sports Club in Yorkshire, where he handed over a signed pair of his batting gloves to the man of the match
ESPNcricinfo staff
16-May-2017
Joe Root went back to his roots over the weekend by paying a surprise visit to Abbeydale Sports Club in Yorkshire, where he handed over a signed pair of his batting gloves to the man of the match in a South Yorkshire Cricket League Division Four fixture.
Root, who played for Sheffield Collegiate as a kid, had his fiancée Carrie and their young son, Alfred, alongside him as he watched his father, Matt, play for Sheffield Collegiate Third XI against Handsworth Junior Sporting Club.
Unfortunately for Root senior, he made just 8 in a total of 119 all out, after Collegiate had been batted out of contention by Handsworth's wicketkeeper-batsman, Ashley Naseby, who made 124 out of a total of 187.
Full postSex, lies and cricket umpires in Old Bailey 'hitman' trial
A former producer of the TV police drama, "The Bill", who is on trial for allegedly attempting to hire a hitman to kill his scriptwriter partner, has admitted he made up lies about being a village cricket umpire in order to carry on an affair
ESPNcricinfo staff
12-May-2017
A former producer of the TV police drama, "The Bill", who is on trial for allegedly attempting to hire a hitman to kill his scriptwriter partner, has admitted he made up lies about being a village cricket umpire in order to carry on an affair with a young lover.
David Harris claimed to be officiating for Arundel Castle Cricket Club when instead he was travelling to London for "away days" with Ugne Cekaviciute, the Old Bailey heard.
Harris, 68, has denied offering £200,000 to three potential hitmen, including an undercover officer, with a view to murdering his partner of 27 years, Hazel Allinson, and start a new life with Ms Cekaviciute, 40 years his junior, whom he first met in a brothel.
Full postWill Sutherland pick football over cricket?
The cricket v football battle is on - at the home of Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland
ESPNcricinfo staff
04-May-2017
James Sutherland is the chief executive of Cricket Australia and as such one of his responsibilities is to campaign for the game's future. He might just have to start work a little early - around the time he wakes his son Will up for school - now that the 17-year-old is being courted by Australian Football League scouts.
Will is a seam-bowling allrounder who made his List A debut for the Cricket Australia XI against the touring Pakistanis earlier this year. In April, he was appointed captain of the national Under-19 team to play against Sri Lanka and, with a performance that fetched him 133 runs and seven wickets from four Youth ODIs, he helped win the series 4-1.
Last weekend, however, according to a Sydney Morning Herald report, Will took the field for Scotch College's First XVIII side as centre half-forward against Xavier College and scored five goals in the Associated Public Schools of Victoria competition. His height of 195 centimetres is said to be of particular interest to the scouts, who also feel Will's deciding not to play the TAC Cup - so he can concentrate on his studies and his cricket - should not affect his chances of in the coming AFL draft should he choose to put his name up.
Full postEngland's Test kit goes back to the future
England's Test cricketers will have a retro feel to their kit, with the reintroduction of cream clothing and cable-knit sweaters by their new equipment manufacturer, New Balance
ESPNcricinfo staff
03-May-2017
England's Test cricketers will have a retro feel to their kit when they take the field at Lord's in July, with the reintroduction of cream clothing and cable-knit sweaters by their new equipment manufacturer, New Balance.
The start of a five-year deal, worth around £2million a year to the ECB, was heralded on Tuesday night at a glamorous launch event at New Balance's flagship store in Oxford Street, London, where each of England's seven captains - in men's, women's and disability formats - paraded the new kit on a cricket-themed catwalk.
Joe Root, who will be leading England for the first time when the South Africa series gets underway in July, welcomed the return of a more traditional look and feel, after their predecessors, Adidas, had opted for a "brilliant white" look to their Test kit back in 2008.
"I love it," Root said. "It feels like I'm a kid again, it's as traditional as it gets. It's like my first woollen jumper my grandma knitted me so it takes it all back to the beginning, and it's a nice way to remind yourself that even though there are times when we're under a lot of pressure, it's a game we enjoy playing."
Full postA farewell gift to Afridi... from India
A surprise from Virat Kohli and Co for the former Pakistan captain
ESPNcricinfo staff
21-Apr-2017
A gesture from Virat Kohli and the Indian team has won the admiration of the recently retired Shahid Afridi. "To Shahid Bhai, best wishes, always a pleasure playing against you," reads the message to Afridi on Kohli's limited-overs jersey, which has been signed by other members of the Indian team.
Afridi, who announced his retirement from international cricket in February 2017, played eight Tests, 67 ODIs, and eight T20Is against India. He scored three of his five Test hundreds against India and was Player-of-the-Match in two ODIs.
Thank you to you and the entire Indian team for a wonderful farewell gift @imVkohli. Respect superstar, hope to see you soon pic.twitter.com/DGz8aMs1Xv
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) April 21, 2017
Afridi's tweet received a prompt reply from Kohli as well.
Full postKane Williamson - ace dart thrower
Playing a game of darts with his Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mates, the New Zealand captain picked up the highest score possible
ESPNcricinfo staff
12-Apr-2017
January 30, 2017. Kane Williamson hits the target. The crowd goes wild. And New Zealand beat Australia.
April 11, 2017. He hits the target not once, not twice, but thrice in succession. The crowd goes bonkers. He takes a lap of honour. And New Zealand beat Australia again. In darts.
The stakes were not as high as they had been at that Chappell-Hadlee Trophy match two months ago but the outcome was still reasonably spectacular as Williamson pulled in a 180, the highest possible score in a dart game by hitting the incredibly narrow triple 20 zone on all his tries.
Full postLeicestershire 'bemused' at wife-beater connection
Leicestershire County Cricket Club have declared themselves "bemused" at reports that a convicted wife-beater will be taking up a professional contract with the club after being spared a jail sentence
ESPNcricinfo staff
27-Mar-2017
Leicestershire County Cricket Club have declared themselves "bemused" at reports that a convicted wife-beater will be taking up a professional contract with the club after being spared a jail sentence.
Mustafa Bashir, 34, who plays for a local league in Oldham, was handed an 18-month suspended sentence at Manchester Crown Court after being found guilty of assaulting his wife, including beating her with a cricket bat and forcing her to drink bleach in a bid to kill herself.
In mitigation, Bashir's lawyer Hugh McKee had stated in court that "if he is allowed to keep his liberty, he will be employed by Leicestershire as a professional. He was about to sign the contract when he was arrested." This assertion was later repeated by Judge Mansell QC during sentencing.
Full postMisbah's six sixes twist tuk tuk tale
Misbah-ul-Haq did the unthinkable - clobbered six consecutive sixes and produced a most dramatic antithesis to his age and recent form
ESPNcricinfo staff
10-Mar-2017
For a team historically known for their flamboyantly uninhibited brand of cricket, Misbah-ul-Haq's restrained, risk-averse mode of batting has perennially struggled to sit well the Pakistani fans. For the larger part of his career, Misbah's defensive strokeplay has given rise to imaginative witticisms - often snide - with his style of batting becoming synonymous with what is known as "tuk tuk" cricket in Pakistan.
While his captaincy and retirement plans continue to be a constant subject of speculation, the third fixture of the Hong Kong T20 Blitz saw him produce a most dramatic antithesis to his age and recent form.
Misbah, the Hong Kong Island United captain, waltzed six consecutive sixes across the last two overs of the innings, ending with a jaw-dropping 37-ball 82. His knock, studded with four fours and seven sixes, set up his team's 33-run win against Hung Hom Jaguars.
Full postAppeal launched after horrific net injury
Team-mates have rallied round a Bradford League club cricketer who suffered horrific injuries in a freak accident during net practice, and have launched a £10,000 appeal
ESPNcricinfo staff
23-Feb-2017
Team-mates have rallied round a Bradford League club cricketer who suffered horrific injuries in a freak accident during net practice, and have launched a £10,000 appeal to cover his living costs during his recuperation period.
Alex Tait was struck flush between the eyes by a straight drive while bowling during a Lightcliffe Cricket Club practice session on Monday, February 13. He suffered over 15 fractured bones in the incident, including fractures to both eye sockets, his skull, nose, cheekbones and forehead.
After ten days in hospital, Tait has learned that he will have to undergo multiple operations, including the insertion of metal plates behind his forehead. Further operations on his eyes and nose may then follow and he could also be required to see a neuro specialist to assess the impact on his brain and eyes.
Full postDhoni takes a train ride, after years
It had been more than a decade since the former ticket inspector travelled by train. Until last night
ESPNcricinfo staff
22-Feb-2017
MS Dhoni is back where he started: the trains. For the first time in more than a decade, he travelled by train last night, with the Jharkhand team from Ranchi to Kolkata for the Vijay Hazare Trophy that begins on February 25. Dhoni posted a photo of the team's journey on Instagram.
Before he made it big as an international cricketer, Dhoni served as a ticket inspector in the South Eastern Railway in Kharagpur. His life in the railways was amply documented in the biopic made on his life last year.
According to PTI, Dhoni travelled in a second-tier AC compartment of Kriya Yoga Express. "They (Jharkhand) did not have a special coach reserved for them and Dhoni travelled with his team and other co-passengers in 2AC. They had a block booking for 23 passengers including Dhoni," Sanjoy Ghosh, the chief public relations officer of the South Eastern Railway, was quoted as saying by PTI. "We had prior information about this and so we had arranged special security when they boarded in Ranchi last night and upon their arrival this morning in Howrah."
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