Cricket News

Gary Ballance, dropped by England midway through last summer's Ashes series, made an immediate statement in the traditional curtain-raiser to the English county season with a century against MCC in Abu Dhabi

Cricket fans who complain vociferously about the absence of live cricket on free-to-air TV might find mild consolation in Sky TV's launch of a new channel to showcase their live sports to all their subscribers

Sussex appointed their former batsman Murray Goodwin as their new batting coach

Leicestershire have signed powerful South Africa batsman Rilee Rossouw as cover for Umar Akmal in the NatWest Blast

Essex have furtrher strengthened their pace bowling resources by signing the Western Australian fast bowler Matt Dixon on a dual passport basis

Zafar Ansari, the Surrey allrounder who missed out on a maiden England tour due to a broken thumb sustained on the day he was called up, has undergone another minor operation on his thumb ahead of the new season

Glamorgan have announced much-improved results for the 2015 financial year aided by the impact of hosting an Ashes Test

The County Championship will be trimmed to 14 rounds in 2017, with a top division of eight teams and a second of 10, while the NatWest T20 Blast will revert to mid-summer blocks

Tom Fell, the Worcestershire batsman, is to undergo a course of chemotherapy and will miss the start of the season

Dan Christian, the Australian allrounder, has taken over as Nottinghamshire's captain for the NatWest T20 Blast after James Taylor decided to stand down due to his England commitments

Geoffrey Boycott has hit back at suggestions that his involvement on the Yorkshire board could prove disruptive and reiterated concerns about the club's financial position

Sussex have signed Mustafizur Rahman, the Bangladesh left-arm pace bowler, as their second overseas signing for 2016

James Neesham has joined the influx of New Zealand internationals playing county cricket this summer after signing for Derbyshire as their second overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast

Surrey's desire to add depth to their bowling options has resulted in two young South Africans switching allegiance in order to play county cricket

Yorkshire have returned to profit for the first time since 2009, as the club's on-field success was matched by an improved financial position

Nottinghamshire have signed Jackson Bird, the Australia fast bowler, as a replacement for Peter Siddle who faces an extended period on the sidelines after being diagnosed with a stress fracture of the back

Specsavers has been announced as the new sponsor of the County Championship, replacing insurers LV= after a 14-year association

Worcestershire have announced a profit for the sixth successive season but have said that continued work is required in what are "potentially changing and unpredictable times for cricket."

A city-based T20 competition could be back on the agenda in England and Wales after a group of county chief executives called upon their colleagues to embrace more radical change

Chris Morris, the South Africa allrounder, has agreed to join Surrey for this summer's NatWest T20 Blast competition