All-rounder Colin de Grandhomme has also been ruled out from the Test at Hamilton. Both Boult and de Grandhomme had suffered muscle injuries in the first Test.

Boult was able to bowl just one over on the final day of the match and he went off the field after suffering pain on the right side of his ribs.

“An MRI scan yesterday confirmed Boult had strained one of the muscles overlying his ribs on his right-hand side, but cleared him of any bone stress. Colin de Grandhomme has a tear to his left lower abdominal muscle, sustained during the second fielding innings in the first test win over England at Bay Oval,” NZC said in an official statement.

Daryl Mitchell has been called back into the team, while Todd Astle and Lockie Ferguson who were released to play the domestic competition, have also re-joined the team.

New Zealand had defeated England in the first Test by an innings and 65 runs.

Both sides will next take on each other in the second Test, slated to begin from November 29.

The post Trent Boult ruled out of Hamilton Test against England appeared first on Cricket Country.

England skipper Eoin Morgan has thanked a fan for naming his newborn ‘Eoin Morgan’.

“@Eoin16 please meet Henry Eoin Morgan-Bridgland, born today at 11 am. Just to ensure Sunday’s events are remembered even more often,” James, father of a newborn tweeted.

@Eoin16 please meet Henry Eoin Morgan-Bridgland, born today at 11am. Just to ensure Sunday’s events are remembered even more often! pic.twitter.com/F9yy7FScXo

— James (@BridglandJames) July 17, 2019

In a reply to James, Morgan took to Twitter and congratulated him. “That’s very cool. Congratulations,” Morgan tweeted.

Thats very cool. Congratulations 👍🏻 https://t.co/HWF5TLvnC5

— Eoin Morgan (@Eoin16) July 18, 2019

Morgan is the only English captain who has won the ODI World Cup for England in history. England came out triumphant in the recently concluded tournament. (ALSO READ: World Cup hero Jason Roy set to make Test debut against Ireland)

England defeated New Zealand in a thrilling ICC World Cup 2019 final on the basis of boundary countback rule as the two teams could not be separated despite the 50-over match and subsequent super over.

The post Eoin Morgan thanks fan who named his newborn after him appeared first on Cricket Country.

Former BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale on Saturday said that in his opinion Ajinkya Rahane should have been the number four batsman in India’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 squad as he brings solidarity to the line-up.

The Virat Kohli-led side went ahead with Vijay Shankar in the No. 4 spot, but he failed to take the initiative and returned after being injured. Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul were also tried but they also proved to be unsuccessful.

“In my opinion, the Indian team needs a batsman like Ajinkya Rahane at number four. We have tried many options at the batting position for the past three months. We tried those batsmen who did not have a good record overseas. Rahane has always scored good runs in England,” Jagdale said on Saturday. (ALSO READ: ‘Would like to see Rohit Sharma lead India in 2023 World Cup’)

The Indian team tried many options at the number four batting slot before the World Cup. Ambati Rayudu was given a consistent run at the batting position, but when the squad was announced Vijay Shankar was named in the squad.

Shankar failed to leave a mark and later he was ruled out of the tournament due to a toe niggle. Pant replaced him in the squad. Jagdale said that both Pant and Rahane should have been given a consistent run in the ODI side as they have a good overseas record.

“Rishabh Pant also scored a Test hundred in England. He even went on to make a Test hundred in Australia. But the ODI series against Australia, both Pant and Rahane did not feature in the series,” Jagdale said. (ALSO READ: I made many errors when I was young in my career, Rishabh Pant will learn: Kohli)

“We tried Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu and Vijay Shankar. Karthik and Rayudu have been playing since 2003 but they haven’t been to establish themselves yet. If they haven’t established themselves yet, we should have looked at other options. I have been advocating for three months now that Rahane should be number four. Pant should have been also named in the original squad as he is the future,” he added.

The Indian team was knocked out of the World Cup as the side lost against New Zealand by 18 runs in the semi-final. Jagdale said that the better team came out triumphant on that day and the Men in Blue did not play bad cricket.

“The better team won on that day. It’s not like we played bad cricket. There was a small patch where we did not execute our skills better, New Zealand bowled exceptionally well. Indian team played a good brand of cricket throughout the tournament,” Jagdale said.

The post India needs a batsman like Ajinkya Rahane at No. 4 spot: Former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale appeared first on Cricket Country.

Team India, on Wednesday, arrived in London to participate in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup, beginning May 30.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared the picture of the team and staff on Twitter with a caption, reading, “Touchdown London #TeamIndia”.

Touchdown London #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/mWihuGrnjw

— BCCI (@BCCI) May 22, 2019

Ahead of the World Cup, warm-up matches will take place. Each team will get an opportunity to play two games. India will face New Zealand on May 25 in its first warm-up followed by a match against Bangladesh on May 28.

At a pre-departure press conference held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Tuesday, Virat Kohli opined that they are entering in the tournament with a balanced and a strong side. (ALSO READ: Virat Kohli, bowling firepower give India edge in World Cup charge)

“We are going into the World Cup as a balanced and strong side. You saw in the IPL as well. All the players in the squad are in great form and playing really well. I think from that point of view, we just expect ourselves to play the best cricket we can,” the Indian captain said.

No room for complacency when the Skip @imVkohli is in business #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/tjuuJ9OYx8

— BCCI (@BCCI) May 21, 2019

All the 10 teams will face each other in a Round Robin format. Calling it the most challenging World Cup, Kohli said, “It’s the most challenging one of all three that I’ve been part of because of the format. Looking at the strength of all the sides as well. If you look at Afghanistan from 2015 to now, they are completely different side. Any team can upset anyone on their given day. That’s one thing we have in our mind.” (ALSO READ: If India play to their potential then the World Cup is ours: Ravi Shastri)

India will kick off its World Cup campaign against South Africa at The Rose Bowl, Southampton on June 5.

India’s 15-man squad:
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Kartik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami.

The post Cricket World Cup 2019: Virat Kohli-led Indian team lands in London appeared first on Cricket Country.

England on Tuesday announced their final squad for the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2019 that featured Jofra Archer and Liam Dawson. Joe Denly and David Willey were the ones who had to face the consequences of their inclusion as they were missed out after being named in England’s provisional World Cup team.

England skipper Eoin Morgan stated that ruling Denly and Willey out from the final World Cup squad was his ‘toughest decision ever’ but at the same time backed it by calling it a ‘right call’.

“It was the toughest decision I’ve ever been a part of, certainly with this group. To leave two guys out, one who has been around for the last four years and been a big part of everything we’ve done on and off the field, and the other is an exceptionally talented cricketer. It’s unfortunate for those who missed out, but it was the right call,” Morgan told ESPNCricinfo on Wednesday.

ALSO READ: Archer targets prized wicket of Virat Kohli after call-up to England’s World Cup squad

Also, James Vince has found a spot in the squad replacing Alex Hales. Besides having an edge of playing at home, England have one of the balanced and strong teams.

Recently, they vanquished Pakistan by claiming four victories in the five-match ODI series after the first match got abandoned due to rain. Interestingly, in all the four matches the English side was able to put up a 300-plus score on the board.

And it seems the victory in the series has boosted Morgan’s confidence as he called their performance ‘extremely encouraging’.

“Our preparation against Pakistan was as good as anything we could have hoped for. To perform like we did is extremely encouraging,” Morgan said.

ALSO READ: Former England captains hail ‘best-ever World Cup squad’

England were eliminated in the group stage in the previous edition of the premier tournament. However, Morgan is optimistic ahead of World Cup 2019 saying that their preparation has been excellent.

“For me as a captain, being more experienced, and having been through four years of being captain, our prep and planning has been excellent, and the guys have responded to that by performing on a consistent basis, probably more so for last two years than first two,” he said.

England will compete with South Africa in the opening match of this World Cup on May 30.

The post Cricket World Cup 2019: Eoin Morgan defends decision to leave out Joe Denly and David Willey in England’s World Cup squad appeared first on Cricket Country.

Pakistan women defeated South Africa’s women’s team by four wickets in the third Twenty20 International clash on Sunday to take a lead (2-1) in their ongoing five-match T20I series being played.

Chasing a total of 139 runs, Pakistan had a very penurious start as they were at 4/3 after the completion of the third over. South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail got hold of both the openers, Umaima Sohail and Javeria Khan while Moseline Daniels took the wicket of Bismah Maroof.

Then Nida Dar and Iram Javed took the field and provided their side much needed momentum as they played some brilliant shots. However, in the 12th over Moseline Daniels got hold of Dar (32).

Aliya Riaz then joined the on-field batter Javed, who kept on hammering boundaries and scored her half-century. Moseline Daniels then took wicket of Riaz in the 18th over which halted her 30-run inning.

ALSO READ: Former South Africa cricketer Elriesa Theunissen-Fourie dies in road accident

Javed (55) too gave away her wicket in the last over of the inning. Kainat Imtiaz and Sana Mir came out to bat and took their side over the line to register a four-wicket victory over the hosts.

Earlier, South Africa had a decent start as Lizelle Lee and Tazmin Brits put 12 runs on the board before Lee (2) got run out in the second over. Nadine de Klerk then accompanied Brits and both played cautiously to provide their side a good momentum.

Brits scored her half-century but soon after that Nadine de Klerk (36) gave away her wicket to Kainat Imtiaz. Chloe Tryon then came out to bat but she too was sent back to the pavilion in the very next over bowled by Aliya Riaz. Sune Luus then accompanied Brits and both played furiously.

Brits played an unbeaten knock of 70 runs while Luus scored 28 runs off just 18 balls and helped their side put up a decent total of 138 runs.

Pakistan women will now face South Africa women for their fourth T20I match on May 22.

Brief scores: Pakistan women 139/6 (Iram Javed 55; Moseline Daniels 3/13) beat South Africa women 138/3 (Tazmin Brits 70*; Rameen Shamim 1/20) by four wickets

The post 3rd T20I: Iram Javed leads Pakistan women to four-wicket victory over South Africa women appeared first on Cricket Country.

Irfan Pathan became the only Indian cricketer on Thursday to enrol himself in the players draft for upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL 2019). By signing up for the players draft, Pathan may become the first Indian to play in an overseas T20 league.

CPL’s official website put out the final list of players who have signed up for the players draft. A record number of 536 players from 20 overseas countries and the West Indies are available to be picked by six CPL teams.

“The fact that so many players have registered for our draft is a testament to the stature of our league. Playing cricket in the Caribbean is something that all players look forward to, and the CPL combines that allure with a high standard of cricket. We expect that this year’s tournament will be no different,” Michael Hall, CPL Tournament Operations Director, said in a statement.

READ: Caribbean Premier League: Kieron Pollard named Marquee Player for Trinbago Knight Riders

The likes of Alex Hales, Rashid Khan, Shakib Al Hasan, Jofra Archer, and JP Duminy have put their names forward for the draft along with Caribbean stars such as Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope.

Each franchise has the option of retaining or acquiring a maximum number of six players, although there is no obligation to do so.

The players the teams can potentially retain are:

Minimum of three West Indian players, a maximum of four,

Maximum of one overseas player, reduced to none if four West Indians retained.

A Marquee Player whether retained or acquired.

An ICC Americas Player, whether retained or acquired.

Trinbago Knight Riders won the previous edition of the CPL in 2018. This year’s CPL will be held from September 4 to October 12.

The post Irfan Pathan becomes only Indian cricketer to enrol for 2019 Caribbean Premier League appeared first on Cricket Country.

Royal Challengers Bangalore‘s (RCB) former coach Daniel Vettori has said that Virat Kohli is always open to listen, a quality which makes him such a ‘good captain.’

“When I used to speak to him or any other coaches (used to) speak to him, there is always a conversation around what you think is best, where can this work,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Vettori, as saying.

“It wouldn’t always be a number-driven conversation. It would be around some intuition and understanding of the game. I think, ultimately, when you sold a compelling story to Virat, he was always on board, open to listen and that made him such a good captain,” he said.

Royal Challengers Bangalore did not qualify for this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs although they did manage to win five matches out 14 matches after their penurious beginning which witnessed six back-to-back defeats. (ALSO READ: IPL 2019, RCB vs SRH: If we focus on the second half, it is exactly what we wanted in the first half: Virat Kohli)

However, Kohli while thanking his fans for all the support they gave to his side ensured them that his team will do everything in the next season to turn things around.

The post Virat Kohli ‘good captain’, always open to listen: Former RCB coach Daniel Vettori appeared first on Cricket Country.

Australia off spinner Nathan Lyon on Sunday said that the national selectors would have a great problem in picking the squad for the ICC World Cup 2019 after Australia defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the second ODI of the five-match series by eight wickets. (ALSO READ: Aaron Finch 153* takes Australia to 2-0 lead)

“That is just going to cause a massive headache for our selectors heading into the World Cup. It is a great problem to have for Australia. The guys in our dressing room, and with Steve Smith and David Warner coming back – they are world-class players – we have enough to be adaptable to whatever conditions and scenarios are thrown at us. The guys worked their backside off, firstly, and are now getting the rewards in the middle,” Lyon was quoted as saying by ICC.

David Warner also made a stunning comeback in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he scored a stunning 85 for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders. The batsman said that he hopes that Warner has a fantastic IPL. “I was just told that Dave scored 85, I really hope he has a fantastic IPL,” Lyon said.

Aaron Finch paved Australia’s way in the second ODI against Pakistan as he scored his highest international score in the ODI format. The skipper of the team recorded 153 not out which had eleven fours and six sixes in it. Lyon was full of praise for the captain.

“Hats off to him, he has been working his backside off. He has not had the runs over the summer that he would like. But he is been working hard with Graeme Hick and Justin Langer. A lot of credit has to go to Finch, but also JL and Hicky deserve a pat on the back. It is probably the most controlled innings I have seen him play in a long time,” Lyon said.

Australia’s pacer Jhye Richardson suffered from a dislocated shoulder and he was flown back to Australia immediately. “He is obviously pretty shattered, but he is trying to stay upbeat. It is very disappointing, especially off the back of the summer that Jhye’s had,” Lyon said. (ALSO READ: Dislocated shoulder sends Jhye Richardson home from UAE)

“The way he has been performing has been pretty impressive. Fingers crossed he can be fit for the World Cup and be in the selection [mix] there,” he added.

Australia gained a 2-0 lead after defeating Pakistan in the second ODI of the five-match series. Both teams next face each other in the third ODI on Wednesday, March 27 at Abu Dhabi.

The post Selectors will have a massive headache to pick the World Cup squad: Nathan Lyon appeared first on Cricket Country.

This Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have decided to make their home matches pet-friendly at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The Bengaluru franchise has invited spectators with their pets at an exclusive pet-lounge or dog-stand named “DogOut” with seating designed for people and canines. (ALSO READ: Gaining momentum will bring best out of players: RCB coach Gary Kirsten)

“Royal Challengers Bangalore believes in being compassionate and inclusive. We care about all the fans that are dearly associated with the team. One such group of fans is pet-parents and lovers. Pets are extension of their families and we as RCB would like to make them very much a part of our RCB family,” an RCB statement said. (ALSO READ: IPL 2019 team preview: Royal Challengers Bangalore continue hunt for maiden title)

“Now this year onwards, RCB is thrilled to invite all the pet-parents and lovers to watch home matches with their pets at an exclusive pet lounge called “DogOut” not “DugOut”,” the statement added.

In addition to this, the RCB is partnering with pet care experts Ashita Mathew, Rashi Narang and Ridhima Coelho from HUFT, who will be curating exclusive content around pet nutrition, grooming and wellness on the new official RCB Application. (ALSO READ: Royal Challengers Bangalore – Top five players to watch out for)

Royal Challengers Bangalore will meet Mumbai Indians at their home ground in Bengaluru on March 28.

The post IPL 2019: RCB to make matches pet-friendly at M Chinnaswamy Stadium appeared first on Cricket Country.