Prem club release statement after releasing Totoa Auvaa ‘His conduct falls short of the standards expected’ Saracens have sacked the rugby player who sparked English cricket’s captaincy crisis on a night out with Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson last summer following his involvement in another alcohol-related incident. In a statement released on Monday evening, Saracens confirmed that Totoa Auvaa, a 21

Australia are six wickets away from victory after another dream day – with bat and ball – for Matt Renshaw 10th over, Australia 71-1 (Maddinson 48, Labuschagne 5) The Maddo Express keeps rolling, loaded heavy with receipts. South Africa turn to spin, Maddinson puts one foot down the track and lofts Harmer down the ground for six. This is a spectacle. Follows up with a couple more hits down the gro

What a few days it has been in the life of Matt Renshaw. His comeback to the Test team had consisted of one innings, edged to slip for eight, before he made the trip to South Africa, where his job as opener suddenly changed to batting five. His first two days of the first Test in Durban were spent compiling his epic 190 to rescue Australia. Then came his fourth day , hammering in the nails on a de

Robinson, Duckett and Smith get one-year deals Eric Simons hired as Test fast-bowling coach Rob Key believes he can now “map out the next two years” for the England men’s teams, having handed out a record 39 central contracts and unveiled new split coaching setups under Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum that he hopes will produce homegrown candidates for the top roles in future. The retirements

Bangladesh 220-6; Australia 221-1 | Australia win by nine wickets Voll’s unbeaten 131 off 97 helps hosts take unassailable 2-0 series lead Opener Georgia Voll smashed her third ODI century in just her 15th match to secure Australia a comfortable nine-wicket win over Bangladesh and a series victory. Earlier, Bangladesh centurion Sobhana Mostary played one of the great ODI knocks to lift the visitor

Bad light curtails play for a third day in a row at Durban with Australia in command 12th over: South Africa 37-1 (Markram 24, Bedingham 13) Beautiful batting from Markram. Hazlewood was fractionally too straight, no more than that, and Markram put him away through midwicket with an understated flick of the wrists. How can Aiden Markram have a Test average of 36? The guy is so good. Continue readi

Australia 390 & 33-0; South Africa 284 Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Lyon share nine wickets As a fractured news environment demonstrates, observations can be made from just about any perspective. One view of Australia’s Test team could focus on age, with the principal bowlers all having more than 33 years to their names. Another could focus on them all having more than 300 wickets. At the first T

Renshaw’s century was his first in Tests for nine years Lyon helps build second-highest ninth-wicket partnership If the choice to ask Nic Maddinson to open in Durban was a bust, the upside for Australia was that it pushed Matthew Renshaw down to number five. From there, the Queenslander returned from 10 years on the periphery to the centre of the spotlight in the first Test against South Africa, w

Matt Renshaw’s first innings 190 puts Australia in command against South Africa in Durban 69th over: Australia 198-6 (Renshaw 51, Cummins 39) Jansen sees how Nortje is operating and he wants a piece too. The ball is old, why not? Unsociable bouncer at Cummins, who tries to get over it like he did previously but instead wears it inside the curve of his shoulder. Then good fielding behind point deni

Former Test batter and Afghanistan coach is taking the Lions abroad and is telling his players to ‘be smart’ Jonathan Trott pretty much entered Ashes folklore from the outset, scoring a series-winning century on his Test debut at the Oval back in 2009. Less spoken about, but just as relevant to the latest move in his upwardly mobile coaching career, is the first time he pulled on an England shirt

Opener’s painful duck gets tourists’ series off to bad start Renshaw and Cummins keep hosts’ attack at bay If we accept that sporting tenures are results-based, then the Australian selectors George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide should be conferring with the coach Andrew McDonald to submit a mass resignation. The opening moments of the first Test in Durban were enough to return the predictable harvest

Bad light stops play as Renshaw and Cummins rebuild to reach 187-6 after South Africa snared six wickets for 124 runs The sun is belting down in Durban at the moment with the forecast for a high of 27C. But a hint of cloud is expected to drift across Kingsmead Stadium during the afternoon. Rain was forecast for day two but the latest forecast suggests that has cleared up. Nic Maddinson will open f

Opener smashes 77 off 75 balls to chase down meagre 166 Annabel Sutherland takes 4-30 and hits 26 not out A Phoebe Litchfield masterclass ensured Australia remain undefeated in 22 ODIs at Allan Border Field after fast bowler Megan Schutt joined an elite club of great bowlers. Litchfield’s 77 off 57 deliveries ensured Australia polished off the meagre 166 all out set by Bangladesh in just 25.4 over

Former Test opener is writing a new book released next month Australia captain Cummins confirms conversation with Khawaja Pat Cummins has suggested he is unfazed by the prospect of the sandpaper scandal being raised in Usman Khawaja’s autobiography, which will be the first from any Australian player who played in that 2018 Cape Town Test. Cummins confirmed that Khawaja had called to inform him he

The Test series shapes as one of unforced errors and modest scores with both sides unconvincing with the bat and relying on their bowling attack Lost among the looking back to Australia’s Test tour of South Africa in 2018, there lies a similarity to the team about to take on that challenge in 2026. The previous side relied on a primo bowling quartet of Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and

Opener said it is unfair for ex-players to criticise modern batting lineup Australia’s vice-captain eager to open in Tests against South Africa Travis Head has accused Australia’s golden generation of being unfair in “putting a bullet through” current players, saying the game has changed significantly since they played. Just a day after Matthew Hayden slammed selectors and accused them of promotin

‘It doesn’t look like proper cricket,’ says Faf du Plessis as Canada’s Super60 tournament raises a few eyebrows Have you heard about Schrödinger’s six? When a cricket ball has spawned off the edge of the bat and flown all of 35 metres, is that really a six at all? How about when it comes in a hulking yet virtually empty 50,000-seater stadium in Canada, the ball smashed into the empty stands and ke

The story from the 2018 Test in South Africa will stay alive for years more, unless it is finally put to sleep with the truth of what happened Add it to the immeasurable list of things that you can blame Covid for. Without the pandemic, Australia’s Test team would have headed to South Africa in February 2021, less than three years after the 2018 sandpaper scandal saw them come home from Johannesbu

Australia all-rounder fails to overcome abdominal strain Maddinson or Cooper Connolly to fill No 5 spot in Durban opener Andrew McDonald insists Nic Maddinson’s Test squad call-up should be no shock, with the left-hander edging closer to replacing the injured Cameron Green in Durban. Green has been officially ruled out of Australia’s side for the opening Test against South Africa, after failing to

Dial has shifted, especially for Fleming’s Test side, before winter tours of South Africa, Bangladesh and Australia Last year, England’s winter started in New Zealand, where preparation for their first game in any format for nearly a month amounted to two relaxed training sessions, a cultural welcome ceremony involving local Māori elders and, before that, a team-bonding mini-break in Queenstown. “