Uncapped trio in South Africa's Champions Trophy squad

The preliminary squad of 30 players for the ICC Champions Trophy tournament to be played in England and Wales in June has been revealed by Cricket South Africa (CSA).

The final squad of 15 will be named later this month.

Four uncapped players in England Champions Trophy squad

England named four uncapped players on Thursday in a provisional 30-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales in June.

The selectors included uncapped Yorkshire batsman Gary Ballance, Warwickshire opener Varun Chopra and seamers James Harris and Chris Wright in the squad which will be cut to 15 players by May 5.

Pakistan to prepare English-style pitches for Champions Trophy

Pakistan's cricket authorities Thursday ordered English-style pitches to help their struggling batsmen prepare for the Champions Trophy, to be played in England in June.

Pakistani batsmen had a woeful time on the fast and bouncy tracks in South Africa where they were whitewashed 3-0 in Tests and edged out 3-2 in the one-day series last month.

Alastair Cook may 'doctor' home pitches to 'fry' Aussies during Ashes

England captain Alastair Cook has said that England is ready to beat Australia during the Ashes series this year.

PCB ropes in Wasim Akram to mentor Pak quicks

Former Pakistan captain and fast bowler Wasim Akram has been brought in by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to supervise a 10-day specialised camp for fast bowlers in Karachi.

ICC introduces new 'No ball' playing condition

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced a new playing condition for Tests, One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20s) that instructs the umpires to call 'No ball' whenever a bowler breaks the non-striker's wicket during the act of delivery.

This playing condition will come into effect on April 30, and the first international match to be played under the new regulation will be the first ODI between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in Bulawayo on Friday May 3.

PCB chief selector Iqbal Qasim admits need to improve 'middle-order' batting

Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) chief selector Iqbal Qasim has admitted that there is a need to improve the middle-order batting following the team's recent whitewash in South Africa.

Talent hunt winner bags IPL contract with Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals Thursday awarded an IPL contract to Kumar Boresa, winner of the 'Cricket Star Rajasthan 2012' -- a talent hunt presented by the Royals and Dainik Bhaskar to unearth the hidden talent in the state. The 18-year-old Boresa, who won the contest in 2012, has signed a contract with the Rajasthan Royals worth Rs 10 lakh,and is all set to don the royal blue jersey in ongoing Indian Premier League.

It's a fresh start for us, says Angelo Mathews

Pune Warriors might have ended at the bottom up of the table in the last two IPL editions, but current captain Angelo Mathews Thursday said that his side would be making a fresh start and look for a better result this season. "It is going to be a fresh start. Past is past, we got to look for the future. We have a great team and we will take one step at a time and focus on our games," Warriors captain Angelo Mathews told reporters.

Shane Watson to miss Rajasthan Royals' opening game

Rajasthan Royals' Australia all-rounder Shane Watson will miss his team's opening IPL game against Delhi Daredevils to be played at the Feroze Shah Kotla here on Saturday.

Chennai Super Kings are an all-round side, says MS Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is upbeat about the chances of his side in the ongoing IPL, saying that he has got an all-round team with some impact players in it. Talking to the media at the launch of CSK merchandise here Thursday, Dhoni said that the core of the team was intact and he would expect a strong show by his side in this edition also.