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“I’m certainly expecting it to be a lot closer”
Former England batsman Graeme Hick, who was recently appointed as the high performance coach at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, has issued a stern warning to England, stating that Australia will give them “more of a challenge” in the upcoming Ashes series after being thrashed 3-0 in August.
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“The IPL is not going anywhere and we run the risk of slipping behind other teams in both ODI and Twenty20 cricket if our players don’t participate”
Former England captain Andrew Strauss has announced that national team players should be allowed to play a full season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) or risk falling behind other countries in the shortest format of the game.
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Dravid believes Test matches are the “life source” of cricket
Legendary India batsman Rahul Dravid has always been a keen advocate of saving Test cricket, and once again, he has made a desperate plea for more Test matches to be played as he believes it provides players with a solid foundation, which helps them prosper in ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals.
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“It’s all about the basics, going back and going forward”
Veteran Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, along with a trio of former captains, which include Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and GR Viswanath, have all exposed their secrets of how players can bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket.
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Tait blames Warne and Hayden’s early retirement for Australia’s struggles
Former Australia pace bowler Shaun Tait believes that Australia are experiencing a rough transition period right now due to the fact that senior players like Shane Warne and Matthew Hayden retired too early.
Mathews’ record of centuries is currently bare with only one triple figure score
Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara has issued a challenge to batsmen Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal and captain Angelo Mathews, telling each of them to score at least “35 to 40 hundreds by the time they finish” their careers.
Ryder still feels he needs more time to train and get back into the groove of things
New Zealand opening batsman Jesse Ryder has decided to postpone his international return to spend more time getting into form and accustomed to the hardships of international cricket after taking a break of almost a year.
Trott does not want the Ashes series to be about humiliation and degradation
The Ashes has long been known as one of the, or arguably, the most intense rivalry in cricketing history, however, with a back-to-back Ashes series set to take place this year, England batsman Jonathan Trott has warned his team-mates not to focus on trying to mimic the 3-1 thrashing they handed the Australians in 2010-2011 and instead divert their attention towards simply retaining the Ashes for a record third time in a row.
Laxman believes India will bounce back soon enough
Just under six months ago, former India batsman VVS Laxman bid adieu to international cricket, but recently, the stylish and technically gifted player admitted that he believes he is still fit enough to play Test cricket.
Dhoni is convinced that this is not the lowest point of his international career
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes the current struggles of the national team cannot even be compared to the hardships they endured after losing the 2007 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup.