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The Perth Scorchers were named minor premiers once again after topping the ladder courtesy of a four-wicket victory over the Adelaide Strikers. It was the perfect way to say farewell to the WACA and it set up a tantalising semi-final clash with the Hobart Hurricanes. George Bailey’s men defied the odds to finish fourth in the ladder, and the Strikers became another surprise package by finishing second. They were widely written off after losing key men ahead of BBL7, but Rashid Khan has been absolutely sensational and they deserve their place in the semi-finals. But they face a tough game against the experienced Melbourne Renegades, led by Dwayne Bravo. Here we preview both semi-finals: Perth Scorchers v Hobart Hurricanes The Scorchers have displayed remarkable resourcefulness in topping the ladder despite losing a host of key players to international duty. Coach Justin Langer will now have a selection headache as he heads into the semi-final: does he stick with the guys that got t...

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been bought by Rajasthan Royals for whopping Rs 12.5 crore (£1.4m) in the first round of Indian Premier League's bidding. The 26-year-old fetched a massive price at the IPL auction once again and will join Australian skipper Steve Smith after the 28-year-old batsman went for £1.38m. South Africa's Hashim Amla, England's Joe Root and the hard-hitting West Indies batsman Chris Gayle went unsold in the first round of bidding of the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Bengaluru. The second and final auction starts on Sunday, with a total of more than 500 players to be picked by the eight IPL franchises. The 11th edition of Indian Premier League begins in April.

England have announced their squad for the two-test match series to be played in New Zealand this March. The Controversial all-rounder Ben Stokes has been named in England's test squad to face Black Caps later this season. Stokes, 26, who arrested back in September after an incident in Bristol, his participation depends on the verdict of his legal case with the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK. The 24-year-old batsman Liam Livingstone has been called up for the first time to replace Yorkshire's Gary Ballance, while fast bowlers Jake Ball and Tom Curran both missed the selection following the Ashes defeat. England's top order batsmen James Vince and Mark Stoneman both retain their places in the squad. The first test will be played on March 22 at Auckland' Eden Park, is a day-nighter and the second test to be held in Christchurch on March 30. England Squad: Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Cr...

England’s batsman Alastair Cook has become the sixth batsman to reach 12,000 Test runs milestone as England battled to save the fifth Test. The 33-year-old, who is currently playing his 152nd test match - joins an elite quintet of Sachin Tendulkar (15,291), Ricky Ponting (13,378), Jacques Kallis (13,289), Rahul Dravid (13,288) and Kumar Sangakkara (12,400). The right-handed batsman becomes the first Englishman to achieve this milestone with a single off his pads after lunch on the fourth day of the fifth Ashes test at Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday. The records keep on coming for Alastair Cook 🙌 What a moment as the England opener brings up 12,000 Test runs to a standing ovation at the SCG 👌 Stunning effort over the years 👏 #ItsTheAshes #Ashes pic.twitter.com/kt0Qmwq8Fz — The Ashes on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) 7 January 2018 Cook received an ovation from the fans after reaching the milestone in the third over of England’s second innings.

Former Australian Batsman Bard Hodge has been appointed as the new head coach of the Indian Premier League outfit Kings XI Punjab on a three-year contract. The 42-year-old held a similar role with Gujarat Lions for the last two campaigns and will now report to KXIP's mentor-cum director, Virender Sehwag. "We have signed a three-year agreement with Brad, who will be our head coach," Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. Hodge continues to play for Melbourne Renegades in the forthcoming season of the Big Bash League before joining KXIP as the head coach.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes will be playing for the Canterbury one-day team after signing with New Zealand province Canterbury. The 26-year-old, who is set to return to competitive cricket, has been cleared to play for Canterbury on Sunday. He was omitted from the England Ashes squad to Australia and remains suspended from the cricket subject to a police investigation into an incident outside a Bristol nightclub back in September. However, Canterbury Cricket Association have confirmed the Englishman had signed as an overseas player and would be available for a limited over match to be played against Otago on this Sunday. “After the approach from Ben’s representatives everything has happened very quickly for us to the extent that we are now delighted to welcome Ben into the team,” Canterbury Cricket Association (CCA) Director of Cricket Gary Stead said in a statement on Thursday. “While Ben awaits the outcome of an investigation underway in the UK, he wants to maintai...

The Wellington Firebirds have announced the signing of former England international Samit Patel for the upcoming Twenty20 season. The 32-year-old, who was in impressive form for Nottinghamshire earlier this season, and named the Professional Cricketers' Association's player of the year after leading the Notts to success in all formats. Wellington head-coach Bruce Edgar pleased to Patel's quality. He said , "Our aim is simple: we're looking to play entertaining, positive cricket. As we saw last year, that recipe leads to success when it's well-executed." "For the upcoming campaign, we identified a need to complement our squad with a quality all-rounder. With a career featuring more than 200 T20 matches, including 18 internationals, and impressive strike rates with both bat and ball, we're excited to have Samit joining the team to fill that role." Very excited to play for @wgtnfirebirds in the super smash this year hopefully we ca...

Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah has been signed up as a replacement player by Brisbane Heat for the upcoming season of the Big Bash League. It will be Yasir's first involvement with the BBL, having previously played T20 in Pakistan and West Indies. The 31-year-old is the 2nd Pakistan leg-spinner the Heat have secured this year, having also signed the teenager Shadab Khan. Double Pakistan 🇵🇰 delight for the Brisbane Heat with leg-spinner @Shah64Y joining us for #BBL07 ! Story https://t.co/WNF9Zd8FFy . #TurnUpTheHeat pic.twitter.com/6gB1uANE3P — Brisbane Heat (@HeatBBL) 15 November 2017 However, Pakistan's tour of New Zealand later this year, which means Shadab may not be available for the Big Bash League for a significant chunk of the season. Brisbane Heat will play their first match of the season against Melbourne Stars at the Gabba on Wednesday 20 December .

The uncapped seamer Tom Curran has been called up to England's Ashes 2017-18 squad. Surrey all-rounder will travel to Australia in the next 24 hours as a replacement for injured Steven Finn, after the 28-year-old has been ruled out of the Ashes tour due to a torn left knee cartilage. The Middlesex seamer was ruled out of the entirety of the Ashes tour in Australia on Tuesday morning due to a knee injury. England have quickly called up another option, with Curran is yet to earn his first Test cap but his ODI form has impressed enough for the management to fly him out to Down Under. The 22-year-old has earned plenty of praise from coach Trevor Bayliss in the recent, following impressive showings in Twenty20 and one-day international games earlier this year. Curran is expected to terminate his deal with the Big Bash League outfit Hobart Hurricanes, who he was due to play for in this year tournament. England's first Test gets underway in Brisbane on November 23.

The England and Wales Cricket board have announced that Essex head coach Chris Silverwood will take over as England fast bowling coach early next year. The former England seamer, who led Essex to their first County Championship for 25 years last season, has been appointed as the Lions' fast-bowling coach. The 42-year-old will become the full-time replacement for Ottis Gibson, who left to become South Africa head coach. Silverwood will begin his coaching stint early next year on the limited overs series at the tour to Australia.