Cricket analysis: Ben Stokes retires - Five of the England star’s greatest Test moments
England captain Ben Stokes announced his retirement from Test cricket in typically dramatic fashion during England’s defeat to New Zealand in the final Test match of the series.
The announcement came whilst England were fielding on day four, with Stokes taking a wicket the ball after it was made public.
The modern day great retires with 122 Test caps and is only the second man to score more than 7000 Test runs and take over 250 Test wickets, alongside South Africa’s Jacques Kallis.
A man who isn’t just known for his numbers, Sports News Blitz writer Jacob Hibbert takes a look at five moments from his Test career that have made him one of the greatest all-rounders to play the game.
Cricket betting tips: Best bets for England vs India T20Is and Women's T20 World Cup semi-finals
A blockbuster week of T20 cricket features the start of the England vs India series and the Women's T20 World Cup semi-finals.
Here, Sports News Blitz cricket expert Himanshu Sharma breaks down the best bets, value plays, and key betting angles for this week’s fixtures.
Cricket betting tips: Best bets for England vs New Zealand and Ireland vs India
England and New Zealand meet in a series-deciding third Test at Trent Bridge, while India begin their two-match T20I series against Ireland in Belfast.
Here, Sports News Blitz cricket expert Himanshu Sharma breaks down the best bets, value plays, and key betting angles for this week’s fixtures.
Test cricket news: Five talking points ahead of the third Test between England and New Zealand
England head north to Nottingham as they take on New Zealand in the decider of their three-match Test series against New Zealand.
England won the first Test at Lords, but suffered a 253-run loss in the second at the Oval.
Hundreds thanks to Glenn Phillips and Henry Nicholls ensured that the Kiwis take it to a deciding Test at Trent Bridge, starting Thursday.
The Three Lions announced their squad on Sunday and there are plenty of talking points to take from it.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Jacob Hibbert picks out five to take a look at.
Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 betting tips: Australia face strong challenge from England and India
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 gets underway on June 12 in England.
The tournament expands from 10 to 12 teams for this edition.
Ahead of the competition, Sports News Blitz cricket writer Himanshu Sharma identifies the leading contenders and explores where the betting value may lie.
Cricket news: How England’s XI could shape up for the second Test v New Zealand
Joe Root captains the England side as they take on New Zealand at The Oval on Wednesday in the second of their three-match Test series.
The starting XI was announced on Monday and includes four players who didn’t feature at Lord’s: Jofra Archer, Matt Fisher, Sonny Baker and Jordan Cox - with the latter two making their Test debuts, writes Sports News Blitz’s Jacob Hibbert.
The changes come after Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were involved in an incident at a nightclub after the first victory of the English Test summer.
Cricket news: Ben Stokes under pressure - five contenders for the captain’s role
England men’s cricket captain Ben Stokes has been in the press for all the wrong reasons since Sunday night, alongside team-mate and bowler Gus Atkinson.
Following this, it remains unclear as to whether Stokes will continue as England captain.
He has been left out of the 15-man squad for the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval, with former captain Joe Root set to lead the side.
Without an obvious successor, Sports News Blitz writer Jacob Hibbert takes a look at five candidates to take over as England captain if Stokes’ time comes to an end.
Test cricket betting tips: Suggested bets for England vs New Zealand and India vs Afghanistan
With the IPL 2026 season done and dusted, attention turns back to Test cricket as England host New Zealand and India welcome Afghanistan.
With World Test Championship points back on the line, New Zealand will look to strengthen their position at the top, while India and England aim to move up in the standings.
Here, Sports News Blitz cricket expert Himanshu Sharma breaks down the best bets, value plays and key betting angles for the upcoming Tests.
Vitality Blast 2026: Betting odds, team stats, key facts & live streaming guide
The 2026 Vitality Blast, also known as the T20 Blast, gets underway on May 22, with 18 county teams batting for England’s premier domestic T20 title, writes Sports News Blitz’s Himanshu Sharma.
The competition is divided into three groups, with each county playing 12 group-stage matches, six home and six away fixtures.
IPL betting tips: Back Virat Kohli's RCB to win consecutive titles
The IPL 2026 playoffs are underway, and the race for the title is down to four teams.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru begin their quest for back-to-back trophies against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1, while Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator.
Here, Sports News Blitz cricket expert Himanshu Sharma breaks down the best bets, value odds, and key match-ups for Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator.
IPL cricket review: What has happened to the Mumbai Indians this season?
After another disappointing defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens, the Mumbai Indians (MI) have had a season to forget.
They sit ninth in the table, already eliminated and out of the running for qualification this season.
Sports News Blitz writer Dejan Johal reviews their season and analyses why the five-time champions have struggled so much this season.
IPL cricket review: Virat Kohli stars as Royal Challengers Bengaluru win and go top of the league
Virat Kohli stars once again with his ninth IPL century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeat the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Raipur to go back to the top of the league standings.
With RCB going top and KKR most likely now out of the running for qualification, Sports News Blitz writer Dejan Johal looks at the key takeaways from this match.
IPL betting tips: Best bets, odds and value plays as playoff race intensifies
IPL 2026 is nearing the business-end phase. Every game now directly impacts the playoff race.
Sports News Blitz’s cricket betting expert Himanshu Sharma breaks down the best bets, odds value, and key angles from Week Seven of the Indian Premier League.
Cricket news: England’s Jacob Bethell responds to Sir Alastair Cook’s criticism of his IPL participation
Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook recently commented on Jacob Bethell’s lack of playing time for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League, writes Sports News Blitz’s Darshan Kaur Gill.
Cook criticised the all-rounder for staying at RCB on The Overlap’s Stick to Cricket podcast, saying: “He’s sitting on his a**e in the IPL not doing anything, ideally he could come back and open for Warwickshire to help England.”
Bethell achieved a century in England’s final Test against Australia in Sydney, and achieved 105 runs in the T20 World Cup semi-final against India earlier this year, cementing his status as a rising star in cricket.
IPL 2026: Will this be the year that the Punjab Kings finally lift the IPL trophy?
The Indian Premier League is well underway and with match 32 being played on Wednesday, we’re nearing the middle of the 2026 IPL season, writes Sports News Blitz’s Darshan Kaur Gill.
The IPL is a professional T20 cricket league based in India founded in 2008, by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
It contains 10 teams based across India and each team plays 14 matches in the regular season.
IPL 2026 week one review: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma & Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shine
Five games into IPL 2026, a clear trend has emerged: chasing sides have won all five matches.
The superstars - Virat Kohli (69 vs SRH) and Rohit Sharma (78 vs KKR) - wasted no time stamping authority.
But the breakout story belongs to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
The 15-year-old sensation lit up the opening week with a sensational joint third-fastest half-century in IPL history, giving us a glimpse of what lies ahead.
Here’s Sports News Blitz cricket writer Himanshu Sharma’s team-by-team review after the opening round of matches.
IPL betting tips: Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Sunrisers Hyderabad preview
Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, March 28 to kick off the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
RCB, eyeing back-to-back titles, head into the tournament as one of the frontrunners in the outright winner market.
However, this shouldn’t be a comfortable opener for them against a power-packed Sunrisers Hyderabad, and offers potential early value for bettors.
Here, Sports News Blitz cricket betting writer Himanshu Sharma previews the opening fixture of the tournament and offers his best betting tips.
IPL 2026 preview: Team-by-team analysis, winner odds and predictions
The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) returns on March 28, 2026.
In the lead-up to the IPL 2026, Sports News Blitz cricket writer Himanshu Sharma previews all 10 teams with a look at how the season could unfold.
The guide also looks at tournament winner odds, along with key stats and facts from previous IPL editions.
Cricket opinion: Top five uncapped Indians to watch out for in the 2026 IPL
With the 2026 IPL on the horizon, a lot of the focus will be on the many uncapped Indian players who garnered a lot of attention in the IPL auction.
Sports News Blitz writer Dejan Johal previews the top five uncapped Indians to watch out for in this IPL.
New Zealand vs South Africa 1st T20I betting tips - Back Black Caps to pip inexperienced SA
The dust has barely settled on the T20 World Cup 2026, and now the T20I internationals resume. New Zealand and South Africa are back in action in a bilateral series that may not carry the weight of a mega ICC event but still offers plenty of intrigue.
Here, Sports News Blitz cricket betting writer Himanshu Sharma previews the fixture and offers his best betting tips.