Relief for England as Stokes returns
A genuine all-rounder has been worth his weight in gold to England through the decades. Wilfred Rhodes, Tony Greig, Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff all played their parts magnificently and currently England have Ben Stokes to lean on. Without him, they look a pale shadow of their former selves. It was evident yet again at The Oval where England crashed to a heavy defeat against New Zealand.
There is anger and disappointment, perhaps not so much among the fans, but certainly among former players and sections of the media, with many blaming the captain for letting the team down. When England imposed curfews after the dramas of the winter tours, Stokes was very much part of the leadership group behind the move. For him to then breach those very rules has left a bitter taste in many mouths.
There has also been intense scrutiny on head coach Brendon McCullum. Many believe he was fortunate to survive after the Ashes disappointment and questions are now being asked about whether there was clear communication to players. Gus Atkinson, who was left out alongside Stokes for the second Test, appeared unaware of the curfew arrangements.
England’s succession plans too have come under the microscope. The ECB opted to hand the captaincy to Joe Root rather than Harry Brook, who leads the white-ball side and has done a decent job despite some off-field controversies. Brook is also the deputy of the Test team. Former England batting coach Mark Ramprakash commented the side needs serious men in leadership roles.
Best figures by a Kiwi in England
If there were doubts over how New Zealand would cope in Test cricket after the retirements of Trent Boult and Tim Southee, Matt Henry provided a resounding answer. The seamer claimed career-best figures of 11 for 109 at The Oval as New Zealand hammered England by 253 runs.
Henry’s match figures are the best by a New Zealander in England and the second best by a Kiwi away from home.
Atapattu’s stunning hundred gives Sri Lanka a glimmer of hope
Chamari Atapattu became the first Sri Lankan to score a hundred in a Women’s T20 World Cup as her side thrashed Scotland by nine wickets in Bristol on Tuesday. It was her fourth T20I century.
The skipper finished unbeaten on 106 off 61 balls with 17 fours and two sixes as Sri Lanka romped home with 27 balls to spare. It was the fastest T20I hundred at Bristol, men or women.
Atapattu had spoken of her disappointment after the defeat to West Indies, a loss that effectively ended Sri Lanka’s hopes of reaching the last four for the first time. There is now a faint glimmer of hope, although other results need to fall their way.
The Power Play proved decisive. While Scotland lost three wickets for 19 runs, Sri Lanka raced to 50 before the fifth over, with Atapattu contributing 46 of those runs.
Leicestershire on cloud nine
Leicestershire are back in Division One of the County Championship after a 22 year absence and the season hardly began according to script as they lost their first four games.
But fortunes have turned. This week they beat Yorkshire inside three days to register their first victory in the top flight since 2003.
Sooryavanshi smashes fastest List A half-century
Far away in Dambulla, teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi provided a glimpse of what lies ahead in international cricket. The 15-year old smashed the fastest List A fifty against Sri Lanka ‘A’, reaching the landmark in just 11 balls.
In doing so, he broke a 21-year-old record held by Ragama CC’s Kaushal Weeraratne, who had needed 12 balls against Kurunegala at Bloomfield.
Sooryavanshi’s breathtaking 94 off 29 deliveries featured ten fours and eight sixes and helped India ‘A’ secure a comfortable victory in the tri-nation final, with Afghanistan being the third participant.
It was his final appearance as an uncapped player as he is set to make his international debut during India’s tour of Ireland.
The BCCI, mindful of his tender age, has allowed the youngster’s parents to accompany him on the tours of Ireland and England, with the board footing the bill in a bid to provide a comfortable environment.
Legendary broadcaster Qamar Ahmed passes away at 88
Legendary journalist and broadcaster Qamar Ahmed passed away in Karachi at the age of 88.
Qamar was a capable first-class cricketer in Pakistan and continued to play club cricket in England, but it was his work in journalism that brought him worldwide recognition.
He covered more than 400 Test matches, a remarkable milestone. His work appeared in Reuters and AFP while his voice became synonymous with BBC broadcasts.
He attended every World Cup until 2007 and witnessed many iconic moments of the game. He was present when Sunil Gavaskar became the first batsman to score 10,000 Test runs and when Richard Hadlee became the first bowler to claim 400 Test wickets. He was also in Lahore when terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009.
Toronto ODI abandoned due to dangerous pitch
An ODI between Canada and the Netherlands in Toronto was abandoned because of a dangerous pitch.
Only 4.1 overs were possible as batsmen repeatedly suffered nasty blows due to uneven bounce.
Four days earlier, the pitch had been rated “unsatisfactory” after misbehaving during a game between the USA and the Netherlands. The tournament forms part of the qualification pathway for next year’s World Cup in Africa.
Blow for England as captain ruled out
England have begun the Women’s World Cup with three wins from three games, but they have suffered a major setback with captain Natalie Sciver-Brunt ruled out for at least two matches because of a calf injury.
The all-rounder had been troubled by the same problem earlier in the summer and missed bilateral series against India and New Zealand.
Should England qualify for the semi-finals with a game to spare, they are expected to hold back their captain until the knockout stage later this month, giving her additional time to recover.
