James Anderson bids goodbye to international cricket,

 The best photographs from Anderson's final day as an international cricketer at Lord's,

Anderson's final day as an international cricketer started with a guard of honour. He was applauded onto the pitch at Lord's by his England team-mates and the West Indies' line-up, with captain Kraigg Brathwaite shaking his hand as he walked on.

Bowling from the Nursery End - not his preferred end at Lord's - he struck with his seventh ball of the morning. It was a classic Anderson dismissal, suckering Joshua da Silva into playing across the line with an outswinger that angled in before swinging away late to take the outside edge.

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July 14, 2024

West Indies' Test problems not solved by money - Lara.

 West Indies great Brian Lara does not think their current issues in Test cricket would be resolved by solely investing more money.

They are eighth in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test rankings, having been a dominant force in the 1980s when they set a then-record 11 consecutive Test victories.

In contrast they failed to win any of their three Test series in 2023, but did pick up their First Red-Ball Win Since 1997 earlier this year.

"If you put 100 million, 200 million dollars into the West Indies' bank account, is it going to change the way we play the game? I'm not sure," Lara Said.

"We are not harnessing the talent that we have."

A host of Windies players, such as Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope, are opting to play just white-ball cricket internationally, which enables them to play in franchise leagues across the world.

Other sports, such as athletics, are also big across the different nations in the Caribbean, which affects the talent pool available.

"Obviously, cricket has been diluted by the number of different sports and different opportunities for kids, but I still believe that corporate West Indies have got to get involved," said Lara.

"The West Indies Cricket Board hasn't done the right job in attracting these sponsors to ensure that at least grassroots, but also the academy, all the different things, the facilities, are up to standard. I think these things are very, very important."

Their current top five in the Test against England at Lord's had played 96 Tests between them prior to the game starting, but captain Kraigg Brathwaite accounted for 89 of those appearances.

In comparison England's top five had played in 259 Tests.

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July 12, 2024

Jayasuriya named Sri Lanka coach for England series,

 Sanath Jayasuriya has been appointed Sri Lanka's interim men's head coach after Chris Silverwood resigned in June.

Silverwood, 49, Stepped Down after the team's early group-stage exit from the T20 World Cup.

Former Sri Lanka captain Jayasuriya, 55, will coach the team on their three-Test tour of England in August and September.

That is as far as the arrangement extends for now.

"I have been asked to take over coaching and I am happy to do it," Jayasuriya told AFP.

This is Jayasuriya's first high-profile coaching role, having previously been a national selector for Sri Lanka. He has been serving as a cricket consultant for the team.

Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive Ashley de Silva said: "Sanath, with his wealth of international cricketing experience, is well positioned to guide the national team until we find a permanent solution."

As a player, all-rounder Jayasuriya represented Sri Lanka 586 times, competing internationally for the last time in 2011.

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July 09, 2024

England's autumn Test tour of Pakistan confirmed,

 

England will play Tests in Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi on their three-match tour of Pakistan in October.

The first Test gets under way in Multan on 7 October, little more than a week after the home summer ends with the conclusion of the white-ball series against Australia,

England last played a Test series in Pakistan in 2022, when they became the first visiting team to secure a 3-0 series clean sweep.

That was England's first Test tour of Pakistan for 17 years, following an attack on the Sri Lanka team by gunmen in Lahore in 2009.

England's winter includes three more Tests against New Zealand in December.

The white-ball squad visit the Caribbean in November and India in the early part of 2025, in the build-up to the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

England in Pakistan - schedule, fixtures & venues,

7-11 October – first Test, Multan.

15-19 October – second Test, Karachi.

24-28 October – third Test, Rawalpindi.

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July 06, 2024

Afghanistan women call on ICC to form refugee team,

 Members of the former Afghanistan women’s team have called on the International Cricket Council to help them form a refugee team based in Australia,

Formed in 2010, the Afghanistan women’s team disbanded in 2021 when the Taliban returned to power and banned women from universities, parks, sports and raided the homes of female athletes.

he ICC requires its full members, of which Afghanistan is one, to have a national women’s team, but the men’s team has retained its Test status and reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last week,

In a letter to ICC chair Greg Barclay, the Afghanistan women said: “Creating a team of Afghan refugees can give us a chance to play, coach and administer a cricket team without borders.

“The creation of this team will allow all Afghan women who want to represent their country to come together under one banner.

The Afghanistan women’s team was created nine years after the Taliban regime fell at the hands of a US-led military coalition.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) initially barred the women’s team from playing at several international tournaments, saying it received "Taliban threats".

Twenty-five female cricketers were handed contracts by the ACB in 2020. Less than a year later the Taliban returned to power, ending any progress towards Afghanistan playing an official women’s international.

More than 20 Afghan women’s cricketers managed to leave the country and are currently living in Australia.

“We are asking the ICC to assist us in setting up a refugee team in Australia, said the letter.

“Through this team we aim to represent all Afghan women who dream of playing cricket but are unable to in Afghanistan.

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July 02, 2024

India beat South Africa in thriller to win T20 title,

 T20 World Cup final, Barbados

India 176-7 (20 overs): Kohli 76 (59), Axar 47 (31); Maharaj 2-23, Nortje 2-26

South Africa 169-8 (20 overs): Klaasen 52 (27)

India won by seven runs,

ndia ended their 13-year wait for a world title by fighting back to beat South Africa in a thrilling T20 World Cup final.

The Proteas needed 26 from 24 balls in pursuit of 177, but the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen for 52 from 27 swung a dramatic game in India’s favour.

Arshdeep Singh conceded only four from the penultimate over, leaving Hardik Pandya to defend 16 from the last.

David Miller was sensationally caught by Suryakumar Yadav at long-off for 21 from the first ball before India closed out a seven-run win.

It sparked jubilant scenes among the India players and fans in Barbados, including superstar Virat Kohli, who dragged his side to 176-7 with 76 off 59.

For South Africa it was a horrible defeat that brought back all of the pain of World Cups past.

In the end Hardik was in tears.

He was part of the India side that lost the 50-over World Cup final to Australia on home soil eight months ago. This was their glorious redemption in the Caribbean.

The game looked done during Klaasen’s onslaught but Hardik removed him by finding a thin edge through to wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant.

Even as Klaasen slumped off, South Africa remained favourites.

They have done so much to banish the one cruel reputation of choking that follows their cricket team around.

In the end, up against some superb bowling from Jasprit Bumrah, who took 2-18 in a high-scoring game, they faltered again at the last.

In the final moments, Kagiso Rabada edged a four and Hardik bowled a wide, leaving eight needed from the last two balls before Radaba was caught at long-off.

India have so much in their favour – a team of superstars chosen from population of 1.4 billion and the largest proportion of the revenue generated in the game.

As they celebrated, none of that mattered. It was an occasion of pure sporting drama and relief.

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June 29, 2024

South Africa thrash Afghanistan to reach first men's World Cup final,

 T20 World Cup, Trinidad

Afghanistan 56 (11.5 overs): Omarzai 10 (12); Shamsi 3-6, Jansen 3-16

South Africa 60-1 (8.5 overs): Hendricks 29 (25), Markram 23 (21)

South Africa won by nine wickets.

South Africa ended their run of semi-final heartache by thrashing Afghanistan to reach their first men's T20 World Cup final.

The Proteas, who had failed to progress from all seven of their previous World Cup semi-finals across formats, dismissed Afghanistan for 56 in 11.5 overs on a difficult pitch on their way to a nine-wicket win in Trinidad.

Marco Jansen removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the tournament's leading run-scorer in Afghanistan's dramatic run to their first semi-final, and the score was soon 28-6.

It offered excessive seam movement and bounce to the pace bowlers, at times dangerously so, with South Africa also struggling in their chase.

Quinton de Kock was bowled having been hit on the body but, with little pressure to score quickly, the Proteas were able to complete their chase in 8.5 overs.

They now progress to Saturday's final in Barbados unbeaten as they look to win a World Cup for the first time.

They will play England or India, who meet in the second semi-final on Thursday in Guyana at 15:30 BST.

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan: "It was a tough, tough match for us as a team. We might have done a bit better than that, but the conditions didn't let us. That's what T20 is about, you've got to be ready for any situation. They bowled exceptionally well, we couldn't bat well."

"But I do think South Africa would have prevailed on a flat surface and deserve to be through to the final."

South Africa captain Aiden Markram: "It feels good. It's not really the captain that gets you to this stage of the competition, it's a massive squad effort and people behind the scenes. I'm chuffed we have one more crack at winning a trophy."

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June 27, 2024