Chaos ensued in the lead up to the third one-day international between England and the West Indies, with London traffic delaying the toss by over half an hour.
Joe Root’s greatness is shining anew in the evening of his white-ball career | Jonathan Liew
England talisman’s majestic innings against West Indies shows he still has worlds he wants to conquer
The winning moment is perfect. Perfect in concept, in balance, in execution, in placement, in flourish. The ball disappears through mid-on, and before it has even reached the boundary the lid is off and the smile is unsheathed, and for some reason it matters a great deal that the stroke to complete a towering one-day chase of 309 is not a wallop or a swipe, but an artful on-drive for four.
But then for all his brilliance, there has always been a pleasingly jarring quality to Root in limited‑overs cricket, even a kind of quiet defiance. His match‑winning 166 against the West Indies on Sunday was perhaps his greatest white-ball innings, but above all it was simply a Joe Root innings, all gentle nudges and classical drives, timing over power, manoeuvrability over muscularity, a triumph of pure talent.
Continue reading...‘Made it pretty clear’: Ponting’s Aussie revolution sparked IPL final surge… Kohli stands in his way
Punjab Kings stand in the way of Virat Kohli’s dream of finally winning the Indian Premier League in Tuesday’s final at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.
Aussie World Cup hero retires from ODI cricket after whirlwind 13-year career
Australian white-ball superstar Glenn Maxwell has announced his retirement from 50-over cricket, effective immediately.
‘Only getting better with age’: England superstar Joe Root makes history
Joe Root struck his maiden one-day international score of over 150 as England beat the West Indies by three wickets in Cardiff to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in a three-match series.
IPL final to have Aussie flavour as Inglis fires against superstar, Ponting’s stellar coaching run continues
Shreyas Iyer led from the front with an unbeaten 87 as Punjab Kings beat Mumbai Indians by five wickets on Monday (AEST) to set up an IPL final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Indian Premier League cricket 2025: Rohit Sharma half-century as Mumbai beat Gujurat in eliminator, into qualifer against Punjab, news, video
Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians’ batting charge with his 81 to knock Gujarat Titans out of the Indian Premier League with a 20-run win in the eliminator on Friday.
Sports quiz of the week: French Open, Champions League and McTominay
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Continue reading...‘He’s got aura’: England sensation Jacob Bethell on Virat Kohli and Test ambitions
The team’s latest big hitter opens up after his incendiary innings against the West Indies this week
Fresh off a plane from India and straight into a player-of-the-match performance for England on his home ground, Jacob Bethell’s world is a pretty hectic one these days. But the only complaint about a jetsetting lifestyle that has him rubbing shoulders with Virat Kohli and tipped for superstardom is the hotel beds.
“A lot of them are way too soft,” says Bethell after the first one-day international against West Indies, his incendiary 82 having helped Harry Brook to a winning start as England captain. “I’ve got a bad back and I’m only 21, so we need to sort that out. I might have to walk around with some memory foam. But no, I’m enjoying it.”
Continue reading...‘Phenomenal’ Poms smash Windies in record-breaking ODI rout as young star makes statement
Harry Brook made a winning start as England’s permanent white-ball captain as the hosts hammered the West Indies by 238 runs in the first one-day international at Edgbaston on Thursday.
Hazlewood guides RCB into IPL final with superb spell including dismissing Aussie teammate!
Australia’s Josh Hazlewood returned figures of 3-21 to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru storm into the Indian Premier League final with a eight-wicket thrashing of Punjab Kings on Thursday.
‘Red-ball cricket is the soul of the game’: Kane Williamson joins Middlesex
One of the game’s modern greats still wants to play Tests and is looking forward to the ‘nice buzz’ of an English summer
The world’s third-best Test batsman has made a quiet arrival in London for the beginning of a four-month stint in county cricket. Middlesex made headlines recently by saying they were keen to sign Virat Kohli. Maybe next year. This one, they’ve got his friend and contemporary Kane Williamson who, with his gear stuffed into a Karachi Kings kit bag, was picked up from the airport by his new captain, Steve Eskinazi, on Wednesday morning then went straight to training on the Nursery Ground before the game against Sussex in the Blast on Thursday night.
Williamson should do plenty for Middlesex’s middle order, but maybe not quite so much for the viewing figures their live stream brings in on the subcontinent. Still, it feels like a coup for county cricket. It has been made possible by the support of MCC, who are paying a part of the 34-year-old’s fee so that he can double up playing for London Spirit in the Hundred.
Continue reading...Marsh’s smashing parting shot as $5m star cartwheels out of form slump, RCB make IPL history
Skipper Jitesh Sharma hammered an unbeaten 85 and Virat Kohli hit 54 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru stormed into qualifier 1 of the IPL playoffs with a six-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday.
Roland Butcher: ‘West Indies are struggling – we’ve not hit rock bottom yet’
The Barbados-born former England player on being jettisoned as a West Indies selector, the risks of their new cricket structure and his thwarted football dreams
After West Indies secured a one-day series draw against Ireland on Sunday their captain, Shai Hope, was asked about the team’s imminent visit to England. “We played them at the end of last year and we won that series so we know they’re going to be coming at us even harder this time,” he said. “We’re looking forward to it. We know they’re going to be a tough, tough opponent but we’re always ready to play anyone.”
Roland Butcher, child of Barbados, once of England and more recently a West Indies selector, has a less optimistic outlook: “We’re struggling, and the struggle is not over. We haven’t hit rock bottom yet.” The concentration of power across all three formats in the hands of one coach and selector – Daren Sammy – is what Butcher fears “is going to finally push us to the bottom”.
Continue reading...County cricket: Nottinghamshire flying in Division One at the break
It’s an East Midlands double in the County Championship, with Leicestershire topping Division Two
Nottinghamshire bounced back from last week’s defeat to go into the T20 Blast break with a handy 10-point lead at the top of the County Championship. Yorkshire, enduring a tricky return to the top flight, were their victims, the leaders simply too strong at Headingley.
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