Sports
World Cup ‘ruined’ by ‘predictable’ Colombo weather
You wait four years for a World Cup, but if you’re a player or fan in Colombo then you may have spent most of this tournament staring at the rain rather than enjoying some much-anticipated cricket.
Five of the nine matches staged in the Sri Lanka capital have been affected by rain – with four ending in no result – causing former England spinner Alex Hartley to say the conditions had “ruined” the World Cup.
October is monsoon season on the island, with 300-370mm of rain anticipated in the month.
”I don’t really know what anybody was expecting to be completely honest. You have a tournament in Sri Lanka during monsoon season, it pretty much rains at the same time every single day,” Hartley, who won the tournament in 2017, told BBC Radio 5 Live.
”It’s ruined this World Cup – it’s been a real shame.”
All bar two of Sri Lanka’s group games are being staged at the R. Premadasa Stadium, as are all of Pakistan’s matches because of the ongoing political tensions with India, who are hosting the majority of the tournament.
Fatima Sana’s side sit bottom of the tournament standings and are facing elimination having seen their past two games washed out, including one against England where they looked well placed to win.
”You don’t want to come into a 50-over World Cup going ‘oh, well let’s hope we get a T20 tonight if it rains a little bit’. It’s been a little bit too predictable and really disappointing,” added Hartley.
”I toured Sri Lanka 10 years ago in October and every single one of our training sessions got rained out every single afternoon.
”The games in Sri Lanka could have, and should have, started earlier – that’s the only way you could have got the games unaffected.”
All matches are being played as day-nighters, with a 10:30 BST start and 15:00 local.
New Zealand have also seen their past two games in Colombo rained off, and the T20 World champions currently sit out the qualification places for the knockout stages.
”It’s extremely frustrating, let’s be honest. You wait four years for a World Cup and to have suffer through the rain,” said New Zealand captain Sophie Devine, who at 35 is likely to be playing in her last 50-over World Cup.
”I hope in future editions, they think of playing earlier in the day. We have seen the rain comes in the evening so play at 10 or 11. For the game, to be scuppered by rain is a real shame for me.”
BBC Sport has approached the International Cricket Council (ICC) for comment.
England’s game against Pakistan in Colombo saw them slip to 133-9, with the game called off during their opponents’ chase.
Nonetheless, England coach Charlotte Edwards has also been critical of the situation in Sri Lanka.
”You want to play as much cricket as you possibly can. I don’t know if things could have been changed that the games start earlier because of the monsoon season.
”I just hope that the teams that are playing there get some cricket this week, because you want to be playing games in the tournaments like this and it’s very frustrating that they’re not at the moment.”
If Pakistan were to qualify for the knockout stages then their matches would be held in Colombo, but given they are unlikely to qualify there are likely to be just two further matches staged there – between Pakistan and South Africa on Tuesday and Sri Lanka and Pakistan on Friday.
The weather for both days? (bbc)
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports to establish the proposed National Higher Performance Centre for atletes.
India opener Shafali Verma has received an official reprimand and a demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second T20I against Zimbabwe on Sunday.
Shafali, an ICC release said, breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.”
It was Shafali’s first offence in a 24-month period.
The incident occurred in the 12th over of Zimbabwe’s innings when Shafali threw the ball into the ground in frustration after dropping a chance at mid-off offered by Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano off Sree Charani.
Shafali admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee GS Lakshmi, which meant there was no need for a formal hearing.
Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.
India currently lead the three-match series 2-0 with the third game to be played on Tuesday evening. The T20Is will be followed by three ODIs in Vadodara from October 23.
(Cricinfo)
A total of 146 players will be competing for 27 available slots in the WPL 2027 mini auction on October 28 in Kochi. Of these, England batter Sophia Dunkley and Australia captain Sophie Molineux are the only two players who have listed themselves at the maximum base price of INR 50 lakh.
The auction pool has 119 Indian players, including 22 capped and 97 uncapped players, with 20 slots available for Indian players. The overseas pool has 27 players – 14 capped and 13 uncapped – including six from Associate teams, with seven slots available.
G Kamalini (released by Mumbai Indians), Kiran Navigre (released by U P Warriorz), Heather Graham and Jess Jonassen have registered at the second-highest base price of INR 40 lakh, while a total of 30 players have registered at INR 30 lakh.
Among the notable absentees are West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin, who was released by UPW, and Australia legspinner Alana King, who was released by Delhi Capitals. Lizelle Lee, who was DC’s highest run-scorer last season, has also not listed herself after being released by the franchise.
What the teams look like going into the auction
Only two English players – Dunkley and Kira Chathli (INR 10 lakh) – have registered for the auction, with several others, including Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Dani Gibson, Lauren Filer and Linsey Smith opting to skip the WPL next year.
Cricinfo has learned that England are likely to play three T20Is in Sri Lanka in early February, which will clash with the final week of the WPL. While the ECB is likely to allow players to stay in India to complete the tournament, most players have instead chosen to prioritise their international commitments ahead of the Champions Trophy later that month.
The relatively low salaries on offer at the WPL are also understood to be a factor in many English players deciding not to register, with most internationals earning significantly more to play in the Hundred (up to £190,000 last year) than the highest permitted base price in the WPL of INR 50 lakh (£40,000 approx).
Molineux was part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru [RCB] title-winning squad in 2024, and had bagged 12 wickets in ten games at an economy rate of 7.31. She was retained by RCB for the 2025 season but a knee injury ruled her out of the season. Dunkley, meanwhile, played for Gujarat Giants [GT] in 2023 before opting not to register for the 2024 season. She went unsold in the 2025 auction.
Among the premier internationals who have listed themselves for INR 30 lakh are Australia allrounder Grace Harris (released by RCB), Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, South Africa left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba and South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon.
UPW, who released nine players, will go into the auction with the biggest purse of INR 3.75 crore.
[Cricinfo]
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Amendment of the Ayurvedha Act No. 31 of 1961
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