Sports

Bumrah cameo and three-for make it India’s day amid rain breaks

Published

4 years ago

2022/07/4

India had the best of a stop-start day, adding 78 with their last three standing wickets and then taking four England wickets by the time they scored 78. On a day that only 39 overs were possible because of rain, India placed one hand firmly on the Pataudi Trophy, to secure which they needed merely a draw.

After Ravindra Jadeja completed his third Test century, India’s first out-and-out fast-bowler captain (Kapil Dev was an allrounder), Jasprit Bumrah broke a record held by Brian Lara, along with George Bailey and Keshav Maharaj, even before he came on to bowl, scoring 29 in a 35-run over from Stuart Broad, both a world record for most runs by a batter in an over and the most expensive over in Test cricket.

After adding 41 for the last wicket with Mohammed Siraj, Bumrah went on to take three wickets in his first spell, broken by rain breaks that helped him bowl seven overs on the trot. With India leading by 332 runs and only five England wickets standing at the end of two days, this Test was fast headed towards a territory from where only one team can win.

Jadeja began the day 17 short of a century, but showed no hurry to get there as he kept farming the strike with Mohammed Shami for company. He got to the landmark just before the second new ball became available with England trying short balls against Shami. It looked like a ploy used when waiting for the new ball, but it brought Shami 16 runs before he ramped Stuart Broad straight to fine third man in the last over of the old ball. Against the new ball, Jadeja tried to attack James Anderson but was bowled.

What followed is hard to decipher. At 375 for 9, with three-over-old ball, Broad began bowling short at Bumrah with a strong field square and behind on the leg side and no slip in place on the off side. It was almost like England had erased Lord’s from their minds where Bumrah and Shami made them pay for their short lengths. To make matters worse, Broad bowled five wides and also a no-ball that flew off the top edge for a six. Also Bumrah drove a full toss through the vacant mid-on region, top-edged another four and smacked clean another hook for a six. With one four through midwicket, Bumrah himself landed on his back but middled the shot. The only consolation for England was that Anderson ended the India innings with his 32nd five-wicket haul in Tests.

An absolutely torrid examination followed for England’s batters. Under overcast skies, Bumrah found just enough movement and never faltered in his length. To make it worse, he got two rain breaks in his first spell, much like Anderson got one to prolong his afternoon spell on day one.

Two of Bumrah’s three wickets came off the seventh and eighth balls of the over at a time when batters might have had reason to be thankful they had played an over out. No, said the third umpire, calling no-balls just in time. Alex Lees failed to cover the angle on a delivery from around the wicket, getting beaten so comprehensively he got both lbw and bowled to it. Of course, bowled takes precedence in such cases.

Both Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope played forgettable shots to get out, driving away from the body to balls that were not nearly full enough. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer caught them in the slips.

In the final one hour, Shami turned up the heat, constantly troubling Root, which probably drew some loose shots from him. Root tried many tricks to steer Shami off his length, but Shami was persistent. He drove away from the body, he walked at Shami, he shuffled outside the line, and just about survived that Bumrah-Shami interrogation when Mohammed Siraj came on half an hour before stumps.

For that whole over, Root kept trying to late-cut Siraj, but the movement off the pitch kept cramping him up. It was the wobble-seam ball that tends to go like an offcutter for Siraj that kept denying Root, and eventually the last ball of the over seamed in appreciably to take the edge through to Rishabh Pant.

Shami was rewarded for his persistence with the wicket of nightwatchman Jack Leach. Jonny Bairstow, who scored 394 runs at a strike rate of 120.12 against New Zealand, didn’t find anything to hit here and ended the day unbeaten on 12 off 47. That should tell you that a batter’s intent can’t regularly work independent of the quality of bowling and conditions. (cricinfo)

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England Women appoint Leah Poulton as managing director

Published

23 mins ago

2026/09/9

Priyan

Leah Poulton will become Managing Director, England Women [Cricinfo]

Leah Poulton the former Australia batter turned coach and administrator, will join England Women as managing director, succeeding Clare Connor.

Poulton will be charged with overseeing the success of the international team and pathways after the ECB cited her “impressive track record driving women’s cricket forward in Australia”.

Poulton earned 90 caps for Australia before retiring in 2015 and has spent the past six years as head of elite female cricket at Cricket New South Wales. There, she oversees cricket performance operations across two WBBL franchises, women’s state cricket and one of the world’s largest women’s cricket talent pathways.

Before that, she spent three years at Cricket Australia as a High Performance Coach, where she was instrumental in setting up Australia’s enviable women’s high-performance pathway, which included developing the Australia A and Under-19s women’s teams.

In her new role, she will be accountable for the performances of England Women, England Women A, England Women Under-19s and the overall women’s high-performance system.

Poulton will start in her new role in November with England set to host the Women’s Ashes next summer. She fills the role vacated by Connor, who announced earlier this year that she would be leaving the ECB after a career spanning 18 years, and will work closely with England Women’s head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.

“I’m incredibly excited and honoured to be joining England, and to have the opportunity to help shape our programmes and, most importantly, invest in our people,” Poulton said. “I’m looking forward to working with Charlotte, Nat and the wider team, building on the strong foundations already in place and taking the programme forward.

“I know how vital strong pathways and a healthy domestic game are to sustained success, so I’m looking forward to connecting with people across the game and helping give the next generation of English players every opportunity to thrive. It’s a huge privilege to be part of England Women, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Richard Gould, the ECB’s CEO, said that with the senior women’s team had made under Edwards, appointed last year, and having reached the final of their recent home T20 World Cup, England Women were well placed for a successful era.

“I’m delighted to welcome Leah on board to help us build on this and take us to the next level,” Gould said. “She has a deep understanding of international cricket from her playing career and has built an impressive reputation in her time in administration.

“I believe she and Lottie will be a formidable combination, and will continue the team’s progress and development as we compete for the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy and Women’s Ashes in 2027.”

[Cricinfo]

Latest News

Avindu makes history with first World University gold for Sri Lanka

Published

2 hours ago

2026/09/9

Priyan

University of Sri Jayewardenepura weightlifter Avindu Liyanagedara made history yesterday by becoming the first Sri Lankan university student to win a gold medal at a World University sports event, as Sri Lanka made a spectacular start to the 2026 World University Weightlifting Championship in Doha, Qatar.

‎Liyanagedara won the men’s 60kg title, while Sabaragamuwa University’s Nipun Dissanayake added a bronze medal in the 65kg category on the opening day of the championship.

‎Liyanagedara lifted 105kg in the snatch and 132kg in the clean and jerk for an impressive combined total of 237kg.

‎Spain’s Gomez Martinez took the silver with 228kg, while Chun-Yen Tang of Chinese Taipei won bronze with 227kg.

‎Dissanayake also secured a podium finish in the 65kg class with a total of 220kg, comprising a 100kg snatch and a 120kg clean and jerk.

‎Iran’s Mohhadov Tehran won the gold with 289kg, with Moldova’s Ion Badanev taking silver with 288kg.

‎Liyanagedara’s achievement represents a landmark breakthrough for Sri Lankan university sport. His gold is the first gold medal won by a Sri Lankan university student at a World University sports event, while Dissanayake’s bronze further strengthened the country’s historic opening-day showing.

‎The Sri Lanka University Sports Association has entered five male and two female athletes for the championship, with University of Colombo’s Sujan Walgampaya serving as team manager and coach.

‎The championship continues in Doha until September 12, with Sri Lanka already assured of a memorable place in the history of World University sport through Liyanagedara’s historic gold medal.

Sports

Quicks, rotate them and look after them

Published

12 hours ago

2026/09/9

Sahan Weerasooriya

Dushmantha Chameera and Dilshan Madushanka are a treat to watch when on full flow but both have been injured all too frequently.

by Rex Clementine

Despite the disappointment over how Sri Lanka’s cricket teams have fared in recent years, there is one format in which they have managed to hold their heads high, ODI cricket. There are a couple of notable feathers in their cap too, having beaten Australia and India, the world’s two top ranked teams and finalists at the last World Cup.

Those impressive performances against the heavyweights have ensured that Sri Lanka are out of the woods this time around. Unlike ahead of the 2023 World Cup, they will not have to endure the indignity of a qualifying tournament to book their ticket to South Africa in 2027.

How they fare once they get there, of course, is another question altogether.

Sri Lanka failed to progress beyond the first round in both 2019 and 2023, a sharp contrast to their impressive run from 2003 to 2015. Across those four World Cups, they twice finished runners-up, reached a semi-final on another occasion and made the quarter-finals in the other.

If Sri Lanka are to make an impact in South Africa, one thing they must do is wrap their fast bowlers in cotton wool. Fast bowling has been one of the brighter areas of Sri Lankan cricket in recent years and there can hardly be a better place to cash in than South Africa, where hard, bouncy surfaces tend to put a spring in the step of any quick worth his salt.

The key man, obviously, is Dushmantha Chameera. The quickest bowler in the country, Chameera is now being used only in white ball cricket and that should make workload management considerably easier. Sri Lanka would be wise to count how many limited overs games they have between now and the World Cup rather than wheel him out for every bilateral contest.

Keep him for the important assignments, such as the Asia Cup. Then there is the IPL, where he will understandably want to ply his trade. Manage him sensibly and by the time the World Cup comes around this time next year, Sri Lanka could have a fresh and firing Chameera rather than one held together by strapping and hope.

Then there is Asitha Fernando, whose progress over the last five years has been remarkable. Currently ranked just outside the top ten among Test bowlers, he has earned admiration for his ability to make things happen, particularly with the older ball. He keeps asking questions even when conditions are against him.

A stint with Glamorgan last year appears to have added a few more tricks to his armoury as well. Asitha is no longer simply a wholehearted fast bowler. He is developing into a clever one.

Lahiru Kumara is another serious weapon. The second quickest bowler in the country behind Chameera, he can be devastating when fully fit. His career should probably have produced far more by now, but, like Chameera, injuries have repeatedly applied the handbrake.

Eshan Malinga, meanwhile, has arguably been the most improved fast bowler in the country over the last 12 months. He has pace, guile and every time you watch him, there seems to be another little trick added to his repertoire. The upcoming series against England should tell us plenty about how far he has come.

Eshan has already become a regular fixture for his IPL franchise. It should only be a matter of time before he establishes himself in similar fashion for Sri Lanka.

Then there is Dilshan Madushanka to provide the left-arm variety. When in full flow, he is a treat to watch. His ability to strike with the new ball makes him particularly valuable and when batters attempt to force the pace against him, he can be deadly. Used aggressively during the Power Play, he should provide plenty of early breakthroughs.

That makes Sri Lanka’s use of their quicks during the upcoming tour of England, particularly in the ODIs, worth watching closely. With the World Cup in mind, there is little sense in flogging the same men game after game. Rotate them, manage them and make sure the main weapons are still firing when the bigger battles arrive.

There are also Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara, the two slingers, although that style of bowling increasingly looks as though it is losing some of its novelty as batters become accustomed to it.

One man Sri Lanka should certainly not overlook is Milan Rathnayake. He bowls at a decent pace, bats beautifully and is probably the best fielder among the fast bowlers. That package could prove invaluable in South African conditions.

Sri Lanka have spent years searching for a pace attack with depth. They finally appear to have one. The challenge now is to preserve them. South Africa will reward pace. Sri Lanka’s job over the next year is to make sure their quicks land in Johannesburg fit.