Sports

Cricket heavyweights joined by trio of sides out to impress

Published

2 years ago

2024/05/31

Group B preview:

Australia and England will be favourites to progress out of Group B at the T20 World Cup, but Namibia, Oman and Scotland have shown previously they are more than capable of causing an upset or two.

The two most recent champions along with three spirited associates make up Group B of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

England, the defending champions of the Men’s T20 World Cup, and Australia, the winners of the 2021 edition, are in Group B along with Namibia, Oman and Scotland. Only the top two teams will progress to the Super 8s phase of the event.

While all eyes will be on the big names from Australia and England, there’s enough potential in Namibia, Oman, and Scotland to make the group results interesting.

Despite not reaching the final four stage of their home T20 World Cup in 2022, Australia are among the favourites in this edition. The talented side have a history of doing well in ICC events, and the current unit features several players in rich form with recent ICC success.

Squad

Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Fixtures

vs Oman – Wednesday, 5 June 2024 Barbados, 08:30 PM Local

vs England – Saturday, 8 June 2024 Barbados, 01:00 PM Local

vs Namibia – Tuesday, 11 June 2024 Antigua, 08:30 PM Local

vs Scotland – Saturday, 15 June 2024 St. Lucia, 08:30 PM Local

Key player – Travis Head

Travis Head has been Australia’s star performer in ICC tournaments of late, as shown through his stellar performances during the ICC World Test Championship final and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup semi-final and final.

Having won two ICC titles for Australia since June 2023, Head would like to make it a hat-trick for the men’s side with his dynamic display on the field.

Adding to his repertoire is his explosive form in the IPL, where he has scored more than 500 runs at a strike rate just below 200.

England

The defending champions, England, will yet again look to bank on the attacking style of play that has served them so well in the limited-overs format.

The return of pace spearhead Jofra Archer to the line-up is a big plus in a squad that seems to have all the key bases covered.

Squad

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood

Fixtures

vs Scotland – Tuesday, 4 June 2024 , Barbados, 10:30 AM Local

vs Australia – Saturday, 8 June 2024 Barbados, 01:00 PM Local

vs Oman – Thursday, 13 June 2024 Antigua, 03:00 PM Local

vs Namibia – Saturday, 15 June 2024 , Antigua, 01:00 PM Local

Key player – Mark Wood

Despite not featuring in the business end of England’s successful 2022 campaign, Mark Wood left his mark on the tournament with his propensity to rattle up opposition batters.

Raw pace serves a dual purpose in Wood’s armour, helping extract that extra zip out of the wicket while also clouding the batter’s shot-making ability by reducing the time available for shot selection.

Namibia

Namibia qualified for the T20 World Cup on the back of a stellar run at the Africa Regional Qualifier stage. They were undefeated in the tournament, securing wins over six teams including co-qualifiers Uganda and Test-playing Zimbabwe. Success over Test nations isn’t a new phenomenon for the Eagles, who stunned Sri Lanka in the last edition of the T20 World Cup, and they’d like to repeat the feat in the upcoming event.

Squad

Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Michael Van Lingen, Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Tangeni Lungameni, Niko Davin, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, JP Kotze, David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz, Malan Kruger, PD Blignaut

Fixtures

vs Oman – Sunday, 2 June 2024 Barbados, 08:30 PM Local

vs Scotland – Thursday, 6 June 2024 , Barbados, 03:00 PM Local

vs Australia – Tue, 11 June 2024 Antigua, 08:30 PM Local

vs England – Saturday, 15 June 2024 Antigua, 01:00 PM Local

Key player – David Wiese

Since making his international comeback with Namibia, David Wiese has been living the dream. The 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup will be his third consecutive tournament this decade, and the all-rounder will be raring to go in all departments on the field.

His hammer-and-tongs approach with the willow and clever assortment of cutters and slower balls have served the Eagles well and the burly all-rounder will look to light up Group B with his performances.

Oman

The sole Asian side in the group, Oman, carry a fair mix of tournament experience in their ranks. This will be their third appearance in the T20 World Cup, and the side would love to leave their mark with a good showing. Their opening encounter on 2 June against Namibia, a side they’ve defeated twice in the past, could set the tone for their tournament.

Squad

Aqib Ilyas (c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale, Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi, Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Rafiullah, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, Shakeel Ahmad, Khalid Kail. Reserves: Jatinder Singh, Samay Shrivastava, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra

Fixtures

vs Namibia – Sunday, 2 June 2024 , Barbados, 08:30 PM Local

vs Australia – Wednesday, 5 June 2024 Barbados, 08:30 PM Local

vs Scotland – Sun, 9 June 2024 Antigua, 01:00 PM Local

vs England – Thursday, 13 June 2024 Antigua, 03:00 PM Local

Key player – Aqib Ilyas

Skipper Aqib Ilyas, a solid top-order batter and a top-draw spinner, will be key to Oman’s hopes in the T20 World Cup. He might be a newly appointed leader, but the presence of former captain, Zeeshan Maqsood, in the squad means that the all-rounder will have plenty of support on the field.

Aqib’s captaincy tenure has seen his numbers improve, with the batter averaging 42.5 at a strike-rate of 158.38, from his seven games.

Scotland

Richie Berrington’s Scotland have a number of players with a fair amount of global T20 cricket experience and will seek to bring that knowledge to best use in their group encounters in the West Indies.

The Scots have a proud cricketing history, which includes defeating neighbouring rivals England in ODI cricket in 2018. Their meeting on 4 June in Barbados will be the first-ever in T20I format, and Berrington’s side would be more than chuffed if they pull off a similar result to give their campaign a perfect start.

Squad

Richie Berrington (c), Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Jack Jarvis, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Charlie Tear, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal

Fixtures

vs England – Tuesday, 4 June 2024 Barbados, 10:30 AM Local

vs Namibia – Thursday, 6 June 2024 Barbados, 03:00 PM Local

vs Oman – Sunday 9 June 2024 Antigua, 01:00 PM Local

vs Australia – Saturday, 15 June 2024 St. Lucia, 08:30 PM Local

Key player – Mark Watt

Left-arm spinner Mark Watt has been Scotland’s go-to bowler for some time now. The tweaker makes good use of the crease, varying his delivery point depending on the batter and match situation, and fluctuates his speeds to keep the opponent guessing.

His spinning darters have stood up well against famed opponents, as showed against Sri Lanka and West Indies in last year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.

(ICC)

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Heat Index likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district

Published

41 mins ago

2026/03/29

Priyan

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 28 March 2026, valid for 29March 2026.

Heat index, the temperature felt on the human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.

Latest News

Tharanga shatters national javelin record again ‎

Published

53 mins ago

2026/03/29

Priyan

(File pic)

Rumesh Tharanga created history with yet another world leading throw that shattered his own national javelin record at the Champions Track and Field event at Diyagama on Saturday.

‎The massive 89.37 metres throw, when recognized by World Athletics is set to become the fourth furthest throw in the history of the Asian region.

‎Despite little competion from his rivals, Tharanga rose like a champion of an entirely different league when he delivered the record breaking feat in his final attempt.

‎Tharanga had a world leading mark of 83.07 metres for the year coming into this meet. His national record of 86.50 metres was from August 2025. (RF)

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Woods charged with driving under influence after crash

Published

21 hours ago

2026/03/28

Priyan

iger Woods was fortunate to escape with his life from this 2021 crash near Los Angeles [BBC]

Tiger Woods has been charged with driving under the influence after rolling his car in a crash in Florida, police have confirmed.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said the 15-time major champion was also charged with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.

Woods, 50, rolled his Land Rover after clipping a pressure cleaner truck while trying to overtake it at “a high rate of speed”, according to Sheriff John Budensiek.

The golfer, who had to crawl out of the passenger door of his vehicle, passed a breathalyser test after the crash but refused a urine test.

No-one sustained any injuries in the incident which took place on Beach Road in Jupiter Island just before 14:00 local time on Friday (about 19:00 GMT).

Sheriff Budensiek told a news conference: “The DUI investigators came to the scene and Mr Woods did exemplify signs of impairment.

“They did several tests on him. He did explain the injuries and surgeries that he’s had and we did take that into account, but they did some in-depth roadside tests.

“When it was determined, he was placed under arrest and taken to the Martin County jail.

“At the Martin County jail, and even on scene, we were really not suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case and that proved to be true.

“Mr Woods did a breathalyser test with triple zeros, but when it came time for us to ask for a urinary analysis test, he refused.”

Budensiek also said Woods had been “co-operative but was trying not to incriminate himself”.

“He has a right to refuse that test,” added the sheriff. “There is a statute which he will be charged with for refusing to take that test, but we will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash.”

US president Donald Trump was asked about the crash on Friday, saying: “I feel so badly. [Woods has] got some difficulty. There was an accident. That’s all I know.

“He’s a very close friend of mine, he’s an amazing person, an amazing man.”

Sheriff Budensiek said Woods would remain in jail for eight hours then be released on bond. The charges are misdemeanours, not felonies.

The BBC has contacted the golfer’s representatives for comment.

This is not the first time Woods has been involved in a car accident – he has played a limited schedule since the serious crash in 2021 that left him with extensive injuries and fortunate to be alive.

In 2017 police officers also found him slumped at the wheel of his parked Mercedes-Benz not far from his Florida home.

A toxicology report found Woods had several legal medications in his system and marijuana’s active ingredient, and he was sentenced to a year’s probation after pleading guilty to reckless driving.

In 2009 Woods hit a fire hydrant, a tree, and several hedges in a bizarre collision outside his home.

The incident sparked accusations of extramarital affairs which led to the end of his seven-year marriage and the loss of lucrative sponsorship deals.

[BBC]