Sports

Lord’s is changing

Published

1 year ago

2024/09/1

Thilina Walpola

The Sri Lankan team posing for a photograph before the Lord’s Test

Rex Clementine in London

When former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar delivered the Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s in 2003, he drove home some pertinent points. The legendary opening batsman said, “There may be some among you who on receiving the invitation to this evening’s lecture must have seen who was going to speak and said “Oh! Yeah! Only if he is allowed through the gate!”

“For me, it’s a bit like getting an invitation to a party on 1st April; you don’t know whether it’s for real or if it’s an April Fool’s joke. Having now got to the podium which does afford me a better view than my natural height, I can see that you all did take the chance that I would be allowed in,” he went onto say.

“As you can see, I am here – let in by the stewards who over the years have become quite charming. No more does one hear “Oi! Where do you think you are going?” Instead, now we hear “Excuse me, sir, can I help you?” Now this is a tremendous change and the MCC needs to be complimented on the remarkable improvement in the attitude of those manning the various entrances at the ground,” Gavaskar added.

There was an awkward moment on day two of the ongoing Lord’s Test when Sidath Wettimuny tried to enter the press box to be interviewed by AFP’s Julian Guyer and the stewards would not let him in. Finally, after learning that this was the first Sri Lankan to score a hundred at Lord’s, not only did they let him in, but were profusely apologizing too.

Lord’s has seen lot of changes over the years. They had a first ever non British MCC President in Kumar Sangakkara not too long ago. It was a groundbreaking moment and when Sanga ended his term, he named Clare Connor as his successor. It was a historic moment as she was the first female to be President of MCC in its 234 year history.

Twenty years back when you came to Lord’s to cover your first Test match, you were told to wear a jacket and a tie. Not anymore. Nowadays, reporters turn up at Lord’s in shorts. Not the Sri Lankans, but the locals. At least in this case there should be some formality.

In India, they are going to ban reporters entering press box wearing team jerseys. It’s a good move. Maybe there’s something for Lord’s to think about too.

Lord’s has lost its significance somewhat in the modern day with the ICC office that was situated here now moved to Dubai. It was initiated by Jagmohan Dalmiya during his tenure as ICC President and came to effect during the tenure of Eshan Mani. A lot of people think that the headquarters were moved for political reasons, but in reality, Dubai was providing tax exceptions and it was a good call.

England and Wales Cricket Board headquarters are still at Lord’s though.

MCC continues to be the guardians of the Laws of Cricket and are responsible for drafting, debating and changing these laws. With cricket’s power bases shifting to India again, is MCC in danger of losing ? This is a question that comes to your mind.

With England and Australia playing ball with India, MCC’s role is somewhat diminishing, yes. But both members who enjoyed veto power at ICC once have been left with Hobson’s choice but to go along with India.

The appreciation of every boundary, every wicket, every catch or a milestone that you get at Lord’s is unparalleled and good cricket whether it comes from the home team or the opposition is appreciated here. That’s something unique about Lord’s.

MCC members getting into an altercation with Australian players at the Long Room during The Ashes last year was a blackmark for the famous club. But they acted swiftly banning one member for life and handing long suspensions for two others.

A few new stands have come up at Lord’s and while these facilities are fine and enjoyed by spectators, you also get the feeling that the iconic ground has lost its charm a little bit.All said and done, Lord’s remains a special place to watch cricket. Every fan should enjoy that experience.

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Namibia look to make a splash with India battling injury and illness

Published

3 hours ago

2026/02/12

Priyan

India will look to make a statement after surviving a banana-peel contest against USA [Cricinfo]

February is usually a wonderful time in Delhi, when winter starts giving way to spring, but people are already complaining of a missed spring with temperatures hitting the late 20s as early as the second week of February. Even amid the climate change of the last decade or so, there has been one pattern: a late hailstorm typically brings back another week of chilly weather. An Indian Winter, if you will, Delhi’s response to Indian Summer, which is the term the English give to a late spell of hot weather when it should be autumn.

The fans, who will sell out the Feroz Shah Kotla even with schools turning down offers for free tickets for students to non-India matches because of looming board exams, will hope for a similar storm of sixes after a dry run in India’s tournament-opener. The anticipation for 300 in the Indian media has come in for some mockery, with the pitches not turning out as flat as they are in bilaterals, but at a venue with small boundaries that has turned high-scoring in recent IPL seasons, India will hope to get back to big-scoring ways after navigating a banana peel against USA on a gripping Wankhede surface.

Against them are Namibia who managed just 156 in Delhi against Netherlands and lost quite comfortably. They might still sense a chance as India struggle with fitness and health issues around Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharama and Washington Sundar, and will themselves be gunning to go big with the bat in a World Cup. What an opportunity for Namibia to make a name for themselves by stretching the strongest-ever contenders for a T20 World Cup.

When India were struggling against USA in the unfamiliar conditions laid out by Mumbai, it was Suryakumar Yadav’s blinder that gave them a match-winning score. That wretched year of 2025, during which he didn’t score a single fifty, seems well and truly behind him now. Suryakumar now has more match awards for India than anyone, having gone past Virat Kohli’s 16.

Namibia, another Associate side that like to open the bowling with a spinner, will hope Bernard Scholtz can repeat what he did against Netherlands. In defence of a paltry 156, the left-arm spinner took out opener Max O’Dowd and conceded just 27 in his four overs.

Washington has joined the Indian squad, but they have other health troubles in the side. Bumrah missed their first match with illness, and while he seems to have recovered and bowled full-tilt at the nets on Tueday, Abhishek has been struggling with a stomach issue. He reportedly played in Mumbai with fever, and it turned worse by the time the team reached Delhi, where he was hospitalised. Tilak Varma said on Wednesday that he has been discharged, but India will take a call on his availability on the day of the match. India might want to take their time with the big names, and in the process give some game time to the reserves.

India (probable): Abhishek Sharma/Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah/ Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy.

Seventeen-year-old fast bowler Max Heingo bowled only two overs and went for 22 against Netherlands. Namibia could replace him with the more experienced Ben Shikongo.

Namibia (possible): Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (capt), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Dylan Leicher, Willem Myburgh, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo.

[Cricinfo]

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Buoyed by strong support, Paudel’s Nepal search for two points against Italy

Published

7 hours ago

2026/02/12

Priyan

Harry Manenti will lead Italy against Nepal [Cricinfo]

Nepal enter the contest against Italy, a team they have never faced before, on the back of falling short by just one big blow against England on Sunday. Nepal will look to bring that same brand of cricket in Mumbai again and will believe they hold the edge and momentum against their fellow Associates, who are playing their first big tournament.

Emerging from the shadows of the globetrotting legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane are batters Dipendra Singh Airee and Lokesh Bam, who all but took their side over the line in front of loud and energetic fans. But with the ball, Nepal conceded 33 runs in the last two overs of the first innings in that game, and that turned out to be the difference.

However, two points – and a possible big margin of victory – against Italy will open Nepal’s group up before they face West Indies; Nepal had betaen West Indies 2-1 last September.

Italy, meanwhile, had a tough initiation at the T20 World Cup with a 73-run defeat against Scotland. They also lost their captain Wayne Madsen to injury inside four overs of their T20 World Cup debut. He will not feature against Nepal either.

Italy coach John Davison said after the loss that the “occasion may have got big on us”. With nothing to lose and experience to gain, Italy have another chance to have fun and potentially upset some calculations, before facing stronger oppositions England and West Indies.

Batting at No. 5, Ben Maneti was one of the positives for Italy in their loss to Scotland. He started with only seven runs off seven balls, but went on to smash 52 in 31. The majority of his runs came against spinners (45 runs in 25 balls) with shots all around: behind square, through cover, and over the bowler’s head. Italy will hope Ben Manenti carries that confidence against Lamichhane and co.

Lokesh Bam threw everything he had at England when they needed 54 in 21 balls, but fell agonisingly short. Facing quality and experienced bowlers, he smacked back-to-back fours off Sam Curran and successive sixes off Jofra Archer as England searched for answers. Bam’s 39 not out was not enough on the day, but he gave solid proof of his big-hitting ability, something the format demands.

Madsen has been ruled out against Nepal, and in his absence, Harry Manenti, the younger of the two brothers, will be leading Italy. Middle-order batter Marcus Campopiano could replace Madsen in the side.

Italy (probable): Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, JJ Smuts, Marcus Campopiano, Harry Manenti (capt), Ben Manenti, Grant Stewart, Gian-Piero Meade (wk), Thomas Draca, Crishan Kalugamage, Ali Hasan

Nepal might look to play the same team that ran England close at the same ground on Sunday.

Nepal (probable): Aasif Sheikh (wk), Kushal Bhurtel, Rohit Paudel (capt), Dipendra Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, Gulsan Jha, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Nandan Yadav, Sher Malla

[Cricinfo]

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Sri Lanka, minus Hasaranga, take on Oman at bogey venue

Published

7 hours ago

2026/02/12

Priyan

Dushan Hemantha, the leg-spinning allrounder, is on paper a like-for-like for Hasaranga

On most days Sri Lanka would enter Thursday’s clash in Kandy against Oman as heavy favourites. They’ve beaten Oman in their solitary meeting – an ODI in 2023 – and are generally formidable in home conditions. But the psychological and tactical knock-on effects of Wanidu Hasaranga being ruled out of the tournament provide an intriguing backdrop.

The star legspinner is a renowned bully of Associates and those lower down the T20 rungs, as highlighted by his match-turning 3 for 25 against Ireland, whose batters found him too much to handle even on one leg. His absence therefore leaves a massive hole in Sri Lanka’s middle-overs containment plan – one Oman will no doubt be looking to exploit – while his power-hitting will also be missed.

His replacement, legspinning allrounder Dushan Hemantha, is like-for-like cover on paper, but the only area in which Hemantha has regularly excelled in in his handful of international white-ball outings has been in the field. The pressure will squarely shift to Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage to spearhead the spin attack, with neither being as proficient a wicket-taker as Hasaranga.

Sri Lanka’s bowling had been their trump card coming into this tournament, but Hasaranga’s injury following that of Eshan Malinga’s days prior to the tournament have exposed yet another chink in their armour.

Sri Lanka’s batting concerns have also been exacerbated by Hasaranga’s absence. The middle order has struggled for consistency, particularly against spin – a challenge they’re likely to face in abundance against a spin-centric Omani attack – and now one of their better spin hitters is out.

Runs up the order from Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis have been crucial to Sri Lanka’s recent successes, while a revelatory knock from Kamindu Mendis against Ireland has offered hope lower down. But you sense the key to an unlikely upset will be whether Oman can access Sri Lanka’s soft middle cheaply – do that and it’s anybody’s game.

For Oman, this is a quintessential do-or-die fixture. Currently at the bottom of Group B after a loss to Zimbabwe, they must secure a victory to keep their Super Eight hopes alive. They can draw confidence from their warm-up victory over a Sri Lanka A side earlier this month, where Aamir Kaleem’s blistering 80 and Vinayak Shukla’s finishing proved they can compete with the islanders’ second string. They will also need to find a way to contend with the express pair of Dushmantha Chameera and Matheesha Pathirana, having lost nine wickets to Zimbabwe’s seamers in their opener.

Kamindu Mendis wasn’t even supposed to be here. But Sri Lanka are grateful that he is. Picked, dropped, and picked again, Kamindu has never been sure of a place in Sri Lanka’s XI, but a Player-of-the-Match 44 off 19 against Ireland has removed the doubts. Sri Lanka had been crying out for his ability to bat anywhere in the middle order and provide impetus through the middle overs – particularly against spin.

Sri Lanka’s batters struggled to get away Ireland’s modest spin offering at the Khettarama. The pitch in Pallekele might not be as helpful, but recent history has shown that spinners will still play a role. As such, Sri Lanka will need to be particularly wary of Shakeel Ahmed‘s accuracy. He picked up 2 for 24 against the Sri Lanka A side, and if the Pallekele pitch offers any turn, he is the most likely candidate to exploit the co-hosts’ historical struggles against disciplined left-arm spin.

Hasaranga’s injury will test Sri Lanka’s resolve in whether they stick to a 6-5 combination. Hemantha could slot in for Hasaranga, or Sri Lanka might opt for an extra batter.

Sri Lanka (probable): Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana.

Oman have no injury concerns and are likely to name an unchanged XI.

Oman (probable): Jatinder Singh (capt), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Sufyan Mehmood, Nadeem Khan, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmed.

[Cricinfo]