Sports

Redemption for Alex Hales

Published

4 years ago

2022/11/12

Rex Clementine in Melbourne

Some people get second chances in life and rebuild their careers and go onto succeed. Cricket has many such examples Makhaya Ntini of South Africa, Ricky Ponting of Australia and now Alex Hales of England. The top order batsman was kicked out of the England World Cup squad on the eve of the tournament in 2019 after he had tested positive for recreational drugs. He was given the cold shoulder for three and a half years and an injury to Jonny Bairstow saw him being called up to Australia from South Africa where he was holidaying. It sometimes helps that you have a more understanding man in charge like Jos Buttler. Under the rigid Irishman Eoin Morgan, Hales was an ‘untouchable’.

It was funny the other night in Sydney when Hales had starred in England’s win over Sri Lanka in their last Super 12 game. Morgan now a commentator was interviewing Hales and the batsman rarely looked at his ex-captain. There was a bit of Marvan Atapattu in Hales. Marvan is the sweetest guy on the cricket field, friendly, accommodating and understanding, but if you ever cross his path even once, that’s the end of it.

Perhaps the comparison of Marvan is not all that fair. In his 20 year international career there was rarely any blemish leave alone drugs. He was the ultimate gentleman cricketer, who played it so clean and nice and he expected others to do so too. When they didn’t, Marvan rarely forgave. He was a perfectionist and didn’t suffer fools gladly.

Hales’ case was different. He was a bit easy going. Too easy going at times and Morgan thought that he was a distraction to the team. Who can fault Morgan though for his team went onto win that 2019 World Cup. But with a change of guard and Buttler in charge there was room for Hales to comeback. What a comeback it has been.

England are in the World Cup final after a shaky start and they owe it big time to Hales. In this campaign he’s been the highest run getter for England having scored 211 runs in five innings. His average of 52 with a strike rate of 148 has done the job for England.

Hales hammered a half-century as England revived their campaign in the must win game against New Zealand and then his 30 ball 47 against Sri Lanka set up their run chase on a slow surface where most batters struggled. Then he reserved the best for the semi-final where his unbeaten 86 in 47 balls saw India being massacred. They were handed a humiliating ten wicket defeat. There were seven sixes in his knock and given his ability to clear the boundary, Pakistan will be worried leading into the final. At 33, Hales has already missed out on being in a World Cup winning team. Life has presented him a second chance on Sunday at MCG and he will be the cynosure of all eyes in England. Everybody deserves a second chance in life. Lessons have been learnt and now Hales is moving on, at quite a speed too.

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Gujarat Titans knock out Chennai Super Kings and seal top-two finish

Published

7 hours ago

2026/05/22

Priyan

Shubman Gill and Co in GT's huddle [Cricinfo]

Chennai Super King’s (CSK) slim playoff hopes were crushed emphatically by Gujarat Titans [GT] in Ahmedabad on Thursday night as they sealed a top-two spot with an 89-run win.

Sent in to bat on a red-soil surface with pace and bounce, GT went all-in to post 229. Shubman Gill’s 23-ball half-century set it up for late fireworks from B Sai Sudarshan (84 off 53) and Jos Buttler (57 not out off 27).

In reply, CSK’s top five perished inside eight overs before Shivam Dube tonked 47 off 17 to briefly inject life into the chase. His dismissal left the door ajar for GT to knock over the lower order, which they did courtesy Rashid Khan to bowl CSK out in the 14th over.

In the game’s second over, Sanju Samson left the field to nurse a finger injury after Spencer Johnson’s hard-length delivery down the leg side suddenly swerved away after passing the batter. He left the field immediately, and didn’t return for the rest of the innings with Kartik Sharma taking over the wicketkeeping duties. The nature of his on-field injury meant Samson could return to bat in his original position, but he lasted all of one ball, nicking a Mohammed Siraj away-swinger in the very first over.

Having taken a wicket off the first ball in GT’s defense of 230, Siraj then saw Ruturaj Gaikwad loft him through the line over the covers, and then walk across to scoop him for six. In his next over, he saw the CSK captain whip him nonchalantly over the midwicket fence. Siraj, though, remained unperturbed and removed him with a length ball that ducked back in to crash into the stumps. One ball later, he silenced the home fans rooting for local hero Urvil Patel by having him top-edge a flick straight down Prasidh Krishna’s throat at deep backward square leg.

At the start of the ninth, CSK were 72 for 5. It took Dube all of two overs to get the fans excited. Having endured a poor season, he began by thumping left-arm seamer Arshad Khan for 6, 4 and 4 in an over that went for 19. He went into overdrive in the next, thumping Jason Holder’s hard-length delivery over long-on for six. And when Holder went full, Dube’s long levers helped scythe the ball behind square. Overs 8-10 fetched 37. But one ball after launching Rashid over deep midwicket, Dube was out to him when Gill, running back from cover, pulled off a stunner. CSK lost their last four wickets in the next three overs, with Rashid finishing with 3 for 18.

Long before his catching brilliance and the direct hit to run out Kartik, Gill began like a bullet train, surging to a 23-ball half-century to lay down the marker, even as Sai Sudharsan buckled down to play second fiddle. He was run-a-ball for his first 22 deliveries en route to a seventh century stand with Gill – the most by an opening pair in the IPL.

Gill survived on 51 despite feathering an attempted pull with none of the opposition appealing for caught behind. But it didn’t cost CSK a lot as he fell soon after for 64. Once Gill perished, Sai Sudharsan carried on to bring up his fifth consecutive IPL fifty – joining Virender Sehwag, David Warner and Buttler to this feat.

Sudharsan would eventually fall for 84, along the way surpassing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s tally to take back the Orange Cap.

Buttler, who came in after Gill’s wicket, launched into the bowling from the get-go. He took particular liking to Noor Ahmad, depositing him deep into the stands to quickly offset a brief slowdown. Amid the carnage from one end, left-arm seamer Gurjanpreet Singh held away, mixing his cutters with wide yorkers to finish with 4-0-31-0, the figures taking a dent only because his final over went for 15.

Buttler too got to his half-century off 23 balls when he scythed two attempted wide yorkers from Anshul Kamboj to the cover boundary. Kamboj went for 56 off his four overs, along the way conceding the most sixes in a single IPL season. It left CSK needing a mammoth 230, which they never looked like challenging on the night.

Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 229 for 4 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 84, Shubman GIll 64, Jos Buttler 57*; Mukesh Choudhary 1-36, Spence Johnson 1-47, Anshul Kamboj 1-56) beat Chennai Super Kings 140 in 13.4 overs (Mathew Short 24, Rutraj Gaikwad 16, Kartik Sharma 19, Shivam Dube 47, Anshul Kamboj 19; Rashid Khan 3-18, Mohammed Siraj 3-26, Kagiso Rabada 3-32) by 89 runs

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Brandix Apparell clash with Maliban Biscuits for the ‘Honda Trophy’ on Sunday

Published

7 hours ago

2026/05/22

Thilina Walpola

Maliban Biscuits Team

15TH STAFFORD MOTORS – MCA G DIVISION T20 LEAGUE CRICKET TOURNAMENT

Brandix Apparel and Maliban Biscuits two undefeated teams will clash in the final of the Stafford Motors sponsored MCA G Division cricket tournament final to be played at the MCA ground on Sunday [24] morning. The winners will remain undefeated and take home the ‘Honda Trophy’.

In the league stage Brandix Apparel playing in group G defeated Millenium IT ESP by 61 runs, Stafford Motors by 60 runs and Sitecore by 7 wickets to qualify for the knock out stage. The game against Coats Thread Exports was not played as the result wouldn’t have changed the group’s rankings. In the knockout stage Brandix defeated Pyramid Wilmar by 12 runs in the pre-quarter final, Future Life Holdings by 72 runs in the quarter final and Stafford Motors by 70 runs in the semifinal to reach the final undefeated.

Maliban Biscuits ‘B’ playing in Group A in the league stage, defeated WSO2 by 8 wickets, Sysco Labs by 6 wickets, Jetwing Travels by 136 runs, Hayleys Group ‘C’ by 9 wickets and CDB ‘B’ by 4 wickets to reach the knockout stage. Maliban beat Fairfirst Insurance by 7 wickets in the pre-quarter final, Allianz Insurance by 4 wickets in the quarter final and Star Garments by 3 wickets to reach the final undefeated.

Brandix Apparell led by Tharaka Sampath Silva will be selected from, Janaka Weerapokuna, Pradeep Kumara , Shashika Udesh, Dayan Idunil, Lakshan Fernando, Sasitha Ashan, Akila Dhanuddhra, Dulaj Silva [WK], Sampath Jayalath, Kalpa Udesh, Pasal wickrasingha, Sameera Alvise, Dinusha Nishan, Nirmal Fernando, Dinesh Priyankara

Maliban Biscuits ‘B’ led by Tharindu Siriwardene will be selected from Gihan Ranasinghe [WK], Anjula Perera, Chamara Rathnayake, Dilan Alwis, Dilip Sandaruwan, Chathuranga Dewapriya, Mohomed Shilmi, Sameera Lakmal, Dilantha Sanjeewa, Nadun Kumara, Tharindu Fernando, Asiri Samarasinghe, Kelum Madushanka, Aruna Nuwan

Stafford Motors and Star Garments vie for third place

Sponsors Stafford Motors and Star Garments , the two teams that were unfortunate not to reach the finals, will battle it out on Sunday afternoon in the playoff for third place.

The Stafford Motors team led by Shanaka Sampath will be selected from Dhammika Kumara, Vishwa Rajapaksha, Sanjaya Fernando, Sanjeewa Vishan, JanithnSilva, Vihanga Malith, Nethum Manawaduge, Dulshan Attanayake, Annesley Perera, Venura Nisalitha, Ravindra Lal, K A Samantha, Lakshan Fernando, Asanka Kumarage, Gajindu Yasas [WK]

Star Garments led by Rishantha Anushka will be selected from Shakila Dulshan [WK], Randu Nawanjaya Fernando, Nadeesha Akash, Suwahas Yapa, Yohan Dewapriya, . Dunik Perera, Sanjaya Mihiran, Dhanuka Dulanja, Chathuranga Dilshan, Niranjan Fernando, Ganidu Charulochana, Sudesh Wilhara, Thushara Appuhami, Nadun Wijenayake

Brandix Apparell Team

Sports

Manyuga six-for powers Rahula to easy win

Published

7 hours ago

2026/05/22

Thilina Walpola

Hirun Manyuga

Paceman Hirun Manyuga produced a devastating spell to claim six wickets as Rahula, Matara bundled out St. Thomas’, Matara for just 69 runs before cruising to a seven-wicket victory in their Under 17 Division I cricket tournament match played at Uyanwatta Stadium on Thursday.

‎Manyuga spearheaded the bowling attack with a match-defining six-wicket haul to put Rahula firmly in control after St. Thomas’ struggled against disciplined bowling. He received fine support from Pawan Dulsara and Jineth Methmira, who chipped in with two wickets apiece to complete the collapse.

‎Rahula made light work of the modest target, with Manyuga capping a fine all-round performance by top scoring in the run chase with an unbeaten 26 runs to guide his team to victory in convincing fashion. His impressive bowling figures read 7.3-1-19-6.

‎At Campbell Place in Colombo, Dunal Sendanayaka produced a match-winning unbeaten innings as Nalanda recorded an impressive six-wicket victory over St. Joseph’s in their opening Group match of the Under-17 Division I Cricket Tournament.

‎Chasing a revised DLS target of 125 runs, Nalanda reached the target comfortably, with seven overs to spare, thanks largely to an outstanding knock by Sendanayaka.

‎The Nalanda batsman stood firm after the visitors made early inroads, reducing the home side to 26 for two wickets. Sendanayaka then combined effectively with Hasarel Rabel to produce a decisive 81-run partnership for the third wicket, which turned the contest firmly in Nalanda’s favour.

‎Sendanayaka remained unbeaten on a superb 74 off 80 deliveries, striking six boundaries and three sixes in a commanding innings. Rabel provided solid support with a patient 31 runs off 64 balls. For St. Joseph’s, Thisanga Perera was the most successful bowler, claiming two wickets for 16 runs.

‎Earlier, after being put into bat, St. Joseph’s struggled to build momentum as wickets fell at regular intervals. Useful contributions from Lesandu Wijethunga (23) and Disinu Samarasinghe (24) helped the visitors post 122 all out in 34 overs.

‎Nalanda’s bowling effort was spearheaded by left-arm spinners Umasha Abhilash and Binulka Mansith, who claimed three wickets apiece to restrict the Josephians to a modest total. Vidun Gamage also chipped in with two wickets.

‎‎Scores

‎St. Joseph’s

122 all out in 34 overs (Lesandu Wijethunga 23, Disinu Samarasinghe 24; Vidun Gamage 2/40, Umasha Abhilash 3/30, Binulka Mansith 3/04)

‎Nalanda

128 for 4 in 29.2 overs (Dunal Sendanayaka 74n.o., Hasarel Rabel 31; Thisanga Perera 2/16)

‎‎Meanwhile at BRC ground, Ananda Sastralaya Kotte pulled off an exciting two wicketa victory over Lumbini. (RF)