Sri Lanka’s women’s cricket team has been spending time in Birmingham, Britain’s second-largest city and will take on England in today’s opening encounter of the Women’s T20 World Cup. However, bad weather could spoil any chances of play. The whole of this week has been wet in Birmingham, often making you wonder whether this is really the English summer.

If there is a washout, Sri Lanka will not complain too much. They would gladly pinch a point off England, one of the pre-tournament favourites. Head-to-head, the teams have met on 12 occasions, with England winning ten and Sri Lanka just two.

England are ranked second in the world while Sri Lanka have made steady progress in recent years and are now sixth, ahead of both West Indies and Pakistan.

With the toughest opponent out of the way, Sri Lanka will fancy their chances of making the semi-finals. In global tournaments, teams have gone on to accomplish remarkable things thanks to a bit of luck. Wonder how? Ask Imran Khan. His famed ‘Cornered Tigers’ had no hope and were facing elimination in the 1992 World Cup when they were bowled out for 74 by Ian Botham in Adelaide. England were cruising in the chase when the heavens opened and the game was abandoned, with both sides sharing a point each. That single point eventually helped Pakistan edge out Australia for a place in the semi-finals and as they say, the rest is history.

Edgbaston is a leafy suburb of Birmingham, a short ten-minute bus ride from the city centre. It is also the youngest of England’s six leading Test venues, but it has witnessed some of the game’s most iconic moments.

It was here that Brian Lara was dropped on 18 by the Durham wicketkeeper, who famously told the slip cordon, “I hope he doesn’t make a hundred today.” Well, Lara went on to make a world-record 501 not out for Warwickshire in 1994, still the highest score in first-class cricket.

This was also the venue for the epic 1999 World Cup semi-final between South Africa and Australia, when the match ended in a tie and the Proteas, yet again, found a way to suffer heartbreak on the biggest stage.

Apart from Lara, many leading cricketers have represented Warwickshire over the years, including Alvin Kallicharran, Rohan Kanhai, Lance Gibbs, Allan Donald and our own Kumar Sangakkara.

The ground also houses the famous Thwaite Memorial Scoreboard, a masterpiece in this digital age where giant electronic screens have become the norm.

Warwickshire County Cricket Club, like Old Trafford and the Rose Bowl, has leased out a portion of the ground for a hotel project, ensuring that finances remain on the right side of the ledger. There is something special about watching cricket from your hotel balcony and fans are willing to pay handsome sums for the privilege.

Rex Clementine in Birmingham

Irshad Thaha of the Moor Sports Club was crowned champion of the Automobile Association of Ceylon (AAC) sponsored 71 st National Billiards Championship Tournament, conducted by the Billiards & Snooker Association of Sri Lanka (B&SASL) at the AAC tables recently.

M M Mudeen of the Sri Lanka Army and M M Rikaz of Sri Lanka Air Force were the first and second runners up respectively.

S V Ganesh, Vice President – AAC was the Chief Guest at the Awards presentation held at the AAC Billiards Parlour.

We are more than a week into this tour, and it feels like it’s barely begun. The first ODI went off without too much of a hitch, but the next two were washed out without a ball bowled, Kingston rains crashing the party. Unfortunately, the threat of rain hangs over this opening T20I too – with thunderstorms threatening on Thursday afternoon, which could affect the viability of the Sabina Park outfield later in the day (8.30pm local time is the start).

Unlike with ODIs, this is a format in which one of these teams is the favourite. West Indies were one victory away from knocking India out of their own home World Cup, while Sri Lanka spent much of the Super Eight in the recent global tournament fighting merely to prove they belonged. In India, West Indies showed their six-hitting strategy could still make waves. On top of which they have a much more successful franchise T20 product in the CPL than Sri Lanka has had with the LPL. Over many seasons, these sorts of advantages add up.