Sports
Healy, bowlers power UP Warriorz to big win over Royal Challengers Bangalore
Alyssa Healy’s unbeaten 96 followed a clinical performance from the UP Warriorz bowlers as they registered a comprehensive 10 wicket victory to extend Royal Challengers Bangalore’s win-less run in the inaugural edition of the WPL. Sophie Ecclestone’s 4-13 and Deepti Sharma’s 3-26 helped UPW bowl RCB out for 138 despite Ellyse Perry’s half-century. The RCB bowlers were then left clueless as Healy struck 18 fours and 1 six in her 47-ball knock to help UPW race to the target in 13 overs as they recorded their second win in three games.
Healy powers UPW’s blistering start
Alyssa Healy helped UPW off to a flying start in the chase, striking eight out of the 10 fours that were scored in the powerplay to put RCB’s bowling attack in a spot again. Komal Zanzad and Shreyanka Patil conceded 46 runs between them in the four overs they bowled in the powerplay as UPW raced to 55 in the first six overs. While Healy was finding the fence regularly, Devika Vaidya provided good support rotating the strike while she also managed a couple of boundaries as UPW brought down the required rate to six.
Healy’s blitz leaves RCB stunned
Any hopes that RCB would have entertained of slowing down the scoring rate post the powerplay was put to rest by Healy who sent the bowlers on a leather hunt. The UPW skipper, who reached her first WPL fifty, getting there in 29 balls, followed it up with four successive boundaries off Renuka Singh. Erin Burns, who came in for Megan Schutt and was one of three changes RCB made, wasn’t spared either as Healy slammed a four and a six in successive balls, and then hit two fours off Perry in the 12th over. UPW needed 12 at that stage off eight overs and Healy needed 10 more for a three-figure score. But Devika’s four off Shreyanka put a dent on Healy’s prospects of becoming the first centurion of the WPL. She did get to 95 with a boundary off Shreyanka with one more needed for UPW. But the winning run turned out to be a single.
A positive start for RCB despite Mandhana’s failure
Grace Harris, back in the UPW eleven in place of Shabnim Ismail, was asked to bowl the first over given Smriti Mandhana’s struggles against off-spin. But Mandhana was happy to rotate strike and get Sophie Devine at the striker’s end as the New Zealander powered RCB’s brisk start after they opted to bat. She flayed a drive through the off side for a four followed by a six over mid wicket off Harris before striking two fours through the point region off Anjali Sarvani. Harris was struck for another four by Devine but the RCB skipper did not have a lengthy stay, dismissed for a 6-ball 4 by the left-arm spin of Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who conceded only one run in her opening over. Ellyse Perry got into the act with two fours off Sarvani before striking a six off Gayakwad coming down the track as RCB moved to 54/1 at the end of the powerplay.
Fifty for Perry but RCB lose the plot
Deepti Sharma started with a 13-run over which included two fours for Perry but Ecclestone was keeping it tight at the other end. She gave away only 10 runs in her first two overs and also picked up the important wicket of Devine, who missed a cut and was bowled for a 24-ball 36. With Harris bowling an economical third over, RCB moved to 81/2 at the halfway stage of their innings. They lost their third wicket soon after as Kanika Ahuja, looking to deposit a Deepti delivery over mid wicket, found the fielder in the deep while Heather Knight was run out. Perry then got to her maiden WPL fifty but a monumental collapse ensued as RCB lost the plot completely. Perry fell to Deepti attempting a slog sweep and in the same over Burns yorked herself to be bowled. Richa Ghosh’s run out followed in the next over while Ecclestone bagged the last two wickets in the final over as RCB were bowled out with three deliveries still remaining. From 116/4 in the 15th, they lost their last six wickets for the addition of only 22 runs to finish with a paltry total.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bangalore 138 in 19.3 overs (Ellyse Perry 52; Sophie Ecclestone 4-13, Deepti Sharma 3-26) lost to UP Warriorz 139/0 in 13 overs (Alyssa Healy 96*, Devika Vaidya 36*) by 10 wickets.
It is understood the ICC has told the BCB to inform the Bangladesh government that if Bangladesh continues to refuse to travel to India to play its matches in the 2026 T20 World Cup, then they will be replaced by another team at the tournament. That decision was followed by a vote, where the majority of the ICC Board was in favour of having a replacement.
BCB have been given one more day to come back to the ICC on its stance on playing in India.
If that is the case, then Scotland is likely to replace Bangladesh in Group C at the World Cup. Scotland had failed to qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup, having finished behind Netherlands, Italy and Jersey at the European Qualifier.
[Cricinfo]
Harry Brook admits he was fortunate to keep his job as white-ball captain following a latte night alteraction with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand, and says he is in the process of regaining the trust of his team.
Brook, now in Sri Lanka for England’s ODI series which gets underway on Thursday, was speaking for the first time since news broke that he had been disciplined for the incident in Wellington in October, for which he was fined £30,000 and put on a final warning for his off-field conduct.
“Obviously I made a terrible mistake,” Brook said. “Not only as a player, but as a captain. It’s very unprofessional and I should be leading from the front. “I’ve learnt from my mistakes, I’ve reflected a lot on what’s happened and I know it wasn’t the right thing to do. I want to say sorry to my team-mates, to all the fans that travel far and wide to watch, spend a lot of money on coming out to watch us play cricket and supporting us, and to the ECB for putting them in a tricky situation, and it’ll never happen again. I’m extremely sorry.”
Brook, along with a number of other England players, had been out drinking the night before the third ODI against New Zealand, with the match the final competitive fixture for England before the Ashes began three weeks later.
Brook, who says he then went on his own to a nightclub, says he was “clocked” by a bouncer when attempting to get in.
“We went out for a couple of drinks beforehand and then I took it upon myself to go out for a few more and I was on my own there,” Brook said. “I was trying to get into a club and the bouncer just clocked me, unfortunately. Like I said, I shouldn’t have been in that situation from the start. I wasn’t absolutely leathered, I’d had one too many drinks.”
Brook reported his actions to the management mid-game the next day, and came close to being sacked from his position as captain as a result.
“It was definitely going through my mind,” Brook said of the potential that he would lose his job, before adding that he had not at any stage considered resigning. “Never came into my mind. I left that decision to the hierarchy and, look, if they’d have sacked me from being captain, then I’d have been perfectly fine with it, as long as I was still playing cricket for England.
“Probably, yeah,” he added, when asked if he felt lucky to keep his job. “I think I’ve got a little bit of work to do to try and regain the trust of the players. I said sorry to them yesterday. I felt like I needed to say sorry for my actions. It’s not acceptable as a player, but as a captain it’s really not acceptable to do what I did in New Zealand. I’ll be the first person to say that. I hold my hands up.”
In the aftermath of the incident, which was kept private by England until after the Ashes had concluded, Brook sought help from Test captain Ben Stokes, who himself was involved in a high-profile nightclub fight in 2018.
“He obviously wasn’t best pleased at what I’d done,” Brook said. “But he tried to help me through it and he knows exactly what it feels like to be in this situation. We had a few conversations, but we quickly moved on.”
The news broke amid allegations of a drinking culture in English cricket, after players were regularly seen drinking alcohol during England’s tour of Australia.
“No, there’s no drinking culture at all,” Brook said. “Like I said, everybody has the ability to say no. If you want a drink, if you don’t want a drink, you’re allowed to make that decision yourself.
“It wasn’t just drinking [in Australia]. We weren’t just going out and getting leathered every day. We were having a few drinks here and there. We were playing plenty of golf, going to nice cafes, having coffees but we had a few drinks here and there. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. It’s just what human beings do.”
Despite this, England have introduced a curfew for their tour of Sri Lanka, with playing staff not allowed out past midnight.
“That’s been made as a group decision,” Brook said. “We think that it’s the best thing going forward, for the time being, to be able to put us in situations where we can win games of cricket and perform to the best of our ability.”
England play three ODIs against Sri Lanka, starting on Thursday in Colombo, before playing three T20Is ahead of next month’s World Cup. England have struggled of late in the 50-over format, losing 11 of their past 15 matches. That poor run of form will add extra pressure to the position of head coach Brendon McCullum, whom Brook threw his support behind, calling him “the best head coach I’ve had by a million miles”.
England have made a number of changes to their team since their last outing against New Zealand three months ago, with the return of Zak Crawley to the top of the order the most noticeable change. Crawley replaces Jamie Smith as opener, and will play his first List A game in over two years, having last played for England in December 2023. Elsewhere, Liam Dawson has been selected as the second spinner to accompany Adil Rashid in the middle-overs.
England : Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (capt), Jos Buttler (wk), Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid
[Cricinfo]
Charith Asalanka (Captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Pavan Rathnayake, Dhananjaya de Silva, Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jeffrey Vandersay, Maheesh Theekshana, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Eshan Malinga.
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