Sports

WWC 2025: Three for Smith as England skittle South Africa for 69

Published

4 months ago

2025/10/3

Priyan

Linsey Smith picked up 3 for 7 [Cricinfo]

England announced themselves at the World Cup with a statement performance in the field, dismissing South Africa for their lowest score against England, their third lowes tscore overall. They need just 70 runs to secure a win in their opening match of the tournament.

Linsey Smith playing in her first ODI World Cup game and opening the bowling, became the only bowler to dismiss all three of Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp in the same ODI innings. At the other end, Lauren Bell and Nat Sciver Brunt bowled good length to pluck three more wickets. At 38 for 6, with the first ball after the powerplay, South Africa could only hope to crawl to respectability and they didn’t get there. They were bowled out in 20.4 overs.

In an inexplicably inept batting performance, South Africa’s line-up fell apart in conditions which neither seamed nor spun significantly. Their movement at the crease was all but absent, shot selection was poor and there will be questions asked over their selection. Annerie Dercksen, who scored her maiden ODI ton in Sri Lanka earlier this year, was left out as South Africa opted for all their allrounders. None delivered with the bat, with only Sinalo Jafta, promoted to No.6, reaching double figures.

South Africa could hardly have imagined how quickly things would unravel after Wolvaardt got proceedings underway with a square drive, and Brits carved Bell through point in an opening over that cost nine runs. Smith struck with her second ball when Wolvaardt played across the line and popped up a leading edge to give her a simple return catch. The first ball of Smith’s next over drifted into Brits from around the wicket and snuck through the bat-pad gap to bowl her.

With both openers’ dismissed, Sune Luus at No.3 had a big job on her hands but fell to a Bell inswinger that curled in to take out offstump. Three balls later, Kapp was also done by drift as Smith got the ball to squeeze past her inside edge and onto middle stump. All four – Wolvaardt, Brits, Luus and Kapp – will need to relook at their footwork going forward.

Amid the collapse, there were fleeting moments of quality from South Africa’s batters. Jafta drove Bell through cover point for her first boundary and Anneke Bosch nailed a cover drive but such moments were few and far between.

Jafta should have been out on 8 when she advanced down the track in an attempt to drive Smith and missed. Amy Jones could not collect quickly enough and fluffed the stumping. That was the only blip in an otherwise flawless England performance.

Sciver-Brunt brought herself on in the eight over and had success with her first ball. Bosch walked across her stumps and was hit on the knee roll in front of middle and leg stump. She didn’t review what was a correct lbw decision. Then Sciver-Brunt also struck with the first ball of her next over. Chloe Tryon tried to flick her onto the leg side but got a leading edge and was caught by Alice Capsey at mid-on.

Jafta entered double figures when she guided Sophie Ecclestone to third but she didn’t have any support. Nadine de Klerk edged Ecclestone to Heather Knight at slip and Masabata Klaas played for turn against a Charlie Dean ball that held its line and was bowled. Jafta herself fell when she tried to hit Ecclestone back over her head but missed and was bowled. Dean finished things off when she bowled Nonkululekho Mlaba who tried to slog but missed.

Brief scores:
South Africa Women 69 in 20.4 overs (Sinalo Jafta 22, Linsey Smith 3-07, Nat Sciver-Brunt 2-05, Sophie Ecclestone 2-19, Charlie Dean 2-14 ) vs England Women

[Cricinfo]

All News Advertisement

Sports

Sri Lanka’s RPS blueprint

Published

5 hours ago

2026/01/25

Thilina Walpola

In the last 18 months, Sri Lanka have accounted for Australia and India and a win over England in the remaining two ODIs will complete wins over the big three.

Sri Lanka’s home ODI record since the wreckage of the 2023 World Cup has been a study in quiet efficiency. Ninth place in India and an early Champions Trophy exit could have sent the wheels spinning, but instead the hosts have responded by turning their backyard into a fortress. Since then, Sri Lanka have played seven ODI series at home and won all of them. These are not against minnows, but against the heavyweights, including World Cup finalists Australia and India. Beat England again on Saturday and within the space of 18 months, the so-called Big Three would have been ticked off one by one.

Much of this good work has been done at the R. Premadasa Stadium, a venue that has become Sri Lanka’s tactical sweet spot. There are murmurs, as always, about doctored pitches handing the hosts an unfair edge, but that argument doesn’t quite stand. The current England series has been played on honest strips and in any case, this is no longer the Sri Lankan line-up of old, blessed with nimble feet and wrists made for slow bowling. Apart from Kusal Mendis, the current batting group struggles badly against spin, particularly wrist spin, which explains why Pakistan doubled up with leg-spinners recently and why England rolled out Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed in the opening ODI.

The RPS blueprint is fairly straightforward: bat first, post something in the region of 275, then squeeze. Patience is the currency here. After the 30th over of the chase, the surface begins to grip, the ball talks a little more and visiting sides often find themselves strangled by scoreboard pressure rather than outright turn.

The opening win against England, however, didn’t quite follow the script. Sri Lanka’s seamers sprayed it around towards the end, struggling for line and control, perhaps guilty of overcooking the wide yorker. That is where solid coaching support becomes priceless, brains in the dugout to complement Sanath Jayasuriya, not attention-seekers chasing social media applause.

The old saying goes that the ends don’t justify the means, but winning has a way of papering over cracks. The public may forget the flaws, but coaches can’t afford to. Margins at this level are wafer-thin and what slips by on one day can bite hard on another.

One major positive was Kusal Mendis finally embracing the anchor’s role. Without him, Sri Lanka might well have been bowled out inside the 50 overs. Too often Mendis has dazzled with a rapid 30 before gifting his wicket with a low-percentage stroke. This time, it was a back-to-the-wall innings – cramps, pressure and all – and he refused to throw in the towel.

The maturity was evident in the final over. Sitting on 92, Mendis resisted the temptation to hog the strike in search of a hundred, instead backing Dunith Wellalage. The youngster repaid the faith in style, clouting three boundaries and a six as 23 runs came off the over – the decisive burst in a 19-run victory.

Mendis also effected two sharp stumpings and many in the press box had him pencilled in as Player of the Match. But the nod went to Wellalage and rightly so. His all-round contribution tilted the contest Sri Lanka’s way and that stunning catch to dismiss Rehan Ahmed was pure athleticism and good presence of mind.

Off the field, the British tourists outnumbered locals in the stands and beer sales reportedly went through the roof on Thursday. Colombo’s leading hotels are full, a timely shot in the arm for the economy. Now the hosts must play their part off the pitch as well – clear signboards, directions to washrooms and basic facilities go a long way.

by Rex Clementine ✍️

Sports

T20 World Cup trophy arrives at Dialog headquarters

Published

5 hours ago

2026/01/25

Thilina Walpola

From left to right: Yamith Anuradha – Product Manager, Advertising Media & Home, Dialog Axiata PLC, Pubudu Aluthgedara – Head of Business, Media & Home, Lasantha Theverapperuma – Group Chief Marketing Officer, Supun Weerasinghe – Group Chief Executive, Upul Nawaratne Bandara – Head of Marketing, Sri Lanka Cricket, Harsha Samaranayake – Vice President, Group Marketing, Dialog Axiata PLC

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Trophy made a landmark stop at the Dialog Axiata PLC headquarters on Friday, marking a celebratory moment in Sri Lanka’s countdown to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Following its stop at Dialog headquarters, the trophy embarked on an island-wide tour, travelling to Kandy, Dambulla, and Jaffna. The tour offers fans a rare opportunity to see the trophy up close, capture memorable moments and take part in the build-up to the tournament.

Co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be played from 7th February to 8th March across multiple venues in both countries.

The visit carried special significance for Dialog, a long-standing partner of Sri Lankan cricket. Over the years, Dialog has played a key role in transforming how fans experience the game, from live broadcasts and digital platforms to on-ground activations, helping ensure that cricket remains widely accessible to supporters across the island.

Dialog holds the exclusive ICC Men’s T20 World Cup media and broadcasting rights in Sri Lanka under a multi-year agreement. Fans will be able to enjoy live matches, highlights, expert analysis, and comprehensive coverage on Dialog Television and Dialog Play App, bringing the excitement of world-class cricket into Sri Lankan homes. This is complemented by a free-to-air broadcast partnership with Supreme TV, helping extend coverage to audiences nationwide.

Foreign News

Naqvi casts uncertainty on Pakistan’s participation in T20 World Cup after Bangladesh ouster

Published

7 hours ago

2026/01/25

Priyan

Mohsin Naqvi said the decision to play in the T20 World Cup or not now rests with the Pakistan government [Cricinfo]

Pakistan’s participation at the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has been thrown into uncertainty after the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said a final decision would be made after talking to Pakistan’s government. Speaking shortly after the ICC officially removed Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup owing to their refusal to play in India, Naqvi accused the ICC of “double standards” favouring India, and termed what happened to Bangladesh “an injustice”.

“Our stance on World Cup participation will be what the government of Pakistan instructs me,” he said. “The Prime Minister is not in Pakistan right now. When he returns, I’ll be able to give you our final decision. It’s the government’s decision. We obey them, not the ICC.”

Over the past week or so, Pakistan has firmly thrown its support behind Bangladesh in their dispute with the ICC demanding a venue outside of India to play their T20 World Cup matches. At an ICC meeting last week, the PCB was understood to be the only board to back the BCB in their stance. The tournament is jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, but Bangladesh’s games were all scheduled in India. Bangladesh, however, have said it is no longer safe for them to play in India after the BCCI, on January 3, instructed Kilkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur Rahman rom their IPL 2026 squad.

Though no reason was stated for that directive, it came amid deteriorating relations between India and Bangladesh. On January 4, the BCB wrote to the ICC after consultation with the government that the Bangladesh team would not travel to India for its T20 World Cup matches due to security concerns, a stance it stuck to through several subsequent discussions with the ICC.

The ICC has repeatedly refused Bangladesh’s request, and earlier this week gave them an ultimatum demanding them to accept the schedule as it was, or face being removed from the tournament. On Saturday, with Bangladesh sticking to their position, the ICC formally announced Bangladesh would not be part of the T20 World Cup, and would be replaced instead by Scotland.

Naqvi was critical of the decision, calling it an injustice to Bangladesh. “I think Bangladesh has been hard done by,” he said. “You can’t have double standards. You can’t say for one country [India] they can do whatever they want and for the others to have to do the complete opposite. That’s why we’ve taken this stand, and made clear Bangladesh have had an injustice done to them. They should play in the World Cup, they are a major stakeholder in cricket.”

While there have been local, unverified reports that the PCB would refuse to participate in the World Cup in solidarity with Bangladesh should they be removed, the PCB has declined to confirm to ESPNcricinfo when approached. Naqvi’s comments to the media on Saturday was the first time anyone at the PCB has directly addressed the issue, where he repeatedly said the decision was no longer in the hands of the PCB.

“If the government of Pakistan says we mustn’t play, then maybe the ICC will bring in a 22nd team (after Scotland). It’s up to the government.”

No specific reason was given by Naqvi other than to support Bangladesh, as to why government permission would now be required for an event that starts in two weeks. Last year, both BCCI and PCB, with the approval of ICC, signed up to a hybrid model agreement by which both countries would play each other on neutral territory for all global events in the 2024-27 rights cycle.

Pakistan play all their games in Sri Lanka for this event (which already was a co-hosted event) and are scheduled to play the opening game of the tournament, against Netherlands on February 7. They are scheduled to play India on February 15 in Colombo in their group stage clash.

[Cricinfo]