England and Australia are poised for a thrilling conclusion to the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston after Stuart Broad rocked the tourists with two huge wickets late on day four.
Broad stepped up deep in the evening session to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith – the top two Test batters in the world rankings – and leave the tourists 107 for three chasing 281.
Despite the threat of rain on the final morning there should be enough time to avert a draw, with England hunting seven wickets and their rivals needing 174 runs to get over the line.
Memories of ‘the greatest series’ loom large
The fervour of the build-up to this series drew comparisons to the unforgettable series 18 years ago, when England reclaimed the urn after an 18-year wait. Key to that result was a nail-biting two-run win here in Birmingham, where Steve Harmison had Michael Kasprowicz caught behind just as Australia looked to have won it. The target that day was 282, just one more than today’s magic number. The tourists were much worse off on that occasion, ending on 175 for eight overnight, but could it possibly go as close again?
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Comedian and author Mark Steel attempts to paint a picture of ‘Bazball’ for the uninitiated.
Joe Root 2.0
Joe Root’s knock on the fourth morning exemplified his willingness to adapt towards a more high-risk, high-reward style under the current regime. He surprised everyone in the stadium by attempting to reverse scoop Pat Cummins over slip from the first ball of the day. The shot did not come off on that occasion but in the next over, he hit Scott Boland for six and four in successive deliveries with the same stroke. Root’s innings of 46 in 55 balls featured five boundaries and ended in unexpected fashion…
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In England’s second innings, Root came charging down the pitch to Nathan Lyon and was out stumped for the first time in a career spanning 131 games and 240 innings. In the space of three months, Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey has now stumped Root and Virat Kohli for the first time in their careers.
England target Boland
Scott Boland was a thorn in England’s side in the 2020/21 Ashes in Australia, picking up six wickets for seven in a stunning debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He finished the series with 18 wickets in three Tests and arrived at Edgbaston with an impeccable record. His effectiveness has been built around his meanness – with an economy rate of 2.31 prior to this week. England appear to have made a point of knocking him off stride, scoring at 5.61 against him over the course of the Test. It was telling that Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey began to stand up to the stumps to Boland to prevent the English batters from charging down the pitch.
Top five fourth-innings chases at EdgbastonMo blow
The final day of a Test frequently means bringing a spinner into play but concerns abound about Moeen Ali’s index finger – the digit he uses to spin the ball which is blistered because of his increased workload in his first red-ball appearance since September 2021. The all-rounder was described as “fine” by team-mate Stuart Broad but Moeen bowled seven unexceptional overs on Monday. His effectiveness is set to be tested by his problematic finger and will place question marks over his involvement through the series. There is just eight days’ rest between the end of this Test and the start of the next one at Lord’s, a match he will be doubtful to play unless the injury settles down.
Bolt joined by multiple sports stars for first look at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador Usain Bolt got a first look at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium from the best seats in the house, along with cricket legends and New York sports icons.
The Jamaican sprint legend was joined in this special preview by USA cricketers Corey Anderson and Monak Patel along with cricket legend Sir Curtly Ambrose (West Indies), Shoaib Malik (Pakistan), and Liam Plunkett (England). Also present during this landmark event was a star-studded line-up of New York sports stars, including John Starks (NBA / New York Knicks), Elena Delle Donne (WNBA/USA), Bartolo Colon (MLB/New York Yankees-Mets), Victor Cruz (NFL/New York Giants), and Ibtihaj Muhammad (Fencing/USA).
To commemorate the occasion, the stars all signed a giant cricket bat, which will be present at the venue for all eight ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 matches hosted there between June 3-12. The event marks the official final countdown to the first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in New York, with Sri Lanka and South Africa set to clash in the venue's first match on June 3.
Bolt was confident the venue would provide an exciting and energetic cricket experience.
“Coming from the Caribbean where cricket is a part of life, I’m very excited to be part of the T20 World Cup coming to the USA for the first time, co-hosting with the West Indies. Getting one of the sport’s biggest events into the USA is a big milestone and can provide a launching pad leading towards cricket’s inclusion in the LA Olympics in 2028," he said.
“The new stadium is going to be a fantastic place to watch from. It’s very enclosed and you feel very close to the action. I can imagine it will be full of energy when cricket fans get to Nassau County International Stadium next month," Bolt noted.
Brett Jones, CEO of T20 USA Inc. called the event a fitting welcome to cricket in the USA.
“Today was a fantastic celebration, showcasing a truly out of this world stadium. Having Usain and a host of New York sports stars and Olympic legends to experience it was fantastic and a fitting welcome to cricket in the USA," Jones said.
“Having Curtly Ambrose, Liam Plunkett, Shoaib Malik, Corey Anderson and Monak Patel here and seeing their response to the stadium and the playing surface was also pretty special. It gives us a real sense of what the fans can expect next month," he added.
The 34,000-seater temporary stadium is the first of its kind in international cricket, and is also believed to be the largest ever constructed in the United States.
Featured at the unveiling were extensive hospitality and media pavilions on the north and south ends of the venue, which join the east and west general admission stands. Among the new additions are the Cabana seats in the North pavilion along with the Corner Club seats with a private party area.
The stadium is one of the three venues in the USA for the upcoming mega-event. Florida and Texas will also host matches from the event.
The USA are co-hosts for the event alongside the West Indies, where 39 matches will be played across six venues. The Final will be held on 29 June in Barbados.
No spark from Rovman Powell as Curran pilots Punjab Kings over Rajasthan Royals
Sam Curran starred as Punjab Kings moved off the bottom of the Indian Premier League table with a five-wicket victory over second-place Rajasthan Royals.
The Kings successfully chased a target of 145 as Curran finished with an unbeaten 63, including two maximums in the final four balls, to get them over the finish line.
The Royals struggled to find their rhythm until Riyan Parag (48) and Ravichandran Ashwin (28) stepped up to drag them into contention, but the Kings stifled their recovery near the end of the first innings. West Indies captain Rovman Powell (four) was among those that failed to spark at the backend of the Royals innings.
Curran (2-24), Harshal Patel (2-28) and Rahul Chahar (2-26) all played a part in limiting RR to 144-9, though the Kings then looked like they might fall short in the chase.
Sam Curran starred for Punjab Kings.
Punjab captain Curran carried them forward after a slow start, and though Jitesh Sharma was caught for 22 to offer the Royals hope in the 16th over, impact player Ashutosh Sharma contributed an unbeaten 17 in support of Curran, whose big hitting got the job done with an over remaining.
Data Debrief: Patel comes up clutch
Having posted figures of 2-28 on Wednesday, Patel now has 63 wickets in the death overs (16th-20th) in the IPL, the outright fifth-most wickets in this phase in competition history after Dwayne Bravo (102), Lasith Malinga (90), Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (85) and Jasprit Bumrah (80).
His late dismissals of Parag and Donovan Ferreira kept the Royals' score down, then Curran's joint-highest IPL knock ensured the Kings registered a fourth consecutive away victory.
Pooran's blistering 61 not enough as Shai Hope's Capitals edge LSG by 19 runs to keep slim play-off hopes alive
Delhi Capitals defeated Lucknow Super Giants to boost their hopes of making the Indian Premier League play-offs.
The Capitals claimed a 19-run victory on Tuesday, with Abishek Porel (58) and Tristan Stubbs (57 not out) starring.
Their efforts propelled Delhi to 208-4 from their 20 overs, with Shai Hope (38) and Rishabh Pant (33) chipping in with useful contributions as LSG's bowling attack struggled badly. Hope faced 27 balls and had three fours and two sixes in his knock.
Nicholas Pooran top-scored with a 27-ball 61 in Lucknow's chase, while Arshad Khan plundered an unbeaten 58, yet it was not enough, with the Super Giants only able to reach 189-9 in response. Pooran's knock included six fours and four maximums, while Khan had three fours and five sixes in his 33-ball knock.
Shai Hope found his range after a quiet start.
Ishant Sharma, with 3-34, was the pick of the Capitals' bowlers, as they must now wait and see if Chennai Super Kings or Sunrisers Hyderabad slip up enough to send Delhi into the top four.
LSG are down in seventh, and they must beat Mumbai Indians heavily in their last match to stand any chance of making the play-offs.
Data Debrief: Ishant hits double figures... again
Introduced as the impact player, Ishant fulfilled his duty with three swift wickets inside his first three overs, with Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul and Deepak Hood all taken out.
Ishant has now taken 10 wickets this season, and is onto 93 across his entire IPL career. It is the sixth season Ishant has reached double figures for wickets, and his second in a row.
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