England continued their costly habit of unforced batting errors at Lord’s as they gifted control of the second Ashes Test to Australia.
The home side were knocked over for 325 on a deflating third morning, 91 behind, having apparently taken charge at 188 for one midway through the second evening.
While a host of England’s leading batters were the authors of their own downfall, Australia’s more pragmatic approach saw them reach 81 for one at tea, defying tricky conditions to stretch their lead to 171.
The successes of the ‘Bazball’ era have been built around an ultra-positive ‘no regrets’ policy, but the manner of several dismissals over the past 24 hours may push that rule close to the breaking point.
After Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett and Joe Root fell on their swords during an adrenaline-fuelled bouncer battle on Thursday evening, England lost their last five wickets for 47 in the morning session. Harry Brook reached 50 but gave up his wicket with a wince-inducing swat at Mitchell Starc, while Jonny Bairstow hacked a rare full ball straight to mid-on.
With Australia spinner Nathan Lyon on crutches with a serious calf injury, Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad even managed to give part-timer Travis Head two wickets in an over during a dispiriting passage of play.
The tourists rubbed it in by building their lead with some careful top-order batting as the ball started to nip around under the floodlights, with James Anderson dropping Usman Khawaja on 19 to compound matters.
Khawaja, player of the match in his side’s victory at Edgbaston, was 45 not out at tea with Josh Tongue responsible for the solitary wicket of David Warner.
England began the day 138 behind on 278 for four, diminished by their losses to the short ball but still well placed to push for a lead of their own. Instead, they were rocked by the dismissal of Ben Stokes to his first ball of the day.
Having curbed his attacking instincts during a responsible knock late on day two his reward was a fine welcome delivery from Starc, angled across the left-hander and lifting as it left the bat. Stokes (17) angled the bat towards midwicket, Cameron Green took the catch and England’s best-laid plans were already up in smoke.
Australia offered no respite, Starc and Pat Cummins bowling with hostility and repeatedly threatening Brook and Bairstow with deliveries that reared up off the pitch. Brook, resuming on 45, was hit on both glove and helmet before bringing up his half-century but that was as far as he got.
Faced with a fiercely difficult contest he tried to slog his way out of trouble, backing away to leg and attempting to swat Starc down the ground. Brook has made his name as a free spirit in the middle order but as the ball popped up to cover it was a soft and unedifying way to go.
After an hour’s play England had added just 33 for two and things were only getting worse, Bairstow reaching 16 before hacking Josh Hazlewood to mid-on, eyes lighting up at the long-awaited chance to drive.
Australia’s ruthless streak was out in force now, Green rattling Broad’s grille with an 86mph lifter that left the England physio assessing his jaw. England’s fight had gone and they lost the next three wickets in seven balls, Head having Robinson caught on the charge then trapping Broad lbw before Cummins made short work of Tongue.
Warner and Khawaja saw off six overs before lunch, nudging the lead past 100 off the last ball of the session. Conditions in the afternoon offered some cause for English optimism, with clouds overhead and the floodlights switched on.
But while their four seamers worked away diligently and beat the bat on a series of occasions, Australia were digging in. When the chance did come, Khawaja pulling Tongue’s second ball to midwicket, Anderson struggled to pick it up and saw it burst through his hands for four.
The hunt went on as they ground out just 69 runs in the session, but when the lively Tongue had Marnus Labuschagne given lbw for three, DRS ruled that he had been hit outside the line.
Broad had two huge appeals against Labuschagne in the final over, close calls on caught behind and lbw, but Stokes wisely opted not review either.
IPL: Salt stars as KKR get back to winning ways
Phil Salt inspired Kolkata Knight Riders to get back to winning ways in the Indian Premier League as they beat Delhi Capitals with an emphatic seven-wicket victory.
The Capitals had surpassed 220 runs in each of their last two matches, but their chances of doing so again were dented early on, Prithvi Shaw walking for 13 before the in-form Jake Fraser-McGurk followed before the end of the third over, his flat drive being taken by Venkatesh Iyer near the boundary for 12.
Varun Chakaravarthy posted figures of 3-16 as Kolkata prevented their visitors from mounting any kind of response, with only Kuldeep Yadav's unbeaten 35 off 26 balls helping them crawl beyond the 150 mark and finish their innings on 153-9.
Salt started brilliantly for Kolkata, plundering his way to a half-century within the first six overs of the chase. He was bowled by Axar Patel, but only after the openers had raced to 79-0, with Sunil Narine and Rinku Singh dismissed shortly after.
Shreyas and Venkatesh Iyer ticked off the remaining runs with ease, securing the win for Kolkata with 21 balls left.
Data Debrief: A sprinkle of Salt
England all-rounder Will Jacks smashed an unbeaten century off just 41 balls to propel Royal Challengers Bangalore to victory over Gujarat Titans on Sunday, and his compatriot Salt followed up with a stunning knock this time around.
He reached 52 in just 26 balls, with a further two boundaries taking him to 60 and seeing Kolkata reach 79 by the end of the powerplay. His knock included seven fours and five sixes.
Cricket West Indies VP Azim Bassarath dismisses GCB legal action as 'laughable'
Cricket West Indies (CWI) Vice President and President of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), Azim Bassarath, has dismissed the legal action taken by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) against CWI as laughable, especially given their organization's recent history with alleged questionable elections at the territorial board level.
On April 20, the GCB announced it was commencing legal proceedings against CWI, continuing its year-long allegation that Bassarath was unlawfully elected vice president.
This move comes despite CWI's statement on October 7, 2023, where they addressed the GCB's concerns and confirmed that the election was conducted in accordance with the organization's Memorandum and Articles of Association.
According to CWI's statement: “The Board of Cricket West Indies has thoroughly examined the matters raised by the Guyana Cricket Board and wishes to assure all stakeholders that the election for the post of Vice President was conducted in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the organization. CWI recognizes the importance of transparency and fairness in all its operations, including elections, and is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity.”
Speaking after last weekend’s conclusion of the two-day CARICOM cricket symposium in Trinidad, Bassarath, in an interview with Sportsmax.tv, responded to the GCB's legal action.
“As long as I’ve been a CWI director, unfortunately, the Guyana Cricket Board has been the one and only shareholder whose elections were accused of being unlawful. Guyana’s board is the only instance where CWI was forced to stop international cricket from being played in a territory due to government intervention, which went against both CWI and ICC positions against government intervention in sport. Therefore, I genuinely find it laughable what Mr. (Bisoondial) Singh is doing, considering the GCB’s history.”
Sportsmax.tv has obtained the original letter sent by the GCB to CWI under then-President Ricky Skerritt ahead of the March 25, 2023 election, which contradicts the assertion in the GCB’s April 20, 2024, letter that one of the reasons for withdrawing its nomination of Bassarath was due to misconduct allegations against the TTCB.
In the letter, the GCB only cited Article 92 of the CWI Articles of Association.
Bassarath also questioned Singh's administration of affairs in Guyana: “Mr. Singh joined CWI in 2021, and I have no clear information as CWI vice president about when local cricket elections are due in Guyana, unlike other territorial boards. This is concerning, considering the history of Mr. Singh’s predecessor at the GCB. Similar to me, he created all sorts of alleged unlawful acts to remove former Guyana director Hilbert Foster, which surprised many on the CWI board. Mr. Foster, from the area of Berbice, as we are seeing around the Caribbean with the young Shamar Joseph, is producing many talented West Indies players.”
Bassarath concluded by urging his Guyanese counterpart to follow the lead of Guyanese head of state Dr. Irfan Ali, who is taking productive actions to benefit Caribbean cricket.
“We saw the eye-catching presentation by Guyana's Head of State Dr. Ali at the symposium, and we already see what he has been doing in recent years with the CPL cricket carnival. So, just like our Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister, the honorable Keith Rowley, who organized this fantastic symposium, Singh should spend more time seeking to create cricket-focused initiatives for the benefit of Guyana and West Indies cricket.”
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ticket Box Offices to open on Thursday, May 2
Fans in the Caribbean will be able to buy ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 tickets directly from box offices from Thursday 2 May and confirm their attendance at the biggest cricket carnival spectacle ever.
To celebrate 30 days to go to the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and the launch of the official anthem, box offices will open their doors on Thursday until the end of the event across the six host locations in the West Indies.
Box office locations:
Opening hours:
Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago: Monday to Friday: 10:30 am - 6:00 pm and Saturdays: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Monday to Friday: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm and Saturdays: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Box offices will be closed on Sundays. Fans across the West Indies will be able to purchase tickets for all Caribbean match fixtures. Fixtures and local start times for matches are available here.
Tickets for 39 of the World Cup’s 55 matches which are to be hosted in the West Indies will be available with prices starting from as low as US$6 for selected matches. Fans can choose from the following ticket categories: Premium, Standard Plus, Standard, Grounds and Mounds, and Party stand.
Fans will be able to pay with cash in their local currency or with their credit card at box offices. Tickets are also available online on the tournament’s official ticketing website; tickets.t20worldcup.com.
Leading up to the opening of the box offices, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Tournament Director Fawwaz Baksh said: “With just over 30 days to the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the opening of the ticket box offices in the West Indies from 2 May will mark a pivotal moment in our journey to delivering an out of this world experience for all fans.
“The opening of box offices also underscores our commitment to ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for all West Indians, who are passionate followers of the game. Their presence in the stadiums will energise players, entertain fans and viewers, and show the world a cricketing spectacle which can only be experienced in the Caribbean.”
Venue, hospitality, and party stand packages for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup are also available for matches in the West Indies and USA and are available at tickets.t20worldcup.com.
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