Ireland allrounder George Dockrell took part in the T20 World Cup Super 12 match against Sri Lanka on Sunday despite testing positive for Covid-19. In a release, Cricket Ireland said Dockrell has been identified as “potentially positive” and is being “managed in line with current local, national and ICC guidelines”. According to the release, Dockrell’s symptoms are very mild, and a medical staff in the team will manage his movements…
Unchanged Ireland bat; Sri Lanka bring in Bandara for injured Nissanka
Toss Ireland opted to bat vs Sri Lanka Ireland won the toss and chose to bat on a bright afternoon in Hobart, despite having won two matches in the previous round while chasing. They are unchanged from the XI that thumped West Indies on Friday. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have been forced to make a change to their top order, with Pathum Nissanka out of this match with injury. Ashen Bandara…
Sam Curran five-for sees England past Afghanistan in low-scorer
England 113 for 5 (Livingstone 29*) beat Afghanistan 112 (Curran 5-10) by five wickets England’s World Cup campaign is up and running thanks to a five-wicket victory over Afghanistan in their opening match in Group 1. It was very much a performance of two halves for one of the tournament favourites. They were outstanding in the field, vindicating Jos Buttler’s decision to bowl first by dismissing Afghanistan for 112 with…
Finch: Australia's 'fate out of our own hands to a point' following heavy defeat to New Zealand
Aaron Finch conceded that Australia’s hopes of defending their men’s T20 World Cup title may already be out of their hands because of the huge margin of the loss to New Zealand and its impact on their net run-rate. Although the table is in its most embryonic stage after the first day of the Super 12s, Australia’s NRR is -4.450 following the 89-run hammering at the SCG, where they were…
Confident Ireland will look for another big result as they face injury-hit Sri Lanka
Big picture Both teams have arrived in the Super 12s with a bit of confidence, but also knowing they must still prove themselves in this phase of the tournament. For Ireland, a victory here would be their second successive giant-killing act – the feather of another former T20 World Cup winner to decorate their cap. They appear to take particular pleasure in chasing, with their middle order having been excellent…
A clash of giants and a clash of philosophies, at the 100,000-seater MCG in a World Cup
Big picture India-Pakistan matches are rare and usually only found in global tournaments, and this combination of scarcity and high stakes often brings out the worst in both sets of fans. And, over recent years, the pre-match hysteria has often given way to one-sided anticlimaxes on the field. Lukewarm blowouts giving way to jingoistic gloating and poisonous finger-pointing – do we really need India-Pakistan cricket if this is what it…
'They have won us enough matches' – Babar Azam puts faith in Pakistan's middle order
The Melbourne weather has had to tie itself in knots to usurp the chicken-and-egg situation between Pakistan’s middle-order issues and their opener’s slow strike rate to emerge as the biggest talking point in the lead-up to their first match of the T20 World Cup. That situation has got to the point where a journalist told Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam at the pre-match press conference that former players are saying that…
Conway, Allen thrash Australia; New Zealand end 11-year wait
New Zealand 200 for 3 (Conway 92*, Allen 42) beat Australia (Maxwell 28, Southee 3-6, Santner 3-31) by 89 runs Ten years can be a good time to wait for some things – inspiration, lifetime service awards, the right blend of salt and pepper in your hair – but not a win. New Zealand last beat Australia in Australia in December 2011. They’ve finally followed it up, 15 matches later,…
'Talk of having time to prepare for this World Cup started right after last one' – Rohit Sharma
India have often started Men’s T20 World Cups with little or no preparation or acclimatisation to the conditions, but this time they left for Australia about 20 days before their first match. And it is important too, because securing progress to the semi-finals often turns out to be a tri-series within each group between the three top teams – as it happened last year. And when you play one of…
Philippe fires as WA edge Victoria to go top of Marsh Cup table
Western Australia 247 for 7 (Philippe 81, Bancroft 78*) beat Victoria 244 for 6 (Short 75, Tye 3-53) by 3 wickets A whirlwind innings from Josh Philippe has set up Western Australia’s win over Victoria and allowed the holders to leapfrog Tasmania into top spot on the Marsh Cup table. In a tense finale at the Junction Oval on Saturday, WA reached 247 for 7 to pass Victoria’s 244 for 6 with…