Kieron Pollard spill beans on Sunil Narine's future in international cricket

ENG W vs IND W | 1st ODI: Brilliant Beaumont and bowlers blank bemoaning India in the opener

The Indian Women were outplayed in all departments of the game b the English Women as they thumped the guest by eight-wicket to win the opening match of the three-match ODI series in County Ground, Bristol on June 27. Tammy Beaumont was the hero of the game for England along with its bowlers for their first win. Beaumont, playing her 75th ODI, hit a brilliant run a ball unbeaten 87 to diffuse any hopes that India Women had after scoring a mediocre 201 in their innings batting first. Along with Beaumont, vice-captain Nat Sciver was also on the money as after, bowling seven overs in the first innings, she came back in the second innings to bat at number four after skipper Heather Knight and Lauren Winfield Hill got out early. The all-rounder also scored run a ball unbeaten 74 to see her team through alongside Beaumont. On her way to 74, the 28-year-old also completed her 200o ODI runs, in only her 69th innings. Thanks to these two the game was finished in the 35th over itself. The two of them added unbeaten 119 runs for the fourth wicket. Beaumont was also awarded Player of the Match for her performances. For India, Jhulan Goswami was the only bowler able to bring in some difference in the game with the ball. She picked Winfield-Hill’s wicket and then Knight was bowled by Ekta Bisht. Earlier in the day, after losing the toss, India were sent to bat first, but lost two quick wickets in the form of debutant Shafali Verma and strike maker Smriti Mandhana. Those wickets in the early phase of the game meant that Punam Raut and Mithali Raj scored very slowly while trying to build a partnership. Just as the partnership got going, Raut was dismissed trying to accelerate and soon Harmanpreet Kaur was removed as well. Raj then partnered with Deepti Sharm and the two added 65 in 85 balls. Sharma too was out trying to accelerate the innings. In the ned, Raj also fell trying to score too quickly, but not before completing her 56th fifty. She top-scored with 72 from 108 balls. After her dismissal, India could make only 21 runs in the last 27 balls. With the series on the line, India Women would have to pick themselves up and also make some changes in the next game in Taunton on June 30.

Eng vs SL match referee Phil Whitticase tests COVID postive

The England and the Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is looking to seek replacements for the five-match officials in the upcoming three-match ODI series between hosts England and Sri Lanka. The development comes after Phil Whitticase, the match referee for the T20I series tested positive for COVID-19 after a PCR test revealed that he had contracted the virus. He was asymptomatic and didn’t feel unwell as per reports from the ECB. However, he has to undergo a 10 day isolation period. ESPN Cricinfo has reported that as many as seven match officials and anti-corruption personnel at the Ageas Bowl has been considered close contacts of Whitticase and can hence take no part in the upcoming ODI series which also includes the five who were slated to officiate in the three-match ODI series. All of those seven members will have to self isolate for 10 days till 7th July. "No members of the two teams were impacted," the ECB said in a statement. "Alternative arrangements will be put in place to ensure Tuesday's ODI goes ahead as planned. "Seven other members from the match officials and anti-corruption unit teams were deemed close contacts, including five members due to officiate at the first ODI on Tuesday, 29 June at Emirates Riverside, Durham. Those impacted will have to self-isolate for 10-days until July 7. No members of the two teams were impacted," the statement further read. Chris Broad was the designated match referee for the series with Michael Gough and Richard Kettleborough as the onfield umpires. After suffering a humiliating series whitewash at the hands of England, Sri Lanka will look to redeem their lost pride in the ODI series starting at Chester-le-Street from

It gave me power over other kids: Dale Steyn on why he chose cricket as a profession

South Africa speedster Dale Steyn celebrated his 38th birthday on Sunday, June 27. And in a quirky chat with a cricket website, he revealed the reason behind choosing cricket as his profession. According to the proteas bowler, cricket gave him the extra edge over other kids while growing up and that encouraged him to pursue the game. “I suppose the reason why ended up choosing cricket was just that I felt like I had power over other kids around me. I was almost untouchable when it came to cricket, so I ran with it,” Steyn said during a chat with ESPNCricinfo. Born in the picturesque town of Phalaborwa, the fast bowler was into sports right from his early childhood and played many other games apart from cricket. “In other sports, like when it came to hockey, I was really good at hockey, don’t get me wrong, but I was probably as good as other kids. You know in Swimming, I was a good swimmer, but if I beat somebody, it would just by the touch of the hands,” he said. “Whereas when it came to cricket, I leapt ahead of the other kids. It was the one thing where I thought I had power over and I could dominate,” Steyn added. With 439 wickets in Tests, Steyn is the highest wicket-taker in the longest format for his country. He also has 260 wickets in the limited-overs format of the game and is one of the most sought T20 format bowlers as well. Having achieved so much in the game, the pacer does not forget the support he received from his family at the early stage of his career. “If I was ever going to become a professional and take something further, it was always going to be cricket. A lot of people around me like my parents and family were helping me. They were like, ‘you have got something, we can see it and you are dominating the adults, so this is something you gotta go with’,” said Steyn.

WTC win meant a lot to us says retired wicket-keeper batsman BJ Watling

Former New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman BJ Watling played his farewell Test against India in the ICC World Test Championship final and what better way to bid adieu to international cricket with a word title under his belt. The Black Caps thrashed the most successful team in the two years WTC cycle by 8 wickets to win their second ICC title after a wait for more than two decades. Watling who played an influential role in reinventing New Zealand’s lost ground in the traditional format ended his Test career with 75 Tests and 3790 runs in his career. He played quite a few stellar knocks for the national team and remained a rock behind the wickets since making his Test debut back in 2009. Having started his career as an opener, Watling finished as the most capped wicket-keeper batsman from the country. Reflecting on a historic moment in Southampton earlier this week, Watling said that without a shade of doubt the WTC win meant a lot to the New Zealanders. Watling battled pain in his final Test and decided to carry on his keeping duties despite dislocating his finger. "You could see that it meant a lot to the New Zealanders. You could kind of see the smiles on their faces underneath their masks and that everyone seemed to be pretty excited that we had managed to bring it home,” Watling was quoted as saying by Stuff.co.nz. Over the last few years, New Zealand have become one of the finest Test sides across the world and Watling played a substantial role in the transformation. Watling was asked to present the caps to the players ahead of the WTC final as it was his farewell game. Even Indian skipper Virat Kohli paid a tribute to him while coming out to bat on the final day of the Test match. "It just talks about teamwork and what it means to be involved in a team and that it's not just the team, it's about everyone involved. “We have a fantastic group of support staff and players and in this competition, the way it's worked out, there's been a number of players that have played games over the two-year period that weren't actually there, so it sort of just alluded to things like that,” Watling said. Tom Blundell who has been around the New Zealand Test circuit for a while now will replace Watling in the Test XI and Watling has high hopes from the swashbuckling stumper. "I think we all know Tom is prepared and ready to go. He's already scored two fantastic hundreds and in the game that he played against England over here, his keeping was excellent. "It's not easy over here with the Duke ball moving around, and he did an outstanding job and took some excellent catches. I have full faith in Tom. I think he's hungry, and he's ready to go,” Watling concluded.