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Australia entered their fourth straight final of the Women’s World T20 with a five-run win over England in Delhi

The Report by Shashank Kishore30-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:49

‘Our fielders did a great job’ – Lanning

International victories are sweet, but some are sweeter than the others. On Wednesday, it was Meg Lanning-led Australia Women side that won the bragging rights over England Women, who stumbled to yet another defeat to their arch-rivals in a knockout clash. It left Australia eyeing a delicious prospect of pitching for their fourth successive Women’s World T20 title come Sunday.Lanning’s 50-ball 55 on a slow Feroz Shah Kotla deck was the cornerstone to Australia’s 132 for 6. England, who needed to achieve the highest successful run chase in the tournament to have a crack at their second title, choked despite having the target well within touching distance. They imploded with a combination of nerves and reckless shots. Katherine Brunt, who had a forgettable day with the ball, muscled a six and four to bring the equation down to 17 off 10 deliveries before Australia’s killer instinct prevailed; England agonisingly falling short by five runs.England came out all attacking in their chase, and also benefitted from some luck as a diving Beth Mooney put down a tough chance offered by Tammy Beaumont at mid-off in the fourth over. Charlotte Edwards, who started slowly, lent the artistic touch to the innings, before she chipped a catch to cover, against the run of play. Her dismissal ended a 67-run opening partnership that came at better than a run a ball.Sarah Taylor, who had failed in each of her four innings in the group stages, then showed why she is a feared striker in the women’s game as she stamped her authority immediately by hitting Jess Jonassen inside-out over cover for six. But the pressure of the asking rate resulted in her partners attempting shots they wouldn’t otherwise.Beaumont, after doing all the hard work, chipped one to cover where Lanning pulled off a stunner. Nerves then turned into proper panic when Natalie Sciver, who had brought England back into the contest with the ball, walked across the stumps, only to miss a full and straight delivery from Ellyse Perry. By then, England were reduced to 91 for 3, needing 42 off the last five overs.Lanning then introduced spin even as Taylor, who grew increasingly frustrated, tried to reverse sweep and paddle her way, but to no avail against Kristen Beams, the legspinner. The slowness of the surface forced another change as Erin Osborne, the offspinner, brought in for the first time in the 17th over struck off her second delivery as Heather Knight holed out to long-on. From bossing the chase, England had almost bottled it by that point as the asking rate escalated to close to 10 runs an over.That Australia had the luxury of runs on the board was courtesy a strong start from the openers Alyssa Healy and Elyse Villani. Healy, under scrutiny after a poor run of scores in the tournament, did the early running by taking the attack to Brunt and Anya Shrubsole with a 41-run stand, their highest of the tournament.Healy’s game is mostly about timing, and she set the template early on, showing the surface was a far cry to the ones both sides had encountered early on. Healy’s four boundaries in the first three overs somewhat took pressure off Villani, who took a while to get going. England’s pacers were guilty of not varying their pace and were duly put away, the first four overs yielding 35, before Australia were pegged back by a double-strike.Sciver, the seamer, struck in her first over as Villani missed a straight one to be adjudged lbw. Off the next over, the sixth, Healy, also fell lbw attempting a reverse paddle to give Laura Marsh a breakthrough and leave Australia at 50 for 2.Lanning and Perry did what they do best, milking the runs in the middle overs through smart strike rotation, seldom looking for the big hits to largely defensive fields set by Edwards. England didn’t help their own cause by reprieving Lanning twice, once on 20 and 45, with Taylor being the culprit on both occasions.Lanning went on to make a half-century, and help Australia post a more than competitive score courtesy support from her deputy Alex Blackwell, who contributed all of 11 in a 37-run stand for the fourth wicket. While most other sides may have looked to hit out, the match awareness of the pair on a surface that demanded application, and not flamboyance, may have resulted in those few extra runs that made the difference in the end.As much as those extra runs may have come in handy, it wouldn’t have been enough had Rene Farrell not brought her experience into play. She held her nerve, defending 12 off the final over in style, as Australia showed why they were the three-time champions.

Cesc Fabregas's wife Daniella Semaan has slammed reports that claimed Lionel Messi had an affair with an Argentine journalist.

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Fabregas' wife denies Messi's alleged affairThe Argentine reportedly cheated on wife AntonellaReported in Brazilian mediaWHAT HAPPENED?

According to the Brazilian media outlet , the Inter Miami star is apparently facing a crisis in his married life and is on the verge of splitting up with his wife Antonella Roccuzzo after he allegedly had an affair with Argentine journalist Sofia Martinez.

But Cesc Fabregas' wife Daniella Semaan, who is extremely close to the Messi family, has denied the rumours and slammed the media report

AdvertisementWHAT DANIELLA SEMAAN SAID

Replying to an Instagram post, Semaan wrote, "What publication is this that has no meaning.. and has nothing right."

Messi and Roccuzzo have known each other since childhood and have been in a relationship for 15 years. The couple got married in 2017 and has three sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The claims that there have been reports in Argentina as well that claim that the 36-year-old star is allegedly in love with a woman and it is not his wife Antonella.

Journalist Sofia Martinez came into the limelight during the World Cup for her famous and passionate speech addressing the Argentina skipper after he guided his team to the final beating Croatia in the semis. She thanked the Barcelona legend on behalf of all Argentines.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LIONEL MESSI?

Messi is currently enjoying the off-season after Inter Miami's MLS campaign ended last month. He was recently seen in action for La Albiceleste who played World Cup qualifying matches against Uruguay and Brazil.

Manchester City star Chloe Kelly was given the team's October Player of the Month award.

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Kelly voted Man City's best player for OctoberAttacker scored decisive goals in WSLWas presented with award by team-mate Esme MorganWHAT HAPPENED?

The 25-year-old was named the women's team's top performer for the month in a fan vote, beating Khiara Keating and Jill Roord to the award. She scored decisive goals against Chelsea and Leicester as City picked up vital points in the Women's Super League. Kelly has since struck three times and registered an assist in matches against Arsenal and Liverpool in November.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The former Arsenal and Everton player has been key for Gareth Taylor's team. City are currently sixth in the WSL, six points behind reigning champions and current leaders Chelsea. Asked by team-mate Esme Morgan to sum up the month of October in three words, the attacker said: "Heart, goals, energy".

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR KELLY?

Kelly will hope to maintain her excellent form when she and her City co-stars take on rivals Manchester United in the WSL on Sunday. That game will be followed by a FA Women's League Cup match against Leicester on November 22.

England secured their largest runs victory in an ODI at Edgbaston as rampant hundreds from Jos Buttler and Joe Root led them beyond the new watermark of 400 for the first time in an ODI

The Report by Andrew McGlashan09-Jun-2015England 408 for 9 (Buttler 129, Root 104, Rashid 69, Morgan 50, Boult 4-55) beat New Zealand 198 (Taylor 57, Finn 4-35, Rashid 4-55) by 210 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:16

How should England shape their ODI future?

The proclamation of a new era in England’s one-day cricket has been a regular event for the last 20 years. The end results have usually been so underwhelming as to not get carried away by one performance, but never has a phase of rebuilding begun in such barnstorming style as they managed at Edgbaston. England secured their largest runs victory in an ODI as rampant hundreds from Jos Buttler and Joe Root led them beyond the new watermark of 400 for the first time in an ODI.Buttler, who already held the record of England’s fastest ODI hundred with his 61-ball ton against Sri Lanka, at Lord’s, last year slotted himself in at No. 2 as well with a free-wheeling 66-ball effort. Barely an hour earlier, Root had stood at No. 3 on the list with an equally outstanding 71-ball hundred but by the end of the innings – which included a world-record seventh-wicket stand of 177 in 17 overs, between Buttler and Adil Rashid, and an England record 14 sixes – he had to be content with fourth.The final total of 408 – surpassing their previous best of 391 made against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge in 2005 – was the 16th total over 400 in ODIs. Five of those have come since the start of 2015, encompassing the World Cup, highlighting, if any further evidence was required, just how far behind the pack England’s one-day game had become. The mark was passed when Liam Plunkett cleared the ropes in the final over.New Zealand were only ever going to attempt the chase in one way: at the end of the first over they had 11 runs on the board but Steven Finn had won a personal battle with Brendon McCullum when the New Zealand captain charged and missed, evening the scales somewhat after the onslaught he inflicted in Wellington. Finn bagged 4 for 35 and Rashid capped England’s day by following his maiden half-century with 4 for 55. From the moment Grant Elliott was run out by a superb throw from debutant Sam Billings at third man, New Zealand lost their last seven wickets for 38.England could not have done more to live up their pre-series talk of releasing the shackles of a debilitating World Cup campaign (and arguably a backward mindset to one-day cricket that stemmed back to 1992). When they suffered a mid-innings wobble, losing 4 for 31 in seven overs, there was a risk that the 121-run stand in 15 overs between Root and Eoin Morgan would be wasted, but that could not have proved further from the truth.Despite being six wickets down at 30 overs, Buttler and Rashid, playing his first innings for England since 2009, played New Zealand at their own game. The batting Powerplay – so often England’s downfall – brought 56 runs. Buttler needed just 24 deliveries for his second fifty while Rashid reached his fifty from 37 balls, although before unleashing Buttler shrewdly saw off Trent Boult, the main threat with four wickets.It will barely be remembered but England’s latest new era did not have the most auspicious of starts when Jason Roy, playing his second ODI but batting for the first time after the rain-ruined match in Ireland, drove the first delivery of the day, from Boult, to Martin Guptill at backward point.Boult made the major inroads for New Zealand, removing both openers then returning to end Root’s magnificent hundred on his way to 4 for 55. Those wickets encouraged Brendon McCullum to bowl him out by the 33rd over – although that was only an extension of his World Cup tactics – but without the rested Tim Southee and to a lesser extent the injured Corey Anderson, he did not have the same depth of resources to quell England’s extraordinary second charge. Mitchell McClenaghan was taken for 93 from his 10 overs, the fourth-most expensive figures for a New Zealand bowler, while Elliott and debutant Mitchell Santner were used at the death.The response to the early loss of Roy was an enlightened one from England as they lived up to their promise of aggression by taking on the New Zealand new-ball attack. Root and Alex Hales added 50 in seven overs, forcing Brendon McCullum to turn to spin, in the form of his brother, as early as the fifth over before Boult struck for a second time when Hales top-edged a pull.Then came the first major stand of the innings as Root and Morgan – two of the most established players in a young side – took up the cudgels in a 93-ball partnership which left the Edgbaston crowd in raptures and put McCullum under the sort of pressure he has not often felt in one-day colours in recent times.Morgan’s first boundary was a confident strike over long-off against Nathan McCullum and one of outcomes of England’s aggression was an earlier-than-usual reduction in New Zealand’s slip cordon to the pacemen. Root benefited when he edged McClenaghan between the keeper and Ross Taylor at a wide lone slip to bring up his fifty from 41 balls. Later, in the 37th over, Buttler would also bisect the same gap off the same bowler when he was on 33, although a single slip was understandable by then.A top-edged six from Morgan brought up the hundred stand from 84 balls and his fifty, just a third in 29 ODI innings, came off 45 balls before he was pinned lbw by McClenaghan – an on-field decision confirmed by the DRS. The innings then stuttered and when Santner won the battle of the debutants against Billings – this time a decision overturned by the DRS – England had reached the point of the innings when ‘double the score’ becomes the catchphrase with only four wickets remaining.Yet they still doubled the score, in breathtaking fashion. Rashid struck the first six of a partnership that would include seven of them when he took on Santner, whose seventh over then cost 19, as the pair started to find top gear and Buttler went to fifty from 42 deliveries. Ten of the last 14 overs of the innings went for double figures, including 18 off the 47th bowled by Elliott. Rashid had been given a life on 37 when Matt Henry’s hands, rather the ball, broke the stumps in a run-out attempt.Buttler gave a tough chance to deep midwicket on 90 which Taylor could not gather as he ran in and in the next over went to his second ODI hundred with a drilled boundary through the off side, which had been peppered throughout his innings.While New Zealand are much more than a one man team, it was the sort of mammoth target that needed 20 overs of McCullum. Instead, Guptill tried to set a strong early tempo before edging a heave against Finn who also managed the notable feat of the day’s only maiden over. He later added Taylor, who top-scored with 57 off 54 balls in what was an encouraging performance.The most eye-catching bowling, though, came from Rashid. Enjoying a day with a mountain of runs to play with, he lured Kane Williamson into finding long-off in his second over, helping to settle the nerves. His googly was in good working order and in his ninth over he had Santner well caught at slip then spun a wrong ‘un through Luke Ronchi’s first-ball sweep. Another followed when Henry was lbw, albeit to one that would have spun past leg stump. Still, an English legspinner in one-day cricket – whatever unfolds for this England team, for one day at least it did feel like a new era.

Four years of Jerome Taylor’s international career were ravaged by injury, but the fast bowler, who has made a successful return to West Indies’ Test side, says he never thought of giving up the game

Devashish Fuloria02-Oct-2014October 2006. A 22-year-old fast bowler rips through the defences of Michael Hussey, Brett Lee and Brad Hogg at the Brabourne Stadium to become the first West Indian to get a hat-trick in ODIs. The bowler oozes promise and his spell is crucial in West Indies winning the Champions Trophy match by 10 runs.October 2014. The fast bowler, on a comeback trail after a long hiatus, is back at the Brabourne Stadium, as West Indies embark on their third tour to India in three years, and the memory of that hat-trick still fresh in his mind.”How can I forget anything like that? It is there and it will be there for a very long while until I can put something in front of that,” Jerome Taylor said, on the eve of the practice match against India A. “But that was one-day cricket and that’s in the past. There are lot of things that can be achieved in the future. I am actually working on being a better cricketer overall as well.”It has been a tough road for Taylor. His international career was disrupted with a spate of injuries when he was at his peak and there was a 32-month period during which all he played were a couple of domestic T20 matches. Moreover, during this period, his commitment to returning to the fold was questioned by the West Indies Cricket Board. Despite the setbacks, Taylor never thought of giving up the game altogether aside.”That thought [retirement] never crossed my mind,” he says. “It was more of physical challenge than a mental one. I have undergone a lot of stuff to get back to this point. It was a lot of work in the back end and it worked okay for me.”Taylor made a comeback to international cricket earlier this year during the series against New Zealand and has picked up 18 wickets in the five Tests since his return. The current version is not the tearaway fast bowler from five years ago, but Taylor, who is striving for consistency, says he maintains the ability to bowl a heavy ball. The tour of India will be his first full series since his return.”This might be a good series for me,” he says. “If I give a good account of myself against one of the top-ranking teams, that would actually boost my confidence and would help my career move forward. When I look at the Indian team and their batting line-up, yes, you will be put under pressure, but you have to spend hours in the field if you want to hit the straps as soon as possible.”What I do is try to listen to my body and use that as a guide going forward. Your body will tell you whenever something is wrong or right, and as a competitor, you cannot be afraid of expressing yourself in the park. Yes, it is going to stay in the back of your mind, but if you let that take over, then it’s going to hurt so much.”The addition of Taylor, along with Kemar Roach, has given the West Indies pace attack a potency that had been absent for a while. It’s still a new partnership. “I haven’t bowled much with Kemar since he came onto the scene,” Taylor says. “It’s only in the last two Test series that we have got together and it is something that is working really well. We even work together in the nets, we share information and stuff like that. So we are looking forward to whatever challenge lies ahead.”One of the challenges will be the conditions. In Mumbai, where the team plays both its practice matches, the temperatures have hit post-monsoon highs of 35 degrees, with almost 80% humidity. “It’s not a place where you can blast batters out,” Taylor says. Patience will be the key and Taylor knows a thing or two about it.

The 64-match tournament will be held across 11 cities and 12 stadiums from June 14 to July 15. Goal has the full lowdown on every location…

GettyLuzhniki Stadium – Moscow

Capacity: 80,000

The Luzhniki Stadium is home to the first game of the tournament on Thursday June 14 between host nation Russia and Saudi Arabia and will ultimately play host to the final on Sunday July 15. It has the largest capacity of all the World Cup 2018 stadia.

It first opened in 1956 and began refurbishment works to increase its capacity in 2013, with the athletics track removed, stands moved closer to the pitch, and two extra tiers added. The historical outer facade has been kept and incorporated into the new structure.

After the World Cup, the Luzhniki Stadium will continue to be the home ground for all Russia national team games. 

GettyWhat games are being played at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow?

Russia vs Saudi Arabia (June 14)

Germany vs Mexico (June 17)

Portugal vs Morocco (June 20)

Denmark vs France (June 26)

Round of 16 match 3 (July 1)

Semi-final 2 (July 11)

Final (July 15)

AdvertisementLaurence Griffiths Getty ImagesSpartak Stadium – Moscow

Capacity: 45,000

Built in 2014, the Spartak Stadium is home to Russian Premier League side Spartak Moscow and was one of four stadiums used in the 2017 Confederations Cup, which was won by Germany.

The stadium's facade is made up of hundreds of small diamonds representing the Spartak logo and can also be changed depending on whichever team is playing. After the 2018 World Cup, the stadium will be the centre of a new residential development that will be built around it. 

GettyWhat games are being played at Spartak Stadium in Moscow?

Argentina vs Iceland (June 16)

Poland vs Senegal(June 19)

Belgium vs Tunisia(June 23)

Serbia vs Brazil(June 27)

Round of 16 match 8 (July 3)

Getty ImagesSt Petersburg Stadium – St Petersburg

Capacity: 67,000

Built on the site of the former Kirov Stadium on Krestovsky Island, the St Petersburg Stadium hosted the opening match and final of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

The seven-storey stadium is one of Russia's most modern arenas. It includes a retractable roof and sliding pitch to be able to host other sporting events.

Following the World Cup it will continue to be the home of Zenit St Petersburg, as well as hosting concerts and a variety of other sports events. It will also be one of the grounds used in the Euro 2020 finals.

GettyWhat games are being played at St Petersburg Stadium?

Morocco vs Iran (June 15)

Russia vs Egypt (June 19)

Brazil vs Costa Rica (June 22)

Nigeria vs Argentina (June 26)

Round of 16 match 7 (July 3)

Semi-final 1 (July 10)

Third-place play-off (July 14)

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Fisht Stadium – Sochi

Capacity: 48,000

The Fisht Stadium was originally built for the 2014 Winter Olympics as an indoor arena hosting both the opening and closing ceremonies, before being reconstructed specifically for this year's World Cup. 

Named after Mount Fisht, the exterior resembles a snow-capped peak and hosted matches during last summer's Confederations Cup.

During the 2018 World Cup, Sochi will be the Russia national team's training camp and where they've played some of their competitive and friendly matches. 

GettyWhat games are being played at Fisht Stadium in Sochi?

Portugal vs Spain (June 15)

Belgium vs Panama (June 18)

Germany vs Sweden (June 23)

Australia vs Peru (June 26)

Round of 16 match 2 (June 30)

Quarter-final 4 (July 7)

Axar Patel took four wickets in five balls, including the first hat-trick of the season, to pave the way for Kings XI Punjab’s -run win against table-toppers Gujarat Lions in Rajkot

The Report by Nikhil Kalro01-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAxar Patel took four wickets in five balls to propel Kings XI Punjab to their second win of the season•AFPAxar Patel took four wickets in five balls, including the first hat-trick of the season, to pave the way for Kings XI Punjab’s 23-run win against table-toppers Gujarat Lions in Rajkot. Axar’s burst reduced Lions to 57 for 6 in their chase of 155, setting up the side’s second win of the season. Both sides suffered batting collapses but Lions were poorer as they stuttered to their second loss of the season.Kings XI’s defence of 154 got off to an ideal start with the early wickets of Brendon McCullum and Suresh Raina, as both batsmen missed straight balls from Mohit Sharma. After a slow Powerplay, Axar was brought on in the seventh over, his second of the innings. Off the third ball, Dwayne Smith muscled a lofted drive and found Gurkeerat Singh at long-off. Two balls later, the left-arm spinner got one to skid through and Dinesh Karthik’s inside edge clattered into leg stump. Dwayne Bravo chopped the first ball he faced onto his stumps and the over ended with Lions at a shaky 39 for 5.Brought back in the 11th over, Axar then got his first ball to dart past Ravindra Jadeja’s outside edge. It seemed like bat had hit pad, but the umpire raised his finger. This was Axar’s first T20 hat-trick, and the 14th of the tournament.Thereafter, Lions were always behind the climbing asking rate. Kings XI’s new captain M Vijay rotated his bowlers continuously. Ishan Kishan and James Faulkner added to Lions’ score but the slide had taken much of the game out of their hands.At the halfway stage, however, it did not seem like Kings XI had enough. Despite a flying start from Vijay and Marcus Stoinis, Kings XI collapsed to 154. Vijay’s sweetly timed drives and flicks off Lions’ seamers, Dhawal Kulkarni and Praveen Kumar, helped the side score 34 off the first four overs. Vijay contributed 31 of those. Stoinis, then, cut loose and Kings XI plundered 59 off the Powerplay, their highest this season.In the seventh over, Stoinis ran past a slider from Jadeja and the wicket sparked another Kings XI collapse. Chinaman bowler Shivil Kaushik’s whippy action forced Kings XI to look for pushes and nudges. Shaun Marsh could not keep one of those flicks down and found midwicket. On a pitch with a bit of grass, Kaushik found no turn, but his quick-arm action caused the ball to skid off the surface. One ball after Marsh was dismissed, Glenn Maxwell missed an attempted a cut off Kaushik and the ball snuck under his bat. Dinesh Karthik belted out an appeal and the umpire raised his finger, much to Maxwell’s bewilderment.Kings XI’s situation worsened when Gurkeerat Singh, one of four changes for Kings XI, was run out after an acrobatic effort from James Faulkner at point. Kings XI stuttered from 65 for 0 in the seventh over to 73 for 4 in the ninth.David Miller and Wriddhiman Saha, though, found the boundary regularly in their 39-run stand for the sixth wicket. They tried to build a platform for a late surge but that did not come as Dwayne Bravo and Praveen Kumar brought out their slower balls to flummox Kings XI’s lower order. Lions conceded one four off the last three overs and picked up five wickets to bowl Kings XI out.

Megan Rapinoe will not be heading into retirement just yet, with the USWNT icon helping to fire OL Reign into the NWSL play-offs.

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All-time great preparing to hang up her bootsNot ready to call it a day just yetWill face Angel City FC in the post-seasonWHAT HAPPENED?

The 38-year-old forward, who earned 203 caps and scored 63 goals for her country, will be hanging up her boots when the 2023 season comes to a close. She has not reached that point just yet, with a well-taken brace against the Chicago Red Stars ensuring that OL Reign are heading into the post-season.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Two-time World Cup winner Rapinoe was never going to bring the curtain down on her remarkable career without making a few more headlines, and a fitting finale remains on the cards after delivering more moments of magic against the Red Stars.

DID YOU KNOW?

Rapinoe’s first goal in a 3-0 win for OL Reign saw her drift inside from the left before curling a dipping strike into the bottom corner. She repeated that trick a matter of minutes later when whipping another effort into the back of the net via the inside of the post.

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

A comfortable victory on the final day of the NWSL regular season has seen OL Reign wrap up a fifth-place finish. Rapinoe will now take in at least one more game before calling it a day, with Angel City FC next on the agenda for her.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine cannot bowl in the Champions League T20 final on Saturday, after he was reported for a second time in two matches for a suspect action

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-20141:38

Kalra: Narine will be under intense scrutiny

Sunil Narine has been barred from bowling for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Champions League T20 final on Saturday after being reported for a second time in two matches for a suspect action. He was reported by the umpires after Thursday’s semi-final against Hobart Hurricanes, which Knight Riders won by seven wickets. He had also been reported following their final group match, against Dolphins, when the umpires questioned his quicker delivery.ESPNcricinfo understands that this time the umpires, Rod Tucker, S Ravi and Vineet Kulkarni, had noted in their written complaint that several of the 24 deliveries Narine bowled against Hurricanes were suspect. “It was three deliveries in the last match. But this time all his four overs were reported,” an official privy to the complaint said.No official from Knight Riders’ management responded to queries, so it is not yet known whether the franchise might appeal against the penalty.According to a Champions League T20 release, the umpires reviewed footage of the semi-final and “felt that there was a flex action in Narine’s elbow beyond the acceptable limit when bowling during the match”. He had already been on the tournament’s warning list and, since he had not subsequently had his action cleared, is now automatically banned from bowling further in the tournament.Knight Riders will now be “advised” to send Narine to the Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai – which has been accredited by the ICC as a testing centre for suspect bowling actions – to have his action tested.The bowling ban will not affect his West Indies duties, though – it is confined only to the Champions League T20 and other BCCI-organised tournaments, including the IPL.Darren Sammy, Narine’s West Indies team-mate, came out in support of him on Thursday, prior to him being reported a second time. “I am not worried. Narine is a champion. Whether they stop him from bowling the faster ball, he is still the most dangerous spinner in the world,” Sammy had said. “I believe that he will still be a great asset to us. He will do whatever he has to do and have all his different tricks up his sleeves by the time the World Cup is here. I still feel he will be our a champion spinner.”Narine is the fourth bowler to be reported in the Champions League – the others are Lahore Lions’ Adnan Rasool and Mohammad Hafeez, and Dolphins’ Prenelan Subrayen. However, he is the first bowler to be reported a second time. This comes at a time when the ICC has been stepping up its action against suspect bowling actions, with several spinners being called and suspended from bowling in international cricket.It comes as a big blow to Knight Riders, as they look to extend their T20 winning streak to 15 and secure the double of winning the IPL and the Champions League T20 in the same year.

Boos rang out around Old Trafford on the second afternoon after a sharp but relatively short shower caused an abandonment

George Dobell at Old Trafford08-Aug-2014Just a day after the Old Trafford authorities were being praised for producing the best pitch of the international summer in England, boos rang out around the ground.The source of the crowd’s frustration was understandable: a sharp but relatively short shower had not just interrupted play, but caused an abandonment. What promised to be another exciting afternoon of cricket instead became an ever more farcical succession of inspections and further delays.With the benefit of hindsight, we can probably conclude now that play should have been abandoned as early as 4pm. By then, a ground that had taken some heavy rain over the previous weekend had experienced an unusually brutal downpour that left standing water all over the outfield. It started at around 2.15pm and ended, after flirting with spectators for a while, at about 3.40pm.But, with the best of intentions, the groundstaff and the umpires decided to do what they could to restart play. A few years ago, such a deluge would have ended play for the day without anyone batting an eyelid, but expectations have changed significantly. New sand-based outfields and drainage systems have vastly reduced delays after rain and there is, however it may seem, more respect for spectators than was once the case.More than that, the desperation to make a success of hosting such major games, results in grounds taking risks and short-term decisions.Excess water at the Brian Statham End meant play could not be resumed despite the groundstaff’s efforts•PA PhotosAgain, with the benefit of hindsight, the groundstaff might have been well advised to simply allow the drainage the time to do its work. But, understandably, they felt a need not just to help nature on its way, but to be seen to be helping nature on its way.So out came the super-soppers – the tractor-like devices that soak up water from the outfield – and they went to work at the Brian Statham End, in particular, which is the lowest part of the ground and where the puddles were at their deepest.That was probably a mistake. For, after a weekend when Lancashire were forced to take similar action to ensure a NatWest Blast T20 quarter-final was able to take place on the ground – the match was scheduled for Friday, but eventually took place on Saturday evening – the area was already boggy and damaged. The further usage of relatively heavy machinery may have removed some excess water, but it also churned up the area to such an extent that it began to resemble a field of cabbages more than a cricket outfield.In truth, the soppers are largely cosmetic devices and are used as much as public-relations ploys as they are for practical purposes. Certainly in circumstances like this, they tend to present as many problems as they do solutions. The outfield just became worse and worse and an area stretching around five metres into the playing surface at that entire end of the ground became genuinely unplayable. While cricket remains a little indulgent of such matters – talk that such conditions are “dangerous” is not helpful – it would have been farcical to try and play international sport in such circumstances. Eventually, play was abandoned at 5.40pm.It does not mean the ground’s drainage is inadequate for the longer term. Lancashire installed a similar drainage scheme to most of the major grounds in England in 2008. Only Lord’s, with its greater income and incomparable business model, was able to afford a more effective system.But, at the end of last year, the club was obliged to pull down two new stands – the stands either side of the media centre at the Brian Statham End – and rebuild them, which appears to have created a temporary area of weakness.While the stands were being built, in 2012, one of the contractors, Sabre Structures Ltd, went into administration. That caused a delay that could have rendered the stands unfinished ahead of the 2013 season and the lucrative Ashes Test, so the club installed support columns as an intermediate measure to allow the stands to be used and enable the ground to host the international cricket that is so vital to its future.These support columns resulted in an obstructed view for some spectators, however, and were always viewed as a temporary solution. So, after the Ashes Test, the club strengthen the tiers with the installation of additional structural steel which allowed the removal of the support columns.The problem with that, though, was that it resulted in a significant amount of heavy machinery on the outfield at that end of the ground. As a result, the grass had to be re-laid at the start of this summer and it has not knitted as well as it has done in other areas of the ground. That weakness was exploited by the ferocity of the recent rain.Talk that the incident could jeopardise the ground’s future as a venue for major matches is hyperbole, though. The pitch at Old Trafford has actually put some of those at other venues to shame and, while the episode is not ideal, talk of denying them future games seems harsh in the extreme.There is a fear, however, that the boggy areas – and they really are in very poor condition – might render play difficult on day three, even if Manchester enjoys a dry night.Afterwards Mike Watkinson, the Lancashire director of cricket, apologised, but insisted the circumstances were extreme. “We apologise if people feel let down, but these are extreme circumstances,” Watkinson told the BBC. “It was an extremely heavy downpour and most grounds would have struggled.”We’ve had a massive downpour and water has congregated in the low point of the ground. It’s an area that we have used for construction purposes. It has high-performing drains. What it hasn’t got is turf that has knitted together over seasons like the rest of the field. It’s quite a new area.”If we have got anything wrong, it was to go with the water hog instead of letting it drain naturally. You can understand our groundstaff being as proactive as possible. It looks a bit of a mess. We accept that. Last Friday evening we were under water for a Twenty20 game. But there is no reason at all it won’t dry out over night.”You would hope it is not held against us [when allocating future major matches].You hope that people look at the cricket has been played so far in this game, the quality of the pitch, the way its produced some great bowling and good batting.”There has been entertaining cricket with a real momentum and better players have prospered. I hope they have not been bothered about five metres of a sandy puddle that has affected an hour’s cricket.”In a perfect world, grounds might not host international cricket until they are finished and tested and perfect. But in the real world, the club’s need to finance their redevelopment schemes and they need to host regular international cricket to do so. While that is the case – and the ECB could implement a better system with a little thought – teething problems like this are probably inevitable.It is not a scandal. There is nobody deserving of blame or shame. It does not merit the sobriquet “watergate” however tempting it might be to use it. It was just bad luck. Lancashire experienced a perfect storm: it rained very hard on an area of weak ground and, for all the goodwill in the world – perhaps partly because of all that goodwill – it wasn’t possible to restart play. It’s frustrating, but it happens.