Tag: England

Five Talking Points from England vs Afghanistan & Australia vs Sri Lanka- World Cup Warm-ups 2019

After a disappointing rain-hit day yesterday, fans thankfully had a full set of warm-up games to watch today- the fourth and the penultimate set of these fixtures. We witnessed hosts England taking on Afghanistan at the Oval in London and five time World Champions Australia squaring off against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl. Co-incidentally, both matches were fairly one sided with England and Australia helping themselves to comfortable victories, and the hosts and the defending champions both appear to be hitting their straps at the right time going into this quadrennial show piece. Here are our five talking points from today’s action.

Afghanistan’s pace attack needs to step up.

Three days ago, Afghanistan stunned Pakistan. Today, they were were blown away by a dominant England side. Put in to bat first, the Afghanistan batsmen never quite got going. Jofra Archer and Joe Root picked up three each as Afghanistan failed to stitch a partnership of any real significance and lost wickets at regular intervals. A couple of terrible run-outs didn’t help matters either as the visitors failed to bat out their full quota of overs, and they were eventually dismissed for just 160.

More telling was the fact that the 9th and 10th wicket stands were the highest of the innings for Afghanistan.

Phil Simmons’ men required quick wickets at the top to give themselves a chance. However, England’s openers put up a 77 run stand in just 7.2 overs to end any slim hopes Afghanistan may have entertained of making this a contest. Their pacers cumulatively went for over 10 an over, and England finished off the chase in a little over 100 deliveries. While they may have world-class spinners in Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, cricket is a team sport, and Afghanistan’s pacers must step up if they are to go far in this tournament. Continue reading “Five Talking Points from England vs Afghanistan & Australia vs Sri Lanka- World Cup Warm-ups 2019”

Five Talking Points from India vs New Zealand & Australia vs England- World Cup Warm-ups 2019

The second set of World Cup warm-up fixtures saw India square off against New Zealand at the Oval and England take on Australia at the Rose Bowl. Both World Cup favourites fell to defeats, and here are our talking points from both games.

Swing and seam remains a potential weakness for Team India

When India toured New Zealand earlier this year, they won the ODI series 4-1, but one game stood out for fans and pundits, and that was in Hamilton, when Trent Boult wrecked the Indian top order in helpful conditions to register New Zealand’s solitary win.

Today’s game at the Oval felt like a throwback to that fixture, with Boult again making use of the overcast conditions to dismiss Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul cheaply.

Given how games in the recent past in England have been, fans were expecting flat decks and scores of 350+, but the four warm-ups so far have given only one score of over 300. Maybe the ICC is doing their best to ensure a better contest between bat and ball?

India have only one game at the Oval, and that’s against defending champions Australia. If the conditions are similar, the likes of Mitch Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile could do damage similar to what Boult did. The Men in Blue will need to have a contingency plan for wickets that aid the opposition bowlers. Continue reading “Five Talking Points from India vs New Zealand & Australia vs England- World Cup Warm-ups 2019”

England Final Cricket World Cup Squad Announced | New Balance CWC 2019 Kit Unveiled

Hosts England have announced their final 15 member squad for the World Cup on home soil later this summer. Eoin Morgan’s side will kick off matters against South Africa on May 30, and will be wearing a New Balance strip that appears to be a throwback to the country’s 1992 kit, with plenty of blue and far lesser red in the uniform.

What are the changes to England’s final World Cup squad?

From the original one named in April, there are three changes. Out go Alex Hales (drugs ban), Joe Denly and David Willey, and in come James Vince, Liam Dawson and Jofra Archer.

England WC Squad 2019

The Willey exclusion is perhaps harsh on the left armer, admitted as much by chief selector Ed Smith, but somebody had to make way for Jofra Archer given his exploits against Pakistan and Ireland, and the 29 year-old Willey was the man.

However given Chris Woakes and Mark Wood’s injury records, Willey might well find himself in the squad later in the tournament. The squad appears to have most bases covered, and the bowling, which was considered a slight weak point, has been given a major boost in the form of Archer, who can easily hit speeds of 145+ and boasts of fantastic variations.

Dawson’s inclusion was owing to a niggle to Adil Rashid, which saw the specialist spinner being chosen by England, rather than Denly, who is primarily a batsman who can chip in with a few overs.

Here are a few pictures of England’s new World Cup kit made by New Balance. NB are a popular name in the football world, and are supplying kits to both England and South Africa at CWC 2019.

The winners of the last two CWC’s- India (2011) and Australia (2015), won it on home soil. England are certainly among the favourites for the 2019 edition and will be keen to improve on their Champions Trophy performance, where they breezed through the tournament before falling to eventual winners Pakistan on a tricky semi-final pitch in Cardiff.

New England World Cup Kit 2019

New Balance England World Cup Shirt 2019

First Indian Wicketkeeper to score a century in Sena Conditions-Rishabh Pant

India’s 20-year-old wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant brought up his maiden century in just 117 balls in the fifth and final day against England at Oval. Continue reading “First Indian Wicketkeeper to score a century in Sena Conditions-Rishabh Pant”