England’s commitment to high-risk, high-impact cricket hurried the first Ashes Test towards a gripping conclusion, setting Australia 281 to win on day four at Edgbaston.
Resuming on 28 for two, England put their foot to the floor as they moved to 273 all out at the end of an elongated afternoon session.
The hosts would have loved one of their middle-order batters to kick on to a substantial score, but saw Joe Root (46), Harry Brook (46) and Ben Stokes (43) dismissed one by one just as they were dragging control away from the Australians.
There were important runs too from from the tail, Ollie Robinson making 27 as the last two wickets put on 44.
Despite delivering emphatically on their promise to entertain, even those who roared their approval from the stands may reflect that England over-reached against Nathan Lyon at times.
Root was stumped for the first time in 131 Tests when he ran down the pitch and swiped fresh air and Brook cut short a highly promising stay when he dragged to midwicket trying to force a boundary.
Former captain Root set the tone for a colourful day with an audacious start, attempting his trademark reverse ramp off Pat Cummins’ first delivery of the morning.
Root has become a master of that audacious stroke but, even by his own standards, attempting it so early – with a crucial Test match balanced on a knife-edge – showed remarkable chutzpah.
Undeterred, he went back to the well twice in the next over, launching Scott Boland over the wicketkeeper’s head for six and then flicking four more beyond the slip cordon. It was a faintly surreal, but utterly exhilarating opening salvo.
England continued to go after Boland, who shipped 31 off his first three overs as his reputation for economy took its second battering in four days.
By contrast, Cummins was working up a head of steam at the Pavilion End and he produced a picture-perfect inswinging yorker to see off Ollie Pope (16), thudding the base of off stump as the batter groped for contact. He finished with four for 63 – an outstanding effort by any measure.
That left England 84 ahead and three down, but the arrival of Brook ensured the tempo did not slow. He took just three balls to register his first four, punching Cameron Green down the ground and quickly dialling up the aggression.
He helped himself to 13 off Lyon’s first over – not the kind of reception the spinner would have anticipated on a wearing pitch – and later launched him over extra-cover with a clean swing of the bat.
Lyon got his rewards for sticking at it, Root overly giddy as he ran down the pitch and left Alex Carey a simple stumping.
Stokes unexpectedly cooled things down, playing safely as he realised the importance of slowing Australia’s roll, but Brook lost his patience as Lyon dried up the scoring options.
Within sight of a first Ashes fifty he swiped at the spinner and was well caught by the diving Marnus Labuschagne at midwicket.
Jonny Bairstow successfully overturned an lbw decision just before lunch, with England heading in at 155 for five. They made another 118 in the middle session, but were bowled out in the extra half-hour as they wrestled for the upper hand.
Bairstow took the lead past 200 with successive fours – an impeccable square drive and a thick edge to deep third – but he was undone lbw by the wily Lyon for 20.
That left Stokes in charge of building the lead and he batted with deliberate focus, putting away the slogs that have too often followed him around as captain.
He hit five boundaries in almost two hours of observance, before his opposite number Lyon trapped him leg-before with the lead at 217.
England will have been happy with their finishing position from there, Moeen Ali making a scratchy 19 and Robinson showing real composure as he chipped away vital runs.
He was close to being out for five, but Labuschagne brushed the ball across the ground after claiming the catch at short leg. He holed to give Lyon a fourth, with Stuart Broad and James Anderson adding 17 more before the latter edged Cummins behind.
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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