England were left “angry” and “bewildered” after Ollie Pope was pressed to take the field with a shoulder injury, but expect him to play his part in salvaging the second Ashes Test despite aggravating the problem.
England are 221 runs behind with eight Australian wickets to take and will need every one of their batters for what is shaping up to be a huge fourth-innings chase at Lord’s.
But Pope may struggle to be at his best after hurting his right shoulder for a second time in the match as Australia stretched their lead on day three.
England were permitted to use a substitute fielder after Pope went down in Australia’s first innings, but the situation changed after he came out to bat in his usual position of number three.
Confusion over the vice-captain’s status reigned in the England dressing room and it is understood TV umpire Marais Erasmus may have suggested they would need to field with 10 men if Pope was unfit to join his team-mates. Instead, a replacement should have been approved, with Pope allowed to bat no higher than number seven.
Pope stepped up but was left clutching the joint in pain when he dived at mid-on, departing once again for treatment for what was now considered by the officials as a fresh injury.
Assistant coach Jeetan Patel suggested England were left uncertain by their communication with the officials.
“We’re a bit bewildered by it all, I suppose. We haven’t clarified with the officials yet why he was told he had to get back out there and field. It’s a pretty tough situation when you nearly bust your shoulder,” he said.
“It’s a bit messy if I’m being honest with you. We’re probably as frustrated as everyone else that was out there and saw what happened and he’s probably more angry at the situation than anything else. He’s pretty sore.
“It’s a bit confusing. We think, or we assumed, he had to be back out on the field otherwise we’d have to field with 10 men. That made no sense to me, or us. We threw him out there in the risk that he wouldn’t have to touch the ball.
“But it was always going to happen wasn’t it? He’s so committed to this team, he was always going to fall on something. Now he’s back off icing his shoulder.”
Patel made it clear he would be ready to do his job for the side in the final innings, with England searching for a match-winner after allowing control of the Test to slip through their hands.
“I’m very certain he’ll bat, very certain he’ll bat at three and very certain he’ll be determined to score runs for England,” said Patel.
“He’s a good kid and we know that he’s going to rock up with a smile on his face and put in for the team. He’ll see it as an opportunity to take the game on.”
England were guilty of giving away their wickets far too cheaply in their first attempt, going from 188 for one to 325 all out to hand control to the tourists.
They have fought back from tighter corners than that in the past year but the route to a series-levelling win is narrowing with every run.
“We’ve seen some amazing things from this team, some crazy things,” he said.
“This team is about breaking records. They want to set new standards and sell out grounds. A way to do that is to bowl them out and set the crowd alight, then chase whatever it is down.”
Knight Riders dispatch Super Giants to move top of IPL
Kolkata Knight Riders moved to the top of the Indian Premier League courtesy of a 98-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants.
Sunil Narine hit a sensational 81 from 39 balls, and he was ably supported by Ramandeep Singh's 25 from six deliveries, as KKR reeled off a third straight win on Sunday.
Ramandeep enjoyed a great day in the field too, as he took one of the catches of the season as LSG managed just 137 in response to KKR's 235.
Phil Salt struck 32, but it was fellow opener Narine who did the damage for KKR.
Ravi Bishnoi eventually ended his stand, but only when KKR had reached 140. Angkrish Raghuvanshi (32) had to be substituted out, but Shreyas Iyer added a useful 23 before Ramandeep hammered 25 from just an overs' worth of deliveries.
KL Rahul (25) and Marcus Stoinis (36) tried to get Lucknow going either side of Ramandeep's spectacular catch to dismiss Arshin Kulkarni, but the Super Giants never set the pace to truly trouble Kolkata.
Sunil Narine's plunders 81 to propel Kolkata Knight Riders to emphatic victory over Pooran's Lucknow Super Giants
In a sensational display of power hitting, Sunil Narine spearheaded Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a commanding victory over Nicholas Pooran's Lucknow Super Giants and a place atop of the IPL table with a stunning knock of 81 runs off just 39 deliveries.
Alongside Narine, contributions from Ramandeep Singh (25 off 6 balls), Phil Salt (32), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (32), and Shreyas Iyer ensured that KKR posted an imposing total of 235 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs.
The match, held at one of the lower-scoring venues in IPL 2024, set the stage for a challenging run chase for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Despite a 50-run partnership between KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis, LSG struggled to accelerate the scoring rate, ultimately succumbing to the pressure imposed by KKR's bowlers.
Andre Russell emerged as a pivotal figure in the match, not only with his powerful batting but also with his crucial contributions with the ball. Russell's bowling spell saw him claim the crucial wickets of Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran, swinging the match heavily in KKR's favor.
As LSG's innings faltered, the required run rate soared out of control, with the last nine wickets falling for just 67 runs. Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana were instrumental in dismantling LSG's batting lineup, each claiming three wickets.
Narine's explosive batting display in the initial overs set the tone for KKR's commanding total. After Salt's aggressive start, Narine took centre stage, unleashing a barrage of boundaries and sixes. His innings featured a total of seven sixes and six fours, demonstrating his ability to accelerate the scoring rate at will.
Despite eventually being dismissed while attempting another big hit, Narine's contribution laid the foundation for KKR's comprehensive victory. The match also witnessed standout performances from Ramandeep Singh, whose quick-fire innings added crucial runs to KKR's total, putting LSG under immense pressure.
With this convincing win, Kolkata Knight Riders continue to demonstrate their formidable form in IPL 2024, buoyed by standout performances from key players like Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, signaling their intent as serious contenders in the tournament.
IPL: Jadeja stars as CSK move into playoff places
Chennai Super Kings moved into the Indian Premier League playoff places after beating Punjab Kings by 28 runs in Dharamshala.
The reigning champions avenged their seven-wicket defeat by the Kings in Chennai four days earlier to climb to third place in the table with three games remaining.
After a slow start, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Daryl Mitchell's partnership brought 57 runs and settled CSK into their stride. Although MS Dhoni went for a duck, Ravindra Jadeja's late surge of 43 from 26 balls saw them close at 167-9.
Tushar Deshpande claimed Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw in the second over to stem the Kings' early momentum, while Jadeja (3-20) also took a quickfire double of Sam Curran and Ashutosh Sharma in the 13th over as the hosts finished well short of their target at 139-9.
Data debrief
In getting back to winning ways, CSK ended their five-game losing streak against the Kings, stretching back to 2021.
Despite going for a duck, Dhoni managed to make amends in the field. When he caught out Jitesh Sharma, he became the first player in IPL history to take 150 catches.
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