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The West Indies' T20 World Cup campaign took a severe hit after their eight-wicket defeat to England in the Super 8s match in St Lucia on Wednesday night with the news that they could be without opener Brandon King for the remainder of the tournament. The Jamaican retired hurt due to an apparent side strain early in their innings of 180-4.
King had given the West Indies a strong start, smashing 23 runs off just 12 balls, including a massive 101-metre six off Reece Topley that flew over the midwicket boundary. However, his promising innings was abruptly halted on his 13th delivery when he attempted to drive Sam Curran through the covers and suffered a side strain, forcing him to retire hurt after medical attention.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) later confirmed the injury: "Brandon King has suffered a side strain and will not return to the field of play in this evening's match." King did not field during England's chase, with Shimron Hetmyer taking his place.
Side strains usually take several weeks to heal, making King's participation in the remaining matches of the World Cup highly unlikely with only ten days left in the tournament. West Indies captain Rovman Powell expressed concern over King's injury. "Yes, a little bit worrying but hopefully he can pull through for the next game," Powell said. "We know how important a player he is for us."
King's absence would be a significant setback for the West Indies. Despite a modest tournament so far with a top score of 34, King’s experience and leadership, having recently captained the team against South Africa, are invaluable.
The West Indies have five standby players: Andre Fletcher, Kyle Mayers, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh Jr., and Matthew Forde. Kyle Mayers, who narrowly missed the initial squad, is the frontrunner to replace King, though Fletcher's experience as a top-order batsman also makes him a strong candidate.
The team will travel to Barbados on Thursday ahead of their next Super Eight match against the USA at Kensington Oval on Friday. With their World Cup ambitions in jeopardy, the West Indies will need to quickly adapt and find a way to mitigate the loss of their dynamic opener.
As the tournament continues, the focus will be on the West Indies to see how they handle this adversity and whether Brandon King can make an unexpected return to bolster their World Cup hopes.
Olympic champion Julien Alfred gifted EC$1 million, highway to be renamed, monument to be erected in her honour
In a historic celebration of her unprecedented achievements, St. Lucia’s Olympic gold medalist Julien Alfred was honoured with a series of prestigious awards and accolades on Friday, September 27, officially designated as 'Julien Alfred Day.' The island nation’s government and its people came together to pay tribute to the 22-year-old sprint sensation, who has made history and brought immense pride to St. Lucia on the global stage.
The government, led by Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, announced several significant honours for Alfred during a celebratory event on Friday night. Among the most notable was the announcement that the Millennium Highway would be renamed the Julien Alfred Highway. In addition, a monument will be constructed in her honour at the new Cul de Sac Roundabout, ensuring that her legacy will be a lasting part of St. Lucia’s infrastructure.
Alfred will also receive a government gift of EC$1 million, as well as a plot of land of her choice, measuring 10,720 square feet. Furthermore, the prime minister revealed plans for a Julien Alfred commemorative stamp and a commemorative exercise book featuring photos of the Olympic champion, cementing her place in the nation’s history.
These grand gestures came after a whirlwind year for Alfred, who became the first St. Lucian to win a medal at the Olympic Games. She captured gold in the 100m and silver in the 200m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, further solidifying her status as a national hero. Earlier in the year, she won the 60m title at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, and she recently capped her outstanding season by winning the 100m Diamond League title in Brussels.
The day of festivities began with Alfred receiving a special award from George Pagoulatos, the Greek Ambassador to the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, added symbolic weight to the award, further emphasizing Alfred’s status among the world’s elite athletes.
Following this presentation, Alfred was honored by the St. Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) with a cash award of EC$75,000, a token of appreciation for her historic achievements and the pride she has brought to her country.
These latest honours follow a private dinner held Thursday night, hosted by the BodyHoliday Resort and First National Bank, where family and friends celebrated her remarkable success.
The day-long celebrations culminated in a special concert on Friday night, where fans, dignitaries, and fellow athletes gathered to celebrate Alfred’s achievements. The emotional occasion saw Alfred express heartfelt gratitude to the people of St. Lucia for their unwavering support throughout her journey.
The event also marked a defining moment in St. Lucia’s sporting history, as the island nation rallied around its Olympic hero, who was also named St Lucia's Tourism Ambassador
As Julien Alfred’s star continues to rise, 'Julien Alfred Day' will be remembered as a historic celebration of one of St. Lucia’s greatest sporting icons.
Livingstone lights up Lord's as England level ODI series
England showed their power with the bat and ball as they levelled their ODI series with a 186-run thumping of Australia in a rain-delayed match at Lord's.
Harry Brook, Ben Duckett and a blistering batting display from Liam Livingstone sent England on their way before Matthew Potts starred with the ball in hand.
After a relatively quiet start to the top order that saw Phil Salt (22) and Will Jacks (10) fall early, Brook quickly found his rhythm, cruising to a 37-ball half-century.
Duckett's 63 runs from 62 deliveries, coupled with Brook (87), saw England take control, but the pair were dismissed within eight overs of each other.
However, a late onslaught ensued when Livingstone was welcomed to the crease, notching an unbeaten 62 runs from 27 deliveries, a knock that included seven sixes, four of which came as he took 28 off the last over of the innings from Mitchell Starc.
With England ending on 312-5, Australia started their chase strongly, but the wickets of Mitchell Marsh (28), Travis Head (34) and Steve Smith (five) within four overs started the tourists' collapse.
Australia crumbled from 68-0 to 126 all out in 24.4 overs, with Potts (4-38) doing most of the damage, with Adil Rashid (1-11) sealing the win with the wicket of Josh Hazlewood to force a decider in Bristol on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Livingstone leads comeback
In a game that saw a number of standout performers, Livingstone's display with the bat broke ODI records for matches at Lord's.
The Lancashire spin bowler's 25-ball half-century was the fastest seen at Lord's, while England's 12 sixes is a new record in an ODI encounter at the home of cricket.
The triumph also saw England produce their second-highest winning margin against Australia when batting first in the ODI's, with their 242-run victory at Trent Bridge in 2018 the only game they have won by a larger gap.
Kruger and Rickelton star for South Africa in T20I series opener
South Africa eased to an eight-wicket triumph over Ireland in the first match of their T20I series, with Patrick Kruger and Ryan Rickelton starring for the Proteas.
Kruger's four-wicket haul saw Ireland manage 171 from their overs, with Rickleton's knock of 76 from 48 deliveries giving his side a solid foundation to build on.
The Proteas started strongly as Ross Adair (18), Paul Stirling (two) and Harry Tector (16) fell inside the first six overs through deliveries from Ottniel Baartman (1-36), Wiaan Mulder (1-15) and Bjorn Fortuin (1-28).
Curtis Campher's 49 attempted to steady the ship for Ireland, only for Kruger (4-27) to rip through their middle order, giving his side a manageable target to reach.
South Africa's opening partnership of Reeza Hendricks (51) and Rickelton set the early tone, with the Proteas going 136 runs without loss until Hendricks was dismissed by Craig Young (1-25).
Rickelton's time at the crease came to an end in the following over, but Matthew Breetzke (19) and Aiden Markram (17) were able to guide South Africa home to take a 1-0 series lead ahead of the second T20I on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Rickelton rises to the occasion
Rickelton's knock of 76 was his maiden half-century for the Proteas in T20I's, notching nine boundaries (six sixes and three fours) during his 70-minute stint.
The 28-year-old saw his time at the crease ended by Adair, but left the field at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium with an impressive strike rate of 158.33.
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