India tour of West indies, 2016

M Vijay hopes to make amends for 2011 disappointment


Indian opener believes that despite not having a great tour of West Indies last time around, he has much to offer to the side having visited the islands thrice

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England vs Sri Lanka, 4th ODI - Live Cricket Score

SL 305/5 (42.0 Ovs)
ENG 309/4 (40.1 Ovs)


England won by 6 wickets (DLS method)

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England vs Sri Lanka, 4th ODI - Live Cricket Score, England opt to bowl

Teams:

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal(w), Angelo Mathews(c), Seekkuge Prasanna, Upul Tharanga, Dasun Shanaka, Farveez Maharoof, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep

England (Playing XI): Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler(w), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid.

England have won the toss and have opted to field


After putting up back-to-back ordinary performances in the last two ODIs, where the entire top order ended up getting starts but failed to carry it forward, they would need to pull up their socks to put up a fight against an inspired England side. On a ground where they've enjoyed reasonable success in the past, let us hope that the dark clouds stay away and give us an entire game. Well, the good news is that the drizzle has now given way to sunshine and the covers are off the ground to make way for the two captains at the toss..

Hello and a very warm welcome to our coverage of the fourth One Day International from The Oval. On a day the ICC big wigs meet in order to discuss the relevance and the future of ODIs, let us hope that we end up getting a contest worthy of a probable decider, or a contest at least given how gloomy the skies are out there in London. After being one down in the series, the Lankan hopes rest on today's contest in order to keep their hopes alive of getting a sweet result on a pretty bitter tour so far.

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England vs Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI - Live Cricket Score

SL 248/9 (50.0 Ovs)
ENG 16/1 (4.0 Ovs)  CRR: 4

Match abandoned: 

And we have a bad news. The match had been abandoned due to relentless showers. The cut-off time was 10:41 PM IST but given the amount of water that has collected on the field, the officials reckon they won't be able to carry on with the game after all.

England maintain their 1-0 lead in the series and Sri Lanka continue to chase that elusive win against the hosts on this tour. Though, given their score today, we doubt if they would have been able to open their account today.

Anywho, we'll be back with the live blog for the fourth ODI on Wednesday. Till then,

 good night!

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England need 249 for 2-0 lead

England vs Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI - Live Cricket Score

SL 248/9 (50.0 Ovs) CRR: 4.96

Sri Lanka have posted yet another sub-par total of 248 for 9. Mendis, Mathews and Chandimal all got fifties, and Tharanga chipped in with a 40-run cameo but all failed to convert it into big scores that could take Sri Lanka to a commanding total. Woakes and Plunkett led England's bowling with three wickets apeice. It certainly would require a phenomenal bowling effort from the Sri Lankans to successfully defend 248 and level the series.

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Australia vs West Indies, Final - Live Cricket Score

START TIME
10:30 PM       5:00 PM GMT         1:00 PM LOCAL


Preview

Before the start of the tri-nation series in the Caribbean, heavyweights Australia and South Africa were expected to trade punches and reach the final. On the other hand, despite entering the tournament in the afterglow of a World Twenty20 triumph, West Indies were the rank outsiders. However, they stitched together a performance of skill and sinew to flatten South Africa by 100 runs in a do-or-die encounter at Bridgetown, Barbados, to progress to the summit clash, where they will lock horns with the World Champions Australia on Sunday (June 26).

At 21 for four, it was West Indies who looked set to be routed. Just in the nick of time, Darren Bravo sculpted an eye-popping century and Kieron Pollard crunched a belligerent fifty to provide the launchpad for the hosts to net in a substantial total. Shannon Gabriel, playing only his second ODI, then ripped through South Africa's line-up to put the outcome of the game beyond doubt.

West Indies had their share of heart-stopping highs and lows in the round-robin phase. Despite a couple of deflating losses, however, they showed admirable tenacity to bounce back. The West Indies back-room staff will hope that the team can churn out another such collective performance in the final as they hope to win their first multi-nation ODI tournament since 2008.

The likes of Marlon Samuels, Pollard, Bravo and Denesh Ramdin have lit up the tri-series with sparks of individual brilliance to take the Caribbean side out of the treadmill of losses they have been accustomed to in recent times. The West Indies think-tank has also shown the flexibility to ring in the changes when required. To encapsulate the point, for the key clashes against Australia and South Africa at the cathedral of pace bowling, Kensingnton Oval, they picked Gabriel and the move paid off.

Gabriel rocked South Africa with pace and bounce and was rewarded with three scalps. With the final, too, being played at Bridgetown, Jason Holder will expect a similar performance from the tall fast bowler. Sunil Narine and Carlos Brathwaite have been among the wickets, but the former might not find the track at the Kensington Oval to his liking.

Australia also have had a roller-coaster ride to the final, but peaked at the right time to overcome West Indies in a must-win clash at Bridgetown and book a place in the final. Australia would be buoyed by the fact that Glenn Maxwell manufactured a volley of boundaries and found his touch in the pivotal game against the hosts. Mitchell Marsh also played with poise and balance to compose a fifty. In the final, the visitors will look up to Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith to lay the platform for the dashers lower down the order.

Mitchell Starc has been Australia's go-to-man in the tri-series. Waspish pace, copious swing augmented by the awkward left-armer's angle makes him a dangerous prospect in the abridged versions of the game. He is one of the few swing bowlers going around in the international circuit, who prefers the white Kookaburra to the red ball. The metronomic, Josh Hazlewood, should also enjoy the extra bounce on offer at the Kensington Oval. Australia's fielding has surprisingly been a touch below par, but in the big clash, one expects the tourists to lift their game by a few notches.

When: West Indies vs Australia, June 26, 1:00 PM local (10:30 PM IST)

Where: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

What to expect: Teams are usually greeted by rock-hard surfaces at Bridgetown. It should make for an even contest between bat and ball. As per the weather forecast, rain is expected to stay away for the duration of the match.

Did you know? Hybrid Bermuda grass is used by the groundsmen, which in turn facilitates the outfield to drain rapidly.

Team News:

After Samuels belted Adam Zampa for three sixes in St. Kitts, the legspinner has not featured in any of the games at Barbados so far. Zampa, however, has artfully varied his pace and flight to snare nine wickets in the tournament, and might earn a recall for the final. Smith has had an ongoing issue with his thigh, but is set to take part in the summit clash. 

Despite West Indies' captain Holder struggling with a hamstring issue, he is confident of partaking in the match. The home team also would be fretting over the fitness of Gabriel, who injured his leg after bowling five overs against South Africa..

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BCCI all set for ‘mini IPL’ in US in September

Anurag Thakur said the final dates of the tournament will be announced in due course.

The Indian cricket board is going ahead with the mini-IPL in the time window they got after Champions League T20 was scrapped from the calendar.

“The BCCI has decided to host a truncated IPL every September starting from this year.”

Calling it the ‘mini-IPL’ or ‘IPL overseas’, BCCI president Anurag Thakur, after the board’s working committee meet, said the final dates and format would be announced in due course.

Thakur added that, “not home and away matches but less number of matches in less than two-week window.”

As The Indian Express reported this morning, US is one of the options to host the mini-IPL.

“Space can be created on the cricket calendar because the T20 Champions League has been scrapped. We are proposing that all eight teams participate in the mini-IPL. The venue has not been finalised but the US is one of the options,” said a IPL governing council official, on condition of anonymity.

The idea was mooted during a meet of the council in Dharmasala on Thursday, the official said, adding that other venues, including those in the UAE where a part of IPL-7 was held, may also be considered.

The board had initially floated the idea of hosting a mini-IPL last September in the UAE, which has a sizeable Indian diaspora. At the time, the plan was to have only the top four teams playing in a league format leading to a knockout.

“Teams have been sounded about the proposal to conduct the mini-IPL. They are keen to broaden their fan base and increase the popularity of the league in other parts of the world, too,” the official said.

© Cricket Live Update 2016

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England vs Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI - Live Cricket Score

SL 254/7 (50.0 Ovs)

ENG 12/0 (1.4 Ovs)  CRR: 7.2  REQ: 5.03

England need 243 runs

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West Indies vs South Africa, 9th Match - Live Cricket Score,

WI 12/0 (1.5 Ovs)  CRR: 6.55

South Africa opt to bowl

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Hamstring injury casts doubts over Holder's participation in must-win SA clash

TRI-SERIES IN WEST INDIES

West Indies' woes extended beyond their four-wicket to defeat to Australia in the tri-series game on Tuesday (June 21) after captain Jason Holder sustained a hamstring injury during his team's defense of 282. The 24-year-old all-rounder, who bowled two overs for 20 runs before trudging off the field, now faces a race against time to regain full fitness ahead of the must-win final league stage encounter against South Africa on Friday (June 24).

Holder's injury left the hosts a bowler short as Australia, led by a 122-run fourth wicket stand between Mitchell Marsh (79*) and Steve Smith (78) and lower-order pyrotechnics from Glenn Maxwell (46 off 26), gunned down the target with eight balls to spare, thereby confirming a slot in the tri-series final.

"I've strained my left hamstring," Holder said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "Hopefully I'll be ready for the game on Friday, still not sure at the moment. I think the bowlers made a very good attempt at trying to defend the runs. It was just unfortunate we were one bowler short.

"Fletcher came on and slipped in three tight overs. In hindsight, he probably could have gone on for two more. Having said that we fought right down to the end with a bowler short, so credit must go to the bowling unit."

That West Indies pushed the defending champions close for large parts of the game was chiefly due to Marlon Samuels's gutsy 125 - his first century in any format against the opposition. The controversial batsman was spoken to by several of Australia's close-in fielders, as he sought to rebuild his team's innings along with Denesh Ramdin (93) after they'd slipped to 31 for 3. Samuels, who picked up his second successive man of the match award against Smith's men, opined he was spurred on by the chatter but was quick to shift his focus to Friday's virtual eliminator against South Africa.

"I've been saying that over the years. Most times I come out to bat and nobody has anything to say, I don't perform that well. But when somebody has something to say, I want to stay out there longer and see how long they can talk," he said.

"I've got a hundred against everybody in the world now. It's very satisfying. Nevertheless, we still have a game on Friday and that game is very important for us to win."

© Cricket News

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Zimbabwe vs India, 2nd T20I - Live Cricket Score,

ZIM 99/9 (20.0 Ovs)
IND 103/0 (13.1 Ovs)

India cruises to a ten-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the second Twenty20 International at Harare to level the three-match series 1-1. Brilliant spells from Barinder Sran, that saw him return with the best bowling figures of 4/10 on T20I debut, complemented well by Jasprit Bumrah, who picked up three, helped restrict the hosts to just 99. Rash cricket needless, the Indian openers stuck to their basics and provided the team with a steady start. Two dropped catches didn't contribute to Zimbabwe's cause, but the Indian openers, slowly and steadily took the attack back to the hosts and in the end managed to scale the target rather easily with 77 balls to spare.

Dhoni, who was peeved after the first match's two-run loss, will be a happy man after his outlined concerns were addressed rather well by the side on the day. While KL Rahul was unbeaten on 47 off 40, Mandeep Singh finished the innings with a boundary to reach his maiden T20I half-century. He remained not out on 52 off 40. With the openers putting on over hundred together, this was India's first ten-wicket victory in T20Is

Barinder Sran was named Man of the Match and the delighted youngster said: "I was very happy. There was no pressure, it took a while for me to debut in T20Is but I feel happy with the way I bowled. The ball was swinging a bit and I concentrated on bowling good lines, that's what worked for us today."

While Cremer rued the fall of timely wickets, Dhoni was a pleased man as his side kept the series alive with a massive win.

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BCCI plays down Harare controversy, says no cricketer involved

Sources have told India Today that one of the two accused in question is associated to a sponsor for the ongoing series and that he was not even staying on the same floor as the Indian Cricket Team.

The plush Meikles Hotel in Harare, where Indian team is staying during the ongoing tour of Zimbabwe, was the scene of a storm after Zimbabwe media reported that a member of the Indian cricket contingent had been arrested on rape charges. However, no Indian cricketer was ever arrested or even charged.

BCCI President Anurag Thakur too clarified after multiple reports also emerged in Indian media. "There is no truth in these allegations, there is no Indian cricketer or any match official involved in this. They have nothing to do with the incident and if any individual is involved who is not part of the BCCI or the team then we cannot comment on that. I just want to make it clear that BCCI employees or match officials or even the players have nothing to do with the incident", said Thakur.

(Also read: No Indian cricketer involved in Zimbabwe rape case, says Anurag Thakur)

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Rejuvenated South Africa eye spot in final

AB de Villiers hasn't managed a fifty-plus score in South Africa's last four games of this series © Mr.Raikwar

Less than a week ago, South Africa were languishing at bottom of the points table. On Wednesday night, however, the Proteas trounced West Indies by a thumping margin of 139 runs at Warner Park, and jumped to the top of the table, earning a bonus point to boot. South Africa now will lock horns with Australia at Bridgetown, Barbados on Sunday (June 19) in an attempt to seal a spot in the tri-series final, which will be possible if they win.

The South African think-tank would be pleased with the fact that Hashim Amla has played pivotal roles in the tri-series. In their last match against West Indies in St. Kitts, Amla clipped, cajoled and caressed the ball into gaps to compile a sublime ton. Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, too, have been in prime form during the tournament. However, the fulcrum of South Africa's batting line-up, AB de Villiers, hasn't exactly hit top form in the series, and will be desperate to make his mark in the crucial encounter.

In the bowling department, Imran Tahir and Aaron Phangiso have shared 19 scalps between them. Tahir, in particular, has shone brightly, and was in devastating form against the home team at Warner Park, where he ended up with a seven-wicket haul. However, the track at Kensington Oval might not assist the spinners. Thus, Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell, who have performed in fits and starts in the tri-series so far, need to raise their game.

Australia's campaign, too, has been a topsy-turvy one. They started the tournament on a bright note by pipping West Indies in Guyana and also overcame South Africa in St. Kitts. On the flip side, Australia suffered reversals at the hands of South Africa in Guyana and West Indies in St. Kitts, respectively.

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Zimbabwe vs India, 2nd T20I - Live Cricket Score

India make two changes, with Dhawal Kulkarni and Barinder Sran coming in for Jaydev Unadkat and Rishi Dhawan.

Debutants opening bowling for India in T20Is: 

Zaheer and Sreesanth v South Africa in 2006

Jaydev Unadkat/Rishi Dhawan v Zimbabwe in 2016

And today, Barinder Sran and Dhawan Kulkarni v Zimbabwe today.

Barinder Sran to open the bowling for India. Chamu Chibhabha and Hamilton Masakadza make their way out to the middle for Zimbabwe.

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Zimbabwe vs India, 2nd T20I - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

ZIM 15/1 (3.1 Ovs)  CRR: 4.74
Zimbabwe opt to bat



Peter Moor *                 0 (0)
Hamilton Masakadza   6 (10)

..................................................
Partnership: 5(3)
Last Wkt: Chibhabha 10 (11)
Last 4 overs: 19 runs, 1 wkts
Toss: Zimbabwe(Batting)

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Australia vs South Africa, 7th Match - Live Cricket Score

Series: Australia and South Africa in West Indies Tri-Series, 2016

Venue: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
Date & Time: Jun 19,  01:00 PM  LOCAL 


RSA 8/0 (1.0 Ovs)  CRR: 8

Quinton de Kock *5(5) 1(4)

Hashim Amla      *0(1)  0(4)

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