Let us look at some of the most-discussed cricket stories on the news on 29 June.
1st ODI: Root, Woakes guide England to beat Sri Lanka
Joe Root (79 not out) and Chris Woakes (4-18) helped England to beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in the first of the three-match ODI series at Chester-le-Street.
Chasing a puny 186, England slumped to 80/4 at one point. However, Root stood firm on his return to limited-overs cricket. He added a 91 with Moeen Ali (28 off 57) for the fifth wicket as England reached the target with 15.1 overs to spare. Dushmantha Chameera was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, with 3-50.
Earlier, barring Kusal Perera (73 off 81) and Wanindu Hasaranga (54 off 65), no Sri Lankan batter scored more than 20. They were bowled out for 185 in 42.3 overs. Woakes returned impressive figures of 10-5-18-4, while Mark Wood (3-44) claimed three wickets.
ICC confirms T20 World Cup shift to UAE and Oman, to be held from 17 October to 14 November
The ICC confirmed that the Men’s Twenty20 World Cup will be shifted from India to the UAE and Oman. The tournament, featuring 16 teams, will still take place between 17 October and 14 November.
Geoff Allardice, ICC chief executive, said the move brings ‘certainty’ for the safety of the players and support staff. ‘Our priority is to deliver the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 safely, in full and in its current window’.
Earlier, Allardice gave BCCI a 28 June deadline to decide whether it could host the tournament amid the rising Covid-19 cases across the country.
Ex-South Africa team manager Goolam Rajah due to Covid-19
Former South Africa Men’s cricket team manager Goolam Rajah passed away due to Covid-19 at 74. He was on a ventilator in a Johannesburg hospital for around two months after being diagnosed with the virus.
Rajah was part of South Africa’s touring party since 1992 and retired in 2011. During this period, he had been with the national side for 179 Tests, 444 ODIs, and 40 T20Is.
ICC Women’s batters rankings: Mithali Raj jumps to fifth spot
Mithali Raj climbed three places to the fifth spot among women batters in ICC ODI rankings, with 725 points. Raj scored 72 off 108 balls in India’s eight-wicket defeat to England in the first ODI on 27 June. This was the first time she entered the top five since October 2019.
Riding on her run-a-ball 87 in that same match, Tammy Beaumont kept the top spot in the list, with 791 points. Lizelle Lee (758), Alyssa Healy (756), and Stafanie Taylor (746) occupy the next three positions.