Watch: England cricketers arrive at the Oval on Lime bikes
England's cricketers abandoned the team bus and travelled to the Oval by Lime bikes for their One-Day International against West Indies to avoid grid-locked London traffic.
The team were travelling from their hotel on Kensington High Street to Kennington, a journey of about four miles, but heavy traffic caused by traffic-light failures in Vauxhall and the closure of Lambeth Bridge meant they chose to alight the bus and seek alternative transport.
'We were on the bus for a while, then we all decided to get off and get some Lime bikes in,' said the captain, Harry Brook. His team, approaching from Vauxhall, cruised round the Harleyford Road in convoy, past confused spectators.
England's peloton arrived at the ground in good time, but the match was delayed because the West Indies team bus got caught up in road closures coming from their hotel in Chelsea. 'We probably should have walked,' joked their captain, Shai Hope, after they arrived at 12.40, 20 minutes before the match was due to start. What should have been a 15-minute journey took the better part of two hours.
Eventually, the toss was held at 1.10, and the match started 30 minutes late at 1.30pm. The weather was a little mizzly as the game began, meaning there could have been a delayed start anyway.
The Trinidadian commentator Ian Bishop said he had walked to the ground after sitting in a stationary cab.
England's cricketers have sought interesting transport options in the past. While on tour in New Zealand in December, they used e-scooters to travel from their hotel to the picturesque Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
England, who have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after a Joe Root masterclass in Cardiff, won the toss and opted to bowl first. After the ODIs are complete, the two teams will play three T20 internationals.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Pereira's voice growing at Wolves amid recruitment reshuffle
Wolves writer and broadcaster Johnny Phillips suggests that there is a reshuffle within the club in terms of recruitment, with current manager Vitor Pereira having a bigger say. The Midlands club were embroiled in a relegation battle before Pereira took over and finished the season 17 points clear of the drop. "What we are seeing now with Matt Hobbs' departure and the possible incoming of a technical director and a bit of restructuring around the club is that Pereira's voice will be heard more so than recent managers," Phillips said to BBC's Wolves podcast From the Moment of Realisation. "The role of sporting director won't exist in the current shape. There's talk of a technical director could be coming in, Domenico Teti has been mentioned, having worked with Vito Pereira at Al-Shabab. "There's also an increased role for Matt Jackson from his current remit. So, there is a little reshuffle going on, and I expect Wolves to be more fluid. "The past two years have had a slight sense of waste about them. Wolves have been on the back foot, behind the eight-ball, and then spent time trying to recover positions. But it would be nice to think that you could have a starting block where the squad would be in good shape at the start of the season, rather than maybe bringing in players in the mid-season transfer window and desperately trying to avoid relegation battle." Listen here on BBC Sounds
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Bath semi-final a 'dream game' for Bristol
Bristol Bears' Premiership semi-final against Bath has been described as a "dream game" by director of rugby Pat side go into the match as underdogs having finished the season fourth, 14 points behind their local rivals in the regular season a league double over Bath this season backs up Lam's notion that his side "know how to beat Bath" - a defiant claim made following his side's 52-26 victory against Harlequins which confirmed Bears' play-off spot."We're proud of that record, but it's the next one that counts," Lam told BBC Radio Bristol."We've never played a derby game as a semi-final and for us we've never been in a final. It is the dream game really."There's so much interest in it. We've already picked that up from both sets of supporters. There's good banter going back and forth." Having joined the club in 2017, it is just the second time Lam has led Bristol into the Premiership post-season shake-up, having been defeated in the semi-finals by Wasps during the Covid-disrupted 2019-20 missing out on making the top four by just two points last season, Bristol held off late challenges from Gloucester and Saracens to set up Friday's mouth-watering clash at The Rec."Our goal was never to just get in the top four though; this is just the first stage," Lam added."Last year, we showed shoots that we're coming back and we missed out. This year, with the smallest squad and probably the cheapest squad we've had in my whole time here, to do what the boys have done is brilliant."Having clinched a home semi-final back in April, Bath coach Johann van Graan has used the past month to tinker with his side and gave seven players their debut in last Saturday's 36-26 defeat by Saracens."They've been able to rotate their squad," Lam said. "They have that ability to play one week, rest the next week and then play one week." The 56-year-old said he had to make last-minute alterations to his squad's preparations on Wednesday after attending Tuesday's rugby awards, which saw Ellis Genge named as Community Player of the Lam, a Premiership winner as a player with Newcastle Falcons, will not let that slightly disrupted preparation be any form of excuse for his players."We had the awards dinner which meant we had to move things back a couple of hours because we didn't get back until 2am," he added."We had a 45-minute session so that's our prep but that's all we need - we just need to make sure we're on the same page and the priority is a full tank to go against an unbelievable Bath team."That's our challenge. Their challenge is separate but our challenge is the six days turnover and getting to the start line as fully fresh as we can."Hopefully we've managed that right but we won't know until we see what happens on Friday."Lam confirmed Genge and lock James Dun were "100%" fit but England back Max Malins remains a long-term absentee.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Soccer Aid 2025 – Line-ups confirmed, tickets, date and celebrity rivalries
Soccer Aid will soon return for 2025, and this time it'll be the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford, that plays host to the fan-favourite charity match that raised over £15m last year Soccer Aid is set to return for 2025 as celebrities and ex-pros are pitted against each other for England and the World XI in the name of charity. Founded in 2006 by popstar Robbie Williams and presenter Jonathan Wilkes, Soccer Aid has quickly become an annual favourite. The event raises money for charity UNICEF UK, with a total of £106million collected so far. As things stand, the World XI, formerly known as the Rest of the World, hold a superior record. They've beaten England seven times to six. Last time out, however, the Three Lions tasted victory for the first time in six years under Frank Lampard at a sold-out Stamford Bridge. Mirror Football brings you all you need to know ahead of 2025's Soccer Aid renewal, including its location, date, ticket details and who'll be playing a starring role for each side this year. What date is Soccer Aid 2025? Soccer Aid 2025 will take place on Sunday June 15 and will be broadcast live on ITV1, but can also be tuned into online via ITVX and STV. The match is pencilled in to kick off at around 7:30pm, with UNICEF UK Ambassador Dermot O'Leary and former England star Alex Scott presenting the live show. Where is Soccer Aid 2025 being played? Stamford Bridge played host in 2024, and another iconic Premier League ground will welcome Soccer Aid this time around as it returns to Old Trafford in Manchester. The home of Manchester United previously played host in 2006, from 2010 until 2018, and then in 2020 and 2023. It has a capacity of just under 75,000. Can you still buy tickets to Soccer Aid 2025? Tickets are still available for Soccer Aid 2025. They can be purchased via the Soccer Aid website and come in an array of categories and prices. Soccer Aid ticketing categories start at Category 1, which will give fans a closer view of the action. Tickets are priced at £60 for adults and £50 for kids. This ranges up to Category 5, which includes seats that are a bit further away from the field, but they come at a cost of just £20 for adults and £10 for kids. Premium tickets are also available. What are the line-ups for Soccer Aid 2025? As Soccer Aid returns to the Red Devils' home, one of the club's most iconic players will take to his old hunting ground. Of the former professionals on offer, Wayne Rooney headlines as a player and manager. He will be joined by former team-mates Gary Neville and Paul Scholes for England. One Direction star Louis Tomlinson returns, as does Player of the Match 12 months ago, Steven Bartlett. Former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart makes his Soccer Aid debut. The rest of the Three Lions squad includes Jermain Defoe, Steph Houghton, Toni Duggan, Aaron Lennon, Jill Scott, Sam Thompson, Sam Quek, Sir Mo Farah, Paddy McGuinness, Dame Denise Lewis, Bear Grylls, Tom Grennan, Alex Brooker and Angry Ginge. England's coaching staff is made up of Rooney, heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, Harry Redknapp, actor Vicky McClure and David James. The World XI, meanwhile, will be managed by former United shotstopper Peter Schmeichel and includes a host of prominent ex-players, including fellow Red Devils legends Edwin van der Sar and Nemanja Vidic. Boxer Tony Bellew is set to play alongside Leonardo Bonucci, Toby Brown, Martin Compston, Richard Gadd, Bryan Habana, Dermot Kennedy, Kaylyn Kyle, Gorka Marquez, Nadia Nadim and Livi Sheldon. Are there any rivalries to look out for in Soccer Aid 2025? In terms of footballing rivalries, former Italy centre-half Bonucci will have riled a few English feathers after his country's Euro 2020 win. Bonucci's Italy prevailed via penalty shoot-out at Wembley four years ago, breaking English hearts. The notion that football was 'coming home' was squashed, and Bonucci couldn't help a quick jibe after the final whistle, grabbing a television camera and shouting: "It's coming to Rome." Aside from any ex-England internationals perhaps taking this to heart, Made In Chelsea star Thompson and singer Tomlinson may also need to put their differences aside. This is because the One Direction favourite is dating team-mate Thompson's ex, Love Island' s Zara McDermott. The loved-up pair went public with their relationship in March, just three months after it was reported that Thompson and McDermott had parted ways. A joke about a potential Soccer Aid rivalry on Thompson's Staying Relevant podcast was made by co-host Pete Wicks this month, who awkwardly asked his peer: "Any kind of people in there who you're looking forward to playing with [at Soccer Aid]?" The 32-year-old replied: "Loads. Tom Grennan. I'm really looking forward to playing alongside Wayne Rooney, Tyson Fury's the manager. I can't wait." Wicks then cheekily clapped back: "'I mean that's gonna be f*****g amazing. Make sure you get him (Fury) on side though because you may need him in your corner in case you fall out with anyone. Not that you will but just in case there's any rivalries or anything. All sorts gets brought up." Who won Soccer Aid in 2024? England were victorious in 2024 under Lampard. Joe Cole opened the scoring for the Three Lions after just six minutes, though Eden Hazard marked his return to Stamford Bridge, home of former club Chelsea, with an equaliser 10 minutes later. The World XI took the lead thanks to former Italy star Alessandro Del Piero, though Lioness Ellen White would level things up before the half, becoming the event's first-ever female goal scorer. After the half, eventual Player of the Match Bartlett bagged his first, and Defoe scored a fourth. Bartlett then added his second to make it 5-2, before Billy Wingrove converted a World XI penalty. A Theo Walcott finish ended the clash, however, and England will now be looking to tie the overall record this time around. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
