England cricketers get on their bikes as Windies sit in traffic jam
With the West Indies team stuck on their bus, England's players were seen riding electrically-assisted Lime Bikes well ahead of the scheduled start time.
Photo:
X/@englandcricket
England's players rode hire bikes to get to the ground for the third one-day international against West Indies as their opponents got snarled up in London traffic to force a 30-minute delay to the start at The Oval this morning.
With the West Indies team stuck on their bus, England's players were seen riding electrically-assisted Lime Bikes well ahead of the scheduled 1300 start time to the amusement of fans waiting to get in.
They were warming up on the outfield when the delay was announced to the crowd on a murky day in the capital.
"Due to a delayed arrival of one of the playing teams, who are stuck in heavy traffic north of the river, the scheduled start of play will be delayed," an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement said.
"Once all members of the playing teams arrive, the match officials will coordinate updated timings and discuss any impact on the schedule of play."
Arriving at the ground in style
Only one way to beat the road closures in London
pic.twitter.com/2xrSPypnQD
Play eventually began at 1330 with England looking to wrap up a 3-0 series win after victories at Edgbaston and Cardiff.
Traffic light failures and road closures near Vauxhall Bridge had caused the chaos, with England captain Harry Brook saying they had decided to take matters into their own hands.
"We were on the bus for a while, then we all decided to get off and get some Lime bikes in," captain Harry Brook said after winning the toss and opting to bowl.
"We were in a little bit earlier than the West Indies boys, but we're here now and ready to go."
The West Indies team were staying at nearby Chelsea Harbour, around three miles away.
"We probably should have walked," captain Shai Hope said.
- Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
At least 11 die in crowd chaos outside Indian cricket stadium
By Sethuraman N R and Haripriya Suresh , Reuters At least 11 people were killed in a stampede on June 4, as a tightly packed crowd celebrated the victory of their home cricket team in the Indian city of Bengaluru. Photo: AFP / Stringer At least 11 people died on Wednesday in a crowd surge outside a cricket stadium in the Indian city of Bengaluru where fans were celebrating Royal Challengers Bengaluru's first Indian Premier League title win, authorities said. Thousands of people, some waving the home team's red flag, lined streets around the Chinnaswamy Stadium as the team arrived in a bus in the evening, TV channels showed, with some climbing trees and the stadium wall for a better view. As the celebration proceeded, some people outside without passes tried to push through gates and there was further trouble between the perimeter and main arena, police said. Images from the scene showed people climbing over others. At least 11 people were killed and 47 were injured in the incident, Karnataka state chief minister Siddaramaiah, who uses only one name, told reporters. "At a time of celebration, this unfortunate event should not have happened. We are saddened by this. The fans that showed up were beyond our expectations," he said. One policeman carried an injured spectator to an ambulance, while people gathered around another lying seemingly unconscious on the ground. Visuals also showed some people receiving CPR. Police started caning people at one gate, leading to more chaos, said Mithun Singh, a software engineer among the crowd. Naseer Ahmed, political secretary for the Karnataka chief minister, told broadcaster NDTV the crowd became uncontrollable and authorities were unable to make proper arrangements. The team had given away free passes for the event through its website but also warned that numbers would be limited. Bengaluru metro stopped services near the stadium, where the ceremony continued despite the turmoil outside. India is familiar with crowd accidents, mainly at religious events. At least 30 people died at the Maha Kumbh Hindu festival in January as tens of millions gathered to dip in sacred waters. Bengaluru were celebrating beating Punjab Kings in the T20 tournament's final match in the 18th edition of the IPL, the world's richest cricket league. - Reuters
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Gary Stead on Kane Williamson: 'It's easy for a coach to have imposter syndrome'
Gary Stead and Kane Williamson after winning the 2021 World Test Championship. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Outgoing Black Caps coach Gary Stead admits he wondered how he could coach a player like Kane Williamson. Stead stood down as Black Caps coach on Wednesday after seven years in charge. Stead quit as coach of the ODI and T20 white-ball teams in April and New Zealand Cricket said he had effectively been ruled out of retaining the test job after they decided on having one coach across all formats. Stead took over from Mike Hesson, who had helped guide the Black Caps to the final of the 2015 World Cup and the semi-finals of the 2016 T20 World Cup. The team was playing well under the captaincy of Kane Williamson, who by then was well established as one of the best batters in the world. "It's easy as a coach to come in and have imposter syndrome, how can I help a Kane Williamson," Stead said about his start in the role in 2018. "Kane Williamson knows a lot more about batting than I ever will, but that's where you find yourself, how you question them and how you challenge them to keep going to that next level. "That is the part of coaching I really enjoy." Stead oversaw the inaugural World Test Championship win in 2021, an unprecedented three-nil test series sweep of India on the sub-continent last year, alongside five out of six finals appearances in ICC white-ball World Cups. "To continually make those stages of those events says to me that the team is running well and that we also have plans in place to allow us to get there as well. "This team is seen by our opposition as a team that won't go away and you know when you play New Zealand you're in for a fight." New Zealand coach Gary Stead and New Zealand captain Tim Southee. N Photo: PHOTOSPORT Stead obviously played his part in that success and felt he achieved most of the things he wanted to. "When you enter these roles you want to see people grow and one of the things I'm most proud about is the guys coming through now and the New Zealand cricket team is in good heart. "I sit here today proud of what we've done, but equally proud of the people that have been involved throughout." Stead, 53, said it felt like the right time to stand down. "All good things come to an end at some stage and you have to look beyond that and what is best for the team. "Right now a new coach coming in two years out from a world cup gives them the chance to put their spin on the team as well. "I certainly don't see this as the end of coaching for me." New Zealand Cricket hope to unveil the new Black Caps coach by the end of the week. Former Black Caps bowler Shane Bond, South African Rob Walter, who has coach Otago and Central Districts, and current Black Caps assistants Luke Ronchi and Shane Jurgensen are viewed as contenders to replace Stead. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
England cricketers ride hire bikes to game after traffic jam
England's players rode hire bikes through London to get to the ground for the third one-day international against West Indies as their opponents got snarled up in traffic to force a 30-minute delay to the start at The Oval. With the West Indies team stuck on their bus, England's players were seen riding electrically-assisted Lime Bikes well ahead of the scheduled 1pm start time to the amusement of fans waiting to get in. They were warming up on the outfield when the delay was announced to the crowd on a murky day in the capital overnight (NZ time). "Due to a delayed arrival of one of the playing teams, who are stuck in heavy traffic north of the river, the scheduled start of play will be delayed," an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement said. "Once all members of the playing teams arrive, the match officials will coordinate updated timings and discuss any impact on the schedule of play." 🚴♂️ England's cricket team found a stylish way to dodge London's traffic chaos for the 3rd ODI against West Indies! Electric bikes to the rescue at The Oval. #ENGvWI — Gags ⚡️ (@CatchOfThe40986) June 3, 2025 Play eventually began at 1.30pm, with England looking to wrap up a 3-0 series win after victories at Edgbaston and Cardiff. Traffic light failures and road closures near Vauxhall Bridge had caused the chaos, with England captain Harry Brook saying they had decided to take matters into their own hands. "We were on the bus for a while, then we all decided to get off and get some Lime bikes in," captain Harry Brook said after winning the toss and opting to bowl. "We were in a little bit earlier than the West Indies boys, but we're here now and ready to go." The West Indies team were staying at nearby Chelsea Harbour, around three miles away. "We probably should have walked," captain Shai Hope said. England sweeps series England completed the 3-0 sweep with opener Jamie Smith's rapid half century paving the way for a convincing seven-wicket victory. Set a revised target of 246 in 40 overs after West Indies posted 251-9 in a rain-shortened match, England sauntered to victory after Smith's ferocious onslaught of 64 from 28 balls. Fellow opener Ben Duckett chipped in with 58 and Joe Root made a relaxed 44 as England made light work of the chase — Jos Buttler joining the party with a quickfire 41 and sealing victory with a huge six in the 30th over. A series whitewash was the perfect start for England's new white ball captain Harry Brook after England had lost their previous seven ODIs ahead of the series. England's players arrived at a murky Oval on a fleet of hire bicycles to avoid local traffic problems that snagged the West Indies team coach and caused a 30-minute delay to the start. But the 24-year-old Smith set off more like an express train as his withering assault on the West Indies attack whisked the game away from the chastened visitors. He brought up his first ODI half century in the seventh over of England's reply from just 25 balls, launching spinner Gudakesh Motie over the long on boundary for six. Another six followed before Motie ended the carnage by bowling him with the next ball, Smith departing having struck 10 boundaries and three sixes in a memorable innings that earned him the man of the match award. "I enjoyed the freedom, having the backing of the team to go out and play that way," Smith said. "It's not always going to go well. It's a fine balance between being positive, not reckless." Duckett was almost a slouch in comparison, reaching his half century in 34 balls before being caught by Evin Lewis off the bowling of Roston Chase. England were romping along at more than 10 an over with their 150 coming up in the 14th over before Root and Brook kept the scoreboard ticking in more leisurely fashion with the outcome already a foregone conclusion. Root, who made 57 in the first match in Edgbaston and a magnificent 166 not out in Cardiff, was out top-edging Alzarri Joseph to his namesake Shamar Joseph at deep fine leg. After a brief lull, Butler then put the gloss on England's day with an entertaining 20-ball cameo. Put in after losing the toss, West Indies stumbled to 28-3 with skipper Shai Hope out first ball but Keacy Carty and Sherfane Rutherford fought back to move them to 82-3. Rain then forced a two-hour delay and reduced the match to a 40-over per side contest and on the resumption Adil Rashid bowled Carty, removed Justin Greaves for 12 and then Roston Chase first ball to leave West Indies reeling on 121-6. But Rutherford made 70, including nine fours and two sixes, before being flicking a shortish Brydon Carse to mid-wicket where he was brilliantly caught by the diving Brook. A belligerent 63 from the impressive Motie in a swashbuckling 91-run partnership with Alzarri Joseph (41) helped West Indies to a total that at least looked competitive. But the total proved wholly inadequate as England laid down a marker for a new era under Brook.
