Jersey fall agonisingly short of T20 World Cup qualification despite shock final-ball win over Scotland
However, it wasn't to be for the tiny island off the coast of north-west France. Had Italy beaten the Netherlands in the second match of the day, not only would have mama mia! rung out through the cricketing world, but little Jersey, just Jersey, would've jumped to second in the standings and thus sealed qualification to the T20 World Cup in Idnia next year.
Jersey, formally Bailiwick of Jersey, is a crown dependency and are nicknamed Jer Lions. They are coached by former Yorkshire cricketer Paul Hutchinson, who previously coached Sweden. Their fellow Channel island is Guernsey, who also played in the tournament.
Scotland scored 133-7 with 43 from Cross 43 as top score, but Jersey scampered home on the back of Ben Greenwood's 49.
Jersey captain Charles Perchard told ICCTV, as per BBC, 'The next few hours is potentially life defining for some of our guys, but there's nothing really we can do about it except to enjoy our victory.'
'Years of graft and hard work and some real disappointments all led up to this moment and we're delighted. We've never beaten a side as good as Scotland before, so there was definitely some nerves in the camp. The coaches were trying to tell us to stay level and maybe we did, maybe we didn't, but we got over the line in the end,' the gleeful skipper said.
Wickets had kept tumbling and two desperate run-outs added to the drama before Ben Ward smacked a massive six in the second last over. The next time he swung, a fantastic catch from Brendan McMullen stopped him.
Perchard and Dunford, Nos 10 and 11 were left with five runs to get from four balls, and the win when it came led to delirious scenes.
Scottish skipper Richie Berrington was devastated. 'Unfortunately, we put ourselves under a lot of pressure early in that first innings and a lot of credit has to go to Jersey the way they played the game. They've played good cricket throughout this tournament and we knew we were going to have to be at our best today. Unfortunately, we were slightly off and couldn't quite get over the line in the end. But I'm proud of the way we managed to take it to the last ball in the game,' he said.
Scotland, who lost to Italy and had their game with Guernsey washed out, had a downer of a batting day going from 13-3 and 64-6 before Matthew Cross (43 not out) and Mark Watt (28) salvaged their show.
The Scottish bowlers had parried off asking run rate but Jersey would not be denied.
Jersey who started in Division Five if World Cricket League in 2008, had beaten US that year but lost to Afghanistan. They had repeatedly lost to Italy in semis of European T20 Cups.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
IND vs ENG: Limiting Jasprit Bumrah's playing time part of plan to protect him from further injury and help him extend career
Though the decision to not play Jasprit Bumrah in the fifth and final Test at The Oval with the series on the line raised eyebrows, The Indian Express understands that given the pacer's injury history, the team management is unanimous that he should be protected from further setbacks and giving adequate rest in between assignments would be the way forward. Sources in the Indian cricket board have affirmed that it is not a case of Bumrah 'picking and choosing' matches he wants to play, but rather a common decision arrived at to allow the star pacer to extend his playing career as long as possible. As mentioned by chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar while announcing the squad for the England Test sojourn, Bumrah was available to play only three Tests on the tour. Even head coach Gautam Gambhir reiterated in the middle of the series that Bumrah won't be fielded in more than three games irrespective of how the series was placed. And after playing the fourth Test in Manchester – his third of the series – Bumrah was rested for the decider at The Oval and the BCCI even released him from the squad. With India not having any playing assignment till the Asia Cup next month, Bumrah has an extended break to recover after the long tour. Even with regards to his participation in the continental tournament, a call will be taken purely based on the inputs provided by BCCI's medical team, which continues to keep a close tab on the premier pacer's workload. The Indian Express understands that the priority of the team management is to have Bumrah available for important tournaments, in particular ICC events. While the 31-year-old did undergo a back surgery earlier this year, it is reliably understood that given this long standing issue, the medical team has advised Bumrah to tread cautiously as there is a strong chance of the injury resurfacing. Given the risk involved, the decision-makers are averse to the idea of pushing him to play more and would rather have him fit and firing in the matches he does play. India are scheduled to play only four more Tests till the end of this season, which also includes a T20 World Cup on home soil. With the tournament being the top priority for the defending champions, the team management prefers to protect Bumrah and keep him fresh for the marquee event as against making him play every fixture. Moreover, that the rest of the pace attack stepped up creditably in the two Tests that Bumrah didn't play in the England series has only encouraged the team management's plan to judiciously use the pacer whose last two overs in the T20 World Cup final helped India end a long drought in terms of ICC silverware. Despite his injury concerns, Bumrah has also reiterated to the BCCI and the team management that he wants to play all three formats. 'There is a threshold for everyone and with Bumrah, it is a unique situation. It's not just the case of the bowling coach or the support staff seeing a red flag and resting him for a match. The medical staff is also involved and when a player like Bumrah – who can win games on his own – is available, everything is being done to protect him,' sources in the know told this paper. After bowling his heart out during the last tour of Australia, Bumrah suffered a back injury before returning mid-way through the IPL. 'This is not a case of workload management. There is injury management also in place. He had already undergone a lengthy rehab process in the lead up to the 2023 World Cup. Ideally, everyone is working to not see a repeat because spending a long time in rehab in case of another injury won't be easy on him,' sources said. Though he has suffered a career-threatening back injury, playing Test cricket is still part of Bumrah's plans, as he revealed in an interaction with Sky Sports before the England series. 'Whenever you play for India, you never think 'I'm not going to do this, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to protect myself.' But going further, you have to be smart. Sometimes when the workload goes really high, there's less time between Test matches, (and) it takes a lot out of a fast bowler. So coming to this series, yes, I've prepared really well. But I have to be smart as well because I'm not becoming younger by the day. So I have to keep an eye on my body, take care of my body because at the end of the day, I would love to play for longer. I'm still not done in my mind. So I have to be a little smart about my workload. I still want to contribute in all three formats. So I have to be a little smart in how I operate on things like that.' Bumrah had said. As the pacer himself had revealed, it is due to this reason that he informed the BCCI not to consider him for any leadership role even before Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma quit Test cricket. 'Obviously, if I'm not careful, I don't know about the future. I don't want to be in a situation where, you know, abruptly I have to go away from this format. I come from a time where Test cricket was the pinnacle. And for me, this is the format that I grew up watching and I always judge myself through this format,' Bumrah had said.
Business Standard
12 hours ago
- Business Standard
Suryakumar returns to action after surgery with Asia Cup 2025 in sight
India's preparations for the Asia Cup 2025 received a timely boost as T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav resumed batting at the National Cricket Academy's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru in late July. The explosive batter, who had undergone sports hernia surgery earlier this year in Germany, is now steadily progressing towards full fitness under the careful supervision of the BCCI medical team. His return to active cricketing drills signals optimism for India, with the Asia Cup just weeks away and the T20 World Cup 2026 campaign beginning to take shape. Notably, India beat Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the last edition's final to win their eighth Asia Cup title. Recovery in full swing ahead of Asia Cup Suryakumar, who had publicly shared news of his successful surgery in Munich back in June, has now begun structured training. Reports suggest that his workload will be ramped up significantly in the coming weeks as he builds towards match readiness. If his progress continues without setbacks, the 34-year-old is expected to be match-fit in time for the Asia Cup, which begins on September 9 in the UAE. The Indian squad is likely to assemble and travel in the first week of September, using the tournament as a crucial platform to fine-tune combinations ahead of a busy international calendar. Surya's impressive run as T20I captain Suryakumar assumed T20I captaincy following India's T20 World Cup win in June 2024, after Rohit Sharma stepped down from the shortest format. Despite his recent surgery, Surya had been in prime form prior to the layoff. During IPL 2025, he amassed a staggering 717 runs — the highest ever by a Mumbai Indians player in a single season and a record for most runs by a non-opener in the league's history. He also registered an unprecedented streak of 16 consecutive 25+ scores, setting a global benchmark. ALSO READ: India's T20 transformation Under Suryakumar's leadership, India's T20I side has embraced a more aggressive and flexible batting approach. The team notched multiple 200+ totals, including 297 against Bangladesh in October 2024 — the second-highest score in T20I history. His return offers India both leadership and firepower, just when they need it most.
Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
'Remember your dad and fight; Ravindra Jadeja told Siraj': How India pacer took on the world and emerged on top
The size of Mohammed Siraj's heart (not literally, of course) became a huge topic of discussion as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy reached its climax. Siraj was the only bowler to play all five Tests of the series and return unscathed - Chris Woakes was the other one to be included in the XI in all five Tests but he got badly injured in the first innings at The Oval. India's Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj(PTI) Siraj bowled 185.3 overs across five Tests, the most, for 23 wickets, also the most. What stood out was the way he ran in and clocked speeds of 140 km/h towards the end of Day 4 and the start of Day 5 -- the last two days of the gruelling Test series. Siraj's aggressive bowl, coupled with exceptional control and swing, stifled England as they collapsed in the 374-run chase. India registered their narrowest Test by six runs to level the series 2-2. The first-ever Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was shared between Ben Stokes and Shubman Gill. Most would agree that this was a fitting outcome after players from both India and England gave it their all—Siraj just a little bit more than the others. And it was not just at The Oval; it was the same at Birmingham, Edgbaston, Lord's, Old Trafford, and pretty much everywhere Siraj has played in his 41-Test career. "To be honest, body is fine right now, because it's almost 187 (185.3) hours in this series, but you play for the country, you give everything. I don't think too much. You bowl your sixth over, you bowl your ninth over, I don't care. I believe in myself, you bowl every ball for the country, not for myself, play for the country, you give it everything," Siraj said in the post-match press conference after finishing with 5 for 104 in England's second innings. And it's not like Siraj was just giving it his all with the ball, his primary skill. When needed, he even put up a fight with the bat. If the ball hadn't unfortunately spun back onto his stumps despite playing a solid defence on Day 5 of the Lord's Test when India needed 23 runs, the scoreline of the series would have been in India's favour. Siraj scored a fighting 4 off 30 balls, stitching a crucial last-wicket partnership with Ravindra Jadeja. He took body blows, dodged bouncers and tried his best to keep Jadeja company. So what kept him going? Dinesh Karthik said it was a quiet reminder from Jadeja about his dad. While remembering his T20 World Cup final interview with Siraj that became meme material for the latter's "I only believe in Jassi bhai" statement, Karthik said the India pacer is all heart. "That interview, poor guy, I only ended up doing. And it became a bit of meme material. I always end up doing interviews with Siraj. And I genuinely hope through my broadcasting career, I have many more interviews with him. Because he is just warm. He is funny. And he speaks straight from the heart," Karthik said on Cricbuzz. The former Indian cricketer revealed how Jadeja wanted Siraj to keep fighting for his late father, Mohammed Ghaus. "Even today, he was speaking about the fact that when he was batting in Lord's Test, Jadeja told him, think of your dad. You know, these kinds of things will push you in this Test. "These are emotional moments. Through this Test series, that side of certain players has also unfolded. Joe Root thanks Graham Thorpe. Siraj thinking about his dad and wanting to push. And Jadeja reminding him of that. Small moments which I feel are the beauty of Test cricket."
