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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cricket's world showdown finally lives up to its billing on thrilling first day
Over the week of lead-up to its third staging, the World Test Championship final has felt increasingly like something that counts. After two abandoned attempts to host it at Lord's, having been diverted first to the Hampshire Bowl and then to The Oval, it is finally being held at cricket's original headquarters. On the first day of the match, with a surge of people up St John's Wood Road, whether for a sensible start time of 10:30am or spilling over into an occasionally sunny afternoon, forming an eventual crowd of over 26,000, this at last felt like vindication of concept. Related: Incongruity of World Test Championship final fails to dampen Australian excitement | Geoff Lemon Advertisement Of course, cricket being cricket, this also means that the game's biggest interests are right now lining to sabotage it. The Indian board plans to take the next final to their cavern in Ahmedabad, where about 13 people will show up to watch, especially if it's a neutral fixture. Even India Tests when Virat Kohli was playing drew paltry crowds there. Partly their move will be motivated by a thirst for prestige, partly by India having already lost two finals in England. It is comically being framed as a 'bid', while everyone in cricket knows that that the BCCI does not do any bidding, but only has its bidding done. England, meanwhile, the only team that could credibly provoke complaints about home ground advantage, have spent the last cycle disparaging the tournament. Home advantage is only a factor if you qualify for the final, which England have conspicuously failed to do at every opportunity, so their manner has more than a touch of fox and grapes about it. The attitude has filtered through to a decent portion of England's cricket media, who criticise the format, but of course the structure is janky – international cricket's unequal relations between participants make some level of jank inevitable. Disgruntled English voices may be cheerier if the ECB's millions of pounds of annual expenditure could produce players able to count how many overs they had bowled in a session. And yet, and yet, there would have been plenty of English cricketing hearts gladdened by the second hour of the match, as South Africa's fast bowlers came to play. It had to be the premier quicks, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, if they were to really challenge Australia, and both did the job perfectly: keen to bowl after winning the toss, bringing aggression and accuracy, four down for 67 on the stroke of lunch. For the biggest Test in the calendar, Australia's batting configuration has a makeshift current composition, with Marnus Labuschagne opening and Cameron Green at three, and the collective failed to fire. Usman Khawaja spent the last Australian summer on the hop, repeatedly jumping and fending at pace to be caught behind the wicket. Swap Jasprit Bumrah for Rabada and the same mode occurred. Green pushed across the ball in being caught the same over. Labuschagne was kept dry before finally being drawn into a push and an edge, while Travis Head fell into an long-held habit of nicking down the leg-side. Advertisement And so the urge from an English view, or any neutral perspective really, to see Australia knocked over by a team with fewer resources, was well fed by lunch, only for that excitement to be gradually sapped as it has so many times before by Steven Smith. Three months without a bat in hand seems a good recipe for the former batting obsessive on this evidence, as he moved perfectly into line with the outswinging ball, waiting with patience to punch it through the off-side, before stepping to the slightly straighter line to turn it fine down the leg. In a country where he has eight centuries, and on a ground where he has two, a bigger innings looked a lock for Smith once he had Beau Webster locked in for support. That didn't happen in the end, Smith having what for him is a modest stay of just under two hours. But as the scoring patterns of this match emerged, his score of 66 is beginning to look as effective as a hundred elsewhere. Australia were all out 212 and still reach stumps as favourites, with South Africa 43 for 4. This was always likely to be the biggest disparity: South Africa's often fragile batting, featuring solid domestic types and white-ball bashers, against Australia's quicks. Ryan Rickelton has a fine domestic record but won't have faced an attack of this pedigree. Wiaan Mulder wants to believe, but is an all-rounder and a makeshift number three. Tristan Stubbs is a white-ball smasher yet to credibly make the transition. Aiden Markram has high class but a record that doesn't sufficiently reflect it. All were out cheaply, among sharp bounce and smashed stumps. Overnight, then, the match awaits another test. Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham need to mimic the rescue job of Smith and Webster. If they don't, and South Africa fall over, the scrutiny on their path to qualification will intensity. That shouldn't be the case, because lopsided Tests occur between all strengths of nations all the time, but it will. If instead they can take it up to Australia again, as they did in the first session, they will solidify fondness in the hearts of neutrals, for the match as much as the team. Beyond parochial views, this is what a global final should be about. The concept is right, but there is more vindication to achieve.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Cricket's world showdown finally lives up to its billing on thrilling first day
Over the week of lead-up to its third staging, the World Test Championship final has felt increasingly like something that counts. After two abandoned attempts to host it at Lord's, having been diverted first to the Hampshire Bowl and then to The Oval, it is finally being held at cricket's original headquarters. On the first day of the match, with a surge of people up St John's Wood Road, whether for a sensible start time of 10:30am or spilling over into an occasionally sunny afternoon, forming an eventual crowd of over 26,000, this at last felt like vindication of concept. Of course, cricket being cricket, this also means that the game's biggest interests are right now lining to sabotage it. The Indian board plans to take the next final to their cavern in Ahmedabad, where about 13 people will show up to watch, especially if it's a neutral fixture. Even India Tests when Virat Kohli was playing drew paltry crowds there. Partly their move will be motivated by a thirst for prestige, partly by India having already lost two finals in England. It is comically being framed as a 'bid', while everyone in cricket knows that that the BCCI does not do any bidding, but only has its bidding done. England, meanwhile, the only team that could credibly provoke complaints about home ground advantage, have spent the last cycle disparaging the tournament. Home advantage is only a factor if you qualify for the final, which England have conspicuously failed to do at every opportunity, so their manner has more than a touch of fox and grapes about it. The attitude has filtered through to a decent portion of England's cricket media, who criticise the format, but of course the structure is janky – international cricket's unequal relations between participants make some level of jank inevitable. Disgruntled English voices may be cheerier if the ECB's millions of pounds of annual expenditure could produce players able to count how many overs they had bowled in a session. And yet, and yet, there would have been plenty of English cricketing hearts gladdened by the second hour of the match, as South Africa's fast bowlers came to play. It had to be the premier quicks, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, if they were to really challenge Australia, and both did the job perfectly: keen to bowl after winning the toss, bringing aggression and accuracy, four down for 67 on the stroke of lunch. For the biggest Test in the calendar, Australia's batting configuration has a makeshift current composition, with Marnus Labuschagne opening and Cameron Green at three, and the collective failed to fire. Usman Khawaja spent the last Australian summer on the hop, repeatedly jumping and fending at pace to be caught behind the wicket. Swap Jasprit Bumrah for Rabada and the same mode occurred. Green pushed across the ball in being caught the same over. Labuschagne was kept dry before finally being drawn into a push and an edge, while Travis Head fell into an long-held habit of nicking down the leg-side. And so the urge from an English view, or any neutral perspective really, to see Australia knocked over by a team with fewer resources, was well fed by lunch, only for that excitement to be gradually sapped as it has so many times before by Steven Smith. Three months without a bat in hand seems a good recipe for the former batting obsessive on this evidence, as he moved perfectly into line with the outswinging ball, waiting with patience to punch it through the off-side, before stepping to the slightly straighter line to turn it fine down the leg. In a country where he has eight centuries, and on a ground where he has two, a bigger innings looked a lock for Smith once he had Beau Webster locked in for support. That didn't happen in the end, Smith having what for him is a modest stay of just under two hours. But as the scoring patterns of this match emerged, his score of 66 is beginning to look as effective as a hundred elsewhere. Australia were all out 212 and still reach stumps as favourites, with South Africa 43 for 4. This was always likely to be the biggest disparity: South Africa's often fragile batting, featuring solid domestic types and white-ball bashers, against Australia's quicks. Ryan Rickelton has a fine domestic record but won't have faced an attack of this pedigree. Wiaan Mulder wants to believe, but is an all-rounder and a makeshift number three. Tristan Stubbs is a white-ball smasher yet to credibly make the transition. Aiden Markram has high class but a record that doesn't sufficiently reflect it. All were out cheaply, among sharp bounce and smashed stumps. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Overnight, then, the match awaits another test. Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham need to mimic the rescue job of Smith and Webster. If they don't, and South Africa fall over, the scrutiny on their path to qualification will intensity. That shouldn't be the case, because lopsided Tests occur between all strengths of nations all the time, but it will. If instead they can take it up to Australia again, as they did in the first session, they will solidify fondness in the hearts of neutrals, for the match as much as the team. Beyond parochial views, this is what a global final should be about. The concept is right, but there is more vindication to achieve.
India Today
01-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Women's T20 World Cup 2026 in England to start on June 12, Lord's to host final
The Women's T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to get underway on June 12, with the final scheduled to be held on July 5 at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground in London. The Edgbaston in Birmingham, Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, Headingley in Leeds, Old Trafford in Manchester, the Kennington Oval in London and County Ground in Bristol are the other venues of the announcement of the venues and dates was made on Thursday, May 1 during a launch event at the Lord's. 33 matches in the championship will take place across 24 days. The upcoming World Cup will have 12 teams, the most in any edition of the competition. Lord's also hosted the final of the 2017 Women's ODI World New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, England and Australia have already secured their berths in the Women's T20 World Cup. The other teams will be selected through the Qualifiers to be staged next year. Jay Shah, the ICC chairman said, 'The confirmation of venues represents a defining moment as we build towards the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026. This tournament will bring together the world's finest players in a celebration of skill, spirit and United Kingdom's rich diversity has always shown passionate support for all teams, something we witnessed so memorably at past events. The sell-out Women's Cricket World Cup final at Lord's in 2017 remains a landmark in the rise of the women's game, and I cannot think of a more fitting stage for the final.'The 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six, followed by the knockout stages and the grand Zealand are the defending champions after they defeated Laura Wolvaardt's South Africa by 32 runs in the final last October at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India are yet to win the title, having played in the final only once in 2020, against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Lord's to host 2026 Women's T20 World Cup final
Lord's cricket ground is set to host the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup final. (Getty) The iconic Lord's cricket ground is set to host the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup final . The tournament will begin on June 12 next year. Apart from Lord's, The Oval, Old Trafford, Headingley, the Hampshire Bowl, Edgbaston, and the Bristol County Ground are also the other venues. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! New Zealand will go into the 2026 tournament as the defending champions. The expanded 12-team tournament will see 33 games played over 24 days. Eight teams – hosts England, Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies – have already secured their spots for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026. Four additional teams will join them through the Qualifier scheduled next year. The 12 teams will be split into two groups of six for the group stage, followed by the knockout rounds and finals. The final is set for July 5, 2026. Lord's hosted the final of the 50-over World Cup in 2017, when England defeated India for the title. Who's that IPL player? ICC Chair Jay Shah described the confirmation of venues as "a defining moment." "The United Kingdom's rich diversity has always shown passionate support for all teams, something we witnessed so memorably at past events," he said. "The sell-out Women's Cricket World Cup final at Lord's in 2017 remains a landmark in the rise of the women's game, and I cannot think of a more fitting stage for the final. "As we turn our focus to preparing for the tournament, we are excited by the promise of thrilling T20 action that will not only captivate fans here but also serve as a showcase for cricket's return on the Olympic stage in Los Angeles 2028." Poll Do you think the Women's T20 World Cup will attract more fans to women's cricket? Maybe Yes, definitely! Richard Gould, the ECB's CEO, said: "It is of course extra special to announce that the final will be taking place at Lord's. It is one of the finest venues in world cricket, and every cricketer dreams of being part of occasions like a World Cup final at Lord's. Shah Rukh Khan: The superstar who turned IPL into a blockbuster "This will be the biggest women's cricket event ever staged in England and Wales and is undoubtedly an opportunity to take the game to more people than ever before and welcome new fans - young and old. "We want this competition to be part of a long-term movement, and not just a single moment in time. This World Cup will grow a new generation of fans who didn't grow up with women's cricket but will never imagine sport without it."
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Lord's to host final of 2026 Women's T20 World Cup
Lord's will host the final of the Women's T20 World Cup on Sunday 5 July next year, organisers have 12-team tournament will be held across England with Headingley, Old Trafford, Edgbaston, The Oval, the Hampshire Bowl and Bristol's County Ground also hosting will begin on Friday, 12 June with the full schedule to be announced in due course, and will be the second time England has hosted the right to host the tournament was awarded to both England and Wales but Cardiff has not been chosen as a women's 50-over World Cup was held in England in 2017 with the hosts famously winning a dramatic final at Lord's."The sell-out Women's Cricket World Cup final at Lord's in 2017 remains a landmark in the rise of the women's game, and I cannot think of a more fitting stage for the final," said International Cricket Council chair Jay and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould said: "It is of course extra special to announce that the final will be taking place at Lord's. "It is one of the finest venues in world cricket and every cricketer dreams of being part of occasions like a World Cup final at Lord's."We want this competition to be part of a long-term movement, and not just a single moment in time. "This World Cup will grow a new generation of fans who didn't grow up with women's cricket but will never imagine sport without it." The past six women's T20 World Cups have been contested by 10 teams, the most recent won by New Zealand last autumn, but this edition has been have already qualified as hosts while Australia, India, New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are already assured of their places. The final four spots will be secured at the qualifying tournament later this year.
