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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘He hasn't got me out': When Steve Smith responded to Jofra Archer's fiery Lord's bouncer with double century in Ashes 2019
After making a successful return to Test cricket after a hiatus of over four years due to various injury concerns, England speedster Jofra Archer ramped up the speed charts at Lord's in his side's thrilling 22-run win against India. Constantly touching the high 140 and 150-kph speeds in the Test, Archer was integral to rip open India's middle-order on the final day in a 193-run chase. Having missed a chunk of action over the years, the 30-year-old pace ace is hoping to have more command in the next two Tests of the series, if the team management is willing to unleash their X-factor bowler. There's more in Archer's mind on his return, most importantly the forthcoming Ashes that begins later this year in Australia. 'I can play the other two [against India] if they let me,' Archer told Sky Sports. 'I don't want to lose this series. I told Keysey [England men's managing director, Rob Key] I wanted to play the Test summer and I wanted to play the Ashes. I think one tick is already there and I will do everything possible in my power to be on the plane in November.' Should Archer board the plane for Down Under, it will set up a fiery and potentially exciting clash. Archer could once again go up against Australia's batting bulwark, Steve Smith, six years on from their epic Ashes 2019 duel, which incidentally began at Lord's during the England fast bowler's Test debut. ⏪ Throwing it back to Jofra Archer's brutal spell against Steve Smith in 2019 😱🔥 📍 Lord's, London — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 9, 2025 Marking his maiden Test appearance for England at Lord's, exactly a month after lifting the ODI World Cup at the venue, Archer made headlines when he felled Smith with a menacing bouncer on the back of a barrage of short balls. Retiring hurt on 80 not out, Smith returned briefly before being trapped lbw on 92. The Australia No. 4 was ruled out concussed before the second innings, as Marnus Labuschagne took his place to become the first-ever concussion substitute in international cricket in an eventually drawn Test. WATCH THE FULL ARCHER V SMITH DUEL FROM ASHES 2019: Smith would later miss the Headingley Test, etched in the history books for Ben Stokes' epic fourth-innings hundred in a one-wicket win, chasing 359. Cleared to make a comeback from concussion in the fourth match in Manchester, Smith was clear in shrugging of any advantage to Archer, even stating that his bowling peers had delivered a better challenge. 'There's been a bit of talk that he's got the wood over me, but he hasn't actually got me out. 'He hit me on the head on a wicket that was a bit up and down at Lord's. All the other bowlers have had more success against me, I daresay. I've faced them a bit more, but they've all got me out a lot more. I'm pretty comfortable with that. Now it's just about getting out there and playing the game,' said Smith. England paceman @JofraArcher terrorised Australia's batsmen four years ago. But Steve Smith and co can breathe a huge sigh of relief after an update from England's medical staff this evening.#Ashes 🏏 | ✍️ @DanielCherny — CODE Cricket (@codecricketau) May 16, 2023 Smith would let the bat do the talking as he smoked his highest Test score in England in the first innings of the Manchester Test, batting 319 balls to reach 211. Archer would go wicket-less as Smith would back up the double century with a brilliant 82 in the second innings as Australia marched to a commanding 185-run win. Smith would similarly shut down a Twitter (X) post in 2023 from Australian sports media outlet, Code Sports, which claimed that Archer had 'terrorised' Australia's batters in the 2019 Ashes. 'Terrorised? Remind me when I was dismissed by him…,' Smith would write in response on X. Indeed, despite the Lord's bumper that caught him on the neck, Smith has never ceded control to Archer. In five innings, Archer has conceded 94 runs to Smith without ever dismissing him, conceding 60 of those runs in boundaries. Will 2025 mark a high-octane sequel to the Archer-Smith rivalry?
CAF
3 days ago
- Sport
- CAF
WAFCON 2024 Golden Boot Race Heats Up: Chebbak and Ndiaye Neck-and-Neck After Group Stage
Published: Thursday, 17 July 2025 As the group stage of the CAF TotalEnergies Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2024 concludes, the race for the Golden Boot is intensifying. Morocco's Ghizlane Chebbak and Senegal's Nguenar Ndiaye lead the scoring chart with four goals apiece, setting the stage for a thrilling battle for top scorer honors as the tournament heads into the knockout rounds. Chebbak, the Atlas Lionesses' captain and Golden Boot winner in the 2022 edition, struck four times in just two games — including a hat-trick against the Democratic Republic of Congo (4-2) — reaffirming her status as a vital offensive leader for Morocco. Matching her stride for stride is Ndiaye, whose clinical consistency has been key for Senegal. The striker bagged braces in both the 3-2 loss to Zambia and the emphatic 4-0 victory over DR Congo, showing a sharp eye for goal in high-stakes encounters. Close on their heels are Zambia's dynamic duo — Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji — who have tallied three goals each. Banda kicked off her campaign with the tournament's fastest goal, scoring just 58 seconds into the opener against Morocco. She added another in the 3-2 win over Senegal. Kundananji, meanwhile, has found the net in every group match, proving to be a constant threat in the box. The Zambian pair have spearheaded the Copper Queens' attack with explosive pace and relentless pressure, positioning themselves as serious contenders should their team advance deeper into the tournament. Lurking just behind the leaders are a group of underrated sharpshooters: Senegal's Mama Diop, Nigeria's Chinwendu Ihezuo, Ghana's Alice Kusi, and Morocco's Yasmine Mrabet — each with two goals. Diop offers the instincts of a classic poacher, while Ihezuo has dazzled with her technical finesse. Kusi and Mrabet have quietly delivered key goals and could still shake up the leaderboard if their nations progress. With the unpredictability that defines WAFCON, the Golden Boot race promises more twists — and one big performance in the quarterfinals could change everything. Top Scorers After Group Stage: Ghizlane Chebbak (Morocco) – 4 goals Nguenar Ndiaye (Senegal) – 4 goals Barbra Banda (Zambia) – 3 goals Racheal Kundananji (Zambia) – 3 goals Mama Diop (Senegal) – 2 goals Chinwendu Ihezuo (Nigeria) – 2 goals Alice Kusi (Ghana) – 2 goals Yasmine Mrabet (Morocco) – 2 goals
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Special Ops 2' release date: Fans can't wait any longer, here's where and when to watch Kay Kay Menon's thrilling series
Kay Kay Menon is back with a thrilling and chilling new season of the fan-favourite series, ' Special Ops 2 .' Directed by Neeraj Pandey and Shivam Nair , the anticipated episodes will usher in the challenging missions of RAW officer Himmat Singh . 'Special Ops 2' to be released on July 18 Previously, the date circled on the calendar was July 11, but after a week of delay, the new season is set to be aired on July 18. According to the behind-the-scenes clip shared by the squad of Special Ops and the streamer, the caption read, 'This time the stakes are higher, Himmat Singh and his squad are stepping into yet another challenging mission. Here's your exclusive glimpse from behind the scenes. #HotstarSpecials #SpecialOps2, streaming from July 18, only on #JioHotstar' Along with Kay Kay Menon, the actors who would be wearing the gears to fight the prowling danger of cyberterrorism include Meher Vij, Vinay Pathak, Muzammil Ibrahim, Karan Tacker and Saiyami Kher, along with Prakash Raj, Gautami Kapoor, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Parmeet Sethi, and Kali Prasad Mukherjee. The eager fans commented... The eager fans quickly commented on the release, and a few even desired to watch a film about the missions on the silver screen. One user expressed, 'We need a film Called Special Ops in and as kay kay Menon directed by Neeraj Pandey..... We want this on big screen ❤️not on ott Sir , missing baby wala thing really' Another user said, Wait for best 2025 series in india 😍😍' A third fan demanded, 'No more waiting , ab episodes drop kr doooooooooooooo' Previously, Kay Kay Menon announced that the episodes would be getting postponed to July 18, and claimed that all the episodes would be released altogether, along with the caption stating, 'We understand you're on the edge of your seat, but thoda aur intezar and it's going to be worth all the wait!'
India Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
ENG vs IND: Broad, Buttler believe chirpy Sundar, Nitish fuelled England's Lord's win
England's 22-run victory over India in the third Test at Lord's was a thrilling affair, and according to former England pacer Stuart Broad and white-ball wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, the on-field antics of India's Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar played a big role in firing up the home game, which ended dramatically on Day 5, was closely contested, with India set a target of 193 runs. Despite India's early setbacks on Day 4, Sundar remained confident, declaring in a Sky Sports interview that India would win-likely before lunch on Day India winning, probably just after lunch We are sitting pretty, and we will come out positive. We have some solid batters in the dressing room," said Sundar. But Sundar's confidence appeared to backfire. England, spurred on by the remarks, raised their intensity-led by a fiery Jofra Archer and captain Ben Stokes. Sundar's bold prediction came back to haunt him when he was dismissed for a duck early on Day 5, caught off Archer's own vs IND, 3rd TEST HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARDButtler, reflecting on Sundar's comments, said they became a motivator for England heading into the final day. Speaking on the For the Love of Cricket podcast, he explained:"There's a little clip of when Washington came out to bat and Brendon McCullum over the balcony, sort of telling everyone to raise it-it's the guy who's been chirping."According to Buttler, Sundar had unknowingly put a target on his back with his confident remarks."You set yourself up, don't you? It's horrible. But now everyone knows what I've said in the media last night, and everyone's after me. Even McCullum-possibly the only time he didn't have his feet up-he's leant forward to say, 'Come on. Let's ramp it up for this guy,'" said of a traditional pep talk, England needed no more motivation than Sundar's interview."I wonder if he's just sort of, you know, got his words out wrong, but it was proper incredible confidence. 'Yeah, we're going to win.' Someone will have heard that in the dressing room. It's almost like instead of anyone saying anything this morning for England, you could have just played that interview-and that would have got people so fired up."Meanwhile, Stuart Broad also reflected on how India's Nitish Kumar Reddy became a focal point of England's aggression following his vocal presence in the slips. Reddy had exchanged words with England's openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett earlier in the match. Broad explained that Archer's fiery spell was a deliberate move by the team to "meet fire with fire.""Jofra bowled quick-his fastest spell in an England shirt-up the hill at the Nursery End, flying through at 92 miles an hour. I said, 'God, I've never seen you as fired up as that.' Actually, it was a team plan. They've (India) had a go at Zak Crawley. We've got to meet fire with fire here," said plan became evident when Archer greeted Reddy with a sharp bouncer on the first ball he faced on Day 5-followed by the entire England team closing in to make their intentions clear. Broad described the moment as a coordinated response:"Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Joe Rooty-getting stuck into Reddy-because reports came back from the middle when Crawley and Duckett were out there that Reddy was the most vocal."For England, the win highlighted their ability to remain composed under pressure-but it also underscored the power of words in high-stakes moments. As Broad and Buttler pointed out, it's often those bold predictions and heated exchanges that ignite a team's fire, shift momentum, and ultimately, change the course of a match.- EndsTune InYou May Also Like
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First Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
England cricket team loses valuable WTC points as ICC punish them for breaching code of conduct
The ICC has come down heavily on the Ben Stokes-led England cricket team for breaching the Code of Conduct during their thrilling win over England in the third Test at Lord's. read more England have been penalised by ICC for slow over-rate in Lord's Test. Image: PTI The England cricket team has been heavily penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC), including losing World Test Championship points, for maintaining a slow over-rate against India in the third Test at Lord's. The Ben Stokes-led England have been fined 10 per cent of their match fee in also penalised two ICC World Test Championship points. The penalty was imposed on England after they were found to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD ICC penalises England for slow over-rate 'In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined five per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time,' ICC said in a release. 'In addition, as per Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short. Consequently, two World Test Championship points have been deducted from England's points total.' The ICC added: 'England captain Ben Stokes pled guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. 'On-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, third umpire Ahsan Raza and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd levelled the charge.' The England cricket team had also lost a mind-boggling 22 points during the 2023-25 WTC cycle for slow over-rate, resulting in them finishing fifth in the nine-team table. They have never qualified for the WTC final.
