Facts of World Cricket

Rare facts about world Cricket!

1. Shahid Afridi used Sachin Tendulkar's bat to hit the fastest century in ODI

Shahid Afridi was flown in to play for the Pakistan team from West Indies to Nairobi in 1996 and didn't have a proper bat. That's when Waqar Younis gave 'Young Afridi' Sachin Tendulkar’s bat. Afridi hit 11 sixes and six boundaries with the bat and scored a 37-ball century against Sri Lanka which was the then fastest ODI century. The record, broken later by Corey Anderson (36 balls), now belongs to South Africa's AB de Villiers (31 balls).

2. Chris gayle is the only batsman to hit a six off the first of a Test Match.

In the 137 years of Test cricket no cricketer has ever hit a six off the first ball of a Test match. Audacious Chris Gayle achieved this feat against Bangladesh in 2012 off debutant Sohag Gazi.

3. Abbas Ali Baig was the first Indian cricketer to be kissed during a Test match

When Abbas Ali Baig reached a half-century 

in the third Test match against Australia at

 the Brabourne Stadium in 1960, 

a pretty young girl ran all the way 

from the North Stand to greet the batsman. 

She kissed Baig on his cheek

4. Vinod Kambli's Test match average is better than his childhood friend Sachin Tendulkar

Vinod Kambli played only 17 Test matches which included 

two back to back double tons. 

Kambli’s Test average is 54.20 

while his childhood friend Sachin 

Tendulkar averages 53.78 after 200 Tests.

5. Sunil Gavaskar was out off the first ball of a Test match thrice in his career

Sunil Gavaskar was the first batsman to reach 

10,000 Test runs and he ended his career scoring 

34 Test centuries. But did you know he was out 

three times off the first ball of a Test? 

The bowlers to dismiss him were:

 Geoff Arnold (Edgbaston, 1974), 

Malcolm Marshall (Kolkata, 1984)

 and Imran Khan (Jaipur, 1987).

6. ML Jaisimha and Ravi Shastri are the only Indians to bat on all five days of a Test

7. The only cricketer to play Test cricket for India and England is Saif Ali Khan’s grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi

8. Lala Amarnath is the only bowler to dismiss Don Bradman hit wicket in Test cricket

Sri lanka Tour of England

SriLanka vs England Fourth ODI, The Oval, London:

Timings :  29/06/2016 at 5:30 pm

Match Preview:

England has displayed all-round dominance throughout the series and has gone from strength to strength as the series has unfolded. Having ridden on unbeaten centuries by Alex Hales and Jason Roy in the second game, England did well to restrict Sri Lanka to 248 for 9 in 50 overs in the third match. The Sri Lankan middle-order trio of Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews all hit half-centuries but couldn't carry on, as the visiting side faltered towards the end of its innings. Chris Woakes, who was instrumental in helping the hosts tie the first ODI, and Liam Plunkett picked three wickets apiece, making sure that Sri Lanka didn’t run away with the game.  

Riding high on confidence after a record ODI opening partnership of 256 in Birmingham, Roy and Hales could not repeat the feat as Hales was caught, chasing a wide delivery from Suranga Lakmal, for nought off the first ball he faced. Roy was joined by Joe Root and England was 16 for 1 in four overs before rain had the final say.



After showing promise in the first ODI, Sri Lanka has struggled to keep the momentum going, both with bat and ball. It will need to extract contributions from batsmen and bowlers if it wants to stay alive in the series. 

Sri Lanka’s batsmen have shown improvement from the Test series, but have failed to convert good starts into big scores. The bowlers, on the other hand, would be disappointed with the way they bowled in the first two ODIs. The side will also want an improved effort on the field. 

Jolted by injuries to Dhammika Prasad and Dushmantha Chameera and the suspension of Shaminda Eranga due to a suspect action, Sri Lanka's inexperienced bowling side has to step up and complement the improved batting line-up to translate hopes of a turnaround into reality. 

Teams :

England: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Chris Jordan, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes.

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Upul Tharanga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Farveez Maharoof, Suraj Randiv, Seekkuge Prasanna.

Match Preview

Sri Lanka VS England 2nd ODI, Match Preview:

Birmingham, England at 6:30 PM, Jun 24

Sri Lanka would have been disappointed with the fact that they almost let the match slip from their hands. The tourists had England against the ropes, but they struggled to sustain the pressure. After a rather insipid performance in the Test series, Sri Lanka can take a few positives from the game. Seekkuge Prasanna netted in a flamboyant fifty and Angelo Mathews provided the ballast in the middle overs. Mathews and Suranga Lakmal also chipped in with a couple of scalps. Nuwan Pradeep largely landed in razor sharp yorkers until the final over.

For the second One-Day International on Friday (June 24), the visitors would look to improve their ground fielding, which was below par at Trent Bridge. Sri Lanka also would be hoping for their top-order batsmen to convert starts into substantial scores. Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal all essayed breezy knocks, but gifted their wickets away at crucial junctures. With the track at Edgbaston expected to favour the batsmen, Sri Lanka might not tinker much with the line-up.

England, on the other hand, would try to maintain the psychological edge over Sri Lanka. However, the top-order collapse at Trent Bridge ought to be a cause for concern for the home team. The focal point is that England can't bank upon the middle and lower order to pull off a jailbreak every time.

In their fledgling ODI careers, Alex Hales, despite two centuries, and Jason Roy, notching up one, have grappled for consistency. Joe Root, who has been the pivot around whom the batting line-up has revolved in the recent past, also will be aiming to make his presence felt at Edgbaston. The hosts' bowling fired in bits in the first ODI and that is a part of the game, they need to closely look at.

When: England vs Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI, June 24, 2016 at 2:00 PM Local Time, 6:30 PM IST
Where: Edgbaston, Birmingham
What to expect: Over the years, the track at Edgbaston has tended to assist the pacers up front. However, it flattens out as the game progresses. Incidentally, even spinners like Shahid Afridi and Ravindra Jadeja have shone brightly. In short, Gary Barwell, the curator at Edgbaston, is known for producing good cricket wickets. The weather forecast doesn't look promising as there is a possibility of showers affecting the match.
Did you know? The groundsmen at Edgbaston used a slew of special heat lamps to prepare a track that offered pace and good carry for the Test against Australia last year.

Team News:

England's think-tank is expected to show faith in their top order and remain unchanged. Roy has been troubled by a wrist injury, but is set to play. Their opponents, Sri Lanka, would be fretting over the fitness of Mathews. The Island nation's skipper injured his hamstring and left the field during the Trent Bridge ODI. If he doesn't play, Chandimal might be given the nod to lead the side, with Lahiru Thirimanne getting an opportunity. 

Stats:

109 and 2: The number of runs and dismissals respectively that Jos Buttler requires to complete the double of 2000 runs and 100 dismissals.

0: The number of players from the current England and Sri Lanka squads with an aggregate of 1000 or more runs in ODIs between the two sides.

Comments before Match?

"We've got lots of positives. We batted and bowled pretty well. But we were poor in the field. We can improve in all three departments, but especially in the fielding," said Angelo Mathews, after the cliffhanger at Trent Bridge.

"It shows the depth we've got. It's good for the team isn't it? You know you can carry on all the way through an innings. If you struggle up top then hopefully the end can get a big score and if not you can carry on from ball one," noted England's all-rounder Chris Woakes.

Squad:

England : Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler(w), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan, Steven Finn, James Vince

Sri Lanka : Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal(w), Angelo Mathews(c), Seekkuge Prasanna, Upul Tharanga, Dasun Shanaka, Farveez Maharoof, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Suraj Randiv, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya de Silva

West Indies vs Australia  8th ODI Prediction : 

Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies-10:30 PM IST, JUN 21.

Preview :

The washout on Sunday (June 19) against South Africa has complicated the equation for Australia, who now go into their final league match in a must-win situation. A loss for Steven Smith's men against West Indies will make the final league match, between the hosts and South Africa, merely an academic affair. On the other hand, Jason Holder's men are sailing in a similar boat as well. While a loss will not technically dump them out of the tournament, they will then have to beat South Africa by a bonus point, a task which looks tough on paper.

Australia's batting was a huge let-down in their last completed game, against West Indies, in St. Kitts. They were cruising along at one stage, only to falter in the final third of their innings and set up a chase which wasn't out of bounds for the host batsmen. If the batting in the last half was inadequate, the fielding and catching left a lot to be desired, with Usman Khawaja reprieving both West Indies openers. Understandably, the Australian skipper wasn't pleased with the efforts and called upon his team to main their high standards. With the final on the line, can Australia be at their best in all the three departments of the game?

While Australia haven't looked sharp, hosts West Indies have blown hot and cold right throughout the tournament. Every win was followed by a disastrous thumping in the very next game. The two hammerings - one each, at the hands of Australia and South Africa, gave their opposition a bonus point victory, something that might well come back to haunt the men from the Caribbean Islands. They have batted well in patches - Kieron Pollard, in the win against South Africa at Guyana and Marlon Samuels, against Australia, in St. Kitts. Sunil Narine has been handy with the ball - but the team as a whole has struggled to match performance with consistency.

England vs Srilanka  1st ODI Prediction : Who will win!

England vs Srilanka  1st ODI Prediction : Who will win! at Nottingham June 21, 2016. This will be an awesome fight between Srilanka and England after the poor performance of Srilanka in the Test series. Now Lanka looking forward to win the first ODI at Nottingham. England team want to carry the winning momentum here so it will be a crucial match prediction is that England have 70% chance while Lanka have 30%.