Cricketing greats of yesteryear, the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Rahul Dravid and Adam Gilchrist were in action after their retirement in an one-off 50 over match to celebrate the 200 years of the Lord’s cricket grounds.
Hashim Amla powered his way to 2 consecutive centuries against Sri Lanka as the 3-match ODI series is leveled on 1-1 with South Africans proving their hard metal in the 1st ODI and the Lankans coming back strongly in the 2nd ODI while Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was been banned from cricket for 6 months as another exciting month of international cricket began.
Amla sledgehammers Sri Lanka at R.Premadasa
Hashim Amla’s 13th ODI century and a 151-run stand with captain A.B. de Villiers led South Africa to a convincing 75-run win in the first ODI against Sri Lanka on July 5th.
Amla scored 109 including eight boundaries to take the Proteas to 304 for five in 50 overs after electing to bat first at the R. Premadasa Stadium. AB de Villiers made 75 off 70 deliveries including five boundaries and a six. Legspinner Imran Tahir took three wickets while fast bowlers Ryan McLaren, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel took two wickets each to dismiss Sri Lanka for 229 in the 41st over. Kumar Sangakkara top scored with 88 for the home team.
Dilshan hunts the Africans at his favorite venue
TM Dilshan starred with both bat and ball at his favorite venue, Pallekelle as Sri Lanka crushed South Africa by 87 runs in their 2nd ODI on 9th July to draw the three-match series level at 1-1.
Dilshan smashed 86 off 90 balls and also took three wickets for 40 runs to set the stage for a Sri Lankan victory in the only day-night match during the series. Fast bowler Lasith Malinga chipped in with a valuable spell of fast bowling of 4 for 24 as South Africa were bowled out for 180 off 38.1 overs while chasing Sri Lanka’s 267 all out. In-form opener Hashim Amla fought back brilliantly, making a 102-ball 101, his 2nd consecutive century of the series but failed to find support from the other batsmen, only two of whom could manage scores in double figures.
Finch stars as MCC beat Rest of the World
Australia opener Aaron Finch blitzed his way to an unbeaten 181 to lead the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to a comfortable seven-wicket win over the Rest of the World in the Lord’s Bicentenary match played on 5th July.
Finch’s outstanding innings outshone Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh’s valiant knock of 132, which was also vital as it helped the Rest of the World post a competitive total of 293 for 7 wickets in 50 overs. Chasing 294 to win, Aaron Finch showcased his aggressive style of batting as he thumped an unbeaten 181 runs in 145 balls which included 23 fours and 6 sixes to outshine the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid and Adam Gilchrist. MCC cruised past the ROW score with 7 wickets in hand with 25 deliveries remaining.
West Indies vs New Zealand T20 series ends in a stalemate
Hosts; West Indies won the 2nd and final T20I by 39 runs as they drew the series 1-1 against visiting New Zealand. New Zealand claimed a 12-run win courtesy of the Duckworth Lewis method in the opening T20I played on July 4th.
Andrew Fletcher smashed 62 runs in the 2nd T20 to guide the Caribbean boys to 165 runs and the Black Caps failed to chase down with only Kane Williamson scoring 30+. Sheldon Cottrell took 3 wickets at crucial junctures for the West Indies while off-spinner Sunil Narine (2-19) restricted the New Zealand response.
Andrew Fletcher’s half-century in the 1st T20I was not enough as New Zealand prevailed in a rain-hit game. Skipper Brendon McCullum’s quick innings of 40 steered his team in pursuit of the West Indies’ score of 132/8 in 18 overs. New Zealand made 117 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 15 overs, 12 runs ahead of D/L par score when the continuous rain ended the game.
Shakib Al Hasan punished for bad attitude
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been banned from international cricket for six months by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) following his threat to quit playing for Bangladesh due to the board refusing to provide him with an NOC to play in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League. Shakib is banned from playing in any foreign Twenty20 (T20) league till the end of 2015. Shakib’s ban has been referred as a “severe attitude problem” by the BCB officials in their official media statements.
Pakistan announced touring party for Sri Lanka
Pakistan recalled Younis Khan to their one-day international squad for the tour of Sri Lanka after a 16-month gap. Batsman Umar Akmal earns a recall to the Test squad after a three-year absence, while opener Mohammad Hafeez was dropped from the Test team but kept his one-day place. Experienced fast bowler Umar Gul failed to make either the Test or one-day squad after being found short of fitness.
Test squad: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Ahmed Shahzad, Khurram Manzoor, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Mohammad Talha, Junaid Khan, Rahat Ali, Wahab Riaz.
One-day squad: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Ahmed Shahzad, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Anwar Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Talha, Wahab Riaz, Zulfiqar Babar.
Ben Stokes added to the England squad
England have included Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes in a 13-man squad for the first Test against India at Trent Bridge which starts on 9th of July.
Stokes missed the early part of the season after surgery on the wrist he fractured punching a locker during England’s tour of West Indies in March. Stokes made 120 against Australia in only his second Test last winter.
Squad: Alastair Cook (captain), Sam Robson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Matt Prior, Chris Jordan, Stuart Broad, Liam Plunkett, James Anderson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes.
