Up North and Hot as England's Challengers Get a Big Defeat and a Nervy Win

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Friday 28 June 2019 at Riverside Stadium, Chester-le-Street
Result	South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 9 wickets
Competition	Cricket World Cup 2019 Group Stage
Hopstats	Ground #14 on my cricket list.
Context
Sri Lanka gave themselves a chance of semi-final qualification with their victory over England. Their opponents are an underperforming South Africa.
In one sentence
Winning the toss and bowling first no doubt helped, but this was a determined performance from South Africa who blunted the Sri Lanka bowlers and secured a straightforward victory.
So what?
It’s a good result for England more than anyone, and also for Pakistan who can now go above England with a victory tomorrow at Leeds.
Match Report
Sri Lanka’s Karunatne spooned Rabada’s first ball of the innings to slip. Perera (K) and Fernando put on 67 in 58 balls but thereafter wickets fell steadily to the South African seamers, helped also by spinner Duminy taking the wicket of De Silva first ball. Eight batsmen reached double figures but no-one scored above thirty which both Perera (K) and Fernando reached. Pretorius finished with 3-25 from ten overs in two spells in the middle of the innings as the batsmen struggled to get the ball off the square. Morris was slightly more expensive but also took three wickets, and Rabada added another. Phehlukwayo took one too as Sri Lanka made it to the last over before being all out for 203 with three balls left.  It had been a slow strangulation in the second half of the innings with two five-over slots (21-25 & 31-35) in which only nine runs were added.  The score went from 91-3 after 20 overs to 203 all out. The most noteworthy event was “Bees Stopped Play” after 48.5 overs.  The players and umpires all lay prone as a swarm of bees passed across the field, through the crowd, and off into the distance. South Africa showed due respect to the new ball and in particular to the “wily veteran” Malinga, who bowled de Kock for 15 in the 5th over.  Amla and du Plessis accumulated steadily, and soon comfortably above the required rate. By half-way they had added 99 and taken the score to 130-1, and it became clear that the only route for a Sri Lankan victory would be to bowl South Africa out.  Malinga and de Silva (who had also opened the bowling with spin) were brought back on early but by now the two batsmen were well set.  The Sri Lankan total was too low to give du Plessis the chance of a ton – he finished on 96 not out, and Amla had 80 not out, in an unbroken partnership of 175.  It wasn’t brutal so much as brutally efficient, and the win was achieved with 76 balls to spare. It was a hot day and fortunately I took plenty of precautions against the sun, which also rendered the main scoreboard unreadable from my position. That was disappointing for a test venue, as was the fact that the portable toilets ran out of water for hand-washing by the change of innings. On the plus side the directions, signage and stewarding were superb. England play New Zealand here next week, and winning the toss might well be a very important feature of the day.
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Riverside is a relatively new venue for international cricket. I cannot explain this. Add caption Triple-jump legend Jonathan Edwards is a cricket fan Angelo Mathews takes guard inefficiently ... Angelo Mathews' stumps two frames later (b Morris) The unusual bowling action of Malinga the Slinga
What Next?
I’m headed for Leeds and the game between Pakistan and Afghanistan. See below!

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 29 June 2019 at Headingley, Leeds.
Result	Pakistan beat Afghanistan by 3 wickets.
Competition	Cricket World Cup 2019 Group Stage
Hopstats	Ground #15 on my cricket list.
Context
As mentioned above, Pakistan can jump into a qualification position with a win. Afghanistan gave India a real scare last week, but are still looking for their first win.
In one sentence
A last-over thriller as Pakistan just about got over the victory line after a gallant bowling performance by the Afghanistan spinners.
So what?
England drop to fifth place ahead of their Sunday confrontation with India. Bangladesh will need to win their next game to stay level with Pakistan. Their next game … is on Friday at Lord’s v Pakistan!
Match Report
I’m just so glad I was here to see this, and even more grateful that my seat was close to the scoreboard so that I had some afternoon shade on the most punishing of days. Afghanistan won the toss and batted. Pakistan’s miserly bowling restricted Afghanistan in the middle of the innings as the batters recovered from 77-3 after 15 to 120-3 at the midpoint. Rahmat and Ikram added 30, including a successful review of an lbw decision, and then Ikram and Asghar put on 64 in 13 overs before the latter was clean bowled for a joint-high 42. Najibullah Zadran also contributed 42 before becoming Shaheen Afridi’s third of four victims as the pick of the bowlers. The overall impression was that Afghanistan had done well to last their full 50 overs, but that their score of 227-9 would not be enough. Most of us of paler skintone would be hopeful of a quickfire win so that we could get out of the sun. Certainly there were many empty seats in the uncovered parts of the ground as Pakistan set about their batting task. It quickly became more interesting. They wasted their review trying to prevent Fakhar from being lbw to spinner Mujeeb second ball.  Imam and Babar then built a painstaking partnership of 72, lasting till the 16th over until Imam was stumped by Ikram off the spin bowling of Nabi. Nabi, Mujeeb and Rashid, all spin bowlers, dismissed Babar, Hafeez and Harris and suddenly, with 15 overs to go, Pakistan were behind the required trajectory and their supporters were noticeably quietened.  At least half-a-dozen of the runs on the board were due to misfielding. Also, If Shinwari had been able to hold on to a very sharp c&b in the 31st over, and/or if Asghar had taken a routine catch to dismiss Imad in the 46th (he seemed to lose the ball as it went high into the sunny sky) … these were the features of the fine margin. In the end that 46th over proved pivotal – despite Sarfaraz and Shadab getting themselves run out earlier – as Imad found the boundary three times, maybe finding Gulbadin’s seam bowling easier to read than the spinners. The required rate was back to a manageable 18 from the final three overs and the pendulum swung decisively back to Pakistan for a nervy three-wicket win. This was my first visit to Headingley. It’s an impressive venue and I was towards one edge of the Western Terrace aka the Popular Enclosure. Both teams were well supported, colourfully and loudly, and it was a real privilege to be there, even though it turned out to be a bad day for England and another if-only occasion for Afghanistan.
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Rugby League right next door
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter! That’s the end of my World Cup ticket allocation but I have thoroughly enjoyed re-engaging with the game. There may well be other sporting interludes before the new football season starts. Football priorities will be to get into Tottenham Hotspur somehow (but not for a friendly) and then to complete Step 4, but nothing is set in stone. I’m also motivated to pick off the main grounds of six other first-class counties when a suitable opportunity arises: Derbyshire, Essex, Kent, Leicestershire, Sussex, Worcestershire.

Double Defeat for West Indies in the CWC

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	17 June 2019 at The County Ground, Taunton, Somerset
Result	Bangladesh beat West Indies by 7 wkts
Competition	Cricket World Cup 2019 Group Stage
Hopstats	Ground #12 on my cricket grounds list
Context
The proverbial must-win game for both sides. I readily admit that my pre-game research had failed to spot the increasingly respectable record of Bangladesh in the one-day game, and their decent recent record against today’s opponents.  Both teams find themselves with 1.5/2.5 records with one win, two defeats and one abandonment each.  West Indies demolished Pakistan with their pace attack before losing to Australia and England.  Bangladesh won their first match, against South Africa, and then lost to New Zealand and England. By coincidence, both have a “no result” v Sri Lanka.  See previous blogpost for coverage of one of them, from Bristol.
In one sentence
Bangladesh expertly managed a run chase which turned out to be the second highest in World Cup history, with over 600 runs scored in the day.
So what?
Neither team is out of the competition as yet but both will need other results to go their way in addition to their own wins.  I will be seeing West Indies again on Saturday at Old Trafford against New Zealand.
Match Report
With plenty of cloud cover and an improving weather forecast, Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl first.  The West Indies batsman showed plenty of respect to the opening bowlers and the first ten overs were notable for the 13-ball duck of Universe Boss Chris Gayle, caught behind off the bowling of Saifuddin. Lewis and Hope consolidated and through singles and only the occasional boundary, accumulated a century partnership before Lewis was caught on the boundary for 70, going for a six.  Hope went on to be seventh out for 96, holing out at deep square leg trying to bring up his ton with a boundary.  Hope was supported in a brutal acceleration by first Pooran and then Hetmyer, who scored an entertaining 50 including three sixes.  Russell fell for a duck second ball, but Holder and Bravo kept the scoreboard rolling with some aggressive hitting.  They finished on 321-8 from their 50 overs, with three wickets each for Saifuddin who bowled Bravo for 33 with the very last ball, and Mustafizur.  Shakib took the other two wickets.  Bangladesh had started to show some signs of wobbling, adding 16 to the total through wides and contributing a few comical misfields.  West Indies would have felt confident that a target of 322 would be too much. What came next was extraordinary.  The second highest run chase in World Cup history was completed with an astonishing 51 balls to spare.  Bangladesh tried to get bat on ball with every delivery, and the pace of the quick bowlers meant that the ball was flying around to all parts of the ground, mainly behind the wicket but also with some splendid drives and pulls.  They scored at a decent rate from the start, never behind the Duckworth-Lewis target score which is as good as any indication of how things are progressing. Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarker opened with a 52 partnership before the latter edged Russell to Gayle in the slips. Enter Shakib al Hasan who was to win the game with an unbeaten 124, supported by Tamim and then Liton Das.  Tamim was run out for 48 by the bowler Cottrell, athletically fielding and throwing as he followed through his delivery.  The West Indies were similarly generous in the extras department as the number of wides also grew alarmingly.  Bangladesh soon reached the stage where ticking the target off in singles would be possible.  The pace clones of Cottrell, Holder, Russell, Gabriel and Thomas were treated with equal disdain as they reached 166-3 at the halfway mark. Looking from side on, there did not appear to be a lot of variation in the bowling attack. Certainly, the batsmen rode their luck at times, with several occasions where the flicks and pulls might have given a catch.  After 30 overs they turned to the spin of Gayle, whose bad day at the universe continued as he conceded 22 in 2 overs.  Gabriel in particular took some stick as three consecutive sixes at the start of the 38th over removed any lingering hopes for the bowling side.  Liton Das accelerated after his careful start and finished on 94 not out.  The body language of the West Indies side had long since been negative and it will be interesting to see how and whether they can bounce back at New Zealand’s expense. In the end it has to be said that it turned into a one-sided contest – no last-over thriller here. There were plenty of Bangladesh supporters here to celebrate.  As a passing neutral, no complaints from me with over 600 runs in the day and another ground ticked off.
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Gayle on his way to a duck ... ... as he lost his wicket to this calm-looking man on the boundary Shakib and Das wondering when the West Indies will turn up
What Next?
Old Trafford for the Windies’ next game against New Zealand.

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Saturday 22 June 2019 at Old Trafford, Manchester
Result	New Zealand beat West Indies by 5 runs.
Competition	Cricket World Cup 2019 Group Stage
Hopstats	Ground #13 on my cricket grounds list
Context
New Zealand are playing well and having a good tournament despite a close-run thing against South Africa in midweek. England’s defeat to Sri Lanka (I hesitate to call this a “surprise” – I am in my sixties and no England cricket defeat is a surprise any more) – has given the West Indies a glimmer of hope for progression to the semi-finals.
In one sentence
A superb contest settled at the end of the penultimate over of the day when Carlos Brathwaite was caught on the boundary trying to hit six to win the game.
So what?
New Zealand are pretty much guaranteed a semi-final place now, and West Indies would need every other result to go their way.
Match Report
This game will have been covered in detail elsewhere by now, but here are a few personal thoughts.  I tweeted after around 20 overs of their reply to New Zealand’s 291-8 that West Indies were going well on their way to a comfortable victory having won the toss. They were well ahead of the run-getting trajectory and getting on top of the New Zealand bowlers with the exception of Trent Boult. Then a flurry of dismissals put New Zealand in the driving seat as five wickets fell in ten overs leaving Carlos Brathwaite 13 not out as he watched Lewis head back to the pavilion as seventh man out at 164-7, still well ahead of the chase trajectory but now only three wickets and lesser batsmen to support.  Kemar Roach and Sheldon Cottrell supported really well for another 18 overs but the ninth wicket fell with five overs left, and 47 to get off 30 balls with Brathwaite up to 60 off 62 balls by that point. Brathwaite took 7 from three balls of dangerman Boult before Oshane Thomas stoically defended three deliveries. The 47th over was managed well, Brathwaite getting a six and a single to leave Thomas to defend one ball from Lockie Ferguson.  The 48th over was remarkable.  Brathwaite took a textbook 25 off Matt Henry with three consecutive sixes and a last-ball single to keep the strike. Astonishing work, leaving eight to get from 12 balls.  James Neesham to bowl, conceding two from the first five deliveries which meant an unbelievable century for Brathwaite. He then went for the match-winning hit, only to fall a few metres short as Boult took the catch right on the boundary rope. Brathwaite fell to his knees in the middle of the arena and credit to the New Zealand players who celebrated briefly and then went to console him. Earlier on we had witnessed a bizarre first over of the day, with Sheldon Cottrell taking two wickets for ten runs. Martin Guptill was out lbw first ball of the day, on review, and the other opener Munro was also out first ball.  Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor rebuilt, and they would go on to get 148 and 69 respectively.  Gayle broke their partnership and then Cottrell and Brathwaite shared the bowling honours as a late flurry got New Zealand to 291-8 from their 50 overs. Cottrell also ran out de Grandhomme and was the catcher for both Brathwaite’s wickets – boundary catches from the last two balls of the innings.  This meant that he was personally involved in seven of the eight dismissals and had figures of 10-0-56-4. With hindsight the performance of Williamson and Taylor was pivotal as West Indies were much improved in the field. Trent Boult also deserves huge credit. Hope, Pooran, Nurse and Lewis were dismissed in a performance of aggressive fast bowling for 10-1-30-4.  What else? Chris Gayle’s 87 runs off 84 balls (8 fours and 6 sixes) would have won many games, and Shimron Hetmyer supported well with another brutal half-century. Gayle even ran some sharp singles. He gave several airborne chances which New Zealand dropped comically as they came under pressure. At the end of the day, it was the fact that Hope, Pooran, Holder, Nurse and Lewis made two runs between them that made the difference. My experience at the World Cup has been getting better with each game, and the general Old Trafford experience was excellent. I parked in Knutsford and took the rail and metro to within 50m of the entrance. The stewarding for safe exit afterwards was good and I made it back to the car within an hour after the end of the match.
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I got a bit obsessed with the shapes made by the structures holding up the stands. Hope the engineers got their breaking stress calculations correct, that is a LOT of scaffolding. I see that the croque-monsieur is rebranded for the northern market Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts interviewed Kane Williamson gets to 100 Last WI pair Thomas & Brathwaite plan the strategy Jimmy Neesham is first on scene to console Carlos Brathwaite. Class.
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter!  Off to Durham on Saturday for Sri Lanka v South Africa which is now a meaningful contest, and finally to Headingley for Pakistan v Afghanistan the next day, which will be irrelevant in the context of tournament progression but gives the Afghans a chance of a first World Cup win.