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NOTTINGHAM: The 381/5 that Aaron Finch’s Australia amassed in Nottingham, in what proved a 48-run victory over a spirited Bangladesh side, set up a match featuring more runs – 714 – than we’ve ever witnessed before at a single ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup encounter. Built upon David Warner’s fine tournament-high 166, where he became the only man ever to record two 150s in the competition, this was the second highest total the five-times champions have ever accumulated at any World Cup, also a figure that only England have bettered…

BIRMINGHAM: This ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup has served up bouncers and big hits but until now there had not been a tense finish. Perhaps we should have guessed that the first would come when South Africa faced New Zealand. Four years after their semi-final classic, these two served up another and almost inevitably, it was Kane Williamson who proved the difference. There might not have been as much riding on it for the Black Caps as in Auckland, but the final overs were every bit as tense. Exactly two…

MANCHESTER: England has without a doubt the most powerful batting line up at the World Cup and this was underlined yesterday when they took a record-breaking victory over Afghanistan at Old Trafford in Manchester. Skipper Eoin Morgan led the mayhem with a superb 148 off just 71 balls as a number of records tumbled on the day. His efforts put his team in a position to force an emphatic 150-run win over Afghanistan. Firstly, he struck 17 sixes the most by a batsman in an ODI inning and this together…

TAUNTON: In this must-win game for both sides, the approaches of West Indies and Bangladesh – with bat and ball – could not have been more different. And given that no side had successfully chased more than 248 in this tournament until now, West Indies’ cautious tactics looked to have delivered a very serviceable total of 321, even in Taunton’s tightly-knit environs. But Bangladesh’s pursuit was bold, brash and brilliant. Led first by Tamim Iqbal and then taken up by the in-form talisman Shakib Al Hasan, who also picked up two…

It was fitting that on his first Father’s Day as a new dad, Rohit Sharma should produce a match-winning performance for India – especially as he credits his daughter for his current stellar form. Sharma’s wife Ritika gave birth to the couple’s first child, Samaira, back in December and the opener claims that life-changing moment off the field has provided him with the serenity needed to excel out in the middle. Pakistan certainly won’t argue that the 32-year-old wasn’t at his brilliant best as he plundered 140 from just 113…

LONDON: Two very good fast bowlers can win you matches and after an epic 153 from skipper Aaron Finch he threw the ball to Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins and the result was another defeat for a fighting Sri Lanka at the 2019 World Cup by 87 runs. Midway into the afternoon at the Kia Oval, the massive Sri Lankan fan base was dreaming of a memorable win. While some dreamt, others took a trip down memory lane, as the opening pair of skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera batted…

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pakistan’s head coach Mickey Arthur urged his players to become heroes by beating bitter rivals India in a World Cup match for the first time at Old Trafford on Sunday. India have won all six previous meetings in World Cups, but Arthur has told his players to rise to the occasion. “It doesn’t get more exciting,” said Arthur on the eve of the match.”I am telling our players in the dressing room, you could be a hero tomorrow. “Your careers are going to be defined…

SOUTHAMPTON: Jason Holder insists Andre Russell’s fitness is a gamble worth taking, after the all-rounder pulled up with another injury in their eight-wicket defeat by England. The 31-year-old – who can reach 90mph with the ball and smack big scores with the bat – went off with a knee injury after bowling to Jonny Bairstow. He also left the field during their game with Australia, his troublesome knee again flaring up, and missed the washed-out match with South Africa on Monday. However, Russell is still a match-winner on his day…

TAUNTON: A critical review against Wahab Riaz went the way of Australia and summed up just how close their 2019 World Cup battle at Taunton was, as they took a nail-biting win in the end. David Warner found his mojo to crack a hundred and skipper Aaron Finch took care of the early going as Australia posted 307 all out, after looking as if they would have scored 400. Pakistan then replied at pace and although wickets were falling they wanted to stay within touching distance of the required rate.…