At last the Cricket

[Ray de Galles]

But England's group games in the Euros are still planned for Wembley?

The first one is before the June 21 date where full capacities are planned to be allowed, so would have to have a reduced attendance if any at all.

[ursus arctos]

Somewhat interesting that the Test Championship Final straddles that date

[Ray de Galles]

I did wonder if moving it back a week or so wasn't sensible but presume scheduling clashes rule it out .

One of the other problems is that the government are briefing stakeholders in events that the June 21st move to full capacities is only currently scheduled to be confirmed around June 14th, giving little reaction time for organisers and attendees.

Some pilot/test events prior to that will be allowed capacities higher than the 10,000 or 25% (whichever is the lower) currently projected under the Step 3 restriction due to be in place from May 17 to June 21. The first England Euros group match may be one of them.

All of the above subject to overall progress in terms of cases etc, obviously.

[ursus arctos]

Gangly says that the venue was decided quite a while ago, just not announced

As scheduled, it will overlap with England's first T20 against Sri Lanka, but not later matches in that series or the Pakistan series that follows

[Ray de Galles]

I've certainly been hearing rumours of the Rose Bowl being the venue for a few weeks, including from one of my MCC member friends even though he couldn't quite believe they'd ditch Lord's.

I was thinking of the schedules of the two finalists and Lord's other fixtures possibly being a barrier to moving the final back but don't know if that's the case.

[ursus arctos]

Shouldn't be an issue for the teams

The IPL is scheduled to end on 30 May, and India's series in England doesn't start until August. NZ' domestic competitions are on now.

I don't know who gets the gate receipts and whether it would effect the participants' take. I do wonder if the choice of Southampton over Manchester reflected an expectation that crowds would be limited at best.

[Ray de Galles]

I thought India had a T20 series in Sri Lanka scheduled to start early July but wasn't sure if that was the issue.

[ursus arctos]

Not showing up on Cricinfo's future calendar, though that isn't gospel

[Ray de Galles]

It came up on a few sites when I googled India's 2021 fixtures but none that I'd heard of or are as conclusive as Cricinfo so it's probably erroneous.

[Levin]

Oh no, Joey Benjamin has died.

[Satchmo Distel]

Another former Surrey player. Only 60, ffs.

[longeared]

Good county bowler whose international selection wouldn't happen now - got picked for the Devon Malcolm Test aged 33 after taking shitloads of wickets in the Championship that summer. Then a strong performance at the Oval saw him go on the Ashes tour ahead of Gus Fraser, which was a daft decision as he never looked like playing in the Tests. Atherton bemoaned the fact that he couldn't bat and had to be hidden in the field.

[diggedy derek]

That awful news. A familiar name gone too soon.

[Levin]

I'm really regretting having my Wisden's in storage. Cricinfo and Cricbuzz aren't good for 1980's county cricket stats.

We were members of Warwickshire in at least 89 and maybe 88 and 90 and I remember watching him play. But a couple of the obits mentioned that Bob Willis was there at the same time and I have no recollection of him as a player.

Lloyd, Moles, Din, Kallicharan, Humpage, Piper, Munton, Small, Donald, Twose, Reeve and the two Smiths (not all in the same team but those are the names that I remember

[ad hoc]

I have no recollection of him at all. Not even his name. But then much of the 90s and early 00s passed me by cricket wise, since I was never in a cricketing environment. His test appearance was in 94 too, which means that as far as I am concerned it was pre internet

[Ray de Galles]

The first day of the second Afghanistan v Zimbabwe test is quite a contrast with the opening match. The former are 263/3, almost surpassing their 266 total from both innings last time out already.

[Ray de Galles]

The final of the ICC World Test Championship between India and New Zealand will be staged in a bio-secure bubble at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton.

[Ray de Galles]

Sri Lanka have managed to go from 112/1 to 126/4 via two run outs and a contentious dismissal for obstructing the field in a very weird passage of play in the first ODI in Antigua. They were 105/0 only a little earlier too.

[Greenlander]

Only the 8th time ever in ODIs.

[ursus arctos]

Here is the clip

https://twitter.com/cricbuzz/status/1369864309082230784

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/firdosem/status/1369901986724929537

[Satchmo Distel]

Here is the clip

https://twitter.com/cricbuzz/status/1369864309082230784

I think this is a case where the law is not being applied literally but based on some consensus about reasonable positioning. The striker is trying to signal to the non-striker but somehow momentarily forgetting where he is standing himself. The fact his bat is outstretched, thus impeding the bowler, is another reason to give him out.

The SL complaint, as with England in India and SL recently, might be the immediacy with which the 3rd umpire gave that out, in addition to SL reading intent literally and assuming that intent has to be obvious.

[ursus arctos]

It strikes me as somewhat analogous to those US criminal statutes in which "reckless disregard" is sufficient to satisfy the mens rea requirement for lesser offenses like manslaughter

[Ray de Galles]

Hashmatullah gets Afghanistan's first ever double century in test cricket. They immediately declare at 545/4.

[Hot Orange]

They immediately declare at 545/4.

I'm enjoying saying that score in my head. "Five-four-five-for-four".