Reigning Cricket World Champions England in Deep Trouble 

Afghanistan upset the reigning world champions England in a shock win at the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, defeating the English by 69 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

England were all out of 215 runs in front of the three-spin combination that Afghanistan fielded, spearheaded by Rashid Khan. 

For England, this is their second loss in two games, and it feels like the English fans with cricket tickets, currently at the World Cup, are seeing for better days. 

Their first loss came against New Zealand in the tournament opener, and they had a single win against Bangladesh. 

The underdogs set England a target of 285 runs, thanks to a blistering knock of 80 runs off 57 balls from opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz and a half-century from wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil.

Spinners Rashid Khan (23) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (28) contributed to a lower-order flourish that saw Afghanistan put up a competitive total and allow their bowlers to go all-out against the England batters.

With a powerful batting lineup, it felt like it was easy for them to reach 285 runs. But they were in trouble initially with an early loss when left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed opener Jonny Bairstow in the second over.

From then on, Afghanistan’s spinners took over as off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman bowled out Joe Root for 11 runs, and Mohammad Nabi dismissed Dawid Malan for 32.

It was a spectacular bowling performance with Rashid Khan and Naveen ul Haq, bringing in the breakthroughs for Afghanistan. Captain Jos Buttler was dismissed for nine runs by Naveen ul Haq. 

Star leg-spinner Rashid Khan added to England’s woes by dismissing Liam Livingstone and Adil Rashid.

Harry Brook put up resistance with his 66-run innings but fell to Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the 35th over, sending England reeling at 169-8.

Lankan Skipper Dasun Shanaka ruled out 

Making things worse for Sri Lanka’s already dreadful Cricket World Cup campaign, skipper Dasun Shanaka has been ruled out of the tournament with injury. 

Chamika Karunaratne will replace him in the squad as his recovery is set to be three weeks. 

Karunaratne is a like-for-like replacement for the captain, a seam-bowling allrounder who bats deep down. 

Shanaka’s strength lies in his batting, while Karunaratne’s bowling is typically his foremost discipline. Karunaratne has been traveling with the team as a standby player and will be available for Sri Lanka’s match against Australia on Monday.

Sri Lanka’s team management has announced that Kusal Mendis will lead the side in the absence of Shanaka. 

Mendis has served as vice-captain for the last few months and captained the side in one of the warm-up games. 

Team manager Mahinda Halangoda also stated that despite Shanaka exiting the squad, he will remain with the team “for the time being.”

Shanaka’s place in the XI had been under substantial pressure over the past few months, primarily due to poor performance with the bat. He had passed 35 only once in his last 15 ODI innings, a stretch which included the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. 

However, the team mainly performed well under his captaincy, winning the Qualifier unbeaten and making it to the final of the recent Asia Cup, played in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has had a poor start to their World Cup campaign, suffering defeats against South Africa and Pakistan. They have conceded a whopping 775 runs in the two matches, so the addition of a bowling allrounder may be welcome.

Travis Head to Join the Australian Side 

Australian middle-order batsman Travis Head has returned to the nets after his hand fracture in South Africa and will join the squad in India shortly. 

Head had his cast removed, and scans indicate that the player is healing. However, he will need a final medical check before he joins the team. 

The earliest return for Head will be the Netherlands game later in October. Head’s importance to Australia’s plans was emphasized when the selectors opted to have only 14 available players for the first part of the tournament, essentially replacing Ashton Agar with specialist batter Marnus Labuschagne to help cover for Head’s absence.

His absence has been felt in the early stages of the tournament, with Australia yet to score a half-century and being bowled out for 199 and 177 in their two games. However, it will be challenging for Head to return and perform immediately after such an injury.

Cook Calls it a Day! 

England’s leading test run scorer and one of the legends of the game, Alastair Cook, has finally announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. 

This marks the end of decades of entertainment the veteran has savored for everyone with cricket tickets worldwide. 

There was speculation around the final rounds of this season’s LV= Insurance County Championship that Cook, 38, could be set to call time on his playing career. Essex played down the reports, with the club still in contention for the Division One title, saying Cook would sit down to discuss his future at the end of the season – but the former England captain has now confirmed his decision.

“Today I am announcing my retirement and the end of my career as a professional cricketer,” Cook said in a statement on the Essex website.

He added that it was not easy to say goodbye to a livelihood that has been more than just a game. 

“From the eight-year-old boy who first played for Wickham Bishops Under 11s to now, I end with a strange sadness and pride. Above all, I am incredibly happy,” he added. 

Cook debuted for Essex in 2003 and stepped away from international test cricket at the end of 2018 with 12,000+ runs and was capped for 161 times in tests. 

One of the famous memories that everyone with cricket tickets will remember will be his captaincy triumph in India, where England won 2-1 in the 2012/13 season for the first time in 27 years. 

The 2013 and 2015 Ashes wins will also be up in his accolades as a successive Ashes triumph, two series English fans with cricket tickets will remember. 

Alastair Cook’s influence extends beyond the boundary, touching the hearts of fans, teammates, and those privileged to watch him play. As he embarks on a new chapter in life, his remarkable journey will forever be cherished in the hearts of cricket enthusiasts worldwide.