Friday 43 Sports Friday, April 27, 2018 England begin 2019 World Cup quest against S Africa India take on Pakistan at Old Trafford LONDON: Hosts England will begin their quest While both will be free to play in the tour- for a maiden 50-overs World Cup title against nament, Smith has also been barred from cap- perennial under-achievers South Africa on May taincy for two years, while Warner will not be 30 next year with Lord’s staging the final on July considered for any leadership role again. Old 14, the International Cricket Council (ICC) an- Trafford will host the 10-team tournament’s nounced yesterday. most-anticipated match on June 16 between One-day cricket’s Asian arch-rivals India most coveted trophy has and Pakistan. eluded three-times final- The collapse of bi- ists England who staged lateral cricket between the first three World Lord’s stages the bitter South Asian Cups between 1975-1983 neighbours means their and also in 1999. final on July 14 fans can only watch England could not ad- them in ICC events. vance beyond the group “Because of the UK’s stage of the 2015 edition diverse population, but have since grown every competing team into a formidable ODI will also be guaranteed outfit, rekindling hopes of breaking their World a ‘home crowd’ every time they play at some of Cup duck on home soil. the most iconic cricket grounds in the world,” They begin against a South Africa side who the tournament’s managing director Steve El- have never been beyond the semi-finals. Ashes worthy said in a statement. rivals Australia, currently recovering from a “The Cricket World Cup is the third most England team celebrates their victory. England, which will attempt to win its maiden 50-over ball-tampering scandal, will begin their title de- watched global event and has huge interest and ICC title when it hosts next year’s ICC Champions Trophy, has sent out a warning to the other fence against plucky qualifiers Afghanistan on appeal among cricket fans. Our ambition is to sides after its impressive series win against Pakistan. —File photo June 1 at Bristol. grow the game and deliver the greatest ever Cricket Australia is searching for a new one- cricket celebration...,” he added. format with all 10 teams playing each other in from previous ICC events that every country day captain after slapping 12-month bans on The 46-day tournament will be played the round-robin league to determine the four will be proudly supported at each of the venues former skipper Steve Smith and his deputy across 11 venues in England and Wales with teams who will advance to the semi-finals at Old creating an exceptional atmosphere and a real David Warner following last month’s fiasco in Manchester’s Old Trafford venue hosting six Trafford and Edgbaston. Lord’s will host a celebration of the game,” ICC chief executive South Africa. matches. The tournament will follow its 1992 World Cup final for the fifth time. “We know Dave Richardson said. —Reuters Kohli will need to study his tactics after his Dhoni triumphant batsmen delivered-South Africans Quinton De Kock (53) and AB de Villiers (68) plundered 103 as IPL sixes for the second wicket in under nine overs-but his months, such as a new conference structure for bowlers failed. Chasing a huge total in their 20 New 100 balls the Specsavers County Championship, and the overs, Chennai lost Australian opener Shane question of what other cricket should be record smashed Watson with just eight runs scored and then felll played during the new ECB tournament later in to to 74-4 before a 101-run partnership between format still in the summer of 2020,” Hollins said in a state- Rayudu and Dhoni turned the game. Rayudu ment. He added: “In striving to reach a new au- BANGALORE: MS Dhoni smashed the ball into was dismissed in the 18th over but Dhoni saw his England’s sights dience, we must not neglect county cricket, nor the crowd seven times-including to seal the win- side home. —AFP its great tradition.” ning runs-in a match that racked up a record England captain Joe Root said 100-balls-a- LONDON: Plans to establish a new 100 balls number of Indian Premier League sixes as his side-which will be shorter even than Twenty20 a side tournament in English county cricket re- Chennai Super Kings beat Royal Challengers (120 balls per side) — could attract a new audi- main in place despite a review into the domes- Bangalore to go top of the table. Dhoni hit an un- ence but David Gower, another ex-England cap- tic set-up. Wednesday saw the England and beaten 34 ball 70 while opener Ambati Rayudu tain suggested Wednesday the new format was Wales Cricket Board announce the creation of hit eight sixes in his 82 as Chennai passed Ban- “going to be 12 years out of date before it starts”. galore’s 205 for eight with two balls to spare. a “working group giving fresh thought to re- fining the structure of men’s county cricket that Meanwhile England’s Professional Cricketers’ Dhoni hit New Zealander Corey Anderson over Association issued a statement Wednesday long on for six to claim the brilliant victory. has been agreed for 2020”. Last week the ECB revealed its intention to voicing its “major concern” around the “lack of The two sides hit 33 sixes in all — 17 for information and clarity regarding the new tour- Chennai-in the dramatic game, beating the 31 in establish an eight-team city-based 100 balls per side tournament to start in 2020, despite it nament”. Amid all the furore, the ECB said it one IPL game set by Chennai and Kolkata would set up a working group chaired by Knight Riders earier this month, and Delhi Dare- having been previously thought this would be another Twenty20 event in addition to the ex- Leicestershire chief executive Wasim Khan. devils and Gujarat Lions in 2017. “I thought it The group’s members will also include ECB was a difficult chase when I saw AB de Villiers isting ‘Blast’ featuring all 18 first-class counties. But given fewer than half of England’s profes- England director of cricket Andrew Strauss, batting to see them over 200, I thougt it was 15- three county directors of cricket, as well as PCA 20 beyond par,” Dhoni commented after. “We sional players will be involved in an eight, as opposed to 18, team event, doubts remain representatives, with a report to be submitted also lost some key batsmen early but it’s a small later in the English season. Strauss, himself a ground, the ball travels a lot here.” about the type of cricket those excluded from BANGALORE: File photo shows Chennai Super the 100-ball format will play. former England captain, came under fire for The win took Dhoni’s side, returning to the saying in a radio interview last week that the IPL after a two year corruption ban, to the top Kings batsman and captain Mahendra Singh Gordon Hollins, the ECB’s chief operating Dhoni (R) plays a shot as Royal Challengers officer, said the working group had been set 100-ball tournament was aimed at “mums and of the IPL table with five wins from six games. kids”, with some female cricket followers resent- Indian captain Virat Kohli’s Bangalore are in a Bangalore wicket keeper Quinton De Kock looks up, in part, to address that question. “A num- on during the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL) ber of subjects and proposals have been raised ing the implication that women do not under- slump with just two wins and the IPL season stand the game’s existing formats. —AFP now half gone. Twenty20 cricket match. — AFP in various forums over the last few weeks and.