Jos Buttler shines as England win final ODI by 1 wicket, whitewash Australia 5-0

Agencies
June 25, 2018

Manchester, Jun 25: Jos Buttler scored a dazzling unbeaten century to guide England to a thrilling one-wicket victory over Australia at Old Trafford on Sunday to seal an unprecedented 5-0 one-day series triumph over their old rivals.

England were in a parlous position at 27 for four, chasing Australia`s total of 205 all out, when the gifted, powerful Butler came to the crease and played one masterful innings.

Yet even though England crumbled further to 114 for eight, the wicketkeeper kept cool as wickets tumbled around him to smash an unbeaten 110 off 122 balls and seal England`s first 5-0 whitewash over Australia in any form of men`s cricket.

It was a remarkable effort, with the joint next highest English contribution being Adil Rashid`s 20 although the number 10`s 47-ball effort in a ninth-wicket partnership of 81 was also key to helping the home side get across the line.

When Rashid was out with 11 still needed, last man Jake Ball held up the Australian attack for 10 balls, allowing Buttler, who got his ton with a second six, to guide England home with a handsome driven boundary, his 12th, and nine balls to spare.

"I said to Jake if it`s two we`ll run, if it`s one, we won`t. Great guts from him to soak up that pressure and face those balls," said man of the match Buttler, praising his tail-end colleague at the post-match presentation.

"We were determined to come out and try and win 5-0. We bowled fantastically well and didn`t quite click with the bat. Games where you pull it out of nowhere are extra enjoyable."

It capped a perfect week for England in which they had also become world record breakers by compiling a 50-over total of 481 at Nottingham on Tuesday.

Buttler had then struck a whirlwind unbeaten half-century to guide them to another victory at Chester-le-Street on Thursday.

The 27-year-old, who also executed a brilliant run-out and stumping on Sunday as Australia succumbed largely to Moeen Ali`s four wickets, was also voted player of the series, having compiled 275 runs from the five matches at an average of 137.5.

"I don`t think I`ve ever played better. It`s very enjoyable. We`re just trying to keep it going," he said.

England captain Eoin Morgan paid tribute to Buttler, saying: "We were very poor today and Jos really did pull something special out to get us over the line. It was outstanding.

"He`s in control - he`s a very cool, calculated customer with a lot of ability. We got a lot out of that watching from the dressing room."

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News Network
February 13,2020

Feb 13: Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were buried in a private funeral service in Southern California last week, multiple outlets reported late Tuesday.

Citing Kobe Bryant's death certificate, Los Angeles Fox affiliate KTTV reported the remains of the former Lakers star and his daughter were transferred to Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary in Corona del Mar. Kobe and Brianna were laid to rest in a private ceremony there last Friday.

According to KTTV, the death certificate cited Kobe's cause of death as "blunt trauma" sustained in a "commercial helicopter crash." It also said his death was "rapid."

Corona del Mar is a community within Newport Beach, where the Bryant family lives.

Kobe, 41, and Gianna, 13, were among nine people killed when the helicopter they were in crashed on a hillside in Calabasas, Calif., northwest of Los Angeles, on Jan. 26. Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, 56; his wife, Keri; and their daughter Alyssa, 14 -- who played on the same club basketball team as Gianna Bryant -- also were killed. Christina Mauser, a 38-year-old who was the top assistant coach of the Mamba girls basketball team, was also killed in the accident, as were Sarah Chester, 45; her daughter Payton Chester, 13; and pilot Ara Zobayan, 50.

A public memorial service for the Bryants will be held Feb. 24 at Staples Center, beginning at 10 a.m. PT.

While the date -- 2/24 -- conveniently falls between two Lakers' home games, it still could have been chosen symbolically. Gianna -- one Kobe and Vanessa' four daughters -- wore No. 2 on her basketball jersey while Kobe was No. 24 for part of his 20-year-tenure with the Lakers, and his retired jerseys -- he also wore No. 8 -- hang at Staples Center.

The Los Angeles Times reported that "entry is expected to be severely restricted" at the venue despite Staples Center's capacity of about 20,000.

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News Network
July 3,2020

Karachi, Jul 3: There was a sense of insecurity among Pakistan players during the 2019 World Cup, claims former chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, who also reckons that the PCB should have given Sarfaraz Ahmed more time as captain instead of removing him abruptly.

Inzamam said captains need to be backed since they get better with time.

"Even in the last World Cup I felt the captain and players were under pressure because they were thinking if we don't do well in the tournament we will be out. That environment was created and this is not good for cricket," Inzamam said.

"Sarfaraz achieved some notable victories for Pakistan and was learning to be a good captain but unfortunately when he had learnt from experience and mistakes he was removed as captain," the former captain told a TV channel.

Inzamam remained chief selector from 2016 till the 2019 World Cup. During his tenure, most of the time Sarfaraz remained captain.

Soon after Inzamam was replaced by head coach Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan Cricket Board removed Sarfaraz as a player and captain from all three formats.

"Sarfaraz won us the Champions Trophy and also made the team number one in T20 cricket. He got us some good wins. He should have been given more time as captain by the board but it acted in haste and didn't give him confidence or patience."

The PCB has now given the Test captaincy to senior batsman, Azhar Ali while young batsman Babar Azam leads the side in the white ball formats.

Inzamam, the most capped player for Pakistan, also said that the captain's own performance can dip as he had to focus a lot on other players.

"But a captain learns all this with time. There is no shortcut to it."

He pointed out that people praise Imran Khan’s leadership qualities and captaincy but he also won the World Cup on his third attempt as captain.

"He won the 1992 World Cup because by that time he had become a seasoned captain and learnt to motivate his players and get them to fight in every match."

Inzamam said giving confidence to new players and youngsters is very important for the selectors. He gave the example of Babar Azam.

"Babar struggled initially in Test cricket but we never had any doubt about his ability so we persisted with him and see today where he is standing in all formats."

He also described Babar and pacer, Shaheen Shah Afridi as and future stars.

"Babar is always compared to Virat Kohli but the latter has played a lot more cricket and if you look at their stats and performances at the stage Babar is now, he has not done badly at all."

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News Network
March 13,2020

Mar 13: The start of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's most lucrative cricket competition, has been postponed from March 29 until April 15 over the coronavirus, the Indian cricket board said Friday.

"The Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to suspend IPL 2020 till 15th April 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation," the BCCI said in a statement.

The two-month Twenty20 competition is estimated to generate more than $11 billion for the Indian economy and involves cricket's top international stars.

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