Heena Sharma Blog

England pacer Jofra Archer said reassuring words from teammate Ben Stokes helped him to keep his calm in the Super Over of the World Cup final against New Zealand at the iconic Lord's here. Hosts England lifted their maiden World Cup trophy on Sunday night by defeating New Zealand in the Super Over in the heart-stopping final. After posting 15 runs in the Super Over, the responsibility to defend the score fell on Archer and the pacer admitted that calming words from teammates, especially Stokes, made a big difference. "I actually went to Morgs (Eoin Morgan) first, I had an idea I was going to do it (bowl the Super Over) but I wanted to double check that he wanted me to do it. "I think it was going fine until the six, and then (Ben) Stokes told me even before the over: Win or lose, today does not define you. Everyone believes in you," said Archer, who finished with 20 wickets in the World Cup after making his international debut only in May. Jimmy Nees...

After the rain interruption on Tuesday, the forecast for Wednesday doesn't look too good either, as there are chances of showers in patches even as India and New Zealand look to resume their battle in the first semi-final of the 2019 World Cup at Old Trafford. But it is advantage India if play is indeed washed off again on the reserve day. As per the rain rules of the International Cricket Council for the semi-finals and final, if there is no result on the scheduled match day, play will continue on the reserve day, using the same start time and hours of play as the scheduled match day. The reserve day will be a continuation not a restart. Any advantage earned on the scheduled day will be carried through to the reserve day. A tied match will use a super over to determine the winner. If after the scheduled day and reserve day the semi-final match has still not reached a result, the higher placed team from the league stage will progress to the final. On Tuesday, it was a c...

The first semi-final of the World Cup ICC 2019 gets underway tomorrow with India taking on New Zealand at Old Trafford. Virat Kohli–led Indian team finished at the top of the league table with 15 points to their credit, followed by Australia (14), England (12) and New Zealand (11). If the bet rates are anything to go by, India is likely to continue with its winning streak and eventually win the ICC World Cup 2019. Leading online betting websites such as Ladbrokes and Betway place the Indian team on top at the end of the tournament. The Indian cricket team has won the tournament twice – first in 1983 under Kapil Dev's captaincy and then in 2011, beating Sri Lanka on home soil. They came last in the Super Six stage in the 1999 Cricket World Cup and have been knocked out four times in the Group stage (1975, 1979, 1992 and 2007). For the current tournament, Ladbrokes pegs the odds of an outright win by India at 13/8, followed by England (15/8), Australia (11/4) and New Zeal...

Virat Kohli and Steve Smith have been involved in some bitter banter in the past, but the Indian skipper showed his true sportsmanship spirit when he gestured towards a section of the Indian fans to stop booing the Australian captain and cheer for him instead. As India and Australia locked horns at The Oval in London today, Indian batsmen, including Kohli, were smashing the Australian bowlers for runs. In between the overs, Smith was sent to the boundary line. It was at that time that some Indian fans started booing at him and chanted "cheater, cheater". Kohli, who was batting at that time, took notice of it and was clearly not happy with the fans' gestures. Showing his classy side, the Indian captain turned towards the stand and gestured at the fans to cheer for Smith and not boo at him. The Indian skipper's act was appreciated by Smith, who came up to him, shook his hand and patted him on the back during the drinks break. Kohli's heartfelt gesture ...