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The second season of the IPL will kick off with a grand opening ceremony in Jaipur, IPL chairman Lalit Modi has confirmed

Cricinfo staff23-Feb-2009The second season of the IPL will kick off with a grand opening ceremony in Jaipur, IPL chairman Lalit Modi has confirmed. Modi also said the defending champions Rajasthan Royals’ would play two matches of their home matches in Ahmedabad.”As of now, the gala opening ceremony and the inaugural IPL match will be held in Jaipur,” he told reporters in Jaipur. “I understand that Rajasthan Royals are keen to play two matches in Ahmedabad. I don’t know which two matches they would be but the rest of matches will be played in Jaipur.”Modi had earlier said the league may shift matches out of Jaipur if it perceives any opposition to the staging of matches there from the state or city administration.Modi was in Jaipur to file his nomination for the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) elections on March 1. He said the result of the elections would not have any affect on the start of the IPL, which starts on April 10. “I was waiting for the schedule of elections but now we do not have much time in hand so I have forwarded the IPL schedule to Rajasthan government for approval,” he said. “I have been hearing that the state government will provide all support to IPL. I have also received good feelers. Hotel bookings are good and there are other progress.”Modi said he hoped for “free and fair” contests. “The elections should be fair and square. I have been nominated for the post of president and I have accepted the proposal. Let all eligible units vote. No one should be debarred from voting.”Modi, who was close to the previous state administration in Rajasthan, has been facing resistance at the local association from a group of dissidents ever since the government changed hands after an election last year. “Some of the districts are opposing me but I am confident of victory,” he said. “I have some unfinished tasks. I want to spread the game and that is why I want to fight elections.”

It is more than three years since Phil Simmons was replaced as Zimbabwe coach, but he still remains in dispute with them over monies he claims are outstanding

Steven Price in Harare31-Mar-2009It is more than three years since Phil Simmons was replaced as Zimbabwe coach, but he still remains in dispute with them over monies he claims are outstanding.Simmons, who agreed a three-year deal with Zimbabwe Cricket in August 2004, was removed a year later and replaced by Kevin Curran in almost farcical circumstances. It was widely believed at the time that the decision was because Simmons refused to do as senior board members wanted.From the outset, Simmons maintained he had been unfairly dismissed, and he has been wary of discussing the situation with the media for fear of prejudicing his case. Privately, he is said to be livid at the way he was in effect sacked and the fact that he has not been compensated in any way. Curran’s appointment was not welcomed by most players, and soon after Simmons’ removal 30 of them presented a petition to ZC demanding his reinstatement.It is reported that last month Simmons’ London lawyers wrote to ZC and that a sum of around $400,000 has been claimed from it which represents full payment of the remaining two years of his contract.It has also emerged that the contract is governed by English law and so could be pursued through courts in London. If it reaches that stage, then ZC would have to defend the case there, and it is expected that Simmons’ lawyers would ask for the production of many sensitive documents.If ZC were to lose the case, then although London courts have no immediate jurisdiction over it, Simmons’ lawyers would probably seek to enforce the decision through the ICC.

Newcastle United are interested in signing Millwall star Jed Wallace amid his contract uncertainty with the Championship club.

What’s the story?

According to Football League World, the Magpies are among a number of clubs interested in signing the attacking midfielder in January, with his contract set to expire at The Den in the summer.

The report adds that a new contract offer is on the table for the 27-year-old, although there is an intense battle to land his signature, with Newcastle joined by the likes of West Ham, Crystal Palace and Brentford among others in being interested in him.

He’s better than Almiron

In Wallace, Steve Bruce could sign a goal-scoring midfielder who also has the creativity to set up his teammates – essentially everything the Magpies probably thought they were getting when they signed Miguel Almiron.

The Paraguay international has flattered to deceive at St James’ Park, and that hasn’t been for a case of not trying. The former Atlanta United ace has managed just 13 goals in 95 games for the club, and only provided a further five assists – a paltry record for someone who either plays off the striker or out wide for the majority of the time.

While of course playing in a division lower, Wallace has proven himself to be a much bigger goal threat. Already this season he has bagged three goals and one assist in just five Championship games, while the previous campaign saw him rack up ten goals and seven assists in the league alone.

Millwall boss Gary Rowett has previously dubbed his talisman as being “instrumental”, saying: “It seems Jed Wallace is instrumental in everything we achieve at the moment. His recent stats are unbelievable.”

Speaking after an inspired performance against Blackpool, the Lions boss added: “Jed once again – I’ve spoked there to Jed and Muzza and said after the last two games I’m just going to go and try and sign anyone called Wallace in the last three days, anybody, doesn’t matter – because certainly Jed today was a game changer. It’s simple.

“You look to your big players to come up with those moments and he’s done it so often. It’s a wonderful, wonderful free-kick. Under pressure.”

As per WhoScored, Wallace averages more shots, key passes and dribbles per game than the Newcastle man both this season and last, and given that he’s actually just a month older than Almiron – both of them are 27 – he could come in and hit the ground running at St James’ Park.

The Magpies must surely be all over a move for the £6.3m-rated Wallace.

Meanwhile, this might be Mike Ashley’s only Newcastle masterclass…

Fulham have been dealt a blow regarding the fitness of Fabio Carvalho ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

In a report published on the Fulham website, the Cottagers confirmed that the 19-year-old, who has missed the club’s last two league fixtures due to a toe injury, will once again be unavailable for selection for the visit of Reading on Saturday afternoon, having not fully recovered from his knock.

Meanwhile, Harrison Reed is also a doubt for the fixture after picking up an injury in the 4-1 victory over Birmingham City on Wednesday, while Tom Cairney, Terence Kongolo and Anthony Knockaert all remain sidelined.

However, there is a return to first-team action for Josh Onomah, who has recovered from a slight knock picked up in Fulham’s 1-0 loss to Blackpool last weekend.

Silva will be devastated

While Fulham did not exactly struggle for goals in the absence of Carvalho in mid-week, the fact that the attacking midfielder has still not recovered from what initially appeared to be a relatively small injury is sure to have left Marco Silva devastated.

Indeed, over his five Championship appearances this term, the £225k-rated teenager has been in remarkable form for the Cottagers, scoring three goals, registering one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.4 shots and making 2.2 key passes per game.

These metrics have seen the man Silva dubbed a “fantastic” player average an extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.30, ranking him as Fulham’s fifth-best player in the league.

As such, with what is sure to be a challenging fixture against a Reading side who are unbeaten in their last two fixtures coming up on Saturday afternoon for Fulham, the unavailability of Carvalho is certain to be a major blow for the Portuguese manager, who will once again have to make do without the teenage sensation.

In other news: Fulham dealt fresh injury concern ahead of Reading clash, Silva will be gutted

A round-up from the latest Championship matches as Nottinghamshire crush Worcestershire by an innings and Lancashire hammer Sussex by eight wickets on Peter Moores’ return to Hove

Cricinfo staff24-Apr-2009Division One4th dayAshwell Prince guiding Lancashire to victory with an unbeaten 91•Getty ImagesNottinghamshire came within a whisker of last year’s Championship title before falling at the last, but laid down their maker as serious challengers again with an innings-and-five run victory against struggling Worcestershire at Trent Bridge. The visitors were already three down in the follow-on overnight and the situation didn’t improve when Ben Smith played on against Andre Adams having been dropped twice in the slip. Stuart Broad claimed two before lunch, getting one to climb on Steven Davies then pinning Gareth Batty leg-before to put Nottinghamshire on the brink. Ashley Noffke hung around for an hour until Samit Patel struck and Vikram Solanki, who top-scored with 64, drove a catch to mid-off. For Worcestershire it was another humbling defeat after their heavy loss to Hampshire last week and life in the top division is not looking too easy at the moment.Lancashire sped to an impressive eight-wicket victory on the final day against Sussex at Hove, inspired by James Anderson’s career-best 11-wicket match haul, a fine display from Gary Keedy and an unbeaten 91 by Ashwell Prince. Anderson and Keedy shared all the second-innings scalps as Sussex collapsed during the morning session, losing their last five wickets for 17 runs, to leave Lancashire need 158 for victory. Anderson’s outstanding game continued as he removed Luke Wright with his first ball of the day, soon followed by Tom Smith – caught at first slip – and Robin Martin-Jenkins. Keedy then ended the innings swiftly with two catches at silly point by Mark Chilton, but the clatter of wickets hadn’t quite finished. Corey Collymore snared both Lancashire openers quickly to give the home side a sniff although the hope didn’t last long. After a careful start Prince, accompanied by Francois du Plessis, closed the door on Sussex in increasingly positive style. Peter Moores couldn’t have dreamt of a better return to Hove.3rd dayFor a full report of Durham against Yorkshire at Chester-le-Street where the visitors have been left a stiff target click here.For a full report of Warwickshire’s game against Hampshire at Edgbaston where Jim Troughton and Tim Ambrose re-wrote the record books click here.Division Two3rd dayHalf-centuries from Steve Stubbings and Garry Park put Derbyshire on course for victory against Surrey at Derby as they reached 145 for 2 and need another 73 on the final day. Stubbings and Park added 89 for the first wicket until Park was trapped lbw by Pedro Collins, but it was a significant dent in the target and Stubbings remained unbeaten on 66 at the close. Derbyshire’s bowlers had chipped away at Surrey’s second innings as the final six wickets could only add 105. The key wicket was that of Usman Afzaal, who was foxed by an excellent slower ball from Jonathan Clare shortly after passing his fifty. At 276 for 7 the lead was only 133, but Chris Schofield and James Benning managed to push it past 200 only for Park’s medium pace to be the unlikely source of the final two wickets.For a full report from Middlesex and Glamorgan at Lord’s late wickets gave Middlesex the chance of a final-day run chase click here.

Smart team changes by the Deccan Chargers and a spineless batting display by the Rajasthan Royals contributed to a mismatch in Kimberley

The Bulletin by Kanishkaa Balachandran11-May-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outDwayne Smith’s late push was the turning point•Associated PressSmart team changes by the Deccan Chargers and a spineless batting display by the Rajasthan Royals contributed to a mismatch in Kimberley. Deccan dropped two under-performing overseas players but their replacements – Dwayne Smith and Chaminda Vaas – contributed significantly in shaping a comprehensive 53-run win. Smith slammed 47 to help Deccan surge to a competitive total while Vaas took two early wickets before Rajasthan’s middle order imploded.Rajasthan were in the game for the first 15 overs. Then Smith walked in and, first, negated the effect of the spinners, who till had the batsmen on a tight leash. He smashed four sixes in his 32-ball 47 and pushed Deccan to a score that was sure to test an unpredictable opposition. The chase lacked fight and the loss cost Rajasthan their No.3 spot.Rajasthan’s slide began in the second over of their chase, when Graeme Smith was trapped lbw by Chaminda Vaas. Replays showed the ball hitting Smith high above the knee roll but it evened out for both teams as Adam Gilchrist was also given out in doubtful circumstances.While Smith had the right to blame fate for his dismissal, Lee Carseldine had only himself to blame for his departure. Distracted by an lbw appeal off Vaas, he accidentally strolled out of his crease and failed to notice that Gilchrist was in possession of the ball during the appeal to effect the stumping.Naman Ojha hit two fours before he misjudged a single towards point. Dropping the ball towards the fielder, he set off for the run but Ravi Teja’s arm was too quick for him as he threw down the stumps with a direct hit.Swapnil Asnodkar resisted at the other end and tried to break free by making a lot of room to loft inside out. Rajasthan needed somebody to support Asnodkar and play a role similar to Smith’s but their most valuable player in the middle order, Yusuf Pathan, let them down. He slapped Pragyan Ojha straight to long-off and at 74 for 4 in the 12th over, the wheels had effectively come off.Prime Numbers10 Number of wickets that part-time offspinner Rohit Sharma has in the tournament164.61 Dwayne Smith’s strike-rate, the best among batsmen scoring more than 200 runs53 Biggest margin of victory in terms of runs for Deccan8Number of batsmen with more than ten sixesRohit Sharma picked up three wickets with his offspin, by which time Rajasthan had run out of resources and ideas to script a twist in the tale.In a tournament dominated by spinners, Rajasthan’s spin duo of Yusuf and Ravindra Jadeja had their share of success early on. Yusuf took 3 for 34 while his partner Jadeja took 2 for 26 by cleverly varying his pace. Jadeja struck with two wickets on either side of the strategy break to peg Deccan back. He drew Rohit forward with a flighted delivery and had him stumped and in his following over, flattened Symonds’ legstump with a quicker delivery. Symonds had earlier threatened to push on to his second consecutive fifty when he took on his old IPL rival Warne, pulling the bowler over midwicket before mowing him high over long-on.They controlled the scoring before Smith cut loose. Smith got off to a quiet start by his standards, scoring 14 off 19 balls before opening out. He lofted Jadeja over long-on, clubbed Pathan over square leg and flicked Trivedi delightfully over deep midwicket without much of a follow through. Warne gambled by bringing himself on in the 19th over and he too suffered at the hands of Smith as he swung him over long-on.Smith departed in the final over for 47 and thanks to his big hits, Deccan managed 69 off the last six overs and negated the impact the spinners had made earlier. He came in as a replacement for the out-of-form Herschelle Gibbs and it proved to be a masterstroke.

Watford continue their 2021/22 Carabao Cup campaign with a clash against Championship side Stoke City at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night.

The Hornets head into the game high on confidence after beating Norwich 3-1 away from home in the Premier League at the weekend.

Xisco Munoz’s side defeated Crystal Palace 1-0 in the second round of the competition last month, with Watford now hoping to overcome Michael O’Neill’s Potters side.

With it being a break from the Premier League, Munoz could decide to make some changes to his team to offer fringe players an opportunity to impress him. One player he must unleash against Stoke is centre-forward and summer signing Ashley Fletcher.

Josh King has started three of Watford’s five Premier League matches and is yet to score his first goal for the club, despite leading the line against the Canaries at the weekend. It could be time to hand him a rest and offer Fletcher a chance to show that the 25-year-old can do a better job as the number nine for the Hornets in the top flight.

He has played just one game for Watford since arriving on a free transfer in the summer and scored the winning goal as Munoz’s side beat Palace in the previous round of this competition. This shows that he has the quality to be a match-winner for the Hornets, just as he proved it against the Eagles last month.

He also previously scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in the 2019/20 Championship campaign for Middlesbrough, showing that he knows how to be involved in the action in the final third.

Fletcher’s former Sunderland boss Chris Coleman has hailed the forward’s demenaour, saying: “He has a super attitude. If you are playing as a striker for Sunderland and you’re struggling and his performances haven’t been great, you are going to come under scrutiny and pressure, which he has.”

This shows that the £13k-per-week beast will give his all on the pitch and put in a shift for Munoz, whilst also having the ability required to potentially win the game. Therefore, Fletcher must be unleashed against Stoke City to give him the chance to showcase his quality and prove that he can score goals consistently.If he can come in and produce a strong performance, it could boost his chances of being included in a Premier League match for Watford for the first time. However, it is up to him to win over his manager first.In other news: 14 duels won – Watford beast with 57 touches was an unsung hero for Xisco against Norwich

Mumbai Indians squandered a crucial opportunity to grab a spot in the top four, losing to Deccan Chargers by 19 runs in a see-saw game where they had held the cards for the most part

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya06-May-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRohit Sharma’s all-round display sealed a 19-run win for Deccan Chargers and propelled them to second place on the points table•Associated PressMumbai Indians squandered a crucial opportunity to grab a spot in the top four, losing to Deccan Chargers by 19 runs in a see-saw game where they had held the cards for the most part. An unlikely hat-trick by Rohit Sharma, who benefited from some immature shot-selection and accounted for the fall of the threatening JP Duminy, followed up on a pivotal double-strike by RP Singh to remove the explosive pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya to shut Mumbai out of the game, and consolidate Deccan’s position to second place.The turning point came in the 15th over, after Duminy and Dwayne Bravo had helped get Mumbai’s run-chase back on track. A rush of blood at the wrong time resulted in Bravo skying a flighted delivery from Tirumalasetti Suman to long-on, and some injudicious batting by Abhishek Nayar and Harbhajan Singh, who were both bowled by Rohit off successive deliveries, left Duminy with too much to achieve.Mumbai were dented at the start. A disdainful slice over point, a trademark of Jayasuriya’s, in the very first over off Ryan Harris bode ominously for Deccan, but the bowler had his revenge the next over, flinging himself to his right at third man to snap a thick edge from the same batsman. RP’s impressive run in the IPL this season won him a place in the Indian squad for the World Twenty20, and as a sign of justification, he castled Tendulkar the next ball with an inswinger.Pinal Shah was Mumbai’s Naman Ojha, and though he displayed little signs of being gifted with sound technique, his enterprising 29, laced with a series of innovative shots, the best of which was a reverse-sweep off Harmeet Singh, relieved the pressure after a shock beginning. Duminy’s presence was critical, and he immediately showed signs of intent, picking on anything loose and ensuring the required run-rate was kept within reach by combining his flourish with the natural dabs, nudges and clips that have come to typify his batting.Shah’s dismissal, an inopportune swipe to wide long-on, did little to unsettle Duminy, who picked up pace after the tactical timeout, dispatching Harmeet for two boundaries, one through cover and the other to third man, before pulling Harris wide of deep square leg. With 49 needed off six overs and seven wickets remaining, Mumbai held the edge but three poor shots – Bravo’s mindless loft, Nayar’s ill-judged paddle and Harbhajan’s atrocious slog – swung the match firmly in Deccan’s favour. Rohit hammered the final nail in the coffin, having Duminy caught-behind off an attempted sweep on the first ball of the 18th over to complete his hat-trick and seal Mumbai’s fate.Prime Numbers14Is the most number of sixes in this tournament, hit by Adam Gilchrist2 The number of hat-tricks in the tournament so far, with Rohit Sharma following up from Yuvraj’s Singh’s three-in-three against Royal Challengers Bangalore16The number of wickets for RP Singh this season. He retained the purple cap after this match3The number of fifty-plus scores for JP Duminy in the tournament3The number of ducks for Herschelle Gibbs, making him the batsman with most number of ducks this seasonMumbai’s batsmen undid a disciplined bowling display by their pace attack, which boasted new inclusions in Dhawal Kulkarni and Rohan Raje, who impressed in their respective spells. Failure up the order had proved crucial in Deccan Charger’s stark turnaround after emerging frontrunners in the tournament with four consecutive wins. It had them in trouble again as they struggled to a competitive score on a sluggish pitch.Adam Gilchrist’s decision to bat was motivated by a hard, dry surface which he felt would last out the day, but Deccan did have to contend with an out-of-touch Herschelle Gibbs who was sucked in by an away-swinger from Dhawal to edge a catch to slip, and finish with two ducks in three innings. Suman’s excellent bowling effort was preceded by a promising cameo that included two massive sixes off Harbhajan, but was cut short by Bravo. Gilchrist, who had ceded the floor to Suman, threatened to cut loose after his departure with a slog-swept six but failed to curb his frustration with the modest run-rate, swinging across the line to be bowled by an unspectacular, yet accurate Raje.Rohit was restrained by some tight Mumbai bowling, patching together a laboured innings which only picked up pace when joined by Venugopal Rao, who showed some spunk towards the end with a brisk 28 to take his team to what, in the end, proved an adequate total.A target of 146 would have raised Mumbai’s hopes of breaking into the top four but a suicidal rush by their middle order made that task significantly tougher, leaving them in seventh place.

Leeds right-back Luke Ayling should be fit to return against Watford at Elland Road this weekend, according to journalist Joe Urquhart.

The Lowdown: Injury woes

Leeds have been down to the bare bones in recent weeks, with Ayling going off against Newcastle earlier this month.

Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and Patrick Bamford are also sidelined, while Pascal Struijk has been out due to suspension.

Raphinha has been managing a hip problem in the last two fixtures, but it seems as if the Whites could have Ayling back in contention on Saturday.

The Latest: Back against Watford?

Urquhart shared a story on The Yorkshire Evening Post on Tuesday lunchtime, looking at the club’s injury list in full.

When it came to Ayling, who pundit Kevin Campbell labelled ‘incredible’ earlier this month, Urquhart claimed the right-back should be fit against the Hornets after almost making the defeat to West Ham last time out.

The Verdict: A more experienced backline

Struijk has served a three-game suspension so will also be available for selection, meaning Marcelo Bielsa could field a more experienced backline against the Hornets.

Jamie Shackleton and Charlie Cresswell didn’t look out of place against the Hammers, but Ayling has been a regular and Struijk has impressed, so having the pair back would be a big boost as Leeds search for a first win.

In other news: Phil Hay drops six-word Leeds verdict that could be bad news for Bamford.

Andrew Miller with the Plays of the Day from Netherlands remarkable win over England in the opening game of the ICC World Twenty20

Andrew Miller at Lord's05-Jun-2009Over of the day
Who’d have believed it could possibly come down to this? The final over of the opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 – and the hosts in desperate peril against the minnows of the Netherlands? Stuart Broad had the ball with seven runs to defend, and what followed was a sensation in the rain. Twice in two balls, Broad muffed run-out opportunities, first a missed shy as Ryan ten Doeschate dived for home, the second a referral reprieve for Edgar Schiferli as a diving Broad broke the stumps with his hand. The third ball was a drop as ten Doeschate burst a drive through Broad’s fingers, the fourth and fifth were singles. It all came down to the very last delivery … and Broad was back in the thick of it again …Over-throw of the day
England missed the stumps with astounding regularity throughout the Dutch innings. Time and again the ball whistled wide as the batsmen scampered cheeky singles galore, but no single cock-up was as costly as the last. Broad, to be fair, bowled the best over he could muster – full and straight and offering only singles. But when Schiferli flat-batted the ball into Broad’s palms and set off, the only feasible upshot was an agonising one-run defeat. Instead Broad’s measured shy whistled wide, the batsmen turned for two, and to scenes of euphoria that belied the misery of the weather, Lord’s was turned orange as the carnival of cricket was ignited by the host’s spontaneous combustion.False dawn of the day Mk 1
In the first 11 overs of England’s innings, Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright made the contest look every bit as easy as it really ought to have been. In that time they sauntered to a 100-run stand, finding the gaps and strolling the singles, and generally accumulating with an uncomplicated air of supremacy. It wasn’t a bad tactic to be fair, and the platform they set should have been enough to put the contest beyond reach. But then, unfathomably, their impetus went “phut”. With Kevin Pietersen on the sidelines, the middle-order showed no class, and the final nine overs of the innings delivered a puny 62 runs, and five squandered wickets.Luke Wright thumps through the off side during England’s hundred-run opening stand•Getty ImagesFalse dawn of the day Mk 2
Stuart Broad and James Anderson have been England’s most improved bowlers of the year, and the pair combined early to put the skids under the Dutch innings. From only the fifth ball of the innings, Alex Kervezee climbed into a pull, and Broad at midwicket pocketed a steepling top-edge. At 2 for 1 with one of the gun batsmen back in the dug-out, Netherlands once again were there for the taking. Or not.

Momentum-stealer of the day
England lived down to their single biggest failing in limited-overs cricket, even during an enterprising century stand for the first wicket, as they failed to clear the boundary ropes even once in their 20 overs. Not even the cudgel-wielding Wright managed to get it up and over, despite clobbering three in a row against West Indies on Wednesday. Over to the Dutchmen to show how best it’s done, with the bull-like biffer Darron Reekers swiping his third and eighth deliveries clean over midwicket for sixes. The tone of the run-chase had been set.Shot of the day
Not even Reekers, however, managed to get hold of one to quite such devastating effect as Peter Borren, whose blistering pull off Paul Collingwood sailed high and handsome over midwicket, through the gathering mizzle and straight into the hospitality boxes. It was, as the Cricinfo commentary put it, “not a six, that’s a twelve!” and it was hardly hyperbole either, as the shot carried Netherlands into an even more commanding position on the Duckworth-Lewis charts. Which meant that the subsequent loss of the top-scorer Tom de Grooth wasn’t enough to enable England to regain control.Innings of the day
de Grooth’s performance was that of a man possessed. “Tom’s biggest challenge is to make sure he is not happy with mediocrity,” was what Andy Moles, the ICC’s academy director, said of him during a winter training camp in 2005-06. de Grooth had had a fitful international career in which he had fallen short of the standards his coaches had set for him, and he failed to feature in either the 50- or the 20-over World Cup in 2007. He didn’t miss out tonight. His first shot was a scything cut off Broad, whom he belted for 15 runs in five deliveries.Singer Alesha Dixon and friends – rain meant she never got to sing at the opening ceremony•Getty ImagesLucky escape of the day
Lord’s, World Cups, opening ceremonies. Brrr. The chilling memory of 1999 was all-consuming in the build-up to tonight’s fiasco – so much so that the details of the pre-match song and dance remained a closely guarded secret up even up to the final minute. Now, we shall never know quite how dire the arrangements were set to be, after health and safety set in to save the ECB’s bacon. With apologies to Alesha Dixon and a couple of very exciting inflatable flag-staffs, there was no hope of whatever had been planned being anything other than an embarrassment – the backdrop of a dispiritingly empty pavilion saw to that. Instead, an array of wet podiums meant the dancers didn’t dare get up on stage, and we moved seamlessly onto the real event. Sometimes no show is better than a poor show.

Ironic cheer of the day
No sooner had the news of the cancellation been relayed, up popped an ICC official at the front of the media centre to make the best of a bad situation. “Unfortunately, the opening ceremony has been canned,” he declared. “But we will have a couple of speeches.” Oh, the joy. Everyone cheered, except, that is, for the veteran correspondent on the front row who turned the air blue for five minutes as he struggled to locate a remote-control to hear the emboldening words of the Duke of Kent and fill the 700-word requirement for his morning paper colour piece. We never did get to hear his words, but we didn’t need to. His mere presence said it all.