Cricket news round-up – 1 June: West Indies make short work of Pakistan; Tamim in doubt for Bangladesh’s World Cup opener

West Indies coasted to victory against Pakistan in the second game of the World Cup; Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal injured his wrist in the nets ahead of South Africa tie; ICC shall refund fans after ticket delays at Trent Bridge; and Mark Ramprakash moved on from England batting coach role.

West Indies thrash Pakistan

In the second match of the World Cup, the West Indies bowled out Pakistan for a paltry 105 before romping to victory by 7 wickets in just 13.4 overs. The Caribbean fast bowling quartet of Jason Holder, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas and Andre Russell ran through a Pakistan line-up bereft of the experienced Shoaib Malik, sharing all 10 wickets between them. Thomas (4/27) was the pick of the bowlers, Holder got 3 wickets, Russell 2, and Cottrell 1.

Fakhar Zaman (22), Babar Azam (22) and Mohammad Hafeez (16) got starts in what was otherwise a dismal batting display from the 1992 champions. Imam-ul-Haq (2), Haris Sohail (8) and captain Sarfraz Ahmed (8) were dismissed cheaply.

Cottrell got Iman caught behind before Zaman played a short ball from Russell onto his stumps. Hope had more catching practice coming his way as all of Babar, Haris Sohail and Sarfraz nicked off, initiating a slide that the rest of the order couldn’t arrest.

In reply, a breezy half-century by Chris Gayle (50 off 34 balls) meant that the two-time champions took just under 14 overs to reach the target. The West Indies also made significant gains in terms of the net run rate by this blitzkrieg. They now sit atop the points table with a NRR of +5.802.

Tamim in doubt for Bangladesh’s World Cup opener

Bangladesh suffered a major blow to their World Cup campaign when opening batsman Tamim Iqbal injured his wrist while practicing in the nets. Tamim copped a blow to his wrist on Friday and was immediately rushed for an X-ray. The BCB said that Tamim sustained no fractures but his availability for the team’s first World Cup game on Sunday will be ascertained on Saturday, June 1.

ICC refund fans for delayed tickets at Trent Bridge

The ICC has offered full refund for fans who got delayed entry into the second World Cup game between Pakistan and the West Indies at Trent Bridge due to late delivery of tickets. In the lead-up to the tournament many fans had complained about not having received their tickets despite purchasing them months in advance. As a result of this delay, fans had to queue up outside the stadium to get their tickets printed on the day of the match.

It didn’t help the matter that Pakistan were bowled out for a low total and the whole match was over before the scheduled lunch interval. This meant that fans who were delayed entry missed a significant portion of the match.

“The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup would like to apologise to any fans caught up in queues here at Trent Bridge today,” the governing body said in a statement. “We will be offering a full refund to anyone who was impacted by the delays because of the high volume of ticket collections. This will happen automatically based on data from our ticket scanners along with time of ticket issue from the box office.”

“Ramps” moves on from England coach role

Mark Ramprakash will move on from his role of the England men’s batting coach in June. A 52-Test veteran for England, he has been involved with the men’s teams at various levels for the past six years.

In March the ECB had announced that former England batsman Graham Thorpe will take over from Ramprakash as the batting coach for the home Ashes series that follows the World Cup.

“I feel the time is now right for me to move on from my role at the ECB and seek to further and broaden my career,” Ramprakash said. “The last six years have been a hugely enjoyable time of my life. In that time, I have been privileged to be able to support, encourage and mentor the Young Lions, England Lions and the England test and ODI teams.

“To have worked with the best players, alongside a variety of world-class coaches and support staff, has given me vast experience, which I will build on in the future. I want to thank them for the opportunity. Many have become friends for life.”