Top Stories: Things that made news in the cricket world today

Top Stories: Things that made news in the cricket world today:

Pujara leads Indian fightback with a masterful ton:

• Dhammika Prasad’s excellent seam bowling and Cheteshwar Pujara’s rearguard action was the centre of all the action on Day 2 of the 3rd Test between India and Sri Lanka.
• Brief Scores:
• India 1st innings – 292/8 (Pujara 135, Mishra 59; Parasad 4-83).

Coroner to hold inquest into Hughes’ death:

• The New South Wales coroner will hold an inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes, who was struck on the neck by a delivery during a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG last November.
• The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that the New South Wales Crown Solicitor’s Office has started subpoenaing documents relating to the death of Hughes.

Umpires pondering protective head visors:

• The 25 first-class umpires, increasingly bothered and worried about their own safety in a period of monstrous brute hitting batsmen, modern equipment bats and are pondering forms of protection including to the head, the heart and the back of the neck, that could be introduced in one day and championship matches next season.
• At their end of season meeting next month, the umpires will discuss research carried out at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Northants reach final of Natwest T20 Blast despite all odds:

• Northamptonshire 135 for 5 (Levi 63*, Rankin 2-20) beat Birmingham 131 for 6 (Javid 51*, Willey 3-30) by five wickets.

David Warner to continue self-imposed booze ban during England series:

• Australian opening batsman David Warner will continue to enforce a self-imposed booze ban during his team’s limited overs cricket series against England, but said he would have ended it to celebrate if Australia had won the Ashes.

Australian women conquer the Ashes:

• Australia regained the women’s Ashes with a 20-run win over England in the second Twenty20 international at Hove on Friday. The win ensured Australia an unbeatable 10-4 points lead in the multi-format series, which ends with a now ‘dead rubber’ Twenty20 in Cardiff on Monday.

Salman Butt requests PCB to allow him to resume cricket without anti-corruption programme:

• Salman Butt, the former Pakistani captain who returned after being punished for the spot fixing scandal in England back in 2010 has requested PCB’s anti-corruption officials and legal advisor to reappraise the rehabilitation programme that has been planned for the tainted trio.

ICC is not serious about test cricket: Ranatunga:

• “We have two top teams in action, playing some exciting cricket, but still we don’t have crowds. I have doubts whether the present ICC regime wants to do anything to save Test cricket. It’s all about making money for them, which comes through ODIs and T20s,” Ranatunga was quoted as saying by the TOI on Friday.

Best to suspend Ind-Pak series till peace is restored in border- Shoaib Akhtar:

• He was quoted as saying bygulfnews.com saying, “Everybody knows to keep politics separate from sport.”
• “But unfortunately there’s a lot of unrest on the borders and it’s not right to play such a Test between the two countries at this time. However, I would encourage that, whenever the unrest settles and whenever India and Pakistan are ready to talk again at the highest level, cricket would be the perfect way to bridge relations.” Akhtar said.