RESULTS from the Grand Slam, Wimbledon Men's Doubles matches held on Wednesday (July 4, 2019).
First Round Results
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England shake up squad for India Test series; Archer eyes return
The 31-year-old is still under close medical review after breaking his right little finger during the first One-Day International against the West Indies at Edgbaston last week.
Overton, who scored 97 against New Zealand, could strengthen the lower order batting with Atkinson missing and Chris Woakes still proving his fitness.
Woakes, 36, has been delayed by a bone stress reaction in his ankle and needs to demonstrate his readiness in Friday's (6) England Lions match against India A at Northampton. Having played just one county match for Warwickshire, his participation remains uncertain. He could edge out Sam Cook, who retains his place in the squad after a quiet debut against Zimbabwe.
England's Jamie Overton celebrates after taking the wicket of West Indies' Gudakesh Motie. Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Brydon Carse returns after recovering from a toe injury, adding to England's seam bowling options alongside retained duo Sam Cook and Josh Tongue. Matthew Potts has been overlooked entirely, meaning five seamers will compete for three spots in the final XI.
Jacob Bethell returns to the squad after missing the Zimbabwe Test due to Indian Premier League commitments. The 21-year-old left-hander impressed during England's winter tour of New Zealand, scoring three fifties after his surprise promotion to the crucial position.
However, Ollie Pope's sparkling 171 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge has complicated matters. Captain Ben Stokes had previously backed his vice-captain, dismissing criticism as a "media agenda" following Pope's century. Selector Luke Wright offered no guarantees about Pope keeping the spot, admitting Bethell was "very close" to selection.
Another development concerns Jofra Archer's potential return to Test cricket. The Sussex seamer, who hasn't played first-class cricket since 2021 due to various injuries, is being lined up for the second Test at Edgbaston next month.
Archer will play a County Championship match for Sussex against Durham on June 23, which begins during the first Test. If he proves his fitness, the 30-year-old could make his Test comeback at Birmingham, providing a significant boost to England's bowling attack.
"Like anything with all these bowlers, he's got to keep ticking things off every day with no setbacks," said Wright. "But if all goes well and he gets through that Durham game, then he's available potentially for selection for that second Test."
England are managing several injury concerns, with Mark Wood and Olly Stone expected to miss the entire series. Captain Stokes has abandoned plans to play for the Lions after successfully returning to bowling following hamstring surgery earlier this year.
Surrey's Gus Atkinson was ruled out of selection due to a hamstring injury sustained during the one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge last month.
England will play five Test matches against India over the next couple of months, finishing on August 4 at the Kia Oval in London.
SQUAD: Ben Stokes (capt), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wkt), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
(with inputs from agencies)
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New winner guaranteed as Punjab take on Bengaluru in IPL final
Bengaluru go into the final with confidence, having beaten Punjab by eight wickets in the playoffs last week. This will be their fourth appearance in an IPL final, but they have yet to win the title.
Much of the crowd is expected to support Virat Kohli, the 36-year-old batter who remains one of Indian cricket’s biggest names. Kohli retired from Test cricket last month along with Rohit Sharma and has been Bengaluru’s leading run-scorer this season with 614 runs in 14 innings, including eight half-centuries.
Kohli has spoken openly about his desire to win the IPL and complete his career with the one title that has eluded him. After the playoff win over Punjab, he said: “One more to go.”
Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar said the team is aware of what the title would mean to Kohli. “Of course,” Patidar said when asked about Kohli’s importance. “I think he has given a lot of years to RCB and the international side also. I think we will try to do our best in the game.”
Punjab’s fast bowling coach James Hopes said his side would focus on recovery and mental preparation. He added: “It’s going to be a pretty big crowd, and a pretty big pro-Kohli crowd as well.”
Hazlewood returns to boost Bengaluru attack
Bengaluru’s bowling attack includes Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who returned from injury to take 3-21 in the earlier playoff against Punjab, helping to bowl them out for 101.
Hazlewood leads a pace unit featuring Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal.
Punjab, coached by Ricky Ponting, bounced back from a loss to win the second qualifier in Ahmedabad, which had been delayed by rain.
Iyer, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last year, was signed by Punjab for $3.17 million at the November auction. He has scored 603 runs in 16 innings this season, just behind Kohli.
Iyer in form as Punjab seek first title
His unbeaten 87 off 41 balls in the previous match included five fours and eight sixes. “When I back myself and back my instincts, I think that's when I get the best out of myself,” Iyer said. “And also when other players revolve around you and keep performing, that also gives you a little bit of extra push to keep going.”
Hopes said Iyer remains calm under pressure. “He doesn’t get flustered very easily,” he said. “He knows what he has to do and he’s prepared to take that risk. He is a sensational captain and a sensational player.”
Punjab openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh have been in good form.
They also have options in Josh Inglis, and allrounders Marcus Stoinis and Azmatullah Omarzai, who could all play a role in ending Kohli’s long wait for an IPL title.
Rishi Sunak backs RCB
Former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has declared his support for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ahead of their IPL 2025 final clash with Punjab Kings (PBKS). Citing his family ties to Bengaluru through wife Akshata Murty, Sunak said, “I’m married into a Bangalore family, so RCB is my team,” in an interview with The Times of India.
Sunak, who used to cheer for the team even while in Downing Street, said one of his most treasured items is a Virat Kohli bat gifted to him by Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar. “It’s one of my prized possessions,” he added.
This will be RCB’s fourth appearance in an IPL final—they have lost all previous ones. PBKS will be playing their second, having lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014.
Sunak praised the IPL’s impact on cricket development, especially for English players. “The IPL has transformed cricket. Every cricketer wants to play in it now,” he said, noting strong performances by RCB’s English players like Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone. He also highlighted the improvement of Jacob Bethell, who had to leave the RCB squad for England duty.
He added that the IPL and Women’s Premier League (WPL) are helping grow the women’s game and reflect India’s rising global influence: “India’s passions and tastes now have global impact.”
(With inputs from agencies)
