Let us look at some of the most discussed cricket stories on the news on 5 June.
38 Sri Lanka players decline to sign contracts, England tour in jeopardy
Thirty-eight Sri Lankan cricketers, including captain Kusal Perera and vice-captain Kusal Mendis, have refused to sign the contracts for the upcoming tour of England. They signed a statement that ran ‘because of the problems with the transparency of the ratings system devised by SLC (Sri Lanka Cricket), the players will not sign the (tour contract).’
‘The tour contract refers to matters of the annual [main] contract for 2021, which is yet unsigned,’ Nishan Premathiratne, the players’ lawyer, told ESPNcricinfo.
Sri Lanka are scheduled to play three T20Is and three ODIs against England, from 23 June. They were expected to depart for the UK on 9 June.
Southee takes six-for on Day 4 against England
Tim Southee swung the ball in both directions to pick up 6-43 against England on Day 4 in the first of the two-match Test series, at Lord’s. Rory Burns (132) stood tall among the ruins to guide the hosts to reach 275 from 140/6.
Southee dismissed Ollie Pope (22), Dan Lawrence, James Bracey, Ollie Robinson (42) and Burns on Day 4. New Zealand closed on 62/2, with a 165-run lead in the second innings.
WTC title would be ‘big’ for Kohli: Parthiv
An India win in the World Test Championship (WTC) will be ‘big’ for Virat Kohli, claimed Parthiv Patel on Star Sports: ‘Winning Test championship would be a big feather in his (Kohli’s) cap.’
Kohli, 32, is yet to win an ICC trophy as India captain. Under him, India lost the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy and the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup. They will lock horns with New Zealand, led by Kane Williamson, in the WTC final at Rose Bowl, Southampton, from June 18.
Tillakaratne appointed Sri Lanka Women head coach
The SLC has appointed Hashan Tillakaratne as the new head coach of their Women’s cricket team. A member of Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning squad, Tillakaratne has previously worked at several coaching positions under Sri Lanka Cricket Training Division.
He was also the head coach of the Sri Lanka Under-19 squad and the batting coach of the Sri Lanka Emerging team.