Trevor’s time is up

England head coach Trevor Bayliss has no intention of staying in the job, even if his side go on to win the World Cup and the Ashes. Australian Bayliss, 56, is set to step down at the end of his current deal in September. “I have always been a believer that four or five years is long enough, whether you are doing well or not,” Bayliss told BBC radio. “It is time for a new voice for the boys, to hopefully take them to another level.”

kumar, Erasmus named final umpires

Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena and Marias Erasmus of South Africa were on Friday appointed as the on-field umpires for the World Cup final between hosts England and New Zealand at the iconic Lord’s on Sunday. Australia’s Rod Tucker will be the third umpire while Pakistan’s Aleem Dar will be the fourth official, the ICC said in a statement. Sri Lanka’s Ranjan Madugalle will be the match referee for the summit clash. All the officials appointed for the final were also in charge of the second semifinal between England and Australia.

williamson is new zealand greatest

Martin Crowe’s batting was grace personified and had he been alive, he would have been the first one to acknowledge that Kane Williamson probably is the greatest batsman to have played for New Zealand, feels former wicketkeeper Ian Smith. From Bert Sutcliffe in the 50’s to Bevan Congdon and Glenn Turner through the 60’s and 70’s and Crowe in 80’s, unarguably New Zealand’s best player of reverse swing, Williamson with his stylish batting and able leadership has surpassed them all, according to 62-year-old Smith. “Kane is so highly ranked in the world, so it’s no surprise that he is seriously highly ranked in New Zealand too. Probably our best player and when you combine leadership with it, I think we can safely say so,” Smith said. “I was a great friend of Martin Crowe. I think even Martin would have acknowledged that Kane is pretty special, and it’s hard to deny that” said Smith, who was a part of New Zealand team that reached semi-final in 1992.

Rashid to lead afghans

Star spinner Rashid Khan was on Friday appointed captain of the Afghanistan cricket team for all formats while Asghar Afghan, who was unceremoniously removed as skipper before the World Cup, will be his deputy. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), thus, has put an end to the split captaincy before it even came to effect. Before the World Cup, Rahmat Shah was appointed Test captain while Gulbadin Naib emerged a surprise choice for ODI captaincy. Rashid himself was named the T20 captain. "@rashidkhan_19 appointed as Team Afghanistan's new Captain across all three formats while Asghar Afghan appointed as Vice-Captain," the ACB tweeted.

beyond imagination

A euphoric England captain Eoin Morgan says he never imagined that his side would be making its first World Cup final in 27 years after the disappointing preliminary stage exit it endured in the 2015 edition. “Everybody out there on the field and even in the changing room loved every ball that was bowled. There was no lack of commitment, application and we had a bit of a day out which, it’s cool when it happens like that, particularly when the bowlers bowl like that, it is awesome,” Morgan said. “I think as a team we have learnt to enjoy ourselves, particularly days like this, even if they don’t go well. If you had offered us the position to play in a final the day after we were knocked out of the 2015 World Cup, I would have laughed at you,” he quipped.

Fans warned over final tickets

Cricket World Cup chiefs on Friday warned fans wishing to attend the final at Lord’s between England and New Zealand against paying thousands of pounds on secondary ticket websites. The prospect of witnessing the host nation make history has led to a frenzied demand for tickets, with some put up for sale on unofficial resale platforms. The cost of many of the tickets exceed $1,250 while some are upwards of $5,000. The International Cricket Council reiterated its stance that it is “actively monitoring and taking action” against those trying to sell on secondary platforms. Cricket's governing body warned it can “cancel the accounts and tickets we see being sold on secondary sites” and that the only way supporters can guarantee a ticket is through the official resale site.