Bumrah reminds Faf du Plessis of Lasith Malinga
Faf du Plessis called him a “superpower that every captain will dream of”. Yet another sensational spell to help India beat England in a high-scoring semi-final of the ongoing T20 World Cup. In the ESPNcricinfo TimeOut show, du Plessis said, “Team India don’t understand how lucky they are to have him [Bumrah] in their ranks.”
He added, “It is just proven time and time and time again, regardless of the format, you just give him the ball and he wins you games. It’s a superpower that any captain will dream of; it’s like having a genie, you just rub the lamp and out comes Bumrah.”
Duplessis explained how Jasprit Bumrah reminds him of Lasith Malinga. “His action is so unique that you struggle to pick up how quickly the ball comes out of his wrist. It’s a skill but it is also to do with the mystery of his action, almost like what Malinga did back in the day. The point of difference makes it really hard to line him up in terms of if he misses.”
Alyssa Healy excited for “life after cricket”
Speaking to reporters at the WACA ground, ahead of her final international match, Alyssa Healy explained why presenting the international cap to Lucy Hamilton was an emotional moment for her. “I got a little emotional writing Lucy Hamilton’s cap presentation (speech). That kind of reaffirmed to me that it’s hard work getting your cap and debuting for Australia.”
She continued, “How lucky I’ve been for 16 years to have done that. Probably taken it for granted at times, so writing somebody else’s speech was a nice little moment to check in with myself and go ‘this is really special.” According to Healy there would not be any sadness as she is excited for the “life after cricket”.
Jamie Siddons becomes new coach of Sri Lanka women’s team
Sri Lanka Cricket appointed former Australian cricketer Jamie Siddons as the new head coach of the women’s team. Siddon will take over from Rumesh Ratnayake and start coaching the team for one-year tenure starting on March 16, 2026.
Under Ratnayake Sri Lanka secured their best-ever return – a historic Asia Cup title in 2024, defeating India in the final. However, the team was inconsistent especially during the T20 World Cup 2024. The immediate focus on Siddon will be to prepare squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup set to be held in England this June. His first official assignment is a tour of Bangladesh in April-May.
“Siddons has also served as Head Coach of the South Australia Cricket Team (Redbacks) from 2015 to 2020 and Head Coach of the Wellington Firebirds, New Zealand, from 2011 to 2015,” added an SLC media release.
