The math between England and Australia was on Wednesday abandoned without a single bowl. Earlier, rain has reduced the hird one-day international to 28 overs per side starting at 6pm (1700GMT), provided there are no further weather interruptions but the conditions did not allow the players to move onto the field for the match.
The match was due to be played over the full 50 overs per side but overnight rain coupled with fresh bursts on Wednesday prevented the match getting underway at the scheduled start time of 2pm local time (1300GMT). Experienced Pakistan umpire Aleem Dar and his English colleague Rob Bailey held several inspections of the Edgbaston pitch and outfield before announcing the reduction in overs.
A minimum of 20 overs per side are required in order to constitute a match and the latest time such a match can start is shortly after 7pm (1800GMT).
Victory for England would give them an unassailable 3-0 lead in this five-match series after 15-run and six-wicket wins in London at Lord’s and The Oval respectively.
And a 5-0 clean sweep would see England replace Australia at the head of the 50-over world rankings and so top the standings in all three formats, with the side already number one in Test and Twenty20 cricket.
Strauss pays tribute at Maynard funeral: England Test captain Andrew Strauss was among the mourners at the funeral of Tom Maynard in Cardiff on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old Surrey batsman, buried in his home city, was one of the rising stars of English cricket but he died last month after being hit by a train on a London Underground railway line.
Kevin Pietersen, a county colleague of Maynard’s at Surrey was also in attendance among a congregation of some 900 mourners at Cardiff’s Llandaff Cathedral, as were former England captains Andrew Flintoff, Alec Stewart and Mike Gatting.
Also alongside were Maynard’s father Matthew, himself a former England batsman, mother Sue and sister Ceri were Wales rugby great Gareth Edwards and England’s Danny Cipriani.
Strauss said: “I first saw Tom when he was a teenager when Matthew was batting coach of England.
“He had grown up so well since then and was forging a name for himself in the game of cricket.
“I suppose that’s part of what makes it so tragic he is no longer with us.
“I obviously feel so much for Matthew, Sue and the family to have to go through this. “But I think today is as much about celebrating Tom and what he achieved as it is saying goodbye.
“It’s obviously a very tough day for everyone who knew him, no more so than for members of his family.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board managing director Hugh Morris, a former Glamorgan captain, delivered a eulogy to a player who was tipped for full England honours in the near future.
“The presence of so many members of the cricket community tells me Tom was not only a player blessed with extraordinary talent, but somebody whose sense of fun and enjoyment made him a hugely popular figure within our game,” Morris said.
Among his pallbearers on Wednesday was Surrey captain Rory Hamilton-Brown, a friend since their schooldays.
So hard-hit was Hamilton-Brown by Maynard’s death, he has now decided to take an indefinite break from all cricket.
Hamilton-Brown, in a statement issued by Surrey, said Wednesday: “I have decided to take a break from cricket.
“I am grateful to the club for their support and understanding of my decision and I look forward to returning to the game where I will hope to contribute and take forward my form of recent seasons.”
Surrey chief executive Richard Gould added: “Tom’s death has affected many people, and he and Rory were great friends.
“Rory now needs some time out, and the club is keen to provide whatever support we can. Rory has performed very well both as captain and as one of our leading players over the last three years, and we look forward to him returning when the time is right.” Hamilton-Brown will be replaced as captain by Gareth Batty, who has led Surrey in their recent Twenty20 matches.
An inquest into Maynard’s death has been opened and adjourned at Westminster Coroner’s Court — with Dr Shirley Radcliffe saying “extensive investigations” were continuing.
Ramprakash set to retire: Former England batsman Mark Ramprakash is poised to anounce his retirement from first-class cricket after county side Surrey said he would be “making a statement about his future” at The Oval on Thursday.
Ramprakash, a prolific run scorer at first-class level, was unable to transfer his domestic form to the international stage with just two hundreds in 52 Tests.
But it has been a different story during a 25-year first-class career that started at Middlesex before he moved across London to Surrey 11 years ago. He has scored 35,659 runs in 461 first-class matches since his county debut in 1987, and more than 13,000 in limited-overs cricket.
However, the 42-year-old, widely regarded as likely being the last man in cricket history to make 100 first-class hundreds because of the reduction in domestic fixtures, was dropped by Surrey for the first time earlier this season as he struggled for runs.
Ramprakash, as was the case with his some-time England team-mate Graeme Hick, endured a frustrating international career, averaging a modest 27.32 in Tests — barely half his county return.
He managed just two Test hundreds, with a best of 154 against the West Indies in Bridgetown in 1998 and 133 against Australia at The Oval in 2001.
Ramprakash also played in 18 one-day internationals. At county level, he topped 1,000 runs in 20 separate seasons and three times made more than 2,000 – in 1995, 2006 and 2007.
His highest-first class score is an unbeaten 301, for Surrey against Northamptonshire, at The Oval in 2006.
Ramprakash became known beyond cricket circles after winning BBC television’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ celebrity dance competition in 2006.
A Surrey statement issued Wednesday said: “Surrey County Cricket Club will be hosting a press conference with Mark Ramprakash on Thursday 5th July at the Kia Oval, where Mark would like to make a statement about his future.”
