T20 WC: Indian players wear black armbands in honour of David Johnson
Bridgetown (Barbados), Jun 20: The Indian cricket team wore black armbands in honour of former fast bowler David Johnson who passed away on Thursday, during their T20 World Cup Super Eight match here against Afghanistan.
Johnson, who played two Tests for India in 1996, died after falling from his fourth-floor balcony in Bengaluru and the local police said they were in the process of determining if it was a case of suicide.
Both skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli came out to bat wearing black armbands.
"Team India will wear black armbands today in memory of former India fast bowler David Johnson, who passed away on Thursday,” the BCCI had said shortly before the start of play at the Kensington Oval.
Johnson played a Test each against Australia and South Africa and took three wickets, while he snaffled 125 wickets in 39 First-Class games and 41 dismissals in 33 List A games for Karnataka between 1992-93 till 2001-02.
Several Indian cricketers including Sachin Tendulkar led the tributes for Johnson.
"Deeply saddened by the passing of my former teammate, David Johnson. He was full of life and never gave up on the field. My thoughts are with his friends and family," Tendulkar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Former India bowlers and Johnson's state teammates Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble also paid their tributes on social media.
"Shocked and sad to hear about the passing away of David Johnson. Heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. Om Shanti," Prasad wrote.
Kumble expressed, "Saddened to hear the passing of my cricketing colleague David Johnson. Heartfelt condolences to his family. Gone too soon 'Benny'!"
Team India will wear black armbands today in memory of former Indian fast bowler David Johnson, who passed away on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/dhFiwjnWSs
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 20, 2024
Deeply saddened by the passing of my former teammate, David Johnson. He was full of life and never gave up on the field. My thoughts are with his friends and family.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 20, 2024
Shocked and sad to hear about the passing away of David Johnson.
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) June 20, 2024
Heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. Om Shanti 🙏🏼
Saddened to hear the passing of my cricketing colleague David Johnson. Heartfelt condolences to his family. Gone too soon “ Benny”!
— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) June 20, 2024
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Rain washes out Super Eights match between New Zealand and Pakistan
Pallekele (Sri Lanka) (PTI): New Zealand and Pakistan shared a point after incessant rain forced the abandonment of the opening T20 World Cup Group 2 Super Eights match here on Saturday.
Amid a slight drizzle, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first.
But the steady droplets soon transformed into relentless pouring, forcing the officials to call off the match without a ball being bowled.
Before the skies opened up, Pakistan made one change to their eleven, bringing in Fakhar Zaman in place of Khawaja Nafay.
New Zealand made three changes with skipper Mitchell Santner back after missing the last match against Canada due to a stomach issue and Lockie Ferguson and Ish Sodhi also found a place in the XI.
But all those calculations and combinations will have to wait for another day, as Pakistan will now face England here on February 24.
New Zealand will make a light travel to Colombo to face home side Sri Lanka on February 25.
The washout has also placed both the Kiwis and Pakistan in a relatively tighter place ahead of their remaining two Super Eights matches.
A similar result in any of the following matches, a possibility considering Sri Lanka’s weather pattern, or a defeat can put their semifinal ambitions in serious jeopardy.
