Three abandonments, one N/R inside eight days

The whole of England was flooded with water on the ground and consequently, umbrellas over the head. Unseasonal, incessant rainfall frustrated fans and players alike, with three abandonments and one no-result game all happening within seven days. Three matches - Pakistan vs Sri Lanka and Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka at Bristol, and India vs New Zealand at Trent Bridge - did not even have the toss as the merciless rain Gods had their say, resulting in a complete washout. Just under eight overs were possible between South Africa and West Indies at Southampton; the agony of all this was summed up by Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes when he asked, "We put men on the moon, so why can't we have a reserve day, when actually this tournament is a long tournament"?

Jason Roy goes berserk against Bangladesh

Jason Roy made merry against Bangladesh when he buccaneered to 153 off just 121 balls at Cardiff. Roy's assault began against Shakib al Hasan after a relatively quiet start when he hit Shakib for two fours in the seventh over; and when Mohammad Saifuddin was brought on, Roy also punched him for boundaries repeatedly. He reached his 100 off 92 balls - he knocked down the umpire while celebrating the milestone - and smashed Shakib for 4, 4, and 6 soon after. And it took him all but three deliveries to climb from 135 to 153 via three successive sixes off Mehidy Hasan only to be dismissed the next ball on attempting a fourth. England hammered 386, and Bangladesh fell short by a good 106 runs.

Jimmy Neesham tames Afghanistan

All-rounder Jimmy Neesham produced a career-best performance with the ball against Afghanistan at Taunton to keep New Zealand unbeaten in three matches. Afghanistan collapsed from 66 without loss to 172 all out with Neesham wreaking havoc in the middle order. Opener Hazratullah Zazai was first dismissed after providing a rapid start to the Afghanistan innings; thereafter, it was all downhill for them, with Neesham sending back Rahmat Shah and captain Gulbadin Naib in his next two overs. Figures of 5/31 from Neesham and 4/37 from Lockie Ferguson meant the New Zealand batsmen had little to worry about; and rightly so, with the chase being settled with more than seventeen overs and seven wickets remaining, as Kane Williamson top scored with 79*.

Week of injuries at the World Cup

The procession of injuries - in this week itself - began when Afghanistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad was ruled out for the rest of the tournament owing to a knee injury. However, Shahzad claimed after returning home that a doctor in London "said that I could play after resting for two-three days."" Three days later, Shikhar Dhawan and Marcus Stoinis injured themselves in the same match. First, Dhawan was pinged on his left thumb by a Pat Cummins bouncer to be ruled for at least two matches; around the same time, Stoinis suffered a side strain, with his future in the World Cup to be decided in the lead-up to Australia's game against Bangladesh on June 20. As a result, Rishabh Pant and Mitchell Marsh were flown in as covers, respectively. In other news, Nuwan Pradeep was smashed on his bowling hand during training and was certain to miss Sri Lanka's match against Bangladesh before rain eventually washed out the game.