It might be football season, but here are the best bits of cricketing action you might have missed

With the Copa America in full swing in the United States and the Euro 2016 just getting underway in France, Indian sports fans can be forgiven for gravitating towards the captivating football on display.

Add to that the fact that the cricket currently being played is insipid to say the least – England taking on a weakened Sri Lankan team at home, a second-strength India playing against Zimbabwe away, and Australia, South Africa and West Indies taking on each other in a seemingly random One-Day International tri-series in the Caribbean. You really can’t blame cricket fans for not keeping track of what’s happening.

But in case you want to take a quick break from football and catch up on what’s been happening in cricket, here are some of the highlights:

David Warner sizzled before injury took him out

David Warner wasn’t just satisfied with taking the Sunrisers Hyderabad to the 2016 Indian Premier League title. The scene and the setting might have been far, far different from the IPL, but Warner just carried on where he left off. After creaming 55 in Australia’s successful chase against West Indies in their first game, he failed in the second match and was smarting. In the next match against South Africa at the appropriately named Warner Park in St Kitts, the left-hander cut loose and never let go. Any width on offer was banished to the boundary as Warner finished on 109, his first ODI century outside Australia.

Unfortunately, the swashbuckling Australian opener fractured his left index finger while fielding in the same match, which means he’s out for at least two weeks – a huge loss for Australia.

AB de Villiers’s drop

He might be Superman, but sometimes AB de Villiers proves he’s just as human as us all. In the same match mentioned above, Usman Khawaja tried to sweep an Imran Tahir delivery, but only managed to top-edge it skywards. It was AB who ran underneath and, considering he's a man who’s taken catches like this, Khawaja must have already mentally resigned himself.

But, horror of horrors, the great man made a complete mess of it and dropped an absolute sitter. Tahir could only watch sheepishly but thankfully, although Aaron Phangiso did manage to dismiss Khawaja in almost similar fashion a few deliveries later. And AB? Well, isn’t it a relief for the opposition to know that even he can have a bad day?

Sunil Narine’s blast from the past

Don’t get too swayed by Sunil Narine’s 6/27 in the first match of the tri-series. Yes, he was good but a far cry from his deadliest, mysterious best. In fact, his figures are a bigger indictment of the fact that South Africa, even after that humiliation in India last year, are still utterly befuddled by spin.

But Narine, making a return to international cricket after a year, was still in top form and his variations, even if they did not hold the menace that they did earlier, were still dangerous. He got rid of Hashim Amla with one that went straight on. Then Rilee Roussow was beaten all ends up by one that turned, edging to first slip.

With the tail at his disposal, Narine was at his best. Both Farhaan Behardien and Chris Morris were all at sea and played around the ball to be adjudged leg-before-wicket. The West Indian off-spinner completed his six-wicket haul by getting Aaron Phangiso and Imran Tahir out to finish with figures of 6/27, his best ever in the format.

The Sri Lanka protest

It’s been one-way traffic in the ongoing England versus Sri Lanka Test series. The Lankans have shown glimpses of fighting, but these have been far and few between. Jimmy Anderson with the ball and Johnny Bairstow with the bat have provided the honours for England in the series.

But things finally turned a little strange in the afternoon on Day 4 of the third Test at Lord’s. England were at 132/5 in the 46th over in their second innings, a lead of 260 runs. Nuwan Pradeep dismantled Alex Hales’ stumps, but the happiness was short-lived – the umpire ruled it was a no-ball.

Except it wasn’t.

Replays indicated that Pradeep had some part of his foot behind the stumps, which meant the wicket should have been allowed. The Sri Lankan team management then unfurled the national flag from their dressing room balcony, though they were careful not to use the word “protest”, and mentioned that it was a “gesture of support”. However, they had to take it down after the Marylebone Cricket Club informed Sri Lanka that no flag or banners were allowed in the balcony.

The Sri Lankan Cricket president has even talked about putting in an official complaint to the International Cricket Council, while their coach Graham Ford thought that front-foot no-ball calls should only be made via technology.

KL Rahul’s century on debut

Okay, so it might have come against Zimbabwe, but a century is always special, whatever the circumstances. And KL Rahul made it an occasion worth celebrating, becoming the first Indian batsman batsman to score a century on ODI debut, against Zimbabwe in the first ODI of the series.

His job wasn't made easier when India’s bowlers strangled Zimbabwe to just 168. When the target is so low, getting a century is pretty tough. Rahul lost his fellow opener Karun Nair early, but got together for a sedate partnership with Ambati Rayudu. He started playing his shots after he got to his fifty and got to his century with a towering six as India won by nine wickets.