Is Jadeja semi-final bound and is Rohit in MVP contention?.......WORLD CUP TALKING POINTS

NICK HOWSON AT HEADINGLEY: It is an end of an era for one esteemed umpire while an individual banned from cricket is allowed to watch

ICC drop the ball on Jayasuriya

Amid the droves of blue - assisted by the cerulean seats which surround much of Headingley - was a stain upon proceedings. Among the crowd was Sanath Jayasuriya, once a Sri Lanka legend and now an accessory to corruption.

1996 World Cup winners Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya are at Headingley to watch #SLvIND match.

Pic credit: @RexClementine

Follow LIVE: https://t.co/oVThytvqZY#CWC19 pic.twitter.com/nqipnip2jo

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) July 6, 2019

In February the ICC banned Jayasuriya from all cricket for two years for two breaches of their anti-corruption code. The offences included:

1. Failure or refusal, without compelling justification, to cooperate with any investigation carried out by the ACU, including failure to provide accurately and completely any information and/or documentation requested by the ACU as part of such investigation.

2. Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU, including concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code.

Yet in a World Cup game he was able to waltz into Yorkshire Cricket Club and take his place in the stands, alongside Aravinda de Silva. The ICC insisted that when Jayasuriya attended the Test match between Sri Lanka and England, when he had only been charged, it was merely a moral issue rather than a breach of their laws, but surely this goes beyond that?

VISIT OUR WORLD CUP HUB

Gould takes his final stand

The penultimate group game in the World Cup brought an end to the 13-year umpiring career of Ian Gould, who stood in his final international.

The 61-year-old has stood in four Men's Cricket World Cups, with India v Sri Lanka his 140th ODI. He has also officiated in 74 Test matches and 37 T20s.

Perhaps the pinnacle of his career came in the 2011 showcase when he umpired the India-Pakistan semi-final in Mohali and also stood in the Champions Trophy final in 2009.

The Englishman had an undistinguished playing career, playing 18 one-day games and representing Middlesex, Sussex and Auckland at first-class level.

But it is perhaps his footballing exploits which earn him the greatest notoriety having played with Arsenal's youth setup, which earned him the nickname Gunner.

There have been few more infamous moments than him giving out Ricky Ponting during the 2005 Ashes, when substitute fielder Gary Pratt threw down the stumps at Trent Bridge, a controversial moment not least because of England's dubious use of replacement fielders during the series.

The irony of the incident is that Gould had taken a superb catch as a substitute fielder himself for England in an Ashes Test in the 1982-83 series, dismissing Glenn Chappell.

However, as an umpire, few could replicate his calmness and state of mind. The game will be poorer for his untimely exit from it.

^{Ian Gould could have made it as a footballer having worked with Arsenal}

Jadeja in the semi-final reckoning?

Having made a substitute appearance in near-enough all of India's matches during this World Cup, Ravindra Jadeja will be as deserving of a winners medal as any of the squad if the two-time champions prevail at Lord's next weekend.

Unlike some replacements you often see, who go through the motions knowing they will soon be hooked, Jadeja has fielded with the same intensity which he has forever been known for. He has even taken a handful of catches, including a brilliant grab to dismiss Jason Roy against England.

But perversely he has had to wait for his first official outing as part of the India team until the clash with Sri Lanka, on the final day of the group stage. That allowed him an opportunity with the ball and though Jasprit Bumrah took 3-37, his figures of 1-40 from his 10 overs couldn't be beaten.

Virat Kohli insisted the two changes were a case of giving Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Shami a rest, but could Jadeja have changed the thinking for the semi-final? It could even be that Jadeja's prowess with the bat sees Dinesh Karthik replaced, who seems wasted coming in at seven.

Rohit or Shakib for World Cup MVP?

You would have forgiven Rohit Sharma for failing to celebrate his record-breaking fifth century of this World Cup, such was the effortlessness of it.

He is once again the leading run-scorer at the World Cup and with two games to go has an opportunity to improve that standing.

He has to be player of the tournament, regardless of what happens in the remaining five matches https://t.co/hL8nY8LyGE

— Sam Morshead (@SamMorshead_) July 5, 2019

But is he a contender for the player of the tournament prize? Shakib Al Hasan has been the stand-out candidate with 606 runs and 11 wickets for Bangladesh, but their campaign is now over.

Digital Editor Sam Morshead has insisted that the allrounder has to be the MVP, regardless of what transpires between now and the climax of the tournament.

However, if Rohit can inspire India to World Cup glory, let's say with successive centuries in the semi-final and final, do those runs not exist on an entirely different level to Shakib's heroics?

Our coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is brought to you in association with Cricket 19, the official video game of the Ashes. Order your copy now at Amazon.co.uk