T20 World Cup: Wheal takes three as Scotland stun Bangladesh

Muscat, OCT 18: Scotland pacer Brad Wheal grabbed three wickets as Scotland stunned Bangladesh in the Twenty20 World Cup match at the Al Amerat Stadium in Muscat, Oman on Sunday.

Wheal finished with figures of 3-24 in four overs, taking the crucial wicket of Bangladesh opener Liton Das, captain Mahmudullah and wicket-keeper Nurul Hasan as they fell apart in their pursuit of 141 runs, losing out by six wickets eventually.

Bangladesh were shaken early in their innings when openers Das and Soumya Sarkar departed after adding five runs each, with the team reeling at 1`8-2 in the third over.

Veteran all-rounder Shakib-al-Hasan and wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim responded with some damage control before the former lost his wicket in the 11th over after scoring a slow 20 off 28 balls.

Mushfiq (38 off 36), too, was dismissed by Chris Greaves two overs after Shakib’s departure. Skipper Mahmudullah (23 off 22) and Afif Hossain (18 off 12) tried to lift the chase again, but they too couldn’t stay for long.

Mahedi Hasan’s 13 off five balls also couldn’t prove enough for Bangladesh to go over the finishing line, giving Scotland only their second win at a T20 World Cup.

Earlier, Mahedi and Shakib claimed five wickets between them but Chris Greaves helped Scotland post 140-9.

The spin duo justified their captain’s decision of bowling first by taking regular wickets but Greaves gave Scotland crucial runs with his late cameo of 45 in Muscat.

Scotland tried to rebuild after losing skipper Kyle Coetzer for nought but Mahedi soon struck twice in an over to send back Matthew Cross, for 11, and opener George Munsey, for 29.

Shakib joined forces with another double strike and his wicket of Michael Leask for nought got him past Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga as the leading wicket-taker in T20 internationals.

Shakib, who is the only player to achieve a T20 double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets, returned figures of 2-17 while Mahedi was the wrecker-in-chief with 3-19.

Greaves, batting at number seven, hit back with four fours and two sixes in his 28-ball knock as Scotland plundered 53 runs from the last 30 deliveries.

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Pak vs India: Virat Kohli insists Oct 24 clash with arch-rivals ‘just another game’

DUBAI, OCT 17: As fans across the world gear up for what is set to be a high-octane Twenty20 World Cup opener between Pakistan and India, the latter’s captain Virat Kohli played down the hype surrounding the match, terming it “just another game” for his team.

Asian giants India, who were the original hosts of the 2021 event before the pandemic meant a shift to the Gulf, will begin their campaign against arch-rivals and fellow former champions Pakistan on October 24 with Kohli looking to go out with a bang before stepping down as captain of the T20 side.

“I honestly never felt so,” the Indian skipper said when asked whether playing against Pakistan felt different than other teams.

“I have always approached this game as just another game of cricket. I know there is a lot of hype created around this game more so with ticket sales and the demands for tickets,” he added.

In a lighter vein, Kohli said he had refused friends asking for free tickets to the high-profile match.

“Right now the value of those tickets is ridiculously high. So that’s all I know, friends asking me for tickets left, right and centre, I refused,” he said.

Kohli acknowledged that the fanfare and emotions attached to the rivalry set it apart from other encounters, saying: “Yes, the environment, you can say, is different. From the fans’ point of view it is definitely louder. From the players’ point of view, we stay as professional as we can.”

Pakistan have won their last 10 Twenty20 internationals in the UAE and captain Babar Azam claimed on Saturday that run will give his men the edge over India next weekend.

“Definitely we have played a lot of cricket in the UAE,” Babar said when asked about his team’s dismal 0-5 record against India in T20 World Cup clashes.

“These conditions suit us and we know how to play here.”

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Pakistan team arrives in Dubai for T20 World Cup

 

DUBAI, OCT 15: The Pakistan T20 World Cup squad, led by Babar Azam, has arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Friday.

Entire squad members including officials will undergo COVID-19 tests in Dubai and will have to quarantine for a day, PCB said in a statement.

Pakistan is scheduled to play two warm-up matches against the West Indies and South Africa on October 18 and 20, respectively.

Earlier, the Men-in-Green flew from Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport for the UAE in a chartered plane.

Prior to the departure to UAE, skipper Babar Azam took it to Twitter and demanded the fans to “stand by the team”.

Pakistan Fixtures

24 Oct – Pakistan v India, ICC T20 WC (Group 2), Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

26 Oct – Pakistan v New Zealand, ICC T20 WC (Group 2), Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah

29 Oct – Pakistan v Afghanistan, ICC T20 WC (Group 2), Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

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ICC adopts wait-and-watch approach on Afghanistan

DUBAI, OCT 10: The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) has taken a wait-and-watch approach on Afghanistan but will discuss the game’s fate in the country in a board meeting next month, ICC acting chief executive Geoff Allardice said on Sunday.

Afghanistan risk isolation since the country’s Taliban takeover in August, with Cricket Australia threatening not to host them for a one-off Test in Hobart next month if the new government in Kabul did not allow women to play the sport.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has said it is committed to women’s cricket but was awaiting instructions from the government on its future.

“Our primary function is to support the development of cricket in that country through the member board,” Allardice told a virtual news conference ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup which begins on October 17.

“We have said all along that we are waiting to see how things unfold under the different regime in that country.”

“The ICC board will consider it when they next meet which is looking like at the end of the T20 World Cup.”

Afghanistan are currently training in Qatar and will begin their Twenty20 World campaign against a qualifier in Sharjah on Oct 25.

When the Taliban last ruled Afghanistan two decades ago, girls were not allowed to attend school and women were banned from work and education.

Australia Test captain Tim Paine said teams might refuse to play Afghanistan at the T20 World Cup, but Allardice said there was no doubt over their participation in the showpiece event.

“They are a full member of the ICC and the team is preparing for the event at the moment and will be playing in Group B,” he said.

“As far as their participation in the event, it’s proceeding as normal.”

The ICC official also confirmed that the 20-overs World Cup, last staged in 2016, will embrace the Decision Review System with each team having a maximum of two reviews per innings.

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Shoaib Malik replaces Sohaib Maqsood in T20 World Cup squad

LAHORE, OCT 9: In yet another change in the Pakistan squad for this month’s Men’s T20 World Cup, all-rounder Shoaib Malik has replaced batter Sohaib Maqsood, according to a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday.

The PCB said Maqsood had been ruled out of the squad due to a lower back injury.

“Sohaib had undergone MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans for the lower back on Thursday after picking up the injury during [the] October 6 match against Northern and consequently missed the October (7) match against Central Punjab [in the National T20 Cup],” it added.

Commenting on the development, chief selector Mohammad Wasim regretted that Maqsood had to be dropped from the squad.

“Sohaib is devastated to miss out on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as he had worked hard for this event and was in sparkling form. We feel for him but injuries are part and parcel of the sport,” he said, according to the PCB statement. 

“I am sure after undergoing rehabilitation, he’ll fully recover to be available for future assignments.”

Wasim added that after discussions with the team management, it had been decided to include Malik in the side.

“I am sure Shoaib’s experience will be handy for the entire squad.”

Malik had captained Pakistan in the inaugural Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007 and was a member of the side that won the tournament in 2009. After missing the West Indies event in 2010, he had featured in the 2012, 2014 and 2016 tournaments.

Earlier replacements

A day ago, the PCB had announced three changes in the Pakistan side for the tournament, with former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed replacing the young Azam Khan.

In the other two changes, Haider Ali had been replaced by Mohammad Hasnain, while Fakhar Zaman, who was originally named as a travel reserve, had swapped places with Khushdil Shah.

The national selectors made the changes “after taking into consideration player performances and form”, the PCB had said in a statement.

The T20 World Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates from October 17 to November 14.

Pakistan’s squad will depart for Dubai on October 15 and will play two warm-up matches against the West Indies and South Africa on October 18 and October 20, respectively, before taking on India in a Group-2 fixture on 24 October at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan’s 15-player squad confirmed by the selectors on Saturday is:

• Babar Azam (captain, Central Punjab)
• Shadab Khan (vice-captain, Northern)
• Asif Ali (Northern)
• Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
• Haider Ali (Northern)
• Haris Rauf (Northern)
• Hasan Ali (Central Punjab)
• Imad Wasim (Northern)
• Mohammad Hafeez (Central Punjab)
• Mohammad Nawaz (Northern)
• Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
• Mohammad Wasim Jr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
• Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper, Sindh)
• Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
• Shoaib Malik (Central Punjab)

The travelling reserves in the squad are Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh) and Usman Qadir (Central Punjab).

Schedule of Pakistan’s matches in T20 World Cup

• Oct 24: Pakistan v India, Group 2, Dubai International Cricket Stadium
• Oct 26: Pakistan v New Zealand, Group 2, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
• Oct 29: Pakistan v Afghanistan, Group 2, Dubai International Cricket Stadium
• Nov 2: Pakistan v A2, Group 2, Sheikh Zayed International Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
• Nov 7: Pakistan v B1, Group 2, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

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