T20 WORLD CUP: India crash out of tournament as NZ defeat Afghanistan by 8 wickets

 

ABU DHABI, NOV 7: India were effectively pushed out of the T20 World Cup on Sunday as New Zealand defeated Afghanistan by eight wickets.

New Zealand thus became the remaining semi-finalist to qualify from Group 2 after Pakistan.

England and Australia have booked their semi-finals spot from Group 1.

Trent Boult led a disciplined New Zealand attack to help restrict Afghanistan to 124 for eight.

Najibullah Zadran played a lone hand with his 48-ball 73 to give the Afghanistan total some respectability after they elected to bat first in Abu Dhabi.

Left-arm quick Boult returned figures of 3-17 from his four overs and was ably supported by Tim Southee who took two wickets.

A win for New Zealand would take them into the final four but if they lose it would benefit Afghanistan and India, who have got the best run-rate in the group and play Namibia in their last match on Monday.

New Zealand’s pace bowlers rattled the opposition’s top order with quick strikes as Adam Milne sent back Mohammad Shahzad caught behind for four in his first over.

Boult got going from the other end to get Hazratullah Zazai out for two and Southee trapped Rahmanullah Gurbaz lbw for six as Afghanistan slipped to 19-3.

Zadran counter-attacked with a handful of boundaries including two off Jimmy Neesham but soon took to defence after losing his partner Gulbadin Naib for 15.

Naib dragged a wide delivery from Kiwi leg-spinner Ish Sodhi onto his stumps.

Skipper Mohammad Naib joined Zadran at the crease as the duo attempted to push the scoring against the spinners and singled out Mitchell Santner for runs.

The left-handed Zadran smashed Santner for two sixes and later got to his 50 in a 33 balls. It was his second fifty in this T20 World Cup and sixth overall.

Southee broke the 59-run partnership, seeing off Nabi for 14.

Boult got the key scalp of Zadran with Neesham taking a good diving catch in the deep and the Afghans struggled to get runs in the final overs.

Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi won the toss and elected to bat first.

Afghanistan made one change from their loss to India with fit-again spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman back in the XI.

“It’s a day game, so we want to post a decent total on the board,” said Nabi.

With a billion Indians praying for an Afghanistan victory, Nabi insisted his side will “try to win” the match for themselves.

New Zealand are unchanged from their previous victory that was their third in a row after their opening loss to Pakistan, who are already through to the semi-finals from this group.

“We were going to have a bat as well, it’s a used surface,” captain Kane Williamson said at the toss.

“I think both sides have match winners and it´s a mix of youth and experience.”

Teams                                                         

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (capt), Devon Conway (wk), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boul.

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi (capt), Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

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T20 World Cup: Coetzer wants Scotland to go out on a high

 

SHARJAH, NOV 7: Scotland skipper Kyle Coetzer has urged his players to give their best shot in Sunday’s last T20 World Cup match against Pakistan in Sharjah.

The Scots have lost all four Super 12 Group 2 games since defeating Bangladesh in the qualifiers last month.

“We’ve got to make sure we go in there with as much confidence as we possibly can do,” said Coetzer on Saturday.

“We’ve got one last crack of the whip while we’re out here. We’re not going to play together again until April probably.”

In contrast, Pakistan are the form team with four wins in as many games — a fact not lost on Coetzer.

“What better game and what better team to play against than Pakistan.

“They’re at the top of their game at the moment. That’s just an ultimate test and to challenge yourself against them,” said the Scottish skipper.

Pakistan have won all three T20 internationals against Scotland, one in the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007 and two in Edinburgh 11 years later.

Coetzer said his players will relish the challenge of facing rival skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan — who have put two century opening stands in four matches.

“What a challenge we’re going to be faced with,” said Coetzer.

“The two players are at the top of their game at the moment, so it would be great to experience that and hopefully try and knock a few of them over at the same time.

“We have to go in there respecting them but also willing to go and try and take them on, too. I think we’ve taken a few lessons from our last couple of games and some special lessons from the India game as well.”

India thumped Scotland by eight wickets in Dubai on Friday, knocking off the meagre 86-run target in just 6.2 overs.

Coetzer said the Indian players, led by skipper Virat Kohli, visiting their dressing room was a big experience.

“I think guys have had small opportunities to speak to various players from various teams during this tournament, but it’s been made a little bit harder by not being able to mix as easily in this tournament.

“But the opportunity to go and speak to the Indian team yesterday was a moment that some guys will probably never forget but also we learned so much.”

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Courtesy The News

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T20 WC: David Warner stars as Australia down West Indies to close in on semi-finals spot

 

DBU DHABI, NOV 6: Opener David Warner smashed an unbeaten 89 as Australia hammered West Indies by eight wickets to edge closer to the semi-finals in the Twenty20 World Cup on Saturday.

Chasing 158 for victory, Australia rode on a 124-run second-wicket stand between Warner and Mitchell Marsh to romp home in 16.2 overs in Abu Dhabi and go level with Group 1 leaders England on eight points.

Marsh, who hit 53 of 32 balls, got out to Chris Gayle who celebrated the wicket in what was his likely swansong in West Indies colours.

Earlier, Josh Hazlewood took four wickets to keep West Indies down to 157 for seven despite skipper Kieron Pollard’s 44 in the Super 12 clash.

South Africa play England, who are all but through to the final four, in the evening match and the result will decide the two semi-finalists this group.

South Africa need a dominant win to improve their run rate and edge out Australia. England can only miss out on the final four if they lose heavily.

Reigning champions West Indies failed to give a winning farewell to Dwayne Bravo, who played his last international.

Australia gave Bravo and Gayle a guard of honour after Warner hit the winning runs.

Pollard rescued his side, who failed to defend their title after a loss to Sri Lanka took them out of the semi-final race, from 91-5 with his 31-ball knock and a key partnership of 35 with Bravo.

Bravo, who remains the leading wicket-taker in T20 matches with 553 scalps, scored 10 and walked back to claps and hugs.

Andre Russell finished off the innings with two sixes off Mitchell Starc in his unbeaten 18 off seven balls.

Openers Evin Lewis and Gayle started in attacking mode, hitting the Australian pace bowlers to all parts of the ground in an opening stand of 30 off 14 balls.

Lewis smashed Hazlewood for three successive boundaries.

Gayle hit two sixes, including one off Pat Cummins, before the bowler got the veteran big-hitter to chop a delivery onto the stumps.

The 42-year-old West Indies great made 15 off nine balls and walked back to a standing ovation from his teammates.

Hazlewood came back with a bang with twin strikes as he sent back Nicholas Pooran and Roston Chase, bowled for nought, in the space of three deliveries, to leave the West Indies teetering at 35-3.

The left-handed pair of Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer, who made 27, fought back with a partnership of 35 but Adam Zampa broke the stand with his leg-spin.

He got Lewis out for 29.

In reply, Warner came attacking and unsettled the West Indian attack with boundaries all around the park despite losing opening partner Aaron Finch for nine.

Marsh was equally punishing of the bowlers as he hit five fours and two sixes in his fifth T20 fifty.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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T20 World Cup: Rahul blitz keeps India alive with crushing win over Scotland

 

DUBAI, NOV 5: KL Rahul's 50 off 19 balls helped India stay alive in the Twenty20 World Cup with an eight-wicket thrashing of Scotland inside seven overs on Friday.

Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami took three wickets each to help bowl out Scotland for 85 in 17.4 overs after India put the opposition into bat in the Super 12 contest in Dubai.

Rahul and Rohit Sharma, who hit 30, then took the Scotland bowling apart as India raced to their target in 6.3 overs to radically improve their run-rate.

They still need to win their last game against Namibia on Monday and depend on the result of Sunday's New Zealand-Afghanistan match to have any chance of making the final four.

Rahul smashed six fours and three sixes in his batting blitz as he raised the fifty in 18 balls before getting out to Mark Watt.

Sharma fell lbw to Brad Wheal who ended the 70-run opening stand.

Suryakumar Yadav hit the winning six with skipper Virat Kohli, on his 33rd birthday, relishing the huge win at the other end.

Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah bowled Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer after the batsman's seven-ball struggle at the crease. It was a maiden wicket for Bumrah.

George Munsey counter-attacked as he smashed Ravichandran Ashwin for three successive boundaries but Shami cut short the opener's stay on 24.

Jadeja came on to bowl after the first six overs of powerplay and made an instant impact with twin strikes to send back Richie Berrington, bowled without scoring a run, and Matthew Cross trapped lbw for two.

With Scotland's top four back in the dugout at 29, Calum MacLeod and Michael Leask put up some resistance during a 29-run stand.

Jadeja broke through with his left-arm spin as he sent back Leask lbw for 21 and Ashwin got Chris Greaves for one.

MacLeod, who made 16, and Mark Watt also attempted to bring some respect to the total but Shami returned to pick up two wickets in one over and Bumrah wrapped up the innings in 17.4 overs.

Earlier on Friday, New Zealand stayed on course for the semi-finals with a 52-run win over Namibia.

Group 2 leaders Pakistan have already made sure of a semi-final place with four wins in four games.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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Pakistan-born cricketer in Yorkshire racism row urges ‘cultural change’

 

LONDON, NOV 4: Pakistan-born cricketer Azeem Rafiq has demanded sweeping changes at his former English county club, Yorkshire, and across the sport and has revealed he is still suffering abuse amid a deepening racism row.

Yorkshire offered the 30-year-old off-spinner “profound and unreserved apologies” in a report on his allegations of racial abuse in September.

But last week, the county said it would take no disciplinary action against any staff, unleashing a wave of criticism and prompting sponsors to withdraw their support.

Rafiq said the row was about “institutional racism and abject failures by numerous leaders at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and in the wider game”.

“The sport I love and my club desperately need reform and cultural change,” he posted on Twitter. “The system and environment changes that will organically educate and bring through a new generation that make this the beautiful game it should be,” he added.

The row has drawn in British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as governing body the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Johnson stepped up the pressure on the ECB on Thursday as his spokesperson told reporters: “The PM’s clear that racist language should never be used in any context whatsoever. These are serious allegations. They must be investigated thoroughly and quickly. We urge the ECB to look at this carefully.”

Rafiq, Yorkshire’s chairperson and the county’s chief executive and director of cricket have all been summoned to testify before a parliamentary committee on November 16.

Former England international Gary Ballance on Wednesday admitted using a racial slur against Rafiq during their time together at Yorkshire, saying in a statement: “I regret that I used this word in immature exchanges in my younger years.”

“I do not wish to discredit Rafa by repeating the words and statements that he made about me and others but I have to be clear that this was a situation where best friends said offensive things to each other which, outside of that context, would be considered wholly inappropriate,” Ballance said, adding that “at no time did I believe or understand that it had caused Rafa distress”. He said that if he had realised, “then I would have stopped immediately”.

However, Rafiq on Thursday said that despite the condemnation of his treatment at Yorkshire, criticism is still coming his way.

“We wonder why people don’t come forward. Even after everything that is out there, there seem to be personal attacks coming. What a sad state of affairs,” he said.

Ballance’s admission came after publishing company Emerald ended their association with Yorkshire and their Headingley ground in Leeds over the handling of the report that found Rafiq suffered “racial harassment and bullying” at the club, with other club sponsors following suit.

Rafiq, who represented Yorkshire in two spells between 2008 and 2018, made 43 allegations and said he had been driven to suicidal thoughts by his treatment at the club.

Yorkshire’s redacted report upheld seven of his claims but concluded the club was not institutionally racist.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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