Author: Muzamil Asif

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sorted out travelling concerns of the African crew who will work during the upcoming three T20Is and as many ODIs between Pakistan and West Indies at National Stadium. 

Two days ago, PCB called an important meeting to discuss possible plans to bring African crew to Pakistan after COVID-19’s new variant ‘Omicron’ jolted Africa and forced travel restrictions across the region.

Sources told this correspondent that the issue has been sorted out now and African crew alongside crew staff from other countries will reach Karachi between December 9-10.

African crew will come to Karachi via Dubai in a connecting flight followed by a compulsory PCR Test on their arrival. They will have to serve a minimum three-days quarantine in Karachi before start working.

Remember, a large number of crew staff belongs to South Africa, Nigeria and other parts of Africa.

Meanwhile, West Indies team will also reach Karachi on December 9. They will play first T20I against the home team on December 13.

READ: PCB calls important meeting as ‘Omicron’ looms over WI tour of Pakistan

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) called an important meeting today (November 29) to discuss the travel plan of the production company’s crew that will work in the West Indies tour of Pakistan and Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7. 

A large number of crew members belong to South Africa, Nigeria, and other parts of Africa where COVID-19’s latest variant ‘Omicron’ was discovered last week and it forced travel restrictions across the world.

Sources told this correspondent that PCB has called a meeting today in the evening to discuss possible options to bring African crew to Pakistan for two upcoming major events.

Pakistan has put travel restrictions on passengers coming from the African region, especially from South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, and Namibia.

PCB is scheduled to host West Indies for three T20Is and as many ODIs next month in Karachi. The visitors will arrive in Karachi on December 9.

It must be noted here that a Series of sports events got either postponed or canceled in Africa followed by the arrival of Omicron. Those events include ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, South Africa vs Netherlands ODI series in South Africa, South Africa International Tennis Event, United Rugby Championship.

READ: West Indies men’s team to tour Pakistan next month: PCB

Team Abu Dhabi registered a thrilling six-wicket win over Delhi Bulls to keep their unbeaten run in T10 League intact.

Delhi Bulls, batting first, scored 121-4 with Romario Shepherd top-scoring with an unbeaten 39 off 11 balls. He hit three boundaries and four sixes.

Luke Wright hit four boundaries on his way to 17-ball 25 whereas opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz made 22 from 13 balls after hitting two fours and a maximum.

Danny Briggs bagged two wickets for the Delhi side.

Wicketkeeper-batsman played a match-winning knock of 56 from 23 balls with three fours and fives sixes to his name.

Skipper Liam Livingstone scored 20-ball 25 after hitting a boundary and two maximums.
Jamie Overton made 20 off five balls with the help of three sixes to take the side home.

Dominic Drakes dismissed two batsmen.

Deccan Gladiators clinched a six-wicket win over Northern Warriors in the 11th game of the T10 League in Abu Dhabi.

Batting first, Northern Warriors made 70-6 in their given 10 overs. Samit Patel top was the top scorer with 21 off 13 balls after hitting two boundaries and a six.

Skipper Rovman Powell and Abhimanyu Mithun scored 11 runs each.

Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva got two wickets for the Gladiators.

The Deccan side completed the runs chase with 17 balls to spare. David Wiese top-scored with an unbeaten knock of 27 from nine balls with the help of three sixes.

Tom Moore’s hit four boundaries on his way to 17-ball 21.

Deccan Gladiators registered a comfortable nine-wicket win over Delhi Bulls in their T20 League fixture in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Batting first, Delhi Bulls were dismissed for 112 in their allotted 10 overs.

Rilee Rossouw top scored with 48 runs off 21 deliveries with three fours and a six to his name.

Andre Russell took three wickets while Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva and Tymal Mills dismissed two batters each.

The Gladiators completed the run chase in 7.2 overs with nine wickets in hand.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore was the standout performer with the bat as he scored an unbeaten half-century.

The opener made 19-ball 51 with three fours and five maximums to his name. He put on a 100-run opening partnership with Tom Banton (44 from 21).

Dominic Drakes was the only wicket take for the Delhi side.

ABU DHABI: Ace spinner Adil Rashid’s devastating spell of two wickets for six runs helped Delhi Bulls in ensuring a crushing defeat to Bangla Tigers by six runs in the fifth match of the Abu Dhabi T10 League.

In the fifth match of the shortest format league ongoing in Abu Dhabi, the Delhi Bulls easily achieved a modest target of 70 runs set by Bangla Tigers in the last over for the loss of four wickets.

Sherfane Rutherford lead the scorecard with a 27-run inning and was supported by Eoin Morgan with his 22 runs. Pakistani batsman Muhammad Hafeez scored seven runs followed by five runs from Dwayne Bravo and two runs from Rilee Rossouw while Rehman Ullah couldn’t score a run.

Stars of the show🌟

A superb bowling performance from the @DelhiBullsT10 👏#AbuDhabiT10 #InAbuDhabi #CricketsFastestFormat pic.twitter.com/AmHFxB8bNI

— T10 League (@T10League) November 20, 2021

James Faulkner lead the Bangla Tigers bowling attack with two wickets, followed by one wicket each for Tom Hartley and Luke Wood.

Previously, the Bangla Tigers scored 69 runs for the loss of six wickets, and only two of its batters were able to enter the double figures. Isuru Udana remained a top scorer with 21 runs followed by 19 runs from James Faulkner.

Adil Rashid led the bowling attack for Delhi Bulls and took two wickets for six runs and was supported by Fazal Haq Farooqi who took two wickets for eight runs, ensuring a victory for their team in the Abu Dhabi T10 League.

SHARJAH: South Africa beat England by 10 runs but failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup.

England and Australia are through to the semi-finals and South Africa are out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 20, despite the Proteas winning a run-fest in last match of Group 1 stage played here at Sharjah.

Batting first, South Africa posted a 189-run target for England. The Proteas needed to limit England to 131 or fewer to edge out Australia on net run rate.

In reply, England finished on 179-8 after a hat-trick by Kagiso Rabada in the final over. It was England’s first loss in five matches.

Rabada dismissed Chris Woakes, skipper Eoin Morgan and Chris Jordan on successive deliveries of his final over to complete the feat in Sharjah.

The Aussies hammered West Indies by eight wickets in the first match of the day to go level on points with England.

Teams

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma (capt), Aiden Markram, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

England: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wk), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (capt), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

ABU DHABI: Australia hammered already eliminated West Indies by eight wickets to edge closer to the semi-finals in the Twenty20 World Cup.

David Warner hit an unbeaten 89 off 56 balls and Mitch Marsh 53 as Australia chased 158 with 22 deliveries to spare.

Earlier, West Indies posted 157-7, captain Kieron Pollard scoring 44 and Josh Hazlewood taking 4-39.

The West Indies enjoyed a couple of handy partnerships in the middle overs, even as Australia kept chipping away.

Bravo and Kieron Pollard set themselves up to launch at the death. The duo added 35 in 28 balls, with the skipper leading the scoring.

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

Defending 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.

Teams

Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch (capt), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard (capt), Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Dwayne Bravo, Hayden Walsh, Akeal Hosein.

Jos Buttler scored an unbeaten match-winning fifty as England thrashed Australia by eight wickets in their T20 World Cup group stage match in Dubai on Saturday.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out at 71 from 32 deliveries after hitting five boundaries and as many sixes as England reached the 126-run target in 11.4 overs.

The England juggernaut rolls on 🚂#T20WorldCup | #AUSvENG | https://t.co/GymMokFLht pic.twitter.com/ChSXIlIbET

— ICC (@ICC) October 30, 2021

Jos Buttler put on a 66-run opening partnership with Jason Roy (22 from 20) as well.

England won the toss and chose to bowl. The decision proved to be the right one as their bowlers ran riot over the Australian batting lineup.

A magnificent bowling performance helps England restrict Australia to 125.

Can the Australian attack defend this total? 🤔#T20WorldCup | #AUSvENG | https://t.co/GymMokFLht pic.twitter.com/oj5zot6jwy

— ICC (@ICC) October 30, 2021

Aaron Finch-led side were dismissed for just 125 in their 20 overs. The skipper top-scored with 49-ball 44 with four boundaries to his name. However, it was not enough for the side to post a competitive total.

Chris Jordan was the pick of the bowlers with his three-wicket haul. Chris Woakes and Tymal Mills bagged two wickets each as well.

Pakistan won by five wickets to remain at top of the points table of Group 2

PAK 135/5 (18.4 overs)

Boult bowls

Pakistan need nine runs to win off 12 balls

PAK 126-5 (18 overs)

Santner bowls his last over

PAK 111-5 (17 overs)

Southe bowls his last over

PAK 98-5 (16 overs)

Sodhi to bowl his fourth over

PAK 91-5 (15 overs)

Boult joins the bowling attack again

PAK 82-4 (14 overs)

Sodhi continues

PAK 75-4 (13 overs)

Neesham comes again

PAK 70-4 (12 overs)

Sodhi comes in

PAK 63-3 (11 overs)

Santner comes back

PAK 58-2 (10 overs)

Neesham continues

PAK 47-2 (9 overs)

Ish Sodhi to bowl his first over

PAK 39-1 (8 over)

James Neesham joins the bowling attack

PAK 36-1 (7 overs)

Santner has been given bowling after powerplay

PAK 30-1 (6 over)

5.1: Inside edge and Babar got out off Southee

Southee comes to bowl his third

PAK 28-0 (5 overs)

Boult comes again

PAK 22-0 (4 overs)

Southee continues

PAK 14-0 (3 overs)

Trent Boult joins bowling

PAK 9-0 (2 overs)

Tim Southee joins bowling from the other end

PAK 7-0 (1 over)

Babar, Rizwan come out to bat for Pakistan. Mitchel Santner starts bowling from New Zealand

PAKISTAN VS NEW ZEALAND (2nd INNINGS)

Pakistan need 135 runs to win their second match in T20 World Cup 2021

NZ 134-8 (20 overs)

Haris to bowl last over for Pakistan

NZ 125-7 (19 overs)

Shaheen to bowl his last over

NZ 119-6 (18 overs)

Two wickets for Haris

Haris comes again

NZ 116-4 (17 overs)

Shaheen comes back

NZ 107-4 (16 overs)

Hasan continues

NZ 100-4 (15 overs)

Haris comes back

NZ 95-4 (14 overs)

13.1: Direct throw from Hasan off his delivery, Kane Williamson gets run-out

Hasan comes back

NZ 90-3 (13 overs)

Shadab continues

NZ 75-3 (12 overs)

Hafeez continues

NZ 63-3 (11 overs)

Shadab joins back

NZ 60-3 (10 overs)

9.1: James Neesham went for a big shot but didn’t connect it well, ball went straight in the hands of Fakhar Zaman. Hafeez strikes on his first ball

Hafeez comes to bowl the left-hander

NZ 56-2 (9 overs)

8.2: Imad makes comeback after receiving a sixer. Daryl Mitchel went for another one but this time caught at long-on

Imad continues

NZ 48-1 (8 overs)

Shadab joins the attack

NZ 47-1 (7 overs)

Imad joins back

NZ 42-1 (6 overs)

5.2: Martin Guptill was deceived by Haris Rauf and the ball hit his pads, went to thrash the stumps

Haris Rauf brought into attack

NZ 39-0 (5 overs)

Hasan Ali comes to bowl

NZ 21-0 (4 overs)

Imad continues

NZ 15-0 (3 overs)

Shaheen continues

NZ 7-0 (2 overs)

Imad comes into the attack

NZ 0-0 (1 over)

Maiden over from Shaheen

Shaheen to bowl first over for Pakistan

PAKISTAN VS NEW ZEALAND (1ST INNINGS)

SHARJAH: Pakistan have won the toss and decided to bowl first against New Zealand in seventh match of the T20 World Cup 2021 here at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. 

SQUADS

PAKISTAN: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi

NEW ZEALAND: Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Tim Seifert †, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult