Category: ICC World T20

Australia confirm their tour to Pakistan after 23 years

Posted on by A Sports

LAHORE: Cricket Australia (CA) has confirmed their tour to Pakistan after 23 years, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Monday. 

According to the details released by the PCB, Australia will come to Pakistan in March-April to play three Tests, as many ODIs and only T20I.

The Tests will take place in Karachi (3-7 March), Rawalpindi (12-16 March) and Lahore (21-25 March), while Lahore will be the venue for the four white-ball matches to be played from 29 March to 5 April.

The Tests will be played as part of the ICC World Test Championship, while the ODIs will be connected to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League – a 13-team event from which the seven highest-placed sides and the hosts, India, will qualify directly for the event proper in 2023.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “I am delighted to welcome Australia to Pakistan. From a personal point of view, it pleases me no end that we’ll be engaged in a three-Test match series, connoisseurs delight.

“Australia are one of the high-performing sides and them playing in our backyard for the first time after a gap of 24 years will be a special treat for the fans.

“Likewise, it will be a great opportunity for the Australia cricketers to not only play at our iconic venues but also feel and enjoy the respect, love and hospitality that this great country offers, something which most of their previous generation of cricketers missed out by playing offshore.”

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Nick Hockley: “Cricket Australia is excited about the prospect of touring Pakistan next year for what will be a highly anticipated series in a country so incredibly passionate about the game and their national team.

“Pakistan is a formidable opposition with an exceptionally talented team, as evidenced by their dynamic performances in the current ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE.

“We thank the PCB for their considerable efforts in planning for the tour and look forward to continuing to work closely over the coming months to finalise the necessary operations, logistics, security and Covid-19 protocols.

“The safety and welfare of our players and staff remains our number one priority, and we will continue to work with the PCB and relevant agencies to ensure that appropriate and sufficient arrangements are put in place for the tour.”

READ: Fans cheer up for ‘Unbeaten Pakistan’ in T20 World Cup 2021

Fans cheer up for ‘Unbeaten Pakistan’ in T20 World Cup 2021

Posted on by A Sports

KARACHI: Pakistani cricket fans were over the moon after Babar Azam XI beat Scotland by 72 runs to become the only unbeaten team in T20 World Cup 2021. 

Pakistan convincingly beat Scotland in their last group match and they will now play the semi-finals being the only unbeaten team.

The cricket fans in the country are cheering up for the powerful performance of the green shirts so far in the event.

READ: T20 World Cup: Australia crush West Indies by 8 wickets to close in on semi-final spot

Pakistan beat Scotland to go unbeaten in T20 WC’s semis

Posted on by A Sports

Pakistan beat Scotland by 72 runs to become the only unbeaten team in T20 World Cup 2021

Shadab 2-14 (4 overs)

Richie Berrington (54*)

SCO 117-6 (20 overs)

Haris to bowl last over

SCO 113-5 (19 overs)

Shaheen bowls second last over for Pakistan

SCO 108-5 (18 overs)

Hasan runs for his last over

SCO 97-5 (17 overs)

Haris bowls his third

SCO 87-5 (16 overs)

Shaheen joins back

SCO 81/4 (15 overs)

Hasan comes back

SCO 75-4 (14 overs)

Haris joins in the middle

SCO 65-4 (13 overs)

Shadab bowls his last over

CO 59-4 (12 overs)

Hasan joins again

SCO 43-4 (11 overs)

Shadab bowls again

SCO 41-2 (10 overs)

Imad to bowl his last over

SCO 37-2 (9 overs)

Shadab continues

SCO 36-2 (8 overs)

Imad to bowl his third over

SCO 30-1 (7 overs)

Shadan Khan comes in

SCO 24-1 (6 overs)

Hasan Ali joins in

SCO 23-0 (5 overs)

Haris Rauf joins the bowling attack

SCO 20-0 (4 overs)

Imad continues

SCO 19-0 (3 overs)

Shaheen continues

SCO 12-0 (2 overs)

Imad Wasim to bowl

SCO 5-0 (1 over)

George Munsey and Kyle Coetzer to open for Scotland, and Shaheen Afridi for Pakistan

Pakistan vs Scotland (2nd innings)

Scotland need 190 to win

Chris Greaves 2-43 (4 overs)

Malik (54*) – Joint-fastest fifty of T20 World Cup alongside India’s KL Rahul

Hafeez (31)

Babar (66)

PAK 189-4 (20 overs)

Greaves to bowl final over for Scotland

PAK 163-4 (19 overs)

Sharif to bowl second last over for Scotland

146-4 (18 overs)

Greaves comes back

PAK 139-3 (17 overs)

Watt will bowl his last over

PAK 124-3 (16 overs)

Hamza to bowl his last over

PAK 112-3 (15 overs)

Sharif to bowl

PAK 97-2 (14 overs)

Watt comes back

PAK 88-2 (13 overs)

PAK 75-2 (12 overs)

Greaves continues

PAK 68-2 (11 overs)

Hamza comes to bowl his third

PAK 60-2 (10 overs)

Chris Greaves comes to bowl his first over

PAK 57-1 (9 overs)

Watt comes back

PAK 45-1 (8 overs)

Richie Berrington comes to bowl

PAK 38/1 (7 overs)

Hamza makes comeback

PAK 35-0 (6 overs)

Sharif comes back

PAK 32-0 (5 overs)

Wheal comes again

PAK 18-0 (4 overs)

Mark Watt brought in

PAK 14-0 (3 overs)

Safyaan Sharif comes in

PAK 7-0 (2 overs)

Brad Wheal bowls from the other end

PAK 1-0 (1 over)

Mohammad Rizwan to face Hamza Tahir.

Pakistan vs Scotland (1st innings)

SHARJAH: Pakistan have won the toss and decided to bat first against Scotland in their last group stage match of T20 World Cup. 

SQUADS

Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Scotland: George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (capt), Dylan Budge, Richie Berrington, Michael Leask, Matthew Cross (wk), Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Safyaan Sharif, Hamza Tahir, Brad Wheal

New Zealand beat Afghanistan to qualify for T20 WC’s semi-finals

Posted on by A Sports

ABU DHABI: Kane Williamson and Devon Conway guided New Zealand to an eight-wicket win over Afghanistan and qualify for T20 World Cup’s semi-finals. 

Williamson and Conway scored 68 runs together to lead New Zealand’s successful 125-run chase.

Williamson remained not out for 40 runs whereas Conway walked out with 36 runs under his belt. Williamson struck three boundaries followed by Conway, smashing four boundaries.

Martin Guptill made 28 runs before falling to Rashid Khan who completed his 400 T20 wickets. Daryl Mitchell managed to score 17 including three fours.

Rashid and Mujeeb-ur-Rehman bagged a wicket each for Afghanistan.

Earlier, New Zealand bowlers restricted Afghanistan to 124-8 in a must-win game for them.

After deciding to bat first in a virtual quarter-final, Afghanistan’s batters fell apart. The top-order failed completely to score runs.

Najibullah Zadran fought hard for Afghanistan with his 73 runs off 48 balls laced with six boundaries and three maximums. Gulbadin Naib made 15 whereas Mohammad Nabi made 14.

For New Zealand, Trent Boult bagged three wickets, Tim Southee took two wickets followed by Adam Milne, James Neesham, and Ish Sodhi taking a wicket each.

TOSS

Afghanistan won the toss and decided to bat first in their last group stage contest against New Zealand

SQUADS

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

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 Boult.

South Africa eliminated from T20 World Cup despite win over England

Posted on by Muzamil Asif

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

T20 World Cup: Australia crush West Indies by 8 wickets to close in on semi-final spot

Posted on by Muzamil Asif

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.

T20 World Cup: India thrash hapless Scotland by eight wickets

Posted on by A Sports

India put on a clinical performance as they clinched a comfortable eight-wicket win over Scotland in the T20 World Cup group stage fixture.

It took just 6.3 overs for India to reach the 86-run target thanks to a blistering 70-run opening partnership by Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.

KL Rahul made 50 from 19 balls with six fours and three sixes to his name. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, scored 30 from 16 deliveries after hitting five boundaries and a maximum.

Mark Watt and Brad Wheal bagged a wicket each.

Scotland, after being invited to take guard, put on a feeble performance with the bat and were sent packing in 17.4 overs. Opener George Munsey was the top scorer for Kyle Coetzer’s side with 24 runs from 19 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and a six.

Michael Leask scored 12-ball 21 with two fours and a maximum to his name.

Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets each while Jasprit Bumrah dismissed two batters.

SQUAD

India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (capt), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravathy

Scotland: George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (capt), Calum MacLeod, Richie Berrington, Michael Leask, Matthew Cross (wk), Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Safyaan Sharif, Alasdair Evans,  Brad Wheal

‘Proud of Pakistan’s performance in T20 WC’ Mickey Arthur

Posted on by A Sports

DUBAI: Pakistan’s former head coach Mickey Arthur said he is proud of the national team’s performance under captain Babar Azam in the ongoing T20 World Cup. 

Speaking exclusively to ARY News after his team Sri Lanka played their last match before exiting from the mega event, Arthur said Pakistani players showed their talent to the world.

“I feel really proud of Pakistan’s performance in the T20 World Cup. The talent I spotted in players before has now come in front of the world. The players have shown their real strength in this event so far,” Arthur told ARY News.

Arthur named Imad Wasim, Babar, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, and Shaheen Shah Afridi whom he feels proud of. “When I coached them, Hasan, Shadab, Babar, Imad, and Shaheen were young. Now, they have become mature enough and I am happy to see that,” he said.

“Babar is now a world-class batsman and the world has already recognized him. Shaheen is the best bowler with a new ball and there is no doubt in it,” he concluded.

READ: T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka hand 20-run defeat to West Indies

New Zealand beat Namibia to remain in T20 WC’s semi-finals race

Posted on by A Sports

SHARJAH: New Zealand beat Namibia by 52 runs to make their case stronger for T20 World Cup 2021’s semi-finals qualification. 

After setting Namibia to chase 164 runs in 20 overs, New Zealand suffered a bit of pressure as Namibia’s openers scored 47 runs in eight overs. But, the slow run-scoring pace boosted Black Caps’ confidence as they restricted opponents to 111-7 in the end.

Later on, New Zealand’s bowlers started taking wickets and Namibia’s kept on losing wickets after regular intervals. Stephan Baard (21), Michael van Lingen (25), and Zane Green (23) resisted a bit but failed to gain the rhythm.

Tim Southee and Trent Boult bagged two wickets each while Mitchell Santner, James Neesham, and Ish Sodhi managed a wicket each.

Earlier, Glenn Phillips and James Neesham partnered strongly to score 76 runs as New Zealand managed to score 163-4 against Namibia in a crucial match of Group 2.

Sent into bat first, New Zealand were off to a steady opening start of 30 runs but a couple of blows made them nervous. Martin Guptill fell after scoring 18 followed by his opening partner Daryl Mitchell getting out for 19 including two boundaries.

Skipper Kane Williamson played a calculated knock of 28 runs with the help of two boundaries and a six but didn’t manage to convert it into a big total. Phillips and Neesham joined hands to rescue their team collectively.

They scored an unbeaten 76-run partnership to set a composing total for the Black Caps. Phillips scored 39 off 21 balls laced with a boundary and three sixes followed by Neesham being not out for 35 off 23 with a boundary and two maximums.

Bernard Scholtz, David Wiese, and Gerhard Erasmus bagged a wicket each for Namibia.

TOSS

Namibia have won the toss and decided to bowl first against New Zealand

SQUADS

Namibia: SJ Baard, M van Lingen, CG Williams, MG Erasmus*, D Wiese, JJ Smit, JN Loftie-Eaton, ZE Green†, K Birkenstock, R Trumpelmann, BM Scholtz

New Zealand: MJ Guptill, DJ Mitchell, KS Williamson*, DP Conway†, GD Phillips, JDS Neesham, MJ Santner, AF Milne, TG Southee, IS Sodhi, TA Boult

T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka hand 20-run defeat to West Indies

Posted on by A Sports

Sri Lanka clinched a 20-run victory over West Indies in their T20 World Cup group stage fixture in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

Kieron Pollard’s side, chasing a 190-run target, were restricted to 168-8 in their 20 overs.

Shimron Hetmyer top-scored with his unbeaten knock of 81 from 54 deliveries with the help of eight boundaries and four sixes. However, it was not enough for the side to get over the line.

Wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran hit six boundaries and a six on his way to 34-ball 46.

Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka had scored half-centuries as Sri Lanka made 189-3.

Asalanka top-scored with 68 from 41 deliveries with the help of eight fours and a six while Nissanka made hit five boundaries on his way to 41-ball 51.

Andre Russell took two wickets for his side while Dwayne Bravo dismissed a batter as well.

SQUADS

SRI LANKA: Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando

WEST INDIES: Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Roston Chase, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard (capt), Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Dwayne Bravo, Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul