T20 WC marks another upset as Scotland stun West Indies

HOBART: Scotland came out on top to propel the second upset of the ICC men’s T20 World Cup as they beat two-time champions West Indies by 42 runs in the third match of the first round, here on Monday. 

Set to chase 161, West Indies were bundled out for 118 after a devastating middle-order collapse as seven of their batters failed to enter into double figures.

West Indies were sailing comfortably till the end of the powerplay as they raised 53/1 in 5.4 overs before the Scottish bowlers stormed through their batting line.

Amid a dismal show, Jason Holder resisted late in the order with a defiant knock of 38 off 33 while opener Kyle Meyers scored 13-ball 20 before the disaster unleashed on West Indian batting.

Skipper Nicolas Pooran (5), Shamrh Brooks (4), Rovamn Powell (5), Akeal Hosein (1), Alazarri Joseph (0) and  Odean Smith (5) remained hapless in front of the Scottish attack as they went back to the pavilion one after another.

Mark Watt remained inspirational for Scotland as he picked three wickets while Brad Wheal and Michael Leask bagged two wickets each. 

Earlier, Opener George Munsey smashed an unbeaten knock of 66 off 53 to help Scotland raise a competitive total of 160/5 against West Indies in the allotted 20 overs, here on Monday in the third match of the ICC men’s T20 World first round.

Scotland went for a colourful start after they were put to bat as Munsey and Michael Jones hoisted a flourishing 52-run opening stand before rain delayed the match.

West Indies retaliated immediately after the break as pacer Jason Holder provided the breakthrough in the seventh over as he dismissed Jones who managed 20 off 17.

Holder then got rid of wicket-keeper batter Matthew Cross cheaply in his next over to set the alarm bells off for the Scottish side as it slumped to 63/2 in the ninth over.

Munsey continued to dominate the West Indian bowlers as he blasted nine scintillating boundaries during his blistering knock and built a couple of brief partnerships in the middle with skipper Richie Berrington (16 off 14) and Calum Macleod (23 off 14).

Scotland moved the scoreboard at an accelerating pace as they squeezed out 43 runs in the last five overs, amid tight bowling from the Windies.

For West Indies, Holder remained the most successful bowler as he returned the figures of 2/14 in his three overs, while Alzarri Joseph also bagged two wickets and a scalp to Odean Smith’s credit.

READ: T20 World Cup: Shaheen available for warm-up game against England

T20 WC: West Indies win toss, elect to field first against Scotland

HOBART: West Indies won the toss and elected to field first against Scotland in the third match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, here on Monday. 

Playing XIs: 

West Indies: Kyle Mayers, Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Nicholas Pooran (c), Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy

Scotland: George Munsey, Michael Jones, Matthew Cross, Richie Berrington (c), Calum MacLeod, Chris Greaves, Michael Leask, Mark Watt, Josh Davey, Brad Wheal, Safyaan Sharif

T20 World Cup: Shaheen available for warm-up game against England

BRISBANE: Pakistan’s main strike bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi is ready to get back into action tomorrow after three-month hiatus since he faced a knee in Sri Lanka. 

According to the details, the left-arm pacer will be available for the national team’s first warm-up match of the ICC men’s T20 World Cup against England on Monday (tomorrow).

Meanwhile, left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman will undergo further rehabilitation and is likely to be rested for tomorrow’s warm-up.

Both players joined the national team in Brisbane on Saturday after completing their rehabilitation in London.

Pakistan will take on England in their first warm-up match before locking horns with Afghanistan on October 19 (Wednesday). The Green Shirts will start their T20 World Cup campaign with a blockbuster clash against arch-rivals India on October 23 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

READ: AH Kardar, Younis Khan honoured with PCB Hall of Fame

T20 World Cup: UAE win toss, opt to bat first against Netherlands

GEELONG: United Arab Emirates (UAE) won the toss and elected to bat first against the Netherlands in the second match of the ICC men’s T20 World Cup first round.

Playing XIs:

UAE: Chundangapoyil Rizwan (c), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya, Aravind (wk), Basil  Hameed, Zawar Farid, Aryan Lakra, Kashif Daud, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Zahoor Khan

Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c/wk), Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Bas de Leede, Tom Cooper, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Tim Pringle, Logan van Beek, Fred Klaassen, Paul van Meekeren

 

Pakistan to begin T20 World Cup 2022 journey tomorrow

CHRISTCHURCH: After a resounding win in the Tri-series final here on Friday, the national cricket team are scheduled to depart for Brisbane tomorrow, except team’s skipper Babar Azam, to participate in ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

The Green Shirts will be aiming to lift the title for the second time – 13 years after winning their maiden T20 World Cup in 2009.

According to the details shared by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Pakistan skipper Babar will leave for Melbourne today to join the captains of other participating teams of the tournament for the official trophy shoot and pre-tournament press conference tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Pakistani contingent will take a flight from Christchurch tomorrow and will land in Brisbane, Australia on the same day.

Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman will join the team in Brisbane tomorrow. The two cricketers had just completed their rehabilitation in London. Dr Javed will accompany them and serve as the team’s second physio during the event.

Pakistan’s batting mentor Matthew Hayden will also join the team once they arrive in Brisbane.

The Green Shirt will start its World Cup campaign on October 23 with a blockbuster clash against arch-rivals India at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The team will leave for Melbourne after playing two warm-up games in Brisbane against England and Afghanistan on October 17 and 19, respectively.

READ: Nawaz, Haider shine as Pakistan beat New Zealand to seal T20 tri-series