ADELAIDE: Netherlands put Pakistan back in the race for the semifinals after the Dutch side pulled out yet another upset of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 as they beat South Africa by 13 runs in the Super 12s Group 2 match here on Sunday.

The costly defeat crashed South Africa out of the tournament with Pakistan and Bangladesh will now be in contention to book a place in the final four as the two teams compete in today’s second fixture.

Set to chase 159, South Africa remained short of the target after a sensational bowling display by the Netherlands to restrict Proteas to 145/8 in the allotted 20 overs.

Dutch pacer Brandon Glover struck two wickets in an over as he dismissed David Miller (17 off 17) and Wayne Parnell on a duck in the 16th over to derail the South African chase.

Proteas’ unimpressive batting put them on a back seat throughout the innings as none of their batters failed to make it into the 30s. Rilee Rossouw top-scored for the side with his 25 off 19 while Heinrich Klaasen contributed 21 off 18.

For the Netherlands, Glover was the pick of the bowlers as he returned inspirational figures of 3/9 in his two overs while Fred Klaassen and Bas de Leede grabbed two wickets each. Medium pacer Paul van Meekeren also had a scalp to his credit.

Earlier, Netherlands batters Tom Cooper and Colin Ackerman’s vital knocks bolstered their side to a competitive total of 158/4 in the first innings of the first fixture of Sunday’s tripleheader.

Batting first on the invitation of South African captain Temba Bavuma, Netherlands managed to amass 158/4, thanks to the blistering knocks of Cooper and Ackerman.

The Dutch side got off to a steady start as the openers – Stephan Myburgh (37) and Max O’ Dowd (29) – added 58 runs for the first wicket.

Myburgh scored 37 off just 30 deliveries before falling prey to Aiden Markram in the ninth over, while O’Dowd played a cautious knock of 29 off 31 balls.

Cooper then raced up the proceedings for the Netherlands with a quickfire cameo of 35 in just 19 balls, laced with two boundaries and two sixes before Keshav Maharaj got him caught behind in the 15th over.

Ackerman, however, held his ground firmly and ticked the scoreboard ticking at a decent pace with his quickfire knock of 41 in mere 26 deliveries with the help of three boundaries and two sixes.

For South Africa, Maharaj bagged two wickets, while Anrich Nortje and Markram struck out a batter each.

SYDNEY: Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat first against England in the last Super 12s Group 1 fixture of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

PLAYING XIs

Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara

England: Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 13, England 9, Sri Lanka 4

FORM GUIDE

Sri Lanka: W, L, L, W, W
England: W, L, W, NR, W

ADELAIDE: Last year’s runner-up, New Zealand, have become the first team to make their way to the semi-finals of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

In their last Super 12s fixture against Ireland, the Blackcaps sealed a resounding 35-run victory despite a rapid start from the Irish openers in the run chase.

Following their comfortable victory, Australia then needed to produce alike performance in their fixture against Afghanistan up next, in order to keep up with New Zealand’s net run rate.

Consequently, the defending champions had to amass 185 runs against Afghanistan but they could manage to score 168/8 despite Glenn Maxwell’s quickfire half-century.

The Australian bowlers too failed to restrict the Afghan batting lineup to a paltry total and handed their team a narrow four-run triumph.

Following New Zealand’s qualification, the Kane Williamson-led side can finish no less than second in Group 1 but could slip a spot if England hammer Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Australia, on the other hand, now want Sri Lanka to beat England to book a semi-final spot, while only a victory by any margin can power Jos Buttler’s side into the final four.

READ: T20 WC elimination looms as Australia seal narrow win over Afghanistan

ADELAIDE: Pakistan Cricket team reached Adelaide on Friday ahead of their final clash of the Super 12s stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 against Bangladesh on Sunday. 

Albeit very slim chances to qualify for the semifinal of the tournament, the national team will be eyeing a comprehensive win against the opponents in order to strengthen their run rate, which could play a vital role in case of exceptional results in either of the other two matches scheduled on Sunday.

Sunday will mark the last yet critical day of the Super 12 round as all of the six teams of Group 2 will be up against each with India taking on Zimbabwe at Melbourne Cricket Ground while South Africa will compete against group laggers Netherlands at Adelaide.

Pakistan, on the other hand, sealed a sensational win against Proteas on Thursday in Sydney and gained two more points and a major boost in their confidence after they lost the first two matches of their World Cup campaign, including an upset defeat against Zimbabwe in Perth.

READ: Sidra, Muneeba topple various records for Pakistan in Women’s ODIs

ADELAIDE: The defending champions Australia claimed two crucial points as they edged Afghanistan by a mere four runs but remained on the brink of elimination from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 due to a lesser net run rate.

Despite their third win in five matches, the defending champions’ semi-final qualification is subjected to England losing their last Super 12s match as the latter take on Sri Lanka on Saturday.

England’s victory over Sri Lanka, by any margin, would take them to this year’s mega event semi-final as Jos Buttler-led side have a better net run rate than Australia.

Earlier, last year’s finalists New Zealand became the first team from any of the two groups to book their berth in the semi-finals, courtesy of Australia failing to amass 185 in the first innings against Afghanistan.

Afghanistan, set to chase 169, narrowly missed upsetting the defending champions and fell just four runs short.

Rashid Khan’s quickfire cameo of an unbeaten 48 off just 23 deliveries kept the game alive for Afghanistan but Marcus Stoinis held his nerves calm in the final over as he defended 23 runs to keep the Asian side at bay.

Besides Rashid, Gulbadin Naib also added to the misery of the Aussies with his magnificent 39-run knock as he conceded just 23 deliveries before a direct hit from Glenn Maxwell ended his impressive knock.

Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood bagged two wickets each for Australia, while Kane Richardson made one scalp.

Australia, batting first on the invitation of Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi, managed to amass 168/8 in their quota of 20 overs, thanks to a quick unbeaten fifty from Maxwell in the death overs.

The side embarked on their innings with a decent run rate as their left-handed opener David Warner provided a solid foundation with a quick cameo of 25 in just 18 deliveries, while his partner Cameron Green could score just three.

The defending champions had a new batting pair – Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith – at the crease but they failed to anchor the innings as the latter fell just after scoring four.

Following the slump, Marsh then joined hands with Marcus Stoinis and carried the proceeding to 83/3 in the 10th over.

Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rehman, however, struck in the 11th over to put an end to the budding partnership as he got Marsh caught behind.

The all-rounder fell five runs short of his half-century as he scored a quick 45 off just 30 deliveries with the help of three boundaries and two sixes.

Marcus Stoinis then attempted to stop the flow of wickets as he anchored the innings with a sensible 25-run knock off 21 balls and added 53 runs for the fifth wicket with Maxwell before falling in the 16th over.

Following his dismissal, Australia then began to lose wickets at an alarming rate as Matthew Wade (6), Pat Cummins (0), and Kane Richardson (1) fell cheaply.

Maxwell held his ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly and guided Australia to 168/8 in 20 overs.

The right-handed top-scored with an unbeaten half-century and amassed 54 runs off just 32 balls, laced with six boundaries and two sixes.

Naveen-ul-Haq led the bowling attack for Afghanistan with 3/21, while Fazalhaq Farooqi bagged two wickets. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb, on the other hand, struck out a batter each.

ADELAIDE: Afghanistan have won the toss and elected to bowl first against Australia in an all-important Super 12s clash of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

Australia: David Warner, Cameron Green, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (c), Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Usman Ghani, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazal Farooqi

ADELAIDE: Skipper Kane Williamson led the charge of Kiwi batting with a sensational 61 off 35 in their final game of the Super 12s to steer New Zealand to a convincing 35-run win against Ireland to keep them well in the race for the final four of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. 

Ireland pacer Josh Little grabbed the second hat trick of the tournament in the penultimate over of the first innings since New Zealand went for an all-out attack throughout the game in order to strengthen their run rate.

New Zealand, moved to the top of the Group 1 standings with 7 points after they played all their Super 12s matches, meanwhile, England and Australia have five points apiece and occupy second and third spots, respectively, with one game remaining for each side.

Set to chase 186, Ireland were restricted to 150/9 in the allotted 20 overs despite a flourishing 62-run opening stand between Irish veteran Paul Stirling and skipper Andy Balbirnie in eight overs. 

Spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner, however, bowled on tight lines in the middle to force a batting collapse as Ireland lost five wickets between the 9th and the 15th for the addition of mere 34 runs.

Santner provided the first breakthrough to the Kiwis as he bowled out skipper Balbirnie after he scored 30 off 25 while Sodhi struck down Stirling (37 off 27) in the very next over.

Pacer Lockie Ferguson, on the other hand, remained the leading wicket-taker for the side as he bagged three while Tim Southee had two scalps as the duo ran through the lower order.

Earlier, Skipper Kane smashed five boundaries and two sixes during his blistering knock to steer his side to a dominant position in the game.

Ireland, however, rebounded at the death as Little struck down skipper Williamson, James Neesham and Mitchel Santner on three consecutive deliveries in the penultimate over.

Openers Fin Allen and Devon Conway provided a solid start to Kiwis as they raised a 52-run partnership in just 34 balls before Mark Adair dismissed Allen after he scored 32 off 18, including five boundaries and six. 

Williamson then joined the other opener on the crease and the two batters raised another strong stand of 44 runs before Gareth Delany got rid of Conway (28 off 33) in the 12th over.

No 4 batter Glenn Phillips chipped in with 17 off 9 while all-rounder Daryl Mitchell contributed with an unbeaten 31 off 21 as New Zealand finished on high despite sensational death bowling by Little.

ADELAIDE: Ireland won the toss and elected to bowl first against New Zealand in the Super 12s Group 1 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, here on Friday. 

Playing XIs:

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson

Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie (capt), Lorcan Tucker(wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Fionn Hand, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little

HEAD TO HEAD (T20Is)

Matches 4, New Zealand 4, Ireland 0

FORM GUIDE 

New Zealand: L, W, W, L, W
Ireland: L, W, L, W, W

SYDNEY: Pakistan middle-order batter Iftikhar Ahmed hit the longest six of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12s during his side’s fixture against South Africa on Thursday.

Iftikhar, who played a responsible knock of 51 runs off just 35 balls with the help of three boundaries and two sixes, stole the show with his blistering hitting and guided Pakistan to a massive total of 185/9 in their quota of 20 overs.

The right-handed batter came to bat when Pakistan were struggling at 40/3 in the sixth over and left the green shirts in a commanding position – 177/8 in the final over.

Meanwhile, on the fourth delivery of the 16th over, South African pacer Lungi Ngidi banged in short and Iftikhar smashed, connected sweet, to sail the bowl into the top tier for a gigantic 106m six.

Iftikhar’s massive six to Ngidi is the longest six of the Super 12s thus far, surpassing David Miller’s monstrous 104m six against India.

It is pertinent to mention that Iftikhar partnered strongly with Mohammad Nawaz (28) and Shadab Khan (52) to power Pakistan to a commendable 185/9 in 20 overs.

READ: Shadab, Iftikhar hammer Proteas bowlers to take Pakistan to 185/9 

SYDNEY: Pakistan maintained their unbeaten T20 World Cup record against South Africa as the men in green outclassed the Proteas Men by 33 runs in a rain-hit Super 12s fixture on Thursday.

Set to chase a revised target of 142 runs in 14 Overs, South Africa fell 33 runs short as they could amass 108/9 in the allotted overs.

The Proteas men had a dismal start to the run chase as they lost two quick wickets for a mere 16 runs in the third over.

South African captain Temba Bavuma then attempted to counter-attack as he charged on Haris Rauf’s fourth over and took his side to 36/2.

Bavuma alongside Aiden Markram stitched a valiant 49-run partnership as South Africa got to 69/4 in nine overs.

Shadab Khan, however, jolted South Africa’s comeback in the first three deliveries of his first over as he removed both set batters Bavuma and Markram in a span of three deliveries.

Bavuma remained the top-scorer for his side with a quick knock of 36 runs in just 19 balls, laced with four boundaries and a six, while Markram scored 20 off 14.

The all-important match, however, was interrupted due to rain and consequently, reduced to 14 overs with a revised target of 142; leaving South Africa to chase 77 runs in five overs.

Heinrich Klaasen and Tristan Stubbs resumed the run chase for their side and could add 29 runs in 11 deliveries before Shaheen Shah Afridi broke their partnership by removing the former on 15.

Following his dismissal, the side then ran into a frustrating collapse and kept losing wickets at regular intervals, which resulted in them struggling to score just 108/9 in 14 overs.

Shaheen led the bowling attack for Pakistan with 3/14, while Shadab bagged two wickets. Naseem Shah, Haris, and Mohammad Wasim Jr made one scalp each.

Allrounder Shadab and Iftikhar combined excellently for a quickfire 82 in 36 balls as they rained boundaries and completely dominated the South African bowling attack between the 14th and 19th over.

Shadab showed great muscles as he hit four cracking sixes and three fours to race to his fifty in just 20 balls. Iftikhar, on the other hand, had a phenomenal outing with the bat too as he raised 51 off 35 laced with three fours and two gigantic sixes.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan had a dismal start to their innings as opener Mohammad Rizwan was struck down in the very first over by Wayne Parnell. No 3 batter Mohammad Haris, who replaced the injured Fakhar Zaman in the playing lineup, played a brilliant cameo of 11-ball 28 as he thrashed the Proteas pacers for three sixes and two fours.

South Africa, however, rebounded in the 5th over when Anrich Nortje plummed dangerous-looking Haris before Lungi Ngidii got rid of out-of-form skipper Babar Azam in the very next over.

Babar’s slump with the bat continues as he failed to reach the double figures fourth consecutive time in the tournament. 

Left-handed batter Shan Masood (2 off 6) also met a similar fate when he lobbed the Nortje’s delivery straight into the fielder’s hands at mid-off, ending his brief stay on the crease.

Following Shan’s dismissal in the 7th over, Mohammad Nawaz and Iftikhar anchored the innings with a strong 52-run partnership before left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi took down the left-handed batter in the 12th over.

No 7 batter Shadab then led the charge along with Iftikhar with their blistering knocks and took the team to a comfortable position.

Nortje, however, took two wickets on the last two balls of the penultimate over as he dismissed Shadab and incoming batter Mohammad Wasim. Meanwhile, Rabada also made two scalps in the final over as Pakistan went for an all-out attack in the death overs.