Tag: ICC T20 World Cup 2022

PERTH: Pakistan will resume their expedition for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal berth today as they take on Zimbabwe in one of the three Super 12s Group 2 matches today at Optus Stadium here.

Pakistan, fresh from the anguishment of witnessing the vital two points slipping away on Sunday when they collided with arch-rivals India at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, would be concerned about the thrashing they received from South Africa a day later, but also relieved to have come away with a point.

Pakistan’s frustrating defeat at the hands of India raised concerns about whether the team should have gone with four pacers and one spinner, which might result in them bringing Mohammad Wasim Jr into the lineup.

It is, however, more likely that the team would still recruit both their full-time spinners Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz in the Playing XI, whereas, the inclusion of a pacer can allow Babar Azam to have more options in the bowling department.

The bowling would be a major concern for Zimbabwe, consequently, from the thrashing, they endured in their first Super 12s match against South Africa.
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Pakistan would be heavily relying on their openers – Babar and Mohammad Rizwan – to fire in a must-win match, while their failure in the high-octane match against India turned to be a blessing in disguise as their middle-order chipped in on the big stage.

Their pace attack has been the key for them since this year’s Asia Cup, while their ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi’s underwhelming return might be a concern for them.

Zimbabwe, however, has been heavily relying on their all-rounder Sikandar Raza, while Wessley Madhvere’s brilliance in the last game could be a major confidence booster for their batting lineup.

Their pace attack paid them well in the tournament thus far, especially Blessing Muzarabani, whose height and the extra bounce on most Australian surfaces was always going to be a trump card for Zimbabwe.

The weather has been a concern for most of the teams in the ongoing World Cup, however, the weather forecast claims that only a five per cent chance of rain is expected here today.

HEAD TO HEAD (T20Is)

Matches 17, Pakistan 16, Zimbabwe 1

SYDNEY: India’s batting firepower kept the Netherland bowlers at bay before bowlers dominated the dutch batters to help India seal a convincing win by 56 runs in the Group 2 encounter of the ICC T20 World Cup, here on Thursday.

Former Indian captain Kohli continued his top-notch form as he scored his second consecutive fifty in the tournament after he steered his side to a sensational victory on Sunday against Pakistan.

Set to chase 180, the Netherlands batters remained unimpressive with the bat as they could only manage 123/9 in the allotted 20 overs after combined efforts by Indian bowlers. Tim Pringle top-scored for the side with his 15-ball 20.

For India, pacers Arshadeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar bagged two wickets each while Mohammed Shami took a scalp too. Spinners R Ashwin and Axar Patel also took two wickets apiece

Opting to bat first, India went through a dismal start as opener KL Rahul was sent back early on mere 9 runs by Paul van Meekan. Skipper Rohit then combined excellently with middle-order mainstay Kohli for the second-wicket partnership of 73 runs.

Sharma contributed 53 off 39 and smashed four fours and three sixes during his scintillating knock before he was caught out on Fred Klaassen‘s delivery in the 12th over at a total of 84.

Following the dismissal, top-scorer Kohli and India’s newly-found sensation Suryakumar Yadav completely dominated the Dutch bowler for the rest of the innings as they collectively raised 95 runs in just 48 balls.

SYDNEY: Rilee Rossouw smashed the first century of the tournament as he guided South Africa to post the highest innings score of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 – 205/5 – before Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi stormed through the Bangladesh batting line to seal a comprehensive 104-run victory, here on Thursday.

Rossouw thrashed the Bangladesh bowlers to every part of the ground as he blasted a powerful knock of 56-ball 109 laced with eight huge sixes and seven fours to steer Proteas to a dominant win

Opener Quinton de Kock, however, combined excellently with Rossouw for the highest-ever T20 World Cup partnership as they hoisted 163 runs for the second wicket after skipper Temba Bavuma (2 off 6) fell cheaply in the very first over bowled by Taskin Ahmed. 

The Wicket-keeper batter also showed some great muscles as he cracked three sixes and seven fours during his blistering knock of 63 off 38 before he was removed by Afif Hossain in the 15th over.

Set to chase 206, Bangladesh were bowled out for a paltry 101-run total after sensational bowling from pacer Nortje who grabbed four wickets while spinner Tabraiz Shamsi took three scalps.

Nortje ran through the top order as he struck down both the openers Najmul Shanto (9 off 9) and Soumya Sarkar (15 off 6) in the third over before making another scare in his next over when he got rid of skipper Shakib Al Hasan (1 off 4) cheaply.

No 4 batter Litton Das top-scored for his side with his cautious knock of 31-ball 34 amid an unimpressive batting display by Bangladesh as seven of their batters failed to make it into double figures.

The only positive for the losing side throughout the game was their very tight bowling in the last five overs when they offered just 29 runs while snatching three wickets. Skipper Shakib had two strikes as he dismissed Tristan Stubbs (7 off 7) cheaply before getting rid of danger man Rossouw in the penultimate over. 

MELBOURNE: Uninterrupted rain has forced the Group 1 fixture of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 between Afghanistan and New Zealand to be called off without a ball being bowled, here on Wednesday. 

Following the match abandonment, both teams were awarded a point each. New Zealand moves to the top of the table with three points while Afghanistan sits at the bottom of Group 1 in the Super 12 round.

New Zealand will face Sri Lanka in their next group match on October 29 (Saturday) in Sydney whereas Aghanistan will compete against Ireland, here on Friday.

The top two teams of the group will qualify for the semifinals which are scheduled on November 9 and 10, respectively.

READ: Babar slips to fourth as Conway bags second spot in T20I rankings

 

PERTH: Pakistan cricket team engaged in the optional training session here on Wednesday ahead of the Green Shirts’ second ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 clash against Zimbabwe, scheduled tomorrow. 

According to the details, captain Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Haris, Fakhar Zaman and Usman Qadir participated in the team’s optional training session at Perth Stadium.

The Babar-led side will be eyeing for their first win of the T20 World Cup as they face Zimbabwe, who made their way into Group 2 after defeating Ireland and Netherlands in the first round. The match will start at 4:00 PM(PST).

The team had a productive day as the players went through rigorous batting and bowling net practice during the session.

Earlier on Monday, the team had travelled to Perth from Melbourne, where they played their opening encounter of the tournament against the arch-rivals India at the jam-packed Melbourne Cricket Ground.

After a close defeat at the hands of India in the nerve-wracking contest on Sunday, the Green Shirts have very little to no margin of error in their upcoming group matches in order to qualify for the semifinal.

READ: PSL 8: Hasan, Sarfaraz demoted as PCB renews local player categories

MELBOURNE: Ireland pulled off a major upset of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 on Wednesday as the side beat former champions England by five runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-hit Super 12 clash. 

Set to chase 158, England lost five wickets for 105 runs before the umpires called off the match due to uninterrupted rain, rendering Ireland to clinch an astonishing win as the batting side was five runs behind the target according to the D/L method.

England went through a dismal start to their run chase as skipper Jos Buttler was dismissed by Josh Little on the second ball of the innings. The left-arm pacer then gave another scare in his next over as he sent Alex Hales back to the pavilion after he scored 7 off 5.

Dawid Malan and Harry Brook resisted with a valiant partnership of 57 runs for the fourth wicket after all-rounder Ben Stokes was castled by Fionn Hand to reduce England to 29/3.

Malan top-scored for his side as he played a cautious knock of 37-ball 35 while Brook managed 18 off 21.

No 6 batter Moeen Ali, however,  looked firm on the crease as he blasted a quick 24 off 12 laced with three fours and a six before the rain forced the players to walk back to their dug-outs.

Earlier, the Irish skipper played a glittering knock of 62 off 47 laced with two sixes and five fours while he built a steadfast partnership of 82 runs for the second wicket with Lorcan Tucker who contributed 34 off 27 before getting run out.

Ireland were sailing comfortably on 132/3 in 15.2 overs before Livingstone had two-in-two as he dismissed Balbirnie and the incoming batter George Dockrell for a golden duck to set the alarm bells ringing for Ireland.

The batting side failed to reinvigorate after the fateful blows as they started to lose wickets at regular intervals with the bottom four dismissed in single digits.

Sam Curran bowled an incredible penultimate over as he yorked out Barry McCarthy (3 off 3) before the left-arm pacer castled Fionn Hand (1 off 2) on the final ball.

England’s express fast bowler Mark Wood also had a fantastic outing with the bowl as he bagged three wickets while offering 34 runs in his four overs quota while Livingstone returned the sensational figures of 3/17 in just three overs.

 

MELBOURNE: England won the toss and elected to bowl first against Ireland amid rain threats here at Melbourne Cricket Ground in the Group 1 match of the ICC T20 World Cup Super 12 on Wednesday.

Playing XIs: 

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

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

PERTH: Marcus Stoinis hit the fastest T20I fifty for Australia in just 17 balls as the defending champions crushed Sri Lanka by 7 wickets with 21 balls to spare on Tuesday to keep their T20 World Cup hopes alive after the opening defeat. 

Stoinis blasted a stunning 58 not-out off 18, smashing half-a-dozen gigantic sixes and two fours to take Australia home after they lost three wickets on 89 while chasing a respectable 158-run target.

The right-hander’s 22-minute stay on the crease took a heavy toll on Sri Lankan reliable spinning duo Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, who were thrashed for 19 and 20 runs, respectively.

Skipper Aaron Finch, on the other hand, played a sluggish knock of unbeaten 31 off 42 balls while Glenn Maxwell played a scintillating cameo of 12-ball 23 laced with two fours and two sixes before Stoinis stole the show.

Earlier, a combined effort by Sri Lanka batters against the furious pace attack helped the side to raise 157/6 in the allotted 20 overs after they were put to bat.

Charith Asalanka played a glittering knock of 38 off 25 laced with three fours and two sixes after opener Pathum Nissanka and No 3 batter Dhanajaya de Silva anchored the innings with a valiant 69-run partnership for the second wicket.

Sri Lanka went through a dismal start as opener Kusal Mendis was effectively removed by Patt Cummins in the second over. Silva (26 off 23) then joined Nissanka on the crease to move the scoreboard to 75/1 in 11.2 over before falling prey to Ashton Agar who had replaced Adam Zampa in Australia’s playing XI.

Nissanka played a very cautious knock of 45-ball 40 with only two fours to his credit before a confusion between the wickets between him and Asalanka forced him back to the pavilion in the 14th over.

Following his dismal, the next three wickets fell in quick succession as lower-order batters Bhanuka Rajapaksa (7), skipper Dasun Shanaka (3) and Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva (1) failed to impress.

No 7 batter Chamika Karunaratne, however, hit a couple of boundaries as he made a quick 14 off 7 to help Sri Lanka something to cheer at the end of the innings. 

For Australia, Cummins, Agar, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell took a wicket each.

READ: T20 World Cup: Zampa tests Covid positive ahead of Sri Lanka match

PERTH: Australia won the toss and elected to field first against Sri Lanka in the Group 1 match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 round, here on Tuesday. 

Playing XIs: 

Australia: Aaron Finch (capt), David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood

Sri Lanka:  Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Lahiru Kumara.

HOBART: Zimbabwe coach Dave Houghton has slammed the umpires’ decision to continue with his team’s game against South Africa on Monday despite the heavy amount of rain in Hobart.

Rain played a spoiler in yesterday’s match on multiple instances before it was finally abandoned with South Africa close to sealing a victory. The Proteas required just 13 runs in 24 balls and had 10 wickets in hands but since the innings had not reached the mandatory cut-off mark of five overs, the game ended with no result.

Zimbabwe’s bowlers and fielders frequently voiced their displeasure about the damp outfield during the chase as the rain gradually grew heavier. However, the umpires kept the players in the game even after fast bowler Richard Ngarava slipped and had to be taken off the field injured.

“I don’t think we should have even bowled a ball, to be fair,” said Houghton in a post-match press conference.

“But the umpires are the guys making those decisions out in the middle and they seemed to think it was fit to play. I disagree with them, but there’s not much I can do off the field.”

Talking about Ngarva’s condition, Houghton said: “He’s lying in the changing room with a bunch of ice strapped to his ankle. Obviously we’re not too happy about the fact he’s not in a great space for bowling at the moment.

“I thought the rain had got so heavy it was ridiculous. Most of the evening or nighttime, it was misty. But it got to the stage where we could actually hear it thumping on the rooftop in the dugout. To me, that’s no longer drizzle; that’s time to get off the field.” he expressed.

Furthermore, he added that the field was wet when Zimbabwe started and when South Africa fielded and the conditions had been difficult conditions for both sides but it just got more and more wet as they bowled.

“When your keeper’s sliding trying to move down the leg side standing up to the spinners, it’s too wet. I don’t think the conditions were right to carry on playing,” he concluded.

READ: SA vs ZIM: Quinton de Kock’s heroics in vain as rain washes out play