Tag: ICC World Cup 2023

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan was ruled out of the last group match of his side against Australia in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 due to a fractured index finger.

Shakib broke his finger while batting in the ICC World Cup 2023 match which was overshadowed by Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews becoming the first player in the history of international cricket to be timed out following an appeal by the Bangladesh skipper which he refused to withdraw.

“Shakib was struck on his left index finger early in his innings but continued to bat with supportive taping and painkillers,” said team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan.

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“He underwent an emergency X-ray in Delhi after the game, which confirmed the fracture on the left PIP joint. Recovery is estimated at three to four weeks. He will leave for Bangladesh today to begin his rehab.”

Shakib played a blistering knock of 82 runs from 65 deliveries, laced with 12 boundaries and two sixes.

Bangladesh went on to win the match by three wickets, knocking Sri Lanka out of the ICC World Cup 2023, while Shakib Al Hasan was adjudged man of the match for his all-round exploits.

Bangladesh have only managed to win two of their eight games in the ICC World Cup 2023 and are already out of contention for the final four.

However, they are placed at the seventh spot in the ten-team points table and their last match holds significance for their chance to qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

READ: Sri Lanka court restores sacked cricket board

BAHAWALPUR: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf opened up on the alleged rift within the Pakistan men’s cricket team.

Speaking to the media here on Monday, the PCB head cleared the air on the ongoing controversy regarding the national team, who are participating in the ICC World Cup 2023.

Zaka Ashraf categorically denied any rift within the players and blamed “cricket enemies” for spreading the false rumours.

“There is no infighting in the team,” said Ashraf. “The whole team is united. These baseless stories are created by the enemies of the game.”

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For the unversed, it was reported in late September that Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi got into an argument when the captain expressed his disappointment with the senior players in the dressing room, after losing the deciding Super Four clash of the Asia Cup to Sri Lanka, which led to their elimination from the continental event.

Reports also suggested that things got pretty tense between Babar and Shaheen after the heated argument before wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan intervened to bring the situation back under control.

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Later, the ace pacer Shaheen took to his Instagram account in the evening, sharing a picture with Babar. He captioned the solo picture from a chess game with “Family”.

Babar, who was in Dubai, then flew down to Karachi to attend Shaheen and Ansha Afridi’s wedding reception in the metropolitan.

It appeared that all was well among Green Shirts but their series of losses in the ICC World Cup 2023 reignited the rumours of a rift, especially among the three frontmen of the national cricket team – Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan.

Meanwhile, Zaka Ashraf then extended well wishes for the national team’s ICC World Cup 2023 campaign.

READ: PCB Management Committee extended by three months

Bangladesh drew first blood after opting to bowl, as Sri Lanka lost Kusal Perera on the last ball of their first over with only five runs on the board.

Sri Lanka’s skipper Kusal Mendis then joined Pathum Nissanka and together they knitted a 61-run partnership, dominated by the latter before Bangladesh struck in back-to-back overs to leave the Islanders reeling at 72-3.

Mendis was dismissed by his Bangladeshi counterpart Shakib Al Hasan after his cautious 30-ball 19, while, Nissanka was castled by Tanzim Hasan Sakib in the next over.

Nissanka played a quick knock of 41 runs from 36 balls with the help of eight boundaries.

Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka then added 63 runs for the fourth wicket before the former was out while attempting to hit Shakib Al Hasan out of the park after scoring 41 off 42.

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With Sri Lanka stranded at 135-4, former captain Angelo Mathews came out to bat, however, he found himself in an unfortunate situation as he became the first batter to be given ‘timed-out’ in international cricket.

Charith Asalanka took charge and attacked Bangladesh bowlers, getting reasonable support from Dhananjaya de Silva (34) and Maheesh Theekshana (22).

De Silva added 78 runs with Asalanka during their sixth-wicket stand while Theekshana helped add 45 runs.

Asalanka completed his second ODI century in the 48th over before getting out in the next over. His gusty 108, featured six boundaries and five sixes.

Bangladesh bowlers picked up the final two wickets for a mere run, with Tanzim Hasan Sakib topping the bowling charts with three wickets.

Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews was on Monday given “timed out” in an ICC World Cup 2023 clash against Bangladesh, becoming the first man to suffer the dismissal in the history of international cricket.

Angelo Mathews, who joined the Sri Lankan squad late as a replacement for injured pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana, came down to bat in the 25th over at the fall of Sadeera Samarawickrama’s wicket and scoreboard reading 135-4.

The former captain took more than two minutes to take strike after having issues with his helmet due to a broken strap. Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan appealed for a “timed out” dismissal, which was upheld by the on-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth.

The ICC World Cup 2023 playing conditions pertaining to “timed out” dismissals reads thus:

40.1.1 After the fall of a wicket or the retirement of a batter, the incoming batter must, unless Time has been called, be ready to receive the ball, or for the other batter to be ready to receive the next ball within 2 minutes of the dismissal or retirement. If this requirement is not met, the incoming batter will be out, Timed out.

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Sri Lanka ICC World Cup 2023 squad

Kusal Mendis (c)(wk), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Angelo Mathews, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne

READ: Sri Lanka sacks cricket board days after ICC World Cup 2023 thrashing

Sri Lanka’s sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe sacked the national cricket board on Monday, days after a humiliating defeat by India at the ICC World Cup 2023.

Ranasinghe has been at loggerheads with Sri Lanka Cricket — the richest sports organisation on the financially stricken island — for months over allegations of widespread corruption.

The country’s 1996 World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga, 59, has been appointed chairman of a new interim board, Ranasinghe’s office said in a statement.

The former captain was “the most suitable person to revive cricket”, the minister told reporters in Colombo. “The priority is to get the team to perform better.”

Three judges were included on the seven-member panel to help investigate corruption, he added.

Ranatunga said he had accepted the challenge of rebuilding cricket.

“Sri Lanka Cricket had become known as the most corrupt institution in the country,” he added. “I want to change that image.”

The move came a day after the board’s second-highest officer, secretary Mohan de Silva, quit.

Minister Ranasinghe publicly demanded the entire board’s resignations after Sri Lanka’s 302-run thrashing by hosts India in ICC World Cup 2023 last week.

Sri Lanka were at one point 14-6 and were all out for 55, the fourth-lowest World Cup total in history, while chasing India’s 358 in Mumbai.

The defeat prompted a public outcry and police have been deployed outside the board office in Colombo since Saturday when there were angry protests.

Ranasinghe said that Sri Lanka Cricket officials had no moral or ethical right to remain in office.

“They should voluntarily resign,” he said, having previously accused the board of being “traitorous and corrupt”.

Sri Lanka play Bangladesh later on Monday and need a mathematical miracle if they are to squeeze into the last four of the ICC World Cup 2023.

The interim panel is the 10th appointed by a sports minister for various reasons since 1999 — when the government intervened after the president’s uncle lost the election to lead the board — despite International Cricket Council rules against political interference.

On Saturday Ranasinghe wrote to full members of the ICC asking for their understanding and support.

“Sri Lanka Cricket has been besieged with complaints of player disciplinary issues, management corruption, financial misconduct and match-fixing allegations,” Ranasinghe said in the letters, released to Sri Lankan media.

“I would like to emphasise that interim measures will only be taken to establish good governance principles.”

The minister was last month forced by the ICC to withdraw a three-member panel he had appointed to investigate alleged corruption at the board after it was deemed to violate the interference rules.

There was no immediate reaction from the ICC to Ranasinghe’s latest move and dismissed board president Shammi Silva, who was elected to a third consecutive term in May, also did not comment.

Sri Lanka have not won the World Cup since 1996, with Ranasinghe blaming the board for the “deterioration” of standards.

Another cabinet minister, Prasanna Ranatunga — brother of the newly appointed interim board chairman — told parliament in August that the 1996 triumph had been “the biggest curse for our cricket”.

“Money started flowing to the cricket board after 1996 and with that came those who wanted to steal,” he said.

A former sports minister, Harin Fernando, introduced tough anti-corruption laws in 2019 after saying that the ICC considered Sri Lanka one of the world’s most corrupt cricketing nations.

READ: First Pakistan vs Australia Test to be named as ‘West Test’

BENGALURU: Pakistan’s miraculous victory over New Zealand in the ICC World Cup 2023 has been soured after the team was sanctioned for maintaining a slow over-rate during the match.

On-field umpires Paul Wilson and Richard Kettleborough, third umpire Richard Illingworth and fourth umpire Joel Wilson levelled the charge.

“Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after Babar Azam’s side was ruled to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration,” said a statement issued by the cricketing body.

Under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined five percent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

Babar pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

This wasn’t the first time Pakistan was sanctioned for slow over-rate in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.

The Asian side was fined 20 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against South Africa, according to ICC.

As far as the match is concerned, Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman hit an explosive 126 off 81 balls while chasing New Zealand’s huge 402-run target, leading Pakistan to a crucial DLS win.

Set to chase 402, Pakistan edged New Zealand by 21 runs as per the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern (DLS) method, keeping their semi-final hopes alive.

The green shirts had a contrasting start to their pursuit as their in-form opener Abdullah Shafique (4) perished cheaply with just six runs on the board in two overs.

Despite the early blow, Fakhar Zaman launched an onslaught on the Blackcaps’ bowlers and brought up his 11th ODI century in just 61 deliveries.

The win was Pakistan’s fourth of their campaign and leaves them in contention to finish in the top four places on the standings with a victory over England in their final match of the group stage on Saturday.

READ: Virat Kohli equals Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most ODI centuries

KOLKATA: India’s batting maestro Virat Kohli on his 35th birthday equalled legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record of most ODI centuries in the ICC World Cup 2023 fixture against South Africa.

Kohli conceded 119 deliveries to reach the record-equalling hundred, getting to the landmark in the 49th over of India’s innings by working Kagiso Rabada’s length delivery to cover for a single at the iconic Eden Gardens.

India’s batting great Tendulkar took 451 innings to score his 49th ton while Virat Kohli achieved the feat in 277th innings in his 289th match.

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Notably, this was his 79th international century overall, taking a step closer to Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 centuries across formats.

Furthermore, Virat Kohli has thus far scored two centuries in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 and is the second leading run-scorer of the tournament behind South Africa’s Quinton de Kock.

Kohli has thus far enjoyed a purple patch in this year’s global event, where the right-handed batter averages more than hundred and has a strike rate of around 85.

He has also scored more than 500 runs in an ODI World Cup for the first time in his prolific career.

Virat Kohli’s record century came in what has been a successful year for the star batter. He has scored more than thousand runs with the help of five tons in 2023, at an average of more than 70 and a strike rate of nearly 100.

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It is the eighth time in Kohli’s career that he has scored more than thousand ODI runs in a year, surpassing Tendulkar’s record of seven.

Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 101 turned out to be the centrepiece of tournament hosts India’s 326/5 in their 50 overs.

He shared a third-wicket partnership of 134 with Shreyas Iyer (77) after India captain Rohit Sharma (40) had won the toss on what turned out to be a tricky pitch.

READ: Kohli scores record ton to power India to 326 against South Africa