Day: January 24, 2022

Dubai, January 24, 2022 (PPI-OT):The business end of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 has arrived and we now know who will contest the Super League stage and the Plate competition.

Six of the eight Super League teams have previously won the tournament, with India, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, England and defending champions Bangladesh all through.

Sri Lanka, who finished as runners-up in 2000, and Afghanistan are the two other teams still in with a chance of lifting the title at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium on February 5.

Meanwhile in the Plate quarter-finals, hosts West Indies will look to bounce back from missing out on a Super League spot and finish their first tournament on home soil on a high.

They will be joined by United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Ireland, Canada, Zimbabwe, Scotland and Papua New Guinea in what is set to be an absorbing contest to decide the Plate winners.

Super League quarter-finals

Four-time champions India enter the Super League stages in formidable form, having won all three of their games in Group B to finish top and set up a clash with Bangladesh.

Huge centuries from Raj Bawa and Angkrish Raghuvanshi saw India conclude the group format with a thumping 326-run victory over Uganda having already beaten South Africa and Ireland.

Bangladesh’s passage was not quite as stress-free, with the defending 2020 champions recovering from losing their opening game to England to finish second in Group A.

An eight-wicket win over Canada was followed by a nine-wicket triumph (DLS) in a rain-interrupted game against UAE to set up a rematch of the final two years ago.

And while India will fancy avenging their three-wicket defeat in the 2020 showpiece, Bangladesh are finding their stride at just the right time to set the stage for an epic battle.

Like India, England have reached the Super League stage with a clean sweep, following up that win over Bangladesh with 106 and 189-run victories over Canada and UAE, respectively.

Tom Prest has led from the front for the Young Lions, scoring 93 and an unbeaten 154 in his last two outings to set up a showdown with Group B runners-up South Africa in the last eight.

2014 champions South Africa shook off their opening defeat to India to beat Uganda by 121 runs before dispatching Ireland with a 153-run victory (DLS) in a rain-affected contest.

A century from skipper George Van Heerden last time out, as well as the superb form of Dewald Brevis with the bat, will give South Africa confidence they can beat the 1998 champions.

Elsewhere, the two teams yet to win the ICC U19 Men’s CWC will also face off against each other for a semi-final place as Group D winners Sri Lanka take on Group C runners-up Afghanistan.

Sri Lanka topped a tough group that included three-time champions Australia and hosts West Indies, beating both teams and Scotland to lay down an impressive marker.

Afghanistan sandwiched a defeat to Group C winners Pakistan with wins over Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe as Suliman Safi starred with the bat to take Player of the Match in both victories.

And completing the Super League quarter-final line-up is a fascinating showdown between Pakistan and Australia – two of the most successful teams in this competition behind India.

Two-time winners Pakistan have match-winners everywhere you look and swept through Group C with a perfect record as they beat Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea.

Australia, on the other hand, had to settle for second in Group D after losing by four wickets to Sri Lanka in between Teague Wyllie-inspired wins over West Indies and Scotland.

But while Pakistan have momentum on their side, Australia are well versed with the latter stages of this competition and will be looking to add to their 1988, 2002 and 2010 titles.

Plate quarter-finals

UAE take on Uganda at Queen’s Park Oval and Ireland face Canada at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in a double-header on January 25 to kick off the Plate quarter-finals.

A victory over Canada in their opening Group A contest had the UAE dreaming of a potential Super League place but defeats to England and Bangladesh put paid to that.

Yet this is only their third ICC U19 Men’s CWC appearance and they are still in with a chance of achieving their best finish with a good Plate run as they look to better 2014’s 12th place.

Opponents Uganda are similarly inexperienced on the world stage and are still searching for their first win in this year’s tournament, having finished bottom of Group B with three defeats.

Skipper Pascal Murungi has shown plenty of fight with the bat and ball, though, and their sights will now be set on surpassing their previous best finish of 14th from 2004 and 2006.

Ireland were one of Uganda’s rivals in Group B and having won their opening match-up by 39 runs, Tim Tector’s side will now turn their focus to a Plate clash with Canada.

Canada pushed UAE close in their Group A curtain-raiser before falling to defeat, while they also lost to England and defending champions Bangladesh to finish bottom.

Mihir Patel’s batting has been one of the highlights for the Canadians and they will need him to be at his best as they attempt to upset Ireland and reach the Plate semi-finals.

The winner of that contest will face whoever comes out on top in the quarter-final between Zimbabwe and Scotland, who finished third and fourth in Group C and D, respectively.

Zimbabwe could not have asked for a better start to the ICC U19 Men’s CWC as they romped to a 228-run victory over Papua New Guinea with a century from Emmanuel Bawa.

But defeats to Pakistan and Afghanistan ended their Super League hopes and their chances of equaling or bettering their sixth-place finish back in the 2004 edition.

Their challenge now is to regroup and go again in the Plate competition, where Scotland await after they finished bottom of Group D following defeats to Sri Lanka, West Indies and Australia.

Jack Jarvis, Oliver Davidson and Tomas Mackintosh have all impressed with the bat at different stages for Scotland but it’s now about putting together the complete performance.

The last Plate quarter-final sees West Indies take on Papua New Guinea, with the hosts and 2016 champions bidding to put their disappointment behind them quickly.

Kevin Wickham’s half-century and McKenny Clarke’s spell of two for 39 was not enough against Sri Lanka in their final Group D match, as they lost by four wickets and missed out on the Super League.

Defeat to Australia in their opening game also proved costly but with potentially three more games to come, West Indies can still give their fans plenty to cheer about on home soil.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, January 24, 2022 (PPI-OT):As part of the 2021 edition of the ICC Awards, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Indian opener Smriti Mandhana as the recipient of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2021.

Mandhana has had a fabulous 2021 across all formats of the game. She scored, 855 runs in 22 internationals at an average of 38.86 which included one century and five half-centuries. In the limited-overs series against South Africa where India won two of the eight matches at home, Mandhana played a major role in both wins. She made 80 not out as India chased down 158 in the second ODI that helped them level the series and scored 48 not out in the win in the final T20I.

Mandhana also scored 78 in the first innings of the one-off Test against England that ended in a draw. In the ODI series against Australia, Mandhana scored 86 in the second ODI. She compiled a brilliant century in the only Test against Australia, which was also the first of her career and was awarded the Player of the Match.

Commenting on receiving the honour Smriti Mandhana, said: “I am truly honoured for receiving the prestigious Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2021. I am grateful to my teammates, my coaches, my family, friends and fans who believed in my potential and supported me in this journey. A recognition of such high class from the global governing body of cricket in an exceptional and difficult year will motivate me to continue to better my game and contribute to Team India’s success going forward.

“I look forward to 2022 with a clear focus on winning the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 in New Zealand as we continue to prepare as a team and unit.”

For all information on the ICC Awards 2021 please refer to the https://www.icc-cricket.com/awards page.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, January 24, 2022 (PPI-OT):As part of the 2021 edition of the ICC Awards, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced England’s Joe Root as the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year 2021 for his consistent performance across the format in 2021.

In 2021, Root amassed 1708 runs in 15 matches which included six centuries. He was in sublime form, as he became only the third player in the history of the game to aggregate over 1700 runs in Test cricket in a calendar year joining the elite club of Mohammad Yousuf and Sir Vivian Richards ahead of him.

Root’s 218 in the first Test of the four-match series against India in Chennai was a masterclass in batting. He tackled a quality bowling attack, both pace and spin, with ease and continued his form from the series in Sri Lanka.

Commenting on receiving the honour England Test Captain Joe Root, said: England Test Captain, Joe Root, said: “I’m honoured to have won the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of The Year. To beat the best players in red-ball cricket to this award is some achievement.

“It has been my best 12 months with the bat in what has been a challenging period for the England Test team. From a personal point of view, I felt in good form and relaxed at the crease.

“My hope for 2022 is that I can build on my individual performances for what promises to be a crucial 12-month campaign for the England Men’s Test team.”

For all information on the ICC Awards 2021 please refer to the https://www.icc-cricket.com/awards page.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, January 24, 2022 (PPI-OT):As part of the 2021 edition of the ICC Awards, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Lizelle Lee of South Africa and Babar Azam of Pakistan as the ICC ODI Cricketers of the Year 2021across women’s and men’s international cricket respectively.

Lizelle Lee has had an outstanding year in ODI cricket. She scored 632 runs in 11 matches at an average of 90.28 that included a century and five half-centuries. Lee also finished as the highest run-scorer in 2021 in fifty over format. In South Africa’s tour of India, Lee was unstoppable, contributing with big runs in the 4-1 series win for her team. With 288 runs, including a hundred and two fifties, she ended the series as the highest run-scorer and was also awarded the Player of the Series. Lee scored the highest individual ODI score of her career at 132* in the third match of the series against India. She carried her form over to the series against West Indies and was once again the top run-getter in the series.

Commenting on receiving the honour Lizelle Lee, said: “I am very privileged and honoured to have been awarded the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year. I honestly didn’t expect this. It is a privilege just to be nominated, anyone could have won this award. It is truly an honour!

“There are so many that I would like to give credit to not just on the field but off the field too. Firstly, I would like to thank my family which has been my number one support system, my parents and my wife, our coaching staff, and teammates, without whom none of this would have been possible.”

In the men’s category, Pakistani skipper Babar Azam has had an impressive 2021 across all formats of the game. He scored a total of 405 runs in six matches at an average of 67.50 which included two centuries. Babar was the second-highest run-scorer with 228 runs and was also the Player of the Match in both matches that Pakistan won against South Africa.

Commenting on the honour Babar Azam said: “I feel humbled to have been voted as the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year a few days after being adjudged by the PCB as their ODI Cricketer of 2021. Recognition by the parent and then the world administrative bodies means a lot and gives me tremendous satisfaction and happiness.

“It has been an excellent year for Pakistan cricket across all formats and I am delighted to have been part of an outstanding bunch of players who displayed their very best, both on and off the field that, in turn, earned them well deserved respect and acknowledgement from the opponents and fans alike.

“One of the best parts of 2021 was the side was able to further strengthen their connection with Pakistan cricket fans and I remain confident that this bonding will get stronger as we head into 2022, which will be more challenging and demanding than the year that has just finished.”

For all information on the ICC Awards 2021 please refer to the https://www.icc-cricket.com/awards page.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, January 24, 2022 (PPI-OT):As part of the 2021 edition of the ICC Awards, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Pakistani pacer Shaheen Afridi as the recipient of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2021.

Afridi has had a fabulous 2021 across all three formats of the game. He took 78 wickets in 36 internationals at an average of 22.20. His contribution in the Test and T20I formats of the game was phenomenal. At the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Afridi took seven wickets in six matches aiding Pakistan formidably to make it to the semi-finals of the tournament.

In the Test format, Afridi remained consistent and claimed 47 wickets in only nine matches at a staggering average of 17.06. His most memorable performance was at the high stakes game against India at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He claimed three wickets in that match which included the wickets of opening pair Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul and that of India captain Virat Kohli in the death overs.

Commenting on receiving the honour Shaheen Afridi, said: “I feel truly honoured and privileged to become the first Pakistan cricketer to win the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year. I had always dreamt of doing something unique and special for Pakistan. In this background, I am elated and thank Almighty for blessing me with this respect.

“I also feel humbled to join a galaxy of legends who have previously won the Garfield Sobers Trophy. I have grown up watching the exploits of these cricketers and now to be bracketed with them is a matter of great honour and pride for me, my family, my teammates and my country.

“This award is a testament to the high quality of cricket we played as a group during another difficult and challenging year. This required a lot of mental and physical toughness on a consistent basis, and I am glad we all were able to maintain the high standards to live up to the expectations of our fans.

“Every performance I gave for Pakistan was enjoyable and memorable and was made possible through the support of my teammates. But to me, the standout performances remained the three wickets against India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, and the 18 wickets I took in the two-Test series against the West Indies in Jamaica.

“I look forward to 2022 with optimism and hope I will be able to contribute regularly in Pakistan’s successes as at the end of the day, it all depends how we perform as a team and unit.”

For all information on the ICC Awards 2021 please refer to the https://www.icc-cricket.com/awards page.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com