February 19, 2023 – Page 2 – Newswire Pakistan

February 19, 2023February 20, 2023

Second Test victory sees India tighten grip on qualification for the World Test Championship Final

Dubai, February 19, 2023 (PPI-OT):The race to qualification for the ICC World Test Championship Final took another turn on Sunday as India claimed a thrilling six-wicket victory over Australia to move a step closer to sealing their place at the Ultimate Test at the Oval on 7 June.

The hosts’ six-wicket victory in the second Test strengthens their claim for a spot at the Ultimate Test

Australia’s qualification hopes suffer another setback, yet they remain atop the WTC standings

South Africa drop out of contention, leaving Sri Lanka as the lone challenger for a place at The Oval in June

The World Test Championship has seen two years of intense competition in the longest format, and the second Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy characterised the ebb and flow that has been present throughout, with both sides wrestling for control of the match before Rohit Sharma’s men triumphed on a dramatic day in Delhi.

With the top two teams in the ICC World Test Championship standings securing a place in June’s Final, the result still means that Australia and India control their own destiny as we edge towards the conclusion of the competition.

Australia remain atop the standings despite the defeat reducing their percentage tally to 66.67%, while India widen the gap between themselves and third spot thanks to their victory in Delhi, moving to 64.06%.

As a result of India’s victory, the number of teams able to qualify for the Final shrinks from four to three. South Africa drop out of contention, unable to reach the percentage points required to break into the top two, leaving Sri Lanka as the lone challenger for a place at the Ultimate Test.

Sri Lanka currently sit third in the standings on 53.33%, and they head to New Zealand next month knowing that not only must they win both Tests in their two-match series to stand any chance of qualification, but they are also reliant on favourable results in the remaining Tests between India and Australia.

The third Test between India and Australia starts in Indore on 1 March with the hosts able to secure their place at The Oval with another victory. Anything less, and Australia will become the first team to qualify for the World Test Championship Final.

With so much still to play for, the race to qualification promises to provide more tension and excitement before the top two teams take to the field on 7 June with the coveted ICC World Test Championship Mace and a place in history at stake.

More about the ICC World Test Championship can be found here.

Remaining ICC World Test Championship Fixtures

South Africa v West Indies (1st Test) – Centurion, South Africa, 28 February-4 March

India v Australia (3rd Test) – Indore, India, 1-5 March

South Africa v West Indies (2nd Test) – Johannesburg, South Africa, 8-12 March

New Zealand v Sri Lanka (1st Test) – Christchurch, New Zealand, 9-13 March

India v Australia (4th Test) – Ahmedabad, India, 9-13 March

New Zealand v Sri Lanka (2nd Test) – Wellington, New Zealand, 17-21 March

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

February 19, 2023February 20, 2023

Williams guilty of breaching ICC Code of Conduct

Dubai, February 19, 2023 (PPI-OT):Rashada Williams of the West Indies has been fined 15 per cent of her match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 match against Ireland in Cape Town on Friday.

Williams was found to have breached Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator) during an International Match.”

In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Williams’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.

The incident occurred in the sixth over of West Indies’ innings, when Williams made deliberate physical contact with bowler Leah Paul after being run out.

Williams admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Shandre Fritz of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

On-field umpires Eloise Sheridan and Vrinda Rathi, third umpire Lauren Agenbag and fourth umpire N Janani levelled the charge.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

February 19, 2023February 20, 2023

Matthews credits Windies fielding for Pakistan triumph

Dubai, February 19, 2023 (PPI-OT):Hayley Matthews hailed West Indies’ fielding as the key to their thrilling three-run triumph over Pakistan.

Matthews dragged her side to victory, scoring a smart 20 having chosen to bat and then two for 14 with the ball either side of a brilliant catch.

But the Windies skipper reserved special praise for her players’ tenacity in the field as they successfully defended a paltry target of 117.

She said: “As West Indians we tend to take the games a bit close! We’re just really happy to get over the line in the end.

“We knew we had to be extra special in the field. We spoke about really getting our bodies behind the ball and not only winning it with bat and ball but also with our fielding.

“My catch was one of those reaction ones, stuck in the middle of the palm and I’m happy to contribute.”

Matthews has made scores of 42 and 66 in South Africa and has often played a lone hand with the bat.

Against Pakistan she was backed up by keeper-batter Rashada Williams who anchored the innings with a composed 30 and lifted her side to a defendable total.

It has been a turbulent few months for Windies, without a win in the T20I format since September before beating Ireland, now celebrating back-to-back wins and mathematically still in contention for the semi-finals.

“We’ve had a tough couple of months but it’s really good we have been able to bring the momentum in and play a hard game,” said Matthews.

“We need a couple of results to go our way (to qualify) but all we could do was come out and play well.

“We have a lot of young players coming in and the older girls are supporting them. It’s brilliant to see them get the opportunity to play in a tournament like this.

“It is going to be an exciting journey to see them progress.”

Pakistan’s campaign hasn’t got out of first gear with victory over Ireland sandwiched by morale-sapping defeats to rivals India and now West Indies.

They found a semblance of control in the middle overs through the spin of Sadia Iqbal and Nidar Dar but struggled to find the boundary in reply and left their excellent finishers with too much to do.

Captain Bismah Maroof said: “It is hurtful. It was a very close match and we weren’t up to the mark with the bat.

“The wickets are very slow and their spin department is very good. The match against England is very important for us, I think we have played good cricket and hopefully we continue that.”

February 19, 2023February 20, 2023

Devine proud of White Ferns comeback

Dubai, February 19, 2023 (PPI-OT):Sophie Devine spoke of her pride at New Zealand’s performance as they stayed in the Group 1 fight with a thumping win over Sri Lanka.

The White Ferns grasped an outside chance of sealing progress to the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup with a 102-run romp in Paarl.

Having picked themselves up off the canvas following defeats in their first two games, Devine lauded her side’s resilience to stay alive in South Africa.

“We just wish that was how we played in the first game!” said Devine.

“I was embarrassed after the first game but now I just feel extreme pride, to be able to bounce back in the way that we have.

“We’ve given ourselves a chance. Even if it’s a tiny, small chance, we’re still in with a shout and that’s why I’m really proud of this group

“The partnerships we built were outstanding and we always felt 160 was the target, we knew it was a tough wicket and that would be a competitive total. The bowlers were also outstanding.”

Amelia Kerr won the Player of the Match for a sublime 66 with the bat as New Zealand posted a towering 162 for three.

She then took two wickets for just seven runs with her leg spin as Sri Lanka were rolled for just 60.

Kerr said: “It’s nice to get a big win for the team. It was a tough start to the tournament so to get that win was awesome.

“I’ve been a bit light on runs myself so it was great to get that time in the middle and bat with Suzie, who is a class act.

“With the ball, it feels like it’s coming out really well. Our spin coach Craig Howard has done some great work with our young spin group and I’m loving bowling more than ever.”

It was a difficult day at the office for Chamari Athapaththu’s side, who saw their semi-final hopes go up in smoke.

Athapaththu felt a lack of big-stage experience hampered her team.

She said: “It was a tough day. As a bowling unit, we wanted earlier wickets and we felt 140 was a good score to chase.

“It’s not easy to chase anything more than that and as a batting unit, we had to stick to our plans and play our natural game. Early wickets stopped us doing that and that’s why we lost.

“The game plan didn’t come together. As a captain, the players need some experience. I have only a few senior players in the team, a lot of them are very young and haven’t played a lot of cricket.

“They don’t have enough experience for this kind of game. This game was very crucial for us. As a team we need to stick to our plans and not take too much pressure on our shoulders.

“We have played some good cricket in this tournament. We’ve learned a lot of things and we’ll try to carry those things forward and play good cricket in the future.”

February 19, 2023February 20, 2023

Ireland pledge to make one final push against India

Dubai, February 19, 2023 (PPI-OT):Ireland captain Laura Delany promised there is more to come from her side as they end their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 campaign against India on Monday.

Delany’s side are winless from their first three matches, with narrow defeat against West Indies on Friday ensuring they could not qualify for the semi-finals.

It means their tournament will come to an end at St George’s Park in Gqeberha against an India side looking to bounce back from defeat to England.

“We know that we’ve performed well in certain aspects of the game throughout the last number of games, but there are certain areas that we definitely want to target now in this last game,” she said.

“What’s most exciting for us is that we haven’t played our best cricket yet and we want to put in a really good performance tomorrow and show everyone what we’re capable of.

“We’ve performed well in certain parts of the game. Our top order has performed with great intent, but then we’ve failed to kick on in the latter stages of the batting innings.

“We’ve bowled well at times; we just haven’t been consistent; we haven’t backed it up. One area that we really want to try and focus on is making sure that if we perform with the bat, we back that up in the same game with the ball.”

Youngsters such as Orla Prendergast, 20, and Gabby Lewis, 21, have impressed with the bat so far in South Africa, with Prendergast hitting 61 off 47 balls against West Indies as part of a 90-run partnership with Lewis.

It is the first World Cup for many of Ireland’s players, and Delany knows her side will be much better in the future for the experience of pitting themselves against the best in the world.

“At times throughout this tournament, nerves have definitely got the better of a few players, which is understandable,” she added.

“There are several players in this group that have never competed in a World Cup before and haven’t played against certain sides like England and tomorrow against India, there’ll be some girls that have never played against India.

“I’m really excited about where this team can go. I know the past few performances may not have shown that to everyone else but being involved and leading this team is such an honour and I know that we’re heading in the right direction irrespective of the results.

“There’s so much potential within this team and the squad at the moment. And if we keep putting our best foot forward, hopefully we’ll just keep tracking in the right direction.”

While Ireland will be looking to end on a high, India know a win will go a long way to ensuring their tournament continues into the semi-finals.

Despite England slipping to 29 for three at the start of their innings thanks to the superb bowling of Renuka Thakur, who took five for 15, India were unable to chase down 152.

The 11-run loss means a second-place finish in Group B is the most likely, but field coach Subhadeep Ghosh insisted there would be no panic or big changes.

“Yesterday’s match was a very good match,” said Subhadeep. “I think both the sides played well.

“I think 150 was chaseable, definitely, and we were in the game throughout the 20 overs. We were in the game till the 20th over. One or two sixes would have been a different story.

“We have to give credit to the English bowlers. They kept us under pressure, and they fielded well. They didn’t give us the boundaries.”

February 19, 2023February 20, 2023

West Indies squeeze past Pakistan in thriller

Dubai, February 19, 2023 (PPI-OT):West Indies kept their slender semi-final hopes alive with a nail-biting three-run win over Pakistan that went down to the last ball.

Bidding to build on their win over Ireland, Windies opted to bat and posted a below-par 116-6 at Boland Park in Paarl.

Skipper Hayley Matthews took key Pakistan wickets early and late in the innings to inspire her side to a dramatic victory.

Matthews and Rashada Williams flayed 15 from the bowling of Aiman Anwer in the fourth over but navigated the power play in cagey fashion.

Matthews perished late in the power play when she tried to lift Fatima Sana over the midwicket boundary but only found the hands of Sidra Ameen.

It was a massive wicket that sparked wild celebrations but not a flurry of scalps as Shemaine Campbelle joined Williams and the pair put on 40 at a run-a-ball.

The second-wicket stand came to a tame end when Williams offered a simple return catch to the outstanding Sadia Iqbal to depart for 30.

Chinelle Henry muscled two boundaries but was trapped in front by Nida Dar for 11 and Campbelle went in the next over, smartly stumped by Muneeba Ali.

Nida Dar bowled Aaliyah Alleyne in the penultimate over, her 125th T20I wicket, making her the joint-leading wicket-taker in the history of the format.

Pakistan began cautiously in reply to 116-6 and it was Windies game-changer Matthews who got the breakthrough, dismissing the dangerous Muneeba Ali for five in the fourth over.

Matthews was at the heart of the action again two balls later when she took a sharp catch at midwicket to account for Sidra Ameen, with Pakistan 15 for two.

The experienced pairing of Bismah and Nida then embarked on a measured partnership that rarely got out of first gear until the latter whipped Henry to the midwicket fence in the 13th.

Nida looked to go aerial again in the next over but was deceived in the flight by Afy Fletcher and caught at extra cover by Karishma Ramharack, with 57 runs still required.

Pakistan have been by some distance the best finishers at this tournament and Aliya Riaz began to free her arms.

But she lost the stabilising influence of Bismah who was given out LBW on review after mistiming a reverse sweep off the bowling of Matthews.

Aliya and Fatima needed 18 from the final over and they took 13 from Shamilia Connell’s first four balls with some brilliant hitting, before Aliya chopped on to her own stumps to dramatically end Pakistan’s hopes.

Scores in brief

West Indies beat Pakistan at Boland Park, Paarl by three runs

West Indies 116 for 6 in 20 overs (Rashada Williams 30, Shemaine Campbelle 22; Nida Dar 2/13, Fatima Sana 1/10)

Pakistan 113 for 5 in 20 overs (Aliya Riaz 29, Nida Dar 27; Hayley Matthews 2/14, Karishma Ramharack 1/18)

Player of the Match: Hayley Matthews (West Indies)