Category: Games

Dubai, July 14, 2022 (PPI-OT):The last two semi-final spots at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B were claimed by Netherlands and Papua New Guinea on a dramatic final day of group action.

The Dutch were in prime position heading into their match with Uganda, and duly made it three wins from three to top Group A, while PNG made it through on net run-rate despite a two-wicket defeat to Hong Kong.

The semi-final places from Group B had already been decided, with Zimbabwe and the USA each winning their first two matches. Zimbabwe prevailed in the meeting between the sides by 46 runs to top the group and set up a clash with PNG in the semi-finals, with the USA up against the Netherlands.

In the other match in Group B, Jersey got the better of Singapore to claim their first win of the campaign by 13 runs.

Netherlands march on with perfect record

With two big wins already under their belts, the Netherlands were all but guaranteed a place in the semi-finals before taking on Uganda. They underlined their position as the team to beat in Group A with a comprehensive 97-run success to top the pile.

After being put into bat, it was Max O’Dowd (73) and Tom Cooper (81 not out) who set the Dutch up for a big total, adding 121 for the third wicket on the way to a score of 187 for three.

Cooper needed just 42 balls for his knock as he motored along and it soon became clear that Uganda were not going to come close in the chase.

In fact, Fred Klaassen (5/19) enjoyed the perfect start by removing Roger Mukasa and Ronak Patel with the opening two deliveries of the innings to leave Uganda with a mountain to climb. The opening bowler continued to chip away, and had five wickets before five overs were up as Uganda slumped to 22 for five.

From there, it was simply a case of how big the margin of victory would be. Bas de Leede (2/11) picked up a couple of wickets late on, and while Uganda did bat out their 20 overs, they finished up on 90 for 9.

Ura knock keeps PNG alive in Hong Kong defeat

The other place in the semi-finals was very much up for grabs, with both Papua New Guinea and Uganda on a win apiece, while Hong Kong knew a big win against PNG would keep them right in contention.

They got the victory, getting home on the final delivery, but it was enough to overhaul PNG in second place in Group A.

Their challenge in overhauling the net run-rate disadvantage was made much more difficult by Tony Ura, who smashed a blistering 83 from just 33 deliveries after PNG had been put in, helping them to a total of 185 for seven.

Charles Amini (37) and Lega Siaka (21) had already chipped in with some valuable runs at the top of the order while Ehsan Khan (3/19) was the pick of the bowlers for Hong Kong.

The reply was similarly built around one innings, Babar Hayat doing the damage with a 45-ball 86. He and Zeeshan Ali (42) added 70 for the fifth wicket to put Hong Kong in a good position but Kabua Morea (3/34) removed them both to bring PNG back into it.

It went down to the final over but in the end, Hong Kong got over the line thanks to a single from Shahid Wasif off the final delivery to clinch a two-wicket win.

Raza and Masakadza fires hosts past the States

With two wins each, Zimbabwe and the USA knew that semi-final qualification was already in the bag, it was simply a case of who would take top spot in Group B.

The home side proved the stronger on the day in Bulawayo, with Sikandar Raza’s unbeaten 82 helping them make 185 for six after electing to bat.

Regis Chakbava (31) and Sean Williams (37) had already laid the platform before Raza came out all guns blazing, hitting five sixes in just 40 deliveries to take them to a big total.

Steven Taylor (46) gave the USA some valuable runs at the top of the order but after a 55-run opening stand, they started to falter. Wellington Masakadza was the main architect of their downfall, taking four for 11, and despite an unbeaten 24 from Nisarg Patel, they could only manage 139 for eight in reply in a 46-run loss.

Jersey finish group stage with a victory

In the battle of the winless sides in Group B, it was Jersey who held their nerve to edge out Singapore by 13 runs.

An opening stand of 54 between Harrison Carlyon (18) and Nick Greenwood (44) gave them a good start, with Jonty Jenner chipping in with 35 from 23 deliveries as they finished on 154 for seven.

Carlyon then had an immediate impact with the ball, taking two for five from his two overs, including a maiden, as Singapore quickly found themselves in trouble.

The score was 33 for three when Manpreet Singh came to the crease, with the keeper smashing 59 from 37 deliveries to give his team a chance.

When he fell with three overs remaining however, Singapore’s hopes went with him, and they eventually finished up on 141 for seven, 13 runs short.

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, July 14, 2022 (PPI-OT):The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that Bangladesh’s Shohidul Islam has been suspended from all cricket-related activities for 10 months after pleading guilty to breaching Article 2.1 of the ICC Anti-Doping Code.

Shohidul had provided a urine sample as part of the ICC’s out-of-competition testing programme in Dhaka on 4 March 2022, which was found to contain Clomifene. Clomifene is classified as a Specified Substance under WADA’s Prohibited List and is prohibited both in-competition and out-of-competition.

The 27-year-old fast bowler admitted the violation and accepted a 10-month suspension. The suspension is backdated to 28 May 2022, the date of his acceptance of a voluntary Provisional Suspension. He will, therefore, be eligible to return to cricket on 28 March 2023.

In making the decision, the ICC accepted that Shohidul had demonstrated no significant fault or negligence, having inadvertently ingested the prohibited substance which was contained in a medicine he had been legitimately prescribed for therapeutic reasons.

Shohidul was able to satisfy the ICC that he had no intention to enhance his sporting performance by using prohibited substances.

However, Shohidul accepted that he had failed to satisfy the high levels of personal responsibility incumbent upon him as an international cricketer subject to anti-doping rules.

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, July 13, 2022 (PPI-OT):Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has regained the top spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings after a career-best haul of six for 19 that helped India romp to a 10-wicket victory in the first ODI against England at The Oval on Tuesday.

Bumrah had lost the top spot to New Zealand’s Trent Boult in February 2020 after being No. 1 for most of the preceding two years. He has been at the top for a total of 730 days, more than any other Indian and the ninth-most in history.

Bumrah, who has been No. 1 in T20Is in the past and is currently at a career-best third position in Tests, is only the second Indian fast bowler after Kapil Dev to be No. 1 in the ODI rankings. Maninder Singh, Anil Kumble and Ravindra Jadeja are the other India bowlers to have attained top ranking.

Bumrah’s new-ball partner Mohammad Shami too has gained after grabbing three for 31 and playing his role in skittling England out for 110 in 25.2 overs. Shami has progressed three slots to reach joint-23rd position along with team-mate Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

The Indian opening batting pair too have some improvement to show after taking the team through to their target in just 18.4 overs. Captain Rohit Sharma has bridged the gap with third-placed Virat Kohli to just one rating point after his brisk 76 not out while left-hander Shikhar Dhawan has inched up one slot to 12th position after his unbeaten 31.

In the latest weekly rankings update that also considers performances in the first two Ireland versus New Zealand matches that are part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, and the first West Indies versus Bangladesh match, England captain Jos Buttler has moved up one slot to 24th after top-scoring for England with 30.

Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal (up one place to 19th), New Zealand’s Tom Latham (up one place to 21st) and Ireland’s Harry Tector (up 10 places to 34th) are the others to move up the ODI rankings for batters while Bangladesh spinner Mehidy Hasan (up two places to sixth) and New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson (re-entered at 18th) are the other notable gainers among bowlers.

In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, India batter Suryakumar Yadav has gained 44 slots to reach a career-best fifth position after his valiant 117 in the final match of a three-T20I series against England. Nicholas Pooran of the West Indies is up five places to eighth after a match-winning 74 not out in the final match of their series against Bangladesh.

India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has surged seven places to a career-best seventh position after a haul of three for 15 in the second T20I in Birmingham while Mehidy Hasan (up two places to 15th), England’s Chris Jordan (up six places to 18th) and India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (up two places to 19th) are others in the top 20. Harshal Patel (up 10 places to 23rd) and Bumrah (up six places to 27th) have also progressed.

In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne is up one place to seventh after his knock of 86 in the Galle Test against Australia. Angelo Mathews is up from 17th to 14th, Dinesh Chandimal has gone from 48th to 29th and Kusal Mendis from 56th to 49th.

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc is back in the top 10 after grabbing four wickets in the match while Sri Lanka’s debutant left-arm spinner Prabhath Jayasuriya has entered the bowlers’ rankings at an impressive 55th position after a Player of the Match haul of 12 wickets.

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, July 12, 2022 (PPI-OT):Two of the four semi-final spots in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B have been sealed after Zimbabwe and USA made it two wins from two on Tuesday.

Hosts Zimbabwe overcame Jersey by 23 runs, Sean Williams top-scoring with 57 off 39 deliveries to take the Chevrons to a total of 146 for eight, which proved too much for a determined Jersey side.

Elsewhere in Group A, USA overcame Singapore, while Netherlands and Papua New Guinea enjoyed wins in Group B to leave the Dutch in pole position for one of the two remaining semi-final berths.

Williams steers Zimbabwe past resolute Jersey

Having racked up 235 against Singapore on Monday, Zimbabwe found runs harder to come by against a disciplined Jersey attack.

And they largely had their bowlers to thank for a second straight win in Group A, with leg-spinner Ryan Burl (3/14) and slow left-armer Williams, who conceded just 15 from his four overs, in complete control during the middle overs.

Jersey had earlier elected to put Zimbabwe into bat and that decision was quickly vindicated when captain Craig Ervine was dismissed by Ben Stevens (1/15) inside the first over.

Williams steadied the ship and was well supported by Sikandar Raza (18) and Luke Jongwe, who plundered a valuable 29 off just 13 balls.

Jersey’s innings began in far more convincing fashion as Harrison Carlyon (45) and Nick Greenwood (10) established a strong opening partnership.

But Carlyon could only manage three boundaries from 56 deliveries and Jersey ultimately ran out of time, despite a late flurry from Benjamin Ward, who hit an unbeaten 35 from 20 balls, as they finished 23 runs short on 123 for five.

Netravalkar five-for gives USA second win

Saurabh Netravalkar claimed a stunning five-wicket haul as USA strolled to a 132-run victory against Singapore.

The left-arm quick tore through the Singapore top order, taking each of the first four wickets in a dazzling display which also included a maiden and saw him finish with five for 12.

In-form Steven Taylor led the way once again with the bat, following up his century on Monday with 58 from 31 here as they raced to 201 for six.

Taylor and opening partner Monank Patel (39) put on 76 for the first wicket and Jaskaran Malhotra soon joined the party, adding 58 off just 33 balls with four bruising maximums.

In reply, Singapore had no answer to Netravalkar, who removed both Aman Desai and Manpreet Singh for nought before claiming skipper Amjad Mahboob with his final ball.

Only Anantha Krishna (22) was able to curb the efforts of the destructive Netravalkar and the tricky leg-spin of Nisarg Patel (2/12) as Singapore were bowled out for 69.

USA return to action on Thursday against Zimbabwe where one unbeaten record must fall, while Singapore will be looking for their first win of the campaign against Jersey.

Netherlands make quick work of Hong Kong

It took just 13.2 overs for Netherlands to chase down Hong Kong’s total of 116, as Max O’Dowd (45) and Bas de Leede (36 not out) impressed with the bat.

Hong Kong captain Nizakat Khan opted to bat but only he was able to hold firm against a talented Dutch attack, making 60 off 55 deliveries before falling to Logan van Beek (4/27).

His performance was the highlight in an otherwise flat display which saw just two other batters reach double figures, paceman Fred Klaassen taking 2/16 before van Beek’s superb spell as Hong Kong left 11 balls unused.

O’Dowd and de Leede carried their team to the brink of victory after the early dismissal of Stephan Myburgh (11), with Tom Cooper (20) also chipping in as Netherlands got home with 6.4 overs to spare.

Papua New Guinea up and running after mesmerising run chase

A stunning 93 not out from Assad Vala helped Papua New Guinea to an eight-wicket victory over Uganda and took them past the Cricket Cranes on net run rate in Group B.

Uganda’s Simon Ssesazi had earlier starred with the bat for Uganda, striking 78 off just 48 deliveries with support from Riazat Ali Shah (48) as they posted a respectable 160 for four.

Vala and Bau took to the crease with their side in a difficult position, as both Lega Siaka and Charles Amini fell to Frank Nsubuga (2/16) in the fourth over.

But the pair quickly settled and put on 132 off just 76 balls to carry their team to what became a comfortable victory with 3.2 overs to spare, captain Vala hitting seven fours and six sixes during his destructive 47-ball knock.

Papua New Guinea and Uganda are now level on points in second and third in Group B, with Vala’s side taking on Hong Kong in Thursday’s final group game while Uganda face Netherlands on what is set to be a tense morning of action.

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, July 12, 2022 (PPI-OT):Captains Chamari Athapaththu of Sri Lanka and Harmanpreet Kaur of India have risen up in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings after the final match of their ICC Women’s Championship (IWC) series played in Pallekele.

Athapaththu’s knock of 44 has helped her advance two slots to a career best-equaling eighth position, which she had first attained after an epic 178 off 143 balls against Australia in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in Bristol five years ago.

Kaur has moved up one slot to 13th position, her Player of the Match effort of 75 helping her gain 12 rating points. Kaur, who finished with 119 runs and three wickets in India’s 3-0 win and was named Player of the Series, has also moved up eight slots to 71st among bowlers and four spots to 20th among all-rounders.

Other India batters to move up in the rankings include opener Shafali Verma (up three places to 33rd), Yastika Bhatia (up one place to 45th) and Pooja Vastrakar (up eight places to 53rd). In the rankings for bowlers, Rajeshwari Gayakwad is up three places to joint-ninth after grabbing three for 36 while Meghna Singh (up four places to 43rd) and Vastrakar (up two places to joint-48th) have also advanced.

Sri Lanka’s Harshitha Samarawickrama has moved up one place to 43rd among batters and Nilakshi de Silva has surged 10 places to 47th. Spinner Inoka Ranaweers continues her ascent in the bowling list, up five places to 16th with a haul of two for 22.

In the latest weekly rankings update that also takes into account performances in the first match of South Africa’s ODI series in England, South Africa all-rounder Chloe Tryon has moved up 12 places to 22nd after scoring 88 runs in the match and Nadine de Klerk is up two places to 60th among bowlers.

England’s Emma Lamb, who was named Player of the Match for her innings of 102, has progressed 76 places to 101st after just her third ODI while fast bowler Katherine Brunt is up three places to joint-ninth after taking three for 18. Spinner Charlie Dean has moved up to 31st position.

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