Games – Page 471 – Newswire Pakistan

October 23, 2021October 25, 2021

Bangladesh have room for improvement in Super 12s clash against Sri Lanka

Dubai, October 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo admitted there is plenty of room for improvement in his side ahead of their first Super 12 clash against Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh came through the first round of the ICC Men’s World T20 2021 as runners-up in Group B after losing to winners Scotland before defeating Oman as well as Papua New Guinea and begin the next stage of the competition on Sunday at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Sri Lanka are coming off the back of three comfortable wins against the Netherlands, Ireland and Namibia which saw them top Group A and will provide stern opposition for Domingo’s men, who head to the UAE after previously playing in Oman.

“Firstly, I think there’s always room for improvement in every department,” said Domingo.

“We know with the bat we haven’t quite clicked at 100 percent yet. We know there’s a lot of improvement that can take place there, at the start, in the middle and at the death of the innings.

“Obviously, we need to assess conditions more because we’re playing under totally different conditions to what we played in Oman. So, it’s also going to be a big challenge for us.

“These types of conditions can suit us. Sharjah, I suppose, is a little bit more similar to what wickets in Dhaka are like. Hopefully, that can assist us in tomorrow’s game.

“Sri Lanka played a few games here, yes. Whether that’s an advantage or not, I’m not sure. I don’t think what’s happened in the first round counts for much when it comes to the main event now.”

Despite safely securing their path into the Super 12 stage, the shock six-run defeat to Scotland sparked criticism of Domingo’s side and he insists he will be instructing his players to block out the noise and focus on getting the job done.

He added: “When you’re playing international cricket, particularly in a country like Bangladesh, where there’s so much passion, when things don’t go well, there’s always going to be criticism when there’s passion.

“And that’s a part of international sport. A big part of coaching and management of a team is to make sure they focus on what they can control. There’s nothing we can do about what people are writing or what people are saying.

“All we can focus is on and what we think about our performances, how we evaluate our performances, the areas we feel we need to improve on. That remains our main focus.

“As soon as we start worrying about those types of things, it takes the focus away from what we really need to focus on.

“We’ve spoken long and hard about where our focus needs to be. Our focus is very much on cricket and how we prepare for tomorrow’s game.”

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka is expecting a cracking game against Bangladesh but is confident his side have what it takes to come out on top despite their opposition being ranked four places higher at sixth in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20 International Rankings.

“We are expecting a very good game tomorrow. Bangladesh, they’ve been good in the qualifiers, as well, but you know, it will be a fair game,” he added.

“T20 is a very short game, and on our day, everyone saw how good we are, as well.

“Bangladesh are sitting very good at the moment because after winning those qualifiers, they are on a winning momentum. It’s good for them, but still, we’ve got a better side, I think. We have a slightly better chance.”

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October 23, 2021October 25, 2021

Pollard: West Indies must ‘forget this and move on’

Dubai, October 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):Kieron Pollard has urged his West Indies side to forget their dismal batting display against England and move on quickly as they seek to defend their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup crown.

Pollard was one of ten batters to fall for a single-figure score as his side were skittled for 55 in a rematch of the 2016 final, a score England needed just 8.2 overs to surpass as West Indies’ net run-rate took a sizable early dent.

The 34-year-old was honest about his side’s failings and expects to see a vast improvement in their remaining Group 1 fixtures, starting against South Africa on Tuesday.

“We didn’t bat well and it’s disappointing to start our tournament like that, being defending champions,” he said.

“But we have to accept it and take responsibility for what happened out there. We have to put this game to bed and move on.

“We just need to go back and look at the way we’ve performed and see if we can maybe find a medium as to how we approach it.

“It’s very important we forget a game like this. For us, it’s pretty simple – accept and move on.”

A West Indies side showing three survivors from the side which lifted the trophy for a second time five years ago were instantly up against it in Dubai, with both openers dismissed inside the first three overs.

Moeen Ali’s superb spell, which brought him two for 17 from four overs, kept the pressure on and there was no way back from 31 for four at the conclusion of the powerplay.

Pollard could at least take heart from a spirited display with the ball, Akeal Hosein taking two for 24, but admitted his side’s plans had been left in tatters following their performance with the bat.

“Obviously we lost a couple of wickets early on and we expected guys to bat a couple of overs, knock it around and see if we could set it up for the back end, but we kept losing wickets,” he said.

“It didn’t work today and these things happen. We have a plan of how we want to play, it didn’t come off today, but the intensity in the field for those 8.2 overs was good.

“Being bowled out for 50-odd as an international team is never acceptable but we’ll come back stronger.”

Adil Rashid was understandably more content with his afternoon’s work following a record-breaking spell with the ball.

The leg-spinner claimed four for two, England’s best ever T20I figures, to accelerate West Indies’ collapse but was quick to pay tribute to his fellow spinner and close friend Moeen for getting his side up and running.

“I don’t think we could have asked for a better start,” he said.

“As a bowling group, we bowled exceptionally well and everything went to plan.

“Moeen started off brilliantly, especially bowling four overs in a row. He kept it tight and picked up wickets as well. That really set the tone for the team.

“A lot of credit goes to him and the whole bowling unit for backing each other up.

“As a bowling unit, we know we have five or six matchwinners and on any given day anyone can come on and get wickets.

“We don’t want to look too far ahead and we’ll take it a game at a time. Whatever’s in front of us, we’ll play that.”

October 23, 2021October 25, 2021

Australia kick-off Super 12 stage with nervy win over South Africa

Dubai, October 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):Australia kickstarted the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 with a nervy five-wicket victory over South Africa in a low-scoring contest in Abu Dhabi.

Having restricted the Proteas to 118 for eight, Australia slipped to 38 for three in reply before Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell’s partnership of 42 set the platform for Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade to see Justin Langer’s side home with two balls to spare.

Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa and Mitchell Starc had all picked up two scalps as South Africa lost wickets at regular intervals to leave Australia needing less than six an over at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Aiden Markram struck a fluent 40 off 36 balls to top score for the Proteas but he ran out of partners as Australia got their campaign off to a winning start.

After being put into bat, captain Temba Bavuma got South Africa off to a flyer in the first over by taking Starc for 11 runs, including two lovely fours through the off side.

But he was bowled by Maxwell, utilising his handy off-spin early in the powerplay, in the second over for 12.

His replacement at the crease, Rassie van der Dussen, soon followed his skipper back to the hutch after making just two when he nicked Hazlewood’s first ball behind to Wade.

It went from bad to worse when Quinton de Kock was bowled in bizarre fashion after attempting to flick a Hazlewood delivery on the move, only to see it cannon off his leg and balloon into the air and back onto the stumps.

Hazlewood completed his wicket maiden before South Africa stuttered to 29 for three at the end of the powerplay.

Markram and Heinrich Klassen looked like they were building the first partnership of note before Pat Cummins had the latter caught off a thick outside edge for a run-a-ball 13.

Playing a sole hand, Markram put on 34 for the fifth wicket with David Miller until leg-spinner Adam Zampa rocked South Africa with two wickets in the 14th over.

Miller was trapped in front for 16 before Dwaine Pretorious was sharply caught by Wade for just one to leave the Proteas reeling at 82 for six.

Things did not improve when Keshav Maharaj was run out by Maxwell after slipping when trying to get off the mark from an overthrow.

Markram took his frustration out on the returning Hazlewood, slamming a huge six into the crowd over the leg side, but fell to Cummins when trying to up the ante, with South Africa yet to bring up their 100 with only three overs left.

Some valuable late clean striking from Kagiso Rabada, who made 19 off 23 balls, gave his side something to bowl at as South Africa finished on 118 for nine.

Rabada and Anrich Nortje came charging in at the start of Australia’s chase and the two combined to remove Aaron Finch for a duck in the second over, Rabada clinging on at third man after the Australian skipper slashed hard at a wide one.

David Warner appeared to get things back on track with a couple of boundaries until he was well-caught by Heinrich Klaasen at point as Bavuma’s decision to keep Rabada on for three straight overs paid dividends.

Australia finished the powerplay on 28 for two, one run short of where South Africa were at the same stage but with an extra wicket in hand.

That advantage soon went when Keshav Maharaj had Mitchell Marsh caught at deep midwicket for 11 in the eighth over.

Steve Smith and Maxwell put together a partnership of 42 as they safely navigated the middle overs without much alarm until a super diving catch from Markram off Nortje gave South Africa a sniff.

Smith departed for 35 off 34, annoyed not to take his side home but having left them well-placed, needing 37 from 31 balls.

But Maxwell followed just three balls later for 18 when he was castled by MRF Tyres ICC World No.1 T20I bowler Tabraiz Shamsi attempting a big reverse slog sweep.

Markram nearly clinched another spectacular grab, but Wade’s shot off Rabada did not carry and crucially slipped through him for four.

Wade’s improvisation brought him a second consecutive boundary before Marcus Stoinis saw Australia over the line when needing 18 from the final two overs. finishing with 24 from 16 balls as the pair put on a match-winning stand of 40 from the last 26 balls.

Scores in Brief

Australia beat South Africa at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi by five wickets

South Africa 118/9 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 40, Kagiso Rabada 19 not out; Josh Hazlewood 2/19, Adam Zampa 2/21)

Australia 121/5 in 19.4 overs (Steve Smith 35, Marcus Stoinis 24 not out; Anrich Nortje 2/21, Tabraiz Shamsi 1/22)

Player of the Match: Josh Hazlewood (Australia)

October 23, 2021October 25, 2021

Ruthless England cruise past West Indies

Dubai, October 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):A ruthless bowling performance saw England get their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 campaign off to a perfect start as they defeated the West Indies by six wickets in Dubai.

The rematch between the 2016 finalists was eagerly anticipated but proved almost as one-sided as that famous occasion in Kolkata had been dramatic, with the reigning champions subsiding to 55 all out – their second-lowest ever T20I score.

Spin twins Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid were the principal architects of West Indies’ downfall, the latter finishing with England’s best-ever T20I figures of four for two after Moeen had set the tone with two wickets and 18 dot balls in a miserly four-over spell.

The returning Tymal Mills, representing England for the first time since February 2017, chipped in with two scalps of his own including key man Chris Gayle, who was the only batter to make it into double figures.

Akeal Hosein caused problems for England’s powerful batting line-up in reply, taking two for 24, but the modest nature of the target restricted West Indies’ ability to apply real pressure and Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 24 steered the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup winners home with more than half their overs remaining.

Having opted to bowl upon winning the toss, Morgan opened up with Moeen and the off-spinner was greeted by an early show of intent by Evin Lewis, who lofted the final ball of the first over for what would turn out to be the only six of the innings.

The England all-rounder had his revenge in the very next over, sprinting back from mid-off to take a fine catch when Lewis tried to repeat the trick off the bowling of Chris Woakes and found more height than distance.

Moeen went on to account for Lendl Simmons, who picked out Liam Livingstone on the deep midwicket boundary, to leave both openers back in the pavilion inside three overs.

Consecutive boundaries for Shimron Hetmyer injected some momentum into the innings at the start of the fifth over but Moeen again struck back as the left-hander chipped to Morgan at mid-on.

Such a situation called for experienced heads and in Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, both playing in their seventh ICC Men’s T20 World Cups, West Indies appeared to have just the men for the job.

But having struck three typically powerful boundaries, Gayle soon miscued a pull off Mills and was well caught by a backpedalling Dawid Malan off the final ball of the powerplay, which concluded with West Indies languishing on 31 for four.

The situation only grew more desperate from there with Bravo next to fall, flashing hard at Chris Jordan’s second delivery and succeeding only in finding Jonny Bairstow at backward point.

Mills and Jordan kept the pressure firmly applied in the middle overs, the former removing Nicholas Pooran for a single, and the return of spin paid instant dividends as Rashid’s first delivery cleaned up Andre Russell without scoring.

Captain Kieron Pollard was his side’s final hope of setting a challenging target but having initially been watchful as wickets fell around him, he took on Rashid at the start of the 13th over and provided Bairstow with a routine catch at long-on.

Obed McCoy fell in identical circumstances next ball and though last man Ravi Rampaul survived the hat-trick delivery, a heave in the leg-spinner’s next over saw him clean bowled as the innings was wrapped up with 5.4 overs left unused.

West Indies followed England’s lead in opening with a spinner but Buttler was quickly into the groove, driving Hosein through the covers for a boundary to get the chase going.

Roy was next to take the attack to the left-armer, clearing the ropes over extra cover, but was soon departing the fray after chipping a Ravi Rampaul slower ball to Gayle on 11.

It was Bairstow rather than Malan who walked out at number three and consecutive boundaries took England more than halfway towards their target inside four overs.

Then came a slight wobble as Hosein claimed return catches to remove Bairstow and Livingstone, the second of which was a stunning one-handed effort to his left, either side of Moeen being run out following a mix-up.

But captain Morgan joined Buttler to see his side over the finish line, the wicketkeeper pulling the winning runs to the mid-wicket boundary from the second ball of the ninth over.

Scores in Brief

England beat West Indies at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai by six wickets

West Indies 55 all out in 14.2 overs (Chris Gayle 13, Shimron Hetmyer 9; Adil Rashid 4/2, Moeen Ali 2/17, Tymal Mills 2/17)

England 56-4 in 8.2 overs (Jos Buttler 24 not out, Jason Roy 11; Akeal Hosein 2/24, Ravi Rampaul 1/14)

Player of the Match: Moeen Ali (England)

October 23, 2021October 25, 2021

Moeen sets the tone and Mills makes up for lost time as England’s bowlers shine

Dubai, October 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):Much has been said about the power of England’s white-ball batting in recent years but it was the bowlers who came to the fore as West Indies were put to the sword in Dubai.

The pre-match debate centred around whether England would go batter or bowler-heavy with their selection and ultimately the decision was largely taken out of their hands, with Mark Wood and Tom Curran missing through minor knocks.

That meant extra bowling responsibilities for Moeen Ali, a task the all-rounder thrived upon.

Entrusted with four consecutive overs opening up, Ali more than repaid the faith of his captain Eoin Morgan and showed admirable character within his spell.

Hit for six by Evin Lewis at the end of his first over, Moeen responded with a superb catch on the run to see the back of the left-hander and then claimed the wicket of his opening partner Lendl Simmons.

Later, when Shimron Hetmyer managed to find gaps in the field for consecutive boundaries, back came Moeen once more, inducing a mis-timed pull which was comfortably taken by Morgan at mid-on.

In all, 18 of the 34-year-old’s 24 deliveries were dots and his sterling work was backed up by his fellow bowlers – not least Adil Rashid.

The pair’s effective dovetailing has been a central part of England’s white-ball renaissance under Morgan and Rashid was straight into the act here, clean bowling Andre Russell with a beauty before the powerful hitter had troubled the scorers and finishing with his country’s best ever T20I bowling figures – a barely-believable four for two.

But perhaps the most heart-warming tale came courtesy of Tymal Mills. Having been through injury hell since his last England appearance in February 2017 – Mills was in a back brace unable to run earlier this year – the left-arm seamer was ready to make up for lost time.

Jofra Archer’s bowling boots are big ones to fill but performances like this will see Mills become a more than able deputy for his county teammate and the roar which greeted his dismissal of Chris Gayle represented a release of four years of frustration.

A bowling unit are only as good as their fielders, of course, and England were largely faultless in that department.

Again it was Moeen setting the tone, sprinting back from mid-off to make a challenging catching opportunity off Lewis look simple, and Dawid Malan was equally composed under a skier to dismiss Gayle.

Malan, usually the batting anchor at number three, found his services not required as England shuffled the pack in their routine chase of 56 and having the MRF Tyres ICC World No.1 T20I batter carded at seven is the latest sign of the strength in depth at Morgan’s disposal.

That batting power will be far more severely tested as the tournament develops and, on the evidence of the wobble midway through the chase, would have been against West Indies had the target been in three figures.

But today was a day for England’s bowlers to take the plaudits and with speedster Wood waiting in the wings, Morgan will have some big decisions to make as his side navigate the remainder of their Group 1 fixtures.

October 23, 2021October 25, 2021

Stoinis reveals keeping cool under pressure key to Australia run chase

Dubai, October 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis revealed the key to getting his side over the line in a nervy Super 12 run chase against South Africa was keeping cool under pressure.

Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis revealed the key to getting his side over the line in a nervy Super 12 run chase against South Africa was keeping cool under pressure.

Stoinis clubbed 24 from just 16 deliveries and formed a crucial unbeaten partnership of 40 with Matthew Wade in the final 26 balls to see Australia home with five wickets and two deliveries to spare in pursuit of the Proteas’ 118 for nine.

Josh Hazlewood was the pick of the bowlers for Justin Langer’s side as Australia picked up wickets at regular intervals to limit South Africa’s progress despite the best efforts of Aiden Markram, who made 40 from 36 balls.

“The main thing for me there was trying to stay as calm as I can and for a Greek-Australian that’s pretty hard,” explained Stoinis, 32.

“You saw a bit of emotion come out towards the end, but the main thing is Wadey and I were just communicating, trying to sort out who was going to bowl each over and making a plan and then staying calm from there.”

Australia had slipped to 38 for three in reply at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi before Steve Smith and Glen Maxwell navigated the middle overs with a partnership of 42.

Both departed in the space of three balls but Stoinis and wicket-keeper Wade kept level heads to get the runs required but the former admitted it was not always easy going out in the middle.

“It is what we expected to an extent but it was quite hard to get under the ball because it was skidding on quite a bit and wasn’t too quick,” Stoinis added.

“I guess partnerships are the key, building partnerships and getting used to the conditions while you are out there.

“It’s one thing having a plan but you’ve also got to work things out on the fly while you are out there.

“We saw through the IPL the scores weren’t as high as they have been in the past and that might be a trend that we see through the World Cup.”

Stoinis insisted it was important for his side to get up and running in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 with a win to set the tone for the campaign.

“I think it’s important to start tournaments like this on the right foot, it’s obvious you want to win but in these short tournaments, no matter how you win, it’s always a better feeling when you wake up the next morning,” he added.

“Hopefully, it’s a good sign for things ahead.”

Meanwhile, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma lamented his side’s failure to post a par score batting first despite selecting an extra batter.

He said: “It was definitely not a par score, it’s a bit hard for me to say [how many more runs were needed] because we really didn’t bat well barring Aiden [Markram].

“It definitely didn’t go to plan from a batting point of view but maybe anywhere near 150 or 160 would have been competitive.

“We went with the option of an extra batter expecting the wicket to be a good one but if you are selecting six batters with an all-rounder at seven and scoring 118 then I don’t think you can exactly blame the plan.

“From a batting point of view, we know that there was a lot we could have done [differently] and we will be looking to correct our wrongs in the next game.”