Tag: (ICC)

Dubai, October 26, 2021 (PPI-OT):Kane Williamson was magnanimous in defeat after his New Zealand side pushed Pakistan all the way before succumbing to a five-wicket loss in a Super 12s thriller.

Haris Rauf took four for 22 and Asif Ali crashed 27 off 12 balls to see Pakistan to a second victory at the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2021.

Williamson admitted that Ali, who hit three sixes, the same as New Zealand made in their 20 overs, timed the ball better than anyone.

“It was a tough surface to time the ball on and someone like Shoaib Malik batting through and finishing off with a couple of blows,” he said.

“And Asif Ali who came in and hit the ball beautifully, much sweeter than anybody else on a tricky surface.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go our way and I suppose if we look at the opposition and how clinical they were at the death and not allowing us to time the ball, they were the highest class and for us it’s trying to take some of those learnings and move forward.”

New Zealand will face India next, whom Pakistan beat by ten wickets on Sunday, and they will be without Lockie Ferguson who pulled out of the tournament with a calf tear prior to a ball being bowled in the Pakistan game.

Williamson was also full of praise for Pakistan’s bowlers, with Rauf the pick of the bunch taking four wickets from his four overs.

He said: “The guys went out and competed really well and made a lot of good decisions along the way and when you play those low scoring matches on tough surfaces, like we did tonight, the game has very small margins, and unfortunately, when it counted, a couple of misses means a lot.

“There’s a lot to learn from those experiences but at the end of the day, Pakistan were outstanding and they finished the game of beautifully on it on a very tough surface.

“Their bowlers were outstanding today as they were the other night in their first match, which we expected that to be the case.

“They continued to deliver and they were outstanding in their performance for Pakistan.”

Despite falling to a five-wicket defeat, Williamson believes there is plenty his side can take from the loss.

“I think we would have liked about another five or 10 runs although we thought we had what would have been a very good total in the first half,” he added.

“But in hindsight, you want a few more. There were a lot of really important roles that allowed us to get that competitive total so I think there was a lot of good to take from it.”

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, October 26, 2021 (PPI-OT):There were times where Pakistan looked to be moving towards an easy victory over New Zealand, and there were plenty of other times where they did not have it all their own way.

In the end, Pakistan triumphed by five wickets, chasing down 134 with just eight balls to spare.

The Men in Green have now won their opening two matches at an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for only the second time, while for New Zealand their Super 12s involvement starts with defeat.

There were several key moments that contributed to the see-saw nature of Pakistan’s win, beginning first with Shaheen Shah Afridi’s opening over.

Afridi set the tone for Pakistan’s bowling innings, beginning with a maiden against Martin Guptill and when the next three overs saw Pakistan concede only one boundary per over, they felt firmly in control.

New Zealand then identified Hasan Ali as the bowler to target after he went for 44 runs against India, and the Black Caps took 15 runs off him, including five runs off a no-ball to move to 36 for none after five overs, they were now in the ascendancy.

Babar Azam decided to roll the dice in the final over of the powerplay with Haris Rauf coming on much early than his usual death-bowling slot.

The gamble paid off as Haris bowled Guptill with his second ball and conceded only six of the rest of the over.

He would not be called upon again until the second half of the innings but again his involvement would prove vital.

With three overs to go, New Zealand were 116 for four and Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips looked to kick on but a big heave down to cow corner saw Conway caught by Babar.

Two balls later Phillips was following him back to the hutch and Pakistan were again firmly on top.

The final deliveries of both Afridi and Haris took wickets to reduce New Zealand to 134 for eight, a total captain Williamson still thought was defendable.

As Pakistan began their innings there were none of the fireworks of two nights before when Babar and Rizwan had put on an unbroken stand of 152 to guide Pakistan to a famous victory over India.

It was not until the final ball of the 11th over that Pakistan’s innings really caught alight, and instead it was New Zealand, or more specifically, Conway who was on fire.

Conway adopted the superhero pose and at full-stretch plucked out a ball that Mohammad Hafeez must have been sure was sailing for six.

Instead, Hafeez was gone after making 11 off six balls, just as he looked to be getting going.

The odds, and the win predictor, were now in New Zealand’s favour and it was up to Asif Ali and Shoaib Malik to do something about it.

And that is what they did, Asif timing the ball better than anyone had done all night, his back-to-back sixes made New Zealand’s target seem far less daunting than it had done two balls before.

And it was he who hit the winning runs, taking two off Trent Boult to secure Pakistan a victory that hadn’t always looked as likely as he ultimately made it seem.

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, October 26, 2021 (PPI-OT):England wicket-keeper Jos Buttler insisted there is no room for mistakes against Bangladesh despite a convincing opening victory over the West Indies.

Eoin Morgan’s side strolled to a six-wicket win in their Super 12s opener after bundling their opponents out for just 55 in a stunning bowling performance.

Despite seeing four wickets go down at the other end in reply, opener Buttler made an unbeaten 24 off 22 deliveries to see England home with 70 balls to spare, in a massive boost to their net run rate, and the vice-captain is eager to keep the winning momentum going on Wednesday at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

“Winning momentum is vital, isn’t it? Sort of the way the tournament is set out; there’s not much room for mistakes,” said the 31-year-old.

“The beauty of T20 cricket is anyone can beat anyone on their day, and an individual can win a match for their team.

“But no, we prepare well and we are a very level team, don’t get too high, don’t get too low and we’ll try to bring our level of intensity which always brings our best level to the game.”

Incredibly, England and Bangladesh have never met in an T20I before, but Buttler is adamant there will not be any nasty surprises in store.

He added: “Yeah, we know the challenges we’ll face. We’ve played against them lots in 50-over cricket. We know they are a dangerous side.

“They have got a lot of experience in T20 cricket as well, some very good players playing quite a specific style that is quite unique to them I feel as well.

“We focus obviously and try to plan for the opposition but at the same time we are focusing on ourselves, trying to get our level of intensity to the place it needs to be.

“I think we feel confident as a group that when we get that right, no matter who we play against, it’s going to give us the best chance of success.

“We have plans as we need to but we focus a lot on ourselves.”

Bangladesh’s fast-bowling coach Ottis Gibson urged his side not to panic against England’s powerful white-ball side led by Morgan who has inspired a fearless brand of cricket in recent years.

Gibson has had two stints in charge of England’s seam ranks and is well versed in the threats that Chris Silverwood’s side will bring.

He said: “I think Eoin Morgan was crucial to sort of the way that England started to play white-ball cricket.

“They’ve picked obviously different players compared to 2015, and the brand of cricket that they play, they’re positive all the time. They’re going to take the positive option.

“So, I’ve spoken to our bowlers and our batsmen, England bowlers are looking to take wickets all the time, and England batters are looking to score runs all the time and put bowlers under pressure.

The message is not to panic, understand that you are going to get hit. You might bowl a good ball and get hit because that’s their mentality, but they also give you opportunities to take wickets.

“So, we must be calm. We must try and execute our skills plans. And when those opportunities come, we must take those opportunities of course, but the one thing we must remain as a bowling group is calm and very considered in how we approach every ball that we bowl.”

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, October 26, 2021 (PPI-OT):Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus said that guiding his side to the Super 12s is the biggest achievement the Eagles have achieved under his leadership.

Erasmus made 53 not out as Namibia beat Ireland in their final match of Group A to advance on their maiden ICC Men’s T20 World Cup appearance.

His side now face Scotland in their Group 2 opener and Erasmus is looking forward to the challenges Namibia will face.

“Obviously as the captain of the team, it has to be right up there since it’s the biggest achievement under my leadership,” he said.

“As a player as well, I’m very excited to rub shoulders with the best in the world.

“Over the next week, we’re going to have to up our level and get into this challenge with all of our energy, but we’re ready to do that.”

Erasmus also called on all his team to play their part in Namibia’s success after David Wiese delivered two unbeaten performances with the bat as Namibia secured qualification to the Super 12s.

“David has had an excellent tournament for us although I don’t think we’ve quite fired as a team as a whole,” Erasmus said.

“So that’s great to know that there’s some potential sitting in the dugout still that has to come right sometime in the tournament.

“We’ll be looking to tap into the resources of each and every individual on the team, not only a few of the guys.

“There’s lots of guys that still need to prove themselves or want to prove themselves, get runs, get some wickets. I believe they can do it. We have full confidence in every guy we select on the day.”

For Scotland, they are having to regroup after a heavy defeat to Afghanistan yesterday, with wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Cross saying the side are fully focused on the Namibian challenge ahead of them.

“I don’t think it dents our confidence in the slightest, these kinds of performances can happen,” Cross said.

“At the same time, we’ve got to move on. We’ve got four big games to try to put hopefully another full member win on the board and a win against Namibia tomorrow.

“Namibia are a very good team. I actually said before the World Cup started, I expected them to go through. I’m pleased that they did.

“They’ve got everything covered, they’ve got experience, they’ve got a really, really good fielding unit and very tidy bowling.

“We know enough about them. We’ve played against them three or four times in the last three years now. There’s no real surprises, but at the same time, we do expect to go out there and win.

“It’s always challenging being a keeper. We’ve been out here for a long time now, so there’s no challenges we’re not ready for.

“Obviously, moving to a different ground tomorrow, we’ve got to adapt pretty quickly, but that’s the same for every team. Hopefully, we’ll adapt quicker than Namibia.”

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, October 25, 2021 (PPI-OT):In the recently concluded Group B, Super 12 game of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on Sunday in Sharjah, Sri Lankan bowler Lahiru Kumara and Bangladeshi batter Liton Das Kumar were both fined for breaching level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.

Kumara was found guilty of breaching Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “Using language, actions or gestures which disparage, or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match.”

Das was found guilty of breaching Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “Conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game’.

The incident occurred in the fifth over after the dismissal of batter Litton Kumar Das in the Bangladesh innings.

After he dismissed the batter Das, Lahiru Kumara walked towards him using actions and words which provoked an aggressive reaction from the batter.

Having been provoked by the bowler Kumara, Das reacted aggressively and in a manner which was contrary to the spirit of cricket.

Kumara was fined 25% of his match fee and received 1 demerit point.

Das was fined 15% of his match fee and received 1 demerit point.

Javagal Srinath of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanctions, which were ratified by the ICC Cricket Operations department as per the COVID-19 interim playing regulations. Kumara and Das both pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the proposed sanctions, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Joel Wilson and Adrian Holdstock, 3rd umpire Michael Gough and 4th umpire Rod Tucker.

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

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, October 25, 2021 (PPI-OT):Afghanistan strolled to a 130-run victory over Scotland in their opening match of Group 2 in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

Scotland had been set 190 to beat thanks to big hitting and fast running from Najib Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the star of the second innings, taking five wickets on his T20 World Cup debut, as Scotland were bowled out for 60.

Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first, and after a tidy over from Brad Wheal, who conceded just two runs, the Afghanistan openers started to tee off.

Mohammad Shahzad hit the longest six of the Super 12s so far, firing a delivery from Wheal’s second spell 101 metres before departing for 22, caught in the deep off the bowling of Safyaan Sharif.

Mark Watt dismissed Hazratullah Zazai but only after Zazai had made 44 off 30 balls, the ball bouncing off his bat onto his pads and into the stumps.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Najib Zadran then combined to keep Afghanistan’s fast scoring going, running quickly between the wickets as Afghanistan’s 100 came off 74 balls.

The pair added 87 runs off 51 balls with Zadran doing most of the boundary scoring, but Gurbaz was always his willing partner in the running until he was caught on 46.

Zadran then claimed the longest six title with a boundary sailing 103m before holing out on the final ball of the innings as Afghanistan set Scotland what would be their record chase of 191.

George Munsey started quickly, scoring 11 off the first over, but Kyle Coetzer could not go with him, falling for 10 with Scotland at 28 for 1.

Calum MacLeod came in and was immediately given out lbw with a review not able to save him and with the captain and the architect of their famous one-day win over England gone, Scotland were in trouble.

Richie Berrington defended the hat-trick ball safely, but two deliveries later was given out, like MacLeod for lbw and again on umpire’s call. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the delighted bowler ending the over with figures of 3 for 7.

A third duck in a row soon came with Matthew Cross going to an incredible take from wicketkeeper Shahzad, fine margins were deciding Scotland’s wickets.

There was nothing close about Scotland’s next dismissal with Mujeeb clean bowling Munsey to bring out Greaves, Scotland’s hero against Bangladesh.

Things became even more difficult for Scotland with Rashid Khan, number three in the ICC MRF Tyres T20 bowlers rankings came on to bowl. It took him just three deliveries to get a wicket, that of Michael Leask, Scotland’s fourth batter who failed to trouble the scorers.

Watt could only add one to the total before Mujeeb picked up his wicket and with it his five-fer, taking five for 20 from his four overs in an utterly dominant spell.

Rashid Khan would then take two in two, to end with figures of four for nine and seal a huge victory.

Scores in brief

Afghanistan beat Scotland at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah by 130 runs.

Afghanistan 190/4, in 20 overs (Najibullah Zadran 59, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 46; Safyaan Sharif 2/33, Mark Watt 1/23)

Scotland 160 all out, in 10.2 overs (George Munsey 25; Chris Greaves 12; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 5/20, Rashid Khan 4/9)

Player of the Match: Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan)

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