Tag: (ICC)

Dubai, October 22, 2021 (PPI-OT):Sri Lanka’s bowlers shone as they recorded a dominant eight-wicket win over the Netherlands to top Group A in style and head into the Super 12s brimming with confidence.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers shone as they recorded a dominant eight-wicket win over the Netherlands to top Group A in style and head into the Super 12s brimming with confidence.

Sri Lanka had already qualified for the next stage but ensured they ended the First Round with a 100 per cent record thanks to a quick-fire victory in Sharjah that took just 17.1 overs of total match-time.

Only Colin Ackermann (11) reached double figures for the Netherlands as brilliant bowling by the Lions reduced them to 37 for six at the end of the powerplay and ultimately skittled them for 44.

Lahiru Kumara ended with figures of three for seven, Wanindu Hasaranga took three for nine and Maheesh Theekshana two for three from just one over as the Dutch registered the second-lowest score in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup history ­– coincidentally, behind only their total of 39 in the same fixture back in 2014.

The chase was never in doubt and Kusal Perera did the bulk of the damage as his knock of 33 from 24 balls saw them home with eight wickets and plenty of time to spare.

Sri Lanka’s batting and bowling have both shone at moments during the First Round and they demonstrated their class in the third phase of the game – fielding – in the very first over, as skipper Dasun Shanaka brilliantly ran out Max O’Dowd with a direct hit at the non-striker’s end after his push into the off-side.

Back-to-back boundaries down to fine leg from Ben Cooper looked to have settled the Dutch but Theekshana’s carrom ball clean bowled both Cooper and Steph Myburgh in the space of three deliveries to reduce them to 20 for three.

Every time the Netherlands appeared to be building momentum, they were stopped in their tracks ­­– Ackermann smashing a six straight down the ground and a glorious sweep for four before being trapped plumb lbw for 11 by Hasaranga.

Later that over, Bas de Leede was also out lbw and when the experienced Roelof van der Merwe top-edged a Dushmantha Chameera bouncer to wicketkeeper Perera, the score at the end of the six-over powerplay was a daunting 37 for six.

Another flighted Hasaranga delivery then accounted for skipper Pieter Seelaar lbw before Kumara finished off the tail with three wickets in an over thanks to two lbws and a nick behind.

A target of 45 was never likely to cause Sri Lanka many problems but their struggling top order batters would have liked to use the innings as a chance to find their rhythm.

Pathum Nissanka skied a Brandon Glover delivery to mid-off to depart for a duck early on but fellow opener Perera started to pick off the runs.

He punched a four down the ground, pulled another to the leg-side boundary and crunched one through the off-side, while Charith Asalanka – who was brought into the team for Dinesh Chandimal at number three ­– got in on the action with a wristy flick for four.

An ungainly slog across the line off Paul van Meekeren ended Asalanka’s largely unconvincing stay as he was caught at mid-on for just six off ten balls but Perera soon finished the job.

He unleashed a ferocious pull and then cover drive for consecutive fours to put the Lions within sight of the target and Avishka Fernando flicked the winning runs in a complete performance.

Scores in Brief

Sri Lanka beat Netherlands at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah by eight wickets

Netherlands 44 all out in 10 overs (Colin Ackermann 11; Lahiru Kumara 3/7, Wanindu Hasaranga 3/9, Maheesh Theekshana 2/3)

Sri Lanka 45/2 in 7.1 overs (Kusal Perera 33 not out; Brandon Glover 1/12, Paul Van Meekeren 1/20)

Player of the Match: Lahiru Kumara (Sri Lanka)

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
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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 22, 2021 (PPI-OT):Before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 begun, Sri Lanka might have been frustrated at having to come through the First Round but now they’ve reached the Super 12s in style, they may just have an advantage over their rivals.

Before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 begun, Sri Lanka might have been frustrated at having to come through the First Round but now they’ve reached the Super 12s in style, they may just have an advantage over their rivals.

Warm-up games are a great arena in which to work on your skills but nothing can replicate the intensity of tournament competition and the Lions are now finely-tuned after topping Group A.

They have grown into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with each passing game – a seven-wicket win over Namibia to begin things followed by a 70-run victory against Ireland and then the pièce de résistance of an eight-wicket triumph over Netherlands in just 17.1 overs.

Three matches, three victories and an incredible net run-rate of 3.754 speaks to the form the Lions are in and when their Super 12s campaign begins against Bangladesh in Sharjah on Sunday, they will be brimming with confidence.

Group 1 features a mouth-watering collection of teams, with 2016 finalists West Indies and England, the fifth-place team in the MRF Tyres Men’s T20I Team Rankings South Africa and the always-dangerous Australia also lying in wait.

Only two of the six will reach the semi-finals but having laid down a marker already, their opponents will be aware that Sri Lanka mean business.

Their bowling attack is among the very best in the entire tournament ­– as pace trio Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara have caused havoc during the First Round.

Kumara and Chameera’s ability to consistently bowl above 140kph will hurry any batter, while Karunaratne’s precise line-and-length has flummoxed the opposition so far.

The combination of Wanindu Hasaranga and 21-year-old mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana have also brilliantly continued Sri Lanka’s great spin tradition with 14 wickets between them in the three matches to date.

The Lions’ fielding has also been point, as demonstrated by skipper Dasun Shanaka’s brilliant run out of Max O’Dowd in the very first over against the Netherlands.

Their batting, most notably from the top order, has been a slight issue and replacing Dinesh Chandimal at number three with Charith Asalanka against the Dutch did little to solve it ­– Asalanka looking unconvincing in his knock of six from ten balls.

But Kusal Perera finally found some form with an unbeaten 33 from 24 deliveries, while Pathum Nissanka scored 61 against Ireland and middle order batters Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Hasaranga have also made telling contributions at times during the tournament. They may not be perfect just yet but Mickey Arthur’s team are right in form and are ready to hit the ground running now we’ve reached the Super 12s.

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 22, 2021 (PPI-OT):Namibia coach Pierre de Bruyn warned cricket’s big boys that Namibia will not lie down in the Super 12 stage after a historic eight-wicket victory over Ireland saw them progress.

Namibia coach Pierre de Bruyn warned cricket’s big boys that Namibia will not lie down in the Super 12 stage after a historic eight-wicket victory over Ireland saw them progress.

Gerhard Erasmus’ captain’s knock of 53 not out from 49 balls plus David Wiese’s explosive 28 from just 14 helped Namibia chase down Ireland’s 125 for 8 to ensure they finished second in Group A.

Wiese also starred with the ball, taking two for 22, alongside the impressive Jan Frylinck, who finished with Namibia’s best-ever World Cup figures of three for 21, as Ireland made just 70 runs in 14 overs after racing to 55 without loss in the powerplay.

“We are ecstatic, I’ve got to remind myself what just happened out there, but it has happened to a really good group of people,” said De Bruyn, after a win that also secured his country’s automatic qualification for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

“It’s time for us to reflect and also enjoy this moment, but we certainly didn’t come here to go and lie down now.

“Facing India, Pakistan and New Zealand, those types of teams, is going to be a great experience for these players but we want to be competitive in whatever we do, with ball, bat and in the field.

“The way we present ourselves, we are going to compete, and we are looking forward to that. We’ve made history now, advancing to the Super 12s, it’s the first time ever we are going to play against these guys in a T20 World Cup.”

When Wiese struck the winning boundary at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE it sparked wild scenes of celebration among the players and fans at the ground and De Bruyn admitted the party would go on long into the night back home.

He added: “I can just imagine what is going on in Namibia right now, it is a Friday afternoon there so they will be ecstatic. It will be a late night for the supporters back home.

“We are not an organisation with the luxury of a lot of resources around us. I’ve got 18 players to pick from in my national squad and I know what they’ve put in for the last three years.

“It sounds like a cliche that the hard work has paid off, but it certainly did and I’m really ecstatic for the players.”

Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie revealed he was gutted his side came up short in the winner-takes-all clash but insisted his team are still making forward strides.

He said: “Our T20 cricket has been inconsistent, and it has been a big issue and you can say that this tournament has been inconsistent for us, but guys are improving, I’m seeing it day in and day out.

“They are a young and inexperienced squad and they are going to learn from this, they are going to hurt from this, of course, like all of us but we’ve got to keep moving forward and trying to adapt our game. “We came up short today, but I know the guys, once we’ve had a week or two off at home, will want to improve their skills so that the next time it comes around they’ll be better for 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 22, 2021 (PPI-OT):

‘Carlos Brathwaite! Remember the name!’

‘Carlos Brathwaite! Remember the name!’

It is a moment of cricket commentary that will go down in history and five years later, the West Indies players have chosen to relive Ian Bishop’s famous line before they meet England on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup stage once again.

In the 2016 final at Eden Gardens Brathwaite smashed four sixes in a row off the bowling of Ben Stokes in the final over to seal that dramatic victory but it will be left to others to carry the mantle in the opener in Dubai, with the Windies still looking to find their best form after heavy defeats in their two warm-up matches.

And to get themselves into the mood, skipper Kieron Pollard revealed that the team had watched back their World Cup success, even if he does not expect it to have a bearing on the clash with the 50-over world champions.

He said: “In terms of personnel, to say 2016 will have a big impact, I don’t think so. But it will definitely be at the back of their minds, what Carlos did in the four deliveries in the last over is unbelievable.

“As a team we actually saw it last night and it brought goosebumps back to us. For us to be in that situation and get over the line, it shows the never-say-die attitude. As a team, we look forward to trying to replicate winning the entire tournament. Those sorts of moments stick with us.

“Hopefully we can go out and play good cricket so we are in a situation where we are in the final so we can have some memories going forward. but I don’t think it will have much bearing on the game because it’s another game of cricket, that situation was totally different, being a final.”

The loss did not affect England unduly, as they went on to reach the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy a year later before winning the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2019 in similarly dramatic fashion.

For skipper Eoin Morgan, there are no scars from the 2016 defeat. Instead it was an opportunity to learn, while that tournament was a turning point for English cricket in his eyes.

He said: “I think that’s the last time that we went into a tournament where we weren’t favourites. This is the next tournament that we’re going in, but obviously we’re second favourites. I would say probably going into 2016 we were more of an afterthought as opposed to considered a genuine side that could or would progress throughout the tournament.

“I mean, if you go back Champions Trophy 2017, 2019 and then now, we’ve made a lot of progress, and guys are proud of the progress but want to continue being contenders when we turn up at a World Cup.

“I think some of the biggest disappointments in any career are more learnings than scars. I think if there were scars we would have lost a lot of players that wouldn’t have progressed like they have done over the last four or five years throughout their careers. I think the development of the side has reinforced that any time we’ve come up against a side that has beaten us in whatever fashion they have, we’ve always looked to learn and progress and become a better side.”

This ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has already thrown up a few surprises, with Scotland topping Group B and Namibia qualifying from Group A.

Despite those upsets, Morgan believes that his team have shown the necessary consistency to be challengers regardless of what sort of game they find themselves in.

He said: “I think probably the last two years in T20 international cricket are probably our most consistent, certainly in my captaincy, or period as captain.

“We’ve shown that we can get 200 or maybe more and also play in a bit of a dogfight game, say 130 or 140 game, and I think the side who adapts to all three venues the best throughout this tournament will go on and win, and I think within our squad we have the ability to do that.

“We obviously have to be on top of our game, adapt well and be confident with it. “You need to be the smartest, most experienced, most adaptable side in order to do well in the early stages of a tournament.”

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 22, 2021 (PPI-OT):Every hero needs a sidekick and after David Wiese once again bagged the player of the match award for Namibia, he highlighted the sterling work of his skipper Gerhard Erasmus.

Every hero needs a sidekick and after David Wiese once again bagged the player of the match award for Namibia, he highlighted the sterling work of his skipper Gerhard Erasmus.

Wiese smashed 66 not out to help Namibia beat the Netherlands last time out and record their first World Cup victory and once again the 36-year-old fired his country to glory in a straight shoot-out against Ireland to make the Super 12 stage.

The former South Africa star, enjoying a second stab at international cricket, took two for 22 with the ball to help restrict Ireland to 125 for eight from their 20 overs before blitzing 28 off just 14 balls in a successful run chase.

But it was the partnership of 53 with captain Erasmus, who struck a vital unbeaten half-century at No.3 with 53 off 49 balls to anchor the chase, that sealed a historic win for outsiders Namibia who finished second behind Sri Lanka in Group A to seal a spot in the Super 12.

Fresh from hitting the winning runs which sparked jubilant scenes, Wiese said: “It’s completely overwhelming.

“I don’t think I deserve to be sitting here. I think the captain Gerhard Erasmus deserves to be player of the match.

“This is really his moment, and the rest of the team has put in so much work before now to be here.”

Erasmus, 26, delivered a true captain’s knock which steered his nation to an unprecedented result which ensures they have automatically qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

With 32 off 22 against Netherlands, Erasmus was the perfect foil for Wiese’s explosive innings, but this time it was the leader’s turn to top score when it mattered most, arriving to the crease with Namibia making slow progress at 25 for one in the last over of the power play.

Confident enough to see himself in and lucky that Ireland did not review an lbw shout that would have been overturned when he was on only two, Erasmus played the most important innings of his life.

It was a knock which left him on the verge of tears at its conclusion, with his visibly proud father Francois watching on and applauding in the stands at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE.

In life they say you have to take the rough with the smooth and Erasmus will treasure the elation of the eight-wicket victory over Ireland having lost out to the same opponents at the Qualifier two years ago.

On that occasion he also made a 50 but this time it was not in vain and the lofted cover drive that took him to the milestone will live long in the memory.

Namibia will now join the group that includes India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Scotland and Afghanistan and Erasmus admitted after the game that the scale of what they had achieved was yet to sink in.

He said: “I said in the press conference that we run a tight ship. Small country, small number of people play cricket. We should be proud of ourselves. “I count on my senior men to stand up when the pressure is on. And two of us did it tonight. “Hopefully, we can do it through the tournament. It hasn’t sunk in yet, maybe on the way home.”

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 22, 2021 (PPI-OT):Temba Bavuma has promised a fiery opening to the Super 12s as South Africa and Australia prepare to kick-start Group 1 at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

Temba Bavuma has promised a fiery opening to the Super 12s as South Africa and Australia prepare to kick-start Group 1 at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

The two rivals face off in Abu Dhabi and arrive at the tournament in contrasting form, with South Africa winning their last three series and Australia losing their last five.

Australia have enjoyed the upper hand in recent years though, winning six of their last seven T20 matches with the Proteas, and both sides know the importance of a fast start.

With West Indies and England also in Group 1 and only two teams advancing to the semi-finals, it is imperative to start well and Bavuma admits there will be nerves.

“I must be honest, there is a bit of anxiety amongst the guys, there is a bit of butterflies, and I think that’s something that’s expected,” he said.

“In terms of coming up against Australia, there’s no bigger motivation for the guys. Matches or clashes against Australia have always been full of fire, and we don’t expect it to be anything different tomorrow.

“Tomorrow being an opener for us, it’s obviously a big game. We want to start off well. We want to hit the ground off running and start to get that momentum rolling in our favour. But the guys, I believe, are in a good space.

“It’s always good to start off well. You want to throw that first punch in early on and try to ride with that momentum as much as you can. I think the way the tournament is also set up with only five games in the group stages, you don’t really have time to be behind the eight ball.

“We’ll be looking to really hit the ground running. Tomorrow we need to play our best cricket and take it from there.”

Both teams have major weapons at their disposal and Australia captain Aaron Finch is backing batter David Warner to rediscover his best form and once again prove he’s one of the best players in the world.

Warner was dropped by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second half of the IPL and did not feature in their last eight games of the tournament after a period of poor form.

But he is expected to open the batting alongside Finch in Abu Dhabi, as the Baggy Greens prepare to face South Africa in their first Super 12s game on Saturday and launch their bid to win the one ICC trophy that has so far eluded them.

“I’m backing Dave’s ability. I’m backing his judgment,” he said.

“I think, if you look at his World Cup history, he’s just bloody good. Would he have liked more runs? Absolutely. Everyone would like more runs all the time.

“He’s one of the greatest players that Australia has ever produced, and I’ve got no doubts that come Game 1 he’ll be up and firing and ready to go.

“I’m feeling really good. The knee is feeling great. It’s feeling a bit better than what I thought it would at this stage, to be honest. To be able to play those first two warm-up games against New Zealand and India was crucial, I think. To get a few in the middle was nice.

“I think everyone’s in a pretty good space to be honest. The way the group’s come together, the feeling around the place has been brilliant. We’re really excited to kick it off tomorrow.”

Finch revealed Australia will select four specialist bowlers against the Proteas and rely on all-rounders such as Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh to bowl in the middle to make up the overs.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence in the depth of our squad. We’ve got a lot of confidence in Maxwell, Stoinis, and Marsh to be able to bowl in four overs as well,” he added.

“We think that on these wickets in these conditions that they can do a really good job and be an attacking option as much as anything.”

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