Tag: (ICC)

Dubai, October 21, 2021 (PPI-OT):Scotland have already made history by reaching the second stage of an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time but spinner Mark Watt has no intention of stopping now.

Victory over Bangladesh in the opening game of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 was a statement of intent from the Scots, backed up by beating Papua New Guinea.

Still, going into the final group game against hosts Oman, defeat could still have spelt the end of the road. In their most convincing performance of the tournament so far, not only did Scotland win, but they did so in emphatic fashion with an eight-wicket success.

That was enough to clinch top spot in Group B, securing a place in Group 2 of the Super 12 and match-ups against the likes of India and New Zealand in the next round.

It is a remarkable run for the team, but Watt insists they are not done yet – citing a one-day victory over England in 2018, a year before their own world title, as proof of the Scots’ ability to go toe-to-toe with the best.

He said: “I think we’re going to make a few upsets. I don’t see why not, we’ve done it before. We’ve beaten the best ODI team in the world, we’ve beaten Bangladesh just there and we’re on a really good run of form.

“I think teams won’t take us lightly and they should be worried about Scotland. We’re on a great run of form and have a lot of momentum going forward.”

He even joked about the prospect of bowling to Virat Kohli, saying: “I’ve got quite a few plans for Virat, I’m going to keep them hush-hush at the moment, but I think he should be worried.”

As well as the chance to cause a few upsets, this also gives Scotland the opportunity to match up against the world’s best sides in five further matches in the Super 12 stage – an opportunity that Watt is relishing.

He added: “That’s why you play the game, to play against the big stars. You want to challenge yourself against the best and they are certainly the best in the world.

“All the guys are buzzing to showcase their skills against the whole world and that’s why you want to get to the World Cup, to play against the best players and the best teams to challenge yourself.”

Oman, meanwhile, saw their hopes of making the Super 12 ended as they were bowled out for 122 after electing to bat first.

Losing star batter Jatinder Singh for a duck when he was run out second ball proved too much of an obstacle to overcome for the host nation.

And skipper Zeeshan Maqsood admitted that his team were never able to fight their way back into it because of the pressure that Scotland put them under.

He said: “Jatinder’s first over run-out was hard for us. We didn’t expect that because he’s our in-form player. We fought very well but we were 30 or 40 runs short. If we had scored 150+, there would have been more chance of winning the game but Scotland played very well, they showed that maturity in their batting. They never gave us a chance to come back into the match.

“Overall I’m happy with how the players have played. We back the decision to bat first, but not the way we played. There are a lot of areas to improve and a lot of positive things that we have taken from other teams. Where we went wrong, we will correct those mistakes and we will come back strong.”

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 21, 2021 (PPI-OT):For Scottish cricket, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 was always going to be about more than the 15-man playing squad.

This was an opportunity for a breakthrough tournament of the likes of Afghanistan five years ago or Ireland at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup back in 2007.

The introduction of the Super 12 stage meant that there was almost an expectation of getting through the first round, a feeling that only grew after that stunning opening win against Bangladesh.

Now, thanks to an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Oman, Scotland have not only qualified, but they have also topped Group B and enter the Super 12 in the B1 slot full of confidence with matches against India, New Zealand and Pakistan, not to mention old rivals Afghanistan on the horizon.

In the here and now, Mark Watt talked about causing more upsets and with the balance and depth of the side, that is a very real possibility.

Whether they do or not, the wider ramifications of this qualification could be felt in the coming years and decades though as Scottish cricket gets an opportunity to shine a light on the game on the biggest stage of all.

Watt explained: “A lot of people will be looking at us on the TV and thinking they want to play for Scotland now. That is our main aim, to inspire a nation.

“We want kids to grow up and try different sports and try cricket. It’s not a massive sport, we want to try to push that up there and we think this is going to help massively.”

Skipper Kyle Coetzer has been a key part of the Scotland set-up for nearly two decades now, but had been short of runs coming into the tournament and in the opening two matches.

That changed against Oman, with the opener smashing 41 to calm any fears over whether 122 might prove a trickier target than on first appearances.

At 37, Coetzer has spent so long waiting for an opportunity like this, and he fully intends to take it.

He said: “For Cricket Scotland and back home, it’s huge, the opportunity to play on the biggest stage, the opportunity to test ourselves against the best and grow the game back home, the following has been immense.

“There’s a real togetherness among our squad, we’ve been through thick and thin, a number of these players were at the last T20 World Cup and just missed out on group stage. The guys have put in a lot of work over the past couple of years to keep developing their game. The coaching staff have done a fantastic job. The guys are in a great place, playing some excellent cricket and are a pretty well-established outfit with bat, ball and in the field.

“As far as I’m aware this group we were just in was a mighty tough group so the next one will be tougher. There is no reason to fear any games in that group. We will go into every game full of hope and belief that we can win more games.”

Coetzer is right to be optimistic considering what Scotland have achieved so far. Perhaps more exciting though, is what they might achieve in the future.

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 21, 2021 (PPI-OT):Shakib Al Hasan produced another sensational performance as Bangladesh qualified for the Super 12s with an 84-run win against Papua New Guinea.

Shakib, second in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I all-rounder rankings, took four for nine in a typically masterful spell to help dismiss PNG for just 97.

He also weighed in with the bat, scoring an impressive 46, as the Tigers made an imposing 181 for seven.

PNG’s fielders took some spectacular catches but with the bat they struggled to fend off Shakib, with Kiplin Doriga the only one to offer some resistance with an unbeaten 46.

Bangladesh batting coach Ashwell Prince said his charges would go “full throttle” in this match and they had a chance to do just that from the outset after winning the toss.

However, Mohammad Naim was out second ball to Kabua Morea after he picked out a fielder at deep square leg.

Shakib partnered Liton Das at the crease and the pair helped stave off an early crisis with a 50-run partnership, with Shakib cleverly rotating the strike in a phase of the game the Tigers struggled for boundaries.

Das was then brilliantly caught in the deep by Sese Bau off captain Assad Vala while attempting a slog-sweep and, with a run-rate under seven, PNG did well to restrict Bangladesh in the first half of their innings.

Shakib hit an 86-metre six in the tenth over, the Tigers’ first boundary in 32 balls, and left-arm spinner Simon Atai removed Mushfiqur Rahim for five, as Bangladesh continued to struggle.

Mahmudullah and Shakib tried to up the run-rate, with both striking a six, before Charles Amini took a spectacular catch by diving forwards at long on to dismiss Shakib.

The pressure fell on Mahmudullah to lead with the bat and he started well by cutting two balls to the boundary to reach 29 off 18 balls.

He then hit two sixes and a four off Chad Soper in the 17th over to reach his half-century off just 27 balls, the fastest 50 in the tournament so far. However, he was out on the 28th ball after hitting a full toss to deep square leg.

Nurul Hasan provided an entertaining cameo, with fours from his first two balls, while Afif Hossain made 21 before another brilliant catch – this time from Damien Ravu – saw him head back to the pavilion for 21.

Mohammad Saifuddin finished the innings in style, with sixes off the last two balls and a four from a free hit, to leave Bangladesh on 181 for seven.

PNG made a patient start with the bat but lost their first wicket in the third over, as Lega Siaka was trapped lbw by Saifuddin’s in-swinger, while Taskin Ahmed removed Vala five balls later thanks to a fine catch by Hasan behind the stumps.

Not to be outdone by PNG’s superb fielding, Bangladesh’s catchers were on fire, as Naim sprinted round from wide long on to take a spectacular diving catch to dismiss Amini at the beginning of the fifth over, while the bowler, Shakib, picked up another wicket three balls later as PNG fell to 14 for four.

Shakib returned four overs later to take his third wicket, with Bau caught by Naim in the deep, before the big-hitting Norman Vanua fell to Mahedi Hasan mid-way through the 10th.

Doriga offered some resistance with an impressive innings but Bangladesh chipped away and eventually bowled PNG out in the final over.

Scores in brief

Bangladesh beat Papua New Guinea, at Al Amerat Cricket Ground, Oman by 84 runs

Bangladesh 181/7 in 20 overs (Mahmudullah 50, Shakib Al Hasan 46; Assad Vala 2/26, Kabua Morea 2/26)

Papua New Guinea 97 all out in 19.2 overs (Kiplin Doriga 46 not out; Chad Soper 11; Shakib Al Hasan 4/9; Mohammad Saifuddin 2/21)

Player of the Match: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

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 20, 2021 (PPI-OT):The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has approved Akeal Hosein as a replacement for Fabian Allen in the West Indies squad.

Left-arm spinner Hosein, who has played nine ODIs and six T20Is, was named as a replacement after Allen was ruled out due to an ankle injury. Hosein was a reserve as per the allowance for teams to travel with extra players in view of COVID-19 quarantine requirements.

The replacement for Hosein in the reserves list will be the uncapped Gudakesh Motie. The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad.

The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 consists of Chris Tetley (Head of Events, Chair), Clive Hitchcock (ICC Senior Cricket Operations Manager), Rahul Dravid and Dhiraj Malhotra (BCCI Representatives), Simon Doull and Ian Bishop (Independent Members).

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 20, 2021 (PPI-OT):Sri Lanka became the first team to progress from the First Round of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 into the Super 12s after an emphatic 70-run win against Ireland.

Wanindu Hasaranga hit 71 with the bat as the 2014 champions made 171 for seven batting first, before Maheesh Theekshana’s mystery spin helped them dismiss Ireland for 101 in Abu Dhabi.

Sri Lanka are the only side in Group A with two wins from two and, with Ireland facing Namibia in the final round of games, they are assured of a place in the Super 12s, while also knowing that a win over Netherlands on Friday will see them top the table and join England, Australia, West Indies and South Africa in Group 1 as team A1.

Meanwhile, Ireland and Namibia face off in a mouth-watering match that will see the winners also qualify for the Super 12s.

Ireland arrived at Sheikh Zayed Stadium with their tails up following a handsome seven-wicket success against Netherlands in their opening game and had the confidence to field when they won the toss.

That put Sri Lanka in and all eyes were on their top order after head coach Mickey Arthur admitted on the eve of this contest that scoring runs is their weakness. Unfortunately for the Lions, that continued in the early stages.

With just the second ball of the innings, Kusal Perera spooned a well-flighted Paul Stirling off-break to cover, where Gareth Delany made a spectacular catch by diving forwards and just getting his fingers underneath the ball.

That brought Dinesh Chandimal to the crease, the 31-year-old just 56 runs short of 1000 in T20 internationals. But he only added six to his total, after dragging a Josh Little delivery back onto his stumps.

Little then made it two wickets in two balls, with a superb delivery that seamed through Avishka Fernando’s bat and pad and upended off stump. After ten balls, Sri Lanka were eight for three.

Arthur changed his batting order and sent in big-hitting all-rounder Hasaranga to get the scoreboard moving.

The right-hander did just that after a cautious start, punching a four through the covers off Little and then finishing the power play with four successive fours off Simi Singh, as Sri Lanka reached 47 for three.

Hasaranga stayed on the front foot as he clubbed a massive six over long on at the end of the eighth over and led Sri Lanka to 78 for three at the halfway stage of their innings.

He was ably supported by opener Pathum Nissanka, who gradually warmed to the task. The 23-year-old averages 64.45 in first-class cricket and showed how well he times the ball with a monstrous six over wide long on in the 12th over.

Hasaranga cut a boundary through backward point to move past 44 and set a new T20I career-best score, while he reached a half-century with another firm strike through point, as Sri Lanka’s batters upped the strike-rate again.

Ireland needed an answer and were handed a lifeline in the 16th over when Hasaranga eventually sliced a flighted Mark Adair ball to backward point, departing for 71.

Nissanka, who by this point had reached his own maiden T20I half-century, upped the ante, but he edged Little behind on 61 at the end of the 19th as the left-armer finished with figures of four for 23, his best in a T20 international.

There was also time for another milestone as Adair picked up his 50th T20I wicket by bowling Chamika Karunaratne with a yorker but skipper Dasun Shanaka scored ten runs from the final two balls, to help Sri Lanka set an imposing 171 for seven.

Ireland made a slow start in reply, losing big-hitting openers Kevin O’Brien and Paul Stirling in the first three overs to dent their chances of a successful run chase. O’Brien top-edged Karunaratne to fine leg, while mystery spinner Theekshana removed Stirling shortly after.

Hasaranga then did for Delany with a googly that breached his defence and hit the stumps to leave Ireland on 32 for three midway through the sixth over.

Captain Andrew Balbirnie and all-rounder Curtis Campher joined forces and set about rescuing the innings, which they did with dogged determination.

They put on 53 for the fourth wicket but Campher went for 24 at the end of the 13th over when he was bowled by Theekshana and that sparked a collapse.

Harry Tector, Neil Rock, Mark Adair, Craig Young and Little scored eight runs between them, as Sri Lanka polished off the tail to seal a fine 70-run victory.

Scores in Brief

Sri Lanka beat Ireland at the Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi by 70 runs

Sri Lanka 171/7 in 20 overs (Wanindu Hasaranga 71, Pathum Nissanka 61; Josh Little 4/23, Mark Adair 2/35)

Ireland 101 all out in 18.3 overs (Andrew Balbirnie 41, Curtis Campher 24; Maheesh Theekshana 3/17, Lahiru Kumara 2/22)

Player of the Match: Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)

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 20, 2021 (PPI-OT):Shane Burger believes his Scotland trailblazers are only just getting started, insisting the history-makers have not even got out of third gear yet at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

Scotland came into the tournament having never progressed beyond the first round in their three previous appearances, winning just one game from their seven matches.

But they pulled off a stunning six-run victory over the highly-fancied Bangladesh in their opening game before seeing off Papua New Guinea by 17 runs to lead the way in Group B.

And while this Scotland team have already broken new ground in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, head coach Burger knows only victory – which would guarantee progress to the Super 12 – will do against Oman in their final group fixture.

“We’ve already created history in this tournament by winning two games. That’s more than any Scottish team has done previously. We want to go one step further,” he said.

“All the goals that we’ve set have been over and above this group stage. We’ve spoken a lot about getting into round two and what we want to achieve getting into round two.

“But we know we need to take it one step at a time. I’m just really proud of the calm this unit has shown. The ability to win really big moments has been key.

“We’ve actually done that while not really getting out of third gear yet. I don’t think we’ve put a full game of cricket together yet – we have only shown glimpses so far.

“Glimpses with the bat, glimpses with the ball, glimpses in the field, but we’re going to have to bring all of that out tomorrow [against Oman] and then go again.”

Having already improved on their previous best performance at the 2016 edition, by winning two games, Burger now wants Scotland to lay down a marker by topping their group – meaning they would advance as team B1 and go into Group 2 of the Super 12 alongside Afghanistan, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and the runners-up from Group A (A2).

“The magnitude of the game is tremendous in terms of the bigger picture, not only for Scottish cricket but just associate cricket as well I think,” said the 39-year-old.

“We spoke about topping the group, that was certainly a goal and something we wanted to achieve before we arrived here. We spoke about it, we planned for it.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if we do that because the mindset is there and the belief is there amongst the group and the unit so it’s huge in terms of Scottish cricket.

“It also has the ability to inspire a nation and to be the first Scottish team to create history and do something that we’ve never done before is certainly in the back of every player’s mind.

“To leave a legacy of being the first Scottish team to do that is certainly a motivation of ours and to inspire all those young cricketers – not only in Scotland but around the world.

“We want them to take up the game and play a brand of cricket that Scotland plays, that is ultimately the goal we want to be achieving.”

Standing in Scotland’s way of topping the group and qualifying for the Super 12 stage is co-hosts Oman, who can also still progress with a victory over the Group B leaders.

Oman defeated Papua New Guinea in their opening game before losing to Bangladesh but Aqib Ilyas is confident his team’s superior net run rate stands them in good stead.

“The thing is they have won two matches, they might be positive but cricket is such a funny game that after winning two games they are still in a position where if they lose, they could be out,” he said.

“We are positive because they feel pressure but we’re not under pressure because it’s just a game that we have to win. After winning the last game they might have thought they were qualified.

“But now our run rate is so higher that if we just win the match, we go through and they are out, so this happened to us before and the teams who are at the top are under more pressure.

“There was a time when we were thinking we were in, now if we lose we’re out of the tournament so we will be very positive and we’ll go in with a positive mindset.

“It doesn’t matter that they have done well. It’s in the past, it’s gone, tomorrow let’s see what we can do. When the home crowd supports you, everything is easier for you.”

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