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Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama set Pakistan daunting target
Sparkling centuries from Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama helped Sri Lanka post 344/9 in Hyderabad on Tuesday (October 10). Mendis set a record enroute his stunning ton as he brought up three figures off just 65 balls – the fastest by a Sri Lankan in World Cups. He found support at the start from opener Pathum Nissanka who hit a crisp fifty.
Pakistan actually made a great start after Sri Lanka opted to bat first. Kusal Perera nicked one behind while attempting to cut Hasan Ali and departed for a duck in just the second over. But Mendis wasted little time to get going as he took on the Pakistan attack in the powerplay. The men in green could have easily sent him packing early in his innings had Imam-ul-Haq managed to hold on to a chance gifted by Mendis when he was batting only on 18. Nissanka at the other end hammered Ali for a six and a four to keep Sri Lanka rolling. At one point, Nissanka was way ahead of Mendis as he kept finding the boundary regularly to race to 43.
Mendis managed to catch up soon with his partner however as both the batters managed to get to their fifties in the same over. Shadab Khan finally gave Pakistan a much-needed breakthrough by getting rid of Nissanka but the relief didn’t last long. Mendis and Samarawickrama stunned their opposition as both the batters hit a six each off Haris Rauf. Mendis absolutely feasted on the Pakistan attack as the flurry of boundaries continued with even Shaheen Afridi failing to control the flow of runs. At the halfway mark, Sri Lanka were 181/2 before Mendis hit Ali over the ropes to bring up a stunning hundred.
Mendis hit the same bowler for two more sixes and almost managed a hat-trick of sixes before getting caught near the boundary for a 77-ball 122. For a brief moment, Pakistan appeared to fight back with Charith Asalanka departing for just 1 but Samarawickrama’s presence kept Pakistan on their toes. He brought up a fifty off just 43 balls and helped Dhananjaya de Silva settle down at the other end by ensuring the run rate didn’t drop.
After 41 overs, Sri Lanka were 294/4 and a score close to 375 was very much on the cards. However, Pakistan did pull things back at the death by striking at regular intervals. Nawaz opened his account with de Silva’s wicket and Afridi did the same a few overs later when he removed Dasun Shanaka. At the other end, Samarawickrama managed to bring up a century for the very first time in his ODI career but his dismissal with two overs still remaining ensured Pakistan conceded just nine runs in the final two overs. Despite that effort at the death, 345 is an imposing target for a side whose openers are battling for form.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 344/9 in 50 overs (Kusal Mendis 122, Sadeera Samarawickrama 108; Hasan Ali 4/71) vs Pakistan
The Rose Bowl, which has been awarded to the winner of ODI series between the women’s teams of Australia and New Zealand since 1985, has now been expanded to include T20Is as well.
New Zealand’s three match T20I tour of Australia, which begins on Sunday at the North Sydney Oval, will be the first T20I edition of the Rose Bowl. The teams will get to face off again for the trophy in March 2027 when they meet again for three ODIs, also in Australia.
For Rose Bowl series that include matches in both white-ball formats, the trophy will go to the team with the most wins overall. In case of a drawn series, the current holder will retain the trophy.
“The Rose Bowl is a prestigious trophy that holds a lot of meaning to current and past players, and it’s a series we’ve always taken a lot of pride in competing in,”Catherine Campbell, NZC’s chief cricket operations officer and a former New Zealand player, said. “With so much T20I cricket now being played, this is a brilliant opportunity to keep the Rose Bowl relevant and to build on the history between us and our Australian rivals.”
New Zealand captain Melie Kerr was excited by the broadening of opportunities to compete for the Rose Bowl.
“We’re all aware of what the Rose Bowl represents and the importance it holds in the White Ferns whakapapa [genealogy],” said Kerr. “Great players and teams have fought for it over the years and we’d love the opportunity to claim our own piece of that history.”
Australia have held the Rose Bowl continuously since wresting it back from New Zealand in 2000. Since that 3-0 win, Australia have won 18 times with one series – in 2008-09 – shared 2-2. Overall, Australia have won 26 of the 31 ODI series played for the Rose Bowl, with New Zealand winning three times and three series drawn.
North Sydney will host all three T20Is of the upcoming Rose Bowl series, on October 18, 20 and 22.
[Cricinfo]
US President Donald Trump claims the US Navy’s “effective” blockade has stopped all Iranian ships from crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy says a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil has struck a sea mine while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz through an “unauthorised” route.
The collision caused a huge explosion and a major fire on board the vessel, the IRGC said in a statement reported by semi-official Tasnim news agency.
It alleged that the tanker had turned off all tracking and radar systems, attempting to pass through the strait using deception and with US military support.
‘The Strait of Hormuz is closed’, the IRGC navy warned, adding that vessels violating Iranian regulations would face severe consequences for relying on US backing.
[Aljazeera]
Squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav
Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
[Cricbuzz]
Rose Bowl expanded to include Australia vs New Zealand T20Is
Trump claims US Navy blockade stops Iranian ships in Hormuz
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