Sports
Opening day of Afghanistan-New Zealand Test called off due to wet outfield
The first ever day of Test cricket at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground was abandoned due to a wet outfield. The weather was fair all day, with the sun out, but the drainage facilities could not dry the playing area entirely, leaving New Zealand and Afghanistan to wait at least another day to begin their first ever Test encounter.
There has been significant rain over the past few days and the challenge, according to chief curator Amit Sharma, was to keep the outfield fit for play if the wet weather continued. However, on Monday, there was not a single cover on the ground all day and the super-soppers were at work, but wet patches on the outfield and the bowlers’ run-up remained a concern.
Multiple inspections took place, with the last one scheduled at 4.30pm local time, but the day was abandoned at 4.05 pm. The toss has been scheduled for 9am tomorrow and the remaining four days will have 98 overs each starting at 9.30am, instead of 10am.
The match is not part of the World Test Championship cycle but gives New Zealand an opportunity to acclimatise to subcontinent conditions, with two Test series against Sri Lanka and India lined up in the next couple of months.
Afghanistan have played two one-off Tests in this year so far, both in different countries against different opponents, and are looking for their first win since 2021.
[Cricinfo]
Sports
Koggala Export Processing Zone, marks International Women’s Day 2026, with Volleyball Extravaganza on Friday
The BoI’s Koggala Export Processing Zone (KgEPZ), boasting of a workforce of nearly 11,000, proudly marks its 35th year with vibrant celebrations of sports and unity.
To mark International Women’s Day 2026, the Industrial Relations Department of KgEPZ has organizing its 5th Day and Night Women’s Volleyball Tournament, a signature event dedicated to empowering and encouraging the zone’s female workforce. The tournament will take place from 09.30 AM onwards on Friday (06) at the BOI grounds Koggala.
This year, 10 talented women’s teams representing enterprises within the zone will compete under lights in a spirited display of teamwork, strength and sportsmanship. Adding further excitement to the event will be a special men’s exhibition match between Unichela (Pvt) Ltd and ATG Handcare (Pvt) Ltd. The tournament not only promotes physical well-being but also strengthens camaraderie among employees.
The main sponsor of this year’s event is ATG Handcare (Pvt) Ltd, with past sponsorship support from Star Garment Group, ATG Handcare (Pvt) Ltd and People’s Bank. At last year’s tournament, the Aitken Spence team emerged victorious, setting high expectations for another thrilling encounter this year.
On Saturday, New Zealand had nervously tuned into Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, wondering if they could sneak into the semi-final. Matt Henry was on the way back home from Colombo for the birth of his second child. New Zealand’s build-up to the semi-final was just as uncertain as they waited anxiously for their bowling spearhead to return. On Wednesday, their performance in the semi-final was anything but uncertain as they KO’d South Africa, who were unbeaten until this game, and launched New Zealand into their second men’s T20 World Cup final.
After their attack welcomed Henry back and limited South Africa to 169 for 8 on a slower-than-usual Eden Gardens track, Finn Allen took centerstage and crashed a 33-ball century, the fastest ever in a men’s T20 World Cup, to make a mockery of the chase. Just as Allen was soaking in his sensational century in the middle, Tim Seifert, the other half of New Zealand’s Bash Brothers, pumped his fist in the dugout. New Zealand completed the demolition job with nine wickets and just more than seven overs to spare.
Mitchell Santner handed the new ball to offspin-bowling allrounder Cole McConchie in the second over, and he aced his match-up, taking out the left-handed pair of Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton in the only over he bowled.
De Kock threw the first punch at McConchie when he swiped him over mid-on for four. McConchie then punched back next ball by darting one into the pitch and having de Kock pop a catch to mid-on for 10 off eight balls. It was the third time in five innings that de Kock was dismissed by an offspinner in this competition.
Rickelton, at No.3, had a crack at an offbreak next ball and ended up slicing a cut to short third for a golden duck. Brevis then avoided the hat-trick, but McConchie, the 18th player included in New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad, had done his job.
With the two left-handers gone and the powerplay done, Santner introduced himself into the attack and conceded just three runs off the seventh over. The New Zealand captain helped offset the damage caused by a 17-run powerplay over from Jimmy Neesham, who had replaced legspinner Ish Sodhi.
Rachin Ravindra then struck in his first over, tossing up one at Aiden Markram’s stumps and having him caught at long-on for 18 off 20 balls. Daryl Mitchell charged in from long-on, dived forward and plucked it inches from the ground. Replays suggested it was touch-and-go, but Nitin Menon, the TV umpire, eventually ruled it as a clean catch.
After dropping Markram on 3 at midwicket, Ravindra enjoyed redemption with the ball.
Against the left-handed David Miller, Ravindra hiked his pace and aimed to hide the ball away from his swinging arc. Ravindra could have had Miller on 3 but Glenn Phillips, believe it or not, dropped a catch in the outfield. Miller added three to his tally before chipping Ravindra to Mitchell at long-off for a regulation catch. Ravindra finished with 2 for 29 in his four overs, extending his own tournament tally to 11. Among spinners, only Varun Chakravarthy, the No.1-ranked T20I bowler, has more wickets than him in this T20 World Cup.
Dewald Brevis flickered briefly for 34 off 27 balls before he was undone by the slowness of the Eden pitch. He jabbed at a drive early and ended up spooning Neesham to Santner at cover. South Africa were 77 for 5 at that point.
Marco Jansen then combined with Tristan Stubbs for a 73-run partnership for the sixth wicket – a new record for South Africa in men’s T20Is. Despite the clatter of wickets, Jansen showed his power and composure. After charging at Ravindra, his former team-mate at Washington Freedom in the MLC, and lofting him for six, Jansen lined Henry up for a no-look six over wide long-on.
He reached his half-century off 27 balls, with a six off Neesham, and finished with his T20I career best of 55 off 30 balls, including two fours and five sixes. Lockie Ferguson snapped the stand in the 19th over when he castled Stubbs for 29 off 24 balls with a nifty legcutter from around the wicket. Henry then closed out the innings with a six-run over, which also included the wickets of Corbin Bosch and Kagiso Rabada. Jansen’s half-century, though, gave South Africa’s attack something to bowl at.
That something soon turned into next to nothing once Allen took off in the chase as the dew set in at Eden Gardens. Allen faced 33 balls and sent 18 of those to or over the boundary. Rabada tried his legcutter, Lungi Ngidi dipped into his slower dipper, Jansen tried to bang it away on a hard length and Bosch offered pace, but nothing worked against Allen.
After reaching his fifty off 19 balls, Allen stormed to his ton off 33 balls. Allen shattered Chris Gayle’s previous T20 World Cup record of a 47-ball hundred against England in 2016.
It was Seifert who had made the early running, contributing 41 of the 62 New Zealand had scored in the first five overs of their chase. In the final over of the powerplay, Allen carted Bosch for a sequence of 6,4,4,4,4 as New Zealand finished with 84 for 0. It was the second-highest powerplay score in this T20 World Cup and the highest powerplay score across all knockout games in the T20 World Cup.
From thereon, it was all about Allen and his brute power. If this was a bat-off for an IPL opening spot at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Allen won it emphatically. South Africa found some respite when Rabada removed Seifert for 58, but Allen finished it off in grand style at Eden Gardens, in the company of Ravindra, another Knight Rider.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 173 for 1 in 12.5 overs (Finn Allen 100*, Tim Seifert 58, Rachin Ravindra 13*; Kagiso Rabada 1-28) beat South Africa 169 for 8 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 18, Quinton de Kock 10, Marco Jansen 55*, Dewald Brevis 34, Tristan Stubbs 29; Matt Henry 2-34, Cole McConchie 2-09, Lockie Ferguson 1-29, James Neesham 1-42, Rachin Ravindra 2-29) by nine wickets
[Cricinfo]
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first in the first semi-final at Eden Gardens
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (capt), James Neesham, Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, 11 Lockie Ferguson
South Africa: Aiden Markram (capt), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi
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