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Afghanistan keep semifinal hopes alive with big win
Afghanistan rose up to fifth above Pakistan – even if only temporarily – and kept their semifinal hopes alive with a big seven-wicket win over Netherlands in Lucknow. After spin and excellent ground fielding helped them keep Netherlands down to just 179, Rahmat Shah and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi hit fifties to power the run chase that was capped off in the 32nd over.
Netherlands had very little to bowl with but made a promising start when Logan van Beek had Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught behind down the leg side in just the sixth over. Ibrahim Zadran, his opening partner, made a slow start but Rahmat Shah walked out and took control of the proceedings. He went after Paul van Meekeren in his first over, hitting him for three fours – one streaky, two glorious – and taking Afghanistan to 55 for 1 in 10 overs. Roelof van der Merwe cleaned up Zadran on the first ball after the PowerPlay, but that brought Rahmat and his captain, Shahidi, together for the match-winning stand.
Scott Edwards needed more wickets and quickly if he planned on making the chase any tougher for Afghanistan and brought back Aryan Dutt, one of his best bowlers in the tournament. But batting just got easier under lights and the two batters saw past the young spinner and every other bowling change to put Afghanistan on course for a victory. By the 20th over, Rahmat reached his half-century and took the team past the 100-run mark. Leg spinner Saqib Zulfiqar, playing in his first World Cup game, found a breakthrough against the run of play when he had Rahmat caught off his own bowling. But the wicket was too little, too late as Azmatullah Omarzai joined Shahidi to take the team home. En route to Afghanistan’s fourth victory of the tournament, Shahidi scored a solid half-century and got the winning runs.
Earlier in the day, his bowlers brought all the solidity that was needed to tie down Netherlands who opted to bat first. Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck in the very first over to remove Wesley Barresi – trapped leg before – to add a 100th ODI wicket to his name. Max O’Dowd then threw caution to the wind with a stroke-filled essay that included him getting nine fours inside the PowerPlay. However, his good work was undone by a brilliant moment on the field from Omarzai, whose direct hit from fine leg sent the opener packing for 42 off 40 balls.
Colin Ackermann and Sybrand Engelbrecht then took it upon themselves to drag Netherlands ahead but a miscommunication on a call for a run led to the former’s run out on 29. Netherlands were truly shaken when captain Edwards became the third run out victim as he went for a sweep, missed and ventured out of the crease unaware of where the ball had gone off the inside edge. As it turned out, it went only as far as wicketkeeper Ikram Ali Khil, who took the bails off on what turned out to be a very busy innings for him.
Netherlands were on a downward spiral since soaring in the first PowerPlay, as they lost their fifth wicket in the 21st over when Bas de Leede was caught behind off Nabi. While Netherlands batters were carefully trying to play out Rashid Khan, Hashmatullah Shahidi introduced his left-handed clone – Noor Ahmad in the 24th over. Saqib Zulfiqar became Noor’s first wicket in the evening when he nicked one to Ali Khil while trying to cut a straight delivery outside the off-stump.
Engelbrecht made up for the earlier mishap that led to Ackermann’s dismissal by scoring a gritty half-century, but he then became the fourth batter to get run out when he took on the arm of Nabi at midwicket. The lower-order couldn’t sustain much longer after Engelbrecht’s exit, as they folded in the 48th over. In what was a poor half of cricket for Netherlands, Afghanistan earned themselves a World Cup stat – the lowest they’ve bowled out an opposition for in the 50-over tournament.
Brief Scores:
Netherland 179 in 46.3 overs (Sybrand Engelbrecht 58, Max O’Dowd 42, Colin Ackerman 29; Mohammad Nabi 3-28, Noor Ahmad 2-31) lost to Afghanistan 181/3 in 31.3 overs (Hashmatullah Shahidi 56*, Rahmat Shah 52, Ibrahim Zadran 20, Azmathullah Omarzai 31*; Roelof van der Merwe 1-27) by 7 wickets
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake today (20) paid his last respects to the remains of Most Venerable Kappetiyagoda Siri Wimala Thera, Anunayake of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya and Chief Incumbent of the Rajopawanaramaya Temple in Gatambe, Kandy, who passed away.
The President visited the Rajopawanaramaya Temple in Gatambe, Kandy, where the remains of the Thera are lying, and paid his last respects. He subsequently expressed his deepest condolences to the Maha Sangha and the temple’s Dayaka Sabha, who are mourning the passing of the Thera.
Central Province Governor and Consultant Physician Dr Harsha Suranga Fernando, Kandy District Secretary Indika Udawatta and several others were present.
President’s Media Division (PMD)
India opener Shafali Verma has received an official reprimand and a demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second T20I against Zimbabwe on Sunday.
Shafali, an ICC release said, breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.”
It was Shafali’s first offence in a 24-month period.
The incident occurred in the 12th over of Zimbabwe’s innings when Shafali threw the ball into the ground in frustration after dropping a chance at mid-off offered by Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano off Sree Charani.
Shafali admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee GS Lakshmi, which meant there was no need for a formal hearing.
Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.
India currently lead the three-match series 2-0 with the third game to be played on Tuesday evening. The T20Is will be followed by three ODIs in Vadodara from October 23.
(Cricinfo)
A total of 146 players will be competing for 27 available slots in the WPL 2027 mini auction on October 28 in Kochi. Of these, England batter Sophia Dunkley and Australia captain Sophie Molineux are the only two players who have listed themselves at the maximum base price of INR 50 lakh.
The auction pool has 119 Indian players, including 22 capped and 97 uncapped players, with 20 slots available for Indian players. The overseas pool has 27 players – 14 capped and 13 uncapped – including six from Associate teams, with seven slots available.
G Kamalini (released by Mumbai Indians), Kiran Navigre (released by U P Warriorz), Heather Graham and Jess Jonassen have registered at the second-highest base price of INR 40 lakh, while a total of 30 players have registered at INR 30 lakh.
Among the notable absentees are West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin, who was released by UPW, and Australia legspinner Alana King, who was released by Delhi Capitals. Lizelle Lee, who was DC’s highest run-scorer last season, has also not listed herself after being released by the franchise.
What the teams look like going into the auction
Only two English players – Dunkley and Kira Chathli (INR 10 lakh) – have registered for the auction, with several others, including Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Dani Gibson, Lauren Filer and Linsey Smith opting to skip the WPL next year.
Cricinfo has learned that England are likely to play three T20Is in Sri Lanka in early February, which will clash with the final week of the WPL. While the ECB is likely to allow players to stay in India to complete the tournament, most players have instead chosen to prioritise their international commitments ahead of the Champions Trophy later that month.
The relatively low salaries on offer at the WPL are also understood to be a factor in many English players deciding not to register, with most internationals earning significantly more to play in the Hundred (up to £190,000 last year) than the highest permitted base price in the WPL of INR 50 lakh (£40,000 approx).
Molineux was part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru [RCB] title-winning squad in 2024, and had bagged 12 wickets in ten games at an economy rate of 7.31. She was retained by RCB for the 2025 season but a knee injury ruled her out of the season. Dunkley, meanwhile, played for Gujarat Giants [GT] in 2023 before opting not to register for the 2024 season. She went unsold in the 2025 auction.
Among the premier internationals who have listed themselves for INR 30 lakh are Australia allrounder Grace Harris (released by RCB), Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, South Africa left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba and South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon.
UPW, who released nine players, will go into the auction with the biggest purse of INR 3.75 crore.
[Cricinfo]
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