Sports
Australia win maiden T-20 World Cup in style
Rex Clementine in Dubai
A terrific run chase by Australia thanks to half-centuries from Mitchell Marsh and David Warner saw them winning their maiden T-20 World Cup last night here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The Aussies had won the 50 over World Cup on five occasions but the T-20 World Cup had eluded them and they made amends yesterday with a superb effort beating Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand by eight wickets and seven balls to spare.
The World Cup had seen two outstanding semi-finals and many had expected a close contest in the final too but the Aussies were too good making New Zealand’s spinners look ordinary. David Warner had come to form in the Sri Lankan game after being dropped by Kusal Perera early in the innings and he finished off the final with 53 runs in 38 balls with four fours
and three sixes. He finished as tournament’s highest run getter behind Babar Azam, who had scored 303 runs.
Warner had 289 while Sri Lanka’s Charith Asalanka was fifth with 231 runs. Warner was named Player of the Tournament. Man of the Match award went to Mitchell Marsh, the son of former Sri Lanka coach Geoff Marsh. The younger Marsh batting at number three remained unbeaten on 77 off 50 balls having reached his half-century off only 31 balls. He hit six fours and four sixes.
New Zealand had posted a competitive 172 but that wasn’t enough to end their white ball global title drought. Captain Kane Williamson had come up with a tremendous effort to help his team go past the 170 mark. While Marsh and Warner slogged to get their team over the line, Williamson, a touch player, just used the bowlers pace to score his runs. There were three sixes in his innings, successive one-handed ones off Maxwell and a flicked six that ended up in the stands off Mitchell Starc.
Hazlewood was pretty handy with the ball picking up three wickets and
conceding just 16 runs. A lot of Sri Lankan fans seemed to be backing the Kiwis after they narrowly lost the 2019 World Cup (50 overs). But as was the case during the 2009 Champions Trophy final at Centurion and 2015 50 over World Cup final in Melbourne, the New Zealanders failed to test the Aussies in another big game.
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]
The inaugural Sastralian Premier League (SPL), a T10 cricket tournament aimed at strengthening the cricketing fortunes of Ananda Shasthralaya National School, Matugama, will get underway next month, bringing together eight teams.
Organised by the Old Sastralians Cricket Association in collaboration with the school, the tournament is designed to provide a platform for emerging talent while generating much needed financial support for the school’s cricket development programme.
Each franchise will be required to assemble a squad of 16 players, excluding the captain, with the competition featuring a unique set of regulations aimed at encouraging participation across different age groups.
Cricketers from other schools in the Matugama area will also have an opportunity to showcase their skills under the ‘Guest Players’ category. Each team can recruit up to six guest players, with four required to feature in the playing XI.
In a move designed to nurture the next generation, every team must include two current school cricketers in its squad, with at least one guaranteed a place in the playing XI.
The tournament will also accommodate experienced campaigners, with teams permitted to select five players over the age of 20 and three over 40. The provision to use an ‘Impact Player’ is another feature of the competition.
The eight teams have been divided into two groups. Group A comprises JSD Challengers, Jagath Express, Liveka Power Lions and Rexhill Warriors, while JPI Royals, Five Star Heroes, Marine Titans and Finnk Falcons make up Group B.
A total of 16 matches will be played across November 7, 8 and 15, with November 16 set aside as a reserve day.
Beyond the action on the field, organisers hope the tournament will provide a financial boost to school cricket while forging stronger ties between past and present cricketers.
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]
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