Sports
Babar, Rizwan fifties power Pakistan to third T20 World Cup final
Led by half-centuries from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan powered to the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, at the back of a dominating all-round display against New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket ground, where they registered a seven-wicket win, on Wednesday.
Electing to bat, New Zealand were restricted to 152 for 4 on a slow, turning pitch, despite Daryl Mitchell’s unbeaten 35-ball 53. Run-scoring was difficult and against a disciplined bowling attack and a spirited fielding performance, New Zealand managed to score only 10 boundaries and two sixes.
In response, Pakistan asserted their dominance early on with a 105-run opening stand between Babar and Rizwan, with both the batters stroking fifties. Even as New Zealand managed to pull Pakistan back slightly towards the end, Babar’s side managed to reach the target with five balls to spare.
Pakistan dominated right from the start. A quintessential Shaheen Afridi first over where Finn Allen’s pads were always under threat with the incoming delivery. An inside edge saved him once but Afridi had the pads hitting the middle of middle stump eventually.
Kane Williamson and Devon Conway’s cautious approach allowed the Pakistan pacers to be on the offensive at all times, and yet escape not have to prove expensive. By the end of the powerplay, they had conceded only 38 runs, losing Conway to a fine throw by Shadab Khan off the last ball, which caught him short of the crease.
Williamson and Mitchell added 68 runs for the fourth wicket but not before losing Glenn Phillips early, offering Mohammad Nawaz an easy return catch. On the used pitch that was slow and low and turned considerably, with the bowlers operating cleverly to the dimensions of the field – ranging from 65 to 80 meters – run scoring wasn’t easy. The harder the batters tried, the more they struggled.
Despite that, Mitchell and Williamson – who combined to stroke only 4 boundaries and 2 sixes in 77 balls – managed to pick 33 runs from Shadab Khan’s spell, the most expensive figures for the leggie in this tournament. While Mitchell kept picking the twos and score at fairly decent pace, Williamson struggled to go too far beyond run-a-ball before eventually falling in the 17th over while looking to play a scoop and getting cleaned up by Afridi.
Neesham and Mitchell picked some quick runs towards the end, adding 35 runs in the last 22 balls, with the latter bringing up his half-century to help New Zealand to a slightly below-par 152 for 4.
Quite unlike New Zealand, Pakistan asserted their dominance with the bat in the powerplay, an approach that Rizwan stated was intentional given that the pitch was expected to slow down. It could have been a different story had Conway pouched the outside edge induced by Boult when Babar was yet to get off the mark. But that opportunity was lost, so was the opportunity to run him off the next ball.
After a couple of quiet overs, Babar and Rizwan cut loose against Lockie Ferguson in the third over, stroking him for three boundaries. While Babar struggled early on, Rizwan kept a healthy scoring rate. By the end of the powerplay, Pakistan had wiped off 55 runs from the target and even Babar had found his groove.
Even as there was turn and the pitch was slow, Babar and Rizwan had adjusted well to the conditions and the pace and went on to stitch a 105-run stand in 76 balls before Babar holed out to long on.
Mohammad Haris was troubled by the slower balls and failed to make adequate connections. Off the first 17 balls, several edged, he managed to score only 17 runs. To complicate matters, Rizwan fell while attempting to free his arms and slash at an angling away delivery from Boult, caught at deep point. It brought the game down to 21 runs in the last three overs, and then fur
ther reduced to 19 in 15 – with a new batter and a struggling Haris in the middle. However, a couple of clean hits from Haris – a drive through extra cover for a boundary and a pull for a six, brought the equation down to 8 runs from the last two overs.
Mitchell Santner bowled a fine penultimate over, created three wicket-taking opportunities – before having Haris dismissed off the final ball, but left Pakistan with needing only two off the last over.
The quarter-finals of the Asian Games women’s competition, putting top-notch teams against teams without much experience of playing at the highest level, were expected to be mismatches. It took till the third game – Bangladesh vs China was washed out and Thailand gave Pakistan a fright for a proper one-side affair, though, as Sri Lanka bashed 160 after opting to bat, and their bowlers then stopped Malaysia 86 runs short.
Fresh off their appearance in the final of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup, Sri Lanka were always expected to dominate, but it didn’t quite start the way they wanted, with Imesha Dulani run out for another low score in the third over – she hasn’t topped 25 in eight innings since her century against Pakistan on July 31.
Chamari Athapaththu, however, stitched together an 80-run stand off just 53 balls with Hasini Perera for the second wicket, scoring 56 runs in 27 balls to Perera’s 23 in 26 in the collaboration. After the two batters fell, Kavisha Dilhari played a similar role to Athapaththu in the stand with Harshitha Samarawickrama, scoring 36 in 19 in a stand worth 62 in 37 balls.
Athapaththu top-scored with 63 in 37 balls, while Dilhari’s unbeaten 44 came off just 27 balls. For Malaysia, offspinner Nurin Imanina impressed with 3 for 29 from her four overs, picking up all the wickets to fall to bowlers.
In reply, Malaysia were three down inside the powerplay, with Dilhari picking up two of the wickets to fall on her way to returns of 2 for 4 from three overs. Athapaththu chipped in with two wickets of her own to finish with 2 for 3 from two overs, while Mithali Ayodhya got 2 for 15 from three.
It’s not like there was no resistance from Malaysia: Winifred Duraisingam scored 28, though it took her 47 balls to do it, while Mahirah Izzati Ismail scored 24, another slow effort, taking her 42 balls.
Scores:
Sri Lanka Women 160 for 4 in 20 overs (Athapaththu 63, HasinMithali Ayodhya 2-15i Perera 23, Kavisha Dilhari 44*, Harshitha Samarawickrema 25; Nurin Imanina 3-29) beat Malaysia Women 74 for 7 in 20 overs (Winifred Duraisingam 28, Mahirah Izzati Ismail 24; Mithali Ayodhya 2-15, Kavisha Dilhari 2-04, Chamari Athapaththu 2-03, ) by 86 runs
[Cricinfo]
Champion javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga has set his sights on Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic record at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Speaking at a public event with just days ahead of his departure to the Asian Games where he is set to meet the reigning Olympic champion Nadeem, Tharanga explained his future plans.
While revealing his plans to continue competing until the 2036 Olympics in India, Tharanga said that he would aim at Nadeem’s Olympic record at the next edition in Los Angeles in 2028.
Nadeem’s Olympic record stands at 92.97 metres. Tharanga is set to meet the Olympic champion once again this season at the Asian Games in Japan where he is Sri Lanka’s brightest medal prospect in individual events.
Speaking at a public event, Tharanga said he plans to compete at three Olympic Games — Los Angeles in 2028, Brisbane in 2032 and the 2036 Games in India — before retiring from international athletics.
”I will participate in the 2028 Olympic Games and the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane. I intend to retire after the 2036 Olympic Games in India,” Tharanga said.
His main target, however, is the Olympic record.
Tharanga said he intends to surpass the 92.97-metre mark set by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem when he won the Olympic title at the Paris 2024 Games.
”My next focus is on securing an Olympic record at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles,” he said.
”I believe I can achieve an average above 90 metres in Los Angeles. My main focus is on setting an Olympic record,” he added.
Tharanga’s declaration comes after a remarkable rise in the international arena, with the Sri Lankan establishing himself among the world’s leading throwers.
With Los Angeles now firmly in his sights, Tharanga is targeting a performance that would take the Olympic javelin record beyond the 92-metre barrier — before embarking on his final two Olympic campaigns in Brisbane and India. (RF)
Defending gold-medal winners India overcame hosts Japan by eight wickets in the fourth quarter-final of the women’s cricket competition at the Asian Games in Nisshin on Friday. India chased down 58 in five overs to comfortably secure their place in the semi-finals. They will now face Bangladesh on September 20.
Japan did not exit the competition empty-handed. Their effort to bat as close to the full 20 overs as possible, their running between the wickets and their fielding effort were big positives. But they were bowled out for 57 in 19.5 overs after a solid start, leaving India with little to chase.
India, who opted to field, made the most of a pitch offering turn and bounce, which made stroke-making difficult for Japan. Shree Charani led the attack with another four-wicket haul, continuing an impressive run after taking 4 for 20 in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup final. She struck twice off consecutive balls in the seventh over, removing opener Haruna Iwasaki for 10 before having captain Mai Yanagida caught behind for a duck, but couldn’t convert it into a hat-trick.
Iwasaki and Ayaka Kato Stafford had put on 24 for the opening wicket, but Japan struggled to build partnerships once the stand was broken. Kato-Stafford top-scored with 25 off 47 balls, while Iwasaki made 10 off 22. Japan lost their last eight wickets for just 33 runs.
Charani finished with 4 for 10 from her four overs, while Shafali Verma took 2 for 13 and Deepti Sharma claimed 1 for 14.
Shrevanka Patil, returning to international cricket for the first time in three months after recovering from an ankle ligament injury suffered during the T20 World Cup in June, took 1 for 8 from 3.5 overs. Japan’s innings ended when Patil bowled Nonoha Yasumoto for a duck.
Chasing 58, Shafali opened the innings aggressively, smashing four boundaries in the first over to immediately put Japan under pressure. G Kamalini, who opened in place of Smriti Mandhana, and No. 3 Bharti Fulmali then threw their wickets away to fielders at long-on and point respectively. Left-arm seamer Yasumoto, who dismissed Kamalini, also delivered a wicket-maiden with the new ball.
Shafali finished the game with a six over long-on, staying unbeaten on 40 off just 15 balls. She struck six fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 266.66, as India won with 15 overs to spare.
Scores:
India Women 59 for 2 in 5 overs (Shafali Verma 40*, Richa Ghosh 12*; Nonoha Yasumoto 1-08, Ayaka Kato-Stafford 1-14) beat Japan Women 57 in 19.5 overs (Haruna Iwasaki 10, Ayaka Kato-Stafford 25; Shree Charani 4-10, Shreyanka Patil 1-08, Deepti Sharma 1-14, Shafali Verma 2-13) by eight wickets
[Cricinfo]
Advisory for strong winds and rough seas for Multi-day boats in the Bay of Bengal
Showers in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya Districts
Some NPP manifesto promises may be difficult to fulfil – CIABOC DG
Yoshitha and ex-Navy chief Karannagoda’s case fixed for PTC
Court orders probe into Wimal’s rally speech
Court to rule on Dilith’s writ petition on September 30
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News7 days agoGnanasara Thero absconding after SC ruling
-
Opinion6 days agoFrom Galkissa (Mount Lavinia) to Tambuttegama
-
Business7 days agoHNB Finance strengthens Board with four independent directors
-
News3 days agoUS embassy won’t comment on IGP’s probe into joint drug raid
-
Sports7 days agoCulture within cricket team worrying authorities
-
Features6 days agoSri Lanka’s university crisis: Brain drain and union action demand urgent reform
-
Features5 days agoThe emptying university: why are academics leaving?
-
News7 days agoHouse to debate 22A, Judicature Bill next week