Sports
‘Boks’ fail to impress and the Black juggernaut rolls on
by Rajitha Ratwatte
The current “world champions” trying to save face after the two-point defeat last week, took on the resurgent Wallabies in front of over 35,000 fans at the Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. Great playing condition with the temperature in the mid-twenties and dry conditions underfoot. Michael Hooper the Australian skipper captaining for the 60th time! Dave Rennie the Kiwi-born and raised coach of the Australian side, had made a few changes and among them not playing Hunter Paisamy at no12 and replacing him with Len Ikitau, the “human cannonball”, hooker Taniela Taupo also got a start. The change in the center was justified with Len Ikitau forcing his way over the line in the 12th minute to score mid-left and Quade Cooper sullied his impeccable record by hitting the upright with his attempted conversion. 5–0 to the Wallabies. Handre Pollard got three points back for the Springboks with a penalty converted from 35 meters out and mid-right. 5–3 was the score until Taniela Taupo displayed his great strength and low center of gravity by making good ground and allowing Ikitau to ground his second try. This time QC made no mistake 12–3. Pollard did his thing again literarily shaving the right upright and in the 25th minute, the score read 12–6. The Wallabies reliable full-back Tom Banks suffered what is now thought to be a broken hand and was replaced by Reece Hodge 30 minutes into the game. Quade Cooper slotted another penalty taking the Wallaby lead to 15–6 until another ludicrous TMO intervention resulted in a yellow card for the Australian no 6 Lachlan Swinton. The Boks could only manage two penalties during the period in which they had numerical superiority taking the score along to 15–12 at halftime.
The South Africans were the first to score in the second half with their playmaker and nov9 Faf De Clerk kicking ahead to allow their no13 Lukhanyo Am to score far right. Pollard was unable to convert 15–17 and the Boks ahead for the first time in the game. Quade Cooper rectified matters converting a penalty from right in front of the posts and putting the wallabies back into the lead 18–17. Marika Korombeiti decided that it was time to show his skills, dotting down twice in quick succession once off a great pass from his skipper Hooper which QC converted, and then from a great turnover by Reece Hodge which Cooper couldn’t add the extra points to. 30–17 and the Wallabies convincing in their dominance of the World Champions who definitely seem to be fortunate to have the title. This win takes Australia to number three in the world ranking the computation of which seems to be understood only by the mandarins of the IRB and also gaining the Nelson Mandela trophy.
The crowd had swelled further for the second game of this week’s doubleheader. The Argentineans playing the NZ All Blacks for the second time inside seven days. Quinn Tupea wearing the no 12 black jersey for the first time due to injuries and Reiko Ioane very much a makeshift no 13 were the only perceptible areas of weakness in the NZ Line up. Santiango Carreras coming in at no10 for the Pumas was expected to make a difference. Ethan Blackadder at no 6 and Hoskins Sututu at no 8 showing the depth of selection available to the All Blacks. Damian Mackenzie starting at no 10 for only the second time in his All-Black career. That too probably due to Beauden Barret nursing a calf injury. Patrick Tuapoletu the Auckland Blues skipper playing in the second row led the way with the first seven pointer of the game in the fifth minute and the Pumas pulled one back three minutes later converting a penalty from right in front of the posts when Ethan Blackadder was pinged for being offside, 7-3. The ABs gave Jordie Barret the ball as he was doing the kicking for this game in the 11th minute to add further three points off a “gimme” penalty right in front of the posts, 10–3. In the 16th minute, Jordie Barret went over the line but was denied a score due to a forward pass, this was one of four occasions on which the ABs went over the line and were denied for infringements. The New Zealanders scored two more tries in the first half once off no 9 T.J. Peranara and again when a chip ahead created by Ardie Savea was picked up by Hoskins Sututu who passed to Topu Vaa’I in the no 5 jersey. Jordie Barret completed an impeccable first half of kicking duties with a penalty taking the score to 24–3 at halftime.
The Pumas came back roaring in the second half and scored first through a penalty 40 meters out but right in front. 24–6 Ethan Blackadder continued his hard unrelenting Mahi (Maori word for work) showing great handling skills, combining with Will Jordan, and sending Samisoni Taukeiaho over the line. Jordie Barret struck the left upright with his attempted conversion from the right touchline. 29–6 until Emiliano Boffelli in the no 11 jersey for the Pumas broke a three game drought of tries against the All Blacks and scored off a perfectly weighted cross-kick by their no 10 Santiago Carreras. This seven pointer took the score to 29–13. The All-Black bench came on and it must be said the Finlay Christie the Auckland no 9 looked a little out of his depth but the Canterbury Crusader no 8 Luke Jacobsen who had scored twice in the last game fitted right in. The Argentines’ found another gear and attacked relentlessly retaining 70% of possession but the NZ defence stood firm. The Black forwards began dominating the scrums and Taupo Vaa’i got his second from a great offload by Scott Barret his fellow second-rower. The conversion took the score to 36–13 where it remained until full time.
This completes nine wins in a row from the New Zealand All Blacks and unless the algorithms and permutations used in calculating the IRB world rankings have another unfathomable calculation, should result in the All Blacks regaining their well-deserved place at the top of the rankings.
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India thrashed Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the Asian Games women’s cricket competition final in Nisshin to win the country’s first gold medal of the multi-sport event, with Smriri Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh and the bowling group starring in the dominant display. That made it back-to-back gold medals for India in the event after their triumph in 2023.
Mandhana and Shafali laid the foundation of the win for India with a 99-run opening stand after they opted to bat, with Mandhana finishing on 79 off 45 balls. Ghosh then provided the finishing touches, making 49 not out off 22 balls to power India to 216 for 3, the highest Asian Games innings total.
Sri Lanka couldn’t get anywhere near India’s firepower as they struggled against spin. Chamari Athapaththu fought with a 21-ball 29, but they folded for a paltry 69 – just two runs more than what India managed in their powerplay – to lose another final to India in the space of ten days after going down in the Asia Cup title contest.
The match unfolded similarly to that game in Dubai. Mandhana in particular was at her menacing best, starting off with two boundaries off Sugandika Kumari in the first over and then launching three sixes to different parts of the ground. She first rocked back to Sugandika’s short delivery outside off and cleared mid-on with ease. Sugandika then went fuller and strayed onto the pads, allowing Mandhana to whip it over square leg for another six. And in the next over, she stepped down the track and carved Mithali Ayodhya over cover for her third six of the day.
Shafali then joined in the fun, taking Athapaththu for two sixes, pulling a short ball over deep midwicket before driving a floated delivery over mid-off. Mandhana rounded off the over by flat-batting a back-of-a-length delivery just beyond long-on for another six, much to Athapaththu’s frustration. India were going at over 11 at that point, posting 67 for no loss at the end of the powerplay.
Fours and sixes came frequently with Mandhana continuing to be the more aggressive of the two, bringing up her fifty off 30 balls in the tenth over. Shafali survived a stumping scare in the same over but couldn’t cash in on the chance as she top-edged a shot to Kawya Kavindi at short third off Chamudi Praboda for 48 off 29 balls.
Sri Lanka briefly managed to stem the flow of runs, conceding just one boundary in 19 balls, but that period did not last long. Harmanpreet Kaur and Mandhana started finding the gaps soon, though the India captain’s stay did not last long as she departed for a 17-ball 19.
Ghosh walked out at No. 4 and helped India pick up the pace again, taking on Praboda for two boundaries while Mandhana continued to attack at the other end. Mandhana went on to clobber two more sixes before falling in an attempt to go big, miscuing a length delivery from Sugandika while looking to clear deep-backward square-leg.
With 200 in sight, Ghosh took charge as she helped India plunder 19 runs, including two fours and a six, off Kavindi’s over before launching two more sixes off Ayodhya in the next, pulling a half-tracker over deep midwicket before moving across to club another full delivery over cow corner. Ayodhya also conceded five wides in the over. Ghosh capped the innings with another boundary as India finished on 216.
Sri Lanka were facing a daunting target, but it was not the brightest of starts for India on the field either. After Shreyanka Patil dropped a regulation catch off Imesha Dulani at backward point in the first over, Athapaththu looked in good touch as she scored two boundaries off Nandani Sharma in the second.
Harmanpreet then turned to India’s go-to part-time spin option – Shafali – and she delivered instantly, deceiving Dulani in flight, with Ghosh completing the stumping. She claimed her second wicket in her next over, with a loopy delivery that Hasini Perera sliced to cover point.
Sri Lanka found boundaries against the faster bowlers but could barely keep up with the required run rate, moving to 41 for 2 at the end of the powerplay. India then turned to spin for the rest of the innings, and Sri Lanka’s chase quickly unravelled.
Deepti Sharma ended their slim hopes when she had Athapaththu miscuing to long-off in the seventh over. Patil then had Harshitha Samarawickrama caught and bowled for a duck, before N Shree Charani dismissed Hansima Karunaratne for 1 after another miscued slog.
Deepti then added a second wicket when Kavisha Dilhari spooned a drive back to her, leaving Sri Lanka six down and in deep, deep trouble.
The result all but decided by then, and India continued to strike at regular intervals with Sri Lanka offering no resistance, barring a six and a four from Kaushini Nuthyanganam, whose wicket brought Sri Lanka’s innings to an end in the 16th over. Deepti finished with figures of 3 for 6, while Shafali, Shree Charani and Patil bagged two each.
Scores:
India Women 216 for 3 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 48, Smriti Mandhana 79, Harmanpreet Kur 19, Richa Ghosh 49; SugandikaKumari 1-49, Kavisha Dilhari 1-35, Chamudi Praboda 1-34) beat Sri Lanka 69 in 15.4 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 29, Kavisha Dilhari 11, Kaushini Nuthyangana 14; Deepti Sharma 3-06, Shafali Verma 2-03, Shreyanka Patil 2-9, N Shree Charani 2-13) by 147 runs
[Cricinfo]
At 67 for 5 in the 12th over, Pakistan were under the cosh against Bqngladesh in their bronze-medal playoff at the Asian Games women’s competition. That’s when Fatima Sana walked out, slammed 45 in 30 balls, and gave Pakistan 145, which was 31 too many for Bangladesh, especially after Umm-e-Hani picked up three top- and middle-order wickets to end with 3 for 10 from her four overs.
Bangladesh’s big concern, of late and in general, has been the number of dot balls they play out in a typical T20 innings. In this game, it was a marginal improvement from the loss to India in the semi-final – they had 43 dot balls here compared to 61 in that game. But it was still fewer than the 48 they bowled to Pakistan in the first half. The difference was Sana, who scored at 150.00 to change the complexion of the contest.
Pakistan’s start had been decent, thanks to Gull Feroza, after they won the toss and opted to bat. Feroza and Shawaal Zulfiqar added 46 in 41 balls before being separated in the seventh over. The one to be dismissed was Feroza, who had scored 31 in 23 balls. Zulfiqar batted on before becoming the third batter to fall, having struggled to 17 off 27 balls. And the wickets kept falling, Shorna Akter picking up two of them to leave Pakistan in a mess with five batters gone.
Sana had a solid stand for the sixth wicket with Aliya Riyaz, who scored 25 in 22 balls and added 67 with Sana in just 43 balls. The control Bangladesh had was gone with the two hitting five sixes between them.
The target for Bangladesh, which looked like it might be in the region of 100, was suddenly closer to 150. And the chase never took off. Umm-e-Hani struck in the third over, then in the fifth over, and again in the 16th over. By then, Bangladesh were floundering: 77 for 5 with under five overs to go.
The resistance came from senior pro Sharmin Akther, who scored an unbeaten 46 in 45 balls, but there was nothing around her, and Pakistan ran out comfortable, 31-run victors.
Scores:
Pakistan women 145 for 8 in 20 overs (Shawaal Zulfiqar 17, Fatima Sana 45, Gull Feroza 31, Aliya Riyaz 25; Sanija Akter Meghla 1-28, Nahida Akter 2-21, Shorna Akter 2-16, Ritu Moni 2-27) beat Bangladesh women 114 for 7 in 20 overs (Dilara Akter 12, Nigar Sultana 25, Sharmin Akhter 46*, Nahida Akter 10*; Tasmia Rubab 1-25, Fatima Sana 1-25, Umm-e-Hani 3-10, Nashra Sandhu 1-19, Ayesha Zafar 1-10) by 31 runs
(Cricinfo)
India Women won the toss and chose to bat first in the Asian Games women’s cricket final in Nishin, Japan.
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, G Kamalini, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Richa Ghosh (wk), Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Kranti Gaud, N Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma
Sri Lanka: Imesha Dulani, Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Hasini Perera, Kavisha Dilhari, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hansima Karunaratne, Kaushini Nuthyangana (wk), Kawya Kavindi, Mithali Ayodhya, Chamudi Praboda, Sugandika Kumari
(Cricinfo)
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