Sports

Dumb Cricket

Published

2 years ago

2024/06/10

Qualification now for Sri Lanka is not in their hands. They’ve got to expect that Bangladesh lose two more games, South Africa win all and they beat Netherlands and Nepal with a good net run rate. It could well happen. But there’s no point in playing cricket like that.

Rex Clementine in Dallas

There have been many surprises this World Cup. Sri Lanka are facing elimination without progressing to the second round, but far worse is the situation of some of the pre-tournament favourites such as Pakistan, who lost to USA and New Zealand, who were embarrassed by Afghanistan.

Sri Lankan fans on Friday were stunned to silence as the batters committed hara-kiri. From 100 for three with six overs remaining, even if they had scored run a ball, they would have got to the 140 mark which would have taken them over the line.

Pity that experienced batters failed to read conditions. Worse, they didn’t learn after the South African embarrassment, where Sri Lanka were bowled out for their lowest total ever.

America like big things. Their cars are big, their houses are enormous and even their food portions are gigantic. The same goes with their grounds. These are massive playing fields. But the pitches are two paced and the outfield is slow. There aren’t going to be any high scoring games here. It’s going to be a slow grind.

Yet, so many Sri Lankan batters perished playing big shots. When field restrictions are on, that’s fine. But trying to do the same after the first six overs is suicidal. Big hitting is not the cup of tea for say someone like Charith Asalanka. Yet, he got out trying to be Vivian Richards in both games. In New York, he took on of all people Anrich Nortje. In Dallas he not only tried to hit against spin but against wind too. And you thought Asalanka is a smart cricketer than that. Milking the bowling would have been the order of the day.

Bangladesh ran a few threes. They ran several twos. Sri Lanka were content with singles. It’s not a question of lack of fitness. It’s a case of lack of cricket awareness. Gone are the days of Davenlle Fredrick Whatmore when he used to teach that there was a run for the throw when the ball went deep. His mantra was that you had to put pressure on the fielder.

It’s been a sorry campaign. The scheduling, yes, it has been tough. But as professionals you are expected to rise to these demands.

T-20 World Cups are cutthroat tournaments. Margin for error is zero. Sri Lanka have learned a bitter lesson.

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Ferreira, Shubham, Rajasthan Royals openers hand Punjab Kings their first defeat

Published

13 hours ago

2026/04/29

Priyan

Donovan Ferreira played a blitzing cameo at the death [BCCI]

Shubham Dubey underlined the importance of an Impact Player, Donovan Ferreira proved why Rajasthan Royals were keen to have him traded in, while Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooriyavanshi continued their stellar run as RR handed Punjab kings their first defeat of IPL 2026. In another run-fest in New Chandigarh, where 222 played 228, Ferreira and Dubey added 77 runs off 32 balls for the fifth wicket to turn what looked like a tricky chase at one point into a cakewalk and secured victory with four balls to spare.

Yuzvendra Chahal picked up 3 for 36, while Marcus Stoinis bludgeoned an unbeaten 62 off 22 balls but their returns weren’t enough as RR moved to third place on the points table.

Priyansh Arya was coming into the game with a powerplay strike rate of 260.27. Within his first five balls, he showed why he is one of the most fearless batters going around. He started with a spliced pull off Nandre Burger, before flat-batting him through midwicket and then following up with two of the most audacious strokes. Burger bowled a back-of-a-length ball outside off stump and Arya stood tall and played a nonchalant on-the-up aerial back-foot punch over covers for a clean six. The next ball was carved over backward point, before some luck got him another four. RR had raced to 29 for 0 after two.

At the other end was Jofra Archer. He started the third over with a hard length outswinger, which Arya edged to the vacant slip area. Archer nearly yelled at his captain for not having a slip, but soon got his reward as Arya sliced a 150kph thunderbolt for mid-on. Prabhsimran Singh took on Burger but wasn’t his fluent self. Despite that, PBKS raced to 65 in the powerplay.

Cooper Connolly was off quickly, scoring 30 off 14 balls but he misread a Yash Raj Punja googly and shanked him straight up. Prabhsimran, meanwhile, reached his fifty off 35 balls, but the RR bowlers controlled the middle overs, majorly through their two spinners, Punja and Ravindra Jadeja. Through overs seven to 16, PBKS scored 95 runs, while losing Connolly and Prabhsimran.

Coming into this game, Stoinis had faced 26 balls this IPL. But he showed off once he got his chance. He smashed Archer for two sixes in the 19th over, but reserved his best for the last. Fast bowler Brijesh Sharma had gone for just 18 runs off his first three overs, his slower balls were gripping and hard to hit. But Stoinis smashed the bowler for 24 to power PBKS past 220 as they scored 62 in the last four overs.

Sooryavanshi was quick off the blocks (again), smashing 43 off just 16 balls. After jamming two yorkers, he went 6, 4, 4 against Arshdeep Singh to close the opening over in style. Lockie Ferguson, playing his first match of the season, took time to find his rhythm. Sooryavanshi wasn’t giving him the time. He got a thick outside edge over slip before whipping a 145.1kph scorcher over deep midwicket and then going straight down the ground for six more. RR crossed 50 in just 19 balls but Arshdeep’s around-the-wicket worked as Sooryavanshi sliced him straight up and Shreyas Iyer ran back from mid-off to take a comfortable catch.

Yashasvi Jaiswal was all this while the silent spectator. As soon as Sooryavanshi departed, he went on the offensive against Arshdeep as RR raced to 66 for 1 after four overs. Harpreet Brar, the Impact Player, bowled a two-run fifth over, but Ferguson was taken for runs again with RR racing to 84 for 1 after six.

With the early punches in, PBKS fought back with the help of their spinners. Brar’s four overs cost just 25 runs, which included just one four and one six. Chahal removed Dhruv Jurel with a juicy full toss that was mistimed only as far as wide long-on. Jaiswal reached his fifty off 26 balls but soon sliced Chahal straight to long-off. Riyan Parag also started well but also holed out off Chahal for 29 off 16.

The required rate was exactly 12 when Parag holed out, with RR needing 72 off 36. But the PBKS spinners were done after conceding just 61 off 48 balls, and Dubey and Ferreira cashed in. After Arshdeep’s opening two overs went for 37, his final two went for 31. Dubey crashed Jansen for a four and six in the 16th, Ferguson was smoked for 16 in the 19th and the game had turned in five overs. Ferreira hit the winning runs with a six over long-on to bring up his second IPL fifty and help RR secure two important points. The PBKS fast bowlers leaked 166 off 68 balls, an issue that has been plaguing them for a while.

Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 228 for 4 in 19.2 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 51, Vaibhav Sooriyawanshi 43, Dhruv Jurel 16, Riyan Parag 29, Donovan Ferreira 52*, Shubham Dubey 31*; Arshdeep Singh 1-68, Yuzvendra Chahal 3-36) beat Punjab Kings 222 for 4 in 20 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 59, Priyansh Arya 29, Cooper Conolly 30, Shreyas Iyer 30, Marcus Stoinis 62*; Jofra Archer 1-40, Mandre Burger 1-59, Yash Raj Punja 2-41) by six wickets

[Cricinfo]