Latest News
Farhan, Ayub set up Pakistan’s series-clinching win in Lauderhill
After the drama of the second game came something of a repeat of the first today. Pakistan edged out West Indies by 13 runs to seal a 2-1 series win, a seventh successive such outcome in bilateral T20I series between the two sides. Pakistan proved just a touch too good for their hosts with both bat and ball, inspired by a 138-run opening partnership between Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan and a flurry at the death. They held their nerve with ball in hand, a clutch few overs at the death shutting the door in West Indies’ face, leaving their pursuit of 190 just short once again.
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat again, but this time avoided losing early wickets as they had on Saturday. Ayub and Farhan saw through the first few overs with solidity, if not quite the aggression this new-look Pakistan may have desired, and before long found the innings drawing to a close without having lost a wicket, but also bereft of the explosiveness that would put the game out of West Indies’ reach.
They did eventually put up a stiff target, but West Indies sparkled with intent up front, smashing 33 in the first two overs. It gave them a buffer for when Haris Rauf began to drag them back, but in a game where wickets were hard to come by, the hosts looked to be building a platform for the kind of big finish that fetched them victory in the previous game.
They looked on course around the 16-over mark, ahead of Pakistan at that stage by about five runs, and needed 49 off the final four. But a fiery 17th over from Rauf and a magnificent one from Sufiyan Muqeem right after – which saw Jason Holder castled for a two-ball duck, ended West Indies realistic aspirations of a series victory. They thrashed and flailed for the final two overs, but they were in Pakistan’s grip, and had sunk too far now.
Can a 138-run partnership be bad for the team? It’s a question Pakistan have discussed perhaps more than any other side during the Mohammad Rizwan-Babar Azam years, and one, perhaps, they might have revisited with Ayub and Farhan but for the fine margins going their way. The pair found boundaries and sixes with reasonable regularity, but West Indies managed to sneak in large spells of dot balls or singles that kept dragging the run rate back.
With four overs to go on the best batting surface of the series, both Ayub and Farhan had half-centuries, but Pakistan’s run rate stood at a modest 8.50. Having scored 23 in their final five yesterday, it would require something special to ensure Pakistan posted a winning total today.
It had come to the stage Pakistan probably needed a wicket to fall more than West Indies with the visitors’ power hitters sitting idle. Shamar Joseph removed Farhan bringing Hasan Nawaz out to the middle, who hooked his fourth ball for six to set the death-overs tempo. Another six the following over preceded his dismissal, but the shift in gears was evident. Not a single four was struck through the death overs, but Pakistan found five sixes in the last four overs, including a 20-run final over that ultimately put them above par. Fifty-three runs came in the final four, a number that would arguably have been somewhat smaller had a 138-run partnership not been broken when it was.
Every game this series, it has seemed Jason Holder came out to bat a shade too late, but tonight, he could wait no more. With Roston Chase struggling for timing and the rate above 13, West Indies opted to retire him out and sent Holder into the middle with 41 to get in three overs. It was well within range of his abilities, but his fireworks have largely come against Pakistan’s quicks, and there was still a Muqeem over to negotiate.
A flipper off his second ball shot through and knocked back Holder’s off peg with such precision it took the Bajan time to work out he had actually been bowled and not fallen victim to some devious sleight of hand by wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris. With Muqeem and Rauf both consistently on their mark, West Indies frankly had no one who looked like getting them close enough anymore.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 189 for 4 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 74, Saim Ayub 66, Hasan Nawaz 15, Khushdil Shah 11*, Faheem Ashraf 10*; Jason Holder 1-34, Roston Chase 1-31, Shamar Joseph 1-57) beat West Indies 176 for 6 in 20 overs (Jewel Andrew24, Alick Athanaze 60, Sherfane Rutherford 51, Roston Chase 15, Gudakesh Motie 10*; Hasan Ali 1-38, Mohammad Nawaz 1-33, Harris Rauf 1-34, Saim Ayub 1-38, Sufiyan Muqeem 1-20) by 13 runs
[Cricinfo]
Latest News
Trump says he has ‘cancelled’ strikes against Iran and talks up possible agreement
Donald Trump says he has “cancelled” strikes against Iran saying negotiations with Tehran were “brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved”
“Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved,” Trump says – elaborating further in remarks in the Oval Office.
However, Iran says a deal is yet to be finalised and earlier warned the US of an “endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years” about more strikes
[BBC]
Latest News
Taskin, Mustafizur set up famous series win for Bangladesh
Bangladesh secured their first ODI series victory against Australia after they won the second ODI by five wickets in Dhaka, chasing down a rain-adjusted target of 192 having earlier removed the visitors’ first three wickets before they had scored a run.
Australia reached 187 for 8 in 42 overs when rain came, but had done well to reach that far becoming just the fourth team in ODI history to be 0 for 3. Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman did the early damage and finished with three wickets each. Australia hung on through fifties from Marnus Labuschagne and Xavier Bartlett who rescued them with a 103-run seventh-wicket stand.
Buoyed by his maiden half-century, Bartlett bowled an inspired first over when play resumed. A big appeal off the first ball was followed by Tanzid Hasan giving a simple return catch. Bartlett then dropped Najmul Hossain Shanto off the fifth ball, although it was a tough chance, before the umpire raised the finger to an lbw appeal on the last ball but Shanto’s review saved him with the ball missing leg stump.
The recalled Soumya Sarkar got Bangladesh going with a lofted cover drive in the third over. He repeated the dose against Nathan Ellis in the next over then Shanto took consecutive boundaries off Bartlett in the fifth over.
Three more boundaries followed in as many overs, including Soumya hoisting Ellis over square leg for a six. Shanto survived a half chance on 21 when Labuschagne dropped a tough opportunity at short midwicket. Soumya then went after Adam Zampa, climbing into a high six over long-on.
It was the part-timer Matt Renshaw who got Australia the much-needed breakthrough in the 16th over. Soumya’s reverse paddle was poorly executed and he gave Bartlett a simple catch at slip. Shanto followed soon after, caught behind off Riley Meredith, who was returning to the ODI side after five years.
Cameron Green made a further blow when he removed Litton Das with a snorter that took the glove after a brisk 21. Mosaddek Hossain, Bangladesh’s batting hero from the first game, played his shots from the start before giving Cooper Connolly a simple catch at long-off.
At 144 for 5, with a only the bowlers to come, the game was not quite closed out. However, captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz withstood a blow to the side of the head to help Towhid Hridoy in the remaining part of the chase. The game ended up finishing in a rush as Hridoy hooked Meredith for a six followed by a pulled boundary then Mehidy sealed victory with another hook that cleared the boundary.
The opening exchanges of the match were remarkable. Taskin set off one of the most extraordinary starts seen in Bangladesh when he clean bowled Matthew Short for the second consecutive innings, this time the batter leaving the ball from a good length. It meant Short had fallen for a duck three innings in a row, starting from the third ODI against Pakistan in Lahore.
Connolly followed in the next over when he fell first ball to Mustafizur. The delivery was going slightly away from the left-handed Connolly who provided the thin edge. Renshaw fell in a similar way at the end of the same over, and Australia hadn’t opened their scoring.
They were reduced to 25 for 4 in the eighth over when Mustafizur got Alex Carey to drive one uppishly at point, where Shanto took the simple catch. Mustafizur picked up three wickets in the powerplay for only the second time in his ODI career.
Captain Josh Inglis tried to salvage the situation, striking five boundaries including a beautiful square-cut six off the Nahid Rana. He timed the ball well during his 34 but left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam neutralised his threat when Inglis’ miscued inside-out shot found deep cover. Tanvir wasn’t done, removing Green with a caught-and-bowled dismissal in the 22nd over.
Australia’s resistance came in the form of a seventh-wicket stand between Labuschagne and Bartlett. Labuschagne, who had been moved down to No. 7 and should have been run out on 1, struck three fours in his unbeaten 55 off 85 balls. It was just his second ODI fifty since the 2023 World Cup final.
Bartlett, who walked in at 81 for 6, was the aggressor and struck six boundaries including two huge sixes over midwicket in his 52 off 48 balls.
Taskin broke the partnership in the 41st over, cleaning up Bartlett with an in-ducker. Next ball he bowled a big off-cutter to fox Zampa. They were important blows because it meant the DLS target was more in Bangladesh’s favour after a two-and-a-half hour delay.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 195 for 5 (Soumya Sarkar 42, Najmul Hosain Shanto 42, Towhid Hridoy 40*; Cameron Green 1-09) beat Australia 187 for 8 in 42 overs (Marnus Labuschagne 55*, Xavier Bartlett 52; Mustafizur Rahman 3-27, Taskin Ahmed 3-33, Tanvir Islam 2-45) by five wickets [DLS method]
[Cricinfo]
Latest News
Landslide Early Warnings issued to the districts of Kalutara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura
The National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued landslide early warnings to the districts of Kalutara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura effective from 0400hrs on 12th June 2026 to 0400hrs on 13th June 2026
Accordingly,
LEVEL I [YELLOW] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Palindanuwara in the Kalutara district, Doluwa in the Kandy district, Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya district and Pelmadulla, Ayagama, Ratnapura, Godakawela, Kalawana and Nivitigala in the Ratnapura district
-
News5 days agoWomen’s T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up: Chamari Athapaththu’s 94 helps Sri Lanka beat Pakistan
-
News6 days agoAsst. Manager, security officer arrested over Rs 30 mn snatch at Horana PB branch
-
Editorial4 days agoProbe Sallay’s complaint
-
News5 days agoLankan-Canadian inducted to Toronto Sports Hall of Fame
-
News2 days agoLocal firms move millions of dollars overseas for phantom imports: Govt.
-
Editorial5 days agoPrez in the dock
-
Features5 days agoEntering MIT for my Ph.D program, coping with harsh Boston winter and breasting the tape
-
News6 days agoNo blanket ban on musical performances; only those promoting LTTE
