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Gill, Rahul seal India’s chase for 1-0 lead after Gurbaz century

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Harsh Dubey celebrates after picking up his maiden ODI wicket [Cricinfo]

Debutants Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar claimed three wickets each, while Shubman Gill slammed a fluent 66-ball 84 not out as India eased past Afghanistan in the rain-reduced opening ODI in Dharamsala, by seven wickets.

Scheduled to begin at 1.30pm local time, the match was delayed by more than four hours due to persistent drizzle and reduced to 25 overs a side. Once the weather cleared, Rahmanullah Gurbaz dazzled with a sublime 51-ball 102, the fastest century by an Afghanistan batter and his ninth in ODIs. But the rest of the batters failed to create much impact as Afghanistan folded for 194 in 24.5 overs. Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy also picked up two wickets apiece.

The Indian batters did not break much of a sweat in the 195 chase. Rohit Sharma was run out for 16 but Gill held firm, recording his 18th ODI half-century, while also becoming the second-fastest batter to breach the 3000-run mark in ODIs. Ishan Kishan scored 34 off 22 while KL Rahul ended with an unbeaten 39 off 19 and hit the winning runs as India took 22.5 overs to close the chase and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The first innings revolved around Gurbaz. He had his moments – he should have been lbw on 14, but India failed to review, and also run out on 30 – but kept the Afghanistan innings ticking after India had the visitors in early trouble. Gurbaz waltzed down the track first ball of the shortened innings and missed, and then crashed Arshdeep for four and six to collect 11 off the first over.

Gurnoor cranked up the pace right away and was rewarded with just his fifth ball when Ibrahim Zadran spooned a leading edge to mid-off. Arshdeep then pinned Sediqullah Atal in front of the stumps before taking out Rahmat Shah who mistimed over square leg, with Dubey taking a smart catch running back.

At 26 for 3 inside five overs, Afghanistan were in danger of collapsing in a heap but Gurbaz arrested the slide. He dominated the 116-run fourth-wicket stand in 11 overs, scoring 82 in the partnerships with Hashmatullah Shahidi. He struck Prasidh Krishna for two fours in the seventh over and then took on Dubey, smashing him for a four and six before reaching his fifty off 25 balls by depositing him over deep midwicket.

A flicked-scoop off Prasidh helped Gurbaz race through the 60s before he took a special liking to Washington Sundar, thumping him for a four and two sixes in the 12th over. Shahidi, at the other end, did his job collecting the odd boundary and rotating the strike but the Afghanistan innings was all about Gurbaz. He reached 94 with a supreme six over long-off and got his century off 48 balls with a brace to deep midwicket in the 15th over. Going at 9.33 an over after 15, Afghanistan were looking at a score in excess of 220 but India came back brilliantly.

Reddy flattened Gurbaz’s middle stump in the 16th over, while Dubey claimed his maiden international wicket by nipping out Shahidi in the next. Azmatullah Omarzai hit Dubey for two sixes, but perished to the same bowler soon after. Gill took a one-handed stunner at slip, leaping to his left and grabbing a thick outside edge off AM Ghazanfar’s blade as Afghanistan slipped to 182 for 8 after 22 overs. Rashid Khan hit two fours before Gurnoor ended the Afghanistan innings.

India were 7 for 0 without a legal ball bowled as Omarzai began the innings with five wides, a no-ball and another wide. He then pinned Rohit on the right glove with a bouncer in a first over full of drama. Rohit needed the physio’s attention multiple times but he soon found his groove, punching debutant Ziaur Rahman past backward point and then pulling Omarzai for a six and four.

Gill opened his account with a sublime back-foot cover drive and then square drove Ghazanfar as India reached 40 for 0 after six overs. Afghanistan found a ray of hope when a misunderstanding between Rohit and Gill resulted in a run-out. Rohit ticked Ghazanfar to the left of midwicket and set off, with Gill, who found the bowler in his way, having his glove up. Rohit had, meanwhile, run halfway and failed to make it back despite a dive.

Kishan, playing his first ODI since October 2023, quickly found his groove. He added 70 off 43 balls with Gill to keep the India innings going. The two collected boundaries in almost every over, ensuring the required rate was always in check. They took on Mohammad Nabi with Kishan first hitting him for a four and six in the tenth over before Gill smoked him for a six and two fours in the 12th to bring up a 37-ball fifty.

Kishan was undone by a Rashid googly as he charged down the track and lost his off stump after missing the line. Shreyas Iyer looked rusty during his 12 off 15 balls but Rahul immediately injected momentum into the chase. He started with a ramp over deep third and with India needing 33 off 24, smashed Ziaur for 6, 4, 4 and then ended the 22nd over with an effortless six over deep extra cover.

Rahul and Gill added an unbroken 53 off 32 balls for the fourth wicket with Rahul hitting the winning runs off Mohammad Saleem. For Afghanistan, only Rashid and Ziaur managed a wicket each.

SCORES:

India 195 for 3 in 22.5 overs (Shubman Gill 84*, KL Rahul 39*, Ishan Kishan 34;  Rashid Khan 1-37) beat Afghanistan 194 in 24.5 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 102, Hashmatullah Shahidi 27, Azmatullah Omarzai 26; Gurnoor Brar 3-27, Harsh Dubey 3-47, Arshdeep Singh 2-27, Nitish Kumar Reddy 2-31) by seven wickets

[Cricinfo]



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Tuesday at T20 World Cup: New Zealand eye first win; Ireland run into England

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Charlie Dean has picked up 23 wickets since 2025, most by an England spinner [Cricinfo]

A rest day on Monday will be followed by a double-header on Tuesday. Defending champions New Zealand will take on Sri Lanka from 1.30pm GMT in Southampton, where New Zealand lost their opening fixture to West Indies. Sri Lanka are also coming off a defeat, having lost to hosts England in their first game. The contest has been largely one-sided, with New Zealand winning 14 of the 16 completed T20Is against Sri Lanka. However, they have lost two of the last four of those meetings, including the bilateral series in New Zealand in March, which ended in 1-1.

In the second game of the day that starts at 5.30pm GMT, England will face Ireland, who lost their opener to Scotland on Saturday. Ireland are without a win in 18 Women’s T20 World Cup matches. The teams have met only four times in T20Is, with England winning three, but Ireland winning the last clash, against a second-string England side in 2024. The hosts will start as overwhelming favourites again though.

Suzie Bates missed the opening game, marking the first time New Zealand played a women’s T20 World Cup match without her. It remains to be seen whether New Zealand stick with the same XI at the same venue or bring Bates back at the top, moving Izzy Gaze to No. 3. They could also consider recalling the experienced Lea Tahuhu into the XI before time runs out for New Zealand.

New Zealand (probable):  Georgia Plimmer,  Izzy Gaze (wk), Melie Kerr (capt),  Sophie Devine, Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Izzy Sharp, Jess Kerr, Nensi Patel, Rosemary Mair/Bree Illing/Lea Tahuhu

Sri Lanka announced their XI several hours before the toss against England, with Malki Madara and Mithali Ayodhya making their World Cup debuts. Will the heavy defeat prompt a change in combination, with Hasini Perera returning to the top order?

Sri Lanka (probable): Vishmi Gunaratne,  Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Imesha Dulani, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hansima Karunaratne,  Kavisha Dilhari,  Nilakshika Silva, Kaushini Nuthyangana (wk), Sugandika Kumari, Malki Madara,  Mithali Ayodhya

England, who fielded three frontline spinners against Sri Lanka, are likely to remain unchanged.

England (probable): Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Amy Jones,  Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt),  Alice Capsey, Heather Knight,  Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith,  Lauren Bell

Ireland opted for two specialist spinners in Cara Murray and Aimee Maguire against Scotland, leaving out left-arm seamer Louise Little. They could go in unchanged.

Ireland (probable):  Amy Hunter (wk),  Alana Dalzell,  Gaby Lewis (capt), Orla Prendergast,  Rebecca Stokell,  Leah Paul, Alice Tector,  Arlene Kelly,  Ava Canning,  Cara Murray,  Aimee Maguire

Ireland will hope their captain, Gaby Lewis, can produce a big score against England. Still only 25, she is Ireland’s leading run scorer in women’s T20Is and was also the top scorer at the qualifiers in Nepal this year. As the cornerstone of the top order, Ireland will need Lewis to carry that form into Southampton.
Tuesday in Southampton is forecast to be partly sunny with temperatures climbing to 22 degrees Celsius. Only one match has been played at the venue so far, where West Indies successfully chased down 163 against New Zealand. The game was played on a hybrid surface with a healthy covering of live grass.

Melie Kerr has perhaps never been more important to New Zealand than she is now. Since taking over as captain at the start of the year, she has amassed 477 runs in 11 innings and claimed 11 wickets in 12 matches. After a disappointing outing against West Indies, where she scored 5 and returned figures of 0 for 41, Melie will be eager to lead from the front and help New Zealand secure their first win of the tournament.

Sri Lanka have shown over time that they are not overly reliant on Chamari Athapaththu. Against England, only Harshitha Samamrawickrema and Nilakshika Silva managed meaningful contributions with the bat, and at a brisk pace. The left-hand batter Samarawickrama, who has significantly improved her game in recent months, has scored 147 runs in five innings this year at a strike rate of 148.48 after managing just 97 runs in seven innings at 94.17 in a disappointing 2025. With two scores of 40-plus in her last four innings, Sri Lanka will need her to deliver again in the middle order.

Since the start of 2025, Charlie Dean has bowled more overs than any other England bowler (59.1) and has taken 23 wickets, the most by an England spinner in that period. Even when Sophie Ecclestone and Linsey Smith have struggled for control, Dean’s knack for making timely breakthroughs and shifting momentum has remained crucial.

[Cricinfo]

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Trump says deal to end war with Iran already signed and details to be released ‘pretty soon’

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US President Donald Trump has said a preliminary deal to end the war with Iran has already been signed and suggested that details of the agreement are set to be published “pretty soon”.

“I am very happy to say it’s signed, the deal is all signed,” he said during talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit on Monday.

Senior US officials also began giving some details about the contents of the deal, briefing that the Strait of Hormuz would re-open on Friday – the same day the deal is formally inked in Geneva.

Technical talks on Iran’s nuclear programme are expected to begin this week, they said, while any sanctions relief or release of assets will depend on Iran meeting commitments under the deal.

Vice-President JD Vance told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the US and Iran was “about a page and a half” and was a very general document.

Vance added that a lot of the details would be worked out during future negotiations.

“On a number of issues, we are going to have to figure this stuff out during the technical negotiation phase, but what the MOU does is set up a framework whereby the Iranians get the benefits of the bargain by meeting their obligations under the bargain,” he said.

In “paragraph one” of the document it is outlined that Iran will commit itself to “regional peace and stability”, Vance said, which he added included stopping the funding of “terrorist organisations”.

“Most importantly, they’re going to have a verifiable commitment to not building a nuclear weapon,” Vance said.

The US officials said the agreement had been signed electronically by Trump, Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

They also suggested more details of the pact could be released by Wednesday – although Trump said the full text of the agreement would be released “pretty soon” after Friday’s ceremony.

“It’s a very powerful document, and I want it to be released. So probably pretty soon,” the president said.

The deal will extend a ceasefire for another 60 days, during which the sides will negotiate details of a final agreement.

Announcing the breakthrough on Sunday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose nation had been mediating, said it included “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”.

The US officials said that while Lebanon was covered by the ceasefire framework, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory was not a condition of the deal. Israel would retain the right to self defence, they added.

Speaking on Monday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces would remain in security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza “as long as necessary”, and retain the freedom to act against attacks.

He also told a news conference Iran would not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons, with or without a deal.

Netanyahu was speaking after Lebanese media reported a deadly Israeli strike on a car in the south – the first since the peace deal was announced. Hezbollah said it had fired missiles and drones at Israeli forces in return.

Trump on Sunday said he had ordered the immediate removal of a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and added that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened when the initial agreement was signed.

Taking to social media on Monday, he claimed that “ships are starting to move, many loaded up with Oil, out of the Strait of Hormuz”.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed the end of military operations in a phone call on Iranian state TV, which portrayed the framework deal as a victory for Iran.

Gharibabadi said that Qatari mediators held “nearly 14 to 15 hours of lengthy talks” in Tehran to reach the initial agreement.

Iran’s top military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said that Iranians, together with the country’s armed forces and Tehran’s proxies and allies in the region, had shown the US and Israel that they had “no option but to accept defeat and surrender”.

But Iran’s foreign ministry said Tehran still held “deep mistrust” of the US and the agreement was “merely a step towards reducing tensions”.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the announcement, saying in a statement that he looked forward to the understandings translating into “practical steps that will put a definitive end to the cycle of violence”.

Key past sticking points have included Iran’s nuclear enrichment and Western insistence that the country not possess a nuclear weapon, and Iran’s desire for comprehensive sanctions relief and access to tens of billions of dollars in frozen oil revenues.

In a congratulatory joint statement, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany and Italy said Iran “must never acquire a nuclear weapon” and that they were “prepared to lift relevant sanctions in response to clear, verifiable steps by Iran on its nuclear programme”.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the announcement “a hugely important step forward in ending the war, ensuring regional stability and re-opening the Strait of Hormuz”.

[BBC]

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Holder completes heist for West Indies after Joseph picks up five

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Shamar Joseph collected his best figures in T20I cricket [Cricinfo]

There are heists, and then there are heists, and the one at Sabina Park on Sunday will live long in the memory of those who watched it. For 16 overs of the chase, Sri Lanka had looked in total control of their defence of 169. But in a frenzied finish, West Indies ransacked 60 runs off just 22 deliveries to complete the chase with two balls to spare.

Sherfane Rutherford was dropped twice on the way to an unbeaten 54 off 40, and he was part of the defining stand of the match – 81 off 53 with Rovman Powell. But despite their intervention, West Indies still needed more and it was the returning Jason Holder that delivered, smashing 21 off five balls to seal the win and the series.

The result stretched Sri Lanka’s wait for a T20I series win in the Caribbean, but more immediately, left them scratching their heads. In terms of planning, they could not have done much more, while the pitch was tailored to their strengths – namely the spin trio of Maheesh Theekshana, Wanidu Hasaranga and Dunith Wellalage.

The latter had even picked up skipper Shai Hope off just the second delivery of the innings, while Hasaranga snagged two through the middle. Theekshana, meanwhile overcame a tough 15-run opening over – courtesy Shimron Hetmyer. – to give away just 11 off his next three.

With the bat too, Sri Lanka had done seemingly enough, with Pathum Nissanka’s fast start supplemented by some helpful middle-order cameos and bookended by a coming-of-age 43 off 28 from Wellalage.

But at the key moments, it was West Indies, who held their nerve. Player-of-the-Match Shamar Joseph ended with career-best figures of 5 for 33, and did so bowling in the game’s most difficult periods – the last over of the powerplay and the final over of the innings.

And then when the game seemed over, West Indies’ fabled firepower belatedly came to the fore, as they came in clutch once more.

In the first game, West Indies struck 29 in the death overs. And in the second game, 27. With 60 needed in that same period in the decider, the odds weren’t exactly in their favour.

But across two Dushmantha Chameera overs, where the usually reliable quick struggled – searching fruitlessly for yorkers – West Indies pilfered 47 runs, and staged a comeback for the ages.

How they got there was modern West Indies cricket in a nutshell. Sri Lanka strangled the middle overs, with their trio of spinners all proving tough to get away. The powerplay had fetched a respectable 51 – much of it owing to Hetmyer’s 32 off 19 – but the middle overs turned as sluggish as the surface, with West Indies trudging to 110 for 4.

But having struggled to get Sri Lanka’s death bowling away for much of the series, they capitalised on the off-colour Chameera to secure an all-time smash and grab. The pacer’s third over went for 24, and then his last for 23. They were the 17th and 19th of the innings. From being on the verge of defeat at the end of the 16th, the game was over before the 20th had begun.

Sri Lanka, though, might wonder what might have been had they not grassed two straightforward chances from Rutherford when he was on 24 and 25.

Sri Lanka had started well in the powerplay in the earlier games, and that looked to be the case on Sunday night as well.

While Kusal Mendis was for once dismissed cheaply – a chipped leading edge plucked out of the air by Matthew Forde followed by a spicy send-off and heated words – Pathum Nissanka, who has had a quiet tour by his standards, belatedly took up the attacking mantle.

On a surface that was gripping from the very first delivery, Nissanka started patiently before gradually flexing his striking chops. His 26 off 17 including two fours and two sixes.

But just as he might have been settling in for a game-defining stint, Joseph induced a top-edge and followed it up with one that straightened down the line to completely bamboozle new batter Pavan Ratnayake. Two in two – echoing Holder’s powerplay heroics in the first game – and Sri Lanka were kept to 51 for 3, their lowest powerplay of the series.

Joseph would somehow better this outcome later on with a sublime triple-wicket final over to give the hosts some much-needed momentum into their chase.

Following Joseph’s double-strike, Sri Lanka were rightfully wary of losing any further wickets, which saw Kamindu Mendis join Kamil Mishara – who had got his eye in during the powerplay – out in the middle. The pair strung a stand of 21 off 22 to keep things ticking, and this trend continued with each successive partnership over the period.

Dasun Shanaka’s arrival brought some power to the proceedings, as he wasted little time in tearing into Roston Chase with a six over long-on. His stand with Kamindu was brief but effective as the pair managed 16 off seven, followed by one worth 23 off 21 with Wellalage.

On another day, Shanaka’s dismissal – cleverly bowled by Holder – might have signalled a drop in the scoring rate, but Wellalage – brought into the XI in the previous game to strengthen the lower-order batting – produced a knock that was a statement.

A slog sweep over deep square-leg off Chase signalled his early intent, but it was over the extra cover region that the left-hand batter truly prospered. Time and again, he was able to manufacture drives and scythes into that vacant – but generally tough to access – region in front of square on the off side.

And he was ably supported by Hasaranga, as the pair managed an innings-best stand of 49 off 28. By the time Wellalage fell in the final over – miscuing one off the impressive Joseph – he could walk off safe in the knowledge that he might have struck a potentially series clinching 43 off 28.

Sri Lanka’s target, having come to terms with the pitch midway through their innings, might have been in the region of 160-170. But while they managed 169 in their 20 overs, it’s likely they will feel like they left runs behind – particularly as they had 156 for 6 at the start of the penultimate over.

The West Indies fightback was triggered by a piece of magic from Rutherford at deep point, as he picked up and sent in an arrowed direct hit to find Hasaranga well short in trying to steal a second.

Then returned Joseph at the last, and he responded to a first-ball boundary by removing Wellalage next delivery and Chameera one ball later, capturing his second double of the evening. Joseph capped off proceedings with a searing final-ball yorker to dismiss Theekshana as the last man.

It meant West Indies had restricted Sri Lanka to just 15 off the last 12 deliveries, and kept themselves in the game – something that eventually proved even more crucial in the game’s frenetic closing moments.

Scores:

West Indies 170 for 5 in 19.4 overs (Brandon King 16, Shimron Hetmyer 32, Rovman Powell 33, Sherfane Rutherford 54*, Jason Holder 21*;Dunith Wellalage 1-23, Dushmantha Chameera 1-64, Maheesha Theekshan 1-36, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-17) beat Sri Lanka 169 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 26, Kamil Mishara 28, Kamindu Mendis 20 Dasun Shanaka 16, Dunith Wellalage 43, Wanidu Hasaranga 21; Akeal Hosein 1-31, Matthew Forde 1-39, Jason Holder 1-33, Sharmar  Joseph 5-33, Roston Chase 1-32) by five wickets

[Cricinfo]

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