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Jofra Archer impresses on comeback as Jos Buttler makes the difference in 23-run win
Joffra Archer took 2 for 28 and was clocked at 92mph/148kph in his first professional match in 385 days, as he overcame an expensive start to close out England’s victory over Pakistan at Edgbaston.
Playing in front of an international crowd in England for the first time since the 2019 Ashes, Archer slashed his first ball for four and crunched his third for six in a four-ball cameo of 12 not out. But his first over cost 15 runs, as Fakhar Zaman swung him over midwicket for four and scooped him for six after Babar Azam had rifled Archer’s second ball over mid-off.
But he struck with the first ball of his next over when Azam Khan chipped to short cover – prompting a broad smile after months of rehabilitation – and effectively sealed the win when he had Imad Wasim caught at deep point in his final over. He conceded a solitary boundary in his final three overs and was regularly clocked at 90mph/145kph or above.
Jos Buttler who described Archer’s performance as “brilliant”, was named player of the match for his own innings of 84 off 51 balls. Buttler looked scratchy early on but ruthlessly targeted Shadab Khan who bowled four wicketless overs for 55, only a fortnight after conceding his previous worst figures of 0 for 54 against Ireland. Buttler brought up 3,000 T20I runs in the process, the first Englishman to reach the landmark.
Pakistan kept the required rate manageable for much of their pursuit of 184, thanks primarily to Fakhar’s powerful innings of 45 off 21 from No. 4. But they lost wickets too regularly, with no partnership lasting for even 30 balls, and were eventually bowled out with four balls unused.
Buttler, playing a record-equalling 115th T20I for England, inside-edged his fourth ball past his leg stump and though he and Phil Salt traded boundaries in the first three overs, they both struggled for timing. Salt fell early, hauling Imad Wasim’s first ball to Shaheen Afridi at wide long-on, but Will Jacks looked in pristine touch at No. 3.
He lofted the fifth ball he faced for a straight six off Haris Rauf – playing his first match since February, when he dislocated his shoulder at the PSL – and had 21 off 10 balls at the end of the Powerplay, crashing boundaries through the covers off both Haris and Mohammad Amir. At the same stage, Buttler had a more sedate 19 off 17.
But Shadab’s introduction prompted a change in Buttler’s approach: he slapped the first ball of the legspinner’s over for four, and the final ball disappeared over long-on. Buttler went through his repertoire, deftly scooping Haris for six in between reverse-sweeping and reverse-slog-sweeping Shadab for four and then six. All told, he took 40 off the 15 balls he faced from him.
After Jacks slapped Rauf to point, Jonny Bairstow ground out four runs off his first 10 balls before slog-sweeping Shadab for six in his final over, which cost 20. He crunched Shaheen over extra cover for four then flicked his full toss away for six, but his top-edged pull to deep square leg set about a collapse of 5 for 25 in 25 balls.
Imad – whose four miserly overs cost only 19 runs – bowled Harry Brook as he backed away second-ball, while Buttler mistimed Haris’ slower ball to long-on as he looked to launch at the death. His 84 was his highest score in any international cricket since his hundred against South Africa in February 2023.
Shaheen struck twice in his final over, having Moeen Ali caught at wide long-on and Chris Jordan top-edging to short fine leg. Having looked set for 200, England at least went past 180 thanks to Archer’s cameo but when Liam Livingstone could only toe-end the final ball of the innings back to Amir, Pakistan looked in the game.
After 14 months since his last match for England, Archer had to wait another five overs until he was brought into the attack: Buttler threw the new ball to Moeen instead, and Mohammad Rizwan fell into the trap. After defending the first two balls of the innings, Rizwan charged down looking to haul Moeen over the leg side but could only pick out Livingstone at short midwicket.
Reece Taylor hared the new ball with Archer held back, and struck in his second over when Saim Ayub swung his rising length ball straight to deep square leg. Fakhar was nearly dismissed by the first ball he faced, edging just past Moeen at wide slip, but then deftly scooped his second for four and swung his fourth through midwicket.
Archer’s first ball was right on the money at 86mph/138kph, but his first over – the sixth – cost 15 as Fakhar raced to 27 off his first nine balls. But Babar fell without making much of a dent in the target, trapped lbw on the sweep by Moeen for 32 off 26 balls: the sort of innings that ignites debate over his role in Pakistan’s T20I side.
Fakhar continued to attack, swinging Moeen into the third tier of the pavilion, but struggled to get on strike. Adil Rashid – playing his first match since the ILT20 in February – conceded seven runs in his first two overs and accounted for Shadab, whose difficult afternoon culminated in a miscued slog-sweep to long-on.
Azam Khan crashed Jordan for back-to-back boundaries through point but when he miscued Archer to short cover, England were back on top. Archer’s second over cost only a single, and after Fakhar fell for 45 – swinging Livingstone down to long-on – the required rate climbed towards 12.
Imad and Iftikhar both briefly threatened, both launching towering sixes, but after the latter holed out off Topley, England’s seamers closed things out. Jordan, Archer and Topley conceded a solitary boundary between them in the final 20 balls of the innings, with Shaheen caught at deep midwicket to leave Pakistan bowled out 24 short of their target.
Brief score:
England 183/7 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 84, Will Jacks 37, Jonny Bairstow 21; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-36, Imad Wasim 2-19, Harris Rauf 2-34) beat Pakistan 160 in 19.2 overs (Babar Azam 32, Fakhar Zaman 45, Ifthikar Ahmed 23, Imad Wasim 22; Moeen Ali 2-26, Reece Topley 3-41, Joffra Archer 2-28, Chris Jordan 1-31, Adil Rashid 1-25, Liam Livingstone 1-09) by 23 runs
(Cricinfo)
Ireland Women 118/9 in 20 overs (Alana Dalzelle 14, Orla Prendergast 26, Leah Paul 10, Alice Tector 10, Louise Little 26*; Lauren Bell 1-39, Linsey Smith 1-20, Sophie Ecclestone 3-22, Charlie Dean 2-11, Dani Gibson 2-10) lost to England Women 119/6 in 17.3 overs (Dani Wyatt Hodge 16, Nat Sciver-Brunt 48, Heather Knight 26; Aimee Maguire 2-23, Orla Prendergast 2-17) by 4 wickets
Lionel Messi marked his record sixth World Cup appearance with his first hat-trick at a FIFA tournament as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 to open the defence of their global crown, he also became the joint highest scorer at World Cups with the feat.
The former 38-year-old forward thought he had opened the scoring in the eighth minute in Kansas City on Tuesday when he slotted home from close range, but the offside flag was raised.
The dream start to his record-setting appearance, which will be matched by Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal against DR Congo on Wednesday, was not to be denied for long though.
A trademark, mazy run was capped by a drive on the edge of the box from that famed left foot. The power too much for Algeria keeper Luca Zidane, son of World Cup winner with France, Zinidine.
Messi doubled his tally on the hour mark with a simple tap in from a rebound off the keeper following a drive from Alexis Mac Allister.
The moment that even a player as decorated as Messi came in the 76th minute when he drilled low past the keeper from just outside the box.
The strike took Messi level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals.
His substitution came just three minutes later to a standard ovation, even old maestro seemed disappointed to be removed – and most likely rested for Argentina’s tilt at becoming only the third side to defend a World Cup title.
Algeria – the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations winners – offered little, but were themselves denied an early goal when Fares Chaibi’s ninth minute strike was ruled out for offside.
Messi saw to it that there was no opening game upset to be had tat this edition, having lost their opening game at Qatar 2022 to Saudi Arabia.
Messi, who spent the majority of his club career in Spain with Barcelona before moving to French giants Paris-Saint Germain, plys his trade in US football’s Major League Soccer with Inter Miami.
Jordan and Austria open their account in the group later on Tuesday in San Francisco.
[Aljazeera]
United States sprinter Noah Lyles has set the world’s best-ever time over the rarely-run 150 metres race, clocking 14.67 seconds at the Golden Spike meet in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava.
The 28-year-old Lyles on Tuesday beat the previous best of 14.72 set by Kishane Thompson of Jamaica in Florida in April.
At Ostrava, Lyles beat Sinesipho Dambile of South Africa with 14.78, while Australian teenager Gout Gout finished third in 14.96.
“Was there ever any doubt? Was there ever any doubt? We came for a show,” an elated Lyles told Czech TV.
Earlier this month, Lyles took a comfortable win at the Wanda Diamond League meet in Rome with a 9.88 in the 100m, his fastest since clinching gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The high-energy, anime-loving showman has had strong indoor and outdoor performances throughout the year so far, and was named on this year’s Time100 list of the most influential people.
Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol had to bow to in-form Swiss Audrey Werro in her outdoor debut in the 800m.
The 26-year-old Broeders-Bol has switched from 400m hurdles, in which she had won two world gold medals, and clocked an impressive 1 minute 57.13 seconds for second place.
“It was so cool, I love racing in Ostrava. It was tough, but I enjoyed it,” she said.
Broeders-Bol has also claimed multiple medals as the anchor leg in 4x400m relay teams, notably a gold in the mixed event in the Paris Olympics.
She ran her first 800m since 2017 in February, clocking a national record of 1 minute 59.07 seconds before withdrawing from the rest of the indoor season to nurse a foot injury.
The 22-year-old Werro won in 1 minute 54.45 seconds, half a second behind her personal best from March, after shedding Broeders-Bol with 200 metres to run.
“It was a really crazy run, but the time is very good, so I’m really happy,” Werro said.
Having set the eighth best time ever, she stayed over a second behind the oldest world record in athletics of 1:53.28 set in 1983 by Jarmila Kratochvilova of then-Czechoslovakia, who watched the race from the stands.
South Africa’s 20-year-old Bayanda Walaza won the men’s 100m as he equalled his personal best of 9.94 seconds, beating Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon with 9.99 seconds.
US favourites Ronnie Baker and Jordan Anthony were demoted to the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, with times well over 10 seconds.
[Aljazeera]
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