Sports

Marsh, Short, Abbott sparkle as Australia seal series

Published

3 years ago

2023/09/2

Priyan

Sean Abbott celebrates with his team-mates (Cricinfo)

The southern hemisphere’s equinox is still three weeks away but September 1 is celebrated as the day the seasons change in this part of the world, and it was Australia who left with the spring in their step after they wrapped up the T20I series in Durban. After defending 226 in the first T20I, they chased down 165 with more than five overs to spare in the second to suggest their depth is far stronger than that of their hosts.

The standout player in both fixtures was Australia’s new captain Mitchelle Marsh , who is yet to be dismissed in this series. He followed up his unbeaten 92 with 76 not out in the chase and shared a century stand with Mathew Short to leave the inconsistency in the South African attack exposed for the second successive match.

South Africa’s most experienced bowler, Lungi Ngidi, has conceded the most runs in the series so far and his variations have not threatened enough, while the back-up seam options do not have the discipline to hold their own. In contrast, Australia’s pace pack was impressive and incisive and kept South Africa under control for most of the innings.

Sean Abott conceded at 5.50 runs an over and Nathan Ellis and Jason Behrendorff at 6.25 as Australia made run-scoring difficult for South Africa upfront. A 51-run fifth-wicket stand between Tristan Stubbs and Aiden Markram steadied them through the middle-overs before 41-runs between Markram and Gerald Coetzee gave the innings some late impetus but after the way Australia batted on Wednesday, it was never going to be enough.

Temba Bavuma moved on from duck in the first match with an aggressive 17-ball 35 in the first three overs before he skied Abbott to Josh Inglis. It opened the door for Australia to take the early honours. Abbott could have had Rassie van der Dussen in the same over when he beat him on the flick and struck the pad but Marsh decided it was too high to review.

Australia did not have to wait too long to see the back of the South African No.3. In the next over, van der Dussen was out lbw to Behrendorff and reviewed the decision but replays confirmed the ball would have gone on to his middle and off.

Then it was over to Ellis who closed out the powerplay with a double-wicket maiden. He tested Reeza Hendricks with a full and then shorter delivery before the length ball hit him under the knee roll, for which he was given out lbw. He then had Dewald Brevis reaching for a full ball that shaped away and was caught behind. His hat-trick delivery almost found Stubbs’ edge but the batter pulled out of the shot in time and South Africa went from 36 without loss to 46 for 4 in 18 balls.

At 115 for 6 at the start of the 15th over, South Africa needed a strong finish to get to a competitive total and it was up to the captain to get them there. Markram started the last five overs with an 80-metre helicopter shot over long-on. He went on to flick Adam Zampa through mid-wicket and then drive him aerially over the covers for six and turned a run-a-ball 25 into a 38-ball 49. He was looking for a half-century when he hit a low full toss from Abbott to mid-wicket but South Africa scored 49 runs off the last five overs to finish with a decent total to defend. And the captain decided he would be the one to begin the defence.

After not bowling himself at all in the opening match, Markram took the new ball this time. He got away with a short ball down leg upfront and gave away just a single in the first over to put the pressure on Australia’s openers. But he kept himself on for an over too many and Travis Head took three fours off his second to put Australia back on track

Known for his ability to deliver a tight first over, Bjorn Fortuin had to wait until the eighth over and it turned out to be too late. By the time Fortuin was brought on Marsh was well set and left no margin for error and took 18 runs off him to take the game away from South Africa. When Fortuin went wide, Marsh first fetched him from outside off to hit him over midwicket then cut him through point; when Fortuin overpitched, Marsh drove through the covers and when Fortuin followed Marsh as he made room for himself outside off, the Australian captain saved the best for last and smashed him over mid-on for six. At 79 for 1, Australia were scoring at almost 10 runs an over after eight overs and had broken the back of the target.

In just his second T20I, Short scored a match-winning first half-century in the format, at a strike rate of 220. After a fairly quiet start, he showed his intent as the powerplay came to an end and took 20 runs off Ngidi, whose slower ball only encouraged Short’s quick reactions. But it was later in the innings, when Gerald Coetzee was brought on to bowl a second that Short really showed off his touch. Although Coetzee’s inconsistency helped, Short timed the ball well through backward point, reached fifty with a powerful pull, helped a low full toss to fine leg for four, drove through the covers, and pulled over mid-wicket. The over cost 24 runs and the game was all but done.

Brief scores:

Australia 165 for 2 (Marsh 76, Shamsi 1-40) beat South Africa 164 for 8 (Markram 49, Abbott 3-22) by eight wickets

(Cricinfo)

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Sooryavanshi’s stunning 93 takes Rajasthan Royals closer to IPL playoffs

Published

57 mins ago

2026/05/20

Priyan

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi brought out a new celebration, after reaching fifty [Cricinfo]

No Riyan Parag? No Ravindra Jadeja? No fast start for Vaibhav Sooriyavanshi? No problem for Rajasthan Royals (RR) as they hunted down 221 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and moved up to No.4 on the points table. If RR also win their final league game against Mumbai Indians on Sunday, they will firm up their playoffs spot, irrespective of other results.

In RR’s chase of 221, Sooryavanshi got off to an unusually slow start – he was on 11 off 12 balls at one point. After watching his opening partner and RR stand-in captain Yashasvi Jaiswal dominate the powerplay, Sooryavanshi cranked up to top gear when he lined up left-arm seamer Akash Singh for two sixes and three fours in the ninth over. He then went on a more familiar six-hitting spree and by the time he was dismissed for 93 off 38 balls in the 14th over, he extended his sixes tally in IPL 2026 to 53. Only Chris Gayle has smashed more sixes in an IPL season, back in 2012 when Sooryavanshi was a year old.

Dhruv Jurel sealed the chase for RR with a calm fifty in the company of Donnovan Ferreira.

Jofra Archer ran in hard and hit the Jaipur deck harder, but even his extreme pace and bounce wasn’t going to bother Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis, the Western Australia boys. In the first over, Marsh advanced down the track, manufactured swinging room and flayed Archer for a four and a six over the covers.

Inglis was more fluent square of the wicket or behind square. He scooped Archer over short fine leg for four in the third over and by the end of the powerplay, LSG racked up 83 for 0. Four of LSG’s top-five powerplay scores in the IPL have come in this season. RR’s attack, meanwhile, went wicketless in the powerplay for a fourth successive game.

Wristspinner Yash Raj Punja bowled the first boundary-less over in the first innings. In the 13th over, he conceded only seven runs to go with the wicket of Nicholas Pooran (16). That over triggered a passage of play where LSG went 22 without a boundary. Earlier, he had stopped LSG’s opening stand at 109 in the ninth over when he tossed up a wrong’un on an in-between length and bowled Inglis for 60 off 29 balls. Punja returned figures of 4-0-35-2, demonstrating why RR trusted him and promoted him into their main squad after he was a net bowler with the side in the previous season.

Marsh brought up his fifty off 25 balls, but could manage only 43 off his last 32 balls on the day. The lack of pace from Punja, Sandeep Sharma and Dasun Shanaka slowed him down. “To be honest, felt like torture out there,” Marsh summed up the back-end of his innings. He suggested that he may have left a few boundaries out there.

Marsh, Rishabh Pant and Ayush Badoni all departed in the final over of the innings, bowled by Archer, which cost RR only five runs.

RR came out swinging in the powerplay in the chase, but it was Jaiswal, and not Sooryavanshi, who was doing most of the swinging during that phase. He was responsible for 39 of the 71 runs RR scored in the powerplay. Jaiswal latched onto anything that was remotely wide of off. His four fours off Akash in a 23-run first over, bowled by Akash, set the tone for the chase.

By the end of the powerplay, Sooryavanshi was on 25 off 16 balls, which was measured by his standards. All of 15, he had the maturity that he could catch up on a pitch where the ball came onto the bat nicely. He reached his half-century off 23 balls with a reverse-sweep and threatened to convert it into a century until Mohsin Khan stopped him. He finished with a strike rate of almost 245.

Prince Yadav, who had earned a call-up to India’s ODI squad earlier in the day, was pumped for back-to-back sixes. The other Yadav – Mayank – wasn’t spared either, with the teenage phenom launching him for back-to-back sixes in the next over.

Sooryavanshi holed out while attempting his 11th six, but by then he had snatched the Orange Cap from Marsh. Jurel then anchored the chase while Ferreira applied the finishing touches.

Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 225 for 3 in 19.1 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 43, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 93, Dhruv Jurel 53*, Donovan Fereira 16*; Akash Singh 1-54, Mohsin Khan 1-31) beat Lucknow Super Giants 220 for 5 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 96, Josh Inglis 60, Nicholas Pooran 16, Rishabh Pant 35; Jofra Archer 1-39, Yash Raj Punja 2-35) by seven wickets

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Sri Lanka women’s volleyball team ready for Central Asian challenge

Published

2 hours ago

2026/05/20

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sri Lanka women’s volleyball team will leave for Central Asian Volleyball Championship today.

The Sri Lanka women’s volleyball team, powered by Dialog Axiata is set to depart the country today to compete in the 2026 Central Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship, which will be held from 22 to 29 May with the participation of eight nations from across the region.

The tournament will be played in two preliminary groups, with the Sri Lankan side, captained by Ashani Chamodika, drawn in Group ‘B’ alongside Kazakhstan, Iran and Bangladesh. Group ‘A’ will feature India, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives and hosts Nepal.

Sri Lanka Head Coach Amila Wijepala believes the team is well prepared to face the challenge despite being drawn in a highly competitive group.

“Our group is comparatively more challenging than Group ‘A’. Kazakhstan recently secured third place at the Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship after defeating China, making them our toughest challenge. We are confident of overcoming Bangladesh, while I also believe our players possess the ability to defeat Iran. Our objective is to win at least two matches and qualify for the semi-finals,” he said.

Vice President of the Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation, Mahinda Bandara, expressed confidence in the squad and praised the players for their commitment during the preparation period.

“We are fielding a very strong side for this tournament. The players have undergone close to two months of residential training at the Watupitiwala Indoor Stadium. We are grateful to the Ministry of Sports for its invaluable assistance in facilitating this tour. We also sincerely appreciate the continued sponsorship and commitment shown by Dialog Axiata towards Sri Lanka’s national sport and this international campaign,” he said.

The Sri Lanka squad for the Central Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship includes high-ball hitters Dilukshi Harshani, Nimeshika Sewwandi, Preethika Pramodani, Timi Mary, Arana Sanjeewani and Shalu Thilakshana. Short-ball hitters are Sanjeewani Karunaratne, Dilki Nethsara, Sesandi Ruwanya and Piumi Bhashini.

Naduni Nimansala and Kavindi Asanthika will serve as liberos, while captain Ashani Chamodika and Dilki Charuka have been named as setters.

The support staff includes Head Coach Amila Wijepala, Assistant Coach Udaya Rukmal, Trainer Upendra Perera, Women’s Team Officer Renuka Nilmini and Team Manager Mahesh Kariyawasam.

Sports

Dayan Indunil powers Brandix Apparel to the final

Published

2 hours ago

2026/05/20

Sahan Weerasooriya

15TH STAFFORD MOTORS – MCA G DIVISION T20 LEAGUE CRICKET TOURNAMENT

Dayan Indunil starred with both bat and ball [86 off 48 balls and 4-10 in 4 overs] to power Brandix Apparel to a 70 run win over Stafford Motors at the Nalanda College grounds on Sunday [17] and qualify for the final of the Stafford Motors sponsored MCA G division T20 cricket tournament.

Invited to bat first on a cloudy day, Brandix were 108/1 at the halfway stage of their innings but were unable to keep up the run rate after the fall of the second wicket and were bowled out for 151. Chasing 152 to qualify for the final, Stafford Motors fell victim to the Brandix bowlers led by Dayan Indunil and Sampath Jayalath and were bowled out for 81 runs in 14.3 overs.

Brandix will meet Maliban Biscuits ‘B’ at the MCA ground next Sunday for the final.

Brief scores:

Brandix Apparel

151/10 in 19.1 overs [Dayan Indunil 86, Sampath Jayalath 14, Sasitha Ashan 13; Janith Maduwantha 3-29, Shanaka Sampath 2-25, Vihanga Malith 1-36, Sanjaya Fernando 1-17, Asanka Kumarage 3-20]

Stafford Motors

81/10 in 14.3 overs [Gajindu Yasas 24, Vihanga Malith 10, Vishwa Rajapaksha 27; Janaka Weerapokuna 1-20, Dayan Indunil 4-10, Sampath Jayalath 3-18, Akila Dhanuddara 2-14]