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Marsh’s imperious 177* headlines Australia’s commanding win
Mitchell Marsh headlined Australia’s dominating win against Bangladesh in Pune on Saturday (November 11) as the Pat Cummins-led side ended the league stage of the World Cup with seven wins out of nine ahead of their semifinal clash against South Africa in Kolkata. Bangladesh came up with a collective effort with the bat, with Towhid Hridoy spearheading the effort with a 74, as they posted 306/8, their highest total in this World Cup. But it proved too little against Marsh’s imperious 177* off 132, which came in two century partnerships – 120 with David Warner (53) and 175* with Steve Smith (63*) – as Australia raced to the target with 8 wickets in hand and 5.2 overs to spare.
Travis Head hit a couple of boundaries before he dragged a delivery onto the stumps to give Taskin Ahmed a wicket in the third over. Bangladesh operated with Mahedi Hasan from the other end as they tried to apply some pressure with spin but Marsh ensured there was no stagnation as he hit three fours in an over off the spinner, followed by a boundary and a six off Taskin as well. After a watchful start, Warner also got into the act with two fours in an over off Nasum Ahmed and the left-arm spinner was also hit for a six by Marsh. Mahedi, meanwhile, bowled a couple of quiet overs as Australia moved to 58/1 after 10 overs.
Whenever Bangladesh tried to keep things tight, Marsh provided the release with timely boundaries. Mehidy Hasan was also on the receiving end as he was hit for a four and a six off the first two balls he bowled, and Marsh collected a four off Mustafizur Rahman as well en route to a 37-ball fifty. Warner was pacing his innings well at the other end, rotating the strike and managing fours from time to time, with his fourth boundary helping Australia reach the 100 run mark in the 15th over. Warner struck two more fours, off Nasum in the 19th over – the first one extended the partnership past 100 and the second helped the left-hander reach a 52-ball fifty. Warner, however, was early into a drive and was dismissed by Mustafizur. Najmul Hossain Shanto held on to the ball at mid on but lost control of it when he tried to throw, but the umpires did not check the legality of the catch.
Marsh continued confidently, creaming boundaries off the pace bowlers regularly as he entered the 80s and helped Australia past 150 in the 25th over. He quickly entered the 90s, striking a six and a four off Mehidy, and then got to 100 off 87 balls with a single off Nasum in the 31st over. In the same over, Smith got going with a four and a six while Marsh, after going a bit quiet as he approached three figures, got back to his aggressive ways with sixes off Mehidy and Mustafizur. Marsh was being hampered by cramps, limping between the wickets, but the boundaries did not stop as he struck a couple of them in Nasum’s over, and Smith also hit a four after playing out a maiden from Mustafizur.
The pair brought up a century stand in quick time and Smith got into the 40s, with Bangladesh not able to do much despite all their bowling changes. Marsh was charging towards 150 at the other end, adding to his fours and sixes tally, as Australia crossed 250 in the 39th over. Marsh reached 150 in style, scoring two successive fours off Mustafizur to get to the milestone off 117 deliveries. Smith then got to his 11th World Cup fifty-plus score, equalling Ricky Ponting and Warner, while Marsh continued to toy with the Bangladesh bowling with more maximums. He finished with 17 fours and nine sixes but it was Smith’s fourth boundary that sealed Australia’s commanding win.
Earlier, after Australia opted to bowl, Josh Hazlewood kept it tight at the start but Cummins was a bit erratic, conceding plenty of wides. The Bangladesh openers overcame a cautious start to score regular boundaries as they put on a good partnership. Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das managed 62 in the first powerplay without losing any wicket – their second highest score in this period in this World Cup, which was also the second highest conceded by Australia and also the fourth time they went wicketless. The stand finally came to an end in the 12th over when Sean Abbott had Tanzid fending a short ball back to him. Australia went ahead and tried more short balls but Najmul was prepared as he cracked a couple of pulls off Marsh for boundaries. But the well-set Litton departed soon after, chipping a catch to long on to give Adam Zampa a wicket.
There was an immediate transfer of pressure with Zampa and Head bowling well in tandem but Hridoy eased some of it with a six over midwicket off the legspinner. Najmul and Hridoy then came down the track and unsettled the lengths of Marcus Stoinis, collecting boundaries as a result. Hridoy also took the attack to Head, striking a four and a six, as Bangladesh reached 161/2 at the halfway stage, with the third wicket pair extending their partnership past 50. But it was an abrupt end to the association as a good bit of fielding from Marnus Labuschagne resulted in Najmul being run out for 45. Mahmudullah came out with a positive intent, dealing in sixes, before Labuschagne effected a run out again.
Shortly after Hridoy got to his first World Cup fifty, Mushfiqur Rahim sent an Abbott delivery over the midwicket fence as Bangladesh went past 250 in the 42nd over. But Rahim’s stay was cut short by Zampa, who surpassed Brad Hogg’s 21 wickets in 2007 to register the highest tally by an Australian spinner in a World Cup and finished with figures of 2 for 32. Cummins, meanwhile, had an expensive outing as both Hridoy and Mehidy struck plenty of boundaries. But Hridoy’s outing ended when he hit a full toss from Stoinis to Labuschagne at deep midwicket. A handy 29 from Mehidy helped Bangladesh past 300 but Australia did well in the death, conceding only one boundary in the last four overs.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 306/8 in 50 overs (Tanzid Hasan 36, Litton Das 36, Nalimul Hossain Shanto 45, Towhid Hridoy 74, Mahmudullah 32, Mushfiqr Rahim 21, Mehidy Hassan Miraz 29; Adam Zampa 2-32, Sean Abbott 2-61) lost to Australia 307/2 in 44.4 overs (Mitchell Marsh 177*, Steve Smith 63*, David Warner 53) by 8 wickets.
A leading independent journalist and book author from Vietnam has been sentenced to 30 months in jail over Facebook posts critical of the government.
Following a trial that lasted only for a few hours, a court in the capital Hanoi convicted 63-year-old Huy Duc of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state” through posting 13 articles on Facebook.
“These articles have a large number of interactions, comments and shares, causing negative impacts on social order and safety,” the indictment quoted by Vietnam News Agency read.
Huy Duc worked for influential state-run newspapers before authoring one of Vietnam’s most popular blogs and Facebook accounts, where he criticised the country’s communist leaders on issues such as corruption, media control and relations with China.
Huy Duc, whose real name is Truong Huy San, is a former senior army lieutenant. He was fired from a state news outlet in 2009 for criticising past actions by Vietnam’s former communist ally, the Soviet Union.
In 2012, Huy Duc spent a year at Harvard University on a Nieman Fellowship. During his time abroad, his account of life in Vietnam after the end of the war with the United States, The Winning Side, was published.
His conviction comes just a few months after blogger Duong Van Thai was jailed for 12 years on charges of publishing antistate information.
He had almost 120,000 followers on YouTube where he regularly recorded livestreams critical of the government.
In January, a prominent former lawyer was also jailed for three years over Facebook posts.
Shortly before his arrest in June, Huy Duc took aim online at Vietnam’s new powerful leader To Lam, as well as his predecessor Nguyen Phu Trong. It is unclear if the charges were related to these particular posts.
Vietnam, a one-party state, has no free media and clamps down hard on any dissent. It is one of the world’s top jailers of journalists, according to the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom campaign group.
RSF said previously that his articles were “an invaluable source of information enabling the Vietnamese public to access censored information by the Hanoi regime”.
Rights campaigners say the government has in recent years intensified its crackdown on civil society.
In December, Vietnam enacted new online rules requiring Facebook and TikTok to verify user identities and hand over data to authorities.
Under “Decree 147”, all tech giants operating in Vietnam must verify user accounts by phone number or Vietnamese identification numbers and store that information alongside their full name and date of birth.
[Aljazeera]
Much like Afghanistan’s match against England, the political spectre over this clash is hard to put aside. Matches are rare between the countries with Australia – like England – taking a human rights stance and pledging to suspend bilateral ties while the Taliban remain in power.
Cricket Australia publicly demonstrated its commitment to the cause last month by hosting a T20 match featuring an Afghanistan women’s XI in Melbourne, bringing the issue firmly back into the spotlight.
But underlining the complexities of the issue, Australia do play Afghanistan at ICC events – which has led to some criticism – and this intriguing, budding rivalry will resume in Lahore with much at stake.
Given the tournament’s sharp format, it’s basically sudden death, a virtual quarter-final, after Afghanistan once again knocked out England from an ICC event.
But Afghanistan will be eliminated with a loss, while Australia also must win, with a defeat meaning they will have to rely on South Africa being absolutely pummelled by a beleaguered England with nothing to play for. A washout will see Australia through to the semi-final.
Australia and Afghanistan once again find themselves pitted in a high-stakes contest at an ICC event. At the 2022 T20 World Cup, Australia emerged with a slim six run victory in Adelaide that was ultimately not the net-run-rate boost needed as they crashed out early on home soil.
Glenn Maxwell, of course, changed the course of the 2023 World Cup with a remarkable double century that still beggars belief. But Afghanistan had some measure of revenge at last year’s T20 World Cup as they overcame a brief Maxwell onslaught with a 21 run victory that memorably sealed their place in the semi-finals.
And, once again, a semi-final spot is up for grabs. The form line is a little hard to read with both teams having tight wins over a wheezing England. Afghanistan bounced back strongly after a disastrous opening against South Africa while Australia’s momentum came to a halt after their clash against the Proteas was washed out.
Even though they are considerably weakened – against England they fielded their least experienced attack at an ICC ODI event since 1983 – Australia mustered up their big-game pedigree under pressure to make a statement. Their batting line-up still contains plenty of firepower with centurion Josh Inglis emerging as a genuine star batter across formats. It is little wonder that some believe he’s Australia’s next captain.
A back against the wall triumph is in play, but Australia will have to firstly get past rising Afghanistan in a game that feels evenly poised. Afghanistan will lean on their spin-heavy attack, but Australia do have numerous players adept against the turning ball – led by Inglis.
Australia’s depleted pace stocks makes that department more equally matched than previous encounters, while an in-form Ibrahim Zadran – coming off a Champions Trophy-best score of 177 – ensures he can go toe-to-toe with his counterparts.
The prospect of more bad weather in Lahore could also play a factor in a clash that is set to be just as compelling as the recent matches between these teams.
There isn’t much cricket history between the countries, but Glenn Maxwell is probably the first name that springs to mind with this match-up. In the last ODI between the teams, a hobbled Maxwell produced one of the greatest ever innings to rescue Australia from the brink at the 2023 World Cup and crush the hearts of Afghanistan. Maxwell enters this match in great form having put the finishing touches against England after a brilliant end to the BBL season. It will be interesting to see if his presence at the crease spooks Afghanistan, who are adamant they haven’t devoted too much of their plans on him.
While Afghanistan’s slew of quality spinners deservedly attracts plenty of attention, seam bowling allrounder Azmatullah Omarzai stole the show against England with his maiden five-wicket haul of his professional career. He was particularly superb at the death with three wickets when the game was on a knife’s edge. Omarzai’s emergence has helped Afghanistan better balance their attack and they are no longer merely reliant on their spinners for success. He’ll need to back up that performance against a formidable Australia batting-order and his canny, skiddy bowling will need to be on point against big-hitting openers Travis Head and Matthew Short. If he can strike early breakthroughs then Afghanistan will be right in the hunt.
Due to the inclement conditions, team lists weren’t even announced for the Australia-South Africa clash. It makes predicting Australia’s line-up somewhat difficult. The team is mostly settled, but they might be tempted to tweak their bowling attack that leaked 351 runs against England. Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson might be in the selection gun after he was overlooked for the death overs against England. But his pace and bounce could be a weapon against Afghanistan’s top order. Australia, who trained indoors on match eve, will also consider bowling allrounder Sean Abbott, who offers a point of difference and strengthens the batting, and legspinner Tanveer Sangha given Marnus Labuschagne’s part-time legspin played a role against England.
After such a momentous victory, Afghanistan are likely to go unchanged for the third straight game and back their spin strength in subcontinental conditions. The trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad will present considerable challenges for the Australians.
Australia (possible): Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steven Smith (capt), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott/Spencer Johnson, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa
Afghanistan (possible): Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
[Cricinfo]
A close finish was in the offing. Gujarat Giants were stifled early in a small chase. Then came an expensive ninth over that went for three fours and a six as Ashleigh Gardner took on rookie Prema Rawat. It turned the scales the Giants way emphatically, as a tricky chase turned into a cruise.
It left RCB winless at home in three games so far this season. It also meant three sides – RCB, Giants and UP Warriorz – are now tied on four points. This lights up the prospect of a tight finish to the group stages next week in Lucknow and Mumbai.
She came into the tournament under a hip injury cloud, but her batting form didn’t seem to suggest any problem. Coming in on the back of 90*, 81, 7 and 57, Ellyse Perry was out for her first duck in her WPL career when she mistimed Gardner to Tanuja Kanwar at square leg off her fourth ball. That wicket coming on the back of Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s lbw in the first over to Deandra Dottin left RCB 16 for 2 in two overs.
It was an uneasy stay at the crease for Smriti Mandhana, repeatedly squared up and beaten on the outside edge by 21-year-old Kashvee Gautam, one of the brightest Indian fast-bowling prospects in WPL 2025. Mandhana struggled against late movement as Gautam’s first two overs went for just four. All that pressure led to a wicket at the other end when Mandhana was predictably out to spin yet again when she slog-swept Kanwar to Harleen Deol at deep midwicket for 10 off 20 balls.
During the season spent away at rehabilitation from a back injury last year, Kanila Ahunja set herself clear goals. She didn’t want to be known as a “five-ball batter” in the WPL anymore. She worked hard on her power game, shades of which were on display on Thursday as she laid into Priya Mishra, the legspinner.
She read the googly off the hand and her manner of stepping out to imperiously loft her twice in the over, including the first six of the innings, spoke volumes of her growth as a batter. Ahuja would repeat that two overs later when she stepped out to launch Gardner. Her 33 off 27 before falling to Kanwar led to another RCB slip-up. Georgia Wareham’s cameo of 20 then helped them to 125 for 7, their joint lowest total in the WPL.
Giants went with a third opening combination in five games. Dayalan Hemalatha, the latest to join the roulette, did little to repay the faith despite the backing following scores of 9, 0 and 4 in her precious three innings. Having been reprieved early when Wyatt-Hodge misjudged a catch at mid-off, she was out stumped looking to heave Renuka Singh for 11. Mandhana’s decision to bowl Renuka out up top paid dividends when Beth Mooney holed out to deep midwicket as Giants were reduced to 32 for 2 in the seventh.
A 19-run over off Rawat in the ninth turned the tide for the Giants as Gardner fed off Rawat’s inexperience, expertly using the depth of the crease to pull, while also showing her imperious driving abilities when the ball was tossed up. The surge in momentum was such that even Deol’s brain fade in trying to hit out against Wareham didn’t lead to any panic.
This didn’t affect her tempo or her propensity to be adventurous, which also greatly helped Gardner, who hit Wareham for back-to-back sixes en route to her third half-century of the season, this time off 28 balls. Gardner and Litchfield’s 51-run stand off just 36 ensured the match was won with 21 balls to spare, greatly helping Giants boost their net run rate even though they would stay fifth.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Giants Women 126 for 4 in 16.3 overs (Beth Mooney 17, Dayalan Hemalatha 11, Ashleigh Gardner 58, Phoebe Litchfield 30*; Renuka Singh 2-24, Georgia Wareham 2-26) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women 125 for 7 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 10, Kanika Ahuja 33, Raghvi Bist 22, Georgia Wareham 20, Kim Garth 14; Deandra Dottin 2-31, Ashleigh Gardner 1-22, Kashvee Gautam 1-17, Tanuja Kanwar 2-16) by six wickets
[Cricinfo]
Vietnam court jails journalist Huy Duc for 30 months over Facebook posts
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