Sports

Maxwell, Inglis make it 4-0 for Australia

Published

4 years ago

2022/02/19

Pathum Nissanka led the way for Sri Lanka after Australia opted to bowl in MCG

Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis nullified Sri Lanka’s hopes of breaking duck in the T20I series as Australia went up 4-0 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. Sri Lanka had a lowly 139/8 to defend but their bowlers made a bright start in the Powerplay, reducing Australia to 49 for 3 in the ninth over. Maxwell and Inglis joined forces to resuscitate the innings, and eventually turned what seemed like a tricky chase at one point to a rather comfortable one in the end. The hosts completed the chase with 11 balls and six wickets to spare.

Sri Lanka’s troubles all series have been linked to their batting, and Pathum Nissanka looked to set that right on Friday. He and Danushka Gunathilaka started briskly in the PowerPlay and despite the latter’s dismissal, the innings continued to flow seamlessly at a fair clip thanks to Nissanka’s shot-making and Kusal Mendis joining in the fun.

Sri Lanka got to 73 for 1 at the halfway stage, their best effort in 10 overs in the four T20Is in the series. Unfortunately for them, though, that’s where Australia’s turnaround began. Nissanka and Mendis took on Glenn Maxwell’s arm by trying to sprint across for a second run after hitting to him at long on.

Maxwell, however, caught Mendis short of his crease with a direct hit, giving Australia a much-needed breakthrough at that stage. Charith Asalanka brought his trademark exuberance to Sri Lanka’s innings, taking on Adam Zampa in the 15th over to get his side past the 100-run mark, but a collapse ensued.

Asalanka fell trying to hit out against Jhye, and Nissanka departed giving Zampa the charge, after which the lower-order crumbled. Sri Lanka went from 110 for 2 in the 16th over to 122 for 8 in the 19th. Chamika Karunaratne saw through Kane Richardson’s change of pace, carting him for two fours and a six in a 17-run final over that pushed Sri Lanka to 139 for 8.

Based on how the first half hour of Australia’s chase went, it felt like Sri Lanka may have actually scored enough on what was an uncharacteristically slow surface at the MCG. Australia stuck with their opening experiment of Ashton Agar, who struggled to get going against the offspin of Maheesh Theekshana, while Lahiru Kumara attempted to ping him back with excess pace.

Ben McDermott didn’t enjoy much success with run making either, and ended up departing with a soft return catch to Theekshana in the fifth over. Agar played out 23 balls in the PowerPlay, scoring just 17 runs as the dot-ball pressure ramped up. Sri Lanka’s quicks kept the foot on the pedal in the post-PowerPlay phase too, as Aaron Finch and Agar fell trying to break out of the rut.

At 50 for 3 in 9 overs, Australia were on shaky ground and in desperate need of a quick bail out to transfer the pressure back on the bowling side that had its tail up. Up stepped Josh Inglis, starting off by smashing leg spinner Jeffrey Vandersay for two fours – one a reverse hit – in the 10th over.

As Maxwell settled in, Inglis took control of the proceedings, and continued to get boundaries that helped dwarf the equation further. The duo played out Theekshana in his fourth over and targeted the quicks. The tables completely turned in a four-over span where Australia went from 73/3 in 11 to 109/3 in 15, with Maxwell too starting to cut loose.

Dushmantha Chameera had Inglis nicking to the keeper in the 16th over, but not before the Aussie batsman added 40 off just 20 deliveries. Maxwell took over from that point on to ensure there were no late and dramatic turnarounds for Sri Lanka. Off the first ball of the penultimate over, Maxwell secured the victory, while finishing on an unbeaten 48 off 38 deliveries.

(Cricbuzz)

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Rahul, Gill hit centuries as India dominate Afghanistan on opening day

Published

4 mins ago

2026/06/7

Priyan

Shubman Gill brought up his 11th Test century (BCCI)

In the 11th over, KL Rahul edged a cut to the keeper off Ziaur Ahmed when he was on 16. Afghanistan did not review the not-out decision. In the 61st over, Rahul flicked a full ball off his pads, bringing up a gritty century – his 12th in Test cricket. Afghanistan’s bowling attack had been worn down in the intervening period. They could not cash in on their half-chances aplenty, in their first Test against India since their format debut in 2018. Instead, Rahul – alongside a regal Shubman Gill – headlined India’s march to 368 for 3 on day one in New Chandigarh.

The city was hosting a men’s Test for the first time. Temperatures soared up to 40 degrees Celsius, and India captain Gill opted to bat first, expecting the pitch to worsen as time wore on in the match. However, Afghanistan’s new-ball bowlers – Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohamed Saleem – extracted uneven bounce off the pitch right away. They kept bowling back-of-a-length deliveries to Jaiswal and Rahul, moving the ball away from the openers.

Rahul reached for deliveries far from his body early in the day, often mistiming his shots. He ambled away to 16 off 34 by the end of the 10th over. At the other end, Jaiswal pounced on fuller deliveries with more regularity to race to 20 off 26.

Then, in the 11th over off Ziaur, Rahul slashed at a wide delivery and both bowler and keeper went up with a big appeal. However, they opted out of the review. Replays later showed Rahul had edged the delivery. Rahul rode his luck thereafter, leaving balls outside off, and dead-batting fuller ones that gripped in the pitch.

In the next over – the 12th – Jaiswal leaned into a front-foot drive off Mohammad Saleem. Then he jumped at an inswinger drifting down leg, and tried to flick it off his hips. He edged it to the keeper instead. Against the run of play, Jaiswal departed for a 32-ball 24, giving Saleem his maiden Test wicket.

Soon after, the new-ball swing dissipated and the bounce became less treacherous. B Sai Sudarshan made full use of this period of play at the back end of Saleem and Omarzai’s extended spells. He laced three fours in his first 15 deliveries.

In the 35th over off Ziaur, Sai Sudharsan stepped out of his crease for a tentative defense outside off. His edge dissected the wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai and first slip. Eight overs later, with Sai Sudharsan looking set for his maiden Test century, the batter played an expansive drive outside off against Saleem. Once more, the ball flew into the slip cordon, but was snared by Zazai with a one-handed stunner to his right. Sai Sudharsan was dismissed for 81. The second-wicket partnership was aborted at 131, with Rahul still steady at the other end.

As the day wore on, the New Chandigarh surface began gripping and turning more. Afghanistan’s captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was their most effective spinner. He bowled slowly, often keeping his speeds under 80 kph, and used drift to troublealla batters. Still, he never induced any real chances, with edges off him flying past short leg or the keeper.

From the other end, debutant Nangeyalia Kharote induced a thin edge off Sai Sudharsan with just his fourth delivery. Rahmanullah Gurbaz dropped the consequent one-hander, diving to his right at first slip. On his return spell, Kharote – as well as part-timer Abdul Malik – both strayed into leg-stump lines too often.

With Afghanistan’s fast bowlers erring in discipline too, Gill took full toll on them, especially after the tea break. If Rahul’s knock was a product of battling against the early swing and seam, Gill’s imperious century – his 11th in the format – was aided by a worn-down attack. Still, he pounced on good-length deliveries outside off as he unfurled his drives, and cut close to his body, in trademark fashion to rack up 11 fours and one six.

Gill had Rahul for company through the beginning of his knock, during a 67-run partnership for the third wicket. However, just one delivery after bringing up his century, Rahul perished for the third time in Test cricket on exactly a 100 – the joint-second most times in Test cricket, right behind England’s Len Hutton (4). Rahul had been out playing a loose waft away from his body, off Ziaur, straight to short extra cover.

Once Rishabh Pant walked out to join Gill, the brief was clear: by their standards, India had already shut up shop for the final hour of play. An unusually restrained Pant, also playing his 50th Test for India, batted within his means until his eyes lit up against offspinner Abdul Malik in the 68th over. He took advantage of half-trackers to flat-bat three sixes in trademark Pant style. Tellingly, these would also be Pant’s only sixes of the evening.

Gill brought up his century just a few minutes before close of play, off a flick to square leg, in the 83rd over off Saleem. Afghanistan had opted not to choose the new ball, bowling through till the close of play with a battered ball. Pant manipulated a thinly spread leg-side field in these final overs to bring up his own fifty off 70 balls, on the penultimate delivery of the day’s play.

SCORES:

India 368 for 3 in 85 overs (Shubman Gill 103*, KL Rahul 100, B Sai Sudharsan 81, Rishabh Pant 50*; MohaSaleem 2-67) vs Afghanistan

(Cricinfo)

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Persistent rain in Kingston washes out second ODI between West Indies and Sri Lanka

Published

27 mins ago

2026/06/7

Priyan

The Sabina Park staff clear the water on the ground (Cric8nfo)

West Indies won the toss and put Sri Lanka into bat, but that was the extent of the action from thesecod ODI at Sabina Park, as persistent rain put an end to proceedings before they had even begun.

The washout means West Indies’ hopes of winning the series are wiped out, but they can still draw level in the final game on Monday. Perhaps more importantly, a win there will give the hosts a much needed rankings boost, with qualification for next year’s World Cup hinging on their final position come March next year.

The toss itself had been delayed by 30 minutes following rain earlier in the day, and it was the possibility of rain intervening later on that had influenced Shai Hope’s decision to field first.

Both teams had also made changes, with Amir Jangoo due to get a game for the injured Matthew Forde, while Eshan Malinga had been drafted in for Asitha Fernando. Shai Hope, playing his 150th ODI for West Indies, received a special jersey before rain came along.

(Cricinfo)

Sports

Sri Lanka to play women’s T-20 World Cup curtain-raiser

Published

2 hours ago

2026/06/7

Thilina Walpola

Sri Lanka women’s cricket team flew off to London this week to take part in the ICC T-20 World Cup that will get underway on the 12th June in Birmingham with Chamari Atapattu’s side playing England in the curtain-raiser.The national team will enter the 12 nation global showpiece event with renewed confidence and ambition under the newly appointed Head Coach Jamie Siddons.

Prior to the opening match, the team will play two warm-up fixtures against Pakistan and Netherlands. Placed in a challenging Group 2, apart from England, they have defending champions New Zealand, West Indies, Ireland and Scotland. The team arrives in England buoyed by recent successes, having secured impressive series victories over both West Indies and Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka’s participation in the tournament marks another significant chapter in the continued growth of women’s cricket in the country. Dialog, who holds the exclusive broadcast rights of ICC events in Sri Lanka, remains committed to supporting the development of the game and powering Sri Lankan athletes to compete on the global stage.

Cricket Fans can catch all the action live on Dialog Television (Channel Numbers 68,120 & 63), or stream via the Dialog Play mobile App and ThePapare.com.