Sports
New Zealand go 1-0 up after Conway, Mitchell heroics
Brilliant centuries from Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell meant that New Zealand carried forward the momentum from the back end of the T20I series to register a convincing eight-wicket win the opening game of the four-match ODI series against England in Cardiff on Friday (September 8). Chasing a par target of 292, New Zealand cruised home with 26 balls to spare as both batters made short work of the chase.
It was a near-perfect game for the Black Caps who got the perfect start to the chase with a rapid first PowerPlay. Will Young set the tone with an aggressive innings but he was cut short by Adil Rashid. Slotting in at no.3 was Henry Nicholls who also got a start before throwing it away. At the other end was Conway who was gradually building into his innings in his typical fashion. Runs came at a brisk pace with minimal risk as England struggled for penetration on an easing deck. The hosts bowlers were also not disciplined enough to trouble the batters.
Mitchell joined Conway for an unbroken 180-run stand that was an exhibition in strokeplay from both batters. An injury to Rashid saw the leggie limp off the field after bowling just three overs. While he did return later, the game was virtually done by then. Mitchell was the aggressor in the partnership and after a steady start to his innings, he took off as he launched seven sixes in his 91-ball innings. It also allowed Conway to play his natural game and the chase was a smooth ride for the tourists.
Earlier on, England got to a par score of 291 but it was an innings that lacked consistent momentum. If not for Liam Livingstone’s quickfire fifty at the back end, the score would have been much lesser. Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes also produced fifties with the England captain scoring at a quick clip but neither batter got a complete grip of the two-paced surface. Stokes in particular struggled for rhythm and eventually succumbed to the frustration that was built up by New Zealand’s disciplined bowlers.
Buttler and Livingstone ensured that the hosts had a competitive total on the board but the surface in Cardiff did get better as is generally the case. It was also the reason why New Zealand chose to bowl after winning the toss. Apart from the trio, Dawid Malan was the other batter to get some rhythm but he couldn’t convert his start. Rachin Ravindra was the standout New Zealand bowler with a three-fer and his spell is what stifled England’s scoring in the middle overs.
Brief scores:
England 291/6 in 50 overs (Jos Buttler 72, Liam Livingstone 52, Ben Stokes 52; Rachin Ravindra 3-48) lost to New Zealand 297/2 in 45.4 overs (Daryl Mitchell 118*, Devon Conway 111*) by eight wickets
(Cricbuzz)
Zimbabwe remain undefeated against Australia in T20 World Cups after a career-best bowling display from Blessing Muzabarani and a gutsy 64 not out from Brian Bennett helped orchestrate a stunning 23-run win in Colombo and throw group B into chaos.
Muzarabani took 4 for 17 from four overs, ripping out the top order alongside Brad Evans in the powerplay who also took 3 for 23, as Australia never really looked close to chasing Zimbabwe’s impressive 169 for 2 on a slow pitch that had been set up by even contributions from the top four.
Matt Renshaw’s 65 off 44 gave Australia hope but on top of the polished display with bat and ball they also fielded superbly to restrict Australia and threaten their Super Eight hopes.
Brief scores:
Zimbabwe 169 for 2 in 20 overs (Brian Bennett 64*, Tadiwanashe Marumani 35, Ryan Burl 35, Sikandar Raza 25*; Marcus Stoinis 1-17, Cameron Green 1-06) beat Australia 146 in 19.3 overs (Travis Head 17, Glenn Maxwell 31, Matt Renshaw 65; Blessing Muzarabani 4-17, Brad Evans 3-23, Wellington Masakadza 1-36, Ryan Burl 1-09) by 23 runs
[Cricinfo]
After running India close in their opening game in Mumbai, USA were outplayed by Pakistan in Colombo in their second. A third successive defeat, against Netherlands on Friday, will knock them out of contention for the Super Eight stage. History is also against USA: they have not beaten Netherlands in three attempts in men’s T20Is.
USA had earlier given New Zealand a scare during the warm-up fixture in Navi Mumbai, but injuries have weakened them since. Fast bowler Ali Khan is nursing a groin injury while Jasdeep Singh (shoulder injury) has been ruled out of the rest of the 2026 T20 World Cup, with former Pakistan fast bowler Ehsan Adil replacing him in the side. Adil was thrown into the XI straightaway in the second game, but ended up conceding 39 runs in three overs against the country of his birth at the Premadasa. It remains to be seen if Shubham Ranjane, who had hurt his knee, is back to full fitness.
USA are yet to nail down their opening combination: Saiteja Mukkamalla was left out after just one failure, against India. He was their most prolific batter in the lead-up to this World Cup and hit 50 off 31 balls in the warm-up match against New Zealand.
Netherlands will be high on confidence after easing past Namibia on the back of Bas de Leede’s all-round effort in Delhi. They bat deep, with Roelof van der Merwe listed at No. 9, and also have a surfeit of bowling options. That depth was central to giving Pakistan a scare in the tournament opener. Netherlands are also familiar with Chennai conditions – their entire squad trained at the Chennai Super Kings Academy in the city for around a week last month.
Picked as the only frontline left-arm spinner in the Netherlands side, ahead of Daniel Doram and Tim Pringle, Roleof van der Merwe followed up his 1 for 13 in three overs against Pakistan with 0 for 22 in two overs against Namibia. The 41-year-old could play a big role against a right-hand-batter heavy USA line-up.
Saurabh Netravalkar’s Mumbai homecoming was far from sweet: he ended up leaking 65 runs in his four overs for no wickets – the most by a bowler in an innings in the T20 World Cup. The left-arm seamer fared much better in USA’s next game against Pakistan, and will look to return to his best against Netherlands.
There’s no reason for Netherlands to tweak their winning combination unless there are any injuries or illnesses in their camp, though veteran Max O’Dowd has been below par.
Netherlands (probable): Max O’Dowd, Michael Levitt, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Roelof van der Merwe, Timm van der Gugten, Fred Klaasen
If Ali Khan is fit, he could potentially come back in place of Adil. There might be a toss-up between Mukkamalla and Shayan Jahangir for the opening slot.
USA (probable): Andries Gous (wk), Shayan Jahangir/Saiteja Mukkamalla, Monank Patel (capt), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi , Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh , Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan/Ehsan Adil
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