Sports
Openers star in India’s crushing win
India tour of Zimbabwe, 2022
Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill struck unbeaten 80s after a clinical performance with the ball, helping India take a 1-0 lead with a 10-wicket victory against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on Thursday (August 18). Deepak Chahar, playing his first international game since February 2022, bagged a three-wicket haul and was complemented by Axar Patel and Prasidh Krishna who also picked up three wickets apiece as India bowled Zimbabwe out for 189. Gill (82* off 72) and Dhawan (81* off 113) then put on their third 100-plus stand in the last four innings to lead India over the line with 19.1 overs to spare.
Dhawan and Gill weren’t in any hurry in the chase, taking their time to get going. Apart from a couple of fours at the start of the innings, Dhawan was mostly watchful, as was Gill as they negated the new-ball bowlers who were finding swing. But Victor Nyauchi struggled for rhythm and erred with his lines, bowling as many as eight wides in a four-over opening spell. Gill was dealing in singles while Dhawan capitalised on the loose deliveries for a couple of boundaries. The vice-captain also got a reprieve, put down by Evans at square leg off Sean Williams.
Having gone without a boundary till the end of the 13th over, Gill finally broke loose in the 14th, scoring three fours (one off an outside edge) off Brad Evans while taking the run-rate past five an over. With the field spread, there were easy opportunities to milk singles and twos, and the Indian openers went about in a risk-free manner to build their partnership. Dhawan got to a 76-ball fifty and then struck a four over extra cover off Sikandar Raza in the 20th over to bring up the century partnership.
Gill’s fifty was the next milestone as the right-handed opener reached there off 51 balls with two successive fours off Ryan Burl. The first six of the innings came off Gill’s bat as he clubbed a Wesley Madhevere delivery over the midwicket fence to power India past 150 in the 26th over, and the 22-year old soon outscored the 36-year old veteran despite facing lesser deliveries. Both Gill and Dhawan added to their boundary count, getting the scoring rate past six. The left-hander struck the winning boundary in the 31st over as India recorded their 13th successive ODI win against Zimbabwe and also their ninth victory in the last 10 ODIs.
Earlier, with a generous amount of swing and bounce on offer in the morning, Chahar and Mohammed Siraj bowled a testing spell to the Zimbabwe openers after KL Rahul opted to bowl. Having gone past the outside edge multiple times and losing a review for a leg-before decision, Chahar finally bagged the wicket of Innocent Kaia with a short delivery and also dismissed Tadiwanashe Marumani a short while later. Siraj then got the better of Williams with a short of a length delivery to get the batter to edge to first slip, while Chahar bagged his third wicket by trapping Madhevere in front as Zimbabwe slipped to 31 for 4 in the 11th over.
Zimbabwe captain Regis Chakabva took the attack back to India by scoring a flurry of boundaries. Meanwhile, the visitors lost their second review when Chahar, who bowled his seventh straight over, rapped Raza on the pads and replays revealed that the ball was missing the stumps. Chakabva and Raza built a steady partnership but their association came to an end on 35 when Prasidh found the outside edge of the in-form Raza. Chakabva had a lucky break when he reviewed a leg-before decision in a Kuldeep Yadav over after being given out. At the other end Burl played some confident-looking shots but fell to a short-ball ploy from Prasidh.
The first wicket to spin came in the 27th over when Chakabva, looking to play the cut shot, was bowled by Axar for 35 and the left-arm spinner also dismissed Luke Jongwe. While India would have hoped to wrap up the innings quickly, Evans and Ngarava kept them waiting as they put on a fighting half-century partnership. The pair rotated the strike well, scored boundaries from time to time while Evans also struck the first six of the innings when he sent a Kuldeep delivery over the midwicket fence as they raised Zimbabwe’s highest ninth wicket stand against India. Ngarava also struck a six, sending an Axar delivery wide of long-on, before a yorker from Prasidh ended his stay. Axar dismissed last man Nyauchi as Zimbabwe’s innings ended with 9.3 overs still remaining.
Brief scores:
Zimbabwe 189 in 40.3 overs (Regis Chakabva 35, Richard Ngarava 34; Brad Evans 33*; Deepak Chahar 3-27, Axar Patel 3-24, Prasidh Krishna 3-50) lost to India 192/0 in 30.5 overs (Shubman Gill 82*, Shikhar Dhawan 81*) by 10 wickets.
(Cricbuzz)
This series picks up from Bangladesh’s finest red-ball hour against arguably Pakistan’s bleakest one. Two years ago, Bangladesh came to Pakistan with six away Test wins in their history, and increased that tally by two in two weeks. Pakistan had never lost a Test to Bangladesh before that, but during late summer 2024 in Rawalpindi, a page turned in their cricketing relations.
This time around, the series takes place at an odd, off-kilter time. Neither side has played any Test cricket in six months, with Bangladesh’s last series a straightforward home wipeout of Ireland. Pakistan hosted South Africa in October, splitting the two Tests down the middle. This is the only red-ball international cricket Pakistan have played in 14 months.
Pakistan have filled that time going all in on T20 cricket, preparing for the recent T20 World Cup, before throwing themselves into a full PSL season. There will be just four days between the end of the PSL and the first day in Mirpur.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, have endured a more barren time. They refused to travel to India for the T20 World Cup and that has meant their only international cricket all year was an ODI series against Pakistan and New Zealand’s visit for a white-ball series [ODIs and T20Is]. Wins in all three mean they have a perfect record in international series in 2026 – a record that Pakistan will hope to put to a sterner test than they managed two years ago.
In 2024, Bangladesh’s seam attack outshone Pakistan’s, with Hasan Mahmud and Taskin Ahmed’s movement, and Nahid Rana’s rapid pace, causing more trouble than their Pakistani counterparts. If anything, Rana is in even better form, cutting Pakistan down in the sides’ ODI series, before shining in the recent PSL final for Zalmi, for which the BCB granted him special permission. Bangladesh’s four-man pace attack also includes Shoriful Islam and Ebadot Hossain, alongside Rana and Taskin, and could pose its own challenges against Pakistan.
Pakistan may hope the pitches allow a spin-bowling face-off instead. Soon after Bangladesh’s humbling of Pakistan in that 2024 series, Pakistan volte-faced from playing an all-seam attack in the first Test. Instead, their pitches assisted spin from ball one. To exploit that, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali have run riot on accommodating surfaces. If Mirpur offers assistance for the spinners, Pakistan will feel confident they have the personnel to go toe-to-toe with the hosts.
Mushfique Rahim struck a century in his 100th Test, against Ireland in November last year. He will take fresh guard against Pakistan, despite speculation about his impending retirement. Mushfiqur has resisted being pushed towards the end unless he wants to. His 191 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi was a testament to his hunger for runs, as was his celebration during this milestone 100th Test against Ireland. Mushfiqur remains a vital cog in the Bangladesh middle-order. Pakistan will be wary of him, particularly in Dhaka.
Sajid Khan has found his international opportunities limited to home Tests, but this wasn’t always the case. His first six Test matches all took place away from home, with his finest away moment coming in Bangladesh, at this very ground in Mirpur. With rain laying waste to the best part of three days of that Test, Sajid wrenched the game from the clutches of the weather. He took eight wickets in Bangladesh’s first innings, to bowl them out for 87, and narrowly force a follow-on. Four more in the second innings saw Bangladesh bowled out on the fifth evening, giving Pakistan a sensational innings win. This series is perhaps Sajid’s best chance to demonstrate he remains useful outside Pakistan.
Bangladesh are likely to bring in Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana in place of Khaled Ahmed and Hasan Murad, respectively. Shoriful Islam’s white-ball form would put pressure on Ebadot Hossain’s place.
Pakistan have been dealt a blow with Babar Azam* ruled out of the opening Test due to a left knee injury. His absence leaves a hole which is likely to be filled in by a debutant. The visitors will likely go in with two spinners in Sajid and Noman, which leaves them a choice of two of four fast bowlers. With Imam-ul-Haq back in the side, Pakistan are expected to hand a debut to one of Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal at the top of the order.
Bangladesh (probable): Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Fazal/Azan Awais, Shan Masood (capt), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Amad Butt, Shaheen Afridi, Noman Ali, Khurram Shahzad/Hasan Ali, Sajid Khan
[Cricinfo]
Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) much-vaunted pace attack applied the skids on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a banana-peel clash at the Ekana Stadium. They successfully defended 219 in a rain-truncated 19-overs-a-side contest three nights after 228 didn’t seem anywhere enough against Mumbai Indians.
The orchestrator-in-chief was Mitchell Marsh, who converted his second fifty-plus score of the season into a peerless 56-ball 111, setting up the defence on a surface that offered pace, bounce and carry.
Then, Prince Yadav used these elements as his ally to bowl a ball to Virat Kohli that will perhaps make the top-five deliveries of the season. When RCB’s chase truly kicked into gear courtesy of Rajat Patidar, Prince returned to dismiss Devdutt Padikkal and Jitesh Sharma within five deliveries to turn the game around.
Patidar’s dismissal three balls later, to end a six-fest, all but sealed LSG’s third win in ten matches that keeps them alive mathematically. RCB remained third on 12 points, only a superior net run rate separating them from Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans.
He manifests playing a World Cup with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. On Thursday night, he bowled a ball that would make the tournament reel and get the selectors interested, if they weren’t already.
A nip-backer at high pace whooshed past Kohli’s inside edge to splay his stumps. It was Kohli’s first IPL duck since 2023. This left RCB 9 for 2 after they had lost Jacob Bethell cheaply for a fourth game on the trot.
Between finishing his second over and returning for his third, the 11th of RCB’s chase, Prince may have felt a sense of deja vu. Three weeks ago, he finished with 2 for 25 off his full quota in an innings where LSG conceded 254 against Punjab Kings. Here, Patidar threatened an incredible jailbreak as he tore into Mayank Yadav and Digvesh Rathi to pummel a 26-ball half-century.
Patidar was particularly ferocious against Rathi, hitting him for 23 off six deliveries. After some early trouble against Mayank’s high-pace, he returned the favour by nonchalantly whipping and pulling him for sixes. From 60 for 2 in seven overs, RCB ransacked 44 off the next three when Rishabh Pant summoned Prince for a third.
He began by dismissing Padikkal caught and bowled, having deceived him with a slower ball that stuck into the surface. Three balls later, he sent a ripper of a bouncer that had the woefully out-of-form Jitesh top-edge a pull to Pant. Prince now had figures of 3 for 21.
In only his second game of the season, Shahbaz Ahmed made a compelling case to start in the line-up for the rest of LSG’s campaign. He had Patidar in his first over, followed by David for a 17-ball 40 in his third, just when RCB looked like they were looking to pull off a heist. The equation came down to 33 off 12 when Krunal Pandya, promoted ahead of Romario Shepherd, hit Mohammed Shami for back-to-back sixes. With 20 needed off 6, Rathi held his nerve and conceded just one boundary as LSG won by nine runs to arrest a six-match losing streak.
Injuries forced a series of changes for LSG. Amidst a revolving door of openers – this was their fifth new pairing – Marsh has been a constant through the ten games. Thursday’s was only his second fifty-plus score of the season. He made a half-century off 20 balls, and a century off 49 balls – the fastest yet for LSG since their inception – to set the game up.
Where Marsh flew, his new opening partner Arshin Kulkarni struggled. LSG were 95 for 0 in nine overs when rain briefly stopped play. Marsh’s onslaught against his Australia mate Josh Hazlewood – lofted through the line for two sixes in his very first over – was particularly intriguing during that passage. Kulkarni went into the break amid chatter of being retired out, but he returned and fell second ball after the resumption when he hit Krunal straight to cover for 17 off 23.
Marsh’s battle against Hazlewood may have been box office, but his attack against the others wasn’t any less thrilling. He pounced on anything short from the spinners – Suyash Sharma and Krunal. Ninety of his 111 came off boundaries, and he galloped to the landmark when he hit Shepherd for three fours in his only over.
Pant then ensured the perfect finish with a cameo 32 off 10, with the last three balls of the innings, from Rasikh Dar, getting taken apart for 4, 4, 6. LSG hit 64 off their last five, which eventually made a massive difference to the end result.
Brief scores:
Lucknow Super Giants 209 for 3 in 19 overs (Mitchell Marsh 111, Arshin Kulkarni 17, Nicholas Pooran 38, Rishabh Pant 32*; Josh Hazlewood 1-49, Krunal Pandya 1-31, Rasikh Salam 1-53) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 203 for 6 in 19 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 34, Rajat Patidar 61, Tim David 40, Krunal Pandya 28*, Romario Shepherd 23*; Mohammed Shami 1-33, Prince Yadav 3-33, Shahbaz Ahmed 2-33) by nine runs
[Cricinfo]
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