Sports
Pakistan and Ireland await a damp finish in Florida
There are parties you don’t want to be at, and parties the host doesn’t want you at. And then there are parties no one wants to be at.
Pakistan and Ireland find themselves in that last position, in extremely wet conditions in Lauderhill, Florida. They’ve both been eliminated from the T20 World Cup and nothing that happens during their final group game on Sunday can change that. But it must be played, weather permitting, and so they will gear up for one more fixture that will have no impact on this tournament, and almost certainly no implications on qualification for the next one in 2026.
For Pakistan, it’s one more day in America before the players return to face the wrath of a nation whose anger has been bubbling up in the days following defeats to the USA and India. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is in an impregnable position, and is expected to ring the changes in the coming weeks, with Pakistan’s central contracts also up for review at the end of this month. Babar Azam’s side can do little to change the mood back home, though another defeat won’t help at all.
Ireland have also endured a disappointing tournament, especially since the build-up was promising. A home win over Pakistan and victory in a T20 tri-nation series in the Netherlands. But crumpling on a horror pitch in New York against India set the tone for a dismal campaign, with a defeat against Canada the nadir. While their qualification chances were theoretically alive before Lauderhill’s weather washed out their match against the hosts, all that’s left now is the hope that they may end their party in the USA on a high note.
This is almost certainly Imad Wasim’s final international match. Controversially brought back into the side, he has failed to provide the stardust Pakistan believed he would bring when they persuaded him to rescind his international retirement. His performances with the ball have been solid, if unspectacular, with no batting contribution of any heft, a point his innings during Pakistan’s chase against India painfully underscored. His statement before the tournament that “no one remembers semi-finalists and finalists, people remember champions” has aged like milk after Pakistan’s earliest T20 World Cup exit, but at this point, a game to remember as he signs off is the best consolation he can ask for.
Lorcan Tucker scored two half centuries in three games against Pakistan last month, before following up with 40 and 55 in the tri-series against the Netherlands and Scotland. Since then, his runs have dried up as Ireland’s T20 World Cup campaign flamed out before it even got off the ground. He has managed starts in each of the group games, getting into double figures while facing 13 and 15 balls. With no pressure and little to lose, Tucker has the opportunity to rediscover the form he found against Pakistan just a few weeks ago.
Pakistan may give Abrar Ahmed and Abbas Afridi – the two players who haven’t got a game so far – a start.
Pakistan: (probable): Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi/Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah/Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir
It’s been over a week since Ireland last played, so it’s trickier to predict how Ireland line-up.
Ireland: (probable): Andy Balbirnie, Paul Stirling (capt), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little, Craig Young/Ben White
[Cricinfo]
The Bangladesh government has banned the broadcast of IPL 2026 in the country as a response to the BCCI’s decision to pull Mustafizur Rahman out of the tournament.
A statement from the ministry of information and broadcasting said that it had “noted that no reason was communicated for the decision behind Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion [from the IPL]” and that the development had “caused distress among the people of Bangladesh”. The decision had been taken “in public interest”, it said.
The statement was signed by the ministry’s assistant secretary Firoz Khan.
TV channels and streaming platforms have broadcast the IPL in Bangladesh since its inception in 2008. This is also the first time that the Bangladesh government has banned the telecast of an international cricket tournament, anywhere in the world.
On Saturday, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the team that bought Mustafizur at the IPL auction in December, released him following instructions from the BCCI. The BCCI did not specify a reason – its secretary Devajit Saikia mentioned “recent developments” and did not elaborate.
Over the past few days, Indian spiritual and political leaders had criticised KKR and their owner Shah Rukh Khan for including Mustafizur in their line-up at a time when, according to reports, Hindu minorities are being attacked in Bangladesh. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since.
Bangladesh are already petitioning the ICC to shift their T20 World Cup matches out of India. No decision has been made on that front yet. The original schedule has Bangladesh opening their campaign against West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 7.
Dr Asif Nazrul, who is currently the sports adviser to the Bangladesh government, said on Saturday evening that the IPL shouldn’t be shown in Bangladesh. Following that post on social media, the country’s information adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said any decision to stop broadcasting IPL in Bangladesh would be taken after reviewing the legal basis and thoroughly examining the relevant procedures.
Later on Sunday evening, the BCB confirmed that it has written to the ICC seeking relocation of Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches from India, likely to Sri Lanka, the other hosts of the tournament. They have reportedly also written to the BCCI seeking an explanation about Mustafizur’s withdrawal.
While there has been an unspoken ban in the IPL on players from Pakistan for many years now, several Bangladesh players have taken part in the tournament. Mustafizur was the only one picked by a team for the upcoming season, and has been an IPL regular since 2016, with Shakib Al Hasan (KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad) the other prominent import from the country. Both of them have experience winning the title too.
Abdur Razzak (Royal Challengers Bengaluru), Mohammad Ashraful (Mumbai Indians), Mashrafe Mortaza (KKR), Tamim Iqbal (the now-defunct Pune Warriors India) and Litton Das (KKR) are the others from Bangladesh who have been a part of the IPL in previous years. The new season begins on March 26.
(Cricinfo)
Under 19 Cricket
Rehan Peiris produced his best batting performance of the season, a valuable 125, as Royal amassed 347 against St. Peter’s on day one of the Under 19 Division I tier ‘A’ match at Bambalapitiya on Monday.
At Asgiriya, Mahanama bowlers produced a dominant performance against Trinity.
Trinity were six wickets down for 43 runs at one stage before Praveen Mithila and Santhosh Kritheekshan made vital contributions for them to post 153 runs.
While five half centuries powered St. Joseph’s to 344 runs against St. Sebastians’ at Moratuwa, Nalanda struggled to post 226 against Prince of Wales at Campbell Place as Nadul Aponso picked up six wickets for the visitors.
Day one Scores
Royal 347, St. Peter’s 54/2 at Bambalapitiya
Scores
Royal 347 all out in 80 overs (Rehan Peiris 125, Thevindu Wewalwala 20, Manuth Dasanayake 71, Himaru Deshan 58; Thenura Dissanayake 2/74, Janith Panditharathne 6/103)
St. Peter’s
54 for 2 in 10 overs (Sehandu Sooriyaarachchi 2/07)
Mahanama bowlers dominate at Asgiriya
Scores
Trinity
153 all out in 52.3 overs (Praveen Mithila 47, Santhosh Kritheekshan 34; Geeth Sandaruwan 3/33, Thenuja Rashmin 3/35, Venura Kaveethra 2/34)
Mahanama
5 for 1 in six overs
Nadul’s six wickets restrict Nalanda at Campbell Place
Scores
Nalanda 226 all out in 79 overs (Nadul Jayalath 25, Santhul Wijerathna 46, Nemindu Akmeemana 27, Osanda Pamuditha 66, Dunitha Anusara 40; Nadul Aponso 6/53, Nethul Anuhas 4/67)
Prince of Wales
50 for no loss in 16 overs (Palingu Perera 24n.o., Suwas Fernando 25n.o.)
Five half centuries proppel Joes to 344 at Moratuwa
Scores
St. Joseph’s
344 all out in 79.1 overs (Yenula Danthanarayana 74, Aveesha Samash 52, Rishma Amarasinghe 90, Chethina Kavinda 70, Dilpa Ruwanaka 28; Koshendra Fernando 5/115, Shenash Hashein3/51, Navinu Fernando2/65)
St. Sebastians’ 37 for 3 in 13 overs (Nushan Perera 2/06)
by Reemus Fernando
After two heartbreaks, it was third time lucky for Desert Vipers as they broke the final hoodoo, defeating MI Emirates by 46 runs to claim their maiden ILT20 title in Dubai.
The win was headlined by captain Sam Curran, who held the Vipers innings together with an unbeaten 74 off 51 balls. He was helped by Max Holden (41 off 32) and Dan Lawrence (23 off 15) as Vipers notched up an impressive 182 for 4 in their 20 overs.
MIE never got their chase going, losing wickets at regular intervals. Naseem Shah was at his fiery best, picking up 3 for 18 in his four overs, while Usman Tariq curbed the runs in the middle overs, returning 2 for 20. David Payne also picked up 3 for 42, all three of his wickets coming in an over, as MIE were bowled out for 136 in 18.3 overs. It was fitting that the most consistent team of the season took home the title.
Vipers’ win means that ILT20 has now had a different winner in each of the first four seasons – Gulf Giants, MIE, Dubai Capitals and now Vipers.
Fakhar Zaman didn’t take time to go after Shakib Al Hasan, depositing him over wide long-on second ball of the innings. MIE were sloppy with their fielding, and both Fakhar and Jason Roy cashed in. After Fakhar collected a boundary off first ball off AM Ghazanfar, Roy hit left-arm quick Muhammad Rohid for back-to-back fours as Vipers raced to 34 for 0 after three overs. But Fazalhaq Farooqi helped MIE hit back with a double-wicket opening over.
Roy first flat-batted a short-of-a-length delivery straight to short midwicket before Farooqi cleaned up Fakhar with a peach of an inducker that pitched just outside off and swung back in breaching the opener’s defenses. Curran took five balls to get off the mark but closed out the powerplay in style with three straight fours off Farooqi as Vipers reached 59 for 2 in six overs.
While Holden took his time to settle, Curran kept the scorecard ticking. He pulled offspinner Tajinder Singh twice through midwicket before guiding Kieron Pollard past short third. Holden, going just about a run-a-ball, found his groove as well as he took Tajinder inside out over covers and then planted him over long-on as Vipers raced past 100 in the 12th over.
Mystery spinner Arab Gul broke the 89-run third-wicket stand by accounting for Holden but Lawrence ensured the momentum wasn’t lost. He smoked Gul over covers second ball before Curran reached his fifty off 39 balls as Vipers eyed a late push. That came via a 21-run 18th over with Curran and Lawrence sending Romario Shepherd over the fence three times. Vipers collected 46 runs off the last four overs to breach the 180-mark.
Muhammad Waseem, MIE’s star of the ILT20, started the chase briskly. He clubbed Payne over deep midwicket, while Andre Fletcher sent fast bowler Khuzaima Tanveer straight down the ground for six. Though Fletcher fell, mistiming Naseem to deep midwicket, Waseem kept going. He pulled Naseem through midwicket and then edged Curran past the wicketkeeper. But a flurry of wickets dented MIE’s chase.
Naseem struck for the second time when his pacy indipper had Tom Banton’s bat turning in his hand for a simple catch to Curran at mid-on for 7. Tanveer then got the prized scalp of his countryman Waseem, who in a bid to steer the ball fine, could only manage a thick edge to the wicketkeeper as MIE stumbled to 46 for 3 in six overs. Tariq then got into the act, sending back Sanjay Krishnamurthi. Having managed just 2 off 8, Krishnamurthi tried to pull Tariq over deep midwicket but could only manage a miscue and Hassan Nawaz completed a stunning diving catch low to his right.
With the required rate touching close to 11, it was down to the two experienced heads Shakib and Pollard to try and conjure some magic. They added 60 off 45 balls, but Vipers maintained their lines, not giving much away on a surface which had something for the bowlers throughout. With the required rate almost 14 at the start of the 16th over, Shakib tried to haul Tariq over long-on but failed to generate enough power with Tanveer doing the rest.
Pollard fell six balls later and with that went MIE’s chances of a second title. Payne picked up three wickets in an over before Tanveer closed the chase, sparking wild celebrations in the Vipers dugout. MIE lost their last six wickets for just 22 runs in 3.3 overs to go down in a heap.
Brief scores:
Desert Vipers 182 for 4 in 20 overs (Fakhar Zaman 20, Janson Roy 11, Sam Curran 74*, Max Holden 41, Dan Lawrence 23; Fazalhaq Farooqi 2-33, Arab Gul 1-14) beat MI Emirates 136 in 18.3 overs (Muhammed Waseem 26, Andre Fletcher 10, Shakib Al Hasan 36, Kieron Pollard 28, Tajinder Singh 12; Naseem Shah 3-18, Davi Payne 3-42, Khuzaima Tanveer 2-22, Usman Tariq 2-20) by 46 runs
(Cricinfo)
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