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Rizwan takes Pakistan to their first win after Amir-led quicks put on a big show
There was finally something at the T20 World Cup for Pakistan to be happy about as they produced a strong all-round show to record their first win of tournament, beating Canada by seven wickets in New York.
The win was set up by the fast bowlers, who combined to pick up six wickets to restrict Canada for 106 for 7 in their 20 overs despite an Aaron Johnson 44-ball 52 – that score was quick by the standards at the New York venue, and Canada’s total was not insignificant at all.
In reply, Pakistan stumbled in the powerplay.
They had brought in Saim Ayub in place of Iftikhar Ahmed, and Ayub walked out to open with Mohammad Rizwan, thus splitting the Rizwan – Babar Azam partnership up top. The decision did not pay dividends, though, as Ayub fell for 6 off 12 balls.
But Babar and Rizwan brought their experience into play, adding a 63-run stand off 62 balls for the second wicket. Babar fell with victory in sight, but Rizwan stayed put, crafting an unbeaten run-a-ball 53 to give Pakistan victory 15 balls to spare.
Babar won another crucial toss and had no hesitation in fielding first. He would have hoped for “first-over Shaheen Afridi” to do his magic. But instead, it was first-over Aaron Johnson setting the stage alight. He flicked the first ball of the innings, a shin-high full toss, through mid-on for four, before pumping Afridi straight down the ground for four more next ball.
This was the first time the first two balls in a men’s T20 World Cup match had been hit for boundaries. The third ball would also have gone for a straight four if not for the sluggish outfield.
Johnson then smashed Naseem Shah over backward point with Pakistan looking off the boil.
Mohammad Amir was the only one who got his length spot on from the get-go and he was duly rewarded. Navneet Dhaliwal picked him for a four through point first ball but Amir exacted revenge by sending a searing in-dipper that flattened Dhaliwal’s middle stump.
Afridi and Naseem, too found their lengths soon. And though Johnson continued to play his shots, there were plenty of plays and misses. And Afridi changed his bowling end and had Pargat Singh edging to first slip as Canada reached 30 for 2 after six overs.
The most crucial moment of the Canada innings came in the seventh over, when Nicholas Kirton, their best batter so far in this competition, was run out by a direct throw from Imad Wasim from the covers.
Johnson stayed put, but Canada kept losing wickets at the other end after that.
Haris Rauf struck twice in three balls when he removed Shreyas Movva to claim his 100th T20I wicket and then had Ravinderpal Singh caught at slip – Canada, after their bright start, had slipped to 55 for 5 after ten overs.
Johnson deposited Wasim twice over the ropes in two overs, the second hit fetching him his sixth T20I fifty off 39 balls. But he failed to carry on, falling for 52, his stumps rattled by Naseem.
Canada failed to inject any momentum into their innings after that, as Pakistan only conceded 29 runs in their last five overs, which included two fours and a six. In all, Canada faced 76 dot balls, the most in an innings at the men’s T20 World Cup.
ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster gave Pakistan a 93% of winning the game at the halfway stage. But the pitches in New York have often disrupted calculations.
Kaleem Sana gave away five wides in the first over, but apart from that, Canada were really tight with their lines. Ayub tried his shots before edging Dilon Heyliger behind. Babar, at No. 3, then had a tense moment when an appeal for a caught behind down leg was sent upstairs. But replays suggested the ball had gone off his pad.
The only four off the bat in the powerplay was struck by Rizwan in the sixth over. In comparison, Canada had hit five fours in their first six overs.
According to ESPNcricinfo’s logs, 31 of the 36 deliveries from Canada in the powerplay were on a length or short of a length. And the Pakistan batters struggled to deal with them.
Junaid Siddiqui and Saad Bin Zafar had the Ireland batters in a spin in Canada’s previous game, but Babar and Rizwan weren’t having any of it.
Rizwan first swept Saad’s full delivery through deep-backward square-leg, before Babar walloped Junaid for a six straight down the ground. The two added 31 runs between overs six and ten, and put the chase right back on track.
They kept the scoreboard ticking over before Babar fell edging Heyliger behind the stumps. Babar walked off in disgust. But Rizwan ensured he stayed till the end. He reached his 29th T20I fifty off 52 balls. It was the slowest by a Pakistan batter in the format but such were the conditions, and the win was more important.
Usman Khan hit the winning runs as Pakistan reached home in 17.3 overs. The win did not lift their NRR above that of USA, but it wasn’t a bad start in trying to turn the qualification race in their favour somewhat after back-to-back losses.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 107 for 3 in 17.3 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 53*, Babar Azam 33; Jeremy Gordon 1-17, Dilon Heyliger 2-18) beat Canada 106 for 7 in 20 overs (Aaron Johnson 52; Shaheen Shah Afridi 1-21, Naseem Shah 1-24, Mohammed Amir 2-13, Haris Rauf 2-26) by seven wickets
[Cricinfo]
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West Indies bowl vs Sri Lanka, Hetmyer not in the XI
West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl first in the first ODI of Sri Lanka’s tour of the Caribbean. This being a day game, West Indies believed their bowlers could extract some movement from the Sabina Park surface earlier in the day.
West Indies do not have Shimron Hetmyer in their XI, though he is named in the squad. Justin Greaves looks set to open alongside John Campbell. With captain Shai Hope, Sherfane Rutherford and Roston Chase make up the middle order. Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph are the frontline seam options.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have also appeared to make a change at the top order, bringing Kamindu Mendis to the opening position. Their attack is made up of two frontline spinners, and two frontline quicks in Dushmantha Chameera and Asitha Fernando. Allrounder Milan Rathnayaka plays his second ODI.
This is the first ODI at Sabina Park since 2022.
Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis (capt, wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Milan Rathnayake, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando
West Indies XI: John Campbell, Justin Greaves, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (capt.)(wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales
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Qualifier Maja Chwalinska extends dream French Open run
Qualifier Maja Chwalinska continued her dream French Open run as she beat Anna Kalinskaya to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.
The world number 114 was left open-mouthed with shock after completing a superb 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win over 22nd seed Kalinskaya on a blustery Paris day.
Poland’s Chwalinska is the second qualifier after Nadia Podoroska in 2020 to reach the singles semi-finals at Roland Garros.
She is only the sixth qualifier in the Open era to reach the women’s singles semi-finals at a Grand Slam.
Only one – Britain’s Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open – went on to win the title.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka could await Chwalinska the last four, with the Belarusian taking on Russian Diana Shnaider later on Wednesday.
“I honestly don’t know what is going on,” Chwalinska told the crowd.
“I know I repeat myself, but every match here is kind of crazy for me.”
It is a remarkable run for Chwalinska, who arrived at the tournament with just two victories in WTA Tour-level main-draw matches under her belt.
Her sole Grand Slam match win came at Wimbledon in 2022 – but Chwalinska now finds herself on an eight-match winning streak on the Parisian clay, having dropped just one set on the way.
Everything appears to have clicked in place for a player who once feared she might have left the sport for good.
Chwalinska struggled with depression for two years and took an indefinite break from tennis after losing in the first round of qualifying at Wimbledon in 2021.
She did not know whether she would return at that point, having lost her enjoyment of training and competing.
With the support of the people around her, the openness of fellow players such as Naomi Osaka in speaking about their mental health, and brief attempts to enjoy other sports, Chwalinska found herself gradually gravitating back to the tennis court.
It has all led her to this moment of a first major semi-final – and a potential David-versus-Goliath showdown with title favourite Sabalenka.

In Paris, Chwalinska has played with infectious freedom and joyful creativity, beating two seeded players and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen along the way.
She kept her composure well against Kalinskaya, first having to reset after letting a 5-1 lead slip in the opener, before reeling off five straight points from 3-2 down in the resulting tie-break to take the lead.
She then held her nerve in the second, recovering from being broken as she tried to serve out victory before clinching her first match point on Kalinskaya’s serve.
“I was definitely nervous. I am stressed, of course, but I try to focus on my job and my games,” Chwalinska said.
“I am not focusing on confidence. I am playing against the best players in the world, so I will not compare myself to them.”
Whatever happens in the semi-finals, Chwalinska is now projected to leap up the rankings and into the world’s top 30.
By reaching the semi-finals, she has also secured prize money amounting to £647,700 – more than doubling her career total earnings of £642,400 in the space of 10 days.
[BBC Sport]
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Foreign nationals among at least 21 killed in Delhi fire
At least 21 people have been killed and many others injured after a fire tore through a multi-storey building in south Delhi, police in India’s capital say.
Many of the victims were foreigners – including people from South Asian and African countries – who had travelled to India for medical treatment or to accompany relatives undergoing care, local media reported.
The building in the Malviya Nagar area allegedly operated as a bed-and-breakfast catering to patients and relatives of those receiving treatment at a nearby private hospital.
More than 40 people were rescued and taken to hospital. It remains unclear how many were inside the building when fire broke out. Its cause is not yet known.
The blaze is one of the deadliest in recent years in the Indian capital.
“The fire was brought under control quite early on – it was contained very quickly. We have now cleared the building and opened it up for the police,” fire officer AK Malik said.
Delhi minister Ashish Sood said authorities were investigating whether the building had the necessary permissions to operate as a bed-and-breakfast facility, adding that those found responsible for any violations would face criminal action.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,088; £1,552) for the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees for those injured.

Videos on social media showed flames shooting from the building as people gathered nearby. Footage broadcast by Indian news channels showed its exterior badly charred as emergency workers searched the site.
Witnesses said the fire spread rapidly, trapping people on upper floors. Bystanders helped some escape before emergency crews arrived.
“The fire broke out at about 08:50… we rushed to the spot to see that the entire building was on fire. There is a mattress shop at the corner from where we took out mattresses and laid them on the road,” Wasim Raj told ANI news agency.
“People started to jump out of the building from the second and third floors. The fire-fighting team had reached the spot immediately and started rescue work.”
Sher Khan, who lives nearby, described scenes of panic as people trapped on the upper floors cried out for help.
“As the fire intensified, it seemed as if there was no way to jump from here. People spread mattresses, and some from the third floor jumped out with a little kid… She was saying that she fractured her leg,” he said.
Israr Khan, another local resident, told reporters that “all of us have been here since morning. We rescued a child who jumped from the higher floor”.
Several people in the building were from Bangladesh and other South Asian countries and had travelled to Delhi for medical treatment, local lawmaker Satish Upadhyay said.
Fires are common in India, where building safety laws are often poorly enforced.
From factories and coaching centres to hospitals and entertainment venues, many of Delhi’s deadliest blazes have exposed a persistent gap between safety rules on paper and their implementation on the ground.
Investigations have repeatedly pointed to lax inspections, faulty electrical systems and buildings operating beyond their approved use.
[BBC]
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