Latest News
Roach, Seales build the road to victory for West Indies despite Taskin six-for
West Indies are three wickets away from clinching the Antigua Test against Bangladesh. The visitors ended the fourth day on 109 for 7 after they were set a target of 334. Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales led the way for the hosts with three wickets each, as Bangladesh’s specialist batters failed to put together a performance for the umpteenth time this year.
West Indies themselves couldn’t put up a bigger target after they were bowled out for 152 in the second innings. Taskin Ahmed got his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests, finishing up with 6 for 64. This came on the back of Bangladesh’s surprise declaration on the fourth morning, despite being 181 runs behind West Indies’ first-innings total of 450 for 9.
Bangladesh’s batters, however, couldn’t repay their bowlers. Both their openers got out similarly to how they were dismissed in the first innings. Zakir Hasan inside-edged Roach on to his stumps, while Mahmudul Hasan Joy edged Seales to third slip. Roach then set Shahadat Hossain up in the 11th over, getting the ball to seam away several times before bowling a booming inswinger. The ball kissed Shahadat’s gloves as he tried to get out of the way, before Joshua Da Silva took the inside edge.
Shamar Joseph then saw two dropped catches in his first over, both of Mominul Haque. Da Silva dropped a chance down the leg side, before Mikyle Louis couldn’t hold on to a straightforward one at gully. Mominul, however, couldn’t last long, as Roach took a superb caught and bowled from his drive in the next over.
But Shamar’s bad luck continued at the other end. Alick Athanaze dropped Mehidy Hasan Miraz at second slip, with the Bangladesh captain on 14. Litton Das cut one uppishly, only for Seales to get a hand on it at backward point. Shamar’s exasperation at having four catches dropped off his bowling, however, didn’t last too long. He had Litton caught at fine leg for 22 to reduce Bangladesh to 59 for 5 in the 18th over.
Mehidy was the only one fighting for Bangladesh, riding out the short-ball barrage, and keeping the scoreboard moving. He made 45 off 46 balls with five fours and a six, before Seales got him caught behind, as Da Silva took a fine catch. Seales then clean bowled Taijul Islam as well.
West Indies’ morning had started with good fortune despite the declaration surprise. Shahadat, at first slip, dropped captain Kraigg Brathwaite on 9. Next ball, Taskin slammed an inswinger into Louis’ front pad, but umpire Kumar Dharmasena said not out. Replays showed that the batter was plumb in front, but Bangladesh hadn’t taken the review.
Taskin, however, removed Louis in his next over when the opener was caught behind for 8. Taskin then had Keacy Carty caught at third slip, a further reward of his excellent line and length in his first spell. Brathwaite then guided Shoriful Islam to second slip in the following over, as the visitors’ decision to declare got an early vindication.
Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze nearly got West Indies out of trouble. The pair struck eight fours either side of the lunch break, but just when they added 50 for the fourth wicket, Bangladesh struck three times in as many overs. Taskin’s beautiful delivery that nipped slightly away had Hodge caught behind for 15. It was also Litton Das’ 100th catch in Tests.
Mehidy then removed Athanaze in the following over. He made 42 off 63 balls, with seven fours, but the young left-hander played a superfluous shot, struck on the back foot while trying to cut a ball that was spinning into him. Then Taskin clipped Justin Greaves’ off stump with another fantastic delivery, as the first-innings centurion made just 2 in the second.
Alzarri Joseph immediately counterattacked against Taskin, and this time there were no verbal exchanges between the two. Da Silva followed suit by getting two fours off Taskin’s next over. He struck Taijul for a straight six, but then the left-arm spinner got one to get big on Da Silva, who gave a catch to point.
Alzarri then holed out to short fine leg after top edging Mehidy. He had earlier survived a similar top edge, but Mominul had dropped a relatively difficult chance. Mominul had earlier also dropped Carty at short cover.
It was, however, all forgotten when Taskin yorked Shamar to complete his first five-for. He finished up the West Indies innings when Mehidy took a brilliant diving catch at mid-off, after Roach was deceived by a Taskin’s slower ball.
But Bangladesh’s batters couldn’t be inspired by their bowlers, as they crumbled on the fourth day.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 269 for 9 dec and 109 for 7 in 31 overs (Mehidy Hasan Miraz 45, Litton Das 22; Kemar Roach 3-20, Jayden Seales 3-31) need another 225 runs to beat West Indies 450 for 9 dec and 152 in 46.1 overs (Alic Athanaze 42, Kraig Brathwaite 23, Joshua Da Silva 22; Taskin Ahmed 6-64, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 2-31)
Latest News
England survive Nepal scare to clinch last-ball thriller
Tasked with chasing a stiff target after half-centuries from Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook, Nepal came out swinging. Kushal Bhurtel set the tone by hitting three boundaries in four balls off Jofra Archer, before Dependra Singh Airee and Rohit Pandel’s superb stand – worth 82 off 54 balls – left 62 runs required off the final six overs.
When both men fell in the space of eight balls, the game looked as good as done. But nobody told Bam, who hit consecutive streaky boundaries off Curran before launching Archer for two towering sixes. Luke Wood’s 19th over cost 14 runs as he struggled to find his line, slashed away for two more boundaries by Bam, leaving ten required off the last.
But Curran stuck to his yorker plan at the death, leaving Bam needing to clear the ropes off the last ball. He could only toe-end it out to deep extra cover, and England celebrated a nerve-jangling win. It was more heartbreak for Nepal, after their one-run defeat to South Africa in St Vincent in the 2024 edition of this tournament, but they ran England incredibly close.
Will Jacks was named player of the match, dismissing Bhurtel and belting 39 not out from No. 7, including three final-over sixes to end England’s innings on a high note. The contrast with Nepal’s run chase was evident and Paudel must have rued his decision to return to his seamers at the death, leaving the effective Airee’s fourth over unused.
“The whole of Nepal came here to support us,” Paudel said after a heart-breaking defeat. “It’s great to see them here and that motivates us: when we went to the ground, we carry your hopes, we carry your belief. Today, we gave everything, and all of Nepal will be very proud of us.”
England came into this World Cup riding high after a 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka, but looked off the pace with the ball. Liam Dawson, finally playing his first match at an ICC event aged 35, was the exception, taking 2 for 21 from his four overs, but Archer and Adil Rashid – usually England’s bankers – were uncharacteristically expensive as Nepal took them down.
Paudel and Airee built steadily, running hard between the wickets and seizing on any width. Airee was strong on the sweep and reverse, while Paudel hoisted Rashid over midwicket for a slog-swept six. Nepal were slightly behind the required rate for most of the innings, but never let it creep past 12 runs per over.
The pair took 19 runs off Rashid’s third over, the 14th of the innings, as England’s legspinner went wicketless for the first time in 25 T20Is. Paudel clattered a drag-down for six, Airee drilled him through the covers, and then played the shot of the night when reverse-slog-sweeping him over point.
Both men were caught in the deep in quick succession, Airee holing out to cover off Curran and Paudel brilliantly held by a diving Salt at midwicket off Dawson. But Bam was rewarded for his attacking intent, slamming two slower balls for six during Archer’s 22-run final over, and taking the game right down to the wire.
England looked to exploit the fielding restrictions on a pitch that they expected would slow down as the day wore on, but lost three wickets within the first 6.1 overs. On each occasion, a Nepal bowler struck inside the first three balls of their first over, perhaps benefitting from the fact that they had never previously come up against England in any international match.
Neither England opener made it out of the powerplay. Sher Malla, the debutant offspinner, sparked wild celebrations when his first ball was top-edged to short fine leg by Salt, while Jos Buttler fiddled Nandan Khan’s length ball behind for 26, just as he looked like he was about to take the game away from Nepal.
Tom Banton, preferred to Ben Duckett at No. 4 after a strong series in Sri Lanka, was given an early life when Malla put down a caught-and-bowled chance in his follow-through off the final delivery of the powerplay. But he did not make Malla pay for his drop, and was trapped lbw by Sandeep Lamichhane off the very next ball of the innings to leave England 57 for 3.
Latest News
Ireland opt for an extra batter as they ask Sri Lanka to bat
Ireland captain Paul Stirling won the toss and opted to bowl against Sri Lanka in the Group B match at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Stirling said the pitch looked “hard and firm” but was a bit drier than the last time they were here. “We have got good all-round options in the middle, so we have picked an extra batter tonight. Hope that will come in handy at the backend of the game.” As suspected, there was no room for Josh Little.
Sri Lanka went in with five batters and five bowlers. Their captain Dasun Shanaka felt “anything over 170 would be very good on this pitch”.
The square boundaries are 71 metres and 77 metres. The straight one is 84 metres.
Sri Lanka and Ireland have faced each other only three times in T20Is, with Sri Lanka winning on all three occasions.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana
Ireland: Paul Stirling (capt), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, Ben Calitz, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys
(Cricinfo)
Latest News
England bat; Nepal hand debut to Sher Malla
Rohit Paudel warned Harry Brook that a used pitch at Wankhede Stadium could play into his team’s hands as Nepal were asked to bowl first in their first-ever international match against England.
Sunday afternoon’s game will be played on the same strip where India’s powerhouse batting line-up eked out 161 for 9 against United States on Saturday night. Brook won the toss and chose to bat first with conditions in mind, but Paudel said that Nepal’s players “love slow tracks” and that they hoped the surface would suit them.
“We love slow tracks, and it’s a used wicket so I think it will spin a little bit,” Paudel said. “I think, if that happens, it will help our team… To be honest, we would have bowled first. Looking at the conditions, I think chasing is a good option.”
Young spinner Sher Malla made his T20I debut for Nepal, while Lokesh Bam was preferred to the veteran Sompal Kami in the middle order.
Nepal play all four of their group games at the Wankhede and will be cheered on by thousands of their fans in Mumbai. “Playing all the games here will always be an advantage to the team playing all four games here,” Paudel said. “As a team, playing in Asian conditions always helps Nepal.”
Brook predicted that the pitch would get worse as the game wore on. “We feel like the pitch is going to be in the best shape for the first innings, and then hopefully we can bowl well and defend our score in the second innings… It looked like there was a little bit of spin in it, and a little bit of bounce, so hopefully we can utilise that in the second innings.”
England named their team on the eve of the match, with Luke Wood preferred to Jamie Overton. “We wanted to go with two out-and-out seamers up top with the new ball to see if we can get it to swing and get a few early wickets in the powerplay,” Brook said. “Pretty much everything else was already settled.”
England’s build-up to the tournament has been overshadowed by Brook’s now-infamous night out in Wellington last October, but he has tried to draw a line under the incident. “I’m feeling good,” he said. “I’m feeling good with the bat, and hopefully I can make some good decisions as captain as well – on and off the field.”
England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood.
Nepal: Aasif Sheikh (wk), Kushal Bhurtel, Rohit Paudel (capt), Dipendra Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, Gulsan Jha, Karan KC, Sher Malla, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane.
[Cricinfo]
-
Business2 days agoZone24x7 enters 2026 with strong momentum, reinforcing its role as an enterprise AI and automation partner
-
Business6 days agoSLIM-Kantar People’s Awards 2026 to recognise Sri Lanka’s most trusted brands and personalities
-
Business7 days agoAll set for Global Synergy Awards 2026 at Waters Edge
-
Business6 days agoAPI-first card issuing and processing platform for Pan Asia Bank
-
Business2 days agoHNB recognized among Top 10 Best Employers of 2025 at the EFC National Best Employer Awards
-
Business2 days agoGREAT 2025–2030: Sri Lanka’s Green ambition meets a grid reality check
-
Editorial4 days agoAll’s not well that ends well?
-
Features4 days agoPhew! The heat …
