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Sunrisers sneak home after staving off Punjab’s late surge

Published

2 years ago

2024/04/10

Priyan

PBKS came within touching distance of pulling off an incredible heist in Mullanpur (BCCI_

Sunrisers Hyderabad stole a two-run victory defending 182 as they notched up their third win of IPL 2024.

The heroes of Punjab’s previous win almost did an encore, launching an exhilarating hitting show at the death. Defending 29 off the final over, Jaydev Unadkat bowled as many as three wides and also saw three dropped catches out of which two were palmed over the ropes. The brute power for Ashutosh was paired with Shashank Singh’s smart strokeplay.

Shashank first hit three boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar when the equation was 67 off the final four. Ashutosh powered a couple of boundaries off Cummins next to keep Punjab in the chase. Only 10 came off the penultimate over bowled by T Natarajan despite two boundaries, and that paved the way for some crucial runs in the bag for Unadkat to defendand taking SRH home after a see-saw game that saw fortunes change hands right through.

At the start of the match, Punjab had a decent start after winning the toss. In what was his best outing so far in IPL 2024, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh had an opening spell to remember as he prised out both Travis Head and Aiden Markram in the space of three balls. Head could have been dismissed off the first ball of the innings but Punjab Kings failed to review an outside edge.

It allowed Head to then cut loose with three consecutive boundaries off Rabada in his next over. But Arshdeep culled the blows by having Head miscuing a big hit that was taken well by Shikhar Dhawan who had to pedal back and across from mid off. With some movement on offer still, Arshdeep then angled one across Markram who nicked behind giving Arshdeep figures of 2-8 in his first spell.

Despite Arshdeep’s early strikes, SRH kept going hard with Abhishek Sharma embodying that effort. He struck Sam Curran for a four an a six but in an attempt to keep it going, he gave the bowler the charge but only to hit to cover point where Shashank took a good low catch. At 39/3 in five overs, SRH opted to bolsted their batting by subbing out Head for Rahul Tripathi. However, on a pitch that had some assistance for the pacers still Tripathi struggled to get going initially against Harshal Patel who eventually picked him up. Curran pushed for a review against Tripathi’s attempted upper-cut and was proved right as the batter was found to have nicked behind giving Harshal a wicket in the process. For SRH, things took a turn for the worse when Heinrich Klaasen mistimed a loft off Harshal and holed out to long off.

Just when the innings seemed to be going nowhere at 100/5, SRH found two youngsters answering their distress call. 20-year-old Nitish Reddy had been thrust in early at No. 4. With wickets falling consistently, Reddy’s first 18 balls fetched only 14 runs. But with counterattack as the fallback option, he along with Abdul Samad proceeded to take apart PBKS in the middle overs. Reddy’s last 19 balls saw him hit three fours and five sixes as he raced away to a well-earned fifty, with a pull off Rabada being a standout shot before he laid into Harpreet Brar in his final over to hit him for 22 runs. Samad, at the other end, picked up four boundaries in total off Harshal Patel and played his part in a 50-run stand that came off just 20 balls.

The final four overs saw SRH lose three crucial wickets but also manage 32 runs with Shabaz Ahmed and Jaydev Unadkat managing crucial boundaries. Inbetween, Arshdeep finished off as he started with a double-wicket over that saw him get both the set batters. The eventual target of 183 ended up as a competitive one even as dew began to settle in.

Punjab Kings ended up with the lowest powerplay total of the season with just 27 coming in the first six overs. Skipper Pat Cummins set the tone by getting Jonny Bairstow bowled for a duck in his first over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar complemented that with two strikes – first getting Prabhsimran Singh to miscue a big hit and then having Shikhar Dhawan stumped thanks to Heinrich Klaasen’s sharp glovework. At 20/3, the chase appeared to have derailed early but Punjab Kings managed to keep hitting back.

Punjab’s riposte to the early breaks came in the form of more bluster from the middle order. First Sam Curran hit a couple of fours and as many sixes before he fell for 29 with Cummins taking a good overhead catch. But Sikandar Raza continued the good work matching Curran’s boundary-count in his 22-ball 28 while Jitesh Sharma scored a quick 19. But both Raza and Jitesh fell in quick succession, leaving Punjab Kings with an uphill task of chasing 69 in 27 balls, which was turned into a nail-biter by the brilliance of Ashutosh and Shashank.

Brief Scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 182/9 in 20 overs (Nitish Reddy 64; Arshdeep Singh 4-29) beat Punjab Kings in 20 overs 180/6 (Shashank Singh 46*, Ashutosh Sharma 33*) by 2 runs

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Renuka and Deepti back with a bang as India seal the series

Published

13 hours ago

2025/12/27

Priyan

Renuka Singh picked up figures of 4-1-21-4 (BCCI)

Shafali Verma continued her superb form, cracking a 42-ball 79 as India brushed aside Sri Lanka once again to win the third T20I in Thiruvananthapuram and complete a series victory.

The template was familiar and ruthlessly executed: win the toss, bowl, restrict Sri Lanka, and then stroll through the chase. Just as in the first two matches, India were clinical. Renuka Singh spearheaded the bowling, with support from Deepti Sharma, to keep Sri Lanka to 112 for 7 before Shafali wrapped up the chase with 40 balls to spare.

Sri Lanka shuffled their opening combination, leaving out Vishmi Gunaratne and promoting Hasini Perera to partner Chamari Athapaththu. Perera showed early intent, striking two boundaries off Renuka, who returned to the XI in place of Arundhati Reddy, in the first over.

India introduced Deepti in the third, and Perera greeted her with another boundary. While Perera looked positive, Athapaththu struggled to find her rhythm, managing just 3 off 12 in a stand worth 25 – Sri Lanka’s highest opening partnership of the series. The pressure told in the fifth over when Athapaththu attempted a cross-batted swipe and top-edged to mid-on, handing Deepti her first wicket.

Renuka then turned the screws in her second over of the powerplay. After Perera pierced the infield early in the over, Renuka placed Deepti at short third, a move that paid dividends as Perera edged one straight to the fielder. She fell for 25 off 18, unable to capitalise on her start. Renuka capped off the over in style, having Harshitha Samarawickrama caught and bowled off the final delivery, swinging the powerplay decisively India’s way.

From there, the contest drifted into territory that had become all too familiar over the course of the series.

With Sri Lanka at 45 for 4 at the halfway stage, Imesha Dulani – coming into the XI for this match – combined with Kavisha Dilhari to add some much-needed runs for the fifth wicket. Dulani, reprieved on 8 when Shree Charani put down a chance, found the gaps, while Dilhari injected some intent, launching Kranti Gaud for a six.

The partnership, however, was short-lived. Deepti ensured it did not go beyond 40 runs, having Dilhari caught at deep midwicket for 20 en route to becoming the joint highest wicket taker in women’s T20Is.

India were not flawless in the field, putting down two more chances – Kaushini Nuthyangana on 4 by Gaud and Malsha Shehani on 5 by Deepti – but Sri Lanka failed to make India pay, drifting to 112 for 7 at the end of 20 overs.

Shafali set the tone for the chase immediately, launching Shehani for 6, 4 and 4 in the opening over. Smriti Mandhana struggled to find fluency at the other end, but it scarcely mattered with Shafali in full flow. She took on debutant Nimasha Meepage in the third over, picking up two boundaries, before Mandhana fell for 1 in the fourth, also burning a review in the process.

Shafali, meanwhile, continued to show her full range. In the fifth over, she took Meepage for 19 runs: starting with an uppish drive to the extra cover boundary, a back-foot whip that raced through midwicket, a full toss that was muscled for six over extra, and finishing the over by dropping to one knee to loft another boundary over cover. By then, she had raced to 43 off just 19 balls, bringing up her half-century in the following over from 24 deliveries. India, on the whole, were 55 for 1.

Shafali continued to dictate terms, scoring 68.7% of her team’s runs in a completed innings – which is a new national record – and rising to No. 4 on the list of India’s highest run-getters in women’s T20Is.

The win, along with a 3-0 lead in the five-match series, marked Harmanpreet Kaur’s 77th as captain, going past Meg Lanning to become the most successful captain in the format.

Brief scores:

India Women 115 for 2 in 13.2 overs (Shafali Verma 79*, Harmanpreet Kaur 21*; Kavisha Dilhari 2-18) beat Sri Lanka Women 112 for 7 in 20 overs (Hasini Perera 25, Imesha Dulani 27, Kavisha Dilhari 20, Kaushini Nuthyangana 10*; Renuka Singh 4-21, Deepti Sharma 3-18) by eight wickets

(Cricinfo)

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Australia seize handy lead after Josh Tongue five-for on 20-wicket day

Published

23 hours ago

2025/12/26

Priyan

Scott Boland claimed the big wicket of Harry Brook (Cricinfo)

With the recriminations well underway from an Ashes defeat, compounded by the fallout from some rather embarrassing off-field shenanigans, England were momentarily feeling the Christmas cheer at a heaving MCG on the biggest day in Australian cricket.

But not for the first time this series, England could not capitalise on a position of strength as they trailed by 42 runs on the first innings – a seemingly sizeable deficit given the bowler-friendly conditions. By the end of a madcap opening day of the Boxing Day Test, England once again have their backs against the wall.

A ground record crowd of 94,119, surpassing the 2015 World Cup final for the biggest attendance, saw an astonishing 20 wickets fall – the most on an opening day at an Ashes MCG Test since 1901-02.

Reminiscent of the first Test in Perth, the match is moving at warp speed on a surface that is set to attract scrutiny. With 10mm of grass left on the pitch by curator Matt Page, the wickedly seaming conditions made batting extremely difficult with Usman Khawaja the only batter to face more than 50 deliveries. No England batter faced more than 40 balls with only three making more than five runs.

England’s bid to halt Australia’s push for a 5-0 whitewash did start well with Josh Tongue starring with 5 for 45. After being sent in, Australia were bundled out for 152 from just 45.2 overs amid overcast and cool morning conditions. It was their third-shortest innings in a home Ashes Test but the total was made to look formidable with England crashing to 16 for 4 when Joe Root walked off after a 15-ball duck.

Harry Brook then produced the most extraordinary counterattack, top-scoring with 41 off 34 balls as he audaciously danced down the wicket, reviving Bazball along the way amid an increasingly febrile atmosphere.

But his cavalier knock didn’t last long enough as recalled Michael Neser and hometown hero Scott Boland combined for seven wickets as England were bowled out just before stumps

To cap a whirlwind day, Australia had to face one over before the close with Boland opening alongside Travis Head in place of Jake Weatherald. He faced the entire over, but only just survived after Jacob Bethell dropped a tough chance at fifth slip before he hit a boundary to bring the curtain down on a dramatic day.

In seam-friendly, overcast conditions reminiscent of the 2010 Boxing Day Test – fond memories for England – one suspected that Ben Stokes was much more enthusiastic to win this toss compared to a couple of others earlier in the series.

But his mood soured quickly with 27 of Australia’s 72 runs in the session scored in the first six overs. Brydon Carse was the culprit with his forgettable opening spell starting off with a front-foot no-ball. Things did not improve with Carse wasting the new ball and conceding three boundaries in the fifth over.

England were in danger of wilting early before Gus Atkinson was rewarded for tight lengths when he had Head dragging onto his stumps in a similar dismissal to the backend of the second Test.

It was a tonic for Atkinson, who had been dropped for the third Test after a luckless start to the series – a selection decision that had raised the eyebrows of the Australia camp.

Atkinson received strong support from Tongue, who had a simple game plan that perhaps England’s quicks should have implemented earlier in the series – pitch the ball full outside off stump. His eight-over spell yielded 3 for 24 to put England well on top at lunch.

Tongue had initial good fortune when he had Weatherald strangled down the leg side. It continued a strange run of dismissals to start the Test career of Weatherald, who has not quite bedded down his spot despite a fluent 72 in Brisbane.

Tongue then removed Marnus Labuschagne and skipper Steven Smith, back in the side after being unwell to play the third Test, with top-shelf full-length deliveries. Labuschagne’s long Test century drought continued after edging a drive to first slip before Smith’s middle stump was knocked over having loosely attempted a booming drive.

It continued Tongue’s mastery over Smith across formats, having dismissed him in every innings from five games. Retaining his spot in the middle-order in favour of Josh Inglis, Khawaja and the in-form Alex Carey managed to get through to lunch in a session Stokes only deployed his three pace bowlers.

Stokes came into the attack after the interval as the ground suddenly became bathed in sunshine to suggest that batting might become slightly easier in the afternoon. Khawaja carried over his form from Adelaide and rolled past 8000 career Test runs before nicking off to Atkinson in an overturned decision – the latest example of him being troubled by quicks bowling around the wicket.

Carey has been a thorn for England through the series, but Stokes had him hitting straight to leg gully in a well-executed plan. Neser then dominated a 52-run partnership with Cameron Green, who entered under pressure having been demoted down the order after clinging onto his spot in the XI.

Green was mostly content with hanging in there, but Neser decided to counterattack and it was a plan that worked well as he clubbed Tongue for three consecutive boundaries in a rare period of batter dominance.

But Australia collapsed after Green ran himself out on 17, following a direct throw from a swift-moving Carse, who was perhaps fortunate to later dismiss Mitchell Starc after seemingly overstepping.

England were buoyed as they walked off the field but knew the job was not nearly done given the surface, Australia’s vaunted pace attack and also their own batting frailties.

Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley got through the first couple of overs unscathed before the mayhem started. Capping off a horror week amid the fallout from Noosa, Duckett gifted Starc another early wicket after tamely hitting straight to mid-on.

Recalled into the side – playing his fourth career Test match but first without the pink ball – Neser’s seam-bowling prowess saw him open the bowling to devastating effect.

He was all over Root and Bethell, who both were reduced to being lame ducks by the ball darting off the surface. Bethell’s much-hyped inclusion, finally replacing maligned No. 3 Ollie Pope, failed to materialise as he nicked off for 1 before Root also succumbed to Neser in similar fashion.

In the midst of all that, Starc added to his extraordinary series after Crawley edged to Smith at second slip before Brook for an hour had the fans in the palm of his hands.

There was drama on almost every delivery he faced, starting off from the very first ball when Brook charged Starc only to fail to connect. That did not deter him and he doubled down on the tactic in an effort to knock the bowlers off their lengths.

England finally had a batter in double-figures when Brook charged down the pitch and snicked Neser past Green’s outstretched arms at gully. He best stroke was a bludgeoning blow for six off Starc over extra cover and he also pulled Boland into the crowd.

But Boland got his revenge when he had Brook trapped plumb lbw to trigger another collapse. It was a field day for Australia’s quicks except for Jhye Richardson, who went wickletless from just four overs in his return to Test cricket since his last match in the 2021-22 Ashes series.

Atkinson added some invaluable runs to ensure England at least reached triple-figures, a landmark that was enthusiastically celebrated by the Barmy Army. But it was little solace for the embattled tourists who are again on the back foot in a match that might not last longer than two days.

Brief scores:

Australia 152 in 45.2 overs (Michael Neser 35; Josh Tongue 5-45, Gus Atkinson 2-28) and 4 for 0 lead England 110 in (Harry Brook 41; Michael Neser 4-45, Scott Boland 3-30) by 46 runs

(Cricinfo)

Latest News

BCB takes ownership rights of Chattogram Royals for remainder of BPL

Published

2 days ago

2025/12/25

Priyan

BCB appointed former national captain Habibul Bashar as mentor while Mizanur Rahman Babul and Nafis Iqbal will act as team manager of the Chattogram Royals [BCB]

The Bangladesh Cricket Board took over the ownership rights of Chattogram Royals for the remainder of the Bangladesh Premier League season. BCB vice-chairman Shakhawat Hossain, a member of BPL Governing Council, confirmed the development to Cricbuzz on Thursday.

Royals owner Kayum Rashed submitted a written request to the BCB, citing difficulties in continuing to run the team under the current circumstances and asked the board to take over the operations.

“We have taken over the ownership right of the team, and now the board will run the team,” Shakhawat told Cricbuzz. “We will sit with the players and discuss the next steps.”

According to the letter submitted to the board, and seen by Cricbuzz, Royals failed to attract sponsors.

“Since the acquisition of the franchise, there have been persistent and widespread speculations in various media outlets regarding the team’s uncertainty in participating in the tournament, as well as repeated questions surrounding the franchise’s financial and operational credibility. These rumours included, but were not limited to, allegations that franchise fees, bank guarantees, and players’ payments had not been made-despite the fact that such payments were not contractually required at those early stages,” it was stated in the letter.

“Unfortunately, no formal clarification or reassurance was issued to the media to counter these claims. As a direct consequence, the rumors gained traction across multiple platforms, severely impacting the reputation of Chattogram Royals. Several potential and confirmed sponsors, questioning the franchise’s credibility and the certainty of its participation in the tournament, withdrew from their partnerships.

“The withdrawal of sponsorship support has resulted in significant financial challenges, directly hampering the team’s preparation and jeopardizing its future prospects within the tournament. This situation arose not from any failure on our part to comply with contractual obligations, but rather from unchecked misinformation and the absence of authoritative clarification.

“In light of the above circumstances, and considering the substantial reputational and financial damage already sustained, I respectfully request the Bangladesh Cricket Board to take over from this point forward and assume the necessary responsibilities throughout the remainder of the tournament. This includes providing clear, timely communication to stakeholders and ensuring the integrity, stability, and smooth operation of the franchise within the BPL framework.

“I trust the Board will appreciate the seriousness of this matter and act in the best interests of the league, the franchise, and all associated stakeholders. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your guidance and support.”

Another BCB official said that their connection with dubious characters from the start of forming the team hit them hard in the long run considering the activities of those characters in their team jeopardized their reputation in the sponsorship market.

It is learnt, BCB appointed former national captain Habibul Bashar as mentor while Mizanur Rahman Babul and Nafis Iqbal will act as team manager of the Chattogram Royals.

Bashar was initially appointed as mentor of the team but left the position citing family issues though many feel he was uncomfortable seeing dubious characters in and around the franchise set-up, and as a result took up the decision. The move to change the set-up was aimed at stabilizing the franchise and ensuring the smooth running of the team for the rest of the tournament.

Many cricketers of the Royals decided to leave the team hotel on Wednesday (December 25) as they failed to receive money from the franchise till last night. The BPL is all set to commence at Sylhet on December 26 and it started with the expected move made by Royals owner. He insisted that he will pull out from the competition if things don’t turn his way.

[Cricbuzz]