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The Men’s 100: Root’s unbeaten 64 soothes Rockets nerves to book top-three finish

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Joe Root celebrates the moment of victory with Trent Rockets [Cricinfo]

Joe Root delivered a batting masterclass at Sophia Gardens, hitting his second successive half-century as Trent Rockets snuck past Welsh Fire with a ball to spare to confirm their qualification for the knockout phase.

In a frenetic match, David Payne thought he had dismissed Root for a duck, only for the umpire to signal a no-ball after replays showed the bowler had over-stepped. The England run-machine promptly hit the subsequent free-hit for six over long-on and eventually finished unbeaten on 64 from 41 to secure a three-wicket win, keeping his composure in a chaotic finale.

Set 151 for victory, the Rockets appeared to be cruising after a 66-run opening stand between Root and Tom Banton (32 from 20) but when Rehan Ahmed fell to Saif Zaib and Max Holden holed out to deep cover off Chris Green the nerves began to show.

Tom Moores went for a big shot and was caught at mid-on to give Green his second and then three wickets fell in the space of seven deliveries as the Fire set alarm bells ringing.

The Rockets were left needing 14 from the final set, bowled by Green, but Root, entirely unruffled, belted the spinner’s first delivery for six and then found a boundary through mid-wicket from the second. A single brought Sam Hain on strike, and he crunched the ball through the covers to seize a thrilling victory.

The Fire have had a tough season, winning just two of their seven matches, but they had given themselves a fighting chance after Steve Eskinazi’s first half-century of the campaign headlined a competitive total of 150-6.

Runs were hard to come by early on as the Rockets seamers bowled tightly, conceding just 47 from the first 45 deliveries. Steve Smith gloved behind for 8 off Sam Cook (2 for 17), who then dismissed Jonny Bairstow, caught at backward-square by Lockie Ferguson for an uncharacteristically scratchy 13-ball 8.

Eskinazi (53 from 42) and skipper Tom Abell (48 from 29) picked up the pace in the second half of the innings before falling to consecutive deliveries in the penultimate set – the former run out after a mix up and the latter caught behind off David Willey – and a breezy four-ball 11 from Green took the hosts to 150, but it wasn’t enough to lift them from the bottom of the table.

The Rockets, meanwhile, have secured a top-three finish with a game to spare as they aim to repeat their title triumph of 2022. Victory in their home fixture against Birmingham Phoenix on Wednesday could yet see them top the table and progress straight to the Lord’s final if other results go their way.

“Way too tense for my liking,” said Joe Root, the Meerkat Match Hero. “They pulled it back, this format is difficult to gauge. The majority of the game, the wicket played fine.

“Green’s over, I thought I’ve got to hit a six here. We needed a boundary in the first two balls, I had a good idea of what he was trying to do to protect that long side, and I put a couple away. ”

Brief scores:
Trent Rockets Men  152 for 7 in 99 balls (Tom Benton 32, Joe Root 64*, Rehan Ahmed 10, Max Holden 14, George Linde 12; David Payne 2-38, Riley Meredith 1-20, Chris Green 2-34, Ben Kellaway 1-18, Saif Zaib 1-08)  beat  Welsh Fire Men  150 for 6 in 100 balls (Stephen Eskinazi 53, Tom Abell 48, Chris Green 11*; David Willey 1-30, Sam Cook 2-17, Lockie Ferguson 1-21, Marcus Stoinis 1-38) by three wickets

[Cricinfo]



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Former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa arrested by CIABOC

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Former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was  produced before the Hulftsdorp court, after  being  arrested by officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and produce

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Smriti Mandhana appointed India captain across formats

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Smriti Mandhana looks on in the field [Cricinfo]

Smriti Mandhana has been named India’s all-format women’s captain on the same day Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the role after nearly a decade since she first took over.

Mandhana – vice-captain to Harmanpreet for much of this period – has previously led India in four ODIs and 18 T20Is, apart from captaining Maharashtra in domestic cricket and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League.

Mandhana’s first assignment will be the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe beginning with the three T20Is in Raipur from October 16. On Tuesday, Mandhana was part of the selection meeting chaired by Amita Sharma to pick the squad for the tour.

Terming the appointment a “special honour”, Mandhana also acknowledged the contributions of her predecessor in her welcome note.

“I would also like to acknowledge Harmanpreet and the contribution she has made as captain over the years,” she was quoted as saying by the BCCI. “She has led the team with great commitment and has been an important part of our journey.

“I understand the responsibility that comes with this role and look forward to working with the team, learning along the way and giving my best to take Indian cricket forward.”

Mandhana’s appointment comes on the back of a review meeting held on Monday in Guwahati. Chaired by secretary Devajit Saikia, the meeting was also attended by Mandhana, Harmanpreet and head coach Amol Muzumdar to chart a roadmap forward, with an eye on next year’s inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in February as well as the T20 World Cup and Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Mandhana, India’s best all-format batter, has been knocking on the doors for a while. Earlier this year, she led RCB to their second WPL title, in which she also top-scored in the final.

In September, she overtook Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer in women’s international across formats. Her 18 international hundreds are also the most in women’s cricket. She is also the first Indian woman to score centuries in all formats.

[Cricinfo]

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Ronaldo apologizes for Portugal walkout; says Jesus broke promise

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Cristiano Ronaldo is Portugal's leading scorer (Aljazeera)

Cristiano Ronaldo has accused Portugal ‌coach Jorge Jesus of twice breaking his word, saying a failed agreement to publicly ⁠explain his omission ⁠against Norway drove him out of the camp, but insisting he remained available after any punishment.

In a lengthy statement, the 41-year-old gave his account of the dispute ⁠that prompted his departure  from Copenhagen before Portugal’s Nations League match versus Denmark last week.

Ronaldo said Jesus had agreed a plan under which the forward would miss the Norway and Denmark ⁠matches to manage his fitness. However, on the day of the Norway game, the coach told him he would play for 30 minutes.

“Everyone knows the rest. I warmed up from halftime onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn’t called on,” Ronaldo said.

“The manager had broken his word to me.”

Portugal’s ‌captain and all-time leading scorer said a subsequent meeting with Jesus, attended by his club side Al Nassr’s sporting director Simao Coutinho, produced an agreement for the coach to clarify events at his next news conference.

According to Ronaldo, an eight-point document was prepared saying he had never demanded playing time, had respected Jesus’s decisions and that the coach asking him to warm up without bringing him on had been a mistake.

Ronaldo said the agreed notes did ⁠not require Jesus to apologise to him but said the coach’s ⁠public remarks bore no resemblance to their private discussion.

“It was the second time he had broken his word to me,” Ronaldo said. “I decided to leave the training camp without waiting for any further broken promises.”

The statement provided Ronaldo’s account⁠, but on Sunday, after Portugal’s win over Norway, Jesus denied he had made any agreement with the player, nevertheless leaving the door open  ⁠for his return.

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) did not immediately respond ⁠to a request for comment about Ronaldo’s statement.

Ronaldo apologised for failing to greet supporters after the Norway match and for leaving his teammates,  accepting that his captaincy made his conduct more serious.

“The consequences of my actions must be assessed ‌and punished by the Portuguese Football Federation,” he said.

Despite the rupture, Ronaldo said he was not limiting his international ambitions to a farewell appearance.

“If I’m physically fit, playing for my club – scoring ‌goals, ‌I hope – after serving whatever suspension is imposed on me, I’ll be available, as I’ve always been until now, to compete and win for our national team,” he added.

(Aljazeera)

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