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Vikramjit, Barresi help Netherlands thump Oman

Published

3 years ago

2023/07/4

Priyan

The Netherlands kept their World Cup hopes alive with a 74 run win over Oman, in a rain-shortened game in Harare, though the margin of victory wasn’t quite enough to see them leapfrog Zimbabwe nor Scotland on net run rate.

That was the case primarily down to Ayaan Khan who played a chance-laden hand to register a maiden ODI ton on his way to an unbeaten 105 off 92 deliveries. Alongside him, it was only Shoaib Khan that played an innings of any note for Oman, as the pair combined for a 112-run fifth wicket stand – though at no point did they look like they could seriously threaten the mammoth Dutch total.

Ayaan was at the crease when bad light brought play to an early close with Oman on 246 for 6, 44 overs into the chase. Having elected to bat and scored 362 for 7 in a 48-over game, the Dutch had needed to restrict Oman to 242 to ensure their NRR went above that of Scotland. This would have been crucial in the event of three-way tie for second place.

That can only transpire if Scotland beat Zimbabwe on Tuesday, and the Netherlands then beat Scotland themselves. As things stand, even if Scotland secure a win today, the Dutch need to beat Scotland by a big enough margin to leapfrog them on NRR. Any result but a Scotland win today (04) sees the Dutch eliminated.

That they couldn’t secure the necessary margin of victory on Monday might be a minor source of disappointment, as their batters had put them in prime position to do so. Vikramjit Singh notched a maiden ODI century, Wesley Barresi nearly got one of his own, and then cameos from Bas de Leede and Saqib Zulfiqar spearheaded a late onslaught that saw 127 runs scored off the final 10 overs.

Their bowlers then gave them a dream start reducing Oman to 4 for 102, only for Ayaan and Shoaib to come together for their defiant stand, one which would have been particularly disappointing seeing that Ayaan had been dropped three times – on 12, 20 and 33 – over the course of his innings. While all three were of varying difficulty, the fact that none were taken would have stung.

That wasn’t to take away from Ayaan’s knock though, which encompassed 11 fours and two sixes – one a sumptuous lofted straight drive, and the other a powerful pick-up over long-on. His control percentage of 77% however highlights another area in where the Dutch might have felt a touch unfortunate, with several mishits falling safe.

He struggled most against the excellent Aryan Dutt, whose changes in pace and subtle variations had several Oman batters in difficulty. The right-arm off spinner would end with figures of 3 for 31 in 10 overs, accounting for the scalps of the only other batters to get in aside from Aayan – Kashyap Prajapati, Mohammed Nadeem and Shoaib.

Though where Oman really lost the game was in the field, conceding 36 extras in total, inclusive of 23 wides. In a game shortened by two overs a side, Oman gave away nearly four extra overs. This came alongside a poor ground fielding effort in which the several easy singles and twos were given away – all of which would add up.

Credit however must be given to the Dutch, who have set the benchmark across the entire tournament in terms of their running between the wickets. Against Sri Lanka, a much better fielding unit, this aggression was sometimes to their detriment, but against Oman every inch that could be gained was.

It was the foundation of an innings that never really slowed down, starting with a 117-run opening stand off 132 deliveries and culminating in that devastating death overs assault. In between there was the Singh-Barresi stand for 80 off 72, and then when Singh fell shortly after reaching his century, Barresi would up the ante in successive stands of 30, 55 and 57 with Scott Edwards, de Leede and Zulfiqar respectively.

No bowler had a strike rate of less than a 100 against him, though he took a particular liking to the spin of Aaqib Ilyas – stand-in skipper for the injured Zeeshan Maqsood – and Ayaan, taking the former for two sixes over cow corner and the latter for a flat smote over long-off. His 97 came off just 65 deliveries, inclusive of 10 fours and three sixes.

The Dutch played the game state well too, promoting both de Leede and Zulfiqar above Teja Nidamanuru when quick runs were the order of the day. The pair would score a combined 72 between them off just 36 deliveries. While that was enough to keep them in with chance of qualification, now they need to hope Scotland do their part today (04)

Brief scores:

Netherlands 362 for 7 (Bikramjit 110, Barresi 97, Bilal 3-75) beat Oman 246 for 6 (Ayaan 105*, Shoaib 46, Dutt 3-31) by 74 runs on the DLS method

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Namibia look to make a splash with India battling injury and illness

Published

2 hours ago

2026/02/12

Priyan

India will look to make a statement after surviving a banana-peel contest against USA [Cricinfo]

February is usually a wonderful time in Delhi, when winter starts giving way to spring, but people are already complaining of a missed spring with temperatures hitting the late 20s as early as the second week of February. Even amid the climate change of the last decade or so, there has been one pattern: a late hailstorm typically brings back another week of chilly weather. An Indian Winter, if you will, Delhi’s response to Indian Summer, which is the term the English give to a late spell of hot weather when it should be autumn.

The fans, who will sell out the Feroz Shah Kotla even with schools turning down offers for free tickets for students to non-India matches because of looming board exams, will hope for a similar storm of sixes after a dry run in India’s tournament-opener. The anticipation for 300 in the Indian media has come in for some mockery, with the pitches not turning out as flat as they are in bilaterals, but at a venue with small boundaries that has turned high-scoring in recent IPL seasons, India will hope to get back to big-scoring ways after navigating a banana peel against USA on a gripping Wankhede surface.

Against them are Namibia who managed just 156 in Delhi against Netherlands and lost quite comfortably. They might still sense a chance as India struggle with fitness and health issues around Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharama and Washington Sundar, and will themselves be gunning to go big with the bat in a World Cup. What an opportunity for Namibia to make a name for themselves by stretching the strongest-ever contenders for a T20 World Cup.

When India were struggling against USA in the unfamiliar conditions laid out by Mumbai, it was Suryakumar Yadav’s blinder that gave them a match-winning score. That wretched year of 2025, during which he didn’t score a single fifty, seems well and truly behind him now. Suryakumar now has more match awards for India than anyone, having gone past Virat Kohli’s 16.

Namibia, another Associate side that like to open the bowling with a spinner, will hope Bernard Scholtz can repeat what he did against Netherlands. In defence of a paltry 156, the left-arm spinner took out opener Max O’Dowd and conceded just 27 in his four overs.

Washington has joined the Indian squad, but they have other health troubles in the side. Bumrah missed their first match with illness, and while he seems to have recovered and bowled full-tilt at the nets on Tueday, Abhishek has been struggling with a stomach issue. He reportedly played in Mumbai with fever, and it turned worse by the time the team reached Delhi, where he was hospitalised. Tilak Varma said on Wednesday that he has been discharged, but India will take a call on his availability on the day of the match. India might want to take their time with the big names, and in the process give some game time to the reserves.

India (probable): Abhishek Sharma/Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah/ Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy.

Seventeen-year-old fast bowler Max Heingo bowled only two overs and went for 22 against Netherlands. Namibia could replace him with the more experienced Ben Shikongo.

Namibia (possible): Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (capt), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Dylan Leicher, Willem Myburgh, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo.

[Cricinfo]

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US House votes to overturn Trump’s tariffs on Canada

Published

6 hours ago

2026/02/12

Priyan

[pic BBC]

The US House of Representatives has voted to rescind US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.

In a 219 to 211 vote, six Republican lawmakers joined Democrats to back a resolution that seeks to end the tariffs Trump imposed on Canada last year.

The vote is largely symbolic as it will still need to be approved by the US Senate and then approved by Trump, who is very unlikely to sign it into law.

Since his re-election, Donald Trump has imposed a series of tariffs on Canada, recently threatening a 100% import tax in response to Canada’s proposed trade deal with China.

As the vote was taking place on the House floor, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time.”

“TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege,” he added.

The vote came after US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally in Congress, unsuccessfully tried to block discussion on the chamber’s floor by lawmakers on Trump’s tariffs.

With Republicans holding a thin majority in the US House, the six Republican defections along with a near-united front from Democrats was enough to secure the votes.

The measure had been introduced by Democrat Gregory Meeks who said that Trump had “weaponized tariffs” against allies and destabilized the global economy.

“Not only have these tariffs done immense harm to our relationship with Canada, pushing them closer to China, they have driven up prices here at home,” he said before the vote.

Representative Don Bacon from Nebraska was one of the six Republicans who crossed the aisle to join Democrats in approving the measure. Before the vote, he said “tariffs have been a ‘net negative’ for the economy and are a significant tax that American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers are paying.”

The bill now heads to the US Senate where Republicans also hold the majority. Even if it cleared that hurdle, it is unlikely to be signed into law.

Separately, Trump’s tariffs are also facing legal scrutiny as the US Supreme Court is set to rule soon on a case questioning the president’s legal authority to impose the levies.

Meeks, the top Democrat on the US House Foreign Affairs committee, said the measure on Canada is the first of several bills he plans to introduce that aim to roll back Trump’s signature trade action.

“Our fight doesn’t stop here,” he said in a video posted online before the vote. “I have resolutions also to end trump’s tariffs on Mexico, on Brazil, and on his Liberation Day global tariffs.”

[BBC]

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Buoyed by strong support, Paudel’s Nepal search for two points against Italy

Published

6 hours ago

2026/02/12

Priyan

Harry Manenti will lead Italy against Nepal [Cricinfo]

Nepal enter the contest against Italy, a team they have never faced before, on the back of falling short by just one big blow against England on Sunday. Nepal will look to bring that same brand of cricket in Mumbai again and will believe they hold the edge and momentum against their fellow Associates, who are playing their first big tournament.

Emerging from the shadows of the globetrotting legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane are batters Dipendra Singh Airee and Lokesh Bam, who all but took their side over the line in front of loud and energetic fans. But with the ball, Nepal conceded 33 runs in the last two overs of the first innings in that game, and that turned out to be the difference.

However, two points – and a possible big margin of victory – against Italy will open Nepal’s group up before they face West Indies; Nepal had betaen West Indies 2-1 last September.

Italy, meanwhile, had a tough initiation at the T20 World Cup with a 73-run defeat against Scotland. They also lost their captain Wayne Madsen to injury inside four overs of their T20 World Cup debut. He will not feature against Nepal either.

Italy coach John Davison said after the loss that the “occasion may have got big on us”. With nothing to lose and experience to gain, Italy have another chance to have fun and potentially upset some calculations, before facing stronger oppositions England and West Indies.

Batting at No. 5, Ben Maneti was one of the positives for Italy in their loss to Scotland. He started with only seven runs off seven balls, but went on to smash 52 in 31. The majority of his runs came against spinners (45 runs in 25 balls) with shots all around: behind square, through cover, and over the bowler’s head. Italy will hope Ben Manenti carries that confidence against Lamichhane and co.

Lokesh Bam threw everything he had at England when they needed 54 in 21 balls, but fell agonisingly short. Facing quality and experienced bowlers, he smacked back-to-back fours off Sam Curran and successive sixes off Jofra Archer as England searched for answers. Bam’s 39 not out was not enough on the day, but he gave solid proof of his big-hitting ability, something the format demands.

Madsen has been ruled out against Nepal, and in his absence, Harry Manenti, the younger of the two brothers, will be leading Italy. Middle-order batter Marcus Campopiano could replace Madsen in the side.

Italy (probable): Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, JJ Smuts, Marcus Campopiano, Harry Manenti (capt), Ben Manenti, Grant Stewart, Gian-Piero Meade (wk), Thomas Draca, Crishan Kalugamage, Ali Hasan

Nepal might look to play the same team that ran England close at the same ground on Sunday.

Nepal (probable): Aasif Sheikh (wk), Kushal Bhurtel, Rohit Paudel (capt), Dipendra Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, Gulsan Jha, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Nandan Yadav, Sher Malla

[Cricinfo]