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Will Smeed hits the Hundred’s first hundred to get Birmingham Phoenix off the mark

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3 years ago

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Will Smeed hit the first hundred in the Hundred as Birmingham Phoenix thrashed reigning champions Southern Brave by 53 runs in a sun-soaked Second City.On NHS Heroes Night at Edgbaston, with NHS workers and support staff invited along as a thank you for their brilliant work, a 14,000 crowd was royally entertained as Smeed socked an unbeaten 101 off 50 balls to lift his side to 176 for 4.Brave replied with a paltry 123 all out as Henry Brookes enjoyed a dream debut on the ground he has always called home. The Edgbaston product took 5 for 25 and two excellent catches in the outfield as Phoenix banked their first victory of the campaign and handed James Vince’s side their first defeat in nine matches.

After Phoenix were put in, they leaned heavily on Smeed after Chris Benjamin, promoted to open, and Moeen Ali each raced to 17 but then perished. Benjamin sent up a skier off Marcus Stoinis before Moeen, having lifted George Garton deep into the crowd at midwicket, chopped James Fuller’s first ball on to his stumps.Smeed galloped to a 25-ball half-century, reached with six over long off off Jake Lintott in a stand of 80 in 44 balls with Liam Livingstone. Livingstone was the top six-hitter in last year’s Hundred, but this time never really hit his stride, scoring just two from his first seven balls and 21 from 20 before lifting Lintott to extra cover.

Into the last ten balls, the big question was whether Smeed could complete his first professional hundred. He needed five runs from the last three, and a four and a two took him to the landmark from 49 balls.Phoenix set about defending their total with an increasingly depleted seam attack, Adam Milne (Achilles) having joined Matt Fisher, Chris Woakes and Olly Stone on the absentee list. But Kane Richardson soon stepped up, bowling Vince with his first ball after the Brave captain had smote Moeen for 16 in three balls in the first set.

Richardson conceded just a single from his first five balls and Phoenix struck again when Stoinis was brilliantly caught by Brookes at short fine leg off Tom Helm.Brookes followed that up in sensational style by striking with his second, tenth, 13th, 15th and 17th balls. Quinton de Kock sent back a return catch, Tim David lifted to deep square leg, Alex Davies was bowled through an attempted scoop and Fuller and Garton were pinned lbw. Who needs Milne, Fisher, Woakes and Stone?

Brookes hadn’t quite finished. At 108 for 7, Brave’s one sliver of remaining hope lay in some pyrotechnics from the big-hitting Ross Whiteley, but when he hoiked Benny Howell to long leg who was waiting underneath the ball? Brookes made no mistake and Phoenix closed out a victory which owed everything to the precocious talent of two young Englishmen.Birmingham Phoenix 176 for 4 (Will Smeed 101*) beat Southern Brave 123 (Alex Davies 33, Henry Brookes 5-25, Kane Richardson 3-19) by 53 runs


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IPL 2025: Spinners set it up, Rahul seals it as Delhi Capitals stay perfect

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21 mins ago

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2025/04/11

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KL Rahul remained unbeaten on 93* as DC got home with 2.1 overs to spare. (BCCI)
A clinical bowling display, led by Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam, followed by a masterful unbeaten 93 from KL Rahul, powered Delhi Capitals to a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

On a challenging pitch, RCB blazed off the blocks but were pegged back by disciplined spin bowling through the middle overs. Regular wickets stifled their momentum, and if not for Tim David’s late cameo, the hosts would have struggled to reach even the 163/7 they eventually managed after being put in to bat.

DC stumbled early in their chase, but Rahul’s elegant 93* off 53 balls, and his unbroken 111-run partnership with Tristan Stubbs for the fifth wicket, steered them home comfortably. The win marked Delhi’s first-ever 4-0 start to an IPL season, while RCB’s search for a home victory continued.

Where the game was won

In overs 4-18 when RCB were batting. After RCB raced past 50 in the first three overs, DC hit back in excellent fashion, with pace off the ball and spinners giving the ball air time on a pitch that was holding a bit and where it wasn’t easy to play across the line. The key moment was Phil Salt’s run-out after the opener had blitzed away at the start of the innings. From there on, DC didn’t allow RCB to get into a higher gear, with overs 4 to 18 yielding only 74/7 for the home side at under five an over. In contrast, a well-paced half-century from KL Rahul helped DC recover from early wickets and get back on track. RCB also failed to capitalise on an important moment as Rahul was put down by Rajat Patidar, and the Karnataka man made the hosts pay. In the middle overs (7-15), the Capitals scored 82 runs, plenty more than what RCB got.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU

Powerplay: Calm before and after Salt storm

Phase score – 64/2 [RR: 10.66, 4s/6s: 5/4]

It was a quiet start to the innings despite Mitchell Starc conceding five wides in the opening over. But that proved to be the calm before the storm, as Salt unleashed a furious onslaught in the next couple of overs. He launched a six and a four off Axar Patel, then tore into Starc with two sixes and three fours in a third over that went for 30 runs – including four leg-byes – as RCB raced to their second-fastest team fifty. Virat Kohli joined the party with a sublime back-foot drive for six over cover off Axar, but the explosive opening stand came to a sudden end in the fourth over. Salt was run out, slipping on his way back after being denied a single by Kohli. The chaos subsided in the final two overs of the powerplay as Nigam gave away just two runs and Mukesh Kumar followed by removing Devdutt Padikkal and wrapping up the first phase with a wicket-maiden to restore control.

Middle overs: Kuldeep and Co. leave RCB in shambles

Phase score – 53/4 [RR: 5.88, 4s/6s: 2/2]

Kohli looked to reignite RCB’s momentum with a graceful lofted drive, launching Nigam over the long-on fence. But the legspinner had the last word, luring Kohli into reaching out again – this time inducing a mishit that was comfortably taken at long-off. Meanwhile, Faf du Plessis, making his return to the side, had to leave the field after landing awkwardly while attempting a catch. Rajat Patidar briefly lifted spirits with a six off Axar, but the innings suffered another blow when Liam Livingstone top-edged a cross-batted swipe off Mohit Sharma, leaving RCB at 91/4 at the halfway mark. Patidar took them past the 100-run mark with a boundary in the 12th over, but Delhi continued to tighten the screws. Jitesh Sharma, who had just survived a review courtesy of umpire’s call, fell soon after – getting a leading edge to a Kuldeep top-spinner. A tidy over from Mukesh was followed by Kuldeep striking again, this time removing Patidar, who top-edged an attempted slog across the line as RCB’s slide continued.

Death overs: David’s cameo powers RCB past 160

Phase score – 46/1 [RR: 9.20, 4s/6s: 2/4]

Delhi Capitals continued to rely on their spinners deep into the death overs. Nigam kept things tight in the 16th, conceding just four runs, while Kuldeep wrapped up a superb spell with figures of 2 for 17, giving away only four in his final over. Nigam capped off an impressive outing by removing Krunal Pandya and conceding just two runs in his last over, finishing with 2 for 18. Tim David finally broke the boundary drought, launching the first ball of the 19th over, bowled by Axar, for a six. It was RCB’s first boundary since the second ball of the 15th over. David followed up with a four and another six in the same over, taking 17 off it and giving the crowd a late surge of excitement. He wasn’t done yet – two sixes and a four off Mukesh in the final over helped RCB push past 160, with 36 runs coming in the last two overs.

DELHI CAPITALS

Powerplay: Pacers give RCB a good start

Phase score – 39/3 [RR: 6.50, 4s/6s: 5/0]

Having ended their innings well thanks to David, RCB continued their comeback in the game with early wickets. Du Plessis came out to open with Jake Fraser-McGurk but the overseas pair failed to make an impact. Bhuvneshwar Kumar started with a one-run over while Yash Dayal, after being hit for a four by Fraser-McGurk, induced a leading edge off Du Plessis’ bat. Bhuvneshwar then got the wicket of Fraser-McGurk, who went across the line but only got a top-edge and Jitesh held on to the ball on the second attempt. Abishek Porel and Rahul struck a few boundaries to get DC going and the latter also got a lucky break as Patidar put down a tough chance. But looking to play across the line brought about the downfall of Porel as Bhuvneshwar ended up with figures of 2-14 from the three overs he bowled in the powerplay. Hazlewood didn’t give away too many in his first over as RCB kept DC in check.

Middle overs: Rahul fifty keeps DC on track

Phase score – 82/1 [9.11, 4s/6s: 6/4]

A top-edged six for Rahul off Hazlewood and a mistimed four for Axar off Suyash Sharma gave DC some much-needed boundaries. But the visiting team found themselves in more trouble as their captain Axar departed in the ninth over, finding the fielder at long off to give Suyash a wicket. An economical start from Krunal meant DC could only manage 66/4 in 10 overs, trailing RCB’s 10-over total by 25. DC got a move on in the 12th over as Stubbs reverse-swept Krunal for a four and Rahul swept the spinner for a six. Rahul then took on Livingstone, pulling one for a four and hitting a straight six before a mistimed shot off Dayal got him a single as he brought up a 37-ball fifty. Even as it started drizzling, Rahul struck three fours and a six off Hazlewood to get 21 in the over and take DC ahead by six runs in the DLS calculations.

Death overs: Rahul-Stubbs century stand keeps RCB winless at home

Phase score – 48/0 [RR: 16.96, 4s/6s: 4/3]

The Capitals took further control of the game when Stubbs struck a four and a six off Suyash, with 13 coming off the 16th over to bring down the equation to 30 off 24. The South African further eased it for DC with two straight fours off Bhuvneshwar to make it a run-a-ball. An authoritative pull for a six and a reverse scoop for a four off Dayal brought up the century stand, followed by five wides. Rahul finished it off in style, clearing the fine leg fence to finish the game in the 18th over, and celebrated the win by thumping his chest and highlighting the DC badge.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 163/7 in 20 overs (Tim David 37*, Phil Salt 37; Kuldeep Yadav 2-17, Vipraj Nigam 2-18) lost to Delhi Capitals 169/4 in 17.5 overs (KL Rahul 93*, Tristan Stubbs 38*; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-26) by 6 wickets.

What next for the teams?

The only team unbeaten in the competition so far, the Capitals will play their first home game at the Arun Jaitley stadium when they face Mumbai Indians on April 13. On the same day, Royal Challengers – hoping for more success away from home – will play the afternoon game against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, which will also be RR’s first match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

( Cricbuzz)

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Sai Sudharsan and Prasidh lead Gujarat Titans to top of IPL table

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22 hours ago

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2025/04/10

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Sai Sudharsan scored heavily behind square on the off side [Cricinfo]

B Sai Sudarshan and Prasidh Krishna once again stood up for Gujarat Titans (GT) as they beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 58 runs in Ahmedabad. This was GT’s fourth successive win in IPL 2025 and it took them to the top of the points table.

After RR opted to bowl on a red-soil pitch, Sai Sudharsan’s 82 off 53 balls, his third half-century of the season, steered GT to 217 for 6. With no dew in the second innings, it proved way too steep for RR to chase down. Mohammed Siraj and Arshad Khan struck in the powerplay before Prasidh picked up 3 for 24 in the middle overs to keep RR on the back foot. Despite Shimron Hetmyer’s fighting fifty, RR were all out for 159 in 19.2 overs.

Joffra Archer didn’t have a great start to IPL 2025. In his first two games, he conceded 109 from 6.3 wicketless overs. But he boucned back in his next two with a combined 4 for 38 from seven overs. He breathed fire tonight as well. In his first over, he rushed Sai Sudharsan with a 152.3kph bouncer. In his second, he got one to move in at 147.7kph and pegged back Shubman Gill’s off stump. His match-up against Gill in T20 cricket now reads: 15 balls, ten runs, three dismissals.

For his former captain Jos Buttler, Archer had two slips, a short leg and a catching square leg, and welcomed him with a menacing bouncer that Buttler did well to evade. Buttler inside-edged the next ball just wide of short leg, and then pushed Archer through the covers for four.

Sai Sudharsan generally takes time to get going. Here, he attacked right from the start. He ramped, scooped, drove and cut, and took his side to 50 in 5.1 overs. By the end of the powerplay, he had 39 against his name, off 22 balls. Only Wriddhiman Saha (54 vs Lucknow Super Giants in 2023) has scored more runs in an innings for GT in that phase.

Buttler was on 12 off 13 at one point but hit four fours in his next six balls to move to 31 off 19. He and Sai Sudharsan added 80 off 46 balls before Maheesh Theekshana trapped Buttler lbw. After a brief dip in the scoring rate, M Shahrukh Khan opened up and smashed 36 off 20 to re-inject momentum.

Sudharsan was dropped on 81 by Shubham Dubey off Archer in the 18th over, but he only added one more to his tally. Then Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan ransacked 30 in the last two overs to take GT past 200.

RR did not have a great start. Yashasvi Jaiswal slashed Arshad to deep third in the second over of the chase and Nitish Rana did the same against Siraj in the next. Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag counterattacked and added 48 off 26 balls for the third wicket. The stand was broken when Impact Sub Kulwant Khejroliya had Parag caught behind in the seventh over. Parag immediately reviewed the decision, confident that his bat had only hit the ground, but the third umpire thought otherwise, with Ultra Edge also bringing up a second spike when the ball passed the bat.

Coming into this game, Rashid had picked up just one wicket in four outings. Tonight, he struck in his first over. It was a shortish ball that didn’t bounce as much as Dhruv Jurel expected, and Sai Sudharsan at deep midwicket gobbled up the mistimed pull.

Rashid enjoys a favourable match-up against Hetmyer, having dismissed him six times in 63 balls for 79 runs before this game. He almost had Hetmyer lbw for a first-ball duck but the ball had pitched fractionally outside leg stump. From there on, Hetmyer dominated Rashid and hit him for 26 runs off 12 balls with the help of two fours and two sixes. However, Rashid was too good for RR’s Impact Sub Shubham Dubey and had him lbw for 1.

In his final over, the 16th over of the innings, Prasidh had Archer caught at mid-off and Hetmyer at deep-backward square leg, both off short balls. With RR 145 for 8 after 16 overs, the result was sealed. They dragged their innings into the final over but that did little to reduce the margin of their defeat.

Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 217 for 6  in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 82, Jos Buttler 36, M Shahrukh  Khan 36, Rahul Tewatia 24*, Rashid Khan 12; Joffra Archer 1-30, Tushar Deshpande 2-53, Sandeep Sharma 1-41, Maheesh Theekshana 2-54) beat Rajasthan Royals 159 (Shimron Hetmyer 52, Sanju Samson 41, Riyan Parag 26; Mohammed Siraj 1-30, Arshad Khan 1-19, Prasidh Krishna 3-24, Kulwant Khejroliya 1-29, Sai Kishore 2-20, Rashid Khan 2-37) by 58 runs

[Cricinfo]

 

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Birthday boy Manasa shines as Joes savour title

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22 hours ago

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2025/04/10

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Manasa Madubashana cuts a cake to celebrate his birthday with his team after St. Joseph's beat Trinity in the Under 19 Division I Tier 'A' Limited Overs Cricket tournament final at the Surrey Village ground.

Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ Limited Overs Tournament

Speedster Manasa Madubashana celebrated his 19th birthday sharing four wickets each with spinner Yenula Dewthusa as St.Joseph’s sealed a comfortable 71 runs victory over Trinity in the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ Limited Overs tournament final at Surrey Village ground on Wednesday.

Chasing 205 runs to win Trinity’s top order batsmen were rattled by Madubashana who took four wickets in a decisive seven over spell. He took wickets in consecutive balls in his second over to trigger a collapse from which Trinity never recovered.

The four wicket hauls by Madubashana and Dewthusa restricted Trinity to 133 runs. In their chase, Trinity lost wickets at reguler intervals and a laboured 48 runs from Sweath Anurajeewa only managed to delay the outcome till the 48th over. His innings came to an end when Madubashana held on to a regulation catch off the bowling of Aveesha Samash.

Earlier put to bat, St. Joseph’s too lost wickets at reguler intervals, but mini partnerships between Abishek Jayaweera and Senuja Wakunegoda (52 for the second wicket), and Jayaweera and Nimthaka Gunewardena (45 for the 3rd wicket) enabled them to stay aloft.

Gunawardena top scored with 47 runs, while skipper Kenath Liyanage played a vital role anchoring the tail with an unbeaten 29 runs.

The title victory capped a remarkable end to the Joes limited overs tournament campaign after having reached the knockout stage with only two victories under their belt.

by Reemus Fernando

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