Sports
Zimbabwe edge Pakistan in Super Over thriller
Zimbabwe picked up their first ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League points after a remarkable game of cricket in the third and final ODI with Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
After both sides tied with 278 after 50 overs, Pakistan were restricted to just two runs as Blessing Muzarabani took two wickets in the Super Over, and Zimbabwe were able to knock off the three runs needed for the win.
Zimbabwe got off to a disappointing start to the game, as Mohammad Hasnain removed Brian Chari, Chamu Chibhabha and Craig Ervine to leave the Chevrons reeling on 22/3.
But Brendan Taylor and Sean Williams set about repairing the damage, putting on 84 for the fourth wicket before the latter perished to Hasnain for 56.
Wesley Madhevere (33) supported Williams but when Hasnain removed the youngster, Zimbabwe were 181/5 – with the Pakistan paceman having taken all five wickets, finishing on 5/26 from his ten overs.
But Zimbabwe continued to fight and Williams battled his way to 118* with the company of Sikandar Raza, who blasted 45 to help rocket his side up to 278/6 from their 50 overs.
Pakistan’s reply got off to a torrid start as Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman were sent back to the pavilion after just eight balls of the innings, and when Haider Ali was trapped by Richard Ngarava, Pakistan were in all sorts of trouble at 20/3.
Donald Tiripano entered the attack and bowled both Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed as Pakistan looked almost dead and buried at 88/5, until a 63-run stand between skipper Babar Azam and Khushdil Shah (33) gave them a fighting chance.
A tremendous 100-run partnership between Azam and Wahab Riaz swung the pendulum in the hosts’ favour heading into the final four overs – but Blessing Muzarabani had other ideas.
The Zimbabwe paceman returned figures of 5/49 in his ten overs, removing the dangerous Wahab, Shaheen Afridi and finally Babar, for 125, to give his side the edge once again.
With 13 required off the final over from Ngarava and just one Pakistan wicket remaining, Muhammad Musa struck two boundaries, including one off the final ball of the innings, to force the first Super Over of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League.
The impressive Muzarabani stepped up to remove Ahmed with the first ball and almost had Shah next ball, as the mistimed shot landed in no-mans land.
But Muzarabani got his man just two balls later, as Shah chopped on, meaning Zimbabwe needed just three to win.
Up stepped Taylor and Raza to knock off the runs with three balls to spare, as Zimbabwe tasted their first ODI win in Pakistan since November 199
Brief scores: Zimbabwe
278/ 6 in 50 overs (Sean Williams 118*, Brendan Taylor 56, Sikandar Raza 45; Mohammad Hasnain 5/26) beat Pakistan 278/9 in 50 overs (Babar Azam 125, Wahab Riaz 52; Blessing Muzarabani 5/49) in the Super Over.
(ICC)
It was a heist for the ages in Mount Maunganui as New Zealand secured an eight-run win in the first T20I, and with it took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. But more importantly it was a lesson in fight from the hosts, one the visitors would do well to take note of.
For much of the game it had looked Sri Lanka’s to lose. The first instance was when New Zealand were reeling on 65 for 5 midway through their innings, and the second when Sri Lanka were cruising after a 121-run opening stand needing just 52 off 40 deliveries.
On both occasions New Zealand fought back, and hard – initially through a 105-run stand between Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell to post a competitive 172 for 8, and then finally through a late strangle that saw Sri Lanka lose eight wickets for 38 runs after being in total control of proceedings.
Jacob Duffy was at the heart of the collapse with a three-wicket 14th over, as he set the wheels in motion for a sterling New Zealand comeback – which also earned him the player of the match award. Sri Lanka though will be at a loss for words in attempting to explain how they let this game slip.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 172 for 8 in 20 overs (Daryl Mitchell 62, Michael Bracewell 59; Binura Fernando 2-22, Maheesh Theekshana 2-29, Matheesha Pathirana 1-60, Wanidu Hasaanga 2-33) beat Sri Lanka 164 for 8 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 90, Kusal Mendis 46; Matt Henry 2-28, Jacob Duffy 3-21, Zakary Foulkes 2-41) by 8 runs
[Cricinfo]
A defiant maiden Test century by Nitish Kumar Reddy brought up with No. 11 Mohammed Siraj for company, led an outstanding rearguard from India at the MCG to give them hope of at least avoiding defeat in the fourth Test although Australia were still set to take a significant first innings lead.
Reddy, who had shown his batting prowess at various stages through the series, arrived at the crease early on the third morning after a Rishabh Pant dismissal that prompted some strong reactions and was still there when bad light and rain brought an early close. He forged a stand of 127 in just under 48 overs with Washington Sundar to halt Australia in their tracks when they appeared likely to take a stranglehold on the game.
However, Reddy’s crowning moment came amid huge tension after Washington was dismissed. In what appeared to be a lack of communication, he and Jasprit Bumrah came back for a second run off the final ball of an over which exposed the No. 10 to Pat Cummins and he edged to slip as Reddy watched from the non-striker’s end on 99. But Siraj was able to negotiate three deliveries from Cummins to huge cheers from the Indian supporters.
Now, facing Scott Boland , Reddy defended two deliveries before unleashing a lofted straight drive down the ground to bring up a magnificent century, just the second of his first-class career. His father was in the crowd, among those on the edge of the seat as the landmark approached, and couldn’t contain his emotion.
When the players left the field for a second time – rain having earlier brought an early tea – Australia’s advantage had been whittled down to 116, far fewer than looked on the cards when they had India 221 for 7 before lunch. They will still hope for a lead in three figures but could now face a race against time to earn victory on a true pitch that hasn’t shown significant signs of deterioration.
The second evening had finished with Australia claiming 3 for 6 around the run out of Yashasvi Jaiswal, the ramifications of which were still being hotly debated when play resumed, with India 310 behind. Pant led the scoring early on the third morning, but fell in a manner that created many headlines when he attempted to scoop Boland over fine leg and got a leading edge to deep third. In a Test that had been dominated by Sam Konstas’ scoops, this was an example of when things go badly.
Ravindra Jadeja played a largely defensive innings before being defeated by a superb piece of bowling from Lyon who skidded one through to trap him lbw. It was just Lyon’s fourth wicket of the series but, having later made one bounce to remove Washington, he could yet have a key role to play. When Jadeja fell, India were still 253 runs adrift with the follow-on the first target as Washington joined Reddy, although there’s almost no chance Cummins would have enforced it.
Reddy had been positive when he arrived, quickly overtaking Jadeja’s score despite his partner having a 35-ball headstart. Shortly after Lyon had removed Jadeja, Reddy skipped down to the offspinner and sent him straight for six. His half century came up with a rasping back-foot drive against Mitchell Starc and, as it had previously in the series, his technique shone of someone who will be higher up the order as his career develops.
Washington, who played a vital role with the bat in the famous 2021 victory at the Gabba, was watchful throughout, collecting his first and only boundary from his 103rd ball when he sent Starc through point with an elegant drive. The selection of the extra allrounders over Shubman Gill had been the topic of much debate but they could have done little more with the bat justify it.
Washington did have one moment of fortune, in rather unusual circumstances, when he went to turn Starc through the leg side in the first over of the second new ball with it flying off the back of his bat towards second slip where Steven Smith, taken by surprise that it came in his direction, couldn’t holding on diving to his right.
There was later a moment of concern for Australia when Starc grabbed his back midway through an over. However, he appeared to come through unscathed and continued to bowl at good pace although ended the day wicketless from 25 overs as the workload of the quicks mounted ahead of the final Test in Sydney.
Mitchell Marsh was used for a spell either side of an extended tea break, but his 120kph medium pace was unconvincing although he did play a role in drying up the scoring early in the final session.
The eighth-wicket pair showed few signs of being separated until Lyon got one to bounce against Washington which took the shoulder of the bat to Smith at slip. At that point, Reddy was on 97 and the day’s most compelling few minutes was about to unfold.
Brief scores:
India 358 for 9 in 116 overs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 105*, Washington Sundar 50; Scott Boland 3-57, Pat Cummins 3-86, Nathan Lyon 2-88) trail Australia 474 by 116 runs
[Cricinfo]
Bulawayo was buzzing on the second day of the Boxing Day Test as the home fans celebrated one landmark after another, with Zimbabwe creating history against Afghanistan by getting to their highest Test score of all time. Overnight centurion Sean Williams posted his personal best in Tests, the captain Craig Ervine scored his third Test ton in a 13-year career, and Brian Bennett struck a dramatic maiden hundred, taking Zimbabwe to 586.
Williams set the tone early with a cut through point to pass 150. He looked to be aggressive to the leg side but mistimed a pull off Naveen Zadran to deep midwicket, adding only nine to his overnight score before departing for 154 in the day’s sixth over.
The No. 7 Bennett, playing only his second Test, then looked busy upon arrival. His early strokes allowed Ervine, starting overnight on 56, to get his eyes in, and together they put on 82 in only 20.2 overs for the sixth wicket. Ervine showed off his ease against spin to dominate square of the wicket. He reached triple figures with a flick towards backward square leg in the 109th over, took off his helmet, and revealed a smile that bore a feeling of satisfaction.
Left-arm spinner Zia-Ur-Rehman had Ervine nicking to the keeper for 104 two overs later, followed by Brandon Mavuta’s dismissal for 0 in the same over, those two wickets did not bring any respite for the inexperienced Afghanistan bowling unit. The turn was predictable, the pacers were ineffective, allowing Bennett and the lower-order to score freely.
Bennett, a few streaky boundaries aside, peppered boundaries through the covers, and after lunch the message was clear that the remaining batters would also play positively. Teen debutant Newman Nyamhuri, known for his left-arm seam bowling in the domestic circuit, showed he can also contribute with the bat. He was out on 26 to Zahir Khan, but not before bringing up Zimbabwe’s 500 with a big six down the ground. It ended a 21 year wait for Zimbabwe to breach that mark in Tests.
The mystery spin of AM Ghanzafar didn’t have much impact either, with Bennett and Blessing Muzarabani (19) crunching sixes off his over pitched deliveries. As Zimbabwe pushed towards their previous score of 563 for 9, achieved against West Indies in 2001 as errors crept into the Afghan fielding effort too. Fumbles and mis-fields allowed singles to become doubles, and Muzarabani survived a dropped chance at deep midwicket too.
However Muzarabani fell with Zimbabwe at 550 for 9, earning Azmatullah Omarzai a maiden Test wicket, and with only the No. 11 remaining, Bennett, on 82, moved to fifth gear. A six off Zia-ur-Rehman through midwicket took him to 89, and back-to-back twos in Trevor Gwandu’s company got him closer to triple digits. His 96th run also took Zimbabwe to 564, a new high in their 32-year history in the format.
But that was not enough for the crowd. Only a Bennett century would make the innings perfect, and it arrived in cinematic fashion in the 135th over. Zadran had set up a short-ball ploy with two sweeper fielders in the deep on the leg side, but Bennett went for the pull anyway. The fielder in the deep took the catch, only to see that he had stepped into the boundary line, and Bennett roared “come on” in the direction of his family on the grass banks, which included his father and twin brother. He would pin another six next ball over the same region before Ghazanfar picked up his third wicket by removing Gwandu, leaving Bennett unbeaten on 110.
“It is not just my first Test century but my first century for Zimbabwe, so it’s a great feeling,” Bennett said after the day’s play. “To get a Test match hundred at Queen’s Sports Club with my family watching, with Sean Williams and Craig Ervine also getting hundreds and putting on a record score for Zimbabwe in Test matches. I don’t think there’s any better feeling to that. So, yeah, I’m just very proud.
“At first, when I saw it going, I thought it was six, but when I saw it coming down, I was like, oh shucks, I’m in trouble here,” he recalled the drama. “But you know what? You create your own luck in cricket. And when it stepped over the boundary there, I was lost for words, actually.
“It wasn’t too much about me getting to my hundred. It was more about us getting a big score and getting the Afghan guys out on the field for as long as possible. So credit to the tail-enders as well. They did a good effort for me to get my hundred but also, I think we were six down, and with our tail, we added 120 [121] runs.”
Afghanistan’s reply to 587 began in overcast conditions after tea, and Sediqullah Atal lost the battle of the debutants to Gwandu trying to flick across the line in the second over. Gwandu got a ball to swing in and shape away late to gain his maiden Test scalp. The seamer would bowl four overs before an injury while fielding ended his day early.
Muzarabani was metronic from the other end, bowling in the channel around off stump, and challenged Abdul Malik’s bat on occasion. It needed someone of Rahmat Shah’s experience at No. 3 to get the runs flowing. His strong off-side play earned him four fours in the space of as many overs bowled by Gwandu and Nyamhuri. Malik, instead, offered soft hands when possible, with his only boundary a gentle glance towards fine leg.
With the pitch still good for batting and the effects of the new ball wearing off, both batters milked the Zimbabwe bowling, but looking to make something happen Ervine brought Muzarabani back and the idea worked. Malik, who had mostly offered defensive shots, was proffered a short ball by Muzarabani and the rising delivery forced the error, straight to Ben Curran at fine leg.
Hashmatullah Shahidi, at No. 4, battled against the fading light to face some tricky overs of spin from Williams and part-timers Mavuta and Bennett. He struck three boundaries in 24 balls, while Rahmat moved to 49 after surviving one catching chance at slip. Bad light stopped play three overs before close, with Afghanistan on 95 for 2, staring at a mammoth 491-run deficit.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan 95 for 2 in 30 overs (Rahmat Shah 49*) trail Zimbabwe 586 in 135.2 overs (Ben Curran 68, Brian Bennett 110*, Sean Williams 154, Craig Ervine 104; Naveed Zadran 2-109, AM Ghazanfar 3-127, Zahir Khan 2-127, Zia ur Rehman 2-101) by 491 runs
[Cricinfo]
EDB hosts networking session for women entrepreneurs
1,329 tiny snails released on remote island
India mourns ex-PM Manmohan Singh with full state funeral
-
Sports7 days agoPathirana set to sling his way into Kiwi hearts
-
News5 days agoOffice of CDS likely to be scrapped; top defence changes on the cards
-
Features5 days agoAn Absurd play in Parliament: Qualifications versus education
-
Opinion6 days agoWhat AKD and NPP should bear in mind
-
Editorial7 days agoThe games they play
-
Midweek Review4 days agoEx-SLN seniors focus on seabed mining and Sri Lanka’s claim for the delimitation of the Outer Continental Margin
-
Features7 days agoThe Government’s Term Tests & Results: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
-
Editorial6 days agoSeeyanomics, rhetoric and reality