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Ireland’s victory over Netherlands seals ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier semi-final spot for UAE, Sri Lanka maintain winning streak
Ireland recorded an unequivocal, 54-run win over Netherlands to knock them out of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier. Tournament hosts, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have sealed the fourth semi-final spot, moving one step closer to qualification for the main event in Bangladesh later this year.
Needing to win the match following the UAE’s big win over Vanuatu early in the day or maintain their net run rate above the UAE’s, Netherlands crashed to defeat at Ireland captain, Laura Delany’s hand. She produced a match-winning performance with bat and ball at Zayed Cricket Stadium on Friday night.
At the end of the 20-match group stage, UAE have surged ahead of Netherlands in Group B with a net run-rate of +0.976 compared to Netherlands’ +0.111. Both teams finished with four points each (two wins and two defeats) in Group B. Ireland, with four wins in as many matches ends the group stage at the top of Group B.
In the Group A match played on Friday night, Sri Lanka overcame a tough fight by United States of America to maintain their unbeaten streak of four wins in as many matches. The Chamari Athapaththu-led team won by 18 runs at Tolerance Oval, they will now face the UAE in the second semi-final on Sunday, with Ireland going up against Scotland in the first semi-final.
Netherlands vs Ireland
Ireland, who chose to bat first, lost their prolific openers Amy Hunter (1) and Gaby Lewis (10) within the first 14 balls of the match as Netherlands pacer, Iris Zwilling got her side off to a perfect start in the crucial clash. Orla Prendergast (19) and Delany added 38 runs for the third-wicket to bring Ireland back in the hunt. They landed stumbled when they also lost Leah Paul for two, stuttering to 55/4 in the 10th over.
Ireland roared back in contention thanks to a superb, unbeaten 89-run partnership between Delany and Eimear Richardson. The two took the fight back to the Netherlands bowlers who were bereft of answers in the second half of the Irish innings.
Delany hit some scintillating shots in her undefeated 70 off 45 balls (eight fours, two sixes), while Richardson contributed 34 off 32 (two fours). Ireland finished their 20 overs on 144/4. Zwilling took two for 13 in her four overs, she was the most successful Netherlands bowler.
Netherlands began their chase confidently with openers, Zwilling and Sterre Kalis adding 24 runs. The partnership was broken when Zwilling fell on the final ball of the fourth over, Kalis followed her back to the dugout in the sixth over. In-form batter, Robine Rijke fell for a duck as 24 for no loss turned into 29 for three in 5.4 overs.
A 31-run, fourth-wicket stand between wicketkeeper Babette de Leede and captain, Heather Siegers revived the Netherlands’ hopes. Delany, at this stage, followed her batting brilliance to the delight of both Irish and UAE fans. The medium-pacer ran through the Dutch middle-order with figures of 3/6 in two overs. Netherlands were eventually skittled out for 90 in 17.3 overs, confirming the UAE’s entry into the semis. Prendergast also took three wickets and Arlene Kelly took two wickets.
USA vs Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, who won the toss and opted to bat first, found it tough to score quick runs up front against some disciplined and probing USA bowling. Geetika Kodali clinched the massive wicket of Sri Lanka captain, Chamari Athapaththu (4) in the opening over of the match.
Athapaththu’s dismissal made Sri Lanka look for consolidation early on as Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Madavi took time to settle. The two shared 49 runs for the second-wicket in eight overs. Gunaratne fell for 25 (22 balls, three fours). Madavi (23) was dismissed off the next delivery, leaving Sri Lanka struggling at 55/3 in 9.1 overs.
USA kept the scoring rate in check in the second half of the Sri Lankan innings. Middle-order batter, Hansima Kunaratne, occupied the crease for the remainder of the innings, consuming 27 balls for her 25 runs (three fours). Nilakshi De Silva scored 21 off 29.
Sri Lanka ended their innings at 123/4. Saanvi Immadi, Aditiba Chudasama and Kodali returning a wicket each for the USA.
USA got off to a solid start and looked in contention for an upset until the 13th over of their innings. They tumbled from 63/1 to 87/5 as the Sri Lankan bowlers, led by Athapaththu, made some crucial breakthroughs. The skipper led the charge, taking 3/14 in her four overs, she was later named the player of the match.
Udeshika Prabodhani and Inoka Ranaweera took one wicket apiece.
Opener, Disha Dhingra (28 off 29 balls, four fours) was the leading run scorer for the USA. Captain, Sindhu Sriharsha chipped in with 27 (three fours), while Pooja Shah remained unbeaten on 20. They were eventually restricted to 105/6 at the end of their allotted overs, ending their tournament at the bottom of Group A after being unable to secure a win in any of their matches.
Scores in brief:
Match 19:
Sri Lanka beat USA by 18 runs
Sri Lanka 123 for 4 in 20 overs (Vishmi Gunaratne 25, Hansima Kunaratne 25, Harshitha Madavi 23; Saanvi Immadi 1-14, Aditiba Chudasama 1-22)
USA 105 for 6 in 20 overs (Disha Dhingra 28, Sindhu Sriharsha 27, Pooja Shah 20 not out; Chamari Athapaththu 3-14)
Player of the Match – Chamari Athapaththu
Match 20:
Ireland beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Ireland 144 for 4 in 20 overs (Laura Delany 70 not out, Eimear Richardson 34 not out; Iris Zwilling 2-13)
Netherlands 90 all out in 17.3 overs (Babette De Leede 20, Heather Siegers 16; Laura Delany 3-6, Orla Prendergast 3-26, Arlene Kelly 3-9)
Player of the Match – Laura Delany
(ICC)
Australian authorities are euthanising about 90 false killer whales which survived a mass stranding on a remote beach in Tasmania.
A team of experts at the site said complex conditions have made it impossible to save them.
They are part of a pod of 157 whales that had beached near Arthur River, in the island’s north west. The rest had died shortly after the stranding.
Tasmania has seen a series of mass whale strandings in recent years – including the country’s worst-ever in 2020 – but false killer whales haven’t mass stranded there in over 50 years.
False killer whales are technically one of world’s largest dolphin species, like their orca namesakes. They can grow up to 6m (19ft) and weigh 1.5 tonnes.
Authorities on Wednesday said the pod had been stranded at the site for 24 to 48 hours, and the surviving animals were already under extreme stress.
Local resident Jocelyn Flint told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she had travelled to the site on Wednesday morning after her son noticed the pod while out shark fishing overnight.
“There are babies… There’s just families of them. Their eyes are open, they’re looking at me, like ‘help’.”
“It’s just absolutely horrific.”
The site – about 300km (186 miles) from the city of Launceston – is extremely difficult to access and transport any rescue equipment to, marine biologist Kris Carlyon told media.
“This is possibly the trickiest location I’ve seen in 16 years of doing this role in Tasmania,” he said.
“We’re talking a very rough, steep, single lane road into the site. We can get four-wheel drives in there, but not a lot else.”
Rough conditions meant returning the animals to the sea at the location they stranded was impossible, so an expert team tried to relocate two and refloat them, but were unsuccessful.
“The animals just can’t get past the break to get out. They just keep turning around and coming back towards the beach,” said Shelley Graham, from Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service.
With conditions for the next two days forecast to be similar, expert wildlife veterinarians made the “tough” and “confronting” decision to euthanise the remaining whales.
“The longer these animals are out stranded, the longer they are suffering. All alternative options have been unsuccessful, euthanasia is always a last resort,” Dr Carlyon said.
That grim task – which involves shooting the animals – is expected to begin on Wednesday but continue on Thursday.
Authorities are still working out how to dispose of the carcasses. The site has important cultural heritage for Aboriginal people so a department spokesperson earlier suggested “it may be a case of… letting nature run its course”.
Authorities have asked members of the public to avoid the site, with bushfires burning nearby and limited road access.
More than 80% of Australian whale strandings take place in Tasmania – often on its west coast.
Around 40 pilot whales were stranded further south at Macquarie Harbour in 2020 and about 350 of them died despite rescue efforts. Another 200 became standed in the same harbour in 2022.
Whales are highly social mammals and are well known for stranding in groups because they travel in large, close-knit communities which rely on constant communication.
There are a range of theories for why beachings occur. Some experts say the animals can become disoriented after following fish they hunt to the shore.
Others believe that one individual can mistakenly lead whole groups to shore.
[BBC]
Shubman Gill and Maheesh Theekshana have become the new No. 1 men’s ODI batter and bowler respectively in the ICC rankings update released on the opening day of the Champions Trophy. Gill has gone past Babar Azam on his list, while Theekshana has gone past Rashid Khan on his.
Gill had an excellent time of it in the home ODI series against England, which India won 3-0, with scores of 87, 60 and 112, which made him the top run-getter in the series, his 259 runs coming at an average of 86.33 and a strike rate of 103.60. The next highest scorer, Shreyas Iyer, was 78 behind Gill with 181 runs.
This is the second time Gill has gone to the top of the pile in ODI cricket – the previous occasion was during the ODI World Cup in 2023.
Gill’s rise has pushed Babar to second place. Gill has 796 rating points, while Babar has 773.
They are followed in the top five by Rohit Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen and Daryl Mitchell, who has moved up two places after the tri-series in Pakistan where he scored 81, 10 and 57.
Following the two-ODI series against England, Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka has moved up eight spots to No. 8, while Mohammad Rizwan, the Pakistan captain, has reached 15th place.
Sri Lanka are not a part of the Champions Trophy, having missed out on qualification, but along with Asalanka, Theekshana made the most of the two-ODI series at home against Australia, returning 4 for 40 and none for 11.
Rashid, who hasn’t played an ODI since last December, has slipped to the second spot, but isn’t too far behind Theekshana – he has 669 ratings points to the table-topper’s 680, and a good Champions Trophy campaign can take him back to the top.
Behind Theekshana and Rashid on the bowlers’ table is Namibia’s Bernard Scholtz followed by India’s Kuldeep Yadav and Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi in the top five. Mitchell Santner the New Zealand captain, has made big moves too, his five wickets in the three ODIs in the Pakistan tri-series giving him a five-spot boost and putting him at No. 7.
[Cricinfo]
We live in a time when the ODI is starved for attention, with the older sibling commanding instant respect for its age and wisdom and the younger one bawling at full lung capacity if you dare to look away while it cartwheels around the room. For all that, the middle child never fails to remind us how captivating it can be whenever a global tournament comes along. The last two ODI World Cups produced so many classics between them, and so many passages of play that showcased the variety of skills that this format can both compress and give breathing room to.
Given how little we’ve seen of it over the last year-and-a-half or thereabouts, then, our appetite for the ODI should be at its peak, even if the Champions Trophy remains an awkward fit in the calendar and the interests of the ICC’s member boards. So much has happened since Sarfaraz Ahmed lifted this trophy eight years ago, enough for everyone to forget that it even exists, but here we are now, and here it is once again.
We have Pakistan, the defending champions and (co-ish) hosts, to start us off, and they’ll face familiar foes in the tournament-opener. No visiting team has played more ODIs in this country than New Zealand’s 11 since the start of 2019, and they begin this Champions Trophy a mere five days after beating Pakistan in the final of an ODI tri-series. Karachi hosted that match, and will host this one too.
It says something about the two teams that New Zealand and Pakistan finished fourth and fifth – just inside and just outside the knockouts spots – on the league tables of both the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, and that Pakistan won the head-to-head meetings both times. It speaks of two teams with potentially title-winning strengths as well as title-squandering flaws, and this, perhaps, makes it the ideal contest to kick things off.
He’s gone 21 innings without an ODI hundred, and while this wouldn’t be abnormal for most batters, Babar Azam isn’t most batters. That sequence only includes two single-digit scores, so it isn’t as if he’s been struggling, but few things will bring as much joy to Pakistan at the start of a global event on home soil as a big score from their until-recently-irreproachable run machine. He’s batting at the top of the order now rather than No. 3, so a score of significance will also ease any doubts Pakistan may have about the structure of their line-up.
In the recently concluded tri-series, New Zealand’s spinners finished with a combined economy rate of 4.41, which was remarkable considering their Pakistan and South Africa counterparts went at 5.67 and 5.94 respectively. It speaks to the quality of Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell, who picked up five wickets apiece during the tri-series at near-identical averages and economy rates. They form as enviable a spin combination as any in this tournament: a left-arm fingerspinner and an offspinner, both extremely handy with the bat.
Haris Rauf played no part in the recent ODI tri-series after going off the field with a side strain during the opening game against New Zealand. He has been bowling in the nets in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, though, and Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan was confident he would be fit to start the tournament-opener. This should leave Pakistan able to pick a full-strength XI.
New Zealand go into the Champions Trophy with two of their original fast-bowling selections – Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears – out of the tournament. There’s also doubt over whether Rachin Ravindra – who hasn’t played a game since being struck on the head by the ball while fielding during the first match of the tri-series – will be fit to start, but the opener has been batting during training sessions in the lead-up to this tournament. New Zealand will take a call on him after their training session on Tuesday, with Will Young likely to open alongside Devon Conway should they decide not to risk Ravindra. Ferguson’s replacement Kyle Jamieson will not arrive in Karachi in time to be available for the first game.
Pakistan (possible): Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (capt & wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra/Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (capt), Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Will O’Rourke.
[Cricinfo]
Scores of whales to be euthanised after mass stranding in Australia
Secretary to the President meets with heads of the Health sector
Gill and Theekshana are the new No. 1s in ODI rankings
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