Sports
Pathirana, Akram blow away Gulf Giants with three-fers
A day ahead of the IPL auction, Matheesha Pathirana bagged a three-fer as Sharjah Warriorz scripted their second win of the season. The Sri Lankan ended with figures of 4-1-19-3 as the Warriorz restricted the Gulf Giants to 163 for 9, who were in pursuit of the target of 175. Wasim Akram too picked up a three-wicket haul (3-34) while Tom Abell did the bulk of the scoring for the Warriorz with 68 off 41 in the first innings to bring up a competitive score on the board.
With the Warriorz being put in to bat, Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s struggles in the ILT20 continued, dismissed cheaply for six by Fred Klaasen, with his first ball in the ILT20. Johnson Charles hit two boundaries off Matthew Forde but holed out to long-on in the last over of the PowerPlay. This was sandwiched by Abell smashing back-to-back sixes and a four off Klaasen for 19 runs in the fifth over.
Abell and James Rew then put on 71 runs together. They targeted the spin of Liam Dawson and Moeen Ali, finding regular boundaries, before Abell brought up his 50 off 32 balls. He also played a beautiful stroke inside-out over extra-cover for a maximum. He then fell to Aayan Khan holing out to deep mid-wicket. Couple of overs later,`Rew was bowled by Chris Wood as Dwaine Pretorius joined Sikandar Raza each other at the crease. The South African took 16 runs off Forde in the 18th over before hitting two boundaries off Wood. Pretorius’ cameo of 28 off 13 came to an end off the last ball when he was run-out.
In reply, Rahmanullah Gurbaz got a reprieve in the first over when Ethan D’Souza dropped him off Taskin Ahmed. Wasim Akram got the in-form Pathum Nissanka for a low score of three. Gurbaz got hold off Taskin for a four and a six in his following over but got the key wicket of James Vince for a duck. Gurbaz continued to find the boundaries but the Giants continued to lose wickets with Mayers falling to Akram. It got worse for the Giants as three balls later, Pathirana castled the dangerous Gurbaz with an off-cutter to leave the Giants 38 for 4 in 4.3 overs.
Moeen (45) and Azmatullah Omarzai (41) then put on 79 runs together across the next 10 overs to bring the Giants back into the contest. Just when the partnership began to look threatening, Akram picked up his third with that of Omarzai. One brought two, as Pathirana got Forde to miscue a pull which was pocketed by Rew. Pretorius picked up Asif Khan as the Giants continued to tumble. Pathirana sealed the final nail in the coffin with the wicket of Moeen before the Giants finished on 163 for 9 in their allotted overs.
Brief Scores:
Sharjah Warriorz
174 for 6 in 20 overs (Tom Abell 68, James Rew 33; Chris Wood 2-26, Aayan Khan 1-22) beat Gulf Giants 163 for 9 in 20 overs (Moeen Ali 45, Azmatullah Omarzai 41; Matheesha Pathirana 3-19, Wasim Akram 3-34) by 11 runs
(Cricbuzz)
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has removed Nazmul Islam as chairman of the board’s finance committee, following the CWAB’s player boycott of cricket in country until he resigns from his position.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wishes to inform that, following a review of recent developments and in the best interest of the organisation, the BCB President has decided to release Mr. Najmul Islam from his responsibilities as Chairman of the Finance Committee with immediate effect,” the BCB said in a statement.
“The decision has been taken in accordance with the authority vested in the BCB President under Article 31 of the BCB Constitution and is aimed at ensuring the continued smooth and effective functioning of the Board’s affairs. Until further notice, the BCB President will assume the role of Acting Chairman of the Finance Committee.
“The BCB reiterates that the interests of the cricketers remain its highest priority. The Board remains fully committed to upholding the honour and dignity of all players under its jurisdiction.
“In this regard, the BCB hopes that all cricketers will continue to display the highest standards of professionalism and dedication to the betterment of Bangladesh cricket during what is a challenging period for the game, and will do their utmost to ensure continued participation in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).”
Both BPL matches on Thursday – the first between Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express, and the second between Rajshahi Warriors and Sylhet Titans – have been postponed due to the player boycott.
Even though there seemed to be movement on the issues – the BCB agreed to the player body CWAB’s demands and removed Nazmul Islam from his position as head of the board’s finance committee – but it came too late in the day for the matches to go ahead as scheduled. There was no confirmation yet whether the boycott would be called off or not, and whether the BPL matches on Friday would also be impacted.
[Cricinfo]
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has issued a show cause notice to its director M Nazmul Islam over his “objectionable comments” in public against the country’s cricketers on Wednesday.
The notice came a couple of hours before the scheduled start of the BPL matches for the day, though the players’ body CWAB has called for a nationwide boycott on all forms of cricket unless Islam tenders his resignation.
The four first-division matches in the Dhaka Cricket League scheduled for the day didn’t start on Thursday morning, which caused serious concern in the BCB. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express players, who were supposed to play the first BPL match on Thursday, are sticking to the boycott.
“The board has already initiated formal disciplinary proceedings against the board member concerned,” the BCB statement read. “A show cause letter has been issued, and the individual has been instructed to submit a written response within 48 hours. The matter will be dealt with through due process and appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the proceedings.”
ESPNcricinfo understands that some board directors contacted the CWAB president Mohammad Mithun late on Wednesday night, offering that they would make Nazmul stand down from his role as the finance committee chairman. But Mithun said the cricketers’ call for the boycott remained in place.
The toss of the first BPL match on Thursday is at 12.30 pm local time. Once the start time for the match has passed, the CWAB leaders are supposed to hold a press conference, where they will present the BCB with their demands, including the resignation of the director.
[Cricinfo]
Sadio Mane fired Senegal into the final of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 victory over seven-time winners Egypt.
The two-time African Footballer of the Year broke the deadlock in the 78th minute on Wednesday when he let fly from just outside the penalty area inside the bottom left corner after Lamine Camara’s initial effort was blocked.
It sparked joy and relief among the Teranga Lions’ fans in Tangier, where the 2021 champions – after beating Egypt in the final – had taken the initiative but struggled to create clear chances against the Pharaohs’ stubborn defence.
Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly will miss the title match – against either host Morocco or Nigeria, who were to play in Rabat later on Wednesday – after picking up a yellow card that meant a suspension and then going off injured in the 23rd minute.
Koulibaly was booked in the 17th for a tactical foul on Omar Marmoush. The captain was also sent off in the group-stage win over Benin and consequently missed the win over Sudan. His tournament was effectively ended when he had to be replaced by Mamadou Sarr because of injury.
Nicolas Jackson had fired over just before Senegal displayed more attacking intent. Habib Diarra and Pape Gueye also had efforts saved.
Tensions boiled over when Mohamed Salah fouled his former Liverpool teammate Mane, but Senegal coach Pape Thiaw and Egypt counterpart Hossam Hassan managed to cool tempers.
Senegal’s Habib Diarra was booked for arguing, however, meaning he will miss the final, too.
[Aljazeera]
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