A blistering onslaught from Glenn Philips in the final six overs of the first innings helped New Zealand ease to a crushing win over Pakistan in the first ODI of the tri-series in Lahore. The visitors posted 330 thanks to Phillips’ 72-ball century, with 98 runs coming in the final six overs. Pakistan could never quite muster a convincing response, with all hopes pinned on a flying start from Fakhar Zaman. However, when Phillips – who could seemingly do no wrong – trapped him in front for a 69-ball 84, their resistance melted away, and New Zealand’s task became something of a cakewalk. To make Pakistan’s evening worse, Haris Rauf picked up an injury which prevented him from batting, and New Zealand won by 78 runs.
New Zealand’s innings appeared a struggle until the 44th over, with Pakistan taking regular wickets, even if half-centuries from Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell kept them ticking along. On a flat wicket, Pakistan’s bowlers had done a stellar job restricting New Zealand’s scoring rate, with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah combining for five wickets. So it seemed, anyway, until Phillips let loose, ripping apart Pakistan’s bowlers at the very end. He would score his last 77 runs in 32 balls, as New Zealand took momentum with them into the dinner break.
New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat on what looked a dry, flat surface at the newly built Gaddafi stadium, but immediately ran into headwinds. Afridi continued his ODI wicket-taking form with one in his first over, inducing Will Young into a prod that got a nick through to the keeper. With Williamson largely subdued in the opening powerplay, run scoring came largely through a belligerent cameo from Rachin Ravindra. A couple of boundaries off Afridi either side of the wicket set the tone, and he had raced to 25 off 18 deliveries; 20 of them came through fours. But a slightly careless shot off Abrar Ahmed ended a nascently dangerous innings with Ravindra out caught and bowled.
Williamson continued to consolidate, and for a while New Zealand had entered a rut. By the end of the 18th over, their scoring rate had fallen below four, with Mitchell looking laboured as he shuffled along, scoring 9 off his first 22 balls. The escalation came all of a sudden, and primarily through Mitchell, when he charged down the ground to loft Khushdil Shah over the sightscreen for six. Williamson began to come into his own, too as New Zealand began to milk the bowling, with the run rate beginning to tick upwards as the partnership approached three-figures.
But Pakistan were maintaining a hold over the game by picking up regular wickets, and two in five deliveries pegged New Zealand back sharply. Afridi, once more, proved the partnership breaker, another gentle edge from Williamson that Rizwan comfortably pouched. The two-paced nature of the wicket went on to do for Tom Latham, who found the ball stopping on him as he chipped it up to midwicket.
In Mitchell and Phillips, though, New Zealand’s two most potent late-overs bludgeoners were at the crease, and they would go on to prove it over the next hour. Mitchell was picking off the Pakistan spinners whenever their lengths dropped short; each of his five sixes came against spin, but it would also be his downfall. A harmless full toss from Abrar was clipped straight into midwicket’s arms, Mitchell’s disbelief writ large on his face as he walked away 19 short of a hundred.
But for Pakistan, that was the reprieve before the storm. Phillips had been sedate until the 42nd over, nudging it around for 29 off 43, but when Salman Agha was pumped back over his head for a six, there were signs he was awakening. Agha was dispatched for another pair of sixes in his following over, but it was when the fast bowlers returned that the beast was truly unleashed.
A nudge off Naseem in the 47th over brought Phillips his half-century, but he wasn’t nearly done yet. Afridi was launched over deep midwicket and then scooped above short third for consecutive sixes, before Naseem was plundered for 17 in the 49th over. But the worst of the carnage was left for Afridi in the final over, which produced a whopping 25, bringing up Phillips’ maiden ODI century.
The crowd was at full capacity and full pitch when Pakistan came out to bat, because Babar Azam was opening alongside Fakhar. The noise was for Babar, but it was Fakhar who sprung out of the traps, helping Pakistan to a brisk start in the Powerplay. But Babar’s start to opening – the first time he has done so since 2015 – was inauspicious, flicking a harmless delivery from Michael Bracewell straight into midwicket’s hands.
Kamran Ghulam was similarly turgid, and the pressure fell squarely on Fakhar to produce a mammoth innings if Pakistan were to make headway in the chase. For a while, he offered them hope, taking down Mitchell Santner and Bracewell as he hurtled towards his century, but Ghulam and Rizwan were sent packing at the other end.
The death knell for Pakistan was struck by Phillips in the 24th over when he skidded one on that trapped Fakhar plumb in front. With the asking rate rising above nine and 212 runs still to get, there was little realistic hope the lower-middle order would be able to get Pakistan close. It was reflected in the activity of the crowd, which streamed towards the exits.
Tayyab Tahir and Agha tried to keep it going, building up a tidy little partnership, but even moments of brilliance went New Zealand’s way when Bracewell took a stunning catch diving to his right to send a disbelieving Tahir back to the pavilion.
Thereafter, it appeared both sides were going through the motions, New Zealand doing enough to chip away at the lower order. The only bad news for the visitors was what appeared a nasty injury to Ravindra, who lost a ball in the lights as it went on to hit him flush in the face, and went off as blood streamed down his hair.
The game itself was far more straightforward for New Zealand. Khushdil and Agha fell to spin within four balls of each other and, despite an entertaining little cameo from Abrar at the very end, Pakistan were merely delaying the inevitable. Matt Henry bounced out Naseem with 13 balls still to go; they are well placed in this tournament, and, it appears, well placed ahead of the Champions Trophy.
New Zealand 330 for 6 in 50 overs (Glenn Phillips 106*, Daryl Mitchell 81, Kane Williamson 58, Rachin Ravindra 25, Michaell Bracewell 31; Shaheen Sha Afridi 3-88, Abrar Ahmed 2-41) beat Pakistan 252 all out in 47.5 overs (Salman Agha 40, Tayyab Tahir 30, Fakhar Zaman 84;Matt Henry 3-53, Michael Bracewell 2-41, Mitchell Santner 3-41) by 78 runs
BCB appointed former national captain Habibul Bashar as mentor while Mizanur Rahman Babul and Nafis Iqbal will act as team manager of the Chattogram Royals [BCB]
The Bangladesh Cricket Board took over the ownership rights of Chattogram Royals for the remainder of the Bangladesh Premier League season. BCB vice-chairman Shakhawat Hossain, a member of BPL Governing Council, confirmed the development to Cricbuzz on Thursday.
Royals owner Kayum Rashed submitted a written request to the BCB, citing difficulties in continuing to run the team under the current circumstances and asked the board to take over the operations.
“We have taken over the ownership right of the team, and now the board will run the team,” Shakhawat told Cricbuzz. “We will sit with the players and discuss the next steps.”
According to the letter submitted to the board, and seen by Cricbuzz, Royals failed to attract sponsors.
“Since the acquisition of the franchise, there have been persistent and widespread speculations in various media outlets regarding the team’s uncertainty in participating in the tournament, as well as repeated questions surrounding the franchise’s financial and operational credibility. These rumours included, but were not limited to, allegations that franchise fees, bank guarantees, and players’ payments had not been made-despite the fact that such payments were not contractually required at those early stages,” it was stated in the letter.
“Unfortunately, no formal clarification or reassurance was issued to the media to counter these claims. As a direct consequence, the rumors gained traction across multiple platforms, severely impacting the reputation of Chattogram Royals. Several potential and confirmed sponsors, questioning the franchise’s credibility and the certainty of its participation in the tournament, withdrew from their partnerships.
“The withdrawal of sponsorship support has resulted in significant financial challenges, directly hampering the team’s preparation and jeopardizing its future prospects within the tournament. This situation arose not from any failure on our part to comply with contractual obligations, but rather from unchecked misinformation and the absence of authoritative clarification.
“In light of the above circumstances, and considering the substantial reputational and financial damage already sustained, I respectfully request the Bangladesh Cricket Board to take over from this point forward and assume the necessary responsibilities throughout the remainder of the tournament. This includes providing clear, timely communication to stakeholders and ensuring the integrity, stability, and smooth operation of the franchise within the BPL framework.
“I trust the Board will appreciate the seriousness of this matter and act in the best interests of the league, the franchise, and all associated stakeholders. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your guidance and support.”
Another BCB official said that their connection with dubious characters from the start of forming the team hit them hard in the long run considering the activities of those characters in their team jeopardized their reputation in the sponsorship market.
It is learnt, BCB appointed former national captain Habibul Bashar as mentor while Mizanur Rahman Babul and Nafis Iqbal will act as team manager of the Chattogram Royals.
Bashar was initially appointed as mentor of the team but left the position citing family issues though many feel he was uncomfortable seeing dubious characters in and around the franchise set-up, and as a result took up the decision. The move to change the set-up was aimed at stabilizing the franchise and ensuring the smooth running of the team for the rest of the tournament.
Many cricketers of the Royals decided to leave the team hotel on Wednesday (December 25) as they failed to receive money from the franchise till last night. The BPL is all set to commence at Sylhet on December 26 and it started with the expected move made by Royals owner. He insisted that he will pull out from the competition if things don’t turn his way.
Let us uphold the true meaning of Christmas following the guidance of Jesus Christ, and work together towards the shared goal of building a new nation filled with peace and harmony – PM
Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya in her Christmas message, called upon everyone to uphold the true meaning of Christmas following the guidance of Jesus Christ, and work together towards the shared goal of building a new nation filled with peace and harmony
The full text of the PM’s Christmas day message:
“As the month of December dawns, Christian devotees prepare to celebrate Christmas. The message of peace that echoed from Bethlehem with the birth of the infant Jesus continues to be honoured and revered by Christians across the world.
However, this year, the month of December has arrived not with the usual joy and festivity. It comes amid the sorrow, pain, and quiet anguish of thousands of our people affected by a natural disaster that has shaken the entire nation.
Yet, in keeping with the true meaning of Christmas and guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ, the people of our country have set aside their differences and come together in unity and solidarity to support those affected by the disaster. Through their actions, they have demonstrated to the world the values of love, compassion, and the noble teaching of Christ to love one another.
At this moment, we stand at a critical juncture where all communities must unite with a shared purpose and collective responsibility to rebuild the country and work together for the future of our nation.
We will continue to work tirelessly towards the common goal of building the “new country” envisioned by the many who have placed their trust in our government, and to ensure that their hopes and aspirations are fulfilled.
On this Christmas Day, let us renew our commitment to act together as citizens, guided by unity, love, compassion, and responsibility, in pursuit of our shared dream of a better tomorrow.
I extend my heartfelt wishes for a Merry Christmas to all Christian devotees in Sri Lanka and around the world.”
Shafali Verma took 27 balls to bring up her fifty [BCCI]
A quick glance at the head to head record is enough to show the gulf between India and Sri Lanka in women’s T20Is. Despite that, the manner in which India have swept Sri Lanka aside two games in a row would have surprised watchers and the hosts alike. The story in the second T20I followed a similar script to the first. Once again, India’s spinners squeezed Sri Lanka’s middle order before one of their top-order batters made easy work of the chase.
Left-arm spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and N Shree Charani picked up two wickets apiece after Sneh Rana, in the XI in place of the indisposed Deepti Sharma, sucked out the momentum from Sri Lanka’s batting. If it was Jemimah Rodrigues’ half-century in the first game, Shafali Verma was at her brutal best in the second, finishing on an unbeaten 69 in just 34 balls, to help India get to the 129-run target at a run-rate close to 11 an over with 49 balls to spare.
India went 2-0 up at the end of the Visakhapatnam leg, with the next three games to be played in Thiruvananthapuram.
Sri Lanka were jolted in the opening over after being asked to bat. Vishmi Gunaratne’s uppish drive was caught by Kranti Gaud in her follow-through. Chamari Athapaththu then started the charge. After the defeat in the first game, she asked her batters to step up and find ways of scoring. She was intent on leading from the front. She used her feet against Gaud to slash her in front of point. Two balls later, Gaud almost got back at the Sri Lanka captain.
Charani, who dropped two simple catches on Sunday, misjudged Athapaththu’s slash and conceded a six. She charged in from the boundary line and then ran back, missed the ball completely despite a leap. Athapaththu blazed away with the field restrictions on, scoring 31 off 24 balls out of Sri Lanka’s 38 in 5.3 overs at that stage.
After her dismissal, Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama continued to bat with high intent. They primarily scored square of the wicket and added 28 in the three-and-a-half overs. And then came the squeeze from India.
On a day she was newly crowned the No. 1 T20I bowler in the ICC rankings, Deepti missed a T20I for the first time since 2019 – after 92 straight games – because of a mild fever. Harmanpreet Kaur has often turned to her when in search of control, but on Tuesday, Rana fit into the role with ease.
Playing her first T20I in India since 2016 – she played 15 away from home in between – Rana’s first task was to stop a belligerent Athapaththu, and she delivered. She kept the Sri Lanka captain guessing with flight and dip before dismissing her. With Athapaththu itching to cut loose, Rana generously flighted one. It landed slightly shorter than Athapaththu expected because of the dip, and she ended up miscuing it to long-off.
Rana then returned with Perera and Samarawickrama scoring at a good tempo, bowled a maiden and that turned the tide. It allowed left-arm spinner Charani to slip in a few quiet overs, which resulted in Perera’s dismissal. Vaishnavi also returned to pick up her first international wicket, with Charani, who denied her in the first T20I by dropping a dolly at short fine leg, taking a simple catch at the same spot after Nilakshika Silva top-edged a sweep.
Sri Lanka hit 11 boundaries in the first nine overs, but could hit only two fours in the rest of their innings. They lost six for 24 to be restricted to a below-par total for the second game in a row, which was never going to challenge the hosts. Three run-outs for a second game in a row did not help matters either.
If Sunday was an opportunity missed by Shafali, she more than made up for it on Tuesday. She was happy to bide her time at the start, with Smriti Mandhana being the aggressor. Once Mandhana fell, caught at point in a bid to hit Kavisha Dilhari’s offspin inside out over the off side, Shafali took centrestage. Inoka Ranaweera’s left-arm spin with the field restrictions in place was just the tonic she needed.
Shafali hit Ranaweera for successive fours in the penultimate over of the powerplay – both by dancing down the track and lofting her over cover. She then took apart Athapaththu’s offspin, hitting here for 4, 6, 4 in the sixth over of the chase: first sweeping a short ball through backward square leg, then thumping a full ball straight into the sight-screen and then lifting one over extra cover.
With the in-form Rodrigues for company, there was no respite for Sri Lanka’s bowlers. Rodrigues also tore into Ranaweera, hitting her for two fours and a six as the left-arm spinner was taken for 31 in her two overs.
In an attempt to maintain the high tempo, Rodrigues holed out to long-on. Shafali soon completed her fifty from just 27 balls. She picked Shashini Gimhani’s left-arm wristspin from the hand and thumped her for back-to-back boundaries in a 12-run over that put India on the brink.
Sri Lanka earned a consolation when Malki Madara’s dipping yorker deceived Harmanpreet. But they knew, as Athapaththu conceded after the game, that the batters failed to make the helpful conditions count in successive games.
Brief scores: India Women 129 for 3 in 11.5 overs (Smriti Mandhana 14, Shafali Verma 69*, Jemimah Rodrigues 26, Harmanpreet Kaur 10; Malki Madara 1-22, Kavya Kavindi 1-3, Kavisha Dilhari 1-15) beat Sri Lanka Women 128 for 9 in 20 overs ( Chamari Athapaththu 31, Hasini Perera 22,Harshitha Samarawickrama 33, Kavisha Dilhari 14, Kaushini Nuthyangana 11; Kranti Goud 1-31, Sneh Rana 1-11, Shree Charani 2-23, Vaishnavi Sharma 2-32) by seven wickets
