Latest News
Seifert, Allen fifties help New Zealand gallop to record-breaking win against UAE
There was the odd hiccup or two. Glenn Phillips bowling the 18th over and giving up 27 runs. James Neesham turning a leg bye into an all-run four with an overthrow. But in the end, New Zealand wrapped up the win that was expected of them against UAE – with all ten wickets and 27 balls to spare – and look in good shape to make the Super Eights.
Finn Allen and Tim Seifert knocked off the entire target of 174 by themselves. In the course of doing that, they recorded the highest partnership for any wicket, by any side, in the T20 World Cup.
An even-paced pitch and its location on the square – making one side of the ground smaller than the other – resulted in the batters really enjoying themselves.
Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu are the most accomplished players in the UAE line-up and they stepped up – together – to put on a 107-run partnership. It is their second highest for the second wicket in T20Is.
The logic behind their strokeplay really stood out. Sharafu (55 off 47) backed away against Mitchell Santner and carved him over cover point for four. That shot was about getting the odds in his favour – hitting with the turn and to the short boundary. Waseem (66 off 45) backed his upper cut off Matt Henry’s slower bouncer because short third was inside the circle. It was high-percentage cricket in a high-pressure situation.ll
New Zealand’s bowlers had a really tough time against India in the bilateral series leading up to this World Cup. Huffing and puffing against UAE, who had crumbled to 81 all out in a warm-up game in Chennai against Italy, isn’t the kind of confidence boost they’re in need of
Phillips bowling in the death was odd. The four overs leading up to it had brought only 17 runs and two wickets. This one over alone yielded 27, including a wide, a no-ball four and a free-hit six. All while frontline quick Jacob Duffy had two overs left.

Alle and Seifert knocked off almost half the target in the powerplay itself. The 78 runs they put on together included nine fours and four sixes, which amount to a balls per boundary ratio of 2.77. This is a strength Santner had alluded to in the pre-match press conference ahead of the Afghanistan game, and it came good to take New Zealand to a 2-0 record in the group of death.
Allen showed game awareness when he played out UAE’s pinpoint accurate spin bowler, Haider Ali, and took down their quicks with ease instead. He had tried to do too much against Mujeeb Ur Rahman and lost his stumps during their previous match against Afghanistan. Here, even when Haider tempted him with mid-off up, he held back his big shots.
Seifert backed up his 39-ball fifty on Sunday with a 23-ball fifty today, continuing his path to becoming a high-volume batter instead of his previous version, where he was a high-variance batter. He didn’t have any trouble taking on Haider as the game neared its conclusion, reverse-hitting him for a six and then a four. New Zealand’s bash brothers were in full flow so the chase didn’t last beyond the 16th over.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 175 for 0 in 15.2 overs (Tim Seifert 89*, Finn Allen 84*) beat United Arab Emirates 173 for 6 in 20 overs (Mohamed Waseem 66, Alishan Sharafu 55, Mayanak Kumar 21; Matt Henry 2-37, Jacob Duffy 1-16, Lockie Ferguson 1-35, Mitchell Santner 1-23, Glenn Phillips 1-30) by ten wickets
(Cricinfo)
Latest News
Sun directly overhead Pesalai, Mankulam and Nedunkerny about 12:11 noon
On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 05th to 15th of April in this year.
The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (13th) are Pesalai, Mankulam and Nedunkerny about 12:11 noon.
Latest News
PNS TAIMUR & ASLAT arrive in Colombo
The Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) TAIMUR and ASLAT arrived at the Port of Colombo on a goodwill visit on 12 Apr 26.
The visiting ships were welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in
compliance with naval traditions.
The duo of ships is commanded by Captain NIAMAT SAEED KHAN (PNS TAIMUR) and Captain NADIR MATEEN AFRIDI (PNS ASLAT).
Meanwhile, the ships are expected to conduct a Bilateral Naval Exercise LION STAR V with the Sri Lanka Navy in Colombo seas.
Latest News
Sanju Samson and Jamie Overton deliver first points for Chennai Super Kings
Sanju Samson’s first century for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) set up the team’s first win in IPL 2026 and their first win at home after six successive defeats, stretching back to the previous season.
Samson flew out of the blocks in the powerplay, scoring 45 of CSK’s 61 runs, in the first six overs. He had over 32,000 fans whistling at Chepauk when he reached his half-century off 26 balls. He had those fans whistling louder and chanting his name when he converted it into a 52-ball century.
A fifty from Ayush Mhatre, before he was retired out, and a cameo from Shivam Dube took CSK up to 212 for 2. That total, however, appeared smaller when DC’s openers Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul blazed past fifty in the fourth over of their chase. CSK then struck thrice in the next three overs to send the chase spiralling out of DC’s control.
Though Tristan Stubbs battled with 60 off 38 balls, the mounting asking rate was too much to overcome. Jamie Overton’s 4 for 18, which included the prized scalp of Stubbs, was central to CSK’s successful defence.
After CSK were asked to bat first, Samson scythed the second ball he faced from debutant Auqib Nabi for four. He never let his attacking intent or enterprise let up in the powerplay, crashing a total of nine fours in 19 balls in the powerplay. In stark contrast, Ruturaj Gaikwad managed to find the boundary just once in 17 balls during this phase.
Gaikwad’s first-15-ball strike rate of 104.54 in four innings this season is the lowest among 20 batters who have opened at least twice.
When Gaikwad was itching to break free after the powerplay, Axar Patel darted one into the red-soil pitch and cramped the batter on the pull, having him splice a catch to deep midwicket for 15 off 18 balls.
Lungi Ngidi’s slower ball, which he developed during his time at CSK under Dwayne Bravo, has made a number of batters look silly in this IPL and the T20 World Cup prior to it. But when Ngidi pulled out the variation for the first time on Saturday, Samson picked it, held his shape for long enough and flayed it away past sweeper cover. When Ngidi responded with an on-pace short ball outside off, Samson opened the face of the bat and dinked it between the keeper and short third for four more.
But it wasn’t until the 11th over that he hit a six, which was also CSK’s first six on the day. When T Natarajan missed a yorker and bowled a full-toss, Samson slugged him high and far over midwicket. In all, Samson took the left-arm seamer for 33 off 13 balls. It also included the edged four that brought him his hundred in the 18th over.
This was Samson’s fourth ton in the IPL. Only Virat Kohli (8), Jos Buttler (7), Chris Gayle (6) and KL Rahul (5) have hit more hundreds than Samson in the league. DC could’ve cut Samson’s knock short on 52 had Nissanka not dropped a catch at long-off.
Mhatre raised his fifty off 27 balls, but was retired out after he managed only eight off his last nine balls. Samson and Dube then combined to push CSK past 210.
The presence of three right-handers in DC’s top three encouraged CSK to bring in left-arm fingerspinner Akeal Hosein as their Impact Player. Hosein, though, showed signs of early nerves, bowling two front-foot no-balls in the first over of the chase. One of the resultant free hits was swiped over midwicket for four by Nissanka. Hosein ended up conceding 20 runs in his two powerplay overs and didn’t return to bowl.
Nissanka also lined up left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed for a pair of fours and a six in the second over. Rahul moved to 18 off 10 balls before Khaleel stopped him in his tracks with a short ball into the pitch. Despite that, DC scored 61 in their first five overs.
At the start of the final over of the powerplay, Anshul Kamboj had Nissanka glancing the ball to Khaleel at short fine leg, but he shelled the chance. It didn’t cost CSK anything as Kamboj had Nissanka chipping it to mid-on, where Dewald Brevis, who had recovered from a side injury, held onto the catch.
Left-arm quick Gurjapneet Singh then marked his IPL debut with a first-ball wicket. He darted one short and wide, having Axar slicing it to point, where Sarfaraz Khan dived to his right and plucked the ball out of thin air.
Overton then hit a hard length and had Sameer Rizvi holing out to deep midwicket for 6 off 19 balls. Overton kept hitting a hard length and made life harder for DC’s middle order.
Stubbs then mounted a late fightback with a half-century and narrowed the equation to 32 off 12 balls. Overton, though, cranked it up to nearly 145kph and had him splicing a catch to mid-off in the penultimate over. Kamboj then finished off DC in the final over, sending a packed weekend crowd into raptures.
Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 212 for 2 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 115*, Rutraj Gaikwad 15, Ayush Mhatre 59 retired out, S hivam Dube 20*; Axar Patel 1-39) beat Delhi Capitals 189 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 41, KL Rahul 18, David Miller 17, Tristan Stubbs 60, Ashutosh Sharma 19; Khaleel Ahmed 1-40, Jamie Overton 4-18, Gurjapneet Singh 1-39, Anshul Kamboj 3-35, Noor Ahmad 1-36) by 23 runs
[Cricinfo]
-
News6 days agoLankan-origin actress Subashini found dead in India
-
News4 days agoAG: Coal procurement full of irregularities
-
News1 day agoCEB orders temporary shutdown of large rooftop solar systems
-
Business3 days agoIsraeli attack on Lebanon triggers local stock market volatility
-
Business4 days agoHayleys Mobility introduces Premium OMODA C9 PHEV
-
Business3 days agoHNB Assurance marks 25 years with strategic transformation to ‘HNB Life’
-
News6 days agoUN Regional Director launches SL’s first Country Gender Equality Profile during official visit
-
Sports4 days agoDS to face St. Anthony’s in ‘Bridges of Brotherhood’ cricket encounter
