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Stokes, bowlers keep England’s Champions Trophy qualification hopes alive
A clinical bowling performance following Ben Stokes’ maiden World Cup century gave England an emphatic 160-run win against Netherlands in Pune on Wednesday (November 8). Chasing a daunting target of 340, the Dutch never got going as they were derailed in the first Powerplay itself. Chris Woakes and David Willey bowled immaculate new-ball spells to virtually seal the deal in the first ten overs. Wesley Barresi, Scott Edwards and Teja Nidanamuru provided resistance but the task had gotten out of hand very early in the chase. Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali ensured that the end was hastened with over 12 overs left. The result ensured that England were on track for qualification to the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Facing the new ball under lights has been a task for chasing sides and the Dutch openers were at sea against the Woakes-Willey duo who probed away relentlessly and managed to extract some help off the surface. Max O’Dowd and Colin Ackermann were unable to cope with it as Netherlands slipped to 13/2 in the sixth over. The first Powerplay produced a mere 23 runs and this in the context of a run chase of 340 all but buried Netherlands’ chances of making a game out of it. Barresi and Engelbrecht did stitch a 55-run partnership to steady things but the rate of scoring was too slow and it only made the task harder for Netherlands.
On expected lines, both batters succumbed to the mounting pressure and Bas de Leede also continued his woeful form with the bat as the innings started to fall apart. The only time in the innings when it seemed like the intent and execution were on point was when Edwards and Nidanamuru got together. Their 59-run stand came off just 50 balls as they managed to put some sort of pressure on England’s bowlers. The Dutch skipper was his usual self against spin while Nidanamuru also produced some cracking strokes. However, the pressure of a big asking rate eventually undid them too, with Rashid and Moeen then slicing through the rest of the batting line-up.
Eventually, it proved to be a very comfortable win for England whose strong total was set up by a Stokes masterclass. Despite the immensely favourable batting conditions on offer, England managed to get themselves into a hole at 192/6 after Dawid Malan’s 74-ball 87 had given them the early impetus. The left-handed opener was at his classy best as he pinged the gaps with ease during the first ten overs. It set him up for a big knock even as Jonny Bairstow suffered yet another failure in the tournament. Joe Root also struggled for tempo and uncharacteristically missed a reverse ramp to be bowled. It was his dismissal that opened the floodgates for Netherlands.
The Dutch bowlers till that point were lacking in penetration and appeared to be wayward in their radar. Root’s dismissal followed by Malan’s silly run out derailed England’s momentum as the middle order collapsed yet again. Harry Brook on his comeback failed to impress while Jos Buttler’s lean patch continued. Moeen also fell without troubling the scorers much and it was all left to Stokes once again. The all-rounder found a good ally in Woakes as the pair stitched a game defining 129-run stand to turn things around. Stokes was the aggressor but he was initially defiant in his approach before going out all guns blazing in the slog overs.
Woakes also chipped in with a handy fifty as death bowling once again hurt the Dutch. A whopping 124 runs came in the last 60 balls and it meant that the chase at hand was going to be a gargantuan one.
Brief scores:
England 339/9 in 50 overs (Ben Stokes 108, Dawid Malan 87, Joe Root 28, Chris Woakes 51; Aryan Dutt 2-67, Logan va Beek 2-88, Bas de Leede 3-74) beat Netherlands 179 in 37.2 overs (Wesley Baresi 37, Sybrand Engelbrecht 33, Scott Edwards 38, Teja Nidamanuru 41; David Willey 2-19, Moeen Ali 3-42, Adil Rashid 3-54) by 160 runs
(Cricbuzz)
Salman Ali Agha said that he would have done things ‘differently”, after Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran him out in controversial circumstances in the second ODI in Dhaka.
Agha, who made 64 from 62 balls, had been backing up at the non-striker’s end when Mohammad Rizwan drove the ball back towards him. He was still out of his ground as Mehidy swooped round behind him in an attempt to gather, and Agha had appeared ready to pass the ball back to the bowler before Mehidy reached down to grab it first and throw down the stumps.
Agha reacted furiously to the dismissal, throwing his gloves and helmet down in disgust at the decision. However, he later came to the post-match press conference, ahead of captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and player of the match Maaz Sadaqat, to clear the air.
“I think sportsman spirit has to be there,” Agha said. “What he [Mehidy] has done is in the law. I think if he thinks it’s right, it’s right, but if you ask me my perspective, I would have done differently. I would have gone for sportsman spirit. We haven’t done this [type of thing] previously, we would never do that in the future as well.”
Agha explained that he had been trying to pick up the ball to give to Miraz, thinking it was likely to have been called dead. “Actually, the ball hit on my pad and then my bat,” he said. “So I thought he can’t get me run-out now, because the ball already hit on my pad and my bat.
“I was just trying to give him the ball back. I was not looking for the run or anything like that, but he already decided [to make the run-out].”
Agha however regretted his angry reaction. “It was just heat-of-the-moment kind of stuff,” he said. “If you ask me what would I have done, I would have done things differently. But it was everything, whatever happened after that, it was in the moment.”
He was also involved in a robust exchange with Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das, though he didn’t divulge many of the details.
“I can’t remember what I was saying and I can’t remember what he was saying,” he said. “I’m sure I wasn’t saying nice things, and I’m sure he wasn’t saying nice stuff as well. But it was just heat of the moment, so we are fine.
Asked if he had patched things up with Mehidy, Agha said: “I haven’t yet, but don’t worry, I’ll find him.”
Pakistan won the match by 128 runs via the DLS method.
[Cricinfo]
Latest News
US embassy in Baghdad hit by strike as Trump says military targets ‘obliterated’ on Iran’s key oil island
The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, has been hit by a missile – video shows fire and smoke rising in the aftermath.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says “every military target” on Iran’s key oil island has been “totally obliterated”, but there was no damage to oil infrastructure.
Kharg Island is a tiny but strategic terminal in the northern Gulf, 22 miles off the coast of Iran In response, Tehran warns oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that co-operate with the US will be “turned into a pile of ashes” if Iran’s energy facilities are attacked
Elsewhere in the Middle East: Israel and Iran both warn of fresh attacks, and at least 12 medical staff have been killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon
Meanwhile, more US Marines and warships are expected to be deployed to the Middle East, two officials tell BBC’s partner CBS News
[BBC]
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix that were scheduled for next month are set to be cancelled as a result of the war in the Middle East.
A formal decision to call off the races has not yet been made but is expected before the end of the weekend.
Freight would need to start being shipped to the Middle East in the coming days. With no sign of the conflict between the US/Israel and Iran coming to a conclusion, holding the races would put personnel at too great a risk.
Neither event will be replaced, with the season being cut to 22 grands prix and F1 taking a commercial hit of more than £100m, given Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay two of the highest hosting fees.
The race in Bahrain was scheduled to be on 12 April with Jeddah the following weekend.
Consideration was given to holding events at Portimao in Portugal, Imola in Italy or Istanbul Park in Turkey.
But it was accepted that the time to organise a race at any of those locations was too short, and there was little chance of securing a hosting fee.
The decision will mean there is a five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March and Miami on 3 May.
(BBC)
Agha calls for ‘sportsman spirit’ after controversial dismissal
US embassy in Baghdad hit by strike as Trump says military targets ‘obliterated’ on Iran’s key oil island
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