Sports
Wolvaardt 115*, all-round Luus set up South Africa’s thumping win over Ireland
Laura Wolvaardt’s 56-ball 115 and an all-round show from Sune Luus helped South Africa beat Ireland in thefirst Women’s T20I by 105 runs, their joint third biggest win by runs, at Newlands.
Batting at No. 3, Wolvaardt scored a 52-ball century, the fastest for South Africa and the joint sixth quickest in T20Is, and was involved in a 176-run second-wicket partnership with Luus as the hosts posted their highest T20I total of 220 for 2. Having opened the batting, Luus also took the new ball and struck twice in the first over to dismiss Amy Hunter and allrounder Orla Prendergast. That effectively derailed Ireland early from what would have been an unlikely chase..
Luus and Wolvaardt got together after South Africa opted to bat and lost Faye Tunnicliffe in the second over. They started steadily before stepping on the pedal in the last two overs of the powerplay, taking 32 including a 20-run over from Lara McBride. Wolvaardt was the aggressor and she romped past fifty in just 24 balls, beating Lizelle Lee’s mark of 26 balls for the fastest T20I half century for South Africa.
Aided by plenty of misfields from Ireland, South Africa raced past 100 in the tenth over, thanks to another 20-run over, this time from Louise Little in which Wolvaardt went 6, 4, 4, 4. South Africa’s best second-wicket stand ended when Luus, on her career-best 81, tried an ungainly reverse hit against seamer Ava Canning, Ireland’s best bowler on the day, and was bowled.
That brought Dane van Niekerk, playing her first international since September 2021, to the middle. She saw Wolvaardt complete her second T20I hundred before unleashing an array of strokes to finish 21 not out of just eight balls, a strike rate of 262.50.
Only captain Gaby Lewis and Leah Paul offered a semblance of resistance for the tourists with a 42-run partnership off 39 balls. Once both of them fell in the space of 22 balls, Ireland folded quickly, losing nine wickets to spin. Luus returned as the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 22 while both left-arm spinners Nonkululeko Mlaba and Chloe Tryon took two apiece.
Brief scores:
South Africa Women 220 for 2 in 20 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 115*, Sune Luus 81, Dane van Niekerk 21*; Jane Maguire 1-52, Ava Canning 1-33) beat Ireland Women 115 in 18 overs (Leah Paul 34, Gaby Lewis 30, Laura Delany 13, Louis Little 13; Sune Luus 4-22, Nonkululeko Mlaba 2-09, Nadine de Klerk 1-13, Chloe Tryon 2-14, Nondumiso Shangase 1-13 ) by 105 runs
[Cricinfo]
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]
BCB removes Nazmul Islam as head of finance committee
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BCB issues show cause notice to Nazmul Islam but Bangladesh players firm on boycott
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