Sports
Three-peat for all blacks
by Rajitha Ratwatte
The third leg of the Bledisloe Cup and a game which will be counted for the rugby championship to be played between four countries from the southern hemisphere Argentina, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand kicked off in Perth, WA. A day game under hot conditions foreign to the New Zealanders. Furthermore three of the best players in the All-Black lineup Ritchie Mo’uanga, Aaron Smith, and the skipper Sam Whitelock staying at home for personal family reasons. Ardie Savea captaining the team was a proud moment for Pacifica players.
All three Barret brothers starting for the ABs alongside Brad Webber in the number nine shirt with T.J. Peranara on the bench. Damon Murphy the referee. The Kiwis chose to take the first two penalties they were awarded and went into a 6–0 lead inside the first five minutes. Beauden Barret was back in the no10 jersey, and we began to see more kicking than was customary when Mo’uanga was the incumbent. A great left-footed grubber from Baudie was picked up by Will Jordan who passed to Brad Webber who was able to send Jordie Barret off on a sixty-meter plus run to score the first ABs try under the posts. 13–0 inside 20 minutes of play.
In the 28th minute, an absolutely ridiculous red card was dished out to Jordie Barret for what was deemed to be a dangerous kick to the side of Marika Korobeit’s head when Jordie was collecting a high ball. An Oscar-winning performance from the “injured party” combined with the TMO deciding very early that it was a deliberate kick gave the on-field ref no chance to make a judgment. Jordie was off for 20 minutes as the new rule decrees. After 20 minutes another player can be brought on, but the red-carded player is done for the game. The Wallabies failed to take any advantage from the superior numbers they had on the field, and it was the ABs who scored just before halftime off a rolling maul with David Havili who had a great game joining the maul from no12 and scoring. Beauden Barret missed the kick as he did every other kick, he took in the game completing a below-par performance as a placekicker. 18–0 was the halftime score.
It was only after the sides were back at 15 each in the 48th minute, with Damian Mackenzie coming in at full-back that McDermott the Aussie scrum-half made one of his characteristic darting runs and set Fainga’a over mid-left for a seven pointer. 18–7. In the 54th minute, Akira Ioane playing at number six made the first of three fantastic runs along the touchline and Will Jordan strolled over the line mid-right to take the score to 23–7 when Barret missed again. 60 minutes into the game David Havili made an intercept off a Wallaby long pass well inside AB territory, ran the full length of the field hotly pushed by the Aussie no12 Karevi who managed an ankle tap but it was too late as the momentum generated by Havili allowed him to stagger over the line mid-left. Barret missed again and the score stood at 28-7. An impressive-looking Wallaby bench came on after the 60th minute and Nick White subbed on at number nine was promptly able to score under the posts off a good run by Pete Samu, also off the bench. 28-14 and the Aussie commentators thought they were in with a chance. The spectators were treated to some great sevens-style rugby with play going from one side of the field to the other. Akira Ioane featured again with his brother Rieko also able to use his great speed to good effect. Anton Lennert- Brown that ever so reliable midfielder benefitted and scored in the 68th minute. The kicking woes continued with Damien Mackenzie who was given the ball also missing the attempt at goal taking the score to 38–14. The irrepressible T.J. Peranara broke through but realising that he lacked the speed to cover the length of the field in front of him, kicked cross-field and George Bridge picked up and scored mid-left. Mackenzie missed again and the score read 38–14. The Wallabies were not done and some good work from Nick White in the dying moments of the game saw Tom Banks who always does a tidy job at number 15 score under the posts.
The final score read 38-21 to the New Zealanders completing the first of four matches they will be playing over the next few weeks in Australia during the rugby championship.
supersubsports@gmail.com
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
