Sports
Babar, Rizwan power Pakistan to a thumping win
Babar Azam’s second T20I hundred (110* off 66, 11 fours and 5 sixes) came in a record stand with Mohammad Rizwan (88* off 51, 5 fours and 4 sixes) as Pakistan prevailed in a high-scoring encounter at the National Stadium in Karachi on Thursday (September 22) in the second T20I to square the series against England. Moeen Ali’s 23-ball fifty headlined a collective batting show from England as they posted an imposing 199 for 5. But the hosts sprinted to the target, winning with three deliveries to spare thanks to the Babar-Rizwan stand, which was the first double century partnership for Pakistan who became the first team to achieve success in a 200-run chase with all wickets intact.
Pakistan got off to a good start in the chase as the openers raised a half-century stand inside the powerplay. Rizwan set the tone with two fours in the opening over off David Willey while Babar struck two fours off Curran and a boundary off Luke Wood after a slow start. Liam Dawson, coming in for Richard Gleeson, started with an economical over and should have also picked up the wicket of Rizwan but for a back-pedalling Hales to put down the catch in the sixth over. Rizwan went on to hit a six off the spinner, clearing the fence for the second time inside the first six having played a pick-up shot off Willey earlier for a maximum. By the time the powerplay ended, Babar had struck five fours while Rizwan had scored two fours apart from the sixes as Pakistan raced to 59/0.
In comparison to England at the halfway stage of the innings, Pakistan were seven ahead and had all their wickets intact. Rizwan was also reprieved by a stumping chance gone a begging as Salt failed to grab the ball when Adil Rashid went past the outside edge. Rizwan went on to bring up a 30-ball fifty – his 18th T20I half-century – while Babar, who was on 38 off 31 at that stage, got to fifty off 39 deliveries. Both batters then dealt in sixes, making most of the conditions that had improved for the batters in the second innings, as they took Pakistan to 151/0 after 15 overs, bringing down the equation to 48 off 30.
When Babar had reached his fifty in the 12th over, Rizwan had scored three more runs than the Pakistan skipper. But it was a Babar show after that as he raced past his opening partner. Babar took only 22 deliveries from 50-100, blasting four sixes and three fours in his second fifty as he became the first Pakistan player to score two centuries in T20Is. Pakistan needed 20 off the last two overs and they coasted to the target, with Babar adding two more fours to his tally, including the winning four, while Rizwan also struck a boundary.
Alex Hales powered England’s positive start while Phil Salt also managed a couple of boundaries. Barring a three-run opening over from Mohammad Hasnain – who replaced Naseem Shah – England found the fence in every other over in the powerplay. There were a couple of sixes too – with Salt just about clearing the long-off boundary in a Mohammad Nawaz over while Hales edged a Hasnain delivery over the third-man fence. Hales and Salt weren’t always in control of their shots but they managed four fours between them in a quick-fire 42-run stand. Pakistan, however, came back well in the final over of the powerplay as Hales was bowled by Shahnawaz Dahani attempting a pull while Dawid Malan was bowled around his legs. Ben Duckett ended the over with a four as England managed 48/2 in the first six overs.
On a wicket that was on the slower side, with balls keeping low, Pakistan tried to strangle the England batters with spin at both ends. But Duckett was well-equipped to handle them, bringing out the sweeps, reverse-sweep and scoop to ensure regular boundaries. Salt, at the other end, slowed down, not adding to his boundary count after the powerplay. He eventually fell to Haris Rauf, cleaned up for a 27-ball 30. Duckett extended his tally of fours to seven before becoming Nawaz’s only wicket as he deflected a sweep onto the stumps ending a fine 22-ball knock for 43 runs. Harry Brook hit a six off Dahani while Moeen took the attack to Usman Qadir, scoring a four and two sixes in the 15th as England collected 85 runs at a scoring rate of more than 9 in the middle overs.
Pakistan ended up conceding 66 runs in the last five overs. Hasnain was taken for 18 runs in the 16th over which included a four apiece for Moeen and Brook, with the latter also going inside out over extra cover for a six. Brook also top-edged a Rauf delivery over fine leg for another maximum before an attempted reverse scoop led to his downfall. Moeen struck two fours off Dahani on either side of a catch put down by Kushdil Shah in the 18th over while Sam Curran showcased some cheeky shot-making walking across to a Rauf delivery and lapping it over short fine leg for a four. Rauf, though, gave away only 30 runs off his four overs to finish as the most economical of the Pakistan bowlers but the rest weren’t as effective. Hasnain was the most expensive of the lot, conceding 51 runs – including 19 in the final over – as Moeen finished off the innings with two sixes to get to his sixth T20I fifty, which ended up in a losing cause.
Brief scores:
England 199/5 in 20 overs (Moeen Ali 55*, Ben Duckett 43; Haris Rauf 2-30) lost to Pakistan 203/0 in 19.3 overs (Babar Azam 110*, Mohammad Rizwan 88*) by 10 wickets.
(Cricbuzz)
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]
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