Sports
Rashid, Tewatia star in Gujarat Titan’s Jaipur heist
Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag’s batting efforts (68* off 38 and 76 off 48) went in vain as Rashid Khan’s all-round performance ended Rajasthan Royals’ unbeaten run in IPL 2024. Rashid cut the last ball for a boundary to backward point region to help Gujarat Titans to a three-wicket win at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Jos Buttler arrived for this game with a century in his previous outing – against RCB – but the home team didn’t have service from the openers once again as both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Buttler departed early. After almost having chopped on in the first over off Umesh Yadav, Jaiswal got going with a flurry of boundaries but his innings was cut short in the fifth over when his attempted scoop against the pacer reached the wicketkeeper’s gloves safely. In the next over, Rashid had Buttler caught at slips, edging a slash. It reduced Royals to 42 for 2.
The two in-form batters Parag and Samson yet again came to Royals’ rescue. Parag enjoyed the rub of the green early on as Wade dropped him twice – on 0 and 6. The duo survived against the spin threat of Rashid and Noor Ahmad, as RR were limited to 52/2 in 8.1 overs. That’s when Parag cut loose, sweeping Noor over the mid-wicket fence. A few balls later, Mohit Sharma’s inability to back up a throw resulted in five runs and Royals got the momentum they needed. Even though the batters were largely cautious against the spinners, they took a few chances every over and kept the scoreboard moving at a reasonable pace. In the 13th over, Parag nailed two slog sweeps off Noor and then brought up his half-century in the next over by depositing Mohit over the long on fence.
Samson, who was playing the secondary role till then, got going against Spencer Johnson by smashing two boundaries and a six in the next over. He then employed his scoops and reverse scoops – not always to the best effect – but it proved productive enough. In the 17th over, Rahul Tewatia tripped over and allowed the ball to go past him and help Samson to another half-century.
Parag departed in the penultimate over, holing out to Vijay Shankar in the deep, where the fielder took some time to take control of the catch – falling over, lobbing the ball and then taking it a few inches away from the ropes. Nonetheless, the 130-run stand in 78 balls between Samson and Parag set the platform for RR’s massive total.
Umesh Yadav’s wayward lines and lengths, coupled with some brute force of Shimron Hetmyer in the last over powered Royals to 196 for 3.
In quite a contrast to Royals, Gujarat Titans got a steady start courtesy their openers. The duo were largely conservative with their strokeplay, but pounced on the opportunities that came their way. Sai Sudharsan cut Trent Boult for a boundary when the left-arm pacer provided some width and pulled Avesh Khan for a six when he bowled a poorly directed short ball. Shubman Gill, on the other hand, was a bit more adventurous. He went down the track to Keshav Maharaj and hammered him for a six and then took toll of Avesh’s full deliveries, driving him for a couple of boundaries. By the end of the powerplay, they had reached 44 for no loss.
Yuzvendra Chahal put down an easy return catch in the eighth over, offering Sudharsan a life at 32, but the opener couldn’t take advantage of it, as he departed three runs later in the next over – trapped legbefore by Kuldeep Sen. The pacer was on fire after dismissing Sudharsan. In his next over, he cleaned up Matthew Wade and Abhinav Manohar as GT slipped from 64/0 to 79/3. Ashwin and Maharaj were hard to put away through the middle overs. Chahal was also effective, but time and again was hit for boundaries. However, the spin trio ensured that despite a strong start, Titans were left needing 85 runs in the last six overs with six wickets in hand.
Gill, who had 35 balls to bring up his fifty, cut loose against Ashwin and Chahal. Just when he was looking well set to take on the target, he was lured out of his crease with a wide delivery from Chahal that spun away from his arc, and was stumped. Shahrukh Khan hit a few lusty blows against Ashwin but was trapped legbefore by Avesh in the 18th over.
However, an erratic last over by Kuldeep flipped the momentum of the contest and left Titans needing 15 runs off the last over. There were wides, there was a no ball, there were low full-tosses put away for boundaries as Rashid and Rahul Tewatia combined to collect 20 runs. To make it worse, Royals were five minutes behind the scheduled time when the last over started – and had one fewer fielder outside the third yard circle. This, despite using three spinners to bowl half their quota of overs.
Needing 15 runs off the last over, Rashid heaved the first ball through the square leg region for a boundary. Two balls later, he got a thick outside edge past the ‘keeper for another four. Tewatia was run out off the penultimate ball while attempting a third run, which left GT needing two runs to win off the last balls. Rashid cut it past the vacant backward point region for a four.
Brief Scores:
Rajasthan Royals 196/3 in 20 overs (Riyan Parag 76, Sanju Samson 68*, Yashawi Jaiswal 24; Umesh Yadav 1-47, Rashid Khan 1/18, Mohit Sharma 1-51) lost to Gujarat Titans 199/7 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 72, Sai Sudharsan 35, Rahul Tewatia 22, Rashid Khan 24*; Avesh Khan 1-48, Kuldeep Sen 3-41, Yuzvendra Chahal 2-43) by 3 wickets
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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