Sports
Shami, Kohli star as India remain unbeaten
Virat Kohli’s 95, following Mohammed Shami’s 5-54 in his first World Cup 2023 game, helped India beat New Zealand by four wickets to take the top spot in the points table. A late collapse triggered by Shami kept the then table-toppers to 273 despite Daryl Mitchell’s career-best 130. Kohli’s knock built on the platform set by Rohit Sharma in the Powerplay, kept India’s chase on track despite the ebbs and flows.
Rohit’s no holds barred approach had been key to India’s success and the captain was typically on the attack early. He skipped down twice to Matt Henry, lofted Trent Boult straight down the ground and slog-swept Mitchell Santner to hammer four sixes in his 40-ball stay. However, Lockie Ferguson’s introduction spelt double trouble. The pacer struck twice in his first eight balls to dent India’s strong start by dismissing both well set openers. Rohit dragged an inside edge onto his middle-stump while Shubman Gill upper cut a short one straight to third man. Shreyas Iyer though kept ticking with a flurry of boundaries off the pacer to take India past the 100 mark, shortly after which a thick fog cover engulfed the ground, causing a 11-minute interruption.
Ferguson leaked more boundaries on the other side of the forced break – Kohli caressing one through covers and flicking another one to the legside in the same over. However, shortly after the fifty stand, Boult exploited Iyer’s shortcomings against the short-ball and sent India’s no. 4 packing on 33.
New Zealand managed to pull things back with Rachin Ravindra squeezing in some tight overs in his opening spell, but a rare overpitched slot ball was duly punished for six by Kohli. KL Rahul, who had started sedately, was just about beginning to catch up when a calculated review by New Zealand meant the partnership was broken just after the fifty milestone. Turned down on field, Santner took the LBW call against Rahul upstairs and the three reds got him his first wicket. In the very next over, a sharp diving effort from him resulted in the unfortunate run out of Suryakumar Yadav, after a mix-up with Kohli.
Kohli carried on unfazed though, joining hands with Jadeja when India needed another 83 in the last 16 overs. The allrounder got going with back-to-back boundaries off Ferguson and even survived an early LBW scare, but played an ideal second fiddle to Kohli, often helping release the pressure with a timely boundary. The duo played out Santner carefully, while chipping away with some sharp running between the wickets. With the equation down to a tense 26 off 30, Kohli caught up with a six and a four off a returning Boult to put India firmly in the driver’s seat but an untimely slog cost him a second century of the tournament. However, India were just five away and Jadeja wrapped up the formalities to help India make it five in five.
Earlier, it was Mitchell’s century no. 5 in ODIs that helped New Zealand to 273. Alongside Ravindra (75), helped the team recover from a precarious 19/2, but a late collapse of 6 for 30 had kept New Zealand to just about par score.
India’s decision to bowl first was vindicated by the pacers early. Jasprit Bumrah was on the money and the early strikes from Mohammed Siraj and Shami meant they could muster only 34/2 in the PowerPlay – the third-lowest score in that phase this World Cup. Mitchell then joined hands with Ravindra to bail New Zealand out with their 159-run partnership.
Ravindra had a fair bit of brush with DRS and lifelines, and decided to make India pay. He was yet to get off the mark when, against Bumrah’s advice, India burnt a review on a LBW call. The left-hander was adjudged caught behind on six off Shami but got out of it using a review, and then got a reprieve in the same over when his namesake dropped a knee-high regulation catch at backward point. Post a 56-ball half-century, Ravindra was given LBW but had it overturned when the replays confirmed the ball was pitching outside leg.
The spinners barely got any turn. Jadeja bowled his 10 on the trot without any break while Mitchell laid into Kuldeep Yadav by depositing two in his succeeding overs straight down the ground. He was the face of New Zealand’s counterattack in the middle-overs, raising his second half-century of the World Cup in 60 balls and going on to convert it into a run-a-ball hundred. Mitchell also got a couple of lives, with KL Rahul spilling a tough chance behind and then Bumrah dropping another sitter.
Shami eventually broke the stubborn stand, triggering the collapse around a well-set Mitchell. After three spilled chances, India finally managed to cling on to one when Ravindra lofted straight to long-on. This was followed by a 40-ball phase where the hosts didn’t concede any boundary to the power-hitters. Glenn Phillips broke the shackles with a six to welcome Siraj back at the death but his cameo ended with a top-edge off an attempted slog that Rohit pouched safely amidst three converging fielders.
Shami added three more scalps to his tally at death, perfectly executing a couple of yorkers to knock down the off-stump of Mitchell Santner and the leg-stump of Matt Henry off successive balls in the 48th over. His fifth was the prized scalp of Mitchell who holed out on the penultimate ball of their innings, while a run-out off the last capped off a dramatic collapse that cost New Zealand their first game of the tournament.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 273 all out in 50 overs (Daryl Mitchell 130, Rachin Ravindra 75; Mohammed Shami 5-54, Kuldeep Yadav 2-73) lost to India 274/6 in 48 overs (Virat Kohli 95, Rohit Sharma 46; Lockie Ferguson 2-63) by 4 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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