Gary Ballance is set to play Test cricket for the first time since 2017 after being named in Zimbabwe’s squad to face West Indies in next month’s two-match series.Sean Williams will miss the Tests in Bulawayo as he recovers from a fractured finger, with Craig Ervine, playing his first Test in three years, captaining the side in Williams’ absence.Zimbabwe will also be without allrounders Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl due to franchise commitments overseas, while fast bowlers Tendai Chatara and Blessing Muzarabani are both out injured.There are a host of uncapped players in the 16-man squad, with Tafadzwa Tsiga, Joylord Gumbie, Kudzai Maunze and Tanunurwa Makoni rewarded for their domestic form in the Logan Cup.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Innocent Kaia, Bradley Evans and Tanaka Chivanga, who have all played limited-overs internationals, could be in line for Test debuts. Chamu Chibhabha has been recalled six years after his last Test appearance, while experienced allrounder Donald Tiripano has also been included.Ballance played 23 Tests for England between 2014 and 2017, scoring four hundreds and averaging 37.45. He returned to Zimbabwe, the country of his birth, after being released by Yorkshire last year and made his ODI debut against Ireland earlier this month.The series, which begins at Queens Sports Club on Saturday, will mark Zimbabwe’s return to Test cricket after an 18-month gap.Zimbabwe Test squad to play West Indies: Gary Ballance, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Tanaka Chivanga, Craig Ervine (capt), Bradley Evans, Joylord Gumbie, Innocent Kaia, Tanunurwa Makoni, Wellington Masakadza, Kudzai Maunze, Brandon Mavuta, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Milton Shumba, Donald Tiripano, Tafadzwa Tsiga
England are in the process of rebuilding their T20I team, while Bangladesh, in what isn’t their favourite format, have made a whole host of changes
Mohammad Isam08-Mar-2023
Bangladesh have played only one T20I against England in all these years, and never a bilateral series•BCB
Big picture – England favourites despite missing starsEngland will hope to keep their white-ball juggernaut rolling in the first of three T20Is against Bangladesh, to be played in Chattogram on Thursday. This is England’s first time out in their T20I strip since becoming world champions. Up against them are Bangladesh, who are pretty good in ODIs – though they just lost the series 2-1 to England – but quite a way behind in T20Is. So Bangladesh will start as the underdogs if one considers recent records and overall quality of personnel.Keeping that in mind, Bangladesh have made a lot of changes to their squad, bringing in five players including newcomer Towhid Hridoy. Shamim Hossain has come in after two years and Rony Talukdar after eight years. While Talukdar has done consistently well in domestic cricket – he was the BPL’s second-highest scorer this season – Shamim’s return was probably based on one good knock in this season’s BPL, the 51-ball 71 for Rangpur Riders against Fortune Barishal.Related
How might England line up for their World Cup defence?
Bangladesh determined to develop big-hitting skills
Bangladesh have also included fast bowler Rejaur Rahman Raja and left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam, perhaps as reward for their BPL performances. Tanvir was the top wicket-taker in the competition with 17 wickets in 12 games at an economy rate of 6.36, while Rejaur picked up 13 wickets in eight games at an economy rate of 8.41.England have a T20I squad similar to their ODI set-up, with Ben Duckett and Chris Jordan coming in to add firepower. They are, however, without Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Alex Hales and Liam Livingstone, a development that prompted Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha to call it an “experimental” squad.But he was quick to point out that he would take notes from how England rebuild their team for the upcoming T20 World Cup, to be player next year. That’s how good England are at the moment.Form guideBangladesh LLWLW England WWWWLIn the spotlightRony Talukdar has made his international comeback after eight years, when, in 2015, he played a solitary T20I against South Africa. It’s a rare occurrence in Bangladesh, where once a player is dropped, it is usually the end for him. Talukdar has scored consistently in domestic cricket, and capped it with a strong run at the BPL this season. He scored 425 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 129.17, often giving Riders fast starts.England would be hoping for Phil Salt to start the T20I series with a big score. He managed only 54 runs in the three ODIs, and that came after he had scored just 37 in two ODIs against Australia in November. His last big show in international cricket was against Pakistan, in a T20I in Lahore in September last year, when he made an unbeaten 88 in 41 balls. It’s time to get some runs.Team newsHridoy and Talukdar are likely to be in Bangladesh’s playing XI, and they are leaning towards three fast bowlers. They usually don’t use spinners at the death in T20Is.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Rony Talukdar, 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Mustafizur RahmanEngland don’t have too many players to choose from because of injuries. It is likely that Reece Topley, who is nursing a slight niggle, and Mark Wood will miss out from the first game.England (probable): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Duckett, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Jofra ArcherEngland have not played a T20I since winning the World Cup last year•Getty Images
Pitch and conditionsThe first T20I will be played on the same pitch where the third ODI was played earlier in the week. So expect a slow pitch and no real lateral movement. The weather will be dry.Stats and trivia This is the first bilateral T20I series between Bangladesh and England. They have played each other only once before in the format, at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, where England won by eight wickets. Bangladesh have played 106 T20Is since Talukdar’s solitary appearance in 2015. If he plays on Thursday, he will have the longest gap between T20I appearances, beating Adil Rashid’s 92 missed matches between 2009 and 2015. If picked, Rehan Ahmed will become England’s youngest men’s player in T20Is as well. He has already set the same record in Tests and ODIs. The previous youngest for England in T20Is was Stuart Broad at 20 years and 65 days.Quotes”[England] have a very settled 50-over team. They are experimenting with the T20 team. I don’t think the team that won the 2022 World Cup will play in 2024 World Cup. That’s why they are trying new players. They are systematically building the team towards that. We can keep an eye on how they do it, as well.” “It’s a great opportunity for us to hopefully lay down a marker again as world champions. We haven’t played a series since we won that World Cup so it’s a challenge for us in these conditions but it’s exciting to play here against obviously a very good Bangladesh side.”
Carlo Ancelotti will reportedly keep his Brazil job despite the court's orders to dismiss CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues.
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Rodrigues has had to vacate his post
Fernando Sarney is the interim president
Ancelotti still expected to take over
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The abrupt removal of Rodrigues, the architect of Ancelotti’s appointment, sparked concern about whether the Italian would still take charge of the national team. However, assurances have since been made that Brazil's project with the Real Madrid boss is moving forward as planned.
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According to Fernando Sarney, who has assumed the role of interim president at the CBF following Rodrigues’ dismissal, reached out personally to Ancelotti to affirm the federation’s commitment. Figures from both ends of the CBF's internal political spectrum, as well as individuals within government circles, continue to back his appointment.
WHAT SARNEY SAID
Sarney told reporters: “This isn't my decision, but I'm not going to change it now. Leave it as it is. People liked it, public opinion approved it, there's no reason to change it."
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Even before officially assuming the role, Ancelotti has built rapport with many members of the Brazilian squad. His connection with Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, who are considered future leaders of the national team, has added weight to his candidacy. Furthermore, it has been reported that veterans such as Neymar and Casemiro have also got in touch with the Italian in recent days, signalling strong support from the dressing room.
This will be her first captaincy stint in an overseas T20 league, with India allrounder Sneh Rana her deputy
ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2023Australia batter Beth Mooney has been named captain of Gujarat Giants for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL). Mooney, who scored a match-winning 74 not out in Australia’s sixth Women’s T20 World Cup triumph, will reunite with former team-mate Rachael Haynes, Giants’ head coach. India allrounder Sneh Rana has been named the vice-captain.”I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead the Adani Gujarat Giants in the historic Women’s Premier League’s inaugural edition in 2023,” Mooney said in a statement. “The squad is keen to get the ball rolling soon and put out an entertaining and effective brand of cricket in the debut season of the WPL. It will be fantastic to have the likes of Sneh as my deputy and Mithali Raj, Rachael Haynes and Nooshin Al Khadeer as pivotal parts of the team.”Related
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Mooney was part of Australia’s T20 World Cup winning teams in 2018 and 2020 – she was the Player of the Tournament three years ago – before also lifting the trophy in 2023, apart from winning the ODI World Cup in 2022 and the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games last year. She has also won the Women’s Big Bash League thrice and is the only Australia batter with two T20I hundreds.This will be Mooney’s first experience at leading a side in an overseas T20 league. In the women’s Hundred last year, she was the highest run-scorer for London Spirit. She has only led in a few games at the Women’s Big Bash League, having played for Brisbane Heat, which has been largely led by Kirby Short, and Perth Scorchers, captained by Sophie Devine.Meanwhile, Rana had made a comeback to the Indian side in 2021 and played the semi-final of the T20 World Cup this year, where India narrowly lost to Australia. She represented Velocity in the Women’s T20 Challenge, and has played 25 T20Is, 22 ODIs and a Test for India.Giants had selected Mooney for INR 2 crore (USD 244,000 approx) and Rana for INR 75 lakh (USD 91,000 approx). Giants will kickoff the WPL against Mumbai Indians on Saturday at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Mason Greenwood should aim to become one of the best players in the world at Marseille as director of football Medhi Benatia praised the Englishman.
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Greenwood was Ligue 1's joint-top scorerMarseille eager to keep English attackerBenatia believes he can be world's bestFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Greenwood enjoyed an impressive first season at Marseille since joining from Manchester United last summer, scoring 21 goals to end as the joint-top scorer in Ligue 1 alongside Paris Saint-Germain sensation Ousmane Dembele.
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Greenwood's goal record has sparked suggestions he could leave the French side, though president Pablo Longoria insists the forward is happy at Marseille. While Benatia feels the club could be forced into selling him should they receive an offer worth around €100 million, but says they have no desire to part ways with such a prolific forward.
WHAT BENATIA SAID
"Today, apart from PSG, in France, with everything that's happening with TV rights, etc., no club can say that a player is untransferable," he said on . "If tomorrow a club comes and puts 100 million on Mason Greenwood, what do we do?
"There is no desire to part with a player who has had a season like that. He's a player who finished as the best player in the league. If you take Ousmane Dembele , who for me is a top player with an incredible season, who perhaps deserves the Ballon d'Or, he scored the same number of goals as him. And mine, he's not even in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year. You'd think he played in another league."
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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR GREENWOOD?
Greenwood helped fire Marseille to a second-place finish in Ligue 1 this season and will be looking to make an impact again next season should he stay at the Stade Velodrome.
It seems Benatia has no doubt about his ability to do so, adding: "Every moment he touches the ball, he can make a difference. He's a top player, and I think that with this coach, it's up to us to take him to the next level and make him one of the best in the world. I think he has the potential to do so."
Eddie Byrom makes 81 as Marchant de Lange impresses on return to former club
ECB Reporters Network07-Apr-2023
Kiran Carlson pulls through the leg side•Getty Images
Glamorgan continued to dominate their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Gloucestershire, finishing the day on 388 for eight to give them a commanding lead of 223.The innings was built around hundreds from Kiran Carlson and Billy Root as the Glamorgan middle order took the game away from the visitors.A well made 81 for Eddie Byrom set the foundation for what came after as Glamorgan’s batting line-up made a very decent start to the season on a pitch where you had to fight to get yourself set.The standout performer for Gloucestershire was Marchant de Lange who claimed figures of three for 72 on his return to his old club.The day started with nightwatchman Timm van der Gugten still at the crease and he didn’t last long, spooning a catch to Graeme van Buuren off the bowling of left arm spinner Zafar Gohar who had been given the new ball from the Cathedral Road end.When David Lloyd was bowled by Tom Price and de Lange cleaned up Sam Northeast, Glamorgan were 35 for three and Gloucestershire looked to be clawing their way back into the match. Carlson and Byrom had other ideas, as they shared a stand of 160 that took Glamorgan into the lead.Byrom was watchful at first before looking to attack once well set, but Carlson was a bundle of energy from the moment he reached the crease, his first scoring shots were back-to-back boundaries off Ajeet Singh Dale.Carlson had some luck on 39, Zafar putting down a very difficult chance that was high and spiralling while running away from the ball. Carlson was also dropped on 77 when Ollie Price didn’t hold on to a much easier chance at slip. It was a catch that Ollie Price did take that broke the stand between Byrom and Carlson. Byrom had a dash at a ball outside off stump from de Lange and Price took a great grab at a very short gully.The departure of Byrom didn’t slow Carlson down, he reached his first hundred since July 2021 from 128 balls. A return to form for Carlson will be very welcome for Glamorgan after the 24-year-old had a disappointing season in 2022.Carlson’s wicket came when he was trapped lbw by Ollie Price to leave Glamorgan 253 for five, pushing towards a three-figure lead.With Colin Ingram dropping down the order due to a neck spasm there was pressure on Root and Chris Cooke to make the most of the strong foundation that had been laid for them, and their stand of 69 took Glamorgan past 300 to claim their second batting point.With Cooke gone it was left to Root to steady the batting efforts, and other than when he was also the beneficiary of some good fortune when another dropped chance in the slips from Price on 76 his innings was without real drama and contained some very classy shots.Ingram came into bat at nine but didn’t see out the day, edging a ball from de Lange with Ollie Price this time hanging on to a very good catch.Root reached his hundred just before the end of play as he finished the day undefeated on 104, reaching his century with a cover drive for four as Glamorgan claimed complete control of this match.
Mumbai Indians are in cruise control with three wins in three games, each one of them superbly dominant. This game, therefore, could be the perfect opportunity to bring some of their other overseas players, like Chloe Tryon, into the mix, to give them game time when the sailing is smooth. They might also be better off playing a specialist bowler in place of Amanjot Kaur, who hasn’t been needed with either bat or ball so far.But next in their way are UP Warriorz. Warriorz have empowered their young Indian talents: Kiran Navgire, Shweta Sehrawat, Devika Vaidya, Simran Shaikh to name a few. In Alyssa Healy, they have a captain who has already delivered outstanding returns on investment with her strong leadership style and bruising batting up front.They have undone some of their net run-rate issues by beating Royals Challengers Bangalore with seven overs in hand, and a win over Mumbai will bring them level on points with Mumbai and Delhi Capitals, which will make the fight for the playoffs all the more engaging.
Players to watch
Saika Ishaque is 27 but has toiled in domestic cricket without much reward or recognition for years. But here, she’s hardly shown nerves and has displayed confidence in her abilities, which has helped her surge to the top of the wicket-takers’ chart with her left-arm spin. Batters have failed to pick her lengths, the clever deceptions in the air, and fizz off the pitch. She has shown the ability to also bowl across phases in a T20 innings. It makes you wonder if she might leapfrog the incumbents in the national team.Devika Vaidya‘s batting wasn’t utilised to full potential until the previous game, when Warriorz found out that she could be the perfect foil to the destructive Healy. Vaidya can lend the calmness they lacked in the first two games, when their youngsters struggled to adjust to the pace and bounce of the DY Patil surface. Vaidya has had a second wind of sorts in her career, having made a comeback after three years, and would want to make a big impact.6:22
“They’re making my job easier. Whoever comes in is eager to bowl. When you have so many options, your job is so easy.” “I think trust is the most important thing in building a successful environment. Over here at the UP Warriorz, I think we have finally got that trust and I am here trying to do the best for the franchise and the Indian players as well.”
Veteran seamer knows he is not guaranteed a recall for what could be final home Test outing
ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2023
James Anderson claimed only three wickets across the first two Tests of the series•PA Photos/Getty Images
James Anderson has admitted there is no guarantee that he will play in next week’s crucial fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford, even though it may be his final opportunity to play in front of his Lancashire home crowd and bowl from the end named in his honour.Anderson, who turns 41 at the end of the month, was left out of England’s thrilling three-wicket win in the third Test at Headingley last week, after struggling to make an impact during each of Australia’s two victories on flat pitches at Edgbaston and Lord’s in the first two Tests of the series.He managed three wickets at 75.33 across those two matches, but admitted after the first that the Edgbaston pitch had been like “kryptonite” to his swing-bowling methods.Nevertheless, with Ollie Robinson suffering a back spasm during the Headingley Test – and with England having named an unchanged 14-man squad for Old Trafford, in which the only alternative seamer is the relatively untested Josh Tongue, there is a clear case for Anderson’s return on home soil.Irrespective of his displays in the series so far, Anderson has been a key weapon for Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum since they took over as England’s captain and coach, claiming 48 wickets at 21.22 in 12 appearances since the start of the 2022 summer.In ten Tests at Old Trafford – where the pavilion end of the ground has been called the “James Anderson End” since 2017 – he has taken 37 wickets at 22.02, including six key scalps in England’s series-levelling win against South Africa last summer.Related
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“This is an Ashes series and there is absolutely no chance nostalgia will come into selection for the next Test,” Anderson wrote in his column in the Telegraph.”Letting Jimmy Anderson bowl at the Jimmy Anderson End because it is a nice story will not be a thought in the heads of Ben Stokes or Brendon McCullum. They will pick the strongest team to compete with Australia that particular week. I am completely happy with whatever they decide.”I know I am not guaranteed to play the next Test and I will completely understand if they want to stick with the winning team. The selection side is out of my hands. I just make sure that I am in a good place and ready to play.”Anderson has claimed 688 wickets at 26.21 in his 181-match career, of which a remarkable 208 at 21.61 have come since he turned 35, the sort of age at which most fast bowlers are contemplating retirement. And while even Anderson acknowledges that the end of his career cannot be put off indefinitely, he’s putting all such thought to the back of his mind while the Ashes are at stake.”When you are at my stage of your career you never know when your last game at a certain ground is going to be,” he wrote. “This could be my last Test at Old Trafford if I do play, who knows? I am not thinking about that.”All I want to do is try to be involved with this team again and make an impact on the field and contribute towards an England win that would level the series. I will take the nostalgia element out of it and just focus on the cricket and having a good time on the field. I feel good mentally and physically better after the break.”Despite his overall career figures, Anderson’s record against Australia – 115 wickets at 34.85 – remains one that he is keen to improve upon, especially seeing as he was last involved in an Ashes Test win back in 2015. To that end, he intends to keep working on his game while the rest of the squad takes a break between matches, to ensure he is ready to hit the ground running if called upon at Old Trafford.”Looking back on the first two games of the series, I was too serious and too intense,” Anderson wrote. “If I do get the nod at Old Trafford I am going to go out with a smile on my face.”The series is now alive and it has been amazing to be a part of it and I would love to get a chance to contribute again. It is something I have done for a number of years – turn up when the team need me and put in a performance that can impact a game.”
Shubman Gill’s majestic 129 off 60 balls powered Gujarat Titans into the final of IPL 2023 with a 62-run win over Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad. Titans will face Chennai Super Kings at this very ground on Sunday in a bid to defend their title.Earlier, rain delayed the match by 30 minutes. With the weather around, Rohit Sharma opted to chase after winning the toss. Titans didn’t have a great start, but Gill’s knock lifted them to a mammoth 233 for 3. This was Gill’s third hundred in four matches; only Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler (four each) have scored more in a single edition of the IPL. The knock took Gill’s run tally to 851. Once again, only Kohli (973 in 2016) and Buttler (863 in 2022) have had more productive seasons.No team had chased down this many in the IPL. And then Mumbai lost two early wickets. But they didn’t go down without a fight. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma took them to 72 in six overs before Rashid Khan castled the latter. From there on, Suryakumar kept them in the contest almost singlehandedly with his 61 off 38. But Mohit Sharma uprooted his leg stump when the batter missed a scoop. In the next over, Rashid trapped Tim David lbw to end Mumbai’s hopes.Mohit, who hadn’t bowled till the 14th over, used his slower balls to good effect and finished with figures of 2.2-0-10-5.Shubman Gill earned praise from everybody, including the opposition captain Rohit Sharma•BCCI
Unstoppable Gill
Despite scoring at least one four in every over from the second to fifth, Titans reached only 38 for no loss after five. Gill then latched onto Chris Jordan in the last over of the powerplay. The second legal delivery of the over was too short and sat up on this sticky pitch. Gill waited for it and pulled it with disdain over deep square leg. The next one was slightly short outside off. Gill once again showed no mercy and cut it ferociously to the cover boundary.Luck too was on Gill’s side. In the same Jordan over, he punched one uppishly to the right of mid-on where Tim David dived, got both hands to the ball but couldn’t hold on to it. He was on 30 at that point.Titans finished the powerplay on 50 for no loss but Wriddhiman Saha was struggling for timing. In the fourth over of the innings, Akash Madhwal had hit him on the helmet with a skiddy bouncer, and soon after Piyush Chawla had him stumped with a leg-side wide. It was the sixth time in 16 innings this season that Chawla struck in his first over of the match.Gill brought up his fifty off 32 balls. And then he cut loose. In a space of nine balls, he hit five sixes and a four off Madhwal and Chawla. He didn’t slow down even in the 90s; his second fifty took just 17 balls. Immediately after reaching his hundred, he smashed Cameron Green for 6, 4 and 6. By the time Gill holed out to deep midwicket, off Madhwal, Titans had reached 192 in the 17th over.
Titans retire out Sudharsan
All this happened while Sai Sudharsan was playing second fiddle to Gill. But with nine wickets in hand, Titans needed both batters to attack. The 18th and 19th overs combined went for just 16, after which Titans retired out Sudharsan who scored 43 off 31. Rashid replaced him in the middle and hit his first ball for four. Hardik Pandya then applied the finishing touch, hitting the last two balls of the innings for four and six.Suryakumar Yadav lost his leg stump to Mohit Sharma•BCCI
Shami strikes twice in powerplay
Coming into this game, Mohammed Shami had represented Titans three times against Mumbai. On all three occasions, he went wicketless. Tonight, though, he struck twice inside the powerplay to put Mumbai on the back foot. Nehal Wadhera, who came in as Impact Player for Madhwal, was caught behind in the first over of the chase, and Rohit top-edged a pull in the third.In between those two dismissals, Hardik hit Green on the left forearm with a short ball, forcing the batter to retire hurt. During the first innings, Ishan Kishan had walked off the field after Jordan’s elbow hit him in the eye when the two were crossing each other. So when Rohit departed, leaving Mumbai 21 for 2, it felt like they were effectively 21 for 4. But Green came out to resume his innings later, and Kishan’s injury had seemingly resulted in a concussion, so Mumbai replaced him with Vishnu Vinod.
Rashid, Mohit trump mighty Mumbai
Varma started by hitting two sixes in his first four balls, and then smashed Shami for four fours and a six in a 24-run over. He had moved to 43 off just 13 with 100% control over his shots. Hardik turned to Rashid in an attempt to put the brakes on the scoring rate. The spinner duly obliged his captain by bowling Varma when the batter tried to sweep him.At the fall of Varma’s wicket, Green came out once again, and was looking dangerous. He and Suryakumar added 52 in 5.2 overs before Josh Little pinged his leg stump with a delivery that seamed in from good length.Suryakumar, though, was still battling in the middle. He reached his fifty, off 33 balls, with a scoop-pull over the wicketkeeper’s head. He brought down the equation to 79 needed from 34 balls before Mohit sent him packing. Two balls later, the seamer had Vinod caught at extra cover.David was Mumbai’s last hope. Hardik, as always, had saved Rashid’s one over and brought him on in the 16th. With his third ball, Rashid trapped David lbw. The batter reviewed the decision but he couldn’t have been more out. From the other end, Mohit cleaned up the tail to pick up his maiden five-for in T20 cricket.
Farooqi took a three-wicket haul to damage Ireland’s chase
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2024
Rahmanullah Gurbaz led the way for Afghanistan•ACB
Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 121 off 117 balls beat Harry Tector’s 138 off 147 balls as Afghanistan sealed their fifth successive win against Ireland in ODI cricket, in Sharjah.Gurbaz scored his sixth ODI hundred – the joint most by an Afghanistan player – to set Afghanistan up for a tall total. He had added 150 for the opening stand with Ibrahim Zadran, who had contributed 60.Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (50*) also made a half-century to give his team some late impetus. Gurbaz hit eight fours and six sixes before he was bowled by Theo van Woerkom in the 39th over. Gurbaz had been particularly severe on both van Woerkom and George Dockrell, taking the left-arm spinners for 54 off 35 balls.Rahmat Shah then then fell soon after to Craig Young, but Afghanistan managed to breach 300, for just the ninth time in ODIs.Left-arm quick Fazalhaq Farooqi then produced a double-strike to get rid of Andy Balbirnie and Curtis Campher. Captain Paul Stirling had also departed early to leave Ireland three down in the powerplay.Tector and wicketkeeper-batter Lorcan Tucker then steadied the innings and lifted Ireland with a 173-run partnership for the fourth wicket. While Tector hit his fifth ODI hundred, Tucker was stopped on 85 by Farooqi in the 39th over of the chase. That dismissal sparked another collapse as Ireland lost 4 for 42.Tector then fell in the final over as Afghanistan wrapped up a 35-run victory to go 1-0 up in the three-match ODI series.