All posts by n8rngtd.top

Despite strong spells from Warrican and Mujeeb, fielding lapses cost Royals in a tight finish

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2025Karima Gore continued his superb form in CPL 2025, scoring his second consecutive half-century to guide Antigua and Barbuda Falcons to a commanding six-wicket victory over Barbados Royals on Saturday. Chasing 152, Falcons rode on Gore’s unbeaten 64 to claim their first points of the tournament in front of a home crowd.After a disappointing loss against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in their season opener – despite Gore’s 61 – Falcons bounced back with a disciplined all-round performance. Winning the toss and opting to field, the Falcons bowlers kept Royals in check for most of the innings. Quinton de Kock provided a brisk start with a fluent 57, and captain Rovman Powell added a late flourish with a powerful unbeaten 51 off just 24 balls to take Royals to 151 for 6. Jayden Seales was the pick of the bowlers for Falcons, returning 2 for 15 in an economical spell.In response, Falcons lost a couple of early wickets, but Gore held the innings together. Batting at No. 3, he anchored the chase, rotating strike effectively and finding the boundary when needed. He scored 39 off his first 41 balls, and by the end of the 16th over, Falcons still needed 45 off 24. Gore then accelerated, smashing 19 runs off his next six deliveries – including two consecutive sixes off Eathan Bosch in the 18th over – to ease the pressure. Eventually, it came down to six off the final over, and Gore sealed the chase with two balls to spare.Royals will be left ruing their missed opportunities in the field. Several dropped catches and missed run-out chances allowed Falcons and Gore to flourish. The fielding lapses not only released pressure but also gave Gore at least two reprieves, which he capitalised on to steer the game in Falcons’ favour.Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican and offspinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman conceded just 43 runs from their eight overs combined and picked up a wicket each, but it wasn’t enough to contain Falcons.

ECB Reporters Network10-Sep-2024Warwickshire captain Alex Davies became the first player to score 1,000 runs in Division One of the Vitality County Championship this summer on a severely truncated second day against local rivals Worcestershire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.The 30-year-old began his innings needing a further 34 and turned Logan van Beek square of the wicket for a boundary to reach the milestone during the morning session.Surrey batter Rory Burns started the day as Davies’ nearest challenger but he was dismissed for 21 against Somerset with his total on 974.It was the second time Davies had completed 1,000 runs in a campaign after, in 2017, becoming the first Lancashire wicket-keeper to achieve the feat.He moved to Warwickshire for the 2022 season and the first two years at Edgbaston produced first class returns of 649 at 28.21 and 437 at 25.70.This summer he has struck four centuries and averages 56.88.He eventually fell to Ethan Brookes who delivered an impressive nine-over spell which yielded two wickets before bad light and rain ended play for the day at 2.15pm after 37 overs were possible.Those spectators who waited until the play was officially called off were entertained via the club PA to a series of weather anthems including ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’ and ‘It’s Raining Men.’Warwickshire needed only four overs to polish off the Worcestershire first innings but not before the home side had secured a second batting point.Jack Home, who was making his Championship debut, pulled Chris Rushworth for successive boundaries to bring up the 300.But then Rushworth struck twice in the space of three balls.He ended a stand of 65 between Tom Taylor and Home by trapping the latter lbw for 29 and then knocked out the off stump of on loan Surrey spinner Amar Virdi.It left Taylor unbeaten on 36 from 49 balls.Taylor then took the new ball but only five balls were possible before bad light stopped play with Warwickshire 6-0.When play resumed after a short delay, Taylor made the first breakthrough when Rob Yates tried to work the ball on the leg side and was caught off a leading edge at mid on by Virdi.Taylor bowled an excellent opening spell and constantly beat the bat.Davies went to his four-figure milestone in spectacular fashion against Logan van Beek during his first over.He twice hit the New Zealander for sixes backward of square and then a square drive to the boundary took him past 1,000 in an over costing 16 runs.Davies completed a 59-ball half-century with three sixes and six fours as Warwickshire reached 76 for 1 off 20 overs by lunch.But former Warwickshire all-rounder Ethan Brookes struck with the first delivery after the resumption when Will Rhodes aimed to work to leg and inside edged through to keeper Gareth Roderick moving away to his right.There was more joy for Brookes with the prized scalp of Davies (58) who went for a drive but took his one hand off the bat and inside-edged onto his stumps at 91 for 3.Van Beek switched ends and claimed his first scalp when Sam Hain (11) tried to turn a delivery on the on-side and was bowled shortly before the players left the field for the final time.

Healy wants Australia to “throw the first punch” and “take the first two points” going into the Ashes

Valkerie Baynes11-Jan-2025England are wary of a “scarred” Australia team determined to overcome the empty celebration of a drawn Ashes series in 2023 and win this edition outright.Heather Knight, England’s captain, led her side back from six points down at home last year to level the contest at eight points each by winning both white-ball legs. And while that fightback provides this year’s tourists with confidence, Knight believes it will also spur on Australia, who have held the trophy since 2015.”They’re going to be really tough for us to beat out here in one-day cricket but we’re really confident with where we’re at,” Knight told reporters at North Sydney Oval on the eve of the first ODI at the same venue. “We’ve had some brilliant wins over the last year and that 2023 series will give us a lot of confidence.Related

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“We know that the Aussies were probably a bit scarred by that and they’re going to come out really hard, and we’ve got to be prepared for that and have our plans ready to face that, and to try and counteract that ourselves.”Knight’s language echoed that of England spinner Charlie Dean, who 24 hours earlier said her team “don’t have as many scars” from previous Ashes defeats. Last year’s draw marked a significant turnaround for England from back-to-back wins for Australia, both by 12 points to four.Australia captain Alyssa Healy wrinkled her nose and smiled when told of Knight’s comments and subsequently asked about the importance of building momentum early off the back of five straight ODI victories heading into the Ashes, which starts with three ODIs followed by three T20Is and a four-day Test.”I think you want to throw the first punch,” Healy said. “You want to get out there and take the first two points, that’s how it goes, and then you can hopefully settle in from there. But I don’t feel like we’ve played one another very often of late, outside of World Cup warm-up games and whatnot.Alyssa Healy: ‘A draw is not a great feeling for both sides’•Getty Images

“So the opportunity to get out there and sort of feel each other out is an interesting concept. But at the same time, I think we know what we’re going to bring in the one-day format, and, hopefully, we just focus on ourselves tomorrow and go out there and do that.”Getting off to a fast start won’t be Australia’s sole objective, with Healy also reflecting that they had put so much emphasis on winning the Test which kicked off the 2023 series that they ended up being overtaken by England.”It was just the way that it petered out at the end,” Healy said. “We put a lot of work into that Test match. We hadn’t played with the Dukes ball before, and there was a lot of focus on that and we got that job done. And then we assumed that at the white-ball game, you know, we’d be okay.”But England threw a few things at us that we hadn’t seen before, and probably took the game on a little bit more and put us on the back foot, which we’re well prepared for now, from a lot of teams right around the world. So we benefited from that experience. But I think leaving England the girls were like, ‘we don’t want that to happen again’. A draw is not a great feeling for both sides, and probably for them as well for us to keep the trophy in that regard. So we’ll hopefully get the job done outright this time.”Knight felt similar motivation to put this year’s result beyond doubt after 2023.”I have positive memories of it but also tainted with regret and frustration that we weren’t able to do something really special and win it outright,” Knight said. “I don’t think we’ve got a mental edge. They’re an extremely good side that we’re going to have to be at the top of our game to try and beat. They’ll certainly go in as favourites and our job will be, as it was in 2023, to go in and try and disrupt, and try and do things a little bit differently, to try and break that success and run that they’ve had.”Healy, who has been cleared to return to wicketkeeping duties after a knee injury kept her out of the home series against India and restricted her to a batting role on the tour of New Zealand last month, said she felt less nervous heading into this Ashes series as captain.Previously, she was thrust into the role when Meg Lanning withdrew shortly before Australia’s departure for England on medical grounds. Lanning never played for Australia again and later revealed the mental and physical health battles that led to her announcing her international retirement in November 2023.”I won’t lie, I think last one, it was kind of last minute,” Healy said. “There was a lot of uncertainty around what was going to unfold, but at the back of my mind, I was still prepared to lead if need be. In this instance, I feel a bit more comfortable in the role and I’ve probably managed to put my own stamp on the group a little bit more so in that sense, it feels a bit more comfortable. Being at home as well. But in saying that I know that, in particular, we’re going to be put under the pump a lot this this series, and, just hopefully, back myself to get that job done.”

Crawley makes fluent 41 as rain forces early close at Old Trafford

ECB Reporters Network03-May-2024Kent 203 for 7 (Evison 50* Crawley 41, Balderson 3-62) vs LancashireKent’s Joey Evison made his third fifty of the season but could not prevent Lancashire having the best of the first day of their Vitality County Championship match against Kent at Emirates Old Trafford.Evison was helped by Grant Stewart, with whom he put on 69 for the seventh wicket, a stand in which both batsmen took the attack to Lancashire’s Test spinners, Nathan Lyon and Tom Hartley, on a cloudy afternoon in Manchester.The pair came together with their side poorly placed on 129 for six after George Balderson had taken three prime wickets in 28 balls, but their calculated aggression had enabled the visitors to reach 203 for seven, with Evison unbeaten on 50, when rain arrived five overs into the evening session and prevented any chance of a resumption.But Evison and Lyon’s aggression was in sharp contrast to the watchful opening 75 minutes of the day, in which 45 runs were scored in 17 overs. However, Kent then lost three wickets in four overs. Ben Compton was the first to go when he pushed forward to a delivery from Balderson and was caught by wicketkeeper Matty Hurst for 13.Zak Crawley then stroked a trio of fine fours off successive balls from Balderson but was dismissed for 41 in the next over when his flat-footed cover drive to Will Williams merely nicked another catch to Hurst. And Lancashire’s best period of the morning was completed a few minutes later when Balderson nipped one away from Daniel Bell-Drummond and the Kent skipper was caught by George Bell at third slip for three.But the session also ended well for the home side when Jack Leaning was bowled for four when a ball from Balderson snaked inside his loose off drive and knocked back the leg stump. That meant Kent had lost four wickets for 27 runs and it left the home side poorly placed on 76 for four at lunch.Matters got no better for Kent on the resumption when Harry Finch was pinned on the crease by Williams for three to leave the visitors on 83 for five. However, Evison showed no sign of being overawed and put on 46 with Joe Denly, who then tried to take on Jennings, the long-on fielder, and was caught by the Lancashire skipper off Lyon for 18.By mid-afternoon Lyon was bowling in tandem with Hartley, a tactic to which Evison and Stewart responded with selective attack rather than dull quiescence. Stewart showed a particular keenness to swat Lyon through the off side whenever the Australian pitched short and brought up the pair’s fifty partnership when he thumped Hartley over long-on for six.Only six balls could be bowled after tea before a brief interruption for rain and shortly after the players returned, Evison reached his fifty off 117 balls with a single off Lyon. But joy in the away dressing-room was short-lived as Stewart was caught by Luke Wells off the very next delivery when he pushed forward with uncharacteristic caution and nicked a simple catch to slip.Balderson ended the day with three for 62 and Lyon took two for 42, while Williams, who took two for 28 from 15 overs, needs just one more to bring up his 200 in first-class cricket.

For India, there are key WTC points they can’t afford to lose, not with their reign at the top shaky and a tour of Australia coming up

Ashish Pant31-Oct-20245:50

Latham: ‘India not a bad team overnight’

Big picture: Pride (for India) and WTC points at stake

A 2-0 series scoreline heading into the final Test is what most followers of the game would have predicted when this three-match India vs New Zealand series began 15 days back. But barely anyone would have predicted that “2” would not be against India’s name.It has taken a series of firsts for New Zealand to find themselves in the position they are in. And now as they head to Mumbai with the series in the bag, they have the chance to do the unthinkable – inflict a series sweep over India in India. Only once have India been swept in a series of more than one Test at home – against South Africa in 1999-2000 – and never in a series of more than two Tests. Can India save themselves the blushes?Related

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While there is pride at stake for the home team, there are also crucial WTC points up for grabs for both sides. India are still leading the WTC points table but that lead has been cut short big time with these two defeats. Another loss here and they will have plenty of catching up to do in Australia.For New Zealand, getting to the WTC final seemed far-fetched when this series started but these two wins have brought them right back into contention. A win in Mumbai and then in the three-match series at home against England will keep them in the mix for another WTC final.It’s taken a lot of grit, determination and long spells of brilliant cricket for New Zealand to be able to dictate terms. They cleaned up India for 46 in Bengaluru and then stuck it out in the second innings when Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan were hitting them around. The naysayers would say the conditions in Bengaluru were more suited to New Zealand than to India. So they went to Pune and beat India in conditions that were completely different.Rarely has an overseas spinner outbowled his Indian counterparts in India. But Mitchell Santner understood the assignment from the get-go and India had no answers to his guile and dip. They also have Ajaz Patel, who is at the scene of his epic ten-wicket haul from 2021.For India, it’s more about how to bounce back from these shock defeats and get a win under their belt ahead of the Australia tour. On paper, this is a dead rubber. In reality, it’s anything but.

Form guide

India LLWWW
New Zealand WWLLL3:41

Gambhir: ‘The more T20 is played, the less people will defend’

In the spotlight – Virat Kohli and Mitchell Santner

Virat Kohli has a problem, it’s called spin, and it’s grown in the last few years, particularly in Asia. Since the start of 2022, Kohli has played 19 Tests in which he has scored four fifties and two centuries. Of those, 12 have been in Asia, where he’s managed just one fifty and a hundred. What’s stood out in those is his fallibility against spin.In 19 innings in Asia since January 2022, he’s fallen to spin 16 times, averaging 29.31. The corresponding number against pace is three dismissals while averaging 47.00. For someone who has that old-school long stretch forward against spinners, he has often been dismissed playing from the crease. He’s fallen to spin three out of the four innings in this series, to Glenn Phillips in Bengaluru and twice to Santner in Pune. On a Mumbai surface that is bound to turn, Kohli might need to do a bit extra to get his spin numbers on point.It will be Mitchell Santner who will once again be tasked with not allowing Kohli and the others to get away. For someone whose Instagram bio reads “part time New Zealand cricketer, full time golfer”, it was an incredible effort to come in and pick up 13 wickets in Pune, the same number he had managed in the five Tests he had played prior stretching to June 2021. He had tweaked his side in Pune, but seems to have recovered fine. He batted and bowled in the nets two days before the Mumbai Test and will hope to have a similar impact to what he did in Pune.

Team news: Bumrah to be rested? What about Southee?

While the series already lost, there are chances India might give Jasprit Bumrah a rest before the five-match series against Australia starting next month. With practice being mandatory, everyone did everything they could at the nets the day before the Test, except Bumrah, who did not bowl. Gautam Gambhir said that Bumrah is fit and available. But with a long tour ahead, India might look to give their premier quick a break like they did earlier in the year against England in Ranchi. Will they replace him with a spinner in Kuldeep Yadav or a fast bowler in Mohammed Siraj remains to be seen. The batting unit should remain unchanged with Sarfaraz Khan holding on to his spot.India (probable XI): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Sarfaraz Khan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Washington Sundar, 10 Jasprit Bumrah/Kuldeep Yadav/Mohammed Siraj, 11 Akash DeepMatt Henry looks set to come into New Zealand’s XI instead of Tim Southee•AFP/Getty Images

Matt Henry looks set to return to the New Zealand XI after missing out from the Pune Test because of a glute niggle. He bowled at full tilt two days before the Test and had a fitness test on Thursday. Henry was the pick of the bowlers in Bengaluru and is likely to come in place of Tim Southee. There were more indications from practice on the eve of the game with Santner fielding to the quicks at third slip instead of Southee, who often mans that position. The rest of XI is likely to be unchanged.New Zealand (probable XI): 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Will Young, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Ajaz Patel, 11 William O’RourkePitch and conditionsThe red-soil surface in Mumbai is dry and will take turn early. It is expected to crumble as the Test goes on but there should be good bounce for the fast bowlers and spinners. It is expected to be humid in Mumbai with the temperatures likely to be around the low to mid-30s on the Celsius scale.

Stats and trivia

• Among the current lot, Kohli has the most runs at the Wankhede Stadium – 469 in eight innings at 58.62 with three fifties and a century
• Rohit Sharma has played only one Test at his home ground, back in 2013, where he scored an unbeaten 111 against West Indies
• Since his debut in November 2018, Ajaz has the most wickets for an overseas spinner in Asia – 70
• Henry is third on the list of fast bowlers for most Test wickets in 2024 – 31 in five Tests

Quotes

“I think looks a really good wicket. Obviously, it’s really difficult for anyone to judge how the wicket is going to behave unless the game starts on it and both the teams have batted on it. But I feel it looks a decent wicket and I’m sure once the guys get in, they can actually make the most of it.”
“I think so, yeah. We’ll have a look obviously at the wicket but I think if you look at past tosses, I think most teams have batted first.”

McMullen and Leask’s contributions weren’t enough for Scotland to chase down 199

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jun-2025Opener Michael Levitt’s breezy 90 helped Netherlands beat Scotland by 17 runs in a high-scoring contest in the T20I tri-series in Glasgow on Wednesday. His 57-ball innings lifted Netherlands to 198 for 7 after they were asked to bat. In reply, Scotland managed only 181 for 9 on the back of Brandon McMullen’s half-century and Michael Leask’s quickfire 46.Netherlands lost Max O’Dowd and Teja Nidamanuru inside the powerplay but it was the 75-run third-wicket partnership off 45 balls between Levitt and Scott Edwards that steered Netherlands to a competitive total. While Levitt, who had scored a T20I century before, smashed six fours and five sixes in his knock, Edwards chipped in with a 21-ball 31. Fast bowler Charlie Cassell broke the threatening stand, trapping Edwards lbw in the 13th over. Three overs late, Levitt was dismissed by fast bowler Jasper Davidson. There were also handy lower-order contributions from Ryan Klein and Roelof van der Merwe that ensured Netherlands had enough on the board.For Scotland, Cassell and Davidson shared four wickets among them.In the chase, Scotland stumbled early, when opener Mark Watt was run out in the third over for a 9-ball 6. However, No.3 McMullen and George Munsey revived Scotland briefly with their 50-run stand for the third wicket. Offspinner Nidamanuru gave the breakthrough by ending Musney’s stay in the eighth over and dismissed captain Richie Berrington in his next over. McMullen too fell after a 27-ball 51 leaving Scotland in trouble.While No. 6 Leask stood up with his 46 off 23 – where he struck five sixes and one four – Scotland kept losing wickets regularly on the other end. From 151 for 5, Scotland lost the next four wickets for 30 runs to eventually finish at 181 for 9. Netherlands’ left-arm spinner Van der Merwe, though leaked 44 runs in his four overs, accounted for two wickets in the 17th and 19th over to halt Scotland. Nidamanuru finished with 3 for 30 from his four overs while Aryan Dutt and Daniel Doram also scalped a wicket each.With this victory, Netherlands have moved to top of the points table with four points from three matches. They will face Nepal on Thursday Scotland are second with two points from three matches.

Umpire Lyndon Hannibal not penalising Wafadar Momand’s high full toss to Kamindu Mendis did not go well with Sri Lanka’s captain

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Feb-2024Sri Lanka’s T20I captain Wanindu Hasaranga has said outright that umpire Lyndon Hannibal should find another job, after Hannibal had deemed a high full toss as a legal delivery during a tense final over in the third T20I against Afghanistan in Dambulla.Hasaranga’s scathing comments came after Hannibal, the square-leg umpire, did not call a no-ball when a Wafadar Momand delivery passed batter Kamindu Mendis well above waist height without pitching. Kamindu had shuffled down the pitch, but the delivery nevertheless would have likely arrived higher than his waist had he been standing upright at the popping crease. This would constitute a no-ball as per the ICC’s playing conditions.Still, Hasaranga was extraordinarily critical, though he did not refer to Hannibal by name.”That kind of thing shouldn’t happen in an international match,” Hasaranga said of the incident. “If it had been close [to waist height], that’s not a problem. But a ball that’s going so high… it would have hit the batsman’s head if it had gone a little higher.Related

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“If you can’t see that, that umpire isn’t suited to international cricket. It would be much better if he did another job.”Sri Lanka needed 11 runs off the last three balls when this occurred. As the delivery was deemed legal, and Kamindu made no contact with the full toss, they ended up needing 11 off the last two.After the umpires deemed it a fair delivery, Kamindu was seen asking for the no-ball, and is understood to have also requested a review. However, the current ICC playing conditions do not allow player reviews for umpire decisions that do not involve potential dismissals. In fact, umpires themselves cannot initiate third-umpire reviews on no-balls, unless there is a dismissal at stake.”There was a situation where you could review those calls before, but the ICC has got rid of that,” Hasaranga said. “Our batsmen tried to review that. If the third umpire is able to check the front-foot no-ball, he should check this kind of no-ball as well. There’s no reason why they can’t. They didn’t do even that, so I’m not sure what was going on in his (the square-leg umpire’s) mind at the time.”The ICC’s playing conditions define this kind of no-ball as: “Any delivery, which passes or would have passed, without pitching, above waist height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease…”Sri Lanka went on to lose the match by three runs to give Afghanistan their only victory of the tour, although the hosts won the series 2-1.

Lancashire were already relegated but showed fight with the ball on final day of season

ECB Reporters Network29-Sep-2024Worcestershire sealed their highest position in the Vitality County Championship since it was split into two divisions in 2000 after drawing with relegated Lancashire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.They secured sixth spot in Division One after recovering for the second time in the game from a precarious position with the bat thanks to the efforts of Matthew Waite, Adam Hose and Logan Van Beek.It enabled them to surpass their previous best performance of finishing seventh in Division One in 2011.Worcestershire have defied the pre-season predictions of being favourites to make an instant return to Division Two after last summer’s promotion campaign.A run of three successive wins against Durham, Kent and Essex effectively made sure of top-flight cricket in 2025.It was a fitting way for long-serving all-rounder Joe Leach to end his career after being Worcestershire’s leader of the attack for the past decade and a haul of 467 first-class wickets for the County.He received a standing ovation when he came out to bat for the second time in the game and signed off with 30 not outWorcestershire can be proud of their efforts after the well-documented challenges on and off the field that have confronted them during the past 12 months.They have shown a tremendous team spirit and an abundance in skill but also their determination in adversity when recovering from challenging positions in games.Worcestershire triumphed away to Durham after being bowled out for 112 in the first innings and then recovered from 10 for 4 on the first morning to defeat Essex at Chelmsford.Relegated Lancashire’s fate had been sealed on Saturday after their failure to secure a single batting bonus point for the ninth time in 14 games this season.But there was the encouraging sign of a return to form of pace bowler Tom Bailey.He had picked up just 16 wickets in his first 10 Championship appearances of the summer but was back to his best against Somerset and Worcestershire with a haul of 11 scalps.West Indian paceman Anderson Phillip also impressed during his short spell at the club and ended this game with nine wickets.Phillip struck with his first ball of the day as Jake Libby played too early at the delivery and offered a gentle return catch.Phillip struck again when Kashif Ali, Worcestershire’s leading run-scorer in the Championship this summer, went for a flashing drive and edged through to keeper Matty Hurst.Gareth Roderick completed 2,000 first class runs for Worcestershire when he reached nine but added only five more before he was run out.Rob Jones turned Phillip towards cover and he and Roderick set off for a single but the keeper-batter was unable to make his ground before Will Williams direct hit at the non-striker’s end.Jones (17) was lbw after aiming to drive Tom Bailey and Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira lost his middle stump to the same player.Ethan Brookes was lbw to a delivery angled in by Williams at 78 for 6.But for the second time in the game Waite led a counter-attack, this time in partnership with Adam Hose.He pulled Phillip for six and a similar shot off the same bowler brought another boundary.Hose provided excellent support, mixing solid defence with a series of fine strokes, on driving George Balderson and straight driving Williams to the ropes.Waite raced onto 37 from 27 balls before he aimed another pull at Phillips but this time picked out Harry Singh at deep square leg.The seventh wicket pair added 55 in just nine overs.Hose’s determined knock of 41 off 109 balls came to an end when he was lbw to give Bailey his third wicket.Van Beek advanced to 44 before he holed out to deep mid-wicket off Phillip but then Leach had time to end with a flourish in making 30 not out before bad light halted play at 3,30pm with 41 overs remaining.

This is the earliest they have ever gone out of the competition, triggered by defeats to USA and India

Danyal Rasool14-Jun-2024Pakistan have been eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2024 after inclement weather in Lauderhill meant points were split between Ireland and USA. USA have qualified for the Super Eight alongside India from Group A, also sealing their berth in the 2026 T20 World Cup.For Pakistan, though, a torrid tournament culminated in a hasty exit under gloomy skies that epitomised the grim nature of their World Cup campaign. They arrived in the USA with no warm-up games scheduled, and most of their practice sessions were cancelled due to rain. Their unfamiliarity was punished by the home team in their opening fixture as USA pipped them in the Super Over, before Pakistan fell apart chasing 120 against India, losing by six runs.Related

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That left them depending on other results, most significantly the outcome of this particular game in Lauderhill between USA and Ireland. An Irish win would have kept Pakistan alive, with any other outcome giving USA an unassailable lead over Pakistan in the points tally.Pakistan’s only win so far has been a seven-wicket triumph over Canada. They still have one game left as they play Ireland – who were also eliminated as a result of this washout – on Sunday.However, this does not mean they will have to play the qualifiers to secure a place at the next T20 World Cup, with their current T20I ranking – seventh – sufficient to guarantee a spot at the tournament in 2026, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.This is the earliest Pakistan have ever been knocked out of a T20 World Cup, having played just three games before their fate was sealed. They also suffered group-stage eliminations in 2014 and 2016, but reached at least the semi-finals on every other occasion. No side has reached more finals than Pakistan (England are joint-top with three), and Pakistan won the title in 2009.

Australia took firm control of the second Test with a pair of outstanding centuries as Sri Lanka’s attack struggled

Tristan Lavalette07-Feb-2025Seemingly having a ball experimenting with the reverse sweep, Steven Smith’s mastery in Asia continued and he combined with a dashing Alex Carey to defy a sharp-turning, deteriorating Galle surface as Australia grabbed firm control of the second Test.The game was in the balance when Australia were 91 for 3 just after lunch on day two in reply to Sri Lanka’s first-innings of 257. But stand-in skipper Smith and Carey produced an unbroken 239-run partnership to deflate a Sri Lankan team staring down the barrel of a hefty series defeat.Carey was fluent from the get go and motored past a tiring Smith by stumps as Australia build a sizeable first innings lead on a very dry surface.Smith reached his 36th Test century in style with a boundary in the final session on day two and raised his baggy green before nodding several times to his team-mates in the terraces. He broke a couple of Australian records in Asia along the way having overtaken Ricky Ponting for most runs and his seventh ton lifted him past Allan Border.Steven Smith brought out the rarely-seen reverse sweep during his faultless hundred•Getty Images

After a few modest years by his lofty standards, Smith has rewound the clock in recent months having now scored four centuries in his last eight Test innings. Always looking to add to his repertoire, Smith dusted off rarely used reverse sweeps and, while not always effective, it did give Sri Lanka more to think about.Smith might have been inspired by watching Carey, who swept – orthodox and reverse – almost flawlessly as he sped to his second Test century. Fittingly, Carey reached his ton with a sweep to the boundary as he raised his arms aloft to cap his strong form in recent months.It was a significant moment for Carey, who had previously in Sri Lanka and India come under scrutiny for his compulsive use of the sweep. His sublime innings also included quick footwork and brute power as he repeatedly thumped the spinners straight down the ground.Carey batted for the first time in his Test career at No. 5 with Josh Inglis having spent a significant period off the field in Sri Lanka’s innings because of back spasms. But Carey was more than comfortable in a position he occupies for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield.It was a major disappointment for Sri Lanka, who went wicketless for almost the entirety of the final two sessions. Their spinners occasionally produced sharp turn, but were unable to sustain the pressure and appeared out of answers as the day wore on.Alex Carey celebrates his second Test century•Getty Images

Offspinner Nishan Peiris was their most threatening bowler in a good bounceback after he was ineffective in the first Test with 0 for 189 off 41 overs and deemed fortunate to retain his spot over legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay. He turned the ball square at times and almost clean-bowled Smith just before tea with a fizzing offbreak that narrowly missed the top of the stumps.But Sri Lanka perhaps will rue not selecting Vandersay after his promising performance in the first Test, while talisman Prabath Jayasuriya lacked bite after a promising start and he resorted at times to a defensive leg-stump line to Smith.Sri Lanka had begun with optimism at the start of Australia’s innings. There was intrigue over whether Sri Lanka’s spinners would take the new ball, but lone quick Lahiru Kumara started and opener Travis Head enjoyed the pace with three early boundaries. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva surprisingly decided to share the new ball having not bowled in the first Test due to a side strain.Head rattled along at a run-a-ball until on 21 he used his feet to Peiris but was outdone by turn, and a thick edge was taken at slip.All eyes were then on Marnus Labuschagne, who only made 20 off 50 balls in Australia’s massive 654 for 6 declared in the series-opener. Having not scored a Test century since the 2023 Ashes tour, pressure is mounting on Labuschagne with his spot for this match attracting some attention.He started well with a first-ball boundary through the covers, but he didn’t add any further runs and fell in the next over when he was trapped lbw by Jayasuriya in a decision overturned on review. Jayasuriya slid a fuller delivery that beat a tentative Labuschagne on the back foot. Labuschagne looked despondent when his fate was sealed and he trudged off the field.Smith, wearing his baggy green, had a nervous start with a big lbw shout from Jayasuriya turned down as Sri Lanka burnt a review. But Smith countered the sharp spin by skipping down the pitch while Usman Khawaja unfurled the reverse sweep just like he did in his double-century last week.Nishan Peiris had Usman Khawaja lbw and the game was in the balance at 91 for 3•Getty Images

They blunted the spinners as Australia reached lunch well placed at 85 for 2. The game sparked to life on resumption with Smith given out lbw by umpire Joel Wilson after a low Peiris delivery struck him under the knee roll. But Smith quickly reviewed and his confidence was justified with the ball hitting him well outside the line.Moments later, Wilson was again quick to raise the finger but this time he was vindicated with Khawaja plumb lbw on 36 after he tried to pull Peiris only to misjudge the line and length.But Sri Lanka’s bid for more inroads came to a halt and they failed to put enough pressure on Carey, whose confidence grew as he slog swept offspinner Ramesh Mendis for six.Smith brought up his half-century in style with a boundary as the runs continued to flow through to tea apart from when Jayasuriya restored to a leg-stump line. After the interval, Smith and Carey continued to score at ease as they tapped the ball around for singles with the field well spread as if it was the middle overs of an ODI.After reaching his century, Smith appeared to be flagging amid the oppressive humidity and he dropped anchor as Carey took over to reach his landmark in fine fashion.Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka finished with what appeared a competitive first-innings total after Kusal Mendis and No. 11 Kumara added 28 runs in the first 30 minutes of the day’s play. Mendis was left stranded on 85 but had spearheaded Sri Lanka’s recovery from 150 for 6.Australia’s three specialist bowlers Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann did the bulk of the heavy lifting and picked up three wickets apiece.