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Netherlands overcame a maiden century by Hong Kong’s Anshy Rath and a 197-run WCL Championship-record partnership between Rath and Babar Hayat to secure a tense five-run win at Tin Kwong Road

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAnshuman Rath’s maiden List A ton, which included 13 fours and two sixes, was in vain•Panda Man

With victory in sight of what would have been the highest successful chase in WCL Championship history, Hong Kong stumbled in the last six overs as Netherlands pulled off a tense five-run win at Mong Kok to take sole possession of first place on the WCL Championship table.Hong Kong were 285 for 3 at the start of the 45th over chasing a target of 331 with Anshy Rath on 134 and Nizakat Khan on 22 but both men were caught on the boundary off the bowling of left-arm wristspinner Michael Rippon to give Netherlands hope. Rippon was eventually named Man of the Match for his game-changing spell of 4 for 67 after having been out for a duck, shouldering arms to an inswinger to open the match.In spite of the double blow, Ehsan Khan again established control for Hong Kong by striking two fours and a six to bring the equation to 23 off 21 balls. However, momentum swung again when Ehsan was given out leg before to Roelof van der Merwe for the sixth wicket, though replays indicated the ball had come off Ehsan’s glove rather than his pad.Hong Kong still had two recognized batsmen in Waqas Khan and allrounder Aizaz Khan at the crease to begin the 48th over with 20 needed off 18 balls but Paul van Meekeren had both men caught on the boundary in the space of four balls. Waqas top-edged a flick to a ball that would have been called a leg-side wide had it been left alone but he was instead caught at deep square leg, while Aizaz was bounced out pulling to deep midwicket. Hong Kong coach Simon Cook admitted afterwards that his side succumbed due to “very poor thinking under pressure.”Ehsan Nawaz was bowled by Ahsan Malik in the 49th and Hong Kong began the final over needing ten to win with No. 10 Nadeem Ahmed and No. 11 Tanveer Ahmed at the crease. Nadeem curiously turned down singles off the first three legal balls of the over but van Meekeren then bowled two wides to keep Hong Kong afloat. Nadeem finally opted to take a single off the fourth ball and another single by Tanveer put him back on strike, but with a six needed off the final ball to win, all he could do was splice the ball to long-off to end the game.Rath and captain Babar Hayat had put Hong Kong on the path for what seemed to be a record-setting chase with a record-breaking partnership earlier in the innings. The pair came together at 53 for 2 in the ninth after Jamie Atkinson was stumped down the leg side off Rippon. They then proceeded to add 197 for the third wicket, a record List A partnership for Hong Kong and a record partnership for any wicket in the WCL Championship. It broke the previous mark of 191 set by Namibia’s Sarel Burger and Craig Williams against Scotland in 2011. Both men had their share of good fortune with Rath spilled on 3 in the slips off Peter Borren in the third over while Hayat was spilled on 64 at short midwicket off Rippon in the 32nd.Rath’s batting was impressive throughout and he brought up his maiden century for Hong Kong off 93 balls after having fallen agonizingly short of a hundred in both innings of the Intercontinental Cup encounter between the two sides that preceded this match. The stand ended when Hayat was stumped down the leg side by Wesley Barresi standing up to Borren’s medium pace for 83. Crucially, a wide was not signaled for Atkinson’s nor Hayat’s dismissal, something which may have impacted the Hong Kong approach at the end if the two runs had been credited to their total.Netherlands total of 330 for 7 after opting to bat was underpinned by half-centuries from Stephan Myburgh, van der Merwe and Pieter Seelaar. Myburgh overcame the loss of Rippon in the second over to blast 88 from 98 balls, including nine fours and five sixes, before he was caught off Nadeem Ahmed in the 30th over to end a 71-run stand with van der Merwe.At 183 for 4, Borren and van der Merwe then added a rapid 60 for the fifth wicket as Borren fired 40 off 37 balls and van der Merwe 62 off 54 including four sixes. Borren fell in the 38th and van der Merwe in the 44th to disrupt a Netherlands surge. Seelaar ended unbeaten on 50 off 43 balls, having run consecutive twos to end the innings.Hong Kong’s death bowling was brilliant though – they conceded just one six and two fours in their final six overs – to hold Netherlands to what Borren admitted after the match was an under-par total on a ground with short boundaries. Thanks to the late intervention by Rippon and van Meekeren, it wound up being just enough.

The injured fast bowler has said India’s attempts to sledge Australia were a ‘defensive mechanism’ in response to the fear that they might lose the series

Daniel Brettig22-Mar-20170:25

Steven Smith upbeat after Ranchi draw

Australia’s injured spearhead Mitchell Starc has said India’s verbal confrontations with the tourists were the result of fear over losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after their unexpected defeat in the opening Test of the series in Pune.Starc, who flew home with a foot stress fracture after the second Test in Bengaluru but hopes to be fit in time for the ICC Champions Trophy later in June, stated that a young Australian side had not gone to India looking for fights but found themselves in several stoushes after the dramatic result in Pune.”It’s probably come a lot more from their side than ours,” Starc told . “There’s been a lot made of it before the series, there was so much hype before the series, and I think we’ve gone about the cricket as we have done for a long time now. As a young group, we’re probably still finding our way. We’re still learning about each other’s games and how we’re going as a team probably since the Hobart Test match [last year].”It’s probably showed in how the guys have been playing their cricket, especially the way they batted [in Ranchi]. A couple of young guys performed outstandingly well, [like] Peter Handscomb. It shows who we are as a group and things have come hard, and it’s almost a defensive mechanism for them that we won the first Test match, we’re here for the challenge.”They were scared of us, beating them in India the way they’ve been playing as well. So it was almost a defensive mechanism for them and obviously they come out in the second Test match, performed really well and got back into it.”‘I think we can win. I think we’ve showed throughout the series that we’re definitely up for the challenge’ – Mitchell Starc•Associated Press

Australia’s attitude on the tour has been one of learning and humility, as demonstrated by the way Handscomb and Shaun Marsh played out the final afternoon of the Ranchi Test to secure a draw under concerted Indian pressure. Starc pointed to the eagerness of 20-year old Matt Renshaw to learn about the game – so much that he has tried the patience of some team-mates – as an example.”The more time he spends out in the middle the less time we have to listen to him,” Starc said, laughing. “He’s different but he’s a lovely kid. Loves his cricket, just loves batting – so I think that’s obviously shown in how he’s gone about his cricket in India.”His first trip there, he’s learning – he’s probably not eating the right things, being sick all the time – but he’s performing quite well. He says some strange things, he comes up with some strange theories. He talks a load about [Don] Bradman and whether he scored those runs. He keeps talking about bats these days. He talks like he’s 35.”Starc said his foot fracture was not as serious as the one that kept him out of much of the 2015-16 season. “The foot is okay. It’s not snapped in half like the one 18 months go,” he said. “It’s the same foot, so I did the third metatarsal the last time, this is the fourth. Nice fracture. It’s not displaced though.”I don’t need a boot fortunately. I’m still in the gym getting myself ready for when I do come back whenever that might be. I see the specialist on Thursday and hopefully get a clearer picture then. But the Champions Trophy is clearly not out of the picture.”Looking ahead to the final Test in Dharamsala, Starc said the Australians had demonstrated their ability to defend and attack at the right times. “I think we can win. I think we’ve showed throughout the series that we’re definitely up for the challenge,” he said. “We’re in the fight – we have been for three Test matches. We can knuckle down when we need to but we can attack when we want to and we can.”

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier League matches played on May 9, 2017

Mohammad Isam09-May-2017A rain interruption in the 21st over of Gazi Group Cricketers‘ chase meant they defeated Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club by 24 runs via the DLS method, and maintain their four-point lead on the Dhaka Premier Division League points table.Sohag Gazi had bowled five balls with Gazi Group 114 for 2 in their chase of 233 when play had to be stopped at the BKSP-4 Ground. When play was finally called off at 4.50pm, Gazi Group were 23 runs ahead of the par score.No. 3 Mominul Haque clobbered seven fours enroute to his 45-ball 46, while opener Jahurul Islam remained unbeaten on 49 off 56 balls. Their 68-run partnership for the second wicket took them close to the revised target of 91, after Gazi removed Anamul Haque in the sixth over.Earlier, Dhanmondi Club scored 232 for 9 in 43 overs after rain interrupted their innings. Fazle Mahmud (38) and Prashant Chopra (35) added 62 for the second wicket before they fell on consecutive deliveries. Tanbir Hayder subsequently steered the innings with his 57 off 54 balls. For Gazi Group, all six bowlers used were among the wickets, with Abu Hider and Mahedi Hasan bagging two apiece.Events at the adjacent BKSP-3 Ground were predictably similar with the DLS method facilitating a 17-run victory for Brothers Union over Kalabagan Krira Chakra.Kalabagan’s decision to bat found little validation from their line-up as no batman managed to get into the thirties. While run-outs sent openers Mehrab Hossain jnr (28) and Jashimuddin (25) back, Brothers Unions’ pair of Nihaduzzaman and Manvinder Bisla took five wickets between them, with Bisla dismissing three lower-order batsmen. Nuruzzaman and Muktar Ali’s sixth-wicket partnership of 48 runs guided Kalabagan towards 150 before they folded for 171 in the 43rd over.Brothers Union reached 82 for 1 in 22.2 overs when rain interrupted play, with Junaid Siddique (38) and Bisla (31) having added 70 runs, ensuring their side was 17 runs ahead of the par score.Rain didn’t spare the contest between Prime Bank Cricket Club and Partex Sporting Club at the KSOA Stadium in Fatullah either. Similar to the other two games, the chasing side, Prime Bank, ended up playing more than 20 overs, and won the game by a 37-run margin.Prime Bank had raced to 114 for no loss in 24 overs, after their target was reset to 175 in 40 overs due to a rain interruption. Openers Mehedi Maruf and Zakir Hasan sored 52 and 55 respectively.Earlier, Partex were bowled out for 192 in 46.2 overs with Jony Talukdar top-scoring with 69 off 86 balls. He peppered six fours and two sixes and shared a 78-run opening stand with Jatin Saxena (40). Asif Ahmed’s dismissal of Talukdar in the 29th over triggered a collapse, with Partex losing four wickets for 14 runs. While Asif finished with 2 for 34 from his 10 overs, Nazmul Islam dented the lower order to return figures of 3 for 23 from seven overs.

AB de Villiers has said he was “pretty upset” at being asked by the umpires to explain the condition of one of the balls during South Africa’s narrow defeat against England at the Ageas Bowl

Alan Gardner at the Ageas Bowl27-May-20173:03

‘Upset at being held responsible for condition of the ball’ – de Villiers

AB de Villiers has said he was “pretty upset” at being asked by the umpires to explain the condition of one of the balls during South Africa’s narrow defeat against England at the Ageas Bowl.Rob Bailey and Chris Gaffaney, the standing umpires, spoke to de Villiers before the start of the 34th over in England’s innings, bowled by Keshav Maharaj. De Villiers was animated in his response on the field and the ball was not changed; afterwards, South Africa’s captain said he felt it was being implied that his players were at fault for scuffing up the ball.”The umpires felt the condition of the ball changed,” de Villiers said, “in a way, making me feel that we are responsible. I was quite upset about that. I don’t know what else I can say, I was pretty upset. It’s done and dusted now, nothing happened, there were no fines given or anything like that.”I honestly told the umpires we have nothing to do with the condition of ball, except for the fact that Maharaj bowled five overs on the trot from that end. The ball generally scuffs up when the spinner bowls a few overs. I expressed my views about that and we move on.”Asked if he felt that the implication from the umpires was that his side had been engaging in ball-tampering, de Villiers replied: “Yes. That’s the feeling that I got and I expressed that I was quite upset about it. But like I said, no further steps were taken from both parties.”If I can give my five cents, I felt it was a bad ball and that happens sometimes. The leather comes off and you do get that. Unfortunately the umpires didn’t agree. [But] nothing happened, generally there’s a warning or a fine, none of that happened, which tells me they realised we were innocent in this case.”South Africa were sanctioned last year for altering the condition of the ball in a Test against Australia in Hobart, after their captain, Faf du Plessis, was filmed by television cameras with a mint in his mouth when applying saliva to shine the ball. In 2013, during a series against Pakistan, du Plessis also pleaded guilty to a charge of ball-tampering after rubbing the ball near the zipper on his trousers.Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, said his team were unaware of any suggestion that the ball had been scuffed up. “Normally, if there’s any dispute about the ball, they change it straight away,” he said.The umpiring team of Bailey, Gaffaney, the third umpire, Rod Tucker, and match referee, Andy Pycroft, were engaged in their customary debriefing after the game, with no suggestion that the matter would be taken further.Having seen his team lose out off the final ball by two runs, de Villiers praised England’s bowlers for closing out victory and the series. With ten balls to go, South Africa needed ten runs to win but Jake Ball and Mark Wood conceded just six singles and a leg bye to deny David Miller and Chris Morris.”I thought the boys played a great hand at the end there, to get us so close,” de Villiers said. “I got a bit excited, thought we had it in the bag. Got to give credit to the last two bowlers of England, who finished there, they showed some great skill and good plans.”Unfortunately it didn’t go our way, we didn’t get the lucky bounce – if you want to call it that, a little edge over the keeper. We were just waiting for one little break and it would be game over. The boys gave it their best shot. Chris and David played a great knock, built a great partnership but unfortunately we couldn’t cross the line.”

Watch highlights of the key events from the third ODI between West Indies and India in Antigua

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2017All series long, West Indies have looked to bounce Virat Kohli, but on a damp surface that had seen rain pretty much throughout yesterday, the sticky steep bounce troubled Kohli much more than it ever did in the series. Kohli swayed out of a couple, fended at one that fell safe, and eventually couldn’t control one as he attempted a single to third man.In the 17th over of India’s innings, West Indies let the horse bolt. Yuvraj Singh nearly guided the first ball to gully and got a single. They responded by reinforcing the field with a slip to go with the gully, and Yuvraj took a single third ball. For some reason, though, they forgot to call the slip back in when Yuvraj came back on strike for the fifth ball. Kesrick Williams produced a regulation edge, which would have settled in the first slip’s lap and made a 300-ODI veteran his first ODI wicket. Instead Yuvraj got four.The horse kept coming back, though. After letting Yuvraj off early, West Indies reprieved him again when they didn’t review a plumb not-out on-field call off the bowling of Devendra Bishoo. Four overs later, though, Bishoo appealed for a similar lbw, drew a similar response from umpire Dharmasena, but reviewed this time and got the decision in his favour.As MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav took 81 off the last 7.4 overs on a slow pitch, they needed some innovation. Dhoni targeted Jason Holder, stunningly fetching one length ball from wide outside off and depositing it flat over square leg for six. Jadhav saw Dhoni’s innovation, and raised him a sweep shot off Miguel Cummins, having gone on a knee and well outside off well before Cummins released, and then pulling off the shot with surprising ease thanks to his still head.Brought on to bowl in the 11th over, Hardik Pandya used the bouncer effectively, to break a 45-run second-wicket partnership between Shai and Kyle Hope. He accounted for both batsmen in his spell using the short ball, ending with returns of 32 for 2 in six overs

Farhaan Behardien held his nerve to make 37 not out as South Africa A opened their tri-series campaign with a two-wicket win over India A in Pretoria

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-2017Farhaan Behardien’s sixth-wicket stand with Dwaine Pretorius was the game changer•AFP

Farhaan Behardien’s unbeaten 37 guided South Africa A to a two-wicket win against India A in the tri-series opener in Pretoria.Yuzvendra Chahal almost pulled it back with three quick wickets to leave South Africa A on 145 for 8 in their chase of 153. Behardien calmly finished the game off in ones and twos, with Aaron Phangiso, who earlier in the day picked four wickets, for company. South Africa A won with 74 balls to spare.Their seamers Beuran Hendricks and Dwaine Pretorius did the early damage, removing Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer respectively, inside two overs. Pandey and Karun Nair put together 42 to lead a brief recovery before Pretorius trapped Nair lbw for 25. When Rishabh Pant (10)and Krunal Pandya (0) fell, India A slipped to 65 for 5.Pandey waged a lone battle from there on to raise a half-century off just 86 deliveries. He was the seventh batsman out, stumped for 55 off left-arm spinnner Phangiso. Pandey found some support from Chahal, who made 24 not out, to lift the total past 150 before they were bowled out in 41.5 overs.South Africa A wobbled at the start with the seamers picking up the first three wickets. India turned to spin from the 12th over; Axar Patel struck in his first when he removed Khaya Zondo. He then dismissed Heinrich Klaasen (24) in his very next over.South Africa A, tottering at 71 for 5, were then driven by a 62-run sixth-wicket stand between Behardien and Pretorius, who made 38 to go along with his three wickets earlier in the day. As it turned out, the partnership helped them ride a wobble and register two points.India A will play Afghanistan A in the next game on Friday.

A quickfire unbeaten 140 from Shreyas Iyer and a 72 from Vijay Shankar steered India A to a seven-wicket win against South Africa A to seal the tri-series final in Pretoria

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2017File photo: Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten century handed India a the series title•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

A quickfire unbeaten century from Shreyas Iyer and a half-century from Vijay Shankar steered India A to a seven-wicket win against South Africa A to seal the tri-series final in Pretoria. Iyer and Shankar put on 141 for the third wicket to eclipse Farhaan Behardien’s century earlier in the day, when five wickets between Shardul Thakur and Siddarth Kaul had restricted the hosts to 267 for 7 in 50 overs.India A were jolted early when Junior Dala removed openers Sanju Samson and Karun Nair in the first six overs, leaving them in trouble at 20 for 2. But Iyer, who had not scored a fifty earlier in the series, and Shankar, who had scored a duck in his previous match, joined forces to deny South Africa another wicket for more than 28 overs, while lifting India’s run rate towards five an over. Shankar fell for 72 off 86 after striking nine fours, before Manish Pandey joined Iyer, who went on to register his highest List A score of 140 off 131 balls, with 11 fours and four sixes. The fourth-wicket pair put on an unbroken 109 in only 12.3 overs to seal the win with 19 balls to spare. Pandey, with scores of 55, 41*, 86*, 93* and 32*, was named Man of the Series.India A had capitalised on their decision to bowl when Kaul and Thakur cut through the top order and left South Africa A 32 for 3 in the ninth over. Khaya Zondo and Behardien steered them past 100 before No. 7 Dwaine Pretorius scored a quick 58 off 61 balls, which featured five fours and two sixes, to help them past 200. Behardien remained unbeaten on 101, having helped set India A a challenging target, but it wouldn’t prove enough against their middle order. Thakur ended with 3 for 52 and Kaul with 2 for 55.

Bangladesh also strengthened their seam-bowling options by adding Subhasis Roy and Rubel Hossain to the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-20171:16

‘Confident of Mahmudullah’s ability on fast South African pitches’ – Abedin

Mahmudullah has been recalled to Bangladesh’s 15-member squad for their two-Test series against South Africa, which begins on September 28. Bangladesh also strengthened their seam-bowling options by adding Subhasis Roy and Rubel Hossain to the squad.Shakib Al Hasan, who was granted a break from the South Africa Tests, and Nasir Hossain, who underperformed in his comeback series against Australia, were excluded. It will be the first time Shakib won’t be part of the Test team since the series in 2014 against West Indies.Chief selector Minhajul Abedin said it was a concern that Shakib opted out of the squad, but felt that a player’s mentality must be considered.”I respect his decision but of course it is very hard to replace him,” Minhajul said. “We have to take into account his mental state because as a player I understand what he may be going through physically and mentally.”Bangladesh’s squad for the Test series in South Africa•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Minhajul also said that Mahmudullah was his personal choice, based on his ability to adapt well on bouncy pitches and seaming conditions. Mahmudullah last played a Test in Sri Lanka in March earlier this year. He was subsequently dropped for the second Test.Despite struggling against Australia, Soumya Sarkar and Imrul Kayes kept their place in the squad, primarily due to a lack of opening options. Mosaddek Hossain remained out of contention as his eye infection hadn’t improved, and will be sent to Bangkok on Monday for further medical attention.Bangladesh squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Liton Das, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Subashis Roy, Mominul Haque

Pakistan reasserted their dominance in the UAE with a crushing win in Dubai over a Sri Lanka side that has seen ODI wins excruciatingly hard to come by in 2017

The Report by Danyal Rasool13-Oct-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details AFP

Pakistan reasserted their dominance in the UAE with a crushing win in Dubai over a Sri Lanka side that has seen ODI wins excruciatingly hard to come by in 2017. A century from Babar Azam – back playing his most favoured format – and a blistering 81 from Shoaib Malik saw Pakistan set Sri Lanka a stiff target of 293. They were never really in the chase, losing half the side for 67, with Rumman Raees and Hasan Ali leading the 83-run rout and handing them their eighth consecutive loss in the format.Upul Tharanga won the toss and opted to bowl when most – Sarfraz included – considered fielding under the scorching Dubai an unappealing prospect. But Sri Lanka’s opening bowlers Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Gamage backed up their captain with a stellar opening spell, characterised by subtle swing and consistent line and lengths that deprived Pakistan of scoring opportunities. Ahmed Shehzad fell in what is becoming increasingly predictable fashion, getting bogged down by 11 dot balls, before coming down the wicket to Gamage and gifting midwicket a simple catch.It wasn’t until Babar, who had managed to hang in despite struggling for rhythm, and the street-smart Malik came together, that the momentum took a clear shift in Pakistan’s favour. The running between the wickets was excellent, and Malik was destructive when he decided to take the aerial route, with even the tricky Dhananjaya rendered ineffective towards the close of the innings.The bowling looked particularly toothless as Babar and Malik set themselves up for the finish, even if they were unable to come up with the sort of power-hitting the innings required at that stage. For their part, Sri Lanka were superb in the field, in stark contrast to the series against India, with fielders in the infield throwing themselves around and saving several runs. It wasn’t until the last six overs that the big runs really began to leak, but along with it came regular wickets that stymied Pakistan’s charge in the slog overs. Where once 300 looked a formality, Pakistan ended up scrambling to reach 292.Even so, the target was a formidable one, and Sri Lanka began with a clear, positive intent. Upul Tharanga and Niroshan Dickwella sought to take advantage of the Powerplay in a way Pakistan had not, hitting five fours in the first 19 balls. But from the moment the first wicket fell, Dickwella poking at a ball from Raees that nipped away from him, the rot set in. The run rate began to drop sharply; just five runs were scored off the next 24 deliveries. Raees was the most menacing and accounted for Dinesh Chandimal’s wicket too, the ball swinging back into the right-hander and trapping him plumb in front.Tharanga looked thoroughly unconvincing once Mohammad Hafeez came on, surviving numerous lbw appeals in a phase when the middle of his bat completely disappeared from the game. After being worked over for a couple of overs, the Sri Lanka captain was put out of his misery by Hafeez with a ball that skidded on and thudded into his off stump. Two overs later, Hasan Ali dismissed Kusal Mendis and Milinda Siriwardana off successive deliveries, effectively putting the game to bed.The lower order hung around long enough to seriously frustrate Pakistan, without really having a hope of winning. Thisara Perera provided brief entertainment before top-edging Shadab Khan and holing out, substitute fielder Faheem Ashraf taking an excellent catch. Raees came back into the attack and ended the resistance of the last recognised batsman Lahiru Thirimanne, who top-scored with 53.Where Pakistan might have expected to skittle the tail out cheaply, Dananjaya and Jeffrey Vandersay, the Nos. 8 and 9, viewed the situation as an opportunity to get batting practice. While they never showed any intent of even trying to reach the target, they grittily hung around for a 68-run partnership, ensuring Sri Lanka batted out their full fifty overs.Dananjaya ended up with an unbeaten fifty as the game meandered along for a full two hours. Pakistan seemed content to bowl out the overs than look to finish with a flourish. Even so, by the time Pakistan inevitably took a 1-0 lead, all Dananjaya and Vandersay had done was sprinkle some respectability onto another abject white-ball performance from Sri Lanka.

Opener Sophie Devine struck 41 off 29 balls and followed it with the wicket of Ayesha Zafar to underpin New Zealand’s 15-run victory in the first T20I in Sharjah

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2017
ScorecardGetty Images

Opener Sophie Devine struck 41 off 29 balls and followed it with the wicket of Ayesha Zafar to underpin New Zealand women’s 15-run victory in the first T20I in Sharjah. After Devine and wicketkeeper-batsman Katey Martin (46) took New Zealand women to 147, the slower bowlers strangled Pakistan’s chase.Pakistan had had a strong start to their chase with Zafar and Nahida Khan adding 44 for the opening partnership. Both batsmen fell in successive overs but captain Bismah Maroof and Javeria Khan repaired the chase by putting on 47 for the third wicket in 45 balls. When seamer Lea Tahuhu had Maroof caught behind, Pakistan needed 54 from their last five overs.Thamsyn Newton, who claimed 2 for 22, and the spinners then tightened the noose around the batsmen to limit Pakistan to 132 for 7.Earlier, New Zealand lost their captain Suzie Bates for a duck in the first over, but Devine and Katie Perkins steadied the side with a 68-run stand for the second wicket. They stumbled when both batsmen fell in quick succession, but Martin hit four fours and a six to haul the score near 150. This, despite New Zealand losing five wickets in their last five overs. Left-arm spinner Sadia Yousuf was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, ending with 3 for 30.