Cricket - Int News
Pakistan secure 8-wicket win over Bangladesh
Chittagong, Bangladesh (SB Report):-Pakistan earned 1-0 lead in the two-test match series against hosts Bangladesh after registering a comprehensive win by 8 wickets in the morning session of the final day’s play of the first Tests at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong on Tuesday. With the win, Pakistan collected 12 World Test Championship points and jumped to the second spot on the points table with 66.66 percentage of points – which is a percentage of the points gained from the total available in matches a side has feature.
Pakistan openers Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique dominated the first half hour as the pair stroked the ball around the ground with ease and grace. Abdullah added 20 more to his overnight 53 before he was LBW off Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Abid Ali, not out on 56 yesterday, fell nine runs short of becoming the 10th Pakistan batter in men’s Tests to record a century in both innings of a match, when he was plumb in front off Taijul Islam. For his fighting 133 in the first innings and an elegant 91 in the second, Abid was named player of the match.
The experienced pair of Azhar Ali and Babar Azam took Pakistan over the line, as they were unbeaten on 24 and 13.This marked the third instance of Pakistan successfully completing a 200-plus run chase away from home. The two teams will face off the final Test in Dhaka from 4 December.
Scores in brief:
Bangladesh 330, 114.4 overs (Liton Das 114, Mushfiqur Rahim 91, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 38 not out; Hasan Ali 5-51, Faheem Ashraf 2-54, Shaheen Afridi 2-70) and 157 all out, 56.2 overs (Liton Das 59, Yasir Ali 36; Shaheen Shah Afridi 5-32, Sajid Khan 3-33)
Pakistan 286 all out, 115.4 overs (Abid Ali 133, Abdullah Shafique 52, Faheem Ashraf 38; Taijul Islam 7-116, Ebadot Hossain 2-47) and 203-2, 58.3 overs (Abid Ali 91, Abdullah Shafique 73, Azhar Ali 24 not out)
Player of the match – Abid Ali (Pakistan)
Day-4: Chittagong Test: Pakistan reach close to win
Chittagong (SB Report):-A brilliant century stand for the undefeated first wicket between Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique had Pakistan on the verge of victory in the first Test against Bangladesh before fading light resulted in early stumps on the fourth day.
Pakistan, chasing 202 to win the first of the two Tests, were 109 for none in 33 overs with Abid Ali, fresh from a century in the first innings, and Abdullah Shafique, who made 52 on day two, scoring solid half-centuries.
This was only the second time in Pakistan’s Test history, which stretch 440 matches, that an opening pair recorded two century stands in a match.
Imran Farhat and Taufiq Umer did it first time against South Africa in Lahore in 2003, when Pakistan came out victorious by eight wickets.
Abid and Abdullah were unbeaten at 56 and 53 and will resume Pakistan’s pursuit of the remaining 93 runs on Tuesday.
Earlier, a sizzling Shaheen Shah Afridi recorded his fourth Test five-wicket haul, which restricted Bangladesh to 157. The left-arm pacer returned five for 32, sending Liton Das (59) and Abu Jayed back in the hut after he had taken three wickets for six runs last day.
Liton scored a fighting 59 off 89 to keep Bangladesh’s innings alive, after debutant Yasir Ali had to walk off the field after a scorching bouncer by Shaheen hit the flesh of his helmet.
Bangladesh took Nurul Hasan Sohan as Yasir’s concussion replacement.
Off-spinner Sajid Khan was also amongst the wicket takers as he accounted for Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nurul Hasan and Taijul Islam.
Scores in brief:
Bangladesh 330, 114.4 overs (Liton Das 114, Mushfiqur Rahim 91, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 38 not out; Hasan Ali 5-51, Faheem Ashraf 2-54, Shaheen Afridi 2-70) and 157 all out, 56.2 overs (Liton Das 59, Yasir Ali 36; Shaheen Shah Afridi 5-32, Sajid Khan 3-33)
Pakistan 286 all out, 115.4 overs (Abid Ali 133, Abdullah Shafique 52, Faheem Ashraf 38; Taijul Islam 7-116, Ebadot Hossain 2-47) and 109-0, 33 overs (Abid Ali 56 not out, Abdullah Shafique 53 not out)
Pakistan Vs Bangladesh Test (Day-3): Afridi leaves Bangladesh limping
Chittagong (SB Report):-A searing opening spell from Shaheen Shah Afridi left Bangladesh ruing a squandered opportunity to build on the first innings lead as the hosts, batting for the second time in the match, finished the third day of the first Test against Pakistan on 39 for four.
Shaheen struck in the fifth over and sent Shadman Islam and Najmul Hasan Shanto packing in space of three balls before Hasan Ali got the Bangladesh skipper, Mominul Haque, in the next over as the hosts found themselves reduced to 15 for three in just two overs.
Soon, a scorching bouncer from Shaheen induced a caught and bowled opportunity that the pacer grabbed safely as Saif Hasan walked back to the pavilion with the scoreboard reading 25 for four. This was his 42nd scalp in 2021 – the most in the year for a bowler.
Bangladesh were 44 runs ahead Pakistan after the tourists were bowled out for 286 and as such have an 83-run lead. Experienced Mushfiqur Rahim and debutant Yasir Ali will resume the proceedings for the hosts on the fourth day, Monday.
Earlier, left-arm orthodox Taijul Islam recorded the best figures for a Bangladesh bowler against Pakistan in Tests as he returned seven for 116.
Pakistan, after resuming the day on 145 for none, had to face early blows as Abdullah Shafiq (52) and Azhar Ali (0) were trapped LBW in consecutive balls by Taijul.
Soon, Pakistan captain Babar Azam (10) followed them, but Abid Ali remained undeterred as he went on to convert his overnight 93 into 133 to record his fourth Test century. This was also his fourth first-class century in the last five matches.
With the wickets tumbling regularly, Fahim Ashraf delayed the inevitable with his steady 80-ball 38. He was the last batter to be dismissed.
Scores in brief:
Bangladesh 330, 114.4 overs (Liton Das 114, Mushfiqur Rahim 91, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 38 not out; Hasan Ali 5-51, Faheem Ashraf 2-54, Shaheen Afridi 2-70) and 39-4, 19 overs (Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-6)
Pakistan 286 all out, 115.4 overs (Abid Ali 133, Abdullah Shafique 52, Faheem Ashraf 38; Taijul Islam 7-116, Ebadot Hossain 2-47)
Pakistan Vs Bangladesh Test (Day-2): Abid, Abdullah score solid fifties
Chittagong (SB Report):-Solid half-centuries by Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique saw Pakistan to a comfortable 145 for none in 57 overs against Bangladesh before fading light forced early stumps on day two of the first Test.
Abid was unbeaten on 93 and Abdullah, on his debut, brought up his maiden Test fifty awith 52 not out. Abid’s had struck nine fours and two sixes off the 180 balls he faced, while Abdullah smashed two fours and as many sixes from 162 balls.
When the young debutant charged down the wicket to smoke Taijul Islam for a towering six down the ground to cross the 50-run mark, he became the only Pakistan opener to hit two maximums on Test debut.
Earlier, a searing spell from Hasan Ali restricted the hosts to 330 as the pacer picked up his fifth five-wicket haul at this level in 2021. He became the third Pakistan pacer to record five five-fors in a calendar year after the great Imran Khan (1982) and Waqar Younis (1990).
Hasan sent Liton Das packing at the start of the day and then wrapped up the tail inside the morning session as Bangladesh lost their remaining six wickets in the first session.
Pakistan’s Abid Ali will be eying his fourth first-class century in the last five outings, when the third play’s day begins on Sunday. Pakistan are 185 runs behind Bangladesh.
Scores in brief:
Bangladesh 330, 114.4 overs (Liton Das 114, Mushfiqur Rahim 91, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 38 not out; Hasan Ali 5-51, Faheem Ashraf 2-54, Shaheen Afridi 2-70)
Pakistan 145-0, 57 overs (Abid Ali 93 not out, Abdullah Shafiq 52 not out)
Cricket West Indies announces squads for Pakistan tour
ST JOHN’S, Antigua (SB Report):-The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel today announced the squads for the West Indies Men’s team tour of Pakistan. The series will feature three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is) from December 13 to 22 at the National Stadium in Karachi.
The panel named a number of uncapped players in both formats. For the ODIs, the newcomers are batters Justin Greaves, Shamarh Brooks, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie and fast bowling allrounder Odean Smith. Smith and Motie are also selected in the T20I squad for the first time, along with left-arm fast bowling allrounder Dominic Drakes. Motie was a travelling reserve for the recent ICC T20 World Cup, while Drakes and Smith were net bowlers before the start of the tournament.
Lead Selector, Roger Harper said: “There are a number of talented newcomers in each format that will have the opportunity to show what they are capable of at the international level. Justin Greaves is a very talented player, had a good CG Insurance Super50 tournament and performed well in the President’s XI match against Ireland in 2020. Odean Smith really grabbed our attention in the last CPL. His pace was never in question, however he has added greater control and has displayed the ability to be a wicket-taker.
“Shamarh Brooks batted well in the CG Insurance Super50 Cup and followed that up with good performances in the CPL. He will lend greater depth to the batting line-up. Gudakesh Motie has been rewarded for his outstanding performance in the CG Insurance Super50, followed up by his showing in the CPL. Dominic Drakes has the potential to be an outstanding all-rounder as he displayed during the last CPL.”
Harper added: “The ODIs in Pakistan are part of the ICC ODI Super League where points gained work towards qualification for the ICC World Cup 2023. So these ODI’s are very important to us and are being treated as such.”
The ODI Series will be West Indies fourth series of 12 in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League in which the top seven teams can secure automatic qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. West Indies currently lie in eighth position out of 13 teams and have the opportunity to move above Pakistan into seventh position.
Names of Players:
One-Day Internationals
Kieron Pollard (Captain), Shai Hope (Vice Captain), Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Anderson Phillip, Nicholas Pooran, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh Junior,
T20 Internationals
Kieron Pollard (Captain), Nicholas Pooran (Vice Captain), Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Junior.
Schedule:
December 13 – 1st T20I, Karachi
December 14 – 2nd T20I, Karachi
December 16 – 3rd T20I, Karachi
December 18 – 1st ODI, Karachi
December 20 – 2nd ODI, Karachi
December 22 – 3rd ODI, Karachi
PCB bans Junaid Ali for three matches
Karachi (Sports Report):-Central Punjab’s wicketkeeper Junaid Ali has been banned for three matches for a level 3 offence for attempting to take an unfair advantage during the sixth-round Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 match against Southern Punjab at the State Bank of Pakistan Stadium.
Junaid was found to have claimed an unfair catch in violation of Article 2.15 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, after the match officials reviewed the video footage during Southern Punjab’s first innings on day-one of the four-day fixture. The incident occurred in the 72nd over of the innings with Muhammad Imran the batter dismissed.
On-field umpires Waleed Yaqub and Imtiaz Iqbal levelled the charge on the wicketkeeper, who accepted imposition of the three-match ban sanction proposed by match-referee Iftikhar Ahmed from the range of applicable sanctions pursuant to the Code.
Mickey Arthur asks players to go for a series win
BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka's outgoing head coach Mickey Arthur was visibly happy at the end of the first Test match against the visiting West Indies team. The home team won the rain and bad-light affected match by a massive 187 runs.
The victorious team had no big celebration after the first Test. Maybe it is reserved for the series win. "The hotel made a cake for the winning Sri Lankan team and also arranged bottles of beer", one of the hotel staff speaking exclusively over the telephone from Galle, said.
"Only the foreign coaching staff drank the beer in a small quantity. The players did not taste it. They (the players) cut the cake made for them", the source added. Mickey Arthur in his speech asked the players to go for the series win rather than only being content with the first Test win or drawn series", the other source added.
The players are determined to win the second Test beginning on Monday and give a farewell gift to their head coach. The team was given a day off on Friday and the next training session is scheduled for Saturday.
Pakistan Vs Bangladesh (Day-1): Hosts reach 253 for 4
Chittagong (SB Report):-A brilliant maiden Test century by Liton Das’ lifted Bangladesh to 253 for four after they had been reduced to 49 for four on day one of the first Test against Pakistan at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Bangladesh on Friday.
The wicketkeeper-batter was unbeaten on 113 off 225 balls as he smashed 11 fours and a six during a solid 204-run undefeated fifth wicket stand with Mushfiqur Rahim, who was not out on 82.
The hosts found themselves in a spot of bother in the morning session when Pakistan removed top four batters in a span of 58 minutes. Those, however, were the only wickets to fall on the day, as the pair of Liton and Mushfiqur pushed back the opposition during a remarkable rearguard effort.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Sajid Khan and Faheem Ashraf took a wicket each.
The play was suspended in the latter half of the evening session because of fading light as 85 overs were bowled and the second day’s play will begin 11 minutes before the scheduled start to make up for the lost time.
Scores in brief:
Bangladesh 253-4, 85 overs (Liton Das 113 not out, Mushfiqur Rhaim 82 not out)
CHRIS GAYLE: T10 CRICKET HAS RAISED THE BAR
Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Chris Gayle praised the Abu Dhabi T10 for its non-stop action, while criticising modern openers in the 20-over format for “killing the game” with a more cautious approach to power-plays.
With two ICC Men’s T20 World Cup winners’ medals to his name and more runs than any other player in the history of 20-over cricket, Gayle has been central to the rise of franchise cricket all over the world.
And now, while playing for Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10, Gayle says cricket’s 10-over version is setting new standards when it comes to explosive batting and, ultimately, entertainment.
“I think, with T10 cricket, that’s how T20 cricket started. From the first over, batters used to go but T20 cricket has slowed down dramatically and T10 cricket has now raised the bar a bit,” said Gayle.
“They’re killing the entertainment in T20 cricket, straight up, because in those first six overs, we can get more as openers but guys are taking their own time. Sometimes they bat to get a score and they take away from the fire they should be bringing to the batting department in the first six overs, but T10 is spot on and hopefully we’ll see more T10 coming around.
“I don’t know why batters get so cagey during the first six overs. When T20 cricket started, guys were going from ball one, if you really check the history of T20 cricket looking back on it. I don’t like that fact, I think we should go hard, keep the entertainment that is within the game of T20 cricket and continue to keep that aggression in the first six overs.”
Team Abu Dhabi are currently top of the Abu Dhabi T10 table with five wins from five matches and Gayle is clearly having fun in his second year with the franchise.
Gayle is also confident that this could be the year that Team Abu Dhabi to lift their first T10 title. “Absolutely, I am enjoying my second year with Team Abu Dhabi and we’ve had a great start but anything can happen in T10 in such a short space of time,” he added.
“I’m happy with where the team is at the minute and hopefully this is Team Abu Dhabi’s year.”
Kaluwitharana declines team invitation to celebrate his birthday
BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka's national selector Romesh Kaluwitharana, who turned 52 on Wednesday "politely" refused to celebrate his birthday.
As per the policy adopted by the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board, one national selector remains with the team and former wicket-keeper Kaluwitharana has been in the bio bubble and staying at the team hotel.
"The team members did wish him on his birthday and invited him to cut the cake prepared by the hotel. However, he politely refused the invitation", one of the hotel sources speaking exclusively, said.
"He does not like the present tradition of celebrating the birthday where the cake is applied all over the face and is only a waste of food".
"Keeping the distance from the players (so as to enable him to protect his face from being cake-painted), he straight away headed to his room after the completion of the fourth day's play of the first Test match".
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