Sports Bulletin

Report: ABDULLAH ASJAD Islamabad(November 2,2021):-South Africa overcame Bangladesh by 6 wickets in ICC Men’s T 20 World Cup 2021 at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. African skipper Temba Bavuma decided to bowl first after winning the toss. South Africans bowlers succeeded to stop Bangladeshi batters only 84 runs in 20 overs game. Bangladeshi Opener Liton Das scored 24 runs and wasted large numbers of 36 balls in T20 cricket game while Mahedi Hasan added 27 runs in 25 deliveries as he smashed 2 fours and solitary six. Africans bowlers did outclass bowling and pacer Anrich Nortje bowled very beautifully and picked up 3 wickets and conceded only 8 runs in 4 overs while second opener Kagiso Rabada took 3 wickets for 20 runs. Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi got 2 wickets. In reply, South African batter chased 85 runs target in 14th over with 6 wickets in hand. Captain Temba Bavuma played a highly regarded innings and scored 31 runs and faced 28 balls. He hit 3 fours and single six. One down batter Rassie van der Dussen scored22 runs in27 balls while wicket keeper batter Quinton de Kock added 16 runs only. Bangladeshi pacer Taskin Ahmed came back in the team and sent 2 batters back to the pavilion. Mahedi Hasan and Nasum Ahmed got a single wicket each. Kagiso Rabada declared man of the match. Summarized Scorecard: South Africa beat Bangladesh at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi by six wickets Bangladesh 84 all out, in 18.2 overs (Mahedi Hasan 27, Liton Das 24; Anrich Nortje 3/8, Kagiso Rabada 3/20)  South Africa 86/4, in 13.3 overs (Temba Bavuma 31 not out, Rassie van der Dussen 22; Taskin Ahmed 2/18, Mahedi Hasan 1/19)  Player of the Match: Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)   +  

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (November 2, 2021):-Pakistan and Bangladesh feature in a highly anticipated match on the opening day of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2021 to be played across four venues in Harare from 21 November to 5 December. The 10-team tournament gets off with a set of warm-up matches on 19 November, after which the south Asian rivals will play at the Old Hararians Club on 21 November. There will be three other matches played concurrently on the same day – West Indies versus Papua New Guinea (Sunrise Cricket Club), Thailand v Zimbabwe (Harare Sports Club) and Ireland v Netherlands (Takashinga Cricket Club). The match between the 2016 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup champions West Indies and Sri Lanka will be another high-profile match during the preliminary league of the tournament which sees the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea and the Netherlands in Group A, and Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe and the United States in Group B. There is no knockout stage in the competition, with the preliminary league, consisting of five teams each in two groups, followed by a Super Six stage to decide the final positions at the end of 29 matches. The Zimbabwe tournament is an important one on the calendar as it decides three qualifiers for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 to be held in New Zealand from 4 March to 3 April, joining five teams who have already qualified through the ICC Women’s Championship – Australia, England, India, South Africa and hosts New Zealand. The three qualifiers as well as the next two teams will also ensure places in the next ICC Women’s Championship (IWC) along with the top five from last time, as the number of teams in the third cycle of the IWC goes up from eight to 10 teams. All fixtures are day matches starting at 09h30 local time. Group A: West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Netherlands Group B: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA    

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Sharjah (November 1, 2021):-Jos Buttler’s maiden T20I hundred helped England come through a test against Sri Lanka by 26 runs in Sharjah to all but confirm their semi-final place. After being put in to bat for the first time in this tournament, England stumbled to 35 for three before Buttler scored the first century of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to guide Chris Silverwood’s men to 163 for four. After Buttler’s heroics, you always felt Sri Lanka were behind in the chase, losing wickets at crucial times and eventually being bowled out 26 runs short. Having taken 12 off the opening over, it looked like it could have been business as usual for England but Wanindu Hasaranga had other ideas, bowling Jason Roy with a googly, the opener only able to make nine before having to depart. Out came MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I World No.1 batter Dawid Malan, but he could not last much longer, surviving being dropped by keeper Kusal Perera before being bowled next ball by Dushmantha Chameera to see England reduced to 34 for two. Jonny Bairstow fared even worse, going for a golden duck, as Sri Lanka correctly reviewed for lbw, and captain Eoin Morgan was needed to do a job alongside Jos Buttler. By the halfway mark in their innings, Buttler and Morgan had moved England to just 47 for three, but from there Buttler took the initiative, hitting the first boundary for five overs before smashing Chamika Karunaratne for a four and a six in back-to-back balls. Buttler brought up his fifty from 45 balls before Eoin Morgan got in on the act, reverse sweeping for four. The next over, England finally started to motor, smashing three sixes to take 22 off Lahiru Kumara and move their total past 100, Buttler adding 13 runs off just four balls. Hasaranga had gone for two for 13 from his first three overs, and having seen the ball smashed back over his head for six by Morgan he got revenge by bowling him, only after the England captain had made 40 and added 106 alongside Buttler. With Buttler needing just seven for a maiden T20I century, he launched the ball high but was dropped as Pathum Nissanka was unable to hold on to the ball. And needing six off the final ball for his hundred, Buttler dutifully dispatched a Chameera full toss on the leg side for six to move England on to 164. Buttler was straight back into the action, running out Nissanka before Charith Asalanka tried one heave too many and was caught for 21 off 16 as England got their second wicket of the powerplay. Perera was next to go, Morgan taking a difficult catch off the bowling of Adil Rashid, but Sri Lanka still ended the powerplay on 40 for three, four runs more than England, but the Lions would need a Jos Buttler. Avishka Fernando was not going to be that man as he was given out plumb lbw, sent back to the pavilion for 13 off 14 deliveries before the Lions reached the halfway mark at 66 for four. Having conceded 12 runs off the first four balls of his second over, Tymal Mills was forced to go off with a quad injury with Morgan required to rejig his attack. Sam Billings came on as a sub and was involved in a tandem catching effort with Roy to dismiss Hasaranga who had batted valiantly, adding 34 from 21 balls. Buttler was at it again, with a long-range direct hit to dismiss a stranded Dasun Shanaka before Chameera fell in the same Chris Jordan over as Sri Lanka slipped to 134 for eight. Eventually, Sri Lanka succumbed in the penultimate over, Moeen Ali finishing the job as Eoin Morgan became the most successful captain in men’s T20I cricket with his 43rd win in the shortest format. Scores in brief England beat Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium by 26 runs England 163/4 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 101 not out, Eoin Morgan 40; Wanindu Hasaranga 3/21, Dushmantha Chameera 1/43) Sri Lanka 137 all out in 18.6 overs (Wanindu Hasaranga 34, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 26, Dasun Shanaka 26; Adil Rashid 2/19, Chris Jordan 2/24) Player of the Match: Jos Buttler (England)

SPECIAL REPORT  Shoaib Malik has hailed the spirit in the Pakistan dressing room as a key factor behind his side’s impressive start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Shoaib Malik of Pakistan looks on during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and New Zealand at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on October 26, 2021 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Shoaib Malik has hailed the spirit in the Pakistan dressing room as a key factor behind his side’s impressive start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Victories over India, New Zealand – against whom Malik compiled a crucial unbeaten 26 in the chase – and Afghanistan have put Pakistan top of Group 2 going into Tuesday’s clash with Namibia in Abu Dhabi. A fourth straight win would leave Saqlain Mushtaq’s men with one foot in the semi-finals and keep the feel good factor going in a squad whose confidence is growing with every passing game. “Morale is high,” Malik said. “Obviously when you win games, the confidence level is quite high in the dressing room. “Everyone is looking forward to playing the rest of the games we have left in the tournament. “When you start the tournament, the goal is to give your best shot as a team. But since I've joined the team, I've seen Pakistan teams practise sessions and the way they have been dealing with pressure from the world until now, it's been exceptionally good. “And I guess to see consistency in Pakistan dressing room, that's the biggest thing for me so far, everyone's helping each other. “It's a team game. When you're playing a team game, then you need your teammates' help, you need a lot of support from your management. And I see all of that coming.” Namibia will go into the contest looking to bounce back after a 62-run defeat against Afghanistan on Sunday. Pierre de Bruyn’s side began the Super 12s stage with a memorable victory over Scotland and are now bidding to claim a notable scalp to keep their own semi-final dreams alive. And whatever happens in Abu Dhabi, de Bruyn has been proud to witness how his players have brought together a nation with their exploits in the tournament so far. “What this team, what these players have done in the last couple of weeks to inspire the nation back home and to inspire all the young players and kids in Namibia to play cricket has been enormous,” he said. “I can't explain how big it is, what this team have achieved in terms of inspiration and getting a lot of young people to play cricket. “It is a very good Namibian story but I also believe it's been a very good, inspiring cricket story. “We're showing as a very small nation with two and a half million people that it can be done. It can be done by really hard work, by really good planning and getting a group of players together and sharing the same vision, sharing the same culture. “I think that is what this story is about. It doesn't matter whether you always have the resources around you. You can make it happen. “The last 24 hours [since the Afghanistan match] was a matter of just trying to relax because we know how big this game is and what we're going to face. “It’s important we take the learnings from last night and improve on those points. Tomorrow is going to be a great experience for the players but we need to be 20 per cent better.”

Report: ABDULLAH ASJAD Islamabad (October 31, 2021):- New Zealand trounced India by 8 wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at Dubai Cricket Stadium on Sunday night.   New Zealand’s Captain Kane Williamson won the toss and decided to bowl first. The Indian strong batting line put only 111 runs on the scoreboard. Indian top order did not start in good style, as the opening batter KL Rahul scored 18 runs in 16 balls and hit only 3 fours. Other opener Ishan Kishan scored just 4 runs. Hardik Pandya played a bit responsible innings and added 23 runs. Left handed batter Ravindra Jadeja increased 26 runs in team total. Kiwis bowlers bowled superbly against a strong Indian batting line. Pacer Trent Boult crashed Indian batting and sent 3 batters back to the pavilion and gave only 20 runs in his 4 overs while Spin bowler Ish Sodhi picked up 2 important wickets and sent out danger man Rohit Sharma and Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who had scored 51 runs against Pakistan on last Sunday, just scored 9 runs as he wasted 17 deliveries. In reply, Black Caps chased a small 111 runs target in only the 14th over and wasted only 2 wickets. Daryl Mitchell played an aggressive innings and scored 49 runs in only 35 balls as he smashed 4 fours and 3 huge sixes. Skipper Kane Williamson got 33 runs on 31 balls. Martin Guptill scored only 20 runs. Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah picked up a couple of wickets after conceding only 19 runs. Kiwis spinner Ish Sodhi got man of the match award. Summarized score card New Zealand beat India at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai by eight wickets  India 110/7, in 20 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 26, Hardik Pandya 23; Trent Boult 3/20, Ish Sodhi 2/17)  New Zealand 111/2, in 14.3 overs (Daryl Mitchell 49, Kane Williamson 33 not out; Jasprit Bumrah 2/19, Mohammed Shami 0/11)  Player of the Match: Ish Sodhi (New Zealand)  

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD (October 31, 2021):-Afghanistan got their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 campaign back on track with a thumping 62-run victory over Namibia. Mohammad Nabi’s side went against the grain and chose to bat first in Abu Dhabi, posting 160 for five from their 20 overs with opener Mohammad Shahzad making 45. Namibia never looked like chasing it down, losing wickets at regular intervals and ending 98 for nine. For Afghanistan, it was a resounding response to their narrow defeat to Pakistan as they stayed second in Group 2. Taking first use of the Sheikh Zayed surface, Afghanistan’s openers looked to target the left-arm seam of Ruben Trumpelmann that did such damage to Scotland in Namibia’s four-wicket win. The fifth ball of the game was an overpitched delivery that Hazratullah Zazai climbed into and lifted over long-on for six. Trumpelmann was taken out of the attack, returning in the fourth over, but the dynamic was the same as Hazratullah took him for two well-placed fours through the gully region. Southpaw Hazratullah was at his ebullient best and smoked Jan Frylinck over the midwicket fence for six. His partner Shahzad took longer to hit his straps but did so in the final over of the powerplay, swiping David Wiese through midwicket for four and then flaying him over third man for six. When fielding restrictions were lifted, Afghanistan were 50 without loss. JJ Smit’s nagging left-armers looked most threatening for Namibia and he broke the opening stand when Hazratullah picked out deep square leg, departing for 33 from 27 balls. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus turned to the wildcard leg-spin of Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, whose first over went for two and ended with a ball that ripped past Shahzad’s outside edge. The 21-year-old accounted for Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the tenth, trapping him in front for four at 69 for two. Shahzad was still there and continued to pepper the midwicket boundary, before top edging a catch to Bernard Scholtz and heading back for a pivotal 45. Asghar Afghan came to the crease and struck the ball well in his final T20I innings, despite losing his first partner Najibullah Zadran LBW to Loftie-Eaton. He got down on one knee to smash Fylinck over long off for six and helped take a Smit over for 16 runs with two boundaries behind square. Nabi, Asghar’s successor as Afghanistan’s T20 captain, offered his usual flurry at the finish with an excellent cameo of 32 from 17 balls, with five fours and a six off Trumpelmann. Namibia’s chase faltered at the first when Craig Williams skied the fourth ball of the innings, bowled by Naveen-ul-Haq, comfortably caught by Usman Ghani. Nabi fared well with the bat but less so with the ball at first as he was dispatched by Michael van Lingen for six over long-on and then by Loftie-Eaton through the arc for another maximum. Namibia expected a trial by spin but it was Naveen’s seam that hurt them up front when Van Lingen fell for a clever slower ball and was caught at square leg for 11 at 16 for two. And Gulbadin Naib’s medium pace dismissed Loftie-Eaton as he tried to swipe a cutter across the line only to be clean bowled. The re-introduction of spin did the trick when Rashid Khan bowled Zane Green when he attempted a paddle sweep to the wrong ball, making it 36 for four. Namibia could not build any kind of partnerships and lost two wickets in four balls when Hamid Hassan yorked Erasmus for 12 and then got Smith to snick behind for a duck at 56 for six. Wiese and Frylinck stemmed the tide for a few overs without being able to score at a prolific rate, the latter trudging off after looping Naveen to Nabi at mid-off. Another tame dismissal came as Pikky Ya France offered a simple return catch for Gulbadin but Wiese got a good one as he was bowled by a full Hassan delivery for 26. Scores in Brief: Afghanistan beat Namibia by 62 runs at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Afghanistan 160/5 in 20 overs (Mohammad Shahzad 45, Hazratullah Zazai 33; Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 2/21, Ruben Trumpelmann 2/34) Namibia 98/9 in 20 overs (David Wiese 26, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 14; Hamid Hassan 3/9, Naveen-ul-Haq 3/26) Player of the Match: Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan)

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (October 31, 2021):-The road to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia continues with seven Americas teams Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Panama and USA all set to compete for two qualifying spots. The road to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia continues with seven Americas teams Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Panama and USA all set to compete for two qualifying spots. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier supported by Dream 11 marks the second and final Americas pathway event for the year, where two spots in the Qualifer A and B will be up for grabs which are due to take place in the first half of 2022. The Americas Qualifier will be played between 7 and 14 November in Antigua in partnership with Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association. Coverage of the event will be produced by CricClubs, who will use their live streaming expertise to make each match available to view live on FanCode in the Indian sub-continent and on ICC.tv in the rest of the world. In total, there will be 21 Men’s T20 Internationals live streamed during the event which will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and Coolidge Cricket Ground. Bermuda come into the event as the top team on the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings at 29, closely followed by the United States in 33.        Belize captain, Kenton Young said: “It's every sports player’s dream to play in a World Cup and represent their country. From a baby playing with a tennis ball in yard cricket. For me personally it would mean everything if we qualified and got one step closer.” Bermuda captain, Kamau Leverock said: “I love the atmosphere, playing cricket in front of crowds, so it would be a great feeling to qualify from this tournament. The team we have is great and we have a good chance of making it all the way if we play some good cricket.” Canada captain, Navneet Singh Dhaliwal said: “I am excited for the tournament, cricket is a special thing. I will be happy if we qualify for the next round, but our ultimate goal is to play in the Men’s T20 World Cup.” Panama captain, Yusuf Ebrahim Akalwaya said: “If we were to qualify for the Global Qualifier I would be overjoyed, it would be a dream come true for my country.”      USA captain, Monank Patel said: “Cricket is a team sport that always give you great life lessons. People have come from different walks of life with different cultures all with the common goal of taking USA Cricket ahead.” ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier fixtures: 7 November 2021 - USA v Belize 09h30 at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG); Bahamas v Canada 09h30 Sir Viv Richards Stadium (SVG); USA v Panama 13h30 at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG); 8 November 2021 - Belize v Canada 09h30 at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG); Argentina v Bahamas 09h30 at Sir Viv Richards Stadium (SVG); Belize v Panama 13h30 at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG); USA v Bermuda     13h30 at Sir Viv Richards Stadium (SVG); 9 November 2021 - Rest/Reserve 10 November 2021 - USA v Canada 09h30 at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG); Belize v Argentina 09h30 at Sir Viv Richards Stadium (SVG); Argentina v Panama 13h30 at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG); Bermuda v Bahamas 13h30 at Sir Viv Richards Stadium (SVG) 11 November 2021 - Bermuda v Canada 09h30 at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG); Belize v Bahamas  09h30 at Sir Viv Richards Stadium (SVG); Bermuda v Panama 13h30 at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG); USA v Argentina 13h30 at Sir Viv Richards Stadium (SVG); 12 November 2021 - Rest/Reserve 13 November 2021 - USA v Bahamas 09h30 at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG);  Belize v Bermuda 09h30 at Sir Viv Richards Stadium (SVG); Bahamas v Panama 13h30 at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG); Argentina v Canada at 13h30 at Sir Viv Richards Stadium (SVG) 14 November 2021 - Canada v Panama 09h30 at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG); Argentina v Bermuda 13h30 at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG)

Report: ABDULLAH ASJAD Islamabad (October 20 2021):-England trounced Australia by 8 wickets in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium Dubai on Saturday. English batters chased small 126 runs total in easily in just 11th over. Right handed wicket keeper batter Jos Buttler played a stylish and speedy innings against Australian bowlers and scored 71 runs in only 31 balls. He cracked 5 fours and 5 huge sixes while opener Jason Roy scored 22 runs and faced 20 deliveries. Australian bowlers did not bowl brilliantly. Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar both spinners took single wicket each while left handed pacer Michel Starc did not take any wicket. Earlier, English Captain Eon Morgan won the toss and asked to Finch for batting first. Finch elevens failed to set big target on score board against strong England side. Australian skipper Aaron Finch played a captain innings and scored 44 runs, as 49 deliveries wasted. Ashton Agar scored 20 runs while wicket keeper batter Matthew Wade added 18 runs only. English bowler Chris Woakes got 2 wickets and conceded 23 runs while Chris Jordan took 3 wickets in just 17 runs conceded Tymal Mills sent out 2 batters of opposition side to the pavilion. Chris Jordan got man of the match award.  Scores in Brief England beat Australia at Dubai International Stadium by eight wickets Australia 125 all out in 20 overs (Aaron Finch 44; Chris Jordan 3-17, Chris Woakes 2-23) England 126/2 in 11.4 overs (Jos Buttler 71 not out; Ashton Agar 1-15) Player of the Match: Chris Jordan (England)  

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Sharjah (October 30, 2021):-South Africa claimed a tense four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the final over to keep their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup hopes alive. Pathum Nissanka led Sri Lanka’s charge making 72 as South Africa took regular wickets to restrict the Lions to 142 all out. Hasaranga halted South Africa’s steady progress taking a hat-trick to reduce them to 112 for six but David Miller provided the heroics to knock Sri Lanka out. South Africa won the toss and chose to field making one change as Quinton de Kock was restored to the side in place of Heinrich Klaasen. It was a tale of two overs for Nortje, castling Kusal Perera in his first over before conceding 13 off his second to see Sri Lanka make 39 for one in the powerplay. With Charith Asalanka in, Sri Lanka started to increase their run rate, he and Nissanka smashing Maharaj for sixes before Asalanka was run out thanks to smart fielding by Kagiso Rabada and de Kock. His replacement, Bhanuka Rajapakse, was as tame as Asalanka was brave, sending Tabraiz Shamsi wheeling away in celebration after an easy caught and bowled. Avishka Fernando fell in much the same way as Rajapakse, although this time Shamsi was down on his knees having reduced Sri Lanka to 77 for four. As opener Nissanka neared his half-century he could not find a partner willing to stick with him - Hasaranga forced to go, caught on four by a diving Aiden Markram - but Nissanka finally got his half-century, coming off 46 balls to claim his second T20I fifty. Despite being sent for two fours, Dwaine Pretorius continued with his wide of off stump deliveries, finally reaping his reward as Rabada caught Dasun Shanaka down low to again stifle Sri Lanka. Nissanka could not hang on until the end falling for 72 off 58, his highest T20I score, as Sri Lanka ended on 142 all out, Kumara run out on the final ball. Reeza Hendricks and de Kock made a tidy start to the chase before Hendricks was given out lbw which was upheld on review. De Kock followed two balls later top-edging straight to the bowler Dushmantha Chameera to leave South Africa on 26 for two. Like in the Sri Lanka innings, the number three was run out, this time Rassie van der Dussen was left stranded due to miscommunication from captain Temba Bavuma as the Proteas slipped to 49-3. With half the innings gone, South Africa were five runs behind Sri Lanka at 62-3 but Bavuma and Markram were building a useful partnership. The pair added 47 before Markram had to go for 19 off 20 having been clean bowled by Hasaranga. From his next delivery, two overs later, Hasaranga took the crucial wicket of Bavuma who departed for a run-a-ball 46, and then he got his hat-trick. Pretorius holed out to long on and Hasaranga set off in celebration, no one could stop him, at least no South African. Rabada survived an lbw review off the next ball before smacking Chameera for six in the next over, leaving South Africa needing 15 off the final over with Kumara bowling it. After conceding a single to Rabada, David Miller teed off hitting back-to-back sixes and then the winning runs as South Africa snuck home. Scores in Brief South Africa beat Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah by four wickets. Sri Lanka 142 all out in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 72, Charith Asalanka 21; Dwayne Pretorius 3-17, Tabraiz Shamsi 3-17) South Africa 146/6 in 19.5 overs (Temba Bavuma 46, David Miller 23 not out; Wanindu Hasaranga 3/20, Dushmantha Chameera 2/27) Player of the Match: Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa)

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (October 29, 2021):- ):-Asif Ali, four sixes in the penultimate over of the match, overwhelmed all efforts of  Afghanistan guys in a Group II fixture of the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup 2021 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Friday night. Asif blitzed 25 in just seven balls to ensure Babar Azam’s 51 did not go to waste as they successfully chased 148 to win by five wickets in front of a raucous crowd at the Dubai International Stadium. Only some back-end fireworks from Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib, who shared an unbeaten stand of 71 off 48 balls, gave their side a competitive total after they had slipped to 76 for six. Asif had smashed 27 in 12 balls to help Pakistan beat New Zealand last time out and having trumped India in their opener, they have now cemented their spot on top of Group 2 and put one foot in the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s World T20 2021. Nabi bucked the trend by choosing to bat in Dubai despite the dew and may have been regretting that call when Hazratullah Zazai was dismissed for a five-ball duck in the second over. The Afghanistan opener’s top edge off Imad Wasim was safely pouched by Haris Rauf to give Pakistan an early breakthrough. Mohammad Shazad struck the first boundary of the innings, but two balls later departed for eight after tamely chipping Shaheen Shah Afridi straight to mid-on to leave Afghanistan floundering at 13 for two. Rahmanullah Gurbaz got off the mark in some style, planting Wasim into the stands with an eye-catching slog-sweep but should have been easily run out soon after only for Mohammad Rizwan’s wayward throw to spare his blushes. Asghar Afghan also opened his account with a maximum in Wasim’s second over which went for 17, but the No.4 was soon walking back for 10 after Rauf took a sharp return catch, with his younger brother Karim Janat replacing him. In what was now typical fashion, Janat got going with a six off Haris but could only watch on as Rahmanullah holed out off Afridi for 10 as Afghanistan lost four wickets inside an action-packed powerplay, finishing on 49 for four. Janat’s promising partnership of 25 with Najibullah Zadran was cut short when the former holed out off Imad, who finished with two for 25, for 15 in the 10th over. The theme of big hits and wickets continued when Najibullah sent Shadab Khan out of the park only for the bowler to exact immediate revenge, having him caught behind for 22 with a wrong-un. Skipper Nabi was joined by Gulbadin and the pair spun the game on its head with a vital partnership of 71 off 48 balls, both batters finishing unbeaten on 35. Gulbadin exploded into life in Hasan Ali’s 18th over, smashing a six and two fours on his way to single-handedly adding 19 of the 21 runs scored. The 50 partnership came off just 36 balls and the carnage continued with Haris' 19th over going for 15 runs as Pakistan leaked 36 runs in just 12 balls. Shaheen's final over cost just seven, even with a no-ball, but the damage was done, and Afghanistan finished on 147 for six, more than enough for their spinners to get stuck into. Pakistan got off to a slow start in reply when Rizwan, eight off 10, was well caught on the boundary by Naveen-ul-Haq off Mujeeb Ur Rahman in just the third over. Fakhar Zaman wasted no time in getting going as he and captain Babar guided Pakistan to 38 for one from the powerplay before Mujeeb returned to complete an excellent spell of one for 14 from his four overs. Fakhar and Babar’s partnership reached 50 from just 39 balls as Pakistan took control of the chase with wickets in hand. Babar’s class shone through as he made his way to 36 before danger man Rashid Khan, belatedly brought into the attack in the 11th over, thought he had him trapped LBW only for the decision to be overturned on review. But DRS could not save the skipper’s partner Fakhar as Nabi had him pinned in front for 30 from the very next ball at the other end, curtailing the third-wicket partnership of 63 and leaving Pakistan 75 for two. Rashid had his 100th T20 international wicket, the quickest to the milestone, for real when Mohammad Hafeez’s top-edge found Gulbadin to give Afghanistan a chance with the asking rate creeping over nine. Babar should have been caught by Naveen off Rashid but the spinner had his man with the final ball of his spell of two for 26, a googly castling the Pakistan skipper as he surprisingly aimed a huge swipe into the leg side with 12 already having come from the 17th over. Naveen bowled a sensational 18th over which cost just two runs during which he shelled an exceptionally tough reaction chance off Shoaib Malik but two balls later the veteran batter nicked one behind to depart for 19 with 24 still needed off 13. Just as Afghanistan clawed their way in front, Asif had other ideas, belting four huge sixes off Janat in the 19th over to seal an incredible victory with six balls to spare. Scores in Brief Pakistan beat Afghanistan at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai by five wickets Afghanistan 147/6 in 20 overs (Mohammad Nabi 35 not out, Gulbadin Naib 35 not out; Imad Wasim 2/25, Shaheen Shah Afridi 1/22, Shadab Khan 1/22) Pakistan 148/5 in 19 overs (Babar Azam 51, Fakhar Zaman 30, Asif Ali 25 not out; Rashid Khan 2/26, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 1/14) Player of the Match: Asif Ali (Pakistan)