Sports Bulletin

Report: ABDULLAH ASJAD Islamabad (October 18, 2021):-Sri Lanka beat Namibians by 7 wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2021 match at Sheikh Zayid Cricket Stadium Abu Dhabi on Monday night under the floodlights. Sri Lankan tigers got their meager target of 96 runs after losing only three wickets and 39 balls were spare too. Sri Lankan Batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa scored unbeaten 42 runs in just 27 balls while Avishka Fernando scored 30 runs in 28 deliveries were major contributors. Earlier, Sri Lankan skipper won the toss and put opposition in to bat first. Namibia bundled out on 96 runs. Craig Williams scored 29 runs in 36 balls, Gerhard Erasmus scored 20 runs in 19 balls and JJ Smit scored 12 runs in 15 delivers. Maheesh Theekshana took 3 wickets for Sri Lanka and he was judged man of the match on his match winning bowling.   Toss: Sri Lanka won the toss elected to bat first Namibia Batting: Craig Williams (29 runs 36 balls), Gerhard Erasmus (20 runs 19 balls), JJ Smit (12 runs 15balls) Sri Lanka Bowling: Maheesh Theekshana 3 for 25, Lahiru Kumara 2 for 9, Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva 2 for 24 Sri Lanka Batting: Bhanuka Rajapaksa  42 runs for 27 balls, Avishka Fernando 30 runs for 28. Namibia Bowling: JJ Smit 1 for 7, Bernard Scholtz 1 for 16, Ruben Trumpelmann 1 for 27 Result: Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets (with 39 balls remaining) Man of the Match: Maheesh Theekshana  

Report: ABDULLAH ASJAD ISLAMABAD (October 18, 2021):-Ireland defeated Netherlands in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at Sheikh Zahid Cricket Stadium Abu Dhabi on Monday. Netherlands captains Pieter Seelaar won the toss and elected to bat first. Netherlands could score only 106 runs in allowed 20 overs. Max O Dowd was the top scorer with 51 runs. He hit 7 fours and faced 47 balls. Captain Pieter Seelaar contributed 21 runs. For the Ireland, Curtis Campher got 4 wickets including a hat-trick in his four overs after giving 25 runs while Mark Adair got 3 wickets for just 9 runs. In reply, Ireland reached at the target of 107 runs for 3 wickets in 15.1 overs. Gareth Delany scored 44 runs in 29 balls. Curtis Campher was declared man of the match on his outstanding bowling.   Summarized Scorecard: (Ireland Vs Holland) Toss:  Netherland won the toss elected to bat first Netherlands (Batting): 106 all out in 20 overs Max O. Dowd (51 runs 47 balls), Pieter Seelaar (21 runs 29 balls), Logan van Beek (11 runs 12 balls) Ireland (Bowling): Curtis Campher 4 for 25, Mark Adair 3 for 9, Josh little 1 for 14 Ireland (Batting):107/3 in15.1overs Gareth Delany (44 runs 29 Balls), Paul Stiriling (30 runs 39 Balls), Kevin O’Brien (9 runs10 Balls), Netherlands Bowling: Pieter Seelaar1 for14, Fred Klaassen 1 for 18, Brandon Glover 1 for21 Results: Ireland won by 7 wicket and 4.5 overs in hand Player of the match: Curtis Campher  

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT MUSCAT, OMAN (October 18, 2021):-Scotland overcame Bangladeshi tigers by just six runs in the second fixture of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at Oman Cricket Academy ground on Sunday night. Scotland team set a target of 141 runs to win for the Bangladesh but they could only score 134 for 7 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Bowler Chris Greaves was awarded the "Man of the Match" title as he picked up two wickets as well as scoring 45 runs. Brad Wheal picked up the wickets of Nurul Hasan and Mahmud Ullah to leave Scotland in the ascendancy. Mark Watt got his first wicket of the match by sending Afif Hossain back to the pavilion. Mushfiqur Rahim was the top batsman for the Bangladesh squad but he could only add 38 runs to his team's score, which was not enough to meet the target set by the Scottish team. For Bangladesh, Mehdi Hassan took 3 wickets, while Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rehman took 2 wickets each.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (October 18, 2021):-Scotland sent shockwaves through the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a six-run win over Bangladesh and captain Kyle Coetzer explained that this is a result that has been a long time in the making. Scotland sent shockwaves through the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a six-run win over Bangladesh and captain Kyle Coetzer explained that this is a result that has been a long time in the making. The Scots booked their place at the tournament back in 2019 but have spent much of the Covid-19 pandemic having to readjust their plans as tours and matches have been postponed. That has left plenty of time for planning and despite some early struggles in Oman, it all came together as Chris Greaves inspired the team to victory that puts Scotland in a strong position in Group B. And for Coetzer, who was part of the Scotland team that beat Bangladesh back in 2012, it was also important to remember just how many sacrifices the team has had to make simply to get here. He said: “It's a huge win for us, it’s something we’ve been planning for a long time. It’s been a long two years since the qualifying tournament.  “Until a month ago we had played two games of cricket as a group so there was a lot of planning behind the scenes, a lot of guys working hard and it sometimes seemed you were working for nothing because our tours kept getting cancelled. So that was really hard for us to manage.  “But now we’re reaping the rewards of keeping the faith that this tournament would come around and we would be a better team for it when we arrive out here.  “There have been a lot of sacrifices for many players, associate cricket is very hard and to get the opportunity we do when we get out here, it’s important to take it because otherwise if you get brushed aside people don’t appreciate how hard associate cricket is. We’ve made some good strides and I’m really proud.” Batting first, Scotland found themselves in trouble as Mahedi Hasan (3/19) and Shakib Al Hasan (2/17) made inroads and reduced their opponents to 53 for six. However, Greaves hit 45 off 28 deliveries to carry the team to 140 for nine, before taking two wickets as the chase fell short with Coetzer impressed by the belief of his side, who he knows are capable of more. He added: “It’s a special feeling to beat Bangladesh. It’s not the first time we’ve beaten them but we know the strength in depth in their squad.  “I think they gave us a lesson at the start of the innings with the skill that they put on show. It took a real fighting effort today. I was saying to our guys that we’re never out of the game and always believe. We’ll be looking for a more wholesome performance next time.” Next up for Scotland is a clash with Papua New Guinea, who were well beaten by Oman in their opening game. Bangladesh, meanwhile, take on the hosts in desperate need of a win, and for skipper Mahmudullah, it was their batting that faltered in this encounter, with Mushfiqur Rahim’s dismissal for 38 proving the crucial moment in the match. He said: “I think Mushy’s (Mushfiqur) wicket was the turning point because Mushy was looking good today. Probably a set batter has to stay but I think as a batting unit, we are disappointed so it’s a concern. We need to see where we made those mistakes and try not to repeat those mistakes in the next game. “I think the bowlers were on the right track, we picked up six wickets before they had scored 60 runs but after that, they had a good partnership. I have to give credit to those batters who built the partnership for Scotland, they played better cricket than us. We were just not good enough tonight. “We’re really disappointed. On that wicket and that ground, I think 140 was very much gettable. As a batting unit, we made a lot more mistakes than the right things. So we need to see the areas where we could have done better and we need to pull our socks up and try to win the next game.”