Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-Sri Lanka sealed their qualification for the Super League stage with a dramatic victory over West Indies while South Africa defeated Ireland to also book their place in the quarter-finals. Dunith Wellalage and Matheesha Pathirana both took three wickets apiece as Sri Lanka restricted the hosts to 250 before Sadisha Rajapaksa (76), Anjala Bandara (40) and Ranuda Somarathna’s unbeaten 28 guided the Group D winners to a three-wicket success. Sri Lanka remain perfect with tense win Sri Lanka maintained their perfect record in the 2022 ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup with a thrilling three-wicket victory over West Indies at Conaree Sports Club in Basseterre. The hosts went into the contest knowing they needed a big win to stand a chance of qualifying for the Super League quarter-finals, with their opponents and Australia ahead of them in Group D. Openers Shaqkere Parris and Matthew Nandu ensured they made a steady start, reaching the end of the fifth over for 20 without loss before Treveen Mathew removed the latter for seven. Parris was then bowled by Dunith Wellalage for 16 before Teddy Bishop and Kevin Wickham combined for a fruitful partnership, taking the West Indies to 102 for two after 26 overs. Bishop was eventually removed on 45 by Wellalage, caught by Mathew, but Jordan Johnson picked up where his teammate left off as he raced to 26 from 30 balls. Wickham reached his half-century before falling for 56 to Matheesha Pathirana in the 38th over, although Johnson and Rivaldo Clarke kept West Indies ticking along nicely. Two wickets in three balls in the 45th over stunted the hosts’ momentum, though, with Wellalage accounting for Johnson as he fell three runs short of his fifty before Giovonte Depeiza was run out moments later by Anjala Bandara without scoring. A late cameo from McKenny Clarke of 21 from 13 balls saw West Indies finish all out for 250, with Wellalage (3-39) and Pathirana (3-67) both taking three wickets. In response, Sri Lanka lost opener Chamindu Wickramasinghe in the first opener as Nathan Edward enticed him into a flick outside off stump that went straight to Rivaldo Clarke. Sadisha Rajapaksa and Shevon Daniel got their side back on track as they reached the end of the 11th over on 56 for one before Daniel was removed by McKenny Clarke for 34. Rajapaksa powered on regardless and despite losing Sakuna Liyanage (9), he reached his fifty in the 25th over with support from new partner Anjala Bandara at the crease. Bandara contributed 40 from 52 balls before his wicket was taken by Isai Thorne, with Rajapaksa (76) also falling the same bowler in the 40th over as Sri Lanka reached 200 for five. With 51 still needed off 60 balls for victory, Shiva Sankar removed Wellalage (15) to set up a tense finale as Ranuda Somarathna and Raveen de Silva came together in the middle. Mckenny Clarke bowled De Silva (13) but a nerveless 28 from 27 balls from Somarathna saw Sri Lanka home as they secured a three-wicket victory with 10 balls to spare. Skipper Van Heerden leads from the front A blockbuster century from South Africa captain George Van Heerden propelled his side towards the Super League quarter-finals as they defeated Ireland by 153 runs in Tarouba. The two sides started their all-important final Group B game level on points, with South Africa possessing a narrow advantage in the table thanks to their better net run-rate. With India all but assured of their place in the Super League last eight ahead of their final game against winless Uganda, South Africa and Ireland faced a shootout for second place. And Ireland made a dream start when Reuben Wilson removed South African opener Valentine Kitime in the first over for a duck before Liam Doherty bowled Ethan-John Cunningham (11). At 18 for two after four overs, South Africa were wobbling but Dewald Brevis soon restored order and moved to 27 from 29 balls with two fours to take his side to 53 for two after 10 overs. Ireland responded by taking the wicket of Gerhardus Maree (14) as Wilson struck again, yet that brought Van Heerden to the crease to form a formidable partnership with Brevis. Brevis reached his half-century with a four off the final ball of the 22nd over and continued to find the boundary at regular intervals as Van Heerden provided support from the other end. But just four runs short of his century, Brevis was punished for a loose cut shot off Scott MacBeth as a diving full length catch by Matthew Humphreys at gully sent him packing on 96. While that wicket briefly halted South Africa’s momentum, Van Heerden soon took up the baton and brought up his fifty before stepping on the gas with Andile Simelane. An explosive 25 from 12 balls from Simelane, which included three sixes and four off MacBeth in the 38th over, only added to Ireland’s troubles as South Africa moved to 207 for four. Simelane was dismissed in the next over but Mickey Copeland chipped in with a high-octane 43 from 18 balls before Van Heerden brought up his century with a four in the 46th over. Van Heerden eventually lost his wicket in the final ball of the innings, which was shortened to 47 overs due to an earlier rain delay, with South Africa finishing on 315 for seven. Ireland’s response could not have got off to a worse possible start as Liam Doherty was caught by Maree off the bowling of Matthew Boast for a golden duck in the first ball of the innings. Nathan McGuire steadied the ship with 42 from 33 balls before Simelane took his wicket, with Joshua Cox and Ireland captain Tim Tector both falling cheaply to Boast. Philippus Roux (33) provided some resistance along with Humphreys (38) but a lack of support meant Ireland were always fighting an uphill battle and they were eventually all out for 158. Boast was the star of the bowlers for the young Proteas with three for 26 while Liam Alder also took three for 20, with Asakhe Tsaka and Simelane contributing two each. Meanwhile, five West Indies players and four further India players have received positive PCR test results for COVID-19 through the official event testing programme. The players are currently self-isolating and are being monitored and cared for by the medical team.

Aamir Ali Janjua DUBAI (UAE):-Excitement is building for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, following the announcement of the fixtures for the October 16 – November 13 event. The world's best cricketers from 16 international teams will clash in 45 matches as the pinnacle global event in men’s T20 cricket comes to Australia for the first time. In the First Round, 2014 champions Sri Lanka and Namibia will play the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 at Kardinia Park, Geelong on Sunday 16 October. They’ll be joined by two qualifiers in Group A. Two-time champions West Indies will also start in the First Round, joined in Group B by Scotland and two qualifiers in Hobart. In the Super 12, hosts Australia are in Group 1 with world number one England, New Zealand, Afghanistan plus the winner of Group A and the runner-up in Group B from the First Round. Group 2 features India, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, plus the winner of Group B and runner-up in Group A from the First Round. Hosts and defending champions, Australia will play New Zealand in the opening match of the Super 12 at the SCG on Saturday 22 October in a re-match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 Final. The Black Caps will also face England at The Gabba on 1 November in a re-match of their epic semi-final encounter at the 2021 event. Two of world cricket’s biggest rivals will go head-to-head at the MCG, with India taking on Pakistan on Sunday 23 October. It will be the first World Cup clash between the two nations at the MCG and comes before two more fierce rivals, Australia and England, meet at the same venue on Friday 28 October. The state-of-the-art Perth Stadium will host a huge Sunday double-header on Sunday 30 October with South Africa taking on India in the evening match. Earlier in the day, Pakistan will be in action against the runners-up from Group A. The semi-finals will be played at the SCG and Adelaide Oval on 9 and 10 November, respectively. It will be the first time the Adelaide Oval will host a World Cup semi-final. The MCG will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Final, which will be contested under lights on 13 November 2022. International Cricket Council CEO Geoff Allardice said: ““T20 is the global growth format for cricket and the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 will play a huge role in inspiring our next generation of players and fans as the world’s best players descend on Australia and showcase the very best of our sport. The release of fixtures is always a great moment in the delivery of a World Cup as fans start to get excited about opening games, head to heads and knock-out stages. “This schedule offers so much, from the 2014 Champions Sri Lanka opening the event, to our defending champions Australia starting with a rematch of the 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup Final against New Zealand and of course India taking on Pakistan at the MCG. We know that hundreds of thousands of passionate cricket fans will turn out to support every single one of the 16 teams across all seven of our host cities which is what makes it so special for the players. You only need to cast your mind back to the brilliant ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia to know that this is going to be a wonderful event for players and fans alike.” ICC T20 World Cup Local Organising Committee CEO, Michelle Enright said; “The release of the fixtures gives fans the opportunity to start planning their T20 World Cup experience, which is now just 268 days away.” “By having matches spread across the nation in seven host cities and making tickets accessibly priced, we are hoping as many people as possible will be able to experience the incredible atmosphere that international fans bring to global sporting events, as well as the unique, fast-paced and unpredictable nature of T20 cricket.” “World Cups are about bringing people from all backgrounds and cultures together and we hope to safely host over 800,000 fans at Australia’s iconic cricket venues later this year.” FIXTURES HIGHLIGHTS Adelaide will see 10 different teams play Super 12 matches in a festival of cricket with India to feature on the first night at Adelaide Oval against Bangladesh on 2 November. Australia will be in action on a Friday night against local Adelaide favourite Rashid Khan and Afghanistan on 4 November. Brisbane will host four Super 12 matches with Australia, England and New Zealand to feature on consecutive nights on October 31 and November 1 respectively. 2014 champions Sri Lanka will feature in the opening match of the event against Namibia at Kardinia Park, Geelong on 16 October 2022 in the First Round. Hobart will see the power-hitters of West Indies play three First Round matches at Bellerive Oval, starting on 17 October 2022.  Hobart will also host three Super 12 fixtures The state-of-the-art Perth Stadium will host five Super 12 matches with defending champions Australia to play a night match against the winners of Group A on 25 October. Perth Stadium will also be lit up on the opening night of the Super 12 with world number one England taking on Afghanistan Sydney will host a massive double-header on 5 November with England to take on the winners of Group A, before Pakistan take on South Africa in the evening match,

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-Pakistan edged out Afghanistan to join England in the Super League quarter-finals as defending champions Bangladesh bounced back from defeat against the Young Lions with victory over Canada. England captain Tom Prest continued his wonderful form with the bat, making an unbeaten 154 to help his side defeat the UAE, who now face a crunch game against Bangladesh to decide who will join Prest’s men in the quarter-finals from Group A. Afghanistan are in a similar position after leaving themselves too much to do in pursuit of 240 to beat Pakistan and must beat Zimbabwe on Saturday to progress in the top two from Group C.  Prest goes big as England win again England captain Tom Prest’s magnificent 154 not out helped propel his side to a comfortable 189-run win over the UAE. Prest won the toss and chose to bat at Warner Park and after coming in at No.3 the Hampshire batter blasted 13 fours and four sixes in just 119 balls as his side posted an imposing 362 for six. Only Dan Lawrence has made a higher individual total for the England Under-19s but Prest had to wait until the 12th over to get out to the middle as George Thomas (42) and Jacob Bethell (62) shared an opening stand of 69. Prest had shown his form with 93 in the win over Canada last time out but he was not to be denied another century as he dominated the UAE’s attack from the off and shared half-century partnerships with Bethell and then James Rew (24). When William Luxton, 47 off 45 balls, joined him at the crease, England were 182 for three in the 31st over but together they added 117 runs in just 92 balls. England climbed well past the 300-mark for the second game in succession despite the best efforts of Jash Giyanani who was the pick of the bowlers with two for 60 from his ten overs. The Young Lions’ total always looked like it would be a big ask to overhaul and the UAE were reeling when they were reduced to 61 for five in the 15th over, seamer Josh Boyden taking two wickets to take his tournament tally to ten. Ali Naseer’s counter-attacking 54 off 44 balls helped reverse some of the momentum as he put on 59 with Nilansh Keswani for the sixth wicket. But when Nilansh departed, the last four wickets fell for 53 runs as leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed excelled on his first outing in the West Indies with four for 30 from his allotted ten overs. England dismissed the UAE for 173 to confirm their place as Group A winners as they progress to the Super League quarter-finals with their 100 per cent record intact. Reigning champions Bangladesh bounce back against Canada The 2020 ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup winners Bangladesh bounced back from defeat to England in their opener with a dominant eight-wicket triumph over Canada. The holders were skittled for 97 against the Young Lions in their opener but were put into the field by Canada at Conaree Sports Club in St Kitts and Nevis. They fared better with the ball, however, as Canadian opener and wicket-keeper Anoop Chima made a patient 63 off 117 balls but found precious little support from his teammates. The other nine batters contributed just 58 runs between them as they were bowled out for only 136, despite Bangladesh bowling 15 wides in 44.3 overs. Ripon Mondol starred with the ball taking four for 24 in 8.3 overs, including the prize scalp of Chima who he had caught behind. Ripon’s seam was complemented brilliantly by SM Meherob’s off-breaks as he took four for 38 in ten overs with medium pacer Ashiqur Zaman also chipping in with two wickets. In reply, Canada struck early as Parmveer Kharoud trapped Mahfijul Islam lbw for just 12 but Iftakher Hossain anchored the chase with a well-made 61 off 89 balls. Prantik Nawrose Nabil chipped in with 33 while Aich Mollah, 20 not out from 26 balls, sealed victory in style with a six off Gurnek Johal Singh as Bangladesh won with 119 balls to spare. The reigning champions will now face a straight shoot-out against the UAE on Saturday to see who will join England in the Super League quarter-finals. Pakistan qualify for quarter-finals as Afghanistan leave it too late Pakistan booked their place in the Super League quarter-finals after making it two wins from two with a 24-run victory over Afghanistan. At the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad, Pakistan skipper Qasim Akram elected to bat first and his side built a solid platform. Opener Mohammad Shehzad lost his partner Haseebullah Khan for just two but kicked on to make 43 off 51 balls. Shehzad shared a 60 partnership with No.3 Abdul Faseeh who made 68 off 95 balls with the skipper Qasim adding 38 from No.5. But when Izharulhaq Naveed, three for 41, removed Faseeh, Pakistan lost three for 11 and were in danger of not having enough runs to defend at 184 for seven. But Maaz Sadaqat played a gem of an innings with 42 not out off just 37 balls, including seven fours, to drag his side up to 239 for nine from their 50 overs. Afghanistan got the pace of their innings all wrong in reply, as the top three soaked up far too many balls in pursuit of the target. It took them 170 balls to bring up 100 runs with Bilal Sayedi, 42 off 81, Nangeyalia Kharote, 12 off 32, and Allah Noor, 28 off 49, all with strike rates under 58. Despite the slow start, Afghanistan took the contest deep although their innings was characterised by some wild running between the wickets, with three run outs as well as a number of near misses. Noor Ahmad blasted three sixes to leave his side in with a chance of a shock victory, needing 28 off the last two overs with two wickets in hand. But when he fell for 29 off just 18 balls to Awais Ali, the pick of the bowlers with three for 36, there was only going to be one winner and after finishing short on 215 for nine, Afghanistan now must prepare for a winner-takes-all clash against Zimbabwe on Saturday.

H Shah MANCHESTER:-The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed the 2022 fixtures for men’s county and women’s regional domestic competitions. The men’s domestic summer will begin on 7 April with the opening round of the LV= Insurance County Championship. The Vitality Blast, this year marking the 20th edition of the T20 competition, will run over a seven-week period (25 May – 16 July) before the Royal London Cup (2 August – 17 September). The 20-over Charlotte Edwards Cup will open the women’s regional summer from 14 May and will offer the first piece of domestic silverware, with Finals Day at The County Ground, Northampton on 11 June. The 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy starts on 2 July and will conclude with a showpiece final at Lord’s on Sunday, 25 September. With domestic fixtures released, supporters looking to plan their summer of cricket are encouraged to consider the following opportunities: Vitality Blast season tickets – secure your seats at the 20th edition of T20 cricket in England & Wales by purchasing a season ticket for every home group-stage match in the Vitality Blast. Visit ecb.co.uk/blast-tickets for links to every team’s season ticket pass and take advantage of multi-match savings Royal London Cup Final tickets – get access to a priority window to buy tickets before they go on general sale by registering your interest here Membership – visit county websites for details of the different membership packages available and benefits on offer E-calendar – synchronise your team’s fixtures to you r desktop or mobile calendar and don’t miss a match with reminders ahead of every matchday. Download your team’s schedule here LV= Insurance County Championship The LV= Insurance County Championship returns to a two-division structure – for the first time since 2019 – with defending champions Warwickshire to host Surrey in the opening round. The opening seven rounds of the LV= County Championship will be played from Thursday to Sunday on successive weeks. There will be five rounds played during June and July – an increase from the three rounds during the same period last summer. The Division One and Division Two titles are set to be decided in September, with the final round of fixtures to be staged from 26-29 September. Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Lord’s is set to stage the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy on Sunday 25 September to close what promises to be a memorable summer of women’s cricket. Heyhoe Flint was a pioneer of the game leading England to the first-ever Women’s World Cup title in 1973 and challenging convention and fighting for progress as a player, administrator and campaigner throughout her life. MCC announced last year that the North Gate at Lord’s would be named in Heyhoe Flint’s honour and the final bearing her name will conclude a bumper summer for women’s cricket that will also include the Charlotte Edwards Cup, Commonwealth Games, The Hundred in addition to the England Women’s schedule. Southern Vipers will bid to claim a hat-trick of Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy titles when the 50-over competition begins on 2 July. The play-off is to be played four days before the Lord’s final. Royal London Cup The Royal London Cup final will return to a Saturday with Trent Bridge to host the decider on 17 September. The 18 First-Class Counties will each play one warm-up match against a National County – with Somerset and Middlesex to play two games – ahead of the competition, which begins on 2 August. Defending champions Glamorgan are away to Derbyshire on the opening day and the group stage will conclude on 23 August. The competition will visit at least nine outgrounds, from Scarborough to Neath, before the knockout stages will be held on 26 August and 30 August. Charlotte Edwards Cup South East Stars won the first-ever Charlotte Edwards Cup title last summer and open their defence away to Sunrisers at the Cloud County Ground in Chelmsford on Saturday 14 May. The month-long Twenty20 competition will see the eight women’s regional teams split into two groups, and play six group-stage matches, before Finals Day on Saturday, 11 June. There will be 10 double-headers when Charlotte Edwards Cup and Vitality Blast T20 matches are played back-to-back at the same venue. Vitality Blast The 20th edition of domestic T20 cricket will begin on 25 May with champions Kent Spitfires to host Somerset in a re-match of last season’s final. The Vitality Blast group stage will take place over a 40-day period with 99 of the 126 matches to be played on a Thursday, Friday and at the weekend. The quarter-finals will be staged from 6-9 July before the sold-out Finals Day will be staged at Edgbaston a week later.

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-One India player at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Undr-9 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently isolating. Five other India players are also isolating as a precaution pending the results of PCR testing by the official event testing provider.    

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-India made it two wins from two at the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup thanks to a brilliant batting performance against Ireland. The four-time champions made 307 for five from their 50 overs on the way to a 174-run win that puts them top of Group B. Meanwhile, three-time champions Australia were pushed by an impressive Scotland team but managed to seal a win that marks the perfect response after their defeat to Sri Lanka on Monday. India show class to defeat Ireland India followed up Saturday’s 45-run win over South Africa with a comprehensive victory against Ireland at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago. Opener Harnoor Singh set the tone for his team, back to his best form after only scoring a solitary run in the win over South Africa on Saturday. This time he made 88 before Matthew Humphreys trapped him lbw. However, by that point India were already closing in on 200, helped by Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s 79. They then set a daunting target of 308 for Tim Tector’s team, who started the tournament with a 39-run over Uganda, to hunt down. The powerplay proved tricky for Ireland to get a foothold in the match and keep up with the required run rate. And when spinner Rajvardhan Hangargekar struck in only the third over to send Jack Dickson back to the dressing room, they were left reeling. Any hopes of a fightback finally went when Joshua Cox’s thick edge was caught at the second attempt by wicketkeeper Dinesh Bana as he headed back to the pavilion for 28. Ireland were eventually bowled out for 133, Aneeshwar Gautam perhaps the pick of the Men in Blue attack with figures of two for 11 at an economy of 2.75. India next face Uganda, where a win would see them secure top spot in Group B, while Ireland face South Africa. Australia’s batters see them through tricky Scotland test Wednesday’s opening game saw two teams with a point to prove go head-to-head. Australia sent Scotland in to bat first at the Conaree Cricket Centre, a decision that looked like it might backfire when Scotland’s openers made a positive start. Charlie Tear and Oliver Davidson took their team beyond 80 before Davidson (33) was run-out. Wicketkeeper Tear, hit nine boundaries on the way to a half-century, before falling to an Issac Higgins delivery just three overs after his fellow opener departed. However, Thomas Mackintosh kept up Scotland’s momentum after surviving a close lbw appeal facing his second delivery. Joined at the crease by Samuel Elstone, Mackintosh found his touch and the pair put on an impressive 71 partnership, before an outside edge from Elstone found Cooper Connolly. Although some good fielding from William Salzmann saw skipper Charlie Peet run out on his very first delivery, Scotland ended on a respectable 236 for eight. But their opponents’ response started well, with run-machine Teague Wyllie and Campbell Kellaway attacking the powerplay. The pair stuck 100 on the scoreboard without loss, before Kellaway (47) departed just shy of a half-century. That couldn’t stop an impressive Australia chase, with his replacement at the crease Aidan Cahill smashing 72 from 45 balls. Wyllie (101 not out) reached his century to help complete the job as Australia reached their target with seven wickets remaining. Despite a third straight loss in the tournament, Scotland will enter the Plate quarter-finals with their confidence boosted after producing their best all-round performance in their final Group D game.

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-Bangladesh and Scotland registered wins against Kenya and Malaysia respectively on day two of the CWG2022 Qualifier. Bangladesh romped to an 80-run win over Kenya before Scotland overcame Malaysia by 31 runs on the second day of the ICC Commonwealth Games Qualifier 2022 at the Kinrara Oval in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. Bangladesh beat Kenya by 80 runs An unbeaten partnership of 75 for the seventh wicket between Salma Khatun (33 off 32 balls) and Ritu Moni (39 of 34) propelled Bangladesh to 125 before Player of the Match Nahida Akter broke the back of the Kenyan run chase with impressive figures of five for 12. Kenya won the toss and elected to bowl in their first match of the five-team tournament, being played to decide one remaining slot at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham. Australia, Barbados, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa have already qualified. Lavendah Idambo delivered a nervous first over, leaking 16 runs, including two boundaries and three wide deliveries. However, she hit back with the wicket of opener Shamima Sultana before Mercyline Ochieng trapped Nigar Sultana in front and dismissed Rumana Ahmed first ball. Murshida Khatun struck a few boundaries to the off side fence before getting a leading edge to Queentor Abel who made no mistake, taking the catch off her own bowling. In her very next over, Abel picked up the scalps of both Sobhana Mostary and Fargana Hoque to leave Bangladesh reeling at 50 for six at the end of nine overs. A period of consolidation followed as Ritu Moni and Salma Khatun opted to rotate the strike and play out Abel’s remaining overs. After getting their eye in, they accelerated the run rate with Ritu Moni lofting Sarah Bhakita into mid-wicket for a boundary. They picked up 30 runs in the final three overs to lift Bangladesh to a respectable 125. In reply, Kenya’s innings never got going. Veronica Abuga edged Salma Khatun through to keeper Shamima Sultana in the first over. Bowling the second over, Suraya Azmim trapped Queentor Abel in front for nine. A brilliant direct hit from Murshida Khatun caught Sylvia Kinyua short of her crease before Kenyan skipper Margarte Ngoche was trapped in front by a Nahida Akter arm ball. Akter was able to extract turn from the wicket squaring up Venasa Ooko with a delivery that spun in before straightening to clip her off stump. Amidst the chaos, Sharon Juma’s 24 off 20 balls was the only resistance of note from Kenya’s batting line-up as they fell 80 runs short of Bangladesh’s total. Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana was all praise for the partnership between Salma Khatun and Ritu Moni. “How they batted in that situation, controlling the pressure. It was absolutely wonderful to watch,” she said. Kenya Skipper Margaret Ngoche was frank in her assessment of Kenya’s batting. “The main areas that we really need to improve on is patience, we were really in a hurry to get runs, even when wickets were falling we did not give ourselves time to recover,” she said. Player of the Match Nahida Akter kept things simple and executed her plans. “From the beginning my plan was to bowl to my strength as much as I can,” she said. Scotland beat Malaysia by 31 runs Kathryn Bryce’s unbeaten 62 helped Scotland post 148 before Katherine Fraser took four for 19 to deliver a 31-run win over Malaysia. After winning the toss and electing to bat, Scotland enjoyed a productive Powerplay. Sarah Bryce clipped a couple of boundaries off her toes with fellow opener Abbi Aitken-Drummond joining in the party. However, left-arm spinner Arianna Natasya dismissed Sarah in her very first over to put a lid on the scoring. Scotland skipper Kathryn Bryce then walked in at three, putting on a 63-run partnership with Aitken-Drummond. Just as it looked like Scotland was pushing a total in the region of 160, they lost four quick wickets. Nik Atiela had both Aitken-Drummond and the aggressive Katie McGill stumped before Mas Elysa chipped in with a pair of wickets for herself. Kathryn Bryce, however, held strong, and continued to pepper the leg side boundary. Her seventh delivery came off the final delivery of the innings as Malaysia were set a target of 149. In reply, Malaysia came storming out of the blocks. Three cover drives from Winifred Duraisingam set the tone for the innings with Wan Julia joining in the fun, walloping left-armer Rachel Slater for four down the ground. However, the tide turned when off-spinner Katherine Fraser was introduced into the attack. Wan Julia chipped a catch to Aitken-Drummond before Duraisingam played inside one to lose her off stump in the very same over. Soon after, Yusrina Yakoop was trapped in front before Mas Elysa lobbed a catch to Kathryn Bryce for Abtaha Maqsood’s first wicket. Leg-spinner Maqsood grabbed her second wicket when she trapped Nur Ilya in front for a duck. When Ainna Hamizah was dismissed by Hannah Rainey, Malaysia were reeling at 69 for seven. However, Intan Jaafar and Nur Zulaika would put on a 45-run partnership with every one of their scoring shots cheered by a vociferous Malysia dugout. The hosts ended on 117 for eight. Malaysia skipper Duraisingam was especially impressed with Malaysia’s ability to keep Scotland’s batters in check through the second half of the first innings. “Yes, Scotland did get off to a good start, but I’m happy that we restricted them,” she said. Scottish captain Kathryn Bryce was pleased with the eventual result but felt that Scotland let Malaysia’s batters stretch the game out on the back of Katherine Fraser’s impressive four-wicket haul. “We didn't execute with the ball at the top of the innings and let them get away, but Katherine Fraser bowled very well again to get us back on top,” she said. Skipper Bryce was also awarded the Player of the Match award, admitting she enjoyed the conditions for batting. “The surface was really good again today with a fast outfield. The ball has been keeping slightly low, but you get rewarded for playing strong shots,” she said. Brief Scores: Bangladesh beat Kenya by 80 runs. Bangladesh 125/6 in 20 Overs; Kenya 45 All Out in 12.4 Overs. Player of the Match: Nahida Akter Scotland beat Malaysia by 31 runs. Scotland 148/5 in 20 Overs; Malaysia 117/8 in 20 Overs. Player of the Match: Kathryn Bryce

Sports Bulletin Report DUBAI:-Australia’s Travis Head has reached a career-best fifth position among batters in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after his Player of the Match performance in the fifth match of their ICC World Test Championship series against England. Head, who scored 101 in the first innings in Hobart to finish with a series topping 357 runs that also got him clinch the Player of the Series award, has advanced seven spots to joint-fifth with Rohit Sharma. Head’s previous best ranking was the 10th position that he occupied last month. All-rounder Cameron Green is another Australia player to gain after the 146-run victory that helped Australia win the series 4-0 and climb to second in the WTC Points Table powered by MRF Tyres. Green is up 23 places to joint-66th after his scores of 74 and 23 and has also moved up 13 places to 62nd in the bowlers’ list. Scott Boland has moved from 49th to 43rd with four wickets in the match. England opener Zak Crawley has progressed nine places to 68th after scores of 18 and 36. Among their bowlers, Stuart Broad has moved up two places to 12th position after finishing with six wickets in the match while Ollie Robinson (up one place to 24th) and Mark Wood (up seven places to 31st) have also advanced. In the latest weekly update that also takes into account the third match of the South Africa-India series in Cape Town that the host side won by seven wickets to clinch the WTC series 2-1, Keegan Petersen has shot up 68 places to 33rd after match-winning scores of 72 and 82. He scored the maximum runs to claim the Player of the Series award, his 276-run aggregate helping him surge up after starting the series in 158th position. Temba Bavuma (up seven places to 28th) and Rassie van der Dussen (up12 places to 43rd) are the other South Africa batters to move up while fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada (up two places to third) and Lungi Ngidi (up six places to 21st) have also made notable progress. Virat Kohli has moved up two places to seventh after scores of 79 and 29 in his last match as Test captain. Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten century in the second innings has lifted him 10 places to14th. Fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah’s six wickets have lifted him back to the top 10. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings that considers performances from the last two matches of the West Indies-Ireland series and the first two of the Sri Lanka-Zimbabwe series, Ireland off-spinner Andy McBrine has gained 17 slots to move into the top 10 with two four-wicket hauls. West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein has moved up two places to joint-59th. In other major movements, Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams has advanced eight places to 40th after scores of 100 and 40 and Sri Lanka batter Kariyawasa Asalanka’s knocks of 71 and 23 have helped him move up 16 places to 52nd.

Bipin Dani The father of Zimbabwe's captain Craig Ervine has been following the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka on the internet as there is no live telecast of these matches in his country.  Rory Ervine was disappointed when Craig could not complete the century in the second ODI. "Missing a century is always disappointing but winning the game is rather more important", he said over the telephone from Harare.   He was bowled in Nervous Nineties. "Out is out, whether bowled or caught. It is the same. It was unfortunate. I think the batter has to keep playing the best he can for the sake of the team", he added. Incidentally, Craig is born in a sports loving family. Father played First Class matches, two brothers-Sean and Ryan and uncle Neil also played cricket. "Having family members to play cricket helped Craig to hone his skills", the dad added.         Craig almost had a hand amputated in his early teens following a freak accident where he slipped and fell on broken glass in his family's living room. His mum Judy, who is still a nurse, immediately helped his son from excessive bleeding. The injury required a three-hour reconstructive operation to his right hand.

Bipin Dani Sri Lanka's fast bowler Chamika Gunasekara is out of the ongoing series against Zimbabwe, it is learnt. The 22-year-old right-arm pacer must be considering himself to be the "unlucky" player as he could bowl only one over on his debut match against Zimbabwe on Sunday but had to leave the field following the hamstring injury.  "He has left the team hotel and headed for home", the SLC source said exclusively.     "He has been advised to rest and may be out for about 4-6 weeks". Good news for the visiting Zimbabwe team was that their Indian head coach Lalchand Rajput was given a green signal to join the squad. "Yes, in his last PCR test done on Monday, he was tested negative and headed to Kandy Tuesday morning", one of the sources said from Colombo. The second ODI between the two teams was played on a different pitch and not on the first wicket, where the Sri Lankan team had won.