Pakistan stunned by USA Pakistan have always been unpredictable in ICC events over the years, with them losing to Zimbabwe in the 2022 T20 World Cup and being defeated by Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, a shock defeat to first-timers USA was pretty unexpected. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was heavily criticised for his poor strike-rate after managing just 14 runs off his first 25 deliveries. He, however, made amends by scoring 44 off 43 balls to take Pakistan to 159-7 in the allotted 20 overs. USA, in reply, started off well, scoring 36 in the first five overs. The match result was eventually decided via Super Over after both teams ended up at 159. A defeat against arch-rivals India today will only make their journey difficult as USA are sitting at the top of the table with two wins in as many games. Two Super Overs in a week A super Over finish followed by a tied match in T20s always excites cricket fans. But it's rare to see those thrilling finishes. The 2012 T20 World Cup had two tied matches, while the 2014, 2016, 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups had none. However, this T20 World Cup has witnessed two Super Overs in the first week. On the second day of the tournament, Namibia beat Oman in the Super Over after both teams were tied at 109, while USA stunned Pakistan in the last-over eliminator on Thursday. Lowest run-rates, an unwanted record While the recently-concluded Indian Premier League saw high-scoring affairs, the ongoing T20 World Cup witnessed an unwanted record—the lowest run-rate in a T20I match twice in the first week itself. The Sri Lanka versus South Africa match at New York on Monday saw both teams scoring at a combined run-rate of 4.42—the then lowest in a T20 World Cup. Batting first, Sri Lanka struggled to score 77 all out in 19.1 overs. South Africa, in reply, chased the target in 16.2 overs. Two days later, Uganda versus Papua New Guinea (PNG) match saw teams scoring at a rate of 4.13, the new low in T20 WC game after PNG managed just 77 all out in 19.1 overs. Uganda chased the target with 10 balls to spare. Also Read: 'Super Sunday' Showdown! First-timers impress First-timers USA, Uganda and Canada put up impressive shows to register victories in the first week of their first-ever T20 World Cup. Co-hosts USA shocked Pakistan after putting up a victorious performance against Canada in the opening encounter, while Uganda beat PNG by three wickets in a thrilling low-scoring match. Canada stunned T20 World Cup veterans Ireland in a last-over thriller for their maiden World Cup win. All but over for Sri Lanka Sri Lanka are on the verge of being eliminated in the first week itself after losing back-to-back encounters against South Africa and Bangladesh respectively. The defeats have now put the former champions at the bottom of the table in Group D. They next face minnows Nepal and The Netherlands respectively. A win against both low-ranked teams will give them four points. However, South Africa have four points from two matches. The Proteas have two games remaining, against Bangladesh and Nepal. A win against either side is now enough for South Africa to secure a Super 8 spot. On the other hand, Bangladesh have three games remaining—including two against low-ranked Nepal and The Netherlands. Two wins out of three matches will also help Bangladesh reach six points to make it to the Super 8.
09 June,2024 08:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Rohan KoliDavid Miller's unbeaten half-century (59*) helped South Africa defeat the Netherlands by four wickets in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, here on Saturday. In another low-scoring encounter at the venue which has been criticised for the unpredictable bounce and injury scare, the Proteas nearly escaped the Dutch threat and prevailed in the match to register their second consecutive win of the tournament. Chasing 104, pacer Vivian Kingma's opening spell along with support from Logan van Beek and Bas de Leede reduced South Africa to 12/4 in 4.3 overs. Quinton de Kock (0), Reeza Hendricks (3), captain Aiden Markram (0) and Heinrich Klaasen (4) were sent back to the pavilion well inside the powerplay to put pressure on the batting side. However, Miller and Tristan Trubbs did not bow down to the pressure and paved the way to rescue the side and build a steady partnership of 65 runs for the fifth wicket. Netherlands were very much alive in the game till the second-last over with the late wickets of Stubbs (33) and Marco Jansen (3) in the 17th and 18th overs respectively. In the end, Miller flexed his arms and smashed two sixes and a four to finish things for the side. He remained unbeaten on 59* off 51 balls including four sixes and three fours. He kept his composure and played according to the situation to guide them over the line with seven balls to spare. For the Netherlands, Kingma and van Beek picked two dismissals each. Put in to bat first, Netherlands had a sluggish start as they lost Michael Levitt on the third ball of the innings. Marco Jansen provided the early breakthrough for Proteas. Vikramjit Singh joined Max ODowd in the middle and the duo could not manage to stitch a big partnership. In the fourth over, Ottneil Baartman picked ODowd for two runs before Jansen cleaned up Vikramjit for 12 runs in the next overs. Sybrand Engelbrecht and Bas de Leede tried to move the scoreboard after early hiccups and played some steady shots. The pair added 15 runs for the fourth wicket before Anrich Nortje broke the stand in the 10th over. Despite unfavourable conditions to bat, Engelbrecht played an anchor role as wickets kept falling from the other end. Skipper Scott Edwards (10) and Teja Nidamanuru (0) failed to prolong their stay at the crease and departed cheaply. The 54-run crucial partnership between Engelbrecht and Logan van Beek gave the Dutch some respite and crossed the 100-run mark. Engelbrecht top-scored for Netherlands with a score of 40 runs off 45 balls while van Beek played a late knock of 23 off 22 balls studded with three fours. Netherlands finished their innings for 103/9 in 20 overs. For South Africa, Baartman returned with the figures of 4-11 while Jansen and Nortje grabbed two scalps each. Brief scores: South Africa 106/6 in 18.5 overs (David Miller 59*, Tristan Stubbs 33; Vivian Kingma 2-12, Logan van Beek 2-21) beat Netherlands 103/9 in 20 overs (Sybrand Engelbrecht 40, Logan van Beek 20; Ottneil Baartman 4-11) by four wickets. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 June,2024 07:56 AM IST | New York | IANSComing off an embarrassing loss to co-hosts USA, Pakistan head coach Gary Kirsten said Babar Azam's side won't require any extra motivation while facing arch-rivals India in the T20 World Cup here on Sunday. Last edition's finalists Pakistan began their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on a horrible note, losing to USA in the Super Over and will take on India on a pitch that remained challenging to bat here at the Nassau County stadium. "It's a big game India (versus) Pakistan, there's no need for me to motivate the team anymore. They are well-motivated, they are focused for this game," Kirsten told the media here on the eve of the match. "We have to forget about the last couple of days and just move forward, that's the only way you can deal with life. Results are results (and they) take care of themselves," Pakistan's limited-overs coach added. While India have been based in New York and have played two matches including one warmup game against Bangladesh, Pakistan will be playing here for the first time in this tournament. Kirsten refused to see it as an advantage to India. "We were going to go out there and make sure we do the best that we can with our skill sets and how we can put pressure on the opposition," he said. "I'm not sure because I can't predict what's going to happen. I don't know whether it'll be an advantage," he added. Kirsten, who was India's coach back in the 2011 World Cup when the two teams clashed in the semifinal in Mohali, said the contest on Sunday has had a different feeling. "I think it is a little bit different because it's not in India or Pakistan," he said. The South African, however, did not think he could offer any additional information because he has seen Indian players closely during his stint with Gujarat Titans as their mentor in the IPL. "These players have seen enough of each other and how they play. In the end, we want to make sure that we get our game right looking at the conditions and what is required on the conditions because I think that's going to be a big play," he said. Also Read: Key highlights from the first week of the ICC T20 World Cup Kirsten said Pakistan will need a team effort to challenge India. "It's never nice, not winning games for any player. They (Pakistan players) are trying their best. The important thing for us is that we operate genuinely as a team," he said. "Yes, we need individuals to make good performances. But playing games like this, (what is needed) is a real team effort. It's a big game." "(What happened) two days ago is forgotten. We can't take it back. It's gone, so we move on," he added. While admitting that pace bowling is Pakistan's strength heading into a game to be played on a pitch where run-making has remained a challenge, Kirsten said he wanted all bases covered. "It certainly is a strength of ours. We like to look at the balance of our team, it's important that you cover all the bases, we want to make sure we've got spin options, good seam options and a deep batting line-up," he said. (With agency inputs)
09 June,2024 07:55 AM IST | New York | mid-day online correspondentCo-hosts West Indies will look to shake off their batting rustiness and come in their element when they face Uganda in a Group ‘C’ T20 clash here. The pre-tournament favourites and two-time former champions suffered a scare chasing a modest 137 before they scraped to five-wicket win over minnows Papua New Guinea (PNG) in their opening match. On a difficult pitch that required patience and application, West Indies batters kept playing recklessly and found themselves half the side down for 97 with just four overs remaining. It was then left to Roston Chase (42 not out) and Andre Russell (15 not out) to safely take them home and avoid an embarrassment. Against a team who are coming on the back of morale boosting win over PNG, West Indies will have to exercise some caution especially with the bat. Nicholas Pooran has been their most standout batter in the recent past and the wicketkeeper-batter will have responsibility to stay at the crease till the end. On conditions that have assisted the bowlers, pacer Alzarri Joseph and left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein who were impressive in the previous match will look to give early breakthroughs. Uganda have happy memories of bowling out PNG for 77 at this venue but their batting will be in the spotlight as they struggled in the chase before securing a tense three-wicket win in the penultimate over. Meanwhile, Scotland will start as firm favourites against Oman in a Group ‘B’ clash at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua, which will be hosting its first match of the tournament on Sunday. After their washout against England in their opener that gave both the teams one point each, the Scotland secured a five-wicket win against Namibia in what turned out to be a tense 156-run chase. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 June,2024 07:52 AM IST | Georgetown (Guyana) | PTIBangladesh batters made heavy weather of the chase of 125 runs against Sri Lanka but skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto isn’t too worried as they were able to make a winning start in the T20 World Cup. Hridoy shines for B’desh Bangladesh were cruising along at 91 for 3 courtesy Towhid Hridoy (40) and Litton Das (36) before they lost five wickets for 21 runs. It was Mahmudullah Riyad, who hit a six off Dasun Shanaka to ensure a two-wicket victory for Shanto’s men. “I don’t think there are many reasons to worry. I’m saying this because it was a very intense match. We wanted to win at the end of the day. So if you think about the result, we got two points,” Shanto said at the post-match press conference. “All the batsmen know that we didn’t bat well. But not everyone plays well everyday. Like Hridoy played a very good innings, Riyad finished the game, Litton gave a beautiful start after a long time. So, we are good in some areas. So, I hope that whoever gets set on any day should make the match win. I don’t expect that all the seven batsmen in the team will play well.” Hasaranga blames batters Meanwhile, Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga was a disappointed man after his side lost to Bangladesh and blamed his batters for doing their job well in their matches so far. Despite Pathum Nissanka’s 47, SL were restricted to 124 on a slow pitch. Though Nuwan Thushara took 4-28, Sri Lanka were unable to prevent a tight win for Bangladesh. “Our batters batted really well in the first 8-10 overs. After that in the middle overs I think we batted badly. We all know our bowling attack is our strength. Specially if batters put up 150-160, our bowling attack can win games. Last two games the batters didn’t do the job.” “It’s tough as first two games we’ve lost. We bowled with four main bowlers. I think our four genuine bowlers did their job but unfortunately we had to make four overs with our all-rounders,” said Hasaranga. Brief scoresSri Lanka 124-9 in 20 overs (P Nissanka 47; M Rahman 3-17, R Hossain 3-22) lost to Bangladesh 125-8 in 19 overs (T Hridoy 40, L Das 36; N Thushara 4-18) by 2 wickets This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 June,2024 07:49 AM IST | Dallas | AgenciesDefending champion England charged at Australia's tournament-best 201 total and came up 36 runs short in a one-sided Twenty20 World Cup contest on Saturday. The first big heavyweight match a day before India vs. Pakistan failed to live up to the billing as Australia impressively squeezed England, which hit only three boundaries in the last six overs at Kensington Oval. Forced to bat first, Australia made a brutal start by openers David Warner and Travis Head 70-0 in 4.5 overs but was pulled back and posted 201-7, the highest total in a week-old tournament featuring tricky pitches. Tasked with making the third biggest successful run chase in tournament history, England took a swipe but decayed to 165-6. Adam Zampa and Pat Cummins took two cheap wickets each. Australia moved on top of Group B with two wins from two matches, while England remained winless with Oman and Namibia to come. England threw offspin at left-handed openers Warner and Head without success. Head smashed Will Jacks' first two deliveries for sixes, and Warner smoked him in the same over. Pace didn't bother the batters either. Warner hit three sixes and a boundary in one Mark Wood over. Warner, playing England for possibly the last time, was out for 39 off 16 when he backed up to a Moeen Ali delivery that stayed low. Head went in the next over, bowled by Jofra Archer for 34 off 18. Australia finished the powerplay 74-2. Adil Rashid was put on the roof by captain Mitchell Marsh, and Chris Jordan went for 18 in an over. A change to Liam Livingstone's legspin was profitable, as Marsh was stumped for 35 and three balls later Glenn Maxwell departed for 28. Marcus Stoinis greeted Rashid with a one-handed six over backward square, and smacked Livingstone over his head. Australia reached 200 with three balls to go, and Stoinis was out for 30 off 17 Jordan's 100th T20 wicket and Cummins was run out. England's chase was measured but cruising. Phil Salt and Jos Buttler had them 54-0 after the powerplay then took 19 runs off a Mitchell Starc over. Zampa spun the momentum back Australia's way. His first ball bowled Salt for 37 off 23. Buttler then hit Zampa straight to backward point after 42 off 28, including five boundaries and two sixes. England was 92-2 in the 10th over and on track, but the middle order failed to fire as they were pinned down by the Australian battery. Starc was expensive but his brilliant diving catch on the boundary removed Jacks. England needed 14 runs an over with seven to go, and blasted 20 off Maxwell, including three sixes by Ali. But Maxwell then caught Jonny Bairstow on the boundary for a 13-ball 7 and blew a kiss to the England fans who had been ribbing him. After Ali was caught in the deep for 25 off 15, Harry Brook and Livingstone were tied down by Hazlewood, Cummins and Zampa, the man of the match. Earlier, David Miller bailed South Africa out of deep trouble against their bogey team the Netherlands in a four-wicket win on Long Island. Miller's unbeaten 59 off 51 balls, with four sixes and three boundaries, rescued South Africa from 12-4 in the fifth over. This was after the Netherlands was restricted to 103-9. Miller and Tristan Stubbs, with 33, saved the day in making 106-6 with seven balls remaining. The Netherlands was going for a hat trick of wins against South Africa in World Cups, after winning their T20 in 2022 and one-day international in 2023. Chasing a paltry 104 for victory, South Africa's big T20 hitters failed. Quinton de Kock was run out for a duck, and fellow opener Reeza Hendricks was bowled for 3. Aiden Markram was caught behind playing down the leg side for a three-ball duck and Heinrich Klaasen holed out for 4. Dutch medium-pacer Vivian Kingma finished his four overs with 2-12. Miller and Stubbs put on a cautious 65 off 72 balls on a challenging pitch. Stubbs was caught in the 17th over and Marco Jansen was dismissed for a golden duck in the next over, and the situation tensed up again. But Miller held his nerve and the Proteas earned their second win in two games in Group D. Earlier, pacer Ottneil Baartman grabbed 4-11 in four overs as the Netherlands was cut down to 48-6 in 11.5 overs. Sybrand Engelbrecht scored 40 off 45 balls to anchor the Dutch, and Logan Van Beek scored 23 to push the total past 100. The West Indies and Uganda play late Saturday in Guyana. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 June,2024 07:48 AM IST | Bridgetown (Barbados) | PTIIt’s the showdown the world has been waiting for with bated breath. India and Pakistan don’t play bilateral series any longer—the last was more than a decade back, in 2012-13—and therefore every time they meet in continental or global events, interest ratchets up. This time, ahead of their T20 World Cup clash at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, the stakes are higher than ever before. India and Pakistan were expected to sail through from Group ‘A’ to the Super Eight stage of the competition, an expectation that has taken a beating after Pakistan’s shock Super Over loss to United States. Suddenly, a fixture that was massive only because it involved the two Asian giants but not because it might influence qualification has become a huger outing with a larger picture looming as a significant subtext. Pakistan must win to keep their prospects alive, a second victory in as many games will propel India to the brink of the second phase, to be held in the Caribbean. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam Inasmuch as victory and defeat are an inevitable part of sport, Pakistan will take time to come to terms with their loss to the Americans. This was a contest not among equals, but through their own sloppiness allied with their opponents’ spunk and desire, Pakistan stumbled to an embarrassing defeat. Now, with time not exactly an ally, they most rouse themselves against their longest, most fierce rivals, a task not beyond Babar Azam’s men. Also Read: Forged in Mumbai, shining in Dallas Confident Indians India, though, hold a 6-1 advantage in the T20 World Cup head-to-heads and will be quietly confident of reprising their professional display against Ireland on Wednesday. They have played twice at the Nassau County Stadium, whose drop-in pitches have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. After running repairs by the ICC following heavy criticism of the tracks used for the first two outings, the surface behaved slightly better on Friday when Canada shocked Ireland, though one can’t be sure what will greet India and Pakistan until the first few deliveries are sent down. Huge toss factor The toss was a huge factor in South Africa’s dismissal of Sri Lanka and India’s mastery of Ireland; it will have a big say on Sunday too, undoubtedly, given the quality of pace attacks at the disposal of Babar and Rohit Sharma. Jasprit Bumrah has announced himself with the Player of the Match award against the Irish while Shaheen Shah Afridi and his ilk will be desperate to redeem themselves after a sub-par performance against the Americans, who only lost three wickets during regulation play. Pakistan will be wary of Virat Kohli, as much as anyone else. Kohli has loved picking off the Pakistani bowling and, after a rare failure the other day, will eye a return to run-making ways to celebrate his elevation to the top of the order to partner Rohit, who allayed injury concerns with a long batting stint at Cantiague Park on Friday afternoon. 7No. of games India and Pakistan have played against each other in T20 WC. India have won six and lost once against the arch-rivals
09 June,2024 07:41 AM IST | New York | R KaushikAustralia and Delhi Capitals opener David Warner is setting his eyes on the IPL and other franchise cricket worldwide after announcing his international retirement following the end of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. Warner poured his heart out in the latest episode of the Delhi Capitals podcast. In a free-wheeling conversation, the seasoned IPL campaigner spoke at length about his stint with the Delhi-based franchise, his love for India, his last World Cup for Australia and a lot more. Warner became the leading run-scorer for Australia in T20Is during the T20 World Cup 2024 match against Oman at KensingtonOval in Barbados earlier this week. "I feel great. It's time now to keep playing as much IPL and franchise cricket as I can. It's very hard to play for over a decade and keep your spot. I think if we can get some young guys coming through, who have potential, Australian cricket's going to be in good stead for the future," Warner said on playing his last World Cup for Australia. Speaking about his time at Delhi Capitals, Warner said, "Delhi's been a big part of my life. They gave me an opportunity when I first started. And now towards the back end of my career, I'm here as well. So I'm forever thankful." He further added, "When I first came to Delhi, I had guys like AB de Villiers, Glenn McGrath, Paul Collingwood, Daniel Vettori and Andrew McDonald, who's now my Australian coach. Those guys were telling me all about what it's like to be on the road, especially when you've got family, when you don't have family, coping mechanisms, they're the biggest things when it comes to what you do every day, how to deal with your work, how do you balance work life. So when you come together now as a team, you almost feel like you're part of the furniture everywhere you go. If I can give back as little as I can or as much as I can, I know I'm being that responsible, experienced player." Talking about how he fell in love with India, the Australian batter said, "I absolutely love it. It's an organised chaos." "So for me, I started embracing India the first time I came for the IPL because I knew that if I played well, I could be here for a long time. What I didn't realise is how big India is. I love people, it's incredible. Like here, no one says no, and everything is possible. You can give some of the most impossible tasks, and they'll make it happen. And I'm just like, it's crazy," he explained. From making viral Instagram reels to dancing to Indian music to speaking in Hindi, Warner's love for India is known to everyone. Picking the best from Baahubali, Pushpa or KGF, Warner revealed, "It's hard to choose which one, but they're all amazing. And I think all the actors, the boys, they're all unbelievable in that." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 June,2024 07:13 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSCanada captain Saad Bin Zafar on Friday said the pitch at the Nassau County ground got slower in the second half of their T20 World Cup match against Ireland which they won by 12 runs. After putting on 137-7 in the first half, Canada restricted the Irish batters to 125 for seven to eke out their first-ever win of the tournament. “The wicket got a bit slow today, so it worked to our advantage. We gambled with an extra spinner and I feel both myself and Junaid [Siddiqui] bowled really well,” Zafar said at the post-match presentation. The pitch at this venue has been in spotlight for being tough to bat on, since it has produced very low-scoring games. “One game at a time, we need to enjoy this win and come back strong against Pakistan. We are here to play positive cricket,” Zafar said while talking about his team’s show. “[It’s a] very proud moment for the team. The way Kirton and Movva batted, we knew we had a good total to defend. We needed a good performance from the bowling unit and I am so proud of my bowlers for putting their hand up and delivering,” he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 June,2024 07:04 AM IST | New York | PTISouth Africa skipper Aiden Markram on Saturday said it was a relief to get over the mental blockade against the Netherlands, a side which stunned them twice in big ticket ICC tournaments. Netherlands shocked South Africa in last year's ODI Word Cup and before that in the 2022 World Cup in Australia. But on Saturday, David Miller (59 not out off 51) rose to the occasion as South Africa survived some anxious moments before getting the better of the Dutch by four wickets in the ongoing T20 World Cup here. "We knew they were always going to up for a scrap. It's a game of cricket ultimately. History before this game was obviously they beat us. It's a mental blockade... "We were under pressure again today. Pretty close. If you look at 19 (12) for 4, to squeeze the win out of there is good for the team environment," Markram said at the post-match presentation ceremony. It was South Africa's second win on the trot in the event after having beaten Sri Lanka by six wickets in their opening fixture. Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards took pride on the performance of his side despite the loss. "Extremely close. In a score of 110, an over can change the game. Credit to South Africa - they bowled extremely well - and the way those batted in the end. "(It's about) just getting an understanding of how the wicket plays. We pride ourselves on playing good cricket over the last few years. Right until that last six, I felt we were one wicket away. It was a tough wicket to start on," he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 June,2024 07:03 AM IST | New York | PTIRashid Khan always wanted his teammates to have faith in their own abilities instead of fretting over their opposition’s strengths and he was ecstatic that it’s exactly what they did during Afghanistan’s memorable 84-run victory over New Zealand in the T20 World Cup game here. Defending 159, Afghanistan shot out New Zealand for 75 with left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi and the skipper himself decimating the opposition with four wickets apiece. Energy, the key “Now, we need to beat the teams with our own skills rather than think about the opposition and that’s the only thing I have been telling the guys like just make sure we look into our skills,” Rashid said during the post-match presentation ceremony. For Rashid, it is the effort that matters more than the results as he believes that if a team are good enough, results take care of themselves. “It doesn’t matter whoever we play, it’s more about how good you are, how good you’re going to play and what type of energy you are coming with into the ground and that for me is very important. “I don’t care about the result a lot to be honest. I care more about the effort we put, that’s something which gives me lots of pleasure,” he added. In the last year’s ODI World Cup, Afghanistan famously stunned England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, while in the 2016 T20 World Cup, they secured a memorable win over eventual champions West Indies. “We haven’t had those victories in T20 World Cups. We had in ODI, but in T20, I feel like this was one of the best performance from the guys,” said the skipper who starred in his masterful bowling act of 4-17. Rahmanullah Gurbaz blasted 80 from 56 deliveries while fellow opener Ibrahim Zadran added 44 from 41 to give them a flying start. In reply, left-arm seamer Farooqi, who claimed five wickets against Uganda on Monday, grabbed 4-17 from just 3.2 overs, matching his skipper’s bowling figures. Solid start by Gurbaz, Zadran “It’s not just about a single guy...it’s a great team effort, the way Gurbaz and Ibrahim started the innings,” Rashid said. For Afghans, cricket is their biggest source of joy and Rashid was thankful to the fans. “They don’t miss our games. We play at 3am, 4am or 1am, they’re always up. Not only in Afghanistan, all around the world, wherever they are, they’re going to watch the game. They don’t miss the game. “Cricket is the biggest source of happiness back home. And I’m very sure this will give them so much to enjoy, to celebrate this victory,” he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 June,2024 07:01 AM IST | Georgetown (Guyana) | PTIADVERTISEMENT
