England thrash Oman to revive T20 World Cup campaign

England thrash Oman to revive T20 World Cup campaign
England's captain Jos Buttler, right, and batting partner Jonny Bairstow shake hands at the end of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match against Oman at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda on June 13, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 14 June 2024
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England thrash Oman to revive T20 World Cup campaign

England thrash Oman to revive T20 World Cup campaign
  • This overwhelming Group B victory meant England recorded the largest win in T20 World Cup history in terms of balls remaining
  • Oman had no answer to England's attack, leg-spinner Adil Rashid taking 4-11, while Jofra Archer and Mark Wood had 3-12 figures

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda: England thrashed Oman by eight wickets as the reigning champions revived their T20 World Cup campaign with a record-breaking success in Antigua on Thursday.
Needing a heavy win to bolster their net run-rate (NRR) as they attempt to overhaul Scotland in the race to qualify for the second-round Super Eights, England dismissed Oman for just 47.
England then made 50-2 in a mere 3.1 overs, captain Jos Buttler 24 not out and Jonny Bairstow, who hit the winning boundary, unbeaten on eight.
This overwhelming Group B victory meant England recorded the largest win in T20 World Cup history in terms of balls remaining.
Oman had no answer to England’s combination of spin and pace, leg-break bowler Adil Rashid taking 4-11 from his four overs, while express quicks Jofra Archer and Mark Wood both had figures of 3-12 in an innings that ended with nearly seven overs to spare.
Number seven Shoaib Khan (11) was the only Oman batsman to reach double figures after Buttler won the toss.
Significantly, England’s NRR climbed to 3.081, better than Scotland’s 2.16. England, however, stayed third on three points, behind Scotland’s five.
Already-eliminated Oman, who ended the tournament having lost all four of the games, just scraped past the record lowest completed total of 39 at any T20 World Cup, posted by fellow-non Test nation Uganda against co-hosts West Indies in Guyana last week.
Archer did the early damage with 2-12 in nine balls.
Oman then lost two wickets in Wood’s first over as they slumped to 25-4 in six overs.
The very next delivery wicketkeeper Buttler luckily removed the bails at the second attempt to stump Khalid Kail off Rashid’s first ball Thursday as wickets continued to tumble.
Phil Salt struck the first two balls of England’s chase for six, only to be bowled off the third by Bilal Khan, but his side were on their way.
England, beaten by Australia after their group game with Scotland was abandoned due to rain, play Namibia on Saturday.
Australia and Scotland, however, will meet on Sunday after England have completed their group games.


Pakistan bemoans ‘death of cricket’ after Champions Trophy flop

Pakistan bemoans ‘death of cricket’ after Champions Trophy flop
Updated 25 February 2025
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Pakistan bemoans ‘death of cricket’ after Champions Trophy flop

Pakistan bemoans ‘death of cricket’ after Champions Trophy flop
  • Pakistan needed Bangladesh to beat New Zealand on Monday to keep their slim hopes of a place in the semifinals alive, but the result went the other way

KARACHI: Gloom and demands for wholesale change engulfed cricket-crazy Pakistan on Tuesday after the hosts crashed out of the Champions Trophy in the group stage, barely a week into celebrating the return of a major tournament.

The title-holders lost their opening game to New Zealand by 60 runs in Karachi last week before Sunday’s six-wicket defeat to arch-rivals India pushed them to the brink of an early exit.

Pakistan needed Bangladesh to beat New Zealand on Monday to keep their slim hopes of a place in the semifinals alive, but the result went the other way.

Thursday’s match with Bangladesh in Rawalpindi has been reduced to a dead-rubber.

“We have been backing these players for the last few years but they are not learning nor improving,” former captain Wasim Akram told AFP.

“It is time for a major shake-up. We need to improve our system of domestic cricket so that we can produce quality cricketers, not ordinary ones.”

A lack of competitiveness in domestic cricket and low-quality pitches have been blamed for not preparing players for the international stage.

The sport in Pakistan is also held back by frequent changes to the cricket board, coaching teams and selection panels, critics say.

Such changes are driven by politics and not merit, according to observers.

“I feel very despondent with the state of Pakistan cricket,” former captain Rashid Latif told AFP.

“We have to follow merit and bring in professionals in the administration of the game and not people on a political basis.

“Frequent changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board, selection committee and captains have failed us in forming a proper setup and team.”

The early elimination stings for a country that had relished hosting its first major cricket tournament in 29 years, after significant improvements in security.

“We were thrilled that an international event had finally returned to our country, but the joy was shortlived,” said 26-year-old Umar Siraj, a pharmacist in Rawalpindi.

“The hardest part of being a Pakistan fan is that you end up praying for other teams to lose,” he chuckled. “It’s painful. I’m gutted.”

Pakistan’s Champions Trophy flop is nothing new. They also crashed out of the 2023 ODI World Cup in the first round in India.

It was followed by their exit at the same stage in the Twenty20 World Cup in the US and West Indies last year — a tournament won by neighbors India.

Pakistan last month finished ninth and last in the World Test Championship after drawing a home series with the West Indies.

The latest debacle, and on home soil, represents a new low.

“It is disappointing that they didn’t even put up a fight,” said Naseem Satti, a 46-year-old government servant.

“We have no quality bowlers, no reliable batters and it seems cricket is dead in Pakistan.”

Asma Batool, a 52-year-old housewife, underlined just what cricket means to people in Pakistan.

“Cricket is the only source of entertainment for our youth,” she said. “Our nation finds solace in this game.”


Rachin Ravindra ton powers New Zealand into semis, hosts Pakistan out

Rachin Ravindra ton powers New Zealand into semis, hosts Pakistan out
Updated 24 February 2025
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Rachin Ravindra ton powers New Zealand into semis, hosts Pakistan out

Rachin Ravindra ton powers New Zealand into semis, hosts Pakistan out
  • Pakistan, who won the previous edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017, lost to New Zealand and then India

RAWALPINDI: Rachin Ravindra struck a superb 112 to lead New Zealand into the Champions Trophy semifinals with a five-wicket win over Bangladesh and in turn dump hosts Pakistan out of the semifinal race.
The result in Rawalpindi also ensured India’s semifinal berth in the 50-over tournament as Bangladesh became the other team from Group A to be knocked out.
Both New Zealand and India have two wins from two matches and will now meet in Dubai on Sunday to decide team one and two from the group.
Pakistan, who won the previous edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017, lost to New Zealand and then India in the first International Cricket Council (ICC) event they are hosting since the 1996 ODI World Cup.
India refused to tour Pakistan due to political reasons and instead are playing all their matches in Dubai, which will host the final if the Asian giants go the distance.
New Zealand have been the team to beat in this group after they humbled Pakistan by 60 runs in the tournament opener.
Coming in as firm favorites in their second match, New Zealand elected to field first and spinner Michael Bracewell returned career-best ODI figures of 4-36 to restrict Bangladesh to 236-9.
Chasing 237 for victory, New Zealand slipped to 15-2 and 72-3 before Ravindra and fellow left-hander Tom Latham, who made 55, added 129 for the fourth wicket.
Both were dismissed before the end but New Zealand still achieved the target with 23 balls to spare.
The Black Caps had a disastrous start when pace bowler Tasking Ahmed bowled first-match centurion Will Young for a duck.
Bangladesh’s new pace sensation Nahid Rana took down Kane Williamson caught behind for five with a delivery bowled at 148.8 kph (92.4 mph).
Ravindra, who returned to the team after recovering from a nasty blow to his forehead in a recent tri-series match against Pakistan, joined Devon Conway to rebuild the innings.
Conway hit back with a flurry of boundaries and made 30 before Bangladesh checked the surge and Mustafizur Rahman hurried one on to the left-hander who chopped on to his stumps.
Ravindra stood firm and with fellow left-hander Latham, another centurion in the opener against Pakistan, waded his way through the chase and after reaching his fifty bossed the bowlers.
He raised his fourth ODI ton with a single off Rana and raised his bat to soak up the applause.
Ravindra finally fell, caught at long-on off leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, and wicketkeeper-batsman Latham’s run out added some late drama. But Glenn Phillips, 21 not out, and Bracewell, who hit the winning boundary, sealed the chase.
Player of the match Bracewell set up victory with key strikes that started with his second delivery to dismiss Tanzid Hasan out for 24 and end a strong start by Bangladesh.
Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto made 77 and Jaker Ali 45 in an attempt to put up a competitive total but Bracewell kept getting wickets.
He was ably supported by the New Zealand quicks with rookie Will O’Rourke returning with two wickets.


India’s inevitable win over Pakistan reveals a rivalry running on empty

India’s inevitable win over Pakistan reveals a rivalry running on empty
Updated 24 February 2025
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India’s inevitable win over Pakistan reveals a rivalry running on empty

India’s inevitable win over Pakistan reveals a rivalry running on empty
  • ICC Champions Trophy clash in Dubai showed two teams moving in opposite directions

DUBAI: Living within a stone’s throw of the Dubai International Stadium, I was able to watch and experience how the atmosphere started to build before this eagerly awaited clash between India and Pakistan in the ICC Champions trophy.

More than three hours before the first ball was bowled, the horns started their familiar chorus. The rituals remained unchanged — the early pilgrimage to the stadium, the face paint, the flags. Despite this, something fundamental has changed in cricket’s most politicized rivalry. The match laid this truth bare.

What we witnessed was not a contest between two equals. Although this is still the message pumped out by the marketing machine and broadcasters continue to sell India against Pakistan as the game’s ultimate clash, the reality on the field tells a different story. In 36 C heat, we watched a stark display of two teams moving in opposing directions.

The demographic in the stands told its own story — a drowning sea of blue with mere patches of green. A visual metaphor for the competitive imbalance that has come to define these encounters. Even Pakistan’s supporters, who are usually defiant and vocal in even the toughest of times, sensed the inevitability of what was coming.

The match felt like a formality from the start. Pakistan’s approach was puzzling at best and self-destructive at worst. After losing Babar Azam early on, followed by Imam-ul-Haq, who ran himself out on his return to the team, the innings descended into an exercise of damage limitation. Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan needed to rebuild yet still try to be positive. It seemed they had a different plan altogether. Their lack of intent was so profound as to be puzzling. If they were trying to provide a basis for a late assault, then what should not happen is for them both to be dismissed in quick succession. This is exactly what happened.

Any hope of a challenging total vanished and Pakistan lost six wickets for 82 in less than 15 overs, setting India a modest total of 242 to chase.

India’s approach was the opposite of Pakistan’s. This brought the crowd alive and, for the first time, it felt that there were people in the stadium.

It was not until the 42nd over that a Pakistani batter hit a six, through Khushdil Shah. Rohit Sharma took only six balls to launch Naseem Shah for six. This was not just a shot, it was a pathological hammer blow, a statement that India no longer regards Pakistan as an equal but just another team to be dispatched.

Shubman Gill, the ICC’s new No. 1 ranked batter, had the crowd in awe of his classical shots, mixed with aggression. Even the Pakistani contingent clapped his majestic cover drives. Then came a vintage Virat Kohli performance. He played simple cricket against the spinners and attacked the seamers, saying afterwards: “I was happy with the template, it’s how I play in ODIs.”

India never left second gear because they never needed to and therein lies the problem. Rivalries require uncertainty. Both teams need to believe that they can win and, more importantly, they need both sets of fans to believe in the possibility of a victory. The Ashes have endured because, even when one team is stronger, the other always has the potential to retaliate. India against Australia captivates because both teams possess the ability to dominate.

India against Pakistan seems to have lost its edge on the field. The political tensions add edge to these encounters, but they can no longer mask the cricketing chasm that has opened up between the teams. We seem to be left with a rivalry running on nostalgia, fueled by memories of Miandad’s last-ball six in 1986 and Tendulkar’s uppercut off Shoaib Aktar’s bowling in 2003. Now, the contests are failing to create new moments worthy of that history.

The empty seats at the start of play would be unthinkable a decade ago for an India-Pakistan match. The crowd never reached its traditional fever pitch for such a match as it has become too one sided and predictable. “Men against boys,” was the sentiment being bandied about in the stands. It is hard to argue with that assessment. India’s victory felt inevitable from the moment Shakeel was caught in the deep. This is not the stuff of which great rivalries are made. They should make your heart race. They should keep you on the edge of your seat. They should make you believe in miracles.

There were no miracles, no edge-of-seat moments, no heart-racing finishes. Just the methodical dismantling of one team by another, executed with clinical efficiency that speaks of a rivalry in name only.

Perhaps it is time to be honest about what India versus Pakistan has become — a historical rivalry whose greatness now resides more in the past than the present. While the political undertones ensure these matches will always carry extra significance, the on-field contest has lost its competitive soul. For this rivalry to reclaim its place at cricket’s summit, Pakistan needs to rediscover its swagger, its intent and, most importantly, its belief. Until then, we are left with echoes of what once was, memories being played out to an increasingly indifferent audience.

The result has put India on the brink of a semi-final and Pakistan on the brink of elimination. Mathematically, there is a chance but, if New Zealand beat Bangladesh, it would mean that Pakistan becomes the first team to be ousted from the tournament, after only two matches. This will be a bitter blow. Pakistan’s return to hosting an ICC tournament will end in deep disappointment, after the high hopes which had built up.

Cricket in Pakistan has been badly buffeted from all angles in recent years. This latest defeat by India will serve only to make life in the eye of the storm even more uncomfortable.


Virat Kohli hits ton in Dubai as India push Pakistan to brink of Champions Trophy exit

Virat Kohli hits ton in Dubai as India push Pakistan to brink of Champions Trophy exit
Updated 23 February 2025
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Virat Kohli hits ton in Dubai as India push Pakistan to brink of Champions Trophy exit

Virat Kohli hits ton in Dubai as India push Pakistan to brink of Champions Trophy exit
  • Pakistan have lost both their matches and will need Bangladesh to beat New Zealand on Monday to have any chance of staying in the competition

DUBAI: Star batsman Virat Kohli struck an unbeaten 100 to lead India to a six-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday and push the title holders to the brink of elimination from the Champions Trophy.
Chasing 242 for victory, Kohli hit a boundary to seal the match with 45 balls to spare and register his 51st ODI ton after an innings which also saw him pass 14,000 runs in one-day international cricket.
Kohli, 36, removed his helmet and raised his bat to the Dubai International Stadium crowd after taking India closer to the semifinals with two wins in two outings in Group A.
Pakistan have lost both their matches and will need Bangladesh to beat New Zealand on Monday to have any chance of staying in contention for a last-four spot.
The top two teams from the two groups will make the semifinals.
“My job was clear — to control the middle overs, not take risks against the spinners and take on the pacers,” said Kohli.
“I was happy with the template, it’s how I play in ODIs. I have a decent understanding of my game.
“It’s about keeping the outside noise away, take care of my energy levels and thoughts. It’s easy for me to get pulled into expectations and frenzy around games like these.”
Favourites India remained clinical in their chase despite losing skipper Rohit Sharma for 20 off Shaheen Shah Afridi.
In-form Shubman Gill, who made 46 after his century in the opening win over Bangladesh, put on 69 runs with Kohli.
India superstar Kohli started cautiously but reached 14,000 ODI runs with a trademark punch through cover off Haris Rauf.
He is just the third man to break the 14,000-run barrier after India icon Sachin Tendulkar (18,426) and Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara (14,234)
Former captain Kohli raised his fifty with a boundary off Naseem Shah to loud cheers from the crowd.
His hundred came in 111 balls, a knock that rolled back the years for the veteran who has 82 centuries across all formats but whose previous ODI ton came in the 2023 ODI World Cup semifinal.
Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, who made 56, put the chase back on track with a stand of 114 after Gill’s departure when leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed bowled the opener.
India bowled out Pakistan for 241 in 49.4 overs as left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav returned figures of 3-40.
Pakistan elected to bat first on what seemed a sluggish pitch but a slow approach from the batsman rarely threatened the Indian attack despite a 104-run partnership between Saud Shakeel (62) and Mohammad Rizwan (46).
Khushdil Shah’s late cameo of 38 added some runs to the total before the innings folded with his wicket.
The Pakistan openers began cautiously despite a wayward start by Indian pace spearhead Mohammed Shami who bowled five wides in an 11-ball first over.
Shami, who returned figures of 5-53 in the win over Bangladesh, seemed to struggle with his ankle in his third over and left the field, returning soon after to India’s great relief.
Babar Azam score 23 and fellow opener Imam-ul-Haq was run out on 10 before Shakeel and Rizwan got their heads down as Pakistan managed just one boundary in nearly 10 overs.
“When Saud and I were batting, we wanted to go deep. But our shot selection was bad and we lost wickets, which is why we were kept to 240,” said Rizwan.
A full house was expected at the venue but there were empty seats on view during the match.
Pakistan next face Bangladesh on Thursday in Rawalpindi while India take on New Zealand in Dubai on March 2.


Pakistan win toss, bat against India in key Champions Trophy clash

Pakistan win toss, bat against India in key Champions Trophy clash
Updated 23 February 2025
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Pakistan win toss, bat against India in key Champions Trophy clash

Pakistan win toss, bat against India in key Champions Trophy clash
  • Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and elected to bat in a blockbuster Champions Trophy clash against India on Sunday as his side looks to stay alive in the tournament

DUBAI: Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and elected to bat in a blockbuster Champions Trophy clash against India on Sunday as his side looks to stay alive in the tournament.
A full house was expected for the eagerly awaited Group A match at the 25,000-capacity Dubai International Stadium, India’s home for the 50-over tournament after they refused to tour Pakistan due to political tensions.
Defending champions Pakistan lost the tournament opener to New Zealand and another defeat will virtually end their chances of making the semifinals.
Imam-ul-Haq comes into the Pakistan side for Fakhar Zaman, who was injured in the opening match and is out of the tournament.
India had a hard-fought win in their first match against Bangladesh and come into the key clash unchanged.
India captain Rohit Sharma said it “doesn’t really matter, they (Pakistan) won the toss, so we’ll bowl first.”
The top two teams from the two groups will make the semifinals.
Teams
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav.
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
Umpires: Paul Reiffel (AUS), Richard Illingworth (ENG)
TV Umpire: Michael Gough (ENG)
Match Referee: David Boon (AUS)