BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah picked three wickets for just seven runs as India beat Afghanistan by 47 runs in their Super Eight clash at the Twenty20 World Cup on Thursday.
Bumrah’s four-over spell was aided by Arshdeep Singh, who finished with 3-36. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav (2-32) and Axar Patel (1-15) shared three wickets as Afghanistan were bowled out for 134 runs.
Earlier, Suryakumar Yadav scored 53 off 28 balls — his fifth T20 World Cup half-century — as India reached 181-8 in 20 overs after opting to bat.
Yadav hit three sixes and five fours, while Hardik Pandya scored 32 off 24 balls, including two sixes.
India’s next Super Eight game is on Saturday, against Bangladesh in Antigua. Afghanistan will play Australia in St. Vincent, also on Saturday.
Yadav was named player of the match.
“I am clear in my mind how I want to bat,” he said. “There’s a lot of hard work, process and routine involved in it. You just need to know your game plan and just play accordingly. When Hardik (Pandya) came in to bat, we discussed about batting with (aggressive) intent. In the end, we were happy with 180.”
On a slow-paced Barbados wicket, India had made a sluggish start. Skipper Rohit Sharma was out caught for eight, while star batter Virat Kohli only managed run-a-ball 24.
Rishabh Pant, batting at three, provided some acceleration — he scored 20 off 11 balls with four fours.
Afghanistan skipper and wrist spinner Rashid Khan did damage to India’s top order, dismissing both Kohli and Pant, the latter out lbw. It was the first time Khan picked up wickets against India in T20s.
India were down to 62-3 in 8.3 overs, when Yadav played a rescuing hand. He added 28 of 14 balls with Shivam Dube (10) and then the match-turning 60 runs with Pandya.
Yadav’s stand with Pandya came off only 37 balls as India scored 102 runs off the final 10 overs.
Rashid Khan finished with 3-26 in four overs.
Afghanistan’s chase got off to a poor start against Bumrah — he sent back both openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (11) and Haratullah Zazai (2) cheaply.
In between, Axar Patel struck in the fourth over as Ibrahim Zadran was out for eight, and Afghanistan slipped to 23-3 in 4.1 overs.
Gulbadin Naib and Azatullah Omarzai added 44 off 38 balls for the fourth wicket. Thereafter, India’s spinners struck at regular intervals to restrict their opponents.
Ravindra Jadeja picked 1-20 in three overs. Afghanistan lost their last five wickets for 32 runs across 28 deliveries as India crossed the finish line with ease.
Bumrah leads India to 47-run win over Afghanistan in Super Eight at T20 World Cup
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Bumrah leads India to 47-run win over Afghanistan in Super Eight at T20 World Cup
- Bumrah’s four-over spell was aided by Arshdeep Singh, who finished with 3-36
- Spinners Kuldeep Yadav (2-32) and Axar Patel (1-15) shared three wickets as Afghanistan were bowled out for 134 runs
IPL’s 14-year-old Suryavanshi youngest to hit T20 ton as Rajasthan rule
- Suryavanshi went past the previous record, set by Vijay Zol of Maharashtra at 18 years and 118 days
JAIPUR: Indian batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi on Monday became the youngest to hit a senior T20 century at 14 years and 32 days as he powered Rajasthan Royals’ successful chase against Gujarat Titans in the IPL.
Suryavanshi, a left-hand batsman who became the youngest IPL debutant on April 19, smashed 100 off 35 balls to pummel the opposition attack with seven fours and 11 sixes at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Suryavanshi went past the previous record, set by Vijay Zol of Maharashtra at 18 years and 118 days against Mumbai in an Indian domestic match in 2013.
Suryavanshi’s ton is the second fastest in the popular T20 tournament after Chris Gayle’s century in 30 balls for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2013.
The teenage sensation finally fell bowled to fast bowler Prasidh Krishna for 101 off 38 balls and walked off to a standing ovation from the home crowd and the team dugout.
His 166-run opening stand with fellow left-hander Yashasvi Jaiswal launched his team’s chase of 210. They reached the target with 25 balls and eight wickets to spare.
Jaiswal hit an unbeaten 70 and put on an unbeaten stand of 41 with stand-in-skipper Riyan Parag who hit the winning six in his 15-ball 32.
But Suryavanshi’s masterclass took the limelight from everything including opposition knocks from Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill, who hit 84, and Jos Buttler, who struck an unbeaten 50.
Gujarat posted 209-4 but the total did not survive Suryavanshi’s blitz. He hit Afghanistan quick Karim Janat for three fours and three sixes in one 30-run over.
Gujarat are third on the 10-team table with six wins form nine matches.
Rajasthan’s chances of moving into the final four still hang by a thread as they are seventh with three wins and seven defeats.
IPL’s new bat testing rule draws mixed reactions from players
- Umpires are using triangle-shaped plastic gauge to inspect bats on the field
LONDON: The Indian Premier League’s new rule requiring bat checks before batsmen take guard has sparked mixed reactions among players.
While aggressive batting is influenced not just by customized bats, but also by technique and strength, the new protocol has led to animated discussions between players and umpires — and to some players reluctantly parting with their preferred match bats.
Previously, officials conducted bat inspections on the eve of matches. However, concerns arose when players occasionally appeared with a different bat on match day.
Now, umpires are using a triangle-shaped plastic gauge to inspect bats on the field.
The gauge ensures that the bat dimensions comply with regulations: A maximum depth of 2.68 inches, width of 4.33 inches and edge thickness of 1.61 inches. The curve on the lower non-hitting side must not exceed 0.20 inches.
Several players have already encountered issues under the new system.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine and Anrich Nortje both failed the bat gauge test, while umpires took additional time to approve the bats of Andre Russell and Rajasthan Royals’ Riyan Parag.
The question now is whether the rule change will help strike a better balance between bat and ball in the high-scoring era of T20 cricket.
South African pacer Kagiso Rabada, who plays for Gujarat Titans, had previously voiced concern about the oversized bats used in the IPL, claiming they made it possible for batters to even dispatch yorkers for sixes.
“It’s not just about the bats, it’s the power, too,” he said.
Swapnil Asnodkar, a former Rajasthan Royals player who witnessed the power-hitting prowess of legends like Shane Watson, Matthew Hayden, Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum, believes that bats alone are not responsible for the surge in six-hitting.
“The game has gone to a different level with range and power-hitting. The rule must have been framed after considering certain things. It’s always fair to maintain a balance between the bat and the ball,” he told Sportsboom.com.
“It is also up to individuals. You cannot rule out the special ability of a batter. Some can time it, while some can muscle it. It depends on their bodies also. We have seen how Sourav Ganguly used to hit sixes. With players like Russell, it is all about power,” added Asnodkar, who was part of Rajasthan Royals’ title-winning side in the inaugural IPL season.
Now a certified under-19 coach at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s National Cricket Academy, Asnodkar pointed to a shift in training methods over the years.
“Correct practice matters a lot. Earlier, we were taught not to hit in the air, but the trend has changed. As players develop, they naturally acquire the habit of hitting sixes. Practicing correctly enhances their skills,” he said, recalling Hayden’s famous Mongoose bat and Gayle’s characteristically “heavy” willow.
Amandeep Singh Kohar, managing director of Hound Cricket Gears, said that manufacturers continued to follow International Cricket Council guidelines and that no new directive has been issued specifically for the IPL.
“We follow ICC guidelines. I have written down all the points needed to fulfill the manufacturing mark. There are too many points, and we are trying to follow all of them,” he said.
Former T20 stars like Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo have used bats manufactured by Hound. The company also produces special edition willows named after Bravo, Narine and Akeal Hosein.
Sportsboom.com also contacted Jatin Sareen, managing director of Sareen Sports, the bat brand used by Narine and Parag, but he declined to comment.
Bumrah claims 4-22 as Mumbai register five straight IPL wins
- It was Mumbai’s 150th victory in the Indian Premier League, the first time for any team in the league
MUMBAI: Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah returned figures of 4-22 to lead IPL heavyweights Mumbai Indians to their fifth successive win with a 54-run hammering of Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday.
Five-time champions Mumbai posted 215-7 after South Africa’s Ryan Rickleton, a left-hand wicketkeeper-batsman, hit 58 and Suryakumar Yadav hammered 54 at the Wankhede Stadium.
All the bowlers contributed, including England’s Will Jacks who took two wickets in one over, as Mumbai bowled out Lucknow for 161, pushing them up to second in the 10-team table in the T20 tournament.
It was Mumbai’s 150th victory in the Indian Premier League, the first time for any team in the league.
Bumrah stood out after he dismissed Aiden Markram to go past former quick Lasith Malinga’s record of 170 IPL wickets to become Mumbai’s leading bowler.
Bumrah, who has returned from a back injury that made him miss India’s Champions Trophy title win in Dubai last month, now has 174 wickets.
Lucknow opener Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran hit back with a flurry of boundaries in their breezy partnership of 42.
Jacks got Pooran out for 27 with his off-spin and struck two balls later to send back Lucknow skipper Rishabh Pant, caught out for four while the left-hander attempted a reverse sweep.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Pant, who was brought by Lucknow at an all-time auction record of $3.21 million in November, has flopped with the bat, scoring just 110 runs in nine innings.
New Zealand left-arm quick Trent Boult took down Australia’s Marsh for 34 and later got Ayush Badoni out on 35 to derail the chase and returned figures of 3-20.
Wickets kept tumbling and Bumrah returned to take three in one including impact player David Miller out for 24 to shut out Lucknow.
The batters set up victory after the left-handed Rickleton began quickly with a rush of boundaries despite losing his opening partner and former captain Rohit who fell to returning speedster Mayank Yadav’s slower ball for 12.
Rickleton countered the spin threat to hit back in a 55-run second-wicket stand with Jacks, who hit 29, but finally fell to leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi.
Jacks hit a few boundaries before being bowled by Prince Yadav but Suryakumar kept up the attack with his audacious hitting including a kneel-down hook for six over fine-leg.
The Lucknow bowlers struck regularly and Mayank bowled skipper Hardik Pandya for five.
India’s T20 captain Suryakumar, who is the season’s leading batter with 427 runs, raised his fifty with a six but pace bowler Avesh Khan dismissed him next ball.
Naman Dhir, who hit an unbeaten 25 off 11 balls, and South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch, who smashed a 10-ball 20 on his IPL debut, helped finish with a flourish in their quickfire stand of 28.
IPL climax impresses South African greats AB de Villiers and Chris Morris
- As the tournament heads into its sixth weekend, the top six teams are separated by just two points
LONDON: This year’s Indian Premier League is serving up a thrilling climax and two of South Africa’s cricketing greats, AB de Villiers and Chris Morris, are delighted with how the 18th event is unfolding.
As the tournament heads into its sixth weekend, the top six teams are separated by just two points, with sides such as Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants and Bengaluru Royal Challengers pushing for a maiden title.
De Villiers, who scored 5,162 IPL runs at an average of 39.70 and a strike-rate of 151.68, believes every team remains in contention.
“I’ve loved the IPL this season because all the teams have a chance to feature in the finals. All the teams are still in the running, which is great to see as we are just past halfway in the tournament. My call is that I would like a new team to win it this year,” De Villiers told sports website sportsboom.co.za.
“The tournament started with a bang with some very high scores. But the totals have come down now, and I have called before for the balance between bat and ball to be evened out.”
Morris, who became the most expensive overseas player in IPL history when Rajasthan Royals signed him for $2.3 million in 2021, said that the unpredictability has been the tournament’s biggest draw.
“It’s been so unpredictable, and the results haven’t been as consistent as previously. There are teams that you definitely think will finish in the top three but they’re not featuring at the moment like Hyderabad Sunrisers. They are an explosive side with proper bowlers, but they’re second-from-bottom,” Morris told Sportsboom.
“I now think Delhi Capitals might win because they have a lot of experience and guys that are not scared to play. Mumbai Indians are always pushing for the title, but they started badly. But if they get on a roll then they are so dangerous. Chennai Super Kings have some youthful players but have not featured as much as I thought they would,” he said.
De Villiers and Morris, both key figures in popularising the IPL in South Africa, also cast an eye over the new generation of Proteas stars impressing in India.
“Aiden Markram has been in really good form, which is wonderful just before the World Test Championship final in June,” De Villiers said.
“Any runs are great because it reinforces your belief in your ability. Form is a fickle thing and sometimes a fifty in a T20 game can allow you to take confidence into a Test match. So, it bodes well for Aiden and the Proteas.
“It’s a shame Kagiso Rabada has only been able to play a couple of games before coming home, because it’s always nice to see him in action; he’s one of my favorite bowlers because of the way he thinks about the game.
“David Miller has been a bit quiet, he’s played a couple of good innings, but I’m sure he’ll come good at the back end. Marco Jansen has shown what a wonderful cricketer he is with bat and ball.
“Ryan Rickelton looks so good but is just not converting. But he looks lethal and I’m sure at some stage he’s going to play another big knock. It was great to see Dewald Brevis finally get a chance with CSK and score 42 off 25,” he said.
Morris also floated a potential rule change to help bowlers combat the rising scores.
“Nowadays, teams are chasing 230 easily. Back in the day, you conceded 200 and you thought you had no chance; then teams would score 210 and it was game on. The dynamic has changed and so does the mindset of the bowler,” he said.
“I believe you need to arrive at the game knowing that you’re going to be slapped around and it’s just how you deal with it. Nowadays, if you go for 40 or 45 runs, I’d say you’ve done well, especially if you are a new-ball or death bowler, where there is nowhere to hide.
“I would actually like to propose a rule change: If you bowl a dot-ball, then it should be minus one run to the batting total. With the sizes of the fields, the pitches and the ball being the same weight, there have been no changes to allow the bowlers to catch up with the batters,” he said.
Morris also praised South Africa’s batting contingent.
“Our South African batsmen have hit their straps nicely. Heinrich Klaasen has had a few starts but has probably not done as well as he would have wanted, although he is starting to show some form,” he said.
“Marco Jansen has been consistent, he’s bowling in different periods of the game, and he’s bowled some beauties, as well as hitting a few balls out of the ground. I’m upset Faf du Plessis has been injured, but Tristan Stubbs has been very good. He’s averaging 61 which shows what a gun batsman he is and that he really understands his roles.
“Ryan Rickelton has stood out nicely because there is always so much pressure playing for Mumbai Indians. He’s slotted in well and played every game. Aiden Markram has also been gun and I’m very glad to see him batting so well now. It’s difficult if you don’t score runs in the first couple of games, but he bats at an important time and Justin Langer has really backed him with Mitchell Marsh at the top.”
Saudi Arabia impress with the bat in Quadrangular series but lose out to brilliance of Virandeep Singh
- Openers Abdul Waheed and Faisal Khan, who have each struck a T20I century for Saudi Arabia, gave the team a flying start against Singapore
KUALA LUMPUR: Saudi Arabia’s senior men’s cricket team have had a busy three days in the Malaysia Quadrangular Series in Kuala Lumpur. They comfortably beat Thailand and Singapore before being involved in a gripping contest against Malaysia, the highest ranked team in the tournament.
The Saudi batting did not quite fire in the first match against Thailand but the lower order kept going strongly so that they reached a total of 156. This was far too much for Thailand, who were bowled out for 90 as Hisham Shaikh took four for 15 and Zain Ul-Abidin three for 13, seven wickets falling for only 20 runs.
Openers Abdul Waheed and Faisal Khan, who have each struck a T20I century for Saudi Arabia, gave the team a flying start against Singapore. Each batter hit three sixes and shared an exhilarating opening partnership of 98 in just 8.3 overs. Waheed made 55 in 34 balls and Faisal 62 from 28 balls in a brutal display of boundary hitting.
The innings tailed off to 178 for eight in 20 overs but Singapore soon collapsed to 33 for eight. Usman Khalid claimed three for 13 and Saudi Arabia won by 96 runs. Malaysia had also won their opening two matches by convincing margins so Saturday’s contest between two unbeaten teams was eagerly anticipated. It did not disappoint in any way.
Saudi Arabia were again given a flying start by their two powerful openers as Abdul Waheed and Faisal Khan shared a stand of 84 in 7.3 overs. After the latter was dismissed for 48 from 25 balls, Waheed went on to reach 82 from 52 balls. A total of 182 for seven did not quite make the most of the electric start, though it set up a competitive chase.
Ghayour Ahmed’s first over in international cricket went for 21 runs, Malaysia rushing to 65 for one after the first six overs. The run-rate was checked in the middle overs, captain Waji Ul-Hassan claiming two wickets to keep Saudi Arabia just ahead. Batter number three, Virandeep Singh, is a quality batsman and he paced his innings to perfection.
Thirty runs were still needed from the last two overs. Aided by a no ball, which he hit for six over mid-wicket, Singh scored all the necessary runs and Malaysia gained victory by five wickets with a ball to spare.
Saudi Arabia had largely been beaten by one man as Virandeep Singh had earlier taken four for 26 to keep the Saudi total under 200. His final 30-run flourish with the bat took him to an unbeaten 93 from 57 balls, containing eight fours and four sixes.
Now, there will be a second round of matches, so Saudi Arabia will face Malaysia in one more league match. On current form, they look likely to meet again in the final, so everybody following this series should be in for a cricketing treat in the coming days.
