International
CPL 2021: Unstoppable St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots record fifth win in a row
A thrilling last-ball victory kept the local side St Kitts & Nevis Patriots’ winning streak intact as they won their fifth match in succession, defeating Barbados Royals by two wickets in the 2021 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Friday.
However, it was the fourth defeat of the tournament for the Barbados Royals. The Patriots won the toss and opted to bowl, taking wickets at regular intervals as the Barbados Royals posted 160/8, with Smit Patel, making his CPL debut, top scoring with 54.
Barbados Royals, put in to bat, got off to a steady start as Johnson Charles and Smit Patel made up for the early dismissal of Shai Hope. Patel reached his half century, while captain Jason Holder later made a quick 19 from seven balls.
DJ Bravo, captaining the side, was superb as he took four wickets and stopped Barbados Royals from piling runs towards the end of their innings.
The Patriots got off to a decent start with Devon Thomas (26) and Evin Lewis (19) and then a returning Chris Gayle top scored with 42 runs.
But from 95 for three, there was a sudden stumble as they lost three quick wickets and were 98 for six and the loss included the in-form Sherfane Rutherford who made just one run.
Then Sheldon Cottrell (20) and Dominic Drakes (28) helped them recover but they were still behind in the chase. Cottrell struck a six off the last ball for a dramatic win in front of the home crowd.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots remain top of the CPL league table with five wins out of five.
Meanwhile, Saint Lucia Kings earned their second win outplaying Guyana Amazon Warriors by 51 runs. The star of the match was Roston Chase 85 and one for 16) and the wicket was of Warriors captain Nicholas Pooran.
Guyana Amazon Warriors won the toss and put Saint Lucia Kings in to bat. Chase with 85 helped take his side to 149 for 7.
Saint Lucia lost Andre Fletcher and Faf du Plessis before Chase came in and raced to his half century from just 27 balls. He was supported by Mark Deyal and then Tim David before a flurry of late wickets restricted the team’s total.
Guyana used eight different bowlers and Romario Shepherd and Odean Smith were the pick of the bowlers, as they both took three wickets each.
The Guyana Warriors faltered in their chase despite the best efforts of captain Pooran (41) and Odean Smith (31). None of the other batsmen reached double figures as Guyana were dismissed for 98. Jeavor Royal took three wickets while Obed McCoy and Kesrick Williams grabbed two each.
Brief scores: Barbados Royals 160/8 (Smit Patel 54, Charles 30; Bravo 4/26, van Meekeren 2/36); St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 163/8 (Gayle 42, Drakes 28; Young 3/26, Lintott 2/28).
Saint Lucia Kings 149/7 (Chase 85, Deyal 20; Shepherd 3/21, Smith 3/22); Guyana Amazon Warriors 98 all out (Pooran 41, Smith 31*; Royal 3/19, Williams 2/7).
Dubai, Dec 30: India’s premium fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Men’s Cricketer of the Year. Alongside Indian ace, who is also nominated for the Test Cricketer of the year, Australia’s Travis Head and the English batting duo of Joe Root and Harry Brook also made the list for the prestigious honour.
Bumrah nabbed 15 wickets from eight outings, including a couple in the final against South Africa, as India went unbeaten at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
India’s spearhead also had a memorable year in the longest format by picking 71 wickets in 13 Tests, the most scalps taken by a bowler this year.
In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Bumrah is leading the wicket-takers charts with 30 wickets at an average of 12.83. He also completed 200 Test wickets and became the first bowler to achieve the feat with an average less than 20.
Indian bowling attack’s nemesis Head also made the list after shining across all formats for his country. After playing a vital role in the 2023 ICC World Cup final, Head continued his form as he was the third highest scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup with 255 runs in seven innings, with his highest score being 76 against India. The left-hander is also the leading run scorer during the ongoing BGT helping Australia get in a good position to solidify their spot in the 2025 WTC final.
Root, England’s premier batter, made 1556 runs from 17 Tests at an average of 55.57, his second-best annual run tally in Tests after amassing 1708 runs in 2021. It was also the fifth instance of Root scoring over 1000 Test runs in a calendar year.
With six Test hundreds to go alongside five fifties, Root’s impressive run saw him become the joint-fifth highest century maker in Tests (36) alongside Rahul Dravid. In addition to his batting exploits, Root impressed by picking a four-wicket haul in the Test series against India.
His teammate Brook scored 1100 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 55, comprising three fifties and four hundred-plus scores, including a maiden triple century coming in Pakistan, and became England’s breakthrough batter in the format.
International
CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources
New Delhi, Dec 19: The much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 will be played on February 23 with Colombo and Dubai front-runners to play host for India’s matches in the tournament being played in hybrid format. The development comes after the ICC Board said that “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue.”
“India will take on Pakistan at a neutral venue on February 23, 2025. ICC looking at Colombo and Dubai to host their matches.”
The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played in February and March 2025. Meanwhile, ICC said the schedule for the marquee tournament will be confirmed in the coming days.
Pakistan are the defending champions of the tournament, having defeated India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval in 2017. Both teams last played against each other in the T20 World Cup in New York earlier this year which India won by six runs and went on to claim their second silverware in the format.
Due to the strained political relations between the two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan only play each other in international events including World Cups and Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan was held in 2012-13 when the latter toured India for the five-match white-ball series.
International
It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027
India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday, 19 December. The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be confirmed soon, with Pakistan aiming to defend the title they won in 2017.
The eight-team event will feature Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, alongside hosts Pakistan.
This will apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).
It was also announced that the PCB has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. Cricket Australia is set to host one of the senior ICC women’s events during the period 2029 to 2031.
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