Connect with us
Friday,04-April-2025
Breaking News

International

IPL 2022: Samson, Prasidh, Chahal lead Rajasthan to 61-run win over Hyderabad

Published

on

Dominating knocks by skipper Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal and Shimron Hetmyer, followed by clinical bowling by Yuzvendra Chahal (3/22), Prasidh Krishna (2/16) led Rajasthan Royals to a thumping 61-run victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL 2022 match, here on Tuesday.

Riding on brilliant attacking knocks by skipper Sanju Samson (55 off 27), Devdutt Padikkal (41 off 29) and a late cameo by Shimron Hetmyer (32 off 13), Rajasthan Royals posted 210/6 in 20 overs. Apart from the trio of Samson, Padikkal and Hetmyer, Jos Buttler (35 off 28) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (20 off 16) also made valuable contributions with the bat.

Chasing a huge total, SRH got off to the worst possible start as Prasidh Krishna rattled the top-order. In his very first over, the pacer dismissed Kane Williamson for 2 as Devdutt Padikkal at first slip took a great catch. Prasidh continued to bowl back-of-a-length deliveries and in the corridor of uncertainty and was soon rewarded with the wicket of Rahul Tripathi as he edged it to Samson.

Nicholas Pooran, who struggled against the moving ball, then was trapped in front by Trent Boult as SRH slid to 9 for 3. From that precarious position, there was little hope left for SRH to chart a comeback. The wickets of Abhishek Sharma (9) and Abdul Samad (4) also didn’t help Hyderabad’s chase.

Lower down the order, Aiden Markram (57 off 41) and Romario Shepherd (24 off 18) made useful contributions while Washington Sundar (40 off 14) went on a hitting spree in the last two overs against Boult and Riyan Parag. But, it wasn’t enough as Hyderabad were restricted to 149-7 in 20 overs. Yuzvendra Chahal (3/22), Prasidh Krishna (2/16) and Trent Boult (2/23) were the wicket-takers for Rajasthan.

Earlier, invited to bat first, openers Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave Rajasthan a flying start. Both Buttler and Jaiswal played cautiously against Bhuvneshwar Kumar but the England cricketer targeted Umran Malik and hit him for a couple of boundaries and sixes, taking 21 runs off his over.

Washington Sundar, who came to bowl the next over, also conceded 18 runs as both Buttler and Jaiswal hit a six each, taking Rajasthan over the 50-run mark in the 5th over. Rajasthan were also helped by some poor bowling by the SRH bowlers, who sent down four no-balls in the first five overs.

T Natarajan came to bowl the final powerplay over and gave only eight runs as Rajasthan scored 58 runs in the first six overs. However, the very first ball after the powerplay brought a wicket for Hyderabad as Jaiswal was dismissed by Romario Shepherd for 20.

SRH skipper Kane Williamson introduced left-arm spinner, Abhishek Sharma, into the attack but he couldn’t make much of an impact and instead gave 15 runs in his over. It was Umran Malik, who gave Hyderabad their next breakthrough by getting rid of the dangerous Buttler on 35. Thereafter, skipper Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal kept the scoreboard ticking for Rajasthan.

Washington Sundar, who had an expensive first over, continued to suffer as Samson whacked the spinner for a six and a four and helped Rajasthan cross the 100-run mark in the 11 over. On the other hand, Padikkal joined the action and hit T Natarajan for six and a four.

Both Padikkal and Samson were having a great time in the middle and dealing with boundaries. Their quick 73 runs stand for the third wicket was finally broken when Padikkal was cleaned up by Malik on 41, leaving Royals at 148-3 after 15 overs. The wicket didn’t affect Samson that much as he continued his aggressive batting and brought his fifty in just 25 deliveries. However, the Rajasthan skipper couldn’t continue his innings longer after that and was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar for 55.

Despite losing the two key wickets of Padikkal and Samson, the run rate didn’t drop for the Royals as new batters — Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag combined to trouble SRH bowlers. Hetmyer especially was the more aggressive between the two and he hit Bhuvneshwar for 15 runs and helped Rajasthan breach the 200-run mark in the 19th over itself. On the other hand, Parag also gave him the much-needed support from the other end.

Hetmyer, who played a late cameo of 32 in just 13 deliveries, was cleaned up by Natarajan in the last over but he had already done the damage. In the end, Parag (12 off 9) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (1) remained not out as Rajasthan Royals posted 210/6 in 20 overs.

Umran Malik (2/39) and T Natarajan (2/43) were the top wicket-takers for Hyderabad.

Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 210/6 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 55, Devdutt Padikkal 41; Umran Malik 2/39) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 149/7 in 20 overs(Aiden Markram 57, Washington Sundar 40; Yuzvendra Chahal 3/22) by 61 runs.

International

Champions Trophy: Pakistan’s dismal show likely to be discussed in cabinet and parliament

Published

on

Islamabad, Feb 27: The Pakistan cricket team’s depressing, dismal, and cheerless performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, resulting in its early exit from the tournament, has not only broken the hearts of home fans but also knocked on the doors of the country’s Prime Minister.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has personally taken notice of the team’s early departure and the below-par performance and is likely to take up the issues related to the cricket team in the cabinet and the parliament. Pakistan’s final Group A fixture against Bangladesh was washed out in Rawalpindi due to rain on Thursday, which meant that they ended their campaign without a win. With only one point, thanks to a washout, Pakistan will finish at the bottom of the group.

Prime Minister’s aide on Political and Public Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, has said that PM Shehbaz will also take up the matter at the parliament. “The Prime Minister will personally take notice, and we will also ask him to raise these cricket-related issues in the cabinet as well as in the parliament,” said Rana Sanaullah.

It is pertinent to note that Pakistan is hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Special arrangements have been made to glorify the event, with Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi cricket stadiums renovated to increase audience capacity and further enhance the facilities. However, the team’s fans were left dejected after Pakistan lost both its matches and was knocked out of the tournament when their final league match with Bangladesh was rained off.

While anger persists among cricket fans, questions are being raised over the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), its chief Mohsin Naqvi, and the selection committee, which selected the squad. Aqib Javed, head coach of Pakistan, has tried to justify the team selection, stating that all players were selected on the basis of their recent performances.

On the other hand, internal issues within the PCB are also being linked with the team’s bad performance as many believe that the cricket board’s decision-making regarding playing eleven, the team, and the players has prompted foreign coaches like Jason Gillespie to part ways.

Rana Sanaullah said that he will also call on PM Sharif to address the ongoing issues within the PCB, emphasising that the cricket sport as a whole is in bad shape. “The sport at college and district levels is in a bad position, and the amount that has been spent on a professional level should be revealed before the public”, said Rana Sanaullah.

Rana Sanaullah also raised concerns over amounts being paid to mentors, who he highlighted admitted that they were unaware of their responsibilities and were being remunerated for doing nothing. “You will be surprised after hearing about the perks and privileges of other officer-bearers. You will be confused whether they are officials of a Pakistani institution or those belonging to a developed nation”, he said.

It would not be wrong to say that Pakistan’s performance on home grounds has certainly left fans heartbroken. In major ICC events, Pakistan’s performance in the past years has also not been mentionable.

In 2023, Pakistan only won four out of nine matches during the ODI World Cup in India and ended in fifth position on the points table. Pakistan also made an early exit from last year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA after losing to India and the USA in the preliminary stage.

Continue Reading

International

Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan’s Cricket Stadiums Far From Ready, Tournament Could Be Moved To Dubai, Claims Report

Published

on

Problems seem to be mounting for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as they face a race against time to handover a proper stadium to the International Cricket Council (ICC) before the Champions Trophy gets underway. According to The Times Of India report, the construction and upgradation work is still underway at the National Stadium in Karachi, Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

A source following the developments said,”It is a very disappointing picture. All three stadiums are far from ready and it’s not renovation or refurbishment, but proper construction which is underway. There is so much work left with seats, floodlights, facilities and even the outfield and playing surfaces,”

The report further states there is not much time left for the venues to be handed over and it’s not a surprise that there are discussions about moving the entire tournament to the UAE. 

The PCB has to hand over the tournament venues to ICC by February 12, however, the stadium work which was scheduled to be finished by December 31, is yet to be completed.

A team of from the ICC will leave for Pakistan towards the end of the week to do a status check and informal contingency discussions are underway in Dubai corridors.

What is the Current stadium of Champions Trophy venues?

Lahore and Karachi are the two centres where heavy construction work is underway and their multi-storied enclosures, which will have dressing rooms and hospitality boxes, are yet to enter the finishing stages. In addition to the new enclosures, there is fencing work, placement of floodlights and seats which is far from the finish line.

The source added, “The weather is not ideal for construction and finishing work to happen at a rapid pace. At Gadaffi, even the plaster work isn’t completed yet. And most of the time is taken by finishing work because we are talking about dressing rooms etc. They just can’t be random rooms/enclosures for an ICC event. ICC has a checklist which needs to be met. National Stadium has decided to not completely finish the new enclosure because there is no time,”

Continue Reading

International

AFC Asian Cup 2027 to take place in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar from Jan 7 to Feb 5

Published

on

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 7: The AFC Asian Cup 2027 will take place from January 7 to February 5 across three cities – Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar – in Saudi Arabia, the AFC announced on Tuesday.

A total of five stadiums in Riyadh will host the tournament’s matches; the King Fahd Sports City Stadium, the King Saud University Stadium, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University Stadium, Kingdom Arena and the Al Shabab Stadium.

Two stadiums have been confirmed for Jeddah – King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium – with a new state-of-the-art venue to be built in Al Khobar, completing the world-class infrastructure set to provide the backdrop for Asia’s top 24 national teams.

Saudi Arabia was announced as the host nation for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in 2023. This will be the first time Suadi Arabia will host the tournament.

“Confirming the dates and selecting the stadiums for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ is a strategic milestone in our journey to host the tournament. This announcement goes beyond simply identifying locations and schedules; it reflects the ongoing high-level collaboration between us and the AFC as we work towards delivering an exceptional tournament that fulfills the aspirations of the entire Asian continent,” Saudi Arabian Football Federation chief Yasser Al Misehal.

Eighteen teams have already sealed their places at the AFC Asian Cup 2027. The remaining berths will be decided via the Qualifiers Final Round, which is scheduled to commence from March 2025 and features six groups of four teams – confirmed at last month’s draw – with the winners of each group making up the final cast.

India, aiming for its fifth appearance at the AFC Asian Cup, has been placed in Group C alongside Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh. The team will look to replicate or surpass its 2019 performance, where it showcased significant progress on the continental stage.

Continue Reading

Trending