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IPL 2022: Warner, Powell half-centuries, Khaleel’s 3/30 lead Delhi Capitals to 21-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad

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 David Warner (92 not out) and Rovman Powell (67 not out) set the tone with an unbeaten 122-run partnership and Khaleel Ahmed followed it up with a 3/30 haul as Delhi Capitals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 21 runs in Match 50 of the IPL 2022 at the Brabourne Stadium here on Thursday.

Warner and Powell propelled Delhi Capitals from 95/3 to 207/3 in 20 overs, batting in contrasting styles. Warner showed sublime touch and superb placement as he found gaps with the precision of a neurosurgeon to score 92 not out off 58 deliveries, hitting 12 fours and three sixes. Powell was all power as he hammered 67 not out off 35 deliveries, hitting three fours six sixes. They added 122 runs for the fourth wicket partnership off 66 balls as Delhi Capitals posted a huge score.

In reply, Nicholas Pooran struck a half-century and Aiden Markram blazed to a 25-ball 42 but their efforts went in vain against a big score as they ended with 186/8 in 20 overs.

Chasing a huge target of 208, Pooran struck 62 off 34 balls, 4×2, 6×6, while Markram scored a brisk cameo but in the end, their efforts were not enough as Sunrisers Hyderabad could manage only 188/8 in 20 overs.

Sunrisers Hyderabad got off to a poor start as they lost Abhishek Sharma (7) in the second over with the score of 8 runs as he struck a half-volley on his pads down the throat of the fielder at short fine-leg.

They were soon down to 37/3 with skipper Kane Williamson (4), who edged behind off Anrich Nortje, and Rahul Tripathy (22) wasted his start by picking out deep backward square with a short-arm jab off Mitchell Marsh.

Pooran and Markram came together to raise 60 runs for the fourth wicket, both hitting some aggressive shots as they resurrected the innings. But Markram was out while trying to hit another big one and was caught by Kuldeep Yadav off Khaleel Ahmed as SRH fell to 97/4 in the 13th over.

Pooran tried to take the battle to Delhi Capitals as he completed his half-century off 29 balls. SRH continued to lose wickets at the other end as Shashank Singh (10) and Sean Abbott (7) departed, leading Pooran to continue waging the lone battle.

He was the seventh batsman to get out, caught by Powell off Shardul Thakur. miscuing a waist-high full toss and sending it straight to long-on, as the run rate continued to mount.

Khaleel Ahmed was the most successful Delhi Capitals bowler with 3/30 off four overs while Shardul Thakur ended with 2/44.

The win took Delhi Capitals to 10 points from 10 matches and maintained their hopes of making it to the playoffs as they trail Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore (both with 12 points) at fifth spot. SRH are at sixth spot with 10 points but an inferior net run rate.

Warner played like he had a few scores to settle against his former team that had unceremoniously dumped him after removing him as captain midway through the 2021 season. He played some brilliant shots and blasted 12 fours and three sixes in his 58-ball unbeaten 92.

He shared a 48-run partnership with skipper Rishabh Pant, who scored a 16-ball 26 — majority of those runs coming one over of Kartik Tyagi in which he scored three fours and one six before dragging the ball onto his stumps off the last delivery of that over.

Warner, however, continued to torment Sunrisers as he completed his half-century off 34 balls, with a four off Kartik Tyagi. He thrived on the bowling, chose the balls well, and found the gaps to score 12 boundaries. It was a superb display of controlled aggression.

He hammered Umran Malik for two successive fours and a superb six in the fourth over, the over costing Sunrisers 21 runs as the J&K bowler did not help his cause by bowling a couple of wides, one of which beat the keeper to the boundary. He smashed Aiden Markram for a six — the 400th for Warner in all T20 matches, planting his front foot down and launching the ball over long-on. He also struck Tyagi for fours off successive deliveries in the sixth over — the second one a brilliant off-drive on a delivery bowled full and outside off.

He also struck Tyagi for fours off successive deliveries in the sixth over — the second one a brilliant off-drive on a delivery bowled full and outside off.

While Warner was looking for gaps and placing his shots well, Powell was not bothered about such niceties. He dealt with power and power alone as he blazed to 67 off just 35 deliveries.

He struck Shreyas Gopal for a six in his second over and then hammered Abbott for sixes off successive balls in the 17th over. He blasted Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kartik Tyagi for a six each and then struck Umran Malik for three fours in a row after a six off the first delivery of the 20th over.

Malik was carted around by both Warner and Powell as he conceded 52 runs in his four overs while Shreyas Gopal was blasted for 37 off three. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the best Sunrisers bowler on Thursday as he finished with 1/25 off four overs.

Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 207/3 in 20 overs (David Warner 92 not out, Rishabh Pant 26, Rovman Powell 67 not out; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/25) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 186/8 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 62, Aiden Markram 42, Rahul Tripathi 22; Khaleel Ahmed 3/30, Shardul Thakur 2/44).

International

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

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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.

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

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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,”

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

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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.

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