Ilyas, Shoaib and Nadeem score fifties to anchor the chase; UAE still searching for their first win

Abhimanyu Bose21-Jun-2023

Oman followed up a disciplined bowling performance with confident batting display to make it two in two in the World Cup Qualifier group stage. Jay Odedra, Bilal Khan and Fayyaz Butt helped restrict UAE to 227 before half-centuries from Aqib Ilyas, Shoaib Khan and Mohammad Nadeem and a nifty knock from Ayaan Khan helped them seal victory with four overs to spare.Ilyas and Shoaib put on a 100-run stand for the third wicket in Oman’s chase, but in a three-over period, Rohan Mustafa cleaned Ilyas up and trapped Zeeshan Maqsood lbw. On top of that, Shoaib, suffering from cramps, had to trudge off.But Ayaan and Mohammad Nadeem made sure UAE never got back in the game with a run-a-ball 76-run partnership that all but put the game to bed, with Shoaib returning to bat to see the game off.Oman got off to the perfect start after winning the toss and choosing to bowl. Bilal trapped UAE captain Muhammad Waseem lbw in the third over and Butt had Mustafa strangled down leg in the next.Vriitya Aravind and Rameez Shahzad then rebuilt for UAE, putting on an 87-run partnership. Aravind started quick, taking on Butt for 11 runs in the sixth over. But he slowed down after that and scored just one more boundary which was squeezed past slip off Maqsood.Shahzad on the other hand started slow, taking ten deliveries to get off the mark. It took till the sixteenth over for him to really get going, pulling Mohammad Nadeem for four through midwicket and following it up with a punch down the ground for another boundary next ball.Shahzad cut Odedra for four behind point in the 25th over and then looked to give him the charge, when the offspinner bowled a length ball that spun in to crash into his stumps.Four overs later, Odedra got one to spin in sharply from outside off to bowl Aravind out one run short of a half-century.Jay Odedra was among the wickets•ICC/Getty Images

Basil Hameed then gave a simple catch at point off Ayaan Khan before Odedra knocked over the dangerous Ali Naseer with another peach that spun past the outside edge from a length.Asif Khan, who looked stuck till then, responded to the fall of wickets by beginning to up the tempo as he took on Odedra for a six over long-on and a four over cover. With Asif there as the enforcer, Aayan Afzal Khan held up one end, scoring just three off 15 in their 20-run stand before Butt had Asif caught at cover in the 40th over.With the score still on 154 and having lost seven wickets, UAE were in threat of being bowled out for under 200. But then, Aayan began his assault on the bowlers. In the 41st, he pulled Bilal for a one-bounce four over midwicket before taking Butt for three back-to-back fours in the next over. He hit Maqsood for consecutive boundaries as well. He brought up his half-century off the first delivery of the final over and finished unbeaten on 58.UAE started well with the ball as well. Junaid Siddique and Ali Naseer started off with maidens and the pressure soon told on the Oman openers in the fifth over.Kashyap Prajapati looked to cut a short and wide delivery from Siddique but only found an edge to Hameed at slip. In the last ball of the over, Jatinder Singh went after another short and wide ball only to cut it to Karthik Meiyappan at point.Ilyas and Shoaib then batted UAE out of the game. They were happy to go after Meiyappan and Aayan and Zahoor Khan didn’t find much luck against them either. They looked in complete control until Mustafa knocked Ilyas over with a length ball that spun in to beat his attempted cut.Shoaib having to go off with cramps and Maqsood getting out in quick succession lifted the UAE camp, but Ayaan and Nadeem snuffed out any hopes they may have had.Ayaan took on the role of aggressor as he raced to 41off 36 balls, while Nadeem stayed solid and kept turning the strike over.By the time Ayaan got out, holing out to midwicket off Aayan, Oman were firmly in the driving seat and Shoaib came back out and went on to bring up a half-century of his own. Nadeem got the winning run, and brought up his fifty, with a single to deep third as UAE slumped to two defeats in two games in their campaign.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka post wins to put themselves in a comfortable position

Shashank Kishore29-Jan-2024We’re halfway through the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy. No team has broken away from the pack but 41-time champs Mumbai are looking good for the knockouts despite being stunned by Uttar Pradesh. Saurashtra, the defending champs, are in a pickle, while Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are on an upswing. Here are the highlights from the fourth round of matches.Himmat the hero as Delhi clinch thrillerYou concede a 97-run lead. Then you’re 11 for 5 in the second innings, with the top four all dismissed for ducks. Your captain has been sacked midway, and the team is in the midst of administrative turmoil. The selectors aren’t on the same page. Senior players have quit the team to play elsewhere. Another 100-Test veteran, Ishant Sharma, is absent. Relegation is a realistic possibility.Related

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These aren’t the kind of circumstances you wish for in your first few games as a new captain wanting to make a mark. But it’s what Himmat Singh walked out to, trying to save his side from further embarrassment.A counter-attack that turned into full-blown consolidation eventually ended in an unreal 217-ball 194, comprising 27 fours and a six, as Delhi set Uttarakhand a target of 173, competitive at best if not match-winning.Young seamer Himanshu Chauhan, all of four games old, then picked up his maiden five-for to ensure Uttarakhand were bowled out for 165 as Delhi squeezed home by seven runs to lift themselves off the bottom of the group.UP halt Mumbai’s winning runElsewhere at the Wankhede Stadium, Uttar Pradesh, after three weather-interrupted games, finally put their pieces of the jigsaw together to hand Mumbai their first defeat. UP’s two-wicket win was scripted by Aryan Juyal (76) and Karan Sharma (67) as they helped chase down 195.UP seemed to be cruising at 145 for 4 when offspinner Tanush Kotian ran through the middle and lower order to pick up five wickets, before UP held their nerve. Some of the other contributors for UP were Nitish Rana, the captain, who struck 106 in the first-innings and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who picked up five wickets in the match.Despite the loss, Mumbai still top Group C. Andhra and Bengal, who beat Assam with a bonus point, are second and third respectively.File photo: Vijaykumar Vyshak put up an all-round show for Karnataka•PTI

TN, Karnataka recoverA week after making a match-winning 245*, Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan smashed 321 to help the side to a bonus-point win over Chandigarh. This has helped TN storm back into knockouts contention after they started with an outright loss to Gujarat followed by a weather-interrupted fixture against Tripura.Meanwhile, Karnataka overcame a mid-tournament stutter to pull off a tense win over Tripura, their second in the season. After a stunning collapse against Gujarat followed by a drawn fixture against Goa where they only managed first-innings honours, Karnataka needed a massive win to bounce back into knockouts reckoning.They did just that in Agartala, with debutant middle-order bat Kishan Bedare chipping in with two crucial knocks – 62 and 42. He wasn’t the only one with key contributions. Vyshak Vijaykumar, the seam bowler, displayed his all-round chops by hitting 50 to help Karnataka make 241. Then in the second innings, he picked 3 for 62 as Karnataka defended 193 in style.Other significant results:Defending champs Saurashtra in choppy waters after Services result
Umesh Yadav’s four-for helps Vidarbha bounce back to top Group A
Hanuma Vihari’s 183 helps Andhra beat Chhattisgarh in Group B
Hyderabad run-away Plate toppers after Tanmay Agarwal’s record triple

Rajitha is understood to have injured his back while playing in the first Test in Sylhet

Madushka Balasuriya27-Mar-2024Kasun Rajitha has been ruled out of the second Test against Bangladesh set to begin on March 30, Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed, with Asitha Fernando to swap in as his replacement.Rajitha is understood to have injured his back while playing in the first Test in Sylhet, during which he had received treatment and managed to continue. In fact, his eight wickets, including a second innings five-wicket haul, were pivotal in Sri Lanka wrapping up a dominant win.”Kasun Rajitha will not be available for the second test match as the player has suffered an injury to his left upper back area,” stated an SLC media release. “Kasun will return home to start rehabilitation work.”Rajitha’s replacement, Asitha, had also been ruled out of the first Test and indeed the entire series with a hamstring injury, but he is understood to have recovered quicker than expected and will fly down to Chattogram to link up with the rest of the squad.Asitha has 41 wickets in 13 Tests at an average of 26.85, though he has flourished against Bangladesh in particular with his two Tests against them reaping 13 wickets at 16.61.Rajitha’s injury is the latest in a string of injuries to members of Sri Lanka’s fast bowling unit. Dilshan Madushanka was recently ruled out of the IPL with a hamstring injury, while Matheesha Pathirana too missed Chennai Super Kings’ opening game with a hamstring strain picked up on national duty. Dushmantha Chameera meanwhile is a longterm injury absentee after injuring his left quadricep earlier this year.

Marseille forward Mason Greenwood struck his fourth goal in two pre-season matches to secure a draw for the Ligue 1 side in a friendly on Monday.

• Greenwood on target again for Marseille
• Has scored in both of club's pre-season fixtures
• Girona up next for Ligue 1 club

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Marseille continued their pre-season preparations with a friendly against OC Charleroi on Monday night and were forced to come from behind to snatch a draw. Greenwood was the scorer for Robert De Zerbi's side with a vicious strike that made it 1-1 in the second half. The former Manchester United forward did not start the game but came on at half-time and delivered the good for the Ligue 1 club.

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  Greenwood has been in the goals in pre-season for Marseille. The 23-year-old bagged an 11-minute hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Dutch side Excelsior as he prepares for his second season in Ligue 1 with Marseille. The former Manchester United star has been linked with a move away from the French club, with Atletico Madrid still believed to be keen, but appears set to start the new campaign with De Zerbi's men.

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  Greenwood and Marseille are due to continue their pre-season preparations with another friendly on Saturday against La Liga side Girona.

FIFA has released a new audio identity for its World Cup 2026 Volunteer Programme, created by DJane Violet, a member of the FIFA Volunteer Community

FIFA Volunteer Theme x FIFA World Cup 26 is available on various streaming platformsApplications for the volunteer programme will open in AugustFollows similar audio creations for all 16 Host Cities WHAT HAPPENED

FIFA unveiled a new audio identity called "FIFA Volunteer Theme x FIFA World Cup 26™" specifically designed for the tournament's volunteers. The Sonic ID was created by DJane Violet, an active member of the FIFA Volunteer Community, rather than a professional studio or established artist. FIFA described the audio signature as capturing "energy, unity, and purpose" while celebrating the essential volunteers who help bring the tournament to life.

AdvertisementWHAT ALEJANDRA GONZALEZ SAID

"Since I've always loved football, I'm really interested in being involved in an event of this magnitude," González (aka DJANE VIOLET) told FIFA. "Regarding volunteering, it comes from a deep admiration for the invisible hands that make great moments possible, in life in general. This song is my way of paying tribute to those who make it all happen beyond the locker room – they are truly the heartbeat of the FIFA World Cup.

"Volunteering at the tournament, hearing the song play live to thousands of fans from all over the world, would be a beautiful way to complete this adventure: being there, experiencing it from the inside, sharing with those who inspired the music."

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The Volunteer Programme Sonic ID builds upon FIFA's broader audio branding initiative for the 2026 tournament, following the earlier release of unique Sonic IDs for each of the 16 Host Cities across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

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Prospective volunteers can currently register at volunteer.fifa.com to receive information about the application process, which officially opens in August 2025.

It is the second trophy for them this season after also winning the first-class competition

Firdose Moonda28-Apr-2024

Lions won the CSA T20 Challenge to add a second trophy to their cabinet this season, after also winning the first-class competition. Their latest triumph came two days before the announcement of South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad.Several Lions players are in the running for South Africa’s provisional squad, most notably batters Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks, who were the second and third-highest run-scorers in the tournament.Hendricks was the hero of the final by scoring a 52-ball unbeaten 73 to anchor a successful chase of 166. His half-century was his fourth of the campaign, and saw him finish a run behind Rickelton on the run charts.On a mild autumn afternoon, Lions chose to bowl at the home ground and had Dolphins in huge trouble at 103 for 6 in the 15th over. Jason Smith scored his first fifty of the campaign and shared in a 57-run seventh-wicket stand with Eathan Bosch to push Dolphins to a competitive score. Crucially, Smith scored 24 runs off legspinner Nqabayomzi Peter’s final over, to mark the first time in the competition he had conceded more than 30 runs. Peter finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 20 at an average of 9.50, one behind Siya Simetu and Beyers Swanepoel, and two more than his captain, Bjorn Fortuin.Left-arm spinner Fortuin could also come into South Africa’s T20 World Cup plans, especially after the way he led Lions in this tournament. He took 2 for 24 in the final and maintained an economy rate of 5.85 across their 16 matches. His consistency mirrored that of Lions, who won 10 of their 14 group matches and the right to host a home semi and final.Still, when Rickelton was dismissed in the powerplay for 18, Rassie van der Dussen followed shortly after for 6 and when former national captain Temba Bavuma went for 7, they may have been concerned. Hendricks and Wiaan Mulder put on 85 for the fourth wicket and Mulder brought up his first half-century of the tournament to take Lions to victory.

He also says advice from Brisbane Heat assistant coach Darren Lehmann helped him recover from a poor performance in the previous game

Tristan Lavalette23-Jan-2024After unleashing the most outrageous knock in BBL finals history, Brisbane Heat opener Josh Brown’s phone was predictably running hot through the night.Brown received effusive messages from celebrities and fellow athletes to underline his jaw-dropping performance that made headlines throughout the cricket world. He understandably struggled to get much sleep following his match-winning 140 off 57 balls, which powered Heat past Adelaide Strikers on the Gold Coast in the Challenger.”It [messages] hasn’t stopped,” Brown told media in Brisbane on Tuesday. “I haven’t really felt it [sink in] yet. I’m pretty tired. It was pretty special to do it in a final… for the team and rewarding for myself.”To do what I did in a pressure game was surreal.”Related

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Heat had been the form team through the regular season to finish on top of the ladder. But there had been fears over their batting order, which had been gutted ahead of the finals following several withdrawals, most notably batting imports Colin Munro and Sam Billings, who left for the UAE’s ILT20.A revamped Heat could only muster 128 against Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium in their first defeat of the season. They then were routed for 113 by Sydney Sixers on a two-paced Gold Coast surface to suffer a 39-run loss in the Qualifier.It led to many writing off Heat’s title hopes as they found themselves pitted in a must-win clash against in-form Strikers, who had turned around their season through the unstoppable legspinning tandem of Cameron Boyce and Lloyd Pope.Brown had been hoping to step up at the top of the order, but made a scratchy 15 off 22 balls against Sixers. He played out a maiden to start the innings as he repeatedly struggled to get bat on ball before being put out of his misery after nicking off to seamer Ben Dwarshuis.”I played and missed at everything, swung too hard,” Brown said.Brown regrouped by focusing on slowing down his swing and making sure he watched the ball closely. Advice from Heat assistant coach Darren Lehmann rang in his ear too.”Don’t change your intent, but hit the ball where it is meant to go,” Lehmann told Brown ahead of the Strikers match.Josh Brown brought up his century off just 41 balls•Getty Images

What happened next was extraordinary for a batter who had shown glimpses of his muscular batting before but had never quite put it together. In 21 previous BBL innings, Brown had only averaged 20.52 with one half-century.Heat elected to bat first on a surface that appeared better for batting than in the Qualifier and Brown hit crisply from the get go. He blasted sixes over midwicket off seamers Henry Thornton and James Bazley, and Strikers turned to legspinners Boyce and Pope, who had combined for seven wickets against Scorchers in the Knockout at the pace-friendly Optus Stadium.An aggressive Brown pummelled them in a belligerent display, including smashing a trio of sixes in one over off Boyce, who had only been hit for eight sixes in ten previous matches this season.He seemed likely to mow down the fastest BBL century set ten years ago when Craig Simmons blasted a 39-ball ton for Scorchers, only to fall short.But on his 41st delivery he thrashed Boyce over the covers for his ninth six to reach a maiden BBL century. Brown finished with a record 12 sixes to submit the highest innings in BBL finals history.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

His batting was lapped up by his teary-eyed mum, who was visibly emotional watching on from the stands.”It was very special, they [his family] know how hard I worked to get to where I am now,” Brown, who has never played first-class cricket, said.Brown’s big-hitting heroics did take a physical toll as he battles a hip niggle ahead of the final. “Pulled up pretty bad and will have to keep managing it,” he said. “The way I was batting was not too good for the body. Should be [okay].”He has the “tough” challenge of quickly resetting against Sixers on an expected slow SCG surface. Heat will start as underdogs, but did beat Sixers on the road in last season’s finals series before falling agonisingly short against Scorchers in an epic decider.”Definitely a motivating factor, we learned a lot. As a group, we’ve become so much stronger,” Brown said about Heat’s bid for redemption. “We did knock them [Sixers] off last year. It will be a cracking game.”

Faiz Fazal, who scored a half-century in his only appearance for India, has announced his retirement from professional cricket at the end of Vidarbha’s Ranji Trophy match against Haryana. He retires as the leading run-getter of Vidarbha in first class as well as List-A cricket, and is the only one with over 100 red-ball games for them.”Tomorrow marks the end of an era as I step onto the Nagpur ground for the last time, where my journey in first-class cricket began 21 incredible years ago,” Fazal wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday. “It’s been an unforgettable ride, filled with cherished memories that I’ll hold dear forever.””Representing both the Indian Cricket Team and Vidarbha has been the greatest honor of my life, and donning those cricket jerseys has always filled me with immense pride. Farewell to my beloved Number 24 jersey – you’ll be deeply missed,” he wrote.”As one chapter closes, another awaits, and while bidding adieu to my professional cricket career fills me with mixed emotions, I’m eagerly looking forward to embracing the new adventures that lie ahead.”The 38-year-old opener played 137 first-class matches, 113 List A games and made 66 T20 appearances. He led Vidarbha in 53 first-class games, 36 times in List-A matches and in 27 T20 matches.He made his international debut in an ODI against Zimbabwe, scoring an unbeaten 55 as India registered a 10-wicket win. It would remain his only appearance in the national colours.