Do Sri Lanka still have a chance of qualifying? With four points from six games, Sri Lanka are on the same boat as Pakistan and Netherlands. The situation is dire, but they aren’t completely out of it yet. Mathematically, it’s still possible that two teams finish on 12 or more points, and as many as seven teams end up on eight, fighting for two spots. That means Sri Lanka, who…
Afghanistan 242 for 3 (Omarzai 73, Rahmat 62, Shahidi 58*) beat Sri Lanka 241 (Nissanka 46, Farooqi 4-34, Mujeeb 2-38) by seven wickets For the second game running Afghanistan showcased exemplary calm in the chase, whittling down a sub-par target of 242 with ice-cold composure. A trio of fifties from Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai led the way, as Afghanistan leapfrogged Sri Lanka into fifth place on the…
The group stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy concluded on Sunday, with six teams qualifying directly for the quarter-finals and four making it to the preliminary quarter-finals. The second week of the league stage featured some thrilling matches and some brilliant individual displays. How the tables look After seven rounds of matches, it’s Mumbai, Baroda, Punjab, Delhi, Vidarbha and Kerala who have made it directly to the quarter-finals. Assam,…
Inzamam-ul-Haq has resigned as Pakistan chief selector with immediate effect after meeting PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf in Lahore today after uncomfortable questions around a potential conflict of interest were raised. Reports in the Pakistan media emerged that Inzamam is one of four active directors in a UK-based company called Yazoo International Ltd. Another director at the company is Talha Rehmani, managing director of Saya Corporation, an agency that represents many…
Big picture This is as much a misery derby as it is a subcontinental one. But for England’s doomed title defence, Bangladesh and Pakistan are the two sides at the bottom of the form table, having combined to lose their last nine matches in this competition. In a sequence of events that has become wearily predictable, off-field drama has overshadowed the lack of on-field accomplishment. Shakib Al Hasan bizarrely flew…
Sri Lanka mascot and superfan Percy Abeysekara, affectionately known as Uncle Percy, has died aged 87. Percy had been a fixture at Sri Lankan cricket matches for more than five decades, but gained global prominence during the 1996 World Cup, particularly when he was seen parading the Sri Lanka flag around the ground at Lahore, following Sri Lanka’s victory in the final. Renowned for his rhyming English-language chants, and witty…
Pakistan’s coach Grant Bradburn stopped short of calling them an isolated team in international cricket, but did point out the lack of experience against big teams and in India as they fight to stay alive and hope for other results to go their way in the World Cup. After winning the first two matches, against Netherlands and Sri Lanka, Pakistan have lost four in a row, including against archrivals India,…
Hobart Hurricanes 174 for 3 (Lee 91) beat Sydney Thunder 150 for 6 (Litchfield 68) by 24 runs Umpiring and technology use in the WBBL is again in the spotlight after a crucial stumping wasn’t given out in Hobart Hurricanes’ 24-run win over the Sydney Thunder. Hurricanes opener Lizelle Lee top-scored with 91 from 54 balls in Launceston to set up her team’s second victory from four matches this season….
Their fast-bowling trio helped Sylhet Division to an innings-and-26-run victory over Rangpur Division in the NCL Tier-1 match over the weekend. The result also helped Dhaka Division keep their lead in the points table despite their game against Dhaka Metropolis in Cox’s Bazar ending in a draw, with cyclone Hanum on the south-eastern coast allowing very little cricket to be played. Batting first in Khulna, Sylhet reached 415, only the…
Australia’s interim T20 captain Matthew Wade says he was not striving for a leadership role on the tour of India, but is keen to be a senior figure in the side for the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States next year although he is unsure if he will be the first-choice wicketkeeper. The announcement of Wade as the captain of Australia’s squad for the five-match series…