Afghanistan script history, beat Bangladesh by 32 runs

March 2, 2014

Afghanistan_script_history

Fatullah (Bangladesh), Mar 2: Afghanistan notched up their first major win against a Test playing nation as they produced an all-round performance to script an upset 32-run victory over Bangladesh in their Asia Cup match, here on saturday.

Chasing 255 for victory, Bangladesh could not recover from a top-order collapse and kept on losing wickets at regular intervals to be bundled out for 222 in 47.5 overs at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium to slump to their second consecutive loss in the five-nation regional tournament.

Barring Mominul Haque (50), Nasir Hossain (41) and Ziaur Rahman (41), none of their batsmen showed enough patience to stay at the crease and grind it out.

Rahman tried to change the course of the game with a few lusty blows towards the end but his efforts could not stop Afghanistan from creating a cricketing history.

Afghanistan's inexperience at the international level was on full display when their butterfingered fielders dropped as many as four catches and gave away few easy runs.But the gutsy team from the strife-torn nation held its nerve to pull off a dramatic victory over Bangladesh, kicking off jubilant celebrations in their camp.

This was after rearguard half-centuries from Asghar Stanikzai (90 not out) and Samiullah Shenwari (81) took the visitors to 254 for 6 after being put in to bat.

Afghanistan were once in trouble at 90/5, but Stanikzai and Shenwari got together and added 164 from 138 balls for the sixth-wicket partnership to take Afghanistan past 250.

Bangladesh conceded 107 runs from last 10 overs as the duo of Stanikzai and Shenwari first stressed on building the innings and then unleashed an array of powerful strokes at the death to post a competitive total.

Bangladesh started their run chase on a disastrous note, losing openers Shamsur Rahman (0) and Anamul Haque (1) with just one run on the board.

Mominul and Mushfiqur Rahim (23) tried to resurrect the innings with a 68-run stand for the third wicket but both were dismissed in quick succession to leave Bangladesh reeling at 88 for 4 halfway through their innings.

Momimul was castled by Samiullah Shenwari just after the batsman completed his half-century, laced with six fours.

Hossain cashed in on two dropped chances to score a patient 60-ball 41 and also raised a 73-run stand for the fifth wicket with Naeem Islam (35) to provide stabilitity to the floundering innings.

Hossain was first dropped by Asghar Stanikzai off Hamza Hotak at backward point when he was batting on 1 and couple of overs later by Samiullah Shenwari off his own bowling.

The partnership was broken by Mirwais Ashraf when he had Hossain caught by Shenwari at backward point in the 39th over to trigger another familiar Bangladesh collapse.

Bangladesh lost Islam, Abdur Razzak (0) and Arafat Sunny (0) within a span of three deliveries to slump to 165 for 8.

After that, it was just a matter of time before they succumbed to their worst defeat in the limited overs format.

For Afghanistan, Mohammad Nabi was the pick of the bowlers with figures of three for 44, while Shapoor Zadran and Hamid Hassan accounted for two wickets apiece.

Earlier, Afghanistan made a dramatic recovery from a top-order collapse with a late blitzkrieg from Stanikzai and Shenwari to post a fighting total.

The duo, who started cautiously, finished with a flourish as they punished Bangladesh bowlers in the final overs.

Stanikzai was slow to get going initially as he took 81 balls to reach his fourth ODI fifty.But after reaching the milestone the 26-year-old cut loose as he carted the hosts' bowlers all around the park. Stanikzai's knock came off 103 balls and included six fours and three sixes.

Shenwari, on the other hand, maintained a brisk scoring rate throughout. His 69-ball innings included 10 fours and a six.

The Bangladeshi bowlers did not get support from their fielders who dropped two catches in the innings.

Afghanistan openers Mohammad Shahzad (2) and Karim Sadiq (12) departed cheaply. Shahzad was foxed by a slower one from pacer Rubel Hossain and was trapped in front of the wicket, while left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny claimed the scalp of Sadiq who handed a simple return catch to him.

Najibullah Zadran (21) was dismissed soon after as Afghanistan were reduced to 43 for three.

Next batsman Nawroz Mangal, however, showed some purpose as he hit three fours in his 33-ball 22 before being out in the 23rd over. Afghanistan lost another wicket soon after with skipper Nabi dismissed for just seven as the visitors were further reduced to 90 for five before Stanikzai and Shenwari took them to a respectable total.

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Agencies
March 3,2020

Mumbai, Mar 3: India on Tuesday retained their number one spot and captain Virat Kohli remained static at second in the ICC rankings despite a dismal Test series against New Zealand.

India have 116 rating points, six more than New Zealand with third-placed Australia accumulating 108 points. The 0-2 result against New Zealand was India's first series loss in the World Test Championship.

Kohli remains in second position in the batting rankings despite a forgettable Test series in which he made 38 runs in four innings, the ICC said in a statement.

New Zealand opener Tom Blundell and his Indian counterpart Prithvi Shaw and debutant paceman Kyle Jamieson were among the biggest movers in the rankings, released on Tuesday.

Blundell had a successful series against India, scoring 117 runs in four innings, with one half-century, which put him among the top two run-scorers in the series.

The performance meant he was rewarded with a jump of 27 places to No. 46. Shaw, who returned for his first series since his Test debut against West Indies in 2018, and made a punchy 54 in the first innings of the Christchurch Test, rose 17 places to No.76.

Australia's Steve Smith retained his top spot, holding a 25-point advantage over Kohli. Smith's apprentice Marnus Labuschagne jumped one spot to round off the top three, taking the place of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes and India opener Mayank Agarwal moved a spot each and swapped places to break into and fall out of the top 10 respectively.

Among bowlers, Tim Southee's Player of the Series winning performance against India took him into the top five, with a jump of two places to No.4, while Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult returned to the top 10, gaining four places each to occupy the seventh and ninth positions respectively.

But the biggest gainer was Jamieson, who rose from No. 80 to 43.

There was only one change in the top ten among all-rounders, with Southee dropping a spot to No.10 and team-mate Neil Wagner falling out of the top 10 with a drop of four spots.

As with the bowling rankings, Jamieson, who frustrated India with handy lower order runs, gained big on the all-rounders' table, rising 26 places to No. 22.

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News Network
April 28,2020

New Delhi, Apr 28: West Indies flamboyant batsman Chris Gayle has lashed out at former teammate Ramnaresh Sarwan calling him 'worse than coronavirus'.

Gayle, the colossal figure in the shortest format of the game blamed Sarwan for his departure from Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise Jamaica Tallawahs.

The left-handed batsman joined St Lucia Zouks as their marquee player for the 2020 CPL season after Tallawahs chose not to retain him.

Gayle has played for Tallawahs and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the past. He has won the CPL title twice with the Tallawahs and played in the final with the Patriots in 2017.

"The owner of the franchise is a very nice man, I have no problem with him. I think he was actually persuaded to get rid of Chris Gayle," Gayle said in three parts on his YouTube channel.

"So someone has to be in his years telling him to get rid of Gayle. Sarwan, you are worse than the coronavirus right now. What transpired with the Tallahwahs, you had a big part to play.

Sarwan, you are a snake. You know, you are not the most loved person in the Caribbean. You are still stabbing people in the back," he added.

Gayle is the leading T20 run-scorer of all time as well as the man with the most centuries in the format. He is also the leading CPL run-scorer of all time, having amassed 2,344 runs in the tournament.

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Agencies
August 9,2020

Manchester, Aug 9: Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler played knocks of 84 and 75 respectively as England gained an improbable three-wicket win over Pakistan in the first Test of the three-match series here at the Emirates Old Trafford.

England chased down a total of 277 on the fourth day of the first Test.

Chasing 277, England openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley put on 22 runs for the first wicket, but Mohammad Abbas finally provided the breakthrough to Pakistan as he had Burns (10) adjudged leg-before wicket in the 12th over.

Skipper Joe Root came to the crease next, and he along with Sibley ensured that the side does not lose any more wickets before the lunch break, and England went into the lunch break at 55/1.

Sibley and Root eventually put up a 64-run stand, but their partnership was finally brought to an end by Yasir Shah as he dismissed Sibley (36) in the 36th over. Soon after, skipper Root (42) was also sent back to the pavilion by Naseem Shah, reducing England to 96/3 in the 39th over.

All eyes were on all-rounder Ben Stokes (9), but Pakistan's Yasir Shah sent him back to the pavilion in the 42nd over, and England was left in a spot of bother. Shaheen Shah Afridi, then also got among the wicket-taking charts as he scalped the wicket of Ollie Pope (7), reducing England to 117/5 in the 45th over.

Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler then got together at the crease, and the duo played in an aggressive manner to retrieve the innings for England. The hosts went into the tea break at 167/5, still, 110 runs away from the target with five wickets in hand.

Buttler and Woakes continued their march to frustrate the Pakistan bowling attack and the duo brought the target within the grasp of England. Both batsmen put up a stand of 139 runs, however, with just 21 runs away from the target, England lost the key wicket of Buttler (75) as Yasir Shah had him trapped in front of the wicket.

With England just needing four more runs for the win, Yasir Shah dismissed Stuart Broad (4), but in the end, Woakes and Dom Bess ensured England's win by three wickets.

For Pakistan, Yasir Shah was the pick of the bowlers as he scalped four wickets.

Earlier, resuming day four at 137/8, Yasir Shah (33) along with Mohammad Abbas (3*) and Naseem Shah (4) added 32 more runs to the overnight score to give England a target of 277 to win the first Test.

Stuart Broad was the pick of England bowlers as he scalped three wickets.

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