Pakistan thrash depleted West Indies for second biggest win in T20Is

Agencies
April 2, 2018

Karachi, Apr 2: Pakistan thrashed a depleted West Indies side by 143 runs in the first Twenty20 International on Sunday at the National Stadium in Karachi, the first such match in the city for nine years.

Pakistan, the world's top-ranked T20I side, equalled their highest total in the format of 203/5 in 20 overs before bowling the West Indies out for their lowest-ever T20I total -- 60 runs -- in 13.4 overs.

The West Indies, missing their regular skipper Carlos Brathwaite and stars like Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard, could not handle Pakistan's varied bowling attack.

Only Marlon Samuels (18), Rayad Emrit (11) and Keemo Paul (10) reached double figures.

Pakistan's margin of victory is the second-biggest in T20Is, behind Sri Lanka's 172-run win over Kenya in Johannesburg in 2007.

Previously, the hosts' biggest victory in T20Is was a 102-run win against Bangladesh in Karachi in 2008, after scoring 203/5.

Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz and Shoaib Malik got two wickets each.

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed praised his team's performance in the series-opener. "I think we were excellent today," said Ahmed. "We have an important match tomorrow and with another win we can seal the series win."

The West Indies' new T20 skipper Jason Mohammad blamed the defeat on poor batting. "It was a tough day. We did well with the ball till the last two overs. It was a good wicket, but our shot execution wasn't good," said Mohammad, who fell for nought.

The West Indies' previous lowest T20 total was 79/7 against Zimbabwe at Port of Spain in 2010.

Debutant Hussain Talat top-scored for Pakistan with a 37-ball 41, hitting a six and two boundaries. He added 75 for the third wicket with Sarfraz, who scored a 22-ball 38 with a six and four boundaries.

Opener Fakhar Zaman hit a 24-ball 39, while Shoaib Malik played a fiery knock of 37 not out, facing 14 deliveries and hitting two sixes and four boundaries. The charge helped Pakistan get 66 runs in the last five overs.

Despite this being the first international match in Karachi -- Pakistan's largest city -- only 18,000 people watched the match in the 33,000-capacity stadium.

But those present were in a celebratory mood. "It's something we've been trying to prove, that it's safe to play here," said Zehra Kazmi, a housewife.

Aftab Khan, a student, said he was hoping for more top-level cricket on Pakistani soil. "I can't express my feelings in words so we welcome all the players from the international cricket," he said.

"They should come to Pakistan and play... because Pakistan is a very peaceful country."

The three-match T20I series against the West Indies is seen as a big step towards reviving international cricket in Pakistan, which was suspended following a 2009 militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.

Pakistan hosted five limited-overs internationals against Zimbabwe in 2015 before last year's final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), followed by a T20I series against a World XI and a T20I against Sri Lanka.

This year Pakistan staged two PSL play-offs in Lahore before last Sunday's final of the T20 tournament in Karachi.

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News Network
February 13,2020

Feb 13: Veteran India batsman Suresh Raina feels Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the best captain India ever had.

Raina and Dhoni play for the same IPL franchise -- the Chennai Super Kings --, which is also led by the latter.

"I think we have the best captain who has changed the Indian team like anything. Now we have that same aura in our dressing room," Raina said on 'The Super Kings show' on Star Sports Tamil.

The 38-year-old Dhoni has retired from Test cricket but his future in the limited overs formats is a subject of intense speculation.

The two-time World Cup-winning former captain took a break from cricket after India's exit from the 2019 World Cup in England. He is set to be back in action at the IPL, where he will captain the CSK, starting March 23.

With three restricted stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai finally being reopened, Raina urged the fans to fill the venue in every CSK home game.

"We have all the seats available. Hopefully, we'll have more fans now so that there is it will be more energy on the field," the 33-year-old Raina, a former India batsman, said.

Raina, who last played for India in 2018, also expressed his excitement about the prospect of playing with CSK's latest acquisitions.

"This year we have a lot of new talent in our team. Piyush (Chawla) is there, then we have Hazelwood, Sam Curran, Sai Kishore from Tamil Nadu, he has been bowling really well for them. So, I think we have a lot of mixture of youngsters and seniors."

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News Network
January 28,2020

Hamilton, Jan 28: No one sits on the seat that Mahendra Singh Dhoni made his own in the team bus, revealed India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, saying that the talismanic former skipper is missed by the side.

In a video shot inside the team bus while it was on its way to Hamilton for the third T20 International against New Zealand, Chahal is seen talking to several members of the squad including Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul.

Towards the end of the video, he moved to the rear of the bus and pointed to an empty seat which, he said, was the former captain's preferred spot before he went on a sabbatical last year.

"Yeh woh seat hai jahan ek legend baithate the. Mahi bhai. Abhi bhi yaha koi nahi baithata. Hum unhe bohot miss karte hai (This is the seat that used to be occupied a legend. MS Dhoni. No one sits here now. We miss him a lot)," Chahal said in the video posted on 'bcci.tv'.

The-38-year-old Dhoni has not played a competitive game since the World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand on July 9. Earlier this month, Dhoni was dropped from the BCCI's list of centrally contracted players, raising fresh doubts on his future.

However, on the same day, Dhoni returned to training, batting fluently in the Jharkhand team nets.

Head coach Ravi Shastri has hinted that the celebrated wicketkeeper-batsman might retire from ODIs soon but will be in contention for a T20 World Cup berth provided he does well for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

The Indian team lead the five-match T20 series against New Zealand 2-0.

Virat Kohli's men will take on the hosts in the third T20 here on Wednesday.

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News Network
June 25,2020

Jun 25: After asserting that the 2011 World Cup final was "sold" by "certain parties" in Sri Lanka to India, the island nation's former sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has now called his claim a "suspicion" that he wants investigated.

The Lankan government has ordered an enquiry into the matter and a special Police investigation unit recorded Aluthgamage's statement on Wednesday. He told the team that he was only suspicious of fixing.

"I want my suspicion investigated," Aluthgamage told reporters.

"I gave to the Police, a copy of the complaint I lodged with the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 30 October 2011 regarding the said allegation as then Sports Minister," he said.

Aluthgamage has alleged that his country "sold" the game to India, a claim that was ridiculed by former captains Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who demanded evidence from him.

Set a target of 275, India clinched the trophy thanks to the brilliance of Gautam Gambhir (97) and then skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (91).

"Today I am telling you that we sold the 2011 world cup, I said this when I was the sports minister," Aluthgamage, who was the sports minister at the time, had stated.

Sangakkara, the captain of Sri Lanka at that time, asked him to produce evidence for an anti-corruption probe.

"He needs to take his 'evidence' to the ICC and the Anti corruption and Security Unit so the claims can be investigated thoroughly," he tweeted.

Jayawardene, also a former captain who scored a hundred in that game, ridiculed the charge.

"Is the elections around the corner...like the circus has started...names and evidence?" he asked in a tweet.

Aluthgamage said that in his opinion no players were involved in fixing the result, "but certain parties were."

Both Aluthgamage and the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa were among the invitees at the final played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Following his allegations, Aravinda de Silva, the former great who was the then chairman of selectors, has urged the BCCI to conduct its own investigation.

De Silva has said he is willing to travel to India to take part in such an investigation despite the current COVID-19 threat.

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