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Sundar's triple strike and Dhoni's cameo take Pune into final

[email protected] (Agencies)
May 17, 2017

Mumbai, May 17: When it was decided that R Ashwin would not be able to participate in the IPL after the sports hernia he suffered as a result of bowling endless overs in India's grand Test home season, Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) were wondering who could replace him.

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Little did they realise that a 17-year-old kid from Chennai, who answers to the unique name of Washington Sundar, would perform that role with the same poise that the star Indian off-spinner usually shows. Sundar has been a phenomenon for RPS as skipper Steve Smith has trusted him with the difficult job of bowling in the powerplays.

He entrusted him with that role again on Tuesday as RPS took on Mumbai Indians in the first Qualifier of IPL 10. Sundar vindicated his skipper's faith and broke the back of MI's top-order as he prised out the wickets of skipper Rohit Sharma (2), Ambati Rayudu (0) and Kieron Pollard (7) to rock the hosts in their chase of 162. Sundar's figures were a surreal 4-0-16-3.

Rohit was out lbw attempting a sweep to a straight delivery and Rayudu and Pollard were caught at mid-wicket by Steve Smith.

Those three strikes and a hectic finish by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who rediscovered his six-appeal while belting 40 (26 balls, 5x6) and useful half-centuries by Manoj Tiwary 58 (48 balls, 4x4, 2x6) and Ajinkya Rahane 56 (43 balls, 5x4, 1x6) enabled RPS to beat MI by 20 runs and score their third win over MI this season and advance to the final in Hyderabad to be played on May 21.

RPS will meet the winners of the second qualifier and it could well be MI again. The two-time champs, who ended with 142/9, chasing RPS' 162/4, will travel to Bengaluru now and get another crack at the final and get a chance to avenge their three losses to RPS if they manage to win the game against the winner of the eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders today.

MI play their second Qualifier on Friday.

Rohit may be third on the list of highest scorers in the IPL with 4157 runs. But in the play-offs, he has scored just 130 runs in ten games. Rayudu, Pollard and the two Pandya brothers played forgettable strokes after Lendl Simmons was run out in an unfortunate fashion at the non-striker's end while backing up too far and Shardul Thakur's deflection off a Parthiv Patel straight drive hit the stumps.

Thakur also bowled well, using the slower ones to good effect to dismiss Krunal Pandya and Patel in the 15th over to snuff out any hopes of a revival. Patel though showed his value at the top by playing a lone but classy hand of 52 (40 balls, 3x4, 3x6).

MI would be excused in thinking that Tuesday's was a contest that got away from them. Their bowlers had kept things in check till the 18th over despite the polish shown by Rahane.

At the end of the 18th over, RPS were 121 for 3 with Dhoni struggling to middle the ball and Tiwary unable to find the boundaries consistently but Mitchell McClenaghan's fourth over and the 19th of the innings went for 26 as Dhoni hit him for two sixes and Tiwary hit him for another. McClenaghan also bowled a no ball and two wides in the same over.

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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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March 7,2020

Melbourne, Mar 7: He will be supporting Australia for sure but former pacer Brett Lee feels an Indian victory in Sunday's T20 Word Cup final could be a "start of a major breakthrough" for the women's game in the cricket-mad country.

India and Australia will lock horns in what is expected to be a blockbuster title clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

"As an Australian, I'd love nothing more than for (Meg) Lanning's team to do the job. But if India were to win the World Cup for the first time, victory would do so much for women's cricket in a country that already adores the sport," Lee wrote in an ICC column.

"This could be the start of a major breakthrough, particularly with the amount of talent that is coming through."

The former speedster said Australia will have to look for ways to counter the in-form 16-year-old Shafali Verma.

"In Shafali Verma, India boast one of the most talented players in the world and you feel that for Australia to win the game, dismissing her will likely be their first job.

"I've been so impressed with the opener - it's staggering to believe she's only 16 with the confidence she has in her own ability and the way she strikes the ball so cleanly.

"She's such good fun to watch and I'm not sure the women's game has seen anyone like her for such a long time."

Shafali has been the star of the tournament, having amassed 161 runs at a strike rate of 161, consistently providing India solid starts, and that was not lost on Lee.

"To be the world's best T20 batter already shows just how far she has progressed in such a short space of time and the experience in this tournament will hold her in good stead for years to come.

"Even with the way she's played in Australia and her fearless brand of cricket, you still get the feeling she has more to come as well."

He reckoned Shafali may have another big score awaiting her.

"She's got a big score in her locker and there's probably no better place to do that than the MCG. Shafali is already a record breaker but if she can steer her side to their first Women's T20 World Cup title at just 16, then the sky really is the limit for her career."

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Agencies
March 26,2020

Karachi, Mar 26: Pakistan's centrally-contracted cricketers will contribute Rs 5 million to the national government's emergency fund to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ehsan Mani on Wednesday said apart from centrally-contracted players contributing Rs 5 million, the employees in the board, up to the senior manager level, will contribute their one day's salary.

Those employed as general managers or on higher posts will give two days' salary to the fund.

"The PCB will collect all these funds and deposit it to the government's coronavirus fund," he said.

Pakistan has recorded more than 1,000 positive cases of the deadly virus, which has claimed more than 19,000 lives all over the world.

"It is the history of the cricket board that we always stand by the government in difficult times," Mani said.

The PCB has already given its high performances centre in Karachi at the national stadium to be used by paramedical staff working at the special coronavirus hospital set up at the expo centre in the in the city.

Mani said though cricket has been disrupted by the virus outbreak but it was far more important for the nation to stand by the government and also take all precautionary steps during the pandemic.

Pakistan's centrally-contracted players are entitled to monthly salaries ranging from Rs 5 to 12 lakh besides match fee and other earnings.

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