Shadab Khan starred with bat and ball as Pakistan kept their hopes of reaching the T20 World Cup semi-finals alive with a 33-run Duckworth-Lewis-Stern win over South Africa.
Pakistan needed a victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday to have any chance of qualifying, and they recovered from a poor start to come out on top after posting 185-9 in a rain-affected match.
Shadab (52 from 22 balls) struck the second-fastest T20I half-century for Pakistan, putting on 82 for the sixth wicket with Iftikhar Ahmed (51 off 35) in just under six overs after Babar Azam's side had at one point been reduced to 43-4.
Dropped catches cost the Proteas as rain started to fall in Sydney, where Anrich Nortje took 4-41, and they were 16-2 early in the run chase after the excellent Shaheen Shah Afridi removed Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw.
Shadab came to the fore again by dismissing Temba Bavuma (36 from 19) and Aiden Markram (19 off 14) in his first over, with South Africa 69-4 off nine overs when rain stopped play.
The Proteas, without the injured David Miller due to back spasms, needed 73 more runs from 30 balls to maintain their unbeaten record when play resumed, but wickets tumbled as they were restricted to 108-9.
Pakistan move up to third in Group 2, a point behind South Africa and two adrift of leaders India with one game to play in the Super 12 stage.
The Proteas face Netherlands at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, with Pakistan taking on Bangladesh at the same venue and India up against Zimbabwe.
Shadab and Iftikhar to the rescue
Pakistan were in trouble on 95-5 when Shadab joined Iftikhar out in the middle, and that pair came to the rescue with an incredible onslaught.
Shadab reached the half-century mark from only 20 balls by launching four sixes and hitting three fours in a swashbuckling knock. Only six batters have got to a fifty quicker in men's T20 World Cup history.
Iftikhar cleared the rope on two occasions and hit another three boundaries, with the Proteas also giving Pakistan a helping hand in the field even before drizzle made life difficult for the fielders.
Afridi shows his class, double blow from Shadab
Left-arm paceman Afridi was magnificent with the new ball, getting the dangerous De Kock caught in the ring and Rossouw taken in the deep.
He claimed 3-14 from three top-quality overs, having also seen the back of Heinrich Klaasen following the break for rain.
Shadab (2-16) also made a huge impact with the ball, trapping Bavuma leg before with his third ball and bowling Markram with his third as Pakistan made it four T20 World Cup wins from four against South Africa.
West Indies Women to host Ireland Women in Saint Lucia
Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Friday announced the match schedule and venue for the West Indies Women’s international home series against Ireland Women. The highly anticipated series will feature three CG United One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is) at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia from 26 June to 9 July.
The first two CG United ODIs will bowl off at 10am (9am Jamaica Time), with the third being a day/night game, starting at 3pm (2pm Jamaica). The three T20Is will commence at 5pm (4pm Jamaica).
The ODIs hold significant weight in this series, as they contribute crucial points to the ICC Women's Championship and the results will therefore directly impact qualification for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 in India.
CWI’s High Performance Manager Graeme West said: “The Ireland Series is the only engagement in the region for the Senior Women in 2023 and its critical we maximize ‘home’ advantage in the three CG United ODIs as we continue our qualification campaign towards the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025. The three T20Is will kick start the preparation towards the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup which the team has already qualified for.”
West added, “Ireland have shown great improvement in recent times and the game between the two sides in February at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa was a thriller. We will need to prepare well for both series with very clear game plans, the squad will get time in St Lucia prior to the first ODI to establish the key roles and focus areas that each player will be required to execute in order to play winning cricket. It’s exciting to be taking international Women’s Cricket back to St Lucia, the island is developing a number of exciting young female players and we hope the Ireland games can inspire more girls to get involved and start their own cricket journeys.”
Fans worldwide can join the excitement as all eight matches will be streamed live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel. Furthermore, live ball-by-ball scoring will be available on the Match Centre at www.windiescricket.com, ensuring fans do not miss a single moment of the action.
Full match schedule:
All matches at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, St. Lucia
Monday, 26 June: 1st CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Thursday, 29 June: 2nd CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Sunday, 2 July: 3rd CG United ODI – 3pm (2pm Jamaica Time)
Wednesday, 5 July: 1st T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Friday, 7 July: 2nd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Sunday, 9 July: 3rd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Ollie Pope says entertainment matters as England close in on win against Ireland
Double centurion Ollie Pope was delighted with his “special” innings and played down concerns over England’s under-cooked middle-order after they closed in on victory against Ireland.
Pope smashed 22 boundaries and three sixes in a sparkling knock of 205 from 208 balls and shared a 252-run partnership for the second wicket with opener Ben Duckett, who hit a superb 182 on day two at Lord’s.
Pope’s double century was the quickest ever registered in a Test match in England but his dismissal after tea brought about an early declaration from Ben Stokes with England on 524 for four, holding a lead of 352.
Ireland look destined to suffer an innings defeat in this one-off Test despite closing on 97 for three, meaning Harry Brook, Stokes and Jonny Bairstow would go into the Ashes opener on June 16 with minimal time at the crease.
But Pope countered: “What we’re about as a side is entertaining so we wanted to let the crowd watch us have a whack for a few overs and then watch us with the new ball.
“That’s what a full crowd at Lord’s probably wants to see as well so that was partially why we did that (declaration). I guess Jonny didn’t bat but he’s played a lot of county cricket.
“The way cricket is now, there is not always that feeling of you need a load of innings before a series.
“Jonny is in a really good place, his batting is in a really good place and you want to just be as fresh and confident as you can. Hopefully all the boys are feeling like that.”
Pope was more than happy to get some time in the middle himself before the battle with Australia begins at Edgbaston and especially at Lords, where he had only passed 50 once in seven previous Test innings.
Reflecting on going on the honours board, he admitted: “It’s very special.
“Lord’s is not somewhere I’ve done that well over the years, I think I got 70-odd against South Africa but other than that I’ve hardly scored a run here.
“So, it’s nice to get that one off my back, especially leading into a big summer.
“There’s no denying that Australia’s attack is stronger than Ireland’s but scoring runs at Lord’s and scoring runs in Test matches is a habit, a good habit to get into early.”
After Pope, who had struggled during the first hour, hit his fourth Test hundred, England debutant Josh Tongue stole the show in the evening session.
The Worcestershire seamer impressed in the enforcer role on day one and clocked 91mph, but had Peter Moor lbw and bounced out Paul Stirling on his way to three for 27 from a fine eight-over spell.
“For him to dive into that role he did this evening…the way he did that was perfect,” Pope admitted.
“He has been awesome this week, he looks the part and has been great around the changing room too. I don’t think you would know it’s his debut.”
Meanwhile, Duckett’s extraordinary new lease of life in Test cricket shows no signs of slowing.
In his first Test innings on home soil, the Nottinghamshire batter breezed to 150 off the same number of balls to snatch the record for quickest Test 150 at Lord’s off Australian great Don Bradman before his fun ended on 182, which came at a strike rate of 102.84.
Duckett, recalled this winter six years after his last appearance, told BBC Today at the Test: “It’s been a crazy six months and to start the summer like that and make a century at Lord’s was something I dreamt of as a kid.
“Even 12 months ago I thought I’d never play Test cricket for England again.
“With other captains I probably wouldn’t have, but Stokesy and Baz (Brendon McCullum) wanted me to open the batting and play the way I’ve played throughout my career and a lot of thanks to them.”
Ireland face an uphill battle to take only their seventh Test into a fourth day and batting coach Gary Wilson was unsure if opener James McCollum would bat again after he twisted his ankle and retired hurt on Friday evening.
Wilson said: “He has gone to hospital for scans and we don’t have a further update.
“I went to see him in the ambulance and he was very keen to go on, felt like he was in good touch, so he’s very disappointed, but he might be back tomorrow. We don’t know yet.”
St Lucia Kings retains Johnson Charles, Alzarri Joseph among seven ahead of 2023 CPL season
Explosive opener Johnson Charles and fast bowler Alzarri Joseph are among seven players retained by the Saint Lucia Kings ahead of the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Charles and Joseph are joined by Barbadian middle-order batsman Roston Chase, Roshon Primus, Jeavor Royal, Matthew Forde and McKenny Clarke. The Kings have also secured the services of Khary Pierre who has been transferred to the team from the Trinbago Knight Riders.
The tournament gets underway on 16 August with the final taking place on 24 September. There will be matches in Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago.
The overseas players and draft picks will be announced during the Republic Bank CPL draft show which will be broadcast at the end of June 2023.
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