Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen sealed an eight-wicket T20 World Cup for South Africa over holders West Indies in the absence of Quinton de Kock.
There was drama before a ball was bowled at Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday, as De Kock made himself unavailable for selection after refusing a Cricket South Africa demand for all Proteas players to take a knee before the rest of their games in the tournament.
South Africa secured their first Group 1 win, following a loss to Australia in their opening match, as they chased down a target of 144 with 10 balls to spare.
West Indies were embarrassingly bowled out for 55 in a crushing loss to England in their first game, but this time they posted 143-8 after being put in by Temba Bavuma.
Evin Lewis top-scored with an explosive 56 from 35 balls, with Dwaine Pretorius taking 3-17 and Keshav Maharaj 2-24 as Kieron Pollard's side lost their way in the second half of their innings.
Reeza Hendricks (39) laid a platform for South Africa after Bavuma was run out by a direct hit from Andre Russell in the first over.
Markram (51 not out from 26 balls) and Van der Dussen (43 from 51) then combined for an unbroken third-wicket stand of 83 to get the Proteas up and running in the Super 12 stage.
West Indies have lost three consecutive T20I matches and face a major battle to qualify for the semi-finals of a tournament they won five years ago.
Lewis lays platform as Simmons struggles
There were two contrasting innings from the defending champions' openers, with Lewis in great touch and Lendl Simmons struggling.
Simmons laboured to 16 from 35 balls after he was dropped by stand-in keeper Heinrich Klaasen on four, failing to score a boundary.
Lewis, on the other hand, raced to a half-century in 32 balls, clearing the rope six times before he was caught in the deep by Kagiso Rabada off Maharaj. Pollard made a quickfire 26 before a flurry of late wickets fell in the Windies innings.
Aiden makes his Mark along with ice-cool Van der Dussen
Markram and Van der Dussen provided an exhibition of how to go about a run chase as West Indies ran out of ideas.
Akeal Hosein (1-27) was the only Windies bowler to take a wicket thanks to a great diving catch from Shimron Hetmyer to see the back of Hendricks.
Markram played the role of aggressor, hitting four sixes, while the composed Van der Dussen ticked along nicely as South Africa cruised home amid huge doubts over whether De Kock will play any further part in the World Cup.
Narine’s maiden T20 hundred in vain as Jos Buttler helps Royals complete highest chase in IPL history
Sunil Narine’s maiden T20 hundred was in vain as Jos Buttler produced a gem of an innings to help the Rajasthan Royals defeat the Kolkata Knight Riders in Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) action at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday.
The Trinidadian left-hander hit 13 fours and six sixes on his way to a brilliant 109 off just 56 balls to propel KKR to 223-6 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat by the Royals.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh provided good support for Narine with 30 and 20*, respectively.
Pacer Avesh Khan was the best bowler on the day for Rajasthan with 2-35 from his four overs.
Jos Buttler then produced his second hundred of the season to help the Royals pull off the highest chase in IPL history.
The Englishman made 107* off 60 balls including nine fours and six sixes to help the Royals reach 224-8 off 20 overs.
It was a herculean effort from Buttler who scored the last 46 runs for the Royals.
Riyan Parag and Rovman Powell provided the most support with Buttler with 34 and 26, respectively. Most importantly, Parag’s innings lasted 14 balls and Powell’s lasted 13 balls.
Narine completed a good all-round performance with 2-30 from his four overs with the ball.
Full Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 223-6 from 20 overs (Sunil Narine 109, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 30, Avesh Khan 2-35, Kuldeep Sen 2-46)
Rajasthan Royals 224-8 off 20 overs (Jos Buttler 107*, Riyan Parag 34, Rovman Powell 26, Sunil Narine 2-30, Varun Chakravarthy 2-36, Harshit Rana 2-45).
Sunil Narine won't play for West Indies' T20 World Cup squad, confirms watching from home
Trinidad and Tobago’s Sunil Narine has made it clear that he will not be part of the West Indies squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the Caribbean this June. Narine, who has not represented the West Indies since 2019, reiterated his decision after the Kolkata Knight Riders' emphatic victory over the Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Former West Indies cricketer turned commentator Samuel Badree asked Narine about his World Cup plans during a post-match interview, to which Narine responded, "I will be watching from home, Badree."
The 35-year-old Narine's absence from the West Indies setup has been notable since 2019, despite invitations to return to the team. Windies white-ball coach Darren Sammy recently indicated that the squad selection process for the World Cup was nearing completion, highlighting the exposure of over 22 players in preparation for the tournament.
“We’ve selected squads and exposed about 22 players over the last year in preparation for this main event that is coming," Sammy explained during a press briefing. "It’s based on the measures that we’ve taken and the strategic roles we have given players.”
While Narine has been a key player for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL since 2012, contributing significantly to the franchise's two title victories in 2012 and 2014, his focus remains on franchise cricket rather than international duties. He has played 51 T20 Internationals for the West Indies, showcasing his talent with 52 wickets at an economy rate of 6.01.
Narine made his debut for the West Indies in March 2012 against Australia and played his last match for the Caribbean side in August 2019 against India. Known for his mystery spin and explosive batting, Narine continues to be a vital asset for the Kolkata Knight Riders, as demonstrated by his recent impactful innings of 85 from 39 balls while opening the batting against the Delhi Capitals.
Despite his absence from international duty, Narine's contributions in franchise cricket underscore his prowess in the T20 format. As the T20 World Cup approaches, West Indies will proceed with a squad that reflects the strategic planning and player exposure outlined by Coach Sammy, with Narine choosing to focus on his IPL commitments while supporting the regional team from the sidelines.
Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack critical of distribution of ICC finances
India’s financial stranglehold on world cricket is the top target in the latest edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, as it once again ponders the health of a sport held down by a global postcode lottery.
The 161st edition of the beloved yellow book takes a typically sober look at the state of the game, majoring on the distorting effects of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s latest grab of the purse strings.
In his 13th year at the helm, Lawrence Booth uses the influential platform of his editor’s notes to rail against last year’s decision to increase India’s share of central ICC funds from an already swollen 25 per cent to a bloated to 38.5 per cent. He brands the latest settlement “all the harder to stomach” when pitted against the money troubles of others like the West Indies, whose own take represents just 4.58 per cent.
Booth concludes that fear of upsetting those behind cricket’s biggest commercial market is poisoning the well that all nations drink from and calls for an urgent rethink.
“This is where cricket finds itself, in dreary thrall to the notion that market forces must be obeyed,” he writes.
“Is it really beyond the wit of the administrators to distribute it (cash) according to need, not greed?”
Wisden is critical of the BCCI’s conduct as hosts of the recent men’s World Cup, deeming the politicisation of the tournament “faintly Orwellian” and an example of “insidious nationalism”. Booth touches on the delay in granting England’s Shoaib Bashir a visa for the new year Test tour, the latest hold up to impact a player of Pakistani heritage, and the fact that a principled boycott by his team-mates never got off the ground.
“The answer to too many questions in cricket is now: because we mustn’t upset India. And don’t the BCCI know it,” he concludes.
On the field, there was a full-throated reprisal of the previous volume’s support for ‘Bazball’ and the revitalising effects of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as stewards of the red-ball format.
Reflecting on the thrills and spills of a vintage Ashes summer, Booth decides: “For the first time since English cricket vanished behind a paywall, it felt like the people’s sport.”
The comparison with England’s fading fortunes in the white-ball arena is predictably grisly following the defending champions’ World Cup wipeout. There is an opportunity to right some of those wrongs close at hand, but Wisden’s warning over the stakes for the captain and coach is cold and clear: “(Jos) Buttler and (Matthew) Mott must mount a better defence of this year’s T20 World Cup if they are to keep their jobs.”
Elsewhere, Stuart Broad casts a long shadow. Not only does the retired seamer grace the cover for the second time, he also warrants special mention from Booth at the front of the book and a farewell essay from Jonathan Liew.
There is a joint tribute to two more departing greats of English seam bowling, with Katherine Sciver-Brunt and Anya Shrubsole receiving a send off from former team-mate Ebony Rainford-Brent.
The wider historical context of game is served by pieces on England’s 100th women’s Test, the first nation to reach the milestone, and a look back on 250 years of the lbw law, and there are entries from both ends of spectrum of seriousness.
Michael Collins, one of the co-authors of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report, contributes a thoughtful and scholarly update covering the thorniest matters of discrimination. In it he reiterates many of the most difficult findings – chiefly the lingering presence of ingrained racism, classism and sexism within the sport at large – but strikes an optimistic tone about the chances of renewal.
“History need not make us prisoners of the past,” he writes.
“Recognising and understanding the weight of what has gone before is also a route to creating a new and different future.”
At the opposite pole is a healthy slice of playfulness, from Emma John’s appraisal of Wisden’s history on Desert Island Discs to the pleasingly irreverent social media review of the year and the enduring ‘index of unusual occurrences’.
:: The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2024 is published by Bloomsbury on April 18.
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