Jamaica Tallawahs captain Rovman Powell hailed a complete performance from the team in a 33-run win over the Trinbago Knight Riders on Saturday.

The win was the first for the Jamaica franchise against their Trinidad and Tobago opponents in 7 games, dating back to the 2017 season.  For his part, Powell played a crucial role in snapping that streak, with a patient 67 from 49 deliveries and a crucial fourth-wicket partnership with Raymond Reifer, worth 90 to the Tallawahs in a total of 153 for 7.

With the ball, however, the Tallawahs also made runs exceptionally hard to come for the Knightriders led by Mohammad Amir’s 2 for 15 at 3.75 at an economy rate of 3.75.  Powell was delighted by the team’s all-around effort, which restricted the Knight Riders to 119 for 8.

“In all three aspects of the game, the guys played well.  We haven’t beaten Trinidad in a long time so we wanted to do that,” Powell said following the match.

“We came out of the Power Play a little bit shaky but we got stuck in and I think the guys bowled really well,” he added.  

The Jamaica Tallawahs secured their third victory of the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season with a win over Trinbago Knight Riders by 34 runs.

The Trinbago Knight Riders won the toss and chose to field, Ravi Rampaul making early inroads by removing both openers, Brandon King and Kennar Lewis. However, Tallawahs captain Rovman Powell would lead by example, hitting ten boundaries in his innings of 67 to take his side to 153/7 after 20 overs. 

Trinbago Knight Riders in turn lost the wickets of Sunil Narine and Tion Webster early on, and largely due to superb bowling spells from Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim, were unable to find any fluency as they consistently lost wickets, ending up on 119/8 and losing by 34 runs.

Jamaica Tallawahs lost both of their openers in the PowerPlay, and were struggling to score runs in the first ten overs, before Powell combined with Raymon Reifer in a 90-run partnership stand to aid their side. Sunil Narine bowled exceptionally well and was rewarded with the wickets of both Powell and Fabian Allen to restrict scoring in the final overs, with the Tallawahs setting a target of 154 to win.

Trinbago Knight Riders once again utilised Narine at the top of the order but he was bowled in the first over by Amir. After Webster was run-out, Colin Munro and Tim Seifert attempted to rebuild but eventually, both lost their wickets. Amir struck again to remove Nicholas Pooran as the Knight Riders were unable to build any partnerships, with Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell also falling. In the end, they scored 119/8, falling 34 runs short of their target. 

The win means Jamaica Tallawahs have now won three of their first four games, while Trinbago have lost two successive matches. 

Jamaica Tallawahs spinner Sandeep Lamichhane will play no further part in this season’s competition after being suspended by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) in lieu of an arrest warrant being issued in his hope country of Nepal.

The arrest warrant, which was issued in Kathmandu, lists the charges as coercion of another person and was announced publicly on Thursday.  The decision to suspend the player was made by the CAN after a meeting and a statement from the body indicated that the cricketer would remain suspended until the matter was investigated.

 Lamichane, who previously played for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Barbados Tridents was yet to take the field this season.  In 2020, however, the player was the leading wicket-taker for the Jamaica Tallawahs franchise.

In response, the 22-year-old tweeted to address the issue and announced that he would be leaving the Jamaica franchise and prepare to defend himself against what he called baseless allegations.

“I am innocent and keep complete belief in the respectable laws of Nepal.  I have decided to take a leave from the CPL and go back to my country within a few days.  I am ready to face all these baseless allegations.  May justice be served to the innocent and right investigations to be done,” the player posted on Instagram.

Australia's one-day captain Aaron Finch announced on Friday that the next ODI against New Zealand will be his last before retiring from the 50-over format.

Finch, 35, will finish with 145 ODI matches and 54 as captain, but will continue to lead the T20 side. 

While his record is strong, boasting 5401 runs at an average of 39.42, he has struggled mightily lately as he became the first Australian to record five ODI ducks in a calendar year. In his past seven ODIs, he has 26 runs and three ducks.

Speaking to the media at his retirement press conference, Finch said now was the time to step away to allow a new leader to get acclimated ahead of the World Cup.

"It has been a fantastic ride with some incredible memories," he said. 

"I have been extremely fortunate to be a part of some brilliant one-day sides. Equally, I have been blessed by all those I have played with and the many people behind the scenes.

"It is time now to give a new leader the best possible opportunity to prepare for and win the next World Cup. I thank all of those who have helped and supported my journey to this point."

Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley added: "On behalf of Australian Cricket, I would like to congratulate Aaron on his vast contribution as captain of the Australian Men’s ODI team and as a wonderful exponent of the 50-over format.

"Aaron is an enormously gifted and determined player whose outstanding deeds with the bat have been matched by his strong and inspiring leadership. His decision to step aside from the ODI captaincy now is typical of his selfless approach to the game.

"I'm delighted Aaron will lead the Australian team into the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup where his leadership, experience and tactical nous will be integral to the defence of our T20 World Cup title on home soil."

Barbados Royals maintained their 100 per cent record with a dominant victory over the Saint Lucia Kings in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Thursday.

The Royals won the toss and opted to field first and that proved an inspired decision as they made regular inroads into the Kings' top order to leave them teetering on 90-5.

However, the international pair of Tim David and David Wiese put together a rescue act to ensure the Kings posted a respectable total for their bowlers to try and defend.

That total never looked enough in the Barbados Royals' reply as Corbin Bosch arrived with the bat in the Hero CPL to lead his side to victory.

 Earlier on the Kings had posted what looked like a competitive total of 169-6. Reaching 50-1 at the end of the PowerPlay a solid foundation was established for their middle and lower order to capitalise on.

 However, the Royals were excellent in the middle section of the innings. Led by Hayden Walsh’s miserly leg-spin bowling they took wickets in regular clusters to reduce the Kings from 57-1 to 90-5.

 Tim David and David Wiese refused to succumb to the pressure and they counter-attacked brilliantly to put on a 79-run partnership from 43 balls to ensure a potential defendable total was put on the board.

 170 to win should have proved tricky for the Royals to chase but despite losing opener Quinton De Kock for a golden duck, Kyle Mayers and Corbin Bosch plundered 84 runs from 48 balls to put their side well ahead of the game.

 Even after Mayers departed, Bosch continued to have fruitful partnerships with Azam Khan and David Miller respectively until the all-rounder was eventually dismissed by Alzarri Joseph for 81 from 50 balls.

 After Bosch departed it was Miller and Holder who saw out the rest of the chase with minimum fuss to make it four wins from four for the impressive Barbados Royals.

Jamaica Tallawahs captain Rovman Powell has praised his team’s batting after their first three games of the 2022 edition of the Caribbean Premier League.

The 2013 and 2016 champions are currently second in the table with four points after getting two wins in their first three games. The Barbados Royals lead the table with a perfect record after four games.

The Tallawahs have batted first twice, defending 183-2 against the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots in their first game and suffering their lone loss after making 163-8 against the St. Lucia Kings in the third.

Against the Guyana Amazon Warriors, they successfully chased down 142, reaching 143-6 in 19.2 overs.

From an individual standpoint, Brandon King is the Tallawahs leading run-scorer after the first three games with 140 followed by Powell with 81 and Kennar Lewis with 73.

“I’m pretty pleased. The guys have been batting well. In the first two games I think the guys got stuck in. Even against the Kings, I’m very pleased with how the guys played after we came under some pressure early out,” Powell said in an ESPN Cricinfo interview on Friday.

“It’s encouraging signs from the batters but it’s early in the season and there’s always room for improvement so I hope, as a batting unit, we keep improving,” he added.

The Tallawahs will next oppose the Trinbago Knight Riders on Saturday. The Knight Riders have one win, one loss and one no result in three games so far and boast a powerful batting line-up including former West Indies white ball captain Kieron Pollard, current West Indies white ball captain Nicholas Pooran and hard-hitting Jamaican all-rounder and former Tallawahs star Andre Russell.

Play will resume at the BMW PGA Championship on Saturday after a day's pause following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Event organisers halted play late on Thursday and all day Friday following news of Her Majesty's passing at the age of 96.

However, the DP World Tour has confirmed play will resume at Wentworth on Saturday, with the tournament to be contested over 54 holes rather than 72.

"The decision to restart on Saturday has been taken in accordance with Official National Mourning guidance and in consultation with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)," the DP World Tour's statement read.

"The Wentworth event will give players, caddies, staff, volunteers and spectators the opportunity to come together across the weekend, not only to express their condolences but also to celebrate the extraordinary life of Her Majesty.

"The second round of the BMW PGA Championship will resume at 6.40am on Saturday morning and all original second round tee times will remain the same. 

"Those players who are yet to complete their first round will do so from 7.30am onwards from the place on the golf course where they stopped on Thursday afternoon.

"Across the weekend at Wentworth, black ribbons will be made available for people to wear and flags will continue to fly at half-mast."

"In addition, there will be a two-minute silence at 9.50am on Saturday morning across the venue to commemorate the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, with the proclamation of King Charles III being shown on the television screens in the Championship Village from 10am."

Tommy Fleetwood, Andy Sullivan and Viktor Hovland held a joint-lead with an eight-under par 64 when play came to a stop on Thursday.

England's third Test against South Africa at The Oval will also resume on Saturday, while the Super League clash between Huddersfield Giants and Salford Red Devils will go ahead as planned.

Friday's meeting between Catalans Dragons and Leeds Rhinos had already been given the green light to take place as it is being held in Perpignan in the south of France.

However, all Premier League and English Football League fixtures this weekend have been called off, as has Saturday's undisputed middleweight championship bout between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall.

The fight at the O2 Arena in London has been provisionally postponed until October 15.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed play will resume on Saturday in England's third Test match against South Africa following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The governing body made the decision to cancel all fixtures across domestic and international level on Friday following the news Britain's longest-reigning monarch had passed away aged 96 at her home in Balmoral on Thursday.

The first day of the deciding match between England and South Africa on Thursday had been a washout due to weather, but will now be anticipated to get underway at The Oval on Saturday following the go-ahead.

"Cricket will resume on Saturday to pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and honour her remarkable life and service," an ECB statement read.

"Following the cancellation of Friday’s cricket fixtures as a mark of respect on announcement of her death, the England and Wales Cricket Board can confirm that play will resume from Saturday including international, domestic, and recreational fixtures.

"The decision has been taken after consultation with DCMS and in line with Official National Mourning guidance. 

"This means the Men’s Test match between England and South Africa will begin at The Oval and the Women’s IT20 match between England and India will also go ahead at the Riverside in Durham.

"The scheduled match between England and Sri Lanka Men’s U19 along with recreational cricket fixtures will also take place as planned.

"Before each match, a minute’s silence will be observed followed by the national anthem. All players and coaches will wear black armbands. Branded inventory will be replaced with messaging paying cricket's respects to The Queen."

Captain Ben Stokes said he would "be honoured to play" in the Queen's memory earlier on Friday, before official confirmation came through from the ECB.

Meanwhile, the Rugby Football League has also confirmed matches will take place as planned across all levels, including Saturday's Super League play-off encounter between Huddersfield Giants and Salford Red Devils.

Friday's clash between Catalans Dragons and Leeds Rhinos had already been handed the go-ahead due to taking place in Perpignan in the south of France.

However, Saturday's undisputed middleweight championship bout between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall at the O2 Arena in London has been provisionally postponed until October 15.

A statement from the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) read: "As a mark of respect following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the British Boxing Board of Control has made the decision to postpone Saturday's event, BOXXER: Legacy - Shields vs Marshall.

"Our sincere thoughts are with His Majesty King Charles III and the Royal Family during this profoundly sombre time. We are working with all parties to provisionally reschedule for Saturday, 15th October, at The O2 in London."

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots captain Dwayne Bravo insists the team has plenty of work to do, despite a narrow 4-wicket win over the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Thursday.

The win was the first of the campaign for the Patriots, but it did not come easily.  In fact, chasing 162 for victory, the team seemed set for a third straight loss after needing 22 from the final over.  Some big hitting from Dwaine Pretorius, however, put away some wayward bowling by Romario Shepherd.

The team’s campaign began with losses to the Jamaica Tallawahs and Barbados Royals and despite getting on the board Bravo, who has himself battled injuries early on, believes the team has plenty of adjustments to make.

“Even with this win we still have a lot to improve and when we get into the dressing room we will highlight those moments,” Bravo said following the match.

“To restrict them to 160 odd we would have been happy at the halfway stage because they are a very good batting line-up.  We know they have quality spinners but with our line-up, we don’t believe spin is a threat to our line-up.  At key moments we kept giving our opposition some momentum to come back into the game.  These are the things we have to talk about, even though we won, we made a lot of mistakes.”

Guyana Amazon Warriors captain Shimron Hetmyer insists he would not have done too much differently despite a tough loss to St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League on Thursday.

A brutal final over assault from Dwaine Pretorius handed the Patriots a thrilling 4-wicket win, despite an innings leading 46 off 21 from skipper Shimon Hetmyer that put the Warriors in a strong position.

In fact, the Guyana franchise seemed well set for a win after needing 22 runs heading into the final over.  After scoring three off the first two balls, however, Pretorius tore into Romario Shepherd the rest of the way clubbing two 6s and 7, in effect, off the last ball after Shepherd was also called for a no-ball.

Many believe Hetmyer should have gone for Odean Smith to bowl the final over after the batsman put up an economic 2 for 10 runs off two overs.  Hetmyer insists that it was important to back players.

“I think as players and individuals we back ourselves to get it nine times out 10.  I guess sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t it’s just for us to do better in the next game.

“He had a good day today but, in the end, I went for Shepherd and as it was things just didn’t go our way,” he added.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots achieved their first victory of the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season with a narrow win over Guyana Amazon Warriors by four wickets on Thursday.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors won the toss and chose to bat, a cautious start saw them score 66 runs in the first 10 overs, but captain Shimron Hetmyer produced tantalising innings, scoring 46 off just 21 balls, to take his side to 162-6 at the end of the innings.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in turn lost frequent wickets throughout their chase, with the Warriors stifling them at regular intervals. However, a remarkable display of power-hitting from Dwaine Pretorius saw the side score 22 runs in the final over and earn a first win in this year’s CPL season with two balls remaining. 

Guyana Amazon Warriors were frustrated early on by some excellent bowling by Sheldon Cottrell and Duan Jansen, who claimed the early wicket of Paul Stirling. Chandrapual Hemraj played a patient innings to build a platform, scoring 43 runs, before Hetmyer displayed some attacking intent, scoring at a strike rate of 219, to take his side to 162-6.  

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots followed a similar pattern, taking a patient approach to the start of their chase after losing the valuable wicket of Evin Lewis in the second over. Andre Fletcher went on to score 41 runs for the Patriots before his dismissal but the wickets of both Dwayne Bravo and Darren Bravo in the 16th over had seemingly ended the Patriots' chances of a win, before Jansen and Pretorius combined in the final overs with a 55-run partnership to guide the side to a remarkable win. 

 This was the Patriots first win of the season, while Guyana Amazon Warriors remain winless after three games. 

The England and Wales Cricket Board has joined the tributes to HRH Queen Elizabeth II following her death aged 96 and confirmed the second day of the third Test against South Africa will not take place on Friday.

The monarch, Britain's longest-serving head of state, passed away at her home in Balmoral on Thursday, on a day where no play took place at The Oval due to poor weather.

The deciding encounter will not resume on Friday as planned however, with the ECB confirming that both it and fixtures in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy will be deferred in the wake of the Queen's passing.

"The England and Wales Cricket Board is deeply saddened at the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II," read an official statement.

"The thoughts of everyone involved in the game are with the whole Royal Family.

"Following the death of Her Majesty, Friday's play between England and South Africa Men at The Oval, along with all scheduled matches in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, will not take place.

"For fixtures beyond Friday, updates will be provided in due course."

England's game is not the only match to have been pulled across the sporting world following the news, with Northampton Saints postponing their Premiership Rugby Cup clash with Saracens on Thursday.

Manchester United's Europa League fixture with Real Sociedad, however, will go ahead still, while Arsenal wore black armbands for the second half of their win over FC Zurich.

West Ham's Europa Conference League clash with FCSB at London Stadium will also go ahead, while the English Football League has issued a statement stating a decision will be made on their own slate of matches.

"Consideration in respect of EFL fixtures will be discussed with the Government and the wider sport sector during the period ahead and an appropriate announcement will be made at the earliest opportunity," read a statement.

The BMW PGA Championship also confirmed play has been suspended for the remainder of Thursday, while flags at Wentworth will be lowered to half mast. There will also be no play on Friday.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Virat Kohli impressed on either side of the ball as India ended their poor Asia Cup campaign with a resounding 101-run win over Afghanistan on Thursday.

India's thrilling six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka on Tuesday left their Super Four qualification hopes in ruins, but they took out any frustrations on their hapless opponents to end a dire title defence on a positive note in Dubai.

Skipper KL Rahul (62) and the outstanding Kohli, who required just 61 balls to bring up his mammoth haul of 122, led India to a scintillating start after they were put in to bat.

Afghanistan claimed the wickets of Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav (six) in quick succession in the 12th over, but were unable to build on those dismissals as India raced to a strong target of 212.

But Afghanistan's struggles with the ball were nothing compared to what was to follow with the bat; Kumar removed opening duo Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz for ducks within the first over, and added three more wickets before the end of the sixth.

Deepak Hooda, Arshdeep Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin then got in on the act with a wicket apiece as Afghanistan were limited to just 111 runs at the end of a chastening outing.

Kohli scales new heights

Kohli's unbeaten 122 is the highest score managed by an Indian player in men's T20 internationals, overtaking Rohit Sharma's 118 against Sri Lanka in December 2017.

While Kohli will be disappointed with India's failure to reach the Asia Cup final, he will no doubt be relieved at ending a long wait for a 71st century in international cricket; he last did so 1,020 days ago, against Bangladesh in November 2019.

Kumar on fire as Afghanistan collapse

India had a star at either end of the crease on Thursday, with Kumar bringing up a remarkable five-wicket haul to continue his excellent form.

Kumar has now taken 31 wickets in T20Is in 2022, surpassing India's previous record across a calendar year (Jasprit Bumrah's 28 in 2016).

There was no play on the first day of the third Test between England and South Africa due to rain at The Oval.

With the series tied at 1-1, the deciding Test was due to get underway on Thursday after England had won the toss and decided to bowl.

However, spells of rain throughout the day ensured no balls were bowled.

The hosts confirmed a Test debut for batter Harry Brook, in for the injured Jonny Bairstow, while the Proteas made four changes to the team that was beaten by an innings in the second Test at Old Trafford.

Ryan Rickelton and Khaya Zondo replaced the injured Rassie van der Dussen as well as Aiden Markram, while the bowling attack saw Marco Jansen and Wiann Mulder come in for Lungi Ngidi and Simon Harmer.

It is hoped that play will be able to get underway on Friday as forecasts for the morning look dry, though it appears there could be more rain on Friday afternoon.

Adam Zampa took five wickets as Australia skittled New Zealand for 82 to win the second ODI in Cairns by 113 runs, clinching a series victory with a match to spare.

The hosts made light work of the team at the top of the ICC rankings to get their hands on the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.

After rallying in the closing overs to reach 195-9 in their innings, Australia rattled through a New Zealand batting line-up experiencing a collective off-day.

This was the second contest of a three-match series being staged in Cairns, and Australia were in early disarray at 26-4 after Matt Henry and Trent Boult each struck twice with the ball. Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis both departed for ducks, while David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne made five runs each.

Alex Carey followed for 12 as Mitchell Santner got in on the wickets, before Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell put on the first substantial partnership, a cautious alliance of 49 for the sixth wicket.

Maxwell (25), Sean Abbott (7) and Smith, whose 61 was the key contribution, fell in quick succession, and when Boult had Zampa caught on the drive by James Neesham, Australia were tottering on 148-9, with six overs remaining.

Mitchell Starc (38no) and Josh Hazlewood (23no) rescued that dicey situation by adding an unbroken 47 for the final wicket, turning the momentum in Australia's favour, and it had swung decisively when New Zealand made their own dismal start with the bat.

The visitors' top order offered feeble resistance, crumbling to 38-5, with captain Kane Williamson top-scoring among those early victims with 17 before being dismissed lbw by a full toss from spinner Zampa.

It was 46-6 when Neesham clipped Stoinis to Finch at midwicket, and 54-7 when Starc had Michael Bracewell caught by a diving Maxwell at gully. Zampa wiped out the tail to complete figures of 5-35.

Boult efforts go unrewarded again

Boult's bowling in his 98th ODI appearance had Australia tied up in knots again, after he took 4-40 in a losing cause in the first match. This time, figures of 4-38 mean he has taken hauls of four or more wickets in consecutive ODIs for the first time in his career.

Again, it was a performance that went unrewarded, with New Zealand left to seek a consolation win in Sunday's final match of the series.Z

Beating the benchmark

Starc took 2-12, while Abbott remarkably finished with 2-1 from five overs, but it was Zampa who brought home the win, prising out Tim Southee, Henry and Boult to complete his five-for. The 30-year-old Zampa posted ODI career-best figures, having previously managed four four-wicket hauls.

Zampa told Fox: "It was a nice night. I didn't bowl my best to be honest. The full toss to Kane, the ball didn't come out as well as I'd have liked, but sometimes it's like that."

Playing down his own performance, he said he "reaped the rewards" after the likes of Starc and Abbott made early inroads, but considered it a victory worthy of celebration.

"It feels good to win any series, but particularly against the number one team in the world," Zampa said. "They're the benchmark at the moment, so it feels good."