Sports
Pakistan Seek To Allay Major Concerns In Cricket World Cup Opener
Imam is expected to start against Netherlands but the team will need to choose between the destructive but out-of-form Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique who doesn’t have the experience of world events.
The big positive for the unpredictable team is that its number three and four, skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, are in sublime touch. Iftikhar Ahmed too has been getting the runs but it remains to be seen if Salman Agha also gets accommodated in the middle-order.
If the warm-ups are an indication, the game on Friday is expected to be another high-scoring affair with bowlers having no margin for error. Getting used to the varied conditions in India will be another challenge for Babar and his players, who don’t get to play in the IPL like the players of other teams.
“The boundaries are small. There is no margin for the bowlers. If the bowling is a little bit off, the batsman utilizes it. So, there will be high scores. You will have to play accordingly,” said Babar.
In the absence of injured Naseem Shah, the Pakistan bowlers were at the receiving end in the couple of warm-ups against New Zealand and Australia. Pakistan vice-captain Shadab Khan has been struggling since Asia Cup and goes into the opener under pressure.
Fellow leg-spinner Usama Mir is breathing down his neck and there is a possibility that both may start against the Netherlands as Pakistan search for wickets in the middle overs .
The seasoned Hasan Ali has big shoes to fill in Naseem’s absence as he will open the bowling alongside Shaheen Afridi.
Haris Rauf, who leaked 97 runs in nine overs against Australia, too need be at his best if Pakistan are to advance in the competition.
Of late, Pakistan have left a lot to be desired in the fielding department and will be looking to correct that. Netherlands, the only associate team in the competition, cannot be taken lightly and it’s only better for Pakistan to face them early in the competition before taking on the bigger teams.
Netherlands, playing their first ODI World Cup since 2011, go into the competition a bit short on game time. Both their warm-ups were hit by rain and they last played an ODI in the Qualifiers in July when they finished ahead of West Indies and another full-member Ireland. Wesley Barresi, the only one in the current lot who played in 2011, has come out of retirement for his last dance. Former South African left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe, 38, is another key member of the squad.
The team which is packed with semi professionals will rely on Andhra-born Teja Nidamanuru for runs in the middle-order.
All-rounder Bas de Leede, whose father Tim has also featured in World Cups, is the x-factor player for Netherlands.
His 123 off 92 balls against Scotland in the Qualifiers went a long way in Netherlands’ securing their entry to the World Cup in India. Scott Edwards will captain the side. Having come this far, Netherlands have nothing to lose and Pakistan will be wary of that.
Squad:
Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c), Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Nottingham Forest were fined 750,000 pounds ($980,000) for criticising VAR official.© AFP
Nottingham Forest were fined 750,000 pounds ($980,000) on Friday and warned over their future conduct after criticising VAR official Stuart Attwell on social media last season. Forest were furious not to be awarded three penalties during a 2-0 defeat at Everton in April as they battled to preserve their Premier League status. At the time, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were embroiled in a tense relegation fight with Everton, Luton and several other teams.
After the game, Forest posted on their official X account: “Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – which we simply cannot accept.
“We warned the PGMOL that the VAR (Attwell) is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times. NFFC will now consider its options.”
Forest denied that their comments about Attwell brought the game into disrepute by “implying bias and/or questioning the integrity of match officials”.
But an independent regulatory commission found the Football Association charge proven on Friday.
Forest responded by announcing they will appeal against the sanction.
“Nottingham Forest Football Club is extremely disappointed with the decision of the Regulatory Commission to impose a £750,000 fine in relation to comments posted on social media following our Premier League fixture against Everton on Sunday 21 April,” a club statement said.
“We are particularly concerned that the FA, in its submissions, sought a sanction ‘in excess of £1,000,000’. We believe that this request, along with the subsequent fine, is wholly disproportionate and the club will be appealing the decision.”
Forest eventually finished 17th in the top-flight last term, six points above third bottom Luton, who were relegated along with Burnley and Sheffield United.
They sit 10th this season after losing only once in their first seven league games.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was on Friday named vice-captain of India for the upcoming three-match home Test series against New Zealand, strongly indicating his possible elevation to the leadership role when the team travels to Australia from next month. The three-match series against the Kiwis will start on November 16 in Bengaluru, followed by the second Test in Pune from October 24 and third game in Mumbai from November 1.
As reported by PTI on October 10, regular captain Rohit Sharma could skip one of the first two Test matches in Australia owing to personal reasons.
The five-match Test series in Australia starts on November 22 in Perth and the second match will be held at Adelaide from December 6, and there is a possibility that Rohit could give either the first or the second game a miss.
Adding strength to that thought is the fact that India did not name a vice-captain for the recent home series against Bangladesh, which they won 2-0.
Bumrah has prior experience of leading the side as he wore the captain’s armband during the rescheduled fifth Test match against England in July 2022 at Edgbaston. He also led India in the away T20I series against Ireland in 2023.
Recently, Bumrah also reclaimed his No. 1 spot in the ICC bowlers’ ranking after a stellar effort against Bangladesh.
The 30-year-old has been in riveting form in red-ball cricket, grabbing 42 wickets from eight Tests after his comeback from an injury in August 2023. He has an excellent average of 14.69 in this period.
Overall, Bumrah has played 38 Tests, taking 170 wickets, averaging 20.18 with 10 five-wicket hauls.
Yash Dayal, who was part of the squad for the Bangladesh series, was not selected after the pacer sustained a shoulder injury during Uttar Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy match against Bengal in Lucknow on Friday.
It is not yet clear how long Dayal will take to recover from the injury, casting a shadow over his chances of touring Australia.
Other than that, all the players who did duty against Bangladesh recently were retained in the 15-member squad which will be led by Rohit.
Pacer Mohammed Shami, who is recuperating after an ankle surgery, was not considered, as the wait for his return to international cricket continues.
All-rounder Harshit Rana, middle-order batsman Nitish Kumar Reddy, pacers Mayank Yadav and Prasidh Krishna were named as travelling reserves in the squad, also underlining the prioritised place for these young players in the long-term Indian scheme of things.
Both Nitish and Mayank have been impressive in their maiden outing for India during the ongoing three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.
India’s squad for the New Zealand Test series: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Sports
Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: Australia On Brink Of Semifinals After Dominant Win Over Pakistan
Australia beat Pakistan by 9 wickets.© X/@T20WorldCup
Defending champions Australia delivered a commanding performance to bowl out Pakistan for 82 and then cruised to a nine-wicket victory, virtually sealing a spot in the women’s T20 World Cup semifinals in Dubai on Friday. Playing without their captain Fatima Sana, who returned home following her father’s death, Pakistan struggled and were dismissed in 19.5 overs after Alyssa Healy opted to bowl. Healy led Australia’s chase with a 23-ball 37 (5×4) before retiring hurt due to cramps while running between the wickets.
Ellyse Perry (22 not out) and Ashleigh Gardner (7 not out) then overhauled the target with nine overs to spare.
With three wins in as many matches, the six-time champions have a commanding NRR of 2.786, virtually sealing their record-extending ninth semifinal appearance.
For Pakistan, this was their second loss from three matches. Only four batters reached double-digit figures, with No. 6 Aliya Riaz top-scoring with 26. The team managed just four boundaries, reflecting their lack of attacking intent.
Australia also faced an early blow when pacer Tayla Vlaeminck sustained a shoulder injury on the field.
However, their attack remained sharp, led by Ashleigh Gardner’s brilliant 4/21. Georgia Wareham (2/16) and Annabel Sutherland (2/15) also chipped in.
Megan Schutt became the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20I history, surpassing Nida Dar, with her 1/7 in three overs.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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