London, Feb 28 (IANS) South Africa pacer Dane Paterson will join Middlesex for the first half of the 2025 County Championship campaign. Cape Town-born, Paterson, will join up with the club for pre-season training at Merchant Taylors’ School and will remain with the side for the opening seven matches of the competition.
Dubai, Jan 24 (IANS) A late blitzkrieg by Dasun Shanaka was instrumental in helping the Dubai Capitals register a comprehensive win against the Gulf Giants in the ILT20 Season 3 at the Dubai International Stadium, here on Thursday evening. The Dubai Capitals won by five wickets and eight deliveries to spare as Shanaka threw the kitchen sink at the Gulf Giants, to seal an important win.
Asked to bat first, the Gulf Giants’ skipper James Vince looked to attack from the get-go. At the other end though, Obed McCoy gave the Dubai Capitals their first wicket, as he dismissed Ibrahim Zadran for three. Vince, who hit four boundaries in his 24, was joined by Jordan Cox and kept the scoreboard moving for the Gulf Giants. Just before the end of the powerplay, Vince was dismissed, and early in the seventh over, Tom Alsop was knocked over for two by Zahir Khan. From then on, Cox took charge and had good support from Gerhard Erasmus.
Even though the Dubai Capitals kept things tight, Cox and Erasmus rebuilt and put on a 69-run stand to give the Giants some momentum in the final phase of the innings. Erasmus though departed for 29, and shortly after, Cox completed his half-century and now had the big-hitting Shimron Hetmyer for company.
Hetmyer and Cox were looking to score quickly, but the Dubai Capitals’ bowling kept them firmly in check. In the final over of the innings, Cox was run out for a well-made 70, which helped the Gulf Giants post a competitive 153/5 in 20 overs. Hetmyer remained unbeaten on 17.
In response, Ben Dunk and Shai Hope started steadily and were looking to set up the platform for the chase for the Dubai Capitals. Dunk though could not bat long and fell for 10, and Khalid Shah added 10 more to the cause, both falling as they looked to go long, which gave the Gulf Giants the advantage, momentarily.
Gulbadin Naib joined Hope after that, and the duo found the gaps well, picking up a series of important boundaries as the Dubai Capitals fought back. Gulbadin though was the next to depart for 17 as Aayan Khan picked up his second wicket. Najibullah Zadran could not stick around for too long and was back in the hut for seven, bringing captain Sikandar Raza to the middle, alongside Hope.
Raza and Hope put on 33 runs together, which steadied the ship. The Dubai Capitals needed a strong partnership, and Hope along with Raza were able to set up the platform for the big launch in the final overs.
Hope was packed off for 47 by Blessing Muzarabani, who conceded 18 runs in the over as Dasun Shanaka started in fifth gear. Shanaka continued his attack on the Gulf Giants bowling right through and finished off the contest with two sixes, a boundary, and a single in the 19th over. Shanaka finished unbeaten on 34 off 10 deliveries while Raza had 26 from 15.
Brief scores:
Gulf Giants 153/5 in 20 overs (Jordan Cox 70, Gerhard Erasmus 29, Dushmantha Chameera 1-31) lost to Dubai Capitals 154/5 in 18.4 overs (Shai Hope 47, Dasun Shanaka 34 not out; Aayan Khan 2-23)
–IANS
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Mumbai, Feb 2 (IANS) Abhishek Sharma smashed records galore, posting the second-fasted fifty and hundred, whilst recording the highest score of 135 for India in T20I as they thrashed England by 150 runs in the fifth and final match to seal a 4-1 triumph in the five-match series at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.
It was Super Sunday all along for India as they posted a massive score of 247/9 in 20 overs and then bundled out England for 97 in 10.3 overs to win the match by 150 runs with 57 balls, romping to their second-biggest victory by a run margin after the 168-run triumph against New Zealand at Ahmedabad two years back.
Hitting some sensational shots all around the ground, opener Abhishek Sharma blazed to the second-fastest century, only behind Rohit Sharma, by an Indian off 37 balls as his aggressive batting helped India post a massive 247/9 against England in the fifth and final T20I of the series at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.
Abhishek hammered the second-fastest fifty (17 balls) and second-fastest century (37 balls) during a majestic 135 off 54 balls, treating every England bowler with disdain; pulling, hoicking, reversing and driving with aplomb as he struck seven boundaries and 13 scintillating sixes in one of the best knocks by an Indian batter in bilateral T20 cricket in recent times.
In reply, England fell to some brilliant bowling by Mohammed Shami, who came into the playing XI in place of Arshdeep Singh, and bagged 3-25 while the Indian slow-bowlers and the scoreboard pressure too contributed to their downfall as the visitors crashed to 97 all out in 10.3 overs, losing by 150 runs with 57 balls to spare.
Phil Salt raced to a 23-ball 55 but the rest of the England batters failed to click with Ben Duckett (0), Jos Buttler (7), Harry Brook (2), Liam Livingstone (9), Brydon Carse (3) and Jamie Overton (1) departed for single-digit scores as England slumped to 96/8 in the 10th over. The contrast in both innings were stark as India were 142/3 at the same stage earlier in the evening.
Mohammed Shami started England’s downfall by getting Duckett to drive to Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi packed off Buttler and Brook as England slumped to 59/3. Abhishek Sharma (2-3 in one over) and Shivam Dube (2-11), whose substitution for concussion in the previous match had triggered a controversy, claimed a couple of wickets each and England’s troubles mounted. It was an embarrassing collapse as none of the England batters barring Salt could do anything.
It was an abject surrender by the England batters as only Salt and Jacob Bathell (10) reached double figures as the visitors sumped to an embarrassing defeat with 57 balls to spare. Shami completed their misery with the final two wickets off successive balls in the 11th over
Abhishek Sharma was adjudged the Player of the Match for his sensational knock while Varun Chakravarthy bagged the Player of Tournament award for his brilliant bowling throughout the series.
England skipper Jos Butter had opted to bowl first hoping to exploit the assistance bowlers usually get at the Wankhede but that not materialise as Abhishek came out with all guns blazing. Their expectations of the dew hampering the Indian bowlers too did not materialise as India ended their chase in quick time.
Though India lost Sanju Samson (16) cheaply after he started the match with a bang by pulling Jofra Archer for a six off the first ball of the first over and repeating the act on the fifth delivery; Abhishek raised 115 runs for the second wicket partnership with Tilak Varma.
Archer’s bad day continued as Abhishek Sharma first smashed him to the extra-cover fence and then cut and cover-drove him in the point region for back-to-back sixes. Archer’s two overs cost 34 runs.
The left-handed Abhishek went hammer and tongs at Mark Wood and Jamie Overton and also mauled other bowlers, hitting Wood for two fours and a six in the fourth over, hammered back-to-back sixes off the first two deliveries by Overton as he raced to his fifty off 17 balls, the second fastest for India in T20Is after Yuvraj Singh’s 12-ball blitz against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup in Durban. India were 95/1 at the end of six overs, posting their highest-ever score in Powerplay in T20Is.
Abhishek and Tilak Varma reached 100 runs in the second wicket partnership off 36 balls, with Abhishek contributing 80 and Varma 23. Varma (23 off 15) fell soon after, caught behind by Phil Salt off Brydon Carse. But their 115-4un partnership has already put India on course for a big total.
Abhishek, who continued to hammer the English bowlers, reached his hundred off 37 balls, hitting five fours and 10 sixes. He missed by two balls the fastest century in T20Is in a match involving two full members, shared by David Miller and Rohit Sharma. Rohit had blazed to a hundred off 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Though skipper Suryakumar Yadav (2) fell cheaply Abhishek got good company in Shivam Dube, who was substituted after suffering a concussion in the previous match. Dube played a pull and short-arm hook for back-to-back four and six off Archer and then handed the same treatment to Overton in the 13th over as India reached 178/3. He blasted 30 off 13 balls before being caught by Rashid off Carse. Hardik Pandya (9) and Rinku Singh (9) were out cheaply as India reached 200 runs in the 16th over.
Abhishek, who had slowed down a bit into his 90s, unshackled himself again in the last five overs, hitting Carse for a four and six and Adil Rashid to two sixes before he was caught by Archer off Rashid, reaching out to hit a wrong’un and slicing it to sweeper cover. India were 237/7 in the 18th over and India finished close to 250 thanks to a couple of boundaries by Axar Patel (15).
Brief scores:
India 247/9 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 135, Shivam Dube 30; Brydon Carse 3-38; Mark Wood 2-32) beat England 97 all out in 10.3 overs (Phil Salt 55; Mohd Shami 3-25, Varun Chakravarthy 2-25, Shivam Dube 2-11, Abhishek Sharma 2-3) by 150 runs.
–IANS
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Pune, Feb 19 (IANS) Indian pairs progressed to the doubles quarterfinals, while eighth seeded Alexis Galrneau of Canada, unseeded players Valentin Vacherot of Monaco and Czech Republic’s Dalibor Svrcina progressed to the singles quarterfinals at the Maha Open ATP Challenger 100 Men’s Tennis Championship at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium.
In the doubles, top seeded Indian pair of Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth came back from 3-5 down to get past the Danish pair of August Holmgren and Elmer Moller 6-3, 7-6 (7) to enter the quarterfinals. They will take on another Indian pair of Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan, who registered a 6-0, 6-4 win over the Belgian duo of Michael Geerts and Britian’s Billy Harris 6-0, 6-4.
Finalist of the last week in Delhi, Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha and Zimbabwe’s Courtney John Lock combined well to get past Canadians Alexis Galarneau and Kelsey Stevenson, winning 6-4,7-6(1) to make the quarterfinals.
In the singles second round eighth seeded Alexis Galarneau of Canada stopped Wildcard Michael Geerts of Belgium 6-4, 6-4 , the winner of the last edition of the event Valentin Vacherot of Monaco ended the run of Japanese qualifier Masamichi Imamura 6-2, 6-3 in just over an hour to enter the last eight stage .
Czech Republic’s Dalibor Svrcina rallied past Jurij Rodionov of Austria, winning 6-4, 7-5. Meanwhile, qualifier Ilia Simakin of Russia proved too strong for Australia’s James McCabe, prevailing 6-2, 6-4 to make it to the quarterfinals.
However, other Indians in action including wildcards Siddhant Banthia, Parikshit Somani, Karan Singh and Nitin Kumar Sinha fell short. In a upset in the doubles Russians Petr Bar Biryukov and Ilia Simakin upset third seeds Aniruddha Chandrashekar and Taipei’s Ray Ho, pulling off a 7-6 (3), 6 (5)-7, 10-4 win.
Results: Main Draw: Second Round:
Valentin Vacherot (MON) bt [Q] Masamichi Imamura (JPN)6-2, 6-3;
[8] Alexis Galarneau (CAN)bt [Q] Michael Geerts (BEL) 6-4, 6-4
Dalibor Svrcina (CZE) bt Jurij Rodionov (AUT) 6-4, 7-5;
[Q] Ilia Simakin bt James McCabe (AUS)6-2, 6-4;
Doubles: First Round:
[1] Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (IND) /Vijay Sundar Prashanth (IND) bt August Holmgren/Elmer Moller (DEN) 6-3, 7-6(7);
[2] Blake Bayldon (AUS) / Matthew Christopher Romios (AUS) bt [Wc] Siddhant Banthia (IND) / Parikshit Somani (IND)6-2, 6-4;
Enrico Dalla Valle (ITA) / Khumoyun Sultanov (UZB) bt [Wc] Karan Singh / Nitin Kumar Sinha (IND) 6-2, 6-2;
Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha (IND) / Courtney John Lock (ZIM) bt Alexis Galarneau / Kelsey Stevenson (CAN) 6-4,7-6(1)
[4] Blake Ellis / Tristan Schoolkate (AUS) bt Johannes Ingildsen (DEN) / Ivan Liutarevich (Rus) 6-3, 6-4;
Saketh Myneni / Ramkumar Ramanathan (Ind) bt Michael Geerts (BEL) / Billy Harris (GBR) 6-0, 6-4.
PetrBar Biryukov /Ilia Simakin (Rus) bt (3) Aniruddha Chandrashekar(Ind)/ Ray Ho (Tpe) 7-6(3), 6(5)-7, 10-4
–IANS
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