PROVIDENCE, Guyana: Left-arm spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel took three wickets apiece as India thrashed defending champions England by 68 runs in Guyana on Thursday to set up a T20 World Cup final against South Africa.
England, set a challenging target of 172, slumped to 103 all out inside 17 overs, wrist spinner Kuldeep finishing with figures of 3-19 and the orthodox Patel 3-23.
India, bidding for their first major title since the 2013 Champions Trophy, will now play South Africa — also unbeaten at this tournament after a nine-wicket hammering of Afghanistan in their semifinal — in Saturday’s final in Barbados.
The Kensington Oval clash will also be India’s second appearance in successive global showpiece games after they lost on home soil to Australia in last year’s 50-over World Cup final.
“It’s very satisfying to win this game,” said India skipper Rohit Sharma after his team gained revenge for a humiliating 10-wicket loss to England in the semifinals of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
“We worked really hard as a unit. To win like that was a great effort from everybody.”
Rohit laid the foundations by top-scoring with 57 in a total of 171-7 after his side were somewhat surprisingly sent into bat by England skipper Jos Buttler.
It was the opener’s third fifty of the tournament and second in as many games following his blistering 92 against Australia.
India were 40-2 in the powerplay after Virat Kohli (nine) and Rishabh Pant (four) both fell cheaply.
But a third-wicket stand of 73 between Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav (47), spanning a rain delay of over an hour, turned the tide.
Patel, the player of the match, said: “I knew that the wicket was stopping and had something for the bowlers...Our batters told us the pitch wasn’t easy to hit the ball. We felt it (171) was a good total.”
Defeat meant the only Test side that England had beaten at this event were co-hosts the West Indies, with the title-holders also losing to Australia and South Africa.
“India outplayed us, certainly,” said Buttler. “We let them maybe get 20-25 too many (runs) on a challenging surface that they played well on. They fully deserved to win.
“They’ve got some fantastic spinners. Our two (Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone) bowled well but in hindsight, probably should’ve bowled Moeen (Ali) in our innings with the way spin was playing.
“But with a good score and their brilliant bowling attack, it was always going to be a tough chase.
Buttler launched England’s reply with a brisk 23. When he attempted to reverse sweep Patel’s first ball, however, he clipped a gentle catch off the toe-end of the bat to wicketkeeper Pant.
Fellow opener Phil Salt was then clean bowled by Jasprit Bumrah’s well-disguised slower ball.
England then saw 34-2 become 35-3 when Patel bowled dangerman Jonny Bairstow for a duck.
Moeen was then stumped by Pant and when Sam Curran was lbw to Kuldeep, England were in dire straits at 49-5 in the ninth over.
Wickets continued to tumble and when Livingstone, the last of England’s specialist batsmen, was run out for 11 after a dreadful mix-up with Jofra Archer, England were all but beaten at 86-8.
Archer struck a couple of defiant sixes but Bumrah ended the match when he had the England paceman lbw for 21 with a low full toss.
India hammer England to book T20 World Cup final with South Africa
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India hammer England to book T20 World Cup final with South Africa
Coach Edwards set to introduce minimum fitness standard for England players
- Former batter Edwards, who captained England in more than 200 matches, replaced coach Jon Lewis last month amid England’s efforts to revive their form ahead of this year’s 50-over World Cup in India
England coach Charlotte Edwards is rolling out a “minimum fitness standard” and calling for more accountability in the area from players after a 16-0 whitewash in the multi-format Women’s Ashes earlier this year.
Former batter Edwards, who captained England in more than 200 matches, replaced coach Jon Lewis last month amid England’s efforts to revive their form ahead of this year’s 50-over World Cup in India.
“The players are very aware there will be minimum fitness standards come this time next year... there has to be more accountability in the area,” Edwards said on Tuesday, a day before her first match as England coach.
“Before the World Cup it is about individuals improving as much as they can in that time... I am not going to set fitness standards (now) because there haven’t been any standards in place.”
Edwards said the players had spent the last few weeks working hard to improve their fielding, an aspect of the game that came under heavy criticism during their dismal Ashes campaign.
“Physically they are in a really good place as well and we have some great fielders within our T20 squad. It’s a big part of the game and we know that,” Edwards added.
England host West Indies in three T20 matches and three One-Day Internationals between May 21-June 7, with India visiting for a limited-overs tour later next month.
Thailand win ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier
- Thailand beat Nepal by 78 runs in the final match of the Super 3 stage of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier
The final match of the Super 3 stage of the ICC Asia Women’s T20 Qualifier for the 2026 World Cup saw Thailand face Nepal on May 20th in Bangkok. Both teams had already progressed to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier by virtue of defeating the UAE in the Super Three stage. Therefore, the prize was to become overall winners of the tournament.
Prior to the match, Indu Barma, the captain of Nepal, talked of Nepal’s long journey, stretching back 17 years. She noted that reaching the Global Qualifier will represent their first time of playing on the world stage.
In December 2008, Nepal played in the Asia Cricket Council’s (ACC) U19 Women’s Championship held in Chiang Mai, where the team won every match, including victories over Thailand in the semifinals and Malaysia in the final. It looked as though Nepal was about to dominate associate women’s cricket in Asia.
It was not to be, largely because Thailand won the 2013 ACC Women’s Championship in Chiang Mai, thereby qualifying for the Global Qualifier for the first time, traveling to Ireland later that year. Since then, Thailand has played in each Qualifier, even making it to the T20 World Cup held in Australia in 2020.
Over that time, the UAE has made steady progress, reaching three global qualifiers. Defeats to both Thailand and Nepal in Bangkok have put an end to hopes of a reaching fourth and is a real setback for them. They were well beaten in both matches of the Super 3.
In the first match, Thailand scored 144 for 5 in 20 overs. Nattaya Boochatham laid the base with a patient 49, whilst Natthakan Chantham hit powerfully to post an unbeaten 46 from 20 balls. Nannapat Khonchaeronkai gave further impetus to the innings with 39, Thailand scored 98 in the second half of the innings.
UAE lost wickets from the start, falling to 39 for four in the ninth over. Heena Hotchandani’s 32 took UAE to 90 for 5 in 20 overs, 54 runs short, as Thipatcha Putthawong claimed 2 for 27.
In the second match, the following day, Nepal asked UAE to bat first. Esha Oza made sure UAE preserved their wickets in the first half of the innings, a sound strategy at this level, but she was out at the crucial time for a run a ball thirty-nine, as left-arm spinner, Manisha Upadhayay, took the first of her four wickets.
A total of 114 for 7 looked to be a little light, especially as the UAE’s bowlers fought hard to reduce Nepal to 62 for 4 in the 13th over. Then, Rubina Chhetry, who has played throughout the last seventeen years, joined the current captain, Indu Barna. In a determined partnership, as rain threatened to fall, their experience guided Nepal to 99 for six, when Chhetry was out. It was left to Barma to guide the team to a five-wicket win with only three deliveries to spare.
Nepal’s delight was the UAE’s heartbreak. The only question which remained in the tournament was could Nepal also beat the powerful Thailand side that had been dominant for the past decade and more?
Nattaya Boochatham has been one of the players at the heart of Thailand’s success with both bat and ball. Younger players, such as her opening partner, Aphisara Suwanchonrathi, are being introduced. She helped Thailand reach 34 in the powerplay as they again tried to establish a solid base. It was not until the thirteenth over that Aphisara was out for 29 in an opening partnership of 75.
Boochatham reached her second fifty in T20Is from 40 balls and Nannapat Khoncharoenkai started well as Thailand were 98 for 1 off fifteen overs. Khonchcharoenkai hit a trio of boundaries before Boochatham was caught at deep mid-wicket, Thailand losing a second wicket on 111.
Twelve runs were added in the 17th and 18th overs. Khoncharoenkai hit another pair of boundaries in the 19th over to move on to 48 and, after Natthakan Chantam hit two fours, Khoncharoenkai reached her seventh T20I fifty in 28 balls. The final total was 158 for 2, which is Thailand’s third best in T20Is.
Although eleven runs were scored off the first over, Nepal never got to grips with the chase, falling to 16 for 2 after four overs. This situation worsened when Onnicha Kamchomphu bowled the Nepal captain, Indu Barna. A score of 30 for three became 34 for four and 54 for five after fifteen overs. In the nineteenth over, Kamchomphu broke the back of Nepal’s innings with a hat-trick, culminating in impressive figures of four for eleven in four overs. Despite resistance from Rubina Chhetry, Nepal scored only 80 for the loss of nine wickets after 20 overs.
Throughout the tournament Thailand reasserted its superiority. Nannapat Khoncharoenkai was named player of the match for her brilliant fifty and she also won the player of the tournament award. Thiphatcha Putthawong was given the bowler of the tournament award with eight wickets and Esha Osha was awarded the batter of the tournament award with 175 runs.
Osha was disappointed with her dismissal in the match against Nepal, as a few more runs scored by the UAE may have been too many for Nepal to chase successfully. She felt the loss to Nepal had wasted two years of cricket for the UAE. This is likely to be only a temporary setback. Nepal’s never give up attitude should be a lesson to all.
UAE will have ODI cricket to look forward to for the first time. The countries ranked between twelve and sixteen at this level in the world rankings all want to play 50-over cricket and the UAE will have further opportunities to play more competitive T20 cricket as well. Osha is a fine player at this level and should be able to lead UAE to renewed success in women’s cricket. There is much to look forward to for each of the Super 3 teams.
Abhishek blitz knocks Lucknow out of IPL playoff race
- Lucknow became the fifth team to bow out of the playoff contention leaving five-time champions Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals to battle for one remaining spot
- Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are already through to the playoffs starting May 29
LUCKNOW, India: Opener Abhishek Sharma struck 59 off 20 balls as Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets on Monday to end their opponents’ chances of reaching the IPL playoffs.
Chasing 206 for victory, Abhishek set up the chase with his blitz laced with four fours and six sixes as Hyderabad achieved the target with 10 balls to spare in Lucknow.
Abhishek departed in the eighth over before Heinrich Klaasen, who hit 47, and Kamindu Mendis, who retired hurt on 32, guided the team to the brink of victory with their fourth-wicket partnership of 55.
Lucknow became the fifth team to bow out of the playoff contention leaving five-time champions Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals to battle for one remaining spot.
“Definitely it could have been one of our best seasons but coming into the tournament we had a lot of gaps, injuries,” said disappointed Lucknow skipper Rishabh Pant.
“As a team we decided to not talk about that but it became difficult to fill those gaps.”
Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are already through to the playoffs starting May 29.
It was a consolation win for Hyderabad, who were already out of the playoffs although captain Pat Cummins said the win “gives (us) a lot of confidence for next year.”
The left-handed Abhishek took on the attack after he lost his opening partner Atharva Taide, who became New Zealand quick Will O’Rourke’s first wicket on his IPL debut.
Abhishek hit five sixes, including three in succession off Ravi Bishnoi, to reach his fifty in 18 balls and followed it up with another hit over the fence.
Leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi cut short Abhishek’s knock and Hyderabad lost another left-hander Ishan Kishan on 35 before South Africa’s Klaasen and Sri Lankan left-hander Mendis controlled the chase.
Shardul Thakur denied Klaasen his fifty and Mendis hobbled off with a foot injury before Nitish Reddy and Aniket Verma sealed the win.
Earlier Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram laid the foundations for Lucknow’s 205-7 in their opening stand of 115.
Marsh top-scored with 65 in a knock laced with six fours and four sixes and Markram hit 61 before Nicholas Pooran contributed with his 26-ball 45 to boost the total.
The rest of the batters failed to get into double figures including another flop for Pant, who fell caught and bowled for seven off Sri Lanka seam bowler Eshan Malinga.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Pant has failed to fire since Lucknow splashed a record $3.21 million on him at the November auction, scoring just 135 runs from 11 innings this IPL season.
Lucknow pace bowlers including Avesh Khan and Mayank Yadav struggled with injuries leading into the tournament and during the season as well.
Malinga stood out with figures of 2-28 in his four overs.
Pooran missed out on his fifty in an attempt to steal a single in the 20th over which witnessed two run outs and another wicket.
The IPL is into its final phase and restarted Saturday after it was paused due to a conflict between India and Pakistan.
Since the pause in the IPL, the tournament has been rescheduled with the final now set to take place on June 3.
Thailand, UAE and Nepal into Super Three of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualifiers
- Up for grabs are two places in the global qualifier, the next stage of qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup to be held in England
THAILAND: Women’s cricket is developing fast in Asia.
Nine teams, divided into three groups, started the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia qualifier in Bangkok on May 9. On Sunday, May 18, UAE Women will face Thailand Women in the first match in the Super Three phase. This involves the three group winners, Thailand, UAE and Nepal, playing off for the prize of two places in the global qualifier, the next stage of qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup to be held in England.
At the outset of this qualifying event, Mohideen Kader, CEO of the Cricket Association of Thailand, welcomed the competing teams to the Land of Smiles. The ICC has chosen Bangkok to host Asian qualifier events for the Women’s T20 World Cup on several occasions in the past.
This reflects Thailand Women’s dominance of Asian cricket at this level over the past decade and more. Its team has reached the main ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualifier on every occasion since 2013 when the squad traveled to Ireland. In 2020, the team qualified for the main Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia by reaching the final of the previous qualifier held in Scotland.
The current team faces strong opposition from UAE Women, who are the defending champions of the Asia qualifier, as they beat Thailand in the final of the last event held in Malaysia. This was in September 2023, the UAE winning by six runs, when they defended a total of 70 in a match dominated by the bowlers. The UAE also has a good overall record in this tournament, having reached the global qualifier three times since 2018.
Additionally, the UAE beat Thailand in the semifinals of the ACC Premier Cup, also held in Malaysia in February, when a remarkable 16 Asian teams played to qualify for the Women’s Asia Cup. The four group winners were UAE, Malaysia, Thailand and Nepal with UAE beating Thailand and Malaysia overcoming Nepal.
The current tournament introduced an exciting new format of three groups of three teams. Top seeded Thailand was drawn with Kuwait and Bhutan in Group A. UAE faced the improving Malaysians and Qatar in Group B, while Nepal took on Hong Kong, China, and Bahrain in Group C. Prior to the tournament, Thailand looked to be too strong in Group A, Malaysia looked like they might surprise the UAE in Group B, whilst Nepal and Hong Kong, China, in Group C, were only separated by one place in the world rankings, so posing a difficult outcome to predict.
Unfortunately, the first week of the tournament was badly affected by rain. Sixteen out of the 18 group matches were either abandoned or played over a shortened format. This has led to final placings which may well have been different had all matches been played to conclusion. Thailand managed to qualify from Group A even though two of their matches were rained off, while UAE won Group B, also with two wins and two no results.
The fear of rain also brought some notoriety to the tournament. The UAE coach, Ahmed Raza, brought a halt to his team’s innings after 16 overs by instructing 10 of his players to retire out in quick succession. The score had been on 192 for no wicket after Esha Oza had scored a brilliant hundred in partnership with T Sathish. However, rain was threatening and the UAE wanted to ensure that the match against Qatar was completed. The time saved by closing the innings early, enabled the UAE the chance to bowl out Qatar for 29 in 11 overs.
Group C was the last one to be decided on May 16. Hong Kong, China, seemed to have gained the advantage when they beat Nepal in a five-over match after the teams’ earlier encounter had been abandoned. It was not to be, as Nepal managed to beat Bahrain twice. As a result, both Nepal and Hong Kong, China, had five points. Crucially, Nepal had two wins compared with Hong Kong, China’s single victory, which meant they joined Thailand and UAE as group winners in the Super Three.
The matches will be played on May 18, 19 and 20 with the points from the earlier stage carried forward. Thailand and the UAE have six each and Nepal, five. The UAE has a slight advantage, courtesy of an impressive net run-rate. Thailand will play the UAE on Sunday, UAE face Nepal on Monday and Thailand play Nepal on Tuesday. The two successful teams will progress to compete against teams from the other regional qualifiers and the lower ranked teams who played in the previous Women’s T20 World Cup, held in 2024 in the UAE.
It has been evident during the tournament that several teams from the Gulf region are improving. Bahrain, fresh from playing a series against Oman, pushed Nepal hard in both matches, Kuwait and Bhutan generated a wonderful match which displayed the best in women’s cricket at this development level. Bhutan won with two wickets in hand and four deliveries remaining. Kuwait has three or four players girls who have been visiting Thailand for more than a decade for various tournaments. Bahrain and Kuwait have expressed their wish to play regular international cricket with the other Gulf nations.
Given that the UAE women’s team gained ODI status earlier this month, there could be regular women’s ODIs played in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. There is a real possibility that the UAE could eventually qualify for the next Women’s T20 World Cup and even the 50-over version in the future.
Back on the pitch: Pakistan Super League resumes after conflict-forced suspension
- The Indian Premier League, also suspended due to the outbreak between the countries, will also resume this weekend
- PSL organizers first proposed moving the tournament to Dubai but later decided to postpone it after foreign players were reluctant to participate in the tournament due to security concerns
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s premier Twenty20 cricket tournament resumes Saturday after a ceasefire between India and Pakistan was achieved. There will be a handful of foreign players returning for the remaining eight games.
The Pakistan Super League was suspended on May 9 but last weekend Pakistan and India agreed to a ceasefire after talks to defuse their most serious military confrontation in decades.
The Indian Premier League, also suspended due to the outbreak between the countries, will also resume this weekend.
PSL organizers first proposed moving the tournament to Dubai but later decided to postpone it after foreign players were reluctant to participate in the tournament due to security concerns. Around 43 foreign cricketers — competing on six PSL teams — were flown out of Pakistan from an air base in Rawalpindi.
Rawalpindi will host the remaining four league matches between May 17-19 before Lahore hosts the playoffs from May 21, including the final at Qaddafi Stadium on May 25.
Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikander Raza is among some of foreign players who have returned to Pakistan. Raza, who plays for Lahore Qalandars, is available for Lahore’s crucial last league game against Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday before he flies to England for test duty starting next week.
Raza will not be available for Lahore if the two-time champions qualify for the playoffs due to his test commitments.
He said that if the PSL resumed, he planned to return to Pakistan, even for just one match.
“I was very clear in my head that I was always going to go back,” Raza told The Associated Press as he trained with his teammates at Islamabad Club ground on Thursday.
“This PSL is not just about winning a trophy, there’s a lot more to it. All the overseas (players) that have come back, whether they’re in Pakistan or India, I think credit must be given to them because cricket unites and the whole purpose of sports all around the world is to unite cultures, countries.”
Lahore will also have Sri Lanka batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for its must-win last league game against the Babar Azam-led Peshawar side after Tom Curran and Daryl Mitchel were ruled out due to injuries.
Raza said it was tough for the families of all the players living abroad after there was escalation at the borders.
“Whether it’s Pakistan or India, what happened was tough for everybody,” Raza said. “Sometimes when you’re on the ground, things may not be as bad, but (for) people back home watching TV, sometimes it’s very hard to control what media tells you.”
Lahore team director Sameen Rana said it was important that the PSL returns to finish the season.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty and the conditions which were happening on the ground was not the best, it’s unfortunate,” Rana said. “But from our perspective . . . the important thing is that the PSL is resuming, and that’s what matters.”
Defending champions Islamabad United has brought in Alex Hales of England and Rassie van Dussen of South Africa after initially picking both of them in the supplementary draft while Ben Dwarshuis of Australia is flying back to rejoin the team.
Islamabad, the three-time PSL champions, won five games in a row at the start of the season before four successive defeats.
Finn Allen of New Zealand and Rilee Rossouw of South Africa are rejoining first-place Quetta Gladiators, who have 13 points, three points ahead of Karachi and Islamabad.
Karachi is expecting to have its captain David Warner back from Australia in time to lead the team against Peshawar on Saturday.
