Sports

Lahore, Oct 3 (IANS) The Pakistan cricket team led by skipper Babar Azam left for New Zealand for the T20I tri-series involving the hosts and Bangladesh on Sunday night, with fans expressing mixed feelings following their 4-3 T20I series loss to England at the Gaddafi Stadium just hours before their departure.

Pakistan will play their opening match of the New Zealand tri-series against Bangladesh at Christchurch on October 7, followed by a match against the Black Caps the next day at the same venue.

However, Pakistani fans took to social media to express their displeasure the moment the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted images of the team's departure hours after the team's series loss to England.

England thrashed the hosts by 67 runs to take the seven-match T20I series 4-3, dealing a huge blow to the morale of Babar Azam's side ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia from October 16.

"Pakistan team departs for the T20I tri-series in New Zealand. #NZvPAK #PAKvBAN," tweeted PCB, to which a fan wrote, "Babar azam captaincy is concerning. NZ are currently favourites to win the series."

Another fan tweeted, "Losing against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup twice including final. Almost lost against Afghanistan. Lost the series against England on our home soil but still we feel that our team is best team In world," tweeted another fan.

Pakistan's fortunes in the T20 World Cup will depend on the opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan firing and pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi being fully fit for the showpiece event.

Pakistan had reached the semifinal in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in the UAE before losing to Australia.

--IANS

akm/

Guwahati, Oct 3 (IANS) The second T20I match between India and South Africa at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium yielded an aggregate of 458 runs. From the run-fest, India opener KL Rahul made an eye-pleasing 57 off 28 balls, laced with five fours and four sixes, to set the foundation for 237/3.

It was Suryakumar Yadav who brought out full carnage of 360 degree shots with a sizzling 61 off just 22 balls, helped by five fours and as many hits over the fence, to power India towards a mammoth score.

But Rahul expressed surprise over him getting the Player-of-the-Match award in India's 16-run win, which also clinched the series in their favour.

"I am surprised I am getting the Man-of-the-Match award, Surya should have gotten it. He changed the game. Having batted in the middle order, I have realised that it is difficult. DK doesn't always get too many balls to face, and he was phenomenal, and so were Surya and Virat," said Rahul in the post-match presentation ceremony.

In the last match against the Proteas at Thiruvananthapuram, Rahul had to hang around for making an unbeaten 51 off 56 balls. But in Guwahati, he was at his attacking best and taking the bowlers to the cleaners.

"It is important as an opener to understand what is required on a day and give it your best. It is the mindset I have always played in and will continue to do the same. Satisfying to test yourself in different conditions.

"The back-foot punch off the first ball set me up. When I play both sides of the wicket, I know my balance is good. It tells me my head is stable," added Rahul.

Rahul admitted that during the 96-run opening stand, he and Rohit were looking at a total of around 180-185, but it went above that.

"Quite honestly, after the first two overs, the chat between me and Rohit was that the pitch was gripping. We thought 180-185 would be a good target. But the game surprises us.

"The crowds always turn up in India. It has been a while since cricket has been played in full stadiums. Phenomenal to see."

Suryakumar, on the other hand, said it was important for him to maintain the tempo which Rahul and Rohit had set in the fiery start for India.

"We were batting first, so it was very clear that I had to keep the tempo that was set by Rahul and Rohit and I just went and enjoyed myself.

"He (David Miller) batted beautifully (for his 106) and I loved it. You just have to be planning really well when you are having the practice sessions (to second-guessing the bowlers). I didn't think of any score as par, just wanted to bat as deep as possible and get as many runs."


--IANS

nr/akm

Guwahati, Oct 3 (IANS) Though India eventually prevailed over South Africa in a run-fest to win the second T20I by 16 runs and take an unassailable 2-0 lead, skipper Rohit Sharma feels that death overs will continue to be an area where his side will be challenged with the bat as well as with the ball.

In a match yielding an aggregate of 458 runs at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, India's batters made 82/1 in the death overs with the bat, feasting on South Africa's ordinary bowling.

In response, the Indian bowlers also got some pasting from a whirlwind David Miller and Quinton de Kock, with Arshdeep Singh conceding 26 runs in the 19th over and Axar Patel giving away 20 runs in the final over.

However, it is to be noted that the bowlers struggled to grip the ball well in extremely humid conditions, where the humidity levels were as high as 94% during the match in Guwahati.

"Yes, there is a concern to be honest, as we have not bowled well at the death in the last five or six games. We are doing the same to the opposition as well. To bowl and bat at the death is very tough. That is where the game is decided."

"But that is the area where we will be challenged. We do it with the bat too. The expectations are high. It is not concerning, but we need to pick ourselves and get our act together," said Sharma in the post-match presentation ceremony.

One thing which really stood out for India was the collective effort with the bat as they continued with their high-attacking approach in the format. Opener K.L Rahul made an eye-pleasing 57 of 28 balls before Suryakumar Yadav brought to put on display his full repertoire of 360-degree shots for a sizzling 61 off just 22 balls. Skipper Sharma himself made 43 while Virat Kohli was unbeaten on 49 and Dinesh Karthik applied finishing touches with two sixes and a four in his 17 not out.

"It is something that all of came together for and said 'this is what we wanted to do as a team'. It might not come across at times, but we want to stick to it. What I have seen in the last 8-10 months is individuals putting their hand up and getting the job done for the team."

"In the recent past, the focus has been on each individual to come in and do the job, we've moved forward from there. Guys without too much experience did this as well. The team wants to play and bowl in a certain way and we want to give them that confidence," added Sharma.

Sharma signed off by jokingly saying that he's considering getting Suryakumar to skip matches till their T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan on October 23 at MCG. "I am thinking of not playing Surya anymore and play him directly on the 23rd. This is how his game is and we just want to keep him happy."

--IANS

nr/bsk

Manchester, Oct 2 (IANS) Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scored hat-tricks as defending champion Manchester City outplayed Manchester United 6-3 in the cross-town derby on Sunday to move up to the one-point behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League.

City produced a blistering performance to dismantle Manchester United to emerge winners in front of a packed Etihad crowd. Man City now have 20 points from eight matches while Chelsea lead the table with 21.

The champions were 4-0 ahead at half-time after two goals apiece from Foden and Haaland, as United struggled to cope with the pace of their arch-rivals.

Antony got one back for the visitors early in the second half with a fine curling effort.

But Haaland and Foden completed their trebles to put City 6-1 up before Anthony Martial's close-range header and late penalty reduced the deficit.

It was yet another brilliant performance for City at the Etihad and a memorable victory for its fans as United had for years dominated the local derby.

Pep Guardiola's City started on a positive note and were almost ahead inside four minutes with a trio of chances in the space of a few seconds.

Haaland's header towards goal was cleared off the line but only as far as De Bruyne, whose powerful drive was saved by an off-balance David De Gea, before Bernardo's effort on the rebound was blocked when the Portuguese midfielder looked certain to score.

But moments later City were ahead. They moved the ball brilliantly from right to left, Bernardo found some space in a wide area and crossed for Foden, who produced a quite brilliant first-time finish past De Gea.

The pace and precision of City's passing game overwhelmed United, who looked overawed and bereft of any answers.

City continued to attack. Ilkay Gundogan hit the outside of the post with a fine free-kick after the lively Jack Grealish had been fouled by Lisandro Martinez, before Foden flashed one wide of the upright after great work from Bernardo down our left.

Only some backs-to-the-wall defending from United kept City at bay. Grealish got past Diogo Dalot inside the area but his shot was blocked superbly by Martinez, and seconds later De Bruyne's dipping effort from distance was tipped over by De Gea.

From the resulting corner, City's lead was doubled when Haaland scored with a powerful downward header, netting his 15th goal in 11 games for City. The City No. 9 then bagged his second goal three minutes later, stretching out a leg at the back post to turn De Bruyne's excellent delivery into the net.

City got their fourth goal when De Bruyne burst forward from midfield and released Haaland, whose delivery to the back post was hammered home emphatically by Foden.

United got one back early in the second half when Antony produced a fine curling effort that flew past Ederson and into the far corner.

United's reprieve didn't last long, however. Haaland, inevitably, completed his hat-trick, smashing the ball into the roo' of the net from Sergio Gomez's low cross to make it 5-1.

Foden followed suit soon after when he fired home from Haaland's through-ball to make it 6-1 to complete his hat-trick before United substitute Anthony Martial scored a diving header from close range and a late penalty to give United some consolation.

--IANS

bsk

Guwahati, Oct 2 (IANS) David Miller hit a whirlwind second T20I century, but it went in vain as India clinched their first-ever T20I series win at home over South Africa with a 16-run victory in the second T20I at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday.

After the collective batting effort led by fifties from Suryakumar Yadav and K.L Rahul took India to 237/3, Miller hit an unbeaten, brilliant 106 off 47 balls, laced with eight fours and seven sixes, to also become the leading run-scorer for South Africa in T20Is.

He also shared a 174-run stand off 90 balls for the fourth wicket with Quinton de Kock (69 not out). But with de Kock struggling to break free early in the innings, South Africa fell short by 16 runs.

Arshdeep Singh had Temba Bavuma and Rilee Rossouw dismissed for successive ducks in his first over. While Bavuma was caught at mid-off, Rossouw's top-edge was taken by cover holding on to a juggling catch on the third attempt.

Aiden Markram stepped up to be the aggressor for South Africa, looking gorgeous in steering and punching through the off-side while pulling crisply through mid-wicket to take the visitors' to 45/2 in power-play.

His promising knock was cut short by Axar Patel, who got some dip to turn it away from Markram's attempted cover drive and hit the top of off-stump. From there, Axar and Ravichandran Ashwin continued to put a squeeze on the scoring and pushed the required run rate very high.

But Miller had other plans, taking successive boundaries off Harshal Patel. In the next over, he took two sixes off Ashwin before ending the over with a pulled four-through square leg. After lofting flat over long-off for six off Arshdeep Singh, Miller reached his fifty in 25 balls.

De Kock broke the shackles of finding the ideal timing by slamming Axar Patel for two sixes and a four on three successive deliveries. Miller continued to take a brace of fours off Harshal while de Kock's improved timing saw him get his fifty in 39 balls.

Miller then unleashed carnage on Arshdeep, hitting sixes over deep mid-wicket twice while nailing fours through backward point and bisecting long-on and deep mid-wicket to perfection to take 26 runs off the 19th over.

With India fielding with an extra fielder in the 30-yard circle in the final over, Miller hit back-to-back sixes over long-on and deep mid-wicket to get his century in 46 balls. De Kock finished the innings with a six over square leg, but it was not enough for South Africa to avoid conceding the series to India.

Brief scores: India 237/3 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 61, K.L Rahul 57; Keshav Maharaj 2/23) beat South Africa 221/3 in 20 overs (David Miller 106 not out, Quinton de Kock 69 not out; Arshdeep Sigh 2/62, Axar Patel 1/53) by 16 runs

--IANS

nr/bsk

Ahmedabad, Oct 2 (IANS) Hinaben Khalifa became only the second woman wrestler from Gujarat to clinch a National Games medal and the hosts also bagged the badminton mixed team bronze on a day when five Games Records were broken in the swimming pool.

Hinaben Khalifa had been training under the radar at the Gujarat government's Centre of Excellence in Nadiad but rose to the occasion to clinch a bronze medal in the women's 53 kg weight category.

She began her campaign with an easy win over Himachal Pradesh's Ritika and then won by technical superiority against Uttarakhand's Priyanka Sikarwar. She was, however, no match to eventual champion Antim Panghal of Haryana.

But Hinaben Khalifa regrouped herself in time for the bronze medal bout against Shivani. She took a 2-0 lead early into the contest and then bagged three successive points immediately after the breather. With hardly a minute left, Shivani did manage to get a point back but Khalifa stifled any further scoring opportunities to win 7-1.

"It would have been great to win gold in front of the home crowd. But unfortunately, it didn't turn out as expected. This is a great learning curve for me, and getting a bronze at the National Games will boost my confidence," said Hinaben Khalifa after the bout.

"The level of competition is really high in my weight category. Antim has been a world beater, Priyanshi is the top seed, it is a healthy competition and every wrestler has to put in a lot of effort to get past the other," she added.

However, there was heartbreak for Gujarat in the women's 57kg category as Bhavika Patel went down 4-6 against Sonali Mandlik of Maharashtra in the bronze medal play-off.

In Surat, Gujarat's badminton mixed team fought hard against second seeds Kerala in the semifinals but went down 1-3. However, the first-ever semifinals appearance assured them of a historic bronze.

Elsewhere, Aneesh S. Gowda announced his arrival as a bright prospect on the senior stage in a telling fashion, scripting a fairy-tale victory over the seasoned Sajan Prakash in the men's 200m Freestyle final in the National Games Aquatics competition at the Sardar Patel Aquatics Complex in Rajkot.

On a day that saw five National Games Records being rewritten in the pool, Aneesh Gowda's 1:51.88 was the standout effort. The Karnataka teenager, who won the event at the National Championships last month, showed nerves of steel and immaculate focus when squaring up against the Olympian.

Not to be left behind, track and field competitors also produced four National Games Records in five finals at IIT Gandhinagar on Sunday. Services high jumper Sarvesh Anil Kushare with a clearance of 2.27m and Uttar Pradesh's Usaid Khan who won the decathlon with 7121 points.

Yamandeep Sharma (Rajasthan) joined Usaid as the first two men to pass 7000 points in the National Games. The Haryana men's 4x400m relay quartet and the Tamil Nadu 4x400 squad were the others who came up with New National Games Records.

Commonwealth Games 2018 bronze medallist weightlifter Deepak Lather (Haryana) clinched men's 81kg gold after a keen battle with Services' star Ajay Singh at the Mahatma Mandir. Deepak took the top spot on the podium with total lifts of 315kg while Ajay Singh finished a mere 1kg behind, despite lifting two kilos more in Clean and Jerk.

On the opening day of hockey competitions, Sunelit Toppo scored the winner for Odisha in their 3-2 win against Uttar Pradesh in a women's Group A match at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in Rajkot. Favourites Haryana thumped novices Gujarat 30-1 in another match., Navneet Kaur and Neha leading the scoring with five goals each. For the hosts, Muskan Kureshi got a consolation goal in the 37th minute.

--IANS

bsk

Jodhpur, Oct 2 (IANS) The 2022 Legends League Cricket on Sunday witnessed an ugly fight between all-rounder Yusuf Pathan and Mitchell Johnson during the match between Bhilwara Kings and India Capitals at the Barkatullah Khan Stadium, here on Sunday.

The video of the incident is now getting viral on social media. In the video, Yusuf can be seen arguing with Johnson and then the pacer pushed him. Immediately, the umpire intervened and took Johnson to the other side.

Sources told IANS that the organisers are not at all happy with what happened and are planning to ban Johnson for a match as per ICC laws.

Meanwhile, the former New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor and West Indies star Ashley Nurse smashed blazing half-centuries to help India Capitals enter the final after beating Bhilwara Kings by four wickets.

Taylor struck a quick-fire 84 off 39 which included nine fours and five massive sixes while Nurse hit unbeaten 60. His 28-ball brilliant knock was laced with five fours and four sixes as India Capitals chased down the highest target of the season comfortably in the end with three balls to spare.

Despite Sunday's loss, Irfan Pathan-led Bhilwara Kings will get another shot at securing their berth in the final when they take on third-placed Gujarat Giants in the eliminator match at the same venue on Monday.

Final will be played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday.

--IANS
cs/inj

Guwahati, Oct 2 (IANS) Suryakumar Yadav and K.L Rahul were the stars in a collective commanding batting show in propelling India to a humongous 237/3 in their 20 overs of the second T20I against South Africa here on Sunday.

In front of a jam-packed crowd at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Rahul sizzled with an eye-pleasing 57 of 28 balls, before Suryakumar brought out full carnage of 360 degree shots to make 61 off just 22 balls.

Captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik played their parts well as India made merry and enthralled the fans by feasting on an ordinary bowling performance from South Africa, barring Keshav Maharaj's 2/23 in four overs.

India were off to a fiery start right from the word go when Rahul placed a length ball from Kagiso Rabada between backward point and cover for four. The aggression from India then upped in the fourth over when Rahul nonchalantly flicked off wrists to send a Wayne Parnell delivery over deep backward square leg for six.

On the very next ball, Rahul crisply brought out square drive off Parnell for four more, before Rohit glanced through fine leg to make it the second four of the over. Rohit and Rahul took a four each in the next two overs off Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj to end the power-play at 57/0.

Post power-play, Rahul thumped Anrich Nortje all around the park, smacking him for a brace of sixes and a four over the keeper's head. Rohit increased the thrashing by taking successive boundaries in the ninth over costing 21 runs. The 96-run opening stand was broken by Maharaj when Rohit dragged a slog-sweep to deep mid-wicket.

Rahul reached his fifty in 24 balls when he danced down the pitch to smack Aiden Markram over long-on for six and brought up India's hundred in the process. In the next over, Rahul missed the sweep on a skiddy delivery from Maharaj and was trapped lbw.

Suryakumar wept and cut through for fours in his first four balls to maintain the run-rate tempo. He then took Kagiso Rabada for cleaners in the 15th over - a flick off wrists went for six over deep square leg, followed by loft over long-off for four. A scoop-pull over fine leg for four was followed by a scooping a flick over fine leg for six to take 22 runs of the over.

Suryakumar's carnage continued when he slapped a full toss off Ngidi over deep mid-wicket for six and followed it up with a slice over third man for four. He brought up his fifty in 18 balls with a fantastic upper cut over backward point for six on a no-ball off Parnell.

Kohli joined the boundary hitting party with a six and two fours off Parnell, followed by a four off Ngidi. Suryakumar then brought the century of the partnership in just 41 balls with a cracking six over wide long-on, before being run out on the very next ball. Kohli hit two more fours before Karthik applied finishing touches with a four and two sixes in the final over to end a memorable batting show by India.

Brief Scores: India 237/3 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 61, KL Rahul 57; Keshav Maharaj 2/23) against South Africa

--IANS
nr/inj

Pune, Oct 2 (IANS) Defending champions SAIL Hockey Academy, Rourkela, Odisha were held to an exciting 3-3 draw by Sukhjeevan Sports Academy, Agra in the 6th SNBP All-India Hockey Tournament (Boys' Under-16) at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, on Sunday.

A last-minute penalty stroke earned by the Agra team and subsequently converted by Deonath Nanwar (59th) denied SAIL the chance to gain full points from their opening Pool-G fixture

SAIL got off to a sound start with Akash Rajbhar (6th) making it 1-0, however, Sunil Lakhra (13th) was quick to bring the match on level for Sukhjeevan Sports Academy. At the end of two quarters, the match stood on level terms.

On resumption, SAIL struck twice in a span of three minutes through Manish Kumar -- the first off a penalty corner (35th) and the next off a field goal to help his side take a 3-1 lead.

The Agra side, however, had other ideas and fought back with Yuvraj Singh (40th) striking the boards to make it 3-2 and then with just over a minute left for the hooter had Deonath (59th) make it 3-3.

The day yet again saw a deluge of goals scored with 48 goals being netted, which included a start act by Nikhil Goswami who led Kushida School, West Bengal to a 9-0 win over Bhongir Hockey Academy, Telangana.

Leading with a five-star act was, Nikhil (9th, 20th, 23rd, 30th, 50th - penalty corner), while Deepak Patel 12th, 58th; Om Pramanik 41st; Subhajit Tamang 59th added the rest.

RESULTS:

Pool-A: Kushida School, West Bengal: 9 (Nikhil Goswami 9th, 20th, 23rd, 30th, 50th (pc); Deepak Patel 12th, 58th; Om Pramanik 41st; Subhajit Tamang 59th) bt Bhongir Hockey Academy, Telangana: 0. HT 5-0

Pool-H: Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Kodagu, Kerala: 2 (Charih Shetty 48th (pc); 51st) bt Hockey Nashik: 0. HT: 0-0

Pool-E: Smart Hockey Academy, Raipur, Chhatisgarh: 9 (Raman Kumar 18th, 27th, 51st; Prince Kumar 24th, 36th, 39th; Yaduwinder Singh 32nd; Surjit Rajbhar 34th; Shubhankar Sonkar 50th) bt Tamil Nadu Hockey Association: 1 (Kishor K 52nd) HT: 3-0

Pool-G: SAIL Hockey Academy, Rourkela, Odisha: 3 (Akash Rajbhar 6th; Manish Kumar 35th (pc), 38th) drew with Sukhjeevan Sports Academy, Agra: 3 (Sunil Lakhra 13th, Yuvraj Singh 40th (pc), Deonath Nanwar 59th (ps). HT: 1-1

Pool-B: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Amritsar: 12 (Arshdeep Singh 8th; Sahibpreet Singh 13th, 17th; Harshdeep Singh 23rd, 26th, 46th; Jagjeet Singh 40th, 42nd, 60th; Gurpratap Singh 44th (pc); Jeevan Singh 48th (pc), 59th) bt Bishnupur Hockey, Manipur: 0. HT: 5-0

Pool-D: One Thousand Hockey Lega (OTHL) XI, New Delhi: 9 (Anil Kumar 2nd (pc), 46th; Shiva Chauhan 25th; Yuvraj Oraon 17th, 40th, (pc), 60th; Vivek Kumar Rathod 42nd; Bhupendra Singh 57th, 58th) bt Kolkata Warriors, Kolkata: 1 (Pushpendra Singh 35th). HT: 3-0.

--IANS

bsk

St Johns (Antigua), Oct 2 (IANS) New Zealand Women, aided by a half-century from Suzie Bates, pulled off a thriller to win the second T20I against the West Indies Women by six wickets with one ball remaining and level the series, at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Sunday (IST).

Batting first, the West Indies had a difficult time getting the scoreboard moving as New Zealand bowlers were much more consistent in their line and length. The hosts finally managed a below-par 107/5 in 20 overs.

Skipper Hayley Matthews struck one boundary on her way to 8 off 13 balls before she had a big nick behind to keeper Izzy Gaze of Hayley Jensen. Aaliyah Alleyne, who punished the White Ferns bowlers in the first match, struggled to get going in this match. Eden Carson who replaced Lea Tahuhu in the White Ferns' team, had Alleyne caught for 13 which came off 19 balls.

Kyshona Knight and Chinelle Henry struck a 31-run partnership when the home side needed it the most. Knight fell eight runs short of a half-century.

In reply, Suzie Bates smashed six fours on her way to 54 off 61 balls, and was well supported by Amelia Kerr with 21 from 25 balls. The visitors looked set for victory before two wickets from Cherry-Ann Fraser in the 18th over swung the match back in the West Indies; favour.

However, the 19th over went for 10 runs which meant New Zealand needed seven runs in the last over, which they achieved with one ball to spare. Fraser had the best bowling figures, finishing with 2.5-0-13-1 followed by off-spinner Karishma Ramharack 4-0-23-1.

The teams will return to the same venue on Sunday for the third T20I in the five-match series.

Brief scores: West Indies Women 107/5 in 20 overs (Kyshona Knight 42; Hayley Jensen 3/24) lost to New Zealand Women 108/4 in 19.5 overs (Suzie Bates 54) by six wickets.

--IANS

akm/