Sports

Dubai, Sep 1 (IANS) India's star cricketer Virat Kohli hailed stylish batter, Suryakumar Yadav, for a "special knock" against Hong Kong in the ongoing Asia Cup on Wednesday.

Suryakumar Yadav's stylish 68 not out and Kohli's unbeaten 59, helped India secure a spot in to the Super Four round of Asia Cup 2022 after defeating Hong Kong by 40 runs here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Following Suryakumar's blistering knock, Kohli made a sweet gesture as he bowed down to the batter after the innings.

After India's win, Kohli again appreciated Suryakumar as he posted a picture with 'SKY' on homegrown social media, Koo app.

"Good win today. A special knock by SKY. We'll keep going," Kohli said on the Koo app.

Meanwhile, Suryakumar was totally flabbergasted by Kohli's gesture on the field.

"It was a very heartwarming gesture. I never saw something like that. I was looking at him and I was like, "why isn't he going ahead?" Then I came to him and urged him to walk together. He is so experienced," said Suryakumar.

India opener KL Rahul scored 36 off 39 balls, however, his two impeccable sixes showed that he isn't in bad touch as of now.

KL Rahul also posted his picture on the Koo app after India's win.

India outplayed Hong Kong in all departments and also became the second team to qualify for the Super four.

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will today lock horns in the Group B match and the winner will secure a spot in the super four stage.

Pakistan and Hong Kong will meet for the same scenario on Friday. The super Four round of the Asia Cup 2022 will begin from Saturday.


--IANS
cs/inj

Johannesburg, Aug 31 (IANS) Cricket South Africa's (CSA) new T20 franchise league has been named as 'SA20'. In a virtual press conference, league commissioner and former South Africa captain Graeme Smith also said that the player auction for the inaugural season of SA20 will be held on September 19.

The player registrations for the SA20 player auction closed on Sunday evening with a positive show of interest from players around the world and from established as well as young South African talent.

All the six teams, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Pretoria Capitals, Paarl Royals, MI Cape Town, Johannesburg Super Kings and Durban franchise, owned by IPL franchises, have already signed up to five players apiece (four by Paarl, two each by Pretoria and Eastern Cape) through a direct-acquisition process.

The franchises have an overall purse of US$2 million, with the maximum squad strength set at 17. The six teams can acquire services of seven international cricketers and ten South African players, with the playing eleven to follow the IPL path of four internationals and seven local players.

"Today is another significant day as we officially unveil the SA20. We selected a name for its simplicity and something that can be uniquely ours as we enter this new and exciting phase of cricket in South Africa. Dropping the T in T20 cricket shows our intention to be different. We want to change the game for our players and for our fans, and most importantly, create a League that all South Africans can be a part of," said Smith.

The SA20 has attracted some of T20 cricket's biggest names like England's Liam Livingstone, Jos Buttler, and Moeen Ali apart from West Indies' Jason Holder and Afghanistan's Rashid Khan apart from the world-class contracted Proteas players.

"The countdown to January 2023 gets more thrilling with each major milestone that we cross and today is another step towards that first ball being bowled. We hope fans will be able to relate to our brand as we work towards making the SA20 a world-class tournament South Africans can be proud of," added Smith.

SA20 will be in a direct clash with UAE's ILT20, also scheduled to begin from January next year. Both leagues will be operating in the time when Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) and Bangladesh's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will be on.

SA20 will be the third time South Africa would be attempting to launch a franchise T20 league in the country. In its previous attempts, the attempt to start Global League T20 failed to happen in 2017.

Its replacement, the Mzansi Super League was held in 2018 and 2019 but didn't get the big broadcast rights, with the free-to-air South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) getting broadcast rights for a much smaller sum. The league hasn't been played since 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic and will now make way for the SA20.

--IANS
nr

Dubai, Aug 31 (IANS) India and Pakistan have been fined 40 per cent of their match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate in their Group A match of the Asia Cup 2022, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday.

Jeff Crowe of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanctions after Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam's sides were ruled to be two overs short of their respective targets during Sunday's match after time allowances were taken into consideration.

"In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 percent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time," the ICC said in a statement.

Both captains pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

On-field umpires Masudur Rahman and Ruchira Pilliyaguruge, third umpire Raveendra Wimalasiri and fourth umpire Gazi Sohel levelled the charges.

India got their Asia Cup campaign off to a positive start with a five-wicket win over Pakistan, courtesy an all-round effort from Hardik Pandya as well as vital contributions from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli.

--IANS

avn/akm

Lucknow, Aug 31 (IANS) A case of rape has been registered against Anandeshwar Pandey, general secretary of the UP Olympic Association, at Bhiwadi police station in Rajasthan.

A handball player has lodged an FIR against Pandey, also the treasurer of Indian Olympic Association (IOA), alleging sexual assault.

Seema Sharma, a former national-level handball player of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), has filed the complaint against Pandey, who was also the secretary general of the Handball Federation of India (HFI) from 2013 to 2020.

The FIR was registered at the Mahila Police Station at Bhiwadi in Rajasthan on Sunday under IPC section of 376 (rape), 511 (attempt to commit an offence) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

In her complaint, Sharma has accused Pandey of trying to rape her at the UPOA's office in Lucknow in March this year. The zero FIR has now been transferred to Lucknow's Hazratganj police station.

"It was a zero FIR and has the sections of sexual assault. The case was transferred to Lucknow on Monday," said SHO of Mahila Police Station Bhiwadi.

Sharma, a constable in the 4th battalion of SSB in Mohanlalganj here, had also sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 31, detailing the incident and calling for his intervention in the matter.

As per the complaint, 28-year-old Sharma said she met Pandey during the selection trials for the National Women Handball Championships.

The trials were organised at the K.D. Singh Babu Stadium on March 12. She said she made it to the camp and before the final selection on March 26, she was asked to go to Pandey's office by her coach, where he allegedly misbehaved and molested her, according to the FIR.

Sharma wrote in her complaint that she resisted his advances during which her jersey got torn. "He then threatened me with dire consequences and said he is very powerful and will end my playing career," she said in her complaint.

"I informed my higher officials about this incident," said Sharma, who has represented Uttar Pradesh in sub-junior, junior and senior level national championships.

Sharma alleged that Pandey is a repeat offender and has finished the careers of many handball players but nobody dared to report against him because he is "powerful and well connected."

Pandey was also in the news last week as pictures of him in compromising positions with different women went viral on social media. Pandey had alleged "political conspiracy" in the whole issue, and said he had filed a complaint with the Lucknow Police cyber cell about the pictures.

A former national-level runner, Pandey started his career as a handball player and first represented Uttar Pradesh in the nationals in 1977-78.

He is also chairman of the Coordination Committee for the upcoming National Games set to be held in Ahmedabad from September 27.

--IANS
amita/shb/

Sharjah, Aug 31 (IANS) Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan has risen to No.2 in the men's T20I bowling charts following his superb spell of 3/22 in the Asia Cup Group B match, which saw the side crush Bangladesh by seven wickets here on Tuesday night.

This was Afghanistan's second successive win in the tournament following their victory against Sri Lanka in the opening game.

Rashid Khan also went past New Zealand pace bowler Tim Southee to become the second-highest wicket-taker in men's T20Is during the win over Bangladesh. The leg-spinner, who had started the match with 112 scalps in the format, picked up the wickets of Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain and Mahmudullah, to go to 115 wickets, according to ICC.

Southee was second in the wicket-takers' list with 114 wickets before the match. Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan holds on to his record with 122 wickets, the most by anyone in the men's game, and the second best in all T20Is, behind West Indies woman cricketer Anisa Mohammed.

Rashid, 23, has had a remarkable T20I career so far, averaging 13.73 and clocking an economy rate of 6.16 after 68 matches in the format. He has six hauls of four or more wickets in T20Is, which is again the joint-most in the men's game.

Rashid's spell, which followed an impressive three-wicket haul from Mujeeb ur Rahman, helped Afghanistan restrict Bangladesh to 127/7 in 20 overs. However, it still took a remarkable 17-ball 43 not out from Najibullah Zadran for Afghanistan to seal a win and establish their position at the top of Group B in Asia Cup 2022 and ensure qualification to the next round.

--IANS

akm/

Dubai, Aug 31 (IANS) As a motivated and committed Hong Kong team gears up to face the tough India challenge in the Asia Cup later on Wednesday, Rohit Sharma would be reminded of the jitters his team got during the group stage of the tournament in 2018, with the minnows coming close to upsetting their applecart, before losing by 26 runs.

Aided by a century from opener Shikhar Dhawan in the Group A match of the Asia Cup at the Dubai International Stadium in 2018, Rohit Sharma's India scored 285/7 in 50 overs (Asia Cup was a 50-over-a-side affair till 2018), but the plucky Hong Kong, riding on half centuries from openers Nizakat Khan (92) and Anshy Rath (73), were cruising along nicley at 174 without loss when they lost wickets in a heap to finally lose by 26 runs.

However, the side, comprising mainly of expatriates from Pakistan, has had a tricky period ever since, compounded by the pandemic.

They would be keen to overcome the disappointments of the last four years since the 2018 Asia Cup to once again show they are fast emerging as a force to reckon with when they take on India on Wednesday and Pakistan on September 2 in their Asia Cup Group A encounters here.

Nizakat Khan's side has been well-tested over a gruelling three months of cricket across the world, and defeats are by no means a foregone conclusion for a team with a reputation of causing an upset.

Hong Kong's greatest achievement in the T20I format came eight years ago, when they toppled Bangladesh in the first round of the 2014 T20 World Cup.

Nizakat played a key role in the shock win, taking 3/19 as Bangladesh crumbled to 108 all out. Hong Kong's chase was by no means straightforward, though the big hitting of Munir Dar and Haseeb Amjad ensured a famous victory.

Then came the encounter against India in the 2018 Asia Cup where they came close to beating the Men in Blue. Half a dozen of the members from that clash are still in the side as the competition moves to the T20 format, which could help Hong Kong mount a serious challenge against India.

Nizakat himself is in the runs of late, making runs in two of the three Asia Cup Qualifier wins, and a pair of half-centuries at the recent T20 World Cup Qualifier B. Vice-captain Kinchit Shah is reliable with bat and ball, as is top-order hitter Babar Hayat.

As for Hong Kong's next crop, there are more reasons to be upbeat. 19-year-old Ayush Shukla represents the future of the side, while Yasim Murtaza has made an impression in both white-ball formats since his introduction to the side earlier in the year, according to ICC.

Hong Kong are likely to play the same XI that defeated UAE in the final match of the Asia Cup Qualifier at Al Amerat and helped secure a spot in the tournament proper.

--IANS

akm/

Sharjah, Aug 31 (IANS) Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan on Tuesday went past New Zealand pacer Tim Southee to become the second-highest wicket-taker in men's T20Is during his team's win over Bangladesh in a Group B match of the Asia Cup 2022 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, here.

The leg-spinner, who had started the match with 112 scalps in this format, picked up 3/22, including the wickets of Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain and Mahmudullah, to go to 115 wickets and climb to No. 2 in the men's T20I bowling charts.

Southee was second in the wicket-takers list with 114 wickets before the match. Shakib Al Hasan holds on to his record with 122 wickets, the most by anyone in the men's game, and the second best in all T20Is, behind West Indies' Anisa Mohammed (125).

The 23-year-old leg-spinner has had a remarkable T20I career so far, averaging 13.73 and an economy rate of 6.16 after 68 matches in the format. He has six hauls of four or more wickets in T20Is, which is again the joint-most in the men's game.

Rashid's spell, which followed an impressive three-wicket haul from Mujeeb ur Rahman, helped Afghanistan restrict Bangladesh to 127/7 in 20 overs.

However, it still took a remarkable 17-ball 43 not out from Najibullah Zadran for Afghanistan to seal a win and establish their position at the top of Group B in Asia Cup 2022 and ensure qualification to the next round.

--IANS

avn/bsk

Sharjah, Aug 31 (IANS) Afghanistan became the first team to qualify for the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2022 with a convincing seven wicket win over Bangladesh in a Group B match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, here on Tuesday.

The victory for Afghanistan was set up by spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan, while Najibullah Zadran's six-hitting spree and his unbroken partnership of 69 off 5.3 overs with Ibrahim Zadran took Afghanistan home with nine balls to spare.

After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Bangladesh batters couldn't get going for most part of the innings on a dusty pitch, which had a fair amount of grip and turns.

The Afghanistan spin twins Mujeeb Ur Rahman (3/16) and Rashid Khan (3/22) bowled tight length and lines and spun their webs in the powerplay and in the middle-overs respectively.

When Mahmudullah (25 off 27) got out in the 15.4 overs, Bangladesh were 89-6 and it looked like they'd even fold for under 100. However, Mosaddek Hossain's 31-ball 48, and Mehidy Hasan's 12-ball 14 helped Bangladesh in some form of recovery and led them to a respectable total of 127/7 in 20 overs.

Chasing a respectable target, Afghanistan got off to a poor start as Shakib Al Hasan, playing his 100th T20I, got rid of operer Rahmanullah Gurbaz to give Bangladesh some hope. Bangladesh capitalised on the wicket as the runs were stifled.

The spinners were doing all the damage by not giving away freebies to Hazratullah Zazai and Ibrahim Zadran was content taking the chase deep. By removing Zazai and Mohammad Nabi in succession, Bangladesh appeared to have taken control of the game. Afghanistan were on the verge of going down as needed 66 from the final 7 after fetching only 62 from the first 13.

Thereafter, a couple of boundaries from Ibrahim Zadran ((42 not out off 41) brought the equation down to 52 from the final five overs which is when Najibullah Zadran (43 not out off 17) took over and stunned the bowling side.

For the first 35 overs of the contest, only one six was hit. But Najibullah added six more hits over the fence in the next four overs with his clean hitting. Mustafizur was hit for a couple of sixes and Saifuddin suffered the same fate in the following over as the pacers undid the spinners' good work.

The 22-run 18th over very much ended the contest as Afghanistan needed only 4 more from the final two overs with Najibullah clearing the ropes one more time to lead Afghanistan to a convincing win in 18.3 overs, with seven wickets in hand.

Brief scores: Bangladesh 127/7 in 20 overs (Mosaddek Hossain 48 not out, Mahmudullah 25; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 3/16, Rashid Khan 3/22) lost to Afghanistan 131-3 in 18.3 overs (Najibullah Zadran 43 not out, Ibrahim Zadran 42 not out, Mosaddek Hossain 1/12) by 7 wickets.

--IANS

avn/bsk

Dubai, Aug 30 (IANS) All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who played a crucial knock in India's win over Pakistan, on Tuesday revealed that he was mentally prepared to bat at No. 4 considering that the opposition had left-arm spinner and leg spinner.

Jadeja, who made a crucial 29-ball 35 in India's win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the first game in the Asia Cup on Sunday, came out to bat after the wickets of opener K.L Rahul and captain Rohit Sharma.

He shared 52 runs with Hardik Pandya (33 not out) for the fifth wicket before getting out in the first ball of the last over. However, Pandya remained not out and sealed the game with a six off the fourth ball of the 20th over.

"Sometimes, left-arm spinners and leg spinners are bowling, so sending left-handed batters is easy and they can take chances. That is why I was promoted," Jadeja said in the press conference before the match against Hong Kong.

"We had seen their (Pakistan) playing XI, they had a left-arm spinner and leg spinner. So I was aware that I could face this situation. I prepared myself mentally accordingly. Luckily, I went and my knock was crucial," he added.

India take on Hong Kong, who made it through the qualifiers, next in the Asia Cup on Wednesday.

"We are going to play against Hong Kong with a positive mindset and we will not take them lightly. On a given day, anything can happen in T20Is. We will give our best and play positively," Jadeja said.

--IANS

avn/bsk

New York, Aug 30 (IANS) Playing in the U.S Open as World No. 1 for the first time, Iga Swiatek romped into the women's singles second round on Tuesday, brushing aside Jasmine Paolini in straight sets here.

The Pole found her stride to accelerate into the second round with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Jasmine Paolini on Day 2 of the Grand Slam.

"I think I just found my rhythm [and] could make her run a little bit more," Swiatek said on the court after the match. "I know she has great touch, so I wanted to use my angles and I think I did that pretty well."

"I like playing these first matches because it's a pretty good test for me and [I] can really find my rhythm. In the last tournaments, I started with byes, which is great, but sometimes it's pretty weird to play an opponent who has already played matches. Right now, we start from an even position and it's pretty cool because I can really implement what I've been working on in practice," she was quoted as saying by the official website on Tuesday.

The top seed collected eight consecutive points, punctuated by some computer game returns lasering towards the Italian's toes, for an early break lead.

Paolini kept launching into her shots and wrestled back the initiative to stay in contention, but each time trouble loomed, Swiatek responded with venom.

All of a sudden two volleys on the stretch and Swiatek snatched away the set with her fourth break of serve.

The 21-year-old is like a sprinter off the mark and reached a Paolini drop shot to fire away a backhand putaway. A bullet return winner down the line and Swiatek was cruising at 2-0 up, said a report on the official website.

The world No. 1 had found that extra gear and will have the rest of the draw worried with some of the ease of striking.

--IANS

bsk