Big Story

Former West Indies prolific batsman, Ramnaresh Sarwan, now a prolific businessman in Guyana

by

Former international cricketer and West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, after retiring with an impressive record, is now the proud owner of ‘Amazonia Mall’ in Providence, East Bank Demerara.

The former West Indies player in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle said he credits his parents, grandparents and other family members for making sure he remains humble and polite at all times.

Ramnaresh Sarwan

“I believe that you need to be respectful towards people regardless of what you have achieved in life or what job you have.”

He said he tries to set the best example for his children and “most importantly” for other people, especially young people who aspire to emulate his qualities.

Also, Sarwan said that he is strongly committed to investing in the construction of a shopping mall so that Guyanese can experience the benefits earned from the game of cricket.

“I knew at some point in time I had to retire from cricket and I wanted to ensure that I put my earnings into an investment that will be rewarding, but apart from that, I wanted to build a mall so that Guyanese can have an experience that they have never had before.”

The former West Indies prolific batsman said that observing the layout of the facilities while having various shopping and dining experiences inspired the design of Amazonia Mall.

“I would take photos of the malls while I shop and dine, after which me and my architect will work together to come up with the best version of what we believe will work in Guyana.”

Speaking further, Sarawan stated that there are setbacks and challenges in business as well as in cricket.

“With discipline, hard work and dedication, you will be well on your way to achieving what you want to achieve. Like everyone else, I have had setbacks and challenges in my life, both in my cricketing career and with the development of the mall.”

(Image Courtesy: Guyana Chronicle)

“It wasn’t easy, but I stayed the course. Just because something gets challenging doesn’t mean you give up on it. In life, you have to creep before you walk.”

“It is understandable that some people will have better opportunities than others and there will be obstacles, but that should not detour persons from achieving their goals.”

Sarwan was “grateful” to his wife.

“I believe that education is the key to having a proper future and that is something that I have told them at a very young age and I am not willing to compromise on that.”

Also, the former cricketer commented on the development of the President of Guyana, Dr. Irfan Ali and his government, and praised them for their work.

“Having known the President for some time now, I am not surprised that he is on the ground and being so hands-on with the development of Guyana. I remember when he was at the Ministry of Housing and at the Ministry of Tourism; he was basically managing two ministries at the same time and he did a great job at it.”

President Irfan Ali and Ramnaresh Sarwan

“In such a short period of time, Guyana has accomplished so much under His Excellency’s leadership and we as Guyanese should all be proud of where we are and where we are going as a people and as a country.”

He said that through this expansion he will be able to create more jobs for Guyanese and the mall is in the process of being extended to include a number of famous stores.

“It is an honour to play a small role in the development of Guyana.”

‘Dravid must have certainly given him a ‘bamboo” – Sunil Gavaskar

by

Former India skipper and legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar feels that Rishabh Pant must have gotten a “bamboo” from head coach Rahul Dravid after he perished for a three-ball duck against South Africa in Johannesburg while charging down the track against an on-song Kagiso Rabada, only for his wild heave to take a faint edge before settling into the keeper’s hands.

Interestingly, Pant was caught off guard only on the previous ball when he awkwardly fended a nasty short ball from Rabada. Rattled by the same, he let the bowler win both the mental and on-field battle as he fell while attempting a counterattacking response. At the time, India had only recently lost the wickets of set batters Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, leading the batter to cop severe flak for his shot selection.

Gavaskar recalled instances when Pant attempted such shots, but went on to highlight that on all those instances, he got his eyes in before trying something adventurous, unlike the instance in Johannesburg, when the southpaw went after the bowler on just his third ball after walking in.

Rahul Dravid would have given Pant a hearing: Sunil Gavaskar
“It’s a valid question. This is something one could understand if Rishabh Pant had been batting on 30 and 40. This is something he had not done in Australia. There he applied himself, recognised that there will be hard times in the beginning when you come in to bat and then battling through the hard times, he got set and got to know how the pitch is. And then he played the big shots. That’s what he did in Australia,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

“This is something we saw against England, at the start of the series. When England came to India, he was jumping down the pitch and trying to hit James Anderson… he did that so well. But after that, he seems to think that is the only way to play. That is not the way to play and I am pretty certain that in the change room, Rahul Dravid would have given him a hearing, or as they say in cricket, Dravid must have given him a ‘bamboo’,” added Gavaskar.

ASHES 2021-22 : 4th Test Day 2 Highlights, Khawaja century propels Australia forward

by

The second day in Sydney followed a template much like most other days in the Ashes series as Australia dominated once again. Led by Usman Khawaja’s 137 on return to the side, Australia piled on 416 before declaring late in the day on Thursday (January 6).

England had five overs to see through before stumps and they would’ve lost Zak Crawley who had edged to David Warner at slip had Mitchell Starc not overstepped in his delivery stride. In the end, England’s openers survived the required overs to finish on 13/0.

Khawaja reached a century in the final over before Tea and stitched a handy partnership with Pat Cummins. The skipper fell early after Australia went past 330, but it was on the back of a very dynamic stand between Khawaja and Starc that Australia went past 400. The duo started off briskly, and eventually paced themselves well during the stand. They took on the poor deliveries and saw off the good ones. Khawaja chopped on to give Stuart Broad another Test five-wicket haul. It was the first fifer for an England bowler this series. Thereafter, it was only a matter of how many more runs Australia could get. Starc remained unbeaten on 34 and Lyon on 16, having hit two fours and a six.

England put on a far better show with the new ball in the middle-session, picking up three wickets. If England had called the shots for the first-half of the session, Australia nabbed the momentum towards the end, thanks to a clinical Khawaja, who scored his ninth Test century.

The English bowlers who looked flat in the first session, were lively after Lunch, led by Broad, who was top class. He troubled Steve Smith a few times in the sixth over after the break before having him caught-behind for 67, breaking the 115-run stand. He then forced an under-pressure Cameron Green to nick off too, as the batsman lunged forward to defend against Broad’s seam bowling. Mark Wood bowled with a lot of steam, but couldn’t get the breakthrough as Australia inched towards the 300-run mark with Khawaja set at the crease.

It was an outstanding knock from Khawaja, who would’ve been pleased to get a century on comeback. He scored runs in the Sheffield Shield since being dropped and made the most of the opportunity when it presented itself. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, but he weathered through the rough phases to settle into the innings. Root should’ve brought himself on earlier with a left-hander in the middle, but let Khawaja off. He struck immediately when he did, putting an end to Carey’s struggles with Jonny Bairstow taking a splendid catch behind midwicket. Cummins took 22 balls to get off the mark, but struck back-to-back fours against Dawid Malan to push forward Australia’s total.

Rain headlined the morning session with as many as four interruptions despite mizzles that didn’t warrant long breaks. England had their tails up at the end of Day 1, but Australia did some good work in the opening hour to keep the visitors at bay. Although the bowlers kept the Australian batsmen in check, they couldn’t make inroads. They bowled good lengths and lines, but none of the bowlers created chances or looked likely to threaten Smith and Khawaja, who saw through a testing phase where runs were coming at a trickle.

Rain, however, arrived periodically to send the players off a number of times, upsetting the rhythm of both the batsmen and the bowlers. Yet, Australia’s batsmen didn’t lose focus, and tactically, England were pretty good for most parts of the session too. Jack Leach could’ve been more attacking upfront with England setting defensive fields for the spinner. He, however, was the only one that gave England a chance for a breakthrough when inducing an edge off Khawaja’s glove on 28, but Root was a tad late to react and put him down at slip.

Brief scores: Australia 416/8 decl. (Marcus Harris 38, Steve Smith 67, Usman Khawaja 137, Mitchell Starc 34*; Stuart Broad 5-101) lead England 13/0 by 403 run

 

Year in Review 2021: 10 best cricketing moments in 2021

by

It was difficult for us to choose the 10 best moments from international cricket this year. The year 2021 saw some memorable performances on the cricket field. It began with New Zealand, created cricketing history more than once. First, they defeated India with ease to be crowned the inaugural World Test champions. Towards the end of the year, left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel became the first Kiwi bowler and only the third overall to claim 10 wickets in an innings in a Test.

While Australia won their first-ever T20 World Cup title, Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan became the first batter to smash 1000 T20I runs in a calendar year.

Here are The Business Standard’s ten biggest moments in international cricket in 2021.

#1 Kieron Pollard’s six sixes

West Indies’ limited-overs captain Kieron Pollard hit six sixes in an over against Sri Lanka. He managed the feat in the first T20I of a three-match series in Coolidge. West Indies were only set 132 for victory. But Akila Dananjaya kept the visitors in the hunt by claiming a hat-trick in the fourth over.

Pollard, however, smashed the same bowler for six sixes when he came into the attack again. While the first one was slogged over long-on, the second was lofted down the ground. The Windies skipper completed a hat-trick of sixes by clubbing the third ball over wide long-off. The fourth delivery was slammed over deep midwicket, the fifth over the bowler’s head and the last ball again over deep midwicket.

#2 Scott Boland’s 6 for 7

Australian pacer Scott Boland was added to the Ashes squad ahead of the Boxing Day Test, with the fast bowling department struggling with injuries and niggles. He ended up making his Test debut at the MCG, returning with figures of 6 for 7 from four overs in the second innings.

Boland claimed the wickets of Haseeb Hameed (7) and Jack Leach (0) late on Day 2. He returned to roll over England on Day 3 with some spectacular bowling. Boland trapped Jonny Bairstow (5) lbw, beating him for pace. He also ended Joe Root’s resistance for 28 as the England captain nicked an attempted drive.

#3  Mayers’ Chattogram miracle

Chasing a mammoth 395 on a day five Chattogram pitch against Bangladesh, what debutant Kyle Mayers did was nothing short of a miracle. Mayers got an ally in Nkrumah Bonner, also on debut. These two added 216 important runs which was the second-highest partnership ever between two debutants in the history of Tests. Even after Bonner’s dismissal, Mayers continued to pounce on the bowlers and got his team over the line.

#4 New Zealand crowned first World Test Champions, beat India by 8 wickets 

On the final day of the final of the World Test Championship (WTC), New Zealand were given a target of 139 in 53 overs. R Ashwin sent back the openers early but the experienced duo of Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson stuck together and ensured no more harm was done before they chased it down successfully.

5# Australia get the another ICC trophy

Australia maintained their unbeaten record against New Zealand in major ICC event knockouts as Aaron Finch’s men beat the Black Caps convincingly by eight wickets in the final and won their maiden T20 World Cup title. For the record five-time winners of the Cricket World Cup, the T20 Cup was a trophy that was not present in their showcase. Six years after Australia’s crushing win in 2015 final, they repeated the feat in the T20 format in Dubai. Mitchell Marsh and David Warner’s magnificent performance with the bat helped the Aussies lift the title. Kane Williamson played a masterclass of an innings but ended up being on the losing side. Marsh top-scored for Australia in the final with an unbeaten 77 off 50 balls.

6# Ajaz Patel’s perfect ten

New Zealand’s slow left-arm bowler Ajaz Patel became the third bowler in the history of Tests to pick up all ten wickets in an innings against India in Mumbai, the town where he was born. Patel, whose parents emigrated to New Zealand from India in 1996, finished with 10 for 119 in the first innings. Before him, only Jim Laker and Anil Kumble had achieved the feat. Although New Zealand lost the match by a massive margin, Patel had a tremendous match, picking up as many as 14 wickets in the match. His match figures of 14 for 225 was the best performance by any bowler against India.

#7 India’s incredible comeback

After India were bundled out for a paltry 36 in Adelaide, their regular captain Virat Kohli’s departure was a massive blow. During the tour, they lost a host of players to injury. But the visitors scripted a comeback for the ages despite the odds not being in their favour. After a scintillating win in the second Test in Sydney, India managed to draw the third match in Sydney. Although he could not get his team home in the third match, Rishabh Pant turned out to be the hero for India in the fourth Test at the Gabba. His unbeaten 89 helped India chase 328 and it was the first time since 1988 that a team had defeated Australia on that very ground. From being 1-0 behind, a depleted India won the series 2-1 against Australia in Australia.

#8 Sri Lanka Thrash India By 7 Wickets in 3rd T20 in Colombo and Take the T20 Series 2-1

Exposing India’s young batsmen’s inability to tackle spin, Sri Lanka conjured up a seven-wicket victory in the deciding third Twenty20 to hand the fancied Asian neighbours a 2-1 series defeat, here on Thursday. Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (4/9) made the Indians dance to his tunes on his 24th birthday, playing a crucial role in restricting them to a paltry 81 for eight, which is their lowest against the Lankans. The match was reduced to a no-contest after India’s disappointing batting display as off-spinner Akila Danajaya too troubled the batsmen though he did not take any wicket.

#9 Shaheen Afridi’s first spell against India

Shaheen Shah Afridi’s blistering opening spell against India was certainly the talk of the town during the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Shaheen picked up three of India’s most dangerous batters – Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. Rohit and Rahul fell in the first over. Rohit was pinned leg-before off a deadly yorker while Rahul was cleaned up off another full and swinging delivery. His first over set the tone for Pakistan and they went on to beat India by a massive margin of 10 wickets and it was the first team Pakistan defeated India in any World Cup. Pakistan, before that, had never won a T20I match by 10 wickets.

#10 The rise of Namibian cricket

The astonishing rise of Namibian cricket was certainly the story of this year’s T20 World Cup. They came into the World Cup as the lowest-ranked team in the tournament and were placed in Group A along with Sri Lanka, Ireland and the Netherlands. They, on paper, were the weakest side in the group and not many predicted that they would progress to the Super 12s. But they beat stronger opponents in the form of the Netherlands and Ireland in the first round. Namibia not only qualified for the main stage but also won their first-ever game in the Super 12s against Scotland. It’s a feat that hasn’t been achieved even by the likes of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. They did not win more than one game in the tournament but it was still a creditable effort from the Namibians.

 

USA vs Ireland Squads, Schedule : USA set for historic T20I and ODI series against ICC Full Member Ireland

by

For the first time since September 2019, the USA are set to host an international cricket match when they face ICC Full-Member Nation Ireland in the inaugural T20I at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground here on December 22.

The series involves two T20Is, followed by three One-day Internationals and will conclude on December 30. The preparations haven’t gone as planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the practice games getting cancelled and both teams training individually on the centre wicket.

Ireland have had to make many changes to their squad after several of their members including Barry McCarthy, George Dockrell, Harry Tector and Gareth Delany tested COVID positive ahead of the limited-overs series. They will join the team after 10-day isolation.

With several uncertainties, Josh Little cut short his Lankan Premier League stint to join the Ireland squad here.

For the USA, Karima Gore, Jaskaran Malhotra and Aaron Jones have been ruled out after being named in the initial squads. To cover for the absentees, four players have received their maiden national call-up, three of whom are U-19 players.

Ritwik Behera has been named in both the ODI and T20I squads, while Yasir Mohammed and Ali Sheikh have been called up for the T20I squad along with Ryan Scott. Rusty Theron too will be unavailable due to a groin injury.

Squads:

Ireland T20I: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Shane Getkate, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, William McClintock, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.

Ireland ODI: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, William Porterfield, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.

USA T20I: Monank Patel (c), Ali Khan, Ali Sheikh, Gajanand Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Marty Kain, Nisarg Patel, Ritwik Behera, Ryan Scott, Saurabh Netravalkar, Steven Taylor, Sushant Modani, Vatsal Vaghela, Xavier Marshall, Yasir Mohammed.

USA ODI: Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones, Ali Khan, Gajanand Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Jaskaran Malhotra, Marty Kain, Nisarg Patel, Nosthush Kenjige, Rahul Jariwala, Ritwik Behera, Saurabh Netravalkar, Steven Taylor, Sushant Modani, Vatsal Vaghela, Xavier Marshall.

USA vs Ireland Schedule

• 20 December: USA Invitational XI v Ireland Men – warm-up match (Florida; start 2pm local time)
• 22 December: USA Men v Ireland Men – 1st T20I (Florida; start 2pm local time)
• 23 December: USA Men v Ireland Men – 2nd T20I (Florida; start 7pm local time) D/N

• 26 December: USA Men v Ireland Men – 1st ODI (Florida; start 10am local time)
• 28 December: USA Men v Ireland Men – 2nd ODI (Florida; start 10am local time)
• 30 December: USA Men v Ireland Men – 3rd ODI (Florida; start 2pm local time) D/N

“I Am Available For ODI Series In South Africa,” Virat Kohli

by

India Test captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday asserted that he will play in the upcoming ODI series in South Africa, putting to rest speculations about his availability and his equation with newly-appointed white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma.

Indian Test captain Virat Kohli was at his candid best as he addressed the media ahead of the team’s departure for the upcoming three-match Test series in South Africa. Virat has been at the centre of a lot of rumours and conversation of late after the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s decision to appoint Rohit Sharma as India’s captain in One-Day Internationals. While there have been several unsubstantiated reports of a “rift” between Virat and Rohit for a couple of years now, the chatter around the same grew in the past few days as Rohit pulled out of the Test series due to a hamstring injury and reports started doing the rounds about Kohli looking to pull out of the ODI series in South Africa, that is to follow the Test matches.

Virat decided to put an end to all rumours and chat as he met all the contentious questions head on and gave crytal clear answers, which should shut down the rumour mils for good.

Here are Virat Kohli’s 5 fiery quotes from the press conference:
On ODI series availability

“I was and I am available for selection all the time. I never communicated with BCCI asking for rest. I am available for the ODI series in South Africa, and was always available.”

On reports of him asking for rest during South Africa ODIs

“It should be asked to people who are writing lies. My communication with the BCCI on this issue has not happened that I want to rest.”

On communication about removal as ODI captain

“I was contacted one-and-a-half hour before selection for Tests. The chief selector discussed with me the Test squad. Before the call ended, I was told that the five selectors have decided that I won’t be ODI captain anymore. There was no prior communication about this.”

On talks of rift with Rohit Sharma

“There is no problem between me and Rohit Sharma. I have been clarifying for the past two years and I am tired now. I want to also say one thing that none of my actions or decisions will be to take the team down.”

Virat Kohli’s Biggest Quotes From Candid Press ConferenceIndian Test captain Virat Kohli was at his candid best as he addressed the media ahead of the team’s departure for the upcoming three-match Test series in South Africa.Posted by Arnab SenUpdated: December 15, 2021 02:24 PM ISTRead Time:2 min

Virat Kohli’s Biggest Quotes From Candid Press Conference
File photo of Indin cricketer Virat Kohli© AFP
Indian Test captain Virat Kohli was at his candid best as he addressed the media ahead of the team’s departure for the upcoming three-match Test series in South Africa. Virat has been at the centre of a lot of rumours and conversation of late after the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s decision to appoint Rohit Sharma as India’s captain in One-Day Internationals. While there have been several unsubstantiated reports of a “rift” between Virat and Rohit for a couple of years now, the chatter around the same grew in the past few days as Rohit pulled out of the Test series due to a hamstring injury and reports started doing the rounds about Kohli looking to pull out of the ODI series in South Africa, that is to follow the Test matches.

Virat decided to put an end to all rumours and chat as he met all the contentious questions head on and gave crytal clear answers, which should shut down the rumour mils for good.

Here are Virat Kohli’s 5 fiery quotes from the press conference:
On ODI series availability

“I was and I am available for selection all the time. I never communicated with BCCI asking for rest. I am available for the ODI series in South Africa, and was always available.”

On reports of him asking for rest during South Africa ODIs

“It should be asked to people who are writing lies. My communication with the BCCI on this issue has not happened that I want to rest.”

On communication about removal as ODI captain

“I was contacted one-and-a-half hour before selection for Tests. The chief selector discussed with me the Test squad. Before the call ended, I was told that the five selectors have decided that I won’t be ODI captain anymore. There was no prior communication about this.”

On talks of rift with Rohit Sharma

“There is no problem between me and Rohit Sharma. I have been clarifying for the past two years and I am tired now. I want to also say one thing that none of my actions or decisions will be to take the team down.”

Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

On role as batter in white-ball cricket

“My responsibility is to push the team in the right direction. Rohit is a very able captain and tactically very sound. Along with Rahul bhai, who is a great man manager, they will get my 100 percent support in ODIs and T20Is in whatever vision they set for the team in limited-overs cricket.”

SA vs IND: Virat Kohli will play the ODI series claims a BCCI official off the record

by

SA vs IND: The men in blue are preparing themselves for a huge tour of South Africa. India will be playing against South Africa for three ODI’s and three test matches.

The tour was scheduled to start on December 16 but the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant has delayed the start. A new variant named Omicron has been making its way into South Africa.

However, the early studies and research suggest that it is not very dangerous as it was perceived. Hence, the BCCI has gone on to decide that team India will be touring South Africa in a week.

But due to the delaying of schedule and India’s tight schedule. The BCCI and Cricket South Africa went on to scrap the T20 series. Moreover, the T20 is more relevant because of the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.

However, the upcoming test series against South Africa will be a huge opportunity for team India. It is because the men in blue have never won a Test series in South Africa against the greens.

The Proteas have gone on to highly dominate against the Indian team in test cricket in South Africa. But given India’s current form and skillset in test cricket, they are the favourites to clinch their first test series win in South Africa against the greens.

SA vs IND: Virat Kohli will play the ODI series says a BCCI official
There have been constant rumours revolving around Virat Kohli’s availability in the upcoming ODI series. The RCB player is unhappy with how the BCCI went on to hand over the ODI captaincy to Rohit Sharma.

And according to previous reports, Virat Kohli will pull out of the ODI series. The official reason behind the pullout will be taking a rest and spending time with family.

However, things are looking to be changed after Rohit Sharma is likely to not feature in the South Africa tour. It is because the Mumbai Indians captain went on to suffer a hamstring injury while practising in his hometown.

A BCCI official said, “As of now, Kohli hasn’t sent any formal request to skip the ODIs to either BCCI president Sourav Ganguly or secretary Jay Shah. If something is decided at a later date or God forbid, he sustains an injury, then it’s a different matter.”

He further added, “As things stand today, he is playing the three ODIs on January 19, 21, 23. The skipper is travelling with his family. But yes, if he feels bubble fatigue after the Test series and wants to take a break, he would inform the chairman of selectors.“

However, it would be brilliant if Virat Kohli plays the ODI series. Because the Indian team needs him in the absence of Rohit Sharma.

BBL 2021-22: Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers Dream11 Prediction – Playing XI, Captain, Vice-Captain

by

Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers Dream11 Prediction: Preview
Melbourne Stars ran through a disastrous season last year. However, they are fighting a good fight to go on top of the points table. They will approach the upcoming game against Sydney Sixers with utmost confidence.

On the other hand, Sydney Sixers defeated Perth Scorchers in the 10th edition of the BBL final. As a result, they lifted their third title in Australia’s premier T20 competition. The Sixers kick-started their campaign with a win over Melbourne Stars.

Sydney Sixers won by 152 runs and started their title defence on a positive note. They won the second game against Adelaide Strikers by 14 runs. However, they lost the third game against Hobart Hurricanes (lost by 44 runs (DLS Method)).

Currently, the defending champions are second on the BBL 11 points table. They secured 7 points with a Net Run Rate of +2.103. On the other hand, Melbourne Stars started their campaign with a heavy defeat.

However, they sorted out their woes and grew from strength to strength in the next two games. The Stars defeated Sydney Thunder by 4 runs in their second game.

After that, they went on to defeat the same opposition in the second leg by six wickets. With two wins in 3 games, they are third on the BBL 11 points table with 7 points (NRR -2.085).

Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers Dream11 Prediction: Predicted Playing XI
Melbourne Stars
Marcus Stoinis, Joe Clarke (wk), Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell (c), Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Andre Russell, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Qais Ahmad, Brody Couch

Sydney Sixers
Josh Philippe (wk), James Vince, Daniel Hughes, Moises Henriques (c), Jordan Silk, Daniel Christian, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Sean Abbott, Hayden Kerr, Steve O’Keefe

PAK Vs WI, 2nd T20I Highlights : “West indies Showed good improvement for a young developing team” – Ian Bishop

by

After 63-run defeat in the series opener, West Indies produced a much-improved performance but still found themselves nine runs short as Pakistan registered their 19th T20 International win of 2021 on Tuesday. Windies were on course for their first win against Pakistan since 2017, but a magical 17th over from Shaheen Afridi proved the difference between the two sides. Chasing a 173-run target, Romario Shepherd (35 not out off 19) kept the Windies hopes alive after a brilliant 67 from Brandon King.

But the visitors eventually failed to counter Pakistani pacers. And they were dismissed for 163 in the final over at National Stadium, Karachi. Pakistan, thanks to the nine-run win, have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Brendon King knocked a fluent 43-ball 67 his maiden T20I half century  with three towering sixes and six boundaries but Pakistan bowlers were tough to handle for other batsmen.

Romario Shepherd tried to stop the inevitable with a fiery 19-ball 35 not out spiced with two sixes and as many boundaries but failed to get the required 23 off the last over.

Lanky pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-26), fellow fast bowlers Mohammad Wasim (2-39) and Haris Rauf (2-40) and spinner Mohammad Nawaz (2-36) shared the bowling honours.

With 61 needed in the last five overs, King hoisted pacer Haris Rauf for a big six but fell next ball while attempting another maximum, caught near the long-on boundary.

Nicholas Pooran (26 off as many balls) helped King add 54 for the third wicket but Nawaz ended the partnership with Pooran holding out in the deep.

Odean Smith hit a six and a boundary in his short stay of 12 before Shaheen dismissed him off the first ball of 17th over ans then removed Dominic Drakes and Hayden Walsh off successive deliveries.

The third and final T20 is scheduled for Thursday (December 16) at the same venue. After that, the two will play a three-match ODI series, also in Karachi.

Brief scores: Pakistan 172/8 in 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 38, Iftikhar Ahmed 32; Odean Smith 2-24) beat West Indies 163 in 20 overs (Brandon King 67, Romario Shepherd 35*; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-26, Mohammad Nawaz 2-36) by 9 runs.

@onlycricket24