Tag: (ICC)

Dubai, October 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):If there is one lesson worth learning when it comes to Australian cricket, it’s that you should write Josh Hazlewood off at your peril.

The fast bowler spent 1,626 days in international T20 exile after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2016 but has come roaring back into the fold.

After establishing himself as a Test match demon in the intervening period, Hazlewood showed his traditional skillset can still do the business in the shortest form by impressing with miserly spells for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash.

Soon international recognition and the IPL came calling for the 30-year-old quick, who prepared for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in the best possible fashion by helping Chennai Super Kings win the latest edition.

Hazlewood played a vital turn in that final victory over Kolkata Knight Riders, dismissing opposition captain Eoin Morgan, England’s leader at this tournament, and finishing with two for 29 from his four overs.

The debate before Australia’s Super 12 opener against South Africa was whether Justin Langer would plump for his three frontline fast bowlers in Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.

He did and was dutifully rewarded for showing faith in the experienced trio as together they recorded excellent figures of five for 68 in a combined 12 overs to help Australia to a five-wicket win in the opening game of the Super 12 stage in Abu Dhabi.

Hazlewood was the star, bowling 11 dot balls in his first 12 deliveries on his way to figures of two for 19 and was awarded the player of the match award after Australia chased down South Africa’s 118 for nine with two balls to spare.

He said: “I think length was the key, hitting the right length, just on top of the stumps. Anything slightly short or fuller seemed easy, so length was key.

“The wicket seamed reasonably good, but it was a little bit stoppy, a little bit slow. It plays that way during the day and gets easier at night.

“We’ve got a number of all-rounders and Maxi [Glen Maxwell] was the man today to bowl the four. It sort of got close in the end but we’ve got finishers and we were confident in them.”

Hazlewood is proof that bowling a Test match-style length can pay dividends at the top of the order, something he spoke about during the recent IPL.

During the tournament, he told Star Sports: “I think it [Test-match] length can work at certain times and the batter is probably going to use his feet or get deep in the crease or try something. You got to sort of be ready for that and try and pre-empt that I guess.”

He is certainly one to watch for the remainder of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, a tournament he was a massive long-shot to even play in just over a year ago.

Rumour has it that years ago Hazlewood’s friends and family are alleged to have cashed in by putting money on him to play for Australia at big odds when he was still just a youngster, so given his track record of coming good, you would not bet against him playing a key role in taking his country deep into the competition.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, October 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):Bangladesh, Namibia, Scotland and Sri Lanka have confirmed their place at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 to be held in Australia, after the four teams progressed to the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in Oman and the UAE.

Namibia, the story of Round 1 have qualified for the Super 12s in their first ever T20 World Cup and will now return for the Australia event in 12 months time. They are joined by Bangladesh, Scotland and Sri Lanka confirming 12 out of the 16 spots for the World Cup.

Afghanistan, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies and hosts Australia, had already qualified for the 2022 showpiece, gaining direct entry to the Super 12 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 by virtue of being inside the top eight on the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20 International Rankings at the cut-off prior to the postponed 2020 event.

The four remaining spots will be filled via the ongoing qualification pathway taking place across the five regions, culminating in two global qualifying tournaments in early 2022. For more information click here.

ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said: “We have already seen some incredibly competitive cricket in round one of the Men’s T20 World Cup culminating in Bangladesh, Namibia, Scotland and Sri Lanka taking their positions in the Super 12s and therefore qualifying for Australia 2022.

“Namibia and Scotland in particular have provided us with some great stories over the past two weeks reinforcing T20 cricket as the global growth vehicle of the sport. We look forward to seeing which four teams will secure the remaining spots for Australia 2022 through the two global qualifiers next year.”

For the 12 automatic qualifiers there is still plenty to play for in this tournament in terms of Australia 2022. Teams can secure their spot in the Australia 2022 Super 12s, by finishing as either winner or runner up of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 or as one of the next six highest ranked teams (as of November 15, 2021).

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, October 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo admitted there is plenty of room for improvement in his side ahead of their first Super 12 clash against Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh came through the first round of the ICC Men’s World T20 2021 as runners-up in Group B after losing to winners Scotland before defeating Oman as well as Papua New Guinea and begin the next stage of the competition on Sunday at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Sri Lanka are coming off the back of three comfortable wins against the Netherlands, Ireland and Namibia which saw them top Group A and will provide stern opposition for Domingo’s men, who head to the UAE after previously playing in Oman.

“Firstly, I think there’s always room for improvement in every department,” said Domingo.

“We know with the bat we haven’t quite clicked at 100 percent yet. We know there’s a lot of improvement that can take place there, at the start, in the middle and at the death of the innings.

“Obviously, we need to assess conditions more because we’re playing under totally different conditions to what we played in Oman. So, it’s also going to be a big challenge for us.

“These types of conditions can suit us. Sharjah, I suppose, is a little bit more similar to what wickets in Dhaka are like. Hopefully, that can assist us in tomorrow’s game.

“Sri Lanka played a few games here, yes. Whether that’s an advantage or not, I’m not sure. I don’t think what’s happened in the first round counts for much when it comes to the main event now.”

Despite safely securing their path into the Super 12 stage, the shock six-run defeat to Scotland sparked criticism of Domingo’s side and he insists he will be instructing his players to block out the noise and focus on getting the job done.

He added: “When you’re playing international cricket, particularly in a country like Bangladesh, where there’s so much passion, when things don’t go well, there’s always going to be criticism when there’s passion.

“And that’s a part of international sport. A big part of coaching and management of a team is to make sure they focus on what they can control. There’s nothing we can do about what people are writing or what people are saying.

“All we can focus is on and what we think about our performances, how we evaluate our performances, the areas we feel we need to improve on. That remains our main focus.

“As soon as we start worrying about those types of things, it takes the focus away from what we really need to focus on.

“We’ve spoken long and hard about where our focus needs to be. Our focus is very much on cricket and how we prepare for tomorrow’s game.”

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka is expecting a cracking game against Bangladesh but is confident his side have what it takes to come out on top despite their opposition being ranked four places higher at sixth in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20 International Rankings.

“We are expecting a very good game tomorrow. Bangladesh, they’ve been good in the qualifiers, as well, but you know, it will be a fair game,” he added.

“T20 is a very short game, and on our day, everyone saw how good we are, as well.

“Bangladesh are sitting very good at the moment because after winning those qualifiers, they are on a winning momentum. It’s good for them, but still, we’ve got a better side, I think. We have a slightly better chance.”

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, October 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):Kieron Pollard has urged his West Indies side to forget their dismal batting display against England and move on quickly as they seek to defend their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup crown.

Pollard was one of ten batters to fall for a single-figure score as his side were skittled for 55 in a rematch of the 2016 final, a score England needed just 8.2 overs to surpass as West Indies’ net run-rate took a sizable early dent.

The 34-year-old was honest about his side’s failings and expects to see a vast improvement in their remaining Group 1 fixtures, starting against South Africa on Tuesday.

“We didn’t bat well and it’s disappointing to start our tournament like that, being defending champions,” he said.

“But we have to accept it and take responsibility for what happened out there. We have to put this game to bed and move on.

“We just need to go back and look at the way we’ve performed and see if we can maybe find a medium as to how we approach it.

“It’s very important we forget a game like this. For us, it’s pretty simple – accept and move on.”

A West Indies side showing three survivors from the side which lifted the trophy for a second time five years ago were instantly up against it in Dubai, with both openers dismissed inside the first three overs.

Moeen Ali’s superb spell, which brought him two for 17 from four overs, kept the pressure on and there was no way back from 31 for four at the conclusion of the powerplay.

Pollard could at least take heart from a spirited display with the ball, Akeal Hosein taking two for 24, but admitted his side’s plans had been left in tatters following their performance with the bat.

“Obviously we lost a couple of wickets early on and we expected guys to bat a couple of overs, knock it around and see if we could set it up for the back end, but we kept losing wickets,” he said.

“It didn’t work today and these things happen. We have a plan of how we want to play, it didn’t come off today, but the intensity in the field for those 8.2 overs was good.

“Being bowled out for 50-odd as an international team is never acceptable but we’ll come back stronger.”

Adil Rashid was understandably more content with his afternoon’s work following a record-breaking spell with the ball.

The leg-spinner claimed four for two, England’s best ever T20I figures, to accelerate West Indies’ collapse but was quick to pay tribute to his fellow spinner and close friend Moeen for getting his side up and running.

“I don’t think we could have asked for a better start,” he said.

“As a bowling group, we bowled exceptionally well and everything went to plan.

“Moeen started off brilliantly, especially bowling four overs in a row. He kept it tight and picked up wickets as well. That really set the tone for the team.

“A lot of credit goes to him and the whole bowling unit for backing each other up.

“As a bowling unit, we know we have five or six matchwinners and on any given day anyone can come on and get wickets.

“We don’t want to look too far ahead and we’ll take it a game at a time. Whatever’s in front of us, we’ll play that.”

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, October 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):Australia kickstarted the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 with a nervy five-wicket victory over South Africa in a low-scoring contest in Abu Dhabi.

Having restricted the Proteas to 118 for eight, Australia slipped to 38 for three in reply before Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell’s partnership of 42 set the platform for Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade to see Justin Langer’s side home with two balls to spare.

Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa and Mitchell Starc had all picked up two scalps as South Africa lost wickets at regular intervals to leave Australia needing less than six an over at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Aiden Markram struck a fluent 40 off 36 balls to top score for the Proteas but he ran out of partners as Australia got their campaign off to a winning start.

After being put into bat, captain Temba Bavuma got South Africa off to a flyer in the first over by taking Starc for 11 runs, including two lovely fours through the off side.

But he was bowled by Maxwell, utilising his handy off-spin early in the powerplay, in the second over for 12.

His replacement at the crease, Rassie van der Dussen, soon followed his skipper back to the hutch after making just two when he nicked Hazlewood’s first ball behind to Wade.

It went from bad to worse when Quinton de Kock was bowled in bizarre fashion after attempting to flick a Hazlewood delivery on the move, only to see it cannon off his leg and balloon into the air and back onto the stumps.

Hazlewood completed his wicket maiden before South Africa stuttered to 29 for three at the end of the powerplay.

Markram and Heinrich Klassen looked like they were building the first partnership of note before Pat Cummins had the latter caught off a thick outside edge for a run-a-ball 13.

Playing a sole hand, Markram put on 34 for the fifth wicket with David Miller until leg-spinner Adam Zampa rocked South Africa with two wickets in the 14th over.

Miller was trapped in front for 16 before Dwaine Pretorious was sharply caught by Wade for just one to leave the Proteas reeling at 82 for six.

Things did not improve when Keshav Maharaj was run out by Maxwell after slipping when trying to get off the mark from an overthrow.

Markram took his frustration out on the returning Hazlewood, slamming a huge six into the crowd over the leg side, but fell to Cummins when trying to up the ante, with South Africa yet to bring up their 100 with only three overs left.

Some valuable late clean striking from Kagiso Rabada, who made 19 off 23 balls, gave his side something to bowl at as South Africa finished on 118 for nine.

Rabada and Anrich Nortje came charging in at the start of Australia’s chase and the two combined to remove Aaron Finch for a duck in the second over, Rabada clinging on at third man after the Australian skipper slashed hard at a wide one.

David Warner appeared to get things back on track with a couple of boundaries until he was well-caught by Heinrich Klaasen at point as Bavuma’s decision to keep Rabada on for three straight overs paid dividends.

Australia finished the powerplay on 28 for two, one run short of where South Africa were at the same stage but with an extra wicket in hand.

That advantage soon went when Keshav Maharaj had Mitchell Marsh caught at deep midwicket for 11 in the eighth over.

Steve Smith and Maxwell put together a partnership of 42 as they safely navigated the middle overs without much alarm until a super diving catch from Markram off Nortje gave South Africa a sniff.

Smith departed for 35 off 34, annoyed not to take his side home but having left them well-placed, needing 37 from 31 balls.

But Maxwell followed just three balls later for 18 when he was castled by MRF Tyres ICC World No.1 T20I bowler Tabraiz Shamsi attempting a big reverse slog sweep.

Markram nearly clinched another spectacular grab, but Wade’s shot off Rabada did not carry and crucially slipped through him for four.

Wade’s improvisation brought him a second consecutive boundary before Marcus Stoinis saw Australia over the line when needing 18 from the final two overs. finishing with 24 from 16 balls as the pair put on a match-winning stand of 40 from the last 26 balls.

Scores in Brief

Australia beat South Africa at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi by five wickets

South Africa 118/9 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 40, Kagiso Rabada 19 not out; Josh Hazlewood 2/19, Adam Zampa 2/21)

Australia 121/5 in 19.4 overs (Steve Smith 35, Marcus Stoinis 24 not out; Anrich Nortje 2/21, Tabraiz Shamsi 1/22)

Player of the Match: Josh Hazlewood (Australia)

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, October 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):A ruthless bowling performance saw England get their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 campaign off to a perfect start as they defeated the West Indies by six wickets in Dubai.

The rematch between the 2016 finalists was eagerly anticipated but proved almost as one-sided as that famous occasion in Kolkata had been dramatic, with the reigning champions subsiding to 55 all out – their second-lowest ever T20I score.

Spin twins Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid were the principal architects of West Indies’ downfall, the latter finishing with England’s best-ever T20I figures of four for two after Moeen had set the tone with two wickets and 18 dot balls in a miserly four-over spell.

The returning Tymal Mills, representing England for the first time since February 2017, chipped in with two scalps of his own including key man Chris Gayle, who was the only batter to make it into double figures.

Akeal Hosein caused problems for England’s powerful batting line-up in reply, taking two for 24, but the modest nature of the target restricted West Indies’ ability to apply real pressure and Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 24 steered the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup winners home with more than half their overs remaining.

Having opted to bowl upon winning the toss, Morgan opened up with Moeen and the off-spinner was greeted by an early show of intent by Evin Lewis, who lofted the final ball of the first over for what would turn out to be the only six of the innings.

The England all-rounder had his revenge in the very next over, sprinting back from mid-off to take a fine catch when Lewis tried to repeat the trick off the bowling of Chris Woakes and found more height than distance.

Moeen went on to account for Lendl Simmons, who picked out Liam Livingstone on the deep midwicket boundary, to leave both openers back in the pavilion inside three overs.

Consecutive boundaries for Shimron Hetmyer injected some momentum into the innings at the start of the fifth over but Moeen again struck back as the left-hander chipped to Morgan at mid-on.

Such a situation called for experienced heads and in Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, both playing in their seventh ICC Men’s T20 World Cups, West Indies appeared to have just the men for the job.

But having struck three typically powerful boundaries, Gayle soon miscued a pull off Mills and was well caught by a backpedalling Dawid Malan off the final ball of the powerplay, which concluded with West Indies languishing on 31 for four.

The situation only grew more desperate from there with Bravo next to fall, flashing hard at Chris Jordan’s second delivery and succeeding only in finding Jonny Bairstow at backward point.

Mills and Jordan kept the pressure firmly applied in the middle overs, the former removing Nicholas Pooran for a single, and the return of spin paid instant dividends as Rashid’s first delivery cleaned up Andre Russell without scoring.

Captain Kieron Pollard was his side’s final hope of setting a challenging target but having initially been watchful as wickets fell around him, he took on Rashid at the start of the 13th over and provided Bairstow with a routine catch at long-on.

Obed McCoy fell in identical circumstances next ball and though last man Ravi Rampaul survived the hat-trick delivery, a heave in the leg-spinner’s next over saw him clean bowled as the innings was wrapped up with 5.4 overs left unused.

West Indies followed England’s lead in opening with a spinner but Buttler was quickly into the groove, driving Hosein through the covers for a boundary to get the chase going.

Roy was next to take the attack to the left-armer, clearing the ropes over extra cover, but was soon departing the fray after chipping a Ravi Rampaul slower ball to Gayle on 11.

It was Bairstow rather than Malan who walked out at number three and consecutive boundaries took England more than halfway towards their target inside four overs.

Then came a slight wobble as Hosein claimed return catches to remove Bairstow and Livingstone, the second of which was a stunning one-handed effort to his left, either side of Moeen being run out following a mix-up.

But captain Morgan joined Buttler to see his side over the finish line, the wicketkeeper pulling the winning runs to the mid-wicket boundary from the second ball of the ninth over.

Scores in Brief

England beat West Indies at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai by six wickets

West Indies 55 all out in 14.2 overs (Chris Gayle 13, Shimron Hetmyer 9; Adil Rashid 4/2, Moeen Ali 2/17, Tymal Mills 2/17)

England 56-4 in 8.2 overs (Jos Buttler 24 not out, Jason Roy 11; Akeal Hosein 2/24, Ravi Rampaul 1/14)

Player of the Match: Moeen Ali (England)

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com