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Shami’s 5-Wicket Haul Powers India to Semis

Shami claimed his second five-wicket haul of the ongoing World Cup, his 5-18 helping India bundle out Sri Lanka for a paltry 55 at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday…writes B Shrikant

A five-wicket haul by pacer Mohammed Shami after superb half-centuries by Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer helped India thrash Sri Lanka by 302 runs for their seventh win in seven matches, sealing a place in the semifinals with two matches yet to play.

The hosts continued their brilliant all-round display in the World Cup, claiming the fourth-largest win ever by bundling out Sri Lanka for 55 in 19.2 overs after riding on some brilliant batting by Gill (92), Kohli (88) and Iyer (82) to post 357/8 in 50 overs.

India now have 14 points from seven games and are the first team to confirm their place in the last-four stage in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup.

Shami claimed his second five-wicket haul of the ongoing World Cup, his 5-18 helping India bundle out Sri Lanka for a paltry 55 at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

Shami had figures of 5-1-18-5, taking his overall tally to 45 as he became the highest wicket-taker for India in World Cups, getting past Zaheer Khan’s tally of 44 in 23 matches. Shami, who had claimed 5-54 against New Zealand earlier in this World Cup, reached the mark in just 14 matches.

Shami, who came into the playing XI after Hardik Pandya was injured, has taken 14 wickets in just three matches so far.

The last time they met Sri Lanka in the final of the 2023 Asia Cup in Colombo, India bowled them out for 50 in 15.2 overs. On Thursday, India bowled them out for 55 in 19.4 to win by 302 runs.

While Shami claimed 5-18, Mohd Siraj bagged 3-16 as India threatened to get Sri Lanka out for the lowest total ever after reducing the 1996 World Cup winners to 22/7 after 12 over.

While Bumrah claimed one wicket, Siraj and Shami bagged two wickets each in their first overs. Sri Lanka were four down for three runs and then 14/6 at the end of the 10th over.

Coming in as the first change, Shami sent back Charith Asalanka (1) on the third ball of his opening over, as the batter slashed at a short and wide delivery to hand Ravindra Jadeja a catch at backward point.

He made it two in two balls when Dushan Hemantha pushed at a good length ball outside off and behind to Rahul, becoming the third Sri Lankan batter to get a first-ball duck on Thursday.

Shami claimed the third wicket of the day thanks to DRS when the ultra edge showed Dushmantha Chameera (0) had gloved a delivery going down leg-side to keeper KL Rahul, making it seven down for 22 runs.

Down 22/7 after 12 overs, Sri Lanka looked like getting the unwanted record of the lowest all-out total in ODIs, which is 35, by Zimbabwe (vs SL) and USA (vs Nepal).

They were 29/8 when Shami bowled out Angelo Mathews 12 in the 14th over and then completed his fifer by claiming the wicket of Kasun Rajitha, the top-scorer for Sri Lanka on the day, by edging a drive to Gill at second slip.

Sri Lanka managed that thanks to a ninth-wicket partnership between Maheesh Theekshana (12 not out) and Kasun Rajitha (14), only the third batsman to get into double figures. Ravindra Jadeja ended their inning when he sent back Madushanka for five.

Earlier, Sri Lanka got an early breakthrough but could not capitalise on it due to inconsistent bowling, dropped catches and bad fielding.

Gill and Kohli raised a crucial 189-run partnership for the second wicket after skipper Rohit Sharma was out for four off the second ball of the innings, while Iyer shared two half-century partnerships with KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja lower down the order, setting Sri Lanka a big target to chase.

Kohli came into the bat in the first over of the match after Rohit Sharma was out to the second ball he faced.

Kohli and Gill, who was dropped at nine by Madushanka off his bowling in the fifth over, rescued India with a superb partnership, playing cautiously initially but never failing to punish the poor deliveries of which the Sri Lankans bowled quite a few. They struck boundaries at regular intervals as India ended the first Powerplay at 60/1.

Kolhi survived a chance when Chameera dropped a return catch after getting his hand to the uppish driver and juggling it a couple of times.

However, after the initial period of struggle, the former India captain mostly played in the V, judging the length well and always remaining in control of his shorts. He flicked the ball off his pads when the Sri Lankans strayed down the legside, slog-swept on a couple of occasions and even executed a well-controlled pull shot when the medium pacer dug in short, completing his 70th half-century in the process.

Both Gill and Kohli were out within a space of three runs but India went on to put up a big score thanks to Shreyas Iyer.

Iyer kept the scoring rate up as he struck a few sweetly-timed boundaries and hammered Hemantha straight over his head for a big six and followed it up with a 106-metre monster off Rajitha a couple of overs later in the 36th. The third six in his half-century came off Theekshana, blasting him down the ground, completing his half-century off 36 balls with a four off Theekshana.

Back-to-back sixes off Madushanka in the 48th over by Iyer brought up the half-century of his sixth wicket partnership with Ravindra Jadeja. But Madushanka had his revenge a wide ball later when he bowled a wide and slower one and Iyer sliced it straight up to extra cover off the tow-end of his bat. His brilliant innings of 82 off 56 balls, put India within sniffing distance of the 350 mark. However, in the end, Sri Lanka could not come anywhere close to that total and India registered a big victory.

Brief scores:

India 357/8 in 50 overs (Shubman Gill 92, Virat Kohli 88, Shreyas Iyer 82, Ravindra Jadeja 35; Madushanka 5-80) beat Sri Lanka 55 all out in 19.4 overs (Kasun Rajitha 14; Mohd Shami 5-18, Siraj 3-16) by 302 runs.

ALSO READ: South Africa Demolishes New Zealand with 190-Run Win

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South Africa Demolishes New Zealand with 190-Run Win

Batting first, South Africa posted a total of 357/4 thanks to 200-run second-wicket stand between centurions Quinton de Kock (116) and Rassie van der Dussen (133)….reports Asian Lite News

South Africa went to the top of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup points table after a dominating 190-run against New Zealand in the league stage match at here MCA Stadium on Wednesday.

Batting first, South Africa posted a total of 357/4 thanks to 200-run second-wicket stand between centurions Quinton de Kock (116) and Rassie van der Dussen (133). Later, the Proteas were boosted by a late charge from David Miller (53).

Later, Marco Jansen’s double strike lifted South Africa in the first Powerplay during New Zealand’s chase before Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada followed up with wickets of their own. Keshav Maharaj ensured that the spinners had their say and struck four times as they bundled out New Zealand for 167 in 35.3 overs to ensure a dominant win.

Chasing 358, New Zealand tried their best to go for quick runs but lost Devon Conway pretty early to a sharp catch from Aiden Markram off the bowling of Jansen. Will Young and Ravindra tried to open their arms and go for quick runs. But Jansen struck yet again in the ninth over to get Ravindra caught at fine leg. However, Gerald

Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada ensured that the built-up pressure wasn’t let off. Coetzee had Young caught behind with a peach, and Rabada had the New Zealand skipper Tom Latham caught in the covers.

Daryl Mitchell was holding the fort for the BlackCaps before he fell to Maharaj in the 19th over. He lofted one down the wicket, where he was expertly caught by Miller.

New Zealand crumbled under the pressure exerted by Proteas bowlers lost their next four for merely 43 runs. A number of lusty blows from Glenn Phillips against the run of play, who was the only half-centurion from the Kiwi setup, helped New Zealand bat till the 36th over.

Earlier, New Zealand ensured that South Africa had to work for their runs in Pune. And skipper Temba Bavuma led the way with a number of confident strokes, especially through the cover region. However, he was outdone by Trent Boult.

Then, Rassie van der Dussen and Quinton de Kock came together to take forward the Proteas batting effort. They kept the scoring rate in the higher ranges of four till the 20-over mark, with a number of aggressive shots.

There were concerned faces in the New Zealand camp, who already have a number of injuries in their numbers after Matt Henry walked back into the pavilion without finishing his sixth over. The pacer had pulled a hamstring after the third ball of the 27th over, and the remaining deliveries were completed by James Neesham.

After going at a steady pace, De Kock and van der Dussen picked pace after the 30-over mark. They added 39 runs off the next five overs. De Kock then brought up his fourth Cricket World Cup hundred with a maximum off Neesham in the 36th over.

The Black Caps finally had their way in the 40th over, when Southee accounted for de Kock. However, this brought the dangerous Miller onto the crease. Along with van der Dussen, he added a quickfire 78 for the third wicket.

Brief scores: South Africa 357/4 ( Quinton de Kock 116, Rassie Van der Dusssen 133; Tim Southee 2-77) beat New Zealand 167 all-out in 35.3 overs (Glenn Philips 60, Keshav Maharaj 4-46, Marco Jansen 3-31) by 190 runs.

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Saudi Sole Bidder to Host 2034 FIFA WC

Earlier, Saudi Arabia submitted their bid to FIFA to host the men’s event after the football apex body restricted the process to countries from Oceania and Asia….reports Asian Lite News

Saudi Arabia has emerged as the only bidder for 2034 football World Cup. The decision to hand over the hosting rights for the event to Saudi Arabia will be ratified officially at the end of next year, providing all of the criteria are met.

After the news was announced, FIFA President Gianni Infantino took to his official Instagram account and said that the bidding processes were approved by consensus via the FIFA Council.

“The bidding processes were approved by consensus via the FIFA Council – where all six confederations are represented – after constructive dialogue and extensive consultation. Thank you to everyone who has participated in this positive exchange,” the FIFA President wrote on social media.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia submitted their bid to FIFA to host the men’s event after the football apex body restricted the process to countries from Oceania and Asia.

Australia had also shown interest in hosting the event and was the only serious challenger to Saudi Arabia. However, before FIFA’s deadline for declarations of interest on October 31, Football Australia stepped back and decided not to place a bid.

The lack of any competition raises numerous questions about the compatibility of the tournament with FIFA’s human rights commitments.

If the bid is ratified, Saudi Arabia will become the second country in the Middle-East after Qatar to host the football World Cup. The World Cup in Saudi Arabia could also be played in the Winter months as it was in Qatar 2022.

United States of America, Canada and Mexico will host the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. The upcoming edition of the tournament will be different from the other editions as it will be the first edition to include 48 teams, up from 32. It will also have 12 groups of four.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin on June 11, 2026, and the final match of the event will take place on July 19, 2026. (ANI)

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Embattled Pakistan Keeps World Cup Hopes Alive

Fakhar Zaman (81) and Abdullah Shafique (68) were the stars of Pakistan’s batting efforts with authoritative fifties after Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first…reports Asian Lite News

Besieged by problems on and off the pitch, Pakistan returned to winning ways in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup at the Eden Gardens here, with a seven-wicket win against Bangladesh with 105 balls to spare.

Pakistan’s troubles in the field were manifested in their defeat in four successive matches while the problems out of the ground came through various allegations, one of which resulted in the chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq putting in his papers over conflict-of-interest charges.

Babar Azam’s team put all these issues on the back burner as it came up with a clinical performance to register their third win in seven matches and moved to fifth place in the standings, tied on six points with Afghanistan but with a better Net Run Rate.

Fakhar Zaman (81) and Abdullah Shafique (68) were the stars of Pakistan’s batting efforts with authoritative fifties after Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first.

In the first innings, Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-23), Mohammad Wasim (3-31), and Haris Rauf (2-36) were the pick of Pakistan bowlers, as the pacers rallied together for the Men in Green to bowl Bangladesh all out for a paltry total of 204.

For Bangladesh, seasoned batter Mahmudullah (56), who struck a half-century after a century against South Africa, and Shakib Al Hasan (43) showed a fight with the bat.

In reply, Pakistan reached 205/3 in just 32.3 overs — fourth time that they have won a men’s ODI World Cup game with over 100 balls to spare.

Fakhar Zaman showed relentless form in the first Power-play. The southpaw smacked four boundaries for Pakistan in this period. This included two exemplary sixes off the bowling of Taskin Ahmed and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, respectively.

He got good support from his partner, Abdullah Shafique, who garnered four stylish fours of his own in the first 10 overs.

Zaman and Shafique continued to make the most of a decent batting wicket and a good outfield. They churned out a series of fours and sixes as the Bangladesh shoulders dropped. Five sixes were added in the overs 11-20, as the duo added 72 runs.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz finally brought a breakthrough for Pakistan in the 22nd over, when he trapped Abdullah Shafique leg before for 68. However, Fakhar and Babar Azam ensured that Pakistan were right on track.

After the mid-innings mark, Mehidy struck twice to remove both Fakhar and Babar, but by then Pakistan were already well set to overtake the Bangladesh target.

In the first innings, Pakistan were right on the mark courtesy of an incisive spell from Shaheen Afridi. He pinned Tanzid Hasan’s leg before off the fifth ball of the game. The batter reviewed, but it turned out that the ball was clipping the top of his leg stump.

In the very next over, Shaheen Afridi had the out-of-form Najmul Hossain Shanto caught at forward square leg. Usama Mir took a sharp catch at the position to give Pakistan their second breakthrough.

Litton Das tried to pick up the pace for Bangladesh with a flurry of boundaries against Haris Rauf. However, it was the pacer who had the last laugh, when he got the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim to nick one behind the wicket.

Mushfiqur was replaced by the in-form veteran Mahmudullah, who ensured that the Tigers didn’t get too bogged down by the early damages.

After the first Power-play, Das and Mahmudullah took charge and hit a stream of boundaries. Their intent was backed by some erratic Pakistan bowling. The duo went at almost six an over between overs 11-20.

Against the run of play, Das gifted his wicket to Iftikhar Ahmed after he chipped one of his deliveries to the mid-wicket fielder.

Bangladesh batted conservatively over the next few overs, as Shakib Al Hasan tried to get in. Just when the batters looked like they were getting set, Mahmudullah (56) was cleaned up by a beauty from Shaheen.

Newcomer Tawhid Hridoy went gung-ho quite early in his innings, hitting a six off his second ball. However, this daredevilry cost him his wicket off the very next ball, as he nicked Usama Mir to the first slip.

Bangladesh finally picked up once more, when Shakib hit a hat-trick of boundaries in the 37th over against Iftikhar Ahmed.

However, any hopes of a Bangladesh resurgence ended when Shakib mistimed a pull-off Haris Rauf and fell for 43. Bangladesh managed to cross the 200-run mark at the back of a stand between Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taskin Ahmed, but strikes from Mohammad Wasim soon ended their time at the crease.

Shakib Al Hasan opted to bat first after winning the toss. He believed that the pitch was dry, just the way it was in their last encounter against the Netherlands, and would offer a turn. They made one change to the side that fell short against the Dutch – Mahedi Hasan was replaced by Tawhid Hridoy.

Pakistan, on the other hand, went in with three changes. Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha and Usama Mir were in for Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan.

Bright starts for Pakistan and Bangladesh have all but faded away as both sides barely remain in contention for the knockout stage of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Pakistan opened their campaign with convincing victories over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka but are now on a four-match losing streak that has left little margin for error in the race for a semi-final berth.

A fifth loss on the trot for the 1992 champions when they face Bangladesh would essentially end their hopes of progressing further even with two matches still to play, though a win here would boost Pakistan’s hopes of a late surge through the tournament.

Bangladesh are in an even more precarious position as they sit just above the last spot in the standings with only two points from a win over Afghanistan in their tournament opener.

While form might be lacking after five consecutive defeats, Shakib Al Hasan’s outfit can turn to Bangladesh’s first-ever ODI victory over Pakistan for inspiration, when they won their clash at the Cricket World Cup in 1999 by 62 runs.

That was one of only five victories that Bangladesh have secured in 38 ODIs against Pakistan who have all but dominated their encounters.

The most recent match-up in the format came in the Super Four stage of the recent Asia Cup when Pakistan strengthened their hold on the head-to-head record with a seven-wicket win.

Brief scores:

Bangladesh 204 all out in 45.1 overs (Mahmudullah 56, Shakib Al Hasan 43, Litton Das 45; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-23, Mohammad Wasim 3-31, Haris Rauf 2-36) lost to Pakistan 205/3 in 32.3 overs (Abdullah Shafique 68, Fakhar Zaman 81; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 3-60) by 7 wickets.

ALSO READ: Afghanistan Bolsters Semifinal Ambitions

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Afghanistan Bolsters Semifinal Ambitions

Pune : Afghanistan's players acknowledge the crowd after winning their match against Sri Lanka during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match, at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo: IANS/@ACBofficials)

This was the third upset win that the Afghans recorded over a former World Champion, after beating Pakistan and defending champions England…reports Asian Lite News

Half-centuries from Rahmant Shah, skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai and a four-wicket haul by Fazalhaq Farooqi helped Afghanistan secure a memorable seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in their ICC Cricket World Cup match at Pune on Monday.

With this win, Afghanistan climbed to the fifth position in the points table with three wins, three losses and six points.

This was the third upset win that the Afghans recorded over a former World Champion, after beating Pakistan and defending champions England.

With two wins and four losses, Sri Lanka currently sit in the sixth spot on the points table with four points.

Chasing 242, Afghanistan was off to a poor start as opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz was cleaned up for a four-ball duck by Dilshan Madhushanka. Afghanistan was 0/1 in 0.4 overs.

Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah started rebuilding the innings following the early hiccup. At the end of 10 overs, Afghanistan brought up their 50.

The partnership between both batters was cut short by Madhushanka, who dismissed Zadran for 39 off 57 balls, with four boundaries and a six after he was caught by Chamika Karunaratne at short third man. Afghanistan was 73/2 in 16.5 overs.

Rahmat and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi helped Afghanistan reach the 100-run mark in 21.5 overs.

Rahmat reached his 25th ODI fifty in 61 balls, with five fours.

The 58-run partnership for the second wicket ended with Rahmat being caught by Karunaratne on a delivery by Kasun Rajitha for 62 off 74 balls, with seven fours. Afghanistan was at 131/3 in 28 overs.

Skipper Shahidi was joined by Azmatullah Omarzai and the pair brought up 150 for Afghanistan in 32.1 overs.

Shahidi brought up his second half-century of the tournament in 67 balls, with one four and a six.

Omarzai also reached his half-century in 50 balls, with two fours and three sixes.

Afghanistan eventually came out winners by seven runs, with Omarzai hitting the winning runs.

Madushanka got two wickets while Rajitha got one wicket.

Earlier, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi’s fiery bowling helped Afghanistan skittle out Sri Lanka for 241 in the World Cup match at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Monday.

Farooqi was the wrecker-in-chief for the Afghans as he broke the back of Sri Lanka’s batting with career-best ODI figures of 4-34 while Mujeeb Ur Rahman bagged two wickets. Pathum Nissanka scored the highest for Sri Lanka with 46 while Kusal Mendis scored 39 to help their team post a competitive total of 241.

After winning the toss, Hashmatullah Shahidi elected to bowl first. The match between the familiar foes got off to a slow start. Dimuth Karunaratne (15) hit the first boundary of the match in the fifth over but was removed for leg before wicket on the next ball. The call that the ball was moving down the legside was initially made by the on-field umpire, but it was reversed after review.

Even though Kusal Mendis attempted to keep the innings together with Pathum Nissanka, the run rate remained closer to four.

Nissanka eventually ramped up the tempo, hitting a string of boundaries on a deck where the ball bounced off the bat with good bounce. He shared 62 runs for the second wicket with Mendis before nicking one-off Azmatullah Omarzai’s bowling.

Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama stitched a steady third-wicket stand after early blows from Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azamatullah Omarzai. Following two consecutive half-centuries, Samarawickrama got things going early in his innings.

After the mid-innings, the Afghanistan bowlers altered the innings’ trajectory, limiting the pace of scoring and compelling Sri Lanka’s hitters to take long balls. As a result, in the 28th over, Mendis (39) successfully holed a delivery from Mujeeb Ur Rahman to deep midwicket. In his very next over, Mujeeb struck once more to account for the set Samarawickrama (36) as well.

With four wickets lost and little momentum, Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya de Silva proceeded slowly. Even though he made it in, Dhananjaya (14) was destroyed by Rashid Khan’s skill because he was unable to capitalise on his start. After failing to read Rashid’s cunning delivery in the 36th over, Dhananjaya was set up and eventually bowled off the last ball of the over.

Asalanka too lost his balance and fell after misjudging when to tug on Farooqi and Rashid managed to hang onto a straightforward opportunity. At the end of 40 overs, Sri Lanka put 186 on the scoreboard with the loss of 7 wickets.

Maheesh Theekshana added a valuable 29 runs but Farooqi ended his stay at the crease with a superb yorker by in the 47th over.

Angelo Mathews then handled the charge as he slammed boundaries at regular intervals however his stint at the crease came to an end as he removed Farooqi for 23. With an excellent effort with the ball, Afghanistan skittled out Sri Lanka for 241.

Brief score: Sri Lanka 241 (Pathum Nissanka 46, Kusal Mendis 39; Fazalhaq Farooqi 4-34) beat Afghanistan: 242/3 in 45.2 overs (Azmatullah Omarzai 73*, Rahmat Shah 62, Dilshan Madhushanka 2/48). (ANI)

ALSO READ: India’s Unbeaten Run Continues

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India’s Unbeaten Run Continues

In their initial attempt to set a total in the tournament, India managed to score 229/9 on a challenging, two-paced pitch…reports Asian Lite News

Due to its famous rulers the Nawabs, Lucknow was given the moniker of being the ‘City of Nawabs’. On Sunday, India came out at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in front of 46,000 fans and played like kings, after being in trouble at one point, to thrash England by 100 runs and maintain their unbeaten run in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup.

Put into setting up a total for the first time in the competition, India could only make 229/9 on a tricky, two-paced pitch. Captain Rohit Sharma top-scored with 87 from 101 balls and stood tall even as other batters fell around him in a bid to go big.

Rohit held the innings together with a gritty knock laced with 10 fours and three sixes on a tough pitch while adding 91 runs for the fourth wicket with KL Rahul. Suryakumar Yadav made a crucial 49 in the back end for India to go above 200, which was initially deemed as a below-par total.

England had scored 30 runs off their first 27 balls in their chase, but after that, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, along with Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, blew England away with a fantastic show of accuracy to skittle the listless defending champions for 129 in 34.5 overs.

While Shami took 4-22, Bumrah was superb in 3-32. Kuldeep was great in 2-24 while Jadeja took 1-16 as India went on top of the table with 12 points. England lost their fifth match in a row and are now staring firmly at the exit door.

It was the second successive batting capitulation for them after being bowled out for 156 by Sri Lanka, and against India, only Liam Livingstone would cross 20 in yet another sorry show with the bat after bowlers and fielders put in an electrifying performance.

Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow got going in the chase of 230 by hitting five boundaries in 4.3 overs before the script took a dramatic turn. In an attempt to cut Bumrah through the off-side, Malan could only get an inside edge shattering his stumps. The fans’ voice grew louder on the very next ball as Bumrah trapped Joe Root plumb lbw with a skiddy delivery which kept low, with the batter burning a review.

Relentless bowling from the Indian bowlers, where they beat the edges of the batters consistently, resulted in Ben Stokes trying to smash Shami down the ground but was castled. There was no end to England’s trouble as Jonny Bairstow got an inside edge on the pads while trying to cut off Shami and the ball rolled onto the stumps.

England’s hopes continued to slide as Kuldeep got a tossed-up delivery to turn a mile and got some grip off the pitch to leave Buttler’s stumps in tatters. Shami came back in the 24th over and immediately struck on the first ball by having Moeen Ali nick behind to Rahul.

Though dew came around, there was no stopping England’s slide. Jadeja had Woakes stumped easily while Kuldeep trapped Livingstone plumb lbw through a googly. Rashid and Willey tried delaying the inevitable, but Shami took the former out by castling him through the gate and Bumrah castled Wood to bring England’s misery to an end.

Earlier, Rohit was kept quiet in the opening over as David Willey began with a maiden. But in the left-arm pacer’s second over, Rohit got off the mark with a four clearing mid-on and nailed the pull as well as loft down the ground for a brace of sixes, taking 18 runs off the third over.

England got a breakthrough in the fourth over when Chris Woakes castled Shubman Gill with a nip-backer through the gate. With the bowlers getting some seam movement on a two-paced pitch, England put Virat Kohli under sustained dot-ball pressure and that resulted in the talismanic batter mistiming a drive on the up to mid-off, making it his first duck in World Cups.

With no respite on offer, more trouble followed India as Woakes rushed Shreyas Iyer for pace on a short ball cramping him for room and the batter could only give a top edge on pull to mid-on. Seeing the situation, Rohit dropped anchor after surviving an lbw appeal against Mark Wood.

In between, he hit some boundaries too, amongst which a drive threading through cover off Adil Rashid was the standout, with Rohit’s sweep off the leg-spinner for four also bringing up his 18,000 runs in international cricket. After reaching his third fifty of this World Cup, Rohit signalled a shift of gears by flicking Wood off his wrists for six.

Rahul cashed on Liam Livingstone’s introduction by getting an outside edge and then sweeping a low full toss to collect a brace of fours. More runs came for India off Livingstone as Rohit reverse-swept and brought out hard drive for back-to-back boundaries, followed by a whip over mid-wicket for another four.

The 91-run partnership came to a halt in the 31st over when Rahul tried to smash against Willey, only to mistime and give a simple catch to mid-on. Suryakumar got going with a whippy drive past mid-on for four, followed by bringing out pull and sweep to collect more boundaries. Rohit’s knock came to an end in the 39th over when he went for a slog on Rashid’s googly but holed out to deep mid-wicket.

Rashid came back to trap Jadeja lbw and Wood returned to find Shami’s faint bottom edge going behind to Jos Buttler. Suryakumar took India past 200 with a sweep off Rashid for four, before bringing out his trademark flick going high over fine leg for six.

Suryakumar tried to carve Willey over cover but gave an easy catch to deep point in the 47th over. Bumrah and Kuldeep added 21 runs for the ninth wicket while hitting a boundary each before the former was run out on the last ball of the innings to end one short of 230.

Brief scores:

India 229/9 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 87, Suryakumar Yadav 49; David Willey 3-45, Chris Woakes 2-33) beat England 129 all out in 34.5 overs (Liam Livingstone 27, Dawid Malan 6; Mohammed Shami 4-22, Jasprit Bumrah 3-32) by 100 runs

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Australia Clinches Thrilling Victory in Highest-Scoring ODI Ever

A remarkable opening partnership between David Warner (81 off 65) and the returning Travis Head (109 from 67) got Pat Cummins’ side off to a blistering start…reports Asian Lite News

In a game that produced the highest match aggregates in one-day Internationals — 771 runs in two innings, Australia clung on to record a narrow win off the final ball against Neighbours New Zealand in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 here on Saturday.

Set an improbable 389 to win, New Zealand were inspired by Rachin Ravindra’s outstanding century to set up a nail-biting finish in the highest-scoring match in the history of ODIs.

Jimmy Neesham’s extraordinary 58 from 39 balls took them to the cusp of an extraordinary comeback victory, only for a brilliant run out to remove Neesham off the penultimate ball of the innings.

With six required off the last ball, And Mitchell Starc held his nerve to deny No.11 Lockie Ferguson as the Black Caps ended on 383/9 and Australia won a nailbiter by just five runs.

Runs flowed like water in a river during the monsoon, Australia rode on a brilliant opening partnership in an unusual first innings as they posted 388 at the picturesque ground in the foothills of the Himalayas.

A remarkable opening partnership between David Warner (81 off 65) and the returning Travis Head (109 from 67) got Pat Cummins’ side off to a blistering start.

Head’s first appearance of the tournament was a memorable one, as he slammed 17 boundaries, including seven maximums, in his brilliant century.

Though the opening pair put on 175 in just 19 overs, Australia struggled to build on the platform through the middle overs.

Mitchell Marsh (36 from 51 and Marnus Labuschagne (18 from 26) got particularly bogged down, with Glenn Phillips bowling superbly for 3-37 off ten overs, stepping up at just the right time for his team when Lockie Ferguson was forced off with an injury early in his spell.

Glenn Maxwell (41 off 24), Josh Inglis (38 from 28) and Pat Cummins (37 off 14) exploded through the death overs to boost Australia’s score, but their 388 could have been even higher, with New Zealand taking four wickets for just 1 run in the last two overs to bowl their neighbours out for 388.

But that 388 proved just enough on the night, as Dharamsala was treated to an all-time epic.

Devon Conway and Will Young provided the perfect start to the Black Caps in a steep chase, hitting a flurry of boundaries to help New Zealand reach 50 in merely 31 balls.

However, Australia soon had their first breakthrough, when Conway took on a short delivery from Josh Hazlewood and tried to angle it behind him, with Mitchell Starc taking a stunning grab towards his right and sending the batter back. 

The Hazlewood-Starc combination struck once more in the first Powerplay. This time, it was Conway’s partner, Young who had to depart to another sharp Starc catch.

Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell then took control of the Kiwis and kept the chase on track. Mitchell, in particular, was quite aggressive and helped himself to yet another good score in Dharamsala. His 54 included six fours and a six, and his brisk knock came to an end when he holed an Adam Zampa delivery to long-on, where Starc took his third catch of the innings.

Ravindra continued from the other end, picking up pace and hitting some big shots after the mid-innings mark.

Even though New Zealand lost skipper Tom Latham for merely 21, Ravindra’s attacking strokeplay kept the scoring rate up.

And the youngster’s stunning tournament continued apace as he brought up another century – a knock that was cheered to the rafters by a packed crowd in Dharamsala.

The removal of the dangerous Glenn Phillips was followed by an end to Ravindra’s stunning 89-ball 116, with captain Cummins getting the key wicket to put his team on top.

But Neesham very nearly pulled off a miracle for New Zealand, with Australia’s nerves shredded in a nail-biting finish.

Earlier, Head scored 109 from just 67 deliveries at the top of the order, in what was his first match of the tournament, as Australia put their trans-Tasman rivals to the sword by posting 388 in good batting conditions.

Australia were also helped by contributions at the death from Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, and Pat Cummins, whose quickfire knocks helped the side rack up 96 runs in the final powerplay.

Several missed chances punctuated the New Zealand fielding effort, although Trent Boult did them something to cheer about late in the innings, with a three-wicket penultimate over. 

Returning to the Australia side after recovering from a fractured hand, Head combined with fellow opener David Warner (81 from 65 balls) as Australia put on 175 for the opening wicket on their way to the massive total.

Head and Warner punished anything loose from the usually reliable Kiwi bowlers and smashed 10 sixes within the first Powerplay alone as they amassed 118 without loss to take control of the contest.

It took some clever bowling from Trent Boult (3/77) and the outstanding Glenn Phillips (3/37) to ensure Australia did not post an even bigger total, with the Kiwis also hurt by the absence of tearaway quick Lockie Ferguson.

Ferguson conceded 38 overs through three expensive overs but was taken from the field after his spell after he experienced pain in his right Achilles.

It meant the likes of Rachin Ravindra (0/56) and Jimmy Neesham (1/32) had to fill the void with the ball, and the likes of Maxwell (41), Inglis (38) and Cummins (37) took advantage by landing some lofty late blows to help Australia get close to 400.

But Boult’s three-wicket over helped wrap the innings up, with those runs proving quite significant in a nervy finish to the game a few hours later.

The 771 runs the two teams produced in this match is the highest match aggregate in ODIs, improving on the 696 runs they scored when these two teams met at Hamilton in 2007. On that occasion, Australia scored 346/5 and in response, New Zealand reached 350/9 in 49.3 overs.

Brief scores:

Australia 388 all out in 49.2 overs (David Warner 81, Travis Head 109, Glenn Maxwell 41, Josh Inglis 38, Pat Cummins 37; Glenn Phillips 3-37, Trent Boult 3-77, Mitchell Santner 2-80) beat New Zealand 383/9 in 50 overs (Rachin Ravindra 116, Daryl Mitchell 54, James Neesham 58; Adam Zampa 3-74, Pat Cummins 2-66, Josh Hazlewood 2-70) by five runs.

ALSO READ: Lanka Cruises to Victory Over England

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Lanka Cruises to Victory Over England

England were offered a glimmer of hope when David Willey struck twice in the opening Powerplay to remove both Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis…reports Asian Lite News

Sri Lanka produced a dominant performance to beat England by eight wickets here on Thursday at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, wrapping up the win with 24.2 overs of their chase to spare.

The result means that England’s defence of their World Cup crown is likely over, with Jos Buttler’s team needing to win all of their remaining results, produce a huge swing in net run rate and see other results go their way to stand any chance of reaching the semi-finals.

And Sri Lanka, who move up to fifth in the standings with the win, have now won all of their last five Men’s Cricket World Cup meetings with England.

As disappointing as the defending champions were in Bengaluru, Sri Lanka were right on the money, ripping through the England attack with some excellent bowling performances from Maheesh Theekshana and the recalled pair of Lahiru Kumara and Angelo Mathews.

And they reached their lowly target of just 157 to win, thanks to outstanding half-centuries from Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama.

England were offered a glimmer of hope when David Willey struck twice in the opening Powerplay to remove both Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis.

Willey’s impressive opening spell threatened to stunt Sri Lanka’s chase, but Nissanka and Samarawickrama counterattacked to leave the Lankans in an exceptionally strong position.

And the pair put together a match-winning century stand, consolidating at first before accelerating to the win, giving their team a huge net run rate boost in the process.

The coin fell in the favour of England skipper Buttler and he elected to bat first, confirming three changes with Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali returning at the expense of Harry Brook, Gus Atkinson and the injured Reece Topley. 

But the Kusal Mendis-led side, who brought Mathews and Kumara back in, ran through England’s top and middle-order in Bengaluru to bowl them out for 156 — the lowest all-out total ever in an ODI in Bengaluru.

Kumara (3/35), Mathews (2/14), and Rajitha (2/36) were the top wicket-takers, while Theekshana tied England in knots, conceding just 21 runs from his 8.2 overs. 

The Lankans also benefitted from some sharp work in the field, which included two run outs. 

Dilshan Madushanka could have picked up a wicket with the very first ball, swinging one into Jonny Bairstow that replays showed clipped the bat before squirting off the bat to long on. 

Sri Lanka opted not to review, and England’s openers set about taking advantage with an aggressive opening partnership.

Dawid Malan was particularly fluent, only to fall in Mathews’ first over, edging behind for 28 from 25 balls. This was the first time Mathews had bowled in an ODI since 2020, and came just days after he was added to the Sri Lanka squad as an injury replacement.

And England suffered another huge blow when Joe Root was run out for three.

A clipped shot was never likely to yield a run, but both Bairstow and Root initially set off, leaving Root stranded as he desperately dived to get back into his ground. 

It’s the fourth time that there has been a run out in a Root-Bairstow partnership in international cricket, with Root the player to be dismissed on all four occasions.

With their two likeliest anchors back in the hutch, England lost momentum as Sri Lanka pacers got the ball to swerve around and Theekshana held down an end.

 And the wickets came from the pressure as England looked to counter-attack.

Bairstow couldn’t make the most of his early luck, shanking a poor drive off Rajitha to mid-on. 

And out-of-form Buttler departed for just 8 when he flashed at a wide delivery from Kumara and was well caught behind by Mendis. 

Four soon became five, as England’s returning batter Liam Livingstone (1) played all around a fast straight ball from Kumara to be trapped leg-before soon after, again by Kumara. 

Ben Stokes survived a couple of close calls, to stay at the wicket, and managed to stitch together a small stand with Moeen Ali for the sixth wicket, to briefly give England hope of reaching a competitive total.

But just as things seemed to be normalising for England, Ali miscued a push into the off side to loft a simple catch to Kusal Perara off Angelo Mathews, leaving England hopes resting squarely on Ben Stokes. 

Chris Woakes (0) was unhappy that a Samarawickrama catch was ruled out on replays, but had to depart without scoring. And Stokes’ top-scoring effort of 43 from 73 balls came to a disappointing end when he shanked a heave into the deep. 

And there was yet more ignominy to come for England, when Mendis brilliantly ran out Adil Rashid. 

Mendis collected one down the leg-side and then quickly noticed that Rashid was still well out of his crease at the non-strikers’ end, running him out with a splendid throw. 

Mark Wood (5) was stumped in the last wicket to fall, with Willey on 14, meaning England had been skittled for just 156 in 33.2 overs, leaving their bowling attack with an almighty task.

 Willey’s excellent opening spell briefly raised the prospect of a tight finish in Bengaluru, as wickets fell early in the reply.

Kusal Perara (4) was the first to go, five balls into Willey’s first over, misreading a ball that just held up a touch and clipping a catch to Stokes. 

And Willey soon had the dangerous Mendis back in the dugout too, getting just rewards for an excellent spell against the Sri Lanka skipper, with Jos Buttler taking a steepling catch via a miscued flick off the legs.

The returning Woakes bowled better than his previous three appearances at the tournament, but looked largely unthreatening and was unable to match Willey’s pressure with the new ball.

And Sri Lanka saw off the rest of the new-ball spell before attacking England’s change bowlers of Rashid and Wood, accelerating towards their target.

England all-rounder Moeen had spoken prior to the match about the need for scoreboard pressure to give spinners a chance in Bengaluru. But there was nothing of the sort for either the 36-year-old or Livingstone to work with, as the pair were brought on later in proceedings with the writing firmly on the wall for England.

Samarawickrama finished unbeaten on 65 from 54 balls, while Nissanka brought up the win in style with a huge six to end with 77 from 83. 

The result means that Sri Lanka have four points and have kept their semi-final hopes alive at the tournament. 

ALSO READ: Kohli Stars As India Tame Bangla Tigers

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Shami’s Five-Wicket Haul and Kohli’s Heroics Leads India to a Thrilling Win

Ravindra had luck on his side when he used a review to overturn a caught-behind decision and three balls later, Ravindra Jadeja dropped his catch on 12. The duo hit some crisp boundaries, before upping their rearguard act against Kuldeep…reports Asian Lite News

Playing in his first match of the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, fast-bowler Mohammed Shami spearheaded an Indian fightback in the last ten overs to pick a superb 5-54, while Virat Kohli slammed a brilliant 95 off 104 balls to help India top the points table with a four-wicket win over New Zealand at the HPCA Stadium on Sunday.

At the picturesque venue, the superb efforts of Shami and Kohli helped India to get out of situations that kept them under the pump in both innings. In the first essay, a 159-run stand between Daryl Mitchell (130 off 127 balls) and Rachin Ravindra (75 off 87 balls) rescued New Zealand from 19/2 on a two-paced pitch.

But New Zealand failed to get the acceleration they were looking for, as their last six wickets fell in the final 10 overs for 54 runs, four of which were taken by Shami, who was effective with his fuller and yorker deliveries. He also became the first Indian bowler to take two five-wicket hauls in the Men’s ODI World Cup as New Zealand were bowled out for 273 by India, who were playing without an injured Hardik Pandya.

In reply, all of India’s batters got starts, but Kohli dropped anchor and steered the run-chase to usual perfection, hitting eight fours and two sixes in the process. He also ran hard to pick 43 singles and four twos as India chased down 274 with two overs to spare and maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament. India getting scored their first win over New Zealand in the World Cup after 20 years.

After skipper Rohit Sharma elected to bowl first, Mohammed Siraj struck by enticing Devon Conway to flick straight to square leg moving to his right to take a very sharp catch. The pressure built by the Indian bowlers, despite burning an lbw review against Ravindra off Jasprit Bumrah, yielded another Power-play wicket when Will Young chopped onto his stumps on Shami’s first ball of the match.

Ravindra had luck on his side when he used a review to overturn a caught-behind decision and three balls later, Ravindra Jadeja dropped his catch on 12. The duo hit some crisp boundaries, before upping their rearguard act against Kuldeep.

With the ball not providing much turn, Ravindra merrily danced down the pitch to hit a six over the bowler’s head, before Mitchell smacked two big maximums off Kuldeep in the same fashion – a bowler against whom he took 43 runs off 28 balls.

After reaching their respective fifties, Mitchell stepped out to hit Jadeja for six, before taking a six and four off Kuldeep, the second of which saw Bumrah dropping a sitter at long-off. India finally managed to break the partnership when Ravindra picked out the man at long-off Shami.

But Mitchell, using his long levers to good effect, lofted and clipped Bumrah for two fours before employing paddle-sweep against Kuldeep for another boundary. Kuldeep, though, bounced back by trapping Tom Latham lbw. Though Mitchell got his fifth ODI hundred, he slowed down as India continued to pull things back.

Glenn Phillips mistimed a slog to cover off Kuldeep, while Mark Chapman fell in a bid to go big against Bumrah, as Kohli dived forward to complete a low catch. Shami came in the 48th over to castle Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry on successive deliveries.

Though Mitchell smacked him for six and four in the final over, Shami had him caught at deep mid-wicket, followed by Lockie Ferguson’s run-out on the last ball as New Zealand used up its full quota of overs.

Chasing 274, Rohit Sharma continued his marauding way of starting by flicking Trent Boult through square leg for four, before dancing down the pitch to slam Matt Henry for six and ending the over with another boundary. After Rohit survived a half-chance against Boult going for four, Shubman Gill opened up by driving in the gap at cover off Henry.

With Boult not getting much swing, Rohit smacked him for a six over sight-screen, followed by Gill flicking and cutting off him to pick boundaries, also making him the fastest batter to reach 2000 ODI runs in just 38 innings, going past Hashim Amla’s mark of reaching in 40 innings.

Henry got the ball to move both ways, but Gill played a beautiful on-drive off him for four, before Rohit ramped and smacked a four and six against the pacer. Lockie Ferguson struck by having Rohit chop onto his stumps and had Gill upper-cut a bouncer to third man.

Shreyas Iyer had a busy start by driving and pulling Ferguson for two boundaries, before flicking off Santner to get his third four. He took a liking to Ferguson’s pace, punching and pulling for two fours before heavy fog forced a ten-minute break. Post that, Kohli brought out his cover drive and glance to pick boundaries against Ferguson.

Boult got Iyer’s wicket when he cramped the batter on the short ball and the top edge on the hook was caught by a diving deep square leg fielder. After giving respect to some disciplined bowling, Kohli got into his groove by lofting inside-out off Ravindra for six, before driving off Henry for four.

Though Kohli got his fifty and stood strong from one end, he was losing partners. K.L Rahul was trapped lbw while trying to defend against Santner, with New Zealand getting the wicket on review. Santner then fired in a direct throw to have Suryakumar Yadav run out in a mix-up. Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja kept the scoreboard ticking by mixing strike-rotation with hitting occasional boundaries to keep the required run-rate in check.

While Jadeja attacked Ferguson and Ravindra for boundaries, Kohli was sedate and pulled off Phillips plus Ferguson for his fours. Kohli pulled Boult for six and brought out the on-drive for four, before mistiming a flick to deep mid-wicket to fall for 95. But Jadeja finished off the chase in style with a pull off Boult for four to seal an Indian victory.

Brief scores: 

New Zealand 273 all out in 50 overs (Daryl Mitchell 130, Rachin Ravindra 75; Mohammed Shami 5-54, Kuldeep Yadav 2-73) lost to India 274/6 in 48 overs (Virat Kohli 95, Rohit Sharma 46; Lockie Ferguson 2-63, Mitchell Santner 1-37) by four wickets

ALSO READ: Kohli Stars As India Tame Bangla Tigers

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Kohli Stars As India Tame Bangla Tigers

This is India’s fourth win in four matches in the World Cup and they are tied with New Zealand on eight points, placed second on Net Run Rate…reports Asian Lite News

Virat Kohli proved why he is one of the best chasers in world cricket with a well-paced unbeaten century after spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav stifled the Bangladesh innings to trigger a collapse as India romped to a seven-wicket win with 51 balls to spare in Match 17 of ICC Men’s ODI World Cup on Thursday.

Kohli, playing a well-controlled inning, raised 44 runs for the second wicket with Shubman Gill (53), who also scored a half-century and an unbeaten 83-run partnership with KL Rahul, who scored a run-a-ball 34, as India reached 261/3 in 41.3 overs after restricting Bangladesh to 256/8 in 50 overs.

This is India’s fourth win in four matches in the World Cup and they are tied with New Zealand on eight points, placed second on Net Run Rate.

India started their chase of 257 as they have done so far in this World Cup with skipper Rohit Sharma taking the attack to the bowlers as they raised 88 runs for the opening partnership.

The India skipper lived in the fast lane as she first creamed Shoriful Islam for four through points and then flayed a wide one past the backward point in the first over. Rohit then blasted the 22-year-old left-arm pacer for a four and six in the third over, making the most of two poor deliveries bowled by the Bangladesh bowler.

Rohit struck four more boundaries — two of them off Nasum Ahmed and one each off Shoriful and Mahmud, who tried to pepper the Indian skipper with some short stuff and in the end sent back Rohit. The Mumbai batsman hooked Mahmud for a big six over fine leg but perished trying to repeat the shot off the next delivery. But this time the ball caught the toe-end of his bat and ended up sitting for an easy catch for Towhid Hridoy at the deep square-leg fence. Rohit’s 48 came off 40 balls and contained four boundaries and two maximums and the skipper was clearly unhappy at not being able to execute the shot as he wanted to.

Gill continued to flourish at the other end as he went on to complete his half-century — his maiden half-century in the World Cup coming off 53 balls (5×4, 2×6). He started on a sedate note as his skipper functioned in fourth gear. Gill started off with a sweetly-times boundary off Mustafizur Rahim’s first delivery. He nearly chopped on Nasum Ahmed onto his wickets in the fourth over before opening his arms with two straight sixes off the left-arm orthodox spinner over long-on.

Three fours, two of them off successive deliveries in the 12th over by Mustafizur propelled him towards his fifty. But just when it looked like the batter from Chandigarh would go on and score a big on, he holed on to Mahmudullah at midwicket off Mehidy Hasan Miraz, failing to despatch to the fence a delivery on his leg-stump. Kohli and Gill added 44 runs for the second wicket, taking India past the 100-run mark.

Kohli took over the leading role after that as he scored his 69th half-century, playing a cautious and steady innings. He hammered Hasan Mahmud for a four and a six off as the bowler overstepped twice. He dealt mostly in singles and doubles, in between hitting Nasum Ahmed, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Hasan Mahmud for a boundary each as he reached his half-century in 48 balls, hitting four boundaries and one maximum.

Shreyas Iyer (19 off 25 balls) did not last long, caught at midwicket off Mehidy Hasan Miraz. But Kohli and KL Rahul guided India to victory with a lot to spare.

Earlier, bowling in tandem, Jadeja and Kuldeep helped India fight back and restrict Bangladesh to 256/8 in 50 overs after openers Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan struck well-compiled half-centuries.

Jadeja (2-38 off 10) and Yadav (1-47) sent back the two set batters and stifled Bangladesh’s innings, triggering a middle-order collapse. Bangladesh from 110/1 in the 20th over could manage a modest score after electing to bat first on a flat wicket.

For India, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohd Siraj came back well in the death overs to claim two wickets apiece though Siraj was a tad expensive at 2-60 off 10 overs.

However, the major concern for India in the match was the ankle injury suffered by all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who managed to bowl only three deliveries before he twisted his ankle trying to field in his follow-through.

Bangladesh were off to a flying start thanks to half-centuries by openers Litton Das (66 — 82 balls, 7×4) and Tanzid Hasan (51 0ff 43, 5×4, 3×6) as they raised 93 runs in 88 balls. However, they failed to capitalise on the platform the two openers provided.

Das and Tanzid flourish on a wicket offering no help to the bowlers, bringing up Bangladesh’s fifty in 9.2 overs as Tanzid hammered Shardul Thakur for two sixes and a four in three successive deliveries in his first over, racing to his half-century in 41 deliveries.

Kuldeep Yadav got India the much-needed breakthrough when he trapped Tanzid lbw for 51, getting a flat and fast delivery to straighten as the Bangladeshi batter swept across the line.

Bangladesh lost the match in the overs between 11-40 as they could manage only 125 runs losing five wickets.

Keeper Mushfiqur Rahim (38 — 46 balls, 1×4, 1×6) and Mahmudullah, who struck a 36-ball 46 with three fours and two sixes, ensured Bangladesh reached a decent total, raising 67 runs in the last 10 overs.

Brief scores:

Bangladesh 256/8 in 50 overs (Tanzid Hasan 51, Litton Das 66, Mushfiqur Rahim 38, Mahmudullah 48; Ravindra Jadeja 2-37, Jasprit Bumrah 2-41, Mohd Siraj 2-60) lost to India 261/3 in 41.3 overs (Virat Kohli 103 not out, Rohit Sharma 48, Shubman Gill 53, KL Rahul 34 not out; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 2-47) by 7 wickets.

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