R.Veeran, Author at Sportzwiki

R.Veeran

Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan wants England to showcase their aggression against India in the Test series.

ENG vs IND 2018: Michael Vaughan Urges English Team to be ‘Angry’

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Former England skipper, Michael Vaughan has appealed to Joe Root & Co. to show their aggressive side during the upcoming five-match Test series against India, starting August 1st in Birmingham.

Vaughan feels the intensity among the English side should only increase with each passing day of Test cricket during the series and the home side must challenge Virat Kohli by all means. India will be kickstarting with an ambitious approach to get rid of the poor travellers’ reputation.

“Joe Root needs to hammer home to his men that they have a point to prove and try to replicate that angry England team that arrived at Headingley and hammered Pakistan in their last Test. Go back and say to the players: ‘What were you thinking that first day at Headingley?,” Vaughan wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

“Sometimes it is not done in team chats. Sometimes you are better off speaking to individuals. Go to each individual and ask: ‘Why did you arrive in Leeds with more intensity’?“

Backs Root to play monumental knocks

Joe Root, Michael Vaughan
Joe Root

Michael Vaughan has backed English skipper Joe Root to get starts and convert them into massive scores.

“He averages over 50 from 16 Tests as captain. I would have snatched your hand off for that average. The only problem for Joe is that he has not scored the hundreds he should have done.”

The former England captain also expected greater consistency from Alastair Cook.

“Alastair Cook needs to find consistency. One massive score in a series along with loads of low scores is no good. He needs consistency over the next five games. And he has to drag Keaton Jennings with him.

“Yes, Cook has to look after his own performance, but it would be nice to take Jennings with him, so whenever he leaves the Test team he has made sure England have a decent, half-experienced opening batsman to take on his mantle.”

“He scored a hundred on debut in Mumbai, and it is always nice to know you are playing against a team you have had success against before. That could be worth a lot for him.”

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Harbhajan Singh Chennai Super Kings IPL 2018
Harbhajan Singh. Image Courtesy: BCCI
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IPL 2018: Be Wary of CSK, Warns Harbhajan Singh

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Inspired by the stunning victory over Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings’ senior spinner, Harbhajan Singh went on to deliver a strong message.

The pumped-up off-spinner asked everyone to be wary of the challenge which CSK will bring to the table.

Chennai Super Kings were almost out of the contest against Mumbai Indians in the opening game of IPL 2018 at the Wankhede Stadium before Dwayne Bravo (68 from 30 balls) and Kedar Jadhav ( 24 from 22 balls) stunned the opposition much to the delight of all the CSK fans.

IPL 2018: Be Wary of CSK, Warns Harbhajan Singh 1

“I don’t think I have ever played an innings like this in any format. So this is a special one,” Bravo said after the match.

It was pretty much of underperformance with the ball. And the chase began on an ominous note. The downfall began early and didn’t stop until Bravo and Jadhav forged together and got into the rescue act.

Mumbai set a target of 170 to chase, and CSK were left reeling 119 for eight per 17 overs in reply. But, the incredible moments soon unveiled itself.

With Jasprit Bumrah and Mustafizur Rahman waiting to bowl the death overs, it seemed the match was now in Mumbai Indians’ pocket.

However, the wild swings from Bravo and Jadhav ensured a drastic turnaround. Boated by this effort, CSK, despite all the uncertainties was able to earn a joyous return to the scheme of things.

Harbhajan, who formerly was with CSK’s opposition of last night until previous season, was greatly excited and expressed it through tweets just after the culmination of the game.

He tweeted:

“YEEEEEESSSS CSK IS BACK IN IPL AND HOW…. GREAT GAME…YOU BEAUUUUUUUUTY. TOP SHOT TO FINISH TH GAME.”

Later on, he had a cinematic style message for the oppositions while appreciating the team effort put on by his side.

The MI side did not retain Bhajji at the time of the auction. But, he was later bought by CSK for his base price of 2 crores. He came out for the first time representing a franchise other than Mumbai Indians. He played ten seasons right from the start of the inception of the league.

During this stint, he won three IPL titles and two Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) trophies. It was a calm start to his fresh campaign.

He ended with figures of 0/14 from his two overs spell. With the bat, he made just eight off five balls after coming in to bat in a tense situation.

Here is the newsfeed –

IPL 2018: Zainab Abbas Praises Mayank Markande, Faces Backlash From her Compatriots

IPL 2018: Watch – Akash Ambani and Neeta Ambani React after Bravo Rides his Luck

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Prasar Bharti
Star India and DD to share revenue over IPL 2018. Photo Credit: Web.
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Prasar Bharti Scores Big Win Over Star India in IPL Ads Revenue Negotiations

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In what can be considered as a major win for the public broadcaster, Prasar Bharti. However, Star India had originally won the bid to broadcast the Indian Premier League (IPL), last year.

Both organizations have agreed to share the advertising profits equally for the upcoming season.

Prasar Bharti Scores Big Win Over Star India in IPL Ads Revenue Negotiations 2

The two parties were negotiating for over a month with no conclusion at sights.

At one point, it even seemed the discussion had gone entirely off-the-track. In addition, Star India was eyeing a lions share of 75 percent out of the ads revenue. 

“As per the Prasar Bharati Act, the public broadcaster would have received only about a fourth of the total revenue. However, there was a feeling that Prasar Bharati was being short-changed, given its huge infrastructure costs. It has to recover its variable expenses, and thereby, the need for a greater share of revenue generated,” a source told ET.

Prasar Bharti Scores Big Win Over Star India in IPL Ads Revenue Negotiations 3

Both Prasar Bharati CEO, Shashi Shekhar Vempatti and Star India Chief Executive Uday Shankar declined to respond to the news yet.

In September last year, Star India beat heavy competitions to win the television and digital, Indian and global media rights to IPL.

The deals struck between Board of Control for Cricket in India and Star was for the next five seasons at the cost of Rs 16,347.50 Crore. 

Star India has put forward its own set of demands. It wishes the DD free dish users should not be considered as the target audience. Further went on to ask for a one-hour delay in the telecast of the IPL matches on all Doordarshan channels.

While the delay in the telecast will be a huge letdown, Prasar Bharti accepted the demands because it was already going to receive a great share of the total revenue.

“Today, live telecast is all that matters, especially when you are getting everything on mobile as and when it happens. But given the revenues that we expect to earn, this is manageable,” an official said.

Here’s the newsfeed:

Kapil Dev Urges for Use of Pink Ball in IPL

Rajasthan Royals Unveil Their Jersey For IPL 2018

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Pakistan England
Pakistan is hopeful of hosting England after 13 years.
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Pakistan Hoping to Host England on their Home Soil After 13 Years

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In a bid to get top-flight international cricket back to their home soil, Pakistan has extended an invitation to the England cricket team for a tour.

The step has been taken by the interior minister, Ahsan Iqbal who approached the UK High Commissioner Thomas Drew on Tuesday.

Pakistan Hoping to Host England on their Home Soil After 13 Years 4
Photo Credit: Getty Images.

If everything falls in line, England will travel for the first time since 2005. 

International cricket in Pakistan had suffered helplessly due to various terrorism-related events in the past decade.

However, in the recent few years, due to the wider security measures and the crackdown on extremist elements things have slowly improved. And, after successful visits by the Windies and Zimbabwe sides, the optimism of finally bringing top international teams back in their country for tours has grown significantly among the cricket crazy fans of Pakistan.

“The successful staging of international matches in Pakistan is a clear proof that we have defeated terrorism and extremism,” he said, according to an official statement.

Drew said he was already looking forward to,

“this summer’s big cricketing event”, Pakistan’s upcoming England tour.

Pakistan Hoping to Host England on their Home Soil After 13 Years 5

“But I also hope that it will not be long before I can welcome an England team to Pakistan. That really is something to look forward to; he told AFP Wednesday.”

Pakistan was stripped of the rights to host international teams due to rising security concerns among visiting teams. The escalation of the security worries escalated to the peak after the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. 

Forced by this uncontrollable situation, Pakistan has to play their home fixtures away in the United Arab Emirates. 

However, the government has acted steadily against such elements and has ensured that the security was improved.

Owing to these positive steps, Pakistan has managed to bring the international teams to their land somewhat, hosting Zimbabwe, a World XI side and Sri Lanka apart from the finals of Pakistan Super League (PSL) for two consecutive years since 2015. 

Pakistan had also just recently wrapped up a short T20 series against the Windies. Lahore and Karachi played host to most of the matches. 

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Eoin Morgan sidelined for six weeks after thumb fracture

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England’s limited-overs captain has been forced to wait for longer to make his first-class return after the left-handed batsman picked up a thumb injury. His return was highly anticipated as he was going to make an appearance for the first time in three years.

Morgan was ignored in the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega-auction in January. He declared himself available for the first two months of the 2018 County Championship.

The inability to win an IPL contract had made his path clear to play county cricket but, now it seems the six weeks on the sidelines due to the injury will effectively keep him out of county action.

Eoin Morgan sidelined for six weeks after thumb fracture 6
Photo Credit: Action Images/Reuters.

 

The 31-year-old Morgan has not played a four-day match since July 2015. His last appearance in a county game came as very unimpressive as he needs up with a pair against Somerset. 

“Eoin was hit on the left thumb and x-rays revealed that he suffered a small fracture. He will sadly be out of action for at least four weeks,” said a Middlesex spokesman.

Eoin Morgan
Photo Credit: Getty Images

Middlesex, Morgan’s county side, has an option of signing an overseas option. However, the management decided to stay away from making that decision as the stylish left-hander is expected to be back around until the first week of June.

This is the second biggest setback to the county side after the unavailability of new captain David Malan.

Malan was ruled out of the first two rounds of Championship cricket after the absence Nick Gubbins due to a hamstring strain.

Eoin Morgan sidelined for six weeks after thumb fracture 7
Steven Smith sobbing. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Eoin Morgan had earlier expressed his view on the ball-tampering scandal by the Australian cricket team.

The left-handed batter Morgan felt that the issues have triggered the cricket fans’ anger with this act but was hopeful that the things would calm down for better as times moves on.

Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft were the centerpiece of the entire ball-tampering saga – Sandpapergate.

The shameful event saw Bancroft getting caught on camera trying to alter the condition of the ball using a sandpaper. The unfortunate incident took place during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town. 

This act led to the suspension of Smith and Warner for one year whereas, Bancroft being slapped with a 9-month ban.

Here’s the newsfeed:

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Watch: Rohit Sharma Blasts Kohli For Irresponsible Throw
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Watch: Rohit Sharma Blasts Kohli For Irresponsible Throw

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Rohit Sharma was involved in a small heated moment with skipper Virat Kohli in the ongoing 3rdODI against New Zealand. The incident involved in the opening over of the second innings when India came out to field after batting first and setting a target of 330 runs.

Kiwi openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro decided to start with a bang in an attempt to ease the pressure of chasing a 330+ total. Their aggressive intention was in display very quickly as Munro went after Bhuvneshwar Kumar and began taking on him, hitting a six and couple of boundaries off the 3rd, 4th and 5th deliveries respectively after taking over the strike from Martin Guptill.

This attacking approach had some effect on Kohli & Co. having already conceded 19 runs, and the effect of it was witnessed in the following delivery. Munro drove a slightly shorter length delivery straight to Kohli in the covers region. The batsmen jetted off for a quick single and Kohli decided to target the stumps with a quick throw.

Unfortunately, he missed his aim, and no back-up player was standing at the opposite side. Rohit Sharma was the closest standing in the mid-wicket region, but he could simply not cut short the quick throw from Kohli. The overthrow eventually ran away from an extra four runs which left Rohit completely miffed for a couple of seconds as he tried to point out that there was no one standing to back-up his throw.

Kohli made an apologising face to accept his mistake.

https://twitter.com/vkcrick/status/924612414095605761

 

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli Rip Through New Zealand

The two had a great time together earlier in the innings as they effectively kept the Blackcaps bowlers at bay with the help of their aggressive 220 runs stand for the 3rd wicket.

Both stuck centuries and laid the perfect platform for India to set a challenging 338 runs target for the opposition to chase at the Green Park Stadium, Kanpur in the series decider.

After a poor start where Shikhar Dhawan was removed for just 14 runs, Sharma and Kohli took the proceedings and went on to dominate the bowlers for a good number of overs.

Sharma, in particular, looked very aggressive and it seemed he was on course to reach another double century. Unfortunately, he could not as he was dismissed at the score of 147.

Video of the day:

Kohli took charge after his dismissal and took India past the 300 run mark. On the personal note, he too fully capitalised on the good batting wicket and hammered his 32nd ODI ton and also went past the 9000 runs mark.

The middle order did an ordinary job, however, as they failed to provide the late burst of runs which was required to take the total past the 350 run mark. MS Dhoni was the only significant contributor with 25 runs off 17 deliveries to his name. Kedar Jadhav also tried his bit by contributing 18 runs off just ten balls.

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A Legend Like Anil Kumble Deserves To Be Treated Better, Says Rahul Dravid
A Legend Like Anil Kumble Deserves To Be Treated Better, Says Rahul Dravid

A Legend Like Anil Kumble Deserves To Be Treated Better, Says Rahul Dravid

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Legendary batsman Rahul Dravid lauded Anil Kumble’s s contribution to Indian cricket and felt that his former teammate should be treated better. Dravid, who is currently coaching the Under-19 side, was speaking at a book launch event.

Kumble’s critics increased by a significant number after his controversial exit earlier this year. Controversy erupted just before the start Champions Trophy 2017 about a rift between the skipper Kohli and coach Kumble. Initially, the matter was shrugged off by the BCCI and other top names. However, the uneasiness soon was exposed when Kumble decided to step down from the position after the bitter Indian loss to Pakistan in the finals.

A Legend Like Anil Kumble Deserves To Be Treated Better, Says Rahul Dravid 8

Unlike two weeks before the resignation, when all people had to discuss was speculation, the rift between Kohli and Kumble was visible naked after the latter posted a candid letter on Twitter. Thus, clarifying that there were indeed problems between the two.

The aftermath of the while saga saw experts, former cricketers and fans forming divided opinions with a majority of them backing Kohli who claimed Kumble, as a coach, was strict beyond his team’s liking.

“A legend like @anilkumble1074 deserved to be treated better,” says Rahul Dravid.

Democracy’s XI

Kapil-Dev-Indian-Team-World-cup-1983 (Photo Source: Twitter)
Kapil-Dev-Indian-Team-World-cup-1983 (Photo Source: Twitter)

Veteran Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, who also is the son of former India skipper Dilip Sardesai, recently released his book – Democracy’s XI – in which he gives a fitting tribute, chronicling the tales of the rise of 11 cricketing legends of modern India.

Cricket has had a long-standing presence in Indian right from the pre-independence era. It’s popularity kept growing steadily before the 1983 World Cup boost which changed the landscape of the entire sporting structure in India.

A Legend Like Anil Kumble Deserves To Be Treated Better, Says Rahul Dravid 9
Dilip Sardesai (Photo Source: Twitter)

 

Rajdeep Sardesai grew up listening to the pre-independence era tales and witnessed some of the most post-independence era cricketing moments including the antics of Kapil’s Devils, making him a perfect “Cricket Nut.”

In this book, he has tried to pen down his journalist’s outlook combined with the sheer love for the game for the current generation.

A Legend Like Anil Kumble Deserves To Be Treated Better, Says Rahul Dravid 10
Rajdeep Sardesai (Photo Source: twitter)

“I had three motivations to write this book,” says Rajdeep in a telephonic interview. “For starters, if we want to celebrate the fact that we are now a champion team, I think it was important to tell the story of Indian cricket, as it happened over the last 70 years. Second, I wanted to show how, unlike our Bollywood stars, our sporting heroes, who are the real superstars, are driven by raw talent, hard work and sacrifice. Lastly, I wanted to point out how cricket breaks barriers and unites the country like nobody does.”

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Yasir Shah
Pakistan's Yasir Shah has returned for the Sri Lanka Tests. Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Yasir Shah Mentions Legendary Singer Lata Mangeshkar as His Crush

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Candid chats can be awkward, especially if the individuals involved are introverts. Surprising question related to personal life can be very difficult to deal, as normally such people have a tough time explaining themselves in a clear and concise way.

Recently during an interview for the PCB, Pakistan’s leading spinner Yasir Shah and skipper Sarfraz Ahmed were made to face some tricky questions disguised in a simple “I have”, and I have Not” format. While most of the questions fielded by the host, Zainab Abbas were cricket related, both the cricketers were caught in a sticky position when she asked them about their favourite actress.

Yasir Shah Mentions Legendary Singer Lata Mangeshkar as His Crush 11
Pakistan’s Sarfraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah were made to answer a few tricky questions during an interview. Image Courtesy: Getty Images

She asked if they ever had any crush on any actress in the past. Yasir Shah was the first to respond and raised the ‘I have never’ placard.

But, it was tough to believe in what he was trying to suggest. The host, Sarfraz, the audience knew he was hiding something and refused to let him escape with a diplomatic answer. Zainab tried to dig the matter further and was successful to get the real answer.

Shah admitted that he had a crush but his answer again took everyone by surprise. He revealed that he had a crush on legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. The answer seemed bizarre, as the context of the question was different.

Yasir Shah Mentions Legendary Singer Lata Mangeshkar as His Crush 12
Lata Mangeshkar. Image Courtesy: Web

Sarfraz quickly realised that his champion bowler has mistaken the answer and asserted that there is it’s completely fair to admire the revered Indian singer. Shah later understood what was going around him and revealed that ‘Dilwale’ star Kajol is his favourite actress. This confession had everyone smiling.

Yasir Shah Mentions Legendary Singer Lata Mangeshkar as His Crush 13
Kajol. Image Courtesy: Web

He also revealed another amusing anecdote where he gave a female fan’s his friend’s mobile phone number in place of his to avoid the attention. Listening to this, Sarfraz jokingly showed the ‘I have never’ card while sporting a disappointed face, claiming that no female fans have ever approached him let alone ask his mobile phone number.

Speaking of the fans, sub-continental teams enjoy a cult status among their followers. Victory and loss are celebrated with equal zest with celebrations as well show of disappointment reaching extreme points. In short, fans literally worshipping the cricket stars in nothing strange.

The Pakistan Cricket Team recently was showered with love after their roaring Champions Trophy 2017 victory where they beat arch-rivals India in London to lift the title. Thousands of fans thronged the airports to welcome the new heroes, and special bus parades were organised to bring the fans and cricketers celebrate together.

Video of the day –

Also Read (Gautam Gambhir Once Again Takes Stand for the National Anthem)

(PAK vs SL 2017: Sri Lanka Security Experts Satisfied With Security Arrangement in Lahore)

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The Contest Was Super But Loss A Bitter Pill To Swallow Nic Pothas
In June 2016, after being appointed as a fielding mentor, Pothas was promoted as an interim coach in June 2017 when Graham Ford tendered his resignation. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

The Contest Was Super But Loss A Bitter Pill To Swallow, Says Sri Lanka Coach Nic Pothas

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Sri Lanka yet again failed to end their losing streak in the ongoing tour of UAE against Pakistan after they lost a closely fought 2nd T20I by two wickets. This loss meant that they are now 2-0 and have lost the three-match T20 leg as well after having already suffered a whitewash in the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series.

However, unlike other contests in the series so far, the previous game was a refreshing sight for Lankan fans as the relatively young side had Pakistan in all sort so of trouble before things went wrong.

Sri Lanka, Interim Coach, Nic Pothas, Physio, Nirmalan Dhanabalasingham, Nic Lee, Asanka Gurusinha, Sri Lanka Cricket Manager,
The 43-year-old Johannesburg-born Pothas was a former wicket-keeper batsman for South Africa. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Head coach Nic Pothas was happy to witness such motivating performance.

“Yes, you can say this is the best match we have played. It is funny because we arrived here and played two good Test matches. Very happy with those but probably we let ourselves down in the five ODIs. Then this game was super and a bitter pill to swallow,” said Nic Pothas, Sri Lanka’s coach, after the defeat.

Sri Lanka had a good day overall but committed a couple of errors that turned out to be decisive eventually.

 

The Contest Was Super But Loss A Bitter Pill To Swallow, Says Sri Lanka Coach Nic Pothas 14
Dilshan Munaweera (Photo Source: Twitter)

At the start, the top order laid out a good platform for the middle order as Sri Lanka stood at 106 for 2. But, things went downhill from there on the side was quickly reduced to 124 for 9.

Video of the Day:

The batting performance was pretty similar to the 1st T20I wholly speaking. However, the bowler did not give up that easily and came pretty close to defending 124. Led by Thisara Perera, Sri Lanka kept picking wickets at regular intervals to keep Pakistan nervous about their fate in the contest.

The Contest Was Super But Loss A Bitter Pill To Swallow, Says Sri Lanka Coach Nic Pothas 15

“You got to take wickets if you have to win with 124 on the board. I don’t think run rate would have come into the equation out there. The guys did well and they put their batsman under lot of pressure. One thing I got to say is you got to take your hats-off to both fielding coaches. You will not see better fielding display from two subcontinent teams,” added Pothas.

Perera was the pick of the bowlers, scalping wickets of Ahmed Shehzad (27) and Shoaib Malik (9) in the middle overs to end with figures of 3 for 24.

Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka, Mohammad Yousuf, Abu Dhabi, Dominance, ODI Series,
Struggling Shehzad faced 12 balls before trudging off the ground without scoring. Photo Credit: AFP.

However, his good job was undone by the late surge of skipper Sarfraz Ahmed who anchored the innings before young leg-spinner Shadab Khan gave the knockout blow with his attacking cameo of 16 off just eight balls.

“Collapses happen when you have got a pretty inexperienced side. Yes, we got a start and probably we could have done a little better. But the team has learnt very quickly and they have done that from that one game and from this one they will learn again. When you put an effort I think I can take it,” pointed out the Sri Lankan head coach.

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Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20I Abu Dhabhi
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 18: Imam-ul-Haq of Pakistan celebrates after reacing his century during the third One Day International match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Zayed Cricket Stadium on October 18, 2017 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

PAK v SL, 2nd T20I Review: Pakistan Complete A Series Wrap With A Low Scoring Thriller

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A handy contribution from skipper Sarfraz Ahmed and a resilient effort from leg-spinner Shadab Khan ensured Pakistan overcame a stiff challenge to beat Sri Lanka by two wickets at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

The contest, which involved only a modest target of 125 set by Sri Lanka batting first, nearly saw Pakistan slip up a chance to end the tour with a clean slate having whitewashed the opposition in the ODI leg and winning the opening T20I a day ago.

Pakistan once again won the toss and decided to chase, but the Lankans had a great start, unlike the first contest.

The steady start where the openers garnered 42 runs in the powerplay overs and the solid stand between Sadeera Samarawicrama and Danushka Gunathilaka stood as the backbone of the Lankan innings.

Pakistan drew the first blood in the very next over following the end of the powerplays, Dilshan Munaweera, was run out in a display of very casual approach while attempting to take a quick single.

Samarawicrama and Gunathilaka then carried forward the innings and left the Pakistani bowler ineffective for a while. The pair added 63 for the second wicket to take the score tally past the 100 run mark.

The platform was laid out as the final stages approached, and it seemed that Pakistan would be required to chase a competitive total. However, in the 17th over leg-spinner, Shadab Khan triggered a mighty collapse which saw the Lankans finish with far less amount of runs that were originally anticipated.

Both the well-settled individuals were removed from the crease. The first to depart was Sadeera who was run out by Imad Wasim off the 2nd delivery. Two balls later, Shadab and Wasim have involved once again as Gunathilaka hit one straight to the latter just after reaching his half-century.

The following over saw two more wickets fall as Seekuge Prasanna and Thisara Perera both were removed in the space of just four balls. This brought down Sri Lanka 111/5, causing concern in the batting camp.

The biggest highlight of the bowling performance was waiting to happen in the penultimate over.

Fahim Ashraf became the first Pakistani to claim a hattrick in the T20I to land the perfect knockout blow to the Lankan ambition of posting a somewhat respectable score on the board. His victim included Dasum Shanaka. Isuru Udana and Mahela Udawatte. After the mess created by the listless batting show, Sri Lanka could manage only 124/9 at the end of 20 overs.

Pakistan, however, did not have it easy during the chase. The Lankan bowling attack, led by Thisara Perera, were in a resilient mood and almost managed to defend the total and pocket a close win. The batting side simply lost wickets in lumps and never looked settled enough to chase down the target.

Openers Fakhar Zaman and Ahmed Shehzad looked in good rhythm initially but could capitalise the starts they got. The first to depart was Zaman who was dismissed in the 5th over. He was quickly followed by the dismissal of Babar Azam which came just two balls later.

A small steady phase was later ensured after this sudden damage before Pakistan lost another couple of wickets in short successions with Ahmed Shehzad and Shoaib Malik losing their wickets in the 9th and the 11th over respectively.

But, yet again Pakistan recovered well from the hefty blows and set themselves on the way towards the gaol riding on the works of Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mohammad Hafeez. While the neither of the individuals manage to post impressive knocks themselves, their combined contribution of 39 runs helped Pakistan stay in the contest. The Lankans, however, had not given up as Thisara Perera swung the momentum back in their favour by getting rid of Hafeez and breaking the stand.

Sarfraz also followed him soon while Imad Wasim and Fahim Ashraf could not stay in the middle for long. Therefore, Pakistan was reduced to eight wickets down with 12 runs still required.

But, Shadab Khan took the responsibility and played an appreciable knock of 16 runs off just 8 balls to help the hosts end up on the winning side.

Video of Day:

 

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