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A high-scoring entertainer that had more than 47,000 fans in anticipation of a thriller fizzled when West Indies’ middle order imploded to give India the T20I series 2-1. The orchestrators of the win were Smriti Mandhana, who hit her third straight half-century, and Richa Ghosh, who exhibited incredible ball-striking to smash the joint-fastest T20I half-century.India’s 217 for 3, their highest-ever T20I total, came from a vastly different approach from two nights ago, where 160 seemed pedestrian on the face of dew. When West Indies fought back to propel themselves to 123 for 4 on Thursday, needing 95 off 36, they had an outside chance. But Chinelle Henry’s dismissal for a 16-ball 43 led to a meltdown they couldn’t recover from, with left-arm spinner Radha Yadav walking away with four wickets.This was India’s first bilateral T20I series win at home since 2019.Mandhana tees offMandhana unfurled a stunning cocktail of classical strokes and brute force in the power play. She hit seven straight boundaries at one stage, three off Henry and three off Deandra Dottin as India counterpunched after losing Uma Chetry in the first over.Mandhana created boundary-scoring opportunities by messing with the bowler’s lengths. She didn’t allow Henry too many opportunities to swing the new ball by getting to the pitch of it and lofting imperiously through the line. The consequence of that was Henry dropping short, which was met with a ferocious Mandhana cut.It was one of those evenings where every single bowler erred in their lengths or in their planning against Mandhana. When they bowled short, she stayed leg side of the ball to open up the arc between cover and point. When they dragged down, she was quick to help them over, and when they erred on the fuller side, Mandhana cleared her front leg and swung cleanly.This helped Mandhana raise her third straight half-century, off just 27 balls, to set the base. From 61 for 1 at the end of the powerplay, India waltzed their way to 99 for 1 at the 10-over mark.Rodrigues buildsAmid the carnage from Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues was by no means a second fiddle. Having survived a close lbw shout on 6 in the sixth over while looking to nudge across the line, Rodrigues went on the offensive by picking Karishma Ramharack, the mystery spinner, for three boundaries in the sixth over.Rodrigues was her usual busy self, bringing out her trademark sweeps and chips against spinners during the course of a 98-run second-wicket stand with Mandhana before falling in the 11th. Attempting to sweep a full delivery, Rodrigues was trapped lbw for a 28-ball 39.Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues laid the platform with a rapid stand•BCCI

Bist makes an impression, Richa finishesWith the platform set, India could’ve sent in Richa Ghosh at No. 4 but they chose to persist with Raghvi Bist, playing in just her 2nd T20I. On her part, Raghvi made up for her inexperience with excellent game awareness, farming strike and allowing Mandhana first until she fell for 77, and Ghosh later to take centre stage. She did this while also tantalising with some sweetly-timed strokes occasionally, hitting two fours and a six in her unbeaten 22-ball 31.On a night when it didn’t seem like a batter could outmuscle Mandhana, Ghosh arrived and immediately carted a six first ball followed by a back-cut so late that she nearly played it off the keeper’s gloves to bisect backward point and short third. Any relief West Indies may have had having dismissed Mandhana dissipated in a jiffy.That should’ve been the extent of Ghosh’s damage, but for West Indies reprieving her in the 16th when Aaliyah Alleyne and Chinelle Henry nearly ran into each other near the wide long-on fence. Neither called for the ball that landed right between them.On 154 for 3 in 16th over at that point, India blasted 63 more with Ghosh alone accounting for 44 of those. By the time she was out trying to clear long-off, Ghosh had hit three fours and five sixes in her 17-ball half-century, the joint-fastest in T20Is alongside Sophie Devine and Phoebe Litchfield. There was no area in the arc between point and square leg that Ghosh didn’t pepper in front of the wicket.In playing a blinder of the kind she exhibited on Thursday night, Ghosh proved why she’s better off playing a finisher across in white-ball cricket, and not as an opener in ODIs, like she did in two of the three ODIs in Australia where lower-order firepower seemed non-existent.Chinelle Henry took the fight to India with 43 off 16•BCCI

Henry sizzles but West Indies fizzleWest Indies came out swinging, and India offered them two chances almost immediately. Mandhana’s reprieve off Qiana Joseph, running to her left to grab a skier at mid-off, cost them just 10 as she was out top-edging a slog to short fine in the fourth over to S Sajana.Renuka Singh’s chance to Dottin at fine leg when she top-edged a sharp Saima Thakor short ball threatened to prove costlier. But she managed just 25, in which she exhibited traits that has made her a feared batter the world over. Dottin’s dismissal hot on the heels of Mathews left West Indies at 69 for 3 in the ninth over.With the asking rate spiralling with every passing over, Henry, who had a T20I highest of 34 prior to this game, got stuck into Deepti Sharma, slamming her for two fours and a six in the 14th as she raced to 43 off 15 before getting a thick edge off a slog to Bist at short third. That was the last flicker of hope for the West Indies gone right there, and with it the possibility of a series win.

South Africa showed ’em all how it is done – with the papare band blaring at the Dubai International Stadium in front of a sparse crowd.A collective bowling effort was followed by a strong batting show, led by a 96-run partnership between captain Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch. They registered an eight-wicket win in the first semi-final to send Australia packing from Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, thereby ending their run of seven successive finals in the competition.Australia’s first ICC competition after Meg Lanning’s retirement ended in the knockout stages, with the six-time champions also missing Alyssa Healy who suffered a foot injury against Pakistan.South Africa first restricted Australia to 134 for 5 despite a late surge, and then romped home by eight wickets with 16 balls to spare to make a massive statement and enter their second consecutive T20 World Cup final.

Powerplay strangle ft. Kapp and Khaka

The clarity in South Africa’s thinking was evident at the toss, when they inserted Australia in a crunch game. Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka got enough swing with the new ball. In fact, Khaka did not even have to find out about the purchase to pick up a wicket. Her first ball in the game was a length ball that shaped away a touch and Grace Harris slashed into the hands of backward point.Nonkululeko Mlaba and Co celebrate Tahlia McGrath’s wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Kapp had extracted enough movement both ways in the opening over. In her second, she saw a free hit being dispatched through square leg by Georgia Wareham. But she used the outswing to undo the batter, the DRS coming to South Africa’s aid. Kapp bowled one on good length around the fifth stump and Wareham couldn’t resist the slash. The on-field umpire missed the edge but Kapp and wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta knew.Kapp was getting so much assistance that Wolvaardt gave her a third straight over inside the powerplay. Australia managed only 35 for 2 in the first six overs, their lowest in the phase in this T20 World Cup, and ended up facing 19 dots.

A semblance of recovery courtesy Mooney, McGrath

Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath are called “McMooney” by fans for their numerous rescue acts with the bat. They joined forces when Australia were 18 for 2 after three overs. McGrath ended the powerplay with two fours off Nonkululeko Mlaba’s over, but it felt the ball was not coming onto the bat. Wolvaardt exploited that by bringing spin on from both ends and McGrath’s next boundary was only in the 11th over. She fell a couple of overs later, hitting Mlaba straight to cover to end her 50-run stand with Mooney.At that stage, it seemed Australia had the perfect base for take-off. Mooney, on 37 off 38 then, swiped one through square leg in the 16th over to end another boundary-less phase of 29 balls. In the process, she became the ninth woman – third from Australia – to 3000 T20I runs. But in a bid to steal a non-existent run – coupled with a Kapp brilliance – she was run out for 44 off 42 balls.Despite that, Australia managed to get a strong finish, scoring 31 off the last three overs, thanks to Ellyse Perry and Phoebe Litchfield. But given what followed, it was not strong enough.Laura Wolvaardt got off to a solid start•Getty Images

Wolvaardt and Bosch knock out Australia

Like Australia, South Africa also faced 19 dot balls in the first six overs. But they hit five fours and a six in that phase to finish on 43 for 1, the highest by any team against Australia in this T20 World Cup. But while Australia scored 21 in their nine attacking shots in the powerplay, South Africa managed 32 off ten. It began with Tazmin Brits unafraid of using her feet against Ashleigh Gardner and then against Megan Schutt, too. Brits hit Gardner for a six, clearing the leaping Annabel Sutherland at the rope.Sutherland, though, struck with her first ball, getting a length delivery to skid and rattle Brits’ off stump. The time was ripe for Australia to apply the squeeze, but Wolvaardt and Bosch had other ideas. The former first clubbed Sutherland over midwicket before Bosch hit back-to-back boundaries off Sophie Molineux in the sixth over. Wolvaardt also swung her Adelaide Strikers team-mate Darcie Brown over long-on for a massive six.Intent was writ large throughout South Africa’s chase with Bosch attempting a couple of reverse hits and being nimble on her feet against spin. South Africa had hit a four in every over from the third to the eighth. It was followed by three boundary-less over but Bosch broke the shackles by hitting Wareham for a four and six off back-to-back deliveries. She then went 4, 2, 4 against Gardner in the next over to bring up her fifty.Wolvaardt fell – holing out to mid-off – with South Africa only 14 away. Bosch duly finished it off to remain unbeaten on 74, her best T20I score.Only earlier this year, South Africa had defeated Australia for the first time in T20Is. Who knew that would be a precursor to something massive like this, and put them a step closer to their maiden world title?

Mark Wood will find out this week if he has suffered a stress fracture in his right elbow, and whether he needs surgery to rectify the problem.Wood was ruled out for the rest of the year at the start of September after a scan revealed what the ECB described as a “bone-stress injury”.The England quick, who registered in the mid-90s consistently this summer – along with a top speed of 97.1mph against West Indies at Trent Bridge – was originally withdrawn from the Sri Lanka series as a precaution after picking up a right groin strain during the first Test against Sri Lanka. It was only then that a routine check of his elbow, which he had felt was stiff during the West Indies series earlier this summer, eventually led to him being ruled out of this winter’s Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand.The ECB medical team remain hopeful that surgery will not be required, though this week’s appointment will determine that for sure. An initial scan three weeks ago at King Edward VII’s Hospital in London was promising, with specialists stating at the time that there did not seem to be a fracture, and were optimistic he might not require surgery.Related

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In 2022, Wood had two operations on his right elbow to remove bone fragments and cut a ligament that was trapped in the joint, and returned to action back to his best, bowling some of his fastest spells in the next two summers, including the 2023 Ashes. Whether he must go under the knife again, along with confirmation as to whether he does have a stress fracture, should be determined in the coming days.”It was a bizarre injury,” Wood told during the third ODI between England and Australia at Chester-le-Street. “I had a bit of a groin tweak and went for a scan with a stiff elbow which is not uncommon for a fast bowler.”I was thinking I might need an injection which would give me a perfect time period with having the groin injury. When I was having the scan the doctor looked a little bit concerned and said you better get this checked a little more. They said I have some bone stress in my elbow. I must have been playing with it.”They were worried it would be a stress fracture but I have got to see a specialist in another few days to determine that. A bit of a bizarre one really.”Wood revealed he has also been advised to use his right side less in everyday life – including carrying his kids.”There is nothing I can really do on my right side. I have been told to stop picking my kids up with my right arm. I have to do everything with my left. I am hoping I am going to come back like [Rafael] Nadal with one big left arm and a skinny right arm.”

Perhaps India should have swept the ball more. Or at least employed the sweep more effectively (given several batters were out playing that shot throughout the series).India captain Rohit Sharma thinks that this is what the Sri Lanka batters did better than their counterparts through the course of this 2-0 result. They were better at stretching the India field square of the wicket. In the third ODI, for example, Sri Lanka scored 173 of their 248 runs (roughly 70%) square of the wicket. Only 38 of their runs came down the ground.”They were consistent with sweeps, taking their chances,” Rohit said of Sri Lanka’s batters. “There weren’t a lot of runs scored down the ground. They didn’t use the feet as much as we expected. It was about using sweeps and piercing that deep square leg and midwicket field. That is something we failed to do as a batting unit. We didn’t play enough sweeps, reverse sweeps, or paddle sweeps, and used our feet too much. That was the difference.Related

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“If you look at Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando today [who put on an 82-run stand], they got a lot of runs square of the wicket. They were using the turn, and sweeping, making the fielder move left and right. They were smart with how they batted and we were not.”All in all, we need to admit where we have made mistakes, we didn’t dominate against spin. On such wickets, you need to dominate a bit and the Sri Lankan spinners had consistently kept us under pressure in all three games.”It’s strange to put India’s batting against spin under the microscope, because while India’s international limited-overs tracks have tended to be good for batting in recent years, India’s batters are generally no strangers to turning tracks, which Rohit and others have emphasised through the series.5:05

Rohit breaks down his batting method in the powerplay

The approach for now, seems to be to let each batter figure their own strategy out when playing on big-turning tracks. Some may want to dart forward more often, but others may prefer to go deep into their creases. The thinking is that playing spin well looks different from batter to batter.”It is more to do with individual plans rather than us telling them what to do or what shot to play. All these guys have come here playing so much cricket. All of a sudden to tell them to do things a little different – to play the shot that they are not comfortable with – is not ideal.”That’s where I have said, it’s all about individual plans, how they want to take the bowlers on, what are the shots they want to play. It starts with your training, When you get to your sessions, I can see the guys are working hard in the nets whenever we get the opportunity to train as well. I don’t see there being a lack of effort when we want to try and play different shots.”Although his team was modest with the bat, Rohit was easily the best batter of the series, hitting 157 runs at a strike rate of 141.44 across the three games. As an opener, he did enjoy the best batting conditions. But in games one and two, in which he scored fifties, he had ensured that the required run rate was not a major concern for batters coming after him.”I knew that the runs that will be scored during the powerplay will be critical. I knew that the wickets will get a little slow after that, the ball will turn a bit and even the field is spread out. When there are only two fielders outside the ring, we had to take our chances. I took those chances whenever I felt that I could put the bowler under pressure. All the runs that you score over and above that, it benefits the team to play the remaining 40 overs.”My personal effort was to ensure that I score as many runs as I could. It was not as if I wanted to throw my wicket away after the powerplay. I wanted to continue the momentum and intent, but I unfortunately got dismissed while trying to play a few shots. My batting plan is pretty simple and straightforward.”

Andre Russell will miss West Indies’ upcoming three-match T20I series at home against South Africa as he has “requested a period of rest and recovery,” according to Miles Bascombe, CWI’s director of cricket. Russell, 36, was part of West Indies’ run to the Super Eight during their home World Cup in June and was more recently in action for London Spirit in the Hundred.Russell and Jason Holder, who has also been rested for the T20Is will work closely with the CWI science and medicine team. Alzarri Joseph, who was West Indies’ vice-captain during the T20 World Cup and missed the Tests against South Africa, will continue to take time off.West Indies’ red-ball coach Andre Coley had laid out a long-term outlook with regards to Alzarri’s workload management in a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, “As far as Alzarri is concerned, it always helps to have a period of time away from the game to work on your individual skills, because you could get drawn into moving from one tournament to the next and might actually lose some of your skills.”So it’s building in the right amount of rest time where he does nothing, but then also have little periods where he is not in competition. That way he will be able to create more control around his bowling.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Opening batter Brandon King will also miss this series as he continues to recover from the side strain he had sustained during West Indies’ Super Eight fixture against England in June. King has not played a competitive game since. In his absence, Shai Hope could open the batting with Johnson Charles while rookie Alick Athanaze could also do a job at the top.Shimron Hetmyer, who didn’t feature in a single game at the 2024 T20 World Cup, retained his place in the squad. Hetmyer had last played a T20I for West Indies in December 2023.”Facing a strong South Africa side is an excellent opportunity for our team to reset and refocus with our game plan,” Daren Sammy, West Indies’ white-ball coach, said in a CWI statement. “We have played them recently and had mixed results, so this should be an exciting and important series. I’m confident in the squad we’ve selected, and with eyes already on the next T20 World Cup in 2026, I know the guys will be keen to show their hunger for success.”Along with Athanaze, allrounder Matthew Forde has been picked with an eye on the 2026 T20 World Cup. Forde can swing the new ball and hit sixes lower down the order and has flourished under Sammy at St Lucia Kings in the CPL.Spin-bowling allrounder Fabian Allen returned to the side, having missed the cut for the T20 World Cup. He will bolster a spin attack that already includes Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase. Allen had won the Lanka Premier League (LPL) with Jaffna Kings in July.The Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba will host all three T20Is, and will be part of double-headers with the WCPL.

West Indies squad for SA T20Is

Rovman Powell (capt), Roston Chase (vice-capt), Alick Athanaze, Fabian Allen, Johnson Charles, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Obed McCoy, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd

Vikram Rathour, India’s batting coach till the end of the T20 World Cup 2024, isn’t “too concerned” about the period of transition the team is heading towards, but wants the team management to handle it “in a controlled manner”.India’s next series is in Sri Lanka, where they will play three T20Is and three ODIs, and the T20I team will definitely be a new one, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja having retired after India beat South Africa to win the T20 World Cup trophy in Barbados last month.”It is never going to be easy to replace people of Rohit and Virat’s calibre,” Rathour told PTI. “The recently-concluded [T20I] series against Zimbabwe gave us some glimpse into how the T20 team will look like in future. But we still have a few years in Test and ODI cricket to get to that point.”Related

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India won that series 4-1 with Shubman Gill at the helm and only three members of the World Cup squad – Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal – in the ranks, that too only for the last three games. The team was coached by VVS Laxman, who was in charge in an interim capacity, with Gautam Gambhir, the long-term replacement for Rahul Dravid, set to move into the position starting with the Sri Lanka tour. His team of coaches has not been named yet.”I won’t be too concerned about it [the transition],” Rathour said. “We have a lot of depth in Indian cricket. There are lots of very talented and skilful players who are coming through the system. The only thing we need to make sure is the transition is done in a controlled manner. It needs to be gradual.”Rathour feels that with so many young players coming through, India have the men they need to form the core of the side, across formats, for the next decade.”I am hoping that by then, players like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, to name a few, would establish themselves and will make the transition smooth,” he said. “In ODIs also, we have experienced players like Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya to take over.”There are many exciting players coming through but these two [Gill and Jaiswal] are equipped to play all three formats for a long time. They are going to be the backbone of Indian batting in years to come.”‘I can’t find any technical reasons why Rinku cannot be a successful Test batter’•Gallo Images/Getty Images

Rathour: Rinku Singh ‘can develop into a Test cricketer’

One of the players to have moved up the ladder in the past two seasons is Rinku Singh, who has played two ODIs and 20 T20Is, but can’t be called a regular in the national side yet. He is a fantastic finisher in short-format cricket, but also averages 54.70 after 69 first-class innings.”When I see him bat in nets, I can’t find any technical reasons why Rinku cannot be a successful Test batter,” Rathour said. “I understand he has made his name as a terrific finisher in T20 cricket but if you look at his first-class record, he is averaging in high 50s.”He is also blessed with a very calm temperament. So all these factors indicate that if given an opportunity, he can develop into a Test cricketer.”

Dravid ‘gives you lots of space to work’

Rathour formed a strong partnership with Dravid in the India backroom. Their relationship, in fact, goes back to the mid-1990s, when they made their international debuts around the same time – ditto for Paras Mhambrey, the bowling coach in the Dravid-led set-up.”Rahul is the best coach that I have worked with, who gives you lots of space to work, is open to suggestions and will provide you an honest feedback,” Rathour said. “One of the first discussions we had was about changing the batting template in T20 cricket. We agreed that we needed to bring in more intent and aggression in our batting approach.”Rathour said a case in point was that of Axar Patel, who fixed their problem of a decent batting option at No. 8. “That made a massive difference and gave the batters in top order lot more freedom to bat.”

Chances for cricket in Florida received a boost after a dry first half of Thursday, a day before Lauderhill hosts three T20 World Cup Group A matches in three days, two of them pretty crucial for the hosts USA and Pakistan. Not to forget Ireland and Canada, who haven’t yet been knocked out of the tournament. If the first match, between USA and Ireland, is washed out, though, USA will become the second team from Group A to go through to the Super Eight.After quite a few flights into Miami and Fort Lauderdale were cancelled on Wednesday, teams, production crews and commentators all made it into Fort Lauderdale on Thursday. While there were still delays in flights because of inclement weather en route, Fort Lauderdale itself had remained dry till late afternoon. The drizzle in the evening was expected to die down by night followed by forecast for some showers from 9am to 11am on Friday. Flash flood warnings for the larger area continued to remain in tact.However, the conditions at the ground were a cause for optimism. Mark Adair, the Ireland allrounder was impressed with what he saw. “I don’t think there was too many people who came to leave the hotel, but no, at the ground today, it was actually remarkably dry,” Adair said. “I think there’s still wet patches over the far side of the ground but you know considering what the place has been through 24 hours before I think the place is looking pretty good.”The USA opening batter Steven Taylor, who comes from Florida, also said the drainage at the ground is good. “Growing up here at the stadium, it has always had a nice drainage,” Taylor said. “So, we always hope that once the next day doesn’t rain, there’ll always be cricket. But we can’t stop the weather. So, whatever happens, we just have to work with it.”Saurabh Netravalkar, the USA left-arm fast bowler, said they were preparing as if the match was going on as scheduled. “Actually I haven’t thought about it [the weather] at all,” Netravalkar said hours before leaving from New York on Wednesday evening. “Now we are seeing and hearing that there’s rain, but from our perspective, what is controllable is to expect that we are going to have a full game and we have to try our best to get a victory ’cause even Ireland is a top side. They might have lost two games, but they’re a good team.”If USA beat Ireland or get one point from the match, they will qualify. After their defeat to USA and India earlier, Pakistan are left hoping no team goes past four points. For Pakistan to have a chance of going ahead, they need Ireland to beat USA and then beat Ireland on the Sunday. If Ireland win both their games against USA and Pakistan, they will give themselves a chance but their net run rate is not looking very healthy. Canada, who beat Ireland earlier, need USA to lose to Ireland for them to have a chance of progressing should they upset India on Saturday.

Afghanistan’s approach with bat and ball bore the same hallmark – a start so strong that Zimbabwe were put on the back-foot immediately. Their top order batted with purpose, their bowlers produced a five-wicket powerplay, and the result was a comprehensive win in the first T20I in Harare.Ibrahim Zadran’s measured fifty set up a strong total of 180 and allrounder Azmatullah Omarzai had a hand in both halves of the match – first providing late runs with the bat, then striking in the powerplay. Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s guile completed the job as Zimbabwe tapped out long before a chase could take shape. Afghanistan, with their 1-0 lead, have now completed their 17th win in 19 T20Is against Zimbabwe.For the hosts, the five wickets they lost inside six overs was the most they have lost in the powerplay. Sikandar Raza’s 3 for 20 and Tinotenda Maposa’s 15-ball 32 from No. 9 were their only positives. The two teams meet again on October 31 for the second game of the three-match series.

A blazing start, a brief stutter

Afghanistan scored only six runs from the first eleven balls, but not for lack of intent. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim kept advancing down the pitch, determined to play off the front foot even as Zimbabwe’s seamers banged it in short.The boundaries eventually flowed – four in five balls, in fact – across the second and third overs to change the momentum. Ibrahim drilled Blessing Muzarabani through midwicket, while Gurbaz cut Richard Ngarava twice over backward point and then drove him through cover. From there, charging the seamers became routine and the pair raced away to 63 without loss by the end of the powerplay. The fifth over from Brad Evans went for 16, with Gurbaz hitting him for six straight down and twice cutting over the infield.Gurbaz eventually fell in the eighth over when he sliced Sikandar Raza to cover for 39 off 25. Ibrahim carried on briskly, and two fours off Ryan Burl in the 11th over brought up Afghanistan’s hundred and his 31-ball half-century. But Raza removed Ibrahim and Darwish Rasooli off successive balls at the start of the 12th over, leaving them 101 for 3 and at risk of losing steam.

Afghanistan wrest back momentum

A single-run, double-wicket over from Raza had pegged Afghanistan back. For the next 20 deliveries, they went without a boundary. Sediqullah Atal finally broke the drought by pulling Maposa’s short ball for six in the 15th over, but his innings ended soon after while attempting another shot across the line. Cramped by Muzarabani, he picked out deep backward square for 25. Muzarabani struck again off the next ball, jagging one back to trap Mohammad Nabi for a duck, and suddenly Afghanistan were 130 for 5 with only four overs left.Omarzai and Shahidullah though – the latter playing his first white-ball international since 2023 – arrested the collapse. Shahidullah made 22 not out off 13 balls, collecting four boundaries by using the pace on offer smartly, while Omarzai’s 27 off 21 ensured the tail wasn’t exposed. Their 32-run partnership came in just 18 balls, and Rashid Khan lifted the final ball of the innings over long-on for six to take Afghanistan to a score of 180 that looked commanding again. The last four overs went for 50.

Mujeeb’s magic, Zimbabwe’s descent

There was a possibility of an exciting chase when Brian Bennett opened with three fours in the first over off Omarzai. But that brief flourish was all Zimbabwe had to show for their powerplay. They unravelled after that.Mujeeb, a regular bowler with the new ball, struck off his second delivery in the second over. Tadiwanashe Marumani was lbw for a two-ball duck, and the next ball – a disguised carrom ball – dismissed Brendan Taylor for a golden duck as he sliced high towards the wicketkeeper.Omarzai, who had gone for 15 in his opening over, hit back in his second by removing Raza and Ryan Burl, who was Zimbabwe’s third duck in the top five. Bennett, the lone bright spot with 24 off 13, fell in the fifth over when Omarzai dug one in short and forced a mis-hit to mid-on.The game had only one result possible from there on. Abdollah Ahmadzai rattled Tony Munyonga’s stumps with a seam-up delivery and later scored a direct-hit to remove Tashinga Musekiwa. Maposa and Evans showed some resistance with a half-century stand. Maposa was the aggressor, hammering 32 off his first 14 balls, as they handled Rashid smartly and capitalised on Shahidullah’s pace-on offerings.The finish, fittingly, came from Mujeeb. Evans chipped a return catch back to him, and Maposa top-edged another carrom ball for a simple take. Those were Mujeeb’s third and fourth wickets and Ahmadzai picked up his second wicket by shattering No. 11 Muzarabani’s stumps.

India haven’t prepared any differently for Pakistan than they would for any other match, but are certainly respectful of people’s sentiments. So said Ryan ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, ahead of Sunday’s Asia Cup fixture in Dubai.”It’s a very sensitive issue and I’ve got no doubt the players share the compassion and feeling of the vast majority of the Indian public,” ten Doeschate explained. “The Asia Cup was in limbo for a long period of time and we were just waiting. We didn’t think we were going to be coming at one stage.”You know what the Indian government’s stance is and now the team and particularly the players, you have to put those sentiments and the emotions behind. That’s something we addressed in the team meeting today.”We’re aware of people’s feelings, at the same time we’ve got to go out, and the guys get a chance to play for their country, and they’ll be as professional and focused as they can be given the circumstances.”Related

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• Nothing in mind apart from cricket – India batting coach Kotak on playing Pakistan

• India vs Pakistan, minus the fervour

In explaining the process of trying to focus on the task, ten Doeschate revealed coach Gautam Gambhir’s message to the team. He also said there was no need for the team management to insulate the players from the external chatter.”The waiting period of knowing whether this [Asia Cup] was going to happen was the most frustrating part,” he said. “Once we knew we were going to be here, and playing, we have tried to get on with the business of it. This game, particularly, we haven’t prepared differently, like I said, but we are obviously aware of the sentiments and strong feelings.”Gauti’s message has been sort of very professional about not worrying about things that are not in our control and being emotionless when approaching the cricket side of things. The guys are professional enough, I am sure.”Individuals have different levels of feeling on the spectrum of where they feel the whole situation [geopolitical tensions] is, but the messaging has been to focus on the cricket, and try to focus on the one game tomorrow.”The cricket world has shifted its collective gaze towards Suryakumar Yadav’s India vs Salman Agha’s Pakistan•AFP/Getty Images

Asked if the team was looking at sport as a tool to protest, ten Doeschate was clear that they were here to do what they were asked: to play cricket.”The other side of the argument is you separate sport and politics, and people have got different opinions on that,” he said, “Hopefully the way we play can represent how players feel about the country. I understand the position and, like I explained, the sentiment. We are following the direction of what the BCCI and Indian government have decided is right for the country at the moment.”In being as honest as he could be around the slightly delicate circumstances around which India are playing Pakistan in the tournament – the Pahalgam attacks and the aftermath of what followed taken into context – ten Doeschate explained their “processes” were very similar to how it would be for other games, while being mindful of what their opponents will come up with, given they are a young team wanting to play in a new direction.”I’ll be honest, no,” he said when asked if there was a little “something extra” for this match. “I was expecting a lot more niggle at the Champions Trophy game. I didn’t really feel that either. Certainly, the preparation and focus this week haven’t been any different to our preparation for any other important game.”Pakistan have started to come to terms with how they want to play T20 cricket, so it’s going to be a slightly different challenge from maybe the last 24 months. But we want to focus on what we’re doing and how we want to play is the most important thing for us, given we have the potential of playing Pakistan a couple of times in this tournament, and obviously in the next six months as well, there’s going to be a World Cup.”Again, it goes back to what we said about controlling those emotions, and we want to prepare for every single game in the same manner.”

Chris Lynn hit the first century in a Vitality Blast Finals Day to power Hampshire Hawks to a six-wicket (DLS) win over Northamptonshire Steelbacks in the second semi-final at Edgbaston.Lynn smashed an unbeaten 108 from 51 balls with five fours and 11 sixes as the Hawks galloped to a DLS target of 155 in 18 overs with 14 balls to spare. It was a chase pulled off virtually single-handedly as no other batter passed 12.The Steelbacks’ rain-interrupted innings had been lifted to 158 for seven from 18 overs by Justin Broad’s sixth T20 half-century – 61 not out from 39 balls – which dragged the innings back from the ruins of 86 for six. But Lynn’s hitting masterclass turned the chase into a cruise to book the Hawks a place in this evening’s final against Somerset.Hampshire chose to bowl and immediately struck a huge blow when David Willey edged his first ball, from Chris Wood, to wicketkeeper Toby Albert. Two more big wickets soon fell and Wood was again involved in each, this time as fielder. He was at third to take the catch when Ricardo Vasconcelos sliced Scott Currie, then took a stinging catch at short third when quarter-final hero Ravi Bopara edged a big drive at Sonny Baker.Bjorn Fortuin, who had played for South Africa against England in Manchester less than 24 hours earlier, added a wicket with his fifth ball when he bowled Tim Robinson. The Steelbacks were in a pickle at 65 for five when Saif Zaib pulled a Benny Howell long hop to Ali Orr on the mid-wicket boundary. It was an acrobatic grab by the fielder but Zaib may reflect that the catch should have been taken by somebody in the Hollies Stand.Smart work from James Vince ran out Lewis McManus just before the rain break, after which Broad and Luke Procter (30, 20) delivered some sparkling improvisation to added 70 in 40 balls.After DLS had trimmed the Hawks’ target, Lynn was soon making heavy inroads into it. Toby Albert and James Vince son sent up catches off the spinners but the Aussie thundered to a 24-ball half-century including 16 from four balls by Procter.Ben Mayes top-edged a reverse-sweep at Zaib and fell to a brilliant catch by George Scrimshaw but Lynn lifted Ben Sanderson for successive sixes to send his side into the last five overs needing a manageable 41. Four successive sixes off Lloyd Pope took Lynn to a 49-ball century and left the Hawks needing eight from the last three overs. They made it.