Cricket

Defending champions Australia continued their dominance at the Women's T20 World Cup, crushing Pakistan by nine wickets in Dubai on Friday. The victory marked Australia's third consecutive win and secured their spot in the semi-finals.Pakistan's batting faltered against Australia's formidable bowling attack, with the team dismissed for a mere 82 runs. Australia's bowlers, led by Megan Schutt and Jess Jonassen, shared the wickets, restricting Pakistan to a low total.In response, Australia's batters made light work of the chase, reaching the target in just 11 overs. Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney led the charge with unbeaten half-centuries, guiding their team to a comfortable victory.The win has significant implications for the tournament standings. Australia's impressive net run rate (NRR) of +2.786 has virtually guaranteed their semi-final berth. Pakistan's heavy defeat has pushed them to fourth place in Group A, while New Zealand has moved up to third.India, who are currently second in the group with four points, will now face Australia in their final league match. A win for India would secure their place in the semi-finals, while a loss would leave them vulnerable to New Zealand's challenge.New Zealand, with two matches remaining, needs to win both games and improve their NRR to overtake India. However, India's superior NRR of +0.576 gives them an advantage in the race for the second semi-final spot.In a complex scenario, if India loses to Australia and New Zealand wins both their remaining matches, the team with the better NRR will advance. If both teams finish with the same number of points, the NRR will determine the semi-finalist.Sri Lanka, who have already been eliminated from the tournament, could still play a role in India's qualification. If they defeat New Zealand in their final game, it would boost India's chances of reaching the semi-finals.

Defending champions Australia continued their dominant run in the Women's T20 World Cup, securing a comprehensive 60-run victory over New Zealand in Sharjah on Tuesday. This triumph has intensified the competition in Group A, where only the top two teams will advance to the semi-finals.Australia currently leads the points table with two wins from two matches, followed by Pakistan and New Zealand. India, who have lost to New Zealand but defeated Pakistan, are fourth, while Sri Lanka is fifth.India's hopes of reaching the semi-finals hinge on a massive victory over Sri Lanka on Wednesday to improve their run-rate. They must then aim to defeat Australia in their final Group A match, even if they lose, they must ensure a close contest to maintain a superior run-rate.In the event of a loss, India will rely on New Zealand and Pakistan losing at least one more match. In such a scenario, the team with the highest run-rate will qualify for the semi-finals.Australia's batters provided their experienced bowling unit with a solid foundation on a slow wicket, posting a challenging total of 148 for eight. Opener Beth Mooney led the way with a 32-ball 40, while Ellyse Perry contributed a 24-ball 30 and Alyssa Healy chipped in with 26 off 20 deliveries.In response, New Zealand struggled to keep up with the required run rate, eventually being dismissed for 88 in 19.2 overs. Megan Schutt was the standout performer with the ball, claiming excellent figures of 3/3 in 3.2 overs. Annabel Sutherland (3/21) and Sophie Molineux (2/15) also played crucial roles in restricting New Zealand's batting.With this victory, Australia has secured the top spot in Group A, while New Zealand's hopes of reaching the semi-finals have taken a significant blow. The remaining matches in the group will determine the final standings and the teams that will advance to the knockout stage.

India's Women's T20 World Cup campaign got off to a shaky start with a narrow six-wicket victory over Pakistan in Dubai. Despite a modest target of 106 runs, India struggled to chase it down, eventually reaching the mark in 18.5 overs. This result leaves India in fourth place in Group A, with their hopes of reaching the semifinals hanging in the balance.India's chances of advancing to the knockout stage suffered a significant blow with their crushing 58-run defeat to New Zealand in their opening match. Only two teams from each group will progress to the semifinals, making it imperative for India to secure victories in their remaining matches against Sri Lanka and Australia.To qualify for the semifinals, India must not only win their remaining games but also focus on winning by substantial margins to improve their run rate, which took a hit after the loss to New Zealand. Defeating Australia will be a formidable task, but the playing conditions in Dubai may give India a slight advantage.If India emerges victorious in all their remaining games and New Zealand manages to beat Australia, both India and New Zealand should progress to the semifinals. However, if Australia triumphs in all their matches, including the one against India, then the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side would have to rely on Sri Lanka and Pakistan defeating New Zealand in their remaining encounters. In this scenario, India would have two wins, assuming they beat Sri Lanka, along with Pakistan, while New Zealand would be limited to a single victory. The team with a superior run-rate between India and Pakistan would then secure a spot in the semifinals.As the tournament progresses and all teams have played a minimum of three games, additional qualification scenarios might arise, providing more clarity on the situation.

India's senior all-rounder Deepti Sharma has emphasized the team's strategy of taking each game at a time in the ongoing Women's T20 Asia Cup. She believes that the conditions in Sri Lanka have remained largely unchanged since their previous tour in June 2022.After a resounding 82-run victory over Nepal on Tuesday, India secured their place in the semifinals. Shafali Verma's blistering 81 off 48 balls and Deepti's impressive 3/13 bowling performance were instrumental in the win."From the first game, we've been confident about each match, every situation, and the conditions," Deepti said after the match. "We're looking forward to the semifinals as well."Deepti noted that the pitches and conditions in Sri Lanka have not changed significantly since their last visit. "Nothing has changed," she said. "We're just keeping it simple and focusing on the next match."The right-arm off-spinner has been in top form, leading the bowling charts with eight wickets in three matches. She attributes her success to her willingness to bowl in any situation."I'm always ready to bowl in any kind of situation," Deepti said. "I like to take challenges head-on. I'm enjoying each match, planning accordingly, and applying what we discuss in meetings."Deepti also praised the team's batting unit, which has performed consistently throughout the tournament. "If we win the toss, we take a positive approach from the start," she said. "As a batting unit, we've been doing really well from the first game and we've finished well too."India will now face Thailand in the semifinals on Thursday, October 13. Deepti believes that the team is well-prepared and confident of continuing their winning streak.

India and Pakistan to Clash in World Championship of Legends FinalArchrivals India and Pakistan will face off in the highly anticipated final of the World Championship of Legends on Saturday at Birmingham. The two teams emerged victorious in their respective semi-finals on Friday, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown.In the first semi-final, Pakistan displayed their dominance by defeating West Indies by 20 runs. The Pakistani bowlers led the charge, restricting West Indies to a modest total of 150 runs. In response, Pakistan's batters chased down the target with relative ease, securing their place in the final.The second semi-final witnessed an emphatic performance by India, who crushed Australia by a massive 86 runs. India's bowlers were in top form, dismissing Australia for a mere 114 runs. The Indian batters then showcased their prowess, amassing a formidable total of 200 runs.The final promises to be a captivating encounter between two of the world's top cricket teams. India and Pakistan have a long-standing rivalry, and their matches always generate immense excitement and passion. The stakes will be even higher in this championship final, as both teams will be eager to claim the coveted title.The match will be played at Birmingham's Edgbaston Stadium, starting at 9:30 pm IST on Saturday. Fans around the world are eagerly anticipating this epic clash, which is sure to produce thrilling moments and unforgettable memories.

The T20 World Cup semi-finals are set to take place on Wednesday and Thursday, with the first semi-final in Trinidad and the second in Guyana. However, the lack of a reserve day for the second semi-final has raised concerns about the fairness of the tournament.The ICC has allocated a reserve day for the first semi-final but not for the second, which has caused an outcry in the media. The reason for this is that there is only one day's gap between the second semi-final and the final in Barbados, unlike the first semi-final. To give the second finalists enough time to rest between matches, it has been decided to not have a reserve day.However, this decision has been met with criticism, as it means that the second semi-final could be washed out due to rain, while the first semi-final would have the luxury of a reserve day. The ICC has defended its decision, saying that the extra time available for both matches is actually the same: 250 minutes.For the first semi-final, the match will start losing overs if the 8.30pm start-time is delayed for more than an hour. If it still goes into the reserve day, a further 190 minutes have been allocated from 2pm onwards, but the match will continue from where it was left off.For the second semi-final, the overs will start being reduced only at approximately 2.40pm: 250 minutes after the scheduled start time of 10.30am. This gives rise to a scenario in which the match could start as a 20-over affair at 2.40pm, only for the the side batting first to be midway through their overs when the rain returns, thereby causing the match to be washed out as a no-result.If the ICC had made every effort to complete the second semi-final by 2.40pm and only gone into extra time if a 10-over game was not possible until such time, we would have had nearly identical playing conditions for both matches.Another concern is that India knew before the other teams where they would be playing their semi-final. This is because India were scheduled to play their semi-final in Guyana no matter where they finished in their group because that semi-final starts at 10.30am, which is 8pm back in India. Even though South Africa and England knew they had qualified several hours earlier, they had to wait for India's status as winners of Group 1 to be resolved before they could travel to their venues.However, these playing conditions were signed off by every participating board well before the World Cup started.

The T20 World Cup semi-finals are set, with India and England facing off in a rematch of last year's final, while South Africa takes on Afghanistan in the other match.Afghanistan will make their T20 World Cup semi-finals debut in the first semi-final in Trinidad, which begins at 6 AM IST on Thursday. India's match against England will be played from 8 PM IST in Guyana, also on Thursday.There are different rules for the semi-finals and finals. While there is a reserve day in place for the first semi-final between South Africa and Afghanistan, the same is not the case for the India-England humdinger.This is because India's semi-final was pre-decided to be played in Guyana, which has no reserve day. However, it has an extra 250 minutes scheduled if needed since it is a day game as per local time.If the India vs England semi-final is washed out, India will advance to the final by virtue of their higher group standing. The same is the case with the other semi-final, with South Africa advancing if no play is possible.In case of a rain interruption on the day's play, there won't be a fresh start on the rain reserve day. For the first semi-final, there's an extra 60 minutes at the end of the day's play and a further 190 minutes on the reserve day.

The T20 World Cup 2024 has reached its thrilling semi-final stage, with four teams vying for the coveted title. After a nail-biting Super Eight phase, South Africa, Afghanistan, India, and England have emerged as the semi-finalists.In the first semi-final, Group 2 winners South Africa will face Afghanistan, who stunned Australia in a dramatic finish. The match will take place at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba on June 26 at 8.30pm local time.The second semi-final will pit Group 1 leaders India against England. This match will be held at Guyana's Providence Stadium on June 27 at 10.30am local time. India was pre-assigned the second semi-final in Guyana, regardless of their Super Eight performance.The playing conditions for the semi-finals differ. The second semi-final between India and England will not have a reserve day due to the short gap between the match and the final. However, both semi-finals have 250 minutes of additional time available. The first semi-final will have 60 minutes of extra time on the day of the match and 190 minutes on the reserve day, starting at 2pm local time. The second semi-final will have the entire 250 minutes available on the scheduled day.To constitute a complete game in the semi-finals and final, both teams must bat a minimum of 10 overs per innings, unlike the five overs per innings rule in the rest of the tournament. This is crucial considering the possibility of rain at both venues. In case of a washout, the team that finished higher in their respective Super Eight groups (India and South Africa) will advance. If the final is abandoned due to weather, the two finalists will be declared joint winners.

Australia's hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024 now hinge on the outcome of the final group game between Bangladesh and Afghanistan. After their 24-run defeat to India, Australia's fate rests on Bangladesh's ability to defeat Afghanistan by a significant margin.For Australia to qualify, Bangladesh must beat Afghanistan by a margin of less than 62 runs if they bat first (assuming a total of 140). If Bangladesh chases, they must reach 141 in at least 12.4 overs to give Australia a higher run rate.Bangladesh's net run rate currently stands at -2.489, significantly lower than Australia's -0.331. To surpass Australia, Bangladesh needs a resounding victory on Monday night. A win by 62 or more runs, or a chase of 141 in 12.3 overs or earlier, would propel them to second place in the points table.If Afghanistan scores 160, Bangladesh can stay ahead of Australia by chasing it down in 12.5 overs or sooner (if they score 161), or in 13.3 overs if they level scores and win with a six.For Afghanistan, the equation is simpler: a win guarantees them second place in the group and a semi-final berth, while a defeat eliminates them. Even a Super Over defeat would only improve their NRR to -0.433, still below Australia's -0.331.The team that qualifies in second place from this group will face South Africa, the Group 2 toppers, in Tarouba in a night game on Wednesday. India will take on England in the second semi-final in a day game on Thursday in Providence.