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PSL: Haris Rauf’s inconsistency hurts Lahore
Quetta Gladiators won a crucial, low-scoring showdown against Lahore Qalandars at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in the 23rd game of the Pakistan Super League.
With not a single batsman on either side being able to score a half-century, bowlers took charge to reduce the sides to a meagre total.
In the first innings, Quetta Gladiator finished with a below-par total of 158/5.
Considering the recent record of the Dubai track, it seemed like Lahore Qalandars would chase it down with many overs left, but the Gladiators were poised to taste victory.
Perhaps, for the first time this season, the Gladiators pace cartel stood tall to contain the opposition.
Usman Shinwari and Khurram Shehzad picked three wickets each to dismantle the Qalandars’ batting line-up.
They managed to win Quetta the game by 18 runs as Lahore were all out for 140.
Azam Khan falters again
Azam Khan has been struggling in converting good starts into a fifty or more.
The right-handed power hitter has faltered in odd 20s and 30s at times when the team needs him the most.
He scored quickfire 33 off 18 tonight but fell to James Faulkner.
Had he prolonged his stay with Quetta captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, the Gladiators may have put up a bigger total.
Haris Rauf too costly for Lahore
Lahore were doing everything right with the ball until Haris Rauf spoiled the night.
The right-arm pacer conceded eight boundaries to end up with 0-44 in his quota of four overs.
His poor spell let the Gladiators get runs at a crucial stage whereas the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and James Faulkner had kept them on the backfoot.
Quetta Gladiators 158 for 5 (Weatherald 48, Sarfaraz 34*, Faulkner 3-25) beat Lahore Qalandars 140 (David 46, Shahzad 3-14, Shinwari 3-32) by 18 runs.
Preview: Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators
Mohammad Rizwan-led Multan Sultans are likely to clinch an easy win over Quetta Gladiators as Sarfaraz Ahmed’s men have failed to make it big in 2021.
The Gladiators have failed to live up to their hype in the Duba-leg of the tournament.
They started the second phase ranked at the bottom of the points table, and still languish at the sixth spot.
Probable best performer
Mohammad Rizwan
Rizwan has been a class apart with the bat.
He is the second-highest run-getter in the tournament, just behind Babar Azam, with 408 runs in seven matches.
The Sultans captain and wicket-keeper averages just over 68 in the league and has been finding the middle of the bat more often.
Rizwan is expected to pile up crucial runs against Sarfaraz Ahmed’s men as well in the Wednesday showdown.
Match Prediction
Multan Sultans haven’t been at their best, but have done just enough to outscore Quetta Gladiators.
This will be a must-win contest for Sarfaraz’s side if they want to cement a spot in the playoffs.
However, their worsening form is likely to hold them back against Multan.
Multan would be poised to get a win as well, but two points ahead of the Gladiators have paved an easier way for them.
Nonetheless, the Sultans are the probable winners of Wednesday’s game.
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Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry star in RCB women’s comeback win against UP Warriorz in WPL 2024
RCB women overcame UP Warriorz by 23 runs to clinch their third win of the season. The home side outperformed Warriorz in all the facets of the game and emerged victorious. A collective team effort, particularly with the bat, helped RCB women to beat Warriorz for the second time in the season. They now have three wins in their five matches in the WPL 2024.
Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to field first. Given how things have panned out in the league so far, it needed a great batting performance from RCB to challenge the chasing side. The home side did exactly that. They were full of intent which was lacking in the last few games. Right from the start, S Meghana and Smriti Mandhana smashed the bowlers.
It was the night of the RCB skipper. The Southpaw scored 80(50) in her stay. S Meghana perished after a valuable 28(21). Ellyse Perry batted well and registered her first fifty of the WPL 2024. She was aided well towards the end by Richa Ghosh whose 21(10) propelled RCB to a score of 198 on the board. It was the highest team total in the WPL 2024.
Alyssa Healy’s efforts go in vain
Chasing the daunting total, UP Warriorz were off to a flier. The opening duo of Healy and Kiran Navgire gave a fiery start to the visiting side. When the two were batting in the PP overs, it seemed like the Warriorz could pull off an insane chase. However, Sophie Devine brought RCB back into the game with crucial wickets. At Bengaluru, the home crowd was literally behind the RCB women.
It helped the home side to stay calm and do their job with ease. Sophie Molineux and Asha Sobhana were the pick of the bowlers, who claimed 2/29 each in their spell of four overs. While Healy scored a fifty and Deepti tried her best in the death overs, ten daunting targets could not be chased down. Despite the early hiccups, RCB managed to restrict UP Warriorz to a score of 175 and won by 23 runs.
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WATCH: Ellyse Perry in disbelief as her six breaks car’s window
Ellyse Perry smashed a six in the match against UP Warriorz in the WPL 2024. It was an interesting six as the ball travelled towards the boundary ropes and fell exactly on the window of the car. As a result, the glass of the window was broken. The car is set to be provided as a reward for the player of the tournament.
It was the over of Deepti Sharma towards the last few moments of RCB’s innings. Before Perry struck, the home side was in a great position in the match, thanks to a great start provided by Smriti Mandhana. The star batter scored 80 (50) and shined in front of the home crowd. Her form helped RCB to have a good momentum towards the death overs.
Watch the viral video here –
ELLYSE PERRY HAS BROKE THE GLASS OF THE CAR…!!! 🤯
– The reaction of Perry was priceless!! pic.twitter.com/zaxiQLLN1r
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 4, 2024
Perry, who was struggling till that point, opened up and smashed the bowlers for fun. She went hard against the spinners like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma who were asked to bowl at the death. The right-handed batter smashed back-to-back sixes in the over of Sharma. One of those travelled towards the mid-wicket region where the car was stationed. The video of her shot has gone viral on X.
RCB teammates laugh, Ellyse Perry in disbelief
As the ball fell on the car and damaged the window, the fans erupted. There was no end to the joy of the fans who started chanting “Perry.. Perry..” and lit the atmosphere of the stadium. However, Perry was in disbelief. As she saw the impact of the ball damaging the car’s window, the Australian batter could not believe her eyes and thought about what she had just done.
On the other hand, the RCB teammates of Perry were in awe of the shot. They looked at the replays and appreciated the shot of Perry. At the same time, players like Sophie Molineux and Sophie Devine had a laugh about the car’s window getting damaged. Ellyse scored a fifty and helped her team score 198 runs with her batting in front of the home crowd.
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Praveen Kumar addresses Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer’s negligence of taking part in Ranji Trophy
Praveen Kumar has given his opinion on the preferences of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in recent times. The duo did not take part in the Ranji Trophy matches for their respective teams despite being fit. It did not go well with the Indian Cricket Board which landed the duo without a ventral contract which was announced a few days back.
Praveen Kumar has reacted to the issue recently. The former India pacer claimed that he has been of an opinion on the issue for a long time. Praveen felt that one should definitely earn money but not at the cost of neglecting to play for domestic and national teams. The right-arm pacer felt that players today are having a certain mentality which is not good.
The former pacer claimed that the players have a mindset that they can rest for a month before taking part in the IPL, thereby bypassing playing for their national team or the domestic teams. Praveen felt that the players could not resist letting go of money which they could earn by taking part in the IPL and other T20 leagues (For foreign players).
‘Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun’ – Praveen Kumar
“This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun,” said Praveen in the interview. He claimed that youngsters these days are spoilt and are behind money. The former RCB pacer felt that it is not fair on the part of the young players to neglect the country over the IPL.
Kumar felt that a player needs to maintain a balance between playing for the IPL team and for the country. He felt that money is an important factor, but not at the cost of playing for the national team. “But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong,” said the former Indian bowler in the interview.
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