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PSL 2023: Afghan pacer Farooqi shines, Islamabad make play-offs

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Islamabad United defeated Quetta Gladiators by two wickets at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Sunday in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

While chasing a target of 180 runs, Islamabad reached home in 19.3 overs.

They became the second team to qualify for the playoffs after Lahore Qalandars.

During the run-chase, Islamabad lost a wicket in the first over when Rahmanullah Gurbaz (0) was dismissed by Naseem Shah.

However, Colin Munro and Alex Hales took the attack to Quetta by adding 52 runs in 25 balls.

Hales fell after scoring 12 runs in nine balls after a sharp reflex catch by Najibullah Zadran off the bowling of Naveen-ul-Haq.

Munro was joined by skipper Shadab Khan but the latter was dismissed cheaply for just 8 runs.

Munro continued his charge on the other end, smacking four sixes and five fours in his 29-ball 63.

He was removed by Iftikhar Ahmed in the eighth over as he searched for another maximum.

From 96-2, Islamabad United crashed to 111-6 in the 12th over.

Azam Khan and Faheem Ashraf stabilised the innings with a 58 runs stand in 44 balls before Azam (35 off 25) and Hasan Ali fell in quick succession.

However, Faheem (39 not out off 31) kept his cool and smashed three fours in succession off Odean Smith to pull off a two-wicket triumph for his side.

Earlier, Quetta Gladiators were condemned to a horrible start to their innings after being put into bat first by Shadab Khan.

The wickets kept tumbling for the visitors as they were reduced to 17-4 in the sixth over, unable to cope with Fazalhaq Farooqi’s nippy swing.

Farooqi struck in the first over after he trapped Will Smeed, who bagged a golden duck, in front of the stumps.

The Afghanistan pacer clinched his second wicket in the third over after Yasir Khan spooned one straight to Shadab Khan at extra cover.

The pair of Najibullah Zadran (59 off 34) and Mohammad Nawaz (52 off 44) added 104 runs off 64 deliveries for the fifth wicket, reviving Quetta Gladiators’ innings.

Najibullah was the aggressor of the two as he reached his fifty off 28 balls and smoked a total of five boundaries and three sixes in his brilliant knock.

Nawaz’s dismissal in the 17th over off Farooqi brought Umar Akmal to the crease, who slammed a quick-fire 43 not out off just 14 balls.

Quetta Gladiators, who are at the bottom of the points table, are nearly eliminated from PSL 8.

They need to win all their remaining games and hope other results go their way if they’re to get through to the playoffs.

Scores

Quetta Gladiators 179-6, 20 overs (Najibullah Zadran 59, Mohammad Nawaz 52, Umar Akmal 43 not out; Fazalhaq Farooqi 3-25, Faheem Ashraf 2-29)

Islamabad United 183-8, 19.3 overs (Colin Munro 63, Faheem Ashraf 39 not out, Azam Khan 35; Umaid Asif 3-37, Mohammad Nawaz 2-17)

Player of the match – Fazalhaq Farooqi (Islamabad United)

Teams

Quetta Gladiators:

Yasir Khan, Will Smeed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Najibullah Zadran, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk/c), Umar Akmal, Mohammad Nawaz, Odean Smith, Umaid Asif, Naseem Shah, Naveen-ul-Haq

Islamabad United:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Azam Khan (wk), Asif Ali, Shadab Khan (c), Faheem Ashraf, Mubasir Khan, Hasan Ali, Rumman Raees, Fazalhaq Farooqi

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Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry star in RCB women’s comeback win against UP Warriorz in WPL 2024

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Smriti Mandhana and Alyssa Healy (Source - X)

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

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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 –

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

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Praveen Kumar

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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