Revision as of 12:51, 2 October 2018

2018

Scoreboard- Asia Cup (Cricket) and India
From: Arani Basu, September 20, 2018: The Times of India

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Scoreboard- Asia Cup (Cricket) and India

Afghanistan’s 91-run win over Sri Lanka

September 19, 2018: The Times of India

Sri Lankan newspapers and fans lambasted the national cricket team Tuesday after the former champions were dumped out of the Asia Cup by up-and-coming Afghanistan.

“The flop of Asia,” ran the private Daily Mirror’sheadline,while the state-run Daily News said oneday cricket had hit a “nadir”. The Island daily lamented the “sad night for Sri Lankan cricket”.

Afghanistan demonstrated their rise in international cricket with their 91-run win over Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Monday. Sri Lanka needed to win the Group B match to stay in the tournament but were outwitted by Afghanistan who put up a fighting total of 249 all out at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Sri Lanka, who now have lost 30 of their 40 matches since January 2017, had lost to Bangladesh by 137 runs in Dubai on Saturday at the opening match of the tournament. The Mirror saidthe performance did not augur well for the World Cup in England and Wales next year.

“Sri Lanka now require a great deal of soul-searching to be a competitive outfit in white-ball cricket before the 1996 World Champions become a laughing stock in the world — if they aren’t that already,” the Mirror said.

Disappointed Sri Lankan fans took to social media to went their anger, with many memes ridiculing the national team. “We could have stayed in the Asia Cup at least till India played its first match,” said one social media user.

India’s first game, against Hong Kong, was scheduled for later on Tuesday. Another social media user ridiculed batsman Kusal Mendis who was out for a duck, saying there would have been more cheer if a different “Mendis” was included — referring to a popular alcoholic drink known as “Mendis Special”.

Another fan speculated tonguein-cheek that the poor performance was all part of a strategy to dupe other teams into thinking Sri Lanka were weak before next year’s World Cup. AFP

Brief Scores: Afghanistan 249 (Rahmat Shah 72, Ihsanullah Janat 45; Thisara Perera 5/55) bt Sri Lanka 158 in 41.2 ovs (Tharanga 36, Thisara Perera 28; Rashid Khan 2/26, Gulbadin Naib 2/29) by 91 runs

India beats Hong Kong: narrowly

Arani Basu, Listless India survive Hong Kong scare in opener, September 19, 2018: The Times of India

That Indian cricket board agreed to play back-to-back games at the Asia Cup had much to do with the fact that one of their opponents would be a weak associate nation team.

But Hong Kong were more than just that. Thay not only gave big favourites India a run for their money in their opening game of the tournament here on Tuesday night, they also threatened to actually eke out a famous win when their openers -- Nizakat Khan and Anshuman Rath -- were going great guns. In the end, their valiant effort fell short by 26 runs as India heaved a sigh of relief.

Nizakat Khan (92 off 115 balls) and Rath (73 off 97) batted like assured pros during their 174-run stand, making batting look easy and showing that scoring runs at a steady rate wasn’t as complicated on this track as the Indian batting made it out to be. In fact, Shikhar Dhawan’s 120-ball 127 was put in the shade by Nizakat and Rath.

A match that was meant to give the Indians some nice practice before the big clash against Pakistan on Wednesday, and also an idea about the conditions, became a rude lesson for the Men in Blue.

That India managed to come out a winner was largely due to the inexperience of Hong Kong batsmen after the exploits of the openers. A tired Rath drove a Kuldeep Yadav-half-volley to Rohit Sharma at extra-cover in the 35th over as the opening stand was finally brought to an end. When debutant Khaleel Ahmed trapped Nizakat in front of the stumps in the next over, it opened the floodgates as Hong Kong finished at 259/8. Yuvendra Chahal came into his own, finishing with figures of 3/46. The 20-year-old Khaleel returned figures of 3/48.

Put in to bat by Hong Kong, their batsmen soon realized that they were not getting a regular belter to bat on. Rohit Sharma’s ill-timed lofted shot off off-spinner Ehsan Khan landed in the hands of mid-off. Ambati Rayudu, on a comeback trail, scored a 70-ball 60 at No. 3. Then what followed was a familiar story in India’s ODI cricket. A frail middle-order caved in as Hong Kong put up a disciplined bowling performance.

India could muster just 48 runs, losing five wickets in the last 10 overs of the innings. The middle-order failed the team one more time as India finished at 285/7.

Dinesh Karthik (33) stayed true to his reputation of getting confident starts and then throwing it away and MS Dhoni edged an innocuous Ehsan Khan delivery to the wicketkeeper to fall for duck after facing just three deliveries.

With India taking on arch-rivals Pakistan on Wednesday, it was hardly the workout they wanted. It was a draining experience and it will be a test of character for them against Pakistan. Can they lift themselves up for the marquee clash?

India beat Pakistan

Arani Basu, A CAKEWALK IN THE DUBAI HEAT, September 20, 2018: The Times of India

Men In Blue Make Light Of Long-Awaited Desert Derby With Easy Win Over Pakistan

When the fixtures for the Asia Cup were drawn, India would be hoping that one of their two back-to-back games would be an easy outing. The Hong Kong game on Tuesday was expected to be a cakewalk.

It turned out to anything but that with big favourites India having to eke out an unconvincing 26-run win.

However, September 19, 2018 made amends for the Men in Blue as they dispatched a listless Pakistan by eight wickets with as many as 21 overs to spare. The total game lasted 72.1 overs, something the Indians would be very happy about. India are now one-up on their arch-rivals at the top of a tournament which could potentially see them square off another two times in the next 10 days.

The emphatic victory does send out a strong message to the other contenders: This team can be dominant even without Virat Kohli.

Once Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed asked India to field first, the desire to hit India hard at the top of the game was evident. The ploy had much to do with the fact that India had a draining outing just 14 hours ago and it was their best chance to run them ragged under the blazing sun.

However, a breeze made the afternoon a lot cooler than the preceding days. India’s opening seamers — Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah — tied down the flamboyance of Fakhar Zaman and Imamul-Haq. The batting collapse which followed only looked inevitable.

They imploded in a very familiar way.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan’s authority at the crease against the charging pace attack meant that the 163-run target didn’t induce any shockwaves. That allowed Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik, both looking to cement a place in the team, to amble past the target, staying unbeaten on 31 each.

Rohit’s men did everything that Sarfraz would have wanted his mates to do — keep their heads and stay in the match. Bhuvneshwar (3/15) and Bumrah’s (2/23) impeccable length and unwavering line tested the anxious nerves of openers Zaman and Imam as both perished playing atrocious shots, leaving the rest of the batting tied in shackles.

As Rohit and Dhawan saw off the initial burst before getting stuck into the Pakistani attacks for their 39-ball 52 and 54-ball 46 respectively, it laid out a template that the Pakistani coaching staff would rub into the minds of Zaman and Imam for the coming games.

India, meanwhile, stuck to their gameplan smartly and made a chest-thumping statement about their bowling resources.

That the side-arm off-spin of Kedar Jadhav (3/23) choked the Pakistan batsmen was more due the work done by the new-ball bowlers earlier in the innings.

Hardik Pandya’s breakdown didn’t hurt India even if it happened in the middle of a partnership between Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam.

As Azam walked past a googly from Kuldeep Yadav to lose his off-stump for 47 and Malik was run out for 43, it was game India.

India beat Bangladesh

Arani Basu, A BREEZE AGAINST BANGLA TOO, September 22, 2018: The Times of India

Asia Cup (cricket), India and Bangladesh- 2018
From: Arani Basu, A BREEZE AGAINST BANGLA TOO, September 22, 2018: The Times of India

After Easy Win Over Pakistan, India Enjoy Yet Another Evening Stroll In Dubai Park

It was in the last over of the powerplay that Shakib Al Hassan drove and swept Ravindra Jadeja for two consecutive boundaries. Bangladesh’s recovery from 16/2 looked to be taking off with Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim — two of their most established batsmen – at the crease. Jadeja’s return to white-ball cricket after a hiatus of 15 months had got a rude welcome.

Then, MS Dhoni intervened. He went up to Jadeja and the duo decided to move Shikhar Dhawan, at single-saving midwicket, a little squarer. Jadeja darted one in, the ball slowed down off the pitch and Shakib succumbed to a rush of adrenaline. A repeat of the sweep off the previous ball ended in the hands of Dhawan at square-leg.

That moment literally set up India’s dominance for the rest of the match. The first match of the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup went along expected lines as India’s clarity of thought and superior ability kept Bangladesh on the mat.

India chased down the 174-run target with ease. Skipper Rohit Sharma, looking imperious as ever, hit an unbeaten 83 off 104 balls.

M S Dhoni got some batting practice ahead of sterner tests ahead, scoring 33 off 37 balls.

Ambati Rayudu had edged Rubel Hossain to Mushfiqur on 13 after Dhawan was trapped in front by Mehidy Hassan for 40 off 47 balls. That led to the biggest cheer of the day as MS Dhoni strolled out to take guard.

If Bangladesh fans thought their team had got over the disappointment of a heavy defeat against Afghanistan the preceding night, and the grudge against schedule that supposedly favoured India, they started slowly leaving the stadium in disappointment after the 20th over of the chase.

India’s approach deviated refreshingly from the one of Bangladesh. Rohit Sharma shelved all inhibition to tamper with the team combination and played an extra-spinner in Jadeja alongside the limitedovers wrist-spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. As Jadeja cashed in gleefully with figures of 4/29, a spell of poor batting by Bangladesh’s middle-order saw them sink to 65/5. Predetermined slog-sweeps and reverse-sweeps from Shakib, Mushfiqur and Mosaddek Hosain gave Jadeja a smooth reentry into limitedovers cricket.

A flicker of fight did come at 101/7 when captain Mashrafe Mortaza (26) and Mehidy Hasan

(42) added a tinge of maturity to their batting to add 66 runs. But when Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah backed up their usual immaculate opening spells with final figures of 3/32 and 3/37 respectively, Mortaza would have known his batsmen had dug a hole too big for their bowlers to pull the team out of.

Rohit and Dhawan, like against Pakistan two nights ago, were not going to let go of the opportunity to capitalize on good batting conditions. They had realized batting under lights was a better proposition, having seen the two Hong Kong openers drag them all the way in their opening game.

They started the march towards the inevitable result in the most dominant fashion. Dhawan, looking good for a big score, fell for 40, but by then the platform had been set up for an Indian cruise.