Waqar Younis apologises over team’s debacle in WT20  

LAHORE: Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis has apologized to the nation for team’s poor performance in the World Cup Twenty20 in India.

Speaking to media persons here Tuesday, embattled head coach, "Literally, I clasp my hands and beg for forgiveness. The way we performed...it should not have been like this."

Waqar Younis said, “I am ready to leave if my exit will solve the problem,” however, added that it was unfair to blame any single person for the team's poor performance.

He went on to say that sacking players or officials will not improve things for Pakistan cricket. “Cosmetic changes will not improve anything. It is imperative to change the system.”

He said that he had performed his duties as Pakistan coach honestly, and that if he is held responsible he would step down as coach.

Waqar denied reports that there were ‘groupings’ in the Pakistani team that played the WT20 tournament.

“There is no politics in the team. The truth is we performed very poorly, so there is no question of groupings,” he said.

He left it up to the higher-ups of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to determine the reasons of the cricket team's inability to perform.

WT20: Peaking England meet soaring Kiwis in first semis  

NEW DELHI: England skipper Eoin Morgan would like to believe his team peaked at the right time at the ongoing World Twenty20 while New Zealand were slightly premature going into Wednesday´s semi-final at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.

Kane Williamson and his Kiwi team mates have not put a foot wrong since landing in India, winning all four group matches without really breaking a sweat to qualify for the semi-finals as the tournament´s only unbeaten team.

For a side boasting an explosive batting order and a balanced attack to go with, England´s passage proved bumpier.

Even before they could soak in the atmosphere, England were blown away by a Chris Gayle century in their tournament opener against West Indies in Mumbai.

Joe Root sparked their recovery in the 230-run chase against South Africa but the narrow victory against Afghanistan´s modest resources exposed their frailties against spin bowling.

They looked a significantly better side, however, in Saturday´s 10-run win against champions Sri Lanka.

Jos Buttler underlined his limited overs worth with a belligerent fifty, the pacemen made regular inroads, Ben Stokes delivered a tidy final over and the team held their nerve to secure a victory that seemed to tick most of the boxes.

"In these tight tournaments you can´t get through to the semis unless you are playing good cricket, and that´s what we set out to do to give ourselves a chance," coach Trevor Bayliss said.

"But it´s about peaking at the right time.

I wouldn´t say we´ve played the perfect game yet -- coaches are always looking for that absolutely perfect game, I don´t think it´s ever been played -- but it´s what any team is striving to do."

Having played their last two games at Kotla, England would also hope to cash in on their familiarity with the venue in contrast to their opponents who were on a mini-tour of India playing each of their four group games at different venues.

KIWI ADAPTABILITY

The trouble for England, however, is that New Zealand won all of them as the team, finalists in last year´s 50-over World Cup, strive to shed the tag of being cricket´s perennial bridesmaid.

Leading from the front, Williamson has also displayed the tactical flexibility needed to win a tournament like this.

New Zealand sprang a surprise in their tournament opener, picking three spinners in a gutsy gamble and went on to beat India, renowned for their batsmen´s comfort against the turning ball, in their own game.

Williamson repeated the ploy against Bangladesh in their final group match for a similar result, his immaculate pitch assessment in stark contrast to most of the visiting captains who struggled to read the track as if it was in Braille.

Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi have already forged a formidable partnership for the Kiwis, claiming 17 wickets between them in four matches.

And if Williamson has noticed England´s struggle against Afghanistan´s slow bowlers, the Kiwi captain will be tempted to harness Nathan McCullum´s control and accuracy in a three-pronged spin attack.

As demonstrated by Martin Guptill, the Kiwi batting does not lack firepower but what was more heart-warming for the fans is how batsmen like Colin Munro have tempered strokes according to situations.

"It hasn´t been the wham, bam...sort of way that T20 cricket has been," batting coach Craig McMillan said after the victory against Bangladesh in their last group match.

"They have had to assess it...and have done a really good job of putting the runs on the board to give the bowlers something to work with."

South Africa easily beat Sri Lanka in dead rubber

DELHI: South Africa comfortably won by eight wickets against Sri Lanka in the last league match of the World Twenty20 here at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground on Monday.

Chasing an easy target of 121, they completed their win with 14 balls remaining.

Hashim Amla, who opened the innings, batted through to steer South Africa to victory in dead rubber.

He remained not out on 56, hitting five fours and a six while AB de Villiers lofted  the towering winning six, his second in his unbeaten 20.

Amla was involved in second wicket partnership of 60 runs with his captain Faf du Plessis and then in an unbeaten third wicket stand of 47.

Faf du Plessis made 31 before Quinton de Kock was run out for nine.

Earlier, Sri Lanka were all out for 120 in 19.3 overs after being sent into bat.

Stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal (21) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (36) provided a good start of 45 but later their wickets fell with regular intervals as only two more batsmen could get into the double figures.

Milinda Siriwardana made 15 runs while Dasun Shanaka remained not out on 20.

For South Africa, pace bowlers Kyle Abbott and Farhaan Behardien, and left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso claimed two wickets each while fast bowler Dale Steyn and leg-spinner Imran Tahir took one wicket each.

Dinesh Chandimal captained Sri Lanka in the absence of Angelo Mathews, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury.

South Africa bowl out Sri Lanka for 120 in dead rubber

DELHI: Sri Lanka were all out for 120 in 19.3 overs against South Africa in a dead rubber last league match of the world Twenty20 here at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground on Monday.

Sent into bat, captain Dinesh Chandimal (21) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (36) provided a good start of 45 but later their wickets fell with regular intervals as only two more batsmen could get into the double figures.

Milinda Siriwardana made 15 runs while Dasun Shanaka remained not out on 20.

For South Africa, pace bowlers Kyle Abbott and Farhaan Behardien, and left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso claimed two wickets each while fast bowler Dale Steyn and leg-spinner Imran Tahir took one wicket each.

Dinesh Chandimal is leading Sri Lanka in the absence of captain Angelo Mathews, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Women’s WT20: Sri Lanka beat South Africa by 10 runs

BANGALORE: Sri Lanka Women captain Chamari Atapattu willed and rallied her side to a 10-run victory over South Africa Women in Bangalore, in the last league match of the Women's World T20.

Atapattu first stroked her maiden T20 fifty, which contained five fours and one six, even as her partners floundered. Atapattu then brought herself into the attack in the defence of 114 and her second over resulted in two wickets. She ran to her right from her follow through, collected a wristy push from Trisha Chetty and flung a throw to the keeper to catch Dane van Niekerk short for 24 off 31 balls. Three balls later, Atapattu pinned her opposite number Mignon du Preez plumb in front for a duck, a wicket the Sri Lanka captain identified as the "turning point" at the post match-presentation.

Left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari and left-arm pacer Udeshika Prabodhani backed Atapattu to squeeze South Africa's middle order. From 50 for 0, South Africa slumped to 102 for 7. Du Preez said: "We had a good start and we lost it in the middle order. We have been struggling with it in the whole tournament. It was also poor execution from us. This is something we need to work on and come back stronger."

Prabodhani speared in full balls and defended 12 off the last over, including taking the wicket of Chloe Tryon for 11 off 10 balls. Though it was only a dead rubber, Sri Lanka toasted the win, and got into a huddle only after wicketkeeper-batsman Dilani Manodara had joined the side from the dug out.

Manodara was pinged on the grille of the helmet when he missed a scoop off her first ball. She scratched around for 4 off 9 balls, before she was bowled by seamer Marcia Letsoalo. She was later sent to the hospital for a scan, and it was found that she had no major injuries.

Sri Lanka's middle order folded as well and they managed only 34 for 4 in their last five overs. Atapattu, however, had lifted Sri Lanka with a bevy of muscled slog sweeps. She hit 52 off 49 balls before she was run out by Marizanna Kapp who was featuring in her 50th T20 international. She picked up two wickets and was complemented by legspinner Sunne Luus who also scalped two wickets.

But Attapattu's act proved to be too much for South Africa.

Kohli masterclass prompts Tendulkar comparisons

NEW DELHI:  Indian great Sachin Tendulkar remains the gold standard of batting in the post-Bradman era but Virat Kohli´s latest masterclass in Sunday´s World Twenty20 shootout against Australia has prompted comparisons with his famous compatriot.

Not for the first time in the tournament, it took Kohli´s masterly knock to get India across the line in a virtual quarter-final against the reigning 50-overs world champions.

Kohli remained unbeaten after a sublime 82, burnishing his reputation as arguably the best chaser in limited-overs cricket with a knock that reminded many of Tendulkar´s 143 against Australia in a 1998 one-dayer at Sharjah dubbed "desert storm".

Shane Warne was at the receiving end of Tendulkar´s wrath in that match and 18 years since the contest, the Australian spin great saw Tendulkar´s shadow in Kohli´s latest knock.

"Great knock by @imVkohli Reminded me of one of your many special innings buddy," Warne tweeted to his great rival Tendulkar after Kohli secured India a place in the semi-finals on Sunday.

Kohli bejewelled his knock with two sixes and nine boundaries and sprinted tirelessly between wickets in a flawless display of limited overs batting under tremendous pressure.

He middled every ball, timed his shots with surgical precision and found gaps with eerie regularity to stamp his class.

"Of the modern players, I´ve always thought that Brian Lara was the best placer of the ball," former Australia captain Ian Chappell said. "I think I have got Brian in second spot now.

LARA´S PRAISE

The West Indian batting great was also bowled by what he saw and requested videos of Kohli´s early days, hailing the Indian as the "best timer of a cricket ball" that he has seen.

At 27, Kohli stands on the brink of batting greatness with 36 international centuries against his name and averages of 44 in tests, 51 in one-dayers and 55 in Twenty20 matches.

It has been a fascinating transformation of a Delhi cricketer perceived initially as yet another brash brat from the streets of a city long accused of inculcating aggression in its youth.

Since Kohli´s international debut in a one-dayer against Sri Lanka eight years ago, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has closely watched the tattoo-wearing, blunt-speaking, heart-on-his-sleeve youngster transform into a mature match-winner.

Kohli hates the idea of an on-field confrontations that doesn´t include him and Dhoni argued it suits the player who succeeded him as India´s test captain.

"He will always be the same," Dhoni said after the victory in Mohali. "He will be an aggressive character who will be ready to take on challenges and he will be aggressive on the field.

"But he will also improve. He is shifting in the right direction but he is a tremendous character. He should not lose his character because that´s what his strength is.

‘Fissures develop between selectors, manager’

LAHORE: Manager of the Pakistan senior team and former Olympian Hanif Khan will decide soon whether or not to remain associated with the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) after developing differences with the national selection committee over the selection of players for the upcoming Azlan Shah Cup to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia.

According to sources, Hanif is not happy with the selectors over the induction of one Karim Khan into the national squad and dropping his nephew Haseem Khan apart from being in discord with them over dropping of 10 senior players in order to raise a new-look team.

On the other hand, the training camp has been in progress at the National Hockey Stadium but the team manager Hanif has left it for Karachi to take part in Chehlum activities of his wife who died a few days before his appointment as manager of the Pakistan team.

Hanif’s act to depart for Karachi is being dubbed as “his protest against the selection committee.”

When contacted, head coach Khawaja Junaid rubbished the reports that the team manager has left the camp in protest against the selectors, stating that Hanif would return to see the last match between Pakistan Seniors and Juniors scheduled to be held in Lahore on March 31.

The head coach said Pakistan captain Rashad Mahmood and Rizwan Senior would also join the camp after March 31 as they were playing league hockey in Europe for which they had sought the NOC from the PHF.

Both had requested their respective clubs in Europe to relieve them for the Azlan Shah Cup, Junaid maintained.

Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff passes away at 68

BARCELONA: Johan Cruyff, one of the greatest footballers in history, died on Thursday at the age of 68 from lung cancer, his family announced.

The Dutchman “died peacefully in Barcelona, surrounded by his family after a hard-fought battle with cancer”, said a statement on Cruyff's official website.

“It's with great sadness that we ask you to respect the family's privacy during their time of grief.”

Cruyff won three European Cups as a player with Ajax Amsterdam and Ballon d'Or titles in 1971 with Ajax and 1973 and 1974 with Barcelona, where he starred from 1973 to 1978.

Cruyff is considered one of the best four players in history alongside Pele of Brazil, Diego Maradona of Argentina and France's Michel Platini.

With his precision passes, speed, technique and goalscoring ability, Cruyff set new standards as a player.

He was the incarnation of Total Football that took the Dutch team to the World Cup final in 1974. He inspired a new generation of footballers.

“Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is,” he once said.

As a coach, Cruyff led Barcelona to their first European Cup title in 1992.

Cruyff was once a heavy smoker who gave up after heart bypass surgery in 1991. He started sucking lollipops on the touchline at Barcelona games.

Cruyff also appeared in a Catalan government advert, saying: “Football has given me everything in life, tobacco almost took it all away. “He revealed in October last year that he had lung cancer.

He said in February that he had received “very positive” results about his battle.

“Right now, I have the feeling that I am 2-0 up in the first half of a match that has not finished yet. But I am sure that I will end up winning,” he added in a statement.

News of his death still came as a shock to the football world and tributes quickly flooded in.

“He was the best player of all time,” French legend Michel Platini told AFP.

“I have lost a friend, the world has lost a great man. I admired him, “Platini added.

“The '14' will never be the same. RIP Johan Cruyff,” said modern-day Spanish hero Xabi Alonso, now with Bayern Munich, on Twitter in a tribute referring to Cruyff's number 14 shirt.

“Goodbye to one of the legends of the history of football,” said Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos.

While Cruyff made his name at Ajax, where he started at the age of 17, he made his football home in Barcelona.

“Barga soon began to reap the rewards as the Dutch magician helped Barga to the league title in his first season, and went on to win his second and third Ballon d'Or,” the club said in a tribute.

“He quickly became an icon for Barga.

“His acrobatic strike against Atletico Madrid and the 5-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu (against Real Madrid) in 1974, among many other great moments, will live long in the memory of Barga fans.”

Cruyff returned as manager in 1988. “He was in the dugout for eight seasons, during which time he led the club through its most successful ever period up until that point.”

Barcelona won four consecutive league titles and their first ever European Cup in May 1992 at Wembley, beating Sampdoria of Italy 1-0.

Cruyff was named Europe's player of the century in 1999.

Imran blames ‘political pressure’ for dismal state of Pakistan cricket

Former Pakistan cricket great and chief of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Imran Khan, on Sunday blamed “political pressure” and “cronyism” for the international team’s consistent poor performances.

In an outpour on Twitter, Imran said Prime Minister Nawaz had “perfected the art of cronyism” and had appointed an “election fixer” to “fix” Pakistan cricket.

The former captain said “the reason cricket has, unlike elsewhere, failed to become an institution in Pak is because here PM appoints PCB chief.”

Imran’s solution to Pakistan’s woes is to “insulate” cricket from “political pressure.”

He also repeated his earlier demands to revamp the domestic cricket structure to improve players’ “temperament” and “technique.”

Imran proposed a domestic cricket circuit on the lines of Australia, where all talent is “concentrated in six regional teams” and ‘all departments instead of fielding their own teams should support the regional teams.

The PTI chief also stressed that funds be directed to more productive uses instead of “wasting money on senseless expenditures.” He said Pakistan was in a dire need of more cricket grounds.

‘Not fit as captain’: Ian Chappell praises Afridi’s honest appraisal

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell praised Shahid Afridi’s “honesty” after he declared himself “not fit” to lead the team as Pakistan bowed out of the World T20 suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of India, New Zealand and Australia.

“Very honest appraisal,” Chappell commented on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day.

“I don’t think so it was doing him any favours giving him the captaincy because he is one of those sorts of erratic geniuses you never know what you’re going to get next. I’m not sure if that’s the right temperament for captaincy.”

Afridi, during the post-match ceremony in Mohali, said he was no longer up to captaining Pakistan after his team’s exit but held back from making an announcement on his possible retirement.

“I will announce it in my country. Whatever is better for the country, I will go with that. As a player, I am fit. As a captain, I am not fit,” the Pakistan captain said after the 21-run defeat against Australia on Friday.

Chappell, who played 75 Tests and 16 one-day internationals for Australia, however, touted Karachi-born wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed as a possible replacement for the 36-year-old mercurial all-rounder to lead Pakistan.

“Sarfraz Ahmed is a very aggressive player. I like the way he bats. I was a bit surprised that he came in so late in Pakistan’s innings [against Australia],” Chappell said.

“It doesn’t always apply that an aggressive cricketer is an aggressive captain but it’s nice to have somebody who thinks aggressively so he would be one option.”

‘Grácies Johan’ - Barcelona pays homage to legendary Dutchman

BARCELONA: It was Johan Cruyff who “made us champions”, wept long-time Barcelona fan Jose Gilabert Cortina, a retired printer who joined the thousands of fans who came to the Camp Nou on Saturday to pay tribute to the Barca legend.

Dutchman Cruyff, who first moved to Barcelona from Ajax Amsterdam in 1973, died on Thursday in his adopted city aged 68 after a five-month battle with lung cancer.

“When he arrived as a player 43 years ago I came to all the matches for the sheer entertainment he provided,” recalled the bespectacled 69-year-old.

“We were a team of losers, it was 14 years since we'd won the Liga and he changed everything. You would have thought that football had been transformed into another sport,” he recalled with tears in his eyes like many of his generation who mixed with the international crowd including Spaniards, Chinese, Japanese and Moroccans who came to the special condolence area opened by the club at the Camp Nou.

Cruyff's debut in 1973 “was like a revelation,” recalled 74-year-old retired taxi driver Fidel Diaz Fernandez.

Style and freedom

The style and freedom with which the 1.80 metre athlete with blue eyes and a Beatles haircut played was a breath of fresh air during a time when Spanish dictator Franco was still in power.

“Franco was still in power and you couldn't wear long hair at that time without being taken for a transvestite. Cruyff did it,” said Fidel.

“He was always inventing something,” recalled 70-year-old composer Franck Charles, particularly of Cruyff's time as a coach from 1988 to 1996.

“I remember a lovely phrase that he said to the players before they took to the pitch: 'guys have fun'. And they had fun!”

“Today it's Messi who resembles him the most. Like Cruyff said there's no need to run a lot to control the game and Messi doesn't run much.”

Suddenly, Fidel, the former taxi driver with grey hair, begins to laugh loudly as he recalls Cruyff's legendary goal against Atletico Madrid in 1973 when the striker leapt into the air, twisting his body to score as he faced away from goal.

And it amuses him now to see top officials from Barcelona's eternal rivals Real Madrid - such as president Florentino Perez - come to pay tribute to the player who “changed the face of football”, 43 years after Real's humiliating 0-5 home loss.

When Cruyff arrived at Barcelona the team were second bottom in the league.

But they won 17 games in a row to win their first La Liga title in 14 years.

The relationship between player, club and fans became even stronger after he took over as head coach in 1988.

In an eight-year spell in charge he won four consecutive league titles, and Barcelona's first European Cup in 1992.

Catalan Dutch

“He was a Dutchman more Catalan than a lot of Catalans,” recalled Franck, noting Cruyff's insistence on naming his son Jordi (the patron saint of Catalonia), a regional name banned at the time by the Spanish administration.

“He supported the Catalans a lot in their battles,” Franck continued.

“Under Franco, Cruyff was the first to wear the armband bearing the colours of Catalonia as captain,” added Jose.

“That he was pro independence or not, I don't know, but he was clearly for a self-determination referendum for the Catalans to decide their future.”

On front of the cameras, the president of the region, the separatist Carles Puigdemont, praised Cruyff's ability to “bet on the collective talent”.

“On behalf of the country, thank you for all Catalans.”

At the end of the day, Barcelona said that more than 15,000 people had visited to pay their respects.

The club added that the Cruyff family will also visit on Tuesday afternoon.

World champions Germany left fuming by England fightback

BERLIN: Germany's head coach Joachim Loew admitted he was annoyed to see the world champions squander a two-goal lead in their 3-2 defeat at home to England in Berlin.

Toni Kroos and Mario Gomez had put the World Cup holders 2-0 up at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on Saturday with an hour gone before the Three Lions roared back.

Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy netted for England before Eric Dier headed the winner a minute into stoppage time as Germany were punished for a sloppy defending and failing to create chances in attack.

“It's annoying as a coach when we lose after being 2-0 up, but you can't say we didn't deserve it,” admitted Loew, who steered Germany to win their fourth World Cup at Brazil 2014.

“Even when we were 2-0 up, we weren't in control.

“We had problems in our build-up and struggled up front.”

Germany host Italy in Munich on Tuesday and Loew knows there is plenty of work to be done in his final international friendly before naming his squad for Euro 2016.

“We know the areas we have to work on, some of the combinations didn't work and left a lot to be desired,” said Loew.

“In the second-half, we gave away a crazy amount of space.

“We didn't stand compact in defence, we lost balls on the counter and the English had more and more space for their quick attackers to exploit.”

But his senior players were far from amused after surrendering their lead to vastly inexperienced England side.

Germany have failed to impress since winning the World Cup, losing Euro 2016 qualifiers to Poland and Ireland.

Despite finishing top of their qualifying group, Germany have much to do if they are to add the European crown to their world title in France in June.

Unhappy Khedira

With their captain Bastian Schweinsteiger facing a race to be fit for Euro 2016 after a knee injury, Germany's stand-in skipper in Berlin, Sami Khedira, was not amused.

“It was an unnecessary, dumb defeat,” fumed the Juventus midfielder.

“Every single member of the team has to remember to keep working hard.

”We did a lot right up until we went 2-0 up, then a lot less after that. We played well for 60 minutes only.

”We have to play much better against Italy and at the European championships.”

Goal-scorer Mario Gomez was also at a loss to explain the defeat.

“It's hard to explain how things worked out,” said the striker.

“Up until we went 2-0 up, we played really well, although we didn't really use all our chances.

“After that, we left too much space and gave England the belief.”

Real Madrid's Toni Kroos put the defeat down to poor defending throughout the German team as centre-back Jonathan Tah made his debut in the second-half in an inexperienced back four.

“When you play, you always want to win, so the result is important, even if it was only a friendly,” said Germany's goal-scorer.

“We defended badly in the second half, even though we had a few new faces in defence, a performance like that still shouldn't have happened.”

Afghanistan shock West Indies with 6-run win

NAGPUR: Cricket minnows Afghanistan made a great upset in the World Twenty20 when they defeated the West Indies by six wickets in the 30th match of the tournament here at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on Sunday.

Both the teams were playing against each other for the first time in a T20 International.                                                                                                                        

Chasing 124, West Indies could reach 117-9 in 20 overs to give Afghanistan their first victory of the world T20.

The main scorers for the West Indies were Dwayne Bravo (28), Johnson Charles (22) and Dinesh Ramdin (18).

Afghan spinners Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan claimed two wickets each.

Earlier sent into bat, Afghanistan made 123 runs for seven wickets in their 20 overs.

Najibullah Zadran top scored with an unbeaten 48, which he made off 40 balls with four fours and a six.

Opener Mohammad Shahzad (24) and captain Asghar Stanikzai (16) were the only two other batsmen to get into the double figures.

For West Indies, leg-spinner Samuel Badree captured three wickets for 14 runs and fast bowler Andre Russell bagged two for 23.

WWT20: Edwards steers England to 148-5 against Pakistan

CHENNAI: England posted 148 for five against Pakistan in their last match in the Women’s World Twenty20 here at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk on Sunday night.

Winning the toss, England captain Charlotte Edwards decided to bat first and opened the innings herself with Tammy Beaumont. Both provided a sound start of 68 from nine overs.

Then off-break bowler Nida Dar made a breakthrough taking three quick wickets within and England reached 89-3.

Danielle Wyatt joined Edwards to add 59 runs but two wickets fell in the final over as England Women finished their innings on 148-5.

Edwards remained not out on 77 as her 61-ball innings was laced with ten fours while Beaumont made 37.

For Pakistan Women, Nida Dar captured three wickets for 21 runs and seamer Asmavia Iqbal took two for 18.

Pak women knocked out by England women

CHENNAI: Pakistan women were outclassed by England who have qualified to play the semi-finals in the Women’s World Twenty20.

Chasing a tough target of 149, Pakistan women could make only 80 runs to give England a convincing 68-run victory in their last group match here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday night.

None of the batters could get into the double-figures except Nida Dar (16), Nahida Khan (15), Asmavia Iqbal (15) and captain Sana Mir (11).  

For England, Laura Marsh captured three wickets for 12 runs while Georgia Elwiss, Anya Shrubsole and Natalie Sciver claimed two wickets each for nine, 16  and 22, respectively.

Earlier, England posted 148 for five after winning the toss as captain Charlotte Edwards opened the innings herself with Tammy Beaumont and both provided a sound start of 68 from nine overs.

Then off-break bowler Nida Dar made a breakthrough taking three quick wickets within and England reached 89-3.

Danielle Wyatt joined Edwards to add 59 runs but two wickets fell in the final over as England Women finished their innings on 148-5.

Edwards remained not out on 77 as her 61-ball innings was laced with ten fours while Beaumont made 37.

For Pakistan Women, Nida Dar captured three wickets for 21 runs and seamer Asmavia Iqbal took two for 18.

West Indies knock India out of Women’s World T20

MOHALI: Not even the support of a festive home crowd and conditions they thrive could inspire India Women as they slumped to a three-run loss to West Indies Women in Mohali.

The defeat brought the curtains down on India's disappointing World Twenty20 campaign.

Jhulan Goswami, who bowled all of two overs on a slow surface, kept India alive with a few lusty blows that brought the equation down to 20 off the last two overs.

Tension engulfed the PCA Stadium, but a crowd that was on tenterhooks roared in delight as the third ball of the penultimate over sailed over long-on to bring it down to 12 off nine balls.

But her run-out off the next delivery, once again, meant the pendulum swung West Indies' way. Deandra Dottin, who ensured West Indies were in with a chance by making 45 off 40 balls in the team's total of 114 for 8, then showed immaculate death-bowling skills to leave India short-changed.

Shikha Pandey, who carved a boundary over point to bring it down to five off three balls was run-out off the next delivery to effectively dash India's hopes.

India landed the early punches and weakened West Indies to 26 for 3 as the contest was reduced to a battle of spin attacks.

The hosts then switched off for a bit, only to see Stafanie Taylor and Dottin regain lost ground, and then lift West Indies with a fourth-wicket partnership of 77.

The stand helped West Indies post a total of 114 for 8, challenging, but by no means impossible.

Kohli takes India to World T20 semis, ousting Aussies

MOHALI: Virat Kohli smashed a masterful 82 to guide India to a six-wicket win against Australia in their final World Twenty20 Super 10 game on Sunday and set up a semi-final against West Indies in Mumbai.

Kohli resurrected India with his unbeaten 51-ball knock from a seemingly tricky position as the hosts sprinted home in the end with five balls to spare.

India´s bowlers pulled Australia back from a blistering start to restrict them to 160 for six wickets after Australia won the toss and opted to bat.

Hosts India, inaugural World T20 champions in 2007, and reigning 50-over title holders Australia had won two matches each, with their only loss coming against New Zealand in the Super 10 stage.

New Zealand face England in the other semi-final.

India needed 39 from the last three overs when Kohli decided to show his class which has earned him accolades as one of the world´s best current batsmen.

He smashed James Faulkner, who took Australia´s best T20 figures during a five-wicket haul in the last match, for two fours and a six as the left-arm paceman leaked 19 runs.

Kohli then hit Nathan Coulter-Nile for four boundaries in the next over to bring down India´s target to just four runs off the final six balls with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni finishing it off with another four off Faulkner.

Earlier, Australia´s Aaron Finch (43) and Usman Khawaja (26) smashed the bowlers to all corners of the ground after Smith decided to bat on a pitch that was used for the women´s game between India and West Indies earlier on Sunday.

Left-handed Khawaja´s first six scoring shots were all boundaries, four of them coming against paceman Jasprit Bumrah in one over, with Australia racing past 50 before the completion of the fourth over.

Finch, Australia´s captain in the format before he was replaced by Smith shortly before the tournament, then launched into India´s bowling mainstay Ravichandran Ashwin, hitting the off-spinner for two consecutive sixes over long-on.

But some smart bowling from left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and part-timers Yuvraj Singh and Hardik Pandya, who picked up two wickets, in the middle overs halted Australia´s progress as they struggled to hit the boundaries.

Dangerman Glenn Maxwell (31) took his time at the crease but got out just as he started opening his arms.

Wicketkeeper Peter Nevill smashed Pandya for a four and a six off the last two balls as Australia, yet to win the World T20 title, took 15 runs in their final over to ensure India had to score more than eight runs an over in their chase.

Wasim Akram becomes latest victim of intolerance in India

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket great Wasim Akram became the latest victim of intolerance in India and that too during a live TV show after a cricket match between India and Australia on Sunday.

The former captain was commenting on Virat Kohli's innings When he was stopped by some unknown people from speaking.

Sitting in studio at a different location, the host of the TV show appeared clueless about the situation and expressed hope Wasim Akram was fine.

TV footage showed visibly perturbed Akram rising from his seat as intruders approached him.  There was no comments from Wasim Akram or the TV channel about the situation.

NZealand knock SAfrica out of Women’s World T20

BANGALORE: New Zealand Women produced a clinical performance to knock South Africa out of the tournament, after a resounding seven-wicket win at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday night.

New Zealand hunted down the target of 100 with 33 balls to spare after bowling South Africa out in the last over. With this result, Australia join New Zealand in the semi-finals from Group A.

South Africa's openers - Trisha Chetty and Dane van Niekerk - added 21 after being inserted, but the New Zealand bowlers kept chipping away thereafter.

Marizanne Kapp anchored the middle overs with a steady 22, but substantial partnerships were hard to come by.

Just as South Africa were looking for a late surge, they lost their five wickets for nine runs in the space of 11 balls, with Sophie Devine taking three of them in the penultimate over of the innings.

Leigh Kasperek contributed with three wickets to become the tournament's highest wicket-taker, with nine scalps.

Suzie Bates, the competition's leading run-scorer, and her opening partner Rachel Priest, the third highest on the run charts, added 57 in just 50 balls to effectively kill the game. Both fell within the space of two overs, though, and Kapp trapped Sara McGlashan soon after, but it was too late.

Devine provided the finishing touches with a 17-ball 27, an innings that featured three fours and a six.

Sri Lanka go down fighting as England reach semis

DELHI: England have qualified for the semi-finals after defeating Sri Lanka by ten runs in Super Ten Group One match of the World Twenty20 here at Feroz Shah Kotla ground on Saturday night.

Chasing a daunting target of 172, Sri Lanka made a disastrous start losing four early wickets for just 15 runs.

However, captain Angelo Mathews came to rescue and along with Chamara Kapugedera took the team out of trouble, adding 80 runs for the fifth wicket stand.

Then after Kapugedera’s exit after scoring 30, Mathews found another partner in Thisara Perera and added further 37 runs with him before Perera departed after making 20 off 11 balls.

Now Sri Lanka needed 35 runs with four wickets in hand, and Mathews, having completed his fifty, was still at the crease. Dasun Shanaka joined him and both took the score to 155 but two wickets fell in the 19th over - Shanaka and then Herath were gone.

In the final over, they needed 15 runs to win but Ben Stokes bowled intelligently to concede only four runs and England emerged victorious in the end.

Mathews remained not out on 73. He faced 54 balls and struck five sixes and three fours.

Chris Jordan was the most successful bowler for England taking four for 28 while David Willey got two for 26.

Earlier, England made 171 for four after being sent into bat, thanks to Jos Buttler, who scored an unbeaten 66 from 37 balls with eight fours and two sixes.

Buttler, the top-scorer, remained not out on 66. He struck eight fours and two sixes in his 37-ball innings.

Jason Roy also batted well, scoring 42 with three fours and two sixes.