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Perry’s 81 and Wareham’s three wickets weren’t enough for RCB

Hemant Brar21-Feb-2025Win the toss, field first, win the match. This has been the story of all seven games in WPL 2025 so far. Mumbai Indians (MI) were the latest benefactors of winning the toss as they beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by four wickets in the first game of the Bengaluru leg.Bowling first, MI restricted RCB to 167 for 7 despite a pristine 81 off 43 balls by Ellyse Perry. Then they had the joint-best powerplay of the season, cruising to 66 for 2. Harmanpreet Kaur’s half-century kept MI in a comfortable position until Georgia Wareham dismissed her and S Sajana off successive balls in the 18th over. Amanjot Kaur took over from there and, with 22 needed from 12 balls, hit Kanika Ahuja for two sixes. That brought it down to run-a-ball in the final over. Still, it came down to two needed from two balls before 16-year-old G Kamalini smashed Ekta Bisht through covers to seal the game.

Mandhana vs Ismail – a short story

Shabnim Ismail is the fastest bowler in women’s cricket and it showed immediately. Opening the bowling for MI, Ismail hurried Smriti Mandhana with a bouncer, the RCB captain’s mistimed pull falling short of mid-on. However, Mandhana took just one delivery to adjust to the pace and the bounce of the pitch. Two balls later, when Ismail hurled another short ball, Mandhana quickly got into the position and pulled it over square leg for four.It made Ismail switch to around the wicket. For the last ball of the over, she went short again, this time trying to cramp the batter. Mandhana unfurled another four with a pull.Smriti Mandhana takes on a short ball•BCCI

Nat Sciver-Brunt, who opened the bowling from the other end, does not have Ismail’s pace. That allowed Mandhana to use her feet and launch a straight six.In her next over, Ismail erred in her line, and Mandhana duly cut her to the point boundary twice in three balls. But Ismail had the last laugh. She went short again, angling the ball on this occasion. Mandhana must have been feeling invincible by then. She attempted another pull. But this one took the top edge and Yastika Bhatia settled under it behind the stumps.

Quick wickets leave RCB in trouble

Perry opened her account with a first-ball four, flicking a full delivery from Ismail over square leg. In the next over, she freed her arms and hit Sciver-Brunt over long-on. But MI pulled things back with three quick wickets. Danni Wyatt-Hodge miscued an upper cut against Sciver-Brunt to short third; Raghvi Bist hit Hayley Matthews into the hands of deep midwicket; and Ahuja chopped Sanskriti Gupta onto her stumps. After nine overs, RCB were 62 for 4.

Perry pristine

RCB did not hit a single boundary from overs six to nine. Perry ended the drought in the tenth when she dispatched Matthews for four. She found support from Richa Ghosh, who smashed a six in the same over. The pair combined to pocket five more fours in the next three overs. By the time Amanjot bowled Ghosh for 28 off 25, the partnership had reached 50 in 38 deliveries.Ellyse Perry top-scored for RCB with a pristine 81•BCCI

From there on, Perry carried RCB almost singlehandedly. She hit Amelia Kerr inside out over extra cover to bring her fifty off 30 balls. Two balls later, she jumped out of her crease to deposit Kerr over long-on. In the next over, Matthews paid the price for bowling too short as Perry picked up two more fours. Perry eventually fell to Amanjot on the penultimate ball of the innings but not before hitting the bowler for back-to-back fours.

Matthews, Sciver-Brunt give MI flying start

MI started their chase in an attacking manner, with Bhatia hitting Renuka Singh for two fours in the opening over. Even though Kim Garth trapped Bhatia for 8, there was no respite for RCB. Sciver-Brunt hit two fours off the first two balls she faced to keep the runs flowing. She took it a notch higher in Garth’s next over with three fours.Matthews joined with back-to-back fours off Wareham. Bisht, who came in for the sixth over was not spared either. Sciver-Brunt started with a hat-trick of fours and Matthews chipped in with one. The only solace for Bisht was that she had Matthews lbw with her last ball.

Harmanpreet takes over

Garth provided RCB with some relief when she castled Sciver-Brunt for 42 off 21 balls in the eighth over. Two overs later, Wareham bowled a maiden in which she also had Kerr slicing to backward point.Harmanpreet Kaur’s fifty put Mumbai Indians in a comfortable position•BCCI

Harmanpreet had had a slow start and was on 10 off ten balls after the tenth over. But she put the chase back on track with two fours off VJ Joshitha. MI needed 54 in the last six overs but Harmanpreet was well set by then. She hit Ahuja for successive fours, slog-swept Bisht into the stands, and picked up two more fours of Renuka to make MI firm favourites.

Amanjot’s twin sixes overpower Wareham’s twin strikes

With 24 required from three overs and Harmanpreet batting on 50 off 36, the match looked all but lost for RCB. But in an attempt to cut Wareham, Harmanpreet edged the ball to Ghosh. Sajana lasted just one ball, Wareham’s slider trapping her lbw. Moreover, MI could score only two off that over.It was anyone’s game at that point. But Amanjot, who had been playing second fiddle to Harmanpreet till then, stepped up. She was on 20 off 22 balls when her Punjab team-mate Ahuja started the 19th over. Amanjot went down the ground first ball and cleared long-on. Ahuja conceded only four in the next four balls but Amanjot cleared long-on once again on the final ball.Not only did MI require just six in the final over, but RCB’s slow over rate also meant there was one fielder fewer in the outfield. Bisht tried her best, darting the ball with the keeper standing back for the first two deliveries. But Kamalini kept her cool and took her side to victory with one ball to spare.

The allrounder will be available for selection for their first Super Four match against Bangladesh on Saturday

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Sep-2025Sri Lanka allrounder Dunith Wellalage rejoined* the squad at the Asia Cup on Saturday morning after having returned home following the death of his father Suranga Wellalage on Thursday. Sri Lanka Cricket said he will be available for selection for Sri Lanka’s first match in the Super Four round on Saturday evening, against Bangladesh in Dubai.He was accompanied on his journey from the UAE to Sri Lanka and back by team manager Mahinda Halangode.Suranga Wellalage died on September 18, the same day that his son Dunith played in the Group B match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. Wellalage, 22, only learned of his father’s death after the match, which Sri Lanka won by six wickets and eight balls remaining to qualify for the Super Four round. Soon after the match ended, he left for home.The match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan was only Wellalage’s fifth T20I and his first in this tournament. He took figures of 1 for 49 and did not bat. Wellalage has played 31 ODIs, with his career best of 5 for 27 coming in the third ODI against India in Colombo in August 2024. He also took 5 for 40 against India in a 2023 Asia Cup match, when the tournament was played in the ODI format. He was the joint second-highest wicket-taker in that tournament, claiming 10 dismissals at an average of 17.90.After Saturday’s fixture against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka’s next two Super Four games are against Pakistan on September 23 and India on September 26.

He added 154 with Jack Clayton in a commanding partnership and an adjusted chase proved out of reach

AAP03-Dec-2024Matt Renshaw let loose with a masterclass century to lift Queensland to a 56-run One-Day Cup win over Tasmania.The 28-year-old’s player-of-the-match knock of 122 off 99 deliveries in Hobart, while batting at No. 4, was his fourth ton in domestic one-day cricket and another example of what he can achieve when the shackles are off.Rain came after 46.3 overs in Queensland’s 319 for 6 and Tasmania, chasing a revised 338 to win in 46 overs, replied with 281 all out.Queensland skipper Mitchell Swepson chimed in with his well-flighted legspinners despite aggressive knocks from Jake Weatherald and Matthew Wade.Renshaw told AAP after his recent Sheffield Shield century against the same opponents the secret to his success was all about “intent”. He showed plenty of intent, and what a wonderful white-ball cricketer he can be, in another reminder to Australian selectors of his talents.Renshaw and fellow left-hander Jack Clayton added 154 for the fourth wicket to set up the win.A smashing flick over the mid-on fence by Renshaw off medium pacer Bradley Hope was followed by a classic cover drive to the boundary to bring up his half-century.Jimmy Peirson and debutant Angus Lovell gave Queensland early impetus. Tasmania spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was far and away the best bowler for the hosts. He was also magnificent in the field with several diving stops saving certain boundaries.Swepson bowled one of his best spells for Queensland with his flight, variation and all-round guile on show to have the hosts in dire straits at 207 for 8.The interest at that point was whether Queensland could keep Tasmania to less than 271 and secure a bonus point. Kuhnemann and Tom Rogers in a 67-run ninth-wicket stand denied Queensland the privilege.

CA has signed a partnership with UNICEF Australia to promote the foundation’s campaign aimed at gender equality, while supporting female Afghanistan refugees

Alex Malcolm12-Nov-2024It remains to be seen whether Australia will play any bilateral cricket against Afghanistan in the future after signing a partnership agreement with global children’s charity UNICEF Australia to promote the foundation’s ‘Until Every Girl Can Play’ campaign aimed at gender equality.CA will hold fundraisers for UNICEF Australia at the upcoming Perth Test and the women’s Ashes Test at the MCG in January having been particularly vocal on not scheduling men’s bilateral cricket against Afghanistan outside of World Cups due to the Taliban government’s stance on women’s rights. CA has cancelled three bilateral series with Afghanistan in recent years.According to the Future Tours Programme Australia is due to host Afghanistan in a men’s Test and three T20Is in July 2026. Whether that goes ahead remains to be seen.Related

• Afghanistan Women's XI to play in Melbourne ahead of Ashes Test

• No bilateral cricket with Afghanistan till there's 'a level of progress', says CA chief

• Afghanistan women request ICC to help set up a refugee team in Australia

Hockley said CA is continuing to support a group of Afghanistan female cricketers who live and play in Australia. The group have asked the ICC to assist them in setting up a refugee team based in Australia in the absence of a national side.”Certainly over the last three years, they’ve been extremely well supported by really every level of the cricketing community, from clubs, state associations,” Hockley said at the MCG on Tuesday at the unveiling of the UNICEF partnership.”We’ve certainly sought support in the background. I’ve had the real privilege to meet and spend some time with the players, and certainly we are working behind the scenes on ways we can continue to support.”UNICEF Australia CEO Tony Stuart was asked whether CA should even play Afghanistan’s men in world events.”I keep out of the politics of this, because what has made UNICEF, I think, good at what it does, is it works with every country, 200 countries in the world, and to do that, you have to be neutral,” Stuart said.”We are the Red Cross of children, and what we do encourage, wherever we are in the world, is participation. We will continue to encourage that in Afghanistan. And I have to say, living in Australia, I’m so pleased to see so many of the Afghan women here in Australia and I hope in the future, they get the opportunity in some way to participate in the game.”

Strikers recovered from 58 for 8 courtesy a Doggett-Boyce record BBL partnership but the total of 142 was chased down with 33 balls remaining

AAP31-Dec-2024Perth Scorchers finished 2024 in second position on the BBL ladder after cruising to a seven-wicket win over the Adelaide Strikers on New Year’s Eve.A record-breaking ninth-wicket stand between tailenders Brendan Doggett (47*) and Cameron Boyce (29*) spared Strikers total humiliation in front of a bumper crowd of 41,624 at Adelaide Oval, lifting them to 142 for 8.But it wasn’t enough to stop resurgent Finn Allen (50 off 23 balls), golden-bat leader Cooper Connolly (48* off 35 balls) and captain Ashton Turner (35* off 18 balls) from piloting the Scorchers to victory with 33 deliveries to spare.The Scorchers reply, though, wasn’t without drama. Matt Hurst was dropped twice before being pouched for 3, and Scorchers should have been 13 for 3 when Connolly, on 4, edged Doggett to wicketkeeper Ollie Pope but only the bowler offered a muted appeal.Allen, who came into the match with 10 runs from four innings, was grassed on 11 by Alex Ross before earning the ire of fiery Strikers import Jamie Overton.