(Cricket news) Despite the 2014 champions already being assured of a Super 12 spot with victories against Namibia and Ireland, Sri Lanka put up an uncomplacent performance against minnows Netherlands to record an eight wicket victory at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The Lions reduced Netherlands to a total score of 44, the second lowest in the history of the T20 World Cup in only 10 overs with bowlers Maheesh Theekshana (2-3), Wanindu Hasaranga (3-9) and Lahiru Kumara (3-7) putting on superb displays.

Ironically, the lowest ever score in T20 World Cup history was by the Netherlands against Sri Lanka in 2014 with the Dutch team posting 39 runs and were dismantled by Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis and Angelo Mathews. For Netherlands, only Colin Ackermann (11) reached double figures this time around with Theekshana taking the wickets of Ben Cooper (9) and Stephan Myburgh (5) while Hasaranga took the wickets of Ackermann, Bas de Leede (0) and Pieter Seelaar (2). 

Despite a poor start by the Netherlands that saw them reduced to 44-7 at the beginning of the ninth over, the European team were all out six balls later with not a single run scored as Scott Edwards (8), Brandon Glover (0) and Paul van Meekeren (0) were all dismissed by Kumara’s pacy bowling.

Sri Lanka completed the chase with 77 balls to spare despite losing Pathum Nissanka (0) and Charith Asalanka (6). Kusal Perera (33 runs off 24 balls) scored six fours and got the winning runs for The Lions who will next face Bangladesh on Sunday.

Also read: Top 5 players to miss out of the T20 World Cup this year

(Football news) Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will be back in La Liga for the first time since the international break. The two big fixtures will massively affect how the table looks after the match week. 

Atletico Madrid will play Real Sociedad at the Wanda Metropolitano. La Real are currently sitting 1st on the table but they have played an extra game. Atletico Madrid lost their midweek UCL fixture against Liverpool while Sociedad won their Europa League clash against Sturm Graz. The winner of the match will most likely go on top of the La Liga table. Marcos Llorente and Stefan Savic will miss the clash due to injuries. Real Sociedad will be with Carlos Fernandez, Nacho Monreal, Diego Rico, Jon Guridi, Mikel Oyarzabal who are all injured. Aihen Munoz is suspended after picking up a red card against Mallorca.

Also read: UEFA Conference League review: Mourinho's Roma embarrassed by FK Bodø/Glimt; Tottenham lose away at Vitesse

The big game of the weekend is of course the mighty El Clasico. Real Madrid and Barcelona will face off for the first time this season at the Nou Camp. A win for Barcelona will take them ahead of their arch rivals in the league table. Real Madrid are the team in better form but for fixtures like this the form book goes out of the window. Real Madrid dismantled Shakhtar Donetsk in the UCL as they won 6-0 away from home while Barcelona got a narrow win against Dynamo Kiev.

Dani Carvajal could be back for Real Madrid whereas Gareth Bale and Dani Ceballos will definitely miss the game. There is a slight possibility that Luka Jovic and Isco could also return but it is still highly unlikely. There are concerns about Karim Benzema's fitness as well after he missed the training session after the Shakhtar Donetsk game. Martin Braithwaite, Ousmane Dembélé, Ronald Aruajo and Pedri are out of contention while there are doubts around the fitness of Jordi Alba which will be a very big concern for Ronald Koeman. Sergio Aguero could make is first start as a Barcelona player.

(Cricket news) The first match of the super 12s is going to be a humdinger of a battle between the Aussies and the Proteas as it will surely produce another instant classic over the years. Although these two teams have dominated world cricket for quite some time, surprisingly have never won the T20 World Cup for their nation. Australia have been the team that many have unfairly written off while South Africa have been the team who not many have written about.

For Australia, the subcontinent hasn’t been kind to them as they have lost five consecutive series before arriving to UAE for the T20 World Cup. Australia have found a little uprise in form in the warm matches as they won a close encounter against New Zealand but lost heavily to India in the second one, although a lot of positives were taken from these warm up matches as Glenn Maxwell continued from where he left off in the IPL. The major area of concern for the Aussies is the form of their opening batsmans Aaron Finch and David Warner as they need to give them a good start in the powerplay so that players like Stoinis and Maxwell can finish off the innings later. One thing going in favour of Warner is that he loves playing against South Africa in T20s as he has averaged 35.15 runs at a strike rate 148.86.

The match-up that could eventually decide the game though will come in the middle-overs when Steve Smith goes up against Tabraiz Shamsi. The only real injury concern coming into this World Cup was the bowling fitness of Marcus Stoinis as Australia can play an extra all rounder in Mitchell Marsh to provide the extra fast bowling option.

South Africa are coming off an impressive victory over Pakistan in the warm up matches as the Proteas batting looked quite settled and strong. Rassie Van der Dussen looked in immaculate form as he scored 101* off 50 balls but the positive for South African fans would be the return to form for the captain Temba Bavuma as he too scored 77 runs at a strike rate of 95.06, this gives an indication that the team management are looking for him to play the role of an anchor. If South Africa are to have a good tournament then the likes of Quinton De Kock, Rababa and Nortje need to up their game to stand a chance of qualification. Another trump card that South Africa hold with them is Tabraiz Shamsi who is key to an attack that finally found his mojo back in Sri Lanka in September.

Head to head: Australia 13 - 8 South Africa, (1-0 in T20 World Cups)

Pitch and weather report: The Abu Dhabi pitches have been assured that they will be completely different than what we saw in the IPL. The common feature on this venue is to win the toss and chase as the dew factors come into play when the day progresses. The temperature is going to hover around 30/33 degrees, with no chance of rain as of now.

Interesting facts:

• David Warner has scored 457 runs against SA at a strike rate 148.86
• Tabraiz Shamsi has picked up 28 wickets in 17 T20s this year
• Kagiso Rabada has dismissed Glenn Maxwell three times in 27 balls in all T20s   
• Australia and South Africa have an identical win-loss record in T20 World Cups. Australia have won 16 and lost 13 out of 29 games; South Africa have won 18 and lost 12 out of 30 games

Also read: Australia vs South Africa set to kick off the T-20 World Cup Super 12 in Abu Dhabi

Probable XI for Australia:

1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 David Warner, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Glenn Maxwell 5 Steven Smith 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Matthew Wade, 8 Ashton Agar, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Probable XI for South Africa:

1 Quinton de Kock, 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 David Miller, 6 Heinrich Klaasen, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

New Delhi, Oct 23 (Hockey news) Olympic bronze medallist hockey player Rupinder Pal Singh on Saturday said he is overwhelmed by the appreciation he received from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his retirement and has pledged to give back to the game after being inspired by the leader's passion for sports.

"Overwhelmed to receive this letter from our Hon'ble PM @narendramodi ji. His constant support to athletes has motivated us to do our best at Tokyo2020. Sir, I am inspired by your passion for sport and pledge to continue my contribution to Indian sports. @PMOIndia @ianuragthakur," Rupinder tweeted on Saturday.

Modi had sent a letter of appreciation to Rupinder earlier this month, thanking him for his services to Indian hockey after the star dragflicker announced his retirement from the game on September 30.

Rupinder, who played an integral part in India's historic bronze medal feat in Tokyo, quit the game to make way for youngsters.

In his appreciation letter, Modi said Rupinder has been a source of inspiration for Indian hockey for the last decade and has played a key role in the resurgence of the sport in the country.

"...I would like to personally thank you for all that you have done Indian hockey," Modi wrote on his letter dated October 12," read the letter posted by Rupinder.

"I would want to say that the people of India will have great memories of your own magic on the field.

"You have been a source of strength for the Indian hockey team and have been integral to every major tournament India has won from 2010 be it the Asian Men's Hockey Championships, Men's Hockey Asia Cup, Commonwelth Games, Hockey World League Finals and more.

"In the Tokyo Olympics, your performance was crucial to the team's historic success." Modi termed the bronze medal in Tokyo as a "watershed moment" in Indian hockey.

"The impact of this medal will not be restricted to the Olympics only. It will contribute to the rebirth of India hockey." The PM requested Rupinder to play his part in the Amrit Mahotsav by visiting various schools across India by August 2023 and interact with youngsters on ways to end malnutrition as well as popularise sports.

"This would be a great service to the coming generations," Modi wrote.

Also Read : I used insights gained as reserve to fire in actual play: Simranjeet on Tokyo Olympics star turn

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Despite an opening partnership of 62 runs between Paul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien, Ireland were ultimately reduced to a meagre score of 125-8. Namibia’s superb bowling performance paid dividends as Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie was the only other player to reach double figures (21 runs off 28 balls) which meant that the Irish team went from 94-2 to 116-7 in a space of 4.2 overs.

This was Ireland’s second defeat of the tournament, the first being against Sri Lanka. Namibian bowler Jan Frylinck got impressive figures of 3-21 along with Weise (2-22), which ultimately reduced the Ireland score to an achievable 125 runs. 37-year-old Namibian cricketer Craig Williams scored 25 runs alongside Zane Green (24 runs off 32) but Williams was soon dismissed from a Campher delivery after O’Brien took an impressive catch at mid-on.

However, captain Gerhard Erasmus held the fort to get the run rate going while Green fell on the other end. Ireland severely missed Mark Adair and it showed as David Wiese (28no off 14) continued his brilliant form from his match-winning performance against the Netherlands. Erasmus’ 53 runs off 49 along with his partnership with Wiese was enough to seal the victory for Namibia as the skipper hit a six off Simi Singh while Wiese also hit successive sixes on the leg side off Craig Young. With the run rate needing less than one run per ball, it was Wiese’s boundary off Craig Young that recorded a famous victory with nine balls to spare as Erasmus raised both his hands in jubilation of the result.

Also read: Struggling WI face tough battle against England in their T20 WC opener

Sharjah, Oct 23 (Cricket news) Sri Lanka will rely heavily on its bowling unit to make up for its relatively weak batting department, while Bangladesh would look for consistency when the two teams clash in a Super 12 Group 1 match of the T20 World Cup here on Sunday.

Both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had to go through the first round group stage to secure their places in the Super 12s.

While Sri Lanka topped Group A with three wins out of as many games, Bangladesh finished second in Group B behind Scotland.

Sri Lanka defeated Namibia by seven wickets, before beating Ireland by 70 runs. In their last qualifying match against Netherlands, they skittled out the opposition for 44 and then accumulated the runs with eight wickets in hand.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, were far from impressive. The Tigers were stunned by Scotland by six runs in their opener before they scrapped past Oman by 26 runs and then defeated Papua New Guinea by 84 runs to qualify for the Super 12s.

But the road ahead would be tough for both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The two teams will have to go past the challenges of fellow Group 1 sides England, Australia, defending champions West Indies and South Africa if they wish to go deeper into the tournament.

Going forward in the tournament, Sri Lanka will have to deal with their stuttering top-order.

After successive failures against Namibia and Ireland, Dinesh Chandimal lost out his place to Charith Asalanka, who didn't help his cause either, scoring just 6 in the low-scoring game against Netherlands.

Kusal Perera returned among runs but the likes of opener Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and skipper Dasun Shanaka need to take up more responsibility.

On the bowling front, the pressure would be high on pace trio of Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Karunaratne and Dushmantha Chameera to deliver the goods while the spin department will be offie Maheesh Theekshana and all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva's responsibility.

Just like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh too have a shaky batting order to deal with. The shock loss to Scotland and scrappy win against Oman highlighted the lack of confidence among their batters.

In Mohammad Naim, Liton Das and Afif Hossain, Bangladesh have some talented batters up the order but the mantle of guiding the side remains largely on the shoulders of veterans Shakib Al Hasan, skipper Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim.

Bangladesh's bowling unit will led by star pacer Mustafizur Rahman with Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin and Shoriful Ahmed as support.

But Bangladesh's main weapon is the spin department, led by willy Shakib and Mahedi Hasan.

For Bangladesh, the T20 World Cup has not been a happy hunting ground. After their success in the inaugural edition in 2007, when they made it to Super 8s, the Tigers failed to register a single win in the 2009, 2010 and 2012 editions.

Bangladesh returned to winning ways in 2014 when the event was expanded to 16 teams, topping Group A in the first round only to lose all four matches in the Super 10 stage. It was a similar story in 2016, where they crashed out after a devastating loss to India.

But going by recent form, Bangladesh entered the tournament with nine T20I wins in the calendar year, only behind South Africa who have 12.

Barring the loss against Scotland, it has been a good build up to the event for Bangladesh.

In fact, since losing to New Zealand in March away from home, Bangladesh have registered series wins over Zimbabwe (2-1), Australia (4-1) and New Zealand (3-2).

Teams (from): Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Janith Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya De Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando.

Bangladesh: Mahmudullah (capt), Liton Das, Mohammed Naim, Mahedi Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nurul Hasan (WK), Afif Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Shamim Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammed Saifuddin.

Match starts at 3:30 PM IST.

Also Read : Erasmus, Wiese take debutants Namibia to Super 12s of T20 WC

News Source : PTI