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World T20 Highlights – World T20 semi-final: Simmons 82* puts West Indies in final

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Published on March 31, 2016 with No Comments

SQUAD
Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts
WI 2 2 0 0 0 4
Eng 3 2 1 0 0 4
SA 2 1 1 0 0 2
SL 2 1 1 0 0 2
Afg 3 0 3 0 0 0

Super 10 Group 2

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts
NZ 3 3 0 0 0 6
India 3 2 1 0 0 4
Pak 3 1 2 0 0 2
Aus 2 1 1 0 0 2
Ban 3 0 3 0 0 0

First Round Group A

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts
Ban 3 2 0 0 1 5
Neth 3 1 1 0 1 3
Oman 3 1 1 0 1 3
Ire 3 0 2 0 1 1

First Round Group B

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts
Afg 3 3 0 0 0 6
Zim 3 2 1 0 0 4
Scot 3 1 2 0 0 2
HK 3 0 3 0 0 0
STATISTICS

Twenty20 Internationals

Overall | Afghanistan | Australia |Bangladesh | England | Hong Kong | India |Ireland | Netherlands | New Zealand |Oman | Pakistan | Scotland | South Africa |Sri Lanka | West Indies | Zimbabwe | India |Year 2016

Twenty20 matches

Overall | Afghanistan | Australia |Bangladesh | England | Hong Kong | India |Ireland | Netherlands | New Zealand |Oman | Pakistan | Scotland | South Africa |Sri Lanka | West Indies | Zimbabweans |India | Year 2016

Pakistan must win big to stay alive

  • Hardik Pandya held his nerve in the last over to defend 10 runs and help India edge Bangladesh by one run in Bangalore © Associated Press

SQUAD
Points Table

SUPER 10 GROUP 1

West Indies 2 2 0 0 0 4 +0.893 310/36.3 304/40.0
England 3 2 1 0 0 4 +0.018 554/59.4 539/58.1
South Africa 2 1 1 0 0 2 +0.816 438/40.0 402/39.4
Sri Lanka 2 1 1 0 0 2 -0.171 277/38.5 280/38.2
Afghanistan 3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.067 452/60.0 506/58.5

SUPER 10 GROUP 2

New Zealand 3 3 0 0 0 6 +1.283 448/60.0 371/60.0
India 3 2 1 0 0 4 -0.546 344/55.5 389/58.0
Pakistan 3 1 2 0 0 2 +0.254 477/58.0 445/55.5
Australia 2 1 1 0 0 2 +0.108 291/38.3 298/40.0
Bangladesh 3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.165 447/60.0 504/58.3

FIRST ROUND GROUP A

Bangladesh 3 2 0 0 1 5 +1.938 272/32.0 210/32.0
Netherlands 3 1 1 0 1 3 +0.154 204/26.0 200/26.0
Oman 3 1 1 0 1 3 -1.521 222/31.4 273/32.0
Ireland 3 0 2 0 1 1 -0.685 201/26.0 216/25.4

FIRST ROUND GROUP B

Afghanistan 3 3 0 0 0 6 +1.540 475/58.0 399/60.0
Zimbabwe 3 2 1 0 0 4 -0.567 432/60.0 466/60.0
Scotland 3 1 2 0 0 2 -0.132 370/48.0 392/50.0
Hong Kong 3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.017 335/50.0 355/46.0

POINTS BY MATCH: SUPER 10 GROUP 1

16 Mar 2016 West Indies 2 England 0 Table | Match
17 Mar 2016 Sri Lanka 2 Afghanistan 0 Table | Match
18 Mar 2016 England 2 South Africa 0 Table | Match
20 Mar 2016 South Africa 2 Afghanistan 0 Table | Match
West Indies 2 Sri Lanka 0 Match
23 Mar 2016 England 2 Afghanistan 0 Table | Match

POINTS BY MATCH: SUPER 10 GROUP 2

15 Mar 2016 New Zealand 2 India 0 Table | Match
16 Mar 2016 Pakistan 2 Bangladesh 0 Table | Match
18 Mar 2016 New Zealand 2 Australia 0 Table | Match
19 Mar 2016 India 2 Pakistan 0 Table | Match
21 Mar 2016 Australia 2 Bangladesh 0 Table | Match
22 Mar 2016 New Zealand 2 Pakistan 0 Table | Match
23 Mar 2016 India 2 Bangladesh 0 Table | Match

POINTS BY MATCH: FIRST ROUND GROUP A

9 Mar 2016 Bangladesh 2 Netherlands 0 Table | Match
Oman 2 Ireland 0 Match
11 Mar 2016 Netherlands 1 Oman 1 Table | Match
Bangladesh 1 Ireland 1 Match
13 Mar 2016 Netherlands 2 Ireland 0 Table | Match
Bangladesh 2 Oman 0 Match

POINTS BY MATCH: FIRST ROUND GROUP B

8 Mar 2016 Zimbabwe 2 Hong Kong 0 Table | Match
Afghanistan 2 Scotland 0 Match
10 Mar 2016 Zimbabwe 2 Scotland 0 Table | Match
Afghanistan 2 Hong Kong 0 Match
12 Mar 2016 Afghanistan 2 Zimbabwe 0 Table | Match
Scotland 2 Hong Kong 0 Match

Second Round
Super 10 (Group 1) – England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Afghanistan (Group B winner)
Super 10 (Group 2) – Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangladesh (Group A winner)

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De Kock launches SA innings in style

South Africa were asked to set England a target in their first appearance at this World T20 and they would do so with all three of the men who have opened the batting in the tournament build-up.

After a robust debate over whether Hashim Amla or Quinton de Kock would open with AB de Villiers, South Africa decided to play both and move de Villiers down the order, even though Faf du Plessis had earlier emphasised his preference for having de Villiers open.

That meant no room for either Rilee Rossouw or Farhaan Behardien in the line-up with South Africa’s tail starting at No.8. South Africa also dispensed with one of their two allrounders with David Wiese missing out to allow for the inclusion of the trio of Dale Steyn, Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada.

With dew likely to become a factor as the evening goes on and uncertainty over what a good total is, Morgan wanted his team to chase. Despite losing to West Indies two days ago, England decided to stick with the same XI. The pressure will be on those men, who will know that a second defeat will mean they have to rely on other results to go through to the knockouts.

England 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Jos Buttler (wk), 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 David Willey, 11 Reece Topley

South Africa 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Kyle Abbott, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Imran Tahir

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa correspondent

  • David Willey picked up two early wickets – including that of Mohammad Shahzad – to dent Afghanistan’s chase of 143 in Delhi © Getty Images

  • Ben Stokes holds a kite that landed on the field, Afghanistan v England, World T20 2016, Group 1, Delhi, March 23, 2016 © Associated Press

  • Eoin Morgan hands Ben Stokes a kite that landed on the field, Afghanistan v England, World T20 2016, Group 1, Delhi, March 23, 2016 © Associated Press

  • Mohammad Nabi ran Joe Root out for 12, Afghanistan v England, World T20 2016, Group 1, Delhi, March 23, 2016 © Getty Images

  • Eoin Morgan is disappointed after being bowled for a golden duck, Afghanistan v England, World T20 2016, Group 1, Delhi, March 23, 2016 © Associated Press

  • Joe Root reacts after being run out for 12, Afghanistan v England, World T20 2016, Group 1, Delhi, March 23, 2016 © Getty Images

  • Ben Stokes can’t believe his luck after being castled, Afghanistan v England, World T20 2016, Group 1, Delhi, March 23, 2016 © Getty Images

  • Mohammad Nabi uproots the stumps to catch Joe Root short of his crease, Afghanistan v England, World T20 2016, Group 1, Delhi, March 23, 2016 © Getty Images

  • Jason Roy is cleaned up by Amir Hamza, Afghanistan v England, World T20 2016, Group 1, Delhi, March 23, 2016 © Getty Images

  • A general view of the RP Mehra Block at the Feroz Shah Kotla, which remains shut, Afghanistan v England, World T20 2016, Group 1, Delhi, March 23, 2016 © Getty Images

Gayle’s 47-ball ton wipes out England

Chris Gayle, at 36, knows that he could be playing his last World Twenty20 and, judging by the manner in which he pulverised England at the Wankhede, he intends to go out in style. England’s bowlers began the night fretting about the dew, and ended it drenched to the skin by the sight of Gayle raining sixes into the sky.

Nobody has hit as many sixes in a World T20 innings as the 11 that Gayle despatched in Mumbai, breaking his own record of 10 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2007 – his only previous T20I hundred. Seven flew down the ground, the other four further along the leg-side arc and apart from a leap from Joe Root in a failed attempt to intercept the one that brought up his 50, all England’s fielders could do was watch.

Gayle’s sauntering savagery presented West Indies with a six-wicket win with 11 balls to spare. He started his celebration a few runs early, bringing out an air-punching routine on reaching his hundred to send the crowd into raptures. From 47 balls, it was the fastest ever at a World T20 and third-fastest overall.

Brendon McCullum, freshly retired, began the night as the leading six-hitter in T20Is. By the end of it, Gayle had passed him by a considerable distance. His involvement in Australia’s Big Bash had been tarnished by criticism for his manner in an on-field interview: perhaps he had retribution in mind.

England, having set a par score of 182 for the Wankhede, will conclude it was just one of those nights, but their bowling line-up had looked flaky in the final stages of a bilateral series in South Africa and they had little answer to Gayle. Moeen Ali was in the eye of the storm, conceding 33 from 14 balls, including three sixes in a row, all of them in his favourite area down the ground, two of them on the full.

India, the tournament favourites, had already been toppled on a dry pitch in Nagpur by an unsung trio of New Zealand spinners. No country has won the World T20 more than once, but it will be West Indies who will have the sharpest sense after this victory that they have the wherewithal to take the trophy a second time.

The night was wet enough for the authorities to decide that play should be held up midway through West Indies’ innings to allow machinery to dry the outfield and ensure an even contest, an uncommon intervention. At 85 for 2, West Indies were well in control and, having won the toss, would have been happy with as much dew on the outfield as they could get, but Gayle made such a debate an irrelevance. It was a wrecking-ball innings, an assault of brutal simplicity.

The first warning for England of trouble ahead came when Ben Stokes struggled to cope with the dew in his first over. England had more towels available than the average swimming pool, but Stokes conceded three fours and a free hit to Marlon Samuels in an over characterised by a full toss and a misfield. What dampness the dew wasn’t causing, the nerves were.

Gayle watched all this contentedly from the non-striker’s end, his eye already in after despatching two half-volleys for 10 in Reece Topley’s opening over. He faced only six balls in the first 32, but as destructive batsmen go, he likes to take a long, lingering look, and from what he could tell things were going extremely well.

Samuels holed out against Adil Rashid at long-on, his 37 from 27 having given West Indies the edge. It was time for Gayle to stir in the form of two successive sixes off Rashid, the first of them an 89 metre blow down the ground and into the top tier.

Others were less successful. Denesh Ramdin scratched and scraped to no effect and, although Reece Topley’s back-of-the-hand slower ball against Dwayne Bravo arrived as a thigh-high full toss, he planted it into the hands of deep midwicket. It was fortunate that full tosses were bringing wickets because England were bowling more of them than they would have liked.

Andre Russell stayed with Gayle as he claimed the contest in emphatic style. Rashid, regarded pre-tournament as a key England bowler, delivered only two overs – the dew doubtless a factor for Eoin Morgan, England’s captain.

The Wankhede was expected to hearten the quicks and the pitch was green, but it proved deceptive as there was no seam movement of note, a fact illustrated by Bravo, one of many seasoned West Indies campaigners, who set the tone with an opening over comprising six slower balls.

The most important slower ball belonged to Russell, who caused Root to hack to mid-off, ending a verve-filled 48 from 36 balls. The most striking was Bravo’s who left Stokes floundering blindly, lbw in the final over.

The last time Stokes played West Indies in T20, he famously punched a dressing room locker in frustration, broke his wrist and missed 2014 World T20 as a result and the dismissal must have been irksome enough for England’s coaching staff to consider turning the changing room into a padded cell before his return.

England’s side could show only 23 international appearances in India, with seven playing their first international in the country. The experience rested with West Indies, a team of old stagers, battle hardened in T20 leagues around the globe, and recognising this might be their last chance to follow up the World T20 prize they won in Sri Lanka four years ago.

England might have played carefree T20 cricket since their debacle at the 2015 World Cup forced a change of mentality, but the daring nature of their batting has not quite disguised the vulnerability of their pace attack. Nerveless cricket is tougher, too, at a high-profile tournament and only five runs came from the first two overs in which both Jason Roy and Alex Hales might have been run out.

England escaped. Hales took three successive boundaries off Samuel Badree, back in a West Indies side for the first time since 2014, an absence caused by injury, dengue fever and a lack of fixtures, the assault damaging the career figures that make him the most economical regular bowler in T20Is.

England had only lost Roy by midway, whipping Russell to midwicket. Hales was cleverly yorked by Sulieman Benn and two outstanding boundary saves by Russell suggested that this West Indies side might be older than they feel, even if the golden Mohican was in evidence to less impressive effect when Root drilled a full toss from Bravo down the ground and received a bonus boundary that he could not have envisaged.

England’s best batting moments came from Root, seeking to add lusty blows to his deftness of touch, and a melancholy-eyed 30 from Jos Buttler, who will soon be seen at the Wankhede for Mumbai Indians in IPL. Three sixes will have whetted the appetite, but long before the end England had stood back to allow the giant of T20 cricket to soak up the cheers.

David Hopps is a general editor at ESPNcricinfo @davidkhopps

Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 55-run

Pakistan thrashed Bangladesh by 55-run as it successfully defended the imposing target of 202 during their opening World T20 game against Bangladesh in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Shahid Afridi’s 27-2 and Muhammad Amir’s 28-2 in four overs each help Pakistan thrash Bangladesh by 55 runs.

Earlier batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi’s blistering 19-ball 49 fired Pakistan to 201/5 against a hapless Bangladesh attack.  Afridi, whose batting form had fallen away in recent months, rose to the occasion after promoting himself to number four in the order. The skipper smacked four boundaries and four sixes to help Pakistan register their second highest score in T20 internationals. Their highest total is 203 against the same opposition in 2009.

Opting to bat after winning the toss, Pakistani openers Ahmed Shehzad (52) and Mohammad Hafeez (64) hit entertaining fifties to stitch a 95-run second wicket partnership and lay a solid foundation for others to build on.

The duo combined the right dose of caution and aggression to blunt the Bangladesh bowling attack, forcing the Tigers’ skipper Mashrafe Mortaza to call on six different bowlers.

Shehzad, who was recalled into after missing the recent Asia Cup, reached his fifth T20 half-century in 35 deliveries.

Hafeez was not far behind as the former skipper, who posted his ninth T20 fifty, struck seven boundaries and two sixes in his 42-ball stay.

The only bright spot for Bangladesh was a moment of brilliance in the field when Soumya Sarkar took a breathtaking catch on the boundary rope to bring an end to Hafeez’s innings.

India lost the opener against NZ

Batting first, the New Zealand cricketers made 126 for 7 on the slow and turning pitch. Corey Anderson top-scored for the Black Caps with 34 runs and was backed up by 21 runs from Luke Ronchi and 18 from Mitchell Santner

As hosts and the current world number one side in the T20 format, the 127-run total appeared achievable for India – but they found themselves in trouble early when they lost four wickets within the first five overs. When Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni were dismissed for 23 and 30 respectively, the side’s chances of victory fell dramatically.

The match was all over by the 19th over when Adam Milne removed Ashish Nehra for a duck. The spin-friendly pitch lived up to its expectations, with nine of the 10 wickets that New Zealand took coming from their spinners. Mitchell Santner claimed four wickets in his spell for just 11 runs while Ish Sodhi picked up three and Nathan McCullum two. Santner also picked up the man of the match for his batting and bowling display.

 

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