South Africa spinner Tabraiz Shamsi is looking forward to taking on India skipper Rohit Sharma and Pakistan captain Babar Azam in the ongoing 2023 ODI World Cup.
South Africa have got their campaign off to an excellent start, registering four wins out of five matches to be placed second in the points table, behind India. While they have beaten the likes of Sri Lanka, Australia and England, the Proteas are yet to face India, New Zealand and Pakistan.
Having said that, South Africa take on Pakistan in their sixth league match in Chennai on Friday.
When asked about the opposition batters, Shamsi said that all teams had at least four-five quality batters, but picked a select few he wanted to get out in the upcoming games.
“If you look at the squads, all the teams are similar. They have top four-five batters in each team, so there’s gonna be no easy batsman I am going to to come across, but if I have to pick a couple of players, I would love to bowl against Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam. I would love to get those two guys out, hopefully if I get an opportunity to play against them and bowl against them,” Shamsi said during the Mic Up segment of the First Sports show hosted by Rupha Ramani.
Shamsi said that he was also eager to face Shreyas Iyer when his team take on India on 5 November.
“Another guy would probably be Shreyas Iyer. The last time I was in India, we got this healthy, little competition between each other. We’re quite friendly off the field, but on the field, it’s pretty intense,” said the 33-year-old.
“In South Africa, I had got him out. When I was here in India the last time, he smashed me around. So, I am looking forward to that. It’s that challenge that pumps you up. He is going to be looking to go after me, and I am going to be looking to get his wicket,” the Johannesburg-born cricketer added.
from Firstpost Firstcricketnews Latest News https://ift.tt/kYvgJO5
Australia made a statement with their 309-run win over the Netherlands on Wednesday in World Cup 2023. Glenn Maxwell, aka the ‘Big Show’, was not far behind in making a statement of his own with a record knock of 106 from just 44 balls. If you are wondering how a victory for the five-time champions against supposedly the weakest team in the tournament and how a century for one of the deadliest middle-order batters against bowlers largely unknown is a statement then we would be doing a big disservice to the Dutch side which has been matching the giants toe-to-toe in each department this World Cup before it all unravelled at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Before Australia smashed 399/8 and registered a record 309-run victory — the biggest-ever win by runs in ODI World Cup history, the most runs the Netherlands had conceded in the 2023 tournament was 322 against New Zealand at the batting-friendly Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. It was the Netherlands’ bowling that had helped them beat South Africa earlier and caused the biggest upset in the ongoing World Cup.
Even on Wednesday, David Warner paced his century knock of 104 off 93 balls to perfection and half-centuries from Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne laid the foundation for the Aussies, but they were still only 268/5 after 40 overs, with the run rate under 7. What happened in the next 10 overs was a ‘freak show’ from the Big Show who lit up the stadium with his mind-boggling blitzkrieg as the Indian fans in the stands had their money’s worth.
Australia scored 131 runs in the last 10 overs. Maxwell, who only walked in to bat in the 39th over and was on 0 at the start of the 41st over, made 106 out of those 131 runs. Just to underline the freakishness of his knock, at 39.1 overs, Maxwell’s entry point is the latest entry point for a batter who has gone on to make a hundred in ODIs.
His 40-ball century is the fastest in the ODI World Cup, breaking Aiden Markram’s record which was made just three weeks ago. It’s also the fastest ODI century for Australia.
The moment Maxwell exploded
The 35-year-old was quick off the blocks getting to 35 runs in 21 balls but it was a four that he hit in the 46th over when he truly unlocked his potential on the night. Pacer Paul van Meekeren went full but missed his spot and Maxwell reverse-swept it to the third man as Shane Watson yelled “outrageous” on the air. The next ball went for a pull shot six and the next over from Bas de Leede brought more carnage.
A confident Maxwell manufactured another reverse switch hit, this time for a maximum and his half-century. You wouldn’t believe it, two balls later, he went back to the same for another six and the wheels came off for the Netherlands.
With a jam-packed legside field, the Dutch bowlers had planned to force Maxwell to play off his pads, but the Australian showed that field setups and restrictions have never been a deterrent for him. Maxwell came in the match with scores of 15, 3, 31*, and 0 and while he had been contributing with his off-spin, he brought his forte to the front at Delhi, a venue where he has played a lot of IPL cricket.
And mind you, there’s a method to his madness.
“I think [it hinges on] getting a read on the bowler, the types of change-ups they’re using,” Maxwell said explaining his reverse sweeps. “Even if they’re banging it into the wicket I feel like I’ve got enough time to adapt and change the position of where I want to hit it.
“If they do bowl quick I know I’ve just got to get my hands through a little bit faster. I suppose it’s just setting up for the field and trying to play it as well as I can. Every now and then I get lucky enough it goes for six, but I’m generally just trying to get it over the in-field.”
Once the reverse sweep or switch hit was in place, Maxwell unleashed more mayhem. The Royal Challengers Bangalore batter took 26 balls to get to his fifty but only 14 more to get to his hundred as he celebrated in front of his wife Vini Raman and son Logan who was born just last month. Australia who were 340/6 at the end of 47 overs added 59 more in the last three.
Australia continue to rise
The Maxwell whirlwind hit the Dutch side so badly that they were bowled out for just 90 — the lowest total in this World Cup. The previous lowest for the Netherlands in the ongoing tournament was 205 against Pakistan.
Adam Zampa was the wrecker-in-chief in the second innings with four wickets for just 8 runs, his third consecutive four-wicket haul. Australia meanwhile have now won three matches on a trot and are fourth on the points table.
“It’s the World Cup and we are in a good space,” skipper Pat Cummins said after the crucial win.
It’s exactly the sort of momentum Australia needed after two straight losses at the start, but the manner in which they have recovered, the manner in which Maxwell fired and demolished the Dutch in Delhi, one can safely say the heavyweights have arrived.
from Firstpost Firstcricketnews Latest News https://ift.tt/3LJrYnw
South Africa have racked up some big scores in the World Cup already. The top three totals at this Cricket World Cup belong to South Africa, including the only one 400 runs, which is the highest tournament total ever. Six of the 19 hundreds at the tournament have been scored by a South Africa player. Quinton de Kock, who is the leading scorer at the World Cup, has three centuries to his tally and best individual score.
The high scoring has resulted in huge wins. The four wins have been reached with margins of 102, 134, 229 and 149 runs. The 229 run win, over defending champions England, was the biggest victory at the tournament.
The remarkable scoring and ability to restrict opposition is not new. South Africa have won eight ODIs by over 100 runs in 2023 from only 17 matches played. The plan of bat first, bat big and win huge continued at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday. With 382 runs, it marked the seventh time in consecutive ODIs that South Africa have scored more than 300 when batting first.
At the receiving end of this bloodbath were Bangladesh who first had to deal with Quinton de Kock who slammed a 140-ball 174 and then Heinrich Klaasen, who smashed 90 off 49 balls, at the death. South Africa would compile 144 runs in the final 10 overs.
Two aspects are at the heart of South Africa’s big scoring at the World Cup. They have been saving the best for last and keeping wickets in hand to ensure a big total. Against Sri Lanka, South Africa scored 137 runs in the last 10 overs. Against Australia they would score just 79 runs before making an exhausted England look weak with 143 runs from 60 balls. In all, South Africa have scored 526 runs in the last 10 overs from five matches, next best are New Zealand with 268 runs, at a strike rate of 12.28.
Making sure they can freely relax their arms is the fact that they go in with wickets in hand. South Africa had seven wickets in hand going into the last 10 overs against Sri Lanka, Australia and Bangladesh. Versus England they were two wickets further down, having lost Quinton de Kock on the second ball, but had Marco Jansen (75 off 42 balls) and Klaasen (109 off 67 balls) to take them deep.
Getting to such massive totals, with big hitting at the death, is made possible with plenty of six hitting. South Africa have struck 32 sixes in the last 10 overs in the five innings. For comparison, New Zealand have 42 sixes and India 35 sixes in their complete five innings. If De Kock has provided the launchpad, it is Klaasen who has ensured flourishes. He struck 67-ball 109 against England and a 49-ball 90 against Bangladesh. Versus England, all four of his sixes came in the last 10 overs. The theme followed at the Wankhede where he sent the leather into the crowd five times (of eight) in the final 60 balls.
No wonder De Kock and Klaasen find themselves in the top-three of six hitters at the World Cup. Both the South Africa batters have 15 sixes each with only Rohit Sharma ahead of them (17).
With these big scores and confidence-inducing win margins, is the strategy clear for batting first? “We haven’t spoken about a blueprint as a unit. We’ve had no definitive roles given, but everyone knows what they need to do to help this batting unit peak at their best,” said stand-in captain Aiden Markram.
“There isn’t necessarily a blueprint, but guys understand how to approach it. We have a big focus on playing conditions and not necessarily situations too much. As a unit, we keep saying to look down at the surface and not up at the scoreboard and play exactly what’s in front of us on the pitch.”
After four wins in five, leaping to second in the points table, one question remains: how will South Africa fare when chasing? In the only example of that at the tournament, they suffered a shocking defeat to Netherlands. It goes hand-in-hand with the table toppers India who have batted second and won all their five matches so far. How will either of the two teams perform when tables are turned remains to be seen.
from Firstpost Firstcricketnews Latest News https://ift.tt/6gRc0YZ
With each passing performance, South Africa are highlighting the fact that their shock upset at the hands of Netherlands in the ongoing ICC World Cup was just that — an upset.
Three days after handing defending champions England a sound thrashing at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, the Proteas pulled off another dominant victory at the same venue, this time against another struggling side in Bangladesh.
Much like their batting performance against England, the South Africans once again managed to finish within touching distance of the 400-mark despite getting their innings off to a shaky start.
With the ball, South Africa were clinical as usual and virtually killed off the contest before Bangladesh’s chase could even hit the halfway mark in terms of overs, though they were guilty of lifting their foot off the gas pedal later in the match.
Here are five key moments from the South Africa vs Bangladesh match in Mumbai:
Tigers off to a top start
South Africa were in for a troubled start early in their innings when opener Reeza Hendricks, who retained his place with regular skipper Temba Bavuma remaining sidelined due to illness, was cleaned up by a beautiful inswinger from Shoriful Islam. Rassie van der Dussen didn’t last long at the centre, getting trapped leg-before by Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
South Africa were reduced to 36/2, and were sensing a collapse like the one against Netherlands at Dharamsala. Bangladesh were firmly on top in the powerplay and their body language was that of a pack of hunters on the prowl.
De Kock leads Proteas fightback
De Kock slowly began rebuilding the innings alongside stand-in skipper Aiden Markram and showed no hurry early in his innings. He kept collecting the odd four or six and maintained his strike rate around a run-a-ball on his way to bringing up his third century in five outings, making him the first South African to score three tons in a single World Cup.
Heinrich Klaasen and Quinton de Kock shared a whirlwind 142-run partnership for the fourth wicket in just 87 deliveries. AP
The southpaw would shift gears in style after the innings had entered the third and final powerplay; he was batting on 117 off 116 deliveries at the end of the 40th over and would add another 57 off 23 deliveries before getting dismissed by Hasan Mahmud.
Klaasen, Miller provide another high-flying finish
Klaasen had ripped the English attack to shreds at the Wankhede with a 67-ball 109 on Saturday, and would follow it up with an equally destructive 90 off just 49 deliveries. He was closing in on a second consecutive century when he was dismissed by a slower bouncer from Mahmud.
David Miller too contributed to South Africa posting a mammoth 382 in the end with a few big hits off hit bat, smashing an unbeaten 34 off 15 deliveries that contained four sixes.
Bangladesh crumble under pressure
The Proteas once again reduced the match to a no-contest with the ball as the Bangladeshi top-six crumbled like a house of cards. Openers Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das added 30 before Marco Jansen got the former as well as Najmul Hossain Shanto caught-behind in successive deliveries. Klaasen would collect a third consecutive catch with World Cup debutant Lizaad Williams getting rid of Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan for just 1.
South African pacer spearhead Kagiso Rabada celebrates after dismissing Bangladesh’s Hasan Mahmud. AP
Mushfiqur Rahim then became the first of Gerald Coetzee’s three wickets after guiding a short, wide delivery straight to third man. And by the time Das departed, Bangladesh were 58/5 and staring at the prospect of getting shot out for around 100 and suffering a record defeat.
Mahmudullah’s defiant ton
That Bangladesh eventually crossed 200 through a series of partnerships, and managed to frustrate the mighty South Africans in the second half of their chase was primarily due to Mahmudullah’s defiant run-a-ball 111.
The senior all-rounder had looked impressive with the couple of forties that he had managed in his last two outings, but it was against South Africa on Tuesday that the 37-year-old exhibited his class as well as his never-say-die attitude to bring up his fourth ODI hundred — his third in World Cups.
Mahmudullah started off with a boundary off his first delivery and would steadily accumulate runs thereafter; he never really went ballistic the way De Kock and Klaasen did earlier in the day, but did enough to frustrate the Proteas and delay their victory celebrations.
He was dropped on 73 by Williams near mid off, and made the most of the reprieve by becoming the second centurion of the day.
from Firstpost Firstcricketnews Latest News https://ift.tt/sytBgTQ
After sledgehammering Bangladesh with a 174, South African opener Quinton de Kock said that he was a bit nervous coming into the World Cup match on Tuesday
