Bangladesh Players Make Significant Strides In Rankings Amid Women's T20 WC Qualifier

T20 World Cup Qualifier: Bangladeshs women cricketers have emerged as the major beneficiaries of the latest T20I rankings, following a string of impressive performances at the Womens T20 World Cup Qualifier in Nepal. The Asian side remains unbeaten in the tournament and is edging closer to securing qualification for the Womens T20 World Cup, set to be held in England and Wales later this year. Their dominant run at the qualifier has been underpinned by strong contributions across departments, reflected in notable climbs in the individual rankings. At the forefront is top-order batter Sharmin Akhter, who has enjoyed a prolific tournament. With 156 runs from four innings, Sharmin is currently the second-highest run-scorer at the qualifier. Her tally includes two half-centuries, coming against the USA and Ireland, and those performances have propelled her 22 places up the T20I batting rankings to joint 35th. She is not the only Bangladeshi batter to make progress. Sobhana Mostary has also reaped rewards for her consistency, climbing 11 places to joint 52nd after producing four solid innings during the event. Elsewhere in the batting rankings, Ireland captain Gaby Lewis has moved up one place to joint 15th, while the Netherlands batter Sterre Kalis has jumped six positions to 48th following her own strong showing. Bangladeshs bowlers have also made significant strides. Off-spinner Rabeya Khan has inched up to 14th in the T20I bowling rankings after claiming seven wickets in her sides first four matches. Fellow spinner Fahima Khatun has risen six spots to 30th on the same list. Elsewhere in the batting rankings, Ireland captain Gaby Lewis has moved up one place to joint 15th, while the Netherlands batter Sterre Kalis has jumped six positions to 48th following her own strong showing. Also Read: Live Cricket Score As the qualifier progresses, Bangladeshs upward momentum on both the field and the rankings table underlines their growing stature in womens T20 cricket. Article Source: IANS

Samson vs Kishan heats up with series in India's pocket

With Tilak Varma missing the rest of the series, this tussle is set to continue through the last two T20Is

4th T20I: NZ In Search Of First Win While India Look To Extend Lead With Series In Pocket (Preview)

Rajasekhara Reddy ACA: India and New Zealand head to this port city in Andhra Pradesh for the fourth T20I of a series already decided, but with plenty still at stake as the hosts aim for a clean sweep at the Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACAVDCA Cricket Stadium and the visitors look to salvage some pride. Holding an unassailable 30 lead, India have dominated the contest so far and will see this match as another opportunity to fine-tune combinations ahead of the T20 World Cup. New Zealand, meanwhile, will be desperate to produce a more complete performance after being outplayed in all departments in the previous encounter. In the third T20I, the BlackCaps struggled to gain momentum after being put in to bat. Early wickets put them on the back foot, forcing the middle order to rebuild rather than accelerate. Glenn Phillips stood firm with a determined knock, while Mark Chapman and captain Mitchell Santner added valuable runs, but a lack of sustained partnerships meant New Zealand could only post a modest total. Indias bowlers were relentless, led by pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, whose pace and precision dismantled the batting line-up. The talismanic pacer returned to peak form in his second outing of the series, dismantling New Zealand with figures of 3-17. With his pace, swing variations, and the presence of dew in Vizag, Bumrah could be primed to add further wickets to his tally. He also received strong support from Ravi Bishnoi, Hardik Pandya, and Harshit Rana, ensuring the visitors were kept well below par. The chase was emphatic despite an early setback. Abhishek Sharmas explosive approach immediately seized control of the match, and with Suryakumar Yadav continuing his rich vein of form, India wrapped up the target with remarkable ease and time to spare. The dynamic Indian opener set the stadium ablaze yet again with his fearless hitting in the previous match. His blistering unbeaten 68 off just 20 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries and five towering sixes at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 340, left fans spellbound. Reaching his half-century in just 14 balls, he registered the second-fastest T20I fifty for India. Wednesdays clash will be the fifth mens T20I hosted at the ACA-VDCA Stadium, a venue last used for a mens T20I in November 2023, when India pulled off a thrilling two-wicket win against Australia. With history, momentum, and confidence firmly on their side, India will be eyeing another dominant display, while New Zealand will be hoping Visakhapatnam offers them a chance to change the narrative before the series concludes in the fifth and final match ofthe series in Thiruvananthapuram on January 31. Victory will be a good morale-booster ahead of the T20 World Cup. When: Wednesday, Jan 28, 7:00 PM IST Where: ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming Squads: Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming Also Read: Live Cricket Score New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wk), Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi Article Source: IANS

Smith Believes Stubbs' Performance In SA20 Final Can Be A Confidence Booster For T20 WC

T20 World Cup: Graeme Smith, the former South Africa captain and SA20 commissioner, believes the match-winning knock by Tristan Stubbs in the recent SA20 final will be the perfect confidence booster ahead of next months T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Stubbs scored an unbeaten 63 to guide Sunrisers Eastern Cape to their third SA20 title after edging Pretoria Capitals, where he also shared an unbroken 111-run stand with fellow half-centurion Matthew Breetzke. The innings came at a crucial time for Stubbs, who began the tournament on a lean note and was omitted from South Africas squad for the T20 World Cup. But a shoulder injury to Donovan Ferreira meant Stubbs was recalled to South Africa's squad and slowly found his rhythm in the business end of the competition to hit his first half-century in the T20 format in 51 innings since August 2024. I think he was obviously first-time captaining the team. There was a lot going on, and from what I read, people were getting frustrated that he wasn't in his tempo, and they were talking about the tempo of his game. I thought he nailed it in the final. He rebuilt the innings and then really showed his ability to take the game on. His power, experiences he has, and we've seen him do it at the IPL and for South Africa and during SA20 - so he's got it. I think that innings would give him a world of confidence, and that's amazing. I think he is a confident player, and he would have grown in stature. He's had to obviously fight back from a few disappointments in the last six months. I always love it when a player whos under pressure really shows his worth on a big stage like that final. Credit to him and hopefully he'll take that feeling, form, and confidence into the World Cup, Smith told IANS in a virtual session facilitated by SA20 on the conclusion of a successful fourth season of the competition. The tournament also produced breakout performances from little-known players, with Paarl Royals' pacer Nqobani Mokoena grabbing everyones attention by taking 13 wickets in 10 games at an economy rate of 9.62. Asked about developing the talent pool to unearth more players like Mokoena, Smith acknowledged it was primarily Cricket South Africa's responsibility while celebrating such emergence stories coming to everyones notice via SA20. That really is probably a Cricket South Africa question because it's their responsibility to invest back into grassroots and to build the game. I know they do that extensively. I think everyone loves the story of a player that nobody knew about. I even think that there might be a little something in our system that nobody knew about, which suddenly arrived on the stage and performed as Mokoena did. That's the stories that the media, public, and everybody loves. I think the other exciting part is we've seen a lot of players grow during SA20. We've seen the likes of Stubbs, Breetzke, and Brevis -- it's just three examples that really have gone from strength to strength over the last three to four years. We saw Quinton de Kock have a great season after being out of the game for a long time. So there are lots of great stories, he added. That really is probably a Cricket South Africa question because it's their responsibility to invest back into grassroots and to build the game. I know they do that extensively. I think everyone loves the story of a player that nobody knew about. I even think that there might be a little something in our system that nobody knew about, which suddenly arrived on the stage and performed as Mokoena did. Also Read: Live Cricket Score But I mean, everyone loves a story where no one knew about a kid, and suddenly he put his name on the global map. What I loved about it is that he's a young man who got thrust into a lot of tough positions as well. It wasn't like they protected him. He bowled in tough times of the game, and he was able to step up. So it shows a lot of character about the kid as well, concluded Smith. Article Source: IANS

U19 World Cup: Subhan, Raza help Pakistan wreck New Zealand

The Pakistan bowlers skittled New Zealand for only 110, and then Minhas' fifty took them hope with 197 balls to spare

England Test stars face another tight turnaround as Hundred fixtures are announced

Cramped schedule could limit players to single day of training ahead of Test series against Pakistan