Daily Cricket news, 23 July: Afghanistan announce squad for Pakistan series, Zimbabwe level series, more

Jul 24, 2021

Daily Cricket news, 23 July: Afghanistan announce squad for Pakistan series, Zimbabwe level series, more Image

Zimbabwe level the series with 23-run win

Zimbabwe levelled the series with a 23-run victory against Bangladesh in the second T20I. The hosts rode on a 57-ball 73 from Wesley Madhevere to post 166/7 in 20 overs. Luke Jongwe (3-31) and Wellington Masakadza (3-20) then skittled out Bangladesh for 143.

Madhevere added 57 with Dion Myers (26) for the third wicket. Ryan Burl contributed with a 19-ball 34, while Shoriful Islam picked three wickets.

In reply, Bangladesh lost both their openers inside the third over. Masakadza then picked the next three wickets in quick succession to reduce them to 53/5. Shamim Hossain (29 off 13) then tried to revive the chase before he was undone by Jongwe.

Sri Lanka avoid clean sweep with three-wicket win

Half-centuries from Avishka Fernando and Bhanuka Rajapaksa propelled Sri Lanka to a consolatory win in the third ODI. They chased down 226 set by India, in 39 overs. The match was reduced to 47 overs a side due to rain interruptions.

Fernando and Rajapaksa added 109 for the second wicket to set a solid base. Rajapaksa made 65 in 56 balls before becoming the Chetan Sakariya’s first ODI wicket. Fernando got 76, while Charith Asalanka made 24.

Earlier, Prithvi Shaw (49) and Sanju Samson (46) put on a brilliant display, playing enchanting shots en route a 74-run stand for the second wicket, before Suryakumar Yadav got a 37-ball 40. Akila Dananjaya and Praveen Jayawickrama picked three wickets each.

Afghanistan announce squad for Pakistan series

Ibrahim Zadran and Karim Janat returned to the side as Afghanistan announced a 17-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Pakistan. The series will be played in September this year.

Former skipper Asghar Afghan and Gulbadin Naib have notably failed to make a cut, while five uncapped players are named. Hashmatullah Shahidi will be leading the side.

Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Abdul Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediq Atal, Rahmat Shah, Azmat Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Najib Zadran, Ikram Alikhal, Shahid Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat

The Hundred’s opening fixture peaks at 1.95m TV viewers

The opening clash of the Women’s Hundred, between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals, was a grand success, as 1.95 million viewers tuned in at its peak. This also made it the most-watched women's match in the history of domestic cricket.

The BBC coverage of this match attracted an average of 1.6 million viewers, while the rest was via Sky Sports.

A day later, the inaugural match of the Men’s Hundred, between the same two cities, attracted a 2.5 million audience at its peak.