DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav and seamer Shivam Dube helped limit the United Arab Emirates to 57 runs as India swept to a nine-wicket win in the Asia Cup on Wednesday.
Kuldeep baffled batters with his sharp googlies and bagged 4-7 while Dube claimed 3-4 to dismiss UAE in 13.1 overs — the lowest-ever T20 total against India.
In the Group A game, India cruised to 60-1 in just 4.3 overs with opening batter Abhishek Sharma (30) showing flashes of his skillful power-hitting and Shubman Gill scoring an unbeaten 20.
UAE folds without a fight
UAE batters had no answer for India’s relentless bowling attack despite Jasprit Bumrah showing signs of rustiness in his first T20 game since the World Cup last year.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav believed his team was “flexible” when India won the toss and the skipper chose to field. India had lost the toss in 15 consecutive games.
Alishan Sharafu (22) and captain Muhammad Waseem (19) gave UAE a reasonable start of 41-2 in the powerplay before the batters crumbled against Kuldeep’s sharp spin and Dube warmed up for more tougher games ahead in the tournament with a three-wicket haul.
Bumrah nailed Sharafu will his trademark smearing yorker in the second over and Mohammad Zohaib sliced a catch to backward point when he tried to play Varun Chakravarthy inside out.
Kuldeep’s three-wicket over, that included a plumb leg before wicket dismissal of Waseem, rattled UAE middle-order before Dube claimed three wickets in his two overs and UAE folded with more than six overs to spare.
India called back No. 10 batter Junaid Siddique after wicketkeeper Sanju Samson had him stumped when the batter strolled out of his crease after he missed a pull shot of Dube.
India accepted Siddique’s clarification that he came out of his crease to explain that he got distracted with a rag falling from the pocket of Dube.
However, Siddique couldn’t open his account as he fell of the next legitimate ball of Dube when Suryakumar held onto a high catch at mid-on.
Kuldeep finished off the innings when he had Haider Ali caught behind.
India’s quick chase
Left-handed Abhishek showed how quickly he could unsettle the bowlers in the powerplay when he smashed spinner Ali’s first ball for a six over wide extra cover with his trademark inside out shot. He smashed three sixes and two boundaries in his 16-ball knock.
India needed only 10 runs when Abhishek miscued Siddique’s short ball and got caught at wide mid-wicket but Suryakumar smashed Siddique over fine-leg for a six off the first ball he faced.
Gill then completed the victory with a boundary to mid-on of Simranjeet Singh as UAE slumped to heavy defeat in the group that also include Pakistan and first-timer Oman.
India routs UAE for 57 to notch 9-wicket win in Asia Cup
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India routs UAE for 57 to notch 9-wicket win in Asia Cup
- UAE batters had no answer for India’s relentless bowling attack
‘Worst’ Australian team in 15 years retains the Ashes against England
- It took all of 11 days — two in Perth, four in Brisbane and almost a full five in Adelaide — not quite a record for clinching an Ashes series but not too far off
LONDON: Apparently, the worst Australian cricket team in 15 years just won the Ashes with two matches to spare against the best England squad assembled since 2011.
Long-time protagonist Stuart Broad lit the fuse ahead of a volatile contest for the longest-running rivalry in test cricket when he described the host squad as the worst to contest the Ashes in Australia since England won the 2010-11 series Down Under.
The 167-test veteran played two matches for England in that winning series.
Since then, a drought has extended to 16 losses, two draws and no wins for England on Australian soil.
Marnus Labuschagne, who produced a spectacular catch to help hasten the end of England’s dogged last-day comeback in the third test on Sunday, reflected on the pre-series pronouncements by Broad and others.
“Have to say, being called the worst Australian team in 15 years … like it’s nice to be sitting where we are, 3-0 up,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “The job’s not done yet. We want to make sure it’s 5-0 and really take that urn.”
It took all of 11 days — two in Perth, four in Brisbane and almost a full five in Adelaide — not quite a record for clinching an Ashes series but not too far off.
Chasing what needed to be a world record for victory, England was all out for 352 in pursuit of 435, giving Australia an 82-run win. By going the distance, the third test drew a total crowd of 223,638.
The Barmy Army of traveling England supporters was in full voice as England took the record-chasing fourth innings into the penultimate session at the Adelaide Oval, but ultimately it was the Aussies crowing about yet another dramatic win.
It’s true, Australia had a patched-up squad, with skipper Pat Cummins missing the first two tests while he continued recovery from a back injury. Josh Hazlewood was ruled out for the series. That left Mitchell Starc as the only member of the regular pace triumvirate available for the first two tests. When offspinner Nathan Lyon was dropped for the second test, Starc was the only member of Australia’s longtime bowling quartet in the lineup.
He led from the front, with two man-of-the-match performances. With three of the last four wickets in Adelaide, he has 22 for the series and 51 for the calendar year.
“We just found a way, which I think is a feature of this group over a number of years now,” Starc said. “Even at times where it’s not going our way, we can find a way to get ourselves over the line.”
In the batting lineup, there were questions over who would open and who would bat at No. 3. Steve Smith led the team in the absence of Cummins in Perth and Brisbane but was ruled out of the third test because of vertigo. Usman Khawaja was rushed back into the lineup to replace him and helped hold things together in the first innings.
Cummins said the Australian players took the attitude of just playing what’s in front of them.
