ENG vs PAK: Liam Livingstone records fastest T20I century for an England batsman

ENG vs PAK: It’s raining sixes at Nottingham as Pakistan register their highest ever T20I total

Pakistan equalled its record of most sixes in an innings as they hit 12 of them against England in the first match of the three-match ODI series against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The 12 sixes that they hit is equal to what they had hit against Bangladesh in Nairobi in 2007. The team also recorded its highest ever total in T20Is, scoring 232-6 in their allotted 20 overs. They surpassed their previous high score of 205-3 which they had achieved against Bangladesh and West Indies in 2008 and 2018 respectively. On their way to this, the Men in Green hit 20 fours as well. Skipper Babar Azam top-scored with 85 from 49 balls as he and wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan recorded 150 runs partnership for the opening wicket. This is the second-highest partnership for any wicket by a Pakistani pair. Rizwan scored 63 off 42 balls. The rest of the batters in the lower order including Sohaib Maqsood, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez and debutant Azam Khan played their roles as they chipped in with quick runs. In the end, the team ended up scoring 152 runs in the last 10 overs to get to 232-6. For England, all the bowlers were naturally expensive. Tom Curran picked two wickets while David Willey, Lewis Gregory and Saqib Mahmood got one wicket each while spinners Matt Parkinson and Liam Livingstone remained wicketless. In response to that, England have started well and are hitting sixes all over the ground reaching to 82 in just the seventh over, but have lost four wickets in the process as well.

IRE vs SA: Simi Singh's record maiden hundred in vain as South Africa level series with 70 run win

Simi Singh struck a hundred, his maiden hundred in international cricket and it became the highest score by number eight batsman in the history of ODI cricket. In fact, the Ireland batsman became the first-ever player to score a hundred batting at number eight. However, that could not stop South Africa from registering an emphatic 70 run win in the third ODI to level the three-match series 1-1 after the first game was washed out by rain. Ireland didn’t have an ideal start to their chase and to be honest, Singh and his partner Curtis Campher were the saving grace of a sorry looking scorecard. The hosts lost the top six wickets at the score of 92 with last match heroes skipper Andrew Balbarnie, Gorge Dockrell and Harry Tector back in the hut. Singh then joined Capmher and the two added 104 for the seventh wicket in just 107 balls. Post the Capmher wicket, the 34-year-old Punjab born started teeing off. In fact, he scored his last 46 runs off just 30 balls. He added 47 for the last wicket with Craig Young, but in the end, it was too much to ask for from the tailenders as Anrich Nortrje removed Young to bowl Ireland out for 276. For the Proteas, Andile Phehlukwayo and Tabraiz Shamsi picked up three wickets each. Earlier in the day, having won the toss South Africa decided to bat first and made good use of the opportunity as both openers Quinton de Kock and Janneman Malan hit centuries and added 225 for the first wicket. Malan remained unbeaten at his career-best 177 to guide the Proteas to 346 in their 50 overs. Malan was adjudged Man of the Match for his efforts. Having drawn the ODI series, the two sides would now take on each other in the T20Is with the first of the three games being played at the same venue of The Village, Dublin, as the three ODIs.

Highest wicket-taker in ODIs for Bangladesh, Shakib leads team to 155 run thrashing of Zimbabwe

Just as he picked up the wicket of Richard Ngarava on the fifth delivery of the 29th over of Zimbabwe innings to win the game for his country by a huge margin of 155 runs, Shakib Al Hasan recorded his third five-wicket haul in ODI cricket. The 34-year-old all-rounder is now also the proud record holder for most wickets by a Bangladeshi bowler in ODIs. Shakib surpassed former Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza’s previous record of 269 wickets by taking the wicket of Ryan Burl, which was his second wicket of the game and 270th of the 213 matches long ODI career which has all signs of extending up to the next 3-4 years. Apart from Shakib, Mohammad Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam picked one wicket each to reduce the hosts to 121-9. Since Timycen Maruma got injured while fielding, he could not come out to bat and the Zimbabwean innings ended at this lowly score to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The chase never got going for Brendan Taylor’s men as they kept losing wickets by playing lose shots. Nobody seemed to settle down as wicket-keeper batsman Regis Chakabva top-scored with 54 while Taylor himself scored a free-flowing 24 before a bad shot saw his demise. Earlier in the day, Bangladesh reached a more than competitive total of 276 thanks to a brilliant century by Liton Das and some late order hitting by Afif Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Bangladesh were in a lot of trouble at 74-4 when Liton got together with Mahmudullah and stitched a 93 run partnership to provide much-needed stability to the innings. While Afif scored a 35 ball 45, Miraz and Mahmudullah recorded 26 and 33 against their names respectively. Das, who scored a scintillating 102 off 114 balls was adjudged Man of the Match at Harare Sports Club. The two teams will next meet each other at the same venue on Sunday, July 18 with Zimbabwe trying to stay in the series with a victory and Bangladesh looking to wrap up yet another series win.

IRE vs SA: Lizaad Williams becomes third South African to strike with first ball in ODI cricket

South Africa pacerLizaad Williams struck with his maiden delivery in ODI cricket as he got the wicket of Andy McBrine in the third and final ODI of the three-match series between hosts Ireland and the Proteas being played at The Village in Dublin. Introduced in the eighth over into the attack by skipper Temba Bavuma, Williams got McBrine to knick the delivery which went into wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock’s gloves pretty easily. With this wicket, he also became the third South African in ODIs after Martin van Jaarsveld and Mond Zondeki to achieve this rare feat. Overall, he is the eighth South African and 69th bowler in the world to get a wicket off the very first ball of his career in either of the three formats i.e. Tests, ODIs and T20Is. Williams was given an opportunity to play his first ODI after Kagiso Rabada was rested for the game. The 27-year-old Cape Province born had previously played four T20Is, picking seven wickets in them. As far as the game is concerned, chasing a huge target of 347, Ireland have been reduced to 144-6 in the 30th over and a victory looks like an unlikely scenario for them now.