Mithali Raj becomes first women cricketer to win Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

Hasan Ali issues statement after fierce trolling for dropping Matthew Wade's catch

Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali has issued a statement in the aftermath of fierce criticism and trolling on social media for his “failure” to catch Matthew Wade off the bowling of Shaheen Shah Afridi in the second semi-final against Australia. Hasan conceded that his performance “did not meet expectations” while saying that he is the most disappointed person out of that situation and game. He urged his followers to not expect anything less than the “highest level” of performance from him while playing for Pakistan and he is eager to put the hard yards to meet those expectations. He also thanked his fans for good wishes and prayers after a tough game against Australia. "I know you all are upset because my performance didn't meet your expectations but not more disappointed than me. Don't change your expectations from me. I want to serve Pakistan cricket at the highest level possible, so back to hard work. "This patch will make me stronger. Thank you for all the messages, tweets, posts, calls and duas (prayers) - needed them," Ali tweeted. Hasan dropped Wade midway through the 19th over of Australia’s chase when the left-hander was in good touch with the bat and was taking the game away from Pakistan. Wade went on to deposit the next three balls after the dropped catch for sixes and won Australia the big semi-final clash against Pakistan.

Bangladesh Women seal series with comfortable win over Zimbabwe

Bangladesh Women’s preparation for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 Qulaifuers to be held in Zimbabwe from November 21 is on target as they beat hosts Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the second ODI to take an unassailable lead in the three-match ODI series taking place between the two teams at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The Bangladesh Women had beaten the hosts in the first ODI by eight wickets. Chasing a modest target of 122, Bangladesh opener Murshida Khatun rose to the occasion and hit her maiden ODI fifty to anchor the chase. Thanks to her unbeaten 51 off 66 balls and experienced Fargana Hoque’s 53 off 68 balls, the total was chased in the 25th over itself. For Zimbabwe, Esther Mbofana picked the lone wicket. Earlier in the day, after winning the toss, Zimbabwe captain Mary-Anne Musonda decided to bat first. Her decision did not pay dividends as opener Sharne Mayers was out for a golden duck. Her partner Modester Mupachikwa tried to wage the lone battle as wickets kept falling at the other end. However, as soon as she was joined in at the wicket by Nyasha Gwanzura at the wicket, who would go on to top score for the women in red, the former got out leaving the Zimbabwe batting in a precarious position. Gwanzura tried her level best and with the help of her unbeaten 35 and 14 from Mbofana, got her team to 121 in the 47th over. For Bangladesh, Nahida Akter picked three wickets while Jahanara Alam and Salma Khatun picked two each.

T20 World Cup | Final: Tim Seifert confirmed to replace injured Devon Conway

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has confirmed that Tim Seifert will be in the final XI replacing injured Devon Conway for the T20 World Cup Final against Australia in Dubai on Sunday. "Some of the younger players - they keep coming through in all teams. [They] love to hit the ball out of the park and [are] really exciting talents and someone like Tim Seifert coming in is very much like that. Obviously, the loss of Devon is a big one. He's been a big part of all formats for us and a disappointing and really freak thing to happen but for us, it's keeping our focus on the task,” Williamson said at the pre-final press conference. The Blackcaps made it to the first T20 World Cup final after beating England in the semis. Talking about the title clash, the right-handed batsman said that the team is focusing on the game and it would be great if they are able to clinch another ICC title in the year. The Kane Williamson-led New Zealand earlier won the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship beating India in the final. "It'd be some achievement [doing the double]," Williamson said at the pre-final press conference. "But where it stands at the moment is there's a game of cricket to play and for us it's focusing on that and focusing on our cricket and looking to go out there and implement the things that are important to us,” he said. Both New Zealand and Australia are searching for their first T20 title.

T20 World Cup | Best batting performances

The T20 World Cup 2021 has given the fans numerous moments to cherish in these hard times. From Jos Buttler’s ton to Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam’s dominance against India to a batting masterclass from James Neesham and Matthew Wade in respective semi-finals, it had all. It’s now down to the wire. The two finalists, Australia and New Zealand will lock horns with each other in Dubai. None of the two sides have ever lifted a T20 World Cup trophy and we are all set to have a new champion. But before that, let’s take a look at the best batting performances so far from the competition. Jos Buttler vs Sri Lanka England’s Jos Buttler unleashed a batting masterclass against Sri Lanka in Sharjah and notched up a brilliant hundred during the course of the innings. Batting first, England were reduced to 35/3 and needed someone to come in for the rescue. Buttler took the onus on himself and provided the resistance to the side along with captain Eoin Morgan. In a batting masterclass of selecting match-ups, Buttler scored the slowest 50 of his T20 career and then unleashed a lethal attack at the back end of the innings. The right-left batting duo initially played in a cautious manner and chipped in with a stand of 112 runs for the fourth wicket. Morgan eventually departed for a 36-ball 40 but Buttler went on to score a century and helped his side put 163/4 on the board in 20 overs. Later, the England bowlers did the job and bowled out the Asian side for 137 in 19 overs to win the match by 26 runs. James Neesham vs England (Semi-final) New Zealand’s James Neesham was glued to his chair with certainly no expressions on his face while his teammates in the dugout jumped with joy after clinching a hard fought win against England in the semi-final. Well, according to him, it was a job half done. The left-handed batsman struck an 11-ball 27 which included three sixes and a four during the course, a knock that would be remembered for ages. Neesham had come out to bat when New Zealand were in a spot of bother after getting reduced to 107/4 in the 16th over while chasing 167 in Abu Dhabi. Daryl Mitchell was set at the other end but needed someone to stick around and also score runs at a brisk pace. And Neesham did just what the doctor ordered. He took on England’s star bowlers, Adil Rashid and Chris Jordan, and smacked runs all around the park to steady the ship for the side. Mitchell and Neesham put up a stand of 40 runs for the fifth wicket before the latter was sent back in the hut. The Kiwis eventually won the game by 5 wickets and an over to spare to march into their first T20 World Cup final. Matthew Wade vs Pakistan (Semi-final) Australia wicket-keeper batsman Matthew Wade had batted just twice in the tournament before taking the guard against Pakistan in the semi-final in Dubai. The Australian side were on the backfoot while chasing 177 as they had lost half their side for 96 and Wade had walked out in the middle. For any batter, it was a very difficult task to steady the ship and get the team back in the hunt. But the left-handed batsman along with Marcus Stoinis had some different plans altogether. The two batsmen made sure that they got their eye in and didn't lose further wickets and then went after the bowlers and they executed the plan in a perfect manner. Australia needed 22 runs in the last two overs and the ball was handed over to Shaheen Afridi who had a great tournament till that time. For that matter, the left-arm fast bowler had the figures of 3-0-14-1 coming into his final over, and had been incredibly difficult for the batsmen to give away. The left-arm pacer didn’t really give runs on the first three balls but a blunder from Hasan Ali in the deep cost them the game. Hasan dropped Wade in the 19th over bringing down the equation to 18 needed off 9. The wicket-keeper batsman didn’t waste any time and struck three sixes on the trot to seal the win and a place in the final for his side. Australia won the match by 5 wickets and with an over left. Asif Ali vs Afghanistan Pakistan middle-order batsman Asif Ali displayed sheer class against Afghanistan in Dubai. Chasing 148, Pakistan were in some trouble after losing five wickets for 124 runs. The Babar Azam-led side needed 24 runs from the last couple of overs. Asif who had just faced one ball before this took the charge in his hands against Karim Janat. Coming into the 19th over of the game, Asif Ali, standing on the non striker’s end denied a single to Shadab Khan. It was possibly the coolest ‘no’ of all given the kind of pressure Pakistan were in and the way Afghanistan had bowled till that point in the game. Asif Ali took the onus completely on himself and came out right at the end. In the next 6 balls from Karim Janat, Asif Ali went 6,0,6,0,6,6 in an incredible turnaround to the game. Delirious Pakistan players ran out to the pitch after that innings and flung Asif Ali in the air. He remained unbeaten at 25 off 7 during the course. Aiden Markram vs West Indies South Africa were chasing 144 in Dubai against West Indies and had a disappointing start to the chase after losing captain Temba Bavuma in the first over. But Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen steadied the ship for the side and struck a partnership of 57 runs for the second wicket. While South Africa had got the resistance that they needed, the required run-rate was rising when Aiden Markram walked in at number four. He took the responsibility on himself and unleashed an onslaught against the Caribbean bowlers. Markram scored 51* off 26 deliveries which included four sixes and a couple of fours to take his side home by 8 wickets in the 19th over. Honourable mention There were a few more knocks which were pretty classy and dominant but couldn’t make it to the list. Australia opener David Warner was finally back in form after he scored 89* against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi and then struck 49 against Pakistan in Dubai in the semi-final. Warner’s 49 against Pakistan had laid the foundation for a good chase but it was the middle order failure that had them in some trouble before Stoinis and Wade eventually won it for the side.