Senior Women’s One Day Trophy 2021: Railways reign supreme to lift record 12th title

SA v PAK: Left with too much to do, Fakhar Zaman plays innings of lifetime in lost cause

For the generation that couldn’t see Saeed Anwar bat, or were not lucky enough to see the best of Inzamam either and have been devoid of classy and brazenly attacking batting from Pakistan, this South Africa series is turning out to be a must-watch. First, it was Babar Azam with all his elegance and class and today Fakhar Zman decided to put on a show with his stellar batting performance at the Wanderers. It was the left hander’s best-ever innings in an ODI match or most probably in his life where he single-handedly took Men in Green to bang on doors of victory from an impossible situation. But before he could have the last banging, the gas went out of the propeller, the legs tired out, the brain gave up and it required a brilliant direct hit from a certain Aiden Markram stationed at long-off to get the zinger bells rolling at the striker’s end. Just seven short of what could have been the first double hundred in chase in ODIs, Zaman got run out. Pakistani hopes died out, but that did not let all the 12 players on the field give the 13th one a warm send-off, well maybe as warm as there could ever have been. Till the time he reached the dressing rooms the record holder for the highest individual score by a batsman in the second innings of an ODI game was cheered on, applauded and congratulated for the amazing effort in which he hit 18 fours and 10 sixes. Zaman was the only lighting in a dull Pakistani scorecard where only one other batter apart from the 30-year-old Pakistan Navy man could get past the 20 run mark and that was the skipper Babar Azam (31). Chasing a huge total of 343, Shaheens couldn’t get the start that they required. Lungi Ngidi removed Imam-Ul-Haq for just five. Babar and Zaman then put together 63 runs for the second wicket. But Anrich Nortje, the fiery fast bowler made a devastating impact removing two of Pakistan’s biggest hopes in Babar and Mohammad Rizwan in the same over. It took just 50 runs for the Pak side to lose four wickets. Zaman then tried to small partnerships, first with Asif Ali and then with Faheem Ashraf to get to 205 for seven. However, it was only after the fall of the seventh wicket that Zaman started shedding off the cautious approach and chasing the target, throwing the kitchen sink after it. In the next 43 balls, he scored 63 runs to take Pakistan to 273 in the 45th over. After losing Shaheen Afridi, Zaman made sure that he played almost all balls and out of the next 26 balls, he faced 21 of them and scored 34 runs. With 39 required off the last two, the match was still in some control of Zaman. But with a tight 49th over by Andile Phehlukwayo, in which he gave away just seven runs, it became almost impossible for a tired Zaman to pull of 32 off the last over. With three lusty blows from Mohammad Hasnain though, Pakistan ended their innings, only 17 runs behind the total set up by Temba Bavuma’s men. Earlier in the day, after being invited by Babar Azam to bat first once again, the South African team with the help of brilliant knocks from skipper Bavuma, senior pros Quinton de Kock (80 off 86), David Miller (50* off 27) and last match top scorer Rassie Van der Dussen’s (60 off 37) reached to 341-6. Bavuma missed his first hundred as skipper by only eight runs and top-scored in the innings. The last and deciding game of the series will take place at the Supersport Park, Centurion on April 7. Pakistan will have ample time to seize the opportunity and win only their second-ever bilateral ODI series against South Africa as the mainstays of the Proteas lineup including de Kock, Miller, Ngidi, Nortje and Rabada leaving for India to play for their respective IPL teams.

Fakhar Zaman creates world record; reaches to highest second innings individual score in ODIs

Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman created the world record for the highest individual score by any batsman in the second innings of an ODI score. The 30-year-old scored 193 at the Wanderers during the second ODI of the ongoing three-match ODI series between South Africa and Pakistan. The left-hander was unfortunately run out for 193 attempting a second run. The run-out was so unfortunate that Aiden Markram hit the stumps directly at the striker’s end from long-off. In his 155 ball 193, Zaman hit 18 fours and 10 sixes to keep the team in chase. It is also the second-highest score for a player in a losing cause in an ODI. Charles Coventry of Zimbabwe had scored 194 unbeaten against Bangladesh in an ODI game which his team lost. How valuable the knock was could be gauzed from the fact that Pakistan was chasing 343 and the second-highest score in the team was that from skipper Babar Azam’s 31. Fakhar’s knock though couldn’t save the game for the Men in Green in the Pink ODI as the Proteas won it by 17 runs.

IPL 2021: Buttler reveals his most inspiring sportsperson; wants Pat Cummins to play for England

Swiss tennis star Roger Federer is someone who inspires Rajasthan Royals marquee player Jos Buttler to put in the hard yards in all walks of life with grace and style. The Englishman is also awed by how the tennis legend is still able to remain in the mix of the heat, even after entering the late thirties. “Federer is someone whose journey inspires me a lot. He has always been sort of a huge talent as a kid, always talked about that he was going to be a great of the game,” Buttler was said in a Q/A video uploaded by the Royals on their official Twitter handle. “But then to go on to show the desire the consistency and longevity are just amazing. Doing it all at 38 with the huge amount of grace and style that he does is just inspirational,” added the Somerset player. Buttler, 30, was also asked that among the current lot of international players which one would make it to the English team without any hurdle. Answering that he chose Australia vice-captain in Tests, Pat Cummins. “Pat Cummins would fit automatically into the English side. I would like to see him operating with Jofra Archer for England. That would be a deadly combination," said Buttler. Buttler, who has played 58 IPL games, scoring 1714 runs at more than a decent average of 34.97, was also asked to pick one player from the yesteryears whom he would have liked to play with or against. To many people’s surprise, he chose West Indian great Sir Vivian Richards, not only because of his flamboyant nature but because Buttler’s father used to talk a lot about him as the great man too played for Somerset. “Sir Viv Richards is the one player he wanted to play with. He was my dad’s all-time favourite player. He played for Somerset where I grew up playing and there are so many stories related to him and [Ian] Botham batting together at my home ground. He was always ahead of the game and I think he would have been a great T20 player,” said Buttler.

IPL 2021: BCCI in talks with health ministry to vaccinate the players

The second wave of COVID-19 has affected India and the impending trouble to the bio-bubbles for the upcoming edition of the IPL has meant that the BCCI is mulling the idea of vaccinating its players by getting in touch with the Union Health Ministry. Devdutt Padikkal of the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Axar Patel of the Delhi Capitals tested positive for the virus very recently. Even KKR batsman Nitish Rana was also infected by the virus not long ago. This has put the bio-bubble in jeopardy. With only a few days left for the start of the 14th season of the IPL, this has become a genuine concern on how to get things into place with the tension already mounting. Meanwhile, the BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla announced that the board is trying to get in touch with the Health Ministry to vaccinate the players. "In order to cope with this coronavirus rise, I think the only solution is to get vaccinated. BCCI is also thinking on those lines that players should be vaccinated,” Shukla was quoted as saying by the ANI. “Nobody knows when coronavirus is going to end and you can't give a deadline that by this time frame, it will not be there so players can play easily. So, I think now will have to think over that. Vaccination should be done for the players also.” Meanwhile, former Indian skipper and President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association Mohammad Azharuddin offered the facilities of the state body to the BCCI to host the upcoming cash-rich league in case the matches slated to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai are shifted out. The COVID situation in Mumbai is worsening with each day but with the bio-bubble in place, the management is hopeful of still conducting the matches at the Wankhede Stadium. "In these difficult times there are all the more reasons for us to stand by each other. Hyderabad Cricket Association would like to offer its facilities to @BCCI to ensure that IPL2021 is conducted in safe and secure venues," Azharuddin wrote on his Twitter handle. Despite over 9,000 cases getting reported in Mumbai on Saturday, a senior BCCI office-bearer is confident of still hosting the matches in Mumbai. "Look, even if there is a lockdown, the teams are in bio-bubble and also it's a closed-door event. So we are still confident that IPL games in Mumbai will be held as per schedule with Delhi Capitals playing Chennai Super Kings on April 10 on the second day of the tournament," he had said.