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aradhya21 · 2 years

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Umran Malik says he will one day reach 155 kmph

Youthful pace sensation Umran Malik says he would need to cross the 155kmph speed mark one day however his fundamental spotlight stays on bowling at the right regions as he guaranteed his lady five-wicket pull in the IPL here.

The 22-year-old from Jammu took Sunrisers Hyderabad very nearly a success with figures of 5/25 preceding Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan pulled off a heist for Gujarat Titans by hitting four sixes in the last over to dominate the game by five wickets.

However his endeavors went for a horrible reason, Umran was properly decreed the player of the counterpart for his blazing spell of quick bowling, one of the best in IPL history.

"The thought was to bowl quick and keep up with length and plan the wickets. Like I excused Hardik bhai with a bouncer and rearranged up (Wriddhiman) Saha and bowled him out with a yorker," Malik said after the match on Wednesday night.

"I attempted to blend my bowling, and focus on the wickets as it is a little ground. Generally our bowling has gotten along admirably."

Inquired as to whether he actually likes contacting the 155kmph imprint, he said: "I simply need to bowl at the right regions and great wickets and on the off chance that I need to bowl above 155mph, God willing, I will do one day."

Malik has been timing more than 150 kmph reliably all through the season and has gotten 15 wickets in eight matches at 15.93 normal.

IPL 2022

Brought into the assault as late as the eighth over, Malik bowled devastatingly fast conveyances to grass cutter through the Gujarat Titans top-request, turning into the principal IPL bowler to get every one of the initial five wickets of an innings.

He ran through Shubman Gill's stump for his most memorable wicket, prior to eliminating Hardik Pandya with a mix of speed and bob.

Then, he created an ideal 153 kmph thunderclap yorker to crush the wickets of Wriddhiman Saha, prior to tidying up both David Miller and Abhinav Manohar to close down with a five-for.

#IPL 2022

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dailycrictalk · 2 years

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10 Daily Cricket updates 29 March 2022

Today I am going to share with you 10 daily cricket updates March 29 2022. Which is going on now. So, without delay let's get started with 1st update.

1- 4th Match IPL 2022 GT vs LSG full highlights. Gujarat Titans defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 5 wickets to start their IPL journey on a winning note. Chasing 159 for the win, Rahul Tewatia (40*) and Abhinav Manohar (15*) held nerves and took Gujarat past the finish line with two balls to spare. Earlier, pacer Dushmantha Chameera removed Shubman Gill and Vijay Shankar early in the powerplay to leave Gujarat Titans reeling at 44 for two after first 6 overs at the Wankhede Stadium. Skipper Hardik Pandya joined Matthew Wade after his team lost two early wickets in the chase. Hardik and Wade added a 50 partnership but perished in quick succession. For Lucknow, Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni put up a rescue act to add a 50-run stand. The pair bailed Lucknow Super Giants from a precarious situation as Lucknow reached 158 for six in 20 overs. Shami (3/25) produced one of the most breath-taking spells in the IPL before Hooda and Badoni resurrected the Lucknow innings.

2- Virat Kohli breaks David Warner's record. In the 3rd match of IPL 2022 Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lost their first match of IPL 2022 by Punjab Kings (PBKS). Faf du Plessis-led RCB could not save the match against Punjab even after scoring 205 runs. Former captain and first-time player Virat Kohli, who entered the match. However Virat Kohli made another achievement to his name. In this match played at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, Virat played a brilliant innings and remained unbeaten on 41 off 29 balls with the help of 2 sixes and 1 four. During this time, he surpassed Australian batsman David Warner. Virat Kohli overtakes David Warner:- Virat Kohli made it to the list of top five highest run-scorers in T20 cricket during his 41-run knock. Virat Kohli now has 10,314 runs in 327 matches and he surpassed David Warner in this regard. Warner has scored a total of 10,308 runs in 313 matches. Indians highest run-scorers in T20Is:- Among the Indian players, Virat Kohli is still at the forefront of scoring the most runs in T20 cricket. Apart from this, there is no other Indian in the top five other than him.

3- Statement of Shoaib Akhtar on M.S Dhoni. Considering the future of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in this season IPL 2022, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has given up the captaincy of team Chennai. This year, at the IPL 2022 Ravindra Jadeja will be seen taking over the captaincy of Chennai. Although Mahendra Singh Dhoni has only given up the captaincy, he will still be seen playing for the Chennai team. After Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down from the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings, former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has made a big statement. Shoaib Akhtar said that, "Two days before really I did not understand that, to be very honest, he is still the best player in IPL. I think he must have mentally tired. He must have thought off handing someone else the responsibility and playing freely".

4- BCCI new official partner swiggy instamart. Instamart is a chain of online convenience stores. Instant meals, snacks, fruits and vegetables, ice creams, and other things are available through these virtual convenience stores. Swiggy provides these things through its partner “dark stores,” which are exclusively available online and its hubs. The BCCI has made swiggy instamart as its official patner for this season TATA IPL 2022. The BCCI had been talking about making the company Saudi Aramco as the sponsor of purple and orange caps a few days ago. But so far, the BCCI had not officially made Saudi Aramco the sponsor of the Orange and Purple Caps. But the BCCI has yesterday made saudi aramco the final official sponsor of the orange cap and purple cap. For the first time in the IPL, orange and purple caps have been sponsored by any company. It's a very good sign for the future of the Indian premier league (IPL).

5- BCCI awarded to Neeraj Chopra. After Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal for India at the Tokyo Olympics, the BCCI announced a reward of Rs 1 crore to Neeraj Chopra. Keeping its promise, BCCI has now given a reward of RS 1 crores to Neeraj Chopra ahead of IPL 2022. Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra received rupees 1 crore ahead of IPL 2022's inaugural match from top officials including BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly and BCCI security Jay Shah...

For full daily cricket updates of 29 March 2022, please visit the link given below.

#cricket #cricket news #ipl 2022 #ipl news #cricket updates #ipl latest news #icc #bcci #ipl

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cricketbishu · 2 years

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CSK Best Playing 11 2022

Chennai Super Kings is one of the most successful teams in the history of IPL. CSK has won IPL four times and currently are defending Champions.

Chennai Super Kings won IPL in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021 and were finalists in 2008,2012,2013,2015 and 2019 and was banned in 2016 and 2017.

The success of CSK is depend lot on they have five-six key players for last five-six seasons. CSK is the only team to have a same Captain in all IPL Seasons.MS Dhoni’s Captaincy and batting has played a major role in CSK’s success.

So, here is what is the strongest playing XI for CSK in IPL 2022 : –

Openers

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway

Ruturaj Gaikwad played great role for CSK in winning the tournament in IPL 2022 and was also highest run-scorer in IPL 2022. Gaikwad last year scored 635 runs in 16 innings and was Orange Cap winner. CSK retained Gaikwad for IPL 2022 and will give him full chance this year as well.

By giving Devon Conway a chance, CSK will like to go with left-right combination at the top. Conway is sweet timer of the ball and can be one of the best for CSK this year. In short T20I career, Conway has scored 602 runs in 17 innings at an average of 50 plus.

Robin Uthappa

First season CSK will be without Suresh Raina, who was asset for this team from season 1. Last year, Uthappa played key knocks in the absence of Suresh Raina, which allow him to retain him in CSK playing XI. Uthappa was Orange Cap winner in IPL 2014.

From last few seasons, he was also out of form, but his last few knocks were enough to keep him in the squad.

Moeen Ali

Another player, who played a key role for CSK in becoming Champion. Moeen was bought by Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021 Auction and he is retained this season as well. Moeen Ali scored 357 runs and took 6 wickets.

Ambati Rayudu

In IPL 2018,CSK used Ambati Rayudu as an opener and he showed his power in IPL 2018.As a result he was selected in Team India after his performance.

Last year, he played few knocks which almost went unnoticed. Chennai Super Kings bought him in auction again and it is expected he will be part of middle order again.

MS Dhoni(c and wk)

MS Dhoni will be their Captain in IPL 2022 as well. Chennai Super Kings skipper is not much effective with bat nowadays, but his brilliance behind the stumps is enough to dominate the game.

Ravindra Jadeja

Arguably, the best player for Chennai Super Kings in last 1–2 season. Jadeja has improved lot with the bat and CSK is using him as a finisher. CSK picked him as first retention for IPL 2022. Last year, he scored 227 runs at an average of 75.66 and also took 13 wickets. His fielding is always a plus point for Chennai Super Kings.

Dwayne Bravo

It would be not wrong if we say Bravo is best bowler for CSK. Dwayne Bravo is an asset for any side in the World and MS Dhoni used him most as a bowler.

He is among best death-bowlers in the World and a handy batsman who can change situation of the game.

Bravo always provide breakthroughs to CSK in deaths and is their main player from last 6–7 seasons.

Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar is opening bowler for Chennai Super Kings and has improved a lot.

MS Dhoni has played great role for developing his standard as a bowler. Deepak provides breakthroughs in start and doesn’t allow batsmans to go after him. CSK bought him in IPL 2022 Auction for Rs 14 Crore.

Chahar is a handy Batsman too in addition to a bowler.

Adam Milne

Speedster from New Zealand. Last year, Chennai Super Kings was without pacer who could bowl at a speed of 140kph. This year they have bought Milne, who could bowl at speed of 145kmph. Milne is usually a economical bowler.

KM Asif

KM Asif has just played three IPL games. This year, CSK is without Shardul Thakur and more key pacers. So, Chennai Super Kings could go with him in playing XI this season.

KKR Best Playing 11

MI Playing 11 2022

#icc #cricket #ipl #ipl 2022 #csk #chennai super kings #ms dhoni #ravindra jadeja #deepak chahar #ruturaj gaikwad #dwayne bravo

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dailythrivingindia · 3 years

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9-11 minutes

Virat Kohli versus Rohit Sharma? Who is a Better Captain? Virat Kohli versus Rohit Sharma at two fruitful cricketers who were looked at constantly for their style, execution and captaincy. Their commitment to cricket has no limits. However, with regards to captaincy, cautiously investigate and choose who has the high ground. The Indian cricket crew several favored commanders previously.

At the point when we talk about captaincy, we need to recollect Sourav Ganguly. He shaped a splendid group with players like Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvaraj Singh, Rahul Dravid and Virendar Sehwag. The group accomplished numerous accomplishments under his captaincy. Then, at that point, Indian Cricket had MS Dhoni. He genuinely did equity to his job and accomplished nearly all that ICC has to bring to the table.

Also Read - Strategy of KKR for the IPL 2022 auction

Virat Kohli played the job of chief in 2016 get-togethers Dhoni. He had a splendid beginning as a chief with a series win against the West Indies. Notwithstanding performing great, Kohli has neglected to lead the group to achievement in urgent circumstances. The lackluster showing of group India in ICC World Cup, T20 World Cup and Champions prize brings up issues on Kohli's productivity as a skipper.

In the wake of losing the semi-finals against New Zealand, fingers were raised on Kohli's captaincy interestingly. Wasim Jaffer made a tweet recommending the board hand over white ball captaincy to Rohit Sharma. Rohit Sharma turned into the commander of Mumbai Indians in the 2013 Indian Premier League. Since the time then, at that point, he drove the group to win five titles which is a great thing. We need to say that captaincy freed the best once again from Rohit Sharma. He likewise intrigued with the restricted chances he had the opportunity to lead the group in Kohli's nonappearance. India won the Asia Cup and the Nidahas Trophy under his captaincy.

Another factor that questions Kohli's captaincy is his conduct in the field. India has regularly seen him losing smoothness. His high temper has affected him to settle on wrong choices. While, Rohit's quiet conduct and the idea of support players make him commander material. He additionally shows the certainty to back himself and his choices.

Also Read - 5 Famous Batsmen Who Still Haven't Scored A Century in T20

On the opposite side, the previous Indian batsman, VVS Laxman said that there is no compelling reason to supplant Virat Kohli with Rohit Sharma.

Elements to be Analyzed for Captaincy

Adaptability: Virat Kohli versus Rohit Sharma go head to head as far as flexibility. Adaptability comes in various structures the conditions, the arrangement, the batting position. Virat deals with a similar normal in the abroad and home ODIs. In any case, Rohit has neglected to keep up with a similar normal in the abroad ODI. The two players I have explored different avenues regarding a scope of batting positions across their profession. Has played the number 3 and number 4 positions and furthermore took a stab at opening in the IPL. Sharma then again was a center request batsman prior to being elevated to the initial position.

Consistency: Both, Virat and Rohit have been reliable enough. How might we analyze them, Virat has the high ground. Has kept a normal of over 50 in every one of the organizations. However Sharma scores enormous, it comes in patches.

Also Read - Who Is God of IPL? Check Who is the God of Cricket in IPL

Strategy: Kohli has the ideal batting method. He can score at a 100+ run rate without hitting a solitary six. What's more, he plays all conventional shots easily. Sharma's strategies don't look as tasteful as Virat's now and again. Kohli experienced difficulties with his strategies particularly when bowlers attempt to take advantage of his solidarity and transform them into his shortcomings. He is helpless towards the conveyances outside the off-stamp.

Virat Kohli versus Rohit Sharma.

Virat Kohli began his cricket vocation with the senior public side against India in 2008. He joined the senior men dressed in blue in Sri Lanka in August 2008. Virat got an opportunity to open the ODI series and he played well. In 2009, he went to Australia for the arising players' competition. He finished the competition with 398 runs from 7 excursions. In any case, 20-year-old Kohli needed to sit tight for his position in the Indian cricket crew due to the set up Tendulkar and Sehwag pair.

He procured his spot in the ICC World Cup and Test Cricket in 2011. He assumed an essential part in the 2011 World Cup. Kohli alongside Gautam Gambir pulled off a salvage exertion in the wake of losing the openers. This helped MS Dhoni to score a 91* winning the World Cup. He was designated the bad habit skipper of the ODI group in 2012, trailed by a test captaincy after Dhoni's retirement in 2014. He turned into the ODI Captain in 2017 get-togethers' progression down.

Kohli joined The Royal Challengers Banglore in 2008 and has been playing for the group till now. He turned into the bad habit chief of the RCB group in 2011 and scored an aggregate of 557 runs around the same time. He took the captaincy of the group in 2013. In any case, neglected to take his group to greatness.

Also Read - Top 5 players with the most noteworthy strike-rates in IPL history

In 2013, he was recorded as the No 1 batsman in ODI rankings. He won the Man of Tournament grant at the 2014 Twenty-Twenty. Virat Kohli won the lofty Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the year 2017. He likewise got the honor of ICC Test Player of the year 2018. The nation granted him with a Padma Shri in 2017 and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2018 for his replaceable commitment to Cricket.

Rohit Sharma's cricket transporter started in 2005 with the presentation for West Zone against Central Zone in Deodhar Trophy. Rohit scored 146 out of 126 balls against the North Zone. He additionally made up to his India An introduction against New Zealand An at Darwin in 2006. Rohit Sharma's first Ranji Trophy match debut was in the 2006-2007 season.

Bonus - Salman Butt also thinks Rohit Sharma Is A Better Captain Than Virat Kohli

With India neglecting to cross the last obstacle in the World Test Championship last, Virat Kohli–the chief is by and by under the scanner.

The WTC last is the third ICC occasion under the initiative of Virat Kohli in which Team India has wavered in the knockouts subsequent to having overwhelmed the association stage and his naysayers are out in the open, requesting his head.

In the mean time, previous Pakistan captain Salman Butt has figured that Rohit Sharma is a preferable commander over Virat Kohli.

Suggesting the 2018 Asia Cup where Rohit Sharma drove India to brilliance, Salman Butt said that the white-ball bad habit commander looks a characteristic chief when contrasted with Virat.

I had noticed his captaincy inside and out during the Asia Cup (2018). The manner in which he worked as substitute chief, he looked exceptionally normal. Returning to Virat Kohli, India were on top for a very long time yet unfortunately couldn't dominate the greatest game of all, so individuals will undoubtedly bring up issues." said Salman Butt on his Youtube channel.

Group India recaptured its No.1 Test positioning under Virat Kohli for a superior piece of last years and keeping in mind that Butt praised the previous' initiative, he stated that individuals are eventually going to pass judgment on him based on the quantity of titles he has won as skipper, something he has neglected to do as such hitherto.

He did, notwithstanding, concede that triumphant titles isn't the sole boundary of passing judgment on a chief other than expressing that one requirements a touch of karma to win huge occasions, which Kohli has needed.

"You can be an awesome commander however in the event that you don't win any title, masses will not recall you. Possibly you are a decent chief and have great plans however your bowler will be unable to execute it. So karma must be your ally also. Individuals just recall the individuals who win competitions. Now and again you may not be an extraordinary skipper yet your group might be generally excellent and you might wind up winning a significant title. So that doesn't characterize a commander yet for the world, obviously, a decent skipper is one who has won enormous occasions

He closed down by expressing that more quiet chiefs have a superior shot at winning large occasions.

"Kohli has not won any ICC title neither has he won the IPL. He is a top-class cricketer, has magnificent non-verbal communication and is forceful. His energy level is at an alternate level, and it is clear that he needs to give his best every time he ventures out in the center. However, chiefs ought to be unpretentious and not searing. We continued hearing during the WTC last, that it is a fight between fire (Virat Kohli) and ice (Kane Williamson). Most top-class commanders who have won titles were cool or signal less at crunch minutes. Virat Kohli is a man loaded with signals. Had he won, he would have been lauded no closure.

#cricket #virat kohli #rohit sharma #captain #india

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expatimes · 3 years

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‘Cooked’: Cricketers suffering in bio-secure bubbles, says Kohli

Cricketers are suffering after months of bio-secure “bubble” life during the coronavirus pandemic, said Indian captain Virat Kohli ahead of next month’s Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament.

Kohli raised his concerns after India beat England by seven runs in a thrilling decider to clinch the One-Day International series 2-1 in Pune on Sunday.

Players from both sides moved on immediately to join their squads for the world’s richest franchise Twenty20 tournament, which starts on April 9, and all will have to go through restrictions again in the IPL “bubble”.

“Scheduling needs to be looked at in future, because playing in bubbles for so long, two to three months, is going to be very, very difficult going forward,” Kohli said.

“You can’t expect everyone to be at the same level of mental strength. Sometimes you do get cooked and you do feel like a bit of a change.

“I am sure things will be discussed and things will change in the future as well. But a different tournament, it brings fresh challenges heading into the IPL.” Kohli added.

Since August last year, most international players have been restricted to staying inside bio-secure “bubbles” with only small breaks.

From September to January, India’s players went through similar quarantine and isolation regimes in the delayed 2020 IPL in the UAE and their tour of Australia before having a short break ahead of the home England series which comprised four Tests, five Twenty20 matches and three ODIs.

Rotation policy

England’s rest-and-rotate policy ensured players had breaks during their three months touring Sri Lanka – where they played two Tests – and India.

England player Jos Buttler, meanwhile, said he was “excited” to take part in the tournament which lasts until May 30. He said England management had kept players in top mental and physical shape.

“It’s been great that everyone’s health has been really looked after and whenever it’s possible to get out of the bubble and back in,” said Buttler, who stood in as captain for injured Eoin Morgan in the last two ODIs.

“So we are all very thankful of that to help with those situations and also it’s about how we plan moving forward. That’s going to be part of player welfare.”

England, who have already played six Tests in 2021, have an intensive calendar ahead and are scheduled to play another 12 Tests by January 2022: five at home against India, two against New Zealand and five away Ashes Tests in Australia.

They will also have limited-overs series at home against Sri Lanka and Pakistan before they return to India for the Twenty20 World Cup in October.

Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=19575&feed_id=39841

#Asia #biosecure #bubbles #Cooked #cricket #cricketers #India #Kohli #News #Sports #suffering

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zeroviraluniverse-blog · 6 years

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WCL Division Two: a step closer to the 2019 World Cup

Visit Now - http://zeroviral.com/wcl-division-two-a-step-closer-to-the-2019-world-cup/

WCL Division Two: a step closer to the 2019 World Cup

In a five-division race that began at Jersey in May 2016, six evenly matched teams are entering the final turn at this week’s WCL Division Two tournament, hoping to be one of the first two to cross the finish line. A top-two finish earns them a spot at next month’s 10-team World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, getting them one step closer to the 2019 World Cup in England, but a bottom-two finish relegates them to Division Three.

Following Division Five in Jersey, teams have had to navigate through Division Four in Los Angeles and Division Three in Uganda leading to one more World Cricket League hurdle in Namibia. Here’s how each team shapes up for the round-robin event in Windhoek:

The Kenya players enjoy a celebratory jig after their 42-run win ICC/Donald MacLeod

Kenya

Fifth in the WCL Championship, relegated to Division Two

Some of the east African side’s results in the WCL Championship – wins over Hong Kong and tournament champion Netherlands – show they are more than capable of being a strong competitor should they advance to Zimbabwe. However, they are playing in Division Two because of their wild inconsistency.

The biggest positive for Kenya is that they swept both matches in Namibia during the WCL Championship, giving them a leg up with their experience in local conditions. Captain Rakep Patel, Collins Obuya and Irfan Karim all scored more than 300 runs in the WCL Championship and are expected to have strong tournaments on the traditionally high-scoring pitches of Windhoek.

UAE

Sixth in WCL Championship, relegated to Division Two

The only side with ODI status in this event, UAE are under heavy pressure to make it to Zimbabwe, failing which they lose their ODI status until 2022 at the earliest. UAE struggled early in the WCL Championship trying to recover from the retirement of Khurram Khan, but found their feet midway through the competition and finished by winning four of their final six matches, including a series split in Namibia, a win over Papua New Guinea and a sweep of Nepal in Abu Dhabi. Most recently, they knocked off a target of 300 against Scotland to pull off their highest successful ODI chase.

Shaiman Anwar did the bulk of UAE’s scoring for much of the WCL Championship, finishing sixth overall with 431 runs. Adnan Mufti and Ghulam Shabber lightened the burden by coming through with big scores in the most-recent series against Nepal while Rameez Shahzad propelled the record chase against Scotland with his maiden ODI ton. A balanced bowling unit, featuring the opening pace pair of Mohammad Naveed and Zahoor Khan, makes up for the absence of Amjad Javed. The spin combo of legspinner Imran Haider, left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza and captain Rohan Mustafa completes the tournament’s most balanced attack.

Sharad Vesawkar and Gyanendra Malla get together Kaushal Adhikari

Nepal

Seventh in WCL Championship, relegated to Division Two

After scoring two wins at the 2014 World T20 against Afghanistan and Hong Kong, Nepal has struggled to stay afloat in the top tier of Associate cricket. Of their opponents in this event, they can take consolation from the fact that they swept Namibia for half of their four wins in the WCL Championship, though that series win was achieved in Kathmandu. They also have positive memories of the last time they were in Namibia at WCL Division Two in 2015, when they secured a spot in the WCL Championship despite a last-day stumble.

While the captain and vice-captain duo of Paras Khadka and Gyanendra Malla often get most of the plaudits for their batting acumen, middle-order finisher Sharad Vesawkar actually led the team in runs during the WCL Championship, with 415 runs at an average of 51.87. On the bowling side, spin has been Nepal’s strength over the years with the left-arm tandem of Basant Regmi and Shakti Gauchan. However, most of the attention at Division Two will be on teenage legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who garnered global attention last month after being taken by Delhi Daredevils at the IPL auction.

Namibia

Eighth in WCL Championship, relegated to Division Two

The tournament hosts only managed to win three out of 14 games in the WCL Championship, but two of those – over Hong Kong and Scotland – had a significant impact on the final standings at the top of the table. In particular, the win in Edinburgh showcased what Namibia are capable of when operating at full strength. A rare appearance from Otago allrounder Christi Viljoen severely dented Scotland’s hopes of chasing Netherlands down for the title.

Viljoen is back again for this tournament in an effort boost Namibia’s seam bowling and middle-order batting. Stephan Baard offers an explosive weapon at the top of the order while Gerhard Erasmus’ coming-of-age against Netherlands in the final round of the WCL Championship – a fluent 52 and 81 in both innings against the champion Dutch side – shows Namibia’s batting nucleus may be hitting form at just the right time.

Oman celebrate after being crowned tournament champions Peter Della Penna

Oman

First in WCL Division Three, promoted to Division Two

Oman is attempting to follow in the footsteps of Afghanistan’s rapid ascent up the Associate ladder that began in Jersey at the 2008 WCL Division Five, by taking an identical journey to the World Cup Qualifiers. Oman secured three consecutive promotions beginning in Jersey in 2015 with a myriad of contributors along the way.

In Jersey, it was Zeeshan Maqsood’s explosive batting paired with the swing bowling duo of Rajeshkumar Ranpura and Munis Ansari that took them forward. In Los Angeles, legspinning allrounder Khawar Ali’s Player-of-the-Tournament performance, including 74 and a five-wicket haul in a do-or-die showdown with Denmark, secured another promotion. At Division Three in Uganda, Khawar continued his impact with the ball but it was a host of characters led by Aqib Ilyas with the bat and left-arm swing bowler Bilal Khan who rallied them to the title.

Entering Division Two, Ranpura and Ansari have faded out of the squad, but the ICC’s revised eligibility guidelines – which allow players to represent a country after just three years of residency – have opened the doors to two key allrounders: former Sialkot player Ahmed Fayyaz and former Saurashtra player Jayesh Odedra. The lifting of the ICC’s other stipulation, a maximum of two four-year residents in a starting XI, has also allowed for the recall of tall medium pacer Kaleemullah, who troubled batsman with his height and bounce last year at the Desert T20 Challenge. The trio may provide Oman with yet more difference-makers in an attempt to vault into the World Cup qualifiers.

Canada

Second in WCL Division Three, promoted to Division Two

Much like Netherlands and Kenya, Canada is an Associate that may have once taken a place in the World Cup for granted, having qualified four times including thrice from 2003 to 2011. But Canada not only failed to qualify for the 2015 event but lost ODI status through a poor performance at the 2014 World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand. However, unlike Kenya and the Dutch, who rebounded at 2015 WCL Division Two to earn a place in the WCL Championship, Canada’s bottom-two finish three years ago dropped them back to Division Three.

It took Canada more than two years for the opportunity to climb back up, but they’ve produced a triumphant display in Uganda, propelled by the electric batting and canny medium pace of Rizwan Cheema, who was also named the Player of the Tournament. Teenage opening batsman Bhavindu Adhihetty played a strong support role, finishing as the tournament’s leading scorer with 222 runs. Adhihetty’s value to the senior side is such that he stayed away from the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand – having previously captained Canada Under-19 to victory in the Americas Regional Qualifier – so that he could be with the seniors on their Division Three warm-up tour in South Africa.

Like Oman, Canada have – for the moment – moved on from someone who helped get them to this point with Cheema not included in the Namibian touring squad. Yet like Oman, they are bolstered by reinforcements that give them an excellent chance of advancing. The recalled top-order duo of Ruvindu Gunasekera, who has spent most of the last two Canadian winters playing first-class cricket in Sri Lanka, and Srimantha Wijeratne provide a fire-and-ice combo that bridges the gap up to captain Nitish Kumar’s class in the middle order.

#Sports News

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