On his 35th birthday, Virat Kohli equalled Sachin Tendulkar's record of most ODI centuries with his 49th hundred, laying the foundation for India's 243-run victory over South Africa in Kolkata on Sunday. But, by the time the game got over, South Africa were left bruised and battered after being bowled out for 83 in 27.1 overs as India consolidated its top place in the pecking order, with Kohli finally matching Tendulkar 49 centuries.
Ravindra Jadeja captured five wickets for 33 runs. Set an imposing target of 327 after Kohli's 121-ball 101 not out, Shreyas Iyer's fluent 87-ball 77 and some fireworks towards the end by Suryakumar Yadav and Jadeja, the Proteas crumbled like a pack of cards. When the Proteas' turn to bat came, the pitch remained pretty much the same but the Indian bowling was again at a different level altogether, running through the side with the same relentlessness and potency they have been doing through the tournament.
Australia qualify for semis; beat Afghanistan
A superhuman effort from Glenn Maxwell has seen Australia qualify for the semi-final in the World Cup. Maxwell was struggling with cramps and back issues but he helped Australia win the match in an unbelievable fashion. He smashed 201 runs off 128 balls to lead Australia past Afghanistan with 19 deliveries to spare and into the semifinals. He hit 21 fours as well as 10 sixes, the last coming off the final ball of the match. Australia joined India and South Africa in the last four and damaged Afghanistan’s unlikely bid to reach the semifinals. Australia, set 292 to win, had collapsed to 91-7 before Maxwell dragged his team back into the reckoning. Australia would have been in deep trouble if Mujeeb Ur Rahman had taken a simple catch at short fine leg when Maxwell was on 33.
Bangladesh knock out Lanka
Bangladesh knocked out Sri Lanka from the semi-final race with a 3-wicket win at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday. It was their second win of the tournament for Bangladesh as they outplayed Bangladesh in all three departments. Chasing the 280-run target, Najmul Hasan Shanto (90) and skipper Shakib Al Hasan’s (82) 169-run stand paved the way for Bangladesh’s 3-wicket triumph. Sri Lanka have one game left to play but the defeat has pushed them out of the race. The highlight of the match was senior Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews becoming the first player to be given “timed out” in the 146-year history of international cricket. Mathews was already on the pitch and in his final preparations before taking strike against Shakib Al Hasan. His helmet strap broke just as he was tightening it around his chin. He called for a replacement helmet. Shakib then appeared to initiate a discussion with umpire Marais Erasmus, after which Mathews, as he was not ready to face his first ball within the two minutes to do so as allowed in the ICC playing conditions, was informed he was timed out.
Fakhar keeps Pakistan alive
Pakistan endured a battering by New Zealand’s top-order before launching their own onslaught through centurion Fakhar Zaman to win a rain-hit World Cup game by 21 runs via the DLS method on Saturday in Bengaluru and stay alive in the hunt for a semi-final spot. Chasing 402 to win the high-stakes clash, Pakistan took the attack to New Zealand as Fakhar hit a blistering century off 63 balls and Babar Azam inched towards his fifty when rain halted play with the score on 160-1 in 21.3 overs. The target was revised to 342 in 41 overs and Fakhar picked up from where he left off, reaching 126 not out with eight fours and 11 sixes, while Babar struck an unbeaten 66 but the showers returned with Pakistan adding 40 to their total in four overs. Pakistan's fireworks meant they were 21 runs ahead of the DLS par score when the game was eventually called off, ensuring a victory that took them to eight points from as many matches - level on points with fourth-placed New Zealand.
Afghans beat Dutch by 7 wickets
Half centuries by Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah and veteran Mohammad Nabi’s superb bowling spell helped Afghanistan register a seven wicket victory over the Netherlands on Friday at Lucknow. After the Afghans restricted the Dutch to 179, batter Rahmat Shah’s of 52 and an unbeaten 56 by captain Hashmatullah Shahidi saw the team home with a whopping 18.3 overs to spare. With this win, the Afghanistan team has climbed to the fifth spot in the points table with eight points. Earlier, Sybrand Engelbrecht (58 off 86) anchored the Netherlands innings after the Dutch suffered a mid-innings collapse.
South Africa beat New Zealand
South Africa have continued their march towards the semifinals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with a 190-run win over fellow contenders New Zealand at Pune’s MCA Stadium on Wednesday. Helped by centuries from Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen, the Proteas posted 357-4 after being asked to bat first by New Zealand stand-in captain Tom Latham. Keshav Maharaj took four wickets, Marco Jansen took three and Gerald Coetzee took two as South Africa recorded their sixth win of the tournament. The Proteas built on the de Kock and van der Dussen 200-run stand with 119 in the last 10 overs as David Miller put the New Zealand bowlers to the sword with a 30-ball 53.
