Keshav Maharaj

T20 World Cup: South Africa trump Bangladesh by 4 runs in yet another low-scoring thriller

Danijones5 months ago07 mins

Keshav Maharaj of South Africa celebrate with teammates after dismissing Litton Das of Bangladesh during the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 10, 2024 in New York | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP Spinner Keshav Maharaj was lucky to defend 11 runs in the final over as South Africa held their nerves to beat Bangladesh by a mere four runs in yet another low-scoring thriller in the T20 World Cup in New York on Monday. In a contest where fortunes swung from one side to another, Bangladesh fought valiantly until the end riding on gritty knocks from Mahmudullah (20) and Towhid Hridoy (37), but could not land the killer punch in the 20th over chasing a modest 114. ALSO READ | Oceans apart: Bumrah’s searing spell takes Pakistan by storm With six needed off last two balls, Mahmudullah was caught near the ropes excellently by Aiden Markram off Keshav Maharaj (3/27), who was South Africa’s most successful bowler. The left-arm spinner bowled three full tosses in the final over but the Bangladesh batters were not able to put them away to end at 109 for seven. Anrich Nortje (2/17) continued to make the most of his form and Kagiso Rabada (2/19) and Marco Jansen (0/17) provided strong support. South Africa had recovered to post 113 for six after opting to bat on what has proved to be a challenging surface. Tanzid Hasan (9) perished early in the run chase after hitting a couple of fours while neither their skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (14 off 23) nor Litton Das (9 off 13) could convert starts. Shakib Al Hasan (3) too was beaten by Nortje’s pace when the right-armer bowled one short and the Bangladesh all-rounder mishit to lob one high in the sky. Struggling at 50 for four, Bangladesh found an excellent partnership between Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah, who put on 44 for the fifth wicket to take their side close to the finish line. Hridoy, who began with a six, did well to absorb the pressure in the company of Mahmudullah. The pair kept shaving off the target with smart rotation of strike as well as picking up the odd boundary, signalling that the wicket really has rewards for those who were able to alter their approach. Bangladesh seemed to be cruising towards the target until Hridoy’s dismissal — leg-before off Rabada in the 18th over — changed the complexion of the game. Earlier in the first half, pacers Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Taskin Ahmed excelled in favourable conditions to help Bangladesh restrict South Africa to a below-par total. Tanzim (3/18) ran through the Proteas top order in company of Taskin (2/19) while Mustafizur (0/18) too played his part well as Bangladesh produced a collective show despite strong resistance from Heinrich Klaasen (46) and David Miller (29). Klaasen and Miller looked to revive South Africa from a shaky start with a 79-run stand for the fifth wicket, but the pair could never really accelerate on a two-paced wicket on which the Bangladesh spinners also displayed control. Tanzim struck thrice in his opening burst to leave South Africa reeling at 23 for four inside the first five overs. After Quinton de Kock (18) showed aggressive intent by hitting the right-arm bowler for a six and a four in the initial exchanges, Tanzim made immediate amends to his line and length and hit Reeza Hendricks in front of the stumps for a golden duck. In fact, it was his simple yet effective tactics of bowling at the wickets paid high dividends as Tanzim cleaned up South Africa captain Aiden Markram (4), who missed a straight one with his bat coming down a bit awkwardly. Tristan Stubbs (0) had done a fine job of rebuilding the innings for South Africa in their last outing against the Netherlands, but the right-hander too had a soft dismissal to endure. Klaasen hit a couple of sixes upfront against Bangladesh spinners to push them back while Miller was content in rotating the strike. However, he was cleaned up by Taskin late in the innings after a 44-ball knock, studded with two fours and three sixes. Klaasen and Miller did find run-scoring difficult on the Nassau County pitch since they were forced to curb their attacking instinct.

Pakistan targets right T20 combination against understrength New Zealand | Cricket

“Two more metres further and…”: SA captain Markram reflects on completing Mahmudullah’s catch in final over

Danijones5 months ago05 mins

New York [US], : South Africa captain Aiden Markram opened up about the game-changing moment of their 4-run win over Bangladesh and stated that two meters could have led to a completely different result. “Two more metres further and…”: SA captain Markram reflects on completing Mahmudullah’s catch in final over In a low-scoring chase of 114, Markram had gambled on experienced spinner Keshav Maharaj to save 11 runs off the final over. Date mein Crickit, late mein Crickit! Catch the game anytime, anywhere on Crickit. Find out how Two balls were left, Mahmudullah was on strike and Bangladesh needed six runs to seal the game. The ball slipped out of Maharaj’s hands and it became a full toss. Looking at the opportunity, Mahmudullah’s eyes sparkled and he made a full swing but Markram took a sharp catch just a couple of meters away from the boundary line. The leaping effort from the skipper put South Africa in firm control and they went on to take away an unlikely win. Markram talked about playing the game on a knife’s edge which made the entire affair in an entertaining clash. “You’re always pretty nervous in the final over in a game like that. It was always on a knife’s edge, it can make you mentally tired. Sometimes you get on the right side, sometimes not, but it’s very entertaining,” Markram said in the post-match presentation. “19.5 could’ve gone anywhere, could’ve gone two more metres further and we’d have had a different conversation. Like I mentioned, a few things went our way today, very fortunate on that to get on the right side,” he added. While defending a low score, Markram revealed that their game plan was to take the game to the final over on a surface that aided the pacers. “Depending on the situation, you want to drag the game as long as you can, so you use quicks to attack. Today was one of those days where the seamers were bowling well, we wanted to drag it to the end where anything could happen in the last over,” he added. After another woeful performance with the bat, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen forged a 79-run stand to propel the Proteas to 113/6. “We’re putting Klaasen and Miller under pressure but they’ve been exceptional. They’ve gone back-to-back with crucial partnerships, and got us to a score that’s lucky enough to win but still one we could defend. Fantastic for Klaasy to get back in form,” he concluded. South Africa have now registered three consecutive wins in the ongoing campaign. They are just one step away from moving into the Super 8 phase of the tournament. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

Shimron Hetmyer seals nervy win for Rajasthan Royals against Punjab Kings | Cricket

Danijones7 months ago06 mins

Given what had transpired in IPL 2024 before Saturday, a target of 148 should not have posed any threat. Especially when the team chasing was an in-form Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the team defending was a struggling Punjab Kings (PBKS). However, a tricky pitch at the stadium in Mullanpur combined with a better bowling show from PBKS meant that RR had a few jittery moments in their run chase. Rajasthan Royals batters Shimron Hetmyer and Trent Boult celebrate their victory over PBKS(PTI) In the end, RR did get to the target with three wickets in hand and only a ball to spare, which means they occupy the top spot with five wins in six matches. After an all-round bowling effort by RR that restricted the hosts to 147/8 — Avesh Khan and Keshav Maharaj took two wickets apiece while Trent Boult, Kuldeep Sen and Yuzvendra Chahal claimed a scalp each — it was Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shimron Hetmyer who played crucial knocks to take Rajasthan over the line in a tense chase. Unlock exclusive access to the story of India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! While Jaiswal got back to form at the top of the order with a 28-ball 39, Hetmyer showed his finishing prowess in the final over of the game. With RR needing 10 off the last six balls, Punjab’s Arshdeep Singh began by nailing the yorker twice in a row for dot balls. When Arshdeep erred ever so slightly off the third ball, Hetmyer managed to hit a six to relieve all the pressure. Two balls later, Hetmyer finished the game in style by hammering a rank full toss over the fine leg boundary for six. His 10-ball 27 not out earned him the player-of-the-match award. Arshdeep is known to bowl the yorker in the death overs but faltered in his execution against the big-hitting West Indian when the pressure was on. It didn’t look like Hetmyer would be required when Jaiswal was on song early in the innings. Used as an impact player in this game, Jaiswal stitched together an opening stand of 56 with Tanush Kotian, who was brought into the side for off-spinner R Ashwin and opened in Jos Buttler’s absence. Both Ashwin and Buttler were nursing niggles. If not for Kagiso Rabada dismissing Jaiswal and Sanju Samson in successive overs, RR might have had a much more straightforward chase. Riyan Parag, in superb form this season, also couldn’t see it through on Saturday, getting dismissed after making 23 off 18 balls courtesy an excellent catch by Rabada at deep midwicket off Arshdeep. That was when Hetmyer had to come to the party and he didn’t disappoint. Punjab faced a blow even before a ball was bowled as captain Shikhar Dhawan was not available for the game, resulting in Sam Curran taking charge. Similar to the previous games, Punjab’s top-order disappointed again as they were tottering at 52/4 in 9.3 overs. Jonny Bairstow’s middling run is a cause for concern in particular. He took 19 balls for 15 before giving left-arm spinner Maharaj his first IPL wicket. That Punjab’s eventual total had a degree of respectability was thanks to the efforts of Jitesh Sharma (29 off 24 balls), Liam Livingstone (21 off 14 balls) and Ashutosh Sharma. Having made an impact in the earlier games, Ashutosh again stepped up with a late blitz of 31 (16 balls) — his innings included three sixes and a four — to take the hosts near the 150-run mark. That 72 runs came off the last six overs allowed Punjab to go into the second innings with optimism. For RR, Maharaj and Avesh were the pick of the bowlers.

Rajasthan Royals extend their lead at top with hard-fought win over Punjab King – India TV

Danijones7 months ago04 mins

Image Source : BCCI/IPL Rajasthan Royals players against Punjab Kings on April 13, 2024 PBKS vs RR: Rajasthan Royals recorded a thrilling three-wicket win over Punjab Kings to extend their lead in the Indian Premier League 2024 on Saturday. Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan became the first team to record five wins in the IPL 2024 as they swiftly returned to winning ways. Shikhar Dhawan-less PBKS were restricted to 147 after impressive bowling from Keshav Maharaj and Avesh Khan at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. Rajasthan also struggled in the low-scoring chase but managed to clinch two big points with a ball remaining. After an impressive start from struggling youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal, the Caribbean big-hitter Shimron Hetmyer smashed 27* off just 10 balls, including a match-winning six off Arshdeep Singh. Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bat first with new signings Tanush Kotian and Rovman Powell replacing Ravichandran Ashwin and Jos Butller respectively. Punjab were also forced to make two changes with Liam Livingstone and Atharva Taide coming in for Sikandar Raza and skipper Shikhar Dhawan. Punjab lost only one wicket in powerplay overs in the form of Shimron Hetmyer but the hosts failed to find big shots. Rajasthan bowlers bowled impressive and greedy spells to keep Punjab batters grounded for the majority of the innings. Impact substitute Ashutosh Sharma impressed by smashing 31 off 16 balls, including 17 runs in the penultimate over, as Punjab posted 147/8 total in 20 overs. Keshav Maharaj and Avesh Khan picked two wickets each with the former conceding runs at an impressive economy rate of 5.75. Rajasthan surprisingly send debutant bowling all-rounder Kotian to open an innings with impact substitute Yashasvi Jaiswal. The duo pulled off a 56-run stand for the first wicket but Kotian struggled for an aggressive approach throughout his innings. South African ace pacer Kagiso Rabada shifted the momentum towards Punjab with big wickets of Jaiswal and Sanju Samson. Defending 43 runs in death overs, Arshdeep Singh removed in-form Riayn Parag and Harshal Patel dismissed Dhruv Jurel to put Punjab in a confident position. But Shimron Hetmyer’s heroics in the last over off Arshdeep Singh helped Rajasthan Royals to walk away with two points. Hetmyer clinched the Player of the Match award as Rajasthan extended their lead at the top with four more points than second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders. Punjab Kings playing XI: Atharva Taide, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh (substituted by Ashutosh Sharma), Sam Curran (c), Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh. Rajasthan Royals playing XI: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Tanush Kotian, Trent Boult, Keshav Maharaj, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen (substituted by Yashasvi Jaiswal), Yuzvendra Chahal.