wickets

Maharaj, Harmer star with the ball as hosts are bowled out for 138, setting South Africa 68 to win the second Test.

South Africa have romped to an eight-wicket win over Pakistan on the fourth day of the second cricket Test in Rawalpindi, claiming victory before lunch to level the two-match series.

The home side were dismissed cheaply in the opening hour, collapsing from 94-4 overnight to be all out for 138 on Thursday.

South Africa then took 12.3 overs to reach the 68-run target with captain Aiden Markram scoring 42 before being trapped leg before wicket by Noman Ali, four runs from victory.

Tristan Stubbs was caught in the slips in the same over without scoring, leaving Ryan Rickelton (25 not out) and Tony de Zorzi, who did not face a ball, to complete the job.

It was the 11th win in 12 Tests for South Africa, with the only blemish their 93-run loss to Pakistan in last week’s first match of the series in Lahore.

“There were moments where guys had to put their hands up and stand up for the team and they really did that and excelled in that. It took a lot of confidence and a lot of belief from wins, but when your character’s tested and you managed to come out on the right side, I think that means quite a bit more,” said Markram.

Simon Harmer took 6-50 as Pakistan collapsed with fellow spinner Keshav Maharaj adding two more wickets to the seven he took in the first innings.

Pakistan lost their last six wickets for 44 runs to continue their trend of lower-order slumps despite starting the day with high hopes.

They needed a major contribution from star batsman Babar Azam, whose appearance at the stumps throughout the series saw a sudden spike in spectators and a noticeable increase in excited noise from the stands.

Babar, however, has not scored a century in his last 15 Tests since 161 against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022.

He was on 49 overnight, sharing a 34-run partnership with Mohammad Rizwan that held out promise of getting Pakistan back into the contest with six wickets in hand and a 23-run lead.

But after going to his 50 with a single off the second ball of the morning, the 31-year-old Babar was trapped leg before wicket by Harmer in the first over.

After that, the home innings came tumbling down like a pack of cards as the 36-year-old Harmer, who has had a long career in county cricket in England but only 12 test appearances, bagged his first five-wicket haul in test cricket.

He had Rizwan caught at short leg for 18 and then Noman Ali nicked behind without scoring to mark a 1,000th first-class wicket.

“We have a lot to work on,” said home captain Shan Masood, “when it comes to lower order batting, when it comes to finishing the innings off, when it comes to the third innings of batting, also when it comes to the first innings where we could have posted something north of 400 but we didn’t.”

It was a run chase set up by an Alyssa Healy century and sealed with an Ellyse Perry six as Australia beat India by three wickets to remain undefeated in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

Facing a record run-chase target of 331, Australia’s captain took on the Indian bowlers from the start to build the perfect foundation for her team, and an injured Perry returned to bat to complete the task against the hosts at the YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

Healy, who opened the innings alongside Phoebe Litchfield, took on the role of the aggressor as she hit three sixes and 21 fours in her 107-ball epic innings of 142.

Litchfield and her captain shared a partnership of 85 before the left-handed batter was dismissed for 40 off 39 balls in the 12th over by slow left-arm bowler Shree Charani.

Healy kept going, though, and built another partnership with experienced all-rounder Ellyse Perry. The pair took Australia to 154 in the 25th over, when Perry retired hurt after suffering an undisclosed injury.

India pounced on the opportunity and were quick to dismiss in-form Beth Mooney for four, followed by Annabel Sutherland for zero in successive overs of spin bowling by Deepti Sharma and Charani.

The fall of wickets did little to slow down Healy, who ensured Australia kept up with the required run rate as she found gaps with little problem and caused several issues for India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur.

She completed her century off 84 balls in the 31st over and went on to add 56 runs before falling to a soft dismissal off Charani’s bowling. She sliced a ball to point, where a diving Sneh Rana took a catch that had to be double-checked with the television umpire.

However, even as Healy walked off, Australia seemed in control of the run chase. Then three quick wickets in the next six overs brought India back into the match.

When Australia went seven wickets down, Perry walked back onto the field, although with hindered mobility.

The veteran all-rounder combined with Kim Garth to keep the target within reach and finally sealed the win with a trademark six over the bowler’s head to ensure the seven-time champions remain unbeaten in the tournament.

Unsurprisingly, Healy was named player of the match and credited the team for chasing the record total.

“To chase down 330 in a 50-over game is new territory for us,” she said in her post-match comments. “Hopefully, we don’t have to do it again.”

Kaur blames poor end-of-innings batting

India suffered their second consecutive defeat in three days, leaving plenty to ponder for captain Kaur, who blamed the loss on India’s poor batting in the last few overs.

“We knew it was a good batting wicket, but not batting well in the last six overs cost us,” she said after the match.

“The openers have been outstanding, but in the last three games, we were not able to bat in the middle overs.”

The result helped the defending champions return to the top of the points table with seven from their four matches, while India remain unmoved in third despite losing their second match of the tournament.

England are second with six points, and South Africa fourth with four.

The top four teams in the eight-nation tournament will qualify for the semifinals.

Mandhana breaks more records

Earlier, India’s star batter Smriti Mandhana brushed off her low-scoring start to the tournament by hitting a 66-ball 80 in a 155-run opening partnership with Pratika Rawal, who contributed with 75 runs off 96 balls.

Mandhana, who had not gone past 23 in her previous three innings in the World Cup, broke the shackles as she hit three sixes and nine fours in her dominant innings. In the process, she became the fastest player to 5,000 runs in women’s ODIs, having achieved the feat in 112 innings.

It was an attempted slog that became her undoing in the 25th over, when she was caught in deep off the bowling of left-arm spin bowler Sophie Molineux.

Despite the vice-captain’s loss, India continued in their swift-scoring ways as Harleen Deol joined Rawal and resumed the big shots where Mandhana had left off.

However, Rawal was dismissed in the 31st over by Sutherland, and once again, it was an attempted big shot that led to the dismissal at fine leg. India’s captain Kaur, who has also been in search of runs in the tournament, attacked the bowling straight away but was soon dismissed for 22 by Megan Schutt.

The rest of India’s middle and lower-middle order kept the scoring rate up as Jemimah Rodrigues (33), Richa Ghosh (32) and Amanjot Kaur (16) helped India cross the 300-run mark.

Sutherland caused some late damage to help bowl out the hosts for 330 in 48.5 overs and finished with a five-wicket haul.

Molineux finished with 3-75 in her comeback game.

Australia face Bangladesh at the same venue on Thursday, while India resume their campaign after a week-long break when they host England in Indore on Sunday.

Linsey Smith takes the wickets of Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp, as South Africa fall to 19-4 in just the sixth over of England’s opening match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.

FOLLOW LIVE: ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup – England v South Africa

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Varma hits 69 not out as India chase 146 after coming into bat at 10-2 in a nervy end to the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai.

Tilak Varma held his nerve with an unbeaten innings of 69 runs as he steered India home in a five-wicket win over Pakistan in a gripping and controversial final of the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai.

Coming into bat with India two wickets down for 10 runs in the third over, Varma weathered the storm while wickets fell at the other end as India chased 147 in the politically charged tournament decider on Sunday, where the champions refused to accept the winner’s trophy from the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

It was the third India vs Pakistan match of the tournament and once again, the fixture was marred by controversy as the post-match presentation ceremony was delayed by more than an hour due to unexplained reasons as players and tournament organisers waited on the ground.

Once the ceremony got under way, it was revealed by presenter Simon Doull that the Indian cricket team had refused to attend it and would not collect their winner’s medals and the Asia Cup trophy, ostensibly from Naqvi, who is also chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan’s Minister for Interior.

“Indian team refuses to accept Asia Cup winners’ trophy from Pakistan minister and ACC head Mohsin Naqvi,” the Press Trust of India reported after the ceremony concluded.

However, India’s player of the final Varma, top batter Abhishek Sharma and bowler Kuldeep Yadav did walk up to the presentation area to collect their cheques, albeit not from Naqvi.

Minutes later, India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates cheered with a mock trophy as they celebrated their ninth Asia Cup title.

India’s win was built around their 22-year-old batter Varma’s measured innings , which came off 53 balls and included four sixes and three fours.

The run chase was dented in the second over when their star batter and the tournament’s leading run-scorer Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for five runs by Pakistan’s medium-pace bowler Faheem Ashraf on the first ball of India’s second over. He fell to a mistimed attempt at a six and was caught at mid-on.

Suryakumar Yadav followed soon after, when Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed him for one run as the Indian captain hit his fifth ball straight to mid-off, where his Pakistani counterpart Salman Agha took a diving catch.

It was then up to Varma and opener Gill to steady the ship for India, but Gill departed nine balls later to Ashraf. Wicketkeeper Sanju Samson chipped in with an innings of 24 off 21 before falling to leg-spin bowler Abrar Ahmed.

New batter Shivam Dube, who had earlier taken on the responsibility of opening the bowling for India in the absence of Hardik Pandya, played a supporting role to Varma’s innings.

While Pakistan bowled well, they were not fully supported by the fielders as two catches were dropped and a crucial run-out chance was missed by wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris, who was slow to remove the bails as Varma dived in.

Varma made Pakistan pay as he and Dube took India on the verge of victory, only for Dube to fall with six balls and nine runs left.

Rinku Singh, who replaced Pandya in the final, faced one ball and hit the winning runs off it to spark celebrations in the Indian camp.

Earlier, Pakistan began their innings brightly as Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman gave them an opening stand of 84, before Farhan was dismissed for 57 off 38 in the 10th over.

Zaman (46 off 35) then formed a brief partnership with Saim Ayub, who scored 14 runs, but once they were dismissed, none of the Pakistan batters could post more than nine runs .

The team in green crashed from 113-2 to 146 all out in 38 balls as they finished their innings in 19.1 overs.

Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers for India as he picked four wickets for 30 runs in his four overs. Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy took a wicket apiece.

Yadav ended the tournament as its leading wicket – taker with 17, while Sharma was the top batter with 314 runs.

England all-rounder Chris Woakes was not considered for the upcoming Ashes series on fitness grounds and seems likely to miss out on a new central contract.

That may mean the end of a fantastic 12-year Test career, so we thought we’d mark it with a delightfully difficult quiz.

Woakes is one of 72 players to have scored 1,000 runs and taken 100 wickets in men’s Tests since World War Two. Can you name the other 71?

We’ve given you each player’s nationality, Test career span, total Test wickets and total Test runs as a hint. You’ve got 30 minutes, good luck!

Abhishek’s innings helps India chase 172 with seven balls to spare in their Super Fours cricket match against Pakistan in Dubai.

A 105-run opening stand between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill helped defending champions India beat Pakistan by six wickets in their Asia Cup Super Four match, a second victory over their archrivals in the Twenty20 cricket tournament.

Put in to bat first in the match on Sunday, Pakistan set India a target of 172, which they reached with seven balls remaining.

There was no handshake between the teams’ players yet again, with the match played amid lingering tensions between the two nations in the wake of a military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.

There was clear tension between both sets of players it threatened to bubble over in India’s innings as Pakistan’s fast bowler Haris Rauf appeared to exchage heated words with Sharma and Gill.

Put in to bat first, Pakistan had a 72-run partnership between Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub for the second wicket that laid the foundation for its innings after Fakhar Zaman (15) fell early.

Farhan, who was dropped in the first over by Sharma, completed his half-century in 34 balls, steering Pakistan to 91-1 after 10 overs.

But Pakistan could not hit a single boundary in the next six overs as Ayub (21), Hussain Talat (10) and Farhan (58 off 45) got out in quick succession.

Unbeaten knocks from captain Salman Ali Agha (17 off 13) and Faheem Ashraf (20 off 8) added 42 runs in the last three overs to help Pakistan reach a competitive 171-5.

Sharma announced his intentions by hitting Shaheen Shah Afridi for a six on the first ball, and hit four boundaries and four sixes to complete his half-century in 24 balls.

India seemed to be cruising to a quick victory until Gill (47 off 28) was bowled by Faheem Ashraf in the 10th over.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav fell to Haris Rauf (2-26) for a duck in the very next over, and Sharma (74 off 39) was dismissed by Abrar Ahmed soon after, temporarily throttling India’s chase.

But India, who beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the group stage, still got over the line, with Tilak Varma (30 off 19) hitting Afridi for a six and a four in the final two balls of the innings.

Pakistan will face Sri Lanka on Tuesday, with both sides looking for their first win in the Super Four, a day before India play Bangladesh, who beat Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and the Indian spinners star in the Group A fixture in Dubai.

Dubai, UAE – Pakistan’s long wait to beat India in a men’s cricket match continues after their Asia Cup 2025 fixture ended in a thumping seven-wicket win for the defending champions in Dubai.

Opener Abhishek Sharma took the match away from Pakistan with his belligerent innings of 31 runs off 13 balls, and captain Suryakumar Yadav followed suit with 47 runs off 37 balls as India won their second match of the tournament on Sunday.

It was the Sharma show from the first ball of India’s run chase as the young opener took apart Pakistan’s experienced pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi in his first over.

Sharma, the top-ranked men’s Twenty20 (T20) batter, hit the first ball for a four and followed it up with a six over the cover fielder.

He would go on to hit another six and three more fours before falling to part-time spinner Saim Ayub.

Ayub, whose main role in the team is as an opening batter, was the sole wicket-taker for Pakistan as he also dismissed Shubman Gill for 10 (7) and Tilak Varma for a run-a-ball 31.

Despite the loss of three wickets, India never looked to be struggling in the run chase, which was sealed with a six by Suryakumar in the 16th over.

Earlier, when Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bat first, it seemed like the right call as the Dubai pitch has slowed down in the second innings in the earlier matches.

However, Pakistan were dealt an early blow when Ayub was caught out at point off Hardik Pandya’s bowling on the first ball of the match.

One-down batter Mohammad Haris followed suit in the next over as India’s star bowler Jasprit Bumrah struck.

While Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman briefly revived Pakistan’s innings, India’s trio of spinners ensnared six wickets in 10 overs to leave Pakistan scrambling to finish their 20 overs.

It wasn’t until Afridi and leg-spin bowler Sufiyan Muqeem hit four fours and two sixes that Pakistan crossed the 100-run mark in their 19th over.

The late flourish helped Pakistan set a relatively respectable target of 128, but it was never going to be enough for a power-packed Indian batting lineup.

India walked away with two points and walked off without shaking hands with the Pakistan team, as is the norm after every cricket match between the archrivals.

Pakistan, meanwhile, were left to rue another missed opportunity.

Agha’s team play their next match against the UAE on Wednesday, while India face Oman on Friday.

Kate Cross takes two wickets in two balls for Northern Superchargers and her No Balls podcast co-host and best friend Alex Hartley is delighted as Maia Bouchier and Laura Wolvaardt are dismissed for in the women’s Hundred final.

FOLLOW LIVE: The Hundred final – Southern Brave v Northern Superchargers

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At 106-3 on Sunday morning, England were toast, only for Yorkshire’s finest to find individual inspiration to make the unlikely seem probable.

On this ground 20 years ago, another epic series was on a knife edge. On that occasion, it was Kevin Pietersen belting Brett Lee into the stands that secured the Ashes for England. Two decades on and Harry Brook, the modern day spirit of KP, decided attack was the only was to go.

For Joe Root, this Test was always likely to be emotional, a celebration of the life of his mentor Graham Thorpe. How fitting that Root would play with Thorpe-like cool at the home of the great left-hander. Even a heart of stone would have been moved by Root celebrating his hundred by pulling on Thorpe’s trademark headband.

Two contrasting centuries, a tired India attack flogged to all parts. Siraj treading on the boundary rope to reprieve Brook evoked memories of Trent Boult doing the same for Stokes in the 2019 World Cup final – another nerve-shredding Sunday.

When Root and Brook were together, 200 runs to win seemed like a doddle. After they departed, 35 seemed impossible.

India must wonder what they have to do to beat this England team. It was India on the wrong end of a chase of 378 at Edgbaston in 2022, then 371 at Headingley in June.

But something stirred in Siraj, Krishna and Akash Deep. Perhaps it was the beat of the dhol drum that provided the soundtrack to India’s last push.

Brook’s bat went further than the ball when he was caught at mid-off for 111. Bethell looked like what he is – a 21-year-old in his first home Test with only one first-class match since December – in scratching around for five off 31 balls. A wild hack and middle stump removed.

Even the tension got to Root. Play and miss, play and miss, lbw review, edge behind. The Oval came unglued.

It is hard to see how England would have won had the weather not intervened. Smith and Overton, the only Jamies to play Test cricket for England, were left with the task of resisting the touring pacemen and what felt like every Indian in London.

The home side were the happier to scurry to the dressing room. The boos of the crowd when the close was confirmed probably sounded like sweet music.

Ireland international Curtis Campher has become the first male player to take five wickets from five balls in a professional match.

The all-rounder, 26, did so for Munster Reds in their Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy win over the North-West Warriors in Dublin.

The Warriors were chasing 189 but collapsed from 87-5 to 88 all out thanks to Campher’s sensational spell.

The Reds captain’s first wicket came when he bowled Jared Wilson with the penultimate delivery of the 12th over. Graham Hume was then trapped lbw to conclude the over.

Returning in the 14th, the South Africa-born pace bowler completed the hat-trick when his Ireland international team-mate Andy McBrine was caught at deep mid-wicket.

Robbie Millar was then caught behind before Josh Wilson was bowled for the final wicket.

Campher, who previously took four wickets from four balls against the Netherlands at the 2021 T20 World Cup, was playing his second match since returning from a a finger injury that caused him to miss Ireland’s ODI and T20 series against West Indies this year.

Zimbabwe Women all-rounder Kelis Ndhlovu previously took five wickets in five balls in a domestic under-19 T20 last year.

England’s top order was blown away after Shubman Gill’s mammoth 269 for India to leave the hosts requiring their most unlikely turnaround yet under captain Ben Stokes after two days of the second Test at Edgbaston.

Gill’s epic helped India pile up 587 and, after five sessions in the field, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley all fell to leave England 77-3 at the close.

Duckett and Pope, England’s centurions from their comeback win in the first Test, were caught in the slips off consecutive deliveries in seamer Akash Deep’s second over.

Crawley wafted at Mohammed Siraj to offer another edge on 19 as India, who faced huge questions coming into this Test, took total control.

Harry Brook was skittish in making 30 not out – he finished alongside Joe Root who has 18 – and could easily have deepened England’s woes.

Gill had earlier effortlessly compiled the highest score by an India batter in England and the highest score by an Indian skipper anywhere in the world.

After resuming on 114, Gill extended his partnership with Ravindra Jadeja to 203 to steer India away from early danger and when Jadeja fell for 89, he put on 144 with Washington Sundar to drive home the advantage.

India were guilty of letting a winning position slip in Leeds but now hold all of the cards as they bid to level the series.

Josh Hazlewood claimed five wickets as Australia wrapped up an emphatic 159-run victory against West Indies in the first Test in Barbados.

West Indies lost all 10 of their second-innings wickets in the evening session on day three of the contest as Australia showed their ruthlessness to close out the match with two days to spare.

Set 301 for victory, the hosts’ response had started promisingly as they overcame the early loss of Kraigg Brathwaite to reach 47-1 with John Campbell and Keacy Carty at the crease.

However, Hazlewood swung the momentum Australia’s way as he ran through the West Indies top order during a characteristically controlled spell which saw four wickets fall for just nine runs.

From 56-5 it was always going to be an uphill struggle for West Indies, even though Justin Greaves (38 not out) and Shamar Joseph (44) provided some late entertainment.

Hazlewood removed Jomel Warrican to finish with 5-43 before Nathan Lyon bagged two wickets in the final over of the day, after play had been extended by 30 minutes, to seal the win.

Earlier, Australia had made a battling 310 in their second innings after Alex Carey had top scored with a punchy 65.

The tourists had resumed the day on a precarious 92-4 but Travis Head and Beau Webster made gritty scores of 61 and 63 before Carey batted smartly with the lower order.

More to follow.

Seales and Joseph take nine wickets before Australia stage mini recovery by restricting West Indies to 57-4 at stumps.

In a performance reminiscent of West Indies’ fearsome bowling attacks of old, Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph tore through the Australia batting lineup, toppling them for a meagre 180 on day one of the first Test at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

Mitchell Starc, skipper Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood saved Australia’s blushes, taking four wickets between them to send the West Indies in at stumps at 57 for four, trailing the tourists by 123 runs to leave the match delicately poised on Wednesday.

With Seales claiming a magnificent five-wicket haul and Joseph unleashing thunderbolts that left Australia’s batsmen floundering, the visitors never recovered from a catastrophic start that saw them reeling at 22 for three on a lively pitch.

“This one was pretty special for me,” Seales said.

“I have played against [Australia] once, and was injured. To play against them and get five on the first day was pretty special.

“With the new ball, the plan was to bowl fuller. We knew the batters would come hard if we gave them width, and the plan was to bowl full and as much at the stumps as possible.

“A little slower than what the Australians would have expected, and that made them play a lot more.

“Shamar was special today … He has a love for Australia. He got through the top order and made it easy for us in the middle and at the end.”

Australia, already vulnerable with Steve Smith sidelined by injury and Marnus Labuschagne axed, watched in dismay as their re-jigged top order wilted under relentless pressure from the Caribbean quicks.

Joseph got the Bridgetown carnival started in the fourth over when he trapped teenage debutant Sam Konstas leg before wicket after a review.

The 25-year-old then delivered a scorching delivery that all-rounder Cameron Green could only edge to Justin Greaves at second slip.

Seales then joined the party, coaxing a thick top edge from Josh Inglis that sent him trudging back to the pavilion for five, completing Australia’s horror start.

Veteran Usman Khawaja and Travis Head briefly stemmed the tide with an 89-run partnership, but Joseph struck again at the perfect moment, removing Khawaja for 47 – agonisingly short of his half-century – and extinguishing Australian hopes of a recovery.

The middle order offered little resistance, with Beau Webster (11) and Alex Carey (8) falling cheaply before Greaves claimed the prize scalp of Head for 59, caught behind.

Captain Pat Cummins (28) provided the only lower-order resistance before Seales returned to sweep through the tail, completing his five-wicket masterclass and leaving Australia to contemplate the wreckage of their innings.

West Indies would have fancied their chances at that point, but Starc had other plans, snapping up the wickets of Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell in an action-packed opening spell.

Cummins then had Keacy Carty caught behind on 20 before Hazlewood bowled nightwatchman Jomel Warrican out for a duck, as the Barbadian sun set on an exhilarating day of Test cricket dominated by pace.

Opener scores 107 off 46 as Pakistan chase 197 with seven wickets in hand and 16 balls to spare for 3-0 series win.

A nerveless century from Mohammad Haris has led Pakistan’s chase of 197 runs to win the third T20 international cricket match against Bangladesh and complete a 3-0 series win in Lahore.

Having won the first two matches after choosing to bowl first, Pakistan asked the visitors to bat first in the third match on Sunday at Gaddafi Stadium in Pakistan’s eastern metropolis.

Given a tricky target of 197, Pakistan lost Sahibzada Farhan – their highest scorer in the second T20I – in the first over to Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

While the Pakistan of old may have crumbled under the pressure of losing a quick wicket, the new-look side under young captain Salman Agha and freshly-appointed coach Mike Hesson kept up their scoring rate.

Saim Ayub and Haris formed a 92-run partnership as they took on the Bangladeshi bowling attack to maintain a high scoring rate and keep the target within sight.

Ayub was dismissed in the 10th over by Tanzim Hasan Sakib after scoring 45 runs off 29 balls, but by then, Haris had taken on the role of the main hitter and kept the big shots coming.

The wicketkeeper-batter hit seven sixes and eight fours in his 46-ball 107, which kept Bangladesh out of contention for most of Pakistan’s innings.

He was all smiles as he accepted the Player of the Match award and said that despite not performing well for Pakistan in the recent past, he kept working hard.

“I tried to learn from my mistakes and didn’t want to waste this opportunity that I got to play in this series,” he said.

Haris added that he batted with the simple plan of “see ball, play ball” and didn’t want to play any unnecessary shots.

Earlier, Bangladesh’s innings had got off to a swift start when Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan overpowered Pakistan’s opening bowlers Ayub and Faheem Ashraf.

They set up an opening stand of 110, but the Bangladeshi batting lineup derailed soon after Tanzid’s departure in the 11th over.

Despite starts from captain Litton Das (22 runs) and Towhid Hridoy (25 runs), the Tigers were unable to maintain the scoring rate set by the openers.

A total of 196-6 in 20 overs ensured the home team faced some pressure when they came out to bat, but Pakistan’s array of attacking batters disregarded scoreboard pressure and took their team home with 16 balls to spare.

Pakistan captain Salman, who was on the pitch with Haris when the winning runs were scored, said he was delighted with his team’s consistency.

“We want to test ourselves where things become difficult, and we wanted to chase to put the boys under pressure,” Salman explained after the match.

The 3-0 series sweep was Pakistan’s first since 2021.

The Qalandars chase a record target of 202 against the Gladiators as Raza returns from Test duty to hit the winning runs.

All-rounder Sikandar Raza has written his name in Pakistan cricket folklore after hitting the match-winning six as the Lahore Qalandars beat the Quetta Gladiators by six wickets to win the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Raza, who was part of Zimbabwe’s Test team until Saturday afternoon, joined the Qalandars’ playing XI 10 minutes prior to the toss for the final on Sunday evening in Pakistan’s eastern metropolis.

The Pakistan-born off-break bowler and lower-middle-order batter took one wicket and scored 22 runs off seven balls as Lahore chased a target of 202 with one ball to spare.

Lahore’s run chase was largely built around Kusal Perera’s 62 runs, with support from top-order batters Mohammad Naeem and Abdullah Shafique, but it was Raza’s whirlwind journey from the United Kingdom to Pakistan and his subsequent role in hitting the winning runs that stole the show and Lahori hearts.

The 39-year-old recounted his last 24 hours by saying he had “dinner in Birmingham, breakfast in Dubai, lunch in Abu Dhabi and flew straight to Lahore for the PSL final”.

Raza bowled 25 overs in the Test on Friday and batted for 20-plus overs on Saturday before leaving for Pakistan.

“To have a victory like this, I just have no words,” he said after the match.

The hosts finished on 204-4 from 19.5 overs to lift their third PSL trophy in four years, making Shaheen Shah Afridi the only captain to win three PSL titles.

Earlier, Quetta posted a formidable total of 201-9 in their 20 overs as young batter Hasan Nawaz scored 76 runs off 43 balls and Faheem Ashraf cracked three sixes and two fours in an innings of 28 off eight balls.

Afridi was the pick of the Lahore bowlers, taking 3-24 in his four overs.

Perera was named player of the match for his instrumental innings that kept Lahore in the match until the last over.

Meanwhile, Nawaz was named player of the tournament for amassing 399 runs in the competition.

In a year when pace bowling will be so crucial to England’s hopes, and with a number of seamers absent, those on show did little to press their claims.

The biggest opportunity was to Cook, who has been prolific for Essex. It would be harsh to write off anyone after one Test, and it could be that he picked a bad time to have a poor game. His average speed of 77.9mph was the slowest recorded by an England seamer since 2006 and was not compensated by accuracy.

Atkinson has credit in the bank after 52 wickets in 2024 and will surely improve, while Tongue showed glimpses of why England rate him so highly. In his three-Test career, he has been England’s second-fastest bowler behind Mark Wood.

At least Stokes was able to get through three sprightly spells across the match, including bowling the first over on Saturday. When he returned in the afternoon, he found extra bounce to Madhevere and Brook clung to his flying one-hander.

Bashir was undercooked before this Test, being sent on loan from Somerset to Glamorgan. He improved the more he bowled, a fuller length and straighter line to better the five-wicket haul he took in this ground against West Indies last year.

The lbw to get Williams was fortunate and Curran surrendered, but the flight to Tafadwa Tsiga, who charged and was bowled, was delightful.

Blessing Muzarabani holed out and Raza sliced to slip. When Tanaka Chivanga was lbw, Bashir had the first six-wicket haul by an England spinner in a home Test since Moeen Ali in 2017.