Established 1961 13 Sports Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Gayle leads Windies past UAE, Afghanistan collapse Chris struck 11 sixes in blistering 91-ball 123 HARARE: Chris Gayle hammered his 23rd one-day 112 from Rameez Shahzad carried them to a respectable international hundred to lead the West Indies to victory 297-6. Windies skipper Holder ensured his side got off in their opening World Cup qualifier against the United to a winning start, taking 5-53 after fast bowler Arab Emirates yesterday, while Afghanistan collapsed Sheldon Cottrell’s day was cut short by injury. to defeat by Zimbabwe. Windies opening batsman Gayle struck 11 sixes in a AFGHANISTAN DREAM IN TATTERS blistering 91-ball 123 in Harare as the two-time World Afghanistan came into the qualifiers as favourites to Cup winners racked up 357-4 in their Group A clash, qualify alongside the West Indies, but will now proba- with the UAE falling 60 runs short. bly need five consecutive wins to have any chance of Afghanistan’s hopes of taking one of the last two reaching a second straight World Cup. With the places for next year’s tournament in England and Wales defeats against Scotland and Zimbabwe set to count in are hanging by a thread, after following Sunday’s shock the Super Six stage, should Afghanistan get there, their loss to Scotland with an ago- chances are all but over. nising two-run defeat by the Rashid Khan and co put in a hosts. Elsewhere, Ireland much-improved display with and Scotland both made it Ireland, Scotland the ball as they limited two wins from two by seeing Zimbabwe to 196 all out in off Papua New Guinea and both made it Bulawayo. Hong Kong respectively. The Teenage stand-in captain 38-year-old Gayle became two wins Khan took 3-38 to reach 90 only the third batsman in wickets in ODIs, while 16- ODI history after Hashim from two year-old fellow leg-spinner Amla and Sachin Tendulkar Mujeeb Ur Rahman finished to score hundreds against 11 with 3-49. But Brendan different countries. Taylor’s 89 and 60 from After captain Jason Holder elected to bat first, Gayle Sikandar Raza proved crucial as Zimbabwe won in dra- Chris Gayle quickly got into his stride alongside big-hitting young- matic fashion. ster Evin Lewis in an opening partnership of 88. Lewis At 156-3 with almost 17 overs remaining, fell for 31, but Shimron Hetmyer outdid even Gayle, Afghanistan were cruising to victory, but the pressure was caught behind off Brian Vitori to secure four-wicket win over Papua New Guinea, who had plundering 127 to score his maiden international ton. proved too much as they lost six wickets for only 21 Zimbabwe’s second win. Ireland and Scotland look set managed 235 thanks to a stunning 151 from opener The UAE, who had beaten Papua New Guinea in runs. Last-wicket pair Dawlat Zadran and Shapoor to challenge the West Indies and Zimbabwe for qualifi- Tony Ura. Scotland survived a middle-order collapse to their opening match, never threatened a famous run Zadran dragged the Asian outfit to within four runs of cation, after both moved to the top of their groups. successfully chase down 92 to beat Hong Kong, with chase after slipping to 69-3, but an excellent unbeaten their target heading into the final over, but the latter Captain William Porterfield’s 111 steered Ireland to a skipper Kyle Coetzer making 41 not out. — AFP Perera leads Sri Lanka to big T20 ICC suspends win against India Indian curator COLOMBO: Kusal Perera hit a blazing half-century over tainted to power Sri Lanka to a five-wicket win over India in the opening Twenty20 international of the tri-nation pitch approach tournament yesterday. Chasing 175 for victory, the hosts rode on Perera’s 37-ball 66 to achieve their tar- get with nine balls to spare at Colombo’s R NEW DELHI: Cricket’s world governing body yester- Premadasa Stadium. The left-handed Perera, who hit day banned a leading Indian groundsman for six 6 fours and 4 sixes, overshadowed Indian opener months for failing to report a corruption approach Shikar Dhawan’s career-best 90 that saw the visitors before a one-day international last year. post 174-5 after being put into bat first. Pandurang Salgaonkar, who looks after the ground at Pune, was the subject of an undercover sting by the Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington India Today TV channel, which alleged he agreed to Sundar hurt Sri Lanka’s chase by picking up two doctor the surface before a one-day international wickets each but Perera’s fiery start made sure the between India and New Zealand in October 2017. hosts stand tall. The islanders lost an early wicket but “Salgaonkar was charged with a failure to report a 58-run second-wicket partnership between Perera, COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s cricketer Kusal Perera (R) plays a shot as India’s wicketkeeper Dinesh an approach but no evidence was found of him actu- who notched up his eighth T20 fifty, and Danushka Karthik looks on during the opening Twenty20 international cricket match between Sri Lanka ally having been engaged in corruption and therefore Gunathilaka put their innings back on track. and India of the Nidahas Trophy tri-nation Twenty20 tournament at the R Premadasa stadium in no charges were laid against him on that basis,” said Perera, who hit paceman Shardul Thakur for 27 Colombo yesterday. — AFP an International Cricket Council statement. The ICC runs with 5 fours and a six in the third over of the decision said there was no evidence that the 68-year- innings, took the steam out of the inexperienced old former player had agreed to accept a bribe when Indian bowling attack. Perera though faltered after he met the journalists. ICC anti-corruption manager getting stumped to Sundar’s off spin as the Sri SCOREBOARD Alex Marshall said, “I am satisfied that Salgaonkar Lankan chase wobbled with the Indian bowlers com- has no case to answer on the broad allegations of corruption made by India Today.” ing back with some disciplined effort. COLOMBO: Scoreboard of tri-nation Twenty20 international between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo yesterday: “Mr Salgaonkar has accepted that he has commit- Thisara Perera, on 22, and Dasun Shanaka, on 15, India Sri Lanka (target 175) ted the offence and has received a six-month suspen- then put on an unbeaten 39-run stand to keep up the R. Sharma c Mendis b Chameera 0 D. Gunathilaka c Pant b Unadkat 19 sion.” The ban was backdated to October 25, mean- spirits of a raucous home crowd. Earlier Dhawan’s S. Dhawan c Perera b Gunathilaka 90 K. Mendis c Dhawan b Sundar 11 ing he will be free to work again on April 24. The 49-ball blitz, laced with 6 fours and 6 sixes, lifted K. Perera st Karthik b Sundar 66 Board of Control for Cricket in India suspended S. Raina b Pradeep 1 India from a precarious 9-2 to put up a respectable D. Chandimal b Chahal 14 Salgaonkar after the TV channel showed him promis- total. Dhawan put on a crucial 95-run third-wicket M. Pandey c Gunathilaka b Mendis 37 U. Tharanga b Chahal 17 ing a favourable wicket for New Zealand to reporters stand with Manish Pandey, who made 37, to test the R. Pant c Pradeep b Chameera 23 D. Shanaka not out 15 who posed as bookmakers. — AFP Sri Lanka bowling but missed out on a ton after D. Karthik not out 13 T. Perera not out 22 falling to Gunathilaka’s off-spin. Extras (b1, lb3, w6) 10 Extras (lb4, nb1, w6) 11 Total (5 wickets, 20 overs) 174 Total (5 wickets, 18.3 overs) 175 Pace spearhead Dushmantha Chameera claimed Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Mendis), 2-70 (Gunathilaka), 3-98 Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Sharma), 2-9 (Raina), 3-104 (Pandey), 4-153 two wickets including the prized scalp of India skip- (Chandimal), 4-127 (Perera), 5-136 (Tharanga) (Dhawan), 5-174 (Pant) Steyn eyes return per Rohit Sharma for nought in the first over of the Did not bat: J. Mendis, A. Dananjaya, D. Chameera, N. Pradeep innings. India will take on Bangladesh in the next Did not bat: W. Sundar, V. Shankar, S. Thakur, J. Unadkat, Y. Chahal Bowling: Unadkat 3-0-35-1 (w2), Sundar 4-0-28-2 (w1), Thakur match of the tournament, which is timed to com- Bowling: Chameera 4-0-33-2 (w1), Pradeep 3-0-38-1 (w2), 3.3-0-42-0 (nb1, w1), Chahal 4-0-37-2 (w1), Shankar 2-0-15-0 in third Test memorate Sri Lanka’s 70 years of independence, Dananjaya 4-0-37-0 (w1), Perera 3-0-25-0, Mendis 3-0-21-1 (w2), (w1), Raina 2-0-14-0. tomorrow. — AFP Gunathilaka 3-0-16-1. Result: Sri Lanka won by five wickets CAPE TOWN: South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn is tar- geting a return to Test cricket in the third match of the series against Australia this month, he said yesterday. The 34-year-old, plagued by injury over the last two years, is three wickets away from becoming South Africa’s him ‘the Reverend’ for his quieter demeanour. Warner leading Test wicket taker. “I’m looking at trying to get into Australia calls shed his ‘Reverend’ persona prior to the recent Ashes the third Test, get back with the boys. It’s been a long time series, however, as he called on team mates to summon - shoulder, foot, all that kind of stuff.