GUL vs VIP Fantasy Predictions: ILT20, Qualifier 1
Sydney Thunder sign talented Afghanistan pacer
AFG vs NED | 3rd ODI: No respite for the Dutch as Zadran, Qais Ahmad shine in Afghan clean sweep
BBL 2021-22 | Joe Clarke's onslaught helps Melbourne Stars thwart Brisbane Heat's riposte
Not all England batsmen are struggling to dominate Australian bowlers and the pair of Joe Clarke and Ben Duckett were in full flow on Monday night and owned the Gabba ground where their countrymen started to fall off the clip in the Ashes series. To start with, Clarke blasted his way to a 44-ball 85 and led the Melbourne Stars to just a bit higher total than a firing Brisbane Heat batting lineup could reach on the back of a splendid knock from Duckett. The left-hander scored a 35-ball 54 and kept the Heat in the game although they were in pursuit of a mountainous target of 208 runs. The Heat were rocked early with the big wickets of Max Bryant and Tom Cooper even before they could get going and the men in blue were in real danger of losing the game by a very big margin. However, Duckett came as a batsman on a mission who wanted to match Clarke’s belligerence and put on a partnership of 87 runs from just 57 balls with Chris Lynn, who himself scored a brilliant 34-ball 57. Brody Couch was the pick of the bowlers for the Stars and after a double-wicket first over when he sent both Cooper and Bryant back, he came back to dismiss a swashbuckling Sam Heazlett in the middle phase of the game to completely derail the Heat’s chasing efforts. Any hope of a Heat’s comeback was crushed by the leg spinner Qais Ahmed and the Stars went on to seal a close win albeit they would have hoped and expected a rather comfortable win. Earlier, the new ball pair of Mark Steketee and Liam Guthrie vindicated the decision of bowling first taken by their skipper Jimmy Peirson as they obliterated the top three of the Stars’ batting comprising of Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Joe Burns. The onus was on the middle order after the failure of their star-studded top order and that’s when the duo of Clarke and Hilton Cartwright took upon themselves to take the attack to the opposition. From a precarious position of 16/3 in 2.5 overs, the duo carried the men in green to 167 runs by the end of the 15th over and the platform for a massive onslaught was set that eventually took them beyond the 200-run mark. The opening bowling pair of Steketee and Guthrie were taken to cleaners in the end as Qais Ahmed too joined the party with lusty hits in the end overs. With the win, the Stars have made their campaign even stevens with three wins and three losses from six games this season while the Heat got plummeted to the sixth position on the points table of an eight-team tournament.
BBL 11 | Watch Afghan Qais Ahmad’s socially distanced celebration for Melbourne Stars
Qais Ahmad of Afghanistan is playing his second game in the Big Bash League 2021 and is still not allowed to come in touch with the other nine players of the playing XI apart from Andre Russell, who has also travelled with the Afghan from Dubai where both were part of the recently concluded T10 tournament. Both Ahmad and Russell are part of Melbourne Stars. So after Qais picked his first wicket as he bowled Sydney Thunder’s Matthew Gilkes round his legs in only his second over, the 21-year-old couldn’t celebrate by high fiving his teammates and therefore created a unique celebration which was praised on Twitter. In the tweet done by Channel 7, the official broadcaster of the league, Ahmad is seen giving in the air high fives. Few people couldn’t understand the reason and asked why Ahmad, who could play in the XI was not allowed to be in touch with the players on the field. The reason for that has been given as the number of days in self-quarantine after their return from Dubai. This means that these two players, Ahmad and Russell would not be allowed to touch other players for the first two games. In the match, both Russell and Qais bowled four overs each. While Qais picked two wickets he also held on to catch. As far as the match is concerned, the Thunder batting first have set a target of 152 for the Stars to chase.
CPL 2021 | Team Preview: Jamaica Tallawahs overreliant on domestic stalwarts to win third title
If not winning a lot of games even with superstar performers were not agonising enough, the Jamaica Tallawahs are set to embark on another journey without those performers. They were enriched with a performing international trio of Glenn Phillips, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Sandeep Lamichhane but could manage to win just three out of 10 games last season. However, they managed to escape through to the final rounds and were knocked out only at the hands of the Trinbago Knight Riders, who went all the way to win the tournament. This time, none of them will be around and the Tallawahs will fall back on the already struggling shoulders of Andre Russell, and Carlos Brathwaite, who is getting back the lost reputation in the shortest format. They were the first champions of the competition in 2013 and then replicated their success again in the 2015 edition. However, apart from those two triumphant events, the Tallawahs have not had a dream run of form in the competition of late. Strength The Tallawahs have a good mixture of players who are champions in the 20-over format along with promising players on the block. They have the services of Andre Russell and Brathwaite, who have a fair bit of idea on how to get the big things done in tournaments such as the CPL along with Pakistan batsman Haider Ali, who has been tipped as one of the big things with the bat in this format. In the bowling department, Qais Ahmad will represent the enterprising young talent in the Tallawahs camp while the veteran Fidel Edwards is bowling at express pace and with immaculate control. The Tallawahs will bank on the trio of Russell, Brathwaite and Edwards to make up for the lack of international stars and if they get their game right in this edition, the Tallawahs can go far beyond what their critics are rating them this time. Weakness Interestingly, the strengths of the Tallawahs are also their weaknesses as Russell’s fitness has been questionable in the recent past. Lat time around as well, they were overreliance on Russell and were perished for it. They also need to find a replacement for an economic and wicket-taking partnership of Lamichanne and Mujeeb who were accurate and threatening at the same time. They picked up 28 wickets at an economy rate of less than six runs per over and the Tallawahs have their task cut out to find another potent bowling pair for the middle phase of the game. They will demand more runs from their opener Chadwick Walton, who had a horrible season last year and his failure at the top will put more and more pressure on Russell. Opportunities All the games of CPL will be played at the same venue—Warner Stadium in St. Kitts and it’s inevitable that the surfaces will get slower and slower with each passing game. There will be massive opportunities for off-spinner Chris Green and leg spinner Qais Ahmad to leave their mark on the competition. Pakistan batsman Haider Ali also has a massive opportunity to bring his best game with the bat in the competition and provide a rollicking start to the Tallawahs. Strongest XI Chadwick Walton, Haider Ali, Andre Russell, Shamarh Brooks, Jason Mohammed, Rovman Powell, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Green, Qais Ahmad, Fidel Edwards, Veerasammy Permaul
Amid Taliban situation Afghanistan Cricket Board add new teams, hopes to host extended Shpageeza T20 league
Even as the entire world is coming to terms with the Taliban take over of Afghanistan administration, the Afghanistan Cricket Board decided to hold an auction for team ownership rights for their domestic T20 league known as the Shpageeza Cricket League for sponsorship reasons. The ACB added two more teams to now convert the earlier six-team league to an eight-team tournament. The two new teams added to the league are Hindukush Stars and Pamir Zalmi representing two more reasons of Afghanistan. Speaking on the occasion of the franchise rights selling, ACB CEO Dr Hamid Shinwari said, “ This time around, SCL will provide audiences and fans with a new experience. It will also be great financially for players.” He also was confident about getting the senior Men’s side ODI series against Pakistan in Sri Lanka to be completed on time as well. With the inclusion of the two teams, now the eight franchises are Hindukush Stars, Pamir Zalmiyan. Speenghar Tigers, Kabul Eagles, Amo Sharks, Bost Defenders, Band-e Amir Dragons and Mis-e Ainak Knights. The eighth edition of the SPL will begin on September 10th at Kabul Cricket Stadium and will conclude on the 25th of the same month at the same venue. It would however be interesting to see whether the Afghanistan players taking part in foreign leagues at the moment including the likes of Rashid Khan, Qais Ahmad and Naveen-Ul-Haq be able to participate in the SPL or not.
T20 Blast: Kent sign Afghan leggie Qais Ahmad
Qais Ahmad became the fifth Afghan player to sign a contract for the upcoming Vitality Blast, England’s premium t20 tournament. Kent informed that the leggie would also be available for two County Championship matches for the side, subject to regulatory approval. “I’m excited to play in the Vitality Blast and I’m really looking forward to being a Kent Spitfire,” Ahmad was quoted as saying by Kent’s official website. “Having played alongside Daniel Bell-Drummond at Colombo Kings, I have heard good things about Kent and I will give it my all,” the Afghan added. Ahmad, who has taken 77 wickets in a T20 career of 67 matches with an average of 21.78, would be joined by his Afghan teammates, Rashid Khan (Sussex), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Middlesex), Mohammad Nabi (Northamptonshire) and Naveen-ul-Haq (Leicestershire) in the Blast 2021. The Nangarhar born might have played only one Test, but he has 68 wickets in 12 first-class matches so far at an average of 20.51. Kent’s Director of Cricket, Paul Downton, was pleased to have signed Ahamad as the lone leggie in the side as the previous year’s quarterfinalists were deprived of the spin options with only Imran Qayyum’s left-arm spin being available at disposal along with Joe Denly’s part-time leg-spin. “We’re delighted to welcome a leg-spinner of Qais Ahmad’s class to Kent as we look to bring some variety to our attack ahead of the Vitality Blast,” Downton said. “I am confident that his enthusiasm for the game will make him a firm favourite with our Members and supporters as we look to welcome crowds back to watching live cricket again,” he added.
PSL 6: Quetta breaks the streak as Qais Ahmad’s brilliant spell downs Multan
The Pakistan Super League’ sixth edition’s streak of 'teams chasing and winning the game’ was finally broken after 13 games. It was broken by a team and in a match that nobody believed could happen. Quetta gladiators, who had lost their previous four games even after scoring as high as 198, went on to defend 176 against the Multan Sultans, defeating the Mohammad Rizwan led side by 22 runs. Qais Ahmad was the hero of the game for Quetta with his spell of 3-21 in four overs at the National Stadium in Karachi. Ahmad, 20, was included in the side for the first time after the opening match debacle phenomenal with his variations. The Afghan leggie stopped the flow of runs with his leg break and cunning googlies, causing the batsmen to go for unconventional options, making them commit mistakes, and in turn giving away their wickets. In his four overs, Ahmad got the important scalps of James Vince, Shan Masood and Rilee Rossouw, rightfully claiming the award of Man of the Match. The Sultans started the chase of 177 cautiously with the opening pair of Vince and Rizwan adding 63 runs in the first eight overs. However, after the first breakthrough of Vince, the screws were tightened by Sarfraz Ahmed, as he operated spin from both ends, causing all sorts of discomfort to the Multan side. Mohammad Nawaz bowled well in tandem with Qais, making it difficult for batsmen to free their hands. As pressure mounted, wickets kept falling at regular intervals. With Sohaib Maqsood departing at the end of the 13th over, Rizwan was joined by Khushdil Shah, who did play a few shots, but they were one shot too many. Even after Zahid Mahmood and Dale Steyn conceding 12 and 14 runs respectively in two overs and the game getting back in the balance, the Sultans could not capitalise. When 60 runs were needed from the last five overs, Ahmad bowled a brilliant over, giving just eight runs and building even more pressure on the two batsmen in the middle. Khushdil Shah then got out of a Mohammad Hasnain slower ball. In the same over Hsnain removed Carlos Brathwaite as well, forcing Rizwan, who was batting on 66 to fight a lone battle. Mahmood then came back to bowl the 18th over and picked two wickets, removing Rizwan to put the match firmly in Quetta’ kitty. Mere formalities were left after that as whole Multan were bundled out for 154 in 19.4 overs. Earlier in the evening, as predicted, Multan invited Quetta to bat first after they won the toss. Usman Khan, the debutant for Quetta made full use of the opportunity, scoring a brilliant 81 off 50 balls. In his knock of 81, the 25-year-old right-hander hit 10 fours and three sixes, getting Quetta to a blistering start. However, the big-hitting got subdued as Usman got out and more wickets fell regularly. Courtesy of Mohammad Nawaz’s last over hitting, in which he scored 13 runs, the Gladiators reached 176. With this win, Quetta finally registered themselves on the Points Table, although they are still placed at the bottom. This victory also gave them a lifeline and renewed vigour to face Islamabad in the first match of the doubleheader on March 6. Sultans on the other hand would look to find other ways to win a game when they face Karachi on 5th March.