India head coach Gautam Gambhir insists Sanju Samson remains in contention despite his surprise omission from the playing XI after England beat India by 125 runs in the third T20 to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
This is India’s biggest defeat in terms of runs in T-20, due to which the investigation has intensified. team selection call. Chasing 202, India were bowled out for just 76 runs in 11.4 overs as Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue tore apart the batting line-up. losses also increased Shreyas Iyer’s failure to win in five matches as T20I captainIndia are still searching for answers after a disappointing performance which included four defeats and one match being washed out due to rain.
The biggest talking point has been the absence of Samson. The wicketkeeper-batsman was India’s Player of the Tournament during their successful T20 World Cup title defence, producing several match-winning performances. Yet, despite those exploits, he found himself on the sidelines during India’s difficult transition under Gambhir and Iyer.
Speaking after the defeat, Gambhir dismissed suggestions that Samson had been left out of the team’s plans, revealing that he had already spoken to the batsman about his role.
Gambhir said, “The first thing is that the clarity that Sanju Samson needed has been given to him from my side. This is completely a conversation between the player and the head coach. This conversation is not going to come out.”
The Indian coach reiterated that Samson’s contribution has not been forgotten, but also said that current form will continue to impact selection.
“Regarding Sanju, we are very clear that what he has done for India is phenomenal and sometimes you just have to look at the form of a certain player. There is no hard and fast rule that he cannot make a comeback in this series.”
Gambhir also defended the team’s selection philosophy, saying that every player should keep earning his place.
“International cricket is about results, so whatever we feel is the best combination to give results, we play with that combination and the final XI. I have always been a big believer that everyone needs to earn their place and right to play for India.”
Adaptability under the spotlight
With India struggling throughout the tour, Gambhir admitted that the team had failed to adapt to the conditions, a concern that was reflected in the results against both Ireland and England.
“In terms of adaptability, obviously we haven’t adapted well. That’s the reality, whether it’s Ireland or England. If we had adapted well or played better cricket, maybe we wouldn’t have lost four games in a row.”
The crushing defeat in Bristol has further increased the debate over India’s team composition. While Gambhir has made it clear that Samson’s international career is far from over, India’s continued struggles mean that every selection call will remain under the microscope until results start improving.
Shreyas IyerHis luck has been shining at the time of the toss, while the wait continues for his first win as India’s full-time T20I captain. The 31-year-old won his fifth consecutive toss in T20Is after electing to field against England in the third T20I at Trent Bridge on Tuesday. By doing so, Iyer joined the elite list of Indian captains to win five consecutive toss in the shortest format.ms dhoni The record of winning seven consecutive toss between May 2010 and February 2012 still stands Virat Kohli Won six in a row during 2019. Rohit won five consecutive tosses between February 2020 and February 2022, which Iyer has now equaled.Most consecutive tosses won by an Indian captain in T20Is
MS Dhoni – 7 (May 2010-February 2012)
Virat Kohli – 6 (August 2019-December 2019)
Rohit Sharma – 5 (February 2020-February 2022)
MS Dhoni – 5 (September 2007)
Shreyas Iyer – 5 (June 2026-July 2026)*
However, the streak of winning the toss has done little to change India’s fortunes on the field.Since taking over as India’s full-time T20I captain after the 2026 T20 World Cup, Iyer is yet to register his first win. India faced consecutive defeats against Ireland before the opening T20 match against England was washed out due to rain. They then lost the second T20I in Manchester, making Iyer winless in his first four matches as captain before the Trent Bridge clash.
Playing XI for India vs England 3rd T20 match
England (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Jacob Bethel, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh TongueIndia (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (w), Shreyas Iyer (c), Shivam Dubey, Tilak Verma, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakraborty.Fast bowler Prince Yadav has been included in the team in place of leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who had a poor performance in the last match.
AB de Villiers (left) and Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers on TOI Sports’ Bombay Sports Exchange Podcast
Former batsman of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) AB de Villiers has revealed that before walking away from the game in 2021, Virat Kohli had tried to convince him not to retire from franchise cricket.Speaking on TOI Sports’ Bombay Sports Exchange podcast, de Villiers said Kohli tried to change his mind, but he had already decided it was the right time to move on. When de Villiers was asked whether Kohli had tried to stop him, he said, “Yes. He tried.”The South African great retired from international cricket in 2018 after helping his team defeat India and Australia on home soil. He continued to play franchise cricket, including for RCB in the Indian Premier League (IPL), before retiring from all formats of the game in 2021.“I walked away from international cricket exactly when I wanted to (2018). We had beaten India and Australia on home soil and I went away very excited.”“Then I decided I would continue playing some T20 tournaments, travel the world with my family, take them to the IPL, take them to England for the Blast, Australia for the Big Bash and a few other tournaments. When I finally felt ready, I called it quits one day (from franchise cricket, too, in 2021).”De Villiers said that his retirement from the IPL was not a sudden decision and he had been thinking about it during his last season.De Villiers said, “It took time. This idea was in my mind throughout the final season. Eventually, I went to Virat and said, ‘I’m done’.”De Villiers also talked about the pressure of playing in front of a packed crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, with fans chanting his name.“That can also be tiring. Those moments also lead to sleepless nights. It’s not all sunshine and roses. There are tough moments too. The expectations and pressure you put on yourself can be suffocating at times. I’ve talked about it before. I’m incredibly proud of what I achieved. But before big matches, I would often struggle to sleep. I was so focused on making an impact for the team that I had to just be myself. It seemed difficult to live. So it was not always easy,” de Villiers said on TOI Sports’ Bombay Sports Exchange podcast.Reflecting on life after retirement, he said that the joy of success does not last long, even for the greatest players.“Of course, I miss those moments. When everything clicked and the crowd helped me enter that arena, it was an incredible feeling. But success disappears very quickly. Every champion will tell you the same thing. You win the biggest trophy, and an hour later you are already asking yourself, “Now what?” Then your focus immediately shifts to the next trophy. You are never completely satisfied with those achievements. Having said that, I no longer enjoy those I can look back on the memories with immense gratitude.“
Just days after setting tongues wagging in the US by crossing paths with rap royalty Travis Scott, India’s elite batting maestro Shubman Gill has created another viral sensation, this time by planning a classic cricket takeover inside the ultra-exclusive confines of the Formula One paddock.
Before leading the national team in the much-awaited three-match One Day International series against England later this month, Shubman Gill used his free time to soak up the high-octane environment. The prestigious British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
However, it was not just a regular celebrity appearance for the Indian captain. Dressed in a green linen shirt and pristine white trousers, Gill was captured in a behind-the-scenes video giving a surprise visit to the Mercedes AMG Petronas garage. The encounter quickly turned into an epic sporting crossover when Gill linked up with Mercedes’ unprecedented 19-year-old championship leader, Kimi Antonelli.
The teenage racing genius replaced his usual steering wheel with a cricket bat, and engaged in a lively, impromptu bout of “corridor cricket” in the Mercedes garage. Organized through a high-profile, global promotional campaign supported by powerhouse brands Nike and Beats by Dre, the casual hit-out highlighted the brilliant fusion of two completely different sporting universes.
For Antonelli, the light-hearted banter with Gil provided a welcome, invigorating distraction during a weekend that would ultimately test his immense mental resolve on the tarmac. The Italian sensation has enjoyed an absolutely historic rise during the 2026 campaign, leading the World Drivers’ Championship standings in his debut season with five Grand Prix wins already.
The teenager demonstrated his blinding speed early on Saturday, completely dominating the field to hunt down seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton for a sensational sprint race victory before storming to an impressive pole position for Sunday’s main event.
Unfortunately for the young championship leader, his dazzling pace was exposed during Sunday’s dramatic Grand Prix. After handing the lead to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc from the starting grid, Antonelli fought valiantly on the fresh rubber and looked set to mount a late-race charge for the top step of the podium. However, disaster struck cruelly on lap 41 when front-left wheel shield failure severely hampered his downforce. Forced to make two extra pit stops and slapped with a track-limits penalty, Antonelli finished in a heartbreaking 15th place after a late crash by Max Verstappen ended the race under a safety car.
Leclerc happily took advantage of mechanical misfortune to record a clinical victory and hold off the late-charging Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who completed the podium. Although Antonelli’s championship lead dropped to 25 points over teammate Russell, his status as motorsport’s next global megastar remains completely undisputed.
Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin expressed concern about sanju samsonIndia’s sudden decline in the T20I rankings is raising questions about whether external pressure and social media stories are beginning to influence selection decisions. There has been a dramatic change in the fortunes of Samson, who was named Player of the Tournament during India’s successful T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year. After registering three consecutive single-digit scores against Ireland and England, he was left out of the playing eleven in Manchester, with teenage opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi being handed his much-awaited international debut. India lost the match by four wickets, while Suryavanshi could score only 14 runs. The wicketkeeper-batsman’s struggles continued as he was dropped from India’s squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, with Prabhsimran Singh getting the call-up after an impressive IPL 2026 campaign for Punjab Kings. speaking on his youtube channel matter of luxuryAshwin admitted that he was surprised by how quickly Samson was sidelined despite his recent contributions. “Right now, I am worried. I am worried because Sanju Samson has been dropped from the team so soon. What will Sanju be thinking now? How motivated will he be when he goes to practice in the nets?” Ashwin said. The former spinner also suggested that India might consider shuffling the batting order rather than leaving out Samson completely. With Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ishan Kishan being left-handers, Ashwin felt that Samson could slot in at No. 3. “At the moment, you already have three left-handers in the top order: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ishan Kishan. Now, they will consider Sanju for No. 3, I am telling you. Everyone including the coaching staff and Gautam Gambhir knows that this is not fair to Sanju. So now they have to handle the situation somehow.” Ashwin acknowledged that tough decisions are part of international cricket, but argued that players who have consistently repaid the team’s faith in them deserve to play longer before being dropped. In his view, Samson had earned that support through his performance. The veteran also raised broader concerns over whether outside opinion was beginning to shape decisions within the Indian system. His selection was widely demanded by fans after Suryavanshi’s record-breaking IPL season, and Ashwin questioned whether public sentiment took place in the selection process. “I am worried about one thing. Is the social media chatter and all the external noise making its way into the team? Is it influencing the decision-making? I have been watching cricket for a long time and I have seen many leaders in the Indian team.” He never allowed outside noise to enter the dressing room and that’s how it should be,” he said.
Should Sanju Samson have been given more chances despite his recent form?
India will travel to Zimbabwe later this month for a three-match T20 series in Harare on July 23, 25 and 27. Samson’s absence from the team is another blow for the 31-year-old, who has been replaced by Prabhsimran Singh after his strong domestic and IPL performances.
United States coach Mauricio Pochettino refused to blame the controversy over Folarin Balogun’s availability for his team’s 4-1 World Cup defeat to Belgium on Monday, although he admitted he was “disappointed” and “disappointed” by the reaction.
Preparations for the match in Seattle were affected by FIFA’s decision to clear Balogun to play despite the striker receiving a red card in the previous round. The decision comes after reports that US President Donald Trump had contacted FIFA, although football’s governing body insisted its disciplinary decision was taken independently.
Belgium challenged the decision before the appeal was rejected, prompting Pochettino’s repeated defense Availability of Balogun In the days before the knockout match.
After the defeat, however, the Argentine made it clear that the off-field noise had no impact on his team’s performance.
“Today we were not good. We don’t need to look for excuses,” Pochettino said. “Whatever was happening around was around, but it was not a situation that affected us. I think it had no impact on our performance. It is not an excuse, and we cannot make any excuses. It was not our day.”
Pochettino acknowledged that he was personally hurt by the criticism that followed FIFA’s decision, adding that he simply respected the governing body’s decision.
He accused critics of “mixing” politics with FIFA’s disciplinary process, saying, “I am very disappointed and disappointed with the people who should understand this situation.”
“But personally, what does that mean? If my position is ‘I’m the head coach, this is the rule that a player can be available’ to be insulted or receive a lot of bad messages or threats?”
“My position was to train the team, and if you have Balogun available because the FIFA disciplinary committee has allowed you to have the player, it is not a problem. Personally I feel very disappointed with a lot of people.”
‘We are not good as a team’
On the field, the United States failed to repeat the performances that had taken them through the group stage and knockout rounds. Belgium dominated the competition’s major matches, with the hosts unable to recover after conceding two consecutive goals.
“As a team we didn’t show our real quality,” Pochettino said.
“We never got into the game. Belgium was better than us and that’s all.”
The Americans briefly found a way back into the contest when Malik Tillman equalized, but Belgium quickly restored the lead before falling behind in the second half.
“Even when we scored a goal, in the next action we scored a goal,” Pochettino said. “Normally you can’t accept in that moment.”
“It was a very bad day. It was not our day, collectively or individually. In a tournament like the World Cup, when it happens in the knockout stage, you are out and you need to go home.”
Balogun, the United States’ leading scorer in the tournament with three goals, started against Belgium, but struggled to impact the game as the co-hosts suffered their heaviest defeat of the competition.
Pochettino also remained uncertain about his future. His contract expires after the World Cup, although he has reportedly been offered an extension and has also been linked with a return to European club football.
“Now let’s take some rest, think, talk and then see what decision is taken from the federation and our side,” he said.
Despite the disappointing exit, Pochettino insisted that the team had laid the foundation for the future.
“We need to continue to improve,” he said. “But I’m proud. I think we’ve set principles for the future.”
Sanju Samson and Ashok Sharma (Image Credit: Agencies)
New Delhi: World Cup winning wicketkeeper-batsman sanju samson Due to poor form, he was on Monday dropped from India’s squad for the three-match T20 series against Zimbabwe later this month.Under the leadership of Ajit Agarkar, the selectors announced a 15-member squad with Shreyas Iyer as captain. Teenage opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi retained his place after making his international debut against England. Fast bowlers Ashok Sharma and Yash Thakur were selected in the Indian team for the first time, while Punjab wicketkeeper-batsman Prabhsimran Singh was also selected in the senior national team for the first time.India will play three T20 matches against Zimbabwe in Harare on July 23, 25 and 27.
Samson lost his place due to bad runs
Samson has been dropped from the team after a disappointing performance with the bat.The Kerala wicketkeeper was dropped from India’s playing XI for the second T20I against England after scoring just one run off seven balls in the series opener in Durham.Earlier, he had managed to score 0 and 5 in the two-match T20 series against Ireland.Despite playing a key role in India’s recent T20 World Cup win and winning the Player of the Tournament award, Samson failed to build on that success and has now lost his place in the team.
Three players got India call-up for the first time
The selectors rewarded three players with their first senior India call-ups.Rajasthan fast bowler Ashok, who was recently included in the India A squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka, has now been included in the T20 squad.Yash Thakur was also included in the squad for the first time after impressive domestic performances.Punjab wicketkeeper-batsman Prabhasimran also got his first call-up after impressive performances in the domestic circuit and IPL.Express fast bowler Mayank Yadav also returned to the national team for the first time since 2024.
Shivam Dubey has been included in the ODI team in place of Nitish Kumar Reddy.
The men’s selection committee also announced one change to India’s ODI squad for the three-match series against England.All-rounder Shivam Dubey has been replaced by injured Nitish Kumar Reddy.
The scoreboard read Portugal 0, Spain 1. The Spanish festival was being celebrated all around him. The reality is that there will be no seventh FIFA World CupNo last chance to chase the trophy that had eluded him for more than two decades.
It wasn’t until those few quiet moments that the tears came.
Portugal’s FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign ended in the most brutal fashion. Mikel Merino’s stoppage-time strike sent Spain through to the quarter-finals and brought down the curtain on Ronaldo’s sixth and final appearance on football’s biggest stage.
For a player who has spent more than two decades leading Portugal to some of their greatest nights, there will be no last heroic goal, no last act of defiance and no fairytale farewell. The World Cup, a prize that forever eluded him, remained beyond his grasp.
It was hard not to feel something watching Ronaldo walk away.
It doesn’t matter whether you supported Lionel Messi, worshiped Barcelona, praised Real Madrid or spent the last month arguing that Portugal should have moved on from their captain. The rivalry suddenly seemed unimportant. Football was watching one of its defining international careers reach its inevitable conclusion.
The irony is that the criticism that Ronaldo received during this World Cup was not entirely wrong. At 41, he is no longer the unstoppable force that once destroyed the defenses of all of Europe. The acceleration has faded, the explosions have diminished and moments of brilliance come less frequently than five or seven years ago.
Yet Roberto Martínez never wavered.
The Portugal manager continued to have faith in the man who has given more to his country than anyone else, and Ronaldo repaid that faith with another tireless effort. He dropped deep to win possession, took on Spain’s centre-backs, applied pressure whenever possible and was the focal point of every Portuguese attack. This was not the Ronaldo of old, but this was a performance from a player who was not going to let his final World Cup go without a fight.
Spain finally lost its patience, Portugal
Spain looked to be the more complete side from the first whistle.
Luis de la Fuente’s men dominated possession with Rodri controlling the tempo, Pedri stringing together attacks and Dani Olmo repeatedly finding dangerous pockets between Portugal’s compact defensive lines. Mikel Oyarzabal missed the game’s clearest early chance when he headed his effort wide with only Diogo Costa to beat, but Portugal’s resistance never depended solely on their goalkeeper.
Costa was excellent, making several important saves, yet the foundation of Portugal’s defensive performance was built by the partnership in front of him. Ruben Dias and Renato Veiga produced one of their finest performances together in national colours, blocking shots, winning duels and reading Spain’s complex attacking patterns brilliantly. Time and again, the pair ensured Costa was not left open, forming the final defensive wall that frustrated Spain for more than 90 minutes.
There was another hero in Portugal’s backline.
Nuno Mendes once again accepted the toughest task on the pitch, keeping Lamine Yamal remarkably quiet for most of the contest. The teenage sensation, who has troubled some of Europe’s best defenders, found little joy against the Paris Saint-Germain full-back, whose pace, positioning and timing repeatedly snuffed out danger before it could develop.
When Mendes limped off after running at full strength to recover against Yamal, Portugal lost not only a defender but also the player who best posed Spain’s biggest threat. The balance of the competition changed little by little and Spain felt it.
Nuno Mendes could not take the game forward for Portugal. (Photo: Reuters)
It was also a reminder of why Martínez continues to have faith in Ronaldo. A trademark stepover created space for a shot that forced Unai Simon into action, while the latter headed wide of Pedro Neto’s teasing cross across the six-yard box. The instincts were still there, even if the explosiveness that had made him one of football’s most dangerous forwards was inevitably beginning to fade.
Portugal’s problem wasn’t that Ronaldo looked finished.
It was that a lot still depended on him.
As the second half progressed, the Portugal captain repeatedly ventured into his own half in search of possession, only to find that Spain were already on the defensive before he could launch another attack. On one occasion, he collected the ball near the halfway line with acres of space forward, only to look up and find hardly any runners willing to stretch Spain’s backline.
It felt almost effortless. For more than two decades, Ronaldo was conditioned to carry the Portuguese whenever he needed him. Even now, in what would be his final World Cup appearance, he continued to try to pull them forward.
Portugal’s defensive wall held until stoppage time.
With six minutes added on, the Spain substitutes finally got their act together to achieve the breakthrough Roberto Martínez had spent the entire evening trying to prevent. Portugal were out on a quickly taken free-kick before they were fully organised. Fabian Ruiz played an incisive pass to Ferran Torres, whose clever first-time lay-off split the Portuguese defence.
The space between Dias and Veiga became visible for the first time all evening.
Marino recognized it immediately. The midfielder burst into that narrow gap, timed his run perfectly and fired his finish into the bottom-left corner beyond Costa. After more than 90 minutes of discipline, concentration and defensive excellence, Portugal had made up for the one mistake Spain had spent the whole night looking for.
A farewell, and questions for the future of Portugal
The goal clearly shook Ronaldo.
The signs of disappointment were increasing during the second half. Again and again, the Portugal captain dropped into midfield and even into his own half to look for possession, only to find that Spain had fallen back into a defensive position before any meaningful counterattack could be launched. On one occasion, he received the ball deep inside Portugal’s half, with acres of space ahead, but when he looked up there were hardly any runners ahead of him.
At the age of 41, Ronaldo is no longer the player who is expected to create a complete attack through pace and constant movement. But the experience has given him something equally valuable: an instinct for recognizing when a game is slipping. His frequent gestures, visible frustration and constant search for the ball suggest a player trying to solve tactical problems that perhaps should never have been his responsibility.
This is where the uncomfortable questions begin for Roberto Martínez.
One has to respect a legend, and then know when the team needs to grow beyond one.
Portugal were in desperate need of fresh legs capable of stretching Spain’s defense during the closing stages. Yet Gonalo Ramos, arguably the country’s most natural penalty-box striker and the man who announced himself to the world with a World Cup knockout hat-trick after replacing Ronaldo four years ago, never left the bench. Martínez made all five other substitutions, leaving Ronaldo to play the full 90 minutes, while Portugal’s attack became increasingly weak.
The Spaniard may now find his future under scrutiny.
Martínez arrived with a reputation as a coach who could not turn Belgium’s golden generation into champions despite inheriting one of the finest collections of talent in world football. Portugal handed them another notable generation with the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha, Rafael Leao, Nuno Mendes, Diogo Costa and Goncalo Ramos.
Yet this World Cup has often felt like a team reacting rather than directing, living rather than believing. Portugal remained organised, disciplined and difficult to beat, but they rarely looked like a side with the tactical imagination to make the most of one of Europe’s deepest squads.
When the final whistle blew, Ronaldo stood motionless, before the emotions finally became impossible to suppress.
Tears came.
Ronaldo bids a tearful farewell to his World Cup dream. (Photo: Reuters)
Perhaps for the first time in years, there was little room left for the endless Ronaldo-versus-Messi debate, the Real Madrid-versus-Barcelona argument or the constant discussion about whether Portugal should have advanced sooner. It was one of football’s defining careers, which felt like its final international chapter.
Ronaldo left Portugal with over 140 international goals, the most in men’s football history, and made over 220 appearances, more than any other male international footballer. He led Portugal to their greatest ever triumph by winning Euro 2016, lifting the UEFA Nations League title, rewriting countless international scoring records and giving his country moments that generations of Portuguese supporters will never forget.
The World Cup trophy, an honor that always eluded him, will always be absent from an otherwise extraordinary collection.
Maybe that was never the end written for him.
More importantly, perhaps Ronaldo’s final World Cup showed him something he had not always been able to believe.
Portugal will no longer have to depend solely on him.
Nuno Mendes declared himself one of the world’s finest full-backs before his evening was ended by injury. Diogo Costa reaffirmed his place among elite goalkeepers. Renato Veiga looked every inch Pepe’s successor in the center of defence. Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Rafael Leao and Gonalo Ramos are players around whom Portugal can build the next era.
No one will ever reach the heights that Ronaldo achieved in the famous red shirt.
No one will have to do it.
He gave absolutely everything to international football. He carried Portugal on his shoulders for the better part of two decades, delivering unforgettable nights, impossible goals and moments that changed the history of football in his country.
As Ronaldo walked away from the World Cup in tears, perhaps he could finally do something he had rarely been allowed to do during his extraordinary career.
Rest.
Portugal’s future is ready to stand on its own.
The World Cup was not written into Cristiano Ronaldo’s story.
New Delhi: Zimbabwe produced a brilliant all-round performance to beat Bangladesh by 25 runs in a thrilling low-scoring encounter in the first ODI at the Harare Sports Club on Monday. After being bowled out for just 141, Zimbabwe struggled with the ball to bowl out Bangladesh for 116 in 33.1 overs to take a 1–0 lead in the three-match series.Newman Nyamuri was named player of the match for his all-round contribution.
Naheed Rana’s six wickets shook Zimbabwe
After bowling first, Bangladesh looked to be in complete control.Fast bowler Nahid Rana destroyed Zimbabwe’s batting by taking 6 wickets for 21 runs in 10 overs. Taskin Ahmed Took two wickets while captaining Mehndi Hasan Mirage claimed one.In front of Nyamahuri and the captain, Zimbabwe’s score was 70 runs for eight wickets in 20 overs. Richard Ngarawa Staged a remarkable recovery.The pair added a crucial 63 runs for the ninth wicket, reducing Zimbabwe’s score to 141 runs. Nyamahuri top scored with 33 runs, while Ngarwa contributed 27 runs.
Zimbabwe’s fast bowlers destroyed Bangladesh
Chasing the modest target of 142 runs, Bangladesh had a very poor start.Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarwa reduced the visitors to 17 for three inside five overs, putting them under immediate pressure.Tauheed Hridayoy (25) and Nurul Hasan (31) tried to rebuild the innings with a 49-run partnership, giving Bangladesh hopes of completing the chase.However, Nyamauri knocks out Hridoy, starting another collapse.
Nyamurhi shines with bat and ball
After Hridoy left, Zimbabwe took control.Nyamurhi took two wickets after his valuable innings with the ball, while Brad Evans and Richard Ngarwa took three wickets each. Muzarabani also struck twice.Bangladesh lost wickets at regular intervals and were eventually all out for 116, falling 25 runs short.
Zimbabwe took an early lead
Zimbabwe’s bowlers and fielders produced a disciplined performance to defend the poor score. The ninth wicket partnership between Nyamuri and Ngarwa ultimately proved to be the difference in the match.With this victory, Zimbabwe has got a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
