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Where Zimbabwe had faltered on Friday, Sri Lanka followed through in consummate fashion. Set a target of 278 in the second and final ODI in Harare, the visitors tracked it down with five wickets and three deliveries to spare. And with it, they swept the series 2-0.Similar to the first ODI, this too went down to the wire, and like that game on Friday, the chasing side seemed in control right until the last. But here with wickets in hand, and a deep batting line-up, Sri Lanka held firm and saw the game through.That said, Sri Lanka perhaps made life more difficult for themselves than they needed to. They did not score a boundary in the final powerplay until the 48th over – two ended up coming off that one, to leave the equation at 12 needed off 12 – but it meant the game was heading for yet another final over finish.In the penultimate over, Charith Asalanka got a boundary after deep midwicket had misjudged a skier, but was caught a ball later, having scored a crucial 71 off 61. Then, Kamindu Mendis defied space and time to inside edge an attempted reverse lap sweep for four, off a pinpoint Ngarava yorker to bring the equation down to 6 off 2. After that, the rest was a formality.Nissanka found boundaries to keep the required rate in check•Zimbabwe Cricket

The scorecard might indicate that the game was closer than it might have been, but with the chase anchored around Pathum Nissanka’s seventh ODI hundred – as he shared successive stands of 48, 20, 78 and 90 with Nuwanidu Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama and finally Asalanka – the visitors were always in control.It was in that final stand with Asalanka that Sri Lanka would say they broke the spine of the chase, with their partnership, at a touch over run-a-ball, ensuring the scoring was brisk through the middle overs.Indeed, this period was one of the main points of differentiation between the two sides. Where Zimbabwe scored 139 runs for the loss of four wickets between overs 15-40, Sri Lanka struck 27 more runs and lost one less wicket in the same period.It meant heading to the death overs, the scoreboard pressure was minimal for Sri Lanka, who were left needing just 67 off 60, with seven wickets in hand. Zimbabwe, by comparison, had scored 83 at the death just to push their total to competitive territory.Perhaps if a straightforward chance off Nissanka, when he was on 78, had not been spilled, Sri Lanka might have had a tougher time. In the end, however, they saw the game through to victory with minimal peril – even if ideally it should have been wrapped up sooner.Sikandar Raza was crucial to Zimbabwe’s batting effort•Zimbabwe Cricket

Nissanka’s innings of 122 off 136 was exactly what was required in a chase of this variety. It earned him both the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards. His frequent boundaries during the opening powerplay ensured the lack of strike rotation was not as keenly felt, and then, through the middle overs, his ability to find boundaries to punctuate lulls in play meant Sri Lanka never let the required rate get out of hand.Once Asalanka joined him, the boundary scoring burden was alleviated somewhat, with the Sri Lanka skipper willing to up the ante when required – most notably, with a trio of boundaries in the 40th over off Blessing Muzarabani.The target, however, had always seemed a touch below par on a fresh surface that was expected to suit the batters. Zimbabwe, having been put in to bat, did reasonably well at the start and end of their innings, but Sri Lanka controlled the middle overs to restrict the hosts to 277 for 7.That they got even that much was down to an unbeaten 59 off 55 from Sikandar Raza, as part of 76-run sixth-wicket stand with Clive Madande (36 off 36), and then smaller stands with the tail-enders.Ben Curran top-scored for Zimbabwe•Zimbabwe Cricket

Ben Curran top-scored in the innings with a 95-ball 79, but unlike Nissanka later in the day, he was unable to be around for the final overs. Where the Zimbabwe innings lost their way was losing wickets at crucial points through the middle overs.After Zimbabwe’s fast start – scoring 55 inside the opening powerplay – the entry of a rusty Brendan Taylor allowed Sri Lanka to apply the brakes on the scoring. Taylor and Curran put on a stand of 61, but since it came off 84 deliveries, it allowed Asalanka to sneak in several overs of the fifth-bowler quota.Taylor laboured to 20 off 37 during this period, while Asalanka snuck four of his own overs in for just 17 runs. With six more fifth-bowler overs remaining, Asalanka brought on Janith Liyanage, who dismissed Taylor in his second over, as the experienced batter mistimed a scoop to short fine while seeking to up the scoring.Sean Williams then entered, and all it took was one monster strike down the ground for Liyanage to be removed from the attack. With Williams generally looking to attack, both Maheesh Theekshana and Dushmantha Chameera kept things tight during this period.Dushmantha Chameera was the pick of the bowlers•Zimbabwe Cricket

Curran had done well up until this point, but his nine boundaries had come early on. His rhythm too had been interrupted by the lack of strike rotation during his partnership with Taylor – something perhaps impacted by a seeming hamstring niggle Taylor picked up during the innings.With the pressure building, the expensive Asitha Fernando was brought back and he delivered instantly, bookending his over with the wickets of Curran and Williams – both succumbing to short deliveries, with the former top edging one and the latter a delivery dragging on to the stumps.At 155 for 4, this shifted the momentum decisively in Sri Lanka’s favour. Liyanage was allowed to bowl a few more cheap overs to complete the fifth over quota, and while both Raza and Tony Munyonga struck boundaries following a couple of overs of consolidation, Madushanka returned to dismiss the latter.It was at this point that Raza took the lead, setting the tone with a pair of boundaries – the first a deft late dab, the second of inside out lofted cover drive – to signal Zimbabwe’s late charge.While boundaries weren’t as frequent in the following overs, the running between the wickets – a highlight of Zimbabwe’s chase in the first game – was once more exemplary. Despite scoring just six fours and a six in the final ten, they managed to score at beyond eight an over in the death overs, and with it, put up a fighting total. In the end, however, it wasn’t enough.

A 113-run partnership for the fourth wicket between captain Tom Bruce and Curtis Heaphy, and a strong bowling performance led by Ajaz Patel and Blair Tickner took Central Districts past Hobart Hurricanes. That earned Central Districts their first points in GSL 2025.Having chosen to bat after losing their first and second matches in the competition having opting to field, Bruce got in after another poor start, with Central Districts losing Dane Cleaver and Will Young by the end of the powerplay, which came with 37 runs on the board.It soon became 40 for 3 in the eighth over, bringing Bruce and Heaphy together. And they were unseparated for 12 overs, batting through to the middle of the last over of the innings and scoring quickly. Their 113-run stand came in 73 balls, with Bruce being the aggressor by contributing 61 in 35 balls, and Heaphy 50 in 38. When Bruce fell, to Odean Smith, Central Districts had 153 on the board, and Matthew Forde went 6, 6 and 2 off the last three balls to take them to 167.The reply from Hobart Hurricanes was poor. They were two down in the powerplay, like Central Districts, and three down for 38 by the end of the eighth over. It got worse, as the wickets kept falling, and six batters were back in the dugout by the end of the 15th, with just 84 runs on the board. Ajaz had two of those six, and ended with figures of 4 for 18.That Hobart Hurricanes put up a fight and got to within 16 runs of matching their opponents was down to Mohammad Nabi, and his 65-run stand with Fabian Allen for the seventh wicket. Nabi scored a 25-ball 43, and Allen an unbeaten 36 from 16 deliveries with five sixes.The defeat meant all three of Hobart Hurricanes, Dubai Capitals and Central Districts are on two points from three games each. But Hobart Hurricanes are at No. 3 on the five-team table, followed by Dubai Capitals and Central Districts, who are at the bottom, based on their net run rates.

Ajinkya Rahane’s vast experience and “maturity” in handling an “intense” tournament such as the IPL made him the automatic choice to lead defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), franchise CEO Venky Mysore has said.Rahane was one of the contenders for the captaincy alongside Venkatesh Iyer, the India and Madhya Pradesh allrounder. Venkatesh was released after the 2024 season but was bought back by KKR in the auction for INR 23.75 crore (US$2.3 million approx.). While Venkatesh recently said he was ready to take on the captaincy, if offered, KKR eventually picked Rahane for the job, with Venkatesh named his deputy.”IPL is quite an intense tournament,” Mysore told ESPNcricinfo. “Clearly, we think very well of Venkatesh Iyer but, at the same time, it [captaincy] is taxing on a youngster. We have seen lots of people having lots of challenges with it as they go forward. It takes a very steady hand, takes a lot of maturity and experience, which we felt Ajinkya brings with him.”Related

• 'Nothing can beat experience' – Rahane keen to learn from T20 heavyweight Bravo at KKR

• Ajinkya Rahane to lead Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025

• KKR on breaking the bank for Venkatesh – 'All about keeping our core'

Shreyas Iyer had captained KKR to the title in IPl 2024, but KKR could not retain him after he opted to head back into the auction, where he was bought by Punjab Kings. Incidentally, Rahane, who was the first player to come up on the second day of the auction last November, had gone unsold at the first time of calling. KKR eventually got Rahane for his base price of INR 1.5 crore ($180,000 approx.) at the end of the auction when franchises got an opportunity to call back unsold players of their choice.This is Rahane’s second stint with KKR, having played seven matches for them in IPL 2022, when they finished seventh. Rahane has turned out for six franchises in the IPL and is among a select group of players to have been part of the IPL from its inception in 2008. Rahane has some experience captaining India (with eight wins in 11 games across formats), is among the most successful active captains in domestic cricket, and has led in 25 matches across two IPL franchises: once at Rising Pune Supergiant and the rest at Rajasthan Royals.Mysore felt such a wealth of experience could only be beneficial for KKR. “He has played 185 IPL games, 200 [195] international games across formats,” Mysore said. “He has led India, led Mumbai in domestic, he’s led in IPL. And he has played from season one of IPL. All that is massive. There should be no surprise at all [on appointing Rahane as captain].Ajinkya Rahane was appointed the new KKR captain, while Venkatesh Iyer will be his deputy•Kolkata Knight Riders

“Captaincy cannot be underestimated. This is going to be my 15th season, so I have seen a lot. It is not only about what you do on the field. There’s a lot of [other] stuff when it comes to IPL, including dealing with media, and there will be expectation in terms of the captain. At the same time, it is a new cycle, there is diversity in the team; if you have to be a successful captain you have to invest in building relationships with everybody so that you know how to get the best out of everyone.”And then there’s preparatory stuff in terms of camps, bowlers’ meetings, batters’ meetings, interaction with coaches – that’s a lot to take in. From that perspective, we are lucky we have got Ajinkya, who will be terrific for us. Not only as a captain, of which there’s no doubt, but also as a batsman. He has scored tons of runs.”

Venkatesh Iyer is ‘captaincy material’

Mysore also said that that Venkatesh would continue to be part of the leadership group and that he had the potential to grow into a future captain. “We have been very, very impressed with the leadership qualities that he has shown,” Mysore said. “He’s a franchise player and what he has shown in terms of how he participates, and the respect that others have around him, and the energy he brings [to the dressing room]… so he definitely has got massive potential. He’s one for the future for us for sure. He clearly is captaincy material.”The move to appoint Venkatesh as the vice-captain, Mysore said, would also allow him to learn from Rahane. “Knowing Ajinkya, he will take him [Venkatesh] under his wing and mentor him on the captaincy side of things. So, in a way, I expect they will be kind of joined at the hip and working very closely together.”

Nottinghamshire have signed Australian seamer Fergus O’Neill for the first four rounds of next year’s County Championship.O’Neill, who has an impressive first-class record of 94 wickets at 19.91, is only eligible for a short-term visa but he will cover for the absence of Dane Paterson for the start of the season, with the South African’s availability uncertain after his Test recall earlier in the year.”It’s really exciting to get Fergus on board as a player who has enjoyed real success over the last couple of seasons for Victoria and I hope this is just the start of the Notts’ relationship with him,” Notts head coach, Peter Moores, said.”Whilst we can only secure his services on a short-term basis due to visa restrictions, it looks like he’s improving all the time and I think his style of bowling will work well in the early season conditions in England.Related

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• Verreynne seals Nottinghamshire return ahead of potential WTC final

“His strengths are his consistency and lateral movement, which are ideal skills to complement the rest of our bowling unit. He is more than capable with the bat, too, and will bolster our lower middle-order, from which runs are crucial – especially early in the season.”He will, in effect, replace Dane Paterson, who won’t be with us for the start of the season as his re-entry into the Test arena and our desire to strengthen our batting means we have opted for a slightly different style of player.”It is worth highlighting what a fantastic servant Dane has been to the club, though. His record is outstanding; he has built a great legacy with Notts in just a few years and remains an immensely popular character in the dressing room.”O’Neill is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker in the 2024-25 Sheffield Shield with 22 at 19.31. Last season, he took 40 wickets at 17.25.”The opportunity to play in England is really exciting, and one I’m looking forward to,” O’Neill said. “That it’ll be for Nottinghamshire with Trent Bridge as home is extra special – it’s somewhere that, as an Australian, has a real aura, and I can’t wait to step out there.”Hopefully I’ve got attributes with the ball which suit the conditions, and, coming off the back of an Australian summer, I’ll be heading into the Championship with games under my belt which always helps.”Notts finished eighth in Division One of the Championship last season, having been promoted from the second tier the summer before.

Imrul Kayes has announced his retirement from Test and first-class cricket. He said in a video message on his Facebook page that his last red-ball match will be Khulna Division’s National Cricket League (NCL) match against Dhaka Division at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka next week. He will, however, continue to play white-ball cricket.”On November 16, I will retire from Test and first-class cricket. It is the most difficult and emotional decision of my life,” he said.Imrul played the last of his 39 Tests at Eden Gardens in 2019, in the first day-night Test match in India. Batting mostly at the top of the order and occasionally at No. 3, he made 1797 runs at an average of 24.28, with three centuries and four fifties.Imrul’s Test career was however more about his opening partnership with Tamim Iqbal. They remain Bangladesh’s most prolific opening pair by far, having added 2336 runs in 53 innings. The next-highest aggregate for a Bangladesh opening pair currently is 665 runs between Javed Omar and Nafees Iqbal. Imrul and Tamim’s average first-wicket partnership of 45.80 is also the best of any Bangladesh opening pair.They put on four century stands, the first of them a 185-run partnership at Lord’s in 2010, and the last a world-record 312 against Pakistan in Khulna in 2015. It helped Bangladesh save the Test match after conceding a 296-run first-innings lead, and remains the only 300-plus opening stand in the third or fourth innings of a Test match. The last time they opened together was in the 2018 home Test series against Sri Lanka.Imrul is now 70 runs short of the 8000-run mark in first-class cricket. He will have a chance to complete the feat in Mirpur, where his farewell game begins on November 16.

Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler and Dinesh Karthik are among the high-profile players who have signed up for the 2024 Abu Dhabi T10. Bangla Tigers picked both Rashid and Karthik while Deccan Gladiators snapped up Buttler along with Marcus Stoinis.Buttler will join Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell and Maheesh Theekshana, who were all retained by Gladiators. Matheesha Pathirana, Theekshana’s Sri Lanka team-mate, meanwhile went to New York Strikers.Strikers, the defending champions, have retained their core of Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Akeal Hosein, Mohammad Amir. The UAE pair of Muhammad Waseem and Muhammad Jawadullah, who has also played for Sharjah Warriors in the ILT20, were also retained by the T10 franchise.The Abu Dhabi T10 is the third franchise tournament Karthik has signed up for, after the Legends League 2024 and the SA20 2025, following his retirement from international and Indian cricket. The 39-year-old had also been appointed Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s batting coach and mentor for IPL 2025.Related

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Shakib Al Hasan, who had recently ended his T20I career, will join Karthik and Ireland left-arm quick Josh Little at Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10.Trent Boult will reunite with Finn Allen at Northern Warriors while Lockie Ferguson went to Team Abu Dhabi who also signed Jonny Bairstow and Shimron Hetmyer.The Abu Dhabi T10 will expand to a ten-team league this season, with Bolts Ajman and UP Nawabs being the new entrants.”We’re excited to deliver yet another world-class lineup at the 2024 Abu Dhabi T10, which has thrived since we brought the competition to the UAE capital,” Matt Boucher, CEO of Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub,” said in a statement. “Abu Dhabi is now a global centre for sport, and the Abu Dhabi T10 – approaching its sixth edition in the emirate – has played a significant part in making that vision of the government a reality.”Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Adil Rashid were among the new signings for Nawabs while Jimmy Neesham and Mujeeb Ur Rahman were recruited by Bolts.The Abu Dhabi T10 2024 will run from November 21 to December 2, avoiding an overlap with the Big Bash League (BBL), SA20, ILT20 and New Zealand’s Super Smash tournament.

New York Strikers

New Signings: Matheesha Pathirana, Donovan Ferreira
Retentions: Kieron Pollard, Mohammad Amir, Sunil Narine, Akeal Hossain, Muhammad Waseem, Muhammad Jawadullah

Deccan Gladiators

New Signings: Jos Buttler, Anrich Nortje, Marcus Stoinis
Retentions: Maheesh Theekshana, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Tom Koher-Cadmore, Zahoor Khan

Delhi Bulls

New Signings: Wanindu Hasaranga, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Wade
Retentions: Rovman Powell, Muhammad Rohid, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazlahaq Farooqi, James Vince

Team Abu Dhabi

New Signings: Jonny Bairstow, Lockie Ferguson, Shimron Hetmyer, AM Ghazanfar
Retentions: Phil Salt, Noor Ahmad, and Kyle Mayers

Northern Warriors

New Signings: Trent Boult, Finn Allen, Johnson Charles, Sherfane Rutherford, Saqib Mahmood
Retentions: Colin Munro, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ankur Sangwan

Morrisville Samp Army

New Signings: David Willey, Imad Wasim
Retentions: Faf du Plessis, Qais Ahmad, Andries Gous

Bangla Tigers

New Signings: Shakib Al Hasan, Rashid Khan, Liam Livingstone, Iftikhar Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik
Retentions: Hazratullah Zazai, Dasun Shanaka, Josh Little

Chennai Brave Jaguars

New Signings: Chris Lynn, Nuwan Thushara, Thisara Perera, Dan Lawrence, Rassie van der Dussen
Retentions: Aayan Khan, George Munsey, Bhanuka Rajapaksa

UP Nawabs

New Signings: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, Andre Fletcher

Bolts Ajman

New Signings: James Neesham, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Lungi Ngidi, Gulbadin Naib, Haider Ali

Gareth Batty, Surrey’s head coach, dedicated his team’s third consecutive County Championship title to the outgoing director of cricket, Alec Stewart, describing him as “irreplaceable” and adding that it was “delusional” to think that anyone could emulate the influence he has wielded across his five decades at the Kia Oval.Surrey, who beat Durham by ten wickets on Thursday afternoon to put themselves on the brink of the title, were crowned as champions shortly after 11am on Friday morning, once their nearest challengers Somerset had slipped to defeat against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford.That result leaves them 26 points clear at the top of Division One ahead of next week’s final-round trip to Chelmsford, but the celebrations were already beginning at the Kia Oval on Friday, after the club’s 23rd county title.”It’s a whole squad coming together and putting in a heck of a lot of work over a long period of time,” Batty told the BBC. “To do it three times in a row is very satisfying. We shall enjoy today and then start the hard work tomorrow to do it all again.”Every time you get over the line it’s the hardest one, because other teams are trying to close the gap, trying to improve their squads, improve their players.”I feel like we are still keeping some distance, in a healthy, confident way, not in an arrogant way, because we’re working incredibly hard trying to improve our performances year in and year out.”Though Surrey’s pre-eminence on the county circuit is clear, this latest victory was not without its challenges, not least when their shock loss to Somerset at Taunton last week closed the gap at the top to eight points.A major hurdle came in the form of international call-ups, with four Surrey players featuring in both England’s Test and white-ball squads – which was both a credit to the calibre of player emerging from the club, but also a stretch even on their well-resourced squad.”In the T20 Blast we used 25 players in 15 games, and in the Championship it was 24 or 25. Some counties don’t have that size of squad,” Batty said. “So to have the rotation of players, to have the tenacity, the belief, the skill set, to come in and still be playing as a wonderful XI, is a credit to every single person. It’s the staff, it’s the players, it’s the drive.”Rory Burns and Ryan Patel celebrate together•Getty Images for Surrey CCC

Stewart, 61, made his Surrey debut in 1981, and has been a near-constant presence at the club ever since. However, he announced at the start of the season that he would be standing down as director of cricket after 11 years in the role, having taken a leave of absence in January 2023 to care for his wife Lynn, who has been undergoing cancer treatment.”He is irreplaceable,” Batty said. “Anyone who thinks they can do what Alec Stewart has done here is delusional. He is the heartbeat, he is the brains – everything here comes through Alec.”You don’t often get a cuddle and a bit of a tear from Stewie, but when the Lancs boys got the final wicket there was a big outburst of emotion. It was wonderful to see an iconic English cricketer get some rewards for his dedication and the club will forever be thankful to him.”Stewart, for his part, promised that he would not be a stranger at The Oval despite entering retirement.”I’ll still be around the place, sat in the stands watching,” he told the BBC. “If I’m involved in some capacity, very much in the background, then fantastic, because you know what this club means to me and my family.”But it’s about the boys. I thanked each and every one of them. Three in three hasn’t happened since Yorkshire in the 1960s, it doesn’t happen too often and that’s what I’m proud of.”

Aussie duo Ashleigh Gardner and Alana King spun Trent Rockets to a much-needed 31-run win over London Spirit at Trent Bridge.Gardner and King combined for six wickets as a star-studded Spirit line-up never threatened to chase down 158 for 5.Young gun Grace Scrivens struck 55 from 43 balls for the hosts, although she had to walk off the field in the second innings when she was struck in the face attempting a catch.It meant Rockets ended a three-game losing streak and was made all the more impressive as Nat Sciver-Brunt, the women’s competition’s leading run-scorer, had a comparatively quiet match with 21 from 12 balls.Former England Under-19s skipper Scrivens played arguably her best innings of The Hundred sharing a 74-run opening stand with Bryony Smith that set the tone for a performance that will have caught the attention of the other teams.Scrivens hit nine boundaries and her opening stand with Smith, who crashed 34 from 22 balls, was only ended in misfortunate when Charlie Dean got a finger on the ball before it crashed into the stumps with Smith unable to recover her ground after backing up.India star Deepti Sharma claimed the big wickets of Sciver-Brunt and Gardner, but Heather Graham’s unbeaten 22 from 12 balls ensured a fast finish.Spirit’s chase was immediately undermined when Gardner removed Georgia Redmayne and Cordelia Griffith from successive balls before King had former Australia captain Meg Lanning caught by Kirstie Gordon at mid-on.Gardner trapped Dani Gibson lbw and when England and Spirit skipper Heather Knight’s sweep at King landed in the hands of Smith, after hitting 29 from 20, the game was up.Gardner and King both finished with identical figures of 3 for 23 from 20 balls as Spirit closed on 127 for 7.Meerkat match Hero, Gardner, said: “It was huge (win for us). It was probably the first game we put all three facets of the game together. The openers did a fantastic job giving us the start that they did, that was the best we’ve been with the ball and we were pretty clean in the field. It was a pretty perfect performance.”

As far as wins go, it couldn’t have got more dominant than this. Bangladesh’s attempt to inflict scoreboard pressure fell flat, with Renuka Singh and Radha Yadav picking up six wickets between them to ensure India had a small target to chase. Their in-form openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma then got the job done themselves, with nine overs to spare. On Sunday, India will have a chance to clinch an incredible eighth Women’s Asia Cup crown (across white-ball formats), when they meet the winner of Sri Lanka vs Pakistan which will be played at the same venue later today.Related

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• Bangladesh need more exposure to compete against top-tier teams

Renuka stings Bangladesh in powerplay

Renuka’s form had been on a decline leading into the Women’s Asia Cup. She was left out for two of the three T20Is against South Africa after an unremarkable 4-0-42-0 in her only outing in that series. Her early reputation as a powerplay swing queen was seemingly fading, especially on flat decks.With young Arundhati Reddy challenging for her spot – it’s likely India will most often accommodate only one other seamer alongside Pooja Vastrakar in their first XI – Renuka needed a big tournament here. On Friday, she delivered. Renuka’s powerplay salvo left Bangladesh with no answers, her three wickets in three overs upsetting Bangladesh’s plans of going on an all-out attack.

Dilara Akter muscled Renuka for a six off the third ball, but holed out to deep square off the fourth. Ishma Tanjim bailed out of a slog to get a leading edge to Tanuja Kanwar at short third, and Murshida Khatun mistimed a heave to midwicket two balls after being reprieved by Deepti Sharma at slip.Bangladesh had been reduced to 21 for 3 inside five overs.

Nigar resists, Radha thrives

From overs six to nine, Bangladesh managed a solitary boundary, hit by Nigar Sultana, and played out 19 dots. They were looking for the release they simply didn’t get because India’s bowlers kept coming at them.Introduced in the 10th over, Radha struck off her very first delivery when Rumana Ahmed, Bangladesh’s second-most experienced batter, was put out of her misery when she played all around a straight ball to be bowled.Rumana Ahmed was castled by Radha Yadav for 1 off 11•Getty Images

Still, Bangladesh tried to keep attacking. Rabeya Khan’s attempt to flat-bat Pooja Vastrakar led to a miscue that was brilliantly taken by Shafali Verma at mid-on in the 11th over.This forced Nigar to shelve any plans of a counter-attack, the focus quickly shifting to survival mode against the supremely-skilled trio of Deepti, Tanuja Kanwar and Radha Yadav – each very different from the other. Deepti kept them quiet with flight, Kanwar got the ball to drift and turn, while Radha troubled them with deliveries that didn’t turn.It was only in the 14th over, when Nigar was joined by Shorna Akter that they managed some kind of a move on – overs 17 to 19 brought 27. Then Radha produced a double-wicket maiden in the 20th, in which she had Nigar and Nahida Akter to finish with 3 for 14.

The Mandhana-Shafali party

India could’ve experimented if they liked. They could’ve seen what Uma Chetry, who replaced D Hemalatha at No. 3, brings to the table. They could’ve given Deepti some batting time. Or maybe even a hit-out to Jemimah Rodrigues. But they stuck to their tried, tested and in-form opening combination, who promptly delivered the knockout blow on Bangladesh.Mandhana challenged herself to take fielders on and cleared them at will, Shafali swept seamer Marufa Akter off her lengths in front of square, and the boundaries flowed. Mandhana treated the small crowd to her trademark drives, while Shafali shovelled and flat-batted the bowlers.

Bangladesh missed two chances on the field. First a run out in the fifth when Mandhana was ambling down, with Nahida firing a wayward throw with no one backing up at the bowler’s end. In the ninth, Nahida grassed a sitter at long-off to reprieve Shafali. And between those two, there was also a Mandhana reprieve off a no-ball.Mandhana continued on her joyride, hitting three back-to-back fours to get to a half-century and also seal a victory that was never in doubt from as early as the powerplay in Bangladesh’s innings.

3.1: Azmatullah to Pooran, SIX runs
Goes the distance. Off the outside edge. Length ball outside off from around the stumps, Pooran goes hard and looks to heave it across the line. But gets a thick outside edge that carries well over third. The six was into the breeze, says Roller3.2: Azmatullah to Pooran, (no ball) FOUR runs
Pooran in his elements early. Length ball angling in at 130.3kph, he stays back, swivels and pulls it all along the ground through midwicket. What’s worse, Azmat has overstepped3.2: Azmatullah to Pooran, 5 wide
It goes from bad to worse for Afghanistan. He goes for the bouncer but it is too short. Passes well over Pooran as well as the keeper’s headFree hit remains