The Latest: Shami hat trick gives India win v Afghanistan

By Associated Press 23 June 2019, 12:00AM

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on Day 24 of the Cricket World Cup (all times local):

6:30 p.m.

Mohammed Shami took a hat trick in the final over as India survived a mighty scare from Afghanistan to win their group match by 11 runs in Southampton.

Afghanistan went into the 50th over needing 16 runs to beat India and deliver one of the biggest shocks in the tournament's history.

But Mohammed Nabi was caught on the boundary for 52 on the third ball of Shami's over.

Shami was on a hat trick after bowling Aftab Alam — with Afghanistan needing 12 runs — and got it by bowling No. 11 batsman Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Afghanistan finished on 213 all out in 49.5 overs.

Jasprit Bumrah bowled a tight 49th over which conceded only five runs and swung the game in India's direction.

India scored 224-8.

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6:10 p.m.

Mohammed Nabi smashed a six off India pacer Jasprit Bumrah to bring up Afghanistan's 200 with three wickets left.

The Afghans are 201-7 after 47 overs at Southampton and need another 24 runs in 18 balls to beat India.

Nabi has a 46-ball 43 so far and Ikram Ali Khil is 4 not out.

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6 p.m.

The run rate has risen to 8 an over but Afghanistan still has a chance to pull off a shock upset against India in Southampton.

Afghanistan is 185-6 after 45 overs. It needs another 40 runs in 30 balls.

Mohammed Nabi is 35 not out and Rashid Khan is on 10.

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5:40 p.m.

Afghanistan needs another 68 runs in 60 balls to beat India in Southampton but it is starting to run out of wickets.

Afghanistan is 157-5 after 40 overs. Mohammed Nabi is 25 not out, and Najibullah Zadran undefeated on 16. The run rate has risen to almost 7.

India pacer Jasprit Bumrah made two important breakthroughs in the space of three balls with the wickets of Rahmat Shah (36) and Hashmatullah Shahidi, who was caught and bowled for 21.

Despite being widely expected to score a big total, India was held to 224-8 when it won the toss and chose to bat.

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5:30 p.m.

Kane Williamson scored his second century in as many games to guide New Zealand to 291-8 after a wild first over in which West Indies paceman Sheldon Cottrell dismissed both openers for first-ball ducks.

The first over was all about Cottrell, but the next 46 were about Williamson as he scored 148 — his highest one-day international score — from 154 balls.

Williamson went to the crease on the second ball and, after New Zealand slipped to 7-2, combined with Ross Taylor (69) in a composed 160-run stand to resurrect the innings.

He scored an unbeaten 106 not out on Wednesday to usher his team to victory over South Africa with three balls to spare.

And he made it back-to-back hundreds when he pulled Kemar Roach to the fine leg boundary in the 38th over, reaching triple figures from 124 balls.

Williamson was eventually out trying to lift the run rate late, skying a catch off Cottrell to wicketkeeper Shai Hope in the 47th over to make the total 251-5.

Cottrell, who trapped Martin Guptill lbw on the first ball and Colin Munro on the fifth, added the wickets of Tom Latham (12) and Williamson to return 4-56 from 10 overs.

He also ran out Colin de Grandhomme (16) when he threw down the stumps at the non-striker's end in the penultimate over and took two catches in the last over from Carlos Brathwaite to dismiss Mitchell Santner (10) and Jimmy Neesham (28).

West Indies entered the match in Manchester with three points from five starts and needed a win to maintain any chance of reaching the semifinals, so Jason Holder gambled when he won the toss by sending the unbeaten New Zealanders in to bat.

It was working, too, until Williamson went to the crease.

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4:45 p.m.

Though its semifinal hopes are all but extinguished, South Africa intends to go home with more than one win.

"By no means are we just going to lay down and roll over," batsman Aiden Markram said on Saturday.

"We are going to compete as hard as we can for the next three games with the focus on winning all three of them and seeing how far it can take us."

South Africa, with only one win from six games, plays Pakistan on Sunday at Lord's. Then come Sri Lanka and Australia.

Markram said they will take heart from Sri Lanka's defeat of top-ranked England on Friday.

"It's nice to see that a team like Sri Lanka, struggling for form, as have we, have been able to overcome one of the favorites," he said. "It's definitely inspirational, and we can take a bit of learning from that.

"We definitely never feel done and out. We've sort of tried to put a lot of focus back completely on to us going forward. It's obviously really important that we win the remaining three of our games, and if there's an outside chance of qualifying, that would be incredible."

Markram said they were naturally down after losing narrowly to New Zealand on Wednesday, but perked up when they were reunited with their families on Friday.

"We've done a bit of sulking and moping around. The guys are feeling slightly more refreshed."

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4:30 p.m.

With a ninth boundary, to fine leg, Kane Williamson reached another century for New Zealand against the West Indies in Manchester.

Williamson brought up the ton off 124 balls. New Zealand was 181-3 in the 38th over.

The New Zealand captain has consecutive centuries after a match-winning 103 not out on Wednesday against South Africa.

Williamson achieved his 13th ODI hundred after coming into the match on the second ball, after opener Martin Guptill was trapped for a golden duck.

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4:25 p.m.

Afghanistan is 91-2 at the halfway stage of its innings as it chases 225 to beat India and pull off a huge shock in Southampton.

Rahmat Shah is 25 not out, and Hashmatullah Shahidi is on 17.

Captain Gulbadin Naib scored 27 before falling to Hardik Pandya, and Hazratullah Zazai was bowled by Mohammed Shami for 10.

After 25 overs, the required run rate is around 5.4 runs an over, a manageable target if Afghanistan doesn't leak wickets at the Rose Bowl.

India, which was at 115-2 at the halfway stage, is so far unbeaten at the tournament. Afghanistan has lost all of its previous five matches.

India was limited by the Afghan spinners to 224-8.

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3:30 p.m.

Skipper Kane Williamson and former captain Ross Taylor each posted half-centuries and combined in a 105-run partnership to lift New Zealand to 112-2 halfway through its innings after West Indies paceman Sheldon Cottrell took two wickets in the first over.

Williamson, who scored an unbeaten century to guide New Zealand to victory over South Africa with three balls to spare earlier this week, was on 53. Taylor was on 54.

Williamson reached his 50 off 75 balls with a single off Kemar Roach in the 24th over, and Taylor hit a boundary down the ground on the next delivery to reach his 50 from 68 balls.

The unbeaten New Zealanders were 10-2 after the first over in which both openers were out for first-ball ducks — only the second time that has ever happened at a World Cup.

Cottrell trapped Martin Guptill lbw on the first ball, a decision referred to the TV umpire after the appeal was turned down initially on the field. It was the only the fourth time in World Cup history there'd been a wicket on the first ball of the match.

Four balls later, Cottrell bowled Colin Munro for a first-ball duck.

West Indies needs a win to maintain any chance of reaching the semifinals, and gambled after winning the toss by sending New Zealand into bat.

West Indies had another setback in the first over when Evin Lewis injured his right hamstring and had to leave the field. West Indies said he would not field for the rest of the innings.

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2 p.m.

Afghanistan has won the first battle against India after limiting Virat Kohli's team to 224-8 at Southampton and giving itself a chance of possibly the greatest shock victory in Cricket World Cup history.

Kohli won the toss and chose to bat, saying it looked a very good wicket.

It proved a decent one for Kohli at least, scoring a 63-ball 67. Kedar Jadhav finished on 52, including India's only six of the surprisingly muted innings.

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1:40 p.m.

Two batsmen went for first-ball ducks in the first over of the West Indies' World Cup group game against New Zealand.

West Indies won the toss, sent New Zealand into bat and paceman Sheldon Cottrell trapped Martin Guptill lbw on the first ball of the match. The West Indies got the decision on referral to the TV umpire after it was given not out in the first instance.

Four balls later, Cottrell clean bowled Colin Munro, who was facing his first ball.

It's only the second time in World Cup history that both openers have been out for first-ball ducks in the same game — when both Sri Lankan openers were out without scoring against Afghanistan in 2015.

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1:15 p.m.

West Indies skipper Jason Holder won the toss and sent New Zealand into bat in a Cricket World Cup group game it needs to win to maintain hopes of reaching the playoffs.

Unbeaten New Zealand retained an unchanged lineup from its dramatic win over South Africa, the same XI that has started through the tournament.

Skipper Kane Williamson hit a six and a boundary in the last over to guide New Zealand to victory with three balls to spare against the South Africans.

West Indies made three changes to the lineup which lost to Bangladesh, with Darren Bravo and paceman Shannon Gabriel dropped and allrounder Andre Russell injured.

Allrounder Carlos Brathwaite, spinner Ashley Nurse and paceman Kemar Roach were picked to start.

The West Indies have one win from five games despite a bright start to the tournament, losing by seven wickets to Bangladesh at their last start.

West Indies posted 321-8 in that game but Bangladesh produced the second-highest successful run chase in World Cup history to seal the win.

Lineups:

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder (captain), Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas.

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

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12:35 p.m.

Virat Kohli is out and unbeaten India is unexpectedly struggling at 135-4 against Afghanistan in the 31st over of their Cricket World Cup group game at Southampton.

The India captain top-edged Mohammad Nabi to short third man Rahmat Shah and was dismissed for a 63-ball 67 with five boundaries.

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12:05 p.m.

India is making slower progress than expected against Afghanistan at the halfway mark of its innings in the Cricket World Cup group game at Southampton.

India was 115-2 after 25 overs with captain Virat Kohli again playing the key role for his country with 53 not out off 51 balls. He has shared a 51-run partnership with Vijay Shankar, who was on 27.

Rohit Sharma was bowled by spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman for only 1 after scores of 140, 57 and 122 not out in his previous three innings. That left India 7-1 in the fifth over.

KL Rahul (30) was the other man out, caught by Hazratullah Zazai off the bowling of Mohammad Nabi.

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10:35 a.m.

The 28th match of the Cricket World Cup has started with India looking to keep its unbeaten record at the tournament, and pile up a big total against Afghanistan.

With Bhuvneshwar Kumar injured, second seamer Mohammed Shami pairs up with Jasprit Bumrah for India for the first time in the ODI format. India all-rounder Vijay Shankar retained his spot ahead of attacking wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who was flown in as a replacement for the injured Shikhar Dhawan. KL Rahul now is firmly in place as the opening partner for Rohit Sharma.

"Whether we are playing a very strong team, or one that is coming up the ranks, our mindset is the same," India skipper Virat Kohli said at the toss. "We cannot take Afghanistan lightly; they are a dangerous side when in the groove."

Afghanistan brought in Hazratullah Zazai and Aftab Alam to replace Noor Ali Zadran and Dawlat Zadran. With like-for-like replacement in batting and bowling, respectively, it means Afghanistan still retain their three-pronged spin attack from its previous game. Skipper Gulbadin Naib will contribute with medium pace, and is also slated to open the batting again.

Naib said he had hoped to bat first but now Afghanistan face a potentially tough time in the field.

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10:15 a.m.

India captain Virat Kohli has won the toss and elected to bat first against Afghanistan in the Cricket World Cup group game at Hampshire's Rose Bowl.

Kohli says it looks "like a really good wicket," and so does the weather for the game.

India made one change from its 89-run win over archrival Pakistan last Sunday, bringing in bowler Mohammed Shami for the injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Afghanistan made two changes from its 15-run defeat to England where it batted for all 50 overs for the first time this tournament, bringing in Hazratullah Zazai and Aftab Alam.

Lineups:

India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (captain), Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib (captain), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ikram Ali Khil, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

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9 a.m.

India and New Zealand are the only teams still unbeaten in the Cricket World Cup and both are in action Saturday as the tournament moves into its 24th day.

India takes on Afghanistan at the Rose Bowl in Southampton in the opening game, and New Zealand plays West Indies in a day-night match at Manchester's Old Trafford.

Two-time champion India and 2015 finalist New Zealand have won all their games except for a washout between the two teams.

India and Afghanistan have never met at the World Cup. India is the heavy favorite, having won 14 of its last 15 CWC matches. Afghanistan has lost all five matches in this edition.

New Zealand and West Indies know each other well at the World Cup. New Zealand holds the upper hand with a 4-3 record, including wins in their last three meetings. West Indies won the tournament in 1975 and '79.

New Zealand can move above competition leader and defending champion Australia in the 10-team standings with a win. India can leapfrog third-place England and will still have a game in hand on its nearest rivals.

Rain is unlikely to disturb either match. The weather forecast is dry and sunny at Manchester with temperatures as high as 22 Celsius (71 Fahrenheit), with Southampton slightly cooler but still dry.

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More AP cricket: www.apnews.com/cricket and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

By Associated Press 23 June 2019, 12:00AM
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