Report
Chapman, Abbas and Smith see off Pakistan challenge to give NZ 1-0 series lead
Babar, Agha got fifties but Smith's four-for triggered a Pakistan collapse that saw them fall short by 73 runs
Danyal Rasool
29-Mar-2025
New Zealand 344 for 9 (Chapman 132, Mitchell 76, Abbas 52, Irfan 3-51) beat Pakistan 271 (Babar 78, Agha 58, Smith 4-60) by 73 runs
Mark Chapman inflicted misery upon his favourite opponents once more, a career-best 132 off 111 balls helping New Zealand to a 73-run victory in Napier. A strong start from Pakistan's bowlers came undone by a 199-run fourth wicket partnership between Chapman and Daryl Mitchell, whose grittier 76 came in the slipstream of Chapman's more regal knock. It was topped off by a cameo from Pakistan-born New Zealand debutant Muhammad Abbas, who scored the quickest 50 on debut in ODI history, taking 24-balls to get there as the hosts posted 344.
Pakistan's response for large periods suggested they were well on course for victory. Fifties from Babar Azam and Salman Agha put Pakistan in pole position before Pakistan collapsed from 249 for 3 to 271 all out, losing three wickets for four runs as New Zealand turned the tables to seal a victory that was, for long periods, less comfortable than the final scorecard.
Full postPatidar, bowlers lead RCB to first win over CSK in Chennai since 2008
CSK couldn't handle the seam and swing of Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood after RCB batters dominated CSK's attack
Sidharth Monga
28-Mar-2025
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 196 for 7 (Patidar 51, Salt 32, Noor 3-36, Pathirana 2-36) beat Chennai Super Kings 146 for 8 (Ravindra 41, Dhoni 30*, Hazlewood 3-21, Dayal 2-18) by 50 runs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ended their Chennai jinx in style, beating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) there got the first time since the first IPL - by a whopping 50 runs, CSK's biggest defeat at home. The contest was so dead that more than half of CSK's chase was all about finding out if and when MS Dhoni would bat. He eventually did so at No. 9, only for the second time in his career.
The build-up was all about how RCB would tackle 12 overs of spin, but the conditions rolled out inverted the spotlight: how would CSK handle eight overs of traditional seam and swing from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood? Not very well, as their combined figures of 7-0-41-4 demonstrated.
Full postWildermuth, Clayton tons leave South Australia chasing 270 for Shield title
Brendan Doggett finished with the best figures in a final but Queensland have a shot at an astonishing turnaround
Andrew McGlashan
28-Mar-2025
Queensland 95 and 445 (Wildermuth 111, Clayton 100, Labuschagne 61, Steketee 51, Doggett 5-109) lead South Australia 271 by 270 runs
The Sheffield Shield final could be set for a grandstand finish after centuries from Jack Clayton and Jack Wildermuth gave Queensland hope of producing a record-breaking turnaround after South Australia had appeared on the brink of the title with Brendan Doggett claiming the best ever figures in a decider.
When Michael Neser fell to the last ball before lunch on the third day, Queensland led by just 45 with four wickets in hand. But Clayton, who ran himself out first ball on the opening day, and Wildermuth added 103 for the seventh wicket then Wildermuth found support from Mark Steketee in a further 112-run stand for the eighth leaving South Australia needing what would be a record chase in a final of 270.
Full postShardul and Pooran make light work of SRH
LSG chasing down their target with 23 balls and five wickets to spare was giving SRH a taste of their own medicine
Hemant Brar
27-Mar-2025
Lucknow Super Giants 193 for 5 (Pooran 70, Marsh 52, Cummins 2-29) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 190 for 9 (Head 47, Verma 36, Reddy 32, Shardul 4-34) by five wickets
Before the match, many expected Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to post the first 300-plus total in IPL history. There were reasons to justify the speculation. After a record-breaking IPL 2024, SRH had posted 286 for 6 in their IPL 2025 opener, also in Hyderabad, and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were without at least two of their first-choice bowlers.
Forget 300, SRH could not even score 200. They managed only 190 for 9 with Shardul Thakur picking up 4 for 34, his best figures in the IPL.
Full postLehmann century puts SA in charge but Labuchagne keeps Queensland alive
Lehmann made 102 to give South Australia a 176-run first innings lead but Labuschagne's 61 helped erase that lead by stumps
Alex Malcolm
27-Mar-2025
Queensland 95 & 177 for 3 (Labuschagne 61, Doggett 2-38) lead South Australia271 (Lehmann 102, Vidler 4-64, Wildermuth 3-39) by one run
A sublime century from Jake Lehmann and two key strikes from Brendan Doggett put South Australia in striking distance of an elusive Sheffield Shield trophy, but a fighting half-century from Marnus Labuschagne ensured Queensland still have a glimmer of hope in the final at Karen Rolton Oval.
Lehmann smashed 102 from 151 balls on day two, his third century in as many Shield games, sharing in two key lower order stands with Ben Manenti and Nathan McAndrew to push South Australia's first innings total up to 271 and establish a 176-run lead over Queensland. It also ensured South Australia would win the Shield on bonus points in the event of a draw, but that result seems unlikely with three days to play. Callum Vidler failed to add to the four wickets he took on the first afternoon but Jack Wildermuth finished with 3 for 39.
Full postKKR spinners stifle Royals before Quinton de Kock gets the job done
KKR were without an unwell Sunil Narine but still dominated enough to not need Andre Russell with ball or bat
Deivarayan Muthu
26-Mar-2025
Kolkata Knight Riders 153 for 2 (De Kock 97*, Hasaranga 1-34) beat Rajasthan Royals 151 for 9 (Jurel 33, Varun 2-17, Moeen 2-23, Arora 2-33, Rana 2-36) by eight wickets
No Sunil Narine, no problem for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). KKR's new recruit Moeen Ali, who took the unwell Narine's place, dovetailed beautifully with old face Varun Chakravarthy on a dry, sluggish Guwahati surface to limit Rajasthan Royals (RR) to 151 for 9. The two spinners were so good - they claimed combined figures of 8-0-40-4 - that KKR didn't even need Andre Russell with the ball.
Then another new recruit, Quinton de Kock, came good at the top, and KKR didn't need Russell with the bat either. De Kock's unbeaten 97 off 61 balls got KKR on the points table and handed RR their second successive defeat this season.
Full postGaur, Scrivens, Scholfield star as England Women A win series opener in Australia
Tourists prevail in low-scoring contest at Hurstville Oval to get off to a winning start in multi-format tour
ESPNcricinfo staff
26-Mar-2025
England Women A 119 for 7 (Scholfield 36, Scrivens 35) beat Australia Women A 117 for 6 (Gaur 2-10) by three wickets
England Women A succeeded at the first attempt where the senior squad had failed in seven matches out of seven, as they opened their multi-format tour of Australia with a three-wicket victory over Australia A in the first T20I at Hurstville Oval in Sydney.
After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, England restricted their counterparts to 117 for 6 in their 20 overs, with Mahika Gaur, the tall left-arm seamer, proving especially unplayable as she returned figures of 2 for 10 in four overs. Gaur's opening delivery of the match trapped Tahlia Wilson lbw for 0, as Australia slipped to 43 for 4 in the first ten overs.
Full postDoggett's six trumps Vidler's four on dramatic opening day to Shield final
Queensland were bundled out for 95 before 19-year-old Vidler responded with 4 for 33 to curb South Australia's lead
Alex Malcolm
26-Mar-2025
South Australia 158 for 6 (Lehmann 42*, Vidler 4-33) lead Queensland 95 (Doggett 6-31) by 63 runs
The fringe and the future of Australian fast bowling was on display on day one of the Sheffield Shield final with Brendan Doggett taking six wickets to roll Queensland for 95 before 19-year-old Callum Vidler took four to ensure South Australia did not run away with the game on a dramatic day at Karen Rolton Oval where 16 wickets fell.
Doggett tore through Queensland's line-up to bowl them out for the lowest first innings total in Shield final history. He took his best ever figures in Shield cricket of 6 for 31 and his second five-wicket haul in a final, having done it previously for Queensland in the 2017-18 decider. He also became the 10th bowler to take multiple five-wicket hauls in a final. Queensland's total was also the third-lowest in Shield history in any innings.
Full postNeesham, Seifert propel NZ to 4-1 series win against Pakistan
Seifert scored an unbeaten 97 after Neesham's five wickets reduced Pakistan to 128
Danyal Rasool
26-Mar-2025
New Zealand 131 for 2 (Seifert 97*) beat Pakistan 128 for 9 (Agha 51, Neesham 5-22) by eight wickets
New Zealand signed off the series as they started it: with an absolute hammering of Pakistan. Tim Seifert, who smashed an unbeaten 97 off 38, ensured New Zealand needed just ten overs to get to Pakistan's limp 128 after five wickets for James Neesham hobbled Pakistan in the first innings.
New Zealand called correctly at the toss and barely put a foot wrong after. Will O'Rourke and Jacob Duffy were both tight and penetrating up front as New Zealand took three wickets in the powerplay. It included Hassan Nawaz for his third duck of the series who sandwiched his century at Eden Park with just one run across the other four games. Neesham's first wicket of five reduced Pakistan to 52 for 5 around the halfway mark as Pakistan's top order scattered around their captain Salman Agha.
Full postAustralia survive Green scare to secure 3-0 whitewash
Georgia Voll was given six lives during her half-century but a record New Zealand partnership almost flipped the script
Andrew McGlashan
26-Mar-2025
Australia 180 for 4 (Voll 75) beat New Zealand 172 for 8 (A Kerr 66, Green 62, Sutherland 4-35) by eight runs
Australia withstood a thrilling onslaught from Maddy Green to secure a 3-0 whitewash over T20I world champions New Zealand in Wellington with the home side left to rue a woeful fielding display in which they dropped Georgia Voll six times.
When Sophie Devine fell in the ninth over, New Zealand were a long way adrift in their chase of 181 on 54 for 4 - which included Megan Schutt becoming the first women's player to 150 T20I wickets - but Green turned the game on its head with a 29-ball fifty, her first in T20Is, and in all struck five sixes while adding a New Zealand-record 99 for the fifth wicket with Amelia Kerr.
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