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The United States continued an impressive run in the T20 World Cup on Thursday, securing an improbable upset victory over Pakistan.
After opening up the tournament with a dominant win over Canada by seven wickets on Saturday, the U.S. followed it up with another strong performance.
The result of Thursday's match was decided in the Super Over after both teams were tied at the end of the 40 overs of play, with the United States finally emerging victorious by five runs.
After the win, the United States now has sole possession of first place in Group A with four points to go along with a 2-0 record. Pakistan currently sits at No. 3 in the group due to Thursday's defeat.
Aaron Jones followed up his impressive performance against Canada with another tremendous game, scoring one of his two sixes to take the match into the super over. USA captain Monank Patel expressed his pride in his teammates after winning player of the match.
"It's a big achievement, the way we played today," Patel said, per The Guardian. "I'm really proud of the boys. We used the conditions really well, We played really well and brought the game really deep. The plan was to take off the pressure, happy that we got those two points. As a player you want to rise to the occasion in the big games."
He also credited the United States' strong start for the eventual win.
"I think winning the toss and taking wickets in the first six overs [was crucial] we kept them quiet and we knew they would take chances and I felt like 160 batting second we had a chance," said Patel.
The U.S. now has a strong chance to move onto the Super 8 round, as the top two teams in each group will advance. Patel and the rest of the United States' roster will now look ahead toward the team's next match, a clash with India on June 12.
The United States opened the T20 World Cup with a dominant victory over Canada by seven wickets on Saturday in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Aaron Jones was the standout performer, finishing with 94 runs on 40 balls including 10 sixes. Teammate Andries Gous had 65 runs off 46 balls to help propel the U.S. to the win.
"Obviously we know that Canada always come hard at us, it's a big rivalry and I was just happy to get my team over the line tonight," Jones told reporters. "To be honest I always thought anything under 200 was chaseable. The pitch was good and the outfield was fast as well.
"We just back ourselves, played some good cricket and we came out on top."
The 29-year-old was singled out for praise on social media:
The United States is back in action Thursday against Pakistan with two more matchups to come in the group stage after that.
The top two teams in each group advance to the Super 8 round, so the Americans' triumph over Canada puts them in the driver's seat right out of the gate..
A fake version of the IPL cricket league was allegedly set up in Gujarat, India, in an elaborate scheme to fool Russian gamblers, according to Ashish Chauhan of the Times of India and the BBC.
Indian police have arrested four men and charged them with criminal conspiracy and gambling in connection with the hoax. Betting on cricket is illegal in the country.
Police official Bhavesh Rathod said "chief organizer" Shoeb Davda hired 21 farm laborers in the village to participate in the scheme, promising them 400 rupees ($5) per fake game. Per Chauhan, the laborers posed as players and wore the uniforms of real IPL teams—specifically the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans.
The scheme even allegedly had bogus umpires and someone imitating famous cricket announcer Harsha Bhogle on the fake broadcast, which went over YouTube on a channel called "IPL."
Chauhan reported that the alleged orchestrators accepted bets from people in the Russian cities of Tver, Voronezh and Moscow.
The bettors apparently weren't terribly familiar with the IPL schedule, which ended three weeks before the Gujarat scam. The ruse lasted long enough for the fake competition to reach the quarterfinals.
The broadcast never showed a wide angle of the action, and pumped-in sound effects allegedly mimicked crowd noise through speakers.
After the Russian bettors placed bets on the matches, the fake umpire was allegedly alerted via walkie-talkie and instructed the bowler and batsman whether to hit a six, four or get an out.
Former Australian cricket player Shane Warne, considered one of the best in the history of the sport, has died at the age of 52 because of a suspected heart attack, per Andrew Miller of ESPN.
Warne was in Thailand at the time of his death.
"Shane was found unresponsive in his villa, and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived," Warne's management said in a statement to Jacob Polychronis of Fox News.
Warne helped Australia win the World Cup in 1999 and starred for the national team from 1992 to 2007. In 2000, he was one of five competitors named to Wisden's Cricketers of the Century list.
He finished his career with 708 wickets in Test matches, second-most in history behind Muttiah Muralitharan.
He retired from the sport in 2013 before spending time in broadcasting.
Warne's shocking death led to tributes from his native Australia and around the world:
The news comes less than a day after the death of fellow Australian cricket star Rod Marsh. Warne offered a tribute on social media to Marsh, saying he was a "legend of our great game & an inspiration to so many young boys & girls."
On Friday, English cricketer Alex Hales apologized for wearing blackface while dressing up as rapper Tupac Shakur at a costume party in 2009.
"The theme was musicians and Tupac is, was and always will be my favorite musician, so I went as him," he said in a recorded statement. "Obviously, I realize this is incredibly disrespectful and I want to apologize for the offense this has no doubt caused. It was incredibly reckless and foolish on my behalf and I apologize for that, and apologize to the club for the embarrassment it would have caused them."
Former cricketer Azeem Rafiq, who accused Yorkshire County Cricket Club of institutional racism this week and outlined over 40 instances of racism and bullying, told the Department for Culture, Media and Sport select committee that Hales had named his dog "Kevin" because the dog is black and former English cricketer Gary Ballance used the name as a slur to describe Black people.
Rafiq said it was "an open secret in the England dressing room" that Hayes named his dog for those reasons. Hayes denied the accusations.
"I deplore all forms of racism and discrimination," he said in his statement.
Rafiq made his own apology Thursday for antisemitic comments he made in 2011.
Hales' club, Nottinghamshire, released a statement regarding the blackface photo.
"Alex is currently in Australia ahead of the Big Bash League and is due to return to Nottinghamshire in the new year to prepare for his commitment to the club in the T20 Blast," it read. "Alex will be subject to the club's established disciplinary process and has indicated his willingness to participate in the investigation."
Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill was the victim of a kidnapping, according to Fergus Hunter and Laura Chung of the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hunter and Chung reported four men were arrested. Among those facing charges is Marino Sotiropoulos, who's the brother of MacGill's partner, Maria O’Meagher.
On April 14, Sotiropoulos and two others allegedly confronted MacGill and forced him to enter a vehicle.
"He was allegedly driven to a property at Bringelly, more than 60 kilometres away in the city’s south-west, where three men assaulted him and threatened him with a firearm," Hunter and Chung wrote.
MacGill allegedly was then driven to another location 40 kilometers away and released.
Australian authorities said the crime appears to have been financially motivated and that MacGill was initially concerned about reporting the kidnapping to police, per the BBC.
"To be standing on a street, to be dragged into a car, driven a remote location, physically assaulted, threatened with a firearm, held for a period of time and then dumped, I think you would be pretty worried," detective Anthony Holton said. "I know it is only an hour that he was held, but it would have been a horribly frightful hour to endure through."
MacGill only suffered minor injuries and didn't require additional medical care.
The 50-year-old retired from competitive cricket in 2008, having appeared in 44 Test matches for Australia over his career. He also agreed to a confidential settlement with Cricket Australia in 2017 after filing a AU$2.6 million lawsuit over injury payments he said he didn't receive.
He now serves as a general manager for a Sydney-area restaurant.
Pat Cummins became the most expensive overseas player in Indian Premier League history on Thursday when the Australian was bought at auction by the Kolkata Knight Riders for 15.5 crore ($2.1 million).
After a relatively frugal auction last year—because many top players were unavailable as a result of international commitments—the money was flowing ahead of the 2020 IPL season.
Like Cummins, Glenn Maxwell and Chris Morris also hit the 10 crore-mark.
Here's a look at some of the highest winning bids:
The IPL's full list of sold and unsold players can be found here.
(*one crore/100 lakh = $140,000, 10 crore = $1.4 million)
Recap
Reigning champions Mumbai Indians kicked off proceedings by securing the first purchase of the day, signing Chris Lynn for the power-hitting Australian's base price of 2 crore.
Soon after, England's ODI World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan—who hasn't competed in the IPL since 2017, when he played for Kings XI Punjab—was snapped up by Kolkata, where the left-hander played between 2011 and 2013.
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle thought it was a shrewd move from KKR:
Maxwell became the first millionaire of the 2020 auction when he went back to Kings XI Punjab for more than double Morgan's price, after they won a bidding war with the Delhi Capitals.
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata had similar reactions to the purchase:
According to cricket statistician Sampath Bandarupalli, over the course of his IPL career, Maxwell has earned around 31 crores at auction, the biggest cumulative total of any overseas player.
The Australian most recently turned out for Delhi in 2018, but he played for Punjab from 2014-17. In 69 matches in the IPL, the all-rounder has produced 1,397 runs and 16 wickets.
Per Cricbuzz, Punjab CEO Satish Menin said:
"Maxwell was someone who was very much on our radar. We needed that X-factor player in our line up.
"He has been with us in the past so he knows our exact layout. We've done a lot of tracking on him.
"We certainly wanted him and that slot had to be filled at any cost. He has the capacity to really blast on a good day."
Maxwell's price exceeded the top bids from last year—8.4 crore was spent on both Varun Chakravarthy and Jaydev Unadkat—but he was soon overtaken by compatriot Cummins.
Bangalore and Delhi had been bidding back-and-forth on the 26-year-old before Kolkata made a late swoop to snatch him up.
One of the world's top-ranked fast bowlers, Cummins played for KKR in 2014. In 2017 he turned out for Delhi, while the following year he was bought at auction by Mumbai but missed the entire season with a back injury.
His price saw him come close to matching Yuvraj Singh's all-time record of 16 crore, which was set in 2015 by Delhi.
Sports writer Chetan Narula felt it unwise to bid so heavily for him:
He is eagerly anticipating his return to Kolkata, though:
Morris became the third millionaire of the day when he went to the Royal Challengers for 10 crore.
ESPNcricinfo's Sreshth Shah offered some insight into his move:
The South African has taken 69 wickets and 517 runs from 61 Indian Premier League matches.
Unadkat, who was the joint-most expensive player in 2019 and went for 11.5 crore in 2018, saw his value fall again as the left-handed quick went for just 3 crore. Chakravarthy fared a little better, moving to KKR for 4 crore.
The 2020 IPL season, which will be the 13th edition of the competition, will begin in April.
Excitement for the 2020 Indian Premier League will be ramped up a notch on Thursday, as the teams involved complete their respective squads at the competition auction.
After recently confirming their retained lists and the subsequent destination of a number of huge names ahead of next season, the players unassigned for the next campaign will be available to purchase at the event in Kolkata.
There are 332 players to go under the hammer, with 73 places to be filled across the eight teams competing for the title next year.
Date: Thursday, December 19
Time: 3:30 p.m. (IST), 10 a.m. (GMT)
Budgets
Chennai Super Kings: 14.60 crore rupees (£1,540,000)
Delhi Capitals: 27.85 crore rupees (£2,930,000)
Kings XI Punjab: 42.70 crore rupees (£4,500,000)
Kolkata Knight Riders: 35.65 crore rupees (£3,760,000)
Mumbai Indians: 13.05 crore rupees (£1,380,000)
Rajasthan Royals: 28.90 crore rupees (£3,050,000)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 27.90 crore rupees (£2,940,000)
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 17.00 crore rupees (£1,790,000)
Details per The Cricketer.
Preview
The IPL website listed the players to be auctioned and their respective base prices. Its Twitter feed provided a rundown of some of the players expected to fetch the biggest bids:
Chris Lynn was released by Kolkata recently but has established a reputation as one of the most dependable batsmen in the competition. He's notched 10 half-centuries in his IPL career, four of which came in 2019, and has an impressive overall strike rate of 140.65.
Another man likely to be in demand is Jason Roy, who was crucial to England's success at the ICC World Cup in the summer, dominating opposition bowlers with his bullish style. Here are some of his best moments from the tournament:
After missing the 2019 IPL, Roy will be desperate to make an impression this year and can be a huge asset to whoever does pick him up. England captain Eoin Morgan is also available to purchase.
Those sides looking for high-class bowlers will have a plethora of options to choose from, with the Australian duo of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood currently free agents.
In the summer, the pair tormented England in the Ashes and have carried that form into recent Test matches against Pakistan and New Zealand. Per sports statistician Mohandas Menon, Cummins has been especially productive in 2019:
Dale Steyn is another high-class bowler, who boasts incredible experience at the highest level. Earlier this year, the 36-year-old confirmed his retirement from Test cricket, and he'll be hoping that call keeps him fresh for the 2020 IPL.
He has 96 wickets in his career in the competition and will hope to get to three figures over the course of the next edition.
Other players with the highest base price include Australian all-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh. The former can be devastating on his day, and he memorably scored 552 runs in the 2014 season.
Sri Lanka star Angelo Mathews is another man who could trigger a bidding war. His experience, leadership and ability to make contributions with bat and ball could see widespread interest in the 32-year-old.
The 2020 Indian Premier League auction takes place on Thursday with a total of 332 cricketers going under the hammer in Kolkata.
There are seven overseas players available at the highest reserve price of INR 2 crore (£211,532), including the Australian quintet of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell.
South Africa's Dale Steyn and Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews are also in the highest price bracket, while Robin Uthappa is the most expensive Indian player in the auction with a base price of INR 1.5 crore (£158,690).
The Indian Premier League has shared some of the top picks ahead of Thursday's auction:
Top players such as England's Tom Banton, Australia's Aaron Finch and New Zealand's Jimmy Neesham are also likely to be in demand as are West Indies pair Shimron Hetmyer and Evin Lewis.
The complete list of all 332 players available for the 2020 IPL auction is available here. Thursday's auction takes place at 3:30 p.m. local time/10 a.m. GMT/5 a.m. ET.
Team Budgets (according to The Cricketer)
Chennai Super Kings: 14.60 crore rupees (£1,540,000)
Delhi Capitals: 27.85 crore rupees (£2,930,000)
Kings XI Punjab: 42.70 crore rupees (£4,500,000)
Kolkata Knight Riders: 35.65 crore rupees (£3,760,000)
Mumbai Indians: 13.05 crore rupees (£1,380,000)
Rajasthan Royals: 28.90 crore rupees (£3,050,000)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 27.90 crore rupees (£2,940,000)
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 17.00 crore rupees (£1,790,000)
Mumbai Indians are the reigning champions and are expected to have a quiet auction as a result. They may only buy back-up options to complement their strong squad.
They have seven slots available but only two are for overseas players, and they also have the smallest budget of all eight teams after retaining the core of their squad in the offseason:
Kings XI Punjab are the team with the biggest budget and will likely look to splash the clash. KL Rahul and Chris Gayle are the team's stars and may be joined by some of the auction's big names such as Cummins, Neesham or even England's Jason Roy or Eoin Morgan.
The England skipper played for the team previously in 2017 and being a World-Cup winning captain is likely to attract plenty of interest from franchises in need of a solid middle-order batsman.
Royal Challengers Bangalore are also likely to be busy bringing in players. They have the smallest squad of the eight franchises and a total of 12 slots available, including six overseas places.
The team put a new coaching staff in place in August, which suggests they could take a fresh approach in their bid to win a maiden IPL title:
Thurday's auction gives all eight teams the chance to build and strengthen their squads ahead of the 13th season of the IPL. The tournament gets under way in 2020 with the first match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians on March 23.
