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T20 World Cup 2022: Current scenario of Super 12s points table
The eighth edition of the Twenty20 format World Cup has heated up as all the teams in both groups are still in the race for a semifinal spot. The tournament’s Super 12 Round has been haunted heavily by the inclement weather as four matches have already been abandoned this round. Let’s take a look at the current scenario of the Super 12s points table of the T20 World Cup 2022.
Twenty20 World Cup 2022: Points standing scenarios for Group 1 and Group 2
Prior to the Super 12 Round, three teams from each group were considered favourites to earn a place in the semifinals. But that equation has changed since this round started on October 22. The cricket world has already seen two upsets in each group of Super 12s.
Read: T20 World Cup: Australia-England match also washed out due to rain
The group stage scenarios have become even more intriguing after Ireland defeated England by 5 runs and Zimbabwe defeated Pakistan by 1 run, making the group stage scenarios even more intriguing. Here are the current scenarios for each group.
Group 1
The hot favourites and reigning champions, Australia, started their campaign with a disappointing 89-run loss to New Zealand on October 22. The Aussie side’s massive defeat to the Blackcaps was a shock to many, but it immediately made the competition even more interesting.
Five matches have been staged in this group so far, and three matches were abandoned due to rain. The cancellation of the fixtures has had a huge impact on the overall points standings in this group. The matches that have been abandoned so far are Afghanistan vs New Zealand, Afghanistan vs Ireland, and the big contest between Australia and New Zealand were canceled due to inclement weather conditions.
Afghanistan are sitting at the bottom of the points table with 2 points without winning a contest. On the other hand, New Zealand, England, Ireland, and Australia all have 3 points each and hold the top four spots based on run rates.
New Zealand and Sri Lanka are in a favourable position to move to the semifinals as they have three matches left each. The rest of the teams in Group 1 have two matches left each.
Group 1 points standings (as on October 28)
Team
Match
Win
Loss
N/R
Points
NRR
New Zealand
2
1
0
1
3
4.450
England
3
1
1
1
3
0.239
Ireland
3
1
1
1
3
-1.169
Australia
3
1
1
1
3
-1.555
Sri Lanka
2
1
1
0
2
0.450
Afghanistan
3
0
1
2
2
-0.620
Read: T20 World Cup: Ireland-Afghanistan match abandoned due to rain
Group 2
The Group 2’s Super 12 Round started with a big match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan on October 23. The Indian side overcame the nerve-wracking contest by 4 wickets. India remained in the top spot with a comfortable victory over the Netherlands in their second match.
Pakistan's campaign, on the other hand, was expected to make a strong comeback after their disappointing loss to India in their opening fixture. However, they conceded a mere 1-run defeat to Zimbabwe in their second encounter and currently are at the second bottom of the Group 2 point standings.
South Africa showed a dominating performance against Bangladesh after losing points with Zimbabwe in their opening match. Bangladesh started their campaign with a good victory over the Netherlands, but they were really poor against the Proteas side in their second outing of the competition.
All the teams in this group have played two matches each and are still in the race for a place in the semifinals.
Group 2 points standings (as on October 28)
Team
Match
Win
Loss
N/R
Points
NRR
India
2
2
0
0
4
1.425
South Africa
2
1
0
1
3
5.200
Zimbabwe
2
1
0
1
3
0.050
Bangladesh
2
1
1
0
2
-2.375
Pakistan
2
0
2
0
0
-0.050
Netherlands
2
0
2
0
0
-1.625
Read: T20 World Cup: Zimbabwe stun Pakistan by 1 run
Bottom Line
The host is currently quite concerned since matches have been postponed due to inclement weather. Furthermore, the unexpected rain could hurt the favourite countries at the end of the Super 12s. The present Super 12 Round points table situation makes the T20 World Cup 2022 event even more exciting, which indicates that every country has a chance to proceed to the knockout stage.
Spain’s state prosecutor drops fraud charges against Neymar
Spain’s state prosecutor dropped its charges against Neymar on Friday, but a Brazilian company involved in the case will continue to fight the football player in court.
The case stems from Neymar’s transfer in 2013 from Santos to Barcelona.
The state prosecutor withdrew all charges against Neymar, his father and the former executives of the Brazilian and Spanish clubs. However, the trial will continue because Brazilian company DIS, which brought the case, maintained its accusation that the parties involved committed fraud and corruption.
DIS claims that it was paid far less than the 40% it says it was due as part owners of Neymar’s player rights.
The state prosecutor announced the decision to drop the case after hearing testimony from former Barcelona executives Sandro Rosell and Josep Bartomeu on Friday. State prosecutor Luis García told the court he did not see any evidence that a crime was committed.
All the defendants deny any wrongdoing.
State prosecutors had been seeking a two-year prison sentence and a fine of 10 million euros ($10 million) for Neymar. They had also wanted five years for Rosell and three years for the former president of Santos, Odilio Rodrigues.
Neymar, who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain, told the court last week that he had “followed my heart and chose Barça.”
DIS is seeking five-year jail terms for the 30-year-old Neymar, his father, Rosell and Bartomeu. DIS also wants compensation of 34 million euros ($34 million) and a fine of 195 million euros ($194 million) that would be paid by the accused to the Spanish state.
“In the opinion of DIS, no new evidence has appeared in the five days of this trial to justify changing our stance regarding what took place,” DIS said in a statement shared with The Associated Press.
DIS, which owns a chain of supermarkets in Brazil’s São Paulo region, said it acquired rights to receive 40% of a future Neymar transfer in 2009 when it paid Neymar’s family 5 million Brazilian reals (then $2 million).
DIS says it only received its due percentage from the 17 million euros ($17 million) that Barcelona and Santos initially announced as the transfer fee between the clubs, while the real cost was about 82 million euros ($82 million).
The trial is expected to conclude on Monday.
FIFA World Cup 2022 jerseys are out, get mixed reviews
Puma, you’re all boxed in. Nike, what have you done to the U.S. and Canada? Adidas, you’re making a few style waves.
With millions at stake in retail sales, this year’s World Cup in Qatar has football fans playing rate the shirt — and what to buy. So far, there’s no runaway winner that just might earn icon status like the sold-out-in-minutes bright green and chevron jersey of Nigeria during the last tournament in 2018.
Which kits definitely don’t dazzle in the eyes of some hardcore fans — and a few outspoken players? Nike’s effort for the U.S. team, which didn’t qualify four years ago. An enlarged, simple country crest sits at the center on white home shirts perceived as bland, as opposed to classic. Nike relocated its swoosh logo to both sleeves.
A blue graphic at the neck has led to mocking comparisons to the Stay Puft marshmallow man of “Ghostbusters” fame. And the U.S. away kit features ice-dyed black Rorschach blotches against royal blue.
“It’s ugly,” said 33-year-old fan Ryan Bender of the former. “The away ones look like training jerseys.”
Bender is a lifelong football player, youth coach and jersey collector in Los Angeles. He had few niceties in general for many of the kits of the big three outfitters: Nike (13 countries), Adidas (7) and Puma (6). That’s especially so for the array of front boxes, shields and other containers where numbers will go courtesy of Puma on away kits for Senegal, Morocco, Uruguay and more.
There’s particular ire for Puma over the QR code-like symbol of Switzerland. The idea overall, Puma said, was to highlight player numbers. It has also been likened among the grumpy to the iPhone calendar icon.
“There’s a lot of lack of creativity there. And to be honest, a lot of them just look like jerseys you would find in a roadside shop,” Bender said of Puma’s kits.
While Bender has some favorites, and he isn’t alone when it comes to derision for the U.S. shirts, not everybody is a hater in the every-four-years World Cup sweepstakes over shirts. The top three companies are joined by six other brands with one country each. Nike, Puma and Adidas have made the use of recycled materials a priority.
“The Nike and Puma kits are stunning,” said Aron Solomon, 55, in Montreal. “Nike did such a great job bringing clean lines and just the right shade of colors. Case in point is the Qatar home Jersey.”
He was referring to the host’s maroon kit with a serrated line of white triangles trimming sleeves in a design evoking the country’s flag. Think shark’s teeth.
Denmark took a bite out of Qatar when it unveiled a black jersey to go with two other kits. The black shirts, with maker Hummel’s logo faded out, honor migrant workers who died during construction work for the tournament.
As for his own country, Canada, Solomon is unbothered that the rejuvenated Les Rouges will take the pitch for their first World Cup appearance in 36 years wearing the same template-based kits they’ve had since June 2021. The shirts are traditional red and white with a crest featuring a maple leaf.
Like a few U.S. players who speak publicly about their kits, Canada defender Sam Adekugbe is disappointed.
“I just feel like every team should get a new kit for the World Cup because it’s a symbolic event. I don’t hate it, but I would have liked to have gotten a new kit, just because it’s something to cherish,” he told The Athletic.
Nike cites a different design cycle for Canada as the reason the country is going without.
Solomon has no love for Adidas-designed shirts, particularly the home jerseys of powerhouse Germany, where he lived for four years. It features a fierce wide black vertical stripe down the center against a white background in homage to the country’s 1908 home shirt.
“It looks like they’re wearing a bib,” he said.
The Adidas shirts for four-time World Cup champs Germany, along with Argentina, Mexico and the other countries it outfitted, include the company’s signature triple-line trim on the shoulders in various colors. Sort of like sporty epaulets.
Perhaps the most polarizing kit of the competition is the away look for Mexico, which some consider too flashy and others think will endure like Nigeria’s shirts the last time around. The creamy white kit has an all-over red design of Mixtec art outlines in celebration of Mexico’s fighting spirit. There’s a nod on the inside back collar to the pre-Columbian deity Quetzalcoatl (so named by the Aztecs), aka the Feathered Serpent.
“They’re my most favorite of the whole tournament,” said mega football fan Khloe Lewis, 27, in Somerville, Massachusetts. “I like the pattern and the contrast, but also that it’s inspired by historic, traditional Mexican design.”
As a hot topic, debate over World Cup kits often churns among fans yearning for a jersey identity of their own.
“Kits get to the emotions. They’re something that’s very close to people’s hearts and it makes them very, very vocal about them,” said Mateo Kossman, a senior product manager on the Adidas football apparel team who worked on Mexico’s shirts.
Come Nov. 20, when the World Cup begins, football will dominate at the sports bar Das Beer Garden in Jupiter, Florida. Growing up in Caracas, 44-year-old co-owner Alex Marquez began playing the Beautiful Game in first grade. He roots for the U.S., Venezuela and Spain, the latter his parents’ home country.
Marquez is pleased with Spain’s classic home jersey in red from Adidas, worn with navy shorts and socks. The away kit — the aways being generally more adventurous — is another story. It has light blue swirls with faint digital lines on a white background and the country’s bright red and yellow flag colors for the shoulder stripes in a grand show of disharmony.
“It’s like the thing that goes around a baby’s crib,” Marquez said of the swirls.
The blog Four On Four called the look exquisite, dubbing the wavy design a “geometric jellyfish pattern.”
Argentina switched it up, color wise, for its away shirts. Adidas rolled out a classic white and blue stripe home kit but veered for the first time in the country’s history to a vibrant purple for the away jersey. It depicts the Sun of May and its long rays from the country’s flag, though the rays and a background design look like flames. The purple is meant to represent gender equality, and overall diversity and inclusion. And the Adidas triple lines on the shoulders match!
How has the purple played among World Cup fans?
“Like everything we create, it’s important that the story is understood and told,” said Andrew Dolan, an Adidas senior product manager who worked on the Argentina shirts. “I think everyone appreciates what we’re trying to do.”
At 10, Zain Ennaoui is a small fan with big opinions on football shirts. Of the new purple for Argentina, which has some football buffs rattled, the Brooklyn fifth-grader said politely, “It’s good in its own way.”
Zain supports Morocco, where his dad is from, but he, too, loves Mexico’s away extravaganza. He gets that most of the shirts among the 32 countries headed to Qatar have cultural meaning. That said, South Korea’s away kit of many colors (black with yellow, blue and red brush strokes) is a tough sell for him, despite its nod to Taegeukgi, the symbol on the country’s flag.
“It’s like someone thought it was a good idea to get a paint gun and spray it all over the place. It did not work,” Zain said.
It’s a toss up on which look for the U.S. is more roundly despised by critics. The football-obsessed site Footy Headlines rated Canada’s tragedy at the bottom among Nike’s efforts. The U.S. shirts were second to last.
“It looks like you’d wear it to a Grateful Dead concert,” said Kent Gethmann, 38, in Spencer, Iowa, of the blue and black away shirt.
That, the idea of lending street life to World Cup wear, might just be the point.
“I’d rock it,” Brandon Williams said of the same U.S. kit.
He’s a Los Angeles menswear stylist for celebrities and star athletes, though no football players yet.
“I’d wear it oversized with some hoochie daddy shorts (they’re really short), some clean white Nike Air Force Ones and a backward snapback,” Williams said. “I’d throw a sweater over my shoulders like Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and I’m ready for Sunday brunch.”
Injury fear grips players as World Cup draws closer
The distress on Raphael Varane’s face said it all.
The Manchester United and France defender couldn’t hide his emotions as he feared his World Cup hopes were dead.
Pulling his shirt up over his face as he limped off the field at Stamford Bridge last week, he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes.
Varane was too distraught to talk to team doctors in the immediate aftermath, which left both him and United unsure of the extent of the hamstring injury he sustained in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
Earlier this month Tottenham’s Richarlison cut a similarly distressed figure when suffering a calf injury.
The Brazil striker had tears in his eyes as he spoke of his “dream” of representing his country at the World Cup potentially being over.
Both Varane and Richarlison have since been given hope they could yet make Qatar with neither injury as serious as first feared.
But their reactions underlined the pressure being felt by players as the World Cup draws closer – especially as club football will continue right up to the week before it kicks off next month.
And the potential for injury is exacerbated by the congestion of matches brought about by a mid-season international tournament.
Leading clubs have largely been playing twice a week since the start of the campaign in order to complete the first stages of the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
That caused natural concern among national team coaches, who will only have a week with their players when the domestic season pauses.
“What I see is a really packed schedule now, a lot of players playing a lot of minutes, and realistically we will lose more,” said England head coach Gareth Southgate last month. “I just think it’s so intense and the players have had so much football.”
Southgate plans to name his squad just before the last round of Premier League matches, which is the weekend of November 12-13.
He has already seen Reece James almost certainly ruled out with a knee injury that will side-line the Chelsea defender for an estimated eight weeks.
Manchester City pair Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips are both trying to recover from groin and shoulder surgery, respectively, which is expected to keep them out until the World Cup.
The jeopardy heading into every game before the tournament is now clear – and was evident in the reactions of Varane and Richarlison.
But United manager Erik ten Hag has warned his players against being distracted by Qatar.
“Focus is so important because if you don’t have the right focus the risk is even more,” the Dutchman said this week. “Keep in the rhythm, keep in the right fitness and shape and then they will be ready for the World Cup. They are best prepared.
“Of course, it is not optimum. That is clear. It is a different World Cup, but that is something national managers have to deal with. That is the way it has to go.”
The fear of injury before a major tournament is nothing new, with the end of a campaign often a nervous period for players ahead of a summer competition.
But the mid-season element of this World Cup, combined with the hectic club calendar, has heightened tensions.
“I didn’t talk on this subject with them, but I’m pretty sure they have one eye and are thinking about the World Cup,” said City manager Pep Guardiola on Friday. “Unfortunately many players got injured and will miss the World Cup, it’s a big blow for them.
“It’s just two or three weeks before the end. It’s the last effort. I’d always advise them to be ready for the World Cup, don’t get injured, be focused and play your maximum in the game. When you lose your attention you are at risk.”
United and Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen says he will not allow himself to be distracted.
“I think for every footballer it’s the same,” he said this week. “There’s something in six games’ time, but until then we’ll be focused on the next game. There’s five or six games before the World Cup so you need to be in good shape.”
Southgate’s prediction that he would lose more members of his squad has already come to fruition with James.
No matter how focused players are, the potential for more scenes like Varane at Stamford Bridge feels likely.
T20 World Cup: Australia-England match also washed out due to rain
Defending champion Australia and England had to be content with splitting the competition points after their Twenty20 World Cup Group 1 game was abandoned because of rain on Friday.
Both games in Friday’s double-header at the Melbourne Cricket Ground were washed out without a ball being bowled. Afghanistan has now had two washouts in three days against New Zealand and then Ireland.
Heavy rain along Australia's east coast has caused widespread flooding, including in areas near Melbourne.
“The outfield has taken a drenching. It’s as wet as I’ve ever seen it in this stadium,” Australia captain Aaron Finch said of his home ground at the MCG. “It’s disappointing not to get on, but the amount of rain has been amazing."
Australia and England needed to avoid a loss in their much-hyped showdown to have any realistic chance of progressing to the semifinals. Now both teams are still fully in contention.
New Zealand leads the group after its thumping opening win over Australia and its wash out against Afghanistan. England, Ireland and Australia are also on three points, but have each played one more game than New Zealand and have inferior net run-rates.
England was coming off an upset loss to Ireland on Wednesday and was determined to get back into winning form against Australia heading into last two group games against New Zealand in Brisbane next Tuesday and Sri Lanka in Sydney on Nov. 5.
“It was due to be a massive occasion,” England captain Jos Buttler said of the game against Australia in front of a big crowd at the MCG. “A full house here against Australia. Very disappointed not to get it played.”
Australia will host Ireland in Brisbane on Monday and finish the group stage against Afghanistan.
New Zealand and Sri Lanka were scheduled to play on Saturday. Group 2 is back in action Sunday with a double-header in Perth featuring Pakistan against Netherlands and India taking on South Africa.
T20 World Cup: Ireland-Afghanistan match abandoned due to rain
Afghanistan had a second game washed out within three days at the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup after its Group 1 match against Ireland was abandoned without a ball being bowled Friday because of persistent rain.
Afghanistan’s Super 12 game against 2021 finalist New Zealand was also washed out on Wednesday, leaving the team with two points from three games.
The point moved Ireland into second spot in Group 1 two days after its upset over England in a rain-reduced match.
England was due to play defending champion Australia later Friday in the second game of a double-header at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Both teams have had an early loss in the Super 12 stage and are conscious that another defeat could end their chances of progressing to the semifinals.
Ireland, which advanced to the second round after placing second in its preliminary group last week, will move to Brisbane for a game on Monday against Australia. Afghanistan's next game is against 2014 champion Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
T20 World Cup: Zimbabwe stun Pakistan by 1 run
Zimbabwe held their nerve for a 1-run victory over Pakistan Thursday in the latest upset at the T20 World Cup.
Third-place Zimbabwe, whose opening group match was abandoned against South Africa, have three points, one more than Bangladesh.
The Green Shirts are in trouble with zero points. It was their second successive defeat after a nerve-wracking loss against arch-rival India.
Pakistan's brittle middle-order batters were restricted at 129-8 in a thrilling match at Perth after Zimbabwe chose to bat first and struggled against pace on a bouncy wicket to make 130-8.
It just proved enough for Zimbabwe, helped by 14 extras.
Unorthodox spinner Sikandar Raza bagged 3-25 and brought Zimbabwe back in the hunt in the 14th over with the wickets of Shadab Khan and Haider Ali off successive deliveries. Raza then dealt a major blow by having top-scorer Shan Masood (44) stumped off a wide ball down the leg side in the next over.
Read: T20 World Cup: Kohli’s 2nd straight 50 sets up comfortable win for India
"I'm lost for words, my throat's dry probably because of all the emotions," Raza said. "The way our seamers started at the top as well is just unbelievable and the way we backed it up in the field and the way we kept believing, I don't think there's any words I can share right now."
Mohammad Nawaz, who made 22, brought the target down to 11 off the last over and Mohammad Wasim narrowed it to three off the last three deliveries before Brad Evans had Nawaz caught at long off and then Shaheen Afridi was run out off the final ball with Pakistan falling short of the target.
Earlier, Pakistan's tactics of going with four fast bowlers worked out well with Wasim picking up 4-24 and Shadab bowling a tidy spell of 3-23 in the middle overs.
Zimbabwe got off to a flying start of 42 in five overs before slipping to 95-7, losing four wickets for no runs. Sean Williams top-scored with 31 before Shadab ignited the collapse by clean bowling Williams and Babar Azam grabbed a superb one-handed catch offered by Regis Chakabva over his head in the lone slip.
Asian Chess: Bangladesh's Razib, Jannatul lose 2nd-round matches
Bangladeshi players GM Enamul Haque Razib and WCM Jannatul Ferdous lost their second-round matches of the Asian Continental Chess Championships 2022 in the Indian capital New Delhi Thursday.
GM Enamul Hussain Razib lost to Grandmaster Rinat Jumabayev of Kazakhstan in the open category. WCM Jannatul Ferdous conceded defeat to WGM Yakubbayeva Nilufar of Uzbekistan in the women's category.
After the matches, WCM Jannatul Ferdous secured one point and GM Razib half a point.
Read: Asian Youth Chess: Bangladesh's Manon Reja shares top spot with four others
The top four players from the open category will get the chance to participate in the 2023 FIDE World Cup Chess.
The top two players from the women's category will make it to the 2023 FIDE Women's World Cup Chess.
First-ever six-team Hockey Champions Trophy begins Friday
The first-ever franchise-based Champions Trophy Hockey competition, organised by Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF), begins on Friday at Maulana Bhasani National Stadium here.
BHF President and Chief of Bangladesh Air Force Shaikh Abdul Hannan will inaugurate the six-team franchisee basis hockey league at a simple ceremony in the afternoon. This will be the country's 2nd franchise-based league after Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Cricket.
Six franchise teams--Acme Chattogram, Mettro Express Barisal, Monarch Padma, Rupayan City Cumilla, Saif Power Group Khulna and Walton Dhaka--will compete in the new look inaugural hockey meet.
Acme Chattogram will play Saif Power Group Khulna in the inaugural match, will kick-off at 7.15 pm while Rupayan City Cumilla will meet Shakib Al Hasan's Monarch Padma in the other opening's day fixture at 9 pm at the same venue.
On the following day (Saturday), Mettro Express Barisal will encounter Walton Dhaka at 6:30 pm while Monarch Padma will play Acme Chattogram in the other match at 8:15 pm.
The glitering trophy of the league was ceremonially unveiled today (Thursday) at the games venue in presence of the captains of six participating teams and the league officials..
Apart from Icon players, captains of Walton Dhaka Ashraful Islam, Acme Chattogram Rezaul Karim, Mettro Express Barisal Roman Sarkar, Monarch Padma Rasel Mahmud Jimmy, Rupayan Group Cumilla Sohanur Rahman Sabuj and Saif Power Group Khulna Biplob Kujur were present at the day's trophy unveiling ceremony.
Captains of the participating teams in their immediate reactions said, this time Federation formed the teams through players draft, so the teams have a little chance to recuit their required players in their line up, but through the process teams were formed equally balanced to make close fight for the league title.
On completion of the round robin league matches on November 12, top four teams of the league basis matches will play in the title deciding qualifier and eliminator on November 14 and 15.
Top two teams of the league basis matches will play the qualifier and the winners will directly play in the final on November 17.
The 3rd and 4th team will meet each other in the eliminator and the winning team will play in the 2nd qualifier against losing team of the first qualifier, for the remaining final berth
Earlier, the players draft of the franchise-based Hockey Champions Trophy Bangladesh'2022 ceremonially held on October 10 at the Samson H Chowdhury Center of Dhaka Club Limited here.
All the six participating teams recruited some 18 local and foreign players in their line-up for the league through lottery.
Six local Icon players are expected to receive Tk five lakh each, Category A plus players will get Tk four lakh, category A players Tk three lakh, B category Tk two lakh and C category Tk one lakh each.
T20 World Cup: Kohli’s 2nd straight 50 sets up comfortable win for India
Virat Kohli scored a second straight half-century at the T20 World Cup as India beat the Netherlands by 56 runs on Thursday.
Kohli scored 62 not out off 44 balls to guide his team to 179-2 after India chose to bat first. Rohit Sharma scored 53 while Suryakumar Yadav hit 51 not out off 25 balls and shared an important partnership with Kohli which accelerated the innings.
In reply, the Netherlands couldn’t last against a quality Indian attack and finished at 123-9.
Earlier, Lokesh Rahul (9) fell cheaply for the second game running.
Kohli and Sharma then put on 73 runs off 56 balls for the second wicket. Sharma hit four fours and three sixes, bringing up his half-century off 35 balls. He was caught in the 12th over.
India was at 84-2 and still only scoring at seven per over. Kohli and Yadav then put on 95 runs off 48 balls. Yadav hit seven fours and a six, the latter bringing up his half-century off the last ball of the Indian innings.
Kohli’s half-century had come off 37 balls, including three fours and two sixes. India’s final acceleration put the game beyond its opponents’ reach.
Indian spinners strangled the Netherlands’ chase. Axar Patel recovered from a mauling against Pakistan and took 2-18 in four overs. It was in that game that Kohli scored a match-winning 82 not out off 53 balls.
Ravichandran Ashwin had 2-21 against the Netherlands. He dismissed Colin Ackermann (17) and Tom Cooper (9) in the same over.
Tim Pringle was the top Dutch scorer with 20 off 15 but the result was never in doubt against an impressive display by the Indian bowlers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had economical figures of 2-9 in three overs. Arshdeep Singh took 2-37 while Mohammed Shami finished with 1-27.
India moved to the top of Group 2 with four points from consecutive wins over Pakistan and the Netherlands.
South Africa is second after it beat Bangladesh by 104 runs in the first of three games on Thursday.
Rilee Rossouw posted the first century of the tournament, plundering 109 from 56 deliveries.
After brief concerns about rain, South Africa batted first and posted 205-5. Rossouw and Quinton de Kock put on 163 runs off 81 balls for the second wicket for the highest South African partnership ever at the tournament.
De Kock scored 50 off 33 balls and was eventually out for 63 off 38 balls, including seven fours and three sixes.
The Proteas then skittled Bangladesh for 101 with Anrich Nortje picking up four wickets.
“Clinical in terms of performance,” South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said. “The batting lineup has shaped up quite nicely.”
In the third Group 2 game of the day, Zimbabwe won the toss against Pakistan in Perth and opted to bat.
Pakistan is in need of its first win after losing to India in a nerve-wracking contest at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Zimbabwe has one point after its first game against South Africa in Hobart was washed out.