Franchise Cricket

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Pakistan's Babar Azam made an unbeaten 58 to guide Sydney Sixers to a six-wicket win over Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League.

Chasing 165, Babar hit four fours and one six in his 46-ball knock to get Sixers over the line with five balls to spare.

He shared 46 with Daniel Hughes (30) for the opening wicket and 42 with Moises Henriques for the third wicket, before an unbroken stand of 51 with Joel Davies (34 off 15) gave Sixers the win.

Renegades had posted 164-9 from their 20 overs with Josh Brown top-scoring with 43 off 19 balls at the top of the order.

Sean Abbott was the pick of the Sixers bowlers, claiming 3-16, including the important wicket of Jake Fraser-McGurk, who was well set on 38 in the 15th over.

The win leaves Sixers fifth in the table, while Renegades are seventh after a third defeat in four games.

• Big Bash fixtures & table

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West Indies all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford starred with bat and ball as Pretoria Capitals thrashed MI Cape Town by 85 runs in the SA20.

Rutherford smashed an unbeaten 47 off 15 balls at the backend of Capitals' innings to help them post 220-5 after opting to bat first.

He put on an unbroken 86 from 27 balls with Dewald Brevis (36* off 13) with the pair hitting 10 sixes between them.

Four of them came in four balls from Rutherford in the 19th over as Capitals added 72 in the final three overs of the innings.

They were struggling earlier in the innings at 38-3 in the powerplay but Shai Hope (45 off 30) and Wihan Lubbe (60 off 36) shared 88 for the fourth wicket to lay a platform.

In the chase, Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton shared 60 for the first wicket but both fell in a two-over period.

Nicolas Pooran hit four sixes in smashing 25 off six balls but he was dismissed by Keshav Maharaj and from there the defending champions slipped away.

The final seven wickets fell in the next seven overs with Rutherford claiming 4-24 and Maharaj finishing with 3-28.

Tymal Mills wrapped up victory, giving Capitals a bonus-point success in their first win of the season.

They climb to fourth in table, while Cape Town are bottom after two defeats and a washout in their three matches.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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Captain David Miller struck an unbeaten 71 to guide Paarl Royals to a five-wicket win over Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20.

Chasing 150, Royals were 35-4 but Miller shared 114 with Keagan Lion-Cachet (45 off 40) for the fifth wicket to put them back in control.

They needed 17 from 12 balls for victory and Lion-Cachet hit three fours in the penultimate over to leave just two required from the last.

Miller, who hit four fours and five sixes in his 38-ball knock, took a single from the first ball to level the scores.

Lewis Gregory then bowled two dots at Lion-Cachet, before having him caught at gully.

However, Gregory got his line wrong to new batter Delano Potgieter and a wide was signalled to give Royals victory with two balls to spare.

Sunrisers had earlier posted 149 all out with Jordan Hermann top-scoring with 47.

They were well set at 135-4 in the 17th over but Marco Jansen and Hermann were dismissed in the space of four balls to spark a collapse of six wickets for 13 runs in 19 balls.

The win is Royals' first of the season and lifts them to fourth, while Sunrisers remain top despite their first loss.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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England's Jamie Overton took 3-19 to set up Adelaide Strikers' seven-wicket win over Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.

Overton, who was named in England's T20 World Cup squad on Tuesday, removed Jack Wildermuth in the fifth over as Heat slipped to 17-3.

Their innings got worse as they fell to 67-7 in the 13th over as Overton claimed the wicket of Xavier Bartlett.

Heat battled up to 121 all out with Matt Kuhnemann making an unbeaten 31 and Hugh Weibgen 28, with the latter dismissed by Overton.

Strikers captain Matt Short (19) put on 51 with Chris Lynn for the opening wicket before being dismissed by Oli Patterson.

Lynn took over from there and powered his way to an unbeaten 79 off 41 with six fours and six sixes.

Three of those sixes were in succession over Kuhnemann at the start of the 13th over before Liam Scott hit a four off the first ball of the next over to seal victory.

The win lifts Strikers up to fourth after successive defeats, while Heat are fifth after a third loss in five matches.

• Big Bash fixtures & table

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Australia all-rounders Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland have withdrawn from the upcoming season of the Women's Premier League, but leg-spinner Alana King has signed up as a replacement.

Perry was due to represent 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru again, while Sutherland was due to represent Delhi Capitals again.

King will replace Sutherland, having previously played one game for UP Warriorz last season.

India all-rounder Sayali Satghare, who has played three one-day internationals, has replaced Perry.

USA left-arm seamer Tara Norris will also miss the tournament due to international commitments and has been replaced by Australia's Charli Knott.

The fourth edition of the tournament begins on 9 January.

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Joburg Super Kings continued their unbeaten start to the SA20 season with a convincing win over Durban's Super Giants.

England seamer Richard Gleeson helped set up victory with three wickets for just two runs as Super Giants limped to 86 all out.

Captain Aiden Markram top-scored with 22 for the hosts, with England's Jos Buttler scoring 12 off 11.

All-rounder Prenelan Subrayen also took three wickets before Rilee Rossouw's 43 off 32 ensured Faf du Plessis' side cruised to a six-wicket victory despite losing both openers and Wiaan Mulder cheaply.

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USA wicketkeeper Andries Gous struck the highest ever score in the International League T20 to power Desert Vipers into Sunday's final.

Gous smashed a breathtaking 120 off 58 balls, which included nine sixes and seven fours, as Vipers posted 233-1 against MI Emirates.

Pakistan's Fakhar Zaman hit 69 off 50 balls in an opening stand of 157 with Gous before England all-rounder and Vipers captain Sam Curran crashed an unbeaten 38 off 12 balls.

MI Emirates started well, with England's Tom Banton hitting 63 off 27, but Pakistan off-spinner Usman Tariq removed him and Sanjay Krishnamurthi in successive deliveries to all-but end chances of a successful run-chase.

Romario Shepherd struck some late blows but MI Emirates fell 45 runs short and face a second qualifier on Friday in their bid to join Vipers in the final.

ILT20 knockout schedule

1 January - Eliminator: Dubai Capitals v Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (14:30 GMT)

2 January - Qualifier 2: MI Emirates v winner of Eliminator (14:30 GMT)

4 January - final: Desert Vipers v winner of Qualifier 2 (14:30 GMT)

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Ashton Turner had to settle for 99 not out while helping his Perth Scorchers side thrash Sydney Sixers by 71 runs in the Big Bash.

Captain Turner, who crashed eight fours and eight sixes in 41 balls, took a single with three balls to go in Scorchers innings, having rescued an effort struggling at 34-3.

Batting partner Ashton Agar was visibly disappointed when he hit the next ball for four, meaning he kept the strike, and when he holed out to the penultimate delivery, Turner was unable to return to the striker's end.

New batter Joel Parris was also caught in the deep and Scorchers finished on 202-8.

Though Turner was denied a first T20 century, the target proved well beyond Thunder.

David Warner made 25, Matthew Gilkes 33 and Sam Konstas 21 but the innings fell away after left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly took two wickets in the 10th over.

The hosts were bowled out for 131 in 17.3 overs.

Scorchers move up to third in the standings after four matches while the hit to Thunder's net run-rate means they drop to the bottom.

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Sunrisers Eastern Cape continued their winning start to this year's SA20 with a commanding 48-run win over Pretoria Capitals.

After electing to bat first, the Sunrisers posted 188-6 thanks to opener Quinton de Kock's 77 off 47 balls and fellow South Africa international Matthew Breetzke striking 52 off 33.

England's Jonny Bairstow was bowled by South Africa fast bowler Lungi Ngidi for two, but De Kock and Breetzke combined for a partnership for 116.

The hosts' scoring slowed after both were dismissed in quick succession at Dafabet St George's Park in Gqeberha but Jordan Hermann's 37 off 20 led them to a challenging total.

In reply, English batter Will Smeed made 35 off 27 and West Indies wicketkeeper Shai Hope hit 36 off 19.

But the Capitals were undone by New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne, who took 4-25, and the visitors were bowled out for 140 off 18 overs.

It is a second straight convincing win for the Sunrisers, having opened their campaign with a thumping 137-run victory over Paarl Royals, who were dismissed for a SA20 record low score of 49.

The Sunrisers are top of the six-team table, while the Capitals are fifth, having lost both their matches so far.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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Former Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade hit 43 not out from 20 balls to lead Hobart Hurricanes to victory over Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash.

Hurricanes needed 69 from 45 balls with five wickets left in pursuit of 163 before Wade shared a partnership of 38 with England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed.

Ahmed holed out at deep extra cover for 23 in the 17th over but from there Wade hit three sixes and a four to seal victory with an over to spare.

It denied Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who took 3-25 to reduce Hurricanes to 94-5.

Hurricanes, who move level on points with leaders Melbourne Stars as they look to defend their title, also did well to restrict Renegades after a fast start.

The visitors reached 95-3 inside nine overs but only ended up making 162-9. Seamer Nathan Ellis took 3-30 and Ahmed a useful 0-21 from three overs.

Renegades remain bottom of the table with one win from three games.

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Phil Salt and Michael Pepper deliciously combined to guide Abu Dhabi Knight Riders into the International League T20 knockouts with a 32-run win over Gulf Giants.

The pair put on 131 in 15 overs for the opening wicket as Knight Riders posted 179-1 after being asked to bat first.

Pepper made 83 off 51 balls, while Salt finished unbeaten on 72 off 56 balls.

Giants, who would have progressed instead with a win, were always struggling in reply, slipping to 29-3 with West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder taking two early wickets.

Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali gave them slight hope with 78 off 49 balls but their chances were ended when he was dismissed by Andre Russell in the 18th over.

Russell went on to claim two other wickets and finished with 3-13 from two overs as Capitals ended on 147-9.

The win seals the final play-off spot for Knight Riders, who will face Dubai Capitals in Thursday's Eliminator.

The winner of that game will then play in the second qualifier for a place in the final.

• ILT20 fixtures & table

ILT20 knockout schedule

30 December - Qualifier 1: Desert Vipers v MI Emirates (14:30 GMT)

1 January - Eliminator: Dubai Capitals v Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (14:30 GMT)

2 January - Qualifier 2: Loser of Qualifier 1 v winner of Eliminator (14:30 GMT)

4 January - final: Winner of Qualifier 1 v winner of Qualifier 2 (14:30 GMT)

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Melbourne Stars continued their winning start to this year's Big Bash with a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Sydney Thunder in Canberra.

Stars, who now have four wins from four as they chase a long-awaited first BBL title, took wickets throughout to impressively dismiss Thunder for 128.

Pakistan quick Haris Rauf took 3-29 while Mitchell Swepson, Marcus Stoinis and England and Surrey bowler Tom Curran all claimed two wickets.

David Warner made 10 from 12 balls and England's Sam Billings 23 from 19, with Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan (25) Thunder's highest score.

Nottinghamshire batter Joe Clarke struck a 37-ball 60 as opener in Stars' chase and they completed victory with six overs to spare.

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell also hit 39 not out from 20 balls.

The win moves Stars two points clear of second-placed Hobart Hurricanes at the top of the table. Thunder are one of five teams with only two points.

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Paarl Royals were bowled out for an SA20 record low score of 49 as Sunrisers Eastern Cape started their campaign with a thumping 137-run victory.

Royals' total beat the 52 that Pretoria Capitals were dismissed for by Sunrisers in the 2024 tournament.

England Lions batter Asa Tribe top-scored with 14 off 10 balls, while South Africa wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne (11) was the only other batter to make double figures.

Royals were chasing 187 but were put under immediate pressure from Sunrisers' pace trio of Marco Jansen, Adam Milne and Anrich Nortje.

They picked up 7-35 between them, with Nortje the pick with 4-13 from three overs.

Earlier, Sunrisers' total of 186-4 was built of an opening stand of 66 between Quinton de Kock (42 off 24) and Jonny Bairstow (31 off 33).

They were dismissed in quick succession, alongside Jansen, to leave Sunrisers 89-3 but Matthew Breetzke (31 off 23) and Jordan Hermann (62 not out off 28) put on 73 for the fourth wicket.

The margin of victory sees Sunrisers become the first team to earn a bonus point this season, meaning they top the early table.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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MI Emirates beat Dubai Capitals by eight wickets to secure second spot in the International League T20 table and with it two chances to reach the final on 4 January.

Chasing 123, Muhammad Waseem and Andre Fletcher put on 47 for the opening wicket.

The former was trapped lbw by Haider Ali in the seventh over, before Fletcher was run out in the 10th to leave MI 59-2.

However captain Kieron Pollard (44* off 31) and England's Tom Banton (28* off 20) get them over the line with 20 balls to spare.

Pollard's innings leaves him 143 runs adrift of Chris Gayle's record tally of 14,562 in T20 matches.

They will face table-toppers Desert Vipers in Qualifier 1 on 30 December, with the winner reaching the final. The loser will have a second chance in Qualifier 2 on 2 January.

Capitals, who posted 122-8 in their 20 overs, finish third and will play in the Eliminator on 1 January. A win puts them into Qualifier 2 the following day, but a defeat would knock them out.

Their opponents in the Eliminator will be decided in the final group game between Gulf Giants and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on Sunday.

• ILT20 fixtures & table

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Duan Jansen claimed 4-23 as Joburg Super Kings beat Pretoria Capitals by 22 runs in the SA20.

Capitals won the toss and elected to field first and Super Kings posted 168-6 with Rilee Rossouw top-scoring with 48 off 33 balls.

He shared 78 for the third wicket with Wiaan Mulder (43 off 28) after the pair came together at 16-2.

Super Kings were 110-4 after 13.5 overs when Mulder joined Rossouw in being dismissed, but West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein gave the innings some late momentum with an unbeaten 22 off 10 balls.

Capitals made a good start to their chase of 169 with Somerset's Will Smeed and Bryce Parsons putting on 71 for the first wicket.

However when Smeed was bowled by Hosein from the final ball of the ninth over a collapse followed.

Capitals were soon 89-5 with both openers, Shai Hope, Dewald Brevis and Connor Esterhuizen all dismissed.

Jansen accounted for three of those wickets and also removed Daniel Smith in the 17th over as Super Kings squeezed Capitals and eventually closed out a comfortable win.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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Adelaide Strikers captain Matt Short's efforts with bat and ball were in vain as his side suffered a seven-run defeat by Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash.

Short had finished the pick of the bowlers for the Strikers at the Gabba with 2-13 as he helped restrict Heat to 179-9 from their 20 overs.

Max Bryant top-scored for the Heat, smashing four sixes and four fours in a 32-ball knock of 63.

Matthew Renshaw chipped in with a useful 33 off 22 balls as Luke Wood and Hassan Ali claimed 2-43 and 2-36 respectively.

Short then spearheaded the Strikers' reply with a brisk 63 of 39 balls which featured five fours and two sixes.

When Short fell to Xavier Bartlett - who took 3-26 - the Strikers needed 24 off 16 balls with four wickets in hand but their innings lost momentum.

Jerrssis Wadia whacked 35 off 16 balls but Thomas Balkin (2-30) kept his cool at the death as Heat took the last five wickets for just 16 runs.

The win was Heat's second of the campaign and they move up to third place on four points while the Strikers are seventh on two.

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Ryan Rickelton's 113 was not enough as defending champions MI Cape Town fell short in a record SA20 chase to suffer a 15-run defeat by Durban's Super Giants in the season opener.

Chasing 233, Rickelton crashed five fours and 11 sixes in his 63-ball knock from the top of the order, before he was dismissed by Eathan Bosch (4-46) at the start of the final over.

His score of 113 is the joint-second highest in the tournament's history, just short of Kyle Verreynne's record 116 not out in 2024.

He was supported by 28 from Reeza Hendricks and 41 from Jason Smith, but despite posting a record second-innings score in the tournament Cape Town fell short.

Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat, Super Giants posted 232-5 - the fourth-highest total in the competition.

New Zealand duo Devon Conway (64 off 33) and Kane Williamson (40 off 25) shared 96 for the opening wicket.

There were also contributions from Jos Buttler (20 off 12), Heinrich Klaasen (22 off 14), Aiden Markram (35 off 17) and an unbeaten 33 off 14 balls for Evan Jones.

George Linde was the pick of the Cape Town bowlers, claiming 2-46, but Rashid Khan struggled, going for a wicketless 44 from his four overs.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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Sharjah Warriorz had their play-off hopes ended as Max Holden's unbeaten 66 gave Desert Vipers a five-wicket win in the International League T20.

Chasing 141, Holden hit nine fours and one six to gets Vipers over the line with three balls to spare.

It was a recovery from Vipers who were 9-2 and sealed an eighth win from their 10 group-stage matches.

Warriorz, who finish with three wins from 10 games, posted 140-7 with West Indies batter Johnson Charles top-scoring with 43 off 37 at the top of the order. Pakistan's Naseem Shah was the pick of the Vipers bowlers, picking up 3-35.

The result leaves Gulf Giants and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders competing for the final play-off spot, with the two sides meeting on Sunday.

Saturday's game between MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals will decide who finishes second and has two chances to reach the final on 4 January.

• ILT20 fixtures & table