Captain Rovman Powell led the Jamaica Scorpions to a 64-run win over the Barbados Pride to open their account in the CG Insurance Super50 Cup at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Thursday.

The Scorpions, who lost their opening game to the Leeward Islands Hurricanes on Tuesday, posted a competitive 277-6 from their 50 overs after winning the toss and choosing to bat.

Captain Rovman Powell led the way with a destructive 54-ball 80 including four fours and five sixes while Nkrumah Bonner was the other half-centurion with 59 from 81 deliveries. Odean Smith also provided some of his trademark big-hitting towards the end of the innings with 44 not out off 35 balls including three sixes and a four.

Roston Chase took 3-33 from his 10 overs for the Pride.

Despite a fighting 86 from captain Shai Hope, Barbados’ reply eventually fell short with them being bowled out for 213 in 44.1 overs. Hope’s 86 came off 103 balls and included seven fours and a six.

Roston Chase also got his second fifty of the season with 57 from 66 balls as the Scorpions’ bowling was led by Nicholson Gordon’s 3-21 from six overs and one ball.

Jeavor Royal (2-45 from 10 overs), Odean Smith (2-24 from six overs) and Dennis Bulli (2-57 from nine overs) were also among the wickets for the Scorpions.

Jamaica now has four points from two games ahead of a game against the West Indies Academy on Saturday while Barbados also has four points and will take on the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, who lead Group B with eight points from two games, on Sunday.

Australia's narrow win over Afghanistan on Friday sent New Zealand through to the T20 World Cup semi-finals and set England a straightforward target to join them.

England need only a victory against Sri Lanka in Saturday's final Group 1 match to be sure of a place in the last four.

Hosts and defending champions Australia had been facing an uphill battle to improve their run rate ever since an 89-run thrashing at the hands of the Black Caps in their opener.

With their meeting with England rained off, the margin of victory in other matches was going to prove pivotal.

Although Australia survived a scare in beating Afghanistan by four runs, that tight affair left their net run rate at -0.173, below England's mark of +0.547, which will improve further with victory over Sri Lanka.

The home nation therefore need Sri Lanka to defeat England and keep them in the top two on seven points.

Stand-in Australia captain Matthew Wade said: "We'll stay the extra night here and watch that game. We'll be hoping for a little bit of an upset there, obviously.

"That's tournament play – we put ourselves in this situation straight from the get-go this time. Although we've been trying to chase a little bit of run rate, it just hasn't really gone our way.

"We've been a little bit slow getting out of the blocks in this tournament. Hopefully it doesn't cost us."

Glenn Maxwell struck a similar tone, saying: "We'll certainly be following it. We've obviously put ourselves in this situation, but hopefully Sri Lanka can do the job for us."

Although Maxwell scored an unbeaten 54 off 32 against Afghanistan, he added: "It was quite hard to press the issue.

"We probably got to about the 12-over mark, where we just had to put a total on the board to make sure we gave ourselves a chance of winning the game.

"Even though we were trying to go hard at the back end, they bowled extremely well."

If Sri Lanka can do Australia a huge favour, Wade is "very hopeful" skipper Aaron Finch and all-rounder Tim David will return for the semi-finals.

David was "really, really close" but failed a late fitness test on Friday, Wade added.

Glenn Maxwell posted an unbeaten half-century as Australia edged Afghanistan in a four-run victory to boost their T20 World Cup semi-final chances at Adelaide Oval.

The defending champions, skippered by stand-in Matthew Wade in the absence of the injured Aaron Finch, set a total of 168-8 thanks to a fine 54 not out from their middle-order batsman.

With handy support from Mitchell Marsh (45) and Marcus Stoinis (25), the hosts seldom looked as if they would be seriously troubled by their Group 1 rivals.

But Naveen-ul-Haq's tidy figures of 3-21 gave Afghanistan an achievable target to chase, and a strong third-wicket partnership between Gulbadin Naib (39) and Ibrahim Zadran (26) kept them firmly in the hunt.

After Maxwell effected a run-out of the former, a top-order collapse appeared to spell the end for Mohammad Nabi's side, but a thrilling final burst from Rashid Khan (48) guided them close to an upset with a 164-7 finish.

Success vaults Australia into the top two for now, but their progress to the last four will only be confirmed if England fail to overcome Sri Lanka in Sydney on Saturday, due to an inferior net run rate.

Magic Maxwell spares blushes

Make no mistake, this was far from a poor Australia performance, but with a negative net run rate at the end, it was not quite up to the mark they would have hoped to achieve.

No accusations can be levelled at Maxwell, however, whose knock off 32 balls was arguably trumped in importance by his direct hit to dismiss Naib, stopping Afghanistan's momentum and turning the tide.

Khan showcases stirring stuff

Few players are quite as exciting to watch as the Afghanistan man when he is in full flight, and so it proved again after he set up a surprisingly tense finale.

His innings, taken off 23 balls with four maximums, was up there with the best at this tournament. 

New Zealand earned a 35-run win over Ireland to move into prime position for a spot in the T20 World Cup semi-finals.

The result sends the Black Caps top of Group 1 and, although England and Australia can both move level on seven points, Kane Williamson's men are in a position of strength due to their superior net run rate.

It was captain Williamson's 61 from 35 balls that set the tone for his side's innings of 185-6, with Josh Little (3-22) the pick of Ireland's bowlers as he claimed a hat-trick in the 19th over.

Still, there was little the underdogs could do to limit the damage, as Finn Allen (32), Devon Conway (28) and Daryl Mitchell (31 not out) also made valuable contributions.

Ireland, who stunned pre-tournament favourites England earlier in the Super 12s, were 68 without loss in reply at one stage but crumbled to 150-9 in the face of a fine New Zealand bowling attack and are now out of the competition. 

Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi accounted for Ireland's top four between them and there was scant resistance lower down the order, with George Dockrell's 23-run cameo ended by the impressive Lockie Ferguson (3-22).

Williamson leads by example

Skipper Williamson was back to his best for New Zealand with an aggressive knock that included five fours and three maximums.

He laid the foundations to set a daunting total for Ireland, who were not to be taken lightly after also overcoming West Indies amid an impressive campaign.

Reflecting on the victory, he said: "It was a good team effort really, that Ireland team has been playing beautifully, they've got a really well-rounded side, and it was a good match and good to get the win."

Josh's Little moment of joy

It may ultimately have come in a losing effort, but a hat-trick is always a thing of beauty and Little's was a joy to behold.

In three consecutive deliveries in the penultimate over he accounted for Williamson, James Neesham and Santner, becoming only the sixth man to rack up a World Cup treble.

That feat further enhanced the fast bowler's already glowing reputation and franchises around the world will certainly have taken note.

Romario Shepherd’s excellent all-round display helped the Guyana Harpy Eagles secure a narrow three-run win over the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in their Group A CG Insurance Super50 Cup fixture at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Wednesday.

The Guyanese posted 269-9 off their 50 overs after the Red Force won the toss and chose to field first.

Openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul (25) and Anthony Bramble (42) were able to put on 69 for the first wicket before Guyana lost four wickets for just 17 runs from the 10^th to the 16^th over to find themselves 86-4.

A crucial 83-run partnership between Tevin Imlach (32) and Sherfane Rutherford (49) propelled them to 169-5 before both fell in quick succession to bring Shepherd to the crease.

The all-rounder then produced an excellent display of power-hitting to ensure that the Harpy Eagles put together a competitive total against a powerful Red Force Batting line-up.

Shepherd smashed a whirlwind 74 not out off just 46 balls including five fours and four sixes as Guyana recovered from 201-9 to post 269-9.

Shannon Gabriel and Sunil Narine did the bulk of the damage for the Red Force with 4-42 from nine overs and 3-17 from 10 overs, respectively.

In their reply, Trinidad & Tobago got contributions from all their batsmen but the score was too much in the end.

Darren Bravo was the chief scorer with a well-compiled 71 while Kjorn Ottley (49), Yannic Cariah (30), Sunil Narine (30 not out), Joshua Da Silva (28), Jason Mohammed (24) and captain Nicholas Pooran (23) all made solid contributions as the Red Force ended their 50 overs on 266-6.

The game came down to the last over with the Red Force needing 11 to win with Narine and Akeal Hosein at the crease. Fast-bowler Clinton Pestano then held his nerve to defend the runs and hand Guyana their first win of the season.

Shepherd completed a solid all-round effort with 2-44 from his 10 overs.

Shadab Khan starred with bat and ball as Pakistan kept their hopes of reaching the T20 World Cup semi-finals alive with a 33-run Duckworth-Lewis-Stern win over South Africa.

Pakistan needed a victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday to have any chance of qualifying, and they recovered from a poor start to come out on top after posting 185-9 in a rain-affected match.

Shadab (52 from 22 balls) struck the second-fastest T20I half-century for Pakistan, putting on 82 for the sixth wicket with Iftikhar Ahmed (51 off 35) in just under six overs after Babar Azam's side had at one point been reduced to 43-4.

Dropped catches cost the Proteas as rain started to fall in Sydney, where Anrich Nortje took 4-41, and they were 16-2 early in the run chase after the excellent Shaheen Shah Afridi removed Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw.

Shadab came to the fore again by dismissing Temba Bavuma (36 from 19) and Aiden Markram (19 off 14) in his first over, with South Africa 69-4 off nine overs when rain stopped play.

The Proteas, without the injured David Miller due to back spasms, needed 73 more runs  from 30 balls to maintain their unbeaten record when play resumed, but wickets tumbled as they were restricted to 108-9.

Pakistan move up to third in Group 2, a point behind South Africa and two adrift of leaders India with one game to play in the Super 12 stage.

The Proteas face Netherlands at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, with Pakistan taking on Bangladesh at the same venue and India up against Zimbabwe.

Shadab and Iftikhar to the rescue

Pakistan were in trouble on 95-5 when Shadab joined Iftikhar out in the middle, and that pair came to the rescue with an incredible onslaught.

Shadab reached the half-century mark from only 20 balls by launching four sixes and hitting three fours in a swashbuckling knock. Only six batters have got to a fifty quicker in men's T20 World Cup history.

Iftikhar cleared the rope on two occasions and hit another three boundaries, with the Proteas also giving Pakistan a helping hand in the field even before drizzle made life difficult for the fielders.

Afridi shows his class, double blow from Shadab

Left-arm paceman Afridi was magnificent with the new ball, getting the dangerous De Kock caught in the ring and Rossouw taken in the deep.

He claimed 3-14 from three top-quality overs, having also seen the back of Heinrich Klaasen following the break for rain.

Shadab (2-16) also made a huge impact with the ball, trapping Bavuma leg before with his third ball and bowling Markram with his third as Pakistan made it four T20 World Cup wins from four against South Africa.

Imran Khan, the cricket great who went on to become prime minister of Pakistan, was injured in a targeted assassination attempt on Thursday, his supporters said.

The political party that he founded, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said the 70-year-old was attacked as the seventh day of a march began in Wazirabad.

Khan's political ally Farrukh Habib, who serves as the PTI's central information secretary, wrote on Twitter: "Imran Khan is injured, may Allah protect him, the whole nation should pray for the life of Imran Khan."

The PTI said it was an assassination attempt.

The party added: "Imran Khan is our Red Lion – today an attempt was made to cross that Red Lion!"

Reports said he had been shot in the leg. A video was posted on the PTI Twitter account showing Khan waving to supporters after the attack, with the party saying his condition was "stable" and that he would be taken to hospital.

Sibghatullah Virk, the head of PTI’s central media department, said: "The march was completely peaceful, this is a murderous attack!"

As a cricketer, Imran Khan was a fast bowling all-rounder who played 88 Tests, scoring 3,807 runs and taking 362 wickets, while also playing 175 ODIs.

He played his last Test in January 1992, ending his international career in March of the same year by leading Pakistan to victory at the Cricket World Cup, playing a starring role in the final against England at the MCG.

He became prime minister of Pakistan in August 2018 and was ousted after a no-confidence vote in April of this year.

Former West Indies captain Darren Sammy believes regional body Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the smaller boards can be stuck between a rock and hard place when it comes to holding on to their top players, as they lack the financial clout to do so.

Since the advent of lucrative global T20 leagues, the team has on many occasions struggled to have its top players available, as they opt to take part in the competitions over scheduled international fixtures.

At the moment, the problem is less of an issue for some of the sport’s bigger for team who hold a much tighter rein on when and where their players play.  India for instance does not allow their player to take part in any other T20 league except the IPL, as Sammy points out, the issue comes down to money.

“India is strong because they can tell their players that you don’t play anywhere else. You have to understand that they have the money to back it up,” Sammy said in an interview with the Press Trust of India (PTI).

“An India A list contracted player could probably make a million dollars a year (match fees plus TV rights money) compared to a Windies A-lister, who would earn USD 150,000,” he added.

Successive West Indies administrations have tackled the issue with various approaches that have yielded little success, the former captain does not see things changing anytime soon.

“Gone are those days when you played for love. Love doesn’t buy you groceries from a supermarket,” he added.

The player believed the region could possibly think of adopting a similar model to the one used by New Zealand.

Alick Athanaze scored his second ton in as many games as the Windward Islands Volcanoes scored a 50-run (D/L) victory over the Combined Colleges and Campuses during the CG Insurance Super50 competition that resumed in Antigua on Wednesday.

Athanaze scored 140 and shared in a second-wicket partnership of 208 with Kavem Hodge(106 not out)  after the Windward Islands Volcanoes had lost the wicket of Johnson Charles for nine with 26 runs on the board.

Athanaze was eventually dismissed in the 42^nd  following a stay of 129 deliveries during which he hit 16 fours and three sixes.

Three wickets fell for 18 runs as the Windwards lost Shadrack Descarte for one and Sunil Ambris for five to slip to 252-4 in the 46^th over.

However, Hodge, whose runs came from 131 balls and included four fours and two sixes, and Andre Fletcher who smashed two sixes in a 19-ball 30, plundered the bowling for 48 from 29 balls as the Windwards raced to 300-4 from their 50 overs.

Amari Goodridge was the best of the Combined Colleges and Campuses bowlers with 2-56 from seven overs. Michail Powell took 1-45.

With the weather intervening, CCC were required to score 160 for victory but it proved a tall ask.

Demario Richards (24), Kirsten Kallicharan (23) both got starts but failed to capitalize as the CCC slipped to 39-2 in the seventh over.

Kallicharan and Johnathan Drakes put on a painstaking 41 in 53 balls falling further behind the required run rate with each passing over.

Denesh Ramdin was unbeaten on 21 at the end as the CCC ran out of balls and out of time.

There was a wicket each for Preston McSween, Hodge, Justin Greaves, who was the pick of the bowlers with 1-21 and Larry Edward who took 1-22.

David Miller expects South Africa to target Pakistan's struggling top order in Thursday's T20 World Cup clash.

The sides face off at the Sydney Cricket Ground in what is a must-win game for Pakistan, who need a victory to keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive.

Meanwhile, unbeaten South Africa head into the match on the back of a five-wicket victory over India.

Victory for the Proteas would see them return to the top of Group 2 and end Pakistan's hopes of qualifying in the process.

Pakistan's struggles have, in large part, been down to their misfiring top-order batters. Captain Babar Azam has accumulated just eight runs across his three innings in the tournament, while Mohammad Rizwan scored four and 14 against India and Zimbabwe respectively, before returning to form with 49 against the Netherlands last time out.

Miller knows Babar and Rizwan – who has scored 2,214 T20I runs since the start of 2021, the most of any batter – are still world class, but believes South Africa's in-form bowling attack are a match for any team.

He told reporters: "This game is all about confidence, and yeah, they haven't probably performed the way they've wanted to, but they're world-class players, and we're expecting them to come out and bring their A-game and be up for the challenge.

"It's by all means not just going in there and expecting to get them out first ball or early up. We've got to work really hard for every wicket, and hopefully we can get them early and the Pakistan middle order under pressure a little bit earlier than later."

South Africa pacemen Wayne Parnell (3-15) and Lungi Ngidi (4-29) limited India to 113-9 on Sunday, though the Proteas still relied on a solid partnership between Miller (59 not out) and Aiden Markram (52) to get over the line in Perth.

Miller is the most capped T20I player in South Africa's squad, and knows his experience is of huge benefit in the biggest moments.

"Experience is a really valuable thing," he said. "In the previous game, we were in a little bit of trouble, there was a lot of pressure to win the game and it's just about slowing the process down and understanding what is required right now. 

"In the past we maybe could have got a little hasty. It's just trying to weather the storm."

Pakistan have lost 11 T20Is in 2022, and one more defeat would see them equal their worst-ever tally in the format in a single year (12 in 2010).

South Africa on the other hand are aiming to bring up a 10th T20I win of the year, though they have lost their last two meetings with Pakistan in the format.

Virat Kohli "feels at home in Adelaide" after stepping up again to help India earn a crucial five-run win over Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup.

A 64 not out from the in-form Kohli in a rain-affected game at the Adelaide Oval pushed India to 184-6 after KL Rahul had got his side off to flier with a half-century off 32 deliveries 

It was a tense finish, with Litton Das' electric 60 off 27 giving Bangladesh a fighting chance, but the elements dented their momentum any they fell short of a revised 151 target.

India consequently went top of Group 2, and Kohli reflected on another job well done in a Player of the Match performance.

"I absolutely love playing in this ground. Right from the nets at the back, as soon as I enter, it makes me feel at home," he said.

"That knock at the MCG was meant to be, but when I come here, it's like I'm meant to come to Adelaide and enjoy my batting.

"As soon as I knew the World Cup was in Australia, I was grinning from ear to ear. I knew good cricketing shots would be the key. I knew the kind of experience and game awareness of having played in Australia will come in handy for the team."

Captain Rohit Sharma failed to deliver for his team, falling early and getting out for just two runs off eight deliveries. 

"I was calm and nervous at the same time," Sharma said. "But it was important to stay calm as a group to execute.

"Shortened games can go either way, but we held our nerves well after the game started; it was a good win in the end."

With three vital knocks in India's four matches so far, Kohli has been invaluable and proved doubters wrong after his form was questioned in the past 12 months after stepping down as captain. 

Sharma said: "In my mind, Kohli was always there. It was just a matter of a few innings here and there, and he hasn't looked back since the Asia Cup. The guy has so much experience.

"The way KL [Rahul] batted as well, it was important for him and the team. We know what sort of player he is at the top of the order.

"Some of the catches we took today were great to watch. When you're playing in front of a big crowd, it's not easy. To take those catches, it shows the character of the guys. I have no doubts over our fielding abilities."

Bangladesh could not get over the line despite giving India a tense end to the game, and their hopes of progressing rest on a final group stage game with Pakistan on Sunday. 

Tigers captain Shakib Al Hasan said: "It's been the story when we play India. We're almost there but don't cross the line. 

"It was a great game, the crowd enjoyed it, both teams enjoyed it; in the end, someone has to win and someone has to lose.

"Litton is batting really well, probably he's our best batsmen going around. We thought we could chase this down after the start. Our plan was to get India's top order quickly, that's why I bowled out Taskin, he's been our main bowler. Unfortunately he couldn't get the wickets today, he was unlucky, but it was a plan get India's top order out and dictate the game."

India will face Zimbabwe in the final Super 12 match of the tournament after Bangladesh play Pakistan in a potentially tournament-defining clash. 

Half-centuries for Virat Kohli and KL Rahul helped India move closer to the T20 World Cup semi-finals with a rain rain-affected five-run win over Bangladesh by DLS in Adelaide.

Kohli and Rahul scored 62 not out and 50 respectively to lead India to 184-6 in their Group 2 encounter.

A 44-ball stint saw Kohli demonstrate finesse and power as he struck eight fours and a six, becoming the highest run-scorer in Men's T20 World Cup history with 1,065.

Bangladesh's reply started superbly, a freewheeling half-century from opener Litton Das (60) seeing them race to 66 without loss before the weather forced both teams from the pitch.

When they returned, the Tigers were set a reduced target of 151 from 16 overs, but quickly lost Das to a run-out and then collapsed in a ruthless 11-ball spell between Arshdeep Singh (2-38) and Hardik Pandya (2-28).

Nurul Hasan's unbeaten 25 off 14 set up a tense finale, but India held their nerve to go top of the group with six points. South Africa can overhaul them, while Bangladesh and Pakistan can still catch them. However, that would require India losing their final match against Zimbabwe. Pakistan need to beat both South Africa and Bangaldesh, whose prospects are slim due to a negative net run rate, to have any chance.

Kohli further enshrines greatness

Kohli surpassed Mahela Jayawardene, whose prior record of 1,016 has stood since 2014, to take his place as the World Cup's all-time leading run scorer. In doing so, the India batsman has further underlined his status as a modern titan of the game.

This was his 13th half-century-plus score at the T20 World Cup too, with Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle the next nearest to him with nine 50-plus innings each.

Tigers cornered after blistering start

With defeat, Bangladesh's T20 World Cup campaign is almost certainly at a close, and they will be left to rue their poor restart after that rain break.

Das had been in ruthless form, setting the best individual total of the innings, but their subsequent batting failures meant his efforts were in vain.

Max O'Dowd made a gutsy half century as the Netherlands recorded a deserved five-wicket win over Zimbabwe, who are all but eliminated from the T20 World Cup.

Paul van Meekeren set the tone with the ball, taking 3-29 as Zimbabwe were knocked over for just 117 in a poor batting display at the Adelaide Oval.

Sikandar Raza made a brisk 40 off 24 and Sean Williams 28 off 23 to ensure there was not total humiliation but no other Zimbabwe batsman made double figures.

Dutch opener O'Dowd scrapped his way to 52, making eight fours and one six, to set the chase up nicely.

Tom Cooper also played a part with 32 off 29. Richard Ngarava (2-23) accounted for Colin Ackerman (1) and Scott Edwards (5), while Blessing Muzarabani ended O'Dowd's knock but the Netherlands had enough to get over the line.

Zimbabwe are fourth in Group 2 with just one more Super 12 game to play, while the Dutch remain rock bottom but at least get in the win column.

The Leeward Islands Hurricanes got their second win of the CG Insurance Super50 Cup with a dominant 68-run win over the Jamaica Scorpions at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Tuesday.

After winning the toss and batting first, openers Devon Thomas (38) and Ross Powell (27) gave the Leewards a good start before a procession of wickets in the middle overs left them reeling at 76-5 in the 20^th over.

Thankfully for them, a 120-run sixth-wicket partnership between Rahkeem Cornwall and Terance Ward steadied the ship with Cornwall making a 72-ball 81, hitting seven fours and five sixes. Ward played more of an anchoring role making a 63-ball 32.

West Indies leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr (35) and Kofi James (25 not out) provided some impetus late in the innings to help the Hurricanes post 270-9 from their 50 overs.

West Indies all-rounder Odean Smith took 4-46 from eight overs for the Scorpions.

Scorpions openers Brandon King and Jermaine Blackwood then got the reply off to a good start, putting on 54 before King was removed for 32 in the 10^th over.

That partnership proved to be the biggest one of the whole innings as Blackwood was removed for 31 in the 18^th over after putting on 31 for the second wicket with Nkrumah Bonner. Bonner eventually top-scored with 44 while captain Rovman Powell added 24 as the Scorpions lost wickets at regular intervals to finish 202-9 off their 50 overs.

Off-spinner Kofi James starred with the ball with 4-32 from 10 overs.

A fine all-round effort from Roston Chase propelled the Barbados Pride to a six-wicket win over the West Indies Academy in the CG Insurance Super50 Cup at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua on Tuesday.

The Pride restricted the Academy to 213 all out in 46.1 overs after winning the toss and fielding first. The Academy’s batting effort was led by fifties from Keagan Simmons (64) and Kevin Wickham (54) as well as 45 from Teddy Bishop. Pacer Ramon Simmonds led the way with the ball for Barbados with 4-39 off seven overs while Roston Chase (3-31 off 10 overs) and Roshon Primus (3-27 off 4.1) also contributed with the ball.

Chase, recently recalled to the West Indies Test squad heading to Australia later this month, then compiled a classy 86 not out from 81 balls to lead the Pride to a successful chase. His innings included nine fours and four sixes. Opener Zacahry McCaskie also played a big hand with a 93-ball 71 including nine fours and a six as Barbados reached 214-4 off 44.1 overs for victory. 

This was Barbados' first game while the Academy now have two losses from as many outings.