West Indies hold their nerves to beat Pakistan in T20 thriller
The veteran allrounder bowled an inspired spell to take 4-19 off four overs, as Pakistan struggled to 133 for nine after it won the toss and batted in Florida.
The West Indies reply also stumbled as Pakistan's spinners kept scoring difficult but late cameos by Gudakesh Motie and Romario Shepherd kept West Indies just about in the contest before Holder's heroics off Pakistan talisman Shahid Shah Afridi's final delivery clinched it.
It is the first T20 victory for West Indies in seven matches, a span that includes a heavy 5-0 series defeat to Australia, on top of a test series sweep last month.
'Been a tough couple of weeks for us,' captain Shai Hope said. 'We always try to get better, the guys have put in a lot of hard work.
'Hopefully today is the turnaround we are looking for.'
Earlier, Hasan Nawaz's 40 from 23 balls and captain Salman Agha's 38 from 33 deliveries led Pakistan from a precarious 53-4 in the 10th over, but 133 looked a vulnerable target at the innings break.
Fresh from taking three wickets in Pakistan's 14-run win in the opening game at the same venue on Thursday, Mohammad Nawaz took another three Saturday, returning 3-14 from his four overs.
Like Thursday's game, West Indies found scoring more than five-an-over difficult on the spin-friendly pitch and lost regular wickets.
When Roston Chase was teased into a big shot by Saim Ayub, West Indies had sunk to 70-5 in the 14th over and looking at a steep mountain to climb.
West Indies rally
Motie got the innings moving with his quickfire 28 from 20 balls before Shepherd chipped in with 15 from 11 balls, including taking 10 runs off Hasan Ali in the second-to-last over to give West Indies a glimpse.
Needing eight runs from the final over, Afridi removed Shepherd off the second ball, with Holder and new batter Shamar Joseph only able to score singles off the next three balls.
Afridi then bowled a wide to leave West Indies needing three runs from the final ball. Holder then found the gap at backward square to score the boundary they needed and end their six T20 match losing streak.
'We've had a fair bit of criticism which is warranted,' player-of-the-match Holder said. 'We haven't done justice to our potential.
'We can be a lot better, consistency has definitely plagued us.'
The third T20 will be held in Lauderhill on Sunday before an ODI series in the Caribbean.
___
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The England selection decision looming large before The Ashes
On a quiet autumn afternoon at Lord's in October, captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum will meet national selector Luke Wright and ECB director Rob Key to pick England's Ashes squad. Wright used to be the one who would make the phone calls, delivering the good news and the painful blows, but McCullum has since taken on that responsibility, seeing it as his duty to speak personally and honestly with each player. Wright will often follow up with a call to those closest to the cut to explain the decision in more detail and discuss a path for their return. Wright will have spent the summer receiving briefings from scouts across county cricket and beyond, while analysts will have drilled down through deep data wells to model whose game will suit the Australian summer. The reality, however, is that McCullum is a man who trusts his gut over spreadsheets and algorithms, and his squad is mostly set. There is little chance to alter minds now, with no more Tests between Monday's dramatic finale at The Oval and the first ball in Perth in November. England already have their top seven set in stone, despite the struggles of Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley. The seam attack starts to pick itself if fitness allows, with Mark Wood and Jofra Archer requiring cryogenic preservation over the autumn in time to thaw in the Australian sun. What did England learn from this compelling series with India, what golden lessons can they take with them on the plane? Not many. England will face a very different bowling attack in contrasting conditions on other-worldly surfaces compared to the flat roads of home, with the Kookaburra ball in hand. Playing India at Headingley on the solstice and Australia at the MCG on Boxing Day are both, technically, incidents of elite Test cricket, but they are entirely unique endeavours. England, and cricket, will undoubtedly have picked up some new fans over the past few weeks, and it is only right that they are made aware of the humbling circle on which the Test game runs: your team will compete gamely in home conditions, looking genuinely good at this, before travelling to a far-flung part of the world where most of their skills will become irrelevant. England have at least reaffirmed a few things. Crawley averaged about 30 here and will forever average about 30. Ben Duckett will be occasionally magnificent and get out to the straight ball. Pope will get out. England have the best middle order in the world. England's bowling attack isn't quite good enough. Gus Atkinson remains the most likely seamer to join Archer and Wood when fit, and he will be required to put in an almighty shift when they're not. Brydon Carse will have a big part to play, Josh Tongue is dangerous when he finds his radar, while Jamie Overton was less effective albeit able to hit 90mph at The Oval – he is a favourite of McCullum, and Key has spoken about pace as an essential tool in Australia. Other were questions left unanswered, like what to do with Jacob Bethell's uncorked talent. His summer carrying drinks was not particularly instructive, or beneficial for his development. Will he spend the winter being dragged around Australia as England's back-up batter? There will at least be some Lions games alongside the Tests in which to build red-ball experience. Chris Woakes may not have been in line to travel anyway but his dislocated shoulder will further damage his chances. The more significant shoulder injury is Ben Stokes, who must be fit to bat, bowl and throw himself around the field for five Tests if England are to pull off a first series win over Australia since 2015. And then there is the question of spin. Will England need a front-line spinner in every Test? Yes, certainly, insisted Ricky Ponting this week, even in Perth where pace prevails. Ponting endorsed Shoaib Bashir, whose height and bounce he likened to Nathan Lyon and whose off-breaks could find some turn in Mitchell Starc's foot marks. Bashir had his moments against India, winning the Lord's Test with the final wicket of Mohammed Siraj before a broken finger ended his series. But if he is picked for an Australian pitch which later fails to degrade into a turning track, there is little upside in a 21-year-old whose batting and fielding are akin to that of a garden cricketer. Liam Dawson didn't seize his chance at Old Trafford and that may ultimately count against him, and against the notion that the County Championship is the place to find Test players. Jack Leach is bowling well for Somerset and carries rich Ashes hinterland while Tom Hartley has impressed for Lancashire this summer. But once you've been dropped from McCullum's Test side, it is notoriously difficult to earn a recall on county form. Rehan Ahmed is the wildcard, a genuine all-rounder who could even replace Pope at No 3 should England need a reshuffle during the series. Ahmed is still raw and his leg-spin is not a typically English weapon, but he would complement Joe Root's off-breaks when Stokes needs variety in attack. Yet it is Bashir who still holds the spinner's place right now. He is a pet project that Key and McCullum started back in 2023, at a Lions training camp in the UAE when they were wowed by his smooth style and high release, and chose to catapult him into the Test team. When they sit down with Stokes and Wright in October, there will be many names to discuss and scenarios to consider. But if there's one thing we know about Bazball, rarely does it lose faith in its chosen ones. Ashes 2025-26 Test matches First Test, Optus Stadium in Perth: 21-25 November Second Test, Gabba in Brisbane: 4-8 December Third Test, Adelaide Oval in Adelaide: 17-21 December (day-night Test) Fourth Test, MCG in Melbourne: 26-30 December Fifth Test, SCG in Sydney: 4-8 January
New York Times
40 minutes ago
- New York Times
Five Michigan football preseason camp questions: Can Mikey Keene beat out Bryce Underwood?
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Following the lead of coach Sherrone Moore, Michigan players made a pact to swear off social media during preseason camp. Assuming everyone honors the deal, the Wolverines will be blissfully unaware of the online discourse leading up to their season opener against New Mexico. 'I like to think of it as going up in the mountains for a month and doing what you've got to do,' edge rusher TJ Guy said. Advertisement Down here in the flatlands, everyone else will have plenty to discuss. The preseason coaches poll, released Monday, had Michigan at No. 14, a ranking that reflects a mix of uncertainty and cautious optimism. The Wolverines have a burgeoning talent in quarterback Bryce Underwood and a defense that should be among the best in the FBS. But Underwood won't turn 18 until midway through camp, and his supporting cast is largely unproven. A top-15 ranking is a happy medium for a team that could climb into the top 10 or just as easily finish unranked. Guy, now in his fifth preseason camp at Michigan, said he walked off the field after Saturday's practice thinking, 'We're going to be really good.' That's a sentiment shared by most players around the country at this time of year, but the Wolverines can say it with a bit more conviction this season. Last year's team had a long list of questions at this stage of the preseason, starting with an extremely murky quarterback picture. The list is shorter this year, but the questions that remain are significant. Here are five big ones that Michigan will try to answer in preseason camp. At Big Ten media days in Las Vegas, Moore began his side session with reporters by issuing a declaration. 'Before anybody asks, it's an open competition,' Moore said. '(Underwood) is not the starter right now. There is no starter. We'll figure out who that is in camp, and we'll do a really good job evaluating that position to make sure we've got the best person to lead our program.' That comment was likely a response to the widespread expectation that Underwood will take Michigan's first snap against New Mexico. That may be where things end up, but Moore is determined to keep the competition going. In doing so, Michigan is leaving an opening for Keene, a transfer from Fresno State, to show what he can do after he was sidelined by an injury in the spring. Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said Michigan has 'two new guys' taking reps at quarterback, referring to Keene and East Carolina transfer Jake Garcia, who signed in June. Adding two veteran quarterbacks makes for a more traditional quarterback rotation than Michigan had in the spring, when Underwood and Jadyn Davis were the only healthy quarterbacks. Advertisement 'With two guys getting reps in the spring, it's pretty easy to rotate them, right?' Lindsey said. 'Now we're getting all those guys in the mix, and it's been good.' Lingering concerns about Keene's injury contributed to the decision to sign Garcia, a top-50 prospect from the Class of 2021 with past stops at Miami, Missouri and ECU. Keene is 'coming along great now,' Lindsey said, and Michigan wanted another quarterback for depth purposes anyway. But even if Keene is 100 percent healthy, unseating Michigan's quarterback of the future won't be easy. 'He's 17 years old, and he's playing with 21, 22, maybe 25-year-olds,' left guard Giovanni El-Hadi said of Underwood. 'He just has that ability to lead us.' After he decided to leave Indiana, McCulley and his father had an honest conversation with Moore about the role he could play at Michigan. The topic of wearing the No. 1 jersey came up, and Moore said it would be an option if McCulley earned it in the spring. 'I wouldn't want it any other way,' McCulley said. 'I started out with 13, earned it, and I'm still earning it right now.' The No. 1 jersey has a history at Michigan. Anthony Carter wore it, as did Braylon Edwards and David Terrell, a wide receiver McCulley tries to emulate. Awarding that jersey to McCulley before he's played a snap at Michigan conveys an expectation that he'll be a star right away. Last season's woes at wide receiver have been well documented, and Michigan will be counting on McCulley to provide an instant upgrade. Moore used the words 'big, tall, strong, fast and explosive' to describe his game and said he'll bring an element that's been missing in Michigan's offense since Nico Collins' breakout season in 2019. 'In the spring, he flashed more often than not being a big-play receiver,' Moore said. 'We're excited to see what he does.' Advertisement Take McCulley out of the equation, and Michigan's receiving corps looks similar to last year's, minus Tyler Morris, who led all Michigan wideouts with 248 receiving yards. Andrew Marsh, Jamar Browder and Jacob Washington are promising freshmen, but McCulley is Michigan's best shot at having an all-conference wide receiver. Between freshmen and incoming transfers, Michigan has quite a few summer enrollees who are getting their first action in preseason camp. Those players have ground to make up after missing spring practice, but it's not uncommon for transfers who arrive in summer to become contributors as the season goes on. Who from that group could win a job in camp? Lawrence Hattar, a transfer from Division II Ferris State, has a shot to compete with Nathan Efobi and others at right guard. Running backs CJ Hester and John Volker could challenge for snaps behind Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall, and wide receiver Anthony Simpson brings playmaking ability in the slot, backed up by 792 receiving yards at UMass in 2023. 'He's real quick,' McCulley said about Simpson. 'I've never seen somebody move how fast he moves. I haven't seen a lot of Simp, but he's progressing.' Most of the summer transfers are at Michigan to provide depth, not to step into major roles right away. That's the plan for Garcia, who threw for 1,426 yards with eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions last year at East Carolina. That also could be the case for punter Hunter Robertson, a late addition who transferred from Division II Clarion. Robertson committed after punter Luke Bauer, a transfer from Missouri, changed his plans. The Wolverines already signed a kickoff specialist in Texas State transfer Beckham Sunderland and have Hudson Hollenbeck returning at punter. Robertson gives Michigan insurance at both spots. Hill is one of the biggest enigmas on Michigan's roster. His first season as a starting cornerback began on a rough note and ended in similar fashion, but there were moments in between when Hill showed what he can do. Enough of them, in fact, that Hill's name is showing up in the first round of a few 2026 mock drafts. If he plays up to that first-round potential, Michigan could turn a vulnerability into a strength. Advertisement 'He looks way more locked in,' Guy said. 'He's making plays out there. He's going to be a different guy this year, for sure.' Though Will Johnson missed much of last season with injuries, his departure still leaves a void. Hill was thrown into the fire last season and got torched by Texas, then dealt with a late-season demotion. The optimal scenario for Michigan is that he comes out of that experience ready to be a No. 1 cornerback who can lock down the other team's best wide receiver, much as Johnson did when he was healthy. This title comes with a few parameters. It's not for can't-miss prospects like Underwood or offensive tackle Andrew Babalola or veteran players who are next in line for starting jobs. It's for players with enough recruiting buzz to be noticed but not enough to be considered blue-chip prospects. It's usually someone who's been in the program for a year or two, long enough to make an impression but not long enough to be a household name. And it's usually a player who makes a leap and earns snaps that, on paper, weren't necessarily up for grabs. It's too early to anoint anyone, but linebacker Cole Sullivan is one player worth watching. Sullivan was a top-300 prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings for the Class of 2024 with a mix of three- and four-star evaluations. His offer list and athleticism pointed to a high ceiling, and that's been borne out with the reports of Sullivan's growth in the offseason. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said Sullivan 'completely changed his body,' and Moore predicted that Sullivan is going to 'take the college football world by storm.' The bar's been set, and now it's up to Sullivan to clear it. Barring injuries, he'll have a tough time unseating Ernest Hausmann or Jaishawn Barham as a starting linebacker, but Michigan has no shortage of ways to get him on the field. It won't be a shock if he emerges from camp as Michigan's No. 3 linebacker and expands his role as the season goes on.
New York Times
40 minutes ago
- New York Times
Cubs' newest acquisition, Michael Soroka, exits with shoulder injury, will go on IL
CHICAGO — Two innings and just 31 pitches into his first start with the Cubs, a game the team would eventually lose 3-2 to the Cincinnati Reds, Michael Soroka was pulled in favor of Ben Brown. Was this the plan all along? Was manager Craig Counsell really leaning into his 'out-getter' mantra and using Soroka for just eight batters? Advertisement It wasn't managerial ingenuity. Instead, a rotation that's suffered three injuries to its Opening Day staff and a fourth in Javier Assad, who has yet to make a big-league pitch this season, has suffered another blow. Not long after he exited the game, the team announced that Soroka had right shoulder discomfort. 'He said he let a pitch go in the second inning and it just didn't feel good,' Counsell said. 'Came in the dugout and said the shoulder was not feeling good. It's an IL (stint) and we'll see what the next steps are.' Soroka was acquired from the Washington Nationals on July 30 for a pair of prospects. For the trade to go through, he had to get cleared medically. But there were signs that perhaps something was off. Through July 11, Soroka was averaging 94.1 mph with his four-seam fastball. In his three starts after the All-Star break, he averaged 91.3 mph on the four-seamer. That's a pretty dramatic drop in velocity and did ring some alarm bells. That led to Soroka getting an MRI before his final start with the Nationals on July 29 against the Houston Astros. 'That's kind of what we did for my peace of mind before my outing against the Astros,' Soroka said. 'We looked at some avenues mechanically, some other things as to where the velocity went. We decided to check that other box off and there was nothing that presented to be an issue at the time there. 'I didn't have any discomfort, I didn't have any pain. There was no reason to believe there was anything wrong. We cleared that. Unfortunately, that changed a little bit in the second inning today.' Soroka said he 'went to go put a little extra on a fastball and it grabbed me a little bit.' When he continued to feel the pain the rest of that inning, he knew something was wrong and decided to say something once he got back in the dugout. The 28-year-old has a long injury history, with multiple Achilles tears that waylaid his career after a breakout 2019 season. He's dealt with shoulder issues multiple times as well, most recently in July 2024. That issue kept him sidelined for over two months. Advertisement 'There's difficulties in this game,' Soroka said. 'I'm no stranger to them. Unfortunately, this is another one. I'm going to be working with the staff day and night to get back out there.' The hope has to be that this is a short stint on the IL. But even upon his acquisition, there were calls from many that team president Jed Hoyer and his front office needed to do more to supplement a team that entered the deadline with the second-best record in baseball. Soroka was looked at as a solid depth addition to the rotation. The assumption by many was that Hoyer would spend the next 24 hours before the trade deadline adding one more starter, perhaps one with more of a track record of success and less concerning injury history. But that never happened. Hoyer pointed to the lack of starters who were moved and the exorbitant prices being asked by sellers. He may not be wrong. But his team still looks a starter short. The good news for the group is that Assad and Jameson Taillon are both working their way back. Assad will make another rehab start on Tuesday and his next steps will be determined after that. Taillon will pitch again on Friday with Triple-A Iowa, his second start with them since his calf injury. Brown also looked strong in his four innings of work Monday night, giving up just one run while striking out five. In actuality, Chicago's pitching doesn't seem to be its biggest concern at the moment. It certainly wasn't on Monday, with Brown's lone run given up coming on an Elly De La Cruz double that Ian Happ wasn't able to field cleanly and Ryan Brasier giving up the third Cincinnati run on a series of soft-contact singles. 'Everybody pitched very well,' Counsell said. 'Ben Brown did a heckuva job. He had bad luck on the run he gave up. He gave us a chance to win. The bullpen pitched well. We just didn't hit. Simple as that. We had three hits. Not going to win many games with three hits.' While the offense as a whole has been incredible this season, they're in a stagnant stretch, struggling to stack up runs like they had been capable of for much of the season. Monday marked their fourth-straight low-scoring game, with their only runs coming on Dansby Swanson's two-run homer. Advertisement Swanson seemed to have tied the game up with a two-out infield single in the seventh. But replays showed that as he stretched for first, his toe came up just short. He dragged the foot, but it touched the bag just after the ball was caught by the first baseman. 'I don't know if I've ever done that in my baseball life, to be honest,' Swanson said. 'Just pretty unfortunate timing on the night.' Timing has not been on the Cubs' side of late. They have been unable to pull away in close games, leading to Counsell leaning on his high-leverage relievers. A group that's been stout for much of the season has suddenly coughed up some leads. But an offense that needs to tack on to keep the group fresh has struggled to keep up its end of the bargain. In his last 15 games, Seiya Suzuki has one extra-base hit and no home runs. Kyle Tucker has just one home run and five extra-base hits since June 29. Pete Crow-Armstrong is in a mini-slump with eight strikeouts in his last 10 plate appearances. Michael Busch has a .516 OPS since July 10. Since a five-homer barrage on the Saturday following the All-Star break, the team as a whole has not shown the power it displayed for much of the season. Others can step up, but the Cubs need that group to slug so the offense can be the behemoth they know it can be. 'I like the lineup we throw out there every day,' Counsell said. 'I'm very optimistic that we're going to score runs. Absolutely. The other team's trying to prevent it. Sometimes they do a pretty good job of it. They did a good job of it tonight. We'll score runs.' The bats will have to turn soon because the Milwaukee Brewers don't seem to be slowing down. A 6 1/2 game division lead for the Cubs has become a three-game deficit in just a month-and-a-half. There's still plenty of time left for the Cubs to make sure this is just a blip. But the stars have to start looking like the best players on the field and take a little pressure off everyone else. Otherwise, Milwaukee may be celebrating its third straight division title.
