Australia start T20 World Cup campaign with five-wicket win
Australia beat South Africa by five wickets to kickstart their T20 World Cup on a winning note. In a low-scoring thriller, Australia huffed and puffed to chase 119.
Earlier, Aiden Markram's 36-ball 40 helped South Africa reach 118/9. Kagiso Rabada's 19 was the next highest score of the innings. Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, and Mitchell Starc picked two wickets each.
While chasing, Australia lost both openers inside the first five overs. Aaron Finch got out for a duck, while David Warner made 14 off 15. A 34-ball 35 from Steven Smith, along with Marcus Stoinis' 24, drove them across the target.
England begin with thumping win over West Indies
A spirited bowling performance from England drove them to an easy six-wicket victory over reigning champions West Indies. The spinners, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, accounted for six wickets, as West Indies were bowled out for 55. Rashid finished with match figures of 2.2-0-2-4, the best figures for an England bowler in the T20 World Cup.
England chased down the target in just over eight overs. Jos Buttler remained unbeaten on 24, while Akeal Hosein claimed two wickets.
Bahrain defeat Qatar by eight wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by eight wickets in the ICC World Cup Asia A Qualifier. They chased down 134 with eight wickets and 41 balls remaining. Muhammad Younis (82*) and Sarfaraz Ali (42) got them off a rollicking start, adding 106 for the opening stand.
Earlier, the Qatar top-order failed to get their team off a decent start. Zaheer Ibrahim top-scored with 33, while Muhammad Tanveer and Mohammed Rizlan made twenties. Abdul Majid and Sathaiya Veerapathiran claimed two wickets each.
Saudi Arabia defeat Maldives by seven wickets
Saudi Arabia defeated the Maldives by seven wickets in ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia A Qualifier. They skittled out Maldives for 98 and won in 15.1 overs.
Ibrahim Nashath top-scored for the Maldives, with 20. Saudi Arabia lost Sajid Cheema for a two-ball duck, but Faisal Khan (41) and Abdul Waheed (33*) added 55 for the second wicket to take them close to the victory. Imran Arif scored 22 as Saudi overhauled the target without any hiccups.