Orange Cap IPL 2025: Nicholas Pooran Still Leads The Way The Lucknow Super Giants have made a mixed start to their 2025 Indian Premier League campaign, currently sitting in mid-table with two wins and two defeats in their first four games, while maintaining a net run rate of +0.048. However, despite their erratic form, one player who has shone for LSG over the early stages of the season is master blaster Nicholas Pooran. The West Indian wicket-keeper batsman is the only player to have surpassed 200 runs in the competition, doing so in just four innings.  The most impressive part of Pooran’s performances to date is that, despite scoring just 12 runs in his last match, he still has a staggering strike rate of 218.47, having already smashed 18 fours and 16 sixes.  Pooran has struck the most sixes (16) and the most cumulative boundaries (34) in the IPL to date! However, his advantage atop the leading run-scorer standings is far from secure. After Surya Kumar Yadav’s knock against RCB on Monday, the Mumbai Indians’ batter is now up to 199 runs, two behind Pooran, though he has played a game more.  Gujarat Titans’ opener Sai Sudharsan is also in the mix, currently on 191 runs at an average of 47.75, while the West Indian’s teammate Mitchell Marsh currently has 184 runs to his name and has struck the second-most boundaries in the competition to date (32).  IPL 2025 Orange Cap Standings Pooran will have the opportunity to open some daylight between himself and the chasing pack on Tuesday, when he travels with the team to face the Knight Riders, and our experts fancy his chances here based on their KKR vs. LSG prediction.  IPL predictions Purple Cap IPL 2025: Hardik Pandya Draws Level With Noor Ahmad Over to the top bowler standings, and in this section, things are really heating up. Chennai Super Kings spinner Noor Ahmad has donned the Purple cap since his second match in the competition, but his lead in the standings was wiped out on Monday afternoon.  Despite Mumbai Indians’ dismal campaign to date, their skipper Hardik Pandya has surged up the leading wicket-taker standings in the last week, bagging seven scalps in his last two games, including a career-best 5/36 against LSG last Friday.  Pandya is now level with Ahmad on 10 wickets apiece, but the MI skipper has played a game more! Behind the leading duo, there is a whole host of players within striking distance of the top spot, led by Mohammed Siraj and Mitchell Starc, who have taken nine wickets each, with the latter doing so in just three matches in the competition.  Josh Hazlewood’s 2/37 against Mumbai on Monday has taken him to eight wickets in total, level with Sai Kishore and Khaleel Ahmed, while Krunal Pandya’s 4/45 in the last match has brought him into the top 10 on the leaderboard, now on seven wickets in four games.  IPL 2025 Purple Cap Standings Ahmad is back in action on Tuesday ...

2025 Asia Championships: Men’s Singles The Men’s Singles competition at the upcoming 2025 Asia Championships is dripping with talent, featuring the likes of world number one Shi Yuqi, 2021 World Champion Loh Kean Yew, and Paris Games Olympic silver-medalist Kunlavut Vitisarn, among others.  Leading India’s charge in this category is Commonwealth Games gold medalist and world championship bronze medalist Lakshya Sen. The world number 16 recently defeated Jonatan Christie at the 2025 All England Open and faces a tricky opening match against Taiwanese youngster Lee Chia-hao.  Other Indian players in the Men’s singles competition include Prannoy Haseena Sunil Kumar, Priyanshu Rajawat, and Kiran George, who are ranked 29th, 35th and 36th in the world, respectively.  2025 Asia Championships: Women’s Singles In the Women’s Singles category, India will be led by none other than Olympic silver and bronze medalist P.V. Sindhu, who will be determined to make amends for her frustrating first-round exit at the Swiss Open in the Super 300 in Basel.  Joining Sindhu in this section will be up-and-comer Aakarshi Kashyap. The 23-year-old earned silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in the mixed doubles competition, but she faces a stern opening test against number two seed Han Yue.  Malvika Bansod and 20-year-old Anupama Upadhyaya round out the Indian women participating in this category, and they will take on Gao Fangjie and number eight seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the opening round, respectively.  2025 Asia Championships: Doubles  On to the Doubles categories and in the men’s competition, Pruthvi Roy and Krishnaprasad Sai Pratheek have been drawn in the top half and will face the Chinese Taipei duo of Chiu Hsiand-chieh and 2024 Olympics men’s doubles champion Wang Chi-lin. In the bottom half, India’s flag will be carried by Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethasabapathi. This Indian duo are guaranteed a place in the second round of the competition thanks to an opening round bye.  Another Indian duo that is sure to feature in the second round, owing to a bye, are the Women’s Doubles team of Tressa Jolly and Gayathri Gopichand. Jolly and Gopichand are the nation’s number-one ranked women’s doubles team.  Priya Devi Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra are also set to battle for glory in the women’s doubles, and they will take on Sung Shuo-yun and Yu Chien-hui in the first round. Konjengbam and Mishra are the favourites according to most online betting sites to beat the Chinese Taipei duo in this match.  Finally, on to the mixed doubles, and India have four teams in this section. In the top half, Ashish Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh have received a first-round bye, while Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto will face the Malaysian team of Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin.  Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath will battle for a spot in the second round against number-three seeds Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai. Rounding out the Indian contingent for the Asia Championship are Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde, who will do battle against Yap Roy King and ...

Bumrah Set To Make First IPL Appearance of 2025 The Mumbai Indians endured their worst season in the Indian Premier League in 2024, when they only managed four wins in their 14 games, which saw them finish last in the group-stage and be eliminated from the competition before the knockout stage. This season, the five-time champions have made another poor start, winning just one of their first four matches and currently languishing in seventh place, already four points off leaders Delhi Capitals, while plummeting in the latest IPL odds to win the competition. Despite having a star-studded lineup, Mumbai have struggled to find big contributions, with only Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya currently featuring in the top 10 of the top run-scorer and wicket-taker lists to date.  However, all that could be set to change, with their star paceman Jasprit Bumrah having now been cleared fit by the BCCI’s medical team at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where he had been undergoing rehabilitation due to a stress-related injury to his lower back.  Bumrah sustained a back issue during the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Australia in early January, which also forced him to miss India’s run to the ICC Champions Trophy title in Pakistan and Dubai in March.  The 31-year-old joined up with his teammates for the first time this season over the weekend, and the team coach, Mahela Jayawardene, confirmed that he could feature in Mumbai’s high-profile clash against RCB, where he will go up against his India teammate Virat Kohli. Jayawardene said:  « Yeah, he is available. He is training today, so he should be available tomorrow. He arrived last night and I believe he had his sessions with NCA to finalise that. He has been handed over to our physios. So, yeah, he is bowling today, all good and we will play tomorrow. » Bumrah has been with the Mumbai Indians since the 2013 IPL season and has been one of their most important players over the years, registering 165 wickets in just 133 matches. The only season he missed was in 2023 when he suffered a similar back issue.  IPL Predictions  What About the Fitness of Rohit Sharma? Another big name that missed the Mumbai Indians’ last match was opener Rohit Sharma. The India national team captain was hit on the knee in the team’s third match of the competition and was forced to sit out the defeat to the LSG on Friday due to discomfort. However, Sharma was pictured in nets training on Sunday, when he padded up with fellow opener Ryan Rickelton and was seen hitting a few shots. He did not show any visible signs of discomfort and is expected to join Bumrah in the matchday squad come Monday.  The 37-year-old has made a very poor start to the 2025 IPL, registering scores of 13, 8 and 0 in his three innings. Still, his impact and leadership for the team are undeniable, and he will be hoping to mark his return to fitness with a ...

Mohun Bagan Stunned by Jamshedpur FC Mohun Bagan were head and shoulders the best team in the Indian Super League this season and made history by becoming the first club to win back-to-back ISL Shields since the start of the Indian domestic league.  The Mariners entered the playoffs as the clear favourites to win the cup according to all the best online betting sites, but things have not gone their way just yet, as they suffered an unexpected semi-final first-leg defeat to a resilient Jamshedpur in midweek.  Javier Siverio gave the Men of Steel an early lead at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Thursday afternoon, but their advantage was soon erased by a Jason Cummings equaliser before the halftime interval, and the match looked set to end level as the final whistle approached.  However, Javi Hernandez stepped up in stoppage time and slotted away the Red Miners’ second of the match in the dying seconds, giving his side a one-goal advantage back to Salt Lake City in Kolkata on Monday.  That result brought an end to the Mariners’ 12-match unbeaten run in the top flight (W9 D3 L0), and was the first time they had lost to Jamshepur in any competition since the AIFF Super Cup back in April 2023.  While Mohun Bagan are still expected to turn the tide on their home patch next week, it certainly will not be a walk in the park, and you can check out our experts’ thoughts on the outcome via our in-depth football predictions.  Football predictions FC Goa With Mountain To Climb In Margao The only team to put up any sort of challenge to Mohun Bagan’s title run this season was FC Goa, who finished as runners-up in the league standings with 48 points in 24 games. However, like the champions, they are also in serious danger of seeing their ISL Cup dream brought to an end.  The Gaurs made the trip to the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday and found themselves a goal down before the interval when centre-back Sandesh Jhingan stuck the ball in his own net before Edgar Mendez extended the Blues’ lead to two early in the second half. Goa had their chances in the final quarter of the match, with Aakash Sangwan providing a tantalising cross to Odei Onaindia, but the defender got too far under it and skied his header well over the crossbar from just inside the six-yard box.  While many fans criticised Manolo Marquez’s tactics and his team’s performance in Bangalore, take nothing away from the Blues, who controlled the match from the outset and were coming off a thumping 5-0 victory over Mumbai City in the playoff knockouts.  Speaking at the post-match press conference, Marquez called for belief from his players and their fans. He went on to suggest that while it will be tough, a comeback is still very much on the cards when his side host the Blues on Sunday afternoon.  The Men in Orange now have a mountain ...

Angkrish Raghuvanshi – Kolkata Knight Riders The Kolkata Knight Riders have made a mixed start to the 2025 IPL season, splitting their first four games of the competition, two wins and two losses. However, one youngster who has caught the eye over the early stages of the campaign is Angkrish Raghuvanshi. The 20-year-old batter posted his best score in this edition of the competition on Tuesday, when he blasted a half-century in just 32 deliveries, including five fours and two sixes, to help his side to a resounding 80-run victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad.  Raghuvanshi represented India at the under-19 level and was the highest run-scorer when the team won the Under-19 World Cup. Last year, he made a good impression in his first season in the IPL, showcasing tremendous versatility with his strokeplay, but this season he seems to be coming into his own.  After four games, Raghuvanshi is KKR’s leading scorer in the competition with 128 runs and an average of above 40. He will be back in action for the champs on Tuesday when they take on LSG at Eden Gardens, and you can check out our IPL predictions for that match ahead of the toss.  Hardik Pandya – Mumbai Indians Hardik Pandya is no stranger to being in the spotlight, but he had a fairly underwhelming IPL campaign in 2024. While he took 14 wickets, the explosive hitting we have become accustomed to from him was almost non-existent, as he managed just 216 runs in 14 matches.  Indeed, he has made another underwhelming start to the current campaign with the bat, currently on just 39 runs in three innings, but he looks back to his best with the ball in hand following a record-setting performance against the Super Giants on Friday.  While Mumbai lost the match by 12 runs, Pandya etched his name in the history books, becoming the first captain in the tournament’s history to take a five-wicket haul in the IPL, as he bagged 5/36 – his best-ever T20 figures.  The India international claimed the scalps of orange cap holder Nicholas Pooran, as well as Rishabh Pant, Aiden Markram, David Miller and Akash Deep. In doing so, he surpassed the previous best bowling figures by a skipper of 4/16, set by the legendary Anil Kumble in 2010. Cricket predictions Nicholas Pooran – Lucknow Super Giants While there are plenty of international players that deserve a mention, one who deserves all the praise he has already received is LSG’s Nicholas Pooran. The West Indian wicket-keeper batsman is the current orange cap holder and the only player in the competition to surpass 200 runs to date.  Last season, Pooran amassed 499 runs at an excellent strike rate of 178.21. However, this term, he looks well on course to obliterating his previous record, currently on 201 in just four innings, at a staggering strike rate of 218 – the highest of any player that has scored more than 100 runs in the competition so far.  The 29-year-old can ...

What’s Behind Kolkata Knight Riders’ Underwhelming Start to the Season? The Kolkata Knight Riders produced one of the most dominant displays ever seen in the history of the Indian Premier League last season en route to their third title. The Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise finished the group stage top of the pile and conceded only three defeats in 14 matches – the fewest of any team in a single edition of the IPL.  This season, though, things have been a whole lot different, as KKR have already lost two games and have largely looked like a shadow of their former self. The Knight Riders were dispatched in their opening match with relative ease by the Royal Challengers Bangalore and were no match for the Mumbai Indians in their third match, which they lost by eight wickets. One of the major factors that many pundits have alluded to as a key contributor to KKR’s dip in form this season is the IPL mega-auction that took place in the Middle East last year. During the auction, the franchise was unable to keep hold of several players who were crucial to their sensational form last year.  Arguably the biggest loss was that of Shreyas Iyer, who captained the team in their title-winning campaign. The India international was snapped up by the Punjab Kings for a whopping ₹26.75 crore and broke his silence after the auction, revealing that the reason he asked to leave the franchise was due to a “lack of communication”. Additionally, Mitchell Starc, Phil Salt and Nitish Rana were not retained by the team at the auction, and all three of them have made excellent starts to this season for their new teams. It is understandable that KKR may be looking to usher in new blood for the future of the franchise, but foregoing the opportunity to retain four full international-level players is a massive void to fill for any team.  Owing to their mixed start, KKR are now the third-biggest outsider to win the tournament according to the latest IPL betting odds.  Cricket predictions Can SRH Victory Help Change KKR’s IPL Fortunes? After their embarrassing defeat to the Mumbai Indians, KKR secured a much-needed 80-run victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday. Batting first, Ajinkya Rahane’s men posted a defendable 200/6 in their 20 overs and bowled out the Sunrisers Hyderabad for just 120 runs in the 17th over. However, can this result suggest that a swift turnaround can be expected? Not quite! First off, barring a one-off big performance against Rajasthan, the Sunrisers have been pretty poor themselves, and are now at the bottom of the standings with just one win in four games and a net run rate of -1.612. What is clear is that the team from Hyderabad have pinned their hopes this season on their batting lineup, and if things don’t go as planned, as they did on Thursday when their top three batsman were dismissed for a combined total of just eight runs, then they ...

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona: Legends Collide in Mumbai Put together by The Sports Front, the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona legends match this weekend is set to be one of the grandest football spectacles to ever come to Indian shores. The “Legends Faceoff” will be played at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on April 6 and will feature some of the greatest players of the past.  Donning the captain’s armband for Blaugrana this weekend will be the club’s former skipper Carles Puyol, who dedicated his life to Barca and is arguably the best centre back to ever come out of Catalonia. Puyol has won every major title with Barcelona, including six La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey’s and a stunning three Champions League trophies.  Leading Real Madrid in this epic showdown is none other than Luis Figo, who played for both these teams in his prime. The Portuguese maestro has won two league titles apiece with these clubs, while he also lifted the Champions League trophy with Los Blancos at the turn of the century. However, his greatest achievement during his playing days was winning the coveted Ballon d’Or.  While this will be the first time that Los Merengues will suit up in India, Barcelona legends have played in the country once before, back in 2018, when they took on reigning Indian Super League Shield winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant in a friendly match at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.  The Catalans won that match at a canter 6-0, with Jofre Mateu, Jari Litmanen, Pedro Landi, Roger Garcia and Javier Saviola all finding the back of the net. Of those legends, Mateu and Saviola are returning for the team in this edition and will be hoping to get on the scoresheet once more.  Don’t forget to check out our football predictions for all this weekend’s matches from across the globe! Football predictions Confirmed Squads for “Legends Faceoff” In addition to Puyol and Figo, a star-studded cast will feature at the DY Patil Stadium this weekend, presenting those in attendance with the opportunity to see these icons of the game potentially for the final time in their lives. Here are the confirmed squads for this weekend’s El-Clasico “Legends Faceoff.” Barcelona Legends:  Carles Puyol (C), Patrick Kluivert, Xavi, Rivaldo, Vitor Baia, Frank de Boer, Ricardo Quaresma, Gaizka Mendieta, Fernando Navarro, Roberto Trashorras, Javier Saviola, Phillip Cocu, Giovanni Silva, Jesus Angoy, Marc Valiente Hernandez, Ludovic Giuly, Jofre Mateu, Sergi Barjuan, Jose Edmilson Gomes     Real Madrid Legends: Luis Figo (C), Pepe, Michael Owen, Kiko Casilla, Fernando Morientes, Christian Karembeu, Pedro Contreras, Kiko Casilla, Francisco Pavon, Fernando Sanz, Agustin Garcia, Pedro Munitis, Ruben de la Red, Antonio ‘Toni’ del Moral Segura, Jorge Zoco Ostiz, Ivan Perez    Jesus, Enrique Velasco Munoz, Jose Luis Cabrera, Juan Jose Olalla Fernandez, David Barral Torres This promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime matchup between some of the greatest footballers of all time, and you can live every moment of the action using our football livescore tool right here on SportyTrader! Football predictions

Osimhen Closing In On Rashidi Yekini’s Record After missing Nigeria’s first four 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Victor Osimhen resumed international duty with the Super Eagles for two crucial matches last month and marked his return in some style. The Galatasaray striker bagged a first-half brace against Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium on March 21 and slotted away the team’s only goal against Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later. Against Amavubi, Osimhen struck in just 11 minutes, converting a lofty free kick from reigning African Footballer of the Year Ademola Lookman before doubling his tally with a sensational solo effort, bearing down on Fiarcre Ntwari before deftly chipping the Rwanda shot-stopper moments ahead of the interval.  The following week, the 26-year-old was at it again and broke the deadlock against the Warriors with a powerful diving header in the 73rd minute. Unfortunately, it was not enough to secure victory for the Super Eagles, as Tawanda Chirewa found a shock equaliser in stoppage time at the end of the match.  With those goals, Nigeria’s number-nine took his tally for the national team to 26, surpassing Segun Odegbami, with whom he was level on 23. Osimhen’s next milestone will be to chase down the Super Eagles’ all-time goal-scoring record, which belongs to the legendary Rashidi Yekini on 37 goals. Here’s a look at the current top 10 goal-scorers for Nigeria: Rashidi Yekini – 37  Victor Osimhen – 26  Segun Odegbami – 23 Yakubu Aiyegbeni – 21 Ikechukwu Uche – 19 Obafemi Martins – 18 Sunday Oyarekhu – 17 Samson Siasia – 16 Odion Jude Ighalo – 16 Ahmed Musa – 16 Osimhen will have an opportunity to add to his goals tally for the Super Eagles in June when they face Russia in a friendly before resuming their World Cup qualifiers in September, and you can follow his progress using our football livescore tool.  Football predictions Galatasaray Move: The Change Osimhen Needed Osimhen had an incredible AFCON 2023 qualifying campaign, finishing as the top-scorer with 10 goals, five more than any other player during the competition. However, he came under criticism for his underwhelming performance at the AFCON main tournament, where he managed just one goal in seven matches.  Many Nigerian football fans felt that issues at club level with Napoli affected his performances, and there is a case to be made in that regard, as the 26-year-old looks like a player transformed since joining Turkish Super Lig champions Galatasaray on loan for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.  Since arriving in Istanbul, Nigeria’s talisman is the current top-scorer in the Super Lig with 20 goals and four assists in just 23 league games, two clear of Istanbul Basaksehir attacker Krzysztof Piatek. He also netted six goals and an assist in the Europa League before Gala were beaten in the playoff knockouts by AZ Alkmaar.  Osimhen is the favourite to win the Super Lig Golden Boot according to the latest football betting odds, and you can take a look at our football predictions for our experts’ ...

ACB-ADCSH Destination Support Agreement Confirmed The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub have locked in on a “destination support agreement” that will make the UAE’s capital city the host for the Blue Tigers’ training camps, A team matches, and national age-groups.  The agreement is part of an initiative to expand opportunities for Afghanistan’s cricket players on the global stage and was signed by Matt Boucher and Naseeb Khan, CEO’s of the ADSCH and ACB, respectively, and it will run until 2029 when a decision on a potential extension will be made. Additionally, there are ongoing discussions over the possibility of the Blue Tigers’ senior men’s team being allowed to use the Middle-Eastern city for their ‘home’ games, given the difficulty several cricketing nations have faced with travelling to Afghanistan for matches in recent times.  While the agreement was only confirmed last week, the UAE has allowed the Afghans to use its facilities in the past. Back in March 2021, the Blue Tigers took on Zimbabwe in two Test matches in Abu Dhabi, while they also faced Ireland in the same city in February 2024.  Addressing the media on the agreement, ADCSH CEO Boucher said:  « Our facilities have already welcomed the world’s best players, and this agreement strengthens our strong commitment to nurturing global sporting and cricket talent and leveraging its capacity to be a force for societal good. We’ve loved hosting Afghanistan over the last couple of years and are pleased we can confirm Abu Dhabi as their second home. » The ACB expressed their excitement and gratitude about the newly formed partnership, calling it a massive step forward for Afghanistan cricket, while also highlighting that Abu Dhabi’s exceptional facilities and infrastructure will be incredibly helpful in helping develop the next generation of Afghan cricketers.  Cricket predictions  Agreement Set to Push Afghanistan Cricket to New Heights Afghanistan has been one of the most improved cricket teams in the world over the last few years, with the Blue Tigers excelling exponentially at global tournaments. Most recently, they reached the semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup, while less than a year earlier, the Afghans secured sixth place at the ODI World Cup.  The Blue Tigers’ top-eight finish at the World Cup also earned them their first entry to the ICC Champions Trophy this year, ahead of former world champions Sri Lanka and the West Indies. At the tournament, Afghanistan beat England and were bitterly unlucky not to have a chance to progress to the knockouts owing to their final group stage game being washed out.  The nation’s star players, including the likes of Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan, are currently participating in the 2025 Indian Premier League, so be sure to check out our IPL predictions for our experts’ thoughts on how they may fare at the mega-money T20 competition! Cricket predictions 

Mitchell Hay Leads New Zealand To ODI Series Win  It was another tough day at the office for Mohammad Rizwan and co, as they saw their chances of making amends for poor recent performances brought to an end by New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday.  Most cricket betting sites had made the Black Caps the clear favourites in the contest, and they did not disappoint in front of their home crowd. Batting first, the Kiwis posted a very defendable target of 292/8, with wicket-keeper batsman Mitchell Hay posting a career-best knock of 99* in just 78 deliveries.  Pakistan’s top five batsmen, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha found themselves back in the pavilion for a combined total of 19 runs. Despite a brief fight in the day, the Green Shirts were eventually bundled out for 208 in the 42nd over, 73 runs short of the target. Pakistan have now won just 1 of their last 10 limited-over matches! The third ODI in Mount Maunganui on April 5 will now be a dead rubber in terms of the series outcome, but the Shaheens will know that this is a must-win fixture to salvage some pride, and you can check out our cricket predictions for more info ahead of the toss.  Cricket predictions Pak-NZ Series Highlights And Takeaways From a Pakistani perspective, the major positive they will take from this series is the emergence of Sufiyan Muqeem. The left arm chinaman was brought into the side in the final T20 match and picked up two wickets for just six runs in two overs. Unfortunately, the bowlers were defending just 128/9, which the Black Caps chased down in 10 overs.  After being left out of the first ODI, Muqeem has handed just his second 50-over start and was once again the pick of the bowlers, notching 2/33 in 10 overs. Additionally, the 25-year-old also broke an odd record, posting the highest score for a number 12 batter in ODI cricket after coming on as a concussion sub for Haris Rauf (13 runs in 10 balls).  For New Zealand, there were plenty of impressive performances throughout the series, but Mitchell Hay’s knock in just his fourth ODI innings this week was one that created major optimism for the future of the team. While Hay got the Player of the Match performance, Ben Sears’ career-best 5/59 in 9.2 overs would have been a very close runner-up.  The only downside for the New Zealanders was the injury sustained by Mark Chapman. The 30-year-old scored a magnificent 132 in just 111 deliveries in the first ODI, but sustained what was later revealed to be a grade-one hamstring tear while fielding in the second innings. Tim Seifert was called up as his replacement for the second and third ODIs.  More sports news