December 6, 2017 issue |
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Cricket |
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WI collapse hands New Zealand innings victory |
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New Zealand beat West Indies by an innings and 67 runs. | |
A dramatic West Indies batting collapse gave New Zealand victory by an innings and 67 runs in the first Test on the fourth day in Wellington on Monday. The West Indies lost their last five wickets for just 33 runs in nine overs after lunch to give New Zealand victory with more than a day to spare. The domination was set up by New Zealand winning the crucial toss and rolling the tourists for 134 on a green wicket before replying with 520 for nine declared as the pitch flattened out. The West Indies resumed on Monday at 214 for two in their second innings, looking to knock off their 386-run deficit with minimal damage. But the resistance ended with the loss of Kraigg Brathwaite for 91 inside the first hour as three wickets fell before lunch. The wicket was no longer offering the bowlers any assistance but the fight had gone out of the West Indies, with the downward slide gathering pace from the first ball after the interval when Sunil Ambris was out. Ambris, who made a golden duck when he stepped back on to his wicket in his debut first innings, made 18, including a six off Trent Boult, before being caught at first slip off Colin de Grandhomme. Two runs and six balls later, Shane Dowrich (three) steered a Neil Wagner delivery straight to Mitchell Santner at point. It was the first wicket of the innings for Man-of-the-Match Wagner and he followed with the dismissal of Jason Holder (seven) to finish with nine for the match after his seven for 39 in the first innings. The West Indies had started the day pinning their hopes on Brathwaite but he was the first to fall after adding 12 to his overnight 79. After facing 221 balls, the most by any batsman in the Test, the West Indies opener was too slow bringing his bat down on a straight delivery from spinner Santner which rapped him on the pads, ending a 65-run stand with Shai Hope. Nine overs later, Hope was also back in the pavilion for 37 when New Zealand took the second new ball and he edged Boult to the safe hands of Kane Williamson at gully. Roston Chase fell to Matt Henry for 18 as the West Indies ended the morning having lost three for 72. Henry, who is likely to be replaced by Tim Southee in the second Test in Hamilton starting on Saturday, finished with three for 57. |
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2nd Ashes Test: Root gives England a sniff |
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Joe Root was given out leg before wicket on 32 but the decision was overturned |
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England were 178 runs from a stunning comeback victory in the second Ashes Test after James Anderson grabbed five wickets and Joe Root steered the tourists to 176 for four at close of play on the fourth day on Tuesday. Root, who eked out a half century under the Adelaide Oval lights, will probably need to stay out in the sun for much of the fifth day if he is to lead England to a win. The tourists will resume with Root 67 not out and Chris Woakes, unbeaten on five, after Dawid Malan was bowled for 29 by a Pat Cummins snorter shortly before the close. Australia skipper Steve Smith will be hoping his bowlers can keep up the pressure on the final day and help him avoid the ignominy of becoming only the second captain to lose a Test after not enforcing the follow-on. Anderson (5-43) and Woakes (4-36) had fired England's resurgence when they did the lion's share of the work of dismissing the Australians for 138 at tea. Set a ground record 354 to win the Test and level the series after last week's 10-wicket Brisbane defeat, England made a steady start before losing openers Alastair Cook (16) and Mark Stoneman (36) in the last half an hour of the second session. It was to the third session that Australia's quicks would have been looking to make serious inroads into the England batting, however, and when James Vince was quickly caught in the slips off Mitchell Starc for 15, it looked to be going to plan. England had started to enjoy the best of the DRS system, however, with Root first overturning an lbw decision off the bowling of Nathan Lyon and seeing a Smith review fail when the Australian suspected an inside edge. Root made the most of the reprieve and reached his fifty with a lovely four, one of nine he made throughout his 114-ball knock. Anderson had earlier picked up where he left off in Monday's night session, dismissing nightwatchman Lyon, a jittery Peter Handscomb and Starc to snare his maiden five-wicket haul in four tours to Australia. Woakes chipped in to see off Tim Paine and Shaun Marsh cheaply, making sure the latter was unable to get anywhere near the unbeaten 126 he hit to underpin Australia's 442 for eight declared in the first innings. England had looked certain to go 2-0 down in the series when they folded for 227 in reply until Anderson finally found his mojo with the pink kookaburra in the first Ashes day-nighter. |
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WI captain Jason Holder suspended for second test |
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West Indies captain Jason Holder | |
West Indies captain Jason Holder has been suspended for one test after his team were found guilty of maintaining a slow over rate during their defeat to New Zealand in the first test, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Tuesday. |
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India eye victory in Test shrouded by pollution, vomiting | |
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Sri Lanka's Suranga Lakmal vomits on the field | |
Sri Lanka coach Nic Pothas praised his team's perseverance on Tuesday against a formidable India despite severe pollution which made players from both sides vomit during the third Test in smog-bound New Delhi. Fast bowlers Suranga Lakmal and Mohammed Shami threw up as pollution levels soared at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, and Sri Lankan fielders again turned to face masks to combat the foul air. Sri Lanka were reeling on 31-3 at stumps, chasing a daunting 410-run victory target. Dhanajaya de Silva on 13 and Angelo Mathews were batting when bad light stopped play on the fourth day. Pothas told reporters his men played “brilliantly” despite being ill from the smog, which hit levels 15 times the World Health Organisation's safe limit. “I thought the guys did superbly well, great attitude. We are professionals” and said, “That situation is a situation, let's get on with it',” Pothas said. “Our people in discomfort, I think it speaks for itself. The rest we cannot control. The guys did brilliantly today,” the South African added. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja struck twice in an over to rattle the visitors, who must bat out three more sessions to save the match and draw the series against top-ranked India. Shami dismissed opener Sadeera Samarawickrama off a roaring bouncer but stopped in mid-over to vomit, crouching down and then gulping water. He went on to complete the over but left the field after umpires thought it inadvisable to have a pacer bowling in poor light. “Not ideal to lose three wickets, it can be frustrating,” said Pothas. In the morning session it was Sri Lankan pacer Suranga Lakmal who threw up twice. He went to the dressing room briefly but returned to the field, bowling 14 overs and taking one wicket. Groundsmen rushed on to cover the spot with sand and sawdust as smog in the heavily polluted Indian capital took centre stage for a fourth day in a row. “He (Lakmal) obviously didn't feel very well,” Pothas said. “It's not easy, it's pretty obvious...there is no more to say about it. We just want to get on with the cricket.” A doctor at the stadium examined three Sri Lankan players and said their vital signs were normal. Skipper Virat Kohli, who made 50, declared India's second innings on 246-5 after Rohit Sharma reached his half-century in the final session, setting the visitors a formidable victory target. No Test team has chased down 410 or more since 2003, when the West Indies defeated Australia after making 418 runs. Opener Shikhar Dhawan top-scored in India's second innings with 67 on an easy-paced wicket. Apart from Lakmal, Lahiru Gamage, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan and Dhananjaya de Silva took a wicket each. Earlier, Sri Lanka were dismissed for 373, conceding a 163-run first-innings lead to India who had declared on 536 for seven. “I enjoyed playing that way (scoring quick runs). We would be trying hard to finish it tomorrow as we are in good situation with three wickets down,” said Dhawan. He conceded the ground was polluted and the team had to “adjust accordingly”. “I would never say that there is no pollution in Delhi. Of course there is pollution, but during the winters there is a lot of smog,” Dhawan said. “When you are playing for country, you have to do your job.” The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said late Monday that New Delhi could be dropped as a venue during winter, when pollution across the region spikes. BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary said venues would be reconsidered “in view of the situation which was encountered in the last two to three days”. “The BCCI has been sensitive on the smog and fog matter over the years,” he added. The board had earlier accused Sri Lankan players of creating a fuss over nothing, and vowed to write to the Sri Lankan board over the matter. |
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Other weird instances when a cricket match was halted | |
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A 'bee' incident that took place during a Test match between India and Australia at Ferozshah Kotla in Delhi in 2008 saw the players and umpires hit the ground. |
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Besides the third Test between India and Sri Lanka at the Ferozshah Kotla that saw the game being halted for 16 minutes due to 'poor air quality', here are five weird instances when cricket games across the world were stopped temporarily. Burnt gravy Palam's pitch invasion Bees Eclipse Stuffed tiger |
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Teenage debutant Mujeeb helps Afghanistan rout Ireland | |
Off-spinner Mujeeb Zadran became the first international male cricketer born in the 21st century as his four wickets helped Afghanistan thrash Ireland by 138 runs in the first one-day international in Sharjah on Tuesday. Born on March 28, 2001, the 16-year-old's 4-24 were the joint-best figures for an Afghanistan bowler on ODI debut as Ireland were bowled out for only 100 in pursuit of 239. Afghanistan's biggest win over Ireland gives them a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with the remaining matches also in Sharjah on December 7 and 10. Ireland women's all-rounder Gaby Lewis became the first international cricketer born this millennium when she made her Twenty20 international debut against South Africa at Solihull, England in 2014. Mujeeb, brought into the Afghanistan side for this series after taking 20 wickets in five matches to help his country win the Under-19 Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur last month, made an early impact. He equalled fast bowler Shapoor Zadran's 4-24 against the Netherlands at Amstelveen in 2009. Skipper William Porterfield (35), Stuart Poynter (27 not out) and George Dockrell (ten) were the only batsmen to reach double figures in Ireland's lowest total against Afghanistan. Their previous lowest was 150 at Belfast in 2016 and their previous heaviest defeat against Afghanistan was by 71 runs in Dublin in 2015. Rising star Rashid Khan, 19, took 3-28 with his leg-spin, having also struck a 49-ball 48. Afghanistan, sent in to bat, made 238-9 with Nasir Jamal scoring 53 and Rahmat Shah an even 50. The big-hitting Shafiqullah Shafiq smashed a 23-ball 36 with three sixes after coming in at number nine. Boyd Rankin (4-44) and Tim Murtagh (3-28) were the pick of the Ireland attack, while Kevin O'Brien took 1-50 to become the first Irish bowler to reach 100 ODI wickets. |
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