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ENG vs NZ | Day 1 | Mitchell and Blundell's brilliance take Kiwis to a commanding position

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Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell were magnificent for the reigning World Test Champions as New Zealand finished Day 1 of the ongoing second Test at 318/4 against England at Nottingham. 


The Black Caps are playing without their regular skipper Kane Williamson, who tested positive for Covid-19 on the eve of the match. However, they got a pleasing start as the visitors didn't repeat the mistakes of the Lord's Test. 


England earlier won the toss and opted to bat first as Nottingham is known for its bowling-friendly conditions, especially in the early phases. However, it didn't function like its old self as English seamers failed to keep the Kiwis on the backfoot. 


The stand-in captain Tom Latham (26) and opener Will Young (47) showed enormous amounts of patience and determination as they batted in the most extreme conditions and forged an 84-run stand to provide New Zealand with the much-needed start.  


Skipper Ben Stokes drew the first blood for England as Will Young, who was looking in a good touch departed for 47. He was followed by his fellow opening partner Tom Latham on successive deliveries, bowled by the genius of swing and seam James Anderson.  


The middle-order comprising Devon Conway (46) and Henry Nicholls capitalised on the excellent start and stitched a 77-run partnership for the 3rd wicket. However, it was once again thwarted by the English skipper, who dismissed the left-handed batter for the score of 30. 


Just after 4 overs, Nicholls was joined by his other partner Devon Conway, who fell 4 runs short of his half-century. James Anderson bowled a good delivery on the off-stump as Conway got the inside edge and wicket-keeper Foakes made no mistakes there. 


Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell, the only duo which surpassed the 90-run mark in the Lord's Test, started from where they left. While Daryl Mitchell scored 81* off 147, Tom Blundell reached 67* off 136 at the end of the day's play. 


Englishmen Ben Stokes and James Anderson did the bulk of hard work by dismissing the visitors' top order but have failed to keep the middle order quiet. The duo finished the day with two wickets each, while their other bowlers remained wicketless. 


Brief Score 


New Zealand - 318/4 (87) 


Daryl Mitchell 81*(of 147), Tom Blundell 67* (of 136)

Ben Stokes 2-40 (12) James Aderson 2-42 (18)


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ZIM vs AFG | 1st T20I | Preview, Prediction, Probable XI, CREX XI

Zimbabwe and Afghanistan are all set to lock horns against each other in a three-match T20I series, starting from Saturday at Harare. The two sides squared off in a three-match ODI series, where Afghanistan outplayed the hosts, emerging victorious by a scoreline of 3-0. The last ODI was a much closely fought contest, with the visitors coming home with a narrow four-wicket victory. The Asian side should certainly have the edge, moving forward to the shorter format. Afghanistan has named a star-studded side for the series, which will be led by all-rounder Mohammad Nabi. Mujeeb ur Rahman has been released from the squad, following his commitments for the English T20 Blast. Rashid Khan will spearhead the spin bowling department and should be expected to dominate the proceedings against Zimbabwe, who struggle against slower bowlers. On the other hand, Zimbabwe is certainly under the pump and will look to make a statement in the T20I series. The hosts will be led by Craig Ervine, who put on disappointing performances in the ODI series. The skipper could manage to score just 62 runs, at an average of 20.67. One of the positives for Zimbabwe was the performance of Sikandar Raza, who managed to score 145 runs in three matches at an average of 48.33. Afghanistan’s last T20I assignment came against Bangladesh, where the series ended on level terms. As for Zimbabwe, they recently clashed against their African counterparts, Namibia in a five-match T20I series. Zimbabwe ended on the losing side once again, with Namibia claiming a 3-2 series win. The pressure is evidently growing on Ervine to start delivering positive results for his side. Wesley Madhevere was the top run-getter in the five-match T20I series against Namibia, accumulating 163 runs in five innings at an average of 40.75. Raza impressed with the ball, having six scalps to his name in five matches at an average of 14.83. In terms of the head-to-head clashes, Afghanistan has predominantly had the better of its opponents. From their 12 meetings in the shortest format of the game, the Asian side has emerged victorious on 11 occasions. Match Details Match: Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I Venue: Harare Sports Club, Harare Date & Time: June 11 at 6:30 PM IST Live Streaming: FanCode Pitch Report The pitch saw a couple of low-scoring encounters in the ODI series, which shows that it could favour the bowlers. Anything over 150 runs could well be a challenging total on this track. Head-To-Head Matches Played: 12 Zimbabwe: 1 Afghanistan: 11 Squads Zimbabwe: Wesley Madhevere, Innocent Kaia, Craig Ervine (c), Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva, Milton Shumba, Ryan Burl, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara, Tanaka Chivanga, Donald Tiripano, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Clive Madande, Ainsley Ndlovu, Luke Jongwe Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi (c), Najibullah Zadran (vc), Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Darwish Rasooli, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Hazratullah Zazai, Ihsanullah Janat, Karim Janat, Nijat Masoud, Noor Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Usman Ghani Probable Playing XI Zimbabwe: Wesley Madhevere, Innocent Kaia, Regis Chakabva (wk), Craig Ervine (c), Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Donald Tiripano, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara, Tanaka Chivanga Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Usman Ghani, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi (c), Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fareed Ahmad Malik CREX XI Suggestion Wicket-Keeper: Regis Chakabva, Rahmanullah Gurbaz Batters: Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Craig Ervine All-Rounders: Sikandar Raza, Mohammad Nabi Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Blessing Muzarabani, Fazalhaq Farooqi Captain: Rashid Khan Vice-Captain: Sikandar Raza