IND vs NZ | 1st Test, Day 3: Kiwis waste big opening stand, surrender to spin

A marathon opening partnership of 151 runs between Will Young and Tom Latham put New Zealand significantly ahead in the first Test against India in Kanpur, but the hosts were not without firepower in their bowling department and they bounced back superbly.

From 151/0, the Blackcaps were bundled out for 296 and conceded a lead of 49 runs which could prove to be an instrumental factor for their downhill journey and India’s dominance in the game.

After Young got out, Kane Williamson was removed by Umesh Yadav right at the stroke of lunch, there was no way back for the Blackcaps and it was followed by an Axar Patel’s show, who went on to take his fifth five-wicket haul in the longest format.

Ravichandran Ashwin toiled hard and employed all tricks from his bag to bag three wickets including the big wicket of Young and the last two wickets of Kyle Jamieson and William Somerville.

India would be delighted to ensure a big lead of 49 runs and they would bank on the batsmen to pile on big runs on the board to enforce a result in the game. They have to bat a little over 25 minutes today and they would want to cement their position of strength even further by the end of the third day’s play.

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IND vs NZ | 1st Test, Day 3: Axar Patel's five-wicket haul puts a check on New Zealand's surge

Continuing his dream run of form with the ball, Axar Patel bagged yet another five-wicket haul in the first innings of the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur. He reached the landmark with the wicket of Tim Southee in the evening session of the third day. He picked up big wickets of a well set Tom Latham, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell and Southee to take his fourth five-wicket haul in only the fourth Test of his career. His fifer along with controlled bowling from the other end helped India get back in the game after a marathon opening partnership between Will Young and Tom Latham gave the hosts a major scare. New Zealand have lost eight wickets and are still more than 60 runs away from India’s first innings total of 345 runs. Latham top-scored for them with 95 while Young was not left too far behind with 89 runs.

Ben McDermott's hundred anchors Tasmania to 5-wicket win over Western Australia

Tasmania’s Ben McDermott anchored his side to a 5-wicket win against Western Australia in Hobart while chasing a stiff target of 295 in 50 overs. McDermott scored a brilliant hundred during the course of the innings. Tasmania lost an early wicket in the form of Caleb Jewell when the team score read 13 but McDermott along with Charlie Wakim then steadied the ship for the side as the two batters put 75 runs for the second wicket. But Tasmania were then pushed onto the backfoot as WA scalped a couple of quick wickets to reduce the side to 88/3. McDermott was then joined by Macalister Wright in the middle and provided the resistance that the side required. Both the players chipped in with a stand of 136 runs that certainly brought the team back on track. While Wright was eventually undone for 55, McDermott went on to score a ton. Before getting out for 133. But his dismissal didn’t really have much impact as Tim David and Bradley Hope made sure that there were no more fall of wickets and the two batsmen took the team over the line. Earlier, in the day, WA rode on fifties from Whiteman and Cartwright to put 294/9 in 50 overs on the board.

BAN vs PAK | Liton Das redeems himself with splendid Test century against Pakistan

Breaking the string of low scores that earned him a lot of critics in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup, Liton Das came back to form in a grand fashion with a Test century against Pakistan in the first Test of the series at Chaotgram. He walked out to bat at the number six position when Bangladesh found themselves in a precarious position having lost the top order without too many runs on the board. He joined Mushfiqur Rahim in the middle when the score was just 49 runs and he went back to the pavilion only after scoring a splendid century and laying a partnership worth more than 200 runs with Mushfiqur. It was his century and 91 from Mushfiqur that Bangladesh reached a competitive score of 330 runs in the first innings after their skipper Mominul Haque won the toss and decided to bat first. For Pakistan, Hasan Ali, who has had the same fate as Liton Das in the T20 World Cup, was the pick of the bowlers as he took a brilliant five-wicket haul. He was on the top of his game and was well supported by Shaheen Shah Afridi and Faheem Ashraf.

BAN vs PAK | 1st Test: Hasan Ali silences critics, picks fifer in first innings

Pakistan seamer Hasan Ali certainly gave a perfect answer to his critics after he scalped a fifer in the first innings of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chattogram. Hasan had faced a lot of criticism in the recent past for his dismal show in the T20 World Cup after failing to make impact in all of the matches that he played for his team. He faced flak severely for his semi-final outing of the tournament for a crucial dropped catch in the final overs of the game which eventually knocked Pakistan out of the tournament. But the right-arm bowler turned the table for himself in this Test match after picking up five wickets including the prized scalp of Liton Das who struck a valuable ton. Ali provided Pakistan the first breakthrough after he trapped Shadman Islam in front of the stumps for 14 runs. The home side lost a few more wickets and were in a spot of bother after getting reduced to 49/4 before Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das joined hands for a 206-run stand for the fifth wicket. Hasan then came into the act and provided his side with the much-needed breakthrough after removing Liton for 114 runs. He was also trapped in front of the stumps. The Pakistan bowler then followed it with another quick dismissal after he cleaned up Yasir Ali for 4 and completed his five-wicket haul later on. The right-hander removed Abu Jayed (8 off 19) and Ebadot Hossain (0 off 1) on consecutive deliveries as Bangladesh were bundled out for 330. Hasan Ali returned with figures of 5/51 in 20.4 overs.