NZ vs PAK 1st T20: Duffy on debut takes Kiwis past the Pakistan challenge

Ravindra and Abbas impress in 'unofficial' Test against New Zealand A

Upcoming all-rounder Rachin Ravindra made another good impression by scoring 70 for New Zealand A against Pakistan Shaheens (Pakistan A) in the ongoing one-off unofficial Test at Whangerei. At the end of play on day 2 of the match, Shaheens were 15/1 in their second innings after the home side scored 226 in response to the visitors' 194, leading by 47 with two days to go. Opening the innings for his team, Ravindra, who is coming off a fantastic all-round showing against West Indies in the recently-concluded series agianst that team, ended up as the top scorer for his side. The day began with the hosts at 23/1 in response to Shaheens' 194. Ravindra didn't receive much support from the rest of the batting line-up with only one other batsman reaching half-century. That was wicketkeeper Cam Fletcher with 57. The only other score of consequence was Nathan Smith's 40. For Pakistan, seamer Mohammad Abbas picked up four wickets for 40 runs in 21.5 overs. Three wickets each were taken by Yasir Shah and Amad Butt. In Shaheen's second innings, with only seven overs bowled till the close of the play, the batting side lost one wicket in the form of Abid Ali who was dismissed by Ed Nuttall, the bowler who picked up five wickets in the first innings. Shan Masood was batting on 10 while Azhar Ali was not out on 2.

Inside out | R Ashwin defeats pink-ball history, avenges Steve Smith's dominance on him

There was a chorus of discussion on what was to be the composition of the Indian bowling attack for the ongoing day-night test in Adelaide and a school of thought was that the tourists might field an all-pace attack and leave out Ravichandran Ashwin, their premier spinner in terms of numbers, more so in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja. The argument in favour of exclusion of Ashwin was not far stretched as Kohli has a fascination of playing with pace and matching fire to fire with the opposition (remember Johannesburg 2018) and the amount of help the pacers were expected to extract out of the pitch under lights. The stats too were stacked against Ashwin’s chance of playing in Adelaide as no spinners other than Nathan Lyon has been able to crack the pink-ball code as of yet. In the last day-night test in Australia, between the home team and Pakistan, arguably the best spinner in the world, Yasir Shah got a massive hammering at the hands of Australian batsmen in Brisbane. In the end, Kohli and team management stuck with the process of selection they have been following in the last few test series after attaining an all-dimensional bowling attack that can bring the team into the game at any type of pitch and under any circumstances. The kind of help Lyon was getting off the day1 pitch and the amount of trouble he caused to the Indian right-handers had very well vindicated the call Kohli took on playing Ashwin and resting the fascinating temptation of unleashing four quicks with the pink ball against the hosts. The pitch has something for the spinner, not a lot but Lyon was wise to extract enough help to keep the Indian middle order that included the likes of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane checked through his spells and it set a template for Ashwin. The battle between Lyon and Ashwin on who is the best off sp[inner in the world gets contentious with every series that India and Australia play against each other and the fact that the Australian finger spinner has been the only one to taste success with the pink ball would have also made Ashwin hungrier to stamp his authority with the pink Kookaburra ball. After a period of half an hour, Indian pacers got back their lengths to trouble the top order and brought Steve Smith to the middle. When Kohli first introduced Ashwin after the dinner break, the challenge was ominous for the tourists and more so for Ashwin who has had to see and swallow Steve Smith flourishing with the bat on numerous occasions and a lot of times at his expense. Ashwin had seen Smith dominating him and his teammates on a minefield in Pune in 2017 while the 2013-14 series must have been unforgettable for him as a bowler who struggled to go past Smith’s brilliance. Ashwin was brought in to the attack in the 27th over and by that time Steve Smith had played 26 balls without any trouble whatsoever. He was taking his time and it seemed as if he was meditating for yet another big one against his favourite opponent. Ashwin could bowl to Smith only from the fourth ball of his first over and he started with a couple of flighted off-spinners that did not turn that much but there was a definite sense of effort to flight the ball from Ashwin and to no one’s surprise Smith looked up for the challenge. He was not though as Ashwin played his next card very intelligently and to everyone’s surprise Smith could not quite make out the intention of Ashwin when he lowered the trajectory of his third ball to the right-hander. Smith played back for a hint of spin that he faced on the last two balls, but Ashwin’s attempt to bowl the one delivery that went straight on landed perfectly on the off stump line to take Smith’s outside edge. An ecstatic Ashwin ran like in a similar manner Lasith Malina had run after dismissing Sachin Tendulkar in the final of a world cup and by it symbolised the value he had put on Smith’s wicket and the fact that he could win the first round of a long-expected battle in the very first over before Smith could harm India made the success, even more, sweeter for the wily off-spinner. The next man in, Travis Head provided him yet another opportunity of getting things completely under control. Head was worried about getting his pads caught in the line of the stumps and hence Ashwin could not afford to bowl outside the line of off stump as it could not have induced any stroke from the left-hander. The battle between him and Head could not last more than 10 balls as Ashwin was smart enough to use all the drifts he was getting bowling round the wicket and pitched one on the middle stump. Head sensed an opportunity of scoring through the vacant leg side and the drift on the ball made that shot a tempting one but actually, it ended up straightening up on him and Ashwin was waiting for that mistake to plug a safe catch in his follow-through to peg back the Australian middle order as the match came back right in the balance. Cameron Green who was making his debut in this test was tested by Ashwin as another duel did not last too long. Green was beaten in flight when he wanted to come down the track to have a go while he was also caught on the wrong foot when he tried to combat the short of length balls coming into him. The right-hander looked fidgety at the crease and in the process tried to manufacture an aggressive shot and perished against a ball that was not short enough to be pulled over midwicket. Ashwin also showed his longevity on the day when all mattered for the Indian side and bowled unchanged from the one end in the period from the diner break to the tea time. His spell at the end of the second session read 11-3-27-3 and at least for the outcome of the game till the end of the day’s play, Ashwin proved to be a match-winner who didn’t only chip in with the control by checking the flow of runs--a role hat all spinners coming from India and subcontinent is imposed with, but also provided his captain with another wicket-taking option and a championed the role by breaking the backbone of the Australian batting line up in a span of a couple of hours.

Ashwin picks four as Australia lag behind

Ravichandran Ashwin was the star of the show as India bundled out Australia for 191 on the second day of the pink-ball Test.

Match Preview: Renegades seek to regain poise against Hurricanes

Both Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Renegades are coming off a loss in their previous game. For Hurricanes, the loss came after two good victories so isn't that big an issue presently. However, the Renegades suffered a humiliating defeat in their match against Sydney Sixers, going down by a massive 145 runs. Conceding 205 runs in T20 game isn't such a big setback in the current T20 cricket scenario. But getting bowled out for 60 must have shattered the morale of the Renegades unit. But T20 cricket is also very fickle and it wouldn't take an upset for the same team to bounce back. Hurricanes Look to Regain Winning Ways Despite their loss to Adelaide Strikers in the last game, there is no reason for Hobart to panic. Their batting line-up is in good shape with most of the key players showing good form. Openers D'Arcy Short and Will Jacks form a good opening pair with the former already having a fifty under his belt. The rest of the batting line-up is also able to get good starts. The foreign player that they have acquired - Colin Munro - has shown that he is a valuable import. The Kiwi batsman's hitting ability is well known but the question has always been about his consistency. His batting so far in the season has been good. The problem is currently with their captain Peter Handscomb's returns so far. He is supposed to play the role of a pivot in the innings. That hasn't happened yet. Lower-order batsman Tim David scored a fifty which adds some strength to that section of the line-up. Macalister Wright has also been sub-par while Ben McDermott's knock in the last match has given another batting option for the top order. The bowling also looks in reasonably good shape. James Faulkner has been brilliant. Some support has been there but not consistent enough from other bowlers. Scott Boland had a good spell in the last game. But the disappointment so far has been Nathan Ellis. After his brilliant efforts last season, more was expected of him. Renegades Need Morale-Booster When you get bowled out for 60, it must be a very bitter experience. But Renegades have the batting firepower to get over this setback. They possess, possibly, the best opening combination in the league - Shaun Marsh and Aaron Finch. This opening pair would have to be dislodged early else, they can cause severe damage. The rest of the batting line-up is less high-profile. South African Rilee Rossouw should add some strength to the middle order. Wicketkeepr Sam Harper has been asked to bat at the no. 3 spot. Since not much has come out of this move, there may be a reshuffle on the cards. Kane Richardson is the leader of the pace attack in normal conditions and he has Josh Lalor for support. Tall leggie Peter Hatzoglou is the one to watch out for. As is often the case with leg-spinners, he can go for runs but he will also bring wickets. The team has a more regular spin bowling option in the form of Jon Holland but the team management seems to have picked Hatzoglou as their main weapon. Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades: Match Details Venue: Bellerive Oval, Hobart Date and Time: December 19, 5:40 AM IST, 11:10 AM Local, 12:10 AM GMT Broadcaster: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV Pitch Report Two venues in Tasmania have been used in this season - Launceston and Hobart. Strangely, the two grounds have produced contrasting contests. At Launceston, the bowlers have found conditions very favourable while at Hobart, the batsmen have made merry. Not much is expected to be different for this match. A flat pitch with minimal help for bowlers is expected. Weather and Toss The skies are likely to be cloudy for this match. Usually such conditions in Hobart mean help for seamers. This may tempt the captain winning the toss to bowl first. Probable XIs Hobart Hurricanes: D'Arcy Short, Will Jacks, Ben McDermott (Wk), Peter Handscomb (C), Colin Ingram, Macalister Wright, Tim David, James Faulkner, Nathan Ellis, Scott Boland, Riley Meredith Melbourne Renegades: Shaun Marsh, Aaron Finch (C), Sam Harper (Wk), Rilee Rossouw, Beau Webster, Jake Fraser McGurk, Benny Howell, Kane Richardson, Josh Lalor, Peter Hatzoglou, Zak Evans