Top New Zealand, India players open up on significance of Test cricket

WTC Final | Day 4 weather update: Rain likely to play spoilsport again in Southampton

India and New Zealand are battling it out in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in Southampton. The match between the two sides has been affected by the rain. In fact, the first day of the game was washed away due to the same reason. The forecast for Day 4 (Monday, June 21, 2021) doesn’t really look great either. As the weather reports suggest, the rain is likely to play a spoilsport once again in Southampton. The humidity is expected to be around 87 per cent. Earlier, New Zealand after winning the toss invited India to bat first and bowled out the Virat Kohli-led side for 217 in the first innings. Fast bowler Kyle Jamieson was on a roll especially on Day 3 after he scalped a fifer which included the important wicket of Kohli. The right-handed batsman was trapped in front of the stumps by Jamieson to get dismissed for 44. The Indian captain failed to add any runs to his overnight score on Day 3. Apart from Kohli, it was his deputy Ajinkya Rahane who showed some resistance and scored 49 before getting out to Wagner. Trent Boult and Wagner bagged a couple of wickets apiece during the course while Tim Southee had one. Later, India removed New Zealand openers Devon Conway and Tom Latham before the stumps were called early due to bad light. New Zealand were 54/2, trailing India by 116 runs at the end of day’s play with Conway being among runs yet again. The left-handed opener notched up a half-century before he was undone by Ishant Sharma.

WI vs SA | 2nd Test, Day 3: South Africa in command despite a batting collapse

West Indies were handed a target of 324 runs by South Africa at the end of the third day at St Lucia after the visitors were bundled out for 174 in the second innings. The Proteas were in a steady position in the second Test after they had bowled out West Indies for 149 and took a lead of 149 runs in the first innings. But the hosts’ bowling line up made a strong comeback in the game as the fast bowlers ripped apart the South African batting. Kemar Roach scalped a couple of early wickets in the innings providing his side with some positive start. Adien Markram first departed for 4 after getting caught by Jason Holder off Roach and then the captain Dean Elgar was sent packing by the pacer. South Africa kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were left tottering at 73/7 when Van der Dussen was joined by Kagiso Rabada in the middle. The two steadied the ship for the side and stitched a stand of 70 runs for the 8th wicket. Van der Dussen went on to score a half-century and remained unbeaten at 75 while Rabada chipped in with a 48-ball 40 which included five boundaries and a maximum. For West Indies, Roach returned with a four-for while Mayers scalped three in the innings. Jayden Seales, Holder and Brathwaite picked up a wicket each. The home side was 15/0 when the stumps were called and now need 309 more runs to level the series. West Indies are trailing the two-match series 0-1.

WTC final | Day 3: Kyle Jamieson, openers wear down India as bowlers fail to replicate Kiwis' template

A magnificent half-century from Devon Conway after a five-wicket haul on the back of superb seam and swing bowling by Kyle Jamieson put New Zealand on top at the end of the third day’s play in the World Test Championship final against India. However, Conway’s wicket, on a swinging leg stump half volley off Ishant Sharma, would have provided India with some sort of relief after the Blackcaps were on a roll to take the game completely away from India. Indian pace attack lacked a bowler who could genuinely swing the ball and an improved overhead condition also did not help them as much as it did the New Zealand pace attack on the previous day and in the morning session of the third day. Ishant Sharma found the most amount of swing in the air but Mohammed Shami was the best bowler on display from the Indian side. He was too unlucky to not have at least one wicket in his column after beating and finding outside edges of both Tom Latham and Devon Conway’s bat. In absence of swing in the air, Shami used all his hustles with the pace and seam movement to trouble both Blackcaps opener but they found a way to give their side a much-needed boost at the top of the order. Virat Kohli switched to Ravichandran Ashwin after seeing pacers not extracting any wicket and his move paid dividend albeit not immediately. Ashwin of now is a wily bowler even in overseas conditions and he lured Latham into driving at one that was not there at a suitable length and Kohli’s jubilation after taking the catch was more of a vindication than a celebration of a New Zealand’s wicket. India missed bowlers such as Tim Southee and Trent Boult, who could pitch the ball up and extract some swing in the air and New Zealand batsmen used all their experience of playing in similar conditions back home by playing the ball very late to combat all the seam movements they got. Earlier, India suffered a massive batting collapse in the morning session courtesy of outstanding seam and swing bowling by Jamieson, who opened his account on the third day with the big wicket of Virat Kohli. The Indian skipper was relying on Jamieson’s height to take the ball above the stumps and was leaving deliveries on the length which prompted the bowler to adjust his length to a bit fuller. Jamieson also seamed one back and found Kohli in front of the crease to give India a massive jolt straightaway. Rishabh Pant, who walked out to the crease with a great sense of expectations and hype paid the price of being himself and backing his flamboyance rather than discipline to get through the tough phase. Pant’s departure put all the onus of taking India to a safe position on Ajinkya Rahane’s shoulders, who was looking very settled at the crease till Kane Williamson brought on Neil Wagner and asked him questions against short-pitched bowling. After pulling the left-armer unconvincingly once, Williamson positioned fielders to set a trap and Rahane obliged in the manner that left both his fans and commentators in dismay. Jamieson’s control over line and length and India’s mixture of loose shots and lapse in concentrations brought New Zealand back in the game in the first session and the opening pair of Conway and Latham, along with skipper Williamson only strengthened the position by the end of the day’s play.

BCCI AGM | Rs 10 crore help for athletes to prepare for Tokyo Olympics, discusses domestic players' payments

The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) has taken some key decisions pertaining to other sports and domestic cricket in the country in its eighth 8th Apex Council Meeting (Emergent Meeting) held on June 20. The biggest decision taken was the financial assistance to Tokyo Olympics-bound players in order to help them prepare for the marquee event. The BCCI Apex Council has pledged a monetary ‘gesture’ of Rs 10 crore to players on the ‘request’ of the Indian Olympic Association and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. “The BCCI has decided to support Indian athletes in every form and manner it can. In that spirit, based on the request received from the IOA/MYAS, the Apex Council of BCCI has decided to extend support to the Indian Olympic Association and has pledged a monetary gesture of Rs. 10 crores,” BCCI said in a statement. Another major decision was taken by the BCCI Apex Council in the matter of payments to domestic cricketers for the last two seasons which have been marred by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Apex Council has asked the office bearers of the board to form a committee to formulate a ‘compensatory mechanism’ for the players as soon as possible. “The Apex Council has decided to form a committee to look into the issue of compensation for Indian domestic cricketers for domestic season 2020 and 2021. The Apex Council has mandated the Office Bearers of BCCI to form the committee and find a suitable compensatory mechanism for domestic cricketers, at the earliest possible,” BCCI added.