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Wi Vs Sl 1St Test Report Nkrumah Bonner Brings Up Maiden Test Ton To Salvage Draw For Windies

WI vs SL | 1st Test Report: Nkrumah Bonner brings up maiden Test ton to salvage draw for Windies

A marathon maiden Test ton from Nkrumah Bonner helped West Indies salvaged a draw in the first Test of the series at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. Coming into the fifth and final day of the Test, Windies had an uphill task of resisting an impressive Sri Lankan bowling lineup for a whole day.

But, Bonner stood tall right when the team required him to bat big and batsmen around him such as Kayle Mayers and Jason Holder batted with mixed aggression with grit to deny Sri Lanka any chance of running through the batting order to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Windies had already lost the opener, John Campbell, on the fourth day and the skipper Kraigg Brathwaite has had a task on his hands to get his team off to a solid start. He showed patience against pacers and did not play loosely outside his off stump that had resulted in his dismissal in the first innings.

However, after spending more than three hours on the crease, his patience withered away against the left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya. He danced down the track to hit him over the top and in the process lost his stumps to make the tourists ecstatic.

With both the openers gone by 40 overs, the responsibility of bailing the team out of trouble fell once again on the shoulders of the newest emerging batting talents in the Caribbean—Nkrumah Bonner and Kayle Mayers, who had led Windies to a remarkable series win in Bangladesh.

They started defensively against Embuldeniya and the off-spin of Dhananjaya de Silva. Their task was made tough when Dimuth Karunaratne brougt Dushmantha Chameera into the attack and runs started to dry up. The target was not a key factor fo the pair, but Sri Lankan bowlers understood that prolonged pressure would bring a loose shot.

However, in the battle of who will blink first, Chameera lost and provided a loose delivery outside Bonner’s off stump. The right-hander was all in readiness and thumped the delivery towards the off-side boundary to show confidence.

Chameera bounced back in the next over and caught Mayers in front of the stumps. The umpire did not agree to the loud appeal from Sri Lankans and the skipper opted for a review. The ball was pitched marginally outside the leg stump and Mayers survived the close call. He out all that to rest with a crisp drive off Suranga Lakmal in the next over when the pacer erred by blowing too full to him.

Sri Lanka kept coming at them every now and then though as Embuldeniya found Bonner paying from the crease to a delivery that turned slightly away. This time, the umpire agreed to the appeal and gave the batsman out caught behind, but only to reverse his decision after a review.

Both Bonner and Mayers flourished with confidence and took Windies to the tea interval on the final day. The Windies batsmen had already batted two and a half session out of a total of three and a half sessions they were supposed to bat to save the game.

However, they were jolted right after the tea break as Embuldeniya finally broke through with a delivery wide off Mayer’s off stump and tempting the batsman to go for a booming drive. The edge was found and snaffled up by Lahiru Thirimanne at the slip.

The tourists had an opening with the next man in—Jermaine Blackwood not really known for his defensive batting. He bats with freedom and having taken the second new ball with and many runs left in the bank, Lanka sensed an opportunity against him. Skipper Karunaratne brought Vishwa Fernando to cramp him for room outside off stump and the move paid dividends. The new ball swung for Fernando and yorked Blackwood with an inswinging yorker to ring an alarm for the hosts.

Bonner grew in confidence and was batting fluently in the middle. He jumped quickly past the 80s to get on the brink of his maiden century before Blackwood departed. The wicket did not deter him and when Fernando provided him with a half volley at 99, he smashed it to the boundary to bring up a much-deserving century.

Jason Holder batted superbly to deny Sri Lanka any chance of getting into the lower order batsmen beneath him and the hosts managed to get out of the game with the series still hanging in balance at 0-0.

The second and the last game of the series will be played at the same venue from March 29.

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NZ vs BAN | 3rd ODI: All-round Blackcaps thump Bangla Tigers for series-sweeping win

New Zealand completed a clean sweep win in the ODI series against Bangladesh in Wellington after thumping the visitors by 164 runs in the third and final encounter. Chasing yet another big score of 319, Bangladesh were bundled out for 154 after James Neesham and Matt Henry rattled the batting line up. Neesham scalped a five-wicket haul while Henry bagged a four-for during the course. Only three Bangladesh batsmen managed to breach the double-figure mark with Mahmudullah top-scoring with an unbeaten 76. The visiting team had a dismal start to the mammoth chase as they were reduced to 26/3 in seventh over with the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das back in the hut. The visitors were eventually left tottering at 102/8. Mahmudullah along with Rubel Hossain did try to resist the New Zealand bowling attack after the two stitched a partnership of 52 runs for the ninth wicket but Hossain perished when the team scored read 154 at the start of the 42nd over and Mustafizur Rahman followed him three balls later to conclude Bangladesh’s innings. Earlier, the Blackcaps rode on some brilliant batting from Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell to post 318/6 in 50 overs. The hosts had a decent start to the proceedings after openers Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls put 44 on the board before Nicholls departed for 18. The left-handed batsman’s dismissal saw the fall of wickets at regular intervals. New Zealand were 120/4 when Conway and Mitchell joined hands and steadied the ship for their side. The two put on a stand of 159 runs for the fifth wicket and both the batsmen also notched up individual tons during the course. While Conway scored 126, Mitchell remained not out at 100. Rubel picked up three wickets for Bangladesh. New Zealand wrapped up the series 3-0 and the two sides will now play a three-match T20I series slated to begin on Sunday. Conway who was adjudged man of the match expressed his delight after getting a hundred for his team and also talked about the partnership with Mitchell that scripted the convincing win for his side. “Good feeling, pretty happy with how things went today. For me it's about trying to keep it nice and simple, do the same things over and over. Credit to Daryl, the way he played his natural, positive game,” Conway said after the match. Bangladesh captain Tamim expressed his disappointment at yet another loss in the series. While he did admit that the dropped catches and sloppy fielding are the major cause of concern for the side, Iqbal hailed New Zealand’s approach. “Thought we started pretty well with the ball. But those two guys batted beautifully. Sometimes small things hurt you more. The catches, the run outs. No doubt Black Caps played unbelievably well, but at the same time we didn't play well,” Tamim said.

Teams cancelled, postponed their South Africa tours, but we are committed to it: Misbah takes dig at England & Australia

Pakistan head coach Misbah-Ul-Haq believes that a full-strength Pakistan team touring South Africa and Zimbabwe is going to have a great effect on the game and also the hosting nations, which have seen several of their series being cancelled, postponed and left midway due to Covid-19. Speaking to the press before their departure from Lahore, Misbah informed that all players and support staff including Hasan Ali, who had earlier tested positive, have tested negative for the Covid-19 virus. Stressing upon the point how Pakistan toured England during the raging Pandemic last year and without naming Australia, who cancelled their South Africa tour just recently, Misbah said, “It’s very difficult for players to keep on playing while remaining in the bubble. However, being the stakeholder of the game, they are taking it as their duty to serve the game. We went to England last year and now e are touring South Africa even as others team postponed and cancelled tier tours midway.” Addressing the elephant in the room, the selection of players like Shrajeel on captain’s recommendations, Misbah said, “There is a prevalent notion that it is somebody’s team that we have picked. Let me clear this once and for all, it is not mine or the captain’s or the selector’s team, it is Pakistan’s team and whatever would be better for Pakistan, we would do that.” Agreeing to the fact that It’s going to be a challenging series as always because of the conditions and the strength of the hosts, the 46-year-old also showed confidence in the abilities of his leader Babar and the nucleus of the team to present formidable resistance. “Babar is a leader who just doesn’t believe in saying things, rather gives his 100 per cent and expects the same from his men. It is his ability to lead by example that makes him stand out from the rest. He has also got a lot of support from Shadab [Khan] and [Mohammad] Rizwan, So I think the team is going to give its best. Pakistan on its tour of South Africa will play three ODIs and four T20is and Misbah believes that the T20s would be very important with respect to the upcoming T20 wORLD cup in October- November in India. The team also plays three T20Is against Zimbabwe later on. The Zimbabwe leg of the tour, according to the former Pakistan skipper is mainly to give opportunities to the youngsters and then build proper bench strength for the Red ball cricket team. Pakistan will play the first game of the tour on April 2, an ODI at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. The first T20 would be played on 10th April at the Wanderers.

IPL 2021 | Team Preview: Mighty Mumbai Indians look to make it a hattrick of titles

Whenever you talk about IPL, you have to talk about the Mumbai Indians. Such has been their domination in the last eight years that they have gone onto win five seasons in the last eight editions. Under the able leadership of Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai Indians have only gone on from strength to strength in every department of the game. The first few seasons didn’t prove to be that productive for the most successful team in the competition now. It was the year 2013 when Rohit Sharma was propelled as the leader of the outfit and from there on the rest has been history. The core of the Mumbai Indians has remained the same for the last 5 years and the ploy have reaped rewards for the 5-time champions. All their bases seem covered and there is hardly any chinks in their armour. Right from the top to the middle to the lower middle and the bowlers, the full squad oozes class and has the ability to dismantle any franchises in the tournament. The year 2020 proved to be another sensational year for the MI as they were by far the most superior team of the competition. They occupied the top position in the points table for the majority of the tournament and literally eased through to the finals and then thrashed the Delhi Capitals in the mega finale. Opening duo and the batting depth In all likelihood, Rohit Sharma will come out to open the innings with Quinton de Kock. The duo has been lethal for the Mumbai Indians at the top of the order and their combination is again expected to work wonders for the 5-time champions. Both these batsmen are very attacking and can make a mockery of the opposition bowling line-up when in full flow. Both these batsmen will look to contribute as much as possible and get their preparations right for the T20 World Cup slated to be held later this year in India. Rohit Sharma has been a sensational limited-overs batsman over the last 7-8 years and his records speak for it itself. In the IPL he hasn’t opened on a consistent basis but in the last two years, he has taken up the mantle and will look to get as many runs under his belt. On the other hand, Quinton de Kock packs a punch and has been a great addition for the Mumbai Indians. The batting line-up for the Mumbai Indians looks sorted and they have all their bases covered. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan lend the perfect balance in the middle with guys like Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya coming in the middle and order lower middle-order having the ability to demolish any bowling attack. Suryakumar Yadav’s form has been a huge plus for the Mumbai Indians. He can bat anywhere and his technique is equipped for any sort of bowling attacks. When it comes to finishing the innings, who better than Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya. Pollard’s form has been quite exceptional coming into the mega event. He recently smashed 6 sixes in an over in a T20I against Sri Lanka and will look to keep his power-packed performances going in the upcoming edition. The Pandya brothers have been phenomenal with the bat in the final overs and their ability to bowl their full quota of overs, it allows the team management to tinker with the team combination quite often depending upon the match-ups. Spinners vs Pacers When you compare the fast bowling cartel and the spin bowling unit of the Mumbai Indians there is no doubt about the fact that the pacers hold the edge with an attack that can bring variety and unsettle any batting line-up. With Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult leading the pack, the opposition batting line-ups will be wary of the fact that both bowlers will try to bowl at their full tilt and gain some confidence ahead of the T20 World Cup slated to be played in India later this year. Nathan Coulter Nile has been brought back to the Mumbai Indians set-up and in all likelihood will be the third pacer in the XI given the team combinations. Some of the new additions might also get a look in including the likes of Marco Jansen, Adam Milne. Arjun Tendulkar is also a left-arm pacer who was bought at his base price by the Mumbai Indians. He might not get a game but the exposure of rubbing shoulders with some of the greats of the game will surely keep him in good stead going forward. Marco Jansen is also a new find from South Africa who can generate some good pace. Meanwhile, it will be Adam Milne’s first season with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He is also a skiddy customer and came up with some impressive performances in the last Big Bash League. When it comes to spinners there are quite a few options with a blend of youth and experience. Piyush Chawla was snapped up in the auctions and might come into play if the team management decides to go for the experience. Krunal Pandya will be one of the frontline spinners and Rahul Chahar is also expected to be a starter at least for the first half of the tournament. Full list of players bought by Mumbai Indians at IPL 2021 auction Adam Milne - Rs 3.2 crore Nathan Coulter-Nile - Rs 5 crore Piyush Chawla - Rs 2.4 crore James Neesham - Rs 50 lakh Yudhvir Singh - Rs 20 lakh Marco Jensen - Rs 20 lakh Arjun Tendulkar - Rs 20 lakh Mumbai Indians Full Squad Rohit Sharma, Aditya Tare, Anukul Roy, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Mohsin Khan, Quinton de Kock, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, Jimmy Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, Arjun Tendulkar Support Staff Icon - Sachin Tendulkar Head Coach –Mahela Jayawardene Director of Cricket Operations- Zaheer Khan Bowling Coach- Shane Bond Batting Coach- Robin Singh Fielding Coach- James Pamment Strength and Conditioning Coach- Paul Chapman Probable XI Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Ishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Nathan Coulter Nile, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah

Ben Stokes says teams entitled to their behaviour, but backs England's brand of cricket

The white-ball leg of England’s tour of India has shown a remarkable difference in the style of methods of both teams. In the ODI series, the difference got starker as India relied on preserving the wickets in the initial overs whereas England went berserk at the top and opted to carry on with it until it all unravelled and India won the game coming from behind. Discussing the loss and if they missed out on adapting to different situations where they could have opted for a conservative approach, Eoin Morgan has said that the same brand of cricket has given England resounding success in the past and they will not walk away from it just yet. Batting styles were not the only contrasting between the two sides as Virat Kohli has been known for his in-your-face attitude while Eoin Morgan has established his reputation as a captain who keeps a cool head irrespective of game situations. And, like Morgan ruled out a course correction in batting styles, Stokes, who has returned to the 50 overs format after a long break has ruled out walking away from playing with a cool and relatively lesser aggressive mindset. "Every team and every player has a certain way of operating in the field, which makes them successful. As a team over the last four-five years, that's not the way that works for us," Stokes said on the eve of the second ODI between India and England. "We stick to what we do best and what we make is to build a better side. Each team is entitled to their way of operations. India have there and we have ours. He was asked which version of Kohli—a clam, composed one or an aggressive one is preferable to him on the field, to which England’s world cup-winning all-rounder said that only a non-performing version of Virat Kohli is preferable to him and his side. "Personally, I prefer Virat doesn't get runs because that's not good for us,” Stokes said. Stokes reiterated the brand of cricket England have played and the success they have reaped out of their methods over the years to become the number one side in the world, and hence he does not find any reason to drop that idea of playing cricket. "We deserve to be No 1 because of our results and how we played our cricket and we won't go away from that. Being No 1 is obviously a fantastic thing to have next to your name as a team, but it's not our driving force,” Stokes affirmed. "Our driving force is the way that we go about it and our attitude towards playing the game. And that's what's made us be successful, and the more successful we are obviously the more chance and the more opportunity we've got to be at No 1." England have rested Joe Root for the ODI series against India and hence Stokes walked out to bat at the number three position. He could not last long in the first ODI and perished playing an uppish drive as England lost their way in what was deemed as an ‘inflexible’ batting approach by many. While Stokes realised the change in circumstances that he has to adapt as he will play a lot more balls than when he used to bat at the number five position for a full-strength England team, he said that there are not a lot of changes he is looking to bring in his batting style. "At No 3, potentially, I would be facing 100 balls, compared to maybe 60-70 like I normally do. I haven't looked to change too much, just might be facing a slightly different situation, especially when I'm starting off my innings,” Stokes added. Stokes said that the confidence to bat in his own way has come as even Joe Root has suggested to him that the best way to bat is his natural way and that because the right-hander got successful in a certain way does not mean it will prove to be successful for the left-hander Stokes as well. "I did actually message Root just asking about his mindset at No 3. He was pretty clear to me and just said play the way that you play. Just because he plays a certain way doesn't mean that I need to try and play like,” Stokes concluded. England are trailing the three-match long ODI series 0-1 and with the prospect of skipper Eoin Morgan missing the rest of the series due to finger injury, the onus will be on him to provide both stability and firepower to the English batting order.