Finding ways to defy expectations is something that has brought Nitish Kumar Reddy joy on this tour. He was a relative unknown when he was picked, having played only 21 first-class matches with his best work coming in T20 cricket. Now he has a century at the MCG. “I haven’t given a thought like that, but I know some people doubted me,” the 21-year-old allrounder said at the end of…
A see-sawing Boxing Day Test at the MCG is heading into territory rarely seen these days. A fifth-day finish and all results possible, with varying degrees of probability. Australia have earned a handsome lead – 333 with one wicket standing – after recovering from a wobble early in their second innings. India had looked in a promising position on Sunday – they had the hosts 91 for 6 – but…
Australia 474 and 228 for 9 (Labuschagne 70, Lyon 41*, Bumrah 4-56, Siraj 3-66) lead India 369 (Reddy 114, Jaiswal 82, Boland 3-57, Cummins 3-89) by 333 runs In one of the most absorbing days of Test cricket you could wish to see, another remarkable performance from Jasprit Bumrah blew the game wide open. But, Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins played their second vital innings of the match before the…
Australia’s spare Test batter and wicketkeeper Josh Inglis has suffered a low-grade calf strain while fielding during the fourth Test at the MCG, which rules him out of the squad for the final Test in Sydney and puts his BBL in jeopardy as he is expected to be managed ahead the Test tour of Sri Lanka. Inglis was the sole spare batter with the squad on day three as allrounder…
On the night before the Boxing Day Test, Sam Konstas told his batting coach Tahmid Islam that he would only play the scoop against Jasprit Bumrah after he reached 150. But, after a number of early plays and misses against the champion fast bowler on debut at the MCG, Konstas brought forward his plans for the scoop. It hardly surprised Tahmid, Konstas’ 29-year-old batting coach. Tahmid said as much in…
A return of 6 for 52 should not be described in terms other than glowing, but even Marco Jansen will tell you that none of the four deliveries he got wickets with at SuperSport Park on day three of the first Test against Pakistan on Saturday were a true reflection of his abilities. “I’ve struggled the whole game, to be honest,” he said after the day’s play. “I feel like…
Afghanistan 425 for 2 (Rahmat 231*, Shahidi 141*) trail Zimbabwe 586 by 161 runs Almost exactly 100 years since Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe became the first pair to achieve it in Test cricket, the Afghanistan pair of Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi batted out a full day of a Test match without being dismissed. In the process, Rahmat became the holder of Afghanistan’s highest Test score (231*), Shahidi struck…
Pakistan 211 and 212 for 8 (Shakeel 66*, Babar 50, Jansen 5-42, Rabada 2-68) lead South Africa 301 by 122 runs Marco Jansen‘s five-wicket haul helped South Africa tighten their control in the first Test with three wickets in the afternoon as Pakistan squandered a promising start following a rain delay that wiped out the morning session. Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel put on 79 for the fourth wicket, with…
Sydney Thunder 182 for 8 (Billings 72, Sangha 33, Webster 3-42) beat Melbourne Stars 164 for 8 (Duckett 67, Stoinis 22, Agar 3-25) by 18 runs Sam Billings smashed a half-century after capitalising on a bizarre non-appeal on a run out as Sydney Thunder beat hapless Melbourne Stars by 18 runs in Canberra. After Thunder were sent in on a flat Manuka Oval surface, Billings top-scored with 72 off 39…
44.1 to UT Khawaja, and he strikes first ball! You may have expected that, because, well, Bumrah, but you may not have expected it to happen in quite this manner. Khawaja has had a few dicey moments with his pull today, often from going hard at balls that aren’t quite short enough. This one’s not quite that. It’s angling into his body, at about waist height, and maybe he’s into…