New Zealand 402 (Ravindra 134, Conway 91, Jadeja 3-72) and 110 for 2 (Young 48*, Ravindra 39*, Bumrah 2-29) beat India 46 (Pant 20, Henry 5-15, O’Rourke 4-22) and 462 (Sarfaraz 150, Pant 99, O’Rourke 3-92) by eight wickets The exhilarating Bengaluru Test got the climax it deserved, with New Zealand made to work hard to complete their first Test win in India in 36 years. Under overcast skies, the…
Washington Sundar began his first-class career for Tamil Nadu as an opener – that was the position he batted at in all five matches in his first Ranji Trophy season in 2016-17. Since then, though, he has largely batted in the lower middle order, sometimes as low as No. 8. But after scoring 152 from No. 3 against Delhi in Delhi on Saturday, he said he still considers himself a…
The year 2024 has been like a box of chocolates for Shreyas Iyer. He wouldn’t have known 10 months ago what all he was going to get. Related Day 1 blog – Mumbai ride on young Mhatre’s ton Ayush Mhatre: Another Mumbai teenager with dazzling potential Day 2 blog – Centuries for Washington, Iyer With back issues bothering him at the start of the year, Iyer’s big challenge in this…
William O’Rourke admitted being “pretty streaky” and “hot and cold” in the early part of the second innings of the first Test in Bengaluru. But having gone for 75 off his first 15 overs, he dismissed Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja in three successive overs with the second new ball as India lost their last six wickets for just 29 runs. “Overall, for me, I’ve been pretty streaky,…
There is no clarity on when the 2024-25 season of the Quaid-e-Azam (QeA) Trophy will start despite Pakistan’s bumper international Test season being well underway. A schedule tentatively put out by the PCB in August had Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament beginning on October 20, but the day before that date, the fate of the tournament remains uncertain. While the dates for all domestic competitions announced by the PCB in August…
Big picture: A shot at history Some pictures speak more than words can convey. Like Siya Kolisi looking skywards and roaring into the Parisian sky, before lifting last year’s Rugby World Cup. Like Grant Elliott, a South African by heritage, offering a hand to a crestfallen Dale Steyn after hitting the winning six to seal New Zealand’s final at the 2015 ODI World Cup. Like Katy Perry joining Meg Lanning’s…
The promised rain has stayed away from Bengaluru long enough for the first India vs New Zealand Test to get into a position from where all results are possible – with New Zealand certainly better placed – but the weather could have the final say after all. The Indian met department’s forecast, not long after a downpour ended play early on the fourth day, said Bengaluru will have “generally cloudy…
Jordan Cox is set to make his Test debut as England’s wicketkeeper during their upcoming tour to New Zealand, with Jamie Smith due to miss part of the series on paternity leave. Cox, who turns 24 on Monday, has been England’s spare batter for their last five Tests and will get his chance to impress in December. Smith and his partner are expecting their first child in mid-December, with the…
Brendon McCullum denied that his England side have been found out on spinning pitches, as Pakistan’s captain Shan Masood confirmed he is hoping for another turner in the series decider in Rawalpindi. Pakistan radically overhauled their strategy between the first and second Tests in Multan, making four changes to their side including the addition of three spinners, and deciding to use the same pitch for a second week in a…
A lot is happening in Bangladesh cricket at the moment, but new head coach Phil Simmons wants the focus to be firmly on the upcoming Test series against South Africa. Things are messy. Simmons took over as Bangladesh’s head coach on Tuesday, replacing Chandika Hathurusinghe, who was sacked earlier this week and has since hit back at the BCB. Shakib Al Hasan, who hasn’t returned to Dhaka because of protests…