West Indies lost by an innings and 134 runs despite a rearguard by Jermaine Blackwood and Alzarri Joseph

Saurabh Somani06-Dec-2020
In the end, it ended with a full ball from Neil Wagner. The man who has turned bowling sustained short-ball spells into an art form got six wickets in New Zealand’s first Test victory over West Indies, and only one of them via a short ball. It was the kind of end that was strangely fitting in a Test that New Zealand dominated, as evidenced by their victory margin of an innings and 134 runs, but where they were made to stretch themselves a bit further than they would have imagined. It still ended up being New Zealand’s biggest win over West Indies in terms of innings victories, and their fifth biggest ever.

Mitchell fined 15% of match fees

Daryl Mitchell has been fined 15% of his match fees and a a demerit point has been added to his disciplinary record after breaching Article 2.3 of the ICC code, which relates to “use of an audible obscenity during an international match”, against West Indies on Saturday. The incident occurred in the 62nd over when Mitchell used inappropriate language as captain Jason Holder was running between the wickets in close proximity to Mitchell.
The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney, Wayne Knights and TV umpire Christopher Brown. Match referee Jeff Crowe imposed the sanction and Mitchell pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the penalty.

West Indies had got through the first hour of the fourth day with the overnight pair of Jermaine Blackwood and Alzarri Joseph still together. Not only had their partnership crossed 150 – more than the entire first-innings total West Indies mustered – but Blackwood had also progressed to a second Test century. The clouds that had gathered for much of the third day had given way to bright sunshine on day four, and both Blackwood and Joseph continued to be positive. That didn’t mean they attacked indiscriminately, but they were assured while defending and leaving the ball, and full of punch when putting it away.

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Blackwood showed great control of his game, not shelving his aggressive instincts but picking his moments well. He had a bit of luck early on when Tim Southee got one to shape away beautifully in the channel and draw a leaden-footed drive, but New Zealand’s catching woes that dogged them in the latter part of West Indies’ second innings continued, as Ross Taylor put down a straightforward chance at first slip. That was Blackwood’s only blemish in the first hour, and he got to his century via the patient route, through singles rather than any ambitiously aimed big shots.Joseph, who had crossed fifty in a Test match for the first time, was impressive too. He showed sound judgement of his off stump when leaving the ball, and had a full range of shots. When defending he got behind the line, and when a few balls were banged in short to him, he carted them in the arc between backward square leg and deep midwicket. He had shown vulnerability against the short ball earlier, but for that to come into play the bowlers needed to get it up to his throat. When the short ball sat up, Joseph was not hanging back.The seventh-wicket stand kept flourishing until Kyle Jamieson made the breakthrough. He had pushed Joseph on the back foot on the third day, and when he dangled one full and wide, Joseph went for it without the balance being quite right. He ended up slicing it off the toe end to deep cover to end a 155-run stand. After that the end was swift. Wagner got his only wicket with a ball pitched in his half when Blackwood miscued a pull to backward square leg, cramped for room. In the same over, a fast and full delivery took out last-man Shannon Gabriel’s stumps to give Wagner his fourth for the innings.New Zealand had only needed nine wickets to bowl West Indies out in both innings with wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich absent hurt both times, having injured his hand on the first day while keeping. West Indies captain Jason Holder later said it wasn’t still certain whether Dowrich would be fit in time for the second and final Test, starting on December 11 in Wellington.Kane Williamson was the undisputed Man of the Match for his masterful 251. Wagner’s 4 for 66 were the best figures in the second innings, while Southee’s 4 for 35 in the first innings had set up West Indies’ collapse.

Lanning and du Preez make fifties, Sixers’ slide continues, and Penna’s late hitting stuns the Hurricanes

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2020Half-centuries from Meg Lanning and Mignon du Preez and a nerveless bowling display from Sophie Day, Alana King, and Rosemary Mair helped the Melbourne Stars win a nailbiter over the Perth Scorchers at Hurstville Oval.The Stars were in control halfway through their first innings with Lanning and du Preez having added 99 for the second wicket in just 66 balls. But the game changed when Lanning holed out to mid-off for 57 from Nicole Bolton’s offspin. It triggered a collapse with the Stars losing 7 for 48 in 8.1 overs. Bolton snared 3 for 25 while Sarah Glenn and Heather Graham picked up two wickets each to ensure the Scorchers were chasing just 150 to win.But in the absence of injured captain Sophie Devine, who was missing due to a back issue, the Scorchers fell agonisingly short. Beth Mooney took control of the chase early, racing to 45 from 29 balls with six fours and a six to have the Scorchers well ahead of the required rate at halfway. But like Lanning, she holed out to mid-off at a key moment, off King, and the chase fell apart. King, Day and Mair squeezed the Scorchers middle order, taking eight wickets between them. Mair was entrusted with the 20th over, with the Scorchers needing 17. Mathilda Carmichael struck two fours in the first three balls to test the New Zealander’s nerves but she closed the game out, removing Carmichael and Glenn to give the Stars their seventh win of the season.Grace Harris and Jess Jonassen celebrate a wicket•Getty Images

The cool heads of Grace Harris and Jess Jonassen and a brilliant cameo from Laura Kimmince combined as the Brisbane Heat went to second on the WBBL table with a three-wicket win that extended the Sydney Sixers’ disastrous form slump.Harris took 2 for 13 and produced a direct hit to restrict the Sixers to just 7 for 122 before Jonassen provided a vital 34 at the top of the order to help the Heat chase down the target with 13 balls to spare.Alyssa Healy got the Sixers off to a brisk start scoring 29 off 20 but couldn’t go on with it and again the Sixers batting stalled with Ellyse Perry and Dane Van Niekerk both failing to score at better than a run a ball. Harris and Amelia Kerr tied the pair up and eventually forced mistakes. Perry was trapped plumb by Kerr before Harris dismissed Erin Burns with a fabulous direct hit.Van Niekerk and Angela Reakes (24 not out) ensured the Sixers put up a total they could defend. But Jodie Hicks’ bizarre season continued as she was run out for a diamond duck. She has played 10 of the 11 matches as a specialist batter, faced just one ball, and has not scored a run.The Heat’s chase began in equally bizarre fashion, with Harris stumped by Healy off Marizanne Kapp. She got an inside edge trying to drive one that bounced over the stumps, and then rehearsed her stroke while remaining out of her crease. Healy gathered and under-armed onto the stumps before Harris realised she needed to get back. Jonassen played a captain’s knock, controlling the chase with the help of Georgia Voll and Maddy Green but it was Kimmince who sealed the game with an outstanding hitting display. She clubbed three fours and a six to score 23 off 10 balls and ensured the chase never reached the last two overs.The Sixers have now lost five in a row and have slid all the way to sixth on the table. They will also be without Ashleigh Gardner until the weekend as she did not pass her concussion test to play against the Heat. She was also ruled out of Wednesday’s clash with the Sydney Thunder.Madeline Penna made an outstanding half-century•Getty Images

A devastating unbeaten half-century from Madeline Penna helped the Adelaide Strikers thump the Hobart Hurricanes at Hurstville Oval.Penna made the highest score by a No. 7 in WBBL history, smashing 56 not out off 33 balls to help the Strikers post an excellent total of 6 for 141, having recovered from 6 for 72 in the 14th over. Penna and Tegan McPharlin, who made 18 not out, combined to dig the Strikers out of a hole with Penna producing some outstanding hitting in the final over off Nicola Carey. She smashed 24 from the 20th over, including a towering six over square leg to bring up her maiden WBBL half-century. Carey finished with figures of 2 for 44 having taken 2 for 20 from her first three overs. Brooke Hepburn took 2 for 23, claiming the scalps of Katie Mack and Laura Wolvaardt.The Hurricanes never got close in the chase, collapsing to 77 all out, just days after being bowled out for 82 against Brisbane Heat.Teen sensation Darcie Brown continued her outstanding form with the ball, claiming 2 for 19. She clean bowled Rachel Priest for 4 to start the rot in the fourth over. Sarah Coyte took 3 for 10 and produced a run-out to remove Chloe Tryon who was the only Hurricane to reach double figures.Sydney Thunder 2 for 132 (Knight 58*, Haynes 33*, Leeson 1-20) beat Melbourne Renegades 126 for 7 (Dooley 46, Satterthwaite 39, Darlington 3-22) by eight wickets
Heather Knight’s unbeaten 58 off 32 balls helped Sydney Thunder comfortably chase down 127 and kept Melbourne Renegades rooted to the bottom of the points table. The Thunder captain Rachael Haynes backed up Knight, adding 33 to an unbroken 73-run partnership that came in a mere 7.3 overs.After being sent in, the Renegades lost both their openers Lizelle Lee and Sophie Molineux inside the powerplay. Their captain Amy Satterthwaite and wicketkeeper-batter Josephine Dooley counterattacked with a 76-run stand – the highest of the match. However, Satterthwaite’s wicket triggered a collapse as the Renegades lost 5 for 23 to be restricted to 126 for 7. Nineteen-year-old allrounder Hannah Darlington was the pick of the bowlers for the Thunder, taking 3 for 22 in her four overs.The Thunder then rattled off 48 runs in the powerplay, with Knight and Haynes launching from there to consolidate their position at the top half of the table.

The captain blasted 39 off 14 balls while Malik turned in an all-round show in a comprehensive win against Galle Gladiators

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2020How the match played outA strong opening stand, a cool-headed 69-run partnership between Shoaib Malik and Dhananjaya de Silva, finishing fireworks from Thisara Perera and an utterly dominant bowling effort – Jaffna Stallions were by a distance the best team in the final; a winning margin of 53 runs was an apt reflection.The only nervous passage of play for Stallions were the early middle overs, after they lost the top three for 26 runs, in the space of four overs. Dhananjaya and Malik – both calm and experienced accumulators – were exactly the right batsmen to rebuild, however, and they played their parts beautifully, unambitiously picking up the singles against Galle Gladiators’ spinners at first, before taking calculated risks as the partnership developed. Dhananjaya made 33 off 20, hitting two sixes and two fours in his innings. Malik went on to 46 off 35, and was out only in the 18th over. Between them, they had given Stallions’ innings its spine.The big death-overs blows were dealt by Thisara, whose thundering 39 not out off 14 required more muscle than usual, as Gladiators’ bowlers delivered plenty of slower balls at him. Unusually for Thisara, more than half of those runs (23) came on the offside. Which suggests that Gladiators didn’t bowl all that badly at him.Gladiators were always going to struggle to get to 189 in a final, but were dealt huge blows inside the first two overs, after which even a competitive chasing effort seemed unlikely. Hazratullah Zazai holed out against the bowling of Dhananjaya first over, and then the hammer blow, and perhaps the most controversial moment of the match – the run-out of Danushka Gunathilaka.As the tournament’s top run-scorer by a distance, Gunathilaka’s performance was always going to be key to Gladiators’ batting effort, but in the second over, he collided with Suranga Lakmal mid-pitch, and what should have been a comfortable leg bye, ended with him being run-out at the non-strikers’ end for 1. Lakmal hadn’t crashed into him intentionally, but had strayed into Gunathilaka’s path while appealing for an lbw (which was rightly turned down). In the ensuing chaos and disorientation, Gunathilaka even ran in the wrong direction for half a second, before making a desperate run at the non-striker’s crease. But Thisara swooped in from midwicket and ran him out. When Lakmal had Ahsan Ali caught behind chasing a wide, seaming delivery, Gladiators had slipped to 7 for 3.Thisara Perera and Johnson Charles rejoice with the LPL trophy•Jaffna Stallions

Some valiant blows were struck in desperate hope. Bhanuka Rajapaksa had injured his side in the field, but walloped four sixes in a 17-ball 40 to try and revive Gladiators’ chase. Later, Azam Khan hit 36 off 17, targeting mainly the fast bowlers, even as the required rate climbed to 12. Stallions’ bowling was too good, though. They held back their strike seamer – Usman Shinwari – until the 10th over. The tournament’s best bowlers – Wanindu Hasaranga – didn’t arrive at the bowling crease until half the innings had been completed, and delivered another fine spell taking 1 for 18 off his four overs.Gladiators kept losing wickets and their innings petered out.Stars of the dayMalik not only gave substance to Stallions’ innings, he also claimed two wickets – including that of Rajapaksa, in his three overs that went for only 13.For Gladiators, Dhananjaya Lakshan’s three wickets were a bright spot. Those dismissals took him up to 13 wickets from seven bowling innings – second only to Hasaranga’s tally.Turning pointStallions’ innings momentum had slowed by the end of the 11th over, by which time no boundaries had come off the previous 21 balls. But having played themselves in by now, Malik and Dhananjaya took the innings by the collar, and struck 45 runs off the next three overs. By the time they were parted, the run rate was up near nine again, and a total of more than 180 was in view.

Rajasthan will meet Tamil Nadu in the first semi-final on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2021Bihar’s spirited fight was extinguished by a much-experienced Rajasthan, who became the fourth semi-finalist at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. They will play Tamil Nadu, last year’s runners-up in the first semi-final on Friday, with Punjab clashing against Baroda later that evening.Victory was set-up by Mahipal Lomror, who smashed an unbeaten 37-ball 78 at No. 4 to inject momentum and respectability to Rajasthan’s batting show. Openers Bharat Sharma and Ankit Lamba made 38 apiece too, as Rajasthan posted a competitive 164 for 5 after Ashok Menaria elected to bat.Lomror, who equalled his previous best of 78, steered the innings after the openers fell in quick succession. He smashed five fours and as many sixes, after coming in to bat in the 10th over.Bihar opted to preserve wickets in the first half and then attempt a heist. They were helped along the way by Babul Kumar (24), Mangal Mahrour, who finished unbeaten on 68 off 58 balls and Vikash Yadav (27 off 17 balls)They got into a position from where they needed 45 off the last three overs with a set Mahrour looking to do the unthinkable, but perhaps they left themselves with a little too much to do.Khaleel Ahmed, the left-arm pace spearhead, conceded only eight off the penultimate over to leave Bihar with 27 off the last over, which was a tad too many. They eventually fell short by 16 runs.However, Bihar will take back with them the experience of having come through a tough qualifying pool, winning all their five games in the league phase. They may just wonder if they left things for a little too late on the flight home.

Mosaddek Hossain made a comeback after impressive performances in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2021Bangladesh have left out left-arm spinner Taijul Islam from their combined 20-man contingent for three ODIs and as many T20Is on their tour of New Zealand. Meanwhile, allrounder Mosaddek Hossain made a comeback after impressive performances in the 2020 Bangabandhu T20 Cup.Taijul was part of the Bangladesh ODI squad that beat West Indies 3-0 recently but didn’t get a game. Seen more as a red-ball specialist, Islam has played just nine ODIs and two T20Is since making his ODI debut in 2014.Apart from Taijul, the only other absentee from that squad was Shakib Al Hasan, who was granted paternity leave by the BCB. The break will also give him a chance to recover from the thigh injury he suffered during the first Test against West Indies in Chattogram.Mosaddek’s previous appearance for Bangladesh was the second T20I against India in Rajkot in 2019. It was his all-round show in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup that helped him return to the side. In 11 games in the tournament, he picked up ten wickets with his offspin, apart from scoring 148 runs at 21.14.From their last T20I squad, against Zimbabwe in March last year, Bangladesh left out Aminul Islam. However, the selectors retained uncapped left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed. The 26-year-old has picked up 45 wickets from 37 List A games at an average of 29.06. In 27 T20s, he has 12 scalps while going for just under seven an over.Just like the ODI series against West Indies, the 50-over leg in New Zealand will be part of the World Cup Super League. So far, Bangladesh have won their all three games of the league, bagging full 30 points. The T20Is, meanwhile, will serve as a preparatory step for the T20 World Cup, to be held in India later this year.On Thursday, some of the New Zealand-bound squad members, including Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mohammad Naim and Taskin Ahmed, and support staffers were administered Covid-19 vaccines in Dhaka. The remaining members are expected to be inoculated by Sunday.The team will depart for New Zealand on February 23 and will kick off the tour on March 20 with the first ODI in Dunedin.Squad: Tamim Iqbal, Mosaddek Hossain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Naim Sheikh, Taskin Ahmed, Al Amin Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed

Seamer back from off-season surgery as runners-up look to go one better

Valkerie Baynes01-Apr-2021Jack Brooks spent the final two months of 2020 virtually immobile following three post-season surgeries, so his hunger to walk back on field with his Somerset team-mates is as palpable as the club’s desire to go one better than their perennial runners-up spot in the new Championship season.Simultaneous Achilles operations in late October followed two weeks after surgery to replace a snapped tendon in his right hand, suffered in a freak fielding accident during the Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord’s when Brooks’ thumb got stuck in the ground as he dived to stop an Alastair Cook drive.”I knew something bad had happened straight away, even though I could move it,” Brooks says. “I couldn’t physically force the ball into the thumb, so bowling was pretty tough until I taped it up and took a lot of medication.”They had to replace the tendon, which was a short operation in London but a bit frustrating when I knew I had to have my Achilles tinkered with as well. I was laid up in bed and was on crutches when I could be up and about.Related

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“I wasn’t really doing much but it gave me a little bit of time for reflection and to process a few things. I learned to walk again just after Christmas and I am back running, fully training now, and I feel as excited for this season as I have been in my whole career.”It has been a long and eventful career but, as Brooks prepares to turn 37 in June, he says: “There’s plenty of life left in me yet, I just need to get the body moving properly.” The hope is that his Achillles have been sufficiently repaired to allow just that.”The surgeon was really confident,” Brooks adds. “He said he should be able to get me back to 90 percent at least. The main thing for me was not just the cricket, it was walking or just being able to go out for a run, or gym, or do anything away from cricket.”I was getting to the point where I could hardly walk really, so it was amazing that I was able to play the five games I did last year, really in quite a lot of pain.” There’s been plenty of pain of the emotional kind at Somerset as well – too much, says Brooks.In holding out for a draw on the last day of the final, Essex added the Bob Willis Trophy to their two Championship titles from 2017 and 2019. It was their third first-class title in four seasons since being promoted from Division Two in 2016.Somerset, meanwhile, were Division One runners-up to Middlesex in 2016, Surrey in 2018 and Essex in 2019. All up Somerset have been runners-up seven times since 2000 and they remain one of only three first-class counties never to have won the Championship.Brooks, who joined Somerset in 2018 from Yorkshire, where he won two titles in 2014 and 2015, believes it’s not a case of making wholesale changes, but more subtle adjustments to deliver that elusive victory, given how close they’ve come in the past two years in particular.”We just need to show that bit more toughness in the real tough situations,” he says. “This club should definitely have won the Championship by now, really. From outside or in opposition for a while you think they’re always going to be one of those teams competing, and now being here, you wonder why, how come they haven’t got over the line.”Hildy [James Hildreth] once looked at the honours board in the long room and said, ‘I just worked I’ve finished runners-up 11 times in my career in various tournaments’. So if you convert a few of those, Somerset’s recent history could be completely different.”Hildreth, who made his first-class debut at Taunton in 2003, will have another shot this season. It’s easy to understand the argument that Somerset, who open their LV= Insurance County Championship campaign against Middlesex at Lord’s next Thursday, should challenge again with the talent they have.Dom Bess has moved to Yorkshire, where he will look to bounce back from a difficult tour of India and find more opportunity than he had behind fellow Test spinner Jack Leach, who remains at Somerset, with Craig Overton, Josh Davey and Lewis Gregory joining Brooks in the seam attack.In captain Tom Abell, George Bartlett and Tom Banton they have a formidable batting line-up along with the emerging 20-year-old Tom Lammonby, who made his first-class debut last year and scored three centuries to finish as the third-highest run-scorer of the Bob Willis Trophy.”It is frustrating being in that environment when you haven’t quite won it,” Brooks says. “I can give it the big ones and say, ‘I’ve got a couple, I’ll show you my medals,’ the lads might make light of it now and again but you know that it does hurt them, especially Tom Abell.”He is desperate, he is mad for getting some more silverware, especially the Championship. You can think of how good the party will be when Somerset eventually win it as well.”