Sports
NZ bowlers deliver series-levelling win after Conway ton
Devon Conway (101) and Kane Williamson (85) put on 181 runs for the second wicket on a spin-friendly wicket in Karachi before their bowlers came up with a collective effort to help New Zealand level the series with a 79-run win in Karachi on Wednesday.
The Conway-Williamson partnership was crucial in New Zealand being able to post 261, with the rest of the batters failing to come to terms with the pitch as Mohammad Nawaz (4-38) helped Pakistan fight back with the ball. Babar Azam top-scored for Pakistan in the chase but his 79 came off 114 deliveries as New Zealand kept the scoring in check throughout the innings, eventually managing to bowl the hosts out for 182.
Pakistan’s chase did not start on a bright note as the openers departed in successive overs. Fakhar Zaman was caught behind off Tim Southee attempting a drive while Imam-ul-Haq top-edged a Lockie Ferguson delivery to backward square leg. It was slow going for Pakistan in the first powerplay despite Babar scoring a few boundaries as they managed only 31 in the first 10 overs.
Mohammad Rizwan had a lucky break as Tom Latham could not hold on to the ball when the batter had gloved a Michael Bracewell delivery in the 12th over. The spinners kept it tight, giving away only one four from overs 11-20, with Mitchell Santner striking off the last ball of the 20th to have Rizwan (28 off 50) bowled to end a 55-run stand that came off 99 balls. The spinners continued the stranglehold on the Pakistan batters, not conceding a single boundary for 62 deliveries, the hosts could only manage 83 at the halfway stage of their innings, with the required rate going beyond seven.
The urgency was lacking in the Babar-Haris Sohail association as well that lasted 41 deliveries, with only 22 runs coming in the stand, and Sohail ended up being dismissed by Glenn Phillips for a 21-ball 10. Agha Salman struck a couple of fours in a brisk partnership with Babar before being run out for 25. Babar reached his fifty soon after, getting there off 86 deliveries on a track that had some help for the slower bowlers. While Babar started finding the boundaries, wickets at the other end weren’t helping as Nawaz fell to Bracewell who finished with 1 for 29.
Usama Mir struck a four and a six before gloving a short delivery from Southee to the ‘keeper as Pakistan slipped to 158/7. The equation was 96 off the last 10 overs, with Babar being the lone recognised batter. But New Zealand ensured that Pakistan did not even come close, as Wasim was run out while Sodhi had Babar stumped and Haris Rauf caught at long-off to finish off the game in the 43rd over.
Earlier, Nawaz powered Pakistan’s strong comeback after the second wicket pair of Devon Conway and Kane Williamson had put on a big stand. The visitors, who were going strong at 183/1 in the 30th over, could only add 78 more as Nawaz picked up four wickets in three overs to finish with his third four-wicket haul in ODIs, removing the cream of the New Zealand batting order.
Naseem Shah struck early to dismiss of Finn Allen in the opening over, getting him to drive uppishly to cover where Nawaz held on to a sharp catch. Williamson and Conway then kept the boundaries coming, driving, punching, pulling and flicking with confidence, as they scored 10 fours between them in the first eight overs. Williamson had multiple reprieves during his partnership with Conway, who started dealing in boundaries after a few quiet overs. He entered the 90s with three reverse-swept fours off Mir in the 29th over and brought up an 89-ball hundred with a couple in the same over.
However, Naseem’s reintroduction resulted in Conway being bowled, ending the second wicket stand worth 181. This started the slide as Nawaz picked up the wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Latham in the same over followed by the dismissal of Williamson, who was bowled by a delivery that spun away sharply. Phillips also fell to Nawaz while Mir and Rauf picked up a wicket apiece, dismissing Bracewell and Ish Sodhi respectively. Naseem pocketed his third with the wicket of Southee but ended up being struck for a six by Santner, who scored a handy 36 before becoming the last to depart.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 261 in 49.5 overs (Devon Conway 101, Kane Williamson 85; Mohammad Nawaz 4-38, Naseem Shah 3-58) beat Pakistan 182 in 43 overs (Babar Azam 79, Mohammad Rizwan 28; Tim Southee 2-33, Ish Sodhi 2-38) by 79 runs.
Central College produced a remarkable final day comeback to win the Battle of the North Big Match, defeating St. John’s College by three wickets after an outstanding eighth-wicket partnership between Murali Thison and Jesuthasan Nitharsan.
Central had been playing second fiddle to their arch-rivals for most of the match until the morning of the third day, when Thison and Nitharsan turned the game around with a match-winning unbeaten stand of 93 runs.
At the start of the final day Central were in a difficult position, trailing by more than 120 runs with only four wickets in hand. Overnight batsman Iyathure Kabishek, who had scored 21, was dismissed after adding 37 runs for the seventh wicket with Thison. From that point onwards, Thison and Nitharsan combined to frustrate the St. John’s bowlers, batting together for 12 overs to guide their team to a memorable victory.
Emmanouil Karalis in action in Rouen
Thison had already been a thorn in the flesh of the St. John’s batting line-up from the opening day, capturing 12 wickets in the match, including seven in the second innings. However, his superb bowling effort initially appeared likely to go in vain due to Central’s poor batting performance.
Central beat St. John’s by three wickets at the Battle of the North Big Match.
Central had struggled in their first innings, being bowled out for just 95 runs, with the highest individual score coming from Antanareshan Abishek who made 23. Only three other batsmen reached double figures, while Thison was dismissed for just one run.
In contrast, Thison rose to the occasion in the second innings, producing a magnificent unbeaten 81 that proved to be the cornerstone of Central’s successful chase. His innings came off 126 balls and included eight boundaries and a six.
Nitharsan played the perfect supporting role with a brisk unbeaten 44 off just 33 deliveries, striking five fours and two sixes to accelerate the scoring during the decisive stand.
Earlier in the innings, openers Jayaseelan Jenoshan (20) and Kabilan Amalan (45) had given Central a solid start, putting on 44 runs for the first wicket.
St. John’s had earlier gained the advantage with a first-innings lead, and in their second innings a brilliant century from Uthayanan Abijoyshanth — 121 off 105 balls with 15 fours and four sixes — helped them post a challenging total of 247.
Despite the odds being heavily stacked against them heading into the final day, Central’s determined batting display, led by Thison and Nitharsan, ensured a memorable turnaround and a thrilling victory in the historic Battle of the North.
The traditional Big Match between St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa and Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa ended in a draw after an absorbing contest at De Soysa Stadium Moratuwa on Sunday.
St. Sebastian’s produced a strong second innings batting display with five top-order batsmen scoring half centuries to finish on 279 for five wickets declared, setting their arch rivals a target of 230 runs for victory.
Prince of Wales struggled in their run chase and were reeling at 54 for five wickets at stumps after 28 overs when play concluded.
Batting first, St. Sebastian’s were bowled out for 214 runs with Chamath Wellalage providing the main resistance with a half century. Nethul Anuhas and Rusandu Silva shared the bowling honours for the Cambrians, claiming three wickets each.
Prince of Wales responded with 263 runs in their first innings to take a slender lead. Suwahas Fernando anchored the innings with a well-compiled 77 off 145 deliveries, holding the top order together. Opening batsman Palingu Perera also made a valuable contribution with 42 runs.
Milantha Silva was the standout bowler for the Sebastianites, delivering a marathon spell of 36.2 overs to capture five wickets for 100 runs. Koshendra Fernando provided good support, claiming three wickets while bowling 31 overs.
In their second innings, St. Sebastian’s mounted an impressive batting effort. Thivanka Fernando (50), Kaveesha Perera (52), Lashen Fernando (54), Koshendra Fernando (66 not out off 68 balls) and Chamath Wellalage (50 not out off 49 balls) all struck half centuries as the Sebastianites declared at 279 for five, setting up an intriguing finish.
However, the Cambrians lost wickets at regular intervals during their chase before the match eventually ended in a draw.
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