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Dhaka Test see-saws on curtailed Day 3
The Dhaka Test finds itself on a knife’s edge at the end of the third day as New Zealand counterattacked to cut the deficit and then picked two quick wickets before bad light brought an early end to the proceedings. Glenn Phillips’s 72-ball 87 pushed New Zealand just past the Bangladesh total before Ajaz Patel and Tim Southee picked two wickets to leave the hosts on 38/2 – with a lead of 30 runs – at stumps.
After the second day was completely washed out, wet outfield and bad light disrupted Day 3 too, with only 32.3 overs bowled in all. Yet there was plenty of action that moved the game along at a rather brisk pace. Glenn Phillips was at the heart of New Zealand’s strong riposte as he counterattacked Bangladesh’s spinners expertly. No play was possible in the morning session but when it did begin post Lunch, Bangladesh spinners looked to continue from where they left off on Day 1. There was ample turn and bounce for them to employ a couple of close in catches and attack the two batters with spin from both ends.
Phillips took the aggressive route against the viciously turning ball as he stood deep in his crease and played cut shots at deliveries that weren’t short enough, and unfurled the slog sweep at a whim. Mehidy Hasan was the recipient of the early carnage that dragged New Zealand ahead from the precarious position of 55 for 5 in response to Bangladesh’s 172. He got the scorecard moving briskly while Daryl Mitchell did enough to keep the outside edge of his bat away from the turning ball to stay put. After an initial nervous exchange, he too looked to cut loose and gave Nayeem Hasan the charge for a big hit down the ground but had to depart as Mehidy Hasan sprinted across from long on and took an exceptional catch.
Nayeem looked to speed up the end of New Zealand’s innings as he dismissed Mitchell Santner soon after to leave the visitors tottering at 97 for 7. Kyle Jamieson then walked out to put on a stubborn stand of 55 runs for the eighth wicket that ate into the deficit. During this alliance, Phillips brought up his 38-ball half-cetury – the joint-fastest for a New Zealand batter against Bangladesh. He also tried to shift gears further and dragged the team towards Bangladesh’s total. With spinners being dealt with, Najmul Hossain Shanto brought in pace from one end via Shoriful Islam and reaped instant rewards. On the first ball of his new spell, Islam got Jamieson to nick one to the keeper and depart for a 28-ball 20. Tim Southee dragged New Zealand’s essay in Phillips’s company before Shoriful ended the latter’s fine knock on 87 off just 72 deliveries.
Taijul Islam then returned to dismiss Southee, but by this stage New Zealand had gone past Bangladesh’s total to take a slender eight-run lead.
Southee didn’t waste any time in employing a spinner as Ajaz opened the bowling and struck on the third ball to dismiss Mahmudul Hasan Joy, caught by Mitchell at first slip. Zakir Hasan and Najmul Hossain looked to build a quick lead but the latter fell in the eighth over when he tamely drove on the up off Southee straight to Kane Williamson at mid-off. Right after this dismissal bad light stopped play. After a wait of more than an hour and thorough inspection by the umpires, play was called off. As it stands, Bangladesh head into the fourth day with a lead of 30 runs.
Brief Scores:
New Zealand 180 (Glenn Phillips 87, Mehidy Hasan 3-53) trail Bangladesh 172 (Mushfiqur Rahim 35; Glenn Phillips 3-31, Mitchell Santner 3-54) & 38/2 (Ajaz Patel 1-13, Tim Southee 1-8) by 30 runs
Why did David Miller refuse a single off the penultimate delivery with Delhi Capitals needing 2 off 2? It’ll be spoken of for a while, but not inside the Gujarat Titans change room. Because Prasidh Krishna bowled a nerveless slower bouncer off the final delivery that Miller missed, and Jos Buttler then nailed a direct hit with an underarm throw from behind the stumps to run out Kuldeep Yadav, clinching a dramatic first win for GT in IPL 2026.
Despite being adjudged run out on the field, Miller wasn’t in the mood to concede defeat, and reviewed the final ball for a possible wide. But when replays confirmed what he had perhaps known, he was crestfallen. Equally distraught in the dugout was K L Rahul, whose 52-ball 92 set the game up for DC but for one run.
It was GT’s first win of the tournament and the first loss for DC after starting the campaign with two wins in a row.
Thirty-six needed off 12. A bruised finger that didn’t make it easy for him to grip the bat had forced Miller to retire hurt with DC needing 81 off 42. But when Tristan Stubbs was run-out in the 17th over, Miller returned hoping to play second fiddle to Rahul. Instead, he was now expected to deliver a box-office hit with Rahul nicking behind off a full Mohammed Siraj delivery two balls later.
Miller nearly delivered what was expected, as he went 6, 4, 6 off Siraj, repeatedly peppering the short leg-side boundary. At the other end, Vipraj Nigam also ramped four off a short delivery to bring the equation down to a manageable 13 off the final over.
Prasidh was tasked to bowl the final over. His three overs prior to that had been walloped for 41; Rahul, his state mate, had climbed into him earlier in the night. But all that would’ve been forgiven if Prasidh delivered a gun final over. That GT could only have four fielders out due to a slow over rate added to his challenge. And he nearly succumbed.
Nigam made room and swung cleanly to hit the first ball to the long-off fence, but a rush of blood had him swipe the second delivery to Shubman Gill at mid-off. With DC now needing nine off four, Kuldeep gently deflected his first ball to deep third to leave the chase in Miller’s hands.
With the equation down to 8 off 3, Prasidh bowled a slot-ball that Miller walloped over long-off. But with two needed, Miller inexplicably refused a single to take it all upon himself to finish the deal. He couldn’t connect on the final ball, and Prasidh belted a roar. GT had pulled one from under DC’s rug in dramatic circumstances.
After scores of 1 and 0 in his first two games, Rahul announced himself with a 29-ball half-century that was as pleasing as they come for large parts. It was also one that didn’t have the baggage of him playing run-accumulator, like he has tended to in the past while opening the batting. This Rahul was fun, free and fearless and he helped DC overcome a few roadblocks along the way, like when they lost two wickets in two deliveries to Rashid Khan at the halfway mark.
Rahul was particularly menacing against the fast bowlers, and it began with a wristy flick that he sent way back over deep square off Kagiso Rabada. The early jitters out of the way – if he even had some inkling of them – he batted like a man possessed, fearlessly climbing into length balls from Prasidh over cover, and slapping disdainfully over point.
He is good, but where is the Rashid of old, they asked. Turns out he hadn’t gone anywhere. After he conceded just nine in his first two with DC rampant, he returned to dismiss Nitish Rana in his dramatic third over, the 10th of the innings. Having been given out lbw earlier, only for Rana to overturn the decision through DRS, he was out a few balls later when he miscued a googly to Sai Sudharsan at long-off. This was Rana’s third sub-20 score of the season.
This brought the in-form Sameer Rizvi to the middle, and he lasted all of one delivery as Rashid snuck through his inside-edge with a ripping googly to briefly elicit jitters in the DC camp. This is when Miller entered, before briefly exiting with seven overs left. But in the same over, when Rashid had Axar Patel slice one to Glenn Phillips running back from cover, GT started to have an opening.
On any other night, Rashid’s spell would have cracked open the game. The fact that DC were still in it despite these wickets was down to Rahul. It needed the skilful Siraj to dismiss him with DC needing 45 off three overs. By then, the pressure was telling.
That GT were eventually able to get over the line was down to their run cushion, made possible thanks to half-centuries from Jos Buttler, Gill and Washington Sundar. Buttler looked unshackled, hitting four sixes off his first 15 deliveries en route a bruising half-century, while Gill played himself in and then allayed fears of neck spasms during his takedown of Kuldeep with the slog sweep. Then Washington, promoted to No. 4, struck his maiden IPL fifty to shore up the innings.
Even so, GT managed just 49 off the last five. On another day, this may have proved to be costly. It didn’t on Wednesday, and for that, they have Rashid to thank.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 210 for 4 in 20 overs (Sai Sudarshan 12, Shubman Gill 70, Jos Buttler 52, Washington Sundar 55, Glenn Phillips 14*; Mukesh Kumar 2-55, Lungi Ngidi 1-24, Kuldeep Yadav 1-42 ) beat Delhi Capitals 209 for 8 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 41, KL Rahul 92, David Miller 41*, Vipraj Nigam 12; Mohammed Siraj 1-42, Rashid Khan 3-17, Prasidh Krishna 2-52) by one run
[Cricinfo]
Greece has announced plans to ban access to social media for under-15s, becoming the latest European country to restrict children’s exposure to online platforms.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the move was aimed at tackling rising anxiety and sleep problems among young people, as well as what he described as the “addictive design” of social media.
The restriction will come into force from January of next year.
In December Australia became the first country in the world to require TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and other top sites to remove accounts held by under-16s, or face heavy fines. France, Austria and Spain are among a growing number of nations pursuing similar curbs.
The UK government has launched a consultation on whether to implement a ban for under-16s, while Ireland and Denmark are considering similar measures.
Social media companies argue that blanket bans will be ineffective, difficult to enforce and could isolate vulnerable teenagers. Reddit is challenging Australia’s law in court.
In a video message posted on TikTok on Wednesday, Mitsotakis said: “Many young people tell me they feel exhausted from comparisons, from comments, from the pressure to always be online.”
(BBC)
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Prasidh trumps Miller in last-ball finish as Gujarat Titans clinch thriller
Greece to ban social media for under-15s from next year
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