Sports
Hodge hundred keeps West Indies’ fight on
Slow-burn thrillers aren’t for everyone. Mount Maunganui’s been screening one for the past three days and just as the draw was starting to turn favourite, things started to happen. “Ooooh my Goooddddd,” cried Kaveem Hodge rolling around on the floor. Apparently, he was only allowed a second Test match century if he could show he could take a cricket ball to the crown jewels. He did. On 97, he put his agonised body through the trauma of a quickly run two, and on 99, decided running is for losers and whacked a pull shot to the square-leg boundary.
West Indies went to stumps on 381 for 6, and trailing by 194, but there is uncertainty around two of the wickets they have in hand. Shai Hope was holed up in his hotel all of Friday and he hasn’t really been seen since. It is reported that he is unwell and as team-mate after team-mate came in ahead of him, it is starting to look serious enough to prevent him from batting Kemar Roach is down with a hamstring injury he picked up on the first day and his status is unclear as well.
New Zealand will remain hopeful of a positive result, particularly on the evidence of how they roused themselves in the final session. They were tired. The slow pace of the pitch was negating the movement that was still on offer. So there was a lot of oohs and aahs but never the aha! Until Daryl Mitchell was given the ball and he just trundled in and trapped Justin Greaves lbw. Three balls later, Ajaz Patel had Roston Chase trapped in front as well.
West Indies had racked up fifty partnership after fifty partnership – four of their top five wickets were able to bed in. They’d proven hard to crack. Then all of a sudden, a dibbly-dobbly bowler and a man who had never taken a Test wicket at home broke through.
Slow burn thrillers. Gotta love ’em.
Hodge batting in the 90s started to get uncomfortable. Anderson Phillip got hit in the head. New Zealand missed an edge through to the keeper. The replay went up on the big screen and Tom Latham said, “Oh, not again!”, throwing back to the missed opportunity when they had no reviews in Christchurch and Roach lbw only for the umpire to shake his head. There’s still two more days of this left.
Hodge’s Test career has been a slow burn too and at one point was in danger of being put out. He had been dropped during the home summer with only two of his previous 15 innings crossing the 30-run mark. Speaking at the end of the day’s play, he had the grace to accept that, saying if the employees aren’t giving what is expected of them, bosses will look elsewhere.
West Indies came back to him for this tour of New Zealand and he made it a priority to figure out a way to bat against the moving ball. This challenge, far from making him shrink, triggered the analytical side of him. He has a degree in sports science and those principles might have come in handy to recognise that he could leverage his strength, scoring square of the wicket, into runs, “Plan your work, work your plan,” he said at the end of the day on 109 not out.
Hodge looked suspect initially, surviving outside edges through the slip cordon and berating himself about his front foot’s reluctance to get in line with the ball. But none of that deterred him from doing the basics right; from being ready for the next ball; from gaining better awareness of his off stump. With more and more time in the middle, he was able to get his body moving the way he wanted. The strength of his defence began to shine through – soft hands, bat face pointed down to make sure the ball didn’t reach the close catchers – and the bowlers began looking elsewhere. Hodge punished them for their lack of perseverance, playing some of the most crisp pull shots. The early struggle and the method to get out of it made the final yield all the better.
Tevin Imlach, batting at No. 4 in place of Hope soon after his captain had wondered where he was trying to score his runs, put in a decent shift which included running down the pitch at Ajaz and hoisting him over the top for a straight six. That shot was a direct response to the left-arm spinner almost running through his defence with an arm ball.
Alick Athanaze was all class. He, like Hodge who was his room-mate as they came up playing together in Dominica, was back-foot dominant. Punches and whips and cuts all eye-catching for the sound off the bat and the balance at the crease.
Greaves spoke on Friday about bringing glory back to West Indies and it is clearly not beyond him. Once, a mere forward defensive was almost enough to carry the ball to the long-off boundary.
Each of those three players had the chance to go big in largely placid conditions but they were all cut short. Imlach out for 27 driving at a ball that wasn’t pitched up and could’ve been left alone. Athanaze left a nothing ball from Ajaz that would’ve comfortably missed leg stump but for a cruel deflection off his front leg. He was 45 off 57. Greaves (43 off 69) missed a straight ball from Mitchell and needed a review to see just how plumb he was. New Zealand’s batters had been ruthless. West Indies’ had work to do.
Jacob Duffy, the highest wicket-taker of the series, ran in with purpose whether his job was to strike early – which he did, John Campbell falling without adding to his overnight score of 45 – or do some donkey work – he cranked his pace up to 144kph for the last over of the day which he spent banging the ball into the pitch to see if he could benefit from a bit of variable bounce.
Ajaz, who hasn’t played a Test at home for five years, and whose 85 wickets until now were all the result of work done away from home, made the most of the wind blowing across the ground, just lobbing the ball up at the high-70-low-80 kph range and getting good drift and dip. Michael Rae overcame a laceration to his shin to keep trucking in. Zak Foulkes, a swing bowler out of place on a pitch which was helping only those who could hit the deck hard, tried his best. New Zealand were a much-improved bowling side. Their discipline was up. They didn’t let their shoulders sag even as the ball got soft and partnerships kept building. That mentality is going to be crucial as the slow burn in Mount Maunganui continues.
Brief scores:
West Indies 381 for 6 (Kaveem Hodge 109*, Brandon King 63; Jacob Duffy 2-79) trail New Zealand 575 for 8 dec (Devon Conway 227, Tom Latham 137, Rachin Ravindra 72*; Justin Greaves 2-83) by 194 runs
[Cricinfo]
England became the first team to reach the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals with a 38-run victory over West Indies built on a gutsy half-century from Danni Wyatt-Hodge in challenging conditions.
On a scorching evening at Lord’s, where temperatures hit 34 degrees Celsius just before the toss, Wyatt-Hodge scored a 42-ball 65 and was well supported by Heather Knight’s 43 off 26 deliveries.
In their defense, England’s bowlers tied West Indies down, with spinners Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone and Linsey Smith sharing four wickets between them. For West Indies, Chinelle Henry and Jahzara Claxton resisted stubbornly in a 63-run stand for the fifth wicket, with Henry remaining unbeaten on 51.
Earlier, there was controversy when Hayley Matthews, West Indies’ captain and key player, was given out caught behind for 14 on an England review with one camera angle showing an apparent mismatch between the vision and UltraEdge. That prompted Matthews to argue her case animatedly with the umpires on and off the field. While her efforts, and those of her team, were in vain, her side remains in contention for the knockouts.
Henry let out an almighty roar when she struck with the fifth ball of the match. It was a fuller one outside off stump with a hint of away swing which lured a drive from Amy Jones and found the edge, looping to Afy Fletcher at short third. But Henry conceded 17 runs off her next over as Wyatt-Hodge settled in with a pull through midwicket and a top edge which beat Fletcher.
Offspinner Ashmini Munisar entered the attack and responded to Sophia Dunkley’s reverse sweep for four with a fuller ball next – too full for Dunkley’s attempted sweep as she was pinned lbw. Despite the early falls of wicket, though, Wyatt-Hodge and Alice Capsey managed to outfox the field and take England to their best powerplay of the tournament so far at 57 for 2.
Heather Knight scored quickly [Cricinfo]
Wyatt-Hodge jumped to the top of the tournament run-scoring charts by backing up her century on the opening night with another pivotal score, having endured two lean innings in between. She punished some short bowling early, and then peppered the off side with some classic and lofted drives. Wyatt-Hodge brought up her fifty off 32 balls with a back-footed flick off the pads to cover.
Capsey, meanwhile, unfurled a lovely reverse for four off Karishma Ramharack but then advanced to a length ball two deliveries later and lobbed it to Henry at long-on, thus ending a 65-run stand with Wyatt-Hodge for the third wicket. Wyatt-Hodge and Knight put on 40 more, but when they ran on Knight’s cut straight to the cover fielder, Wyatt-Hodge didn’t have the legs in the sapping heat to make it to the other end.
There was to be no reprise of the high-powered union between Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson which blew Scotland away at Headingley on Saturday night when Matthews bowled Kemp attempting to sweep. Knight was eventually run out after surviving a couple of near misses. Gibson too fell cheaply on the penultimate ball of the innings, but by then, the home side had plenty on the board.
Matthews was nonplussed when England managed to overturn a not-out decision for caught behind as she attempted a cut off Linsey Smith in the fourth over. Matthews was adamant she hadn’t made contact with the ball, and one angle on the replay showed a gap between bat and ball while UltraEdge indicated a spike. TV umpire Nimali Perera ruled that Matthews was out, but the West Indies captain spent a good deal of time making her case to the on-field umpires.
Hayley Matthews has a heated discussion after her dismissal [Cricinfo]
Matthews watched more replays in the West Indies dugout and continued to disagree with the decision in conversation with the fourth umpire on the sidelines. It was reminiscent of last year’s Ashes Snicko controversy when TV umpire Chris Gaffaney upheld a not-out decision for Australia’s Alex Carey when a clear spike appeared several frames before the ball had passed the bat. But, in this instance, the scorecard showed Matthews out for 14.
In the last over of the powerplay, Deandra Dottin helped herself to 15 runs off Dean’s first four balls, including back-to-back fours followed by a thumping six over long-on. But Dean’s riposte on the last ball was to toss one up on middle and leg as Dottin looked to clear long-on once more. She didn’t connect fully, and found Capsey just inside the boundary.
West Indies were 46 for 2 after six overs, and some frugal bowling by Ecclestone, followed by Dean’s second wicket in as many balls when she had Jannillea Glasgow chopping on with the first ball of her next over, kept England in control.The last time these sides met at a T20 World Cup, in 2024, a rash of fielding errors cost England the match and the chance to progress to the knockout phase. While they are a vastly improved side, the hosts missed two chances in three balls as Claxton and Henry dug in.
SCORES:
England Women 186 for 7 in 20 overs (Danni Wyatt-Hodge 64, Sophia Dunkley 14, Alice Kapsey 28, Heather Knight 43; Chinelle Henry 1-25, Hayley Matthews 1-32, Ashmini Munisar 2-42, Karishma Ramharack 1-23) beat West Indies Women 148 for 5 in 20 overs (Hayley Matthews 14, Deandra Dottin 19, Shemaine Campbell 20, Jahzara Claxton 21, Chinelle Henry 51*; charlie Dean 2-31, Lauren Bell 1-20, Linsey Smith 1-35, Sophie Eccleston 1-22) by 38 runs
[Cricinfo]
Daniel Munoz has fired Colombia into the World Cup round of 32 with a 1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Group K after goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had threatened to turn the match into a night of frustration.
Munoz struck the winner from the right side of the penalty area in the 76th minute on Tuesday, finally beating Mpasi, who had repeatedly denied Colombia with an inspired performance.
Colombia, who opened their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, commanded possession and created numerous chances.
James Rodriguez, making his 10th World Cup appearance to equal the Colombian record jointly held by Freddy Rincon and Carlos Valderrama, forced Mpasi into action with a powerful strike in the 11th minute.
The goalkeeper stood firm, repelling efforts from Jhon Arias and winger Luis Diaz, who came close to breaking the deadlock in the 18th minute, controlling a chipped pass inside the penalty area, turning smartly, and firing a shot goal-wards, only for Mpasi to save it with his foot.
The African side, buoyed by their opening 1-1 deaw with Portugal, threatened sporadically through Edo Kayembe, Cedric Bakambu and Yoane Wissa, but lacked a clinical finish.
By half-time, Colombia had registered 15 shots, including six on target, with nine of their 10 outfield players attempting efforts.
In the stands, DR Congo had support from Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, the team’s famous “living statue” fan, who made his World Cup debut after missing the opener against Portugal because of Ebola quarantine requirements.
Colombia resumed on the front foot after the break, with Diaz forcing another fine save from Mpasi in the 51st minute before Arias dragged the rebound wide.
Wissa almost snatched the lead for DR Congo in the 73rd minute, when his shot from Simon Banza’s assist was blocked, but Colombia struck shortly after through Munoz.
Diaz later thought he had doubled the advantage with a finish into the top corner, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
Colombia moved to six points from two matches and guaranteed their progress to the knockout stage ahead of their final group game against Portugal, who beat Uzbekistan 5-0 earlier on Tuesday.
DR Congo remained on one point and will need a result against Uzbekistan to keep their qualification hopes alive.
[Aljazeera]
Sri Lanka’s small but highly successful contingent returned with an impressive haul of three medals from the Malaysian Open Athletics Championship, which concluded on Sunday, and all three athletes representing the country finished on the podium.
Leading the way was high jumper Tharindu Dasun, who produced a personal best performance to claim the gold medal in the men’s high jump. The 26-year-old cleared 2.22 metres, surpassing his previous personal best and securing top place in the competition. The achievement marks another significant milestone for the jumper in an important year inclusive of several international competitions.
Tharindu Dasun reached his personal best in the high jump.
Middle-distance runner Harsha Karunaratne added a second gold medal for Sri Lanka with a strong performance in the men’s 800 metres. Karunaratne crossed the finish line in 1 minute and 50.61 seconds to secure first place and underline his consistency in the event.
Meanwhile, hurdler Roshan Ranatunga contributed the third medal by finishing second in the men’s 110 metres hurdles. Ranatunga clocked 14.19 seconds to earn the silver medal and complete a perfect medal-winning campaign for the Sri Lankan team.
With only three athletes competing, Sri Lanka achieved a remarkable 100 percent medal success, collecting two gold medals and one silver medal from the championship.
Roshan Ranatunga settled for silver in the 110 metres hurdles.
The team was accompanied by Thiron Gamage, the coach of Ranatunga, who served as the team manager and coach during the tour.
”It is important that athletes compete in events like these as better conditions help them improve, Gamage told The Island.
”The preperation of the athletes and their coaches helped them do well.
Harsha Karunaratne won the men’s 800 metres gold.
”Dasun used the conditions well to reach his pb. Harsha did not have much competition for him to push for a better timing as he won easily,” said Gamage.
Commenting on his own athlete Roshan, he said that the hurdler will improve during the season as he is getting back to competition after recovering from an injury.
Sri Lanka team with coach Thiron Gamage (left).
The outstanding performances in Malaysia provide a timely boost for Sri Lankan athletics ahead of several major international assignments. Sri Lanka Athletics will now turn their attention to crucial upcoming competitions, including the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, where Sri Lanka will be looking to build on the momentum generated by successful campaigns such as these.
Dasun’s personal-best clearance of 2.22 metres stood out as the highlight of the championship for Sri Lanka. (RF)
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