Sports

Mayers 210*, Bonner 86 script West Indies’ historic Chattogram chase

Published

5 years ago

2021/02/8

Debutant Kyle Mayers scored a magnificent 210 not out as West Indies pulled off the fifth-highest successful chase in Test cricket, and highest in Asia, nailing down 395 for a miraculous three-wicket win on the final evening in Chattogram.

In a display of exemplary temperament and power-hitting, Mayers struck 20 fours and seven sixes during his 310-ball stay at the crease. When he hit the winning run, a hurried single to mid-on, only 15 balls were left before the close of play. During the course of his innings, he became only the sixth Test batsman to score a double-century on debut, and also the sixth overall to score a double-ton in the fourth innings of a Test.

For the most part of the final day, Mayers was accompanied by fellow debutant Nkrumah Bonner, who himself struck a gritty 86. The duo added 216 for the fourth wicket and kept Bangladesh wicketless for the first two sessions of the day.

That left West Indies needing 129 in a minimum of 33 overs in the final session. Bonner hit Islam for a six in the first over after tea but was lbw on the very next ball. His dismissal gave Bangladesh an opening. Jermaine Blackwood started aggressively, slog-sweeping Islam over long-on for six, before being bowled for 9 while going for another big hit against Nayeem Hasan.

With West Indies 292 for 5 and the target still 103 runs away, Bangladesh had their hopes renewed. Suddenly there were four men close to the bat. It also meant there were many gaps in the outfield and Mayers and Joshua Da Silva took advantage of that, hitting a four each in one Hasan over.

A few minutes later, when Mayers pulled Hasan over deep midwicket for a six to bring the target down to 76, Bangladesh were forced to spread the field once again.

Mayers was at his striking-best when the last hour of the Test commenced. With 61 required at that stage, he backed himself to clear the boundary-riders and scored 49 by himself, in just 40 balls, bludgeoning five sixes and a four. Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, no one was spared. In a 100-run stand with Da Silva for the sixth wicket, Mayers’ contribution was 80.

The credit must go to Da Silva as well who played a perfect foil to Mayers and must have calmed the nerves in the dressing room. He was eventually bowled for 20 when the target was just three runs away. Kemar Roach, too, fell on the same score – – caught at leg slip off Miraz, who ended with a hundred and eight wickets in the match – but by then even the Bangladesh players knew a West Indies victory was inevitable.

Bangladesh, however, will rue the chances they missed and the reviews they didn’t take, apart from losing Shakib Al Hasan to a thigh injury on the second day of the Test.

In the morning, West Indies resumed from their overnight 110 for 3, and in the first hour alone there were at least three opportunities Bangladesh should have been converted into wickets. Mayers was on 47 when Islam got one to straighten from around the wicket to hit the batsman on the pads. There was a loud appeal for lbw but umpire Richard Illingworth deemed it not out. Bangladesh didn’t opt for the review but replays showed Mayers would have been out had they done so.

Shortly afterwards, Miraz induced an outside edge off Mayers bat but this time Najmul Hossain Shanto put it down at first slip. The resulting single took Mayers to his maiden Test fifty.

Bangladesh missed another opportunity to overturn an on-field decision when Hasan got one to turn sharply from outside off and ping Bonner’s pads. Illingworth once again ruled it in the batsman’s favour. Replays, once again, confirmed he was wrong.

Kyle Mayers gets a hug from fellow debutant Nkrumah Bonner during their double-century stand BCB

The Bangladesh spinners were also guilty of not bowling enough full-length deliveries, allowing Bonner and Mayers to wait on the back foot and adjust to whatever turn and bounce the pitch offered.

Mayers was the aggressor right from the start, cutting and pulling spinners to the square boundaries. When Rahman was brought into the attack, he welcomed him with a four and six off successive deliveries. Bonner, meanwhile, was happy to keep his end occupied. And even before lunch, their contrasting approach led to the comparisons with Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant’s knocks in India’s win against Australia in Brisbane last month.

The two seemed to have switched their roles in the second session. On 1the first ball of the second over after lunch, Bonner cleared his front leg and lofted Taijul Islam over mid-on. It fetched the batsman four runs but the impact was such that Bangladesh went on the defensive after that shot. For the next few overs, they had just one close-in fielder, either a slip or a short leg, for spinners.

With a single off Nayeem, Bonner reached his half-century, in 164 balls. After delaying the second new ball by an over, Bangladesh seemed to have found success with it when umpire Sharfuddoula gave Bonner lbw off Islam. Bonner, though, knew he had got an inside edge and got the decision reversed.

Meanwhile, Mayers found himself stuck. Having reached 90 in 146 balls, he took another 32 balls to bring up his maiden Test hundred. And it was a streaky boundary between slip and gully, via an outside edge off Rahman, that took him to the landmark.

What followed was a slew of loose shots from Mayers, all in that Rahman over. He was beaten outside off twice in the next two balls and, a ball later, miscued two consecutive lofted attempts. Luckily for West Indies, both fell away from the fielders. It took a message from the dressing room at the end of the over for Mayers to regain his composure, which he didn’t lose till the end of the match. (cricinfo)

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ICC Board meetings in Doha called off due to West Asia conflict

Published

6 hours ago

2026/03/10

Priyan

Some ICC meetings will take place virtually over the next few weeks [Cricinfo]

The ICC Board and committee meetings scheduled for later this month in Doha have been called off due to the ongoing military conflict in West Asia. ESPNcricinfo understands that specific meetings, particularly those pertaining to the finance committee will take place virtually over the next few weeks. The possibility of in-person meetings in April remains open but much will depend on whether airspace has sufficiently re-opened for the board and committee members to fly safely.

The meetings were originally scheduled for March 25 to 27 and were due to include ICC Board Directors, Chief Executives, Committee members and ICC senior leadership. Three of the key issues up for discussion were global broadcasting rights ,with the deal between the ICC and *JioStar set to end in 2027, initial discussions over the next FTP and Olympic qualification for LA 2028. The second of those have already begun informally with several members approaching others as they make plans for cricket’s next four-year calendar.

This was the first time the ICC was due to meet in Qatar, which reports a cricketing participation growth rate of 447%. With limited flights to and from the country, hosting the meetings was deemed impossible at this time.

The crisis in West Asia has had an impact on scheduling too. The white-ball series between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, scheduled to be held in the UAE from March 13 to 25, is likely to be postponed indefinitely.

[Cricinfo]

Sports

India hammer New Zealand to retain T20 World Cup crown

Published

15 hours ago

2026/03/10

Sahan Weerasooriya

Defending champions India retained the T20 World Cup with a clinical performance over New Zealand in the final in Ahmedabad.

India produced a ruthless, near-flawless performance to retain the T20 World Cup title they won in the Caribbean two years ago, steamrolling New Zealand by 96 runs in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad.

The Kiwis, who had marched into the final after ending South Africa’s unbeaten run in the Calcutta semi-final, ran into a blue wall. India piled up a daunting 255 for five after being asked to bat and then bundled New Zealand out for 159 with an over to spare, sealing one of the most emphatic wins in a World Cup final.

India had been given a wake-up call earlier in the tournament when South Africa handed them a heavy defeat in the Super Eight stage, leaving them needing four straight wins to lift the trophy. From that point on, Surya Kumar Yadav’s men put their foot on the accelerator and never looked back, playing like a side on a mission and delivering the knockout punch when it mattered most.

It was a triumph built not just on star power but on depth and system. India’s conveyor belt of talent keeps churning out match-winners, and their bench strength is the envy of the cricketing world. You may grumble about their strong-arm tactics in the corridors of power, but there is no denying the machine they have built. The result is domination across formats – men’s, women’s and Under-19 – echoing the era of Australian supremacy. At the moment, India are the team everyone else is chasing.

The victory was India’s biggest in T20 World Cup history and made them the first team to win the title three times. Former captains Rohit Sharma, who led the side to the 2024 crown and M.S. Dhoni, the architect of the inaugural triumph in 2007, were present at the venue to witness another chapter of Indian cricketing glory.

New Zealand, however, got their sums wrong. Their seamers stuck to predictable pace and failed to mix things up, allowing India’s openers to cash in during the powerplay.

Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson came out all guns blazing, racing to 98 for the first wicket in just 7.1 overs and putting the Kiwis immediately on the back foot. Abhishek set the tone with a blistering 52 off 22 balls, while Samson anchored the charge with a sparkling 89 off 46 deliveries, peppered with five fours and eight towering sixes.

Samson had been India’s banker throughout the tournament, striking three consecutive half-centuries during the campaign and walking away with the Player of the Series award.

The fireworks did not stop there. Ishan Kishan chipped in with a breezy 54 off 25 balls at number three as India threatened to push past the 270 mark. New Zealand managed to drag things back slightly at the death, but chasing 256 in a World Cup final was always going to be a bridge too far.

India’s bowlers then applied the squeeze. Jasprit Bumrah led the charge with a masterclass in fast bowling, finishing with figures of four for 15 and walking away with the Man of the Match award as New Zealand’s chase fizzled out quickly.

Rex Clementine in Ahmedabad

Sports

Chamuditha shines with all-round brilliance as St. Servatius’ beat Lumbini

Published

15 hours ago

2026/03/10

Sahan Weerasooriya

Viran Chamuditha produced impressive all-round performances to lead St. Servatius' to victory. (File Pic)

Sri Lanka Under-19 player Viran Chamuditha produced a superb all-round performance to power St. Servatius’ College Matara to a convincing innings and 55-run victory over Lumbini College in their Under-19 Division I Tier ‘A’ cricket tournament match played at the BRC Ground on Monday.

‎Chamuditha, who had earlier dazzled with the bat, went on to claim a match haul of ten wickets to seal an emphatic win for the Matara school.

‎After being forced to follow on when they were dismissed for 112 runs in their first innings, Lumbini showed some resistance in the second innings. Pasindu Maheesha, Linoth Methmal and Jayanitha Mendis offered brief fightbacks as they batted for nearly 50 overs, but the side was eventually bowled out for 183 runs.

‎Chamuditha led the bowling attack with a fine five wicket hal for 48 runs, sharing eight wickets in the innings with Lasindu Ramanayake. The pair had also been the main wicket takers in the first innings as St. Servatius’ dominated with the ball.

‎The foundation for the comprehensive victory had earlier been laid by the Servatius’ top order who piled up an imposing 350 for six wickets in 50 overs.

‎Heshan Madushanka top-scored with a fluent 128 runs off 147 deliveries, an innings studded with 16 boundaries and a six. Opener Risinu Kithmuka provided early impetus with a brisk 64 off 47 balls.

‎Chamuditha then capped the innings with a blistering knock of 83 runs off just 31 balls, smashing eight fours and six sixes. The explosive innings came after the young all-rounder had broken batting records at the ICC Youth World Cup, further underlining his immense potential.

‎With both bat and ball, Chamuditha’s outstanding display ensured St. Servatius’ completed a dominant victory.