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New Zealand keep cool to seal comfortable win

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1 year ago

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Rachin Ravindra and Will Young stitched an unbeaten 75-run stand.

A solid unbeaten 75-run stand between Will Young (48*) and Rachin Ravindra (39*) saw New Zealand through to an eight-wicket win in the tricky run chase of 107 on the fifth day of the opening Test against India in Bengaluru. The visitors lost their skipper Tom Latham for a duck in the first over of the day off Jasprit Bumrah (2-29) who bowled a menacing new-ball spell. Devon Conway huffed and puffed his way to a laboured 39-ball 17 before falling prey to Bumrah. While the target of 107 seemed quite below par even with the challenging nature of the pitch, Bumrah’s spell gave India a glimmer of hope.

That, however, was quickly extinguished by Young and Ravindra. The former started fluently and looked assured even against the new ball. Ravindra carried on from where he had left in the first innings and struck a couple of boundaries in his first three balls to keep the momentum going. The pair quickly got into their work and ensured the job was done in a jiffy. Much like the first innings, India sorely missed a third pacer to keep the intensity going. Apart from the rough outside the left-hander’s off stump, there wasn’t much for the spinners to work with and New Zealand eventually coasted home.

If missing a third seamer will now be a major talking point, Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat on the second day will also be something that India will regret. New Zealand’s bowlers landed a killer blow under favourable conditions by shooting India out for a paltry total of 46. With cloud cover and a damp pitch to exploit, Matt Henry (5-15) and William ORourke (4-22) came out all guns blazing against the Indian batting line-up that lacked application. Some of the dismissals were to tricky deliveries but there were also quite a few soft dismissals as New Zealand relentlessly kept the pressure on.

Conway did have a horror little knock in the second innings but it was his counterattacking innings of 91 that set New Zealand up in the first innings. The left-hander did have his share of struggles even at that point but found ways to deal with the challenges and also peppered the fence with a plethora of boundaries. India, however, briefly managed to fight back as they reduced New Zealand to 233/7 after the visitors had initially gotten themselves to 142/1. The home side would have hoped to limit the first innings deficit but Ravindra (134) conjured up his second Test ton to deflate the Indian bowlers.

The young left-hander handled pace and spin with elan, and showed an impressive range against the slower bowlers by taking them on. Ravindra’s onslaught got good support from Tim Southee (65) as they put on a match-defining partnership of 137. India’s realistic chances of staging a strong fightback were thwarted by this stand. Among the several major plot points in the Test match, this phase of play was also critical to New Zealand’s eventual win. Ravichandran Ashwin had a forgettable game barring the dismissal of Conway while Jadeja and Kuldeep were effective only in patches.

New Zealand ultimately ended with a massive first innings lead of 356 – the kind of figure that effectively pushes the opposition to a point of no return. However, India didn’t go down without a fight as they put up a much stronger second innings effort thanks to a stupendous ton from Sarfaraz Khan (150) alongside strong contributions from Rishabh Pant (99) and Virat Kohli (70). Rohit (52) set the tone early with an attacking fifty and most of India’s top five batters got their eye in, and batted with high intent.

Kohli and Sarfaraz added 136 for the third wicket to put India on track but it was the 177-run stand between Sarfaraz and Pant that really pushed the home side towards hoping for a miraculous win. It helped the home side that their rapid scoring rate of close to five-runs-per-over had pushed the game forward considerably. At 408/3 with a lead of 52, Rohit’s men seemed to have the momentum with a well-set Sarfaraz and Pant toying with the bowlers. That’s when New Zealand got a lifeline in the form of the second new ball. And like on the second morning of the game, their pacers once again came to life in a critical passage of play.

It was Southee who broke the partnership by castling Sarfaraz but O’Rourke (3-92) and Henry (3-102) then sliced through the middle and lower order to wrap India’s innings up in a flash. The last seven wickets fell for just 54 runs as India let slip a golden opportunity of creating a historic win. The NZ seamers got seam movement and variable bounce to which India’s middle and lower order had no answers. Ravindra Jadeja had a rare bad game with the bat in Tests while KL Rahul’s inconsistent run continued. With a target of 107 to win the game, it was about whether New Zealand could hold their nerves or not. And that, they did.

It was fitting for New Zealand that Ravindra was at the crease during the historic moment. After 36 long years, the Black Caps had managed to win a Test match in India and the left-hander was critical to the result. India would rue their selection blunders but they still had the chance to make a fightback at multiple points in the game. ORourke and Henry had a dream game on sub-continental soil with seven and eight wickets in the game respectively. Their spells, especially on the second day were match-sealing. (cricbuzz)

Brief scores:

India 46 and 462

(Sarfaraz Khan 150, Rishabh Pant 99; William O’Rourke 3-92, Matt Henry 3-102)

New Zealand 402

(Rachin Ravindra 134, Devon Conway 91; Ravindra Jadeja 3-72) and 107/2 (Will Young 48n.o., Rachin Ravindra 39n.o.; Jasprit Bumrah 2-29)


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Rodrigues fifty leads India’s chase after bowlers set up victory against Sri Lanka

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7 mins ago

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2025/12/21

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Jemimah Rodrigues got off to a brisk start [BCCI]

There was a little bit of rustiness as India returned to action 50 days after becoming ODI world champions, but not so much to prevent them from registering a dominant win in the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam.

Despite dew being a constant presence on a cool evening, India’s spinners rallied to keep Sri Lanka’s top order in check – even if they did not pick up wickets in a heap – thus restricting them to 121 for 6. It was a below-par total given that the dew was only going to increase as the temperatures reduced – something Harmanpreet Kaur had alluded to while choosing to chase at the toss. India made easy work of it to get home with eight wickets and 32 balls to spare, starting their road to the T20 World Cup 2026 in June on the right note.

Jemimah Rodrigues, batting for the 100th time in T20Is, struck a 14th half-century in the format to help the hosts canter. There was a mild intrigue around India’s No. 3, with Harleen Deol batting at that spot for two games in England, and Harmanpreet signaling her intent to be India’s one drop at the last T20 World Cup. But Rodrigues’ 69 not out from 44 balls should dispel any doubts India would have had.

This was India’s sixth win in ten games since being knocked out in the league stage of the 2024 iteration.

Brief scores:
India Women 122 for 2 in 14.4 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 69*, Smriti Mandhana 25, Harmanpreet Kaur 15*; Kawya Kavindi 1-20, Inoka Ranaweera 1-17) beat Sri Lanka Women 121 for 6 in 20 overs (Vishmi Gunaratne 39, Chamari Athapaththu 15, Hasini Perera 20, Harshita Samarawickrama 21; Deepti Sharma  1-20, Kranti Gaud 1-23, Shree Charani 1-30) by eight wickets

[Cricinfo]

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Sameer Minhas 172 powers Pakistan to Under-19 Asia Cup title

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42 mins ago

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2025/12/21

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Sameer Minhas made the highest score by a Pakistan batter in Youth ODIs [Cricinfo]

Opener Sameer Minhas blitzed his way to 172 off 113 balls, setting up Pakistan’s demolition of India in thDeepeshe Under-19 Asia Cup final in Dubai. In response to Pakistan’s 347 for 8, India folded for 156 in 26.2 overs.

Minhas’ knock was the highest individual score for Pakistan, and also, the highest individual score by any batter in a final in Youth ODIs. He hit 17 fours and nine sixes during his stay, and fell in the 43rd over, finishing with a strike rate of 152.21.

In response, Vaibhav Suriyawvanshi – having scored 5, 50, 9 and 26 in tournament since his 171 against UAE – made an explosive start to India’s chase. He smashed three sixes and a four, but Ali Raza had him nicking off for 26 off 10 balls. India had reached their fifty in the fifth over and by the end of the powerplay, they were 68 for 5.

Pakistan came into the final having bowled out each of their opposing batting line-ups in the tournament. This contest was no different – four Pakistan bowlers shared wickets among them, with Raza prising out three more wickets to finish with match figures of 4 for 42.

India were reduced to 120 for 9, but Deepesh Devendran offered some late resistance with 36 off 16 balls, including six fours and two sixes. No other India batter passed 30 in the chase. India’s innings ended when Raza had Devendran holing out in the 27th over.

Earlier in the day, Devendran had copped punishment from the Pakistan batters, conceding 83 runs in his ten overs though he took three wickets at the death.

Minhas was well-supported by Ahmed Hussain – the only other batter to cross fifty in the innings. Hussain made 56 off 72 balls and added 137 for the third wicket along with Minhas.

Pakistan faced a slight slowdown in the death overs, especially once Minhas was dismissed – they only managed 71 runs in the final ten for the loss of five wickets. Devendran took three of those wickets, but his death bowling was a footnote by the time he swung for the hills in India’s chase, and was eventually caught at point.

Pakistan wrapped up a 191-run win and tuned up nicely for the upcoming Under-19 World Cup.

Brief scores:
Pakistan Under 19s  347 for 8 in 50 overs (Sameer Minhas 172, Ahmed Hussain 56, Usman Khan 35; Henil Patel 2-62, Deepesh Devendran 3-83, Khilan Patel 2-44 ) beat India Under 19s  156 in 26.2 overs  (Deepesh Devendran 36, Vaibhav Suryawanshi 26; Ali Raza 4-42, Mohammed Sayyam 2-38, Huzaif Ahsan 2-12) by 191 runs

[Cricinfo]

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No Christmas miracle for England as Australia make it 3-0 to retain the Ashes in 11 days

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7 hours ago

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2025/12/21

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Jamie Smith fell to Mitchell Starc after a flurry of runs [Cricinfo]

In the third Test, they rose again, but there was to be no Christmas miracle. Despite a gutsy fight from England’s lower order that hauled an already lost cause deep into the afternoon session of the final day, Australia held their nerve – and their catches – to seal the 2025-26 Ashes with their third victory in a row on only the 11th day of the series.

The winning moment was delivered by Scott Boland, who induced a thick edge from England’s No. 11 Josh Tongue, straight to Marnus Labuschagne at first slip, who swallowed his fourth take of a truly sensational display in the field. That left Brydon Carse high and dry on 39 not out; his efforts, alongside fighting but ultimately thwarted knocks of 60 and 47 from Jamie Smith and Will Jacks. had given England genuine hope that their performances at other key moments of the Test and the series, simply hadn’t warranted.

Labuschagne’s efforts included his second one-handed screamer of the match, this time to prise out Jacks at first slip, and it was a fitting reminder of one of the key differences between the sides. The winning margin of 82 runs was exactly the same score that Usman Khawaja had reached on the first day of the match, after being dropped by Harry Brook on 5, while the 71 runs that Travis Head made after the same fielder had reprieved him on 99 would prove to be the death knell of England’s series hopes.

And yet hope is most certainly what England had, right up until the moment it was finally snuffed out, and by a familiar nemesis.

For the first time in the series, the Player-of-the-Match award would elude Mitchell Starc, but his claim to the Compton-Miller Medal is now beyond any further discussion. On a day when Australia’s resources were stretched by a potentially series-ending injury to Nathan Lyon, Starc stepped up with the first three of the final four wickets required. His left-arm angles and command of seam and swing were able to extract rare life from an unthreatening Adelaide surface, and once armed with the harder new ball, the end was always nigh despite England’s doughtiest day’s work of the series.

The day of reckoning had dawned with 17 overs remaining until Australia’s new ball, so Lyon and Cameron Green shared the early workload to keep the senior seamers fresh. Despite some early alarms against the short ball, Smith and Jacks settled quickly into a confident stand, with Smith smashing a brace of sixes over the leg-side off spin and seam alike to whittle the requirement below 200.

It was a boon for the Barmy Army on an overcast morning, and their ever-mounting optimism reached an early crescendo midway through the day’s 11th over, when a persistent shower blew across the ground to force a 40-minute delay.

Jacks brought up the fifty stand soon after the resumption, but the biggest moment of the morning came one over later. Lyon, at fine leg, dived valiantly to intercept a Jacks pull, but was in obvious discomfort as he clambered back to his feet. It was instantly apparent that he’d damaged his right hamstring, and as the physio came out to assist him back to the dressing-room, his involvement in the series – as with his torn calf at Lord’s in 2023 – appeared to have come to an abrupt end.

That was the cue for England to step up their tempo. With the new ball looming, Smith cracked three fours in a row off the part-time spin of Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, and then – having taken a few sighters as Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins re-entered the attack – decided the new ball had to travel as well.

Smith reeled off a quartet of superb, imposing boundaries – two in a row off each man, including a straight-batted launch through long-off off Cummins to bring up his first fifty of the series. But just when it seemed he’d rocked Australia back on their heels, Smith attempted one big shot too many: a wild pick-up across the line off Starc. Cummins at wide mid-on backpedalled to swallow the chance, before turning to the crowd to celebrate with a combination of triumph, and some relief.

It was all too familiar from an England point of view: opportunity not so much knocking as ding-dong-ditching, as another moment of optimism came and went with indecent haste. Jacks, however, stayed true to the methods that had served him well in adversity at the Gabba, remaining watchful outside off and dealing largely in nudged singles square of the wicket. Despite one alarming deviation from that norm – a pre-meditated whip to leg off Cummins that he was lucky not to snick to the keeper – he and Carse carried England through to lunch on 309 for 7, a deficit of 126.

Australia thought they had their breakthrough shortly after the resumption, as Cummins pinned Carse on the pad, but umpire Nitin Menon’s verdict was a shocker – the ball was shown to be missing a second middle stump, and Carse, on 15 at the time, marched on. He responded to the reprieve by planting Head’s part-time spin over deep midwicket for six, and when he flicked Boland off his pads through fine leg, he had hauled the requirement down to double figures.

Australia, however, were starting to create chances and pressure with seam at both ends, and two balls later, Starc served up a wobble-seam outside off, and Labuschagne sprung to his left at first slip to pluck a fat edge in one hand, almost out of Alex Carey’s waiting gloves.

The end was nigh. Carse was dropped by Green at second slip – standing so close to ensure every half-chance carried – and even Carey, Player of the Match for a peerless performance both in front and behind the stumps, endured a rare blemish as Archer snicked one into his elbow: had he been standing back to Boland, it would have been a regulation take.

It mattered not, however. Archer has been one of England’s batters of the series to date – which, for a No.10/11 is a damning indictment of their efforts – but this time he couldn’t be the hero. A slashing cut at Starc picked out deep point, and eight balls later, Australia’s fourth home Ashes in a row was in the bag, and once again at the earliest opportunity.

Brief scores:
Australia 371 and 349 (Travis Head 170, Alex Carey 72; Josh Tongue 4-70, Brydon Carse 3-80) beat England 286 and 352 (Zak Crawley 85, Jamie Smith 60, Will Jacks 47; Mitchell Starc 3-42, Pat Cummins 3-48, Nathan Lyon 3-77) by 82 runs

[Cricimfo]

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