Sports
West Indies bowlers orchestrate second-half heist
Jason Holder-inspired West Indies pulled off an incredible second-half heist to defend their total of 149/6 and take a 1-0 lead in the T20I series. In tough batting conditions in Trinidad, India fell apart in the second half of the chase. Arshdeep Singh threatened to ruin West Indies’ good work at the death but Romario Shepherd did enough to leave India five short in the end.
Five overs into India’s chase, West Indies’ once-modest total of 149/6 began to look far more daunting as they lost both their openers cheaply. Akeal Hosein beat Shubman Gill in the air and had him stumped in the third over while Ishan Kishan fell for a slower one from Obed McCoy, mistiming a heave to mid-on in the fifth.
Suryakumar Yadav might still be finding his feet and ‘learning’ his way through the 50-over format but T20s continue to come easy to him. He started off with a drive down the ground and a cut over deep point for a four and a six. Accompanying him in the carnage was debutant Tilak who showed there’s no such thing as nerves at this level anymore as he got off the mark with a disdainful shot over deep mid-wicket off an Alzarri Joseph ball delivered at 143kmph. Joseph pushed up the pace and pulled back the length for a similar result, this time the ball flying over deep square leg. The pair took India to 66/2 in 9 overs and put them in a fairly comfortable position despite Hosein’s tight three overs for just 15 runs.
The hosts clawed back over the next two overs and two Shimron Hetmyer catches. First, at cover, he took a sharp, low one off an uppish drive from Suryakumar and then one at deep backward square leg off a miscue from Varma. Just like that, India were down to 77 for 4 in 11 overs, needing 73 off 54 balls.
Runs didn’t come easy, and Hosein completed an immaculate spell of 1 for 17 in four overs, even as Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson looked to drag India back on track. The pair got the odd boundary but had to gnaw at the deficit via singles and twos more often as they continued to struggle to middle the ball. The equation came down to 52 off 36 when a release over arrived. Hardik and Samson took 15 off McCoy, to put the pressure back on the hosts.
At 37 off 30 with two recognised batters in the middle, the game was still in India’s grasp but Jason Holder came back to rock the visitors again. He got his opposite number with an off-cutter before a direct hit from Mayers sent Samson packing. No runs were taken off it, leaving India’s long tail to get 37 off 24. Axar Patel, India’s last hope, injected life into the chase by going after Holder and getting a six down the ground in the 11-run 18th over that brought the equation down to 21 off 12. West Indies had also used up all the allotted time, and had to work with only four fielders outside the inner circle for the last two overs.
McCoy however, silenced the India fans by dismissing Axar on the first ball with a slower one but out walked Arshdeep to add another twist to what was turning out to be a dramatic finish to the chase. The left-hander flicked one past short fine leg fielder and then hit one over extra cover to keep the home side on their toes. It took India to the final over with 10 to get, but by the time Arshdeep got strike in the final over, India were eight down and still needed 9 from 4 balls. Romario Shepherd then nailed his wide yorkers to restrict Arshdeep and saw off the last batter, Mukesh Kumar, on the final ball when India needed six to win. In the end, India fell five runs short in chase.
Earlier in the day Brandon King began with a streaky four off the outside edge but made it his mission to try to maximise the PowerPlay. He gave debutant Mukesh the charge in his first over and took two successive fours off him. He then punished Arshdeep for straying down the leg side. Hardik brought on Axar in the fourth over and King responded by smashing him for a six with an inside-out shot over deep extra-cover.
On the first ball of the fifth over, India earned their first breakthrough when Yuzvendra Chahal appeared to have trapped Kyle Mayers leg-before. But replays showed it was a mistake from the left-hander to have not reviewed the call as the ball went well past the off-stump. Two balls later, Chahal ended King’s flamboyant stay by trapping him leg before. The opener – who scored 28 of the 29 runs on the board, took back a review with him.
Nicholas Pooran came out swinging for the fences like he was still in the blue of MI New York in Dallas where he played one of the finest T20 knocks and won a title with it. Like that day, he responded to the fall of wicket with a counter-punch as he hit Chahal for a four first ball and slog swept him for a six to end the double-wicket over. He gave Axar similar treatment to take West Indies to 54 for 2 in 6 overs.
On a slow surface, Hardik brought himself on and used change of pace to perfection as both Pooran and Johnson Charles struggled for fluency. India dug in further with a moment of brilliance on the field from Varma, who took a stunning catch in the deep to send Charles packing in the eighth over. Only 15 runs came from the four overs after the Power Play, taking West Indies to 69/2 at the halfway stage. Even after the drinks break, West Indies couldn’t quite push the scoring rate too high, as Hardik, Kuldeep Yadav and Chahal bowled well in tandem. The Indian skipper reaped the rewards of that phase as he got Pooran to hole out to deep mid-wicket and trudge off for a 34-ball 41.
Rovman Powell took the wheel from 96 for 4 in 14.1 overs and was largely responsible for his team getting to 149 for 6 in the end, with 42 coming off the last 30 balls. Powell slogged Hardik’s slower short ball over deep midwicket, muscled one over long-on from Chahal and then took on one of India’s trusted death-overs operators in Arshdeep. In the midst of a Powell-v-Indian bowlers tussle in the end, Mukesh bowled two high pressure overs – 18th and 20th – without giving away a single boundary. It took West Indies to 149/6 – a total which looked sub-par at that stage, but proved to be enough in the end.
Brief Scores:
West Indies 149/6 in 20 overs (Rovman Powell 48, Nicholas Pooran 41; Yuzvendra Chahal 2-24) beat India 145/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 39, Suryakumar Yadav 21; Jason Holder 2-19, Obed McCoy 2-28, Romario Shepherd 2-33) by 4 runs
Heavy rain in Guwahati delayed the start of the match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) by more than two and a half hours. And when play finally began at 10.10 pm, there was another storm awaiting MI.
RR’s openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooriyavanshi ransacked 80 runs in five overs. Sooryavanshi was eventually dismissed for 39 off 14, but Jaiswal rampaged unbeaten through the 11-over innings, scoring 77 off 32 to power RR to 150 for 3.
In reply, MI lost three wickets inside the powerplay, which was reduced to 3.2 overs, and were eventually restricted to 123 for 9. Jofra Archer had provided the first breakthrough, and Sandeep Sharma, Nandre Burger and Ravi Bishnoi picked up two wickets apiece. RR moved to the top of the points table with three wins in three games, while MI suffered their second successive defeat.
Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal don’t need to be told to be aggressive, and that natural instinct was heightened in a rain-shortened contest. If there was any moisture in the pitch due to the weather, there was no evidence of it in the powerplay. MI chose to give the first over not to Trent Boult but to Deepak Chahar and Jaiswal tore into him: 4, 6, 4, 0, 4, 4.
Then came the highly-anticipated battle: 15-year old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi facing Jasprit Bumrah for the first time in his fledgling career. How would he approach one of the greatest bowlers in the game? Bumrah’s first ball was a slot ball. Sooryavanshi played the delivery and not the deliverer, and smashed it over the long-on boundary. The strike rotated back to him over the next two balls, and when Bumrah tested him with an off-pace delivery, Sooryavanshi swivelled and pulled him for another six over deep backward square leg. Round one – 13 off 5 balls – to Sooryavanshi.
Boult came on for the third over and Jaiswal cleared the deep square leg boundary twice and Sooryavanshi once, and by the time the 20-ball powerplay was finished, RR were 59 for 0.
Jaiswal is usually boom or bust against MI. Before this match, he had two centuries and five scores of less than 15 in eight innings against them. On Tuesday, he went boom again, smashing four fours and three sixes in his first nine deliveries. He got to fifty off 23 balls by cracking Hardik Pandya through point.
Sooryavanshi fell to the golden arm of Shardul Thakur, Dhruv Jurel and Riyan Parag fell to the mystery spin of AM Ghazanfar, but Jaiswal didn’t stop. He clobbered Bumrah for a straight six and picked three fours off Shardul in the final over to take RR to 150.
Like they had with the ball, MI suffered 20 balls of powerplay mayhem with the bat. Facing an asking rate of nearly 14, Ryan Rickelton swung Jofra Archer for six over deep midwicket but then top-edged another pull and was caught by Jurel running back. Suryakumar Yadav paddled Nandre Burger for the flattest of sixes over fine leg but was deceived by a hard-length offcutter and caught at deep backward square a ball later. Rohit was pinned lbw for the sixth time in 13 IPL innings by Sandeep. While RR’s powerplay score was 59 for 0; MI responded with 29 for 3.
The pitch had become a little tacky as the match progressed and the RR quicks adapted by using their cutters to good effect. Legspinner Ravi Bishnoi extended his lead at the top of the Purple Cap charts by dismissing Hardik and Tilak Varma in his first over, reducing MI to 46 for 5 after five overs. He should have had a third in his next over, when Sherfane Rutherford miscued to long-on but Jaiswal dropped the chance.
With the required rate soaring to past 17 an over, Naman Dhir and Rutherford tried to revive the chase with a partnership of 47 in 17 balls. But any slim hope MI may have had was extinguished when Sandeep dived forward at short third to take a low catch to end Rutherford’s innings. Burger, Sandeep and Archer closed out the innings to seal RR’s victory by 27 runs.
Brief scores: [11 overs per team]
Rajasthan Royals 150 for 3 in 11 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 77*, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 39, Riyan Parag 20; Shardul Thakur 1-36, AM Ghazanfar 2-21) beat Mumbai Indians 123 for 9 in 11 overs (Tilak Varma 14, Sherfane Rutherford 25, Naman Dhir 25; Jofra Archer 1-17, Nandre Burger 2-21, Sandeep Sharma 2-26, Tushar Deshpande 1-29, Ravi Bishnoi 2-25) by 27 runs
[Cricinfo]
Sri Lanka have turned to seasoned Australian campaigner Jammie Siddons to steady the ship and sharpen their edge, with the new women’s head coach making it clear that toppling heavyweights, not merely making up the numbers, will be the name of the game.
Siddons, a well-travelled coach with miles on the clock, has set his sights firmly on the upcoming Women’s World Cup in England, where Sri Lanka will open proceedings against the hosts at Edgbaston in June. It’s a baptism by fire, England in their own backyard, but the message from the dressing room is simple: try and beat top teams regularly.
Drawn alongside England, West Indies, New Zealand, Ireland and Scotland in a six-team group, Sri Lanka know there’s little room for passengers. It’s sink or swim.
“The World Cup is our big focus and we’ve got some tough games coming up,” Siddons told reporters on the sidelines of a floodlit training session at the CCC. “England at home will be a hard nut to crack. West Indies and New Zealand are quality sides as well.”
Before the main event, Sri Lanka will have a dress rehearsal in Bangladesh, a chance to blood fresh faces.
“We’re heading to Bangladesh before the World Cup and that gives us an opportunity to look at some of the new players coming through,” Siddons added, casting an eye on the next crop.
Sri Lanka’s women have made steady strides over the past two years under Rumesh Rathnayake, but as any seasoned observer will tell you, fine margins often decide games at this level and there are still a few loose ends to tie up.
Fielding, particularly in the deep, has been their Achilles’ heel. Dropped catches have cost them dear, while a lack of firepower with the bat has meant they’ve often been caught playing catch-up against the game’s heavyweights; Australia, England and India.
“From a bowling perspective, we need a few more tricks in the bag. The girls have to develop variations, slower balls, cutters and cut down the boundaries. That’s something we’ve been working on,” he said, underlining the need to outthink rather than outmuscle opponents.
For years, Sri Lanka have leaned heavily on the broad shoulders of Chamari Atapattu, their talisman, their match-winner, their go-to player when the chips are down. Siddons knows that while Chamari remains the crown jewel, cricket is no one-woman show.
“She’s our major player and we’ve depended a lot on her,” he admitted. “But we need a few more to put their hands up. Chamari still has plenty to offer.”
Encouragingly, Siddons has already spotted bright talents in the pace department, a rare commodity in the women’s game in Sri Lanka.
“I’ve seen a couple of very exciting fast bowling talents who haven’t played much yet. They could be key for us,” he said, hinting at new-ball options that could ruffle a few feathers.
Off the field, Sri Lanka Cricket has invested heavily over the last five years, the board has cast the net wide taking the game to schools, strengthening domestic competitions and ensuring a steady pipeline of talent.
There has been no shortage of cricket either, with bilateral series home and away giving players valuable time in the middle. The Under-19 side is currently cutting its teeth in Australia, while development squads are being kept busy with regular tours and fixtures.
Central contracts and match fees are now part of the furniture, a far cry from the hand-to-mouth existence of yesteryear, though there remains room for improvement.
An absorbing contest is on the cards during the morning session on the final day as the next 28 overs are likely to decide the finalist from the first semi final of the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ tournament between St. Joseph’s College and Prince of Wales College at the D.H.H. Ground, Madampella today.
The semi-final moved towards a tense first innings finish after Prince of Wales reached 242 for five at stumps on the second day in reply to St. Joseph’s commanding first innings total of 354.
Open batsman Thusindu Deemantha played a remarkable innings of patience and determination, remaining unbeaten on 102 to keep the Cambrians’ hopes alive. His knock clearly reflected Prince of Wales’ strategy of batting for first innings points against the strong Darley Road outfit.
Deemantha displayed admirable grit to anchor the innings, facing as many as 248 deliveries during his stay at the crease. His unbeaten century included eight boundaries and he is set to resume his innings for a third consecutive day today after having first walked in to bat on Monday evening.
From the outset it was evident that Prince of Wales were aiming to stretch their innings as long as possible in pursuit of first innings advantage. According to tournament regulations, the first innings is restricted to 120 overs and the Cambrians now have 28 overs remaining to surpass the Josephian total.
St. Joseph’s bowlers will be eager to make early breakthroughs and expose the lower order to their formidable spin trio of Vigneswaran Akash, Vishwa Peiris and Nushan Perera. The three spinners dominated proceedings on the second day, accounting for 76 of the 92 overs bowled to Prince of Wales.
While Nushan Perera and Vishwa Peiris maintained tight control with economy rates below 2.5 runs per over, Akash bowled his 20 overs for just over three runs an over. Peiris was the most successful among them with two wickets.
For Prince of Wales, Oshan Maneesha contributed a valuable 38 runs while Gavesha Fernando played an important supporting role. Fernando joined Deemantha in a crucial 108-run fourth wicket partnership that steadied the innings and carried the Cambrians closer to the Josephian total.
With Deemantha firmly set at the crease and the Cambrians still needing to close the gap, the opening session today promises a gripping battle as both teams fight for a place in the final. (RF)
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