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Nkrumah Bonner, Jason Holder keep West Indies in contention with England

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3 years ago

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An unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership of 75 runs between Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder helped West Indies recover from a mini collapse and advanced to 202 for four on the second day of the first Test against England on Wednesday.

West Indies will resume 109 runs behind and with six wickets in hand in reply to England’s first innings total of 311 on the second day of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

England’s reshuffled bowling attack served up a mixed bag on a tricky day in Antigua, after Jonny Bairstow and co. added 43 to the overnight score to post 311 in the first innings – more than England had managed in any of the five Ashes Tests in their defeat to Australia.

A wayward start with the ball from England’s new opening pair of Chris Woakes and Craig Overton helped the West Indies openers build a stand of 83 from just 19.3 overs as the reply got off to a rapid start.

Mark Wood, Ben Stokes and Jack Leach bowled tidily, and four quick wickets in the afternoon session threatened to swing the momentum back in England’s favour.

But a stand of 75 after Tea between Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder helped West Indies to 202/4 by the close, 109 runs behind against a bowling attack who failed to immediately justify England’s unorthodox selection policy for the Caribbean tour.

England had resumed on 268/6 and picked up where they’d left off on the first evening, with Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes looking largely untroubled early on.

However, the prospect of a giant first-innings score evaporated when Jayden Seales came on in the fifth over of the morning and snaffled the scalps of Woakes for 28 and Craig Overton for a two-ball duck.

And with the West Indies amongst the England tail, Bairstow opened up, farming the strike and taking his team’s score beyond 300 for the first time in Tests since the win over India in Leeds back in August.

Alzarri Joseph rescued his figures after a tricky outing by taking the final two wickets, luring Mark Wood into a wild swing that looped to point and having Bairstow caught off a top edge.

And Bairstow left the field to warm applause from the Antigua crowd, out for 140 from 259 balls. Much of the talk surrounding England prior to the start of the series focused on the decision to leave James Anderson and Stuart Broad out of the squad as part of a Test ‘reset’.

But the rejigged England attack struggled badly early on with the new ball, as runs flowed at a brisk rate, with the usually reserved Kraigg Brathwaite scoring at a run a ball to steer his side to 44 without loss at lunch.

Opening bowler Chris Woakes was particularly wayward, leaking 23 runs off his first three overs of the innings, with Craig Overton offering little more control, although Mark Wood did hit high pace early, with his third delivery clocked at 149kmh.
The runs continued to flow after the lunch interval until Overton fortuitously dismissed John Campbell, strangled down the leg side.

And fellow opener Brathwaite was next to go for an uncharacteristically rapid 55 from 70 balls, expertly pouched at gully by Overton off a quick and wide delivery from Wood.
England continued to leak runs, but the introduction of Ben Stokes helped stem the tide, as the allrounder and Wood introduced some much-needed control to proceedings. And Stokes picked up the wicket that his spell merited, drawing an edge from Shamarh Brook to send him back for 18.

And the gloss was further taken off West Indies’ fast start when Jermaine Blackwood was caught at gully off the thigh pad via an inside-edge, giving Woakes a morale-boosting wicket with what turned out to be the final ball of the session thanks to a short rain delay.

Blackwood’s departure meant West Indies had lost four wickets for 44 runs having been 83 without loss, leaving England well-placed with the score at 127/4 at Tea.
England’s hopes of gaining a sizeable first-innings lead slipped away during a frustrating final session for the visitors, with the soft ball making the bowling attack even less threatening.

A couple of further short rain breaks did little other than put moisture into the pitch and ball, removing the hint of reverse swing, and West Indies rebuilt after their pre-Tea collapse.

Bonner with 34 ( not out) from 103 balls and Holder’s 43 (not out) from 104 balls helped the home side beyond 200 before another rain shower brought an end to the day’s play, with England still 13 overs away from the new ball.

The wickets were shared one apiece between the seamers, with Wood (1/24) and Stokes (1/20) impressing along with the tidy Jack Leach, who conceded less than two-an-over through the day.

But Woakes 1/54 from 12 and Overton 1/58 from 16 will be looking for significant improvements on the third day with the match finely poised approaching the midway point.

Brief scores: England 311 all out in 100.3 overs (Jonny Bairstow 140, Ben Stokes 36, Ben Foakes 42, Chris Woakes 28; Jayden Seale 4/79, Kemar Roach 2/86, Jason Holder 2/24, Alzarri Joseph 2/70) vs West Indies 202/4 in 66.5 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 55, John Campbell 35, Nkrumah Bonner 34 not out, Jason Holder not out 43; Chris Woakes 1/54, Craig Overton 1/58, trail by 109 runs.

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International

CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources

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1 day ago

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December 19, 2024

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New Delhi, Dec 19: The much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 will be played on February 23 with Colombo and Dubai front-runners to play host for India’s matches in the tournament being played in hybrid format. The development comes after the ICC Board said that “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue.”

“India will take on Pakistan at a neutral venue on February 23, 2025. ICC looking at Colombo and Dubai to host their matches.”

The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played in February and March 2025. Meanwhile, ICC said the schedule for the marquee tournament will be confirmed in the coming days.

Pakistan are the defending champions of the tournament, having defeated India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval in 2017. Both teams last played against each other in the T20 World Cup in New York earlier this year which India won by six runs and went on to claim their second silverware in the format.

Due to the strained political relations between the two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan only play each other in international events including World Cups and Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan was held in 2012-13 when the latter toured India for the five-match white-ball series.

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International

It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027

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2 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday, 19 December. The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be confirmed soon, with Pakistan aiming to defend the title they won in 2017.

The eight-team event will feature Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, alongside hosts Pakistan.

This will apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).

It was also announced that the PCB has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. Cricket Australia is set to host one of the senior ICC women’s events during the period 2029 to 2031.

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International

‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global

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4 days ago

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December 16, 2024

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New Delhi, Dec 16: Coach Sumit Bhatia is all pumped up for the first edition of the Kho Kho World Cup scheduled to take place from January 13-19, 2025. Bhatia, who holds a distinct record of being the only head coach to have won the Asian Championship twice, believes that this historical step is an indication of the realisation of the dream to take the sport to the international level and help it gain global recognition.

Having been honoured with the best coach award by the Delhi government, Bhatia has been a part of various Indian teams’ success, including the 2016 and 2023 Asian Kho Kho Championship victories, and has trained players like Nasreen Shaikh and Sarika Sudhakar Kale. Both of them have been Arjuna Awardees.

Nasreen, who is also a part of the World Cup camp, is the only player who has played in two Asian Championships and won the gold. The coach-student duo is now gearing up for the global event.

Sharing how the journey of Kho Kho World Cup’s inception, the coach said, “We organised an international camp here before COVID happened, in 2020. Coaches and players from 16 countries came here and we gave them training. Now they will be coming here for the World Cup but this campaign started in that camp”.

He further said, “Around 30-35 countries were willing to play the tournament but we picked the best 20 teams for both men and women. Some countries have single teams while some have double teams but a total of 24 countries will be participating in the tournament. It was our dream to take Kho Kho to the international level and now we can see that our dream is getting fulfilled.”

He also lauded the launch of the Ultimate Kho Kho League and shared how the franchise-based model has helped the players and coaches gain recognition, while also bringing forward grassroot talent.

“When the Ultimate Kho Kho league started, I also joined Telegu Yodhas as their head coach and we also played the final. Players have gotten exposure through the league and it’s not just financial. Earlier we used to hesitate while admitting being a Kho Kho coach but today our players introduce us as their coach,” said Bhatia.

He added, “The league got so much coverage that wherever we go, the players are approached for autographs. So the platform of the league started a new world for both coaches and players and now not just India but the entire world knows us. Earlier we used to tell people about our game but now they know what is Kho Kho and Ultimate Kho Kho league and are also waiting for the third season.”

Bhatia also discussed the impact of sports science on Kho Kho and lauded the newly introduced technology and said, “We have benefitted a lot from it. Sometimes we don’t understand why a player is not performing well. But with the introduction of sports science, we now know about the details of the problem.

“For example, a player might be facing issues with his left leg while sitting and so, it gives us an opportunity to work on that weakness… Sports science has helped us in identifying the accuracy and weakness of a player. So it’s very beneficial for us.”

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