Mumbai Indians raced to their third straight win in the Women’s Premier League as they beat Delhi Capitals by eight wickets at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.
After opting to bat, Delhi was bowled out for 105 in 18 overs and in response, Mumbai chased down the target in 15 overs to finish on 109 for two.
For Delhi, the only saving grace was a 50-run fourth wicket stand between captain Meg Lanning and Jemimah Rodrigues.
Lanning top-scored with 43 off 41 balls with five boundaries. But after the fall of the fourth wicket at 81, the innings slipped to 98 for eight.
From there on the tail collapsed without any fight to finish on 105 in 18 overs. For Mumbai the best bowlers were Saika Ishaque (3-13), Issy Wong (3-10) and Haley Matthews (3-19).
The chase for Mumbai was easy as their openers Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews put on 65 for the first wicket.
Then Nat Sciver-Brunt teamed up with captain Harmanpreet Kaur to take the team to victory. In the end Mumbai finished on 109 for two in 15 overs.
For Mumbai the top-scorer was Bhatia (41: 32b, 8×4) and Matthews made 32 off 31 balls with six boundaries.
Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 105 all out in 18 overs (Meg Lanning 43; Saika Ishaque 3-13, Issy Wong 3-10) lost to Mumbai Indians 109/2 in 15 overs (Yastika Bhatia 41, Haylaye Matthews 32; Tara Norris 1-4) by 8 wickets.
Playing XI
Delhi Capitals Women: Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Meg Lanning (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Alice Capsey, Marizanne Kapp, Shafali Verma, Minnu Mani, Jess Jonassen, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Tara Norris
A seven-wicket haul for Gudakesh Motie helped West Indies skittle Zimbabwe out for 115 in the second session on Day 1 of the second Test in Bulawayo. Motie finished with 7 for 37 to bag his first seven-for in first-class cricket. West Indies, in reply, lost Kraigg Brathwaite early in the innings and were 13/1 at Tea.
Zimbabwe opted to bat and were without Gary Ballance who was out of the second Test due to a migraine and was replaced by Milton Shumba.
Brad Evans and Richard Ngarava also missed out, with Donald Tiripano and Tanaka Chivanga getting a game.
West Indies brought in Shannon Gabriel in place of Kemar Roach.
Opener Innocent Kaia scored 38 in his 52-ball stay at the crease before he was dismissed by Jason Holder, who took 2-18.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, Two wickets apiece for Jason Holder and Gudakesh Motie left Zimbabwe in a lot of trouble as they were reduced to 70/5 at Lunch on Day 1 of the second Test in Bulawayo.
In just over an hour and 15.5 overs the West Indies post lunch, Motie wreaked havoc starting with the dismissal of Craig Irvine for 22.
He was the only other batter to make double figures before Donald Tiripano pushed back briefly with an unbeaten 23.
Chivanga was involved in a 26-run stand for the final wicket with Tiripano before being bowled by Motie, who became the first West Indian to bag a seven-wicket haul against Zimbabwe.
Motie is into the record books…
☑️ Best all time figures WI v ZIM (previous Shane Shillingford 6-49)
☑️ 3rd best all time by West Indies spinner away (Devendra Bishoo 8-49; Alf Valentine 8-104)
Alzarri Joseph who started the ball rolling when he bowled opener Tanunurwa Makoni for a 24-ball duck with only 16 runs on the board, finished with figures of 1-29.
Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul began in a sedate fashion as they looked to blunt the Zimbabwe bowling attack like they did in the first Test.
The West Indies captain, however, was dismissed for 7 off 27 as he was trapped in front by Masakadza, who dismissed Brathwaite for the third time in as many innings.
Chanderpaul struck successive boundaries off Chivanga and was unbeaten on 14 at Tea.
Brief scores: Zimbabwe 115 (Innocent Kaia 38; Gudakesh Motie 7-37, Jason Holder 2-18) lead West Indies 21/1 (Tagenarine Chanderpaul 14*; Wellington Masakadza 1-2) by 94 runs.
Unbeaten half-centuries from Alex Hales and Sherfane Rutherford helped Desert Vipers to a comfortable 7-wicket win over MI Emirates in their DP World IL T20 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Image Courtesy: ilt20
After the Vipers won the toss and elected to field first, Emirates got off to the worst start in the innings as they dismissed openers Muhammad Wasim (5) and Vritiya Aravind (3) within the first three overs.
West Indies player Andre Fletcher and former West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran put on a 43-run stand for the third wicket before Fletcher fell in the ninth over for 21 to leave them 53-3.
Then captain Kieron Pollard joined Pooran on the crease and the two of them engaged in an excellent batting and finally built a 100-run partnership in the 19th over and Pooran scored 50 runs in the same over.
Pollard brought up his 50, his second in a row, with a trademark straight six in the previous over. The partnership reached 116 when Pooran was finally dismissed, bowled by Tom Curran in the final over for 57.
Image Courtesy: Mi Emirates
In the end, Pollard scored an unbeaten 67 off 39 balls with a four and six sixes as Emirates scored 169 for 20 overs. It was not a great day for West Indian bowlers with only Sheldon Cottrell (1 for 20 in four overs) registering respectable figures for the victorious Vipers.
The Vipers’ chase rocked early as Trent Boult bowled Rohan Mustafa for one in the first over to bring captain Colin Munro to the crease. However, Sherafane Rutherford’s brilliant half-century kept Desert Vipers at the top of the points table.
Chasing a tough target of 170 runs, Rutherford scored 76 runs for 3 wickets while the Vipers team needed 94 runs from 73 balls to defeat the MI Emirates team.
The Guyanese scored 56 off 29 balls with three sixes, while Alex Hales made an unbeaten 62 off 44 balls, before Rutherford hit a four and a single in the 17th over to take the Vipers to their fourth win in five games. Player of Match ($1500) Sherfane Rutherford
Dwayne Bravo went wicketless for 24 runs in his three overs for MI Emirates.
The Desert Vipers are on eight points after five games with only one loss and lead by net run rate over the Gulf Giants. MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriors round off the top four in the six-team tournament.
Speaking about their performance Desert Vipers’ Sherfane Rutherford said, “I want to keep things simple and just watch the ball. I was just trying to react to the ball. The key was just to use the pace and that worked for me.”
Player of the match, Sherfane Rutherford, was delighted with his hard-hitting performance 🏏
Meanwhile, MI Emirates’ Trent Boult said, “It becomes easier to bat on in the second innings here. I thought they played extremely well. They timed their innings quite nicely. That’s a luxury when you’re chasing 170.”
Brief Scores: MI Emirates 169 for 5 in 20 overs (Andre Fletcher 21, Nicholas Pooran 57, Kieron Pollard 67n.o, Tom Curran 2 for 38)
Desert Vipers 170 for 3 in 16.3 overs (Alex Hales 62n.o, Colin Munro 41, Sherfane Rutherford 56n.o, Samit Patel 2 for 23)
The ICC ODI team of 2022 has been named and it includes a bowler and a batsman from West Indies. In addition, two each from Australia, New Zealand, India and one each from Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh were included.
The ICC had stated that the team was selected based on their all-round exploits with bat, ball or in a calendar year. Accordingly, the ICC Men’s ODI Team of 2022 is,
1. Babar Azam (c) – Pakistan
In the nine matches that Barber has played this year, the 28-year-old has scored eight more than fifty runs, three of which he converted into centuries. He finished the year with 679 runs at an impressive average of 84.87.
Babar had a memorable year as Pakistan ODI captain, winning three out of three tournaments. Pakistan were unstoppable in the ODI format, losing just one match (against Australia) out of nine. His leadership skills mean he will lead the ICC Men’s ODI team in 2022.
2. Travis Head – Australia
Normally an attacking middle-order batsman, Head brilliantly reinvented himself as an ODI opener, becoming one of Australia’s most consistent batsmen in the format. It was a year to remember for Head, who became the first name on the Australian team sheet – scoring 550 runs at 68.75 in nine matches.
His runs came at a strike rate of 112.24 and included two centuries and three fifties.
3. Shai Hope – West Indies
Image Courtesy: AFP/Getty images
Hope, who made his ODI debut six years ago and since 2017, has finished as the highest run-scorer in ODIs for the West Indies every year.
This year was no different and the 29-year-old was once again one of the few stars to shine for West Indies in a difficult year where they won just 5 of the 21 ODIs they played.
Hope did not get off the greatest of starts in 2022 but in typical fashion started to grind out runs in the latter half. He finished the year with 709 runs, which include three hundred and two fifties, at an average of 35.45.
Shai Hope was often the lone warrior for West Indies in ODIs this year and as a result, four of his five fifty-plus scores this year came in losses. The one that didn’t – his 119* off 130 against the Netherlands – fetched him the Player of the Match in the first game of the three-match series in May-June 2022.
Chasing 241 in Amstelveen in a rain-reduced 45-overs-a-side game, Hope displayed the immaculate temperament he is known for and batted through till the end.
He was part of two 100-run partnerships, first with Shamarh Brooks for the first wicket and then with Brandon King for the unbeaten fourth wicket. Between the two partnerships was a mini-collapse but Hope weathered the storm to guide West Indies to victory.
Hope has so far played 99 ODIs where he has scored 4308 runs at a high average of 48.95. 21 fifties and 13 centuries belong to his score bag.
4. Shreyas Iyer – India
Mostly at No.4, Iyer played 17 matches during the calendar year and scored 724 runs at an average of 55.69. He scored his runs at a blistering pace of 91.52 which included one century and six fifties.
5. Tom Latham (wk) – New Zealand
Often considered a strong batsman, Tom Latham added a new dimension to his game in 2022, often playing the role of finisher from the No. 5 position.
Latham scored 558 runs in 15 matches at an average of 55.80 and a strike rate of 101.27. He scored two fifties and two centuries during the year, becoming an indispensable player in the New Zealand middle order. Latham was also strong behind the wicket, effecting 16 dismissals.
6. Sikandar Raza – Zimbabwe
2022 saw Zimbabwe’s resurgence on the international stage and much of it came down to one man – Sikandar Raza. Raza scored 645 runs at an average of 49.61 and a strike rate of 87.16, scoring two fifties to complete three centuries.
With the ball, Raza was ever-reliable, taking 8 wickets at over 5 per over.
7. Mehidy Hasan Miraz – Bangladesh
Mehidy Hasan Miraz emerged as one of ODI cricket’s most consistent all-rounders in 2022, with some brilliant displays.
He took 24 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 28.20 with a best figure of 4/29. He scored 330 runs with one century and a half-century at an impressive average of 66.
8. Alzarri Joseph – West Indies
Image Source: AFP/Getty Images
Alzzari Joseph developed from a highly rated prospect to a reliable performer for West Indies in 2022. Not lacking in pace but sometimes in accuracy, Joseph worked on his shortcomings and became a fearsome prospect for the batsmen to face.
Joseph played 17 matches and took 27 wickets at an average of 25.70 and a strike rate of 33.4. He was also stingy with an economy rate of 4.61 with best figures of 3/36.
He was the second-highest wicket-taker for West Indies in 2022, ahead of Akeal Hossain.
9. Mohammad Siraj – India
Siraj bowled both new and old balls and managed to take 24 wickets in 15 matches. His best figures were 3/29, with an economy of 4.62 wickets and an average of 23.50.
10. Trent Boult – New Zealand
The left-arm pacer has been a beacon of consistency for nearly a decade and 2022 has been no different.
Boult played just six matches in 2022 but made a huge impact in them. He took 18 wickets at an impressive average of 12.38 and a miserly economy of 3.98, with a best figure of 4/38.
11. Adam Zampa – Australia
The leggie enjoyed his joint most prolific year in ODI cricket, equaling his 30-wicket haul since his debut in 2016. His performances this year have been even more impressive considering 9 of the 12 games he has played have been at home in poor conditions.
The ICC ODI team of 2022: Babar Azam(c), Travis Head, Shai Hope, Shreyas Iyer, Tom Latham(wk), Sikandar Raza, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammad Siraj, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa.
Matthew Nandu stood out with another half-century in Guyana’s Harpy Eagles practice matches but his fellow batsmen again failed to make the most of their start on the first day of the four-day match at the Providence National Stadium.
image courtesy: News Room
The left-handed batsman, who scored 78 and 24 runs in the previous match, stayed at the stadium for almost three hours on Wednesday and faced 114 balls, and hit 6 fours.
The West Indies Under-19 captain put on a 72-run opening partnership with Everest Cricket Club colleague Chandrapaul Hemraj to take him to 46 off 36 balls until he was dismissed by Niall Smith.
Shamar Yearwood (37) was the next best scorer while veteran Leon Johnson remained unbeaten on 25, Akshaya Persaud scored 22 and Tevin Imlach’s XI were bowled out for 226 in 75.4 overs.
Chandrapaul Hemraj scored a brisk 46 before he was dismissed
Skipper Gudakesh Moti led his team with 3-8 in 8.4 overs, while off-spinners Richie Lucknath (2-29) and Junior Sinclair (2-33) played in support.
image courtesy: News Room
Matthew Nandu, in an interview with “Newsroom”, he said that day by day, game by game he believes in himself positively.
“Just want to take it game by game and day by day Control what I can control and just keep staying positive and believing in myself.”
Speaking further, Nandu insisted that he works hard in every session and works on his fitness, mentally and physically.
“I’ve played cricket for a while now and continue to working hard in the nets any session I get Working on my fitness, mentally and physically. So, yeah, I honestly believe that. Just keep playing my game.”
“I think the belief in myself is one of the biggest things, especially mental toughness. I mean, it’s not easy to bot long periods. so I think mental toughness, mental of strength will all come together.”
Nandu scored 78 runs in the first innings before the second match and when asked about it he said,
It was a good inning, but obviously not 100% satisfied. I felt they could have gone on to score a bigger get some more runs but I just want to keep looking forward and keep my head up high.
Also,
“Getting along well with a lot of them. They’re always open to it for any advice, any questions I may have. So really enjoying my time here.”
West Indian greatest and former skipper Brian Lara is one batsman who has easily tamed two of the best spinners of any era, Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. Joining the Telegraph, he said that as a result of tennis ball cricket, he became very good at playing spin.
“We played with tennis balls, and you can actually chuck the tennis ball. In softball cricket, you can chuck it into the pitch, turn it a mile. And I felt that was a huge part of understanding how to play spin from an early age. If you were to ask me ‘spin or pace?’ I’ll tell you spin every single day. It just came as something natural.”
Brian Lara admits he struggled to read Muttiah Muralitharan in the opening stages of each innings during which he scored 688 in the 2001 series. Warne has gotten better with age, says the West Indian greatest.
“What Murali didn’t realize is that for the first 20 minutes of every innings, I really was not reading him. I kept sweeping and getting a single, getting off strike. And then eventually you start getting accustomed to what he was doing with the ball and then eventually he lost a bit of confidence maybe.”
“Murali was harder to face at the beginning of the innings. But as I got better out in the middle, Murali knew he could get the rest of the players out so the field would spread and I’d get a single.”
Two of the greatest spinners of all time, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne, have a chat Pictures Source : Rob Tringali/ESPN
The Trinidadian said Warne became a tough opponent for the faces as he got better with age and experience.
“I read Warnie easily but he became more difficult as he seemed to get better.”
Commenting further, the West Indies legend said he read Warne more than the pitch because it was too late to pick the ball in the second order.
“A lot of people try to read off the pitch. I think that’s a bit too late. So, I’m trying to understand what’s coming out of the bowler’s hand. I read Warnie quite easily. But what made him great was the fact that he never gave up and he was always going to come out and produce something to confuse you.”
Brian Lara and Muttiah Muralitharan will be working together as the coaches of the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise this year.
Legendary former West Indies cricketer and ex-Bangladesh national team coach Gordon Greenidge was a special guest at the Dhaka Lit event held at the historic Bangla Academy Stadium in the capital from January 5-8.
After being canceled for three consecutive years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 10th edition of the DLF, the biggest international literary festival in Bangladesh, is finally back and Bangladesh cricket followers, or even general fans of the game, will not want to miss out on the opportunity to meet the Windies great.
A stylish right-handed opening batsman in the Caribbean sides of the halcyon days of the 1970s and 80s, the 71-year-old Bajan etched his name in Bangladesh cricket history when he guided the Bngaldeshs to the 1997 ICC Trophy triumph, and subsequently a place in the ODI World Cup for the first time.
A book titled “Eye on the Ball” by Yusuf Resar Rahman, popularly known as Yusuf Babu, a popular Bangladesh batsman of the seventies and eighties, was launched on Saturday during the fourth and final day of the Dhaka Lit Fest.
The former West Indies opening batsman, who participated in that, commented that cricket is becoming more and more about the batters.
He said in this regard: “We should establish equality between bowlers and batsmen.”
image courtesy: Getty Images
The legendary Sir Gordon Greenidge represented the West Indies in Tests and ODIs for 17 years and is regarded worldwide as one of the greatest and most devastating openers in the history of cricket.
Following Argentina’s victory in the Qatar 2022 World Cup final football match between Argentina and France at Luceil Stadium, Argentina captain and forward Lionel Messi told Argentina Television after the presentation ceremony.
“I want to keep experiencing a few more matches as world champion.”
Speaking further, Messi said he would not retire and would continue to play for Argentina.
“It’s simply unbelievable. I knew that God was going to give me the Cup, I was sure — it was a big joy for us. I had this big dream for a long time, I wanted to close my career with a World Cup.”
“I can’t ask more than this. No, I’m not going to retire from the national team. I want to keep playing as World Cup champions with the Argentina shirt.”
Argentina led 2-0 at half-time and went 3-2 up in extra-time, but two late goals in normal time and another in extra-time saw Kylian Mbappe pull Argentina back with a hat-trick to take the game to penalties.
“It was a very strange match, the same as the other one against the Netherlands, and then when we went ahead in extra-time it happened again.”
But, he added, the World Cup trophy is “beautiful”.
Argentina boss Scaloni was speaking after the final against France, where he said Messi could still make the next World Cup in 2026 and that the door was open to the captain and the decision was left to him.
“We need to save him for the next World Cup – 2026. If Leo wants to keep playing, then he will be with us. He is more than entitled to decide what he wants to do with his career now.”
“It’s such a huge pleasure to coach him and his teammates because everything he transmits to his teammates is incredible. He gives us so much.”
“I am so proud. I am so happy to be World Cup winners. We should have won the match in 90 minutes, then extra time but we were fighters and we were very strong. We kept fighting because we wanted the win so much.”
“These players play for the people, they play for the Argentina fans, they play for the whole country. The players broke their backs because they understood what they had to do on the pitch and we are very, very happy and proud.”
However, ahead of the start of the World Cup in Qatar, the 35-year-old Messi has announced that it will be his last game of the tournament.
“Obviously I would like to end my career with this, I cannot ask for more. My career is nearly over because these are my last years.”
After many disappointments on football’s biggest stage, including losing the 2014 World Cup final to Germany in Brazil, Messi said he always felt his time would come.
The player retentions for Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 were announced on November 11. One of the biggest deals ahead of the draft was Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, who has moved to Peshawar Zalmi in the supplementary round while veteran batter Shoaib Malik and youngster Haider Ali have joined the Karachi Kings.
(image Source: Twitter)
For the eighth season, 493 players are registered under two categories as platinum and diamond. Accordingly, 81 of them are registered in the diamond category and 29 players are registered in the platinum category.
With 38 West Indies players registered for the player draft for the 2023 PSL season, the highest number of players are registered from England, the number is 140, besides 60 from Sri Lanka, 43 from Afghanistan, 28 from Bangladesh, 25 from South Africa, 14 players from Australia, 11 from Zimbabwe and 09 from Ireland.
All foreign players registered under Platinum and Diamond categories,
Platinum
Aaron Finch, Adil Rashid, Akeal Hosein, Alex Hales, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Colin De Grandhomme, Dasun Shanaka, David Miller, Dawid Malan, Evin Lewis, Jimmy Neesham, Lungi Ngidi, Martin Guptill, Moeen Ali, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rehman, Nicholas Pooran, Odean Smith, Rahkeem Cornwall, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, Rassie van der Dussen, Reece Topley, Saqib Mahmood, Shakib Al Hasan, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tom Curran, Tymal Mills, and Wanindu Hasaranga De Silva
Diamond
Adam Hose, Andre Fletcher, Andrew Tye, Angelo Mathews, Avishka Fernando, Bas de Leede, Ben Mike, Benjamin Cutting, Bjorn Fortuin, Brandon King, Cameron Delport, Carlos Brathwaite, Chadwick Walton, Charith Asalanka, Craig Overton, Daniel Sams, Daniel Worrall, David Wiese, Dominic Drakes, Dushmantha Chameera, Dwaine Pretorius, Evan Jones, Fabian Allen, Fazalhaq Farooqi, George Dockrell, Gulbadin Naib, Hayden Walsh, Hazratullah Zazai, Imran Tahir, Jacques Snyman, James Bracey, James Fuller, James Vince, Jamie Overton, Janneman Malan, Jason Roy,
Johnson Charles, Josh Little, Keemo Paul, Kevin Sinclair, Kieran Powell, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Laurie Evans, Lendl Simmons, Lewis Gregory, Lewis McManus, Liam Dawson, Liam Norwell, Luke Wood, Maheesh Theekshana, Mahmudullah Riyad, Marchant De Lange, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Michael Rippon, Migael Pretorius, Mushfiqur Rahim, Najibullah Zadran, Nkrumah Bonner, Ollie Pope, Olly Stone, Oshane Thomas, Patum Nissanka, Paul Walter, Qais Ahmad, Rehan Ahmed, Richard Gleeson, Rilee Rossouw, Roelof van der Merwe, Roston Chase, Ryan Gibson, Shai Hope, Shane Dadswell, Sherfane Rutherford, Sikandar Raza, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed, Thisara Perera, Thomas Kaber Phillip, Wayne Parnell, and Will Jacks
All West Indies players registered under the platinum category: Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Nicholas Pooran, Odean Smith, Rahkeem Cornwell,
All West Indies players registered under Diamond Category:
Andre Fletcher, Brandon King, Carlos Brathwaite, Chadwick Walton, Dominic Drakes, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh Jr, Johnson Charles, Keemo Paul, Kevin Sinclair, Kieran Powell, Lendl Simmons, Nkrumah Bonner, Oshane Thomas, Roston Chase, Shai Hope, Sherafane Rutherford.
During the draft, each of the six franchises owns draft cards that allow them to select any players they release from their rosters. After the draft, a total of 18 members can be selected for the squad and all will be referred to.
Complete list of retained players for PSL 2023:
Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (Platinum). Asif Ali (Brand Ambassador) and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Diamond). Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, and Hasan Ali (Gold). Colin Munro and Paul Stirling (Silver).
Karachi Kings: Haider Ali (Platinum). Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir and Shoaib Malik (Diamond). Aamir Yamin, Mir Hamza and Sharjeel Khan (Silver). Qasim Akram (Emerging)
Lahore Qalandars: Rashid Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Platinum). David Wiese (Diamond). Abdullah Shafique (Gold). Harry Brook and Kamran Ghulam (Silver). Zaman Khan (Emerging). The eighth retention to be announced in due course.
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (Platinum). Khushdil Shah, Rilee Rossouw, and Shan Masood (Diamond). Shahnawaz Dahani (Brand Ambassador) and Tim David (Gold). Abbas Afridi and Ihsanullah (Emerging).
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (Platinum). Sherfane Rutherford and Wahab Riaz (Diamond). Mohammad Haris (Gold). Aamir Jamal (Brand Ambassador), Salman Irshad, and Tom-Kohler Cadmore (Silver).
Quetta Gladiators: Mohammad Nawaz (Platinum). Iftikhar Ahmed and Jason Roy (Diamond). Mohammad Hasnain and Sarfaraz Ahmed (Gold). Naveen ul Haq, Umar Akmal (Mentor) and Will Smeed (Silver)
West Indies finally have some hope ahead of their Frank Worrell Trophy series against Australia, fighting back from an early hole to take the challenge up to the Prime Minister’s XI.
They were staring down the barrel of another disastrous day with the ball when PM’s XI were 134 for 0, but showed spirit to take six wickets in the evening session and finish the day at 297 for 9 at the Manuka Oval.
The PM’s side resumed after the dinner break at 198 for 3, but the visitors found a spark through spinner Roston Chase, his two wickets swinging the game slightly in their favour at stumps.
Chase first produced a gem that turned plenty and clean bowled Aaron Hardie, while another great delivery spun past Peter Handscomb and had him stumped for 55.
The visitors took the new pink ball late in the evening session of the four-day, day-night clash, and immediately found some reward, with Alzarri Joseph knocking over Michael Neser and Joel Paris.
And he found a third with the last ball of the night, with Ashton Agar chopping on to his stumps after a quickfire 33.
Joseph (3 for 52) led the way, and Chase (2 for 72) was important, while frontline quick Kemar Roach took 1 for 40. It was an important fightback from West Indies, playing just days after conceding 426 for 4 against a combined ACT/NSW XI.
TEAMS
PM’s XI: Matt Renshaw, Marcus Harris, Henry Hunt, Peter Handscomb, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Ashton Agar, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Mark Steketee, Todd Murphy
