Mark Wood feels England’s audacious victory in the first Test has changed the dynamics of the Test series, insisting “we’ve given them something to think about” ahead of next week’s clash in Visakhapatnam.
England completed a famous 28-run win in Hyderabad, bouncing back from 190 behind after the first innings to complete a success already being talked about as one of their best ever away results.
Debutant spinner Tom Hartley outperformed the decorated home attack with his seven-wicket haul on day four and Ollie Pope’s 196 exemplified the tourists’ ability to control the game with sweeps and reverse sweeps, raising questions about how India will respond.
When England last travelled here in 2021, India responded to losing the series opener by preparing extreme turning pitches and walked away 3-1 winners, but it is not at all clear that such an approach would suit them this time around.
And pace bowler Wood is excited to place the ball firmly back in their court.
“I don’t know what they will produce next, they have the potential to do any wicket they want. But now we’ve given them something to think about,” he said.
“It’s one of our greatest wins, that tells you how big it was, and now we know we can do it. They now have to come up with a different plan.
“We’ve only won one game and there are five in the series, so it’s another big task to win the next game, but we’ve proved to India it will be a battle and we’re not going to give up.
“It’s not a foregone conclusion that we are going to turn up here and they’re gonna spin us out. Popey has played a fantastic knock and they’re now going to have to go analyse, like we would do if things didn’t go well, and think how they are going to try and combat that.
“We’re playing differently. It’s not just plodding forward and trying to survive. We’re trying to put the pressure back on India. Their spinners were going at over four an over – that would have never happened in the last series.
“People call it ‘Bazball’, but it’s putting that pressure on when the time comes and that’s how we’re trying to win games.”
Wood played as a solitary seam bowler in the opener, delivering just 25 overs in the match and a new ball spell of just one over in the second innings.
His was a unique role by English standards but one he or James Anderson may be asked to perform again by captain Ben Stokes in the second Test.
“I actually said to Jimmy that I found it more bizarre not having anyone to talk to,” said Wood of going it alone.
“Going with four spinners and myself I knew my role would be very different to what I was used to. It was a bit odd, a bit weird at times, but spin was doing the damage.
“Very rarely would you ever think you’d bowl just one and then be off but I trust what Stokesy says. I’ll give it everything for one over and when he says ‘rest’ I’m not annoyed; I get it, we’re going to spin now.
“It could (happen again) depending on what they produce. Going forward, for all the seam bowling group, we know that could be the statement and it’s about getting your mind around how to approach it.”
Scorpions all but book semi-final spot with 82-run DLS method win over Hurricanes
The Jamaica Scorpions all but booked a spot in the last four of the 2024 CG United Super50 Cup with an 82-run DLS method win over the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Friday.
After being put in to bat by the Leewards in the game that was reduced to 43 overs per team, the Scorpions made 264-9 from their 43 overs thanks to some smart and destructive batting.
Jermaine Blackwood led the way with 54 off 69 balls before Odean Smith provided some fireworks towards the end of the innings with 52 off just 33 balls including three fours and five massive sixes.
Captain John Campbell, moving from his usual opening position to number five for this game, contributed 42 while wicket-keeper/batsman Romaine Morris, who took the opening spot, made 27.
Hayden Walsh Jr bowled consistently on his way to figures of 3-33 from his nine overs while Jeremiah Louis took 2-30 in four overs.
Marquino Mindley was then spectacular with the ball to help restrict the Hurricanes to 182 all out in 34.3 overs.
Mindley finished with figures of 5-28 in his eight overs and was well supported by Jeavor Royal who took 2-20 from 6.3 overs and Odean Smith who took 2-40 from five overs.
Karima Gore and Jewel Andrew both hit 47 for the Hurricanes.
The win means the Scorpions end the league phase of the tournament at the top of the points standings with 53 points from their seven games.
The Trinidad and Tobago Red Force (52 points from six games) and the Barbados Pride (43 points from six games) are currently second and third and will face off on Saturday at Queen’s Park Oval.
The Hurricanes (38 points from six games) currently occupy the final semi-final spot and could book their spot with a win over the Combined Campuses and Colleges on Sunday.
Guyana are out having played all their matches and finished with 37 points. The Windward Islands Volcanoes have 31 points from their six games and could make things interesting with a big win over the West Indies Academy in their final game on Sunday.
Johnson five-for leads Australia to series win over Pakistan
Spencer Johnson's first five-for in T20Is led Australia to a hard-fought victory over Pakistan in Sydney, clinching a series success with a match to spare.
Johnson took the wickets of Mohammad Rizwan (16), Sahibzada Farhan (5), Usman Khan (52), Salman Agha (0) and Abbas Afridi (4) as Australia followed up their 29-run win in Thursday's rain-affected opener.
The momentum swung back and forth as both teams' batters struggled on a difficult surface, with Haris Rauf finishing with figures of 4-22 for Pakistan.
No Australia batter managed more than the 32 runs of opener Matthew Short, and they found themselves bundled out for 149, losing their last five wickets for just 53 runs.
However, Pakistan were dropped to 44-4 by the middle of their ninth over, with Johnson clearing up the tourists' captain Rizwan and vice-captain Salman with successive deliveries.
Usman's fine knock of 52 off 38 balls – including four fours and one maximum – dragged Pakistan back into contention, but he was beaten by the pace of another Johnson delivery with four overs remaining.
Pakistan ultimately needed 16 runs off the final over to level up the series, but their hopes were ended when Rauf was run out following a calamitous mix-up with Irfan Khan (37 not out), which saw both batters almost finish at the bowler's end.
Data Debrief: Australia on a roll
Australia entered this series having won just one of their last four bilateral T20I series against Pakistan, triumphing 2-0 in 2019 but losing the other three.
Regardless of the outcome of Monday's third match in Tasmania, the hosts have backed up that triumph, extending their unbeaten run across all men's T20I series to five (four wins, one draw).
They last enjoyed a streak of this length between November 2018 and February 2020 (also four wins, one draw).
Batters walked the talk, says Suryakumar after India's series win over South Africa
India captain Suryakumar Yadav heaped praise on his batters after the tourists thumped South Africa by 135 runs to claim the four-match T20I series 3-1 in Johannesburg.
Batting first, Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma both hit unbeaten centuries as India posted a total of 283-1 before bundling out the Proteas for 148.
India's ultra-aggressive approach under head coach Gautam Gambhir has taken T20I cricket by storm, with the team scoring their third 250-plus score in the format on Friday - the most by any team.
"Our plan was very clear. The last time we came here, we played the same brand of cricket as well and we wanted to continue that," said Suryakumar after the commanding victory.
"We wanted to follow those good habits. We didn't think about the results and it happened automatically."
Their 283-1 was also the fifth-highest total in men's T20I history and India's second-highest total after the 297-6 that they scored at home against Bangladesh only last month.
With his unbeaten 109 from 56 balls, Samson became the first batter to register three hundreds in a calendar year in T20Is, while Tilak's 120 from 47 balls was his second hundred in as many matches.
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