England’s reputation as the most fearless chasers in the game will be put to its biggest challenge yet after they were set a record 399 to win an absorbing second Test against India.
Since the ‘Bazball’ era began, Ben Stokes’ side have won eight of their 10 fourth-innings pursuits, including a new English record of 378 against the same opposition at Edgbaston 18 months ago.
Speaking after that match, Stokes said: “There was a bit of me that wanted them to get to 450, just to see what we’d do”. Now, he is one step closer to finding out.
That it is even considered possible after England ended day three on 67 for one speaks volumes for the way this team have raised expectations, not least in Hyderabad last week where they overturned a 190-run first-innings deficit.
But the challenge of finding another 332 runs in Visakhapatnam is even steeper, with a tricky turning pitch bringing the home spinners into play and the dynamic Jasprit Bumrah leading the attack.
England lost Ben Duckett for 28 when he was well caught off bat and pad but they refused to back down, Zak Crawley reaching 29 not out and Rehan Ahmed throwing the bat in a late cameo as the so-called ‘nighthawk’.
India had a chance to bat England even further out of the game but failed to back up Shubman Gill’s century as they were bowled out for 255.
England’s inexperienced bowling attack, featuring three young spinners with three Test caps between them coming into the match, Tom Hartley leading the way with four for 77.
The trio were perfect, with the occasional drag down or full toss creeping in, but their readiness to keep rolling up to try their luck showed plenty of heart. At 211 for four, with Gill on 104, that did not look enough but they clubbed together to take the next six wickets for 44.
India turned up already 171 in front and with all 10 wickets intact, a formidable starting point if ever there was one. But it was England’s old stager James Anderson who had the first say.
At 41 – and with no other seam bowlers in the side – he showed no signs of weariness as he blew away the Indian openers.
More than half of a sold-out Sunday crowd were still queuing outside when he struck with his fourth ball of the morning, a beauty that stood up off the seam and hit the top of Rohit Sharma’s off stump as he looked ruefully over his shoulder.
Yashavi Jaiswal, following up his stunning double century, was next to succumb to Anderson’s unforgiving line and length as he flashed a drive to slip. When Gill was given lbw to Hartley with just four to his name, England seemed to be calling all the shots.
But he took a chance on DRS and seemed more surprised than anyone when replays suggested a thin edge. A few moments later he had another scare, this time saved on umpire’s call as Anderson rapped him front.
Having survived his double scare, the Punjabi added exactly a hundred more runs. In the context of the game, against opponents not easy to intimidate, it was a crucial knock.
When Anderson exited the attack, the control went with him. Gill took the lead past 200 by launching Shoaib Bashir for six and dashed to 50 with successive fours off Ahmed. He shared a stand of 81 with Shreyas Iyer but Stokes’ refusal to give up on a lost cause got England back in the struggle.
Racing 20 metres as the ball sailed over his head he tracked it perfectly, dived at full length and pulled off a magnificent take before celebrating in front of a small pocket of travelling fans.
Ben Foakes produced a smart take of his own to give England a fourth success in the morning session, staying low to snatch Rajat Patidar’s bottom edge. There runs were ticking by too though, 102 of them before lunch and another 97 in the afternoon.
Gill took a six and two fours off one Ahmed over as he took India 300 ahead and brought his third Test hundred up in 132 balls. Bashir finally got him when he gloved a sweep behind, leaving Hartley and Ahmed to share the last four wickets.
Srikar Bharat, Kuldeep Yadav and Bumrah made six between them and Ravichandran Ashwin a frustrating 29 after Crawley put him down on four.
England were left with 14 overs to face, but allowed India an important breakthrough when Ashwin had Duckett well caught by the wicketkeeper off bat and pad.
Ahmed was pushed up the order to save Ollie Pope the ordeal and showed his fearless nature with three risky shots in a row in the final over before stumps.
Magnificent Bumrah humbles Australia after India batting collapse
India wrestled control back from Australia to leave them 67-7 at the close of play, despite having been bowled out for just 150 earlier on a remarkable first day in Perth.
The tourists chose to bat first, having made six changes from their Test defeat to New Zealand earlier this month, but things did not go well for them as they were reduced to 32-3 and 73-6.
Virat Kohli struggled again and went for just five after being caught by Usman Khawaja. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and number three Devdutt Padikkal were both playing in Australia for the first time and were dismissed for ducks.
Rishabh Pant (37) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) dragged India to a level of respectability before their bowlers tore through the Australian batting lineup.
Jasprit Bumrah (4-17) was India's saviour, producing a spell to leave the hosts 19-3. Nathan McSweeney (10) went on lbw after a review, Khawaja (8) was caught in the slips and Steve Smith was out on his first ball after another lbw.
Both Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh went for a combined total of 17 runs, with Marnus Labuschagne next to go for two off 52 balls. Pat Cummins was the final wicket of the day, meaning Australia finished on 67-7 with Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc at the crease.
Data debrief: Australia and India go wicket crazy
It was undoubtedly a day for the bowlers on the first day in Perth, with 17 wickets being the most to have fallen on the opening day of a Test in Australia since 1952.
While all 10 of Australia's wickets were caught, India managed four dismissals through either bowling their opponent or lbw.
Following his unplayable performance in Perth, Bumrah now has 177 Test wickets for his country and can count himself unlucky not to have had more.
50 years of Greatness: Philip Spooner sits down with Sir Viv and Sir Gordon on their famous Test debuts
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first day that two of the greatest cricketers of all-time set foot on the international stage.
On November 22, 1974, Sir Gordon Greenidge and Sir Vivian Richards made their Test debuts against India. The match was played at the Karnataka State Cricket Association Stadium in Bangalore.
These two cricketing titans had illustrious careers that spanned from 1974 to 1991 and cemented their place among the pantheon of global sporting icons. During that time, they were pillars of the all-conquering West Indies team, which ruled the cricket world in red ball and white ball formats.
Both remembered the first day of action on Indian soil “like it was yesterday”.
The 23-year-old Greenidge was officially the 150th West Indies Test player. He entered with a flourish, scoring 93 and 107. This piloted West Indies to a huge win by 267 runs and a great start to the five-match series.
Sir Gordon Greenidge
The 22-year-old Richards is officially listed as the 151st West Indies Test player. He endured a tough start against the wizardry of Bhagwant Chandrasekhar. He fell to ace spinner in both innings for only three and four. But he rebounded in spectacular fashion next match with a sensational 192 not out at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi. He struck 20 fours and six towering sixes to showcase his prowess and announce his arrival. West Indies won the match by an innings.
Sir Gordon said: “It was a great feeling ... a truly wonderful feeling to walk out and open the batting for the West Indies in my first Test match in India. You were going to face four of the best spinners in the world, and that was a frightening aspect. But I’m pleased to say I was able to overcome those fears pretty quicky and was able to get a formidable score and a personal achievement. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to triple figures in the first innings. But I was able to buckle down again in the second innings and got the hundred and the team won the Test match.”
Sir Viv said: “I didn’t really expect to play … I thought I was going as a replacement … I hit some good form going into the series and the confidence was there. I remember in those day we had some huge crowds … They were maybe 60 000 to 70 000 people in the stands. They (India) were renowned for their spinners, Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar and Venkat, so it was just different in my perspective. Coming from a small island, you were playing in front of a crowd that was as many as the country where you lived… There was quite a lot happening. Those were testing times…”
He added: “Wow! To get a century in my second Test was a great feeling. I felt that with the mindset of selectors back in those days I was on my last lap, so I had to get something done … better than I did in Bangalore … ‘192 clicks not out’. That was a serious comeback and created the confidence a young man needed to have a successful tour and successful career.”
Sir Isaac Vivian Richards
Sir Gordon and Sir Viv are rated among the best batsmen in history. Among their many accolades, they were named as Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1977 and are inductees in the International Cricket Council’s prestigious Hall of Fame. They were also members of the West Indies team that won the inaugural ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 1975 at Lord’s in England and repeated in 1979.
Both ended their careers with stellar records. Richards played 121 matches and made 8 540 runs at an average of 50.2. His best score was 291 against England at The Oval on the historic 1976 tour of England. In his first-class career, he made 36,212 runs with 114 centuries. Greenidge played 108 Tests and made 7 558 runs at an average of 44.7. His top score was 226 against Australia at Kensington Oval in 1991 in his penultimate Test innings. In his first-class career, he made 37 354 runs with 92 centuries.
Looking back over the 50 years, Richards said that above all, wearing the West Indies colours brought him greatest pride. This was echoed by Greenidge.
Sir Viv said: “It is not about what you achieve personally, as an individual…but it is much more about what we did as a collective for the people of the West Indies. The same way when we bleed, we bleed together and when we win, we win together, and we have fun.”
Sir Gordon said: “Getting the nod to play for West Indies. I would have to say is the greatest moment of my career. In a land where people found it difficult to go and I managed to start so well. It might seem very strange to say that, but to get the opportunity to play, I would say I accomplished something that so many people dream of doing. I am happy to get that opportunity to play for the West Indies and for as long as I did. Representing the West Indies is the ultimate. We played for our people in the West Indies and the many people overseas who supported us.”
Philip Spooner is the former Media Manager of the West Indies team and the former Head of Media for Cricket West Indies. He was also the Global Media Manager for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Javelle Glenn’s maiden century leads high-scoring Jamaica Scorpions to CG Insurance Super50 Final
Javelle Glenn’s maiden List A century was the backbone of a remarkable recovery as the Jamaica Scorpions defeated the Leeward Islands Hurricanes by 107 runs in the second semifinal of the CG Insurance Super50 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Thursday. The victory secured the Scorpions a spot in the final against the Barbados Pride.
Set 353 to win, the Hurricanes were dismissed for 245.
Batting first, the Scorpions posted a tournament-high 352-9, overcoming a middle-order collapse thanks to Glenn’s composed and unbeaten 114. The innings was supported by crucial knocks from John Campbell (77), Jeavor Royal (73), and Kirk McKenzie (48).
The Scorpions started shakily, losing Carlos Brown early for one, leaving them at 12-1 in the third over. However, Campbell and McKenzie rebuilt with a 114-run stand for the second wicket. McKenzie fell to Rahkeem Cornwall for 48, sparking a dramatic collapse.
Cornwall and Hayden Walsh Jr wreaked havoc on the Scorpions’ middle order, reducing them from 132-2 in the 21st over to 138-7 in the 24th over. Glenn, who had been at the crease during this carnage, held firm as wickets tumbled around him. Jermaine Blackwood, Romaine Morris, and Peat Salmon all departed without scoring, while Brad Barnes managed just four.
With the Scorpions in dire straits, Glenn found a willing partner in Jeavor Royal. The pair staged a sensational eighth-wicket fightback, adding 124 runs in just 64 balls. Royal’s aggressive 73 off 42 deliveries included six fours and six sixes, providing the Scorpions with much-needed momentum before he fell to Walsh.
Glenn continued the charge, adding 78 runs for the ninth wicket with Gordon Bryan, who contributed 11 runs to the partnership. Glenn’s unbeaten knock ensured Jamaica crossed the 350-run mark, with Markino Mindley accompanying him in the final overs.
Cornwall ended with figures of 4-67, while Walsh Jr took 3-78, but their efforts were undone by Glenn’s heroics and the Scorpions’ lower-order resistance.
Chasing 353, the Hurricanes made a bright start despite losing early wickets and reached 60-3 in the eighth over. Kofi James led the charge with a spirited 79 off 64 balls, featuring seven fours and five sixes. He combined with Jewel Andrew for a 66-run fourth-wicket stand that kept the Hurricanes in contention.
Jahmar Hamilton added 58, while Walsh Jr chipped in with 31, but the Hurricanes fell short of the required tempo. Mindley’s incisive bowling broke key partnerships, finishing with 4-46. Javeor Royal (2-37) and Brad Barnes (2-65) also played important roles in dismissing the Hurricanes for 245 in 35.4 overs.
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