England unravelled after Zak Crawley’s battling 79 as India left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav claimed five wickets on the opening day of the fifth Test in Dharamsala.
From 175 for three, England lost three wickets in 13 balls and burned all three reviews as Jonny Bairstow, on his 100th Test, and Ben Stokes fell to Kuldeep, with Joe Root lbw to Ravindra Jadeja.
Crawley had earlier overcome a probing opening spell from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in helpful seaming conditions but was the first of six wickets to fall in a frenzied afternoon session, with five falling for just eight runs.
The tourists, seeking a consolation win after falling 3-1 down in the five-match series, went to tea on 194 for eight as Ravichandran Ashwin claimed a couple of lower-order wickets in his 100th Test.
Bairstow was overcome with emotion as he was presented with his 100th Test cap by fellow Yorkshireman Root in a team huddle where his mother, sister, partner and infant child were present.
Stokes said this week the pitch would be “absolutely belting” for batting so had little hesitation upon winning the toss, allowing Shoaib Bashir a little more time to convalesce after missing Wednesday’s final practice because of an upset stomach.
Ollie Robinson was back at the team hotel and with England down to 13 players, assistant coaches and ex-internationals Marcus Trescothick, 48, and Paul Collingwood, 47, were listed among the substitute fielders.
The cooler conditions in the foothills of the Himalayas initially aided India’s seamers and especially Bumrah, who repeatedly went past the outside edge. An 85mph delivery behaved like a leg-break to beat Crawley all ends up, underlining the challenge England’s openers faced off the pitch.
Crawley had success off back and front foot, with some eye-catching drives through the covers, while Duckett hunkered down as England’s opening pair dug deep to put on their fifth 50-stand of the series.
But Duckett undid his hard work in Kuldeep’s first over as a leading edge ballooned into the off side and was caught over his shoulder by a diving Shubman Gill.
Crawley moved to his fifty and hammered the initially ineffective Ashwin for six but, after England moved to three figures, Ollie Pope was stumped for 11 after misreading Kuldeep’s googly from the final ball before lunch.
Crawley should have been out to the second ball of the afternoon after glancing to short-leg but India elected not to review but there was no DRS needed when the England opener was beaten through the gate and castled by a sharply-turning delivery from Kuldeep.
Bairstow had a frenetic 18-ball innings that yielded 29 runs, with two sixes – the second taking him to 6,000 Test runs – and a drop on 21 by Kuldeep, who atoned by grazing the Yorkshireman’s edge after he was foxed by the wrong’un.
Bairstow reviewed in vain, as did Root after he was beaten on the inside edge and struck on the front pad for 26 in Jadeja’s next over. When Stokes turned to DRS after playing back to another Kuldeep googly, the on-field lbw decision was again upheld and England’s captain departed for a six-ball duck.
Tom Hartley was caught in the deep attempting to belt Ashwin for six while Mark Wood defended the spinner to slip before Ben Foakes (8no) and Shoaib Bashir (5no) saw out the rest of the session.
Motie's heroics lead West Indies A to victory over Nepal in T20 thriller: Series level at 1-1
In a thrilling encounter at Kirtipur, Gudakesh Motie emerged as the standout performer for West Indies A, propelling his team to a crucial victory over Nepal in the second T20 International to level the five-match series at 1-1. Motie's exceptional all-round display, featuring an unbeaten 33 off just eight balls and impactful bowling, played a pivotal role in securing the win.
Batting first, West Indies A faced early setbacks but rallied behind Andre Fletcher's resilient 43 and Captain Roston Chase's 23. However, wickets fell at regular intervals, leaving the team in a precarious position at 115 for 7. When Fletcher departed, the onus fell on Motie to provide a late surge. With only 13 balls remaining, Motie unleashed a blitz, smashing two fours and four sixes to power his team to a competitive total of 160 for 7. Matthew Forde contributed with an unbeaten 11 as Sagar Dhakal and Kushal Bhurtel each picked up crucial wickets for Nepal.
In response, Nepal's captain Rohit Paudel led the charge with a magnificent 71 off 48 balls, keeping his team in contention. However, Nepal's batting struggled against the West Indies A bowling attack, with only Gulsan Jha offering notable support with 26 runs. Motie continued to make an impact with the ball, claiming 2 crucial wickets for 244 runs alongside Obed McCoy, who showed signs of returning to form with his 2 for 24.
Despite Paudel's heroics, Nepal fell short in their chase, ultimately conceding victory to West Indies A by 10 runs. Motie's exceptional performance earned him the Player of the Match award.
The third match in the series is set for Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
Russell defends CPL's contribution to regional cricket but open to suggestions on improvements
With their long-term agreement with Cricket West Indies (CWI) heavily scrutinised by government leaders and cricket stalwarts, chief executive, Pete Russell of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) defended the product’s positive contribution to cricket in the region.
Addressing the gathering on Friday’s final day of the CARICOM conference on West Indies cricket themed ‘Reinvigorating West Indies Cricket’, Russell said the CPL is one of CWI’s largest domestic commercial partners.
While noting that CPL contributed significantly to player economic welfare, with nearly US$28 million spent on salaries since the start of the tournament in 2013, Russell, also revealed that cumulative losses, across both the league and franchises for the past 11 years, stand at US$40 million.
“Dennis O’Brien and Digicel have been the principal investors, not only investing in the league from day one but they also spent money on sponsorship and media rights. The franchises have also pumped in significant money, money that helps pay players and coaches, as well as investing in local businesses around the region that help make the games happen. All the franchises have made losses.
“So, on the positive side, Cricket West Indies has been paid close to US$17 million in sanction fees, so over the past 12 years CPL would be one of CWI’s largest domestic, commercial partners. Caribbean players have taken home US$27.7 million in player salaries since the tournament’s inception, all paid for by the franchises,” Russell declared during the event held in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Each year, it takes US$25 million to run this tournament over five weeks. CPL and the franchises bear all these costs. There is no financial burden on CWI or the territorial boards, so the risk is 100 per cent ours.
“So that is our starting point each and every year. So as you can imagine, the commercial challenges are considerable just to break even,” he added.
Russell’s response came as government leaders and West Indies legend Sir Clive Lloyd, suggested that the 50-year contract between CPL and CWI be re-negotiated.
The issue of the league’s ownership was also called into question, as they view was largely expressed that there would potentially be more development and earnings for players, if CWI controlled the tournament.
But, Russell, a member of the CPL management team rebutted.
“What is interesting is that other leagues around the world are following the lead of CWI. They are also looking for third-party investors to help fund their leagues. The English Cricket Board are in the process of selling The Hundred, the Australian Cricket Board are courting outside investors for the Big Bash, Cricket South Africa sold all their rights to host broadcaster Supersport, and the new American Major League Cricket is 100 per cent privately owned,” Russell shared.
“In time, only the IPL will end up being 100 per cent owned by its domestic board and that is simply because they can afford to do so. So, trust me when I say, ownership isn’t everything, and smart stewardship and partnership can yield better results. But of course, we’re always happy to listen to any suggestions on how we can improve things,” he ended.
IPL: Royals extend lead at the top after Samson and Jurel see off LSG
Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel combined for an unbeaten partnership of 121 as Indian Premier League leaders Rajasthan Royals defeated Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday.
The Royals have now won eight of their nine matches in the 2024 campaign and are almost certain to be involved in the playoffs after chasing down their victory target of 197 with an over to spare in a seven-wicket triumph.
Another Royals win had looked unlikely when they fell to 78-3 in their run chase after Jos Buttler (34), Yashasvi Jaiswal (24) and Riyan Parag (14) all fell in quick succession shortly before the halfway mark.
But Rajasthan captain Samson fought back as he blasted 71 runs from 33 balls including seven fours and four maximums, while Jurel bounced back from a poor period of form to finish unbeaten on 52 from 34.
LSG reached 196-5 from their innings courtesy of a fine knock from their own skipper, KL Rahul. He reached 76 from 48 before eventually falling to Avesh Khan (1-42) in the 18th over.
Deepak Hooda made it to 50 as LSG rallied from 11-2, but ultimately their competitive total was within reach of the visiting Royals.
Data Debrief
This is the second time in as many home games Rahul has passed fifty, after he scored 82 against Chennai Super Kings last week.
Samson (385) and Rahul (378) are second and third respectively in the race to win this season’s orange cap, although RCB’s Virat Kohli continues to set the pace with 430 runs.
They also narrowly trail Kohli (40) when it comes to the most fours hit in this season’s competition, with Samson on 36 and Rahul just behind with 34.
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