Quinton de Kock guided Mumbai Indians back to winning ways as his dazzling innings helped last season's champions beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets.
Rajasthan made 171-4 but were lacking an outstanding contribution with the bat, which is what De Kock gave Mumbai as his unbeaten 70 from 50 balls proved telling, halting a two-game slide.
Chris Morris took two of the three Mumbai wickets to fall, but the Indian Premier League's most expensive player also saw his first delivery swatted for six by De Kock and could not win that contest.
Jasprit Bumrah had earlier played a key role with the ball in restricting the flow of runs late in Rajasthan's innings, and Mumbai reached their target with nine balls to spare, finishing on 172-3.
At Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Rajasthan's top four all made useful scores, with Jos Buttler having three fours and three sixes in making 41 from 32 deliveries and fellow opener Yashasvi Jaiswal also clearing the ropes twice in a rapid 32 from 20 balls.
Both fell to Rahul Chahar (2-33), with Sanju Samson top-scoring with 42 from 27 balls before being cleaned up by a Trent Boult yorker. Shivam Dube (35) was caught and bowled by Bumrah, who snagged his reward for a dazzling performance, finishing with 1-15 from four overs.
Mumbai began their reply in solid fashion and De Kock welcomed fellow South African Morris into the attack with a brutal pull over the ropes.
Morris conceded four leg byes from the next delivery too, but from the final ball of the over he coaxed Rohit Sharma to chip to Chetan Sakariya at mid-on for the first breakthrough of the innings, with 49 on the board.
De Kock kept the runs flowing but lost second-wicket partner Suryakumar Yadav for just 16, flicking Morris to Buttler at mid-wicket, and almost departed himself when he was dropped on 58 by Jaiswal off Sakariya. It would have been a stunning catch and Jaiswal, dashing backwards in the field, got hands to the ball but could not cling on.
Krunal Pandya cracked two sixes in making 39 from 26 balls, edging a delivery from Mustafizur Rahman into his stumps to perish before the winning line, but De Kock and Kieron Pollard (16no), who also struck a maximum off Morris, soon made sure.
Bumrah gets it right
Bumrah may not have the wickets to show for it yet this season, but few batsmen will have relished facing his pace and skill. Here he delivered 12 dot balls, conceded just one boundary, and picked up a wicket from his penultimate delivery, which was probably one of the worst balls he bowled. Stifling the Royals batsmen late in the innings proved so valuable in the end.
De Kock makes his mark
With three failures from his first four IPL innings this season, De Kock knew the team were due a score from him, and here it was. After going 2, 40, 2, 3 in Mumbai's previous matches, opener De Kock stepped up and made all the difference in this clash. His six off Morris was a highlight and De Kock twice went over the ropes, also cracking six fours while proving both sturdy and ever-dangerous. Mumbai had won just two of their opening five games, but this third win was a dominant one, largely thanks to their powerful left-hander.
Sammy highlights Windies depth, readiness for T20I, ODI assignments against Sri Lanka
West Indies white-ball Head Coach Darren Sammy is brimming with confidence about his squad’s readiness as they prepare to kick start their tour of Sri Lanka with the first of three T20Is on Sunday.
Sammy’s confidence stems from the fact that most, if not all, of his players benefitted from the intensity and high-level competition of the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season, which served as ideal preparation for them to deliver competitive performances in what will be a challenging tour in subcontinental conditions.
Following their three-match T20 series, which ends next Thursday, Sammy’s side will also engage their host in a three-match ODI series, scheduled to begin on October 20.
“The good thing is we are coming from our Caribbean Premier League, so most, if not all, the guys have been playing cricket, which is a plus when you have a series that comes so close after a tournament. So, us travelling here to Sri Lanka, the most important thing is the recovery of the guys,” Sammy shared shortly after arriving in Sri Lanka.
“So we are going to have a couple days to do that and a training session before our first game on Sunday. But looking from what transpired in the CPL, my guys are ready to take on a really strong Sri Lanka team,” he added.
Brandon King gathers his gears shortly after arrival. (Photo: Daily Mirror)
Sammy, who has always been vocal about fostering a winning culture within the team, emphasized that the squad’s depth would be a crucial factor in the upcoming series.
This, as the Caribbean side, West Indies, will be bolstered by the inclusion of fresh faces like all-rounders Terrence Hinds and Shamar Springer, both of whom have been rewarded for their strong domestic performances. Sammy expressed his excitement about seeing how these new talents integrate with the more experienced members of the team.
“If you notice, we are trying the depth of our squad. We've given some guys some opportunities with the World Cup coming up in less than 20 months, so with some of our senior players being unavailable, I'm looking to see how far, how great our depth could be. But, obviously, the main purpose is to win series,” Sammy declared.
“We've been doing well so far and giving guys opportunities to build and develop, so I'm really excited. Sri Lanka is a young team; since Jayasuriya took over, there's been a new energy and confidence in that team. So it will be a good series for us and a good tester for us to see where we are in the depth that we have in the Caribbean,” he reasoned.
Sammy also pointed out that the inclusion of players like Hinds and Springer reflects the broader strategy of building a versatile squad capable of adjusting to different match situations and conditions.
“Obviously the roles that they are going to be playing, especially with the ball in the backend, is a role that we are looking for and trying to find specific guys to do that. So this series, although it's short—only three games—gives them the opportunity to see and have a taste of the international flavour of cricket.
Members of the West Indies delegation. (Photo: Daily Mirror)
“So hopefully, when the opportunity comes, we could judge where they are. But I have full confidence from what I saw in the Caribbean Premier League—the skill set, the temperament they've shown already. That's why they are here with us, and I'm looking forward to what they could do on the international scene,” Sammy noted.
While the conditions will undoubtedly require adjustments, Sammy’s optimism stems from the team’s diverse skill set.
“The conditions, based on the data that Avenesh [Seetaram] has given us, are that the pitches are good for batting, and just looking at the recent Lanka Premier League, some of the places we played in Dambulla and Gandhi are places that produce high-scoring matches.
“So we will assess the conditions like we always do, and Avenesh will be spot on in giving us the data that we need to help us prepare, plan, and strategize, and I think we are more than ready,” he ended.
Record-breaking Root is England's 'greatest ever', says Pope
Ollie Pope labelled Joe Root as England's "greatest ever batter" after the former Test captain helped inspire England to an emphatic win over Pakistan.
Jack Leach took the three wickets England required on day five for the record-breaking innings and 47-run triumph, which handed the tourists a 1-0 lead in their three-match series.
The win saw England become the first team in Test history to concede over 500 in the first innings, and still end up winning by an innings.
The turnaround was built on Harry Brook (317) and Root (262), as England amassed 823-7 before stand-in captain Pope declared, their highest total since 1938 and the fourth-highest in Test cricket history.
In the process, Root moved onto 12,664 runs in the longest format, seeing him surpass Alastair Cook (12,472) as England's all-time leading Test run scorer.
"What a player. I admire his consistency and longevity," Pope said of Root.
"I think he is playing his best ever cricket. When he gets on a hot run, he makes it count, and he is England's greatest-ever batter.
"He is a joy to be around in the changing room."
While Root tallied up his highest Test score, Brook became the sixth England player to score a triple-century.
Together, Root and Brook surpassed England's previous record partnership of 409 runs – set by Colin Cowdrey and Peter May against the West Indies in 1957.
When Root, who is now England's record run scorer in Tests, eventually fell, it brought an end to a partnership of 454 - the fourth-highest in the history of the longest format.
"From a personal point you want to put in those scores that's always the case for a batter, but it was a joy to watch the way Joe and Harry played," Pope said.
"Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley were awesome too – it was a joy to watch, and they're great players."
On the other hand, it was another humiliating defeat for Pakistan, who are enduring one of the worst periods in their history.
Pakistan are now winless in their last 11 Test matches on home soil, but captain Shan Masood said England's impressive display is something his side can learn from.
"Like I said, 220 in the third innings, depending on what kind of lead you have, can also be a good score," Masood said.
"The trick for us is that we should learn from England as well, they found out ways to get those 20 wickets. You can't win Test matches without taking 20 wickets.
"As a team, we have that second innings of batting to improve, but we must also take 20 wickets."
Leach takes centre stage as England claim emphatic win over Pakistan
England sealed an innings and 47-run victory over Pakistan on Friday, with Jack Leach shining on day five.
After a dominant performance on day four, England went into the final three sessions within touching distance of what had seemed like an unlikely victory when Pakistan mounted 556 in their first innings.
Pakistan began the day requiring 115 to match England's huge total of 823-7, which Joe Root (264) and Harry Brook had propelled them to.
But with Abrar Ahmed unable to feature due to illness, Pakistan were left with just three wickets to play with, and Leach - playing in his first Test since January - needed little time to wrap up the victory.
Salman Agha (63) was trapped lbw inside four deliveries, while Shaheen Shah Afridi was caught and bowled on 10 before Leach's spin did for Naseem Shah, who was stumped by Jamie Smith to see Pakistan all out for 220.
Leach finished with figures of 4-30 as England celebrated an emphatic victory that gives them a 1-0 lead in the series ahead of the second Test, which will also be played in Multan, next week.
Data Debrief: Record breakers
England have now reeled off three straight wins when they have conceded a total over 500, a remarkable feat in and of itself.
In fact, this victory marks the first time a team has been hit for as many as 556, yet still gone on to win by an innings.
Pakistan, meanwhile, have now lost 11 Test matches on the bounce as hosts, and four in a row to England on home soil.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
