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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, November 5, 2017
Blistering Munro ton helps Kiwis to level T20 series against India (Reuters) - Opener Colin Munro smashed a career-best 109 not out to help secure New Zealand’s series-levelling 40-run victory in the second Twenty20 International against India on Saturday. Munro smacked seven sixes and as many boundaries in his 58-ball blitz to help New Zealand post a commanding 196-2 in a match they needed to win to stay alive in the three-match contest. India, who won the pre-
ceding one-day series against New Zealand, wobbled early in their chase and eventually managed 156-7 despite skipper Virat Kohli’s defiant 65. Thiruvananthapuram hosts the decider on Tuesday. Munro and Martin Guptill gave New Zealand a flying start after skipper Kane Williamson opted to bat at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. The openers tore into the Indian attack during their 105-run stand in 11 overs. Guptill clobbered three
Colin Munro went on to thwack his second T20I hundred of the year, his unbeaten 109 taking New Zealand to 196-2.
sixes in his breezy 45 before being dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal. Munro brought up his fifty in 26 balls and was on 79 when Chahal dropped him at deep cover. The opener took 54 balls to complete his second Twenty20 century. Debutant Mohammed Siraj claimed his maiden international wicket when the paceman dismissed rival captain Kane Williamson for 12. India’s reply got off to a contrasting start with the
Four England batsmen hit half-centuries in warm-up
FOUR England batsmen hit half-centuries against a Western Australia XI on the opening day of their first match of the Ashes tour in Perth. Both Alastair Cook and Joe Root (9) fell cheaply, with the former captain dismissed for a second-ball duck. Mark Stoneman (85) and James Vince (82) were both dropped but put on 153 runs for the second wicket. Gary Ballance and Dawid Malan also passed 50 before retiring, with England reaching 349-6 at the close. James Vince averages 19.27 in Test cricket for England England begin the deafter seven matches and 11 innings fence of the Ashes in Bris-
bane on 23 November. Opener Cook, who was dismissed first ball when England were last in Perth in 2013, played at the second ball of the innings from Nathan Coulter-Nile and edged through to the keeper. Cook and Root are expected to prosper in Australia but there are question marks over the robustness of the rest of England’s batting, with Vince one of those under the microscope after scoring 212 runs in seven Tests. The Hampshire man was dropped three times - on 47, 63 and 67 - with two of those catches spilled at slip, while Surrey left-hander Stoneman
was given a lifeline when on 54 after being dropped in the gully. Root was disappointed at being given out caught behind, with the ball appearing to brush his pad, to leave England 184-4. But Ballance played patiently to reach his half-century from 102 balls, despite also being dropped on 36, while Malan hit eight boundaries on his way to an 88-ball 56. England have said they will use 13 players at the Waca, after all-rounder Moeen Ali and fast bowler Steven Finn were sidelined with injuries. (BBC sport)
Clarke scores four as Sheffield United win to go second (REUTERS) - Leon Clarke scored all four goals as Sheffield United came from behind to earn a 4-1 win over Hull City and move up to second in the English Championship (second tier) on Saturday. Kamil Grosicki had given the visitors the lead at half time, but Clarke was unstoppable as his goals completed a remarkable turnaround that saw Chris Wilder’s men get back to winning ways after defeat in midweek. Bristol City’s fine form continued as they earned a 2-1 win over promotion rivals Cardiff to move up to fourth in the table. Callum O‘Dowda put the home side in front at Ashton Gate in the day’s early kick-off, before Cardiff pulled level four minutes before the break through Omar Bogle. However, Bogle was dismissed in the 55th minute for a late challenge on Marlon Pack and the hosts made the numerical advantage count as Aden Flint headed in the winner to ensure the Robins made it four wins in a row in all competitions.
Sheffield United’s Leon Clarke celebrates scoring their third goal.
Sheffield Wednesday, who face Bristol City next, netted their second win in a week by beating Aston Villa -- who lost John Terry early on through injury -- 2-1 at Villa Park. Reading continued in their quest to turn around their season by strolling to a surprise 4-2 win at in-form Derby, who now have Ipswich hot on their heels in seventh after Mick McCarthy’s men inflicted a fourth defeat in a row on Preston North End with a 3-0 success at Portman Road. There was better news for Bolton Wanderers as they picked up a 2-1 win over Norwich that moved them off the bottom of the table. Nottingham Forest, who had never lost a home match against Queens Park Rangers -- a run of 33 matches stretching back to their first meeting in January 1934 -- extended that record with a comfortable 4-0 win at the City Ground.
hosts losing both their openers inside the first two overs of their innings. Kohli and Shreyas Iyer raised 54 runs for the third wicket before Munro struck, dismissing Iyer for 23. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (49) struck three sixes but the mounting run rate prompted Kohli to try to accelerate and he perished in the process. Paceman Trent Boult claimed 4-34, while spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner also bowled tidy overs.
Entries for Budhan Memorial Turf Club Nov.12 meet closes today
RACEHORSE owners/ trainers have up to today to get their animals registered for the Budhan Memorial Turf Club’s November 12 meet which will be held at #66 Village, Corentyne, Berbice. Six races are carded for the day with the feature event being the `J’ Class and Lower, with the winner taking home $160,000. The second, third and fourth place finishers will earn $80,000, $40,000 and $20,000 respectively. Other events on the day’s programme include one race for `K’ Class and Lower horses with the winner pocketing $100,000. There is also a race for `L1’ and Lower horses and the winner will receive $90,000. The `L2’ and Lower animals will battle for a top prize of $60,000, while two-year-old maiden horses and Unclassified horses will battle in separate races for the winning prizes of $60,000 and $50,000 respectively. The organisers are still to decide on the distances for the latter four races.