21
GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 9, 2018
Sharma ton secures England series for India (BBC) - ROHIT Sharma made a stunning 100 not out to help India beat England by seven wickets in the third Twenty20 and secure a 2-1 series victory. England, batting first, could manage only 87 runs from the final 10 overs to post 198-8 in Bristol, despite Jason Roy’s 67 from 31 balls. Rohit shared an 89-run stand with Virat Kohli and accelerated in the final overs to put India in control. He and Hardik Pandya closed out the match with eight balls to spare. It was the highest successful run chase by any team against England in an international T20. Three terrific catches one from Jake Ball and two by Chris Jordan - interrupted India’s chase. However, Pandya took 20 runs from the 18th over bowled by Ball - to put India ahead of the run-rate and turn the match firmly in their favour. A lofted drive from Pan-
Rohit Sharma plays one off the back foot, England v India, 3rd T20I, Final, Bristol, July 8, 2018 ©Getty Images
dya, who made an unbeaten 33 from 14 balls, secured an impressive victory from India in front of a packed crowd. A three-match one-day series starts on Thursday at Trent Bridge, before the first of five Tests gets under way
on 1 August. England’s leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson remarked that it was “not a day to be a bowler” as both sides made hay on a good pitch with short boundaries. The bowlers had their
moments, certainly. Seven wickets went down in the final 10 overs of England’s innings and Ben Stokes returning to the side after a hamstring injury in place of Joe Root - bowled smartly to restrict India at the start of
their reply. Some terrific displays of athleticism in the field, such as Jordan’s stunning run and catch to dismiss KL Rahul, momentarily tipped things back in the favour of the fielding side too. But on a pitch where anything that was too short or full could be flayed to the boundary, it rarely felt as though it was an even contest between bat and ball. India rarely looked troubled in their run-chase, despite losing Shikhar Dhawan early to a superb, low catch from Ball at short fine leg. Any hopes England had of applying pressure were snuffed out by Rahul, who arrived at the crease and drove his first delivery to the boundary. Only moments of brilliance from England kept India in check. Rahul pounced on Ball, striking him for a straight six, but when he tried to repeat the shot, Jordan sprinted to his right at long-
on to take a diving catch that left the batsman shaking his head. But India’s strength in depth meant the runs just kept coming. Kohli and Rohit’s partnership mixed patience and aggression, the two seeing off sole spinner Adil Rashid before hitting the pace bowlers to all sides of the ground. Kohli was left in disbelief when he drove a delivery straight back to Jordan, who took a catch at waist height, but Pandya picked up where the captain had left off. England captain Eoin Morgan shuffled his bowlers but saw David Willey hoisted over long-off for six by Rohit, before Pandya angled the same bowler for back-to-back fours in the 18th over. A dab to backward point brought Rohit his third T20 century, before Pandya hammered a Jordan delivery back over his head to close out the win in emphatic style.
Zaman smashes Aussies Half centuries for du Plessis, to win Tri-Series trophy Amla and Bavuma in warm-up
Fakhar Zaman scoops a ball over square leg, Australia v Pakistan, Zimbabwe tri-series final, Harare, July 8, 2018 ©Associated Press
(REUTERS) - OPENER Fakhar Zaman smashed a career-best 91 from 46 balls as Pakistan defeated Australia by six wickets in a record run chase to lift the tri-series trophy at the Harare Sports Club in Zimbabwe on Sunday. Australia won the toss and elected to bat on a flat track in the final, posting 183 for eight in their 20 overs with the innings anchored by opener D’Arcy Short’s stylish 76 from 53 balls. Pakistan were in trouble early on in their reply as they lost their first two wickets with just two runs on the
scoreboard. But Zaman launched a ferocious counter-attack with an innings that included 12 fours and three sixes, bringing up his half-century in 30 balls. Pakistan, who top the global rankings in Twenty20 cricket, won the game with four balls to spare to secure victory in the final of the series that also involved hosts Zimbabwe. It is Pakistan’s highest successful run chase in Twenty20 International cricket and their ninth successive series win in the shortest format of the game. “It was a great team effort.
Credit to the bowlers and then Fakhar Zaman and (Shoaib) Malik (43 not out) finished it for us,” Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said at the post-match presentation. “There were some dropped catches in the field but we took the momentum in the second innings. Credit to the boys and management.” Australia skipper Aaron Finch (47), who shared a run-a-ball opening stand of 95 with Short, felt his side should have posted closer to 200 on what was a good batting wicket. “I thought we should have got around 200 and we just kept losing wickets, which stalled the momentum,” he said. “Pakistan played well. I thought we started well with the ball but Fakhar Zaman played one hell of a knock. A 90-odd in a T20 game is hard to beat.” Pakistan handed a debut to opener Sahibzada Farhan, who was out for a duck without facing a legal delivery. Seamer Glenn Maxwell’s ball to him slid down the legside and was called a wide, but the batsman fell over in the crease and was stumped by wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
(ESPNCRICINFO) FAF du Plessis, Hashim Amla and Temba Bavuma all made half-centuries on the second day of South Africa’s practice match in Colombo, with Dean Elgar also getting a decent batting workout, hitting 43 off 48 balls. As had been the case with the Sri Lanka Board XI on day one, however, the second half of the South Africa’s innings folded, the team tumbling from 223 for 3 to 338 all out. The match was then called off. Not among the runs on a fairly placid P Sara track, was opener Aiden Markram, who was bowled for a duck by Lahiru Gamage on the first evening, as well as Quinton de Kock and Theunis dy Bruyn, who are likely to make up the lower-middle order in the Tests. The spinners wrought most of the damage for the hosts. Legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who has played limited-overs cricket for Sri Lanka, took 3 for 72. Dhananjaya de Silva, who will probably be in Sri Lanka’s Test XI,
Temba Bavuma punches through the covers, Sri Lanka Board XI v South Africans, P Sara Oval, 2nd day, July 8, 2018
struck twice with his parttime offspin, removing de Bruyn and Dale Steyn. Of the three half-centurions, du Plessis and Amla were the most convincing against spin, confident on their feet, and each capable in bullying spinners into mistakes. Du Plessis in particular took to lifting spinners over the infield, prospering especially on the legside, as he hit 13
fours and a six in his 85ball 79. Earlier, Amla had struck 11 boundaries of his own, before retiring out on 78. Amla added 77 with Bavuma, the joint-highest partnership in the innings. Bavuma hit six fours and a six in his 58 off 103 balls. The most dramatic period of play on day two was the over in which de Kock and Vernon Philander were dismissed, after both misread the direction of Hasaranga’s turn. Though of the Board XI’s bowlers only Dhananjaya is in the Test squad, Sri Lanka may be encouraged by a wristspinner’s effectiveness against the South Africa middle order. With Sri Lanka’s selectors in attendance on Sunday, this information is sure to be relayed to coach Chandika Hathurusingha. The Sri Lanka squad contains Akila Dananjaya and Lakshan Sandakan - two bowlers whose variations can also be difficult to discern. South Africa will travel to Galle on Monday, with the first Test scheduled to begin on Thursday.