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Monday February 25, 2019
Kaieteur News
Coulter-Nile shines in Australia’s last-ball win over India Glenn Maxwell’s ultra-aggressive half-century put Australia on course ©Getty Images
Nathan Coulter-Nile enjoyed an excellent first outing, picking up three wickets ©Getty Images MUMBAI (Reuters) Fast bowler Nathan CoulterNile took three wickets on his return to limited-overs cricket as Australia beat India by three wickets with the final delivery in a low-scoring first Twenty20 international at Visakhapatnam yesterday. Needing 14 runs off the final over, bowled by paceman Umesh Yadav, Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson each hit a boundary before they scampered to complete two runs off the last ball to reach their target of 127 in a nail-biting contest. Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for India’s limited-overs trip to New Zealand, took 3-16, including two wickets in his final two deliveries in the penultimate over, but it proved inadequate. Coulter-Nile led a strong bowling display by the touring side with 3-26 in his four overs as Australia restricted India to a paltry 126-7 in the
first of the two-match series after captain Aaron Finch won the toss and chose to field. Australia also got off to a shaky start and were reduced to 5-2 before Glenn Maxwell and D’Arcy Short combined in a third-wicket stand of 84 to steady the chase. Maxwell hit 56 off 43 balls, his innings studded with six fours and two sixes. Short, who opened the innings for Australia with Marcus Stoinis, was run out for 37. After Maxwell’s dismissal, India fought back spectacularly to reduce Australia to 113-7 from 89-2 before the thrilling last-over finish. With the 50-over World Cup coming up in three months’ time in England and Wales, India opted to give Lokesh Rahul an opportunity at the top of the order by resting regular opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan. Rahul, who was recently provisionally suspended for inappropriate comments on a
TV chat show, did no harm to his chances with a 36-ball 50 and combined in a quickfire stand of 55 for the second wicket with Virat Kohli, who made 24. Adam Zampa got the prized wicket of the Indian captain, who holed out to Coulter-Nile at long on trying to hit the leg-spinner for a six. Coulter-Nile played just one ODI in 2018, against South Africa, and missed out on selection for the home limited-overs series against India. He has the ideal opportunity to improve his chances of making the World Cup squad in the absence of the injured Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in India. The 31-year-old dismissed Rahul and Dinesh Karthik in the same over and then added the wicket of Krunal Pandya as India were reduced to 100-6 in the 15th over. Former captain and wicket-keeper Mahendra
Skerritt’s past failures an indictment, says Cameron BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Current president of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron says Ricky Skerritt’s history of Windies team manager has disqualified him as a candidate to lead the region’s governing body. Skerritt, 62, recently announced he would be looking to unseat Cameron when the CWI holds its elections on March 24 in Jamaica. However, Cameron, who has been president since 2013, said Skerritt’s past failure as manager of the West Indies team should not be forgotten. “Ricky has always mentioned how passionate he is about West Indies cricket.
What most of us remember Ricky for is that period when he was manager of the team, the turmoil that occurred. I’m hoping that we’ll never get back to those days,” Cameron said during an interview on Line and Length. Back in 2000, Skerrit resigned as Windies’ manager following a post-game incident involving members of his squad after a ten-wicket loss to England in the First Test at Sabina Park. Cameron also poured cold water on Skerrit’s proposed move to change CWI’s selection panel. He maintained that CWI was not a one-man show, but was being run by a set of per-
sons who all had specific responsibilities. “What are we saying? Are we not picking the best players? We’re going to get rid of the selectors?” Cameron questioned. “I know we believe I do everything in West Indies cricket [but] we have a number of committees throughout West Indies cricket, they’re all given their own respective tasks. It’s not a one-man show.” Skerritt, the former St Kitts and Nevis Cabinet minister has named president of the St Vincent and Grenadines Cricket Association Dr Kishore Shallow as his running mate.
Singh Dhoni laboured to a 29 off 37 balls and failed to boost India’s score despite farming most of the strike in the closing stages of India’s
innings. The second and final T20 will be played in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Scores: Australia 127 for
7 (Maxwell 56, Short 37, Bumrah 3-16) beat India126 for 7 (Rahul 50, Dhoni 29*, Coulter-Nile 3-26) by three wickets.
Hurricanes and Red Force contest ends in tame draw BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC –Four batsmen scored half-centuries on the fourth and final day as the eighth round match between the Leeward Islands Hurricanes and Trinidad and Tobago Red Force petered out into a draw. In a high scoring match, the Hurricanes set their opponents a mammoth total of 352 for victory after declaring their second innings on 315 for six. Joshua DaSilva and Lendl Simmons then posted halfcenturies as the Red Force climbed to 236 for four before the match was eventually called off. Earlier, Devon Thomas fell just six runs short of a century and Jahmar Hamilton made 77 as the Hurricanes batted themselves to safety after resuming the day on 159 for three.The pair put on 159 runs in a fourth-wicket partnership to rule out any possible hopes the Red Force had of pushing for victory. They carried the score to 273 before Odean Smith finally got the breakthrough by bowling Hamilton. Rahkeem Cornwall only lasted four balls before he too was dismissed by Smith for one. But within sight of three figures Thomas lost his wicket to Khary Pierre, prompting an
Devon Thomas fell six runs short of a deserved century. immediate declaration. He faced 109 balls and blasted five sixes and four boundaries.In pursuit of an improbable target, the Red Force’s batsmen were still positive in their approach, scoring at over four runs an over.Openers Jeremy Solozano and DaSilva put on 88 runs for the first wicket before the former lost his wicket to Damion Jacobs to be out for 30.DaSilva, who scored 75 and Simmons who made 59 at better than a run-a-ball, then added another 88 runs in only 16 overs. Even when the pair fell in quick succession, the Red Force were never in any danger of losing the match, with the two sides agreeing to a
draw shortly after. Scores: HURRICANES 365 (Terrance Warde 83, Jahmar Hamilton 68, Devon Thomas 67, Rahkeem Cornwall 62, Keacy Carty 44; Khary Pierre 4-110, Yannic Cariah 3-25) and 315 for six declared (Devon Thomas 94, Jahmar Hamilton 77, Montcin Hodge 57, Kieran Powell 39; Odean Smith 264). RED FORCE 329 (Imran Khan 86, Jason Mohammed 60, Jeremy Solozano 42, Odean Smith 36; Rahkeem Cornwall 3-86, Alzarri Joseph 3-88) and 236 for four (Joshua DaSilva 75, Lendl Simmons 59, Jeremy Solozano 30; Rahkeem Cornwall 2-67).