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Tag: Test Match

  • Australia Defeated Pakistan to Clinch the Historic Test Series

    Australia has ended their 11-year drought in Asia after clinching the Test series in Pakistan. Before winning against Pakistan, they last won in Asia in 2011 against Sri Lanka. 

    Australian bowlers obliterated the Pakistani batting line-up to break the stalemate and win the Test series in style.

    Here’s how the day panned out: 

    Pakistan cruised on 74-0 at stumps on day 4, with Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq well set on the crease. However, the merry way of making runs could not continue for Pakistan on a pivotal day.

    Green removed Shafique on 27 to open the door for Australian bowlers. Azhar Ali looked to consolidate the Pakistani inning with Imam-ul-Haq, and together the duo took Pakistan above 100. 

    When Nathan Lyon came to the party on a track that started helping spinners on the 5th day, Pakistan scattered like a deck of cards. His first victim was the gritty Azhar Ali, followed by the well-set Imam-ul-Haq.

    Imam played a gutsy knock of 70 off 199, including 5 fours, to take control of the chase while batting for Pakistan in the fourth innings. Imam’s departure paved the way for Australia to take control of the game. Imam’s wicket was the turning point on the 5th day that ultimately ended in Australia triumphing against Pakistan.

    After Lyon, Pat Cummins, the captain, took the reign in his hands and produced two back to back wickets for the Kangaroos. He brought an end to Fawad Alam’s dismal batting display in the Test series and sent back the hero of the 2nd Test, Mohammad Rizwan, to the pavilion.

    All hope was lost for Pakistan when Babar Azam got removed by Nathan Lyon. Pakistan could only manage 235 in the fourth innings and lost the match by 115 runs to also lose the Test series. 

     

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  • ENG VS WI: Tailenders pull England out of troubled waters

    The English tail comprising Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Chris Woakes and Craig Overton saved England from a horrendous collapse to drag the score slightly above 200 in the third and final Test of the series. The series is currently levelled, with both teams not able to win any of the games so far.

    The partnership between Leach and Mahmood for the 10th wicket was an extraordinary display of stubborn resistance and determination. The pair put on 90 runs for the last wicket to propel the English score from 114/9 to 204/10.

    Saqib Mahmood fell one short of his maiden Test hundred, but his knock of 49 might prove to be much more valuable than a century for England in the context of the series. Jack Leach was equally magnificent; he scored an unbeaten 41* to let the world know that his resistance at Headingley against Australia was not a fluke.

    Here’s how the 1st day of 3rd Test panned out:

    West Indies won the toss and rightly decided to bowl first at National Cricket Stadium in Grenada. The Caribbean bowlers dismantled the English top-order and triggered a collapse that saw England from 23-0 to 67-7.

    In his return to the West Indies Test team, Kyle Mayers was on the top of his game and bowled 5 fantabulous maiden overs on the trot. He dismissed the pillar of England batting line-up, Joe Root and also removed the first one of the match in Zak Crawley.

    Mayers was complemented by other West Indian pacers who looked equally threatening and imposing against England. Alzarri Joseph sent back the dangerous Ben Stokes and Johnny Bairstow, while Jayden Seales accounted for 3 of the English batters. Kemar Roach was bowling fiercely and helped remove Alex Lees, the only England top-order batter to score in double digits.

    At 67-7, England seemed all lost and out from the Test; however, Chris Woakes and Craig Overton played crucial knocks of 25 and 14 respectively to bring England closer to 100 runs. But it was the duo of Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood that did the heavy lifting. The pair frustrated the West Indian bowlers for more than 47 overs in their enterprising partnership of 90 runs. Saqib was dismissed on 49 by Blackwood to stop England’s innings.

    West Indies will be reasonably happy to wrap up the English innings at 204 and would look to secure a handsome lead tomorrow to put pressure on England in the third innings of the Test match.

     

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  • AUS VS PAK: Final Test Set for a Thrilling Finish

    The final series decider Test between Australia and Pakistan is all set to reach its exclamatory climax tomorrow at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

    Australia declared boldly on the fourth day at 227-3 and ultimately posted a total of 350 onboard due to the deficit suffered by Pakistan in its first inning.

    However, the opening pair of Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq has started positively for the Pak to ensure that the Test is all set for a Thrilling finish on the 5th day.

    4th day: As it happened

    Usman Khwaja, the man of the hour, once again reigned supreme in the Test series. He added another hundred to his tally of centuries in the series. Warner, too broke his drought of runs to notch up a half-century. He was dismissed by Shaheen Shah Afridi on 51 when he missed a straight delivery that ended up shattering his stumps.

    The duo formed a 96 runs stand for the first wicket, followed by 65 runs for the second wicket between Usman Khwaja and Marnus Labuschagne. Marnus was dismissed by Nauman Ali on 31 and failed to register any score of significance in the series. 

    Steven Smith followed Marnus on the crease and formed a 55 runs stand for the third wicket with Khwaja. Smith was dropped on 13 by Azhar Ali. However, Smith could not reap its benefit and got dismissed on 17. 

    In the end, Australian captain Pat Cummins decided to declare on 227/3 to produce a result in the series to break the stalemate between the two teams. Cummins and co. must have fancied getting quick wickets on a pitch that seemed to be deteriorating. However, Shafique and Imam played with extreme vigilance and positivity to keep Pakistan in contention of winning the series.

    Imam is unbeaten on 42*, while Shafique remained not out on 27* at stumps on day 4. 5th day promises to be an exciting battle between the bat and ball. Who do you think will win the series?

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  • AUS VS PAK: Series-Decider 3rd Test Hangs in Balance

    Australian Cricket Team was bowled out on 391 runs on day 2 in Gaddafi Stadium at Lahore. Pakistan, in reply, has scored 91 for the loss of one wicket at stumps on the 2nd day of the third and final test in the series.

    The game is in equilibrium and is all set for an exciting third day battle between the Aussies quicks and Pak’s persistent batters. The 2nd day saw a thrilling contest between the bat and ball, with Australian batters dominating the first session, Pakistani bowlers dominating the second session, and the Pak batters dominating the final session.

    Here’s how the day panned out:

    The proceedings resumed with Australia on 232-5 with Cameron Green and Alex Carey in the initial phase of their partnership. Carey and Green controlled the play and took Australia past 300 runs mark, with both of them reaching the milestone of a half-century. Together they constructed a 135 run stand for the 6th wicket.

    The partnership between Carey and Green was broken by Nauman Ali, who removed Carey on 67 by trapping him leg before in front of the wicket. Green soon followed his partner back into the pavilion when he was cleaned up on 79 by the young Pakistani quick sensation, Naseem Shah.

    Wickets of Carey and Green opened up the pathways for Pakistani pacers to run through the Australian tailenders in no time. Shaheen Shah Afridi rapidly removed Starc and Swepson while the young gun, Naseem Shah, sent back Nathan Lyon to the dressing room to wrap up the Australian first inning on 391 runs.

    Trailing 391, Pakistan lost their dependable opener, Imam-ul-Haq, for just 11 runs when the Australian captain successfully managed to trap him lbw. At 20-1, Australia must have fancied their chances of swiftly getting a few wickets to put Pakistan under pressure. However, Azhar Ali and Abdullah Shafique skillfully negotiated with the deliveries bowled to them to form an unbeaten 70 run stand for the 2nd wicket.

    At stumps, Pakistan is 90-1 in 39 overs with Ali on 30* and Shafique on 45*.

     

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  • AUS VS PAK: Khwaja Shines in the Land of Khwaja

    Usman Khwaja once again played an astonishing knock against Pakistan on the first day of the third and final Test match of the series at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

    Khwaja notched up 91 runs in 219 deliveries, including 9 fours and 2 sixes to take Australia to 232-5 at stumps on day 1.

    Pat Cummins won the toss earlier in the day and opted to bat first to put scoreboard pressure on the Pakistani batters.

    Pakistan started on a better note with the ball than their counterparts, Kangaroos. Shaheen Shah Afridi, the Pakistani speedster, dismissed David Warner at a meagre score of 7 runs.

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    On the other hand, Usman Khwaja was cool as a cucumber and did not let the dismissal of David Warner affect his run galore in the series.

    Shaheen Shah Afridi continued wreaking havoc as he removed Marnus Labuschagne in his prime for a duck.

    At 8-2, Australia looked extremely vulnerable and on the verge of a collapse. However, Steven Smith steadied the Australian inning with Usman Khwaja, and together the pair formed a 138 runs partnership for the third wicket.

    Smith added another half-century to his illustrious Test career but again failed to capitalise on his start to convert the fifty into a big score.

    Meanwhile, Usman Khwaja brought up his own personal milestone and added another half-century to his recent burst of form.

    The partnership between Khwaja and Smith was broken by Naseem Shah, who got one to slide past Smith’s defences to hit his leg right in front of the wickets.

    Smith managed 59 runs in his exciting stay at the crease. Khwaja then combined with Travis Head to form another significant partnership for Australia.

    Unfortunately, Usman Khwaja got dismissed at 91 against Sajid Khan, to fell nine short of another hundred in the series.

    Travis Head was the last one to be dismissed on the first day as Australia posted 232-5 in 88 overs with Alex Carey and Cameron Green on the crease.

  • ENG VS WI: Brathwaite Ensured Draw to Set-up Series Decider

    Kraigg Brathwaite, the West Indian skipper’s resilience ensured that England could not get ahead in the series despite some incredible performances from Ben Stokes and Joe Root.

    On the fifth and final day of the 2nd Test, England hammered the West Indian bowling line-up to quickly set up a target and give themselves enough time to bowl out the Caribbeans.

    Carrying on from 40-1, England went hard to reach 185-6 before declaring their 2nd innings. Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes and Johnny Bairstow each batted with a strike-rate of more than 100 to rapidly post a target on the board.

    Dan Lawrence notched up 41 off 39, including 2 sixes and a four, while Bairstow scored 29 off 25, consisting of one four and two sixes. For West Indies, Jayden Seales and Permaul dismissed two batters each.

    England set up a target of 282 for West Indies to chase in the remaining 65 overs in the day. West Indies had a rocky start as three of their top-four were dismissed early in the chase. Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood bowled in suitable areas to Campbell, Bonner and Brookes in quick succession.

    West Indies found themselves on the verge of a collapse with 39-3 in just 12.1 overs. However, the duo, which troubled England earlier in the Test, combined again to pose problems for the visitors.

    Brathwaite and Blackwood put up a fifty run stand for the wicket while consuming almost 25 overs. Blackwood was sent back to the pavilion by Jack Leach on 27 off 84.

    Succeeding Blackwood, Jason Holder arrived on the crease, but his stay in the middle was short-lived as Leach dismissed him for a 24 balls duck.

    England might have been hoping for a result in their favour with West Indies, five wickets down and 20 overs still to be bowled in the day. But Jayden Seales’s determined unbeaten inning of 30* off 63 guaranteed that the third Test will be a series decider.

    Kraigg Brathwaite was named player of the match for his excellent resilience in the Test.

     

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  • ENG VS WI: Brathwaite Drags the Test Closer to Stalemate

    Kraigg Brathwaite, the West Indian skipper, kept frustrating the English camp on the 4th day of the 2nd Test match of the series at Barbados.

    Kraigg Brathwaite scored 160 off 489 deliveries to tire out the English bowlers and drag the Test match one step closer towards the draw. West Indies finally got wrapped up at 411 in 187.5 overs in the final session on the 4th day of the 2nd Test match.

    Here’s how the 4th day progressed:

    Beginning from 288-4, the Windies did not let go of their stubborn resistance, and the first session saw an exhibition of prod-block at the display. West Indies batters Brathwaite, and Alzarri Joseph approached with utmost caution in the first session. The nightwatchman Joseph was removed by Stokes to open the doors for the English bowling line-up.

    Joseph was followed by Jason Holder, who could not make a significant impact on the game and departed after scoring 12 off 41. He was removed by Saqib Mahmood to keep England in the hunt. However, Brathwaite kept persisting from the other end and did not allow England to run through the Windies’ batting line-up.

    Joshua da Silva, the wicket-keeper batsman for West Indies, joined Brathwaite after Holder to construct yet another frustrating stand for England. He notched up 33 runs in 112 balls to haul West Indies closer to 400 runs mark.

    Jack Leach provided England with a much-needed breakthrough when he found the gap between bat and pad of Brathwaite to slide one through to the wickets. Brathwaite’s dismissal at 385 brought a flurry of doors for the English cricket team, and they finally managed to bowl out the Caribbeans at 411 runs.

    England secured a lead of 96 runs in the first innings and added 40 more to this in the final session of the fourth day. At stumps, England lead by 136 runs with Zak Crawley and Alex Lees in the middle.

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  • ENG VS WI: Brathwaite & Blackwood Hold the Fort for Windies

    Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood both scored centuries to keep English bowlers at bay on day 3 of the 2nd test at Barbados.

    Trailing a mammoth 507, West Indies needed a good partnership after three dismissals at about a hundred runs. Blackwood and Brathwaite constructed a vast 183 runs stand for the fourth wicket to showcase the Caribbean’s stubborn resistance after conceding a massive lead in the first innings.

    Here’s how the day progressed:

    Kraigg Brathwaite and Shmarah Brooks were on the crease at the start of play on day 3. West Indies was 77 for the loss of one wicket when the action resumed in the Test match. Brooks could not match his partner’s struggle and fell at 39 runs on the bowling of Jack Leach.

    Brooks was succeeded by Bonner, who played a crucial role in drawing the last Test match for West Indies on the fifth day. However, Bonner could not hold the fort this time around and perished when Stokes got one to beat his defences to strike his pad in front of the wickets.

    Bonner departed at 9 to make way for Jermaine Blackwood at the team score of 101 runs. Blackwood was trapped for leg before when he was at 0 but the English captain decided against reviewing the umpire’s call. The hawkeye later showed the ball to be crashing into the wickets.

    Blackwood made most of his chance and formed a formidable stand with Kraigg Brathwaite to put West Indies in a somewhat comfortable position at the stumps. Blackwood was given another opportunity when Mahmood clean bowled him, but the delivery turned out to be a front foot no-ball.

    England managed to dismiss Blackwood at 102 runs when Dan Lawrence got him leg before. However, Kraigg Brathwaite, on the other end, is still not out on 109* runs along with the night watchman Alzarri Joseph, who is batting at 4 for the Caribbeans.

    West Indies are 288-4, trailing England by 219 runs at stumps on day 3.

     

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  • ENG VS WI: Ben Stokes Bludgeons West Indies on Day 2 of the 2nd Test

    Ben Stokes blasted the West Indies bowlers on day 2 of the 2nd Test to bring up his 11th Test hundred with a dashing strike rate of above 90. He became the fifth cricketer overall to complete the double of 5000 runs and 150 Test wickets.

    England posted a massive 507/9 before declaring the innings to let the Caribbean batters tough it out in the last session of the day’s play. In reply, West Indies have scored 71 for the loss of one wicket at stumps on day 2.

    Kraigg Brathwaite on 28* and Shamarh Brooks on 31* are still on the crease, while John Campbell was dismissed by Fisher on 4 runs. West Indies have a mountain of a total to climb to stay in the 2nd Test at Barbados.

    Here’s how the day proceeded:

    Ben Stokes joined Joe Root in the middle at the beginning of the day to start a carnage against the West Indies. Joe Root reached another milestone to complete 150 runs before being getting dismissed at 153. Root was trapped in front of wicker by Kemar Roach to provide West Indies with the much-needed breakthrough.

    Ben Stokes scored a quickfire 120 off 128, including 6 massive sixes and 11 fours. The hero from the first Test, Johnny Bairstow, could only muster 20 runs in the 2nd Test. However, Ben Stokes set the platform for Foakes and Woakes to play their natural games at the back-end of English innings.

    Foakes and Woakes constructed a 75 runs stand for the 7th wicket to propel England close to 500. In the end, Root decided to declare at 507/9 after the fall of both Woakes and Foakes.

    Chris Woakes scored 41 off 57, consisting of one six and three fours, while Ben Foakes made 33 off 64, including a four.

     

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  • ENG VS WI, 2nd Test: Root and Lawrence Put England on Top

    Joe Root and Dan Lawrence combined to construct a 164 runs stand for the third wicket to guide England to 244-3 at stumps on day 1 of the 2nd Test match.

    Root was given two reprieves in his unbeaten knock of 119* off 242, consisting of 12 fours. West Indies did not review when Root was caught behind off the bowling of Jason Holder on 23. Later he was dropped by Joshua de Silva on 32 off Kemar Roach.

    Dan Lawrence, too, was given a life when Alzarri Joseph dropped him on 71 off the bowling of Jayden Seales. West Indies was sloppy in the field, which has cost them heavily in the first innings of the 2nd Test.

    Root and Dan Lawrence capitalised on their chances to grasp the match from the Caribbean team’s grip. Root scored his second consecutive hundred in the Test series to propel his tally of hundreds in Test cricket to 25. While Dan Lawrence notched up his highest Test score ever in his gritty knock of 91, comprising 13 fours and a six.

    Earlier in the day, Root chose wisely to bat first, and his strategy to wear down the West Indies bowlers worked perfectly as the Caribbeans could not maintain their rhythm after the first session of the day’s play.

    England did not have a great start as the centurion from the last match, Zak Crawley, got out for a seven ball duck. But Root calmed things in the middle with Alex Lees to see off the first session. Lees departed on the brink of lunch when Permaul snared him on 30.

    Post lunch, it was England’s game all the way. Lawrence and Root frustrated the Caribbean bowlers, who toiled hard on a humid day. Holder dismissed Lawrence on the last ball of the first day in nervous nineties as England posted 244-3 at stumps.