Cricket Highlights, 12 Mar: IND vs SL (2nd Test – Day 1), PAK vs AUS (2nd Test – Day 1), WI vs ENG (1st Test – Day 5)

IND vs SL (2nd Test – Day 1)

In the second and final match of the series in Bangalore, the host India has been frustrated by the whirlwind magic of the visiting Sri Lankan spinners in the Pink Ball Test. The hosts’ innings was stopped at 252 runs before they won the toss and elected to bat. 

Shreyas Iyer was dismissed in the nervous 90s after playing the team’s highest innings of 92 runs. However, wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant started attacking the Lankan bowling line-up before that. He scored 39 runs playing 26 balls with a strike rate of 150, and he smashed seven fours to play the stormy innings. Besides, Hanuma Vihari scored 31, Virat Kohli 23, captain Rohit Sharma 15, and Ravichandran Ashwin 13 runs.

For Sri Lanka, two left-arm spinners, Praveen Jayawickrama and Lasith Embuldeniya, took three wickets each. Right-arm off-spinner Dhananjaya de Silva took two wickets, and pacer Suranga Lakmal took one wicket.

In reply, Sri Lanka was not relieved to be batted in the 1st innings by the aggressive bowling of Indian fast bowlers. They lost 6 wickets for 86 runs. After trailing by 166 runs at the end of the first day, the Lankans are heading towards a tragic outcome in the second Test. They have only 4 more wickets in hand. Niroshan Dickwella is batting for 13, and Lasith Embuldeniya is batting for zero.

Angelo Mathews, an experienced batsman for the Lankans, scored the highest 43 runs for the team. Dhananjaya de Silva scored 10 runs. Dickwella is unbeaten on 13. No other batter could reach a double-digit score. Jasprit Bumrah took 3 wickets for India, and Mohammad Shami took 2 wickets. Besides, spinner Axar Patel took 1 wicket.

Scoreboard

India (1st Innings) – 252/10 (59.1)

Sri Lanka (1st Innings) – 86/6 (30.0)

PAK vs AUS (2nd Test – Day 1)

At the end of the first day of the 2nd Test of the series at the National Stadium in Karachi, Australia got 251 runs, losing 3 wickets. Usman Khawaja is unbeaten on 127 runs after batting all day. Steven Smith also played an effective inning of 72 runs for the Aussies.

Batting first after winning the toss, openers David Warner and Khawaja continued to score runs in the opening pair in a very ODI style. The duo came up with 82 runs in 18 overs, and Warner made 36 off 48 balls before being caught behind by Faheem Ashraf.

Then the world’s number one Test batsman Marnus Labuschagne returned to the dressing room with an unfortunate runout. Sajid Khan made Labuschagne out of the field by breaking the stamp in a straight throw from mid-off. Labuschagne could not open the scoring record even after playing 9 balls before returning to the dressing room.

Despite losing two wickets in a short time, Smith and Khawaja handled the danger well. The duo put together a pair of 159 runs in 67.5 overs. Smith, who scored 72 off 214 balls, returned to the dressing room with a great catch by Faheem Ashraf seven balls before the end of the day’s play.

However, the hundred-scorer Khwaja finished the first day’s game by staying firm in the middle. More than half of the team’s runs came from his bat. He has scored 127 runs off 266 balls with 13 fours and 1 six. Nathan Lyon is unbeaten on zero runs with 6 balls.

Scoreboard

Australia (1st Innings) – 251/3 (90.0)

WI vs ENG (1st Test – Day 5)

The West Indies had to score 286 runs in 71 overs to win the first Test of the 3-match series in Antigua. The hosts lost 4 wickets for just 67 runs in the stellar bowling performance of England’s bowlers. The match ended in a draw in the marathon pairing of Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder.

England finished the fourth day with 217 runs, losing 1 wicket in their second innings. After playing a little less than one session on Saturday, the visitors declared the innings with 349 runs for 7 wickets before the lunch break. Captain Joe Root scored 109 runs, and he made the 24th Test century of his career. Another opener Zak Crawley stopped for 121 runs. Dan Lawrence scored 37, Chris Woakes 18* and Jonny Bairstow 15* runs.

Later, West Indies started playing defensively with the target of 286 runs in 71 overs. Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell spent 25 overs in the opening partnership. Brathwaite, who scored 33 off 82 balls, was dismissed for 59 runs. After that, there was a slight danger. Campbell (22), Shamarh Brooks (5), and Jermaine Blackwood returned to the dressing room early within 35 overs of the innings. As a result, England was 6 wickets away to win the match in the last 36 overs.

Bonner and Holder did not allow any danger to happen from there. The duo put on an unbroken 80-run stand for the 5th wicket in 35.4 overs. Holder is unbeaten on 37 off 101 balls, and Bonner is unbeaten on 38 off 138 balls. Nkrumah Bonner was named Player of the Match for his 123 in the 1st and 38* on the 2nd.

Scoreboard

England (1st Innings) – 311/10 (100.3)

West Indies (1st Innings) – 375/10 (157.3)

England (2nd Innings) – 349/6 (D) (88.2)

West Indies (2nd Innings) – 147/4 (70.1)

Result – Match drawn

Player of the match – Nkrumah Bonner