2nd Test Day 3 Bangladesh v New Zealand

New Zealand 419 for 8 (Anderson 116, Williamson 62, Watling 59*, Shakib 5-97) lead Bangladesh 282 by 137 runs

Corey Anderson scored his maiden Test century with a calculated dominance of the Bangladesh attack. His 116 led the way for New Zealand as they ended the third day of the second Test on 419 for 8 with a lead of 137.
 

Shakib Al Hasan's five-wicket haul was the only solace for Bangladesh, who also had to endure a late, 84-run ninth-wicket partnership between BJ Watling and Ish Sodhi. On a pitch that is offering more turn every day, the stand further dented the confidence of the Bangladesh bowlers. Watling was unbeaten on 59 and Sodhi on 53, the legspinner's maiden Test fifty.

Bangladesh had a good start to the day, picking one of the two wickets they had sought desperately on the second day. New Zealand had added 20 runs in 3.3 overs before Ross Taylor edged Shakib to first slip for 53 off 79 balls.

 

Williamson was the other wicket that the hosts wanted but they didn't get the batsman for another couple of hours. While they focused on dismissing New Zealand's No. 3, Bangladesh were blind-sided by Anderson, who had made his debut in the first Test in Chittagong.

  

Anderson made a quiet start, scoring just one run off his first 12 deliveries, but broke free with a four through long-on off Sohag Gazi. He swiftly hit a few more fours before swinging a six off Shakib and brought up his fifty off 72 balls. At lunch, New Zealand were 51 runs behind, but Anderson had moved to 75 and Williamson was on 56.

 

The pair ensured New Zealand also maintained a good run-rate of 3.72. The first session saw New Zealand score 124 runs for the loss of one wicket and, with the threat of rain and a spinning track, it marked a shift in the momentum of the game.

 

Thirty-odd minutes after the break, Anderson reached his hundred with a glide through midwicket off Gazi. It was an assertive innings - Bangladesh couldn't get Anderson playing and missing for too long, and eventually the batsman would hit out with a four. Predictably, he played spin more than pace but dominated Shakib, Gazi and Abdur Razzak. Against Rubel Hossain, who tested him on a few occasions from around the wicket, Anderson struck five boundaries.

 

At the other end, Williamson steadily brought up his third successive fifty in the series with a four down the ground off Al-Amin Hossain. Williamson had a reprieve on 58 when Mushfiqur dropped a chance off Gazi, but fortunately for Bangladesh, it didn't cost them too much as the batsman was out for 62.

 

Razzak broke the 140-run stand as Williamson miscued and holed out to Tamim Iqbal at deep mid-wicket. Seven overs later, Al-Amin had Anderson caught in the covers for his first Test wicket. Anderson scored 116 off 173 balls with 13 fours and a couple of sixes.

 

Shakib completed his tenth five-wicket haul when he had Doug Bracewell caught behind in the 101st over of the New Zealand innings. Then came the late-order resistance from Sodhi and Watling, who made sure they held on to the advantage created by the middle-order.

 

It wasn't an attractive stand, but the pair nudged and smothered the spin and the frustration of the crowd grew with every lightly tapped boundary from Watling. Sodhi showed his batting potential, not reluctant to manufacture shots when the field was up.

 

Bangladesh's bowling, indifferent throughout the day, hardly had venom at the stage. Gazi remained wicketless and had himself to blame for spilling a return chance from Sodhi. Razzak was expensive on the second evening, and mostly ineffective on the third day. Rubel and Al-Amin tried hard, but the New Zealand batsmen played them well. Shakib remained the best bowler on show, although he too strayed towards the end.

 

Bangladesh now have the hard task of staying in contention in the game. Apart from dismissing New Zealand quickly, they must come up with a proper second-innings response to put the visitors out of the game. For that, they can learn from the Williamson-Anderson stand that has given New Zealand an advantage.

2nd Test Day 2 Bangladesh v New Zealand

New Zealand 107 for 3 (Taylor 37*, Williamson 28*, Shakib 3-25) trail Bangladesh 282 (Tamim 95, Wagner 5-64) by 175 runs

The fall of eight wickets during the 53.3 overs possible, particularly New Zealand's three, had kept the contest on an even keel before the afternoon rain forced an early end for the second day in succession. Earlier it was Neil Wagner's maiden five-wicket haul that handed the tourists the advantage.
 

Bangladesh's 282 was nowhere near a decent first innings total in Mirpur, but New Zealand conceded some of that advantage, losing three wickets for 107 in 33.3 overs. At 1:44pm local time, the players walked off as the drizzle turned into an outright downpour.

 

Shakib Al Hasan did much of the damage, picking up all three wickets to fall. The home side had a poor morning session, losing their last five wickets for just 54 runs in 20.1 overs.

 

The captain Mushfiqur Rahim was drawn to an away-swinging delivery by Wagner and was caught at a second gully position. It was his first shot of intent, having remained subdued till the dismissal. Nasir Hossain followed three overs later when an excellent delivery from Ish Sodhi took the edge to Ross Taylor who took a simple catch at slip.

 

Bangladesh's last recognised batting pair had contributed 18 and 19 respectively, but their target of around 400 evaporated quickly. Sohag Gazi, who scored a century in the first Test, struck a four and a six in his 21-ball 14, before he became Wagner's fourth victim, also caught at gully. Rubel Hossain edged behind to give the Pretoria-born left-arm fast bowler his fifth wicket and when Sodhi bowled Abdur Razzak, New Zealand's morning work was done.

 

But Bangladesh responded swiftly. In the 13th over of the visitors' reply, Shakib, in his first over, had Hamish Rutherford poking at a ball that popped to short-leg where Mominul Haque juggled once before holding on to it. Rutherford hardly looked comfortable against spin, toeing and top-edging deliveries around fielders on occasions.

 

Shakib struck again off the second ball of his following over when he trapped Peter Fulton with a straighter delivery. The batsman thrust his pad out and with Shakib hardly getting the ball to turn, it was a very easy decision for the umpire.

 

After lunch, Taylor and Kane Williamson showed some resistance. The pair were severe on Abdur Razzak after lunch, scoring 7, 8, 5 and 13 in consecutive overs. Williamson, however, was stopped in his tracks, quite literally, by Razzak's replacement at the Media Centre end. Rubel Hossain bowled a short one to the New Zealand No.3 who ducked too soon and was hit on the side of his face. He keeled over, and was taken off by the physio.

 

Brendon McCullum joined Taylor but New Zealand had lost their rhythm. He batted for half an hour before holing to deep square leg where Rubel took a tumbling catch. He hurt his back in the process as he fell awkwardly. He was back on the field the next over, and a short while later, rain struck. 

 

There was nevertheless enough time for a brief look at Bangladesh's latest Test debutant, Al-Amin Hossain. The tall seamer - a rarity even for Bangladeshi pace bowlers - opened the bowling, gave away 13 runs in his only spell of six overs, and was struck for two boundaries.

2nd Test Day 1 Bangladesh v New Zealand

Bangladesh 228 for 5 (Tamim 95, Mominul 47) v New Zealand

Continuous rain from the afternoon forced an early end to the first day's play of the Mirpur Test but Bangladesh would see it as a blessing in disguise as it stopped a batting rot from taking larger form. Opener Tamim Iqbal, who fell five runs short of his first century since June 2010, was part of a string of soft dismissals which undermined two impressive sessions with the bat, and hampered the home side's plans of putting up a large first innings score.

The New Zealand bowlers were lucky on three out of the five wickets to fall, but the four-man pace attack worked hard to keep the batsmen on a leash. Neil Wagner, drafted in to replace Bruce Martin, took two wickets and generally looked sprightly. He complemented Trent Boult, the quicker of the two, well and made sure Doug Bracewell's ten expensive overs didn't hurt them too much.

 

 Though Bracewell was the most unfortunate, as Tamim was dropped twice - on 5 and 10 - of his bowling.

 

With his good fortune, Tamim led the way after Bangladesh opted to bat first. He produced some crisp strokes, collecting 17 fours in his 153-ball innings. He was severe on the drive, mainly off the three left-arm seamers, and his deft touches through the leg side and taps through third man were also equally impressive.

 

His progress into the nineties coincided with a cat-and-mouse game with Kane Williamson at gully. Tamim beat the fielder a few times but five runs short of his century, Williamson leapt sharply to his right to catch a ramp that was intended to go between the wicketkeeper and gully and Tamim's century drought, lasting over three years, continues.

 

Shakib Al Hasan followed Tamim in the over leading into the tea interval. However, rain arrived five minutes into tea and stumps were called from the umpire's room after the downpour grew steadily heavier in the next hour. The outfield was very wet, an unusual occurrence at Shere Bangla National Stadium, which hosts the best drainage facilities in the country. The weather is expected to remain bleak, with more rain forecast for the remaining four days.

 

Bangladesh made a good enough start despite losing the early wicket of Anamul Haque, who is yet to make a substantial score in his short Test career. This time he miscued a pull shot off Trent Boult to become the first of three tame dismissals.

 

The second wicket partnership between Tamim and Marshall Ayub was the high point of the day's batting. Marshall dominated the 67-run stand, striking six fours, and his drives through the off side caught the eye again. But similar to both innings of the Chittagong Test, Marshall fell just when he looked set for a maiden Test fifty.

 

Mominul Haque was the third wicket that was gifted to the oppositon. The ball was so wide that it was a credit that he could edge it. Before the uncharacteristic dismissal, he had made 47 off 59 balls with eight fours.

 

New Zealand would look to ensure this shift in momentum continues, but with more rain looming, play on the second day looks doubtful.

3rd ODI India v Australia

Australia 304 for 6 (Voges 76*, Faulkner 64*) beat India 303 for 9 (Dhoni 139*, Kohli 68, Johnson 4-46) by four wickets

While lifting India from 76 for 4 to 303 for 9, MS Dhoni had spoiled James Faulkner's figures at the death. Faulkner took it out on Ishant Sharma at the death in Australia's chase. Rarely, if ever, has a bowler lost it so completely while bowling to a fellow bowler. Australia needed 44 off 18 when Ishant was given the ball. Six balls and 30 runs later off Faulkner's bat, the game was effectively over.

 

Australia's chase had started strongly, but had been suffocated mid-innings, chiefly by Ravindra Jadeja's ten overs for 31 runs.

 

George Bailey and Adam Voges had tried to keep pace, but the asking-rate had continued to climb. Voges had gamely hung on amid a clutch of middle-order wickets, including his own mix-up with Glenn Maxwell, when Faulkner joined him at 213 for 6. While their partnership lasted and grew, it seemed more a belated and inadequate attempt than a threatening one.

 

Then Ishant was brought back for the 48th over.

 

If you can apply brevity to carnage, here is what happened. Full and wide, four. Short, six. Length, six. Short, two. Short, six. Short, six.

 

By the time he pulled that last six into a shocked Mohali crowd, Faulkner had blasted 54 off 24, and Australia needed 14 off 12.

 

R Ashwin conceded only five in the 49th, but the damage had been irreversibly done. Seeing his blinder of a century being nullified by his bowler's meltdown, Dhoni refused to give in.

 

Seeing Faulkner was basically swinging them into the leg side, he put all the four permissible deep fielders there, including two long-ons. He needn't have bothered. With six needed off four, Vinay Kumar delivered a full toss, and Faulkner swung it over all those deep fielders.

 

One wonders what Dhoni feels seeing his bowlers do what they usually do, lose limited-overs games for him. More than that, one wonders who he manages to keep what he feels to himself when one of his bowlers is going through his latest meltdown. It is hard being Dhoni.

 

When India batted, he twisted his ankle in the 14th over while turning for a second run. He hadn't even faced a ball. He took treatment, reached 50 off 77, and then accelerated to his ninth ODI hundred in the next 30. Dhoni's favourite territory, the final stage of the innings, was yet to arrive. The Australia captain dropped him first ball of the penultimate over, off Shane Watson. Dhoni pulverized 34 off the final 12 deliveries to end unbeaten on 139. Even if it was normal service coming from Dhoni, that did not make the innings any less mind-boggling.

 

The last time Dhoni made an ODI century, in December 2012, he took India from 29 for 5 against Pakistan to 227 for 6. Helping him that day was Ashwin, who was around today as well, showing superb calm in adding 76 for the seventh wicket with his captain. Before that, Virat Kohli had been an equal partner in a fifth-wicket stand of 72, but had fallen against the run of play for his third successive score of 50-plus this series.

 

Admirable as these twin acts were, they were supporting ones. The stage belonged to Dhoni, who once again showed the entire range of his limited-overs batsmanship - from precisely-judged singles to hustling twos, from deftly placed boundaries to the late, towering sixes. And yes, he turned down three singles in the last two overs with Vinay at the other end.

 

Dhoni hit one four in his first 67 deliveries. He ended with 12 fours and five sixes. Faulkner's first eight overs went for 33, including just one run off the 46th. Dhoni hung back in the crease at the end, pulling out scythes, slices, slogs, helicopter-swings. Faulker's last two overs went for 32. Between those two overs, the threat of Dhoni made even as experienced a man as Shane Watson bowl two wides.

 

Before all this Dhoni frenzy, India's specialist batsmen had been roughed up for the second time in three games by Australian pace and bounce, especially by Johnson. But after the Dhoni frenzy, for the second time in the match, Australia frittered away a strong position. A start of 68 for 0 in 12.1 overs became 88 for 3 in 19.1. India's bowlers did well, bringing their side back with tight lines and lengths that squeezed the runs and built pressure.

1st Test Day 4 Pakistan v South Africa (Abu Dhabi)

Pakistan 442 (Manzoor 146, Misbah 100) and 45 for 3 beat South Africa 249 (Amla 118, Irfan 3-44) and 232 (de Villiers 90, Ajmal 4-74) by seven wickets


The word 'unpredictable' has often been used to describe Pakistan sides over the decades. A month after the gloom in Harare, with questions hanging over their batting capabilities in Test cricket, they nearly beat the world's No.1 Test side by an innings in Abu Dhabi.
 

Pakistan took the six remaining wickets on the fourth day to bundle out South Africa for 232, a total lower than their below par first-innings effort, and set themselves a target of 40. They still managed a wobble, though, by losing three wickets for seven runs, but the old hands of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan secured Pakistan's fourth consecutive win against a No. 1 team in the UAE.

 

Pakistan's winning sequence at their adopted home began when they routed England 3-0 in 2011-12. The ICC Test Championship mace had since changed hands from England to South Africa and the holders appeared rusty after several months of long-format inactivity. Pakistan capitalised on that by dismissing them for 249 before their batsmen found form to take a massive first-innings lead of 193.

 

Pakistan had strengthened their hold on the Test at the end of the third day by claiming four second-innings wickets, including that of South Africa's best batsman and first-innings centurion, Hashim Amla. On the fourth day, they didn't allow South Africa's deep batting order to develop substantial partnerships either. They had to put with a defiant fifty from AB de Villiers, but his battle was a lonely one. South Africa managed only one half-century stand on the fourth day and the best they could do was stretch the game into the final session.

  

South Africa had resumed with a defensive mindset on a pitch that was assisting spin, still trailing by 121. Saeed Ajmal was brought on at the start and after five wicketless overs, he was replaced by the debutant left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar. For the second time in the innings, Babar struck in the first over of a spell as he beat Dale Steyn in flight and knocked down his off stump. South Africa's first sign of aggression this morning had cost them a wicket.

 

Duminy had marked his return to Tests with a fifty in the first innings, but his second stint lasted just five balls, and he reviewed his lbw decision to Junaid Khan in vain. De Villiers didn't get too many loose deliveries to put away and with four close catchers around him against the spinner, his defence had to be watertight. He stepped down the track to Babar and found the boundary past cover, before launching the same bowler for a six down the ground to bring up his fifty.

 

There was no Adelaide-style jailbreak from Faf du Plessis, though, as he fell just after lunch for a dour 9 off 55 balls, caught one-handed by Ajmal during his follow through. Robin Peterson was the only player of batting potential left and he added 57 with de Villiers to all but deny Pakistan an innings win. De Villiers played some elegant shots, punching the seamers through cover and punishing anything short from the spinners.

 

Junaid looked to swing the old ball but strayed on to de Villiers' pads a few times and the batsman tucked them away to fine leg to get close to a century.

He was ten short of the milestone when he spooned Junaid straight to cover. Peterson and Vernon Philander gave South Africa the lead before a double-strike by Ajmal in one over limited it to 39.

 

South Africa's batsmen may have failed to come to terms with the conditions over two innings, but their bowlers did, albeit too late. The fast bowlers had figured out the right lengths with the new ball and Pakistan's top three obliged by edging behind the wicket, rolling back the months to their struggles in South Africa earlier this year. It should never have come down to this but Pakistan were left relying on Misbah and Younis to see them through.

 

For South Africa, it was their first defeat since the Durban Test against Sri Lanka in December 2011, ending a sequence of 15 undefeated Tests.

2nd ODI India v Australia

India 362 for 1 (Rohit 141*, Kohli 100*, Dhawan 95) beat Australia 359 for 5 (Bailey 92*, Hughes 83) by nine wickets

"Now this is another fine mess you've got us into," goes the constant refrain from India's batsmen to their bowlers. At times, the mess is so huge the batsmen fail to clear it up, despite their best efforts. At times, the batsmen do such a thorough job, their refrain to the bowlers changes to, "So that's all you've got?" It was the latter occasion tonight. India's bowlers leaked 359, the same score they had in the 2003 World Cup final. Only once had a bigger target been chased in ODI history, the famous Wanderers 438 game. Leave alone 359, India had never chased even 300 successfully against Australia.
 

All that changed, as Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made a mockery of the target, if a mockery can indeed be made of a target of 360. India got there with nine wickets and 39 deliveries to spare. Kohli registered the fastest ODI century by an Indian, in 52 balls. Rohit, accommodated by the team management and scrutinised by the media and fans for years, made his third hundred in 104 games, and his first since 2010. But it was Shikhar Dhawan, the golden boy of 2013, who set up the chase with a bludgeoned 95.

 

Dhawan and Rohit racked up 176 for the opening wicket in 26.1 overs, and Rohit and Kohli 186 for the second in only 17.2 overs. India began solidly against the fast bowlers and went through a short lull against the spinners before Dhawan hit a flurry of boundaries that more than made up for the brief let-up. During his brief career, Dhawan has made sure he makes let-offs and good fortune count. He was put down on 18 off Clint McKay and survived a very close stumping appeal on 42 against Xavier Doherty. After both reprieves, he let loose a volley of imperious strokes. He charged the fast bowlers, especially Shane Watson repeatedly, to power them through the covers. He pulled with confidence, and even the extra pace of Mitchell Johnson could not rein him in.

 

Rohit wasn't as free-flowing at the time but that did not take away from his contribution to the stand. He was strong through and over the covers against the quicks. He ended the fallow period of five overs for 18 runs against the spinners by stepping out and lifting Glenn Maxwell for six. Barring that insignificant sequence, Australia were never able to build any pressure, conceding boundaries regularly.

 

The only challenge in front of India now was whether the rest would be able to keep up with the frenetic pace the openers had set. Kohli came in and stepped up the tempo so emphatically, the conclusion was foregone long before India arrived home.

 

The openers had ensured India stayed in sight of an asking-rate of over seven; Kohli made it drop rapidly. As soon as he arrived, he started stepping out and muscling sixes, against seam and spin alike. Kohli hit seven sixes in all, and on the whole, the match descended into a Twenty20-style innings where one boundary merged into each successive one with the collective impact of deflating the bowlers and rendering them almost irrelevant.

 

Rohit played second fiddle in both partnerships, but was always in control of the situation. As he pulled a six to move to 75, he collapsed in pain from a cramp in his leg. He's been accused of being soft, of lacking temperament, but he took treatment and nearly doubled his score. He hared back for twos as the non-striker, and celebrated an emotional and long overdue century with screams and invectives.

 

It was improbable to even imagine Australia losing after making 359. Their first three batsmen delivered the platform with three half-centuries and George Bailey and Glenn Maxwell savaged an already clueless India attack. Roughed up by Aaron Finch, Phillip Hughes and Shane Watson, India's bowlers leaked 96 in 8.3 overs against the fourth-wicket duo of Bailey and Maxwell, and 122 in the last ten overs. It was the first time the first five batsmen had made fifties in an ODI. But it was also to be the night India executed their highest successful chase.

1st Test Day 3 Pakistan v South Africa (Abu Dhabi)

South Africa 249 and 72 for 4 (Smith 32) trail Pakistan 442 (Manzoor 146, Misbah 100, Shafiq 54) by 121 runs

It's been nearly two years since South Africa lost a Test match, and as several of their opponents have found out, one or two exceptional individual performances aren't sufficient to topple them. Pakistan know that, and nearly everybody in the team has contributed in the first three days to put them in a position to upset the world's No. 1 ranked team.

Misbah-ul-Haq and Saeed Ajmal, the lynchpins of the batting and bowling respectively, both delivered but unlike other occasions, they had a large supporting cast. Khurram Manzoor went on to make the highest Test score by a Pakistan batsman against South Africa, Asad Shafiq shrugged off his indifferent recent form to make a vital half-century, Mohammad Irfan's unsettling bounce made the openers' life difficult, Junaid Khan ruined Jacques Kallis' birthday by dismissing him for a duck, and the debutant Zulfiqar Babar struck the biggest blow of the day with his first delivery, getting rid of the super-consistent Hashim Amla late in the day.

 

All of which combined to leave South Africa tottering at 72 for 4, still needing 121 to make Pakistan bat again on a track that had seemed docile but was causing serious headaches when Pakistan were bowling.

 

There was a clear ploy to bowl short to Alviro Petersen, who loves playing the pull. Irfan kept banging it in, with two men in the deep on the leg side, and in the 11th over, he had Petersen gloving a catch to the keeper. The other opener, Graeme Smith, was edgy early on against pace and spin, but just as it seemed he was settling in, he was drawn out by a flighted Saeed Ajmal delivery and though Adnan Akmal fumbled the ball, there was time to have Smith stumped for the first time in his 111-Test career.

 

In the next over itself, Junaid angled one in towards middle stump, Kallis missed it and the umpire had one of the easiest lbw decisions to make. It got worse for South Africa as in the final over of the day, Babar spun the ball away to get the outside edge and Akmal pouched the chance. Pakistan's ascendancy was highlighted by the five fielders around the bat as the day came to a close.

 

Though the ball seemed to be performing tricks when Pakistan bowled, the pitch seemed docile when South Africa were bowling. One of cricket's hoary clichés is about how the first hour of the day's play is crucial, and it seemed particularly true this morning when the new ball gave South Africa their best chance of making breakthroughs. The quicks bowled better lengths than on Tuesday, but they only had the wicket of Manzoor to show in the first session as Pakistan continued to dominate.

 

Misbah began the day with some deft glides towards the third-man boundary, and continued to use the sweeps efficiently against the spinners. The previous 25 times when Misbah reached 50 in international cricket, he didn't go on to reach triple figures. In Abu Dhabi, though, he didn't miss out, and the usually impassive Misbah was beaming as he celebrated his first international hundred since May 2011.

 

The fast bowlers tied down Pakistan in the opening hour, but Misbah remained steadfast as ever, and Shafiq provided solid support. Both players were more expansive towards the end of the morning session, when the shine had worn off the ball and South Africa turned to Robin Peterson and Kallis. 

 

Misbah had some close calls after lunch, a couple of inside-edges which could have easily rolled on to the stumps and a loud caught-behind appeal that was turned down but he persevered to reach triple figures. He fell two deliveries after completing his century, becoming Dale Steyn's first victim of the innings.

 

Shafiq, a late addition to Pakistan's Test squad, underlined why he should be in the side with a vital innings, especially given how long the Pakistan tail is. He showed off how strong he is hitting in the arc between cover and point; a stylishly driven four off Kallis prompted a short ball which was pulled away for four more, earning Shafiq a pat on the back from Misbah. He gave it away with a soft dismissal on 54, chipping a half-volley on the pads to short midwicket.

 

Still, there was no quick end to the innings as Akmal made 32 to inflate the lead to nearly 200. The batting, so often the cause of Pakistan's poor showings in recent times, had done their job, and the bowlers backed that up to leave Pakistan dreaming of another famous win in the UAE. And this after losing their last Test against Zimbabwe.

1st Test Day 2 Pakistan v South Africa (Abu Dhabi)

Pakistan 263 for 3 (Manzoor 131*, Masood 75) lead South Africa 249 (Amla 118, Duminy 57, Irfan 3-44, Babar 3-89) by 14 runs

Usually, a couple of hours into a Pakistan Test innings, Younis Khan is in the middle trying to rescue the team after the top order has floundered. In Abu Dhabi, he was relaxing in the pavilion, fiddling around with a camera while chatting with Junaid Khan. He could afford to joke around as Pakistan's new opening pair, Khurram Manzoor and Shan Masood, put on 135 runs, Pakistan's first century stand for the first wicket since January 2012, back when they were making a mockery of England's No. 1 ranking.
 

It is much too soon to talk of them making a mockery of the current No.1 side in the world, but Pakistan's sixth opening combination in seven Tests put them on course for a healthy first-innings score. Manzoor went on to his maiden Test century, the first by a Pakistan opener against South Africa in a decade, to heap the pressure on Graeme Smith's side.

 

Manzoor is only playing his 10th Test, spread over more than four years, but was already deemed the senior opener in the squad, after Mohammad Hafeez was axed. He is fresh off twin half-centuries in his previous Test, and though he had a few nervy moments early on, he didn't throw away his wicket. He was generally watchful against the quicks, wearing a blow on his ribs from Jacques Kallis, and only opened out just before lunch when the spinners came on, taking three boundaries in two overs.

 

What stood out as much as his crisp strokeplay and concentration was his desire to get a big score. He regularly chided himself when he played a loose shot, even knocking his helmet with his bat several times after chasing a wide one from Vernon Philander and nearly nicking it when on 90.

 

It was a bit of struggle for him around that time, scoring only one run in 24 deliveries. Just as the pressure was mounting on him, he broke free with consecutive boundaries off Robin Peterson. The century arrived soon after with a push towards cover for two, celebrating in a chest-thumpingly exuberant manner.

 

His combativeness was also on display late in the day, when a wicketless Dale Steyn charged in with the second new ball. When Steyn flung the ball at him after fielding it, Manzoor didn't back down, snapping back at the world's No. 1 bowler. Later in the over when Steyn glared after a quick delivery, Manzoor blew him a kiss.

 

His opening partner Masood, making his debut, outside-edged his first ball in international cricket past the slips, survived a half chance to Jacques Kallis at second slip and had several plays-and-misses but he didn't look out of his depth in Test cricket.

 

 He pounced on the many leg-stump deliveries offered in the morning session and kept up a brisk scoring rate, and also eased the pressure with several quick singles. He looked particularly strong on the leg side, confidently pulling Philander and using his wrists when Steyn overpitched.

 

Steyn had a rare off day with the new ball, leaking 31 in five overs and didn't pose a threat consistently enough. Philander, playing his first Test in Asia, maintained the tight line he is renowned for but pitched a touch too short on a surface which is slower than the ones he is accustomed to.

 

Morne Morkel was the best of the bowlers, probing away around off and getting the ball to rear at the batsmen.

 

The slow pitch wasn't giving the quicks anything though, and South Africa's most glaring weakness - their spin department - was asked to deliver. Robin Peterson didn't show the accuracy necessary for a lead spinner, and it was JP Duminy who finally provided the breakthrough, getting Masood lbw with tea approaching.

 

South Africa got a couple more wickets early in the final session - Azhar Ali's wretched form extended and Younis was undone by a snorter from Morkel - but Pakistan didn't unravel as their batting rock, Misbah-ul-Haq, resisted with Manzoor for nearly two hours. Misbah used the reverse-sweep and paddle-sweep to exploit the gaps in the field and ended the day unbeaten on 44.

 

South Africa's day didn't get off to the best of starts either as their final two wickets went down within 19 deliveries and their innings wrapped up for the addition of just four runs to the overnight score.

1st Test Day 1 Pakistan v SA (Abu Dhabi)

South Africa 245 for 8 (Amla 118*, Duminy 57, Babar 3-89) v Pakistan

The ebbs and flows of Test cricket were in full evidence on the first day in Abu Dhabi, ending with Pakistan the slightly happier side despite Hashim Amla adding to his rapidly increasing century count. Pakistan's new-ball bowlers produced the breakthroughs in the morning session, then Amla and the middle order made the pitch seem utterly docile in the second session, before the spinners sparked a collapse in the final session.

Few sights are as reassuring for South Africa fans as seeing Amla in the middle. He produced a typically graceful innings, full of whiplash drives through the off and was comfortable camping on the backfoot and playing late against the spinners. As usual, he walked across the stumps to flick balls well outside off to the leg side and serenely progressed to his 20th Test century.

 

There were two main partnerships he was involved in, as he set about stabilising the South Africa innings after three early wickets, first 61 with a fluent AB de Villiers and then 95 with the returning JP Duminy. During those two stands, Pakistan's bowling seemed to lack sting and South Africa seemed to be on autopilot as they collected the runs.

 

Both those alliances ended with soft dismissals. De Villiers' was the sort that sends you scurrying to Youtube. He was looking to defend off the front foot and after an lbw appeal, he held the pose for the umpire. The ball rolled over towards slip, and the keeper Adnan Akmal signalled to Younis Khan to return the ball to the stumps. Adnan took the bails off and after many replays it was determined that de Villiers' backfoot was just outside the crease.

 

Duminy was playing his first Test innings in over a year but looked in fine touch. He has had his problems against spin, but this time he began with some confident shots down the ground. He was picking Saeed Ajmal's doosras well and was untroubled by the quicks as well, and progressed to a brisk half-century. Soon after he was dropped by Adnan off a thick edge, and even before the talk about how expensive that could prove ended, Duminy swept a harmless delivery straight to a deepish backward square leg.

 

It was the first wicket for left-arm-spinner Zulfiqar Babar, who at nearly 35 became Pakistan's third oldest debutant. Babar whirls his arms like a contortionist as he reaches the bowling mark, but in his first day in the top flight, he was steady and showed few signs of nerves. With Ajmal also getting the ball to grip at the other end, Babar kept the pressure on South Africa and was rewarded with two more wickets, of Faf du Plessis and Robin Peterson. The Peterson wicket is one he'll remember as he got the ball to turn viciously to zip between bat and pad and onto the stumps.

 

When Ajmal finally had reward with the wicket of Vernon Philander, South Africa had slid to 222 for 8, losing four wickets to spin for 23 runs. Amla was at the other end providing another lesson on playing the turning ball, but the lower-middle order didn't stick around to support him.

 

That helped a Pakistan side which is slightly imbalanced in the absence of their regular allrounder Mohammad Hafeez. Without him, they have only four recognised bowlers and will have to otherwise depend on part-timers like Younis and Azhar Ali. It was a risky strategy especially given the concerns over whether Mohammad Irfan has the stamina needed for Test cricket.

 

Irfan gave a scare when he walked off in the final session, but was back after about half an hour having recovered from the cramps he suffered in the stifling heat. He was terrific in the morning session, bowling at pace and constantly attacking on the offstump line. He got his typical extra bounce which led to a wicket in the third over itself as Alviro Petersen fell to a juggling catch at short leg.

 

Graeme Smith has had a long absence from top-flight cricket and it showed in his first international innings back. He was left searching for the ball outside off several times, there were a couple of streaky edged boundaries behind the wicket, after the second of which he nicked one through to the keeper.

 

Another man returning from time away from cricket, Jacques Kallis, didn't look as rusty as Smith, but he too didn't make too many runs, inside-edging an incutter from Junaid Khan to the keeper for 5. It wasn't the biggest of crowds that showed up in Abu Dhabi, but they certainly found their voice when South Africa were dithering at 43 for 3.

 

Though they were quietened by the stands Amla was involved in, the spinners provided them plenty to cheer towards the end of the day.

1st ODI India v Australia

Australia 304 for 8 (Bailey 85, Finch 72) beat India 232 (Kohli 61, Faulkner 3-47) by 72 runs

Australia showed just why they have been so successful in ODIs in India, and just why India's usual template of chasing anything their profligate bowlers concede often comes short against the visitors. Their batsmen powered their side over 300 on a slow and, at times, uneven pitch. Their fast bowlers then extracted appreciable bite from the same pitch and used the short ball intelligently to finish the contest by the end of the batting Powerplay. Tellingly, India have never successfully chased 300-plus against Australia, and this was their 11th failed attempt, this time against a side lacking several first-choice players.

The only time India looked relatively comfortable was during the 71-run third-wicket partnership between Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, who was promoted to No 4 ahead of Yuvraj Singh. Shikhar Dhawan had gone early and Rohit Sharma had given away yet another start. The asking-rate was above seven an over, but the duo was keeping up with it. Raina has never hidden his ambition of batting up the order, but that will have to be backed by a curbing of his urge to go for the glory swipe over midwicket, a stroke that serves him well while finishing an innings. He'd seemed to have weathered the inevitable early short-ball test to motor to 39 before he tried the shot against James Faulkner and mishit to third man. India were 137 for 2 when Raina fell; they would crumble to 232.

Mitchell Johnson hadn't played the Rajkot T20 in which India chased 200-plus. He took the first new ball tonight and delivered a searing spell of extreme pace, hitting speeds over 150kph regularly. He also took the key wicket of Yuvraj, the architect of the Rajkot win who came in at Raina's fall, setting him up with a couple of full deliveries before squaring him up with a shortish one and inducing a poke to the wicketkeeper.

Kohli looked the most solid of the India batsmen and made the most runs for his side, playing with his usual limited-overs solidity. As he went past fifty, Kohli seemed to be hitting the cruise mode that he gets in during big chases. His defence was as sure as his driving, but even he was set up smartly, this time by Shane Watson. Three successive short balls - the last of which Kohli went to pull and missed - were followed by a good length delivery. Kohli played across the line and was trapped in front.

Ravindra Jadeja had raced through his overs to deliver a miserly analysis of 10-0-35-1, but faced with varied fast bowling under pressure, he again came across as a limited batsman. A mistimed slog to mid-on ended his misery.

MS Dhoni, who had hung on grimly for a while, got the ball of the match from Clint McKay that pitched on good length and straightened past his defensive jab to uproot off stump. India were 196 for 7, and the Pune crowd had started exiting the stadium.

They had come to see their batsmen dominate, but it was the opposition's that had set the tone in the afternoon. Australia captain George Bailey built on a century opening stand even as wickets fell around him, and his lower order finished strongly.

Overwhelmingly favouring the on side, Bailey was always on the lookout for singles and twos and also quick to pull, sweep and cut, especially against the spinners. He held the innings together, but became the seventh man to fall with the score on 264 in the 47th over. Just when it seemed Australia had lost all their steam, the lower order looted 38 off India's seamers in the last three overs to push their side over the 300-mark.

Before their captain, Aaron Finch and Hughes took their time to get in and then accelerated to leave India looking flat. Finch, after his 89 in Rajkot, was looking in control with another powerful half-century before he mishit Yuvraj to long-off.

Finch played the cut intelligently given the lack of pace, preferring placement over power and often punishing Ishant Sharma either side of point. Hughes crunched several fours through the covers. Australia were galloping now but the breakthrough came for India immediately after the first drinks break, when Hughes nudged Jadeja to leg slip to fall for 47. Watson strode in and mishit his fourth delivery straight to long-on, but Bailey took over, providing his fast bowlers enough margin to do their job.

50 overs Australia 304 for 8 (Bailey 85, Finch 72) v India

Australia captain George Bailey built on a century opening stand even as wickets fell around him, and his lower order finished strongly to set India a target of 305. Given the slow and slightly uneven pitch, it appears to be a difficult chase, unless the ball comes on much better in the evening.

The visitors had an excellent start in the T20 as well, but lost too many wickets and failed to take advantage at the death. They seemed to follow the same pattern today, threatening to waste a 110-run first-wicket partnership between Aaron Finch and Phillip Hughes by losing regular wickets. Bailey, however, held the innings together with a smart, busy knock, but became the seventh man to fall with the score on 264 in the 47th over. Just when it seemed Australia had lost all their steam, the lower order looted 39 off India's seamers in the last three overs to push their side over the 300-mark. Ishant Sharma suffered the most, going for 56 in seven overs, while Vinay Kumar went for 68 in nine.

Overwhelmingly favouring the on side, Bailey was always on the lookout for singles and twos and also quick to pull, sweep and cut, especially against the spinners. He arrived when Australia had slipped from 110 for 0 to 113 for 2, but didn't waste any time to get going. Australia could have easily got tied up by the spinners had they hesitated, but Bailey looked purposeful as soon as he arrived.

Glenn Maxwell played another quick cameo after a hard-hitting 27 in the T20, but having already hit Vinay for a couple of sixes in the 38th over, mishit one to cover. Fortunately for Australia, Bailey shepherded them past 250 before exiting.

Before their captain, Finch and Hughes took their time to get in and then accelerated to leave India looking flat. Finch, after his 89 in Rajkot, was looking in control with another powerful half-century before he mishit Yuvraj Singh to long-off.

India's seamers bowled a tight line initially, and Australia weren't able to attack, resulting in a start of 13 for 0 in six overs. They started to make up from the seventh over. Finch, playing on his IPL home ground, had got some measure of the pitch by now and lofted, drove and pulled Bhuvneshwar Kumar for three boundaries. Australia began getting more and more width, and prospered. Finch played the cut intelligently given the lack of pace, preferring placement over power and often punishing Ishant Sharma either side of point. Hughes crunched several fours through the covers. He was also put down on 32 at point by Virat Kohli as he drove at Ishant.

Like in the T20, Dhoni turned to part-timer Kohli. Finch took him for a four and a six to reach his fifty. Australia were galloping now but the breakthrough came for India immediately after the first drinks break. Having nudged Ravindra Jadeja through vacant leg slip for a couple the previous ball, Hughes repeated the shot next delivery, only to find conventional slip had moved down the on side to hold onto a sharp chance.

Shane Watson strode in and tried to impose himself early, but mishit his fourth delivery straight to long-on. It was Yuvraj's first ball, and also his first ODI wicket since the 2011 World Cup. He would likely be called upon with the bat as well if India are to get anywhere near 305.

1st Test Day 5 Bangladesh v New Zealand

New Zealand 469 (Williamson 114, Watling 103) and 287 for 7 dec (Williamson 74, Fulton 59, Gazi 6-77) drew with Bangladesh (Mominul 181, Gazi 101*) and 173 for 3 (Shakib 50*)

Even as the first Test petered out into a draw, the home side had plenty of reasons to celebrate, not least among them Sohag Gazi's performance on the final day. A Test hat-trick, the second only by a Bangladesh bowler, gave him a singular place in cricket history as he became the first cricketer to score a hundred and take a hat-trick in the same game. That wasn't the only record he claimed.

When Mushfiqur Rahim managed to latch on to a rebound off his chest, to get rid of BJ Watling off the third ball of the 85th over, Gazi became only the third player in this decade to score a hundred and take five wickets in a Test, after R Ashwin and team-mate Shakib Al Hasan.

Having taken two wickets off successive balls in that over, Gazi then went on to complete a hat-trick, courtesy a one-handed catch at first slip by Shakib who dived forward to catch the ball close to the ground.

The early finish to the game on the fourth evening meant that the possibility of rain loomed over the final day, but the weather stayed clear. New Zealand, however, began the fifth day slowly. They were seeking consolidation and, with Peter Fulton at the crease, they got just that. Fulton kept the Bangladesh spinners at bay in his own way, with the bat coming down from his 1.98 metre frame and defending the ball low to the ground. He scored 59 runs in more than three hours, adding 101 for the second wicket with Kane Williamson.

Fulton fell leg-before to Gazi in the second hour of play, and was followed by Williamson who was out after adding 51 runs with Ross Taylor for the second wicket. Williamson made 74 off 150 balls, with two fours and a six, but was out to a freak dismissal: his full-bodied pull got lodged between Anamul Haque's thighs and the short-leg fielder held on to complete the catch.

Taylor upped the ante a bit after lunch, hitting Abdur Razzak for three consecutive fours in the first over after the break, as he and Brendon McCullum added 32 runs from 3.4 overs. The New Zealand captain, however, was undone by Gazi's length. The hat-trick followed, and the visitors had little to do but declare with the score on 287 for 7, setting Bangladesh a 256-run target with a maximum of 48 overs.

Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque started cautiously, with a few lbw appeals in between. Anamul was the first to go, caught at cover off a poor Bruce Martin delivery. The shot was a poor one,too, as the batsman went back, came forward and took his time to hit the ball straight to the cover fielder.

Tamim struggled to get the ball off the square, and also enjoyed some luck. He was dropped at deep square leg by Anderson off Martin on 29, and by Ross Taylor at slip when he was on 40. He spent 29 balls in the forties before an awkward-looking drive caught the top-edge, giving a catch to Martin in the covers.

Marshall Ayub once again gave a glimpse of his potential as a No. 3 with a good technique, but he fell leg-before to Sodhi. Shakib and Mominul Haque then got Bangladesh to safety in the last hour.

1st Test Day 4 Bangladesh v New Zealand

New Zealand 469 and 117 for 1 lead Bangladesh 501 (Mominul 181, Gazi 101*) by 85 runs

Sohag Gazi's maiden century had left the first Test in Chittagong nicely poised, but a passing shower drastically diminished chances of a result and New Zealand's caution in their second innings, on a pitch that hardly turned, increased that probability.
 

Chittagong is within 600 km of the predicted path of Cyclone Phailin, which is expected to make landfall on the east coast of India on Saturday evening, and the 20-minute shower in the third session forced an early halt to play. There was more rain forecast in Chittagong on Sunday.

 

Before the weather took a turn for the worse, however, it was Bangladesh's No. 8 Sohag Gazi who had the most impact on the play. Resuming on 28, Gazi brought out his favourite shots. The hard-hit cover drive, the upper cut and the late cut were eye catching but the slogs through midwicket and bludgeons down the ground were what demoralized the New Zealand attack.

 

Doug Bracewell was cut over the wicketkeeper's head and then slammed over midwicket for Gazi's first six, as he reached his fifty off 94 balls. Gazi was also severe on the spinners, he charged slow left-armer Bruce Martin and hit him over his head for his second six. The third came off part-time offspinner Kane Williamson and gave Bangladesh's lead in the 140th over. Bangladesh went to lunch on 491 for 8, having scored 111 runs in the session, for the loss of only Abdur Razzak.

 

Robiul Islam fell in the first over after the interval, leaving Gazi on 98 with only No. 11 Rubel Hossain for company. There was no need for nerves though as Gazi cut a short ball over gully to record his maiden Test century. He celebrated gleefully by pumping his fists, as the home side continued to dominate in the early part of the second session.

 

Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 501 in the 149th over with a 32-run lead - the first time in five attempts that Bangladesh have overtaken New Zealand after batting second.

 

Gazi's innings wasn't shot-a-minute as one might expect from a batsman who has the country's fastest first-class hundred. He left many balls outside off stump, though he had two reprieves - both caught-and-bowled chances of varying difficulty. Martin spilled a sitter, but Trent Boult's one-handed attempt was harder.

 

Gazi finished with ten fours and three sixes, adding 105 runs with No. 10 Robiul, who also made his highest score of 33. Bracewell took three wickets while Boult, Corey Anderson and Ish Sodhi took two each.

 

New Zealand's reply wasn't too cautious to begin with, as Hamish Rutherford made a rapid 32 off 45 balls. But when he fell lbw to Nasir Hossain in the 16th over, Peter Fulton and Kane Williamson became more circumspect, as they slowly added 69 in an unbroken second-wicket stand. The visitors led by 85 runs, but they have to take a more positive approach for a result, weather permitting.

1st Test Bangladesh v New Zealand Day 3

Bangladesh 380 for 7 (Mominul 181, Anderson 2-23) trail New Zealand 469 (Williamson 114, Watling 103) by 89 runs

Mominul Haque wiped away any doubts about his place in the Test line-up with an authoritative 181 that helped Bangladesh make significant progress towards New Zealand's first innings score of 469. His innings is the third highest score by a Bangladeshi batsman, and it was an innings that was his first serious expression of a calculative approach.

At stumps, the home side was 380 for 7, with Sohag Gazi and Abdur Razzak at the crease. Nasir Hossain was the last of the recognised batsman to be dismissed, which means that the tail would have to bat around Gazi, who is on 28.

 

Despite some natural wear and tear on the wicket, there haven't been many balls that caused alarm. At best there was a sense of bemusement when some of the deliveries bounced twice or thrice on their way to wicketkeeper BJ Watling. This was predicted, and so was assistance to spin. But it hasn't materialised yet, much to the dissatisfaction of Bruce Martin and Ish Sodhi.

 

Mominul dictated terms for the six hours he spent at the crease, picking up where he left off overnight. Five fours came off the first 27 deliveries he faced, which got him to the century. He had to survive a couple of close calls when he edged a few and skied one towards deep point, but reached the mark off 98 balls.

 

Though his pace slowed - taking another 100 balls to get to 150 - Mominul made key contributions to a 126-run third wicket stand with Marshall Ayub, 46 runs for the fourth wicket with Shakib Al Hasan and another 121 with captain Mushfiqur Rahim for the fifth wicket.

 

Mushfiqur struck 67 off 119 balls with ten fours and two sixes, having dominated the proceedings and making the New Zealand bowlers go through their toughest phase in the afternoon sessions.

 

Mominul was clever as he kept one end up, consolidating his position and creeping towards the only two higher scores by Bangladesh batsmen - Mushfiqur's 200 and Ashraful's 190, made earlier this year. Though Mominul was at his slowest in the last part of his innings, when he added 31 runs off 75 balls.

 

Earlier, Marshall couldn't capitalise on his start from the previous evening after he chased a wide one to give allrounder Corey Anderson his first Test wicket. The left-armer added a second with the wicket of Mominul, who was trapped leg-before after batting for 377 minutes. He had only just survived a dropped catch when Brendan McCullum's one-handed attempt didn't work out when he dived in front of first slip Ross Taylor off Trent Boult.

 

Taylor made up for it, taking a good one to get rid of Mushfiqur, which could have hurt Bangladesh but Nasir and Gazi added 70 runs for the seventh wicket. before the Nasir holed out after he top-edged a half-tracker from Sodhi.

 

Doug Bracewell and Anderson took two wickets while Boult, Sodhi and Kane Williamson took one each. It was a lot of hard work for the three seamers, and a few misfields and the dropped catch didn't help. Nasir batted at a fair clip, scoring 46 off 65 balls with seven fours and a six. But he was far too impetuous considering a little more caution would have seen Bangladesh end the day in a slightly stronger position.

1st Test Bangladesh V New Zealand Days 1+2

New Zealand 469 (Watling 103, Boult 52*) v Bangladesh 103 for 2 (Mominul 77*, Boult 1-5)

New Zealand were braced to defend a below-par first innings score in the first session of the second day. BJ Watling and Trent Boult slowly developed a mischievous plan that has been repeated seven times already this year. They fended off the Bangladesh bowlers first, then got comfortable, soon they were dominating the attack and New Zealand were in charge of the Chittagong Test.
 

Watling and Boult, the tenth wicket pair, added 127 runs. It shot their total up from 342 for 9 to 469 all out by the end of the second session. Watling completed a second Test century off 171 balls. He was finally dismissed for 103 while Boult was unbeaten on 52 - the fifteenth time a No. 11 has made a half-century in Tests.

 

The visitors added 189 runs on the last day, after which Bangladesh went to stumps at 103 for 2 with Mominul Haque, on 77 off 71 balls, and debutant Marshall Ayub at the crease.

 

But the home side were shaken by New Zealand's late charge, and it was evident in how they lost two wickets in the first 3.3 overs. Opener Tamim Iqbal chased a slightly full ball while Anamul Haque was done by Doug Bracewell's predictable inward movement. Mominul and Ayub, however, stopped the rot till the end of day's play, as they added 95 runs for the third wicket.

 

It was Tamim's first-ever golden duck, and the shot he played wasn't much of a surprise. It is one that has fetched him boundaries throughout his career, but here Boult got the ball to move slightly towards the slips. Kane Williamson, fresh from two sessions of rest, took a fine catch at gully that greatly delighted captain Brendan McCullum.

 

Anamul had survived an edge to slip off a no-ball in the second ball of the innings from Doug Bracewell. But it wasn't for too long, as he was done by the same bowler's in-ducker that was as predictable as Anamul's gap between bat and pad.

 

But as Ayub's confidence grew after a few overs when he looked genuinely nervous. He left and ducked any delivery that shouldn't be bothered with, playing only those within his reach as he mostly defended and letting Mominul do the scoring.

 

Quite different than his usual dour method of batting, Mominul went after New Zealand who committed the mistake of bowling too wide to him at first and then too full. He latched onto Bruce Martin's left-arm spin, taking him for three boundaries in a row in his first over. In the next over, he struck Bracewell for three more on either side of the ground. There were six more boundaries, and each one in front of the wicket.

 

He completed his third half-century off 36 balls, the second fastest for Bangladesh. Ayub supported him quite well for a debutant but they are still some ways short of doing what Boult and Watling did for the first half the day.

 

The duo put on the fourth-highest final wicket stand for New Zealand, and also the second-highest against Bangladesh, after the 133 added by Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan in 2004.

 

Watling was the more technical of the two, but didn't have to sweat too much when he left Boult on strike. Boult was severe on the Bangladesh spinners, particularly Shakib Al Hasan who was struck twice for sixes over deep midwicket.

 

Watling also survived an early let-off when he was on four. Rubel Hossain, who had bounced out nightwatchman Bruce Martin for the first wicket of the day, was celebrating when Nasir Hossain safely held an edge from Watling at gully but a replay asked by the on-field umpires confirmed a no-ball by Rubel, who has been quite regular in stepping over the line.

 

Razzak bowled the most, 55 overs, taking three for 147. Sohag Gazi took two wickets while there was one each for Rubel, Nasir and Mominul.

New Zealand 280 for 5 (Williamson 114, Fulton 73) v Bangladesh

Kane Williamson and Peter Fulton were looking quite comfortable, until the Bangladesh spinners found their mojo in the final hour. New Zealand went to stumps on 280 for 5, having lost their last three wickets in 10.1 overs in the first Test in Chittagong.

After controlled batting had kept all three spinners out of the game on a newly-laid pitch, the fourth and the fifth wickets came in the last two overs, when Williamson, having made 114, and captain Brendon McCullum were adjudged leg-before to Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzak respectively.

 

The visitors' progress throughout the day was a fair reflection of the conditions. There was no pace in the wicket even at its freshest, and it didn't change much throughout the day. But the two batsmen, as well as Hamish Rutherford and later Ross Taylor, made friends with the straw-coloured surface quicker than the bowlers would have hoped.

 

Bangladesh included Abdur Razzak for his first Test match in more than two years in hopes of fielding a more rounded attack and just after the first hour, all three spinners had been brought in. But the wickets did not materialise.

 

The swiftness with which the New Zealand top four acclimatised must have been encouraging for the next batsmen. Williamson was the most impressive, adjusting quickly as if he suddenly remembered how he had scored his first ODI hundred in Dhaka. Even then, his timing was noticeable.

 

Today he was as tight in defence as he was forceful when the ball was off line. Coming at the back of a first wicket which was needlessly given away by Rutherford, Williamson avoided rash strokeplay. A backfoot dab through mid-on off the first ball he faced, from Shakib Al Hasan, was perhaps the most elegant shot of the day, but the best one of his 12 boundaries came four balls later - another light punch off the back foot to turn the ball past mid-wicket. The two shots set him up for the rest of the innings, as the Bangladesh spinners struggled to push the ball through, or use the slow nature of the wicket to their benefit.

 

Williamson's next seven boundaries were all examples of how a batsman's patience is more often than not rewarded. A majority of them were off short balls, as the bowlers lost their discipline, and soon he reached his half-century off 94 balls.

 

Fulton struggled early on when he repeatedly tried to work the ball in front of the leg side. But after surviving some close calls, he too reached his first fifty since his twin centuries against England in Auckland. His 73 came off 198 balls, with seven fours and a six as he became increasingly comfortable knocking the spinners around, finding the gaps and bringing out the sweep shot once in a while. It was a slow innings, but one that laid the foundation for New Zealand's dominance on the day.

 

Their 126-run stand - New Zealand's highest for the second wicket in Bangladesh - wasn't exactly unexpected because the hosts are used to being on the backfoot when bowling first. But given their attack, it was expected that the pair would be forced into a mistake, which eventually came off Nasir Hossain's part-time off spin. Fulton had a century in his sights when he smashed a half-tracker straight to cover and walked off the field looking very distraught.

 

Williamson reached his century off 175 balls, a confident knock that was pleasing to the eyes, particularly when he punched the ball off either foot. But it was his strong-willed defence that contributed to his innings the most.

 

Along with Ross Taylor, he added 61 runs for the third wicket, which ended when Taylor's flick found a leading edge and fell safely into cover's hands while Rutherford, the day's first wicket, was another batsman being defeated by his own impetuousness.  

 

Williamson was dismissed for 114, having batted more than four hours. His forward prod at Shakib missed the bat, and he was given out leg-before in the penultimate over of the day. McCullum fell in the final over, having played back while trying to flick a ball off Razzak, who was bowling quicker than he had done all day.

 

Despite the five wickets, the day's play promises much for New Zealand looking ahead in the series. They started off quite well on a new surface, which might not impress their pace bowlers much. The plan from the home side would be to diminish the pace and movement of Trent Boult and Doug Bracewell, and hope the wicket gets better as the match progresses.

CLT20 Final Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals

Mumbai Indians 202 for 6 ( Smith 44, Maxwell 37, Tambe 2-19) beat Rajasthan Royals 169 (Rahane 65, Samson 60, Harbhajan 4-32) by 33 runs


A furious finish from Mumbai Indians' middle order propelled them to a monumental total before a chase-breaking over from Harbhajan Singh snuffed out the last of Rajasthan Royals' spirit, driving Mumbai to their second major title of the year, as they won the Champions League final by 33 runs. 
 

The Royals bowlers had been disciplined in their first 12 overs, which only cost them less than seven an over, but a Rohit Sharma onslaught unseamed their resolve and the remaining batsmen took maximum toll on a waning attack. Glenn Maxwell provided the most frenzied death-over innings, mauling 37 from 14, but Sharma, Dinesh Karthik and even Harbhajan struck at over 200 to help plunder 120 runs from the last eight overs of the innings.

 

Eighteen-year old Sanju Samson was imperious in Royals' response, and he led Ajinkya Rahane in a 109-run second-wicket stand that provided a fine base for the chase. But even as Rahane completed his fourth fifty on the trot, the Royals' scoring slowed, and Harbhajan eventually sunk the opposition in a 17th over that claimed three wickets and cost only four. 

 

Before that over Royals had needed 48 runs from four overs, and with seven wickets still remaining, a successful chase was conceivable, particularly as Rahane remained in the middle.

 

But it was Rahane who made the first mistake, advancing to swat a full toss straight to deep midwicket, when it seemed he could quite easily have muscled it over the Feroz Shah Kotla's short boundary. Two balls later Stuart Binny was undone by some extra bounce and had his leg stump removed, before Kevon Cooper missed the last ball and overbalanced, and a sharp Karthik did not miss his chance.

 

The most disheartening sight of the match followed in the next over when, having demoted himself to No. 8, Rahul Dravid's final act on a professional cricket field was having his leg stump flattened by a prosaic yorker from Nathan Coulter-Nile. Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar had fared little better, when he missed a Shane Watson inducker by a distance to have his own off stump uprooted.

 

Two days shy of his 42nd birthday, Pravin Tambe delivered another remarkable spell, and he might wonder how his team-mates could have indulged the opposition so meekly when he had conceded only 19 from his four overs, while taking the two wickets that placed him atop the tournament wicket-takers' list.

 

Halfway through Mumbai's innings, Royals might have thought they would have to bowl poorly to concede 170. Smith had been effective at the top of the innings again, but by his standards, his 44 had come at a relatively humdrum pace - off 39 balls.

 

It was Rohit though, who got low to wallop a Stuart Binny slower ball high into the night in the 13th over, that began the sequence that beat the wind out of Royals' attack. Two more fours off Binny took the over-tally to 16, before Sharma shuffled around the crease and manipulated the field to score heavily in the next two overs as well.

 

He had some help from Kieron Pollard as they punished Cooper's errant lengths in the 16th over, which cost 20 and featured a monster pull and a towering slog over wide long-on, and the breathless pace was only heightened when Maxwell arrived next over. He clipped his first ball to square leg for four, before sending the next ball - an almost identical delivery - into the stands on the leg side with a more powerful pick-up stroke.

 

A straight six, a glanced four and an improvised reverse-scoop over short third man followed, and with Karthik and later Harbhajan also going big at the other end, Mumbai laid down a daunting challenge in the space of twenty minutes. Courageous though their reply was, Royals could not match them.