Jonny Bairstow’s composed 89 helped England survive some atrocious top-order shot-making and reach 268-8 at the close of play on the first day of the third Test against India yesterday.
Alastair Cook won an important toss, but the tourists conceded much of the advantage with poor shot selection and could have been in a deeper hole but for India’s poor catching and Bairstow’s dogged resistance.
The wicketkeeper-batsman featured in 50-plus partnerships with Ben Stokes and the recalled Jos Buttler to revive England, who are 1-0 down in the five-match series.
Photo: AFP
Adil Rashid was batting on 4 at stumps with Gareth Batty, replacing the injured Zafar Ansari, yet to open his account.
Wary of batting fourth on a spinning track, Cook asked the hosts to bowl, but his top order were unable to vindicate the decision at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium.
Paceman Umesh Yadav drew first blood when he got Haseeb Hameed caught for 9 at gully with a delivery that kicked up off a length.
Photo: AP
Home captain Virat Kohli introduced spin in the 13th over and Jayant Yadav responded by dismissing Joe Root for 15 in his second over.
England’s batting mainstay fluffed a pull shot across the line and was trapped LBW to a perfectly innocuous delivery from the off-spinner.
Cook led a charmed life at the other end with Ravindra Jadeja failing to pouch an edge and Ravichandran Ashwin spilling a sitter. Mohammed Shami was the luckless bowler on both occasions.
Photo: AP
Ashwin redeemed himself 10 minutes later with his very first delivery, which Cook edged to wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel. Cook made 27, but his dismissal came from a rash shot chasing a wide delivery.
Shami finally tasted success when he bounced out Moeen Ali for 16, but Bairstow and Stokes steadied the innings with a 57-run stand before another touring batsman decided to throw his wicket away.
Stokes, on 29, marched down the pitch to Jadeja only to miss the ball and Patel had all the time in the world to whip off the bails.
Bairstow teamed up with Buttler to add 69 runs for the sixth wicket in a relatively more productive second session.
Buttler fell for 43, when he trotted out to chip Jadeja to Kohli at extra cover in yet another soft dismissal.
Patel later trapped Bairstow LBW.
NZ, PAKISTAN
AFP, HAMILTON, New Zealand
Tim Southee captured three quick wickets to put New Zealand in a commanding position in the second Test against Pakistan yesterday.
Neil Wagner bagged two wickets as Pakistan collapsed to 76-5 at stumps on day two, still 195 runs behind New Zealand’s first-innings total of 271.
Babar Azam was not out 34 at the close of play at Seddon Park with Sarfraz Ahmed unbeaten on 9.
New Zealand, chasing their first series win over Pakistan in 31 years, had been in trouble at 119-5 before B.J. Watling’s 49 not out anchored a tail-end revival that lifted the home team to a competitive total.
Southee — who was belligerent with the bat — then enticed the Pakistan top order into making a string of rash shots, seaming the ball away with a mixture of short and full-length deliveries.
In his third over, the New Zealand quick removed opener Sami Aslam for 5 and Azhar Ali for 1. Then, in his fifth over, he dismissed veteran Younis Khan for 2 as Pakistan slumped to 12-3.
Azam and Shafiq briefly steadied the innings with a 39-run partnership before Wagner’s double strike.
AUSTRALIA, S AFRICA
Reuters, ADELAIDE, Australia
Australia took firm control of the day-night third Test after they reduced South Africa to 194-6 at the close on day three yesterday.
South Africa were only 70 runs ahead of their hosts.
Desperate for a consolation victory to avoid a first 3-0 series sweep on home soil, Australia’s lower-order batsmen boosted their first-innings tally to 383 before the bowlers took over.
Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla departed before tea and J.P. Duminy, captain Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma and Kyle Abbott followed under the lights in the night session.
Opener Stephen Cook was the one top-order batsman left standing after hitting 81 and will return to the crease today with Quinton de Kock, who was yet to get off the mark.
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