An unbeaten century by Tom Latham in a 116-run partnership with Ross Taylor and an injury to all-rounder Ben Stokes put England on the back foot yesterday on the rain-shortened first day of the second Test against New Zealand.
Heavy rain began to fall during the tea break, washing out the final session and leaving New Zealand 173-3 at stumps with Latham 101 not out. Taylor was out 20 minutes before the end for 53 and Latham had been joined by Henry Nicholls (5).
New Zealand had been 37-2 after the dismissal of captain Kane Williamson (4) just before the first drinks break. Latham and Taylor repaired the innings with a century partnership, adding 87 runs for the loss of only Taylor’s wicket during the second session.
Photo: AFP
The pitch at Seddon Park became increasingly docile as the ball became older and the sun baked out the faint smattering of new grass, which might have caused England captain Joe Root, mistakenly, to bowl on winning the toss.
England took five seamers and no specialist spinner into the match and those bowlers were made to work hard as the pitch settled into a good batting deck, likely to remain so for the rest of the match.
Stokes came into the match with a knee injury and was clearly in pain as he bowled only two overs in the first two sessions. He grimaced as he put weight on his left knee in his landing stride and seemed unlikely to bowl again, at least in the first innings, depleting the England attack.
Photo: AFP
In a statement the England and Wales Cricket Board said: “Stokes has pain in [his] left knee and will be assessed as to whether he can bowl again in the innings. He felt some discomfort at the end of his second over.”
All three New Zealand wickets to fall went to catches by Root, including opener Jeet Raval for 5.
AFGHANISTAN-WINDIES
Photo:AFP
AP, LUCKNOW, India
The West Indies handed Afghanistan a crushing nine-wicket defeat within three days in their one-off cricket Test.
Resuming yesterday on 109-7 with a lead of only 19 runs, Afghanistan were bowled out for 120 in their second innings within 30 minutes on the third morning.
Photo: AFP
Captain Jason Holder (3-20) polished off the Afghanistan tail, getting the outside edges of Rashid Khan’s and Afsar Zazai’s bats, and bowling Yamin Ahmadzai.
The West Indies hurried to 33-1 with John Campbell remaining unbeaten on 19 when he smashed left-arm spinner Amir Hamza over mid-off for a winning boundary.
The only blot in an otherwise a comprehensive win for the West Indies was the form of Kraigg Brathwaite, who fell for 8 to Hamza to continue a barren run in Tests.
AUSTRALIA-PAKISTAN
AFP, ADELAIDE, Australia
Australia opener David Warner and No. 3 Marnus Labuschagne both smacked their second centuries in as many Tests yesterday, exposing Pakistan’s bowlers once again in the day-night clash in Adelaide.
Warner plundered 154 in the opening Test at Brisbane last week — his first Test century since a year-long ban for ball-tampering — and he maintained that rich vein of home form with 166 not out at stumps.
Under lights and against an attack who struggled to make the most of conditions, he brought up his 23rd Test ton with a single from spinner Yasir Shah.
Warner had hit 19 fours in a near faultless innings, ably supported by Labuschagne who followed up his 185 at the Gabba — a maiden Test hundred — by marching to 126 not out.
The composed 25-year-old slapped 17 fours, clipping Yasir for two runs through midwicket to reach three figures for the second time in his 11 Tests.
BANGLADESH
AFP, DHAKA
Bangladesh’s anti-corruption commission has barred a top cricket official from leaving the country as it steps up an investigation into the sport’s national body, a spokesman said yesterday.
Mahbubul Anam is one of at least two senior Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) directors under suspicion.
“An investigation is under way against him [Anam] for amassing illegal wealth,” commission spokesman Pranab Kumar Bhattacharjee told reporters. “The concerned authorities have been instructed to ensure he cannot leave the country.”
The commission told immigration police in a letter on Thursday that Anam was under investigation for manipulating tenders and appointments and abusing his power in the selection of cricket board sponsors.
Anam denied any wrongdoing.
“I am not involved with any BCB tender process or sponsorship. The allegation is not true,” he said.
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