Opener Lendl Simmons on Sunday struck an attacking 67 to lead the West Indies to a series-leveling eight-wicket win over India in the second Twenty20 international.
Simmons put on crucial partnerships, including a 73-run opening stand with Evin Lewis (40), as the West Indies chased down 171 in 18.3 overs to level the three-match series at 1-1.
Simmons survived a dropped catch on 6 by Washington Sundar to complete his sixth Twenty20 half-century and anchor the chase after the tourists’ bowlers limited the hosts to 170-7.
He received good support from Nicholas Pooran, who hit the winning boundary to finish unbeaten on 38 off 18 balls after returning to the side following his four-match ban for ball-tampering.
“To be able to restrict India to 170 after my expensive over, it was fantastic,” West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard said. “The way we batted, we had discussed how to approach the game, and the boys played it well. We have some guys who have done well from the CPL [Caribbean Premier League] and we are excited for them.”
Paceman Kesrick Williams and leg-spinner Hayden Walsh claimed two wickets each to play a key part.
Simmons, who hit four fours and four sixes in his 45-ball knock, and the left-handed Pooran put on 61 runs to flatten the India bowling that was let down by some sloppy fielding.
The India batting depended on Shivam Dube’s 54 off 30 balls and an unbeaten 33 from Pant to post a competitive total after being put into bat first.
India lost their openers with the score on 56, but the left-handed Dube, promoted to No. 3, counterattacked with three fours and four sixes.
“Shivam’s knock helped us reach 170. To be honest, West Indies bowled cutters and their change of pace did not help us, but if we field so poorly, no amount of runs will be enough,” India skipper Virat Kohli said.
Kohli mistimed a cut to be caught at short third-man for 19 off Williams, but only after edging past Rohit Sharma as the world’s most prolific Twenty20 scorer with 2,563 runs.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two