An ill Tim Southee and a superb debut from Kyle Jamieson yesterday helped New Zealand to a tense 22-run victory over India in their second one-day international (ODI) at Eden Park in Auckland, clinching the three-match series with a game to spare.
Southee was unsure whether he would play the game due to a gastroenteritis outbreak that forced Mitchell Santner out and assistant coach Luke Ronchi to act as a substitute fielder, but took 2-41 before he left the field after his 10 overs.
India were dismissed for 251 in 48.3 overs with Ravindra Jadeja (55) producing a superb rearguard fightback after he came to the crease with his side in trouble at 96-5 and almost won the game in partnership with fast bowler Navdeep Saini (45).
Photo: AP
New Zealand had scored 273-8 in their innings, with Ross Taylor following up his century in the first match in Hamilton with 73 not out.
Taylor combined with debutant bowler Jamieson (25 not out) in an unbroken 76-run ninth wicket partnership to give their team a respectable target.
The run out of Martin Guptill for 79, when he attempted a quick single while batting with Taylor, halted New Zealand’s momentum and they slumped from 157-2 in the 30th over to 197-8 in the 42nd.
However, Taylor and Jamieson ensured that they had a target to defend and the bowlers reduced India to 96-5, with the visitors chances then resting with Shreyas Iyer and Jadeja, as the last recognized batsmen.
Iyer, who averaged 51 in the Twenty20 series and scored his maiden one-day century in the first game, was caught behind for 52 to leave his team 129-6 in the 28th over.
Jadeja and Saini then scored 76 runs from 80 balls and looked to have seized the momentum before Jamieson bowled Saini in the 45th over and Yuzvendra Chahal was run out for 10 in the 48th over.
Jadeja was then caught on the fence with nine balls remaining to end the game.
PAKISTAN VS BANGLADESH
Opener Shan Masood yesterday scored a commanding century as Pakistan dominated Bangladesh on the second day of the first Test at Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
The left-hander fell for 100 in the penultimate over before tea — his third Test hundred and second successive — as Pakistan reached 206-3 after two commanding sessions of batting.
Pakistan trail Bangladesh’s first innings total of 233 by just 27 runs.
At the break, Babar Azam was on 69 and with him Asad Shafiq not out on nought.
Masood and Azam carried Pakistan from 95-2 at lunch with a dominating 112-run third wicket stand after Bangladesh spurned a good chance to break the partnership at the outset.
Azam, when on 2, was dropped by Ebadot Hossain off Taijul Islam at long-off and that cost Bangladesh dearly, as they failed to build on dismissals of opener Abid Ali (nought) and skipper Azhar Ali (34) in the first session.
Masood — who was finally bowled out by Islam — reached his hundred by hooking pacer Rubel Hossain for his 12th boundary. He reached three figures off 157 balls in 226 minutes of batting.
The only other successful bowler was paceman Abu Jayed, who took 2-35.
Since his dropped catch Azam batted beautifully, having so far knocked 10 boundaries.
When Pakistan started their innings in the morning, all focus was on Abid, who scored two hundreds in his first two Tests against Sri Lanka in December last year.
Another hundred would have equaled Indian player Mohammad Azharuddin’s unique record — three successive centuries in his first three Tests — but Abid fell far short when he was dismissed without scoring.
He edged a short and wide delivery from Jayed into the hands of wicketkeeper Liton Das and trudged off to the pavilion heartbroken.
Azhar added 91 runs for the second wicket with Masood and looked set for a big score until he miscued a drive off Jayed and was caught by Najmul Hossain Shanto in the slip.
Azhar’s attractive 34 included four boundaries.
ENGLAND VS S AFRICA
The second one-day international between South Africa and England was abandoned at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground in Durban on Friday after a late start and two stoppages for rain.
South Africa were 71-2 after 11.2 overs at the second stoppage in a match that had been reduced to 26 overs a side.
Heavy rain set in and play was abandoned.
Play resumed after a three-hour delay and Temba Bavuma batted aggressively to make 21 before he was leg before wicket to Chris Jordan.
However, the rain resumed before another batsman could leave the dressing room, meaning that South Africa is to go into the final match in Johannesburg tomorrow with an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the series.
Additional reporting by AFP
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