India used their batting prowess to defeat the West Indies by 200 runs in the series finale in Tarouba.

By 200 runs, India (351 for 5; Gill 85, Kishan 77, Pandya 70*, Samson 51, Shepherd 2-73) defeated the West Indies 151 (Motie 38*, Thakur 4-37, Mukesh 3-30).

India used their batting prowess to defeat the West Indies by 200 runs in the series finale in Tarouba. They have now won 13 straight ODI series against the West Indies, dating back to 2006.

Without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India posted a magnificent 351 for 5 thanks to half-centuries from Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Hardik Pandya.

The West Indies were never in the game after that. With three early wickets, Mukesh Kumar ruined their chase. And when Shardul Thakur added two more in his next two overs, they were reduced to 50 for 6. Alzarri Joseph and Gudakesh Motie’s 59-run stand for the ninth wicket simply postponed the inevitable.

After Shai Hope chose to bat, Kishan and Gill provided India with a quick start of 143 in 19.4 overs. Both openers were pleased with the way the ball landed on the bat, which was not the case in the first two ODIs in Bridgetown. Kishan enjoyed his good fortune as well. He was dropped by Keacy Carty on 9 and survived a run-out chance on 63, but his upbeat attitude allowed him to end with 77 off 64 balls despite not always appearing in command. It was his third half-century in as many series contests.

Kyle Mayers caused Kishan problems early on. Mayers beat his outside edge twice in three overs while bowling around the wicket with the new ball. Kishan replied by dancing down the course and hitting him for two fours in a row.

Gill faced just one ball in the first two overs and got off to a good start in the third, scoring a four off Jayden Seales. In his next over, the fast bowler hit two more boundaries, the first with a short-arm jab and the second with a punch between cover and point.

By the conclusion of the tenth over, Gill and Kishan had taken India to 73 for no loss. Gill concentrated on playing risk-free cricket when the field limitations were relaxed. Kishan, on the other hand, kept going for his shots. He first hit Joseph with a six and a four, then hammered Motie down the line. Another six, this time off Romario Shepherd, put him at 49 from 39 balls, and he reached his half-century four balls later.

Yannic Cariah ended the opening stand by stumping Kishan for 77 off 64 balls. As Kishan sought to use his feet, the legspinner beat him in the flight and the turn.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, playing only his second ODI, didn’t survive long and was caught at first slip for eight runs.

Samson attacked from the start, hitting three sixes in his first 13 balls. He was particularly harsh on Cariah, scoring 28 runs off just ten balls. Despite the fact that Motie kept him quiet, surrendering only four runs in 12 balls, Samson stormed to fifty in 39 balls.

Samson and Gill put up 69 in 8.5 overs, with the latter providing 18 off 12. The stand was broken when Samson failed to clear midfield against Shepherd shortly after his fifty. His dismissal significantly slowed India’s scoring rate: Samson was out in the 32nd over, and India managed only 23 runs in the next eight overs.

During this period, India also lost Gill. He was on track for a century when he was dismissed for 85 off 92 balls when a length delivery from Motie got trapped in the pitch, resulting in an easy catch at short midwicket.

Suryakumar Yadav, batting at No. 6, demonstrated his T20 fluency. He made 35 off 30 balls, including sixes on each side of the wicket behind the square. Hardik also smacked a few lusty punches near the conclusion of the innings to finish unblemished. He took a late acceleration. He was on 11 of 22 at one point. He scored nearly two runs every ball over the next 30 balls to conclude with 70 runs not out off 52.

The West Indies’ chase never got off to a good start, with Mukesh getting Brandon King to edge one behind in the first over. Mayers slicing one onto his stumps, and Hope nicking one to first slip as the seamer peppered the decent length outside off. The West Indies were reduced to 17 for 3 as a result of these hits.

Jaydev Unadkat, playing his first ODI in nearly ten years, took only five balls to incision. He persuaded Carty to edge one to the right of the initial slip, where Gill grabbed a low catch. Shimron Hetmyer and Shepherd provided little resistance and were defeated by Thakur.

The West Indies’ lower order struggled against Kuldeep Yadav’s variations, much like it did in the first ODI. Joseph and Motie held off the Indian bowlers for over ten overs until Thakur bounced Joseph. Thakur completed the formalities by rattling Seales’ stumps in his next over.

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Broad’s decision to retire was announced at the end of day three,

There aren’t many fairytale finishes in elite-level sports, but Stuart Broad came close. In claiming Australia’s final two wickets at the Kia Oval, Broad put his personal seal on a thrilling fifth Test, closing out a series-squaring 49-run victory and bowing out on a high with a final tally of 604 wickets at 27.68 in his remarkable 167-Test career.

“It was absolutely wonderful,” Broad said after the game. “The audience was incredible. We immediately got on the back of that since it was so loud. It’s incredibly amazing to be able to add two wickets to the squad. When you make that decision, you never know what your final ball will be, so taking a wicket to win an Ashes Test match is quite exciting.”

Broad’s decision to retire was announced at the end of day three, when England led by 377 runs and appeared to be cruising to victory in the next two days. However, Usman Khawaja and David Warner snatched a large chunk of that with an unbeaten century stand on a shortened fourth day, and it wasn’t until Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali came together in a crucial fifth-wicket partnership on the final afternoon that England’s path to victory was reopened.

“I thought Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali absolutely set the tone unbelievably,” Broad continued. “Woakesy took a couple of wickets, particularly Steve Smith, who has been a joy to play against all these years. “We really started to believe once we received a couple.”

Despite developing groin pain while batting on the first day, Moeen bowled 23 overs for three wickets. Following that, he revealed that this would be his final Test, joking that “if Stokesy messages me again, I’m going to delete it,” referring to the WhatsApp exchange that prompted his comeback to the side after a two-year hiatus.

“A special mention to Moeen; he’s not officially announced he’s moving on, but we’ve played a lot together, and he’s been such a special friend,” Broad continued. “To put in that kind of performance and help England win an Ashes Test match will be a dream come true for him.”

England’s victory was not without controversy, as a late-day four-ball replacement provided much more bounce and movement than the 37-year-old original that it replaced. But, with Australia’s ninth-wicket partnership, Alex Carey and Todd Murphy, down to 50, it took one last piece of Broad black magic to reopen the fight. After successfully swapping the bails moments before Marnus Labuschagne nicked off to Mark Wood in the first inning, he replicated the feat at the non-striker’s end, then promptly found Murphy’s edge to remove him for 18.

The fact that England stuck with the same ball that had taken all ten wickets was, according to Broad, a lesson learned from their vital two-wicket loss in the series opener at Edgbaston.

“I don’t have many regrets with cricket,” he continued. “At Edgbaston, I would not have taken the second new ball.” Throughout the series, the new ball has been the most difficult to bowl with. We found it difficult to make modifications after that.

“If I could turn back the clock for that final hour, I’d keep the old ball, keep it heavy and short, and see if they’d made a mistake.” I had blood in my stockings and sweat on my brow, and I knew the squad had given it their all. When you lose to a great team like that, but you know you did everything right, you have to keep your head up.”

Broad attributed his remarkable longevity, maintaining his standards over a 17-year England career, and even reaching a new peak of performance in his final three post-Covid years, to his insatiable curiosity and desire to keep learning new tricks, not least his angle into left-handers from round the wicket, which contributed significantly to his 17 dismissals against Warner.

“I like detail and data, and I like to research things,” he explained. “I almost need facts and data to believe anything.” That was extremely clear when I decided to come around the wicket in 2015 and really work on bowling to left-handers around the wicket. My data was poor, so I had to make a modification. I researched Davey Warner extensively because I found him difficult to bowl at and wanted to discover a strategy to ignore him.

“In Test cricket, it’s not so much about knowing your weaknesses as it is about finding your exact strengths and sticking to them so tenaciously that you don’t get knocked out.” There are a lot of things attempting to knock you off the straight and narrow, but if you can stay on it, you’ll have a lot of success coming your way. I’ve discovered it a lot more in the last ten years, and I’ve focused exclusively on my exceptional strengths in this series.”

Broad even smashed his final ball for six runs, a mark last accomplished by Wayne Daniel of the West Indies in 1984. “It was the only ball I’d centered all year!” “I was quite pleased with the six.”

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Romario Shepherd was named after the legendary Brazilian football star Romario

Romario Shepherd was named after the legendary Brazilian football star Romario. Shepherd was born in Linden, a town where football – or track and field – is arguably more popular than cricket, yet he excelled at it. Shepherd towered above other youngsters in age-group and regional cricket because he was tall, robust, and muscular. He commands a strong presence in the middle and does not take half-measures. He was destined to be a cricket all-rounder.

Shepherd towered over India’s IPL stars on Saturday, taking career-best ODI figures of 3 for 37. He dismissed Ishan Kishan, India’s new No. 4, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja to help the West Indies win their first ODI against India in nearly four years. India were missing regular skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who were both rested, but Shepherd’s innings was a huge step forward for him.

Shepherd has played 24 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20 cricket all over the world, but his T20 economy rate of 9.08 verifies widespread belief that he leaks easy runs. His List A economy rate of 5.49 is more acceptable, and while Jason Holder is similarly prone to leaking runs at the end, he gives the West Indies better control in the powerplay and middle overs. In the absence of Holder, who has withdrawn from the ODI series against India, Shepherd combined his hit-the-deck hustle with control and demonstrated that he could do the job in reasonably favorable conditions.

West Indies’ hit-the-deck option against UAE in Sharjah was Odean Smith, but Shepherd is much taller and pounds the deck much harder. Keemo Paul recently represented the West Indies in the World Cup Qualifier and at the Emirates, but he is better noted for his new-ball skills and slower variations at the death.

The pitch in Barbados for the second ODI on Saturday was utilized, but Shepherd generated enough pace and bounce to scare India. Kishan was already in his shot-making rhythm when Shepherd was summoned into the attack, and he added four more when he sliced Shepherd between the backward point and deep third. Shepherd threw a similar short ball two legal balls later, but this one slipped on to the bat and had Kishan slicing a catch to the backward point, where Alick Athanaze sprinted to his right to complete a remarkable catch.

Shepherd then dug the ball in even shorter in his following over, creating a tighter angle from around the wicket to terminate Axar’s promotion after eight balls. Shepherd attacked him and confined him as Axar sought to sway his upper body within the line and drop his gloves. Shepherd went on to bounce Jadeja out as well, greatly harming India.

“It was just more intent,” Shepherd explained after the game. “I just tried to run in hard and hit the pitch because you get something out of hitting the wicket.” So it was in my bowling strategy, and I didn’t want to get too close to some of the Indian batsmen. When I arrived, I grabbed a wicket and set the tone. Essentially, the players began to push a little bit, and then we got another wicket that put pressure back on them.”

The West Indies’ cricket has had a particularly bad few weeks, beginning with their inability to qualify for the 50-over World Cup for the first time. The West Indies then collapsed in 23.2 overs in the first ODI series opener against India, their second-shortest completed innings in the format.

Shepherd praised the West Indies’ comeback and his personal performance in the second ODI.

“It’s a big job from me,” Shepherd remarked following West Indies’ six-wicket victory. “Essentially, against a big team like India, no matter what team they put out on paper, India always has some great batsmen in their line-up.” So getting my best stats versus India was a fantastic experience for me.”

The West Indies’ attack will face an even greater test as the track in Trinidad for the third ODI may not provide as much assistance to the bowlers. In addition, with the series on the line, Rohit and Kohli will almost certainly return for India.

“I think our bowling is the area where we need to improve the most, especially because it’s going to be a batting wicket there in Trinidad, so whoever bowls well will win,” Shepherd said. “In Trinidad, the wicket is flat, and there is nothing in it for the bowlers, so we’re expecting a great game.”

In such conditions, the West Indies will want Shepherd, the six-hitter, to perform if they are to stun India once more.

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Dravid assures that the focus will be on the experimentation rather than the outcome.

India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, has defended his decision to experiment with team combinations in the two one-day internationals played thus far on the Caribbean tour. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma did not play in the second One-Day International, which the West Indies won handily by six wickets at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown to tie the three-match series at 1-1.

The senior pair had even gone down the order in the first ODI, which India won despite prolonging the run chase further than they would have liked. Dravid, on the other hand, is unconcerned about the series’ outcomes and believes that providing some of the players with game time is more important than the outcome of the match or series. This is being done with the team’s long-term goal of success in upcoming events such as the Asia Cup and the World Cup in mind.

“This series was our last chance to try out some of our players,” Dravid said after India was defeated on Saturday. “At the NCA, we have a few players who are injured. ” With less than a month until the Asia Cup, we’re running out of time in a variety of ways. We’re hoping that some of them will be able to compete in the Asia Cup and World Cup. We can’t afford to take those chances. We need to try out other players and give them some chances so that they have some playing time behind them in the worst-case scenario.

“It gives us some time to make player decisions.” We just felt that playing Virat and Rohit in a series like this, with only two or three matches left before the Asia Cup, would not have provided us with many solutions. We wanted to give the other boys an opportunity because of the injuries at the NCA and the uncertainty around them. So that they can play if necessary.”

So far, Ishan Kishan has started the batting alongside Shubman Gill in both games. In fact, the hard-hitting left-hander has been the only visitor batsman to score successive half-centuries in one-dayers. The experiments have also proceeded in the middle order. Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya batted at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, in the first game, but Sanju Samson and Axar Patel batted at those positions in the second. Even though the series is on the line as the third ODI approaches, Dravid assures that the focus will be on the experimentation rather than the outcome.

“We will always consider the big picture.” At this point in the cycle, with the Asia Cup and World Cup on the horizon, we must consider the bigger picture, despite our injuries. We can’t look at every game and series. If we do that, I believe we will make a mistake.”

Even if the likes of Gill and Hardik Pandya have failed to score in what Dravid sees as difficult batting circumstances, reservations about Suryakumar Yadav’s abilities in 50-over cricket remain. The No. 1 ranked T20 hitter had scores of 19 and 24, extending his ODI career’s subpar record of only 23.80 throughout 25 games.

“There is no doubt that Surya is a fantastic player. He has demonstrated this. T20 cricket, domestic cricket, and white-ball cricket, in particular He has had some outstanding performances. He’d be the first to acknowledge that his ODI numbers haven’t been up to expectations or the standards he’s set in T20. He’s presumably also studying ODIs. Before making his India debut, he played a lot of competitive T20 cricket in the IPL. He hasn’t played as much competitive one-day cricket because there isn’t an IPL for one-dayers.

“He’s also learning his game and how to bat in the middle overs.” He is gifted, and we want to provide him with as many possibilities as possible. It is now entirely up to him to seize and capitalize on these possibilities. We offer folks as many chances as we possibly can in our situation.”

He stated how Kishan has taken advantage of the several opportunities that have come his way in ODIs. Kishan, who has never had a continuous run in the Indian team, has a 44.07 average in 16 One-Day Internationals, including a double century and five fifties.

“Ishan has done exceptionally well; this is his third fifty in a row, including the Test match.” He seizes chances as they present themselves. That is all we want from young players. We want to provide them with as many opportunities as possible. We can’t always give everyone a chance. There are many other talented men. We make every effort.

“To give people a chance, Virat and Rohit sat out today.” In instances like that, we may have to take those risks and chances. If we’re going to build for huge tournaments and events, we need to construct certain players and obtain some solutions for specific positions, especially given our current circumstances.”

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Mitchell Starc finished with 4 for 82 to raise his series tally to 19 the best of his four overseas Ashes series after injuring his shoulder at Emirates Old Trafford.

England’s 283 runs (Brook 85, Starc 4-82) trail Australia’s 61 for 1 (Khawaja 26*, Labuschagne 2*) by 222 runs.

The final Ashes match began similarly to the first, with England cruising with the bat on the first day. Despite Australia’s five catches, they could only manage 283 in cloudy, bowler-friendly conditions. Harry Brook led the way with a magnificent 85.

Mitchell Starc finished with 4 for 82 to raise his series tally to 19 the best of his four overseas Ashes series after injuring his shoulder at Emirates Old Trafford. The remainder of the wickets were divided. Pat Cummins bowled considerably better than his 1 for 66 would suggest, and Todd Murphy scored twice despite being used rarely.

Australia might claim victory by stumps, having negotiated 25 overs for the loss of David Warner. He and Usman Khawaja put up 49 for the first wicket before Warner was out for the third time in a row, edging to second slip after surviving an England review when Stuart Broad thought he found the glove, but it was just his arm.

Although the Ashes’ fate had been sealed at Old Trafford, there was still a lot riding on this final Test; 3-1 or 2-2 makes for very different reading. That is especially true for Australia, which had a 2-0 lead before losing at Headingley and was very definitely saved from another setback by the Manchester rain.

Cummins isn’t one to dwell on the past, as seen by his decision to follow Tim Paine’s erroneous 2019 strategy of inviting England to bat when, for the first time on this tour, the coin went in his favor.

For a time, it appeared that Australia would once again fluff their lines with the ball, first when England’s openers reached 62 for 0 inside the first hour, and then when Brook and an injured Moeen Ali produced a quick century combination. Despite conceding runs at an alarming rate, they created enough opportunities to compensate for the missed ones.

Warner had dropped the first ball of the match, giving Ben Duckett a life at slip on 30 against Cummins’ first delivery of the match. Duckett dominated the early scoring with a powerful drive down the ground as Josh Hazlewood sprang out of his crease. His brisk stay was interrupted by a glove down the leg side against Mitchell Marsh, but Australia needed DRS to overturn Kumar Dharmasena’s not-out decision (having earlier burned a review for LBW against Zak Crawley).

Cummins, who was under scrutiny after his problems at Old Trafford, was rewarded for a strong opening spell when he had Crawley edging into the slips after previously beating him three times in a row as he found decent bounce from the Pavilion End. England were 73 for 3 and in danger of losing their stride when Joe Root dragged on against Hazlewood.

When Brook edged Cummins, it should have been 78 for 4, but Alex Carey couldn’t hold on, going one-handed to his right in front of the first slip. Brook launched a comeback, while Moeen remained steady. Brook didn’t waste time as he swiped Marsh over the leg side for six and then pounded Starc for two fours and a six in successive deliveries just before the half.

Brook’s half-century came off 44 balls, but he could have been out had Cummins not hit a direct hit at the non-striker’s end after collecting the ball in his follow-through, turning on his heels, and throwing.

Soon after that, Moeen came up limp with a groin injury after running a single. Following treatment, he continued his innings but could barely walk, let alone run, and a frenetic period of cricket ensued, including a huge mowed six over deep midwicket off Cummins and another top-edged to fine leg, as well as a ramp over the keeper, while limping between the wickets with his bat as a crutch.

The century stand was completed in 17 overs. Murphy, who had been summoned in lieu of Cameron Green, made his first appearance of the day in the 34th over. Moeen brought down and pulled away his second ball, but his third was more of a heave across the line, which he missed. It was unclear how much of a role he could play for the rest of the Test.

Brook and Ben Stokes attempted to form another partnership, but the England captain was hit by one of Starc’s crackerjack deliveries, which straightened late and ripped back off the stump as Stokes looked to play to the leg side.

Jonny Bairstow did not last long as he dragged on against Hazlewood, and four balls later, after another beautiful straight drive brought Brook’s 11th four, his hopes of an Ashes century were dashed when a booming edge was snaffled by Smith at second slip.

England had lost 4 for 28 in 55 balls, and Australia was batting before tea. Woakes and Mark Wood, Headingley’s heroes, added 49 with more carefree strokeplay. Woakes was called LBW to the opening ball of the final session, but DRS, which was requested almost apologetically, revealed a faint edge that even Woakes had not felt. Australia dropped another catch two balls later when Marsh spilt Woakes in the gully.

Murphy gained his second wicket of the day when he clean bowled Wood, but Woakes kept swinging, including a stunning hit for six straight down the ground off Starc before the innings finished with a top edge to deep square leg.

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Two of the five wickets had fallen to tailenders, but the overall feeling was that a chance had been squandered. Lancashire’s batsmen have not been as extravagant.

Northamptonshire 342 (Gay 144, Procter 75, Balderson 3-44, Morley 3-87) trail Lancashire 121 for 1 (Wells 61*, Jennings 55) by 221 runs.

Fans frequently believe that clubs get relegated as a result of shocking collapses or humiliating defeats. Maybe they’re right. However, the source of poor seasons can be found on rain-shortened days like this, with Northamptonshire players sitting in the away dressing room, wondering how a morning that began with their star in the ascendant has seemingly ended with Lancashire’s top order playing competently on a pitch that still looks like it will rag every which way come Friday afternoon.

Luke Procter’s squad has yet to lose this game, and it is possible that they will draw it while sipping a martini and listening to a Tony Bennett CD. They have, however, given the opportunity to dominate proceedings to Luke Wells, who is 61 and not out, and the rest of his colleagues. They may look back in late September, and their reflections will be filled with regret.

To some extent, the morning’s action typified the issues that have plagued Northamptonshire’s Championship cricket this season. They resumed on 302 for 5, with a superb platform from which to create an imposing first-innings score of more than 400, but they lost their last five wickets for 40 runs. What would have worried their head coach, John Sadler, was that only James Sales, who was bowled by a brilliant ball from Jack Morley, appeared unable to prevent his fate. The other four hitters were also culpable for their failures.

The spinners took the final four wickets in the space of 28 balls for a total of 13 runs. After slog-sweeping Morley for a fine six, Lewis McManus stuck one up the chimney off Tom Hartley, and Tom Bailey ran round to take a fine catch. The innings ended when Jack White attempted a reverse sweep off Hartley but only gloved a catch to Salt.

Two of the five wickets had fallen to tailenders, but the overall feeling was that a chance had been squandered. Lancashire’s batsmen have not been as extravagant.

“Yesterday was such a good day, but it only counted if we followed it up today,” said Sadler. “It’s a little frustrating that we’ve gone from 266 for 3 to 342 all out.” “We should have 400 on the board by now.” We could have kept catchers in for a little longer, the spinners could have had an extra man around the bat, and we could have been a little more attacking if we had done that. So, even though 342 is a wonderful score, we should be sitting here with a four in front of it, not a three.”

But these are also trying times in Lancashire. Failure to make the Vitality Blast Finals Day and settling for a mid-table position in Division One were clearly not what the coaching staff had in mind when they planned the season. Furthermore, three locally developed players, Matthew Parkinson, Danny Lamb, and Rob Jones, have chosen to join other counties in the last month or so, leaving club detractors bemoaning the loss of cricketers with whom they had an abiding relationship.

So, in these gloomy times and this dreary late afternoon, perhaps it would be a useful corrective to recognize the contribution of two players who joined the club from other counties and have been so successfully integrated into the highly professional ethos at Emirates Old Trafford that their own careers have flourished, albeit a little late in their careers. They certainly demonstrated their abilities this afternoon, putting up 114 for Lancashire’s first wicket in response to Northamptonshire’s disappointing 342 all out. These are beautiful days and seasons for Keaton, Jennings, and Wells.

To some extent, the openers are like peas in a pod; however, given that both are 6 feet 4 inches tall, perhaps ripe runner beans would be a better metaphor. Both strike it square of the wicket on both the off and on sides, and both thump it down the ground. Their opening combination of 114 is nothing like their best for Lancashire (they blasted Somerset’s attack for 154 in 36.1 overs in April), but it shifted the flow of the game in their favor. Northamptonshire’s woes were exacerbated when they dropped Jennings on 17, with Justin Broad dropping him at the third slip off Jack White.

Jennings is generally ruthless in taking advantage of such reprieves, but he was caught behind for 55 when attempting to reverse-sweep Saif Zaib’s third delivery of the inning. Four overs later, rain began to fall from the west and did not stop.

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Enough with the pettiness, let’s move on from the dampness

“Aussie…Aussie…Aussie… Ben, you should have announced earlier…” The Australian fan in the Australian jersey had waited nearly 8 hours to chant for his team and poke fun at England’s captain. He’d endured the relentless Manchester rain and the brisk Manchester breeze during that period. He’d also undoubtedly fought the urge to abandon the sodden ambiance of a thoroughly soaked Old Trafford Cricket Ground. Not to mention he fought the logic quite a few times of sitting around aimlessly on one of the wettest days in Test cricket history.

He will, however, come around and declare it was all worth it. At around 5.24 p.m. local time, he stood screaming his lungs out as Pat Cummins and his side officially retained the Ashes. They did the same thing four years ago at Old Trafford, albeit under very different circumstances. The 2019 retention came on the heels of one of the best Test victories in Tim Paine’s tenure. It also came after the Headingley fiasco, in which Ben Stokes appeared to have crushed both Australia’s momentum and spirit. So it was understandable that the Australian squad was ecstatic to have grabbed an unassailable lead in the Ashes series. The last moment of that Test four years ago added to the drama, as skipper Paine ran towards the Spidercam to throw a fist in the air while his teammates jumped around wildly after the last wicket.

When the two umpires stepped up to the Australian dressing room and shook Cummins’ hand, notifying him that the fifth day’s play had been washed out, the urn was secured. The Australian captain responded with a polite smile and a nod of the head. He later described it as “not our best week as a team.” And it’s understandable. Rarely has a team with a 2-1 series lead been outplayed by such a large margin in a Test and not lost. Whatever way you look at it, the rain played a significant part. After all, Australia trailed by 162 runs at the end of Day 3 with only six wickets remaining.

The fact that they only had to face 30 overs over the next two days was undoubtedly the main reason they were able to maintain their series lead. On the fourth evening, though, they had to battle with those challenging 30 overs in highly swing-and-seam-friendly conditions against the likes of James Anderson, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, and Mark Wood. In the grand scheme of things, the 103-run partnership between century-maker Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh will be remembered as a match-saving stand.

The weekend prediction was always bleak. While Sunday (Day 5) was meant to be the less disastrous of the two days, it struck the death knell for what had been promising to be an entertaining conclusion. Aside from the chance of this becoming the greatest Ashes series of the modern era, For a brief moment, as the umpires surveyed the pitch and outfield and determined that it was fit to be ready in 45 minutes for a 1 p.m. start, there was hope that the Test would end more naturally. The rain started around 12.40 p.m. and didn’t stop for at least another 10 hours. Around 3 p.m., large puddles began to form around the pitch, with the extra water oozing off the covers on the square, indicating that any play on the fifth day was doomed.

However, the vociferous Australian fan and his group of friends were not the only ones who stayed till the very end. There were at least a thousand more, largely English fans, who clung to what had to be a virtue greater than hope. It was as if they expected the rain to stop and the ground to miraculously clear up in time for England to not only get the remaining Australian wickets but also go and chase down a modest score in Bazball mode.

To their credit, the English players made sure that their adoring fans had something to look forward to in exchange for their efforts. They played a regular game of keepy-uppy with a football in the pouring rain, undaunted by the fact that they were completely saturated, with water dripping from their training gear and hair.

It was a bittersweet moment, however, because of the power of Bazball and what Stokes and his crew have done for England cricket fans around the country. That fans were willing to stay in a scenario as bleak as what we saw in Manchester yesterday for the tiny opportunity of seeing something extraordinary from their team was proof of that.

Around the same moment that the Aussie fan was expressing his love for his side, hundreds of voices in English cricket were expressing their disappointment with the outcome.

While it was natural that they felt betrayed by being denied the opportunity to level the series from their commanding position in the Test, the emotions in the aftermath rapidly became petty and, in some cases, personal. Not only are people from England arriving, but so are people from Australia. If some English analysts stood firm and claimed that the series’ best team had not retained the Ashes, Australia’s retorts were similarly trivial. To accuse the English of being whiners for being disgruntled about not getting a fair chance to seal a Test win that they earned was as ridiculous as accusing the Australians of not being entitled to be in a position of strength going into the final Test at The Oval.

The fact is that they did manage to win the first Test in Edgbaston despite never being permitted to lead until the very last session. They did control the Lord’s Test for long stretches before overcoming the possibility of a raging Ben Stokes replicating his Leeds 2019 heroics. As a result, they took a 2-0 lead in the series. The fact is that England has fought back brilliantly since those defeats. Despite the match getting closer than expected near the finish, they always appeared to be on pace to win in Headingley after recovering in the first inning thanks to Stokes and Mark Wood. They have, if anything, turned the momentum in their favor since Wood arrived for his first spell of the series.

And they did rattle the Aussies in Manchester with the best display of Bazball this summer. However, this was not the first Test in history to be severely disrupted by rain, and it will not be the last, particularly in England and especially at Old Trafford. And, once the initial disappointment wears off, Stokes and his squad will realize that their greatest chance of winning here is to finish the game in three days, since it became evident that the prediction for the next two days would be disastrous.

The fact is that this series is far from over. England may have lost the Ashes, as the popular narrative suggests, but there is still a proud home record versus Australia to be saved, even if the present captain may not believe in leveling the odds. And the media frenzy in Australia about them already packing up the urn is a touch out of hand.

Cummins has frequently stated that he doesn’t see much sense in urn retention if his team is unable to achieve their ultimate goal on this trip, which is to become the first Australian team to win a series in England since 2001. They will head to London today, determined to set the record straight and triumph outright. It’s safe to conclude that England will bring the same level of passion to the game in order to extend their practically unbeatable record against their arch-rivals in the twenty-first century.

All of the animosity generated by pointless finger-pointing and tit-for-tatting detracts from what has already been a fantastic Test series. Nobody benefits from the forced cultural conflict. And perhaps the key is to learn from the Australian and English fans who braved the elements to stay in their seats at Old Trafford for the sole purpose of seeing Australia’s world champions take on England’s Bazballing daredevils rather than worrying about the fairness and justice that appear to be involved with how the results have turned out.

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Tayyab Tahir, a veteran 29-year-old hitter, and Sufiyan Muqeem, a rookie left-arm wristspinner,

defeated India A 224 (Abhishek 61, Dhull 39, Muqeem 3-66, Wasim 2-26).

Tayyab Tahir, a veteran 29-year-old hitter, and Sufiyan Muqeem, a rookie left-arm wristspinner, teamed up to help Pakistan A defeat India A and retain their ACC Men’s Emerging Cup title in Colombo.

Tayyab, who has already had a wonderful year, has added a new chapter to his 2023 fairytale. In February, he made his PSL debut for the Karachi Kings with a stunning half-century, and in March, he made his T20I debut against Afghanistan. Four months later, he hit an aggressive 71-ball 108 to force Pakistan A to 352 for 8 after Yash Dhull sent them in to bat on what he thought was a dry surface.

Then, with India A’s chase hanging in the balance, Muqeem, who made his List A debut earlier in the tournament, made a significant impact with his ripping over-the-wicket shots. The fact that he mixed it up with quick legbreaks heightened India A’s task, and they succumbed for 224 in 40 overs.

The fact that the game burned out near the finish was due to Muqeem’s enormous scalps of Abhishek Sharma, India’s leading scorer with 61, and Dhull, for 39, which broke open the game in Pakistan’s favor. Muqeem concluded his 10 overs with figures of 3 for 66, aided by fellow spinners Mubasir Khan and Mehran Mumtaz.

Muqeem was not played in Pakistan’s league game against India, possibly to keep him out of the batters’ way. They were taken off guard in the grand finals by a very brilliant spinner who made heads turn with his control and finesse, rarely taking the defensive route, even when he was assaulted early on by Abhishek.

India’s bottom order stuck around late in an attempt to challenge the bowlers and extend the game, but at 194 for 8, they were only postponing the inevitable. Mohammad Wasim capped off the game with a scorching yorker that sent Yuvrajsinh Dodiya’s stumps flying.

The victory would be all the more pleasing for Pakistan, not least because they were thrashed by India A in the league match. Tayyab, who, like Muqeem, did not participate in that game, went in in the 22nd over with the score at 146 for 2 after openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub put together an aggressive century stand to set the tone.

But, in the 28th over, he saw Omair Yousuf and Qasim Akram fall off successive deliveries to Riyan Parag’s right arm. When Mohammad Haris, the captain, was trapped LBW by Nishant Sindhu’s left-arm spin in the 29th over, Pakistan A had lost 3 for 4 in ten deliveries.

At 187 for 5, India A had just found their footing and was tightening the screws thanks to their spinners. This is when Tayyab decided he wasn’t going to let the game slip away from him. He cashed in at the first hint of the Indians going dark. What started as a burst of anger quickly grew into a full-fledged counterattack.

Tayyab was dropped on 51 in the 37th over after Rajvardhan Hangargekar circled around a ball he misjudged at the long-on boundary. That was the only blemish on a knock in which he displayed gobs of maturity in manipulating the fields, milking runs, throwing bowlers off their lengths, and also playing some sneaky reverse paddles, all without appearing to take risks.

Mubasir, who occupied the crease to aid the lower-order rally, was an excellent supporter. Without their 126-run seventh-wicket stand, Pakistan A could have been dismissed for a significantly lower total.

India A’s chase started on a high note, with Abhishek and Sai Sudharsan playing realistic shots and matching each other stroke for stroke in the opening 10 overs. Sudharsan’s wristwork was particularly good, as he whipped and manipulated the ball to various parts of the leg side with ease, but he was undone by an Arshad Iqbal short ball that he couldn’t quite get out of the way of, top-edging a pull to the wicketkeeper to end a 64-run opening stand.

When replays revealed that the ball had brushed Nikin Jose’s right hip on its way to the wicketkeeper, he was ruled out caught behind. Dhull stabilized the innings but found no help as Abhishek was caught off an uppish cut to Muqeem.

Pakistan A benefited from having Mubasir operate from the other end, and he struck with the big wicket of Sindhu, who had been moved up the order. Mubasir caused the ball to dip to Sindhu, who took a return catch. The end was near when Dhruv Jurel and Parag followed suit.

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Ajinkya Rahane is beside himself, making him a collector’s item. He usually has a bored expression, but it was all lit up here.

Rahane’s place on the Indian team is in doubt. Nobody knows why he is vice captain. And the person who got hurt, leaving an opening in the middle order, has already begun hitting balls in the nets.

When he made his comeback after a year off in the World Test Championship final, the company line was that it wasn’t a one-off. That it wasn’t. He’s in the West Indies, playing his third back-to-back Test, despite the fact that many people felt his career was over.

He’s had two low scores on this tour, and if he gets to bat again in Port-of-Spain, India is certain to declare. This is hardly the kind of setting that will help you find your shape.

But do you know what Rahane does when he closes his eyes? Blinders can be caught at the slip.

Rahane created the moment that made everyone sit up and yell on a day when scoring runs was a second thought—the West Indies made 143 in 67 overs—and a pitch so slow it made time go backwards.

To acquire the four wickets, India had to be both patient and inventive. Rohit Sharma manipulated his field, positioning catchers in front of the stumps. Mid-offs are ridiculous. Mid-ons are ridiculous. The legs are short and square. All of them are within 10–15 yards of the batter. He was asking his quicks to force him to play, even encouraging them to wander onto the pads if necessary, so that a wayward flick or a drive that wasn’t kept all the way down the field could be picked up.

When the conditions are poor and the opposition is aiming for a draw, this type of cricket is unavoidable. It must be difficult to watch and even more difficult to play. But in order for it to flourish, everyone must rise above their boredom. They must be on the lookout for every single ball. All for a shot at best.

aine Blackwood provided it by attempting to push at a Ravindra Jadeja ball that had been put outside the leg stump. The edge was laid down first, like a crimson carpet. The cameras were set up and ready to go. All that remained was for the star to appear, and boy, did he ever.

Rahane didn’t have much time to respond. Even then, he had to factor in a deflection.

So, starting at the top, his body reacts to seeing the edge, then to seeing the ball bounce off Ishan Kishan, the wicketkeeper. After all of this, there’s simply the tiny matter of catching the damn thing.

It was taking off to his left. Part of the reason he caught up to it was his agility, which he attributes to his childhood practice of karate. The other component is entirely dependent on techniques honed over many years.

Rahane does two crucial things to help him reach the ball. For one thing, he constantly stands on the balls of his feet. He is more mobile in this manner, and he wastes no time. When his brain reads the edge, he can drive himself in any direction he needs to go. When you’re rushing, you waste time. Rahane is never close behind.

In this catch, his right leg propels him to the ball, and his left hand intercepts and cushions its trajectory. That’s his other distinguishing feature. He never seems to grab the ball. His hands are usually calm, which helps when it comes to reaction catches, when they stick instead of bouncing off.

There’s also the issue of his positioning. From across the wicket, Jadeja was sending the ball across the right-hander. He understood he needed to be wider because the angle was already taking the ball outside, and an edge would certainly take it even further away. The wider you go, the more you must turn towards the batter. That’s why first slip stands virtually parallel to the batting crease—he’s looking for the thin edge—whereas the rest of his colleagues, looking for the thick edge, are always at an increasingly perpendicular angle. This is due to the fact that you want to be on an intercept path with the ball.

Rahane appears to be playing the ball with the batter. His hands are first on his knees. Then, as Blackwood prepares to shoot, he raises them and cups them together. He’s prepared to accept the gift. He’s almost expecting it.

So, when a lifetime’s effort was completed in milliseconds, the West Indies were 178 for 4, and Rahane had caught number 102.

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Virat Kohli came in when India were 153 for 2, and he watched them fall to 182 for 4 by tea.

India was 288 for 4 against the West Indies (Kohli 87*, Rohit 80, Jaiswal 57, Holder 1-30, Warrican 1-55).

The West Indies rallied back with four wickets on the opening afternoon in Port-of-Spain after being outplayed for three days in Dominica, but it was India’s day once again, owing to excellent bookends. Captain Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal put on a century opening stand before Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 87 in his 500th international game.

Kohli came in when India were 153 for 2, and he watched them fall to 182 for 4 by tea. But Kohli stood firm in defense, sprinted hard between the wickets, and was willing to wait for loose deliveries. He needed 21 balls to get started and proceeded to accumulate slowly but steadily. Ravindra Jadeja, too, dug in, contributing 36 to an unbroken 106-run partnership for the fifth wicket as India finished the day as it had begun: wicketless.

The pace of play in the morning session was not as arduous as it was in the following two sessions. Rohit and Jaiswal ensured that India started at nearly five runs per over, hitting 121 in 26 overs without losing a wicket.

Jaiswal surged out of the blocks on a more forgiving Port-of-Spain course after displaying amazing caution on his debut in Dominica. Despite the presence of two men in the deep on the leg-side boundary, Rohit kept pulling in the air, from wide lines as well as from his body. Rohit took 72 balls to get his half-century, whereas Jaiswal needed only 49. Rohit and Jaiswal became the first Indian opening partnership in this millennium to record back-to-back century stands in Test cricket. The previous Indian opening duo with back-to-back century partnerships was S. Ramesh and Devang Gandhi against New Zealand in 1999.

In the afternoon session, the West Indies changed the tone and tempo of the game by striking four times. Jason Holder, who had been threatening Jaiswal’s outside edge, struck first, having him caught at deepish gully by debutant Kirk McKenzie for 57 off 74 balls.

McKenzie’s innings may have finished on 4 if a hefty outside edge had not broken through his hands at gully in the sixth over. Alick Athanaze missed a simpler chance at first slip off Holder, and Jaiswal could have been out on 52 in the penultimate over before lunch.

Holder, on the other hand, continuously probed outside off, frequently with two gully fielders in place, and earned his reward in the second session, with McKenzie confidently holding on to Jaiswal’s catch this time.

Shubman Gill and Rohit were subsequently dismissed by Kemar Roach and Jomel Warrican, respectively. Shannon Gabriel completed the afternoon session with a quick inducker that sent Ajinkya Rahane’s off-stump cartwheeling. Gabriel, who replaced an injured Rahkeem Cornwall in the playing XI, couldn’t offer much of a threat to India’s openers. His four overs in the morning cost the West Indies 24 runs, but he returned in the afternoon to give a much crisper session.

As the day proceeded, Warrican got the ball to grip and turn, but Kohli was ready to smother it. Kohli refused to take any chances against the left-arm fingerspinner on a sluggish surface, instead focusing on wearing him down.

Alzarri With a long leg and deep square in place, Joseph attacked Kohli’s upper body with short balls from around the wicket, but Kohli blunted him as well. Joseph’s extra bounce, or lack thereof, forced Jadeja to lose his shape more frequently at the other end before ultimately getting the pull away in the 70th over.

Kraigg Brathwaite then went to Athanaze and himself as part-time offspinners, but West Indies couldn’t separate Kohli and Jadeja on day one.

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