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Pakistan Windies Test: Rain washes away play on day 2

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Rain washed away the play on Day 2 of the second Test between Pakistan and West Indies at Sabina Park, Kingston.

On Day 1, Pakistan recovered after a horrible start where they lost three wickets for two runs.

Thanks to sublime half centuries from Fawad Alam and Pakistan captain Babar Azam, Pakistan recovered from 2/3 to 212/4 at the end of Day 1. 

Eventually, Azam was caught at slip for a gritty 75. Kemar Roach claimed his scalp.

As for Alam, the tough Caribbean conditions accompanied by scorching sun seemed to have gotten him on 76.

The left-handed Test specialist had to give in to body cramps.

Mohammad Rizwan (22*) and Faheem Ashraf (23*) are now at the crease. The lefty-righty duo built on the foundations provided by Azam and Alam.

As good as Alam and Azam looked in their efforts to stabilise Pakistan’s sinking ship in the first innings, a few talking points have emerged again after the top order failed to impress.

Opening woes continue

Imran butt and Abid Ali were seen working on their batting during the entire off-season.

They worked on their stance and ball timing with Pakistan’s batting legend, Mohammad Yousuf at Lahore’s National High Performance Centre.

But they still seem to have not overcome their flaws.

Butt scored 11 runs altogether in the first Test and a single run in the first innings of the second Test. As good as he is in the slip cordon, his batting form seems to be nose-diving faster than ever.

At this point, it seems like the only reason he is kept in the team is for his catching ability at slip that earns some vital breakthroughs.

Abid Ali’s case is slightly different. After scoring a ton on his Test debut, the right-handed star has not made a similar impact.

Ali has either failed to start the innings on a high or not capitalized on a good start to convert it into a fifty.

There’s a similar pattern in the dismissals of Ali and Butt.

Both have a hard time dealing with balls coming just outside the off-stump.

Azhar Ali has been inconsistent as well. He has gone from being one of the most dependable Pakistani batsmen to someone whose place is in danger in the playing XI.

Fawad Alam carries on

Alam has been the definition of resilience for the brittle middle-order of Pakistan.

Regardless of the venue, the left-handed star has been able to make an impact in every Test he has played.

After failing on his comeback Test in England, the Chanderpaul-esque star has made use of every opportunity he has been given in red-ball cricket.

He is rarely bothered by pressure and can comfortably withstand the best bowling line-ups in the world.

Against West Indies in the second Test, the 35-year-old added over 150 runs for the fourth wicket partnership alongside Babar Azam to make a remarkable recovery.

Windies looked as if they would topple the middle order soon as well the way they started sending Pakistani batters back to the pavilion, but Alam’s grit and Azam’s determination brought the Men in Green back into the game.

With consistent performances in every series, Alam has made a solid case for a permanent place in the batting order.

Pakistan 212 for 4 (Azam 75, Alam 76*, Roach 3-49) v West Indies

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Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry star in RCB women’s comeback win against UP Warriorz in WPL 2024

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Smriti Mandhana and Alyssa Healy (Source - X)

RCB women overcame UP Warriorz by 23 runs to clinch their third win of the season. The home side outperformed Warriorz in all the facets of the game and emerged victorious. A collective team effort, particularly with the bat, helped RCB women to beat Warriorz for the second time in the season. They now have three wins in their five matches in the WPL 2024.

Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to field first. Given how things have panned out in the league so far, it needed a great batting performance from RCB to challenge the chasing side. The home side did exactly that. They were full of intent which was lacking in the last few games. Right from the start, S Meghana and Smriti Mandhana smashed the bowlers.

It was the night of the RCB skipper. The Southpaw scored 80(50) in her stay. S Meghana perished after a valuable 28(21). Ellyse Perry batted well and registered her first fifty of the WPL 2024. She was aided well towards the end by Richa Ghosh whose 21(10) propelled RCB to a score of 198 on the board. It was the highest team total in the WPL 2024.

Alyssa Healy’s efforts go in vain

Chasing the daunting total, UP Warriorz were off to a flier. The opening duo of Healy and Kiran Navgire gave a fiery start to the visiting side. When the two were batting in the PP overs, it seemed like the Warriorz could pull off an insane chase. However, Sophie Devine brought RCB back into the game with crucial wickets. At Bengaluru, the home crowd was literally behind the RCB women.

It helped the home side to stay calm and do their job with ease. Sophie Molineux and Asha Sobhana were the pick of the bowlers, who claimed 2/29 each in their spell of four overs. While Healy scored a fifty and Deepti tried her best in the death overs, ten daunting targets could not be chased down. Despite the early hiccups, RCB managed to restrict UP Warriorz to a score of 175 and won by 23 runs.

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WATCH: Ellyse Perry in disbelief as her six breaks car’s window

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Ellyse Perry smashed a six in the match against UP Warriorz in the WPL 2024. It was an interesting six as the ball travelled towards the boundary ropes and fell exactly on the window of the car. As a result, the glass of the window was broken. The car is set to be provided as a reward for the player of the tournament.

It was the over of Deepti Sharma towards the last few moments of RCB’s innings. Before Perry struck, the home side was in a great position in the match, thanks to a great start provided by Smriti Mandhana. The star batter scored 80 (50) and shined in front of the home crowd. Her form helped RCB to have a good momentum towards the death overs.

Watch the viral video here –

Perry, who was struggling till that point, opened up and smashed the bowlers for fun. She went hard against the spinners like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma who were asked to bowl at the death. The right-handed batter smashed back-to-back sixes in the over of Sharma. One of those travelled towards the mid-wicket region where the car was stationed. The video of her shot has gone viral on X.

RCB teammates laugh, Ellyse Perry in disbelief

As the ball fell on the car and damaged the window, the fans erupted. There was no end to the joy of the fans who started chanting “Perry.. Perry..” and lit the atmosphere of the stadium. However, Perry was in disbelief. As she saw the impact of the ball damaging the car’s window, the Australian batter could not believe her eyes and thought about what she had just done.

On the other hand, the RCB teammates of Perry were in awe of the shot. They looked at the replays and appreciated the shot of Perry. At the same time, players like Sophie Molineux and Sophie Devine had a laugh about the car’s window getting damaged. Ellyse scored a fifty and helped her team score 198 runs with her batting in front of the home crowd.

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Praveen Kumar addresses Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer’s negligence of taking part in Ranji Trophy

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Praveen Kumar

Praveen Kumar has given his opinion on the preferences of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in recent times. The duo did not take part in the Ranji Trophy matches for their respective teams despite being fit. It did not go well with the Indian Cricket Board which landed the duo without a ventral contract which was announced a few days back.

Praveen Kumar has reacted to the issue recently. The former India pacer claimed that he has been of an opinion on the issue for a long time. Praveen felt that one should definitely earn money but not at the cost of neglecting to play for domestic and national teams. The right-arm pacer felt that players today are having a certain mentality which is not good.

The former pacer claimed that the players have a mindset that they can rest for a month before taking part in the IPL, thereby bypassing playing for their national team or the domestic teams. Praveen felt that the players could not resist letting go of money which they could earn by taking part in the IPL and other T20 leagues (For foreign players).

‘Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun’ – Praveen Kumar

“This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun,” said Praveen in the interview. He claimed that youngsters these days are spoilt and are behind money. The former RCB pacer felt that it is not fair on the part of the young players to neglect the country over the IPL.

Kumar felt that a player needs to maintain a balance between playing for the IPL team and for the country. He felt that money is an important factor, but not at the cost of playing for the national team. “But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong,” said the former Indian bowler in the interview.

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