Established 1961 13 Sports Monday, December 4, 2017 Marsh, Paine repay Australia’s selectors with key partnership Paine’s return at the age of 32 was even more extraordinary ADELAIDE: Shaun Marsh and Tim Paine repaid the faith shown in them by Australia’s selectors and silenced their critics at least for a while as they combined for a key partner- ship in the second Ashes Test against England yesterday. The duo’s recall for the first two Tests of the series was greeted with reactions ranging from bemusement to outright abuse, with for- mer Test spinner Stuart MacGill dubbing the selectors “morons masquerading as mentors”. The selection panel, however, may be for- given for feeling a sense of vindication after Marsh scored an unbeaten 126, while Paine chipped in with a timely 57. “I haven’t thought about all the incidental noise about my selec- tion for the team,” said Marsh. “Six months ago I wasn’t sure whether I’d be back here. I’d always dreamt of getting back in. I’ve just tried to come in and feel nice and relaxed. I’ve felt good about my game the last three or four months.” SCOREBOARD Marsh and Paine came together with the match delicately balanced with Australia on ADELAIDE, Australia: Scoreboard at the close on day two in the second Ashes Test between Australia 209 for five in their first innings on the second and England in Adelaide yesterday: day at Adelaide Oval. They combined for an Australia first innings (overnight 209-4) To bat: J. Hazlewood 85-run partnership that turned the match, C. Bancroft run out (Woakes) 10 Bowling: Anderson 31-5-74-1, Broad 30-11-72-2, perhaps decisively, in the home team’s favour. D. Warner c Bairstow b Woakes 47 Woakes 27-4-84-1 (1w), Overton 33-3-105-3, ADELAIDE: Australia’s Shuan Marsh, center, pulls the ball against England during the second They were aided by a little luck and some U. Khawaja c Vince b Anderson 53 Moeen 24-3-79-0, Root 4-0-16-0. day of their Ashes test match in Adelaide, yesterday. — AP S. Smith b Overton 40 astute decision-making-both players were P. Handscomb lbw b Broad 36 England first innings given out leg before wicket to James S. Marsh not out 126 Anderson before having the decision over- a mundane return for a specialist batsman. Test player yesterday despite twice being A. Cook not out 11 T. Paine c Moeen b Overton 57 M. Stoneman lbw b Starc 18 Paine’s return at the age of 32 was even struck on the same finger. M. Starc c Anderson b Broad 6 turned on review. Marsh was more measured J. Vince not out 0 P. Cummins c Malan b Overton 44 than Paine for much of the day before cutting more extraordinary. The wicketkeeper-bats- Paine received treatment during a drinks Extras 0 N. Lyon not out 10 loose and notching up his fifth Test century, man from Tasmania had suffered a broken break but carried on batting and duly took Total (1 wicket; 9.1 overs) 29 and his first against England. right index finger in 2010 that required multi- his place behind the stumps when Australia Extras (b6, lb6, w1) 13 Total (8 wickets dec; 149 overs) 442 Fall of wickets: 1-29 (Stoneman) The left-hander scored a century on debut ple surgeries and helped keep him out of the took to the field to bowl. “He was brilliant Fall of wickets: 1-33 (Bancroft), 2-86 (Warner), 3- To bat: J. Root, D. Malan, M. Ali, J. Bairstow, C. in 2011 but later missed two years while over- test team for seven years. today, it was hard work this morning with the 139 (Khawaja), 4-161 (Smith), 5-209 Woakes, S. Broad, C. Overton, J. Anderson. coming a serious back injury. He had aver- He could not even make his state team at new ball,” said Marsh. “He got hit on the fin- (Handscomb), 6-294 (Paine), 7-311 (Starc), 8-410 Bowling: Starc 5-1-13-1, Hazlewood 4-2-16-0, aged a touch over 36 in his previous 24 tests, the start of this season, but looked every bit a ger but he’s fine.” — Reuters (Cummins) Cummins 0.1-0-0-0. his fourth Test, easily bettered his previous best 25 against Pakistan Sri Lanka Brathwaite seven months ago. Matt Henry, who toiled without success in the West leads West Indies first innings, took both wickets reaches 131-3 vs while first innings destroyer Neil Wagner proved expensive with none India amid Indies battle for 89. After 19 wickets fell on the first for survival two days of the Test, there were only pollution drama two on day three as the wicket WELLINGTON: Kraigg Brathwaite browned off from the green cover on NEW DELHI: Angelo Mathews and Dinesh was eyeing his seventh century as he day one when the West Indies were Chandimal put on 56 runs for the fourth wick- led the West Indies survival effort rolled for 134 in their first innings. et as Sri Lanka reached 131-3 at stumps on after Tom Blundell’s debut ton put However there were signs in the final day two of the third Test against India in New Zealand in a seemingly unbeat- hour that the wicket was starting to Delhi yesterday. Earlier, India declared its able position in the first Test in take turn which would put more focus first innings on 536-7 with Virat Kohli (243) Wellington yesterday. on spinners for the remainder of the scoring his sixth double hundred. The Sri Brathwaite was unbeaten on 79 as game. New Zealand resumed the day Lankan players had earlier complained about the tourists reached 214 for two at at 447-9 and added 73 runs before the air pollution in Delhi with play stopping stumps on day three. Shai Hope was declaring shortly before lunch with three times in the middle session before the not out 21. After trailing by 386 on Blundell celebrating his call up to the Indian declaration. the first innings, they still requiring a New Zealand Test team with an At stumps, Mathews was batting on 57 further 172 runs to make New unbeaten 107 on debut. while Chandimal was unbeaten on 25. The Zealand bat again. The target He took 10 off the opening over of visitors trail by another 405 runs. After tea, appeared monumental, but Brathwaite the day by Miguel Cummins and con- Sri Lanka needed to rebuild from 18-2. has the memory of the West Indies’ tinued to pile on the pressure for Dilruwan Perera (42) played an important last tour of New Zealand to know it is another 21.4 overs while Boult hand as he stabilized the innings. He put on 61 not impossible. In the first Test on staunchly defied his tail-end status to runs with Mathews for the fourth wicket. NEW DELHI: Indian batsman and team captain Virat Kohli plays a shot during the second day the 2013 tour they were 396 in hold up the other end. Mathews was lucky to survive at the wick- of the third Test cricket match between India and Sri Lanka at the Feroz Shah Kotla Cricket arrears when forced to follow on. A The number 11 batsman faced 60 et when he was given two lives immediately Stadium in New Delhi. — AFP Marlon Samuels double century took balls to be not out 18, although he after the tea break. First, Shikhar Dhawan them to 507 in their second innings was dropped when Blundell was on dropped him when on 4 not out at second slip on the fifth day and New Zealand ran 99. When Blundell was on 82, the off Mohammed Shami (1-30). Then, Virat out of time chasing a target of 112 to West Indies unsuccessfully reviewed Kohli dropped him while he was on 6 not out SCOREBOARD at second slip off Ishant Sharma (1-44) this win. Brathwaite, who was on that a rejected lbw appeal after a Jason time. Ravindra Jadeja (1-24) got the break- tour but not required for that Test, Holder ball flicked off the pads for NEW DELHI: Scoreboard at stumps on the second day of the third and final Test between India and Sri through as he trapped Perera lbw via DRS. played confidently against the New four byes. But other than that the 27- Lanka in New Delhi yesterday: Mathews and Chandimal then came together Zealand attack. He featured in a 72- year-old’s 180-ball innings, which and batted out the session before bad light India 1st innings (overnight 371-4) De Silva 16-0-48-0. run partnership with Kieran Powell included 13 fours and one six, was stopped play on an eventful day. Mathews M. Vijay st Dickwella b Sandakan 155 (40) for the first wicket, a 94-run near chanceless. He faced nine reached his 29th test half-century off 72 balls. S. Dhawan c Lakmal b Perera 23 Sri Lanka 1st innings scoreless deliveries on 99 before an stand with Shimron Hetmyer (66) for Earlier, Sri Lankan fielders protested the C. Pujara c Samarawickrama b Gamage 23 D. Karunaratne c Saha b Shami 0 inside edge off Roston Chase went the second wicket and has added a level of air pollution prevalent in Delhi, forc- V. Kohli lbw b Sandakan 243 D. Perera lbw b Jadeja 42 past square leg for two and he then further 48 with Hope.