Boult Fired up As N Zealand Have India on the Ropes India Had Their Opportunities to Clip New Zealand’S Wings
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26 Sports Monday, February 24, 2020 Boult fired up as N Zealand have India on the ropes India had their opportunities to clip New Zealand’s wings WELLINGTON: New Zealand quick Trent Boult SCOREBOARD declared himself “happy to be back” as he bagged three wickets to leave India struggling for survival at Scoreboard at stumps on day three of the first Test stumps on day three of the first Test in Wellington yes- between New Zealand and India at the Basin Reserve in terday. India, faced with a 183-run first-innings deficit, Wellington yesterday: were 144 for four at the close, still 39 in arrears after rollicking innings by Boult and Kyle Jamieson pushed India 1st innings 165 (A. Rahane 46; K. Jamieson 4-39, T. Southee 4-49) New Zealand to 348. New Zealand 1st innings (overnight 216-5) Ajinkya Rahane was unbeaten on 25 with Hanuma T. Latham c Pant b Sharma 11 Vihari on 15, and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said T. Blundell b Sharma 30 India were far from raising the white flag, although with K. Williamson c sub (Jadeja) b Shami 89 only six wickets remaining, he saw a score around 350 R. Taylor c Pujara b Sharma 44 as necessary to save the Test. H. Nicholls c Kohli b Ashwin 17 Boult, back in Test cricket after breaking a hand dur- B. Watling c Pant b Bumrah 14 ing the Boxing Day Test in a disastrous series for New C. de Grandhomme c Pant b Ashwin 43 Zealand in Australia, took a back seat in India’s first T. Southee c Shami b Sharma 6 innings when Jamieson and Tim Southee took four K. Jamieson c Vihari b Ashwin 44 wickets apiece to roll the tourists for 165. A. Patel not out 4 But he came to the fore on day three, first with the T. Boult c Pant b Sharma 38 bat and then with figures of three for 27 as India, the Extras (b1, lb1, w6) 8 world’s top-ranked side, looked lost in New Zealand Total (all out, 100.2 overs) 348 conditions. “I’m just happy to be back out there, it’s Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Latham), 2-73 (Blundell), 3-166 (Taylor), 4-185 been a little frustrating on the sidelines,” the left-armer (Williamson), 5-207 (Nicholls), 6-216 (Watling), 7-225 (Southee), 8- said. “If we can get a couple more early in the first hour 296 (Jamieson), 9-310 (de Grandhomme), 10-348 (Boult) (today) or so, we should be in a good position.” Boult Bowling: Bumrah 26-5-88-1 (6w), Sharma 22.2-6-68-5, Shami 23-2- credited changing the angle of delivery as a key 91-1, Ashwin 29-1-99-3 weapon to upset the Indian batsmen. “We know it’s a very good wicket generally and day three and four is India 2nd innings the best time to bat. If I do my job, we won’t be chasing P. Shaw c Latham b Boult 14 too much.” M. Agarwal c Watling b Southee 58 Ashwin believed the pitch would give more in the C. Pujara b Boult 11 final two days, bringing an emphasis on his spin if India V. Kohli c Watling b Boult 19 can set a strong enough target. “The Test match cricket, WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s Trent Boult (R) bowls with India’s Ajinkya Rahane during day three of the first Test A. Rahane not out 25 it begins now,” he said. cricket match between New Zealand and India at the Basin Reserve in Wellington yesterday. —AFP H. Vihari not out 15 “If you can get as close to the first innings score as Extras: (w2) 2 they did then we might present ourselves an opportuni- Total: (four wickets; 65 overs) 144 ty to do something, but that’s very far away in the game went for 58 soon after the resumption and Boult an entertaining 44 off 45 balls and Boult adding 38 off Fall of wickets: 1-27 (Shaw), 2-78 (Pujara), 3-96 (Agarwal), 4-113 and we have to take it every ball at a time because removed Virat Kohli to have India at 113 for four. 24, along with a more sedate 43 from Colin de (Kohli) there is enough in the surface.” India had their opportunities to clip New Zealand’s Grandhomme saw New Zealand’s last three wickets add Bowling: Southee 15-5-41-1, Boult 16-6-27-3, de Grandhomme 14-5- India lost Prithvi Shaw early in their second innings wings. They opened the day with two wickets in the 123 runs. Ishant Sharma was the most successful of the 25-0, Jamieson 17-7-33-0 (2w), Patel 3-0-18-0. to give Boult his first wicket and he claimed Cheteshwar first three overs to have New Zealand 225 for seven, Indian bowlers with five for 68 while Ashwin took three Pujara with the last ball before tea. Mayank Agarwal just 60 runs ahead. But lusty hitting from Jamieson with for 99. — AFP Nishioka, 24 and ranked 63rd in the world, is already 2020 clay-court debut, he would have overtaken Roger Nishioka rallies projected to surpass his career-best ranking of 58 Federer for third in Monday’s ATP rankings. Thiem was tomorrow. After reaching that mark in March of 2017 down a set and a break when rain stopped the match Nishioka tore a left knee ligament and dropped as low Friday with Mager leading 7-6 (7/4), 2-1. Mager served Washington star to reach Delray as 380th in the world in April 2018 before starting to for the match in the ninth game of the second set but climb his way back. Thiem broke to pull level at 5-5, only to have the Italian Beach final Nishioka, who rallied to beat American Brandon claim the final two games and the match after one hour Ovechkin scores Nakashima in the quarter-finals, saved six of eight break and 55 minutes on the court. points he faced and won 27 of 37 points in the deciding set Mager booked a semi-final date against 106th-ranked MIAMI: Unseeded Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan rallied for to beat the in-form Frenchman, who triumphed in Auckland Hungarian lucky loser Attila Balazs, who outlasted 133rd- 700th NHL goal a 1-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory over sixth-seeded Ugo Humbert in January. ranked Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in Saturday to reach the ATP Delray Beach final. Nishioka, Meanwhile, world number four Dominic Thiem of another rain-hit quarter-final. NEW YORK: Washington Capitals star Alex apparently refreshed by a second rain delay, roared Austria missed a chance to reach a career-best third in the Saturday’s other semi-final pitted Chilean third seed Ovechkin became only the eighth player in through the final set to advance to his second career final. ATP rankings with a Rio Open quarter-final loss Saturday Cristian Garin and fifth-seeded Borna Coric of Croatia, but rain NHL history to reach 700 career goals on He won his only prior title match at Shenzhen in 2018. a to Italy’s Gianluca Mager. again prevented those matches from being completed. When he’ll face either second-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada Mager, a 128th-ranked qualifier playing in only his Saturday by striking in the third period the semi-finals finally went on court late Saturday, Mager won or fourth-seeded American Reilly Opelka for the trophy. eighth career tour-level match, defeated 2017 Rio cham- the first set against Balazs 7-6 (7/4), and they were level at 3-3 against the New Jersey Devils. The Raonic-Opelka semi-final was moved to yesterday pion Thiem 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 in a match that was halted when rain halted play again. Garin was up 6-4, 4-4 on Coric in The 34-year-old Russian left winger morning because of rain. Friday by rain. Had Thiem reached the semi-finals in his their match, with both to resume later. — AFP reached the milestone 4:50 into the last ses- sion, taking a pass from countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov and blasting a slapshot into the net from the faceoff circle to the left of New Jersey goaltender McKenzie Blackwood. Bangladesh “It means a lot,” Ovechkin said. “Not a lot of players did it in the history of the game. It’s nice to be in that company. It’s a big moment dominate for the organization.” The goal, which equalized at 2-2 in what Zimbabwe proved to be a 3-2 New Jersey victory, prompted Ovechkin to lift his arms into the air and smile before being mobbed by his team- DHAKA: Najmul Hossain and skipper Mominul Haque mates in an on-ice celebration. hit half-centuries as Bangladesh replied strongly to “As soon as I got the puck I didn’t try to Zimbabwe in their one-off Test in Dhaka yesterday. Najmul made 71 off 139 balls while Mominul was rush it,” Ovechkin said. “I did my work when I unbeaten on 79 as Bangladesh reached 240-3 at got in the zone and they find me in front of the stumps on the second day, trailing Zimbabwe by 25 net.” Fans at the Newark, New Jersey, arena runs in the first innings. Pace bowler Abu Jayed earli- gave Ovechkin a standing ovation for the er finished with a career-best 4-71, as Zimbabwe achievement.