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Ellyse Perry bowled her best spell of the season before more time was lost

Andrew McGlashan01-Oct-2021Smriti Mandhana’s sublime century, Punam Raut walking when the umpire was saying not out and an improved spell from Ellyse Perry were the notable features on another truncated day of the pink-ball Test on the Gold Coast which is now likely to need to some ingenuity from the captains to engineer the chance of an outright result.Australia chipped away either side of the second new ball before another ferocious Queensland storm sent the players off midway through the middle session. The forecast for the weekend is good and there will be 108 overs scheduled on both days, but the game will need to move at a pace from here. The onus, initially at least, will be on Mithali Raj if she wants to push for four points.Mandhana had departed for a magnificently-constructed 127, ending a second-wicket stand of 102 with Raut, after which Australia made further inroads. That included the wicket of Raut who walked for a thin nick against Sophie Molineux at the same time as umpire Phillip Gillespie was saying not out, although it was not entirely clear if she had seen the initial decision. There is no DRS for this series, so Raut could have survived if she had wanted to; it provided a chance to debate the merits and spirit of walking.Perry claimed her first wicket of the multi-format series in what was her best spell of the season to date – although she had been denied twice earlier, once when she overstepped to give Mandhana a lifeline and then when Beth Mooney dropped Raj – and shortly before the storm Raj was run out by Annabel Sutherland.Related

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Mandhana, who resumed on 80, was given a reprieve off her second ball of the day when she drove a full toss from Perry to point where Mooney took what appeared to be a fantastic one-handed catch diving to her right. But any debate over whether it was clean was rendered moot when replays showed Perry’s no-ball.Having said the previous evening that she would not change her game in sight of three figures, Mandhana was true to her word. She moved into the 90s with arguably the shot of her innings, a perfect straight drive off Sutherland, and it took her just another 11 balls to reach the century when she twice pulled Perry for boundaries in the space of three deliveries.She continued to pick off boundaries, taking her tally to 22 alongside a six, the best of the ones after three figures being a drive wide of mid-off against Georgia Wareham who was finally given her first bowl on debut in the 60th over.Ashleigh Gardner continued to offer Australia the most control – her spell in the session reading 11-6-12-1 – and she made the breakthrough when Mandhana was lured into driving to short cover.With Mandhana departed, India had two batters together – Raut and Raj – whose natural game is a more sedate tempo. Raut continued along in her own bubble until the moment that got people talking while Raj played herself in as the new ball loomed.Sutherland had been impressive with the old ball but, when given the first chance with the new one, a wayward over cost 11 shortly before the dinner break.Shortly after the resumption Raj got her life on 23 when she edged Perry into the gully where Mooney shelled Australia’s fourth catch of the innings in what has been another fielding display below their high standards. However, Mooney made amends by taking a tougher chance when left-hander Yastika Bhatia, who had settled nicely on debut, was squared up by Perry’s movement with the outside edge carrying low.Raj had played in a very controlled manner but her stay was ended by a direct hit from Sutherland after she had set off for a single to midwicket, been sent back and slipped a little. It what is likely to be her final Test, she will hope for one more innings.

Dawid Malan said it was important players did not go into the shell but some were learning on the run

Andrew McGlashan23-Dec-2021Dawid Malan admitted England’s players are “hurting” after the drubbings in the opening two Ashes Tests but added that it’s vital that they do not become too defensively minded and still aim to put pressure back on Australia’s bowlers.Malan, who had a long net session on Thursday, is one of only two England batters, alongside captain Joe Root, to make half-centuries in this series but neither have converted into three figures and the team has yet to cross 300 in four innings.One aspect that has been highlighted is the ability to leave the ball – something that can often be done on length and not just line in Australia because of the extra bounce – and while Malan acknowledged the success of David Warner, Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, who have all shown excellent judgement, he believes the key is finding the right balance.Conditions may also warrant a slightly difference approach at the MCG although the pitch is likely to be far removed from the turgid strip on offering in 2017-18 with the surfaces having improved significantly since then.Related

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Malan is one of only three of England’s top order who had previous Ashes experience in Australia – Jonny Bairstow would make it four in Melbourne if recalled – and with the lack of preparation ahead of the series he said the less experienced batters were having to learn on the run.”Everyone is up for the challenge, everyone is really keen to face up to Australia,” Malan said. “We do it in white-ball cricket, we take them on… so hopefully we can get that mindset and not go into our shells and just try to survive, take the game to them.”We are almost learning in Test matches because we haven’t had that preparation. A lot of the guys haven’t played in Australia so are trying to find ways of facing bowlers they haven’t faced before but also to get used to bounce here. This wicket might be slightly skiddier so we don’t want to go out and leave and get bowled or lbw now, but it is about learning.”I know there’s a lead-up to dismissals and how bowlers set you up, but a lot of our dismissals were probably soft in the sense that we could have left them. You still have to score, but it’s about making the right choices under pressure, myself included. If you look at the way they have batted, the ones who have done really well, they’ve left really well so it’s a good learning curve for us. Hopefully it’s not too late.”Dawid Malan has held his own so far but England need centuries•Getty Images

Mark Wood termed the meetings had in the wake of the Adelaide defeat as a “kick up the bum” while there have been reports that Ben Stokes was especially vocal. Malan insisted morale in the squad remained good and that the onus was on the players rather than the coaching staff.”We’ve done a lot of talking,” he said. “When you lose there’ll always be reports that people are at each other. There definitely isn’t. One of things we’ve been doing this series is a lot of chat amongst the players and encouraging players to challenge each other on a lot of things. We’ve had good discussions with the coaching staff and without the coaching staff. It’s vitally important that we as players take responsibility.”Ultimately we are the ones who walk onto the field. We get all the preparation and all the knowledge we need, it’s up to us to put it in place. We haven’t done that well enough. When we have those honest chats as players we feel we learn a lot more. Now it’s about not talking anymore, it’s about putting it into play.”Bairstow and Zak Crawley are in contention to come into the batting order although there is no form to judge them on. Bairstow has a century in Australia, scored alongside Malan in the 2017-18 Perth Test, while Crawley is viewed as a batter who has the potential to succeed in Australia with a strong array of back-foot shots and having made some technical adjustments since he was dropped earlier this year. In truth, however, it feels like Hobson’s choice.

Pakistan have also named five reserves – including Yasir Shah and Naseem Shah – for the Tests, which are set to begin in Rawalpindi from March 4

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2022Pakistan have called up right-arm quick Haris Rauf, while opening batter Shan Masood, who played a Test in January 2021, has been recalled in the 16-member squad for the three home Tests against Australia. Offspinner Bilal Asif, who was part of the squad for the series against Bangladesh, has been dropped.Rauf, who has played ODIs and T20Is for Pakistan but is uncapped in the longest format, was earlier called up for the Tests against South Africa and Zimbabwe in 2021 but did not debut. Masood meanwhile replaces Abid Ali, who is currently in rehabilitation after being diagnosed with a heart condition in December last year.Pakistan have also named five reserves – Yasir Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah and Kamran Ghulam – for the Tests, which are set to begin in Rawalpindi from March 4.According to a PCB release, the players named in the Test squad who are not involved in the ongoing season of PSL will assemble in National Stadium in Karachi on February 16 for a training camp.”We have opted for consistency for the important home series against Australia and changes have only been made where absolutely necessary,” chief selector Muhammad Wasim said. “This is to give the boys confidence, reward them for their impressive performances in the longer version of the game in 2021 and continue to build the side for the future.”These are the best available, most talented and in-form players in the domestic circuit. I am confident they will put up an impressive performance against a formidable Australia side.”The second and the third Tests are scheduled to be played in Karachi from March 12 and in Lahore on March 21 respectively.Pakistan squad: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood
Reserves: Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah

He played the last of his 43 Tests in January last year, against England

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Jan-2022Dilruwan Perera, the Sri Lanka men’s offspinner, has announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket, at the age of 39. Perera played the last of his 43 Tests in January last year, against England. He also played 13 ODIs, across 11 years, and three T20 internationals for Sri Lanka. According to an SLC release, Perera will continue to play domestic cricket.In Tests, Perera took 161 wickets at an average of 35.9, and as a handy lower-order batter, hit eight fifties and averaged 18.88.It is as Sri Lanka’s second spinner in Rangana Herath’s best years that Perera might be remembered, but perhaps this is somewhat uncharitable. He was largely deployed in favourable conditions, playing 35 of his Tests in Asia, but was nevertheless frequently effective in those conditions, particularly in the first three years of his Test career. He is in fact Sri Lanka’s quickest bowler to 50 Test wickets, achieving the feat in 11 Tests, even if his returns slowed somewhat since then.Perera’s greatest moments came in home Tests. He took 10 wickets in the win against Australia in Galle, during the series in which Sri Lanka whitewashed that opposition. His other 10-for also came in Galle in another big victory, this time against South Africa in 2018. On turning pitches, he was almost a mirror-image of Herath, frequently imparting underspin on the ball to get it to slide on with the arm, though his offbreak could also cause trouble.With the bat, he was bold rather than stubborn, often looking for legside boundaries, and using the sweep – both conventional and reverse – to good effect. His 95 on debut in Sharjah remains his top Test score. One of his most valuable innings also came in the UAE, when he hit 58 in Dubai in 2017, to help set up a big first-innings total in a day/night match against Pakistan. His second-innings five-wicket haul later sealed that game, and the series.His bowling did not impress over the last two years, however, and he was eventually edged out of the Test XI by the likes of Lasith Embuldeniya, and more recently, Praveen Jayawickrama and Ramesh Mendis.In limited-overs cricket, Perera had actually started as a batter, primarily, opening the innings in his first four games between 2007 and 2008, though without making much of an impact. He was decent with the ball when he returned to the ODI team after 2014, but his lack of agility in the field prompted selectors to look for younger options.

“Today our attitude was, no matter what, we will be aggressive. We will try to finish it off as quickly as possible”

Mohammad Isam24-Mar-2022Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal has said that the team’s tendency in the past to lose their way from promising positions urged him to go with an all-out attacking mindset against South Africa. The hosts were bowled out for 154 in the deciding ODI, as Bangladesh duly went on to clinch their first ever series win in South Africa.South Africa were batting at seven runs an over in the 7th over when they started losing their way. Quinton de Kock’s wicket slowed them down, but Tamim said that only wickets at regular intervals could have given Bangladesh the upper hand.Related

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“We didn’t think we could bowl them out for 154 seeing how they started their innings,” Tamim said. “We have been repeatedly saying in team huddles, that we should give it everything that we have in the field. This was the talk. When we got two quick wickets after their good start, I just wanted to go for the kill. We have had a history of giving away big partnerships after taking three or four early wickets. Today our attitude was, no matter what, we will be aggressive. We will try to finish it off as quickly as possible. I asked Taskin to bowl as fast as he can, to try to get wickets.”Taskin Ahmed paid back his captain’s faith with a five-wicket haul, particularly by removing the main South Africa batters. Taskin’s hands were full in the post-match presentation ceremony with the Player-of-the-Match and Player-of-the-Series trophies. At one point, Tamim leaned in and whispered something to him.Later, Tamim said that Taskin understood that giving up on an IPL contract – he was reportedly approached by the Lucknow Super Giants franchise to be their replacement for Mark Wood, which both BCB and Taskin turned down – was a big decision, but winning Bangladesh an ODI series in South Africa was a bigger achievement.”There’s nothing more to be motivated than to play for the country. It was a hard decision (for Taskin not to go to the IPL). He is young. He wouldn’t want to miss this kind of opportunity. But, he is happy that he is doing well for the country. When he got both trophies in the presentation, I told him this is your IPL. This is bigger than the IPL. He agreed with me and he is happy.”Tamim said that the highlight of Bangladesh’s series win was how their fast bowlers contributed to the team’s success after spending years in the shadows of left-arm spinners.”Winning a series in South Africa against a quality team has to be in the top three (of our best performances). I am very proud captain to see Taskin get the awards. When we talk about Bangladesh cricket team, we usually mention left-arm spinners and offspinners.”I have been telling this for a long time now that our fast-bowling unit has been doing unbelievably well. Mustafizur and Shoriful did equally important stuff for us. Mustafiz does the difficult job for us: he bowls a few overs up front and then bowls in the death, which is the most difficult part.”Bangladesh chased down the target in record time, having won the match with the most balls remaining in an overseas ODI. Tamim himself blasted an unbeaten 87, and revealed the frame of mind he was in as he tried to avoid any slip-ups chasing a small total.”Soon after the first innings ended, my message to the team huddle was not to think like we are chasing 155 runs. I wanted them to think like chasing 270 or 280. Small chases can be tricky sometimes. Two early wickets would have brought trouble. We wanted to bat normally, and play as aggressively as possible.”

The 35-year old last played for New Zealand in September 2021, and will continue to pursue a career in coaching

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2022New Zealand quick Hamish Bennett has announced his retirement from all cricket, bringing the curtains down on a 17-year long career. The 35-year old, who has represented the New Zealand U-19 side, the senior men’s team and domestic teams Wellington and Canterbury, has said that the 2021-22 season will be his last.”When I started out as a young kid bowling in the nets in Timaru, I never dreamed I would have gone on to enjoy the career that I’ve had,” Bennett was quoted as saying by nzc.nz.”From Old Boys Timaru Cricket Club who got me involved in cricket at the start, Timaru Boys’ High School, South Canterbury Cricket, Canterbury Cricket, Cricket Wellington, and New Zealand Cricket, as well as all the other great clubs I’ve played for down the years, they’ve all played a role in helping me achieve my cricket dream. I’ve been so fortunate to work and play alongside so many great players, captains and coaches and I’d like to thank every one of them for their support over the years.”Bennett made his international debut in October 2010, taking three wickets in the fourth ODI against Bangladesh in Mirpur. His last match in New Zealand colours was also against the same opponents at the same venue, in the fourth T20I in September 2021. In all, he picked up 33 wickets in 19 ODIs and ten wickets in 11 T20Is.He made his Test debut alongside current New Zealand captain Kane Williamson in the first match against India in Ahmedabad in 2010, but ended up bowling just 15 wicketless overs in the game after picking up a groin strain, and never made it back into the Test side after that.Bennett made his first-class debut for Canterbury in 2005 and played till the 2015-16 season, before moving to Wellington. In all, he has 261 wickets in 79 first-class matches, 160 wickets in 112 List A games and 78 wickets in 87 T20s. He has won 12 domestic titles, including five Plunket Shields, two Ford Trophy titles, four Super Smash titles and one Super Smash trophy as Wellington Blaze’s coach.He was part of New Zealand’s 2011 World Cup side where he played four matches, following which he was out for three years before returning to play two ODIs against India at home in 2014.Bennett was awarded for his consistency and success with the Wellington side in domestic cricket by earning a recall into the ODI and T20I sides for the series against India in January 2020, playing what would turn out to be his last ODI in February that year. He was also part of the home T20I series against West Indies later that year, and the Bangladesh tour in September 2021.”Men’s and women’s cricket in New Zealand is in an exciting place, so I’m looking forward to putting the feet up and watching the game grow from the sidelines,” Bennett said.”It’s been an honour to represent my family and my country for New Zealand and those memories and experiences will be ones that I cherish and tell stories about for the rest of my life.”Bennett though will continue playing for the Old Tablelands Cricket Club in Martinborough, while also pursuing a career in coaching.

Buttler says he was “distracted” and “feeling the pressure” after dip in form mid-way through IPL 2022, but “honest conversations” shook him from his funk

Shashank Kishore27-May-20222:37

Vettori: ‘Buttler’s innings a blueprint of how to chase a smallish total’

Jos Buttler has racked up 824 runs at a strike rate of 151 so far in IPL 2022, with one innings left to play, but he came into the season with “very low expectations”. He said as much after his bruising, unbeaten, 60-ball 106 on Friday to take Rajasthan Royals into just their second IPL final.”I came into the season with very low expectations, but a lot of energy and excitement for the tournament,” Buttler told host broadcaster Star Sports. “To still be here now, and the season I’ve had with such a great team, and to get ourselves into the final, is incredibly exciting.”In what has been a season of two halves for him, Buttler came into the playoffs without a half-century in over three weeks. In this period, he made three single-digit scores and had a highest of 30. This “distracted” him. The more he tried to suppress the pressure his dip generated, the worse it got. This is when “honest conversations” with people around him came to his rescue.”I’ve had some really honest conversations with some close people around me, and with Kumar Sangakkara (Royals’ director of cricket) and Trevor Penney (assistant coach),” he said. “I was actually feeling a bit of pressure. I was getting distracted, and I tried to suppress it, but it wasn’t until a week or so when I actually opened up and started talking about that and it made me feel a lot better. I went to Kolkata (for Qualifier 1) a lot more relaxed and obviously that innings gave me a lot more confidence today.”Related

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Against Gujarat Titans, in Qualifier 1, he made 89 – an innings where he started well against pace but struggled for rhythm against spin, especially against Rashid Khan, on a tricky surface. However, he more than made up for it in the death overs, hitting 50 runs off 18 balls himself from the 16th over onwards. That effort wasn’t enough to win them the game, Royals eventually failing to defend 15 off the final over. Two days later, he arrived in Ahmedabad all charged up, knowing very well he had the best possible preparation.”I think I came in today just so excited,” he said. “The thought of playing in front of 100,000 people was amazing. We’ve had two years of playing in front of empty stadiums. This is what the IPL is about, their incredible support, a fantastic stadium and a brilliant game of cricket – I enjoyed it so much.”Sangakkara, who has had a prime view of Buttler the T20 cricketer over the past three seasons, was effusive in his praise. Buttler’s attacking intent, Sangakkara said, was just one aspect of his game; the ability to curb certain shots in certain situations, while being intuitive about the team’s needs, make him stand out.”I think it’s just his overall game,” Sangakkara said, when asked about Buttler’s strengths. “He’s got some pretty potent strengths, and once he recognises that and trusts those strengths, he then manoeuvres the rest of the bowling to go more and more into his strengths.”He’s great against spin, he has got all the shots, and he chooses on certain days which shots to play and which shots to put away for a while. The good thing about Jos Buttler is that he can accelerate at any time. He can be 30 off 30 and then suddenly get to 80-90 off 50.”It’s hard to describe what he has done for us this season. I think he started off so well, had a little bit of a flutter at one point in the tournament, but he calmed himself down, had good conversations rather than just training. He accepted he’s mortal, he’s human and he can’t have that high level of excellence every single day.”And to understand how you kind of reach that level at every game in different stages… Some days you have to fight and look ugly, other days your rhythm is there. The reality is you can’t fight that condition, but fight what’s happening on the day. You have to settle into it and build an innings. He can accelerate at any point, has all the strokes and understands the game really well. I can’t remember anyone batting this well in the history of the IPL.”Jos Buttler cracked ten fours and six sixes during his 60-ball 106•BCCI

For his part, Buttler put his measured approach down to the pursuit of a larger goal: to be a match-winner for the team.”I’m always trying to play (according to) the game. What is the game asking me to do at any particular time and then what skillset do I have to try and use on that particular day,” he said. “I think some days I was a bit slow to start with. I wish it was never like that. I wish you can play fast all the time, but certain times I’ve had it tough and maybe a younger version of myself would’ve just gone for a big shot and got out, but it’s something Sanga has been saying to me: the longer you stay there, at some point it will come.”Buttler was part of the victorious Mumbai Indians squad in 2017, when they beat Rising Pune Supergiant in a last-ball thriller. Since 2018, Buttler has been with Royals, and the franchise retained him ahead of this year’s mega auction in a massive show of faith. The chance to now win them their first title since 2008 has him excited.”There’s great excitement to be able to have the opportunity to be in the final in the biggest T20 tournament in the world,” he said. “Shane Warne was obviously such an influential figure with the team, having led them to success. We all miss him dearly, but I’m sure he’s looking down at us with a lot of pride today.”

Match featured 1,294 runs and only 17 wickets at The Riverside

ECB Reporters Network15-Jun-2022Durham 672 for 7 dec (Ravindra 217, Raine 103*, Coughlin 100*, Borthwick 96, Bushnell 66) and 102 for 0 (Jones 50*, Ravindra 46*) drew with Worcestershire 550 (Barnard 128, D’Oliveira 100, Haynes 68, Raine 4-76)Durham and Worcestershire played out a draw on the final day of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash as 1,294 runs were scored and only 17 wickets fell over the course of the contest at Seat Unique RiversideThe Pears began the day 431 for 6, still 211 behind the home side’s first-innings total, and although Paul Coughlin made early inroads, a final-wicket stand from Gareth Roderick and Dillon Pennington of 69 saved the follow-on for the visitors.Worcestershire were eventually dismissed for 550, handing the hosts a lead of 92 to take into their second innings. However, with little time remaining, the North-East outfit batted out the game with an unbeaten century stand between Rachin Ravindra and Michael Jones before the two sides shook hands on a draw.The hosts claimed 14 points from their fifth stalemate of the campaign, while the Pears took 13, leaving Worcestershire once place above Durham in fourth in Division Two.Worcestershire resumed with Ed Barnard and Roderick with work to do to avoid the follow-on. Barnard scored early boundaries to find his rhythm at the start of the day, forcing a change in approach from the home side. Coughlin banged in the ball in short and prised out Barnard for 128 by taking a sharp return catch diving to his right.The right-armer earned his second wicket when Josh Baker fended a tame drive straight to Chris Rushworth at mid-on. Roderick was left in a desperate push to guide Worcestershire past the follow-on target of 493, but was running out of partners after Ben Gibbon was removed by Liam Trevaksis as Scott Borthwick took a good low catch at silly point.Even though the visitors were down to the final wicket and Durham took the extra half-hour before lunch, Roderick and Pennington safely steered the Pears past the follow-on, defying the hosts with a stand of fifty from 88 balls.The two reached a stand of 69 before Worcestershire’s mammoth 178.5-over innings came to an end with Jonathan Bushnell claiming his maiden first-class wicket as Pennington’s useful knock of 44 came to end, feathering an edge through to Ned Eckersley. The innings ended on a sour note for the hosts, who conceded a club-record 81 extras, beating the 78 against Warwickshire in 1994 in the infamous contest when Brian Lara notched his unbeaten 501.With a lead of 92, Durham openers Jones and Ravindra were composed and untroubled at the crease to accumulate a fifty partnership. There was time for Jones to notch his fifty, taking the opening stand beyond 100 in the process before the two sides called time on the game.

Zimbabwe have left out as many as seven players from the recent T20I squad that played against Namibia

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2022Zimbabwe have left out as many as seven players who featured in the contingent that recently played against Namibia while naming their T20I squad for the upcoming T20Is against Afghanistan. The omissions include those of Tanaka Chivanga, Brad Evans, Victor Nyauchi, Ernest Masuku, Richmond Mutumbami, Tony Munyonga, and Brandon Mavuta.In their place, the selectors have picked Clive Madande, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers and Ainsley Ndlovu. Those four were part of the just concluded ODIs against Afghanistan, but only Muzarabani and Myers got games.While Madande is uncapped in international cricket and toured Nepal last month with the Zimbabwe A squad, Ndlovu has played international cricket in all three formats but has not represented Zimbabwe since February 2020. His last T20I was in September 2019 in a tri-series involving Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Muzarabani’s last T20I came in September 2021, after which he played in the PSL for Multan Sultans and was picked as a net bowler by Lucknow Super Giants in the recent IPL. He was Zimbabwe’s highest wicket-taker in the recent ODIs, with seven wickets from three games.The three T20Is will be played in Harare on June 11, 12 and 14.T20I squad: Craig Ervine (capt), Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Luke Jongwe, Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Ainsley Ndlovu, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Donald Tiripano.

Devon Thomas added the finishing touches after the hosts complicated a straightforward chase of 139

Himanshu Agrawal01-Aug-2022West Indies 141 for 5 (King 68, Thomas 31*, Jadeja 1-16) beat India 138 (Pandya 31, Jadeja 27, McCoy 6-17) by five wicketsWest Indies complicated a comfortable chase of 139, before a final-over no-ball by Avesh Khan became the trigger for a five-wicket win that levelled the five-match series against India. West Indies took it deep as India’s bowlers tightened the screws in the middle overs – an equation of 75 off 72 balls, with nine wickets in hand, became 27 off 18, and then 10 off the last over – but Devon Thomas capitalised on the free-hit to slam a six followed by a four to wrap up the chase.Earlier in the day, Obed McCoy achieved West Indies’ best bowling figures in T20Is – and the best against India by any side in the format – as the visitors provided another peek into the future with a display of their new-found T20 method, showing a willingness to risk big hits despite the loss of quick wickets.Opener Brandon King then made 68 off 52 balls, ensuring he held one end up in a chase of 139.McCoy pushed India back in the death overs, where he got four of his six wickets after getting the first two inside the third over of the match. India crashed to 138 all out with two balls left in their innings after being 104 for 4 in the 14th over, with the scoring drying up considerably as the wickets fell; just 37 runs came off the last seven overs.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

No kits in St Kitts
The match began around the time it had originally been scheduled to end, after a three-hour hold-up caused by the delayed arrival of the teams’ luggage and kits from Trinidad, the venue of the first T20I on Friday. Instead of 10am, the toss finally took place at 1pm.McCoy masters the powerplay and the death overs
After all that waiting, the spectators got a significant bit of action off the very first ball of the match, as Rohit Sharma fended a lifter to short third off the shoulder of his bat; the extra bounce McCoy gained turned out to be a decisive factor as the innings progressed. He bowled a wicket-maiden to start the match, mixing back-of-a-length and fuller deliveries to keep new batter Shreyas Iyer quiet over the next five balls.In the third over, McCoy struck again, inviting Suryakumar Yadav to drive at, and edge behind, a full-length delivery bowled form wide of the crease and angled across the right-hander.India kept taking their chances through the powerplay despite the early wickets, with the short boundaries at Warner Park complementing their aggressive intent. They ended the first six overs 56 for 3, having hit five sixes already – but just the one four – and the rollercoaster early period ended in the seventh over, when Rishabh Pant fell for 24 off 12 balls. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja went into rebuild mode thereafter, adding 43 off as many balls.India’s scoring rate had mellowed by the time McCoy returned to bowl the 17th over – they were 112 for 5 – but they had Jadeja and an in-form Dinesh Karthik at the crease. Then McCoy effected a change of pace, luring Jadeja to loft a catch to long-on.Just five came off that over, and with all of India’s momentum sucked dry, McCoy struck three more times in the 19th over. After getting Karthik caught at short fine leg, he spotted R Ashwin trying to shuffle across his stumps, and slipped the ball wider, forcing the batter to sky it to deep point while hitting against the breeze.A little bit of luck also went McCoy’s way when a hesitant review by Nicholas Pooran revealed that Bhuvneshwar Kumar had tickled a tight, good-length delivery to the wicketkeeper, rounding off a dream spell.Brandon King held one end up to ensure West Indies always had the advantage during their chase•Getty Images

King anchors nervy chase
West Indies’ pursuit of 139 began in confident manner, with King hitting six fours and a six in the first six overs to take the hosts to 46 for no loss. The loss of Kyle Mayers immediately after the powerplay didn’t seem to affect West Indies unduly either, as their No. 3 Pooran rushed off the blocks with a four and a six off successive balls from Avesh Khan in the eighth over. Pandya and R Ashwin, however, dragged India back in the game, conceding just 11 runs in the 9th, 10th and 11th overs, with Pooran holing out in that period.Shimron Hetmyer fell not too long afterwards, and when Avesh dismissed King in the 16th over, West Indies’ equation was 32 off 27 balls with six wickets in hand. Arshdeep Singh and Pandya then made it 23 off 14 with ten boundary-less balls, before Thomas released the pressure by clubbing Hardik for six. Arshdeep swung the game one more time with an impeccable 19th over, conceding just six runs while getting Rovman Powell bowled, but Avesh’s last-over no-ball, and Thomas’ ice-cool hitting, took West Indies over the line.