Cricket news round-up – May 6: Hope, Campbell shatter ODI record for opening partnership

John Campbell and Shai Hope broke the record for the opening wicket partnership in ODIs as West Indies swatted aside Ireland. Elsewhere, Mumbai Indians finished top of the IPL 2019 points table, while Sunrisers Hyderabad took the No. 4 spot as the league stage came to a conclusion.

West Indies shatter records against Ireland
West Indies openers, John Campbell and Shai Hope, hammered 365 runs for the opening wicket against Ireland in what was the highest ODI opening partnership of all-time. It was just seven runs short of the highest ODI partnership for any wicket.

Their efforts helped West Indies post a 382-run target for Ireland. Their bowlers then took charge and bundled out the home side for 185 in 34.4 overs, with Ashley Nurse returning 4/51. West Indies won their first match of the tri-series, also involving Bangladesh, by 196 runs.

West Indies will take on Bangladesh in the second match of the series on Tuesday.

England win, but Pakistan put up a fight
England were made to sweat for their 7-wicket victory over Pakistan in the one-off T20I in Cardiff. Pakistan posted 173/6 in their 20 overs, thanks to Babar Azam’s 42-ball 65 and Haris Sohail’s 36-ball 50.

However, with James Vince teeing off for a 27-ball 36, and Joe Root holding things together with a 42-ball 47, England kept themselves in the chase. Eoin Morgan and Joe Denly went berserk late on – the captain scored a 29-ball 57* while the youngster added a 12-ball 20* – as England secured victory with four balls to spare.

The sides next clash in a 5-match ODI series.

Punjab surprise Chennai to deny them top spot
Kings XI Punjab ended their IPL 2019 campaign on a high, seeing off Chennai Super Kings in a comfortable 6-wicket victory.

Chennai posted 170/5, thanks to half-centuries from Faf du Plessis’s 55-ball 96 and Suresh Raina’s 38-ball 53, Punjab’s task was made much easier by KL Rahul, who hammered a 36-ball 71, teeing off from the start, unlike in previous seasons.

Punjab finished the chase with 12 balls to spare, and victory meant they finished their campaign at No. 7 on the table. Chennai finished at No. 2.

Mumbai eliminate Kolkata to take top spot
Mumbai Indians ended the IPL 2019 league stages with a fine view from the top of the table after seeing off Kolkata Knight Riders in a 9-wicket victory.

Kolkata lacked impetus – they managed to post just 133/7, despite Chris Lynn scoring a 29-ball 41. Robin Uthappa came in for plenty of slack for his 47-ball 41.

That proved no match for Mumbai. Quinton de Kock (30 off 23), Rohit Sharma (55* off 48) and Suryakumar Yadav (46* off 27) helped them coast through, with 23 balls to spare.

Jadhav ruled out for remainder of IPL
Kedar Jadhav, the middle-order batsman and part-time spinner, was ruled out for the remainder of IPL 2019 after he sustained a shoulder injury while fielding for Chennai Super Kings in their clash against Kings XI Punjab.

Jadhav is scheduled for scans on Monday, and the prognosis “didn’t look too good”, according to Chennai coach Stephen Fleming.

Jadhav is also part of India’s World Cup squad, and the management will sweat over his fitness, given he is crucial to the team’s balance.