Cricket news roundup – 10th March 2019: India Women choke dramatically, play gets underway at Wellington

England Women completed their whitewash over India Women at Guwahati as the hosts failed to score 3 in the last over, while play finally got underway in the second Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh, at Wellington, before coming to a halt.

In other news, Islamabad United qualified for the Playoffs of PSL 2019, the MCC World Cricket Committee voiced unanimous support to Women’s T20 as an event in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and a survey conducted by MCC reflected that Test cricket was still the overwhelmingly favourite format among fans.

Bizarre choke at Guwahati

Despite having lost the series, India Women seemed to be in control of the third T20I, at Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati. Anuja Patil (4-0-13-2) shone on her return to help restrict England to 119/6.

Smriti Mandhana (58 in 39 balls) then provided India with the ideal start. India needed 33 from 42 balls with 7 wickets in hand when Mandhana chopped one on to the stumps. Mithali Raj rallied the middle-order, and India were left to chase 3 off the last over.

Kate Cross bowled to a straight line, and Bharati Fulmali’s inexperienced, desperate lunges led to three dot balls. Then she holed out to cover. Patil went for the big shot and was stumped first ball. And Shikha Pandey managed just a single off the last ball.L

Finally, some cricket

Cricket finally got underway in the second Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh, at Basin Reserve, Wellington, and it turned out to almost an encore of the first innings of the first Test.

Tamim Iqbal batted in characteristic style for his 114-ball 74, but among the others, only Liton Das (33) went past thirty. Bangladesh were bowled out for 211 by New Zealand’s five-pronged pace attack. Neil Wagner (4/28) and Trent Boult (3/38) did most of the damage.

Bangladesh hit back, with Abu Jayed removing the New Zealand openers cheaply. However, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor lifted them from 8/2. They were 38/2 when rain prevented further play from taking place.

United qualify

Islamabad United thrashed Lahore Qalandars in the first match of the Pakistan leg of PSL 2019. Cameron Delport (117* in 60 balls) launched a furious onslaught from which Qalandars never recovered. Support came from Chadwick Walton (48 in 30) and Asif Ali (55* in 21) as well, and United posted 238/3.

Fakhar Zaman and Anton Devcich began well, adding 51 for the opening stand in 26 balls, but Qalandars lost wickets too frequently to Faheem Ashraf (6/19) to cope up with the asking rate. Sohail Akhtar’s counterattacking 34-ball 75 went in vain as Qalandars finished on 189/9.

With 10 points from 10 matches, United have qualified for the Playoffs. Qalandars (6 from 9) can only go through if they win their last match and Karachi Kings (8 from 8) lose both matches.

Cricket to return to Commonwealth Games?

The MCC World Cricket Committee has unanimously backed the decision to push Women’s T20 as a medal sport in the 2022 Commonwealth Games at Birmingham.

If it happens, this will be only the second time that cricket will be played at the Games. Men’s ODIs were played in the 1998 edition at Kuala Lumpur, where South Africa had won gold, Australia silver, and New Zealand bronze.

Test cricket still most popular?

In a survey conducted by MCC, 86% (out of 13,000) responders voted Test cricket as their preferred format. Tests were followed by ODIs, T20Is, and other T20s, in that order.