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It is expected that Shreyas Iyer will, however, continue to lead the side

PTI01-Dec-2024India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav will be back in action for Mumbai’s next Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) game, against Andhra on December 3 after taking a two-week break to attend a family function. He is expected to play the remainder of the tournament and also feature in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy starting December 21.It’s likely Suryakumar will not lead Mumbai in SMAT with Shreyas Iyer in charge till now and expected to continue in that position. It is understood that Suryakumar is fine with Iyer continuing as the captain and is ready to bat at any position that the team management feels is suitable for him.Suryakumar, who led India to an emphatic 3-1 series win over South Africa recently, will link up with the Mumbai squad in Hyderabad on Monday and is expected to turn up for the next game. Placed fourth in Group E, Mumbai have won two of their three games so far and have two league games left after Sunday, when they play against Nagaland.The ongoing SMAT has seen a number of high-profile names participate after the T20I tour of South Africa, such as Hardik Pandya, Iyer, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Varun Chakravarthy, and others. Suryakumar had also played one round of the Ranji Trophy in October before leaving for South Africa.

Former England head coach back with county where he won 2017 Championship title

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2024Chris Silverwood is set to return to Essex after being appointed as the club’s director of cricket. Silverwood will take up the role in mid-December, succeeding Anthony McGrath after the latter moved to Headingley as Yorkshire head coach.Silverwood’s initial tenure at Essex saw the club embark on one of the most successful periods in their history. He oversaw their promotion from Division Two in 2016, an achievement that was topped the following summer by a first County Championship title in 25 years.Although Silverwood moved on, initially as England bowling coach before taking over from Trevor Bayliss as head coach in 2019, Essex continued to land silverware under McGrath, who stepped up from assistant coach under Silverwood to guide the club to a Championship and Blast double, followed by the Bob Willis Trophy.Related

• Essex appoint Dan Feist as chief executive

• Silverwood resigns as Sri Lanka head coach

• Silverwood returns to English cricket in Oval Invincibles role

• McGrath returns to Yorkshire as head coach

“I’m absolutely delighted to return to Essex,” Silverwood said. “It’s a club that holds very special memories for me, with the success we enjoyed in 2016 and 2017, and it’s been great to see the success Anthony McGrath has had in the years in between.”There is work to be done around the squad, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead, with an emphasis on working hard to help develop our home-grown players.”Building on the work done by Mags, I’m focused on getting the squad to a point where we have strength in depth, with a strong core of our own local players. I’m excited to get straight to work to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible and that the squad is in the best possible shape to compete on all fronts next summer.”Silverwood’s time in charge of England was significantly affected by the restrictions around touring caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and he left the role after a 4-0 Ashes defeat in 2021-22. He subsequently coached Sri Lanka for a two-year period, stepping down after the T20 World Cup earlier this year.Essex restructured their club hierarchy over the summer, with John Stephenson departing as chief executive and Dan Feist being appointed general manager. McGrath was promoted from head coach to director of cricket, but opted to return to his native Yorkshire at the end of the season.Jason Gallian, chair of Essex’s cricket committee, said: “We’re thrilled to announce the reappointment of Chris, who was the outstanding applicant in a comprehensive recruitment process.”We were clear throughout that we were focused on making the right decision, not just a quick one, and following this process, we firmly believe we have stuck to that and appointed the best candidate.”I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the Cricket Committee, as well as Alastair Cook on the interview panel, who contributed significantly with their expertise.”Having spoken to Chris, I know how motivated he is to make his mark in the coming years, and his desire is as high as ever to take on the role of director of cricket and lead on the strategic side.”Within that, he will play a very important role with a talented men’s first XI, and he is focused on winning trophies with this club and growing the game throughout our region. Everyone welcomes Chris back, and we look forward to once again seeing him around the Cloud County Ground and hopefully leading the side to success on the field.”

Pakistan will not travel to India for the remaining ICC tournaments in the ongoing events cycle

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2024The ICC has finally reached a breakthrough in the 2025 Champions Trophy impasse, with a hybrid model agreed upon that will see India’s matches in the eight-team event taking place at a neutral venue. In return, Pakistan’s matches in ICC events hosted by India will also take place at a neutral venue.ESPNcricinfo has seen a resolution with details of the agreement, which went through an ICC board vote. In the agreement, during the 2024-2027 event cycle, all matches involving India in an event hosted in Pakistan will be played at a neutral venue, and in return all matches involving Pakistan in an event hosted by India will be played at a neutral venue. In both instances, all matches are taken to include knockout games such as the semis and the final.The agreement begins with the 2025 men’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan, and will apply to the 2025 women’s ODI World Cup in India, and the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup which is co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The last event offers an easy solution with Sri Lanka as co-host but it would mean that any game India and Pakistan are drawn to play – a group game or a knockout – will take place in Sri Lanka. It could also apply to the 2028 women’s T20 World Cup, the first tournament of the next events cycle and which has now been awarded to Pakistan.The choice of neutral venue will be made by the tournament host and will need to be approved by the ICC. In the case of the Champions Trophy, the PCB has to propose a neutral venue within 24 hours of the resolution being passed. The UAE has been the frontrunner, though Sri Lanka has also been mentioned. The PCB will retain full hosting rights for the event.The resolution also refers to the possibility of a triangular or quadrangular T20I tournament, involving India, Pakistan and another Full Member from Asia (and an Associate Asian nation if it is a quadrangular). This is thought to have been one of the points pushed for by the PCB in its negotiations during the impasse, although the ICC has only said that it will not object to such an event being staged and that similar neutral venue arrangements will apply as those in the ICC event model. The resolution also says that no ICC director will make a public announcement on the tri-series, which will be a matter solely between the BCCI and PCB.The resolution will allow all parties to breathe a considerable sigh of relief, given how close it is to the start date of the Champions Trophy. The uncertainty has plagued the event from the moment the BCCI notified the ICC that it would not travel to Pakistan for the event more than a month ago.That sparked off a period of intense negotiations between the PCB, BCCI and the ICC, and was complicated by the poor political relations between the two countries. The governments of both countries were involved in final approvals on the agreement but were also present through the process; Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chair, is the interior minister in Pakistan’s government. Jay Shah, who was the BCCI secretary until December 1 when he took over as ICC chairman, is the son of India’s home minister, Amit Shah. The PCB had begun by insisting they would not adopt a hybrid model for the event but subsequently began to push for any solution to be more equitable and just in the longer term. In that sense, they will be happy to have secured an agreement on not playing matches in India in the next two ICC events in the country.

Devon Conway played the perfect support act to the charging Kane Williamson, the pair producing New Zealand’s highest ODI partnership against South Africa

Firdose Moonda10-Feb-2025
New Zealand have qualified for the Pakistan Tri-Nation Series final after completing the third-highest successful chase in Lahore to beat an under-strength South Africa by six wickets. The result means the next match, between Pakistan and South Africa in Karachi on Wednesday, is a knockout.Kane Williamson and Devon Conway, both back in New Zealand’s ODI squad for the first time since the 2023 World Cup, scored 133 not out and 97 respectively and shared in a record partnership for New Zealand against South Africa (187). Conway’s score was the first time he crossed fifty since the opening match of the 2023 World Cup, 11 innings ago. Williamson’s century was his first in 22 innings, dating back to his 148 against West Indies in Manchester in the 2019 World Cup. It was also Williamson’s second fastest ODI hundred, off 72 balls. Between them, the pair eclipsed a remarkable achievement by Matthew Breetzke, who became the player with the highest individual score on ODI debut – 150 – and the fourth South African to score a century in his first match.Breetzke accounted for just under a half of South Africa’s total, which is the first indication of where things went wrong for them. They scored too slowly in the middle of the innings, especially given the flat nature of the track. The second issue was a severely uninspired attack, albeit not a first-choice one. Three of the bowlers – Eathan Bosch, Senuran Muthusamy and Mihlali Mpongwana – were on ODI debut and could be forgiven but lack of punch from Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi, who conceded 116 in 16 overs between them will be a concern ahead of the Champions Trophy.Devon Conway brought up his half-century off 64 balls•PCB

South Africa have now lost five ODIs in a row, their longest losing streak in 20 years, but have played all their matches without a full strength side. While they’re unlikely to have too many positives to take from this defeat, they may console themselves with the knowledge that, Rachin Ravindra aside, New Zealand were at full strength and played like it.After choosing to bowl first in the only day game of the series, New Zealand struck early when Will O’Rourke bounced Temba Bavuma out as he edged a pull. Bavuma had looked confident for his 23-ball 20 but New Zealand’s O’Rourke’s consistent and aggressive approach with the short ball paid off.Breetzke and Jason Smith combined for a second-wicket stand of 93 but their scoring rate of 5.31 runs to the over was testament to New Zealand’s squeeze. South Africa struck only two fours and three sixes in the 17 overs between Bavuma’s dismissal and Smith’s run-out, as they tried to take on Mitchell Santner but were largely kept quiet. In that time, Breetzke brought up fifty off 68 balls.A perfect start to Matthew Breetzke’s ODI career went in vain•AFP/Getty Images

When Smith was run-out, New Zealand had an opportunity to get into an inexperienced middle order and they took it. Kyle Verreynne tried to reverse-sweep the fourth ball he faced, missed and was bowled by Michael Bracewell. Another quiet period followed, in which South Africa only hit one boundary in 11 overs, as the combination of Ben Sears, Bracewell and Matt Henry stuck to their disciplines.South Africa were 196 for 3 entering the last 10 overs and 280 looked a distance away. Breetzke took it on himself to get them there. He dispatched O’Rourke through deep third to bring up his century off 128 balls in the 41st over, and then put foot down. His next fifty runs came off 19 balls as he brought out his full range. His 150 came in an over where he hit Sears for 20.Just as it seemed Breetzke could be eyeing a double, he mis-read a Henry slower ball and was caught at mid-off. Wiaan Mulder, who had largely operated as a spectator to that point, had the responsibility to finish off the innings but was fortunate to have an inside-edge trickle away for four before he established some control. He reached his second ODI fifty with a crunching cover drive off Henry, off the 54th ball he faced, and took South Africa over 300 with a four through short fine in the penultimate over. South Africa got only four runs off their final eight balls.Eathan Bosch celebrates after getting rid of Will Young for his first ODI wicket•Associated Press

It was not enough. New Zealand built slowly but got ahead of the required run rate just after the halfway stage of their innings and were in full control from there. They had only lost Will Young at that point, for 19, though he should have been out for 6 in the third over. Smith dropped Young at backward point off Ngidi but the miss did not prove too costly.His dismissal brought Conway and Williamson together and there was one nervy moment, when Williamson inside-edged Junior Dala past Verreynne but he soon settled into a rhythm and put on a masterful display of run-scoring, all around the wicket. His wagon wheel was almost entirely symmetrical, with 67 runs on the off side and 66 on the leg side and the highlights included four strong cut shots and a creative ramp over Verreynne as he leaned back to an Ngidi delivery.Equally, Williamson’s pacing of his innings was perfect. He gave himself time to get in, all while scoring at a run-a-ball, and then took over the more dominant role from Conway, who got to fifty first. Conway’s half-century came off 64 balls, before Williamson’s reached his, off 44 balls, with a massive six over mid-on off Shamsi. It was also Williamson’s fourth successive fifty-plus ODI score in Pakistan. He took a liking to Mpongwana and Ngidi’s short-balls while Conway took on Shamsi and South Africa had no answers.Kane Williamson is a fan favourite in Lahore as well•AFP/Getty Images

Williamson got to his century in the 34th over with a single off Dala. Conway was not far behind and eager to get there but, when he was on 97, he tried to cut Dala past point and found Muthusamy, who moved to his left and took the catch.Muthusamy was the pick of South Africa’s bowlers and dismissed Daryl Mitchell, thanks to a stunning catch from Mulder at long-on, and Tim Latham off successive balls but Glenn Philipps partnered Williamson to the end. Williamson hit the winning runs in the 49th over, to give New Zealand victory with eight balls to spare.

KL Rahul feels scoring runs won’t be easy on the final day

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2025KL Rahul has compared the Headingley surface to a subcontinent pitch, saying run-scoring will not be easy on the final day of the first Test.India, led by Rahul’s memorable 137 and Rishabh Pant’s second century of the Test, set England a target of 371. England reached 21 for 0 at stumps, still needing 350 for a win, and Rahul expected a “very interesting” final day.”I think the first two days, being as hot as it was, the pitch has taken a bit of beating,” Rahul said in an interview with at the close of day four. “The crack seems like it’s opening up. There’s a bit of rough there, and the wicket is really dry. Mostly, it’s like a subcontinent wicket on day five.Related

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“[The] day five wicket won’t be as easy, but knowing how England play and their style of cricket, they’re going to come hard and try and score boundaries and try and score runs as quickly as possible. We need to keep that in the back of our heads and try and bowl as straight as we can. Try and be patient and really not give them those boundaries, make them earn their runs. It should be a very interesting day.”The match was evenly poised when play began on day four, with India two down and leading by 96 runs. They lost their captain Shubman Gill early in conditions ripe for swing bowling, but Rahul and Pant dug in. India managed only 28 runs in the first hour of play but lost just that one wicket, despite the ball moving around.”It was very different this morning,” Rahul said. “It almost felt like it was the first time we were actually in English conditions. The ball was seeming around, it was overcast. There was a bit happening from the wicket.”The first couple of days when we batted, there wasn’t much. There was a bit of swing in the air, but nothing off the pitch. But this morning it was a really good spell. I just felt like I needed to play tighter and make sure that we don’t lose too many wickets and make sure that I kill the first session. I was trying to play as straight as possible. At least defend as straight as possible.”KL Rahul recorded his third century in England•Getty Images

Rahul also said that playing the second unofficial Test for India A against England Lions helped him acclimatise to the conditions in England better and got him into that “tempo of playing Test cricket again”.”[I felt if] I get some time to spend in the middle, it would be really good just to bat against the Dukes ball, just get used to the cold conditions and windy conditions and just spend some time leaving a few balls and just getting that tempo again of playing Test cricket,” Rahul said. “That really helped me come here early and adjust to the conditions. Just get that tempo right and feel comfortable wearing the whites again and getting used to seeing the red ball coming at me.”That really helped me in terms of prep, and obviously, I’ve been here before, I’ve played a few Test series here. So I knew what to expect, but again, every series is different. This time the bowlers are different, the conditions are different, so it was just about switching on and trying to do the simple things right and yeah, coming here early really helped me.”Rahul praised Pant, with whom he forged a 195-run stand for the fourth wicket.”When Rishabh walks in, you just let him be,” Rahul said. “He knows what’s best for the team and for him and how he can do that. Obviously, everyone’s different. Rishabh’s a very different player. He does the job for the team, so you just let him be and make sure that he’s doing the simple things right. We’ve had a few partnerships before as well, so we enjoy batting together.”

Latham suffered the injury while fielding during a Vitality Blast game earlier this month and did not recover in time for the first Test

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jul-2025New Zealand captain Tom Latham has been ruled out of the first Test against Zimbabwe, starting on July 30 in Bulawayo, with a shoulder injury. In his absence, New Zealand white-ball captain Mitchell Santner will lead the side.Latham suffered the injury while fielding during a Vitality Blast game for Birmingham Bears earlier this month and did not recover in time for the first Test. According to an NZC release, he will remain with the squad and hope to be fit for the second Test starting August 7.”It’s hugely disappointing for Tom to be missing the first Test, as captain but also as an integral part of the team,” head coach Rob Walter said.Related

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“It’s never great when you lose your captain, who’s a world-class opening batter and a great team man, but that said we’re going to work really hard to have him available for the second Test. “We’ll continue to assess and see whether a replacement player is necessary, but at this stage we are hopeful that he’ll recover in time.”Santner, who’s played 30 Tests, will be leading New Zealand in the format for the first time. New Zealand will go into the Tests fresh off a T20I tri-series win in Harare where they remained unbeaten throughout the series under Santner’s captaincy.”Mitch did a wonderful job with the T20 squad in this recent series,” Walter said. “He was excellent from a strategy point of view, and he has a strong understanding of the game.”Whilst the format is different, he certainly has the respect of the players and will be supported by some highly experienced Test cricketers, so I trust that he’s going to do a great job.”The two-match series will mark New Zealand’s first Test tour of Zimbabwe since 2016.

Star-studded Lancashire derailed as George Garton claims four wickets

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay09-Jul-2025Birmingham Bears opened the Vitality Blast North Group right up with a 36-run victory over leaders Lancashire Lightning at Edgbaston.Warwickshire stacked up 203 for nine, their first 200-plus total against Lancashire in the Blast, thanks to Dan Mousley’s thunderous 32 from 12 balls, which took them to 74 in the powerplay, and Ed Barnard’s luscious 54 (34). Jack Blatherwick and Tom Hartley emerged from the onslaught with a creditable three for 29 and two for 29 respectively.Lancashire replied with 167 all out from 18.1 overs, their chase undone right at the start when George Garton (four for 28) dismissed both openers in the first over. They slumped to 111 for seven and Hartley’s violent late 35 (16) was in a lost cause as the Lightning faded to defeat beneath the beautiful, burgundy Birmingham sunset.The Bears’ win means just eight points separate the top six as the North group heads towards its denouement.After the Bears were put in it was a case of two fours and out for openers Alex Davies and Tom Latham, both back in the pavilion before the end of the second over. That paved the way for a dazzling cameo from Mousley who hit James Anderson for four fours in an over before leading-edging Luke Wood to mid off.Barnard smote his first ball for six and timed the ball exquisitely in a stand of 74 in 47 with Sam Hain (36, 27) before the latter drove Hartley to extra cover. The spinner soon added the wicket of Barnard who passed his third T20 half-century, from 30 balls, then slogged to deep mid-wicket.Rob Yates (19, 14) and Garton (16, eight) kept the momentum high, the latter falling to a wonder catch by Green who hurled himself far and low to take a skier in front of the Hollies Stand.Lancashire’s quest for 204 started horribly – after one over, from Garton they were two for two. Keaton Jennings chipped his first ball to deep mid-wicket and Jos Buttler was lbw to his third. Phil Salt then fell to another stunning catch, by Yates, again right in front of the Hollies, from a pull off Garton.Already needing more than ten per over, there was no way back for Lightning. Luke Wells chipped Craig Miles to extra cover and Ashton Turner slog-swept Danny Briggs’ fourth ball to Hain at deep mid-wicket. That was Briggs’ 303rd T20 wicket and Hain’s 85th T20 catch and sent Lancashire into the last ten overs needing 119 with five down.Hartley’s 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th T20 sixes achieved no more than taking his side to respectability. Anderson has performed many excellent feats on the cricket field but finding 37 from the last two overs here was beyond him and the Lightning’s run of four successive wins was over.

Oshane Thomas concedes 33 runs in a ten-ball over (the 15th of the Amazon Warriors innings) – the most expensive figures by a St Lucia Kings bowler in the CPL

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2025

Ackeem Auguste played a blinder•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Twenty-one-year-old Ackeem Auguste enthralled the St Lucia Kings home fans, with his family members in attendance, by smashing 73 off just 35 balls which scripted their four-wicket win over Guyana Amazon Warriors in their CPL 2025 match on Tuesday.Kings’ lower order added the finishing touches in the chase of 203, sealed by captain David Wiese with 11 balls to spare, which helped them jump to second place, only one point behind Antigua and Barbuda Falcons with one game in hand. Only three points separate five out of the six teams now after Kings made it 3-0 over Warriors in their most recent contests. It was also the first time in the CPL that Amazon Warriors have scored 200-plus and lost, winning each of the last ten times they got there.After opting to bat, Amazon Warriors were given a blazing start by Ben McDermott before Keon Gaston had the two openers, Kevlon Anderson the other, caught by Tim David in the space of three balls in the fourth over. Moeen Ali then lost his middle stump to Khary Pierre for a duck in the next over and Amazon Warriors finished the powerplay on a precarious 44 for 3. The fall of Shimron Hetmyer, who had two fifties in his last three T20 knocks, added to their woes – he called for a second run in the seventh over, but his partner Shai Hope dropped his bat on the way; Hetmyer had to turn back to the striker’s end but his dive wasn’t enough.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

When Hope skewed one to mid-off after crawling to 23 off 27, Amazon Warriors were in real trouble at 78 for 5 in the 13th over. But the arrival of Romario Shepherd changed things straightaway as he smashed a six first ball before smoking three more in a row against the same bowler – Oshane Thomas – in what was a disastrous over for Amazon Warriors. After being hit for a four on the second ball, Thomas overstepped, and followed that with a wide, which kept the Free Hit in place, and Shepherd walloped him for two sixes on the leg side, which also turned out to be no-balls, and kept the Free Hits coming. Thomas finally delivered a legal delivery, and Shepherd lined him up for a 95-metre six. Iftikhar Ahmed ended the over with another six to make it 33 from the over. Thomas eventually finished with 4-0-63-1. These are the most expensive figures by a Kings bowler in the CPL, going past Wahab Riaz’s 3-0-61-0 from CPL 2021.Warriors’ run rate had shot up from 6.78 to 8.53 now with five overs to go. Wiese conceded only 18 from his last two but Shepherd went after Gaston for a 27-run over with two fours and two sixes, along with six wides in it. Gaston got the last over too and a wide after three balls might have sent shivers through the Kings dugout, but he ended things nicely with just three runs off the last three. Warriors had posted 202 thanks to Shepherd’s 23-ball fifty that was studded with seven sixes, and Gaston’s night ended with 4-0-57-2.Johnson Charles and Tim Seifert started things nicely in the chase and even though Charles fell in the second over, Seifert and Auguste joined hands to power them to 86 in the powerplay by taking on Jediah Blades, Moeen and Imran Tahir.Motie and Tahir slowed things down by conceding just 25 in the next four while Auguste got his maiden CPL fifty, the fastest of this season overall, off only 19 balls. Tahir and Motie pegged Kings back with the wickets of Seifert and Chase, although they needed a comfortable 67 from the last 48 balls. Auguste soon holed out for 73 off 35 before Aaron Jones and David brought the asking rate under six an over. David and Jones also fell towards the end before consecutive boundaries from Pierre and Wiese finished things off.

England and South Africa share trophy on soggy afternoon at Trent Bridge

Matt Roller14-Sep-2025England and South Africa were left frustrated by the weather as a miserable afternoon of rain in Nottingham washed out their T20I series decider at Trent Bridge. Harry Brook and Aiden Markram both posed with the trophy after an anticlimactic finale, with the series drawn 1-1 after South Africa’s win in a shortened game in Cardiff and England’s drubbing in Manchester.The captains briefly headed to the middle for a delayed toss, but the rain became heavier as soon as they walked out. It relented for a short while but returned with a vengeance, and the umpires called the game off at 4.18pm. “It’s a shame that the weather has ruined it again,” Brook said.Markram said that South Africa were particularly disappointed that they would not have the chance to put in an improved performance after their 146-run thrashing at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday night. “We had a lot of motivation today to put in a good performance and rectify a few things… but when the weather is like this, there’s not much you can do,” he said.A couple shelter from the rain at Trent Bridge•Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images

Markram’s next international assignment is a month away, with South Africa touring Pakistan for two Tests, three T20Is and three ODIs. “It should be a good tour,” he said. “[I have] two or three weeks off now, which will be welcome, and then we hit the road for a full tour. It’s going to bring its own unique set of challenges, but the boys will be up for that.”Brook also has a short break lined up before England’s winter assignments in New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka and India, with Jacob Bethell taking over as captain in their T20I series in Ireland next week. “I’ve got about a month now,” he said. “I’ll go on holiday, soak up the sun, and look forward to New Zealand and the Ashes.”Phil Salt was named player of the series after his unbeaten 141 in Manchester. He started the series with a first-baller in Cardiff, but led the charge for England in their record win at his home venue on Friday night.

Shai Hope and Tagenarine Chanderpaul scored fifties, but no other batter made a big contribution as West Indies fell 64 behind in the first-innings exchanges

Hemant Brar03-Dec-2025Jacob Duffy’s maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket gave New Zealand the upper hand on the second day of the first Test against West Indies in Christchurch. Matt Henry also chipped in with a three-for as West Indies folded for 167 in response to New Zealand’s first-innings total of 231. This despite New Zealand dropping four catches, three of those off Henry, and giving away 28 extras. For West Indies, Shai Hope and Tagenarine Chanderpaul scored half-centuries but only two others reached double-digits. At stumps, New Zealand were 32 for no loss in their second innings, extending their lead to 96.In the morning, West Indies needed only three balls to take the last New Zealand wicket, Zak Foulkes edging Jayden Seales down the leg side. But they themselves lost an early wicket as Foulkes struck with the first ball of the second over. Bowling around the wicket, he induced an outside edge from John Campbell, and Will Young took the catch diving to his left at third slip.However, a few overs later, Young dropped a much easier chance when Henry got Alick Athanaze to edge one. Henry wasn’t to be denied for long, though. In his next over, he got the ball to jag back in from around the wicket to make a mess of Athanaze’s stumps. All this while, the scoreboard moved at a snail’s pace. After 12 overs, West Indies were 10 for 2.Shai Hope batted in sunglasses because of an eye infection, and scored a half-century•AFP/Getty Images

Hope and Chanderpaul, though, hung around without worrying about the scoring rate. The first boundary of West Indies’ innings came in the 23rd over when Hope, batting in sunglasses because of an eye infection, drove Duffy through the covers. In the next over, he drove Nathan Smith through mid-on for another boundary.Chanderpaul, meanwhile, enjoyed his luck. He was dropped twice, on 5 and 24, both times by Devon Conway at leg slip, first off the bowling of Smith and then Henry.Hope brought up his fifty after lunch. With Chanderpaul also looking comfortable, New Zealand were forced to change their plan. Duffy went short against Hope and had him hopping around. Once a short leg was deployed, Hope’s problems increased. Eventually, he ended up gloving a short ball from around the wicket to Tom Latham, who was keeping in place of Tom Blundell. Blundell had hurt his hamstring while batting on the first day and didn’t take the field in the morning.New Zealand dropped four catches – here, Devon Conway reacts after giving Tagenarine Chanderpaul a reprieve•Getty Images

Once Duffy broke the 90-run stand, Henry returned to pick up two in one over. Bowling awayswingers just around off stump, he had Roston Chase and Justin Greaves caught behind for ducks, leaving West Indies on 106 for 5.It didn’t affect Chanderpaul, though. He carried on in his unhurried manner and brought up his half-century. He and Tevin Imlach added 34 for the sixth wicket, a stand that was broken when Conway finally held on to a catch. Chanderpaul pulled Foulkes aerially towards square leg, where Conway flung himself to his left, went with both hands, and landed with the ball in his left.Henry forced Kemar Roach’s outside edge soon after. The ball was going straight to first slip but Michael Bracewell dived across from second and spilled it.Soon, it became dark enough that only spinners were allowed to bowl. But after a short rain break, the sky brightened up again. When play resumed, Duffy did not take long to mop up the remaining four wickets. With the first ball after resumption, he had Imlach caught down the leg side. The batter reviewed the on-field decision only for replays to show he had gloved the bouncer. Johann Layne was caught and bowled in the same over. Duffy then went full and bowled Seales and Ojay Shields to complete his five-for.