England recovered from a first-innings deficit of 190 to complete a thrilling 28-run first-Test win over India in Hyderabad.
Here, the PA news agency looks at England’s greatest overseas Test wins.
v Australia, first Test, Sydney, 1894
Australia made 586 despite having been 21 for three, Syd Gregory scoring 201 and George Giffen 161, and they were able to enforce the follow-on after bowling England out for 325.
Albert Ward’s century anchored a second effort of 437 and Bobby Peel then took six for 67 to dismiss Australia 11 short of their 177 target. There would not be another Test won after following on for another 87 years, until Ian Botham’s Headingley heroics in the 1981 Ashes, and there have still been only four in history.
v West Indies, first Test, Kingston, 1990
England had not won a Test against the all-conquering Windies since 1974 and had several players absent on a just-concluded rebel tour of South Africa, but bowled their hosts out for 164 in Jamaica as Angus Fraser took five for 28.
Allan Lamb then made 132, Gladstone Small and Devon Malcolm took four second-innings wickets apiece and England knocked off the 41 runs required for a famous nine-wicket win.
v Australia, second Test, Adelaide, 2010
Off the back of scoring 517 for one in their second innings of the drawn opener in Brisbane’s fearsome ‘Gabbatoir’, England had Australia nought for two and two for three on the first morning in Adelaide.
They recovered somewhat to 245 but Sir Alastair Cook made 148 and Kevin Pietersen 227 in England’s 620 for five before they declared and completed an innings win with Graeme Swann’s five-wicket haul. England’s 3-1 series win remains the last by the away team in the Ashes.
v India, second Test, Mumbai, 2012
Cook (122) and Pietersen (186) powered England to an 86-run first-innings lead and India collapsed for 142 second time around – Gautam Gambhir made 65 with the next best score being Ravichandran Ashwin’s 11 – as spinners Swann and Monty Panesar combined for all 10 wickets and 19 in the match. Cook and Nick Compton ticked off a 10-wicket win.
v Pakistan, first Test, Karachi, 2022
With ‘Bazball’ firmly established in Brendon McCullum’s first six months as coach, England produced a notable first ever series whitewash in Pakistan – kicked off by a memorable climax in Rawalpindi. On a batting-friendly pitch, England racked up 657 with four centuries – Harry Brook smashing 153 from 116 balls – but the hosts responded with 579.
Ben Stokes’ bold tea-time declaration at 264 for seven, Brook clubbing another 87, set a target of 343 in four sessions and in near darkness on the final evening, Ollie Robinson and James Anderson reduced Pakistan from 259 for five to 264 for nine before Jack Leach took the final wicket.
v India, first Test, Hyderabad, 2024
India, who had lost only three of their last 46 home Tests and no series since 2012, were 356 for five in response to England’s 246 but lost their last five wickets for 80 – three to Joe Root’s part-time off-spin.
Ollie Pope took it upon himself to wipe out the first-innings deficit with an innings of 196 as England posted 420 to set the hosts 231 to win. Debutant Tom Hartley’s figures of seven for 62 and Stokes’ diving backhand run-out stood out as they succumbed for 202 – the first time they had ever lost a home Test with a three-figure first-innings lead.
Hayley Matthews leads from the front as West Indies Women take 2-0 lead over Pakistan Women with seven-wicket victory at Karachi
In yet another stunning performance, West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews led her team to a commanding seven-wicket victory over Pakistan Women, securing a 2-0 lead in their five-match T20 series in Karachi on Sunday.
Matthews showcased her all-round prowess by first starring with the ball, taking an impressive 3 wickets for just 25 runs to restrict Pakistan Women to 121-7 in their allotted 20 overs. Despite a resilient 55 from Muneeba Ali, the hosts struggled against the visitors’ bowling attack, with Matthews leading the charge. She received support from Chinelle Henry, Karishma Ramharack, and Afy Fletcher, each claiming a wicket to stifle Pakistan’s batting efforts. Matthews also contributed to a crucial run-out that ended Pakistan’s innings.
With a manageable target of 122 for victory, Matthews continued her dominance, opening the batting for West Indies Women. She began her innings aggressively, smashing 10 boundaries on her way to a match-high 58 runs off just 43 balls. Her attacking display laid a solid foundation for the run chase.
Supported by contributions from Shemaine Campbelle (21) and Chedean Nation (unbeaten 17), Matthews guided her team to victory in emphatic fashion, sealing the win with 10 balls to spare.
Matthews’ outstanding performance with both bat and ball underscores her invaluable role as a leader and key player for the West Indies Women’s team. Her contributions have been instrumental in securing consecutive victories against Pakistan Women, setting a strong foundation for the remainder of the series.
The West Indies Women will look to build on this momentum as they aim to maintain their winning streak and clinch the series against Pakistan Women in the upcoming matches.
Motie's heroics lead West Indies A to victory over Nepal in T20 thriller: Series level at 1-1
In a thrilling encounter at Kirtipur, Gudakesh Motie emerged as the standout performer for West Indies A, propelling his team to a crucial victory over Nepal in the second T20 International to level the five-match series at 1-1. Motie's exceptional all-round display, featuring an unbeaten 33 off just eight balls and impactful bowling, played a pivotal role in securing the win.
Batting first, West Indies A faced early setbacks but rallied behind Andre Fletcher's resilient 43 and Captain Roston Chase's 23. However, wickets fell at regular intervals, leaving the team in a precarious position at 115 for 7. When Fletcher departed, the onus fell on Motie to provide a late surge. With only 13 balls remaining, Motie unleashed a blitz, smashing two fours and four sixes to power his team to a competitive total of 160 for 7. Matthew Forde contributed with an unbeaten 11 as Sagar Dhakal and Kushal Bhurtel each picked up crucial wickets for Nepal.
In response, Nepal's captain Rohit Paudel led the charge with a magnificent 71 off 48 balls, keeping his team in contention. However, Nepal's batting struggled against the West Indies A bowling attack, with only Gulsan Jha offering notable support with 26 runs. Motie continued to make an impact with the ball, claiming 2 crucial wickets for 244 runs alongside Obed McCoy, who showed signs of returning to form with his 2 for 24.
Despite Paudel's heroics, Nepal fell short in their chase, ultimately conceding victory to West Indies A by 10 runs. Motie's exceptional performance earned him the Player of the Match award.
The third match in the series is set for Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
Russell defends CPL's contribution to regional cricket but open to suggestions on improvements
With their long-term agreement with Cricket West Indies (CWI) heavily scrutinised by government leaders and cricket stalwarts, chief executive, Pete Russell of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) defended the product’s positive contribution to cricket in the region.
Addressing the gathering on Friday’s final day of the CARICOM conference on West Indies cricket themed ‘Reinvigorating West Indies Cricket’, Russell said the CPL is one of CWI’s largest domestic commercial partners.
While noting that CPL contributed significantly to player economic welfare, with nearly US$28 million spent on salaries since the start of the tournament in 2013, Russell, also revealed that cumulative losses, across both the league and franchises for the past 11 years, stand at US$40 million.
“Dennis O’Brien and Digicel have been the principal investors, not only investing in the league from day one but they also spent money on sponsorship and media rights. The franchises have also pumped in significant money, money that helps pay players and coaches, as well as investing in local businesses around the region that help make the games happen. All the franchises have made losses.
“So, on the positive side, Cricket West Indies has been paid close to US$17 million in sanction fees, so over the past 12 years CPL would be one of CWI’s largest domestic, commercial partners. Caribbean players have taken home US$27.7 million in player salaries since the tournament’s inception, all paid for by the franchises,” Russell declared during the event held in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Each year, it takes US$25 million to run this tournament over five weeks. CPL and the franchises bear all these costs. There is no financial burden on CWI or the territorial boards, so the risk is 100 per cent ours.
“So that is our starting point each and every year. So as you can imagine, the commercial challenges are considerable just to break even,” he added.
Russell’s response came as government leaders and West Indies legend Sir Clive Lloyd, suggested that the 50-year contract between CPL and CWI be re-negotiated.
The issue of the league’s ownership was also called into question, as they view was largely expressed that there would potentially be more development and earnings for players, if CWI controlled the tournament.
But, Russell, a member of the CPL management team rebutted.
“What is interesting is that other leagues around the world are following the lead of CWI. They are also looking for third-party investors to help fund their leagues. The English Cricket Board are in the process of selling The Hundred, the Australian Cricket Board are courting outside investors for the Big Bash, Cricket South Africa sold all their rights to host broadcaster Supersport, and the new American Major League Cricket is 100 per cent privately owned,” Russell shared.
“In time, only the IPL will end up being 100 per cent owned by its domestic board and that is simply because they can afford to do so. So, trust me when I say, ownership isn’t everything, and smart stewardship and partnership can yield better results. But of course, we’re always happy to listen to any suggestions on how we can improve things,” he ended.
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