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Allrounder sidelined for up to three months after suffering heel injury at Lord’s

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2022Colin de Grandhomme has been ruled out of the second and third Tests between England and New Zealand through injury.de Grandhomme pulled up short in his run-up with a ball left in his fourth over on the third day of the first Test at Lord’s and immediately left the field. Subsequent scans revealed a tear to his right , the ligament which connects the heel bone to the toes.His injury has ruled him out for 10 to 12 weeks, which means he will miss New Zealand’s white-ball tours to Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands and is a major blow to their hopes in this Test series.de Grandhomme balanced the side at No. 7 in the first Test, top-scoring with 42 not out in the first innings then dismissing Joe Root before enduring a day to forget on the third day when he was run out first ball, bowled Ben Stokes with a front-foot no-ball and then went off injured.Related

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New Zealand have added the offspinning allrounder Michael Bracewell to their squad for the rest of the series. Bracewell was at Lord’s as cover for the injured Henry Nicholls, who could return from his calf injury in the second Test at Trent Bridge which starts on Friday.”It’s a real shame for Colin to suffer this injury so early in the series,” Gary Stead, New Zealand’s coach, said. “He’s a massive part of our Test side and we’ll certainly miss him. It’s great to be able to call on someone like Michael who’s been with the squad for the past month and is match ready.”New Zealand are due to travel to Nottingham on Tuesday ahead of the second Test and will train on Wednesday and Thursday.

Conway, Latham and Henry are also back after being rested for the latter part of the Europe tour

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2022New Zealand have picked a full-strength squad for their white-ball tour of the West Indies, with six of their senior players including captain Kane Williamson returning after being rested for the latter parts of the team’s ongoing tour of Europe.Williamson, Trent Boult, Devon Conway and Tim Southee all returned home following the three-match Test series in England, which ended in late June, and Tom Latham followed them after captaining the side in the ODI series in Ireland. Matt Henry’s tour also ended after the Ireland ODIs, following which he left the squad to play for Kent in county cricket.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

All of them are now back for the West Indies tour, with the selectors naming the same 15-member squad for both the T20I and ODI legs. The tour will begin with three T20Is in Jamaica, starting August 10, followed by three ODIs in Barbados.With New Zealand’s preparations for the T20 World Cup – which is set to begin in Australia in October – now in full swing, some of the senior players will be returning to white-ball cricket after significant gaps. Williamson’s case, due to a combination of being rested and suffering from persistent injuries, has been particularly extreme. His last T20I was the final of last year’s T20 World Cup, which New Zealand lost to Australia, while his last ODI came in March 2020, in the final men’s international game before cricket came to a global halt thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.The return of the senior six means there is no place in the squad for Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver, Jacob Duffy, Michael Rippon, Ben Sears and Blair Tickner, who have all been involved (or will be involved) during the white-ball tours of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands.Adam Milne, who was ruled out of the Europe tour with an Achilles injury after being originally selected in both white-ball squads, has not been selected for the West Indies tour – perhaps because he still hasn’t recovered fully, though the NZC release announcing the squad did not mention a reason for his absence.”It’s always exciting to be heading somewhere you’ve not been in a while and I know this group can’t wait for the challenge of taking on the West Indies in the Caribbean,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said.”Managing workloads is hugely important this year with the team playing some form of cricket every month in 2022 – and this applies to both players and staff.”For Kane, Trent, Tim and Devon, this will be the first time they have played white-ball cricket for New Zealand since last year’s T20 World Cup and tour to India – so this trip will be important for them.”We also have players such as Michael [Bracewell] and Finn [Allen] who are relatively new to the international stage but have really put their hands up for selection when given opportunities.”As a selector it’s been great to see these guys push their cases.”Stead will be assisted by former New Zealand internationals Dean Brownlie (batting coach) and Graeme Aldridge (bowling coach) during the West Indies tour.New Zealand are currently in Scotland, where they will play two T20Is on July 27 and 29 followed by a one-off ODI on July 31. They will then depart for the Netherlands, where they play back-to-back T20Is on August 4 and 5, before the players who are part of the West Indies tour depart for the Caribbean.

Jordan nails key over as Bristol hosts a six-laden contest in opening T20I

Firdose Moonda27-Jul-2022 Jonny Bairstow hit a career-best 90 and Moeen Ali scored England’s fastest T20I fifty as the hosts racked up their second-biggest score in the format in a high-scoring clash. As a result, South Africa were asked to complete their highest successful chase and stayed in it until the 18th over, thanks to Tristan Stubbs’ first international innings in his third match. He scored a 28-ball 72 and shared in stands of 65 with Heinrich Klaasen and 50 with David Miller but it was not quite enough.Bairstow continued a golden 2022, which has been headlined by four Test centuries, and shared in two explosive stands. He put on 71 in 45 balls with Dawid Malan but that was just the start. Bairstow and Moeen plundered 101 in 35 balls, the second-fastest century stand in a T20I, at a rate of 18.17. In the process, England hit 18 sixes, their most in a T20I. South Africa responded with half that number, eight from Stubbs’ bat.In hindsight, South Africa may blame their fielding display for their defeat in this match. They dropped Bairstow three times, two of them simple catches, which will lead to questions about their ability to handle pressure. The same could be asked of their attack, who appeared spooked by the short, straight boundaries, bowled too short, and lost their shape. Andile Phehlukwayo conceded the second-most runs by a South African in a T20I and Lungi Ngidi picked up the most expensive five-for, a career-best 5 for 39.South Africa may have been stunned, more so when they were reduced to 7 for 2 in the second over of the reply. But Reeza Hendricks showed some mettle with his eighth T20I fifty and Stubbs proved the find of the night, albeit it not enough to get a win.Are we worried about Jason Roy? A question that seems moot given the way England batted, but let’s go there. Roy has only scored one fifty in nine T20I innings this year, and has been dismissed in single figures five times, including today. Ngidi’s slower ball has had the better of several batters in the last few months and he delivered a particularly skilful one in his second over which tricked Roy into thinking he could heave over the off-side. He didn’t account for the lack of pace, was through the shot early and ended up only top-edging an ugly swipe to be caught at point. England were 41 for 2 in the fifth over.Bairstow bashes it It looks like those lunges with Sam Curran sitting on his shoulders have helped Bairstow build extra strength for his T20 game. He moved on from Roy’s dismissal by targeting South Africa’s spinners. His first boundary came with a pull off Keshav Maharaj through mid-wicket and his second, a smash through cow corner that was hit so hard Heinrich Klaasen didn’t pick it up as it sailed over his head. Shamsi took a tonking his next over too, as Dawid Malan hit him over extra cover and then Bairstow flat-batted him for four and swung him into the stands on the legside to take England to halfway on 98 for 2. Bairstow went on to his eighth T20 fifty, off 36 balls, in his first T20I of the year. It’s also Bairstow’s first fifty in ten T20I innings, and he had only been given one (tough) chance at that point, Bairstow went on to be dropped on 56, 72 and 77.Tristan Stubbs kept South Africa fighting in the first T20I•Getty Images

Welcome to it, Tristan Stubbs Picked as a big-hitting batter, Stubbs had yet to face a ball in international cricket (he did not bat in the first two games he played) before his offspin was asked to come into action. South Africa went into the match with only five frontline bowling options and no Aiden Markram, so when David Miller wanted to try something different, his only choice was Stubbs.Miller chose a pressure moment, with England were on 148 for 3 after 15 overs, to introduce Stubbs and his first two balls went well before Bairstow smoked his third ball over long-on and then tried to clear deep mid-wicket but didn’t get enough to go over the square boundary. Rilee Rossouw ran in and got to the ball but it slipped through his fingers. Bairstow was on 56, and Stubbs’ nightmare was not over. He was called for a back-foot no-ball on what should have been the last ball of the over, Moeen Ali hit him for six but mercifully the free hit only resulted in two runs.Stubbs’ over cost 20. But he more than made up for it with a power-hitting display that, on another day, might have made the main headline. Stubbs hit eight sixes and two fours in the 28 balls he faced and has provided South Africa with another finishing option.And welcome back to it, Rilee Rossouw After a nightmare in the field including that Bairstow drop, Rossouw didn’t give himself the chance to make up for it with the bat. He pulled the second ball he faced but then tried to cut the fourth and top-edged to third man to depart for four. After six years out of the national side, and a stellar season in the T20 Blast with Somerset, that’s not the return Rossouw would have wanted to make, especially as it gave Reece Topley a second wicket in his opening over and left South Africa with a massive job to do.Jordan seals it If England were worried about having the rug pulled from under them, Chris Jordan ensured it was firmly plugged in with an exceptional third over, the 18th of South Africa’s innings. Jordan nailed the yorker three times and tested Phehlukwayo with outswing to deny South Africa a boundary for the first time since the 11th over and effectively end the contest. South Africa needed 54 runs off 18 balls before his over and 51 off 12 balls afterwards. He also bowled the last over and finished with 0 for 30.

Leicestershire collapse to seamer before opener’s 97 secures overnight lead

ECB Reporters Network13-Sep-2022Michael Jones missed out on a second century of the season against the Foxes but Durham moved into a slender lead over the home side on day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship match, albeit with five wickets lost.The Scotland top-order batter, who made 108 against Leicestershire at Chester-le-Street in April, fell for 97 this time after being dropped on 80, but it was thanks largely to him that Durham closed on 239 for five with a 37-run advantage over the side at the bottom of Division Two.Left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson, the Leicestershire skipper, took three for 43 with a feeling he might have bowled himself more on a pitch giving him some help. Veteran seamer Chris Wright picked up two well deserved late wickets.Earlier, England pace bowler Matthew Potts had taken six for 52 as Leicestershire were dismissed for 202, debutant Sol Budinger failing to add to his 63 not out overnight but finishing as his new side’s top scorer.Having resumed on 97 for two, Leicestershire were all out by lunch – albeit one delayed by the fall of the ninth wicket. Following the departure of Budinger leg before in the third over of the morning, they collapsed to 130 for eight, losing six wickets for 31.Potts wrecked the middle order with three wickets in four overs. Swinging deliveries had Louis Kimber and Harry Swindells caught behind, the latter off an inside edge, before his pace left Ed Barnes surveying his shattered stumps.Colin Ackermann was leg before playing across one from Paul Coughlin, who picked up a third wicket in the innings when Tom Scriven was caught at backward point off a careless shot.Landing the final, decisive blows proved more difficult for the Durham bowlers, the last two wickets adding 72 more runs, although Wright was dropped at second slip on 15 before he fell for 29. Parkinson eked out 31 before a top edge to cover brought his downfall, Potts dismissing both for his second six-for against Leicestershire this season.The second session went no better for the home side as Durham put on exactly 100 for one wicket, although Leicestershire’s bowlers were a little unlucky. Wright and the left-armer Michael Finan posed problems for the Durham openers, both of whom were fortunate at times. When the ball did find the edge, it went to ground. Jones reached fifty from 71 balls with eight fours.In the event, it was after Parkinson brought himself on after 26 overs that they made a breakthrough, the skipper drawing Sean Dickson down the pitch to drive a ball that started wide and turned wider. Rishi Patel held a good catch at backward point.As Parkinson celebrated, spectators may have been forgiven for wondering why he had delayed his introduction for so long, especially given that the wicket clearly suited him. With the left-handed Scott Borthwick next in, there seemed to be an opportunity.Nonetheless, after bowling a couple of overs before tea, he went back to seam at the start of the third session, although he should have seen a reward when Jones, on 80, smarting from a blow on the thigh the previous delivery, edged Barnes to first slip only for Kimber to spill a regulation chance. Wright again looked sharp.It was 20 overs into the final session before Parkinson bowled again, and again he made an immediate impact as Jones, who had moved to within three runs of a third ton of the season with his 16th four in the previous over, edged to Ackermann at slip.There was clearly something there for Parkinson, who struck another blow a couple of overs later, surprising Borthwick with a quicker ball that bowled him through his legs.With the floodlights on but the light still good, the persevering Wright, still finding plenty of movement, picked up two deserved wickets, having both David Bedingham and Coughlin was caught behind. Nic Maddinson – penalised for an oversized bat against Derbyshire last week – is unbeaten on 37.

The first round of these T20 World Cups is dirty business, as one of the two teams will realise on Thursday

Sidharth Monga19-Oct-2022The cruel and ruthless nature of the first round of T20 World Cups will be on display in the first match of the final day of Group A fixtures in Geelong.Netherlands lead the table with two wins from their first two matches, but they enter the day in a vulnerable position because they haven’t won comfortably enough. As a result, their net run-rate is the lowest among the three realistic contenders. So they are in a must-win situation because if they lose, they end up with prayers that Namibia lose to UAE later in the night.However, these sudden-death scenarios are not new for Netherlands and the other teams who have to go through the qualifiers just to get here. “I think everyone knows these are pressure games in this tournament,” Netherlands coach Ryan Cook said. “Just to get to this point, in the World Cup qualifiers, you often have this kind of games as well. So we are fully prepared to being in these kinds of knockout games.Related

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“And then, obviously, we know we have to play against good teams in this competition, who all have various threats. We prepare for all those eventualities. In terms of meeting those challenges, the guys are in a good space to do that.”Mathematically, the probability at the qualifiers was even lower, because only two teams made it out of a pool of eight. Netherlands won all four of their first four matches to make the cut. Here, they find themselves needing to win all three, the third against Sri Lanka. It will help that they have in their coaching staff men who know Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana well.”Dan Christian is part of our coaching staff. He has played with Hasaranga [at Royal Challengers Bangalore]. [Consultant] Gary Kirsten coaches at the IPL, and he has obviously had to put together plans to deal with these spinners in the IPL space as well,” Cook said. “So we have got a bit of inside information in terms of that and guys that have faced them and those who have planned against them previously for other teams.”Netherlands have won two out of two, but might crash out if they lose their last game•ICC via Getty Images

For Sri Lanka, the current Asia Cup champions and former T20 world champions, they are not exactly used to sudden-deaths so early, and they have teams they don’t know too much about.”Coming into this series, we know what exactly to expect [in terms of format],” their captain Dasun Shanaka said. “[But] rather than playing well-known countries, it is somewhat different playing against these nations. We don’t know what exactly comes at us. Normally, when you play against the Test-playing nations, we know the bowlers and combinations they play. There are advantages and disadvantages both when we play this kind of rounds.”The fear of missing out brings with it pressure that we on the outside might expect it to be. “I think Asia Cup champions is history,” Shanaka said. “That is just a title for us. There is no pressure at all. We just need to concentrate on our performances. And what we need to do to make sure we get into that second round. We know our strength. The first game [against Namibia] we didn’t execute up to the mark, but we are a far better team than how we performed in the first game.”It will be heartbreak for Netherlands to lose out on net run-rate after having won six out of their eight matches put together in the qualifiers and the first round. They inflicted this exact heartbreak on Zimbabwe and Ireland in 2014 by going through on net run-rate. It will be heartbreak for Sri Lanka’s big fanbase in Melbourne who have been turning up in Geelong with the Papare band to put you in mind of Colombo. Not to mention that they can do with every bit of joy their cricket team can bring them in what has been a tough year for the country. Heartbreaks is the only guarantee. The first round of these T20 World Cups is dirty business.

India captain also throws weight behind Harshal and Bumrah, and is confident the team will get over their death-over woes

Shashank Kishore26-Sep-20228:05

Rohit: ‘We still need to be more aggressive and clinical’

Rohit Sharma would like to see India’s death bowling “come to the party” but isn’t worried about Harshal Patel’s indifferent form or Jasprit Bumrah’s poor execution in the Australia series.Harshal and Bumrah have both missed close to two months of top-flight cricket to nurse injuries that have required rehabilitation. Harshal is returning from a rib injury, while Bumrah has had to overcome a lower back problem.On Sunday, Bumrah’s introduction at all stages was met with a fierce counterattack from Australia. While Cameron Green took him apart in the powerplay, Tim David, his team-mate at Mumbai Indians, launched into him in the final overs. Bumrah’s figures read 4-0-50-0, his most expensive in T20Is.Related

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Harshal, meanwhile, went for 49 in four wicketless overs in the series opener, bowled two overs that went for 32 in an eight-overs shootout, and then bowled just two overs in the final T20I. Barring the final over of Australia’s innings, where he got his execution spot on to concede just seven runs and get a wicket. Overall, he finished the series with an economy of 12.37.Amid talks of loss in confidence, Rohit has firmly backed Harshal to rediscover his old form that made him the MVP for Royal Challengers Bangalore for the past two IPLs. Rohit made it clear one bad series won’t leave them second-guessing, and that as a team management, they were firmly confident of Harshal returning to top form.”Coming back from an injury is never easy,” Rohit said. “He missed cricket for close to two months. Whenever bowlers go through an injury phase and come back, it’s never easy, so we’ve not really judged him on how he has performed in these three games because we know his quality.”He has bowled some tough overs for us in the past, and also for his franchise. We believe in his quality, whatever he has as a bowler. It’s important to keep showing that faith and I’m pretty sure he’s also trying to rectify those mistakes. He’s working hard on his bowling.”As I see, in the nets, whenever we do have our training sessions, he’s always working on his skills which is what you want. You want players to go out and keep improving. We talk about it all the time; we can see that happening. So, I’m pretty sure he’s not far from his best.”Rohit – “We’ve been working on some execution plans and hopefully we can give him more options to bowl in the death and then he’ll be as good as he was before”•BCCI

Rohit was then asked about Bhuvneshwar Kumar, another bowler whose death overs execution has “seemed a bit off.” Over the last three weeks alone, twice at the Asia Cup and once here, he had conceded 15, 14 and 19 runs in the 19th overs with India defending scores of 208, 173 181 respectively. On Sunday, Bhuvneshwar was tasked with the 18th over that went for 21. Twice he missed his lengths to be clobbered for sixes by David, and the follow-up, a predictable slower ball, was walloped to the boundary. He ended without bowling his full quota of overs.”It’s important we give him that space,” Rohit said. “Because when you gave a guy like him in the team and the quality that he brings, we know that he’s had more good days than bad days honestly speaking, in the last so many years we’ve seen. Yes, of late it’s been not the kind of performance that he would want, but that can happen to any of the bowlers.”You can see the opposition as well, it’s not easy to bowl at the death. But we’ve been working on some execution plans and hopefully we can give him more options to bowl in the death and then he’ll be as good as he was before. I don’t think he’s short in confidence, whenever I speak to him the confidence is there, you can have bad games but it’s important to come back from that, and we want him to come back as quickly as possible, because he’s bowled those difficult overs for us in the past.India have three more games against South Africa before they fly out to Australia for the World Cup. With Bumrah and Harshal backed to man the death overs, it could mean a return to familiar new-ball duties for Bhuvneshwar. There’s also an extra death option in Arshdeep Singh, whose confidence Rohit has been impressed with, if required. Rohit hinted at a slight shift in Bhuvneshwar’s role going forward but didn’t give away much.”From our side we’re trying to work out what other things we can do,” he said. “Because when you’re bowling in the death you can’t be predictable, you need to have options to bowl on both sides of the ground and sort fields accordingly. Those are the things we’re talking to him about. Someone with that experience, it’ll be easy for him to grasp all the knowledge that is out there.”He’s done it, it’s there in his mind, it’s not that he will completely forget what he’s done as a bowler in the past, it’s just that he needs to bring that out confidently and things will happen for him. As a team, as management, we believe in his ability, we know a guy like him who more often than not has done the job for us can have a few bad games. It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have quality anymore. He definitely has it in him, just that for us it’s time for us to show faith in him and keep backing his skillset, what he wants to execute.”

The Bangladesh captain has 127 wickets from 108 T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2022The tussle at the top of the T20I wicket-takers’ list continues, with Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan picking up his 127th and joining New Zealand’s Tim Southee at the No. 1 spot.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Shakib got to the landmark by taking 2 for 33 against India in the ongoing men’s T20 World Cup on Wednesday. He dismissed KL Rahul for 50 off 32 balls, having the batter top-edge an attempted big hit, and also bowled Suryakumar Yadav with his trademark drift into the right-hander.Shakib, 35, has become the backbone of the Bangladesh cricket team since he made his debut in August 2006. He is their highest wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs too, and remains the only cricketer in the world to tally 1000 runs and 100 wickets in the shortest international format.Rated one of the world’s finest allrounders – he is currently ranked No. 1 by the ICC – Shakib has also had several stints as Bangladesh’s captain, including this one. He has played in T20 leagues in India (IPL), Australia (BBL), West Indies (CPL) and Pakistan (PSL), apart from the BPL at home in Bangladesh. All highlights of a career that has now racked up 381 matches and 430 wickets.Shakib’s reign at the top may not last too long, though. Southee, also on 127 T20I wickets, will get the chance to pull ahead when New Zealand face Ireland on Friday in Adelaide.

“Being a free agent will help me achieve the goal of being the best short format player I can be,” he says

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2023South Africa allrounder Dwaine Pretorius has retired from international cricket with immediate effect. “I am shifting my focus to T20 and other shorter formats for the rest of my career,” he said.Pretorius played 30 T20Is, 27 ODIs and three Tests and took 77 wickets across formats. He also featured in two World Cups and holds the record for the best bowling figures for South Africa in T20Is (5 for 17 against Pakistan). He ends with a T20I batting strike rate of 164 and is one of 16 players to have a national CSA contract for 2022-23 that runs till March.”Being a free agent will help me achieve the goal of being the best short format player I can be,” his statement from CSA read. “By doing this, I will be able to have a better balance in my career and family life.”He is currently much sought after in franchise leagues with gigs in the IPL (Chennai Super Kings), the Hundred (Welsh Fire), the CPL and with Durban Super Giants in the SA20 where he was picked up for Rand 4.1 million (USD 240,000 approx.).Pretorius was South Africa’s first-choice allrounder leading up to the T20 World Cup in 2022 but fractured his thumb before the tournament. He has since lost some ground to Marco Jansen for that role in the white-ball set-up. At the 2021 T20 World Cup, he shone as a death-overs specialist and finished the tournament with nine wickets overall and the best strike rate of 9.7 (minimum five overs).CSA director of cricket Enoch Nkwe said that Pretorius’ quality will “no doubt” be missed. “He has always represented the badge with the utmost pride, determination and commitment, leaving everything on the field every time he pulled on the Proteas shirt,” he said. “His all-round ability added to his value as a player and his quality will no doubt be missed.”Pretorius made his mark as a late-blooming allrounder and swapped pace for precision early on due to knee injuries. He made his South Africa debut in an ODI against Ireland in 2016 and got his first fifty in his second innings. But by 2019, he had almost given up on internationals and was set to take a Kolpak deal with Nottinghamshire. However, a change in CSA administration and the introduction of Graeme Smith as director of cricket convinced Pretorius to take a national contract and he made his Test debut later in 2019.”A special mention goes to Faf Du Plessis, who brought me back after being let go from the international side the first time and who backed me and helped me become a better player; thank you,” he said. Pretorius also thanked Hardus Viljoen, Chris Morris, Nicky van den Bergh, Rassie van Der Dussen, Stephen Cook, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje, Neil McKenzie and his coaches across the ranks.”Growing up, my only goal in life was to play for the Proteas,” he said. “I didn’t know how it was going to happen, but God gave me talent and a serious will to succeed. The rest was in his hands.”I leave the Proteas team knowing that every time I stepped onto the field, I gave everything I had in me. From playing with broken toes, fingers and torn muscles, to carrying drinks, team meetings and helping other players wherever I could. It has been a blast. Thank you to all the fans for your support and love – you made it extra special.”For the next eight months, at the very least, Pretorius is expected to have a busy cricket calendar. SA20 start on Tuesday and runs till February 11, the IPL is set to run from March-end May-end or early June and then the Hundred begins in August. South Africa, meanwhile, host England, West Indies, Netherlands and Australia before the ODI World Cup in October.

The pair added 241 for the third wicket to keep Avesh Khan and co. at bay

Sreshth Shah08-Feb-2023In what is a rematch of last season’s Ranji Trophy semi-final, Bengal finished the first day in a strong position – against defending champions Madhya Pradesh – courtesy twin centuries from Sudip Kumar Gharami and Anustup Majumdar. The duo batted for 69 overs through the afternoon to add 241 runs for the third wicket before MP hit back with the wickets of the two set batters late in the day. At stumps, Bengal finished on 307 for 4, scoring at a run rate of 3.52 in the 87 overs that were possible on day one in Indore.After Bengal chose to bat first in Indore, their openers Karan Lal and Abhimanyu Easwaran who started in a brisk manner. The pair added 51 runs in 12.3 overs before MP dismissed both batters in the space of four deliveries. Easwaran was the first to go for 27, bowled by Gaurav Yadav, and Lal was then dismissed for 23 by a similar full-pitched delivery from Anubhav Agarwal.With Bengal slipping from 51 for no loss to 51 for 2, MP had the early advantage. However, the new batters Gharami and Majumdar turned the tide of the innings, frustrating the hosts through lunch, through tea and right up to the drinks break in the day’s final session.Majumdar, the 38-year-old veteran, struck 13 fours and a six in his 120 while Gharami, the 23-year-old right-hand batter, hit 12 fours and two sixes in his 112. Both of them survived a dropped chance apiece, but they were largely fluent in their strokeplay. Gharami often went inside out over the off side to the spinners, while Majumdar offered stability during the early stages of their partnership before dominating the proceedings in the afternoon session. That allowed Bengal to move to lunch at 111 for 2, and by tea they reached 213 for 2.