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Marnus Labuschagne puts another classy ton while Travis Head went one better in front of his home crowd at Adelaide Oval for Australia on Day 1 of the 2nd Test v West Indies

by Sports Benches December 8, 2022

Great start by the Aussies when they batted well throughout the opening day of the 2nd Test v West Indies at Adelaide Oval – thanks to their winning toss that puts them to pad up & bat first, as they will resume on 300-3 going into Day 2 later today at 3pm AEDT.

The Windies got away with an early advantage when David Warner‘s dipped downhill yet again, after he was caught behind by Joshua Da Silva’s gloves at the hands of Alzarri Joseph on 21. Meanwhile, Warner’s other opening partner in Usman Khawaja scored another decent half-knock well into the first half of the day, including after the first 40-minute afternoon break interval.

Then WI struck back-to-back wickets in quick succession; one was an LBW when Devon Thomas dismissed Khawaja on 62 – even though Khawaja appealed the DRS review promptly & it wasn’t successful via umpire’s call, and another was a duck from Steve Smith after eight balls – thanks to a caught & bowl effort by Jason Holder.

But that doesn’t affect Australia’s batting progress too much when Marnus Labuschagne once again played another classy hundred for the third straight time so far in this series v WI, while Travis Head went one better this time with his 5th Test hundred in front of his hometown crowd, after he was so unlucky to be dismissed on 99 during the 2nd innings spell in Perth last week. Both players put Australia in a secure position just past the 300 mark, as Labuschagne & Head are still standing on 120* & 114* respectively. We’ve gotta say that it was tremendous to see them play at the highest level and stake their claims there, with Marnus locked up at first-drop for a long-time just like Ricky Ponting; And although Travis Head may have some dips in form along the way especially over the last 12 months, but again his class is permanent as his century yesterday shows that he wants to be batting at No.5 over the next few years like Marnus, having both been thrown into the deep end back in late 2018 v Pakistan while Australia were going through a dark period at the time thanks to the sandpaper gate in South Africa that led to the year-long bans of Steve Smith & Dave Warner. Speaking more of sandpaper gate, South Africa will be back playing here for three more Tests v Australia after this Test match concludes in a few days starting next Saturday at the Gabba in Brisbane.

For now, The Aussies has to keep up the good work they’re doing right now & bat for another half day before they declare & bring the bowlers in to start dismantling the WI batting card one-by-one, especially when WI opening & lower-order areas were so good to watch spells last week. So they need to get ready as soon as the opposition comes sometime later today/tonight and get them out ASAP. And WI better get the job done after a rough day out yesterday with the ball. Yes, their batting can be on par with the Aussies but needs support from their bowlers to limit as low as possible before WI can stand up for themselves & put up a good battle of Test Cricket.

December 8, 2022 0 comment

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Australia sees off late threat from the West Indies’ swashbuckling lower-order pair of Roston Chase & Alzarri Joseph with the opening Test match victory in Perth

by Sports Benches December 4, 2022

West Indies resumed on 193-2 with 306 runs left to win following a magnificent knock yesterday from the main man Kraigg Braithwaite while Australia just need eight wickets to go 1-0 up & retain the series trophy, with just a full day’s play left to go on Day 5 of the opening Test match here at Optus Stadium in Perth.

Australia got away with early wickets on the board spearheaded by Nathan Lyon when not only he clean bowled the dangerous K. Braithwaite through the stumps on 110 – but a good restart also helped them dismantle the Windies middle order – with credit from Steve Smith who’s excellent with catching & diving up close using these soft hands at the slips area.

Then the West Indies still has plenty to offer following the lunch break on 258-7 – when the lower order pair of Roston Chase (spinning all-rounder) & Alzarri Joseph (seamer) began to smack a couple of incredible shots immediately downtown that added more runs on the board between them while shaving off their team’s huge run trail at the same time. Sadly, they couldn’t hold on for much longer with time running out against them when there’s only two more players left to bat from the tail end.

Roston may have got his quickfire 50, but Alzarri didn’t get past 43 when that unreal partnership was stopped by Travis Head through the gate – before Lyon came back once more to finish off the damage – including Chase on 55 & a first-ball duck from Kemar Roach – that sealed both his six-wicket haul & the win for Australia by 164 runs. The home side will now head to Adelaide Oval alongside the series win at 1-0 with one Test match to spare v WI, before South Africa fly here for three more Tests later this month.

Wow!! Five days of Test Cricket where we saw so much competition from both teams with the bat. However, Australia’s all-round performance – such as Marnus Labuschagne’s back-to-back hundreds, as well as Steve Smith, Travis Head & Spinner Nathan Lyon – have put themselves further ahead in which was enough to finish off first with some energy left in the tank. Can’t wait for the Day-Night test starting on Thursday.

December 4, 2022 0 comment

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Australia still have plenty of energy left in the tank but Kraigg Braithwaite’s stunning ton means that West Indies aren’t done just yet going into Day 5

by Sports Benches December 3, 2022

Australia resumed Day 4 on 29-1 alongside a 344 run advantage as they continued to shine with the bat. It was good to see Dave Warner collect some much-needed runs this time. Although he couldn’t get past 50 when he was caught by Sharmahr Brooks off Rostov Chase’s leg spin on 48, but sure he’ll get another opportunity to prove himself & score big during the next Test – which is going to be a day-nighter under the pink ball starting on Thursday afternoon at Adelaide Oval.

Once again though, hats off to Marnus Labuschagne who scored another stellar ton on 104 not out after a few dropped catches have gone his way – including a no-ball wicket catch when Alzarri Joseph overstepped the white line. Australia have declared on 182-2 alongside a 497 run lead – that sets up a huge 498 run chase from the West Indies to win.

Going through past the other half of session No.2, as well as tea & stumps time, West Indies have continued to stick to simple basics right from the very beginning which helped them paid off with runs on the board. Not only Tagenarine Chanderpaul continued to make a consistent impact into the 40s before he was bowled out by Mitchell Starc on 46, but Kraigg Braithwaite also did very well as the main man for the Windies where he converted his 50 into a terrific Test Match hundred to savour. Now he will resume on 101 not out alongside Kyle Mayers on 0* off three balls – as WI are on 192-3 with 306 runs left to win in 92 overs – following the dismissals of Shamrahr Brooks (11) & Jermaine Blackwood (24) at the hands of Australia main spinner – Nathan Lyon.

So the Windies need K. Braithwaite to stay right through the very end & hopefully shock the Aussies out of nowhere – with back-up from Mayers or else Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva & Roston Chase later on – who can all bat a bit – while Kraigg does the hard work for WI. And Australia still needs to get the job done ASAP once they come back refreshed from overnight with just a full day’s play left to finish this 1st Test on a high at 1-0 in this two-match series.

December 3, 2022 0 comment

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Test Cricket: West Indies batted as long as they can but Australia’s well-earned rest from overnight paid off with the ball after they restricted them to 283 on Day 3 yesterday

by Sports Benches December 2, 2022

We fire off Day 3 with half-centuries from the West Indies opening pair of both Tagenarine Chanderpaul & later Kraigg Braithwaite. However, Australia came back refreshed following a wicket-less 3rd session from Day 2 overnight; Josh Hazlewood got the breakthrough shortly after Tagenarine’s 50 when he knicked it straight to Dave Warner at first slip – followed by Pat Cummins who bowled K.Braithwaite out through the gate on 64.

There may be some slip-ups along the way as the Windies kept batting as long as possible for most of yesterday – with Jermaine Blackwood thriving as a sub -batter on 36 after Nkrumah Bonner’s concussion off a short ball bounce into his helmet from Hazlewood – that forced him to retire hurt. So does the Jason Holder & Shamarh Brooks where they both scored 27 & 33 down at No.6 & No.7 respectively.

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It‘s still a long shot though when trying to get past Australia’s huge 1st innings total of 598 when Mitchell Starc cleared their top & middle order – including two stunning scalps of Jermaine Blackwood (LBW) & Joshua Da Silva (clean-bowled) – with the help of Nathan Lyon & Cameron Green, before Lyon & Cummins wrapped the Windies 1st innings batting total of 283.

And fast forward towards stumps time, The Windies captured Usman Khawaja early when he tried to cut it but then was caught behind Da Silva’s gloves off Kemar Roach for just 6 off 13 balls. So there you have it, Australia will pick up Day 4 for on 29-1 as they still hold a huge lead of 344 runs. The home side will need to add another 100-150 or maybe 200 with the bat for at least the first half of the day, then declare and bring the bowlers again to wrap up this 1st Test. Meanwhile, WI would love to get this entire Australian XI card out ASAP with a huge batting collapse; That way, they can come from behind & possibly shock the Aussies with the win on the 5th & final day tomorrow.

December 2, 2022 0 comment

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Australia leads the way by a comfortable margin through three stellar batting knocks but West Indies not bad with no wicket falls so far after Day 2 yesterday

by Sports Benches December 1, 2022

Australia continued to build on such a huge lead for most of Day 2 yesterday where they left off from 293-2, thanks to three brilliant knocks made with the bat here at Optus Stadium in Perth. Marnus Labuschagne got his 2nd double test ton which is sensational to watch over the last day and a half – before he was caught behind shortly after on 204 by Joshua Da Silva from Kraigg Braithwaite’s off spin.

Meanwhile, his double act Steve Smith returned to top form in a another stellar double ton that relfected Australia’s high-sky spell with the bat, as well as the partnership he & Marnus formed at the crease together. Plus, hats off to Travis Head who played really well on 99 – even though he was unlucky to be out by just one run off a potential Test 100 through the stumps also by Braithwaite. He may have been inconsistent at times over the last 12 months, but Head always have class on his side at age 28 right now that would hopefully see him stay at No.5 for another few years with the Baggy Green.

Fast forward to the 2nd innings play when Skipper Pat Cummins declared on 598-3 for Australia right after Head’s unlucky dismissal, West Indies fired off not bad with no wickets being fallen though tea & stumps on 67-0. Kraigg Braithwaite will pick up on 18 not out following his all-round display yesterday with the ball by looking to back up & hang in there, while Tagenarine Chanderpaul – who is the son of his famous father Shivnarine – has been extraordinary so far when smacking it at the other end with a few fours & one six on 47 not out.

So the Windies may have escaped an early DRS appeal but there’s still a lot more catch-up when trying to shave down a huge run trail. However, as long as they stick to these simple basics approach planted right from the beginning, then we’ll never know where they will end up going into the final two days this weekend. And as for Australia, they should come off a hard-earned rest by being ready to do some damage with the ball & dismantle the whole Windies batting XI ASAP, after they couldn’t get away with no early wickets being taken towards the end of Day 2. It’s going to be either Australia’s brilliant restart with the ball or the Windies’s continued red-hot start that could go a long, long way when Test Cricket will resume later on Day 3 today.

December 1, 2022 0 comment

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Test Cricket News: Marnus Labuschagne’s stellar knock accompanied by Steve Smith puts Australia closer to 300 on Day 1 of the 1st Test v West Indies

by Sports Benches November 30, 2022

What a way to wrap the first day back of the new Australian Test Cricket season here at Optus Stadium in Perth, as Australia will pick up on Day 2 at 293-2 v West Indies.

Yes, the start has been been shaky having won the toss & chose to bat first when Dave Warner was clean-bowled early by Jayden Seales, while Usman Khawaja wasn’t bad as the other left-hand opener that helped Australia get the ball rolling until he was caught behind on 65 by Joshua Da Silva off Kyle Mayers.

However, Marnus Labuschagne – who is our main man right now – has been exceptional all along since he came in after Warner’s early dismissal at No.3.

Not only he got away with a half-century but also converted into a century before he’s still standing right now, having just got past the 150 mark on 154* runs not out off 270 balls. So much class there from a player who continues to make the first-drop role on his own – which has been happening for the last three years since he was thrown at the deep end after Steve Smith’s concussion at the time v England (away).

Speaking of Smith, he too played a supportive role of Labuschagne & also Australia’s turnaround during the second half of Day 1 with a 50 for himself. He will look to try and convert into another Test 100 on 59* not out off 107 balls.

So staying a bit longer in the middle to see both Smith & Labuschagne a 100 & 200 respectively would be nice to declare Australia’s first-innings spell, before they delcare at some point on Day 2 & bring the bowlers in to do damage so they’re a few steps ahead towards wrapping up this Test match 1-0.

Meanwhile, West Indies have been stuck in a rut ever since they got away with Warner earlier yesterday. Splitting the Labuschagne-Smith stand would brighten up the start of Day 2 after a much-needed rest overnight, but then they will need to dig deeper when WI look to bowl them all out first ASAP before they will get tested with the bat where is the jury is on them to match & better Australia’s 1st innings scorecard.

November 30, 2022 0 comment

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Australia fell short on their return to the Davis Cup Final by first-time Champions Canada but proud of fighting spirit & hard work does after a great 2022 of Tennis

by Sports Benches November 27, 2022

It wasn’t Australia’s day today when they returned to the Davis Cup Final scene for the first time in 19 years that went way back to 2003 – where Australia last won their title for the 28th time on home soil v Spain. They came here with fighting spirit orchestrated by Lleyton Hewitt as Team Captain, having never gave up along the way after their wins beforehand v Netherlands (QF) & Croatia (Semis).

However, we have to credit Canada with the breakthrough moment they deserve – especially when they have a bright & an elite young line-up. But we all have to move on as Australia has to keep building on the good work they’ve got right now, so they can come back again hopefully next year & go one better this time.

We’ll start with the first singles tie between Thanasi Kokkinakis v Denis Shapovalov where neither of them have yet to register a win so far in this year’s Davis Cup Finals, but one of them will do so in the end. It turns out to be Shapovalov who was too good for Kokkinakis in straight sets – 6-2, 6-4. For Kokkinakis, his first set spell was a lot to be desired. Although he did show some fight after break in a bid to stay in contention, but it still wasn’t enough to hold off towards a 3rd set decider.

Then we turn our attention to Alex De Minaur v Felix-Auger Alliasime in the next singles match – as the moment of truth has arrived if Australia will bring out a doubles rubber & go one better to retrieve the Davis Cup trophy – or will be Canada as first time winners 2-0? Let’s find out as this time it was a very competitive opening half spell in the 1st set by both players before Auger-Aliassime pulled off the other half easily, while De Minaur did the best he can to keep Australia in the race and lead into a 3rd set lifeline after the break.

In the end though, Auger-Aliassime escaped a late threat from De Minaur that not only sealed another singles win in straight sets but also gifted Canada the Davis Cup trophy for the first time. The final score was 6-3, 6-4 – with no doubles match required following Canada’s 2-0 whitewash in the series final v Australia.

November 27, 2022 0 comment

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Alex De Minaur & the doubles pair of Max Purcell & Jordan Thompson turned out to be Australia’s saviour in the semis v Croatia as they advanced into Sunday’s Davis Cup Final

by Sports Benches November 25, 2022

Australia has done it as they have now punched their ticket for Sunday’s Davis Cup Final following their win in the Doubles decider v Croatia where they wrapped up 2-1 in this series. Their next opponent will either be Italy or Canada as these sides will battle it out in the other Semi-Final later tonight.

We’ll start off with Borna Coric & Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first singles match where both players battled so hard from the very start. However, it was Coric who narrowly escaped Kokkinakis with the opening set lead before he shut him completely in straight sets that gave Croatia a 1-0 headstart. The final score was 4-6, 3-6.

Then we turn our attention to Alex De Minaur v Marin Cilic in the second singles tie that will determine if it’s a Croatia 2-0 whitewash or a lifeline for Australia going into the 3rd & final doubles match. It’s safe to say that De Minaur have saved Australia from the brink of elimination at 1-1 apiece – where he was just too good for Cilic from start to finish – 6-2, 6-2.

And alright here’s the doubles deciding tie now where one of them will advance into Sunday’s Final v the winner of Semi-Final No.1 between Italy or Canada; It’s Max Purcell & Jordan Thompson v Nikola Metkic & Mate Pavic. Like we saw with the opening singles tie earlier on, this opening stage was really competitive by both teams before Croatia narrowly got away unscathed in the first set via tiebreaker.

But not all hope is lost though from Australia when they never gave up with the rebound after the break that sets up a one-set shootout. In the end, it’s Australia who pulled off comfortably following a tight first half distance, as they have came from behind to close off a stunning 2-1 series win v Croatia. The final score was 6-7 (3-7 tiebreaker), 7-5, 6-4.

We loved the leadership Lleyton Hewitt orchestrated as Team Captain, as well as Purcell & Thompson’s celebration & De Minaur’s roar both on-court & from the crowd. Let’s see if they can go all the way & lift this historic trophy for the first time in 19 years, as Australia want to be an elite challenger again for many years to come.

November 25, 2022 0 comment

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Australia ready to go one better in the Davis Cup semi-finals v Croatia after they wrapped a 2-0 clean sweep yesterday v Netherlands

by Sports Benches November 23, 2022

It’s been a great start to Australia’s run so far in the 2022 Davis Cup Finals after they completed a 2-0 clean sweep yesterday v Netherlands in the Quarter-Finals at the Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga, Spain.

Australia have now moved onto the semi finals for the first time since 2017 when they fell short to Belgium by 3-2, as they will take on Croatia on Saturday AM Australian time in a bid to secure a spot for Sunday’s big Final v winner of Semi-Final No.1 which could be either Italy, USA, Germany or Canada.

In the first match, Jordan Thompson and Tallon Griekspoor always battled side-by-side each other to stay in this fight, with Griekspoor taking out the opening set lead before Thompson fought back at 1-1 apiece following the 2nd set that leads into a 3rd set tiebreaker. And Thompson executed it beautifully towards a comfortable end to this tie, especially in this last half run from 3-2. The final score was 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, with Australia leading the Netherlands 1-0.

Then we move onto the next singles game between Alex De Minaur v Botic Van De Zandschulp. Once again, it was another competitive fire off between the two players when the Dutchman narrowly held off De Minaur in the opening set. But then De Minaur made up some lost time immediately after the break with an easy 2nd set spell where the Australian have set up another 3rd set decider that could see them go one step closer towards the Semi-Finals.

Although De Minaur didn’t find it easy at first when battling against a tough competitor like Van De Zandschulp, but he got away unscathed in such a close finish to this 2nd tie with another win for Australia. The final score was 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, as Australia have advanced into the semi-finals with no doubles match required after a 2-0 series Quarter-Final win.

Let’s see if they can go from strength to strength & hopefully book their first Main Event appearance for the first time in nearly two decades when Australia last won the 2003 Davis Cup on home soil at Rod Laver Arena.

November 23, 2022 0 comment

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Rashid Khan’s illustrious show with the bat almost crushed Australia after a narrow loss for Afghanistan but Australia’s semi-final hopes rely on Sri Lanka beating England

by Admin November 5, 2022

Today, we are describing fantastic news about the post-game match Report between Australia v Afghanistan that will prove very informative. Let’s start reading now! Glenn Maxwell made outstanding efforts in a half-century to reach Australia’s semifinal. However, Afghanistan’s outstanding performance makes Australia’s success hopes to an end. Rashid Khan at Adelaide Oval was afraid to host the team from his magic performance.

Reigning champions Australia must get their rivals to 106 runs or less to surpass England’s net run rate. Before England’s performance, Sri Lanka is in their final team play on Saturday.

The hosts reach 168 for eight from their 20 overs on the behind off Maxwell’s innings. Later, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi got five wickets between them to control their rivals. It appeared challenging for the match.

The Black Caps’ 89-run triumph in their first encounter proved so expensive to Australia’s championship campaign that New Zealand had already secured a spot in the semifinals. Australia was required to defeat Afghanistan by over 185 runs to surpass their NRR.

Currently, Sri Lanka must defeat England in a shock result for Australia to advance. If England triumphs, they will meet New Zealand in the following round.

While scoring 169, Gulbadin Naib and Ibrahim Zadran put up a third-wicket partnership of 59 runs. However, Australia regained the initiative with four wickets in nine deliveries, two of which fell to Adam Zampa in his final over.

Rashid scored an undefeated 48 off 23 balls at the end of the game. As he terrifying the packed house. While cheering his followers at the place he refers to as his “second home.” Still, Australia was capable of staying on and triumphing by four runs.

Controversial call

A very harsh puzzle occurs as Mitchell Starc declares to away from their line-up. Aaron Finch and Tim David were changed from Cameron Green and Steve Smith less contentiously as both could not recover sufficiently from spasticity problems.

Afghanistan’s opening batsman was at the center of controversy in the first over.

The bowler Josh Hazlewood struck with his first delivery. He was taking out the batsman with a sharp bouncer that caught him on the head. He was replaced by Pat Cummins and reportedly hurt his shoulder when he collided with Gurbaz in the running after hitting the ball.

Maxwell, Marsh Outstanding Performance

Mitchell Marsh had been on the receiving end of a barrage from Cameron Green and David Warner in the third over. But he was back at the crease in the fourth. He appears to bat with his team trailing by 20 runs and is determined to make a difference.

He starts slowly, carving Gulbadin at slip for four before catches at mid-on by Najibullah Zadran off Gulbadin with 19 runs on board. However, he soon found himself in trouble again. He dismisses Gurbaz with a top-edge straight over his head for a catch by Mujeeb Ur Rahman at cover point.

Afghani wrecking ball touch

With three wickets in four balls, Naveen Chandra’s performance was pivotal in putting a lid on an Australian side needing as big a total as possible to help their troubled title ambitions. Then, Gurbaz Ahmed’s bright start and Gulbadin Naib’s determined innings before an excellent Maxwell throw from midwicket ran him out.

Afghanistan is within touching distance of the magical 106-run total that would have helped Australia’s NRR comparison with England considerably. When Afghanistan went from 98 for 2 to 99 for 5 and 103 for 6, they were still shy of the mark.

It’s a good week to be a T20I fan. First, the Adelaide Strikers’ Rashid Khan smashed his career-best T20I score, smashing four sixes in two balls off Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc over deep midwicket and long-off. It was that kind of T20 Cricket World Cup: explosive, high-scoring, and full of star power. Afghanistan’s bowling attack appears to have been swapped out for another set of explosive attacks.

November 5, 2022 0 comment