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Day/Night 2 of the 2nd Test Australia v India 24/25: Travis Head the local hero who saved their day with the bat followed up by more Aussie early wickets under the lights

by Sports Benches

One word to describe Day 2’s play of the Day/Night Test at Adelaide Oval: Phenomenal. Yes, that’s right because our Aussie Test side has been smashing it left, right and centre – both bat and ball. 

Yes, most of our top order batters sans Marnus Labuschagne (scored okay on 64) may not have gone far as they would’ve liked at the hands of the always reliable Jasprit Bumrah alongside Mohammed Sirah who later demolished our tail end. 

Although I wouldn’t discount that much on the new opener Nathan McSweeney (current SA player too) following his sound knock for 39. For Steve Smith though, looks like his magic tricks have continued to wane though following a string of his poor scoring record, especially at age 35.

Don’t know what to say but better to give the best Shield batter in place then for this next Test don’t you think? while there’s still more time for McSweeney to prove his worth in the hope of forging a long-term stint there much like his other SA players.

This is where we continue to see the best from No.5’s Travis Head who got away with his Test Match 100, which is things we love to see with fellow SA team-mate & first-choice keeper Alex Carey by his side before we were all out for 337 with 157 run advantage not long after the dinner break.

Fortunately, we continued to follow up with a stunning impact when the Aussies were flying on the field and also with the ball once again thanks to India’s early wicket dismissals – such as the young left-hand opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and of course, Virat Kohli. There’s a still a long way to go ahead of Day 3 tomorrow afternoon with the destructive keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant still in the middle with Nitish Kumar Reddy as getting these two out would be the key towards winning this Test Match.

Gotta say Scott Boland was there at the right place at the right time as wondering if he could keep Josh Hazlewood out for the 3rd Test at The Gabba in Brisbane? Meanwhile, every time Pat Cummins gets a wicket, love seeing celebrate with pride for the Baggy Green. And yes, Mitchell Starc may had a series of no balls over the line tonight but he’s still the best we got with the pink ball while being able to score runs for a bit.

It’s up to the Aussies now to finish off the other half’s job now by going one step closer to go 1-1 all with the bat in this five-match series as India currently on 128/5 and 29 runs behind the run trail.

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Day/Night 1 of the 2nd Test Australia v India 24/25: So far, So good both bat and ball in the hope of building something phenomenal going into Day 2 this afternoon

by Sports Benches

I must say that Day & Night 1 of the 2nd Test of our 2024/25 Test Summer was buzzing not just Adelaide Oval but also from our Aussies as well. 

Likewise from also the opening day of the opening test even though they did lose the toss, they did extremely well with the ball for a start – albeit a slightly higher score (India all out for 180) alongside a slightly altered bowling attack since Josh Hazlewood wasn’t unable to play in this Test. 

Hats off to Mitchell Starc on his six-wicket haul who continues to shine with the pink ball while Scott Boland has no problem filling in Hazlewood’s role as our other starring fast bowler with two wickets on hand.

From India’s end, they decided to change things up with their selection due to their mindset to try and win it in these different conditions, especially with pink ball when playing some at night. Yes, their opening batting shift didn’t go well as expected, although good to see Nitish Kumar Reddy scoring 42 from the lower end at 7 – not bad from a fast-bowling all-rounder there. 

They still have some sort of advantage though as you never know what India could do to cause more damage once they come back refreshed from overnight, having saw that coming when Usman Khawaja got caught out last night by Rohit Sharma at slip off Jasprit Bumrah.

And finally, the Aussies had the final say to close out the opening day’s shift & safe to say it’s so far, so good. There’s still more work to do in order to build a big partnership over the next 1-2 days. 

We got Marnus Labuschagne eventually up and running currently on 20 whereas how good was SA’s own player Nathan McSweeney proving his worth like a true Opening batter (a bit like Dave Warner but with his right hand) in front of his own state turf as he’s on 38. Let’s hope he gets his 50 very soon before he hangs in there long enough to collect his first Test 100 having done so many times for SA before at Sheffield Shield level. 

Watch this space from the Aussies to hopefully eat the 94-run trail, put the pressure back to the Indian bowlers with runs on the board & then convert it into a solid lead when they will resume at the crease this afternoon (Day 2) at 86/1.

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1st Test India vs Australia Day 4 Review: Indians thrash Aussies to get the series lead

by Admin

Written by Shenol M. Wilson

Another day, another interesting results for the cricket fans as the fourth day of the India vs Australia first test unfolded for us. Moving on to the day, India had a significant advantage over the Australia as they had a lead over 520 runs to fight with the Aussies.On the other hand, Australia had only 7 wickets in hand in order to chase this mammoth target.

It was not a very good start for the Aussies to begin the day as experienced Usman Khawaja was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj for just 4 runs. However, ever reliable Travis Head was able to get some sort of stability into the inning by building up 50 runs partnership with Steve Smith.

Unfortunately they were not able to capitalize on it as Mohammed Siraj was able to get the next wicket when the Australian score board was just on 79 runs.

Thereafter, Mitchell Marsh joined with Travis Head to have an aggressive approach to take the momentum back gain to them. They were able to build up a good partnership over 80 runs before ever reliable Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Travis Head for 89 runs. Travis Head played beautifully for his 89 runs with classy shots and was able to become the highest scorer for Aussies in the match.

Alex Carey who is in form coming up to the test summer then tried to build up a partnership but it was limited to just 21 runs as Mitchell Marsh was dismissed by Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy for 47 runs surprisingly. Alex Carey was then left with the bowlers to get this massive target achieved but it was nearly impossible according to cricket statistics. Mitchell Starc tried his best to hold a side as he was able to build up 40 runs plus partnership with Alex Carey before he was dismissed by Washington Sundar who claimed his first wicket for the match.

Getting into form Washington Sundar claimed his second wicket of the match by dismissing his opponent sole spinner Nathan Lyon for duck Thereafter it was just matter of time before the last wicket and after some resistance Alex Carey was dismissed for 36 runs by Debutant Harshit Rana who bowled impressively well throughout the inning. It was his fourth wicket of the match on surely favorable conditions for him.

At the end of the inning and match, Aussies were bundled out for just 238 runs for their second inning and it was really a poor performance by Australia on their home soil considering India came up to the Australian soil after getting defeated by New Zealand in India’s home soil by 3-0 margin.

Finally, India were able to win the match by 295 runs and was able to claim the biggest win in Australian soil in terms of runs. Player of the Match award was given to the Indian Captain Jasprit Bumrah who bowled exceptionally well by getting total of 8 wickets in the match which included 5 Wickets for 30 runs in the first Inning and 3 for 42 runs in the second Inning.

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India vs Australia First Test Day 3 Review: India grab the moving day Advantage in Perth

by Admin

Written by Shenol M. Wilson

It was a unique build up for the First Test Day 3 in this very interesting Test match between India and Australia which will have a lot of effect in deciding the fate of the Test series. First day was a dream day for the bowlers, specially the seamers and the second day was it was a paradise for the Indian Batsmen.

Coming up into the day, experts were even curious to know what the pitch or surface will have on offer as it was creating surprises all the time. India was on a very strong position with a considerable lead on a low scoring match so far and with ten wickets in hand.In addition weather was also not supporting the Australia’s cause as it was very hot and humid with temperature going around 35 degrees Celsius.

Starting the day, India were able to get a good start to add on to the overnight score before KL Rahul was dismissed by Mitchell Starc for 77 runs. Devdutt Padikkal tried to steady a partnership inform Jaiswal but was dismissed by Josh Hazelwood who was very well disciplined in his bowling throughout the innings.

Experienced Virat Kohli then came into the middle and was able to have a steady run with Yashasvi Jaiswal who was able to get 161 runs at his first test Test appearance in Australia. Jaiswal was able to create a remarkable inning and he became the fourth youngest player to get century for India in Australia. However as he was dismissed Indian lower middle order Batsmen Rishabh Pant and Dhurv Jurel was dismissed in quick succession as both of them were able to get only 1 run.

However, taking on the responsibility again to shoulders, the ever reliable Virat Kohli came up with another century as he was able to get exactly 100 runs by being not out and he was given some sort of a support by Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy by getting 29 runs and 38 runs not out respectively.

Talking about the Aussie bowlers, surprisingly Nathan Lyon was the highest wicket taker as he was able to get 2 wickets for 96 runs as all the other main bowlers contributed with one wicket each.

Coming up for the fourth inning of the match at the end of the day, Aussies did have a massive target before them as India was able to create a massive lead of 533 runs as India declared their second inning at 487 runs by losing only 6 wickets. 

Debutant Nathan McSweeney started the inning with experienced Usman Khawaja, but was not able get a very good start as McSweeney was dismissed for a duck by Jasprit Bumrah. 

Night Watchman Pat Cummins was not able to do his duty as he was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj for just 2 runs. At the end of the day to close the day out, Bumrah was again able to get the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne who doesn’t seem to be in form for a while.

At the end of the day, Australia was in a poor position losing 3 wickets for just 12 runs. Coming up for the fourth day, they will have a massive target of 522 runs more to achieve with only 7 wickets in hand.

The win probability do show that India has a chance of 96.5% to win the match but you never know what can happen in cricket if Aussies bat carefully over next 2 days. Finally things are getting ready for an exciting two more days of quality cricket and you do not want to miss out on it.

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Test Cricket: India dominate Day 2’s play v Aussies both bat & ball with both openers still standing led by Yashasvi Jaiswal who is not far from his possible 100 on 90 not out

by Sports Benches

Gotta say Day 2’s play was all about the best of India both bat and ball with both of their opening batters still not out after a great long afternoon’s worth of fun in the middle. Okay, that opening session from the AM may showed a bit of strength by the Aussies to hold on at the tail end thanks to Mitchell Starc who was their top scorer of 26 over at 9. 

But again, there’s not much time they could do to turn things around when India would have already have wrapped their 1st innings haul right before the lunch break for 104 after just 50 overs.

From there, it was up to the Indian batters to steer well clear ahead of the Aussies and looks they are with great intent when their opening partnership looks as solid as a rock. 

Hats off to youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal (left-handed) who has been amazing with his shot selection every time he knows to pick these right areas – he’s currently on 90 with KL Rahul also excellent at the other supporting end with his own 50 & he’s on 62. 

India are currently on 0-172 with a 218 run lead going into Day 3 tomorrow as would be great if Jaiswal and Rahul score both of their own 100s & they wouldn’t worry a single bit to bring their bowlers to guide them home sometime between the next 3rd session tomorrow & Day 4 Monday.

Meanwhile, it’s been a hugely underwhelming and heavy-hitting day for the Aussies other than showing a bit of strength by their tail enders. 

There was hope they can finish the Indian 2nd innings total real fast like they did earlier during Day 1 yesterday but it’s a shame these missed catches cost them so dearly and they finished off Day 2 with no wickets on hand. 

They better come back real fast to quickly dismantle the whole lot first thing tomorrow morning & do whatever it takes to meet that run target. But it’s up to the bowlers to restrict as low as possible first, then we may as well see a stunning comeback if they do so as they possibly can on what Test Cricket is all about to kickstart this five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series. 

The Aussies better have this done by using it or else forget about this to lose it & move on with this 2nd Day/Night Adelaide Test.

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Test Cricket: Bowling won Day 1’s play for both teams with India still leading top spot and the Aussies now thin on options with the bat after their unexpected top-order fall

by Sports Benches

Could you believe how the opening day turned out of the new Test summer against India? It was unreal through a whole seven hours worth of on-pitch work but couldn’t see that coming there when things can turn so fast in such short time.

We began the morning run (afternoon over in the Eastern states) with India winning the toss, chose to batted first and then lost their way up to a lowly 150 whereas Australia were outstanding with the ball & also on the field hands down thanks to their still stronghold bowling attack.

But when the Aussies got their chance to bat in the middle though in between tea and the late afternoon session, they too unfortunately unable to capitalise with lots of single and bare double digit figures — and somehow looks like India is still hanging in there up front at 67-7 going into Day 2. Shoutout to Jasprit Bumrah on another amazing bowling spell including a test debut to remember from Harshit Rama after he bowled out Travis Head. 

That doesn’t mean the Aussies have no reason why they cannot turn things around with keeper Alex Carey being the last best batter standing on 19 alongside fast bowler Mitchell Starc on 6. Let’s hope a 50 from Carey would do it to hopefully bring their bowlers back to more quick damage to the Indian batters if the Aussies can’t meet the 83 run trail sometime tomorrow. 

And last but not least, also want to give a shoutout to Nathan McSweeney, who also began his Test career today with some quickfire runs on the board as Test opener, with Usman Khawaja after an amazing impact – especially at Sheffield Shield level.

It’s a shame he was unluckily being picked on by Bumrah for 10 over his successful LBW review that was sadly fair by the umpire but he’s 25 and still has lots of time to make a David Warner like impact off his right hand though over the next few days & weeks to come – one to watch from our batters.

For now, looks like we will see more early quickfire moments on Day 2 tomorrow after a bowling dominant contest, with India set to bowl the Aussies out possibly under 100. Then the 2nd innings is on this time to maybe slow things down a bit to build a big score in the hope of going 1-0 up in the five-match (up from four now) Border Gavaskar Trophy series.

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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

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.

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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


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. 

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.

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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

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.

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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

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.

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