McCullum hits historic triple ton to frustrate India

February 17, 2014

McCullum_hits_double

Wellington, Feb 18: Brendon McCullum became the first New Zealand batsman to hit a triple-hundred in Test cricket to take the second cricket Test beyond India’s reach on the morning session of the fifth and final day, in Wellington on Tuesday.

McCullum scored a historic 302 on the opening session of day while Jimmy Neesham smashed a century on debut as the hosts declared their second innings at 680 for eight in 210 overs with an overall lead of 434 runs.

McCullum struck Zaheer Khan for a four in front of third man to reach the landmark in the 200th over of the Black Caps’s second innings at a packed Basin Reserve.

At lunch, India were at 10 for no loss off four overs, chasing an improbable 435 runs for a win. Shikhar Dhawan (2 not out) and Murali Vijay (7 not out) were at the crease.

McCullum’s 302 runs overtook Martin Crowe’s 299 scored against Sri Lanka, also at the same ground, in 1991 to become highest individual Test scorer for New Zealand.

It was also the third-highest innings by a number five batsman in Test cricket after Michael Clarke’s 329 not out against India in 2012 and Sir Don Bradman’s 304 against England in 1934.

McCullum’s effort is also the second-highest individual score in the second innings after Hanif Mohammad’s 337 against West Indies in 1958. Overall he is the 24th Test batsman to hit a triple-hundred, while this is the 28th instance of a triple-hundred being scored.

McCullum started the final day of on 281 not out, needing another 19 runs to get to that magical landmark.

At the other end was debutant Neesham (67 not out) as New Zealand started from the overnight score of 571 for six under overcast skies.

It didn’t matter much as Neesham cut loose almost immediately, while McCullum was more subdued as he took his time.

Neesham struck six lusty boundaries early into the day’s play and reached his maiden Test hundred in the 199th over of the innings, facing 124 balls and hitting 15 fours.

But the main focus was on McCullum, who joined that exclusive 300-run club in the next over as the entire stadium stood on its feet to salute the historic knock.

McCullum, however, didn’t last long thereafter, edging one to Doni off Zaheer. He faced 559 balls and struck 32 fours and four sixes during his monumental innings.

Two overs later, Zaheer completed his five-wicket haul, as Tim Southee (11) gave a skier to Cheteshwar Pujara.

It was the first time in his 92-Test career that Zaheer had bowled 50 overs in a single innings.

New Zealand didn’t declare as anticipated and carried on for a while longer, even as India put on their part-timers. In the end, the Black Caps reached their highest Test innings total overtaking their effort of 671 for four against Sri Lanka in 1991, also at Wellington.

Neesham stayed unbeaten on 137, the highest individual score by a batsman on debut batting lower than number seven, beating Azhar Mahmood’s 128 not out against South Africa in 1997. It was also the highest runs scored by a New Zealand batsman on debut, beating

Scott Styris’ 107 against West Indies in 2002.

For India, Zaheer was the highest wicket-taker in the innings with a haul of five for 170. Mohammad Shami (2/149) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/115) also picked up wickets, while Ishant Sharma (0/164) saw the other side of the coin after picking his career-best figures in the first innings.

Rohit Sharma (0/40), Virat Kohli (0/13), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (0/5) and Shikhar Dhawan (0/3) also sent down some overs in this innings.

Scoreboard at lunch:

New Zealand 1st innings 192

India 1st innings 438

New Zealand 2nd innings (overnight 252-5)

Peter Fulton lbw b Khan 1

Hamish Rutherford c Dhoni b Khan 35

Kane Williamson c Dhoni b Khan 7

Tom Latham c Dhoni b Shami 29

Brendon McCullum c Dhoni b Khan 302

Corey Anderson c & b Jadeja 2

B J Watling lbw b Shami 124

Jimmy Neesham batting 67

Extras: (B-9, LB-12, W-2, NB-7) 30

Total: (for eight wickets; 210 overs) 680

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-27, 3-52, 4-87, 5-94, 6-446, 7-625, 8-639.

Bowling: Ishant Sharma 45-4-164-0, Zaheer Khan 51-13-170-5, Mohammed Shami 43-6-149-2, Ravindra Jadeja 52-11-115-1, Rohit Sharma 11-0-40-0, Virat Kohli 6-1-13-0, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 1-0-5-0, Shikhar Dhwan 1-0-3-0.

India 2nd innings:

Murali Vijay not out 7

Shikhar Dhawan not out 2

Extras : (NB-1) 1

Total: (for no loss in 4 overs) 10

Bowling : Boult 2-0-5-0, Southee 2-0-5-0.

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News Network
March 26,2020

New Delhi, Mar 26: As India continues its fight against coronavirus, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly pledged to donate rice worth Rs 50 Lakhs to the needy people.
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), in its statement, said Ganguly along with Lal Baba Rice will provide rice to people who have been put in government schools for safety and security.
"#Sourav to provide Free Rice to the Needy It is heartening to note that Sourav Ganguly along with Lal Baba Rice has come forward to provide free rice worth Rs 50 lacs to the needy people who have been put in government schools for safety and security. Hope this initiative of Ganguly would encourage other citizens of the state to take up similar initiatives to serve the people of our state. #CAB," CAB said in a statement.
CAB President Avishek Dalmiya has also lent support to the needy people as he donated Rs 5 lakhs to the Government's Emergency Relief Fund.
"CAB President donates 5 lakhs to the Government's Emergency Relief Fund to fight against #CoronaVirus/#Covid19," CAB said in a statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 21-day nation-wide lockdown to contain coronavirus.

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News Network
April 9,2020

New Delhi, Apr 9: The legendary Kapil Dev on Thursday slammed Shoaib Akhtar's idea of a made-for-television three-match ODI series between India and Pakistan to raise funds for the Covid19 pandemic, saying "India doesn't need the money" and it is not worth risking lives for a cricket match.

Speaking to news agency, Akhtar on Wednesday proposed a closed-door series to jointly raise funds to fight the deadly virus both in India and Pakistan. Dev said the proposal is not feasible.

"He is entitled to his opinion but we don't need to raise the money. We have enough. For us, what is important right now is how our authorities work together to deal with this crisis. I am still seeing a lot of blame game on television from the politicians and that needs to stop," Dev said.

"Anyway, the BCCI has donated a hefty amount (Rs 51 crore) for the cause and is in a position to donate much more if the need arises. It doesn't need to raise funds.

"The situation is unlikely to get normal anytime soon and organising a cricket game means putting our cricketers at risk which we don't need to," said the World Cup-winning former captain.

Dev said cricket should not even matter for at least the next six months.

"It is just not worth the risk. And how much money can you make from three games? In my view, you can't even think of cricket for the next five to six months," he said.

Dev said the focus, at the moment, should only be on saving lives and taking care of the poor who are struggling to make ends meet in a lockdown situation.

"Cricket will resume when things get normal. The game can't be bigger than the country. The pressing issue is to look after the poor, the hospital workers, the police and all other people who are on the frontline of this war," said the 61-year-old.

As an Indian, Dev feels proud that his country is in a position help other nations including the United States.

President Donald Trump has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for helping the United States with the supply of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug being touted as a potential cure for Covid19 patients.

"Helping others is in our culture and I feel proud about that. We should not seek credit after helping others. We should strive to become a nation which gives more and more rather than taking from others," he said.

Like everyone else, Dev is at home and practising social distancing.

Asked how he views the current situation, he said: "Nelson Mandela stayed in a tiny cell for 27 years. Compared to that, we are in a privileged position (that we just have to stay at home for sometime)."

"There is nothing bigger than life at the moment and that is what we need to save."

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Agencies
August 4,2020

New Delhi, Aug 4: Former India women's team captain Anjum Chopra firmly believes that the BCCI has a plan for women's cricket but she wants the Board to communicate its ideas more specifically.

Speaking to news agency, Chopra, who is now a successful broadcaster, said the BCCI is thinking in earnest about the progress of women's cricket.

"It's not that the BCCI is not thinking about women's cricket. I only think they need to be more specific in communication about women's cricket," Chopra said.

"I firmly believe that they must be thinking about women's cricket but the communication all this while has been very specific to men's cricket."

The latest trigger for criticism of BCCI was India's withdrawal from a tour of England in September owing to logistical issues arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chopra concedes it was "not nice" but Indian players' participation in the women's IPL, in November, will still be useful preparation for next year's ODI World Cup.

"It is heartening to see women's cricket making headlines. They should have been a part of that England tour and it did not feel nice initially but the women's IPL, irrespective of the format, will be helpful for World Cup preparations. Any form of cricket is good preparation," Chopra said.

"Missing out on a tournament is not nice, but logistically there may have been issues. And you can't send an under-prepared team."

"If you see in isolation we may have missed out on an opportunity to play in England. The more the girls play the better it is, before playing a tournament of the stature of World Cup. The assurance from the president is a very good thing."

Chopra welcomed the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI's decision to hold the women's event in the UAE alongside the IPL, which will run from September 19 to November 10. The women's IPL will coincide with the business end of the men's league.

"I am definitely happy, it's always nice to be part of any cricket anywhere across the world.

"They should have been nearing the final stages of the preparation for the World Cup by now, but because of the pandemic things did not go as planned," she added.

Chopra had a successful international career spanning over 17 years, during which she represented India in a record six World Cups and became the first woman cricketer to appear in 100 One-day Internationals.

She also felt that the pandemic would not have much impact on the women's game that has gained momentum in recent times.

"...Cricket was on pause button...Once cricket resumes and players are back on the park, everything is going to get picked up. It might take some time to get started as everything starts from zero...

"The awareness the women's game has created, I hope it stays. They will just restart, not start after the pandemic."

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