Stuff Digital Edition

Southee keeps India in check

Ian Anderson ian.anderson@stuff.co.nz

When Tim Southee limped off midway through an over on day one of the first test against India, matters looked exceedingly bleak for the Black Caps amid the Kanpur smog.

The veteran bowler needed treatment for a groin injury, leaving the visitors temporarily with just one quick bowler as the hosts aimed to make a hefty total batting first.

While he returned to action, he was notably hampered by the injury and there would have been fears from New Zealand players and fans alike that Southee might not be able to front on day two yesterday.

Instead, he shone amid the gloom in a beautiful spell with the second new ball as New Zealand made constant inroads into India’s batting, despite a century on debut from Shreyas Iyer.

Southee took four wickets in the first session and ended with 5-69 from 27.4 overs as India were dismissed for 345 after the hosts had resumed their first innings at 258-4 at Green Park.

Kanpur is regarded as one of the most polluted cities in the world and the Air Quality Index was reported as climbing into the ‘hazardous’ zone for the players after the smog was also prevalent on day one.

That didn’t bother Southee as the 32-yearold, even after he had an lbw appeal rejected in his opening over on day two against Ravindra Jadeja that New Zealand reviewed unsuccessfully as he removed the same batter the next over.

While Iyer went happily about his business with a string of boundaries that helped him score a maiden test century, Southee kept chipping away at the rest of the home team lineup.

His mastery of outswing removed wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha and Iyer fell first ball after the drinks break.

The 26-year-old made 105 from 171 balls to be the mainstay of a batting lineup missing such star performers as Virat Kohli, Rohit

Sharma and KL Rahul, striking 13 fours and two sixes.

It was Southee’s 13th five-wicket bag in test cricket and took his career haul to 319 scalps as he sits behind only Sir Richard Hadlee (431) and Daniel Vettori (362) in the list of most test wickets for New Zealand.

New-ball partner Kyle Jamieson went wicket-less on day two, leaving him one short of overhauling former quick Shane Bond to become the quickest man in New Zealand test history to 50 wickets, after capturing three wickets on Thursday.

Wicketkeeper Tom Blundell missed a stumping chance off Ajaz Patel when Ravichandran Ashwin waltzed down the wicket and was beaten by a ball that kept low when on 16.

There were more deliveries from the leftarm spinner that scuttled through at an alarmingly low height, a bad sign with the hosts possessing a dangerous three-pronged spin attack.

Patel took the first wicket to fall to spin in the first over after lunch when he bowled Ashwin for 38 and doubled his haul with the final wicket of the innings soon after.

Sport

en-nz

2021-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://stuff.pressreader.com/article/282235193929679

Stuff Limited