Williamson slams century as New Zealand defeat Pakistan

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) – Kane Williamson hit a brilliant hundred as New Zealand won the fourth day-night international against Pakistan by seven runs in an exciting finish in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

Pakistan went ahead with the match despite calls to postpone it after the Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar on Tuesday which left 148 people dead, 132 of them students.

Both teams observed a two-minute silence and wore black armbands as a tribute to the victims.

Williamson’s 105-ball 123 steered New Zealand to an imposing 299-5 before Younis Khan’s first one-day hundred in six years got Pakistan agonisingly close as they finished on 292-8 in 50 overs.

That left the five-match series all square at 2-2, setting up a winner-takes-all final game, also in Abu Dhabi, tomorrow.

Williamson praised his side’s sensible batting.

“It was just about executing the plans we had, and just trying to build partnerships and then it was great to come back with the ball in the second part of the Pakistan innings,” said the New Zealand captain.

Younis’s 117-ball 103 ended a drought lasting 74 innings as he capitalised on being dropped by Ross Taylor off Adam Milne when only on two.

However, when the veteran was seventh out bowled by left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori (3-53), it ended Pakistan’s hopes.

Shahid Afridi helped Younis add a quick 66 for the sixth wicket, hitting five fours and two sixes in his 25-ball 49 but his fall, followed shortly afterwards by Younis’s departure, saw the match swing back New Zealand’s way.

Younis, whose last hundred came against the West Indies at the same venue in 2008, put on 49 with Nasir Jamshed (30) for the second wicket and another 90 for the fifth with Umar Akmal who made 29.

In all Younis hit four boundaries and two sixes.

He also became the oldest Pakistani to notch a One-Day hundred at 37 years 18 days, erasing Zaheer Abbas’s name from the record books as he was 35 years and 331 days old when he struck his last century for his country.

Pakistan had lost opener Ahmed Shehzad in Matt Henry’s first over for a duck.

Afridi said it was tough to play after the Peshawar tragedy.

“We pray for all those kids who lost their lives,” said Afridi.

New Zealand recorded the third highest total at the ground.

Williamson added 44 for the second wicket with Guptill and another 63 for the third with Taylor.

Williamson, who scored an unbeaten 70 in New Zealand’s four-wicket win in the second match in Sharjah, pulled paceman Mohammad Irfan to deep square-leg for his ninth boundary to complete his century off just 92 balls.

He was finally bowled by Irfan off the last delivery of the innings, having hit 12 boundaries.

Williamson’s hundred was built on a fine start to the innings.

Guptill and Dean Brownlie had given a solid 81-run start before leg-spinner Afridi provided his team with the breakthrough in the 17th over.

Guptill hit seven fours in his 78-ball knock before he was caught behind off paceman Sohail Tanvir.

View the original article here

Williamson slams century as New Zealand defeat Pakistan

Roach captures 100th test wicket but Williamson, rain dampen Windies hopes

: Fast bowler Kemar Roach celebrates his 100th wicket as BJ Watling falls. (Credit: WICB Media)

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Monday June 30, 2014, CMC – Speedster Kemar Roach captured his 100th Test wicket but Kane Williamson’s career-best century and then torrential rain, spoiled West Indies chances of winning the decisive third Test at Kensington Oval here Sunday.

When the adverse weather ended play prematurely at 4:51 pm on the fourth day, New Zealand had reached a formidable 331 for seven in their second innings – a lead of already 307 heading into Monday’s final day.

The rain, which first came at 1:48 pm and then allowed just 26 balls following a 4:30 pm restart, robbed the game of a precious 42.5 overs.

Williamson, who began the day on 58, finished on a superb, unbeaten 161, an innings that formed the bedrock of the New Zealand innings and seems likely to ensure them at least a share of the series.

Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)

The 23-year-old right-hander hardly put a foot wrong as he faced 271 balls in just under 6-1/2 hours at the crease, and stroked 22 fours.

Along the way, he extended his overnight fourth wicket stand to 67 with captain Brendon McCullum who scored 25, added a further 91 for the fifth wicket with Jimmy Neesham who belted an attacking 51 and then also posted 79 for the sixth wicket with BJ Watling who hit 29.

It was the wicket of Watling, caught at gully by Jason Holder 45 minutes after lunch, which gave Roach the 100th scalp of his 26-Test career.

He was the best Windies best bowler with four for 55 while debutant fast bowler Jason Holder has claimed two for 26.

Resuming the day on 123 for three, New Zealand gathered runs quickly as Williamson showed his intent from as early as the third ball of the day, lofting off-spinner Shane Shillingford wide of long on for four and then cutting the first ball of Roach’s next over to the point boundary.

McCullum, however, added just two to his overnight 23 before falling lbw to Roach in the day’s fourth over, trapped on the crease by a delivery that came back. He
consulted DRS in vain.

Neesham’s arrival increased the scoring rate, the left-hander belting three fours and four sixes off just 67 balls in an hour-and-a-half at the crease.

He took a liking to the toothless Shillingford – unable to fire his lethal doosra because of the ICC restrictions – lofting him onto the media centre at the southern end in the day’s seventh over and then clearing the ropes and wide long on in the bowler’s next over.

When seamer Jerome Taylor was introduced, Neesham struck him for a flat six over long on and then smashed left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn over the ropes at mid-wicket off the first ball following the water break.

Williamson, meanwhile, edged seamer Jason Holder to third man to move to 97 before reaching his seventh century with a couple behind point off Benn, 50 minutes before
lunch.

Neesham followed him soon after, driving Holder for two to reach his half-century but then fell off the very next ball, smashing a full-blooded drive into the lap of Kraigg Brathwaite at a very short cover, with the score on 226 for five.

Any hopes the Windies had of making further inroads were quickly erased as Williamson and Watling stood firm in another half-century stand that proved a source of
frustration.

With Williamson picking off boundaries at will, Watling held up the other end for nearly an hour-and-a-half, before falling in the second over with the second new
ball, slashing at Roach at 305 for six.

Williamson equaled his previous career-best of 135 with a boundary to third man off Benn before steering Taylor through gully for another to raise his 150.

Southee, dropped by Benn at slip off Roach before he had scored, hung around half-hour for seven before tapping a tame return catch back to Taylor, 20 minutes after
the rain break.

Only five more deliveries were possible before rain put paid to any more hopes of play.

View the original article here

Roach captures 100th test wicket but Williamson, rain dampen Windies hopes