Smith ton gives Aussies narrow lead
MELBOURNE: Skipper Steve Smith scored his 17th Test century to give Australia a 22-run lead over Pakistan as rain again disrupted play in the second Test in Melbourne on Thursday.
Smith reached his fourth Test hundred of the year before a storm lashed the Melbourne Cricket Ground just before tea and forced the rest of the fourth day’s play to be abandoned.
Smith was unbeaten on 100 with Mitchell Starc not out seven in Australia’s 465 for six. It is unlikely there will be a result in the Test with just Friday’s final day to play.
The Australians were hoping to build a 100-plus run lead to try and put the tourists under pressure on the final day in the weather-disrupted Test.
“We were planning to play a little more positively this afternoon and try and get as many runs as we could, but the rain hasn’t helped us,” Smith said.
“So now it’s about summing it up in the morning and seeing where we can go. “It’s obviously going to be difficult to get a result, the wicket hasn’t broken up much and it’s playing well.”
Smith passed 1,000 runs in a calendar year for the third time in a row during his knock, taking his 2016 total to 1,040 at 67.60 with his patient 100 not out coming off 168 balls with nine boundaries.
Usman Khawaja was dismissed three runs short of his century early in the day, the second time this season that the Pakistan-born batsman has been dismissed on 97.
Khawaja had added just two runs to his overnight 95 off 12 balls when he edged Wahab Riaz to wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed in the day’s fifth over. Khawaja left the ground with his head bowed.
Khawaja also missed out on a century against South Africa in the second innings of last month’s first Test in Perth.
The Australians lost the wickets of under-pressure pair Nic Maddinson and Matthew Wade in the middle session.
HANDY HANDSCOMB Maddinson, fighting to nail down his Test spot, failed again, deceived by wrist-spinner Yasir Shah’s flight and was bowled off-stump for 22 off 55 balls.
Under pressure after scores of 0, 1 and 4 in his three Test innings, Maddinson advanced down the wicket but failed to get to the pitch of the ball and left the wicket shaking his head. Wicketkeeper Wade again missed out — this time he was caught in the slips for just nine after a slash outside off-stump at Sohail Khan. WELLINGTON: Recalled batsman Neil Broom scored his maiden one-day century and took two crucial catches as New Zealand completed a 67run victory over Bangladesh in the second one-day international at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Thursday.
The victory allowed New Zealand to wrap up the threematch series with a game to spare as captain Kane Williamson chipped in with a throw that led to a run out, a catch and three wickets with his part-time off-spin.
Chasing 252 for victory, Bangladesh had been cruising at 105 for one in the 23rd over before Williamson sparked a collapse with the run out of Sabbir Rahman for 38 after he had combined in a 75-run partnership with opener Imrul Kayes.
Williamson then had allrounder Shakib Al Hasan caught at backward point by Broom, who also snapped up Imrul off Tim Southee for 59, as the visitors slumped to 1417 by the 33rd over.
They were eventually bowled out for 184 in the 43rd over.
Broom, who was recalled for the series six years after the last of his 22 previous one-day internationals, had propped up New Zealand’s below-par 251 all out with a composed innings.
The 33-year-old, whose recall was partly necessitated by Ross Taylor needing time to recover from eye surgery, took his time to set a foundation and patiently built his innings on a wicket that was good for batting on when established.
He also combined in a 51run partnership with Jimmy Neesham (28) and for 64 runs with Luke Ronchi (35), but they both got out when the home side needed them to stay with Broom to launch an assault in the final overs.
Broom, whose previous best was 71 against the same opposition in 2010, was on 99 NEW ZEALAND M Guptill lbw Mashrafe --------------------------------------------------------0 T Latham lbw Shakib ---------------------------------------------------------- 22 K Williamson c Shakib b Taskin ------------------------------------------ 14 N Broom not out -------------------------------------------------------------- 109 J Neesham st Nurul b Mosaddek --------------------------------------- 28 C Munro b Mashrafe -------------------------------------------------------------3 L Ronchi c Tanveer b Taskin ------------------------------------------------ 35 M Santner c Mashrafe b Subashis -----------------------------------------9 T Southee c Nurul b Shakib ---------------------------------------------------3 L Ferguson c Nurul b Mashrafe ----------------------------------------------4 T Boult run out (Nurul/Taskin) -------------------------------------------- 12 Extras (b1, lb7, w4) ----------------------------------------------------------- 12 Total (all out, 50 overs) -------------------------------------------- 251 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-37, 3-47, 4-98, 5-107, 6-171, 7-198, 8-214, 9-228 Bowling: Mashrafe 10-1-49-3, Subashis 10-1-45-1, Taskin 10-1-45-2, Shakib 10-0-45-2, Tanveer 8-0-47-0, Mosaddek 2-0-12-1
Wade, like Maddinson, has struggled for runs since his recall for last month’s third Test against South Africa and has scores of 4, 7, 1 not out and now 9 in his four innings since.
In contrast, Peter Handscomb claimed his third half-century in three Tests to push along the Australian scoring. He was dropped off a sharp caught-andbowled chance by Mohammad Amir on 51, but three runs later he found Sami Aslam at point off Sohail.
Handscomb, playing on his home pitch, added 92 runs with Smith off 141 balls. Starc slammed Shah for a mighty six — measured at 103 metres — high into the stands to get off the mark and will resume on Friday with Smith.
Azhar Ali was fielding at short leg when he received a fearsome blow on the helmet off Wade’s full-blooded pull shot and was taken from the field for observation for concussion.
Paceman Riaz continued to have problems bowling no-balls. He overstepped 12 times in his 27 overs. when Lockie Ferguson was the ninth wicket to fall in the 47th over.
Trent Boult, however, survived the last ball of the over and Broom then pushed a single into the covers on the first ball of the 48th to bring up the milestone.
He finished on 109 not out, having hit eight boundaries and three sixes. BANGLADESH Tamim Iqbal c Latham b Southee --------------------------------------- 16 Imrul Kayes c Broom b Southee ----------------------------------------- 59 Sabbir Rahman run out (Williamson/Ronchi) -------------------- 38 Mahmudullah b Ferguson ----------------------------------------------------1 Shakib Al Hasan c Broom b Williamson --------------------------------7 Mosaddek Hossain c Neesham b Williamson -----------------------3 Tanveer Haider st Ronchi b Williamson ---------------------------------2 Nurul Hasan c Ronchi b Boult -------------------------------------------- 24 Mashrafe Mortaza c Williamson b Boult ---------------------------- 17 Taskin Ahmed st Ronchi b Santner ----------------------------------------0 Subashis Roy not out ------------------------------------------------------------1 Extras (b1, lb4, w10, nb1) ------------------------------------------------- 16 Total (all out; 42.4 overs) ----------------------------------------- 184 Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-105, 3-112, 4-128, 5-134, 6-136, 7-141, 8-162, 9-175 Bowling: Boult 8.4-0-26-2, Southee 9-1-33-2, Munro 2-0-120, Ferguson 8-0-53-1, Santner 8-1-20-1, Neesham 2-0-13-0, Williamson 5-0-22-3