MAYERS MAKES HISTORY WITH 210 ON DEBUT
Off-spinner comes of age with the prize scalp of Kohli as his wickets put England in charge
GOLDEN ARM Dom Bess does not care whether it is careful planning or just luck as long as he keeps taking wickets to help England.
The off-spinner captured one of the most prized scalps in cricket to open his account in India, thanks to brilliant tactics and his laser-guided execution.
But as special as it was for him to dismiss Indian skipper Virat Kohli for just 11, the 23-year-old was just as animated and excited about his dismissal of Cheteshwar Pujara... thanks to a lucky deflection off Ollie Pope’s shoulder at short leg.
Bess argued bowlers deserve a bit of luck when so much toil goes into taking a wicket.
And when you can have days like the one Jack Leach had in being swatted for five sixes by Rishabh Pant (below, right), who would argue?
But it was the skill and cunning of Bess that shone brightest after he explained to team-mate Rory Burns exactly how he was going to get Kohli out before lunch.
Bess motioned, pushing forward and inside-edging a catch to short leg and after the break, his prediction came true as Kohli lunged at the ball and Pope collected the deflection.
His four wickets left England in a strong position on a day when, after they were all out for 578, India finished on 257-6.
Bess said: “Getting Kohli was particularly special for me.
“It was about sticking to a process and something good coming from that.
“It wasn’t about a magic ball, it was about putting lots of balls in a good area and then something will happen.
“The player and the calibre of who he is, is phenomenal. Kohli is a world-class player, one of the very best.
“So this gives me a huge bit of confidence and this is the best I’ve bowled in Test cricket.”
Bess certainly offered skipper Joe Root control as well as a wicket-taking threat on his way to 4-55.
And when the patient Pujara pulled him into Burns’ hands via Pope, there was no hint of embarrassment at finding a way to break the 119run partnership.
“You know what. It’s out,” said Bess. “I’m not bothered how it comes. The seamers get some down the legside.
“He’s using his feet and he’s done well to pull it but you’re due a bit of luck, aren’t you? That’s cricket.”
With Jofra Archer bringing the early heat to claim the first two wickets of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, England’s bowlers dovetailed to good effect.
But it was the sight of Root flying through the air to take a magic onehanded catch that summed up just how committed the team are to their work.
Root’s back does not normally allow him to move too freely in the field, especially after a long innings.
But he has specifically strengthened the area just so that catches like this might be possible.
England 555-8 (Root 218, Sibley 87 Stokes 82).
D Bess lbw b Bumrah ............ 34 J Leach not out ........................ 14 J M Anderson b Ashwin .......... 1 Extras b7 lb17 w1 nb20 ......... 45 (190.1 overs) ............ 578 1-63, 2-63, 3-263, 4-387, 5-473, 6-477, 7-525, 8-525, 9-567
I Sharma 27-752-2; Bumrah 36-7-84-3; Ashwin 55.1-5-146-3; Nadeem 44-4-167-2; Sundar 26-2-98-0; R Sharma 2-0-7-0
R Sharma c Buttler b Archer6 S Gill c Anderson b Archer .29 C Pujara c Burns b Bess ....... 73 V Kohli c Pope b Bess ............. 11 A Rahane c Root b Bess .......... 1 R Pant c Leach b Bess ........... 91 W Sundar not out ................... 33 R Ashwin not out ...................... 8 b4 lb1 .......................... 5 (74 overs). 257 1-19, 2-44, 3-71, 4-73 5-192, 6-225 Anderson 11-334-0; Archer 16-3-52-2; Stokes 6-1-16-0; Leach 17-2-94-0; Bess 23-5-55-4; Root 1-0-1-0
DEBUTANT Kyle Mayers scored an incredible fourth innings 210 not out to lead West Indies to the fifth highest successful run chase of all-time yesterday. Mayers (above right, with team-mate Joshua Da Silva) and fellow Test first timer Nkrumah Bonner stunned Bangladesh with a partnership of 216, the Windies reaching their target of 395 to win with three wickets and three overs to spare.
His performance evoked memories of Lawrence Rowe, the only other West Indies player to score a double hundred on debut, and
WI v Aus St John’s 2003
SA v Aus Perth 2008 India v WI Port-of-Spain 1976 Aus v Eng Leeds 1948
WI v Ban Chattogram 2021
Gordon Greenidge, the only man to have scored more in a successful fourth innings chase. Both made 214.
But for the 28-year-old Bajan with a modest firstclass record to do it away from home in Chattogram, and with several senior players such as Jason Holder, Roston Chase and Shai Hope pulling out over Covid fears, speaks to his character as well as ability.
“I’m always a positive person,” he said. “I always believe in my abilities and the team, and I always was positive. We never gave up. We always said in the dressing room that we need to keep fighting.
“It’s a great feeling to be playing Test cricket. Then to go on and score a century, and then to make it a double, and then going on to win this Test. A guy making his debut and making a double should inspire all youngsters to work hard and reach this level.”