Cricket Week Recap: From Mayank Agarwal’s Splendid Double Ton to Mohammed Shami's Breathtaking Spell to Karim Janat's All-round Blitz, A look at Finest Individual Performances
Starting from the longest format of the game, India convincingly won the first Test against Bangladesh by an innings and 130 runs. In T20Is, Afghanistan stunned one and all defeated the World T20 Champions 2-1. The T10 League has also witnessed some thrilling clashes and has set a great tone for the tournament.
Cricket and thrill go hand in hand. Fans will agree to this who followed the gentlemen's game in the week gone by. From the five-day format to a 10-over affair, a variety of cricket matches were played in the last few days which proved out to be an absolute treat for the lover of this sport. In the past days, India's two-match Test series went underway. West Indies and Afghanistan locked horns in a three-match T20I series and the Abu Dhabi T10 League 2019 also started. Below we'll be focusing some of the best individual performances from these clashes. India Maul Bangladesh by an Innings and 130 Runs to Extend Home Dominance.
Starting from the longest format of the game, India convincingly won the first Test against Bangladesh by an innings and 130 runs. In T20Is, Afghanistan stunned one and all defeated the World T20 Champions 2-1. The T10 League has also witnessed some thrilling clashes and has set a great tone for the tournament. Along with these matches, some great cricket was also played at domestic as well. The delight of these matches were enhanced by some jaw-dropping spell and some staggering knocks. So, let's put emphasis on five such performances. Rahmanullah Gurbaz Stars As Afghanistan Beat West Indies by 29 Runs in Series Decider, Clinch Series 2–1.
Mayank Agarwal- 243 Against Bangladesh in Indore
The Indian opener was at his prime in the first Test against Bangladesh as he played a sensational knock and completely knocked the opponent out of the contest. On a pitch where the visitors were bundled out of mere 150 runs, Mayank looked on song and scored runs for fun. He went on to register his second double-century in Tests as India mustered 493 in the second innings of the match. Courtesy his efforts, India were not required to bat for the second time and they clinch the encounter by an innings and 150 runs.
Mohammed Shami- 3/27and 4/31 Against Bangladesh in Indore
Another hero of India's victory in the first Test was Mohammed Shami. The pacer took the opposition by storm and dismantled their batting line-ups in both the innings. In the first innings of the match, Shami breathed fire with the new cherry in hand and scalped three wickets. He made the case worse for the Bangla Tigers in the last innings of the match as he scalped a four-fer and put a stamp on India's victory.
Kieron Pollard- 32* & 2/17 Against Afghanistan in Lucknow
The newly appointed West Indies displayed his all-round brilliance in the first T20I of the series and guided his side to victory. Pollard came into bat at number five in the first innings and played a handy came of 32 runs off 22 deliveries which guided the Men in Marron to 164 runs. While defending the target, the all-rounder came good with the bowl too and scalped two wickets. Riding on Pollard's brilliant show, Men in Marron won the match by 30 runs and took a 1-0 lead.
Karim Janat- 26 & 5/11 Against West Indies in Lucknow
Janat has to be the next big thing for Afghanistan cricket as he displayed his potential in the second T20I of the series and helped his side to level the series 1-1. Batting first, Janat was sent at number three and he added 26 valuable runs. However, it was the bowling department where the pacer proved his mettle and scalped five Caribbean wickets. The Calypso Kings blew away by the youngster's all-round display and Afghanistan won the match by 41 runs.
Abhay Negi- 50* Against Mizoram in Mumbai
The right-handed batsman wrecked against Mizoram bowlers and registered the fastest half-century in the history of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Playing for Meghalaya, Negi came into bat at the 18th over and took everyone by storm. The 27-year old plundered two fours and six gigantic sixes to go to his fifty off mere 14 deliveries. He guided his side to 207 in the first innings which proved to be fruitful as Meghalaya won the match by 25 runs.
Entertainment is not going to take any sort of breather from the gentlemen's game as many astonishing clashes are lined up next. In the upcoming days, the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka and England vs New Zealand Test series will commence. Also, India and Bangladesh will lock horns in a historic Day-Night Test match which will be the first-ever for both sides. So, just like this week, a lot of individual brilliance can well be seen in the upcoming days which can provide an impeccable treat to the cricket fans.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2019 09:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).