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In the last two overs he bowled in Kanpur, Chris Jordan stuck to his plan of bowling yorkers throughout. He bowled 10 of his last 12 balls to MS Dhoni and conceded 16 runs off them, a strike rate of 160. What those numbers don’t tell you is that Dhoni struggled to hit eight of those 10 balls cleanly. The moral victory was Jordan’s.This attacking and fearless bowling style makes him a vital cog in England’s pace attack in the limited-overs formats. It was a testimony of how Jordan has become Eoin Morgan’s go-to bowler in the slog overs, either to pick wickets or limit runs, or often both. It was reminiscent of how Jordan had bowled a barrage of yorkers to Pakistan’s tail in his final two overs at Headingley in September, and a few months before that had helped England defend 171 in the World T20 semi-final against Sri Lanka in Delhi.His first spell there read 2-0-16-1. He then returned to bowl with Sri Lanka needing 40 off 24 balls. He walked away with a fine second spell that read 2-0-12-3. It showed why he was rated highly as an end-overs bowler. Jordan, who addressed the media on the eve of the second T20I in Nagpur, was asked of what it takes to succeed in the end overs. He impressed upon the need to remain calm and have self-belief.”Although T20 cricket can be a fast-paced game, I believe at the back-end of the innings you have to give yourself time,” he said. “You have to try and take the sting out of the game, try to keep a very clear mindset especially when guys are trying to hit you over the ropes every single ball. That calmness and that whole notion of trying to give yourself time is something I try to use and luckily it works.”Plans can change literally every ball because you’re trying to stay one step ahead of the batsman every time, and at the back-end of the innings it could be a lot of commotion. You have to try and stay clear and think about simple things and executing them, that’s what I try to do.”‘Calmness, self-belief key to bowling in end-overs’ – Jordan•Getty Images

Jordan’s yorkers have been a fundamental aspect of his end-overs bowling and are something he falls back on when summoned. Jordan said developing the wide yorker too was a result of increasing his variations to keep the batsmen guessing.”It is a skill that I have worked on very, very hard whether it’s in the nets or actually in games,” Jordan said. “Most batsmen obviously want the ball in their arc and if you bowl at the stumps a lot, that’s in their arc so you’re backing yourself to execute the skill anyway. But I find that with that wide yorker, bowling the ball outside the batsman’s arc even when you do bowl there still has to be some precision with it. I find bowling that ball more often than not buys you some dots and time, and helps you get ahead of the batsman and also pick a wicket in the innings.”It came from first and foremost using variations. When I look at death bowling I think you can’t be predictable, you have to use different variations and that doesn’t necessarily have to be pace, it can be line or length and that’s how I developed that ball. So instead of maybe bowling my slower one more often, I use the variation in line and bowl a wide yorker, straight yorker, at the back end of the innings.”Despite this expertise and the role he played in England’s march to the World T20 final last year, Jordan was dropped for the ODIs against Bangladesh, India, and more recently the three ODIs against West Indies in March. His last ODI series was against Pakistan at home, where he produced figures of 2 for 42 from nine overs and 0 for 52 from 7.2. When asked to self-assess why he had been dropped, Jordan said it was about consistency.”You are always disappointed when you have ambition and then do not get selected,” he stated. “Disappointment is an emotion that I think is warranted. I would want to get back into the ODI and the Test team as soon as possible and am working very hard to do that. But obviously, we have a very good set of players, very strong depth. It will be quite tough getting back in, but I don’t think it is beyond me.”Possibly consistency wasn’t as I’d like it to be and I do set my standards very high,” Jordan said of his exclusion. “If I look at it I can say that my consistency at that particular moment wasn’t to the level I wanted it to be but that’s not to discourage or dishearten me. I do still have opportunities and I hope to push my case to make it back.”Jordan will hope he displays more such impressive efforts, the way he did in Kanpur, in the remaining two T20s of the series and stakes a claim for the Champions Trophy in June at home. After the West Indies tour, England are scheduled to play two ODIs against Ireland and three against South Africa – all in May at home. Jordan said he was looking at every game he would play from now as a “chance to impress and a chance to stake a claim”.

Allrounder Chris Morris is set to return to action for the first time in almost six months in when he turns out for his franchise, Titans, in a first-class fixture against Knights that starts on Thursday. Morris, who last played cricket in July last year, suffered a recurrence of a chronic left knee injury and was given a substantial amount of time off to allow for a full recovery.He has not played for South Africa since June’s Caribbean triangular series, after which he played six matches for Surrey in the NatWest T20 Blast. At the time, he was struggling with the knee problem. When it worsened, he could not be considered for the ODI series against Australia in October. Morris was initially expected to be out for two months but did not turn out for Titans during the T20 competition that ended in December.In his absence, Morris has lost ground to Dwaine Pretorius, who was called up as an injury replacement on South Africa’s Test tour of Australia, and Andile Phehlukwayo, who played in the ODIs against Australia. With a Champions Trophy on the horizon, Morris will be eyeing an international comeback soon, at least in the shorter formats.In Durban, Dolphins will have ODI allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo back for their match against Warriors. Phehlukwayo only played one match of the T20 campaign, in which he suffered a groin injury that kept him out of the rest of the tournament. He played two matches for provincial side Kwa-Zulu Natal in December ahead of his franchise return.

Mitchell Starc summed up Australia’s glee about the WACA pitch, and a commanding day one display, after his four wickets had helped spearhead the hosts to an early jump on South Africa in Perth.Though he had scooped plenty of wickets in unhelpful conditions in Sri Lanka before being rested from the South Africa ODI tour, and was then laid up by a deep cut sustained in a training mishap, Starc was evidently delighted to be operating in conditions where all members of the Australian side felt very much at home.”Better than last year,” Starc said – with a grin – of the pitch, following the bore draw with New Zealand in 2015. “There was a bit in it for bowlers throughout the day. We even saw a couple jump off newish cracks towards the end. At the same time, [it is] a really fast outfield and a nice wicket if batsmen get in.”It’s a lot nicer to bowl on than Sri Lanka, that’s for sure. All you’re after is an even contest between bat and ball, and there was something in it [the pitch] throughout the day. If you put the ball in the right areas and made the batsmen play, your catchers were always in the game.”There’ll be enough in it throughout the whole Test match if you’re willing to put the ball in the right area often enough. At the same time, if batsmen get in and want to take the game on, like Davey did tonight, there’s plenty of runs out there. You couldn’t ask for more from the opening day of the summer.”The wound Sarc had sustained is still open and requires daily cleaning, and he did not quite hit full pace across 18.4 overs. Nevertheless, his peak speed, just shy of 150kph, was slippery enough when allied to the bounce and pace on offer. “I’m still trying to get some of that rhythm and smoothness back,” he said, “but to get through 18-and-a-half overs for the day felt good. My speeds were reading okay as well, so personally I was happy with the role I played.”We bowled really well in partnerships for most of the day. There were stages where we bowled a little bit too short or a little bit too full, where they got away and batted well with a couple of partnerships. But to bowl South Africa out for under 250 was a pretty good day for the bowlers.”Helping too, was a fielding display far sharper than those in Sri Lanka. Mitchell Marsh plucked a sharp chance in the first over, before his brother Shaun later snaffled a stunner at short leg off Nathan Lyon. The ground fielding was also impressive, making South Africa work for every run.”There’s been a little bit made of our fielding,” Starc said. “We always put a lot of work into that, and to hang onto some tough chances from the very first over probably lifted the boys a bit as well.”The day was rounded off by David Warner’s acceleration, something Starc was able to enjoy from the vantage point of a dressing room far more relaxed at stumps than it had been in the morning.”The way he can change the game with his little flourish of runs is where he does so well for us,” Starc said. “To be none for 100 with Shaun Marsh building a solid partnership with Davey is fantastic for the team.”

New Zealand allrounder Mitchell Santner has been ruled out of the first Test against Pakistan after fracturing his right wrist while training for a domestic game. He was struck on the wrist while at practice for Northern Districts, ahead of their Plunket Shield – New Zealand’s domestic first-class tournament – game against Canterbury.In a release, New Zealand Cricket said an x-ray revealed the fracture, which also put him in doubt for the second Test. The two-Test series begins in Christchurch on November 17, with the second match due to begin on November 25 in Hamilton.”After such a strong tour of India, it’s really disappointing for Mitch to pick up this injury ahead of the first match of the home summer,” coach Mike Hesson said. “We’re unsure whether Mitch will be available for the second Test at this stage, but we’ll be monitoring his recovery closely and look forward to having him back.”Santner’s left-arm spin had proved to be very effective during the three-Test series in India. He finished the visitors’ joint-highest wicket-taker with fast bowler Trent Boult, taking 10 wickets in a series which they lost 3-0. Following the closely-contested ODIs, which they lost 3-2, where Santner was the most economical of New Zealand’s bowlers, captain Kane Williamson tagged him the standout performer of the tour.”He has been outstanding. Although conditions are favourable to spinners here there are a lot of spinners who come here and struggle,” Williamson had said. “Mitch has performed day in and day out. His change of pace and his ability to spin the ball was a great asset to have. Not to mention his batting and his fielding as well.”New Zealand have yet to name their squad for the Pakistan series.

ScorecardDaniel Hughes retired hurt after being struck on the helmet by a bouncer•Getty Images

Nic Maddinson produced a mature and patient innings to steer New South Wales into the Matador Cup final on an evening when history was made by the use of cricket’s first concussion substitute. Set 243 for victory against Victoria, the Blues were only five runs from their target when heavy rain forced play to be called off, their winning margin thus ending up as 31 runs via Duckworth-Lewis.The chase had started well for New South Wales, whose openers Daniel Hughes and Ed Cowan put on 38 before Hughes was struck on the helmet when he tried to pull a bouncer from Peter Siddle. Hughes was accompanied from the field by Dr John Orchard and after undergoing concussion tests, he was ruled out of the match and New South Wales activated their concussion substitute.Under Cricket Australia’s playing conditions this summer, a concussion substitute is available in men’s and women’s domestic one-day and T20 games, but not in Sheffield Shield games after the ICC rejected the idea for first-class cricket. Once a concussed player has been ruled out the team can make a “like-for-like” replacement, and the substitute can bat, bowl and field as if he started in the XI.New South Wales named Nick Larkin as the mid-match replacement for Hughes, and Larkin was just walking to the crease to begin what would have been a historic innings when the rain arrived at Drummoyne Oval and play was called off. The Blues had just lost 3 for 2 in ten deliveries to give Victoria the faintest sliver of hope, but the weather had the final say.Cowan made 64 from 87 deliveries before he was caught behind off the gloves trying to hook Scott Boland, but Moises Henriques then joined Maddinson for a 46-run stand. Henriques was bowled by Jon Holland for 27 and Kurtis Patterson added 28 before he chopped on off the bowling of Siddle to begin the late mini-collapse.But Maddinson and his batting colleagues had done enough to book a place in Sunday’s final with Queensland. Maddinson played a restrained innings by his standards, striking just four fours and two sixes on his way to 86 from 98 deliveries, turning the strike over and ensuring New South Wales did not falter in their chase.Maddinson eventually fell, bowled by Glenn Maxwell as the rain started, and four balls later Maxwell trapped Ryan Carters lbw for a duck, which would have brought Larkin to the crease. But New South Wales were saved from having to find the final five runs – and from any potential further wobbles – by the rain.Earlier, Henriques had won the toss and sent Victoria in to bat, and Pat Cummins began well by bowling Cameron White for 4. But Aaron Finch was in ominous form, striking seven fours and two sixes on his way to 51 from 36 deliveries when Doug Bollinger made the key breakthrough, bowling Finch and preventing a possible blowout.Victoria had contributions from Daniel Christian (38), Maxwell (38) and Matthew Wade (41), but did not quite manage to bat out their overs as they were dismissed for 242 in the 50th over. Cummins finished with 3 for 46, while Bollinger and Trent Copeland each claimed two wickets, but the Man of the Match was Josh Hazlewood for his miserly 10-over spell of 2 for 35.The Victorians were without fast bowler John Hastings, who has been sidelined for four to six weeks after breaking his left index finger during catching practice on Thursday.

Northamptonshire members will vote at an Extraordinary General Meeting this evening on plans to change the ownership structure of the club.The club’s directors have proposed a resolution that would see members cede control of the club in favour of a limited company, NCCC Holdings. The directors say such a move is necessary to encourage much-needed investment in the club. They require 75 per cent of the vote to see the resolution passed. Proxy votes have been accepted, but there is no facility for postal voting.Northants has sunk heavily into debt in recent seasons. As well as two separate loans of around £1m each to the local council, it is also understood that several hundreds of thousands of pounds have been lent by directors at interest rates of up to 7%. While the club have yet to reveal the identity of the potential new investors (and there is some doubt as to whether some of the money would be ‘new’ or involve existing debt being transferred to share options), they have suggested they are hoping to raise around £1m.Existing club members will also have the opportunity to buy shares with a minimum subscription of £250. Those that decline can continue to purchase season tickets, but will no longer be entitled to vote at club meetings. They will be allowed to elect a representative to the board, but the board will be able to veto this representative if they deem them unsuitable.One of the chief concerns of members will be the plans of new investors for the county ground in its town-centre location. ESPNcricinfo has previously revealed that the club not only had the Wantage Road site valued, but had plans drawn up for a new ground on the outskirts of town. With planning permission, the ground was estimated to be worth around £12m (without planning permission, it was worth around £4.5m), though costs for a new ground were estimated to be around £15m. Several members of the Northants board have a background in property development. The ESPNcricinfo story was originally denied by the club but confirmed by the council.Club directors hope that hastily amended articles of association – there have been three drafts in the last week or so – will win over the doubters. Whereas, as recently as Monday morning, the articles of association stated that the new company “may not sell” the ground, they allowed several potential caveats. Among them was the requirement that the company “acquire an interest in a replacement site … or to repay the debts or to satisfy other obligations of the company … or to repay monies actually received by the company by way of share subscriptions (and a reasonably [sic] rate of return on those share subscriptions).”The new articles of association state that “The company may not itself redevelop, sell, grant a long lease, or otherwise voluntarily allow the ownership of the whole or a material part of the freehold of the County Ground to pass out of the ownership or control of both the company and NCCC Limited in a manner which is detrimental to the continuance of professional cricket at the County Ground without both: a special resolution of the shareholders; and in addition a special resolution of those Season Ticket Holders who cast their vote at an AGM.”The amendments were made after the intervention of former Wisden editor, Matthew Engel. As a long-time supporter of the club, he expressed concern in the original wording (“There is absolutely no protection for the ground,” he told BBC Northampton last week. “There is nothing stopping them turning it into a cheese factory”) and helped the club re-draft the relevant section. He remains undecided, though, and has told ESPNcricinfo he will attend the meeting unsure which way he will vote.The vote has a wider significance given the on-going debate into the future structure of domestic T20 cricket in England and Wales. Whereas a members’ club might be expected to resist marginalisation by a new premier competition, a shareholder-run company – a company that may pay dividends and look for a monetary return on its investment – might be expected to take a more pecuniary stance.Whatever Northants’ financial struggles, the club continues to contribute to the overall strength of English cricket on the pitch. As well as winning the NatWest T20 Blast competition for the second time in four years a few weeks ago, Northants has also helped produced several high-class players (not least David Willey, Ben Duckett and Olly Stone) who could go on to enjoy long international careers.

The ECB delegation left Dhaka on Saturday evening with its host hopeful of England’s tour of Bangladesh going ahead as scheduled in October. The delegation inspected venues in Mirpur, Chittagong and Fatullah, giving special attention to detail when looking at the venues and hotels in Mirpur and Chittagong. The three-member delegation also had meetings with intelligence agencies and BCB officials in Dhaka, and were shown the security plan for the tour at the home ministry.A top official at the home ministry said the delegation was happy with the plan. The BCB, however, refrained from any overly confident statements before hearing from its English counterpart.The delegation included the ECB’s security advisor Reg Dickason, Professional Cricketers’ Association chief executive David Leatherdale and the ECB’s director of cricket operations John Carr, and arrived in Bangladesh after completing a venue inspection for England’s tour of India later in the year.The BCB’s media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said: “We will know whether it was a positive tour for them when they report back to the ECB. They will decide only then. They visited all the hotels and ground facilities, and were briefed about security.”There’s no time frame, and we won’t put any pressure. They took everything quite seriously here, and spoke to nearly everyone, including the country’s security intelligence. They were given a detailed security plan at the home ministry.”England’s tour of Bangladesh is scheduled to begin on September 30, and includes three ODIs and two Tests.Yunus also said that Bangladesh’s top government officials were aware of the developments, but did not comment on whether government-to-government contact had been established regarding the tour. The need for such an assurance from the Bangladesh government towards the UK is being discussed as a necessity, given the July 1 attack in Dhaka.England’s tour is set to be the maiden bilateral Test and ODI series in Bangladesh this year. So far this year, international cricket in Bangladesh has included the Under-19 World Cup, T20Is against Zimbabwe, and the Asia Cup.

Harmanpreet Kaur became the first India Women’s cricketer to be signed by an overseas Twenty20 franchise after inking a deal with the WBBL champions Sydney Thunder for the 2016-17 season.The confirmation on Saturday ends speculation that began with Anurag Thakur, the BCCI president, announcing in June that Harmanpreet had sealed the deal.”We are delighted to secure a player of the calibre of Harmanpreet,” Nick Cummins, the Sydney Thunder’s general manager, said on Saturday. “She was on the top of our target list, and we are very pleased that the BCCI has released her to play in Australia.”Sydney Thunder prides itself on being an innovator in Australian cricket, so it is a real fillip for the club to have signed the first Indian international to play Big Bash cricket in Australia.”Harmanpreet, India Women’s vice-captain, is said to have received an offer from three teams – including the Sydney Sixers, the runners-up in the inaugural season – before zeroing in on the Thunder.With a cap of two overseas players allowed in the playing XI of each side, Harmanpreet said her interest in the Thunder was driven by her desire to get significant match time. Currently, Stafanie Taylor, West Indies Women’s World T20-winning captain, is the only other overseas professional on their roster.”It’s a great feeling” Harmanpreet was quoted as saying in a press release. “The WBBL is a great platform for women’s cricketers. Being the first player from my country to sign a contract for a BBL club is one of my best moments.”I was looking at a franchise where I would have opportunities to showcase my talent. That’s why I was keen on Sydney Thunder. My aim is to serve my team to win the WBBL title for the second time in a row. Playing with the best players against the best players is always a great feeling. I would definitely learn a lot of things from them all.”Harmanpreet, 27, has featured in 118 internationals across formats, and impressed during India’s tour of Australia in January, when she made a 31-ball 46 to help India record their highest-ever T20 chase. She was one of India’s better performers in a disappointing World T20 campaign at home in March-April.

ScorecardSam Hain was one of several batsmen to flourish•Getty Images

A slow, flat pitch and a full day lost to rain were heavy factors against this match producing a positive result, much to the frustration of both sides for differing reasons, Warwickshire needing one to keep up with Middlesex and Lancashire in a breakaway group at the top of Division One, Hampshire to jump ahead of Surrey and Nottinghamshire at the other end.Yet it was a worthwhile exercise for Warwickshire in particular, who were able to watch the precociously talented Sam Hain emerge from a long run of frustratingly low scores in Championship cricket with his first century in almost a year, which he turned into his second highest score for the county.Ultimately holing out for 135 as Warwickshire tried – in vain, as it turned out – to claim a fifth batting point, Hain hit 16 fours and one six, the maximum – a pull backward of square off Gareth Berg – being the shot that took him to three figures.Hain’s first full season playing white-ball cricket has brought significant scores in both T20 and the 50-over game but as an illustration of the extent to which runs have eluded him until now in the four-day game, he accumulated more in this one innings than in his previous 11 this season.Afterwards, he described his struggle to rediscover his form as a new experience but one he had learned from.”I’ve never been in this situation before so to come out and get a few runs today is nice,” he said. “I couldn’t really get my head round what was happening but I talked to some of the older boys to try to get a bit of help because it is quite tough when you are young and I’ve learned a lot from it.”When you are in a run of low scores you start to turn up wondering whether you will play or not. I thought I might have missed out this game, so I’m grateful to Ian Bell and Dougie Brown for keeping faith in me.”I don’t think I have been as nervous before in red ball cricket and I still feel it a work in progress. There are a few technical things I need to work on but for me it has been more a mental thing and so I’ve tried to get back to working on my processes rather than looking at the outcomes.”Given that he has seven Championship hundreds to his name already – including a double – it is easy to lose sight of how young he is. He is not 21 until this Saturday.Warwickshire believe they have in Hain a future England player with a considerable career ahead him and director of cricket Brown reaffirmed his faith in him while admitting he was not far from being left out.”We discussed how long you persevere with a young player with such exceptional talent and we were probably getting close to that point,” he said.”But everyone goes through it. Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott in our dressing room, Alastair Cook, Jacques Kallis – very fine players who have all gone through periods where they are short of form and confidence”There was no doubt Sam was going to come good at some stage, the question was when and thankfully we have seen him play exceptionally well in this game. Conditions were in his favour and it might be more testing, say, at Headingley in a couple of weeks’ time.”We strongly believe he has a bright future in the game and we wanted to give him that extended run. Now that he has got a really good hundred hopefully he kicks on from there.”The other plus point from Warwickshire’s view point was a century from Tim Ambrose, his first of the season after three consecutive fifties, which reinforced Brown’s optimism about his side’s title challenge.”Yorkshire got away from everyone last year but no one has this time and we are in a good position,” he said. “The side that wins will be the one that produces the strong finish to the season and we have a lot of guys in pretty good touch and as a team we know we are playing well.”Hampshire’s wicketkeeper, Lewis McManus, standing up to Gareth Berg, executed a smart stumping to remove Trott and the young legspinner, Mason Crane, made a good impression in conditions that did not particularly help him. He was rewarded when Ambrose and Hain holed out within the space of four balls during Warwickshire’s chase for batting points.Having been 312-4 after 100 overs, Warwickshire added 86 in the final 10 yet Crane kept his discipline well. Rikki Clarke lofted a six off Liam Dawson from the penultimate delivery before handshakes were exchanged after the 110th over was completed.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJasprit Bumrah took 4 for 22, his second four-for in two matches•Associated Press

Zimbabwe consumed 32 overs in establishing a foundation, only for it to come tumbling down when they lost four wickets in four balls. India didn’t lose those many over the series, which they took 3-0 as MS Dhoni equalled Allan Border’s record of 107 wins to become the second most-successful ODI captain behind Ricky Ponting.The gulf in skill between the two sides was extremely stark. While one struggled to find a batsman who could produce a substantial innings, the other had rookies contributing heavily. KL Rahul, the first Indian ever to score a hundred on debut, made an unbeaten 63 on Wednesday. The 30-year old Faiz Fazal, the oldest Indian ODI debutant in 16 years, celebrated the occasion by hitting 55 off 61 balls and sealing the victory with an imperious pull for four.There were 169 balls and 10 wickets remaining when India breezed past a target of 124. The three wickets they did give up to secure the whitewash was the fewest any team had lost in a three-match series.Zimbabwe had won the toss and opted to bat on a pitch that was hard, true and excellent for strokeplay. Yet their top order bored the home crowd by playing 81 dots in the first 102 balls before the first drinks break. And it seemed like that was the plan. They wanted to save wickets, only to lose four in four balls. They hoped to make up for the dilly-dallying in the later overs, only to be bowled out with 7.4 overs to spare. Forget India, even irony was thumping Zimbabwe.Jasprit Bumrah lit the fuse for the hosts’ latest implosion. He hit the deck and hustled the Zimbabwe batsmen for pace. Zimbabwe were 102 for 3 when he began the 33rd over, then 104 for 7 in the 34th, and 19 runs later, all out. Bumrah finished with 4 for 22, his second four-for in three ODIs.Timycen Maruma, playing his first ODI in nearly two years, was the first to go in the collapse. He was too slow bringing his bat down and Bumrah had his off stump cartwheeling. Next, the 22-year old fast bowler showed he could get the ball to straighten too and had Elton Chigumbura caught behind for his second successive golden duck. It was MS Dhoni’s 350th dismissal in ODIs. That wicket ended the 33rd over.Off the first ball of the next one, Malcolm Waller dabbed Axar Patel into the covers and set off for what should have been a straightforward single. Except Richmond Mutumbami didn’t see it that way and sold his partner down the river. Captain Graeme Cremer was handed a golden duck as well when he played back to the left-arm spinner’s arm ball.Until those few minutes, the match was going along at a sleepy pace. Chamu Chibhabha and Vusi Sibanda refused to take even the slightest risk. The eighth over ended with a glorious, on-the-up cover drive. The ninth began with an off drive that screamed intent. But besides that the two batsmen did precious little to push the Indian bowlers. The next boundary did not come until the 25th over, after that partnership of 36 runs in 88 balls had been broken.Perhaps Zimbabwe were dissuaded from strokeplay by what had happened to Hamilton Masakadza. His wild slash in the sixth over settled in the hands of Rahul at first slip. Sibanda could have been caught for a duck in the next one had Yuzvendra Chahal not grassed a skier at midwicket. Worried by the amount of chances India were creating, Zimbabwe simply shut down in the first half of their innings.But that played into India’s hands. Axar was finishing an over in almost 60 seconds and Chahal was bowling with great deal of control and guile. He mixed his pace and his length – but never his line, that stayed firmly on middle and off. He tossed the ball up, but the revs he put on it ensured it would always dip before batsman’s front foot could reach it. Sibanda was worked over in this manner – sucked forward and, because of the drift inward, tempted into playing with the closed face. The leading edge was taken and Chahal completed the catch.Bumrah took care of the last specialist batsman Mutumbami with another ball that straightened off the seam in the 35th over. The tailenders Donald Tiripano, Neville Madziva and Tawanda Mupariwa couldn’t mount a fight either and were back on the field for the second innings before the lunch break.