Rachin Ravindra scored a century as New Zealand ‘A’ declared on 308 for 3 on the opening day of their three-day match against the West Indies at the John Davies Oval in Queenstown, New Zealand on Thursday.  The West Indies then lost the wicket of John Campbell before the close of play with the West Indies still 291 runs behind. After winning the toss and choosing to bat, New Zealand crept to 43 in 16 overs before Will Young was caught down the leg side for 27 trying to pull a short one from Chemar Holder. The dismissal brought Henry Nichols to the crease where he and Ravindra mounted a second-wicket stand of 160, putting the Caribbean bowlers to the sword. After a slow start, Ravindra grew in confidence, scoring 112 from 187 balls in a knock that included 10 fours and two sixes. Nichols proved to be a solid partner hitting eight fours before Raymon Reifer had him caught behind by Joshua DaSilva for a well-played 76. It was soon 227 for 3 as Ravindra was eventually caught by Kemar Roach after pulling Alzarri Joseph to deep backward square leg. Devon Conway was on 46 and Joe Carter, 41, when Captain Cole McConchie called the declaration after 79 overs. Reifer was the best of the West Indies bowlers with 1 for 29 from his seven overs with Holder taking 1 for 58 and Josephs 1 for 55. Campbell was dismissed for 4 playing on trying to pull Blair Tickner, whose previous delivery he had hit to the boundary. However, Kraigg Brathwaite remained unbeaten on two and Darren Bravo, 8, as the West Indies got to the close on 17 for 1.

Photo: indiatoday.in

The Hero Caribbean Premier League – CPL realized an incredible 67% increase in television, streaming and digital viewership in 2020, reaching 523.5 million viewers and passing half a billion for the first time in the history of the tournament. The research was independently compiled by YouGov Sport, a division of SMG Insight one of the world’s largest and most respected research firms. The Hero CPL has long been regarded as one of the premier events in world cricket and this leap in viewership indicates how popular the tournament has become in all corners of the globe.

Key drivers include a big linear viewership increase in India of 81% to over 74.9 million, growth by 62% in the UK, as well as significant increases across the Caribbean, South Africa and in other key markets in Asia. The innovative Hero CPL social media channels also helped drive this year’s audience growth with engaging content being produced both during and outside of the tournament with all the major social media platforms showing significant advances in audience engagement levels.

Hero’s CPL’s CEO, Peter Russell was elated with the growth as he realizes the tournament has grown in stature and reputation every year. They are delighted with the linear television and streaming numbers as well as the fantastic growth they are seeing across their digital channels. Thus, they are excited about their upcoming plans for 2021, making their content even more accessible and engaging.

Photo: myvuenews.com

Brazil, despite the absence of Neymar, maintained their 100 percent record in the World Cup Qualifiers as they cruised past Uruguay 2-0. Both of their goals were scored in the first half from the boots of Arthur and Richarlison. Brazil, though missing a number of players through COVID-19 were too strong for their opponents who have not beaten them since 2001. The resultant win was the fourth in a row for the Brazilians who now head the table. In the day’s earlier game, six different players got on the score sheet as Ecuador defeated Colombia their second successive heavy defeat 6-1.

Elsewhere, Venezuela picked up their first points of the competition as they got past Chile with a 2-1 victory. The top four teams in the group qualify automatically for Qatar 2022 and the fifth placed side goes off into an inter regional playoff.

Photo: fifaworldcupnews.com