The three-match ODI series between India and Australia was level 1-1 after the hosts won the first game in Mumbai, while the visitors hit back to clinch the second one in Visakhapatnam. Team India bundled out Australia for 188 in the first match and chased down the target with five wickets in hand. In the second game, the Aussies bundled India out for 117 in 26 overs and then gunned down the target in 11 overs, with all 10 wickets in hand.
In the second Test of the New Zealand-Sri Lanka series at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, the Kiwis humbled the island nation by an innings and 58 runs. Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls struck double hundreds. Sri Lanka put up a fight in their second innings after being bowled out cheaply in the first, but it wasn’t enough.
In the South Africa vs West Indies ODI series, the Proteas went down to the Windies by 48 runs at Buffalo Park in East London. Shai Hope scored 128 for West Indies, while Temba Bavuma hammered 144, but Hope won the battle of captains. Also, Bangladesh completed a 3-0 drubbing of England by registering a 16-run win in the third T20I at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. Here’s a recap of records for the week March 13-19.
India, Australia break multiple records in first two ODIs
India bowled out Australia for 188 in 35.4 overs in the first one-dayer at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. This is a new record for the least number of overs taken by an Indian team to bowl out Australia in ODIs. The earlier record was when they had bowled out the Aussies for 181 in 35.5 overs in Indore in 2001. Australia’s score of 188 is also their third-lowest one-day total against India in India.
During the first one-dayer, under pressure India batter KL Rahul top-scored for the team with an unbeaten 75. With his knock, he became the Indian cricketer with the second-most runs after the first 50 ODI innings. After 50 innings in the one-day format, Rahul was on 1,945 runs. Only Shikhar Dhawan (2,049 runs) is above Rahul in the list. Rahul beat Virat Kohli’s record, who scored 1,919 runs in his first 50 innings.
In the second one-dayer in Visakhapatnam, Australia humbled India and inflicted a 10-wicket hammering on them. The hosts were bowled out for 117 in 26 overs after which the Aussies chased down the target in 11 overs. India suffered their biggest defeat by margin of balls remaining (234 balls). Their previous worst was against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2019, where the Kiwis chased down a target of 93 with 212 balls to spare.
India’s paltry score of 117 is now their second-lowest team total while batting first at home. India’s lowest-ever is 112 against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala in 2017. India’s total of 117 is also their fourth-lowest total at home in ODIs, their third-lowest against Australia and also lowest ODI total against Australia at home.
In the match, Australia left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc blew India away with figures of 5/53 in eight overs. With it, he registered his ninth five-wicket haul in one-dayers. Starc is now level with another Australian fast-bowling legend Brett Lee on the list of bowlers with most five-fors. Pakistan’s Waqar Younis tops the list with 13, followed by Muttiah Muralitharan with 10. Starc, Lee and Shahid Afridi have nine each, while Lasith Malinga is on eight.
Williamson and Nicholls smash record books with double tons
Veteran New Zealand batter Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls hit double hundreds in the New Zealand’s first innings of the second Test at the Basin Reserve, Wellington. Williamson scored 215, while Nicholls was not out on 200.
Williamson and Nicholls became the first pair to score double hundreds in the same Test match for New Zealand. They are also the first New Zealand pair with more than one triple-century stands. The duo had earlier added 369 runs for the fourth wicket against Pakistan in Christchurch in 2021. The 363-run partnership between Williamson and Nicholls is the fifth-highest for any wicket for New Zealand in Tests.
During the course of his double hundred, Williamson became the first player from New Zealand to complete 8000 Test runs. The former Kiwi skipper now has 41 international hundreds across formats, the most by a batter from New Zealand. With his double hundred, Williamson went past Ross Taylor’s 40 centuries. Williamson now has five Test double hundreds at home. Only Don Bradman (7), Virat Kohli (6) and Kumar Sangakkara (6) have more double tons in home Tests than Williamson. Australian legend Ricky Ponting also registered five.
Shai Hope becomes the fastest to 10 tons in away ODIs
Newly-appointed West Indies ODI captain Shai Hope slammed his 14th one-day ton in the second match of the series against South Africa in East London. He scored 128 off 115 balls with the aid of five fours and seven sixes as the Windies posted 335/8, batting first. With his effort, Hope became the fastest batter to 10 hundreds in away one-dayers. He needed only 37 innings to get there. AB de Villiers (64) Chris Gayle (66), Virat Kohli (67) and Rohit Sharma (100) are below Hope in the list.
Litton Das registers his career-best T20I score
Bangladesh completed a 3-0 hammering of England in the T20I series at home. In the third match in Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, opener Litton Das top-scored with 73 off 57 balls. This is now Das’ career-best T20I score. She smashed 10 fours and a six before being dismissed by Chris Jordan. His previous best was 69 against Pakistan in Christchurch in October 2022. Das (1,482) is 18 runs away from becoming the fifth Bangladesh batter to score 1,500 runs in T20I cricket after Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Tamim Iqbal, and Mushfiqur Rahim.