Star India pacer Arshdeep Singh on Thursday brought out his footballing skills to get rid of a hard-hitting Bevon Jacobs in the first T20I against New Zealand, as a soft nudge from the pacer found the Kiwi short of the crease as the ball hit the stumps.
On the third delivery of the 18th over, Arshdeep nailed a yorker on off stump. Glenn Phillips managed to get his bat down in time, while Jacobs, at the non-striker’s end, called for a quick but risky single.
Jacobs sprinted towards the crease and dived in an attempt to make his ground, but Arshdeep closed in, collected the ball and kicked it back onto the stumps.
Arshdeep’s football skills came to the fore as he kicked the ball onto the stumps, catching Jacobs short of his ground with the batter’s
bat in the air. It was a crucial breakthrough in the closing stages of the innings, with Jacobs well set at the crease.
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Jacobs played a valuable innings for New Zealand, smashing 31 off just 16 deliveries at a strike rate of 193.75, with his knock featuring three sixes.
Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips unleashed a brutal assault as New Zealand piled up 225/8 against India in the first T20I in Christchurch, exposing the visitors’ continued struggles with the ball.
Without ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, India’s bowling attack once again lacked bite as Allen (45 off 24 balls) and Phillips (82 not out off 40) tore into the visitors.
It was the joint-highest total against India and also New Zealand’s highest on home soil.
There was early swing on offer, but the New Zealand openers negated that threat before slaying the opposition.
