With bat-tossing and flamboyant sixes, Rishabh Pant thrills during England-India cricket test
One of the wildest innings in test cricket from India star Rishabh Pant came to a suitably extraordinary end against England at Edgbaston on Saturday.
Attempting to pull offspinner Shoaib Bashir for six, Pant miscued his shot while also letting go of his bat, which flew toward midwicket — close to England fielder Brydon Carse. Meanwhile, the ball looped high in the air and into the deep on the offside where it was caught by Ben Duckett.
Carse collected the bat and returned it to Pant, who walked off to an ovation after an incident-packed knock of 63 off 58 balls just after lunch on Day 4 of the second test in Birmingham.
'An extraordinary innings,' said former England captain Mike Atherton, who was calling the match for British broadcaster Sky Sports. 'And it was an extraordinary end.'
Pant, one of the most flamboyant batters in world cricket, brought the kind of chaos rarely seen in the often-sedate test format in an innings containing eight fours and three sixes.
Off just his fourth ball faced, Pant advanced down the track and smashed England pacer Josh Tongue for a straight six. There was a flick for another maximum off his hips and a shovel shot over the field for four that ended with Pant rolling on the ground in the crease.
He was also dropped twice — by Zak Crawley and Chris Woakes — either side of his first bat-throwing episode just before lunch when, on 41, he went for a pull shot, missed the ball and released his bat.
It flew about 20 meters into the leg side — again missing any England fielders — and sparked laughter on and off the field.
He did it again hours later, but this time he wasn't so lucky after connecting with the ball.
By the time he was dismissed, Pant had reached a half-century in a test for the 10th time against England.
___
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Australian pitches will challenge England
Australian pitches will provide a different challenge for England's batters in this winter's Ashes, says Steve Smith. The first Ashes Test begins in Perth on 21 November, a highly-anticipated series after the thrilling draw in 2023, with England looking to regain the urn for the first time since 2015. Former captain Smith, who is representing Welsh Fire in this year's Hundred, averages 56.01 in Tests against England but is expecting a tougher challenge for batters this time around. "Their batters are going to be challenged a little bit differently to the wickets they have had over in England for a while, which have looked pretty flat and good for batting," Smith told BBC Sport. "The wickets in Australia in the last three or four years have been very tricky for top order batters. It is going to be a good challenge for them. "But it's going to be a wonderful series. I have been watching the India and England series and there has been some great cricket played there, so I think the Ashes this year is going to be an absolute belter." Smith, 36, also said the respective pace attacks were the strength for both teams. Australia's top order struggled in the recent series against West Indies on bowler-friendly surfaces where the highest team total was 286 across three Tests. And despite plenty of recent chat around Mitchell Starc, 35, Josh Hazlewood, 34, and Scott Boland, 36, coming to the end of their Test careers, the three combined to skittle West Indies for just 27 earlier this month - a performance so dominant that their skipper and fellow quick Pat Cummins did not bowl an over in the innings. However, Smith has also noted a change of approach from England in comparison to the 2023 series which was only a year into Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum's time in charge. "They have started to play a little bit differently in the last couple of weeks in terms of playing the situation, as opposed to going out and trying to be the entertainers that they said they wanted to be," Smith added. "They are actually trying to win the games now which is perhaps different to what was said in their comments previously." The Hundred to help Olympic ambitions Smith was originally signed by Welsh Fire for the first edition of The Hundred in 2020, but the tournament was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But he says playing in the competition is on his "bucket list" as he focuses on playing more franchise cricket around the world in order to regain his place in Australia's T20 side and to play in the Olympics. The Los Angeles Games in 2028 will see cricket featured for the first time since 1900. "I decided to stop playing one-day cricket so I can play more franchises, with the aim to make the Olympic team," Smith said. "So to play more shorter-form tournaments around the world is only going to be beneficial. "It has been a long run for me and I have been doing this a long time. I am still enjoying it and particularly the shorter formats, and want to keep putting my name out there." The Hundred starts on 5 August with a double header between London Spirit and Oval Invincibles, while Welsh Fire take on Northern Superchargers in their first game two days later. Get cricket news sent straight to your phone
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Arsenal completes signing of Spain U21 defender Cristhian Mosquera
LONDON — Cristhian Mosquera became Arsenal's fifth signing of the off season on Thursday after completing a move from Valencia. The Spain Under 21 defender cost a reported 13 million pounds ($17.5 million) and signed a five-year deal with the option of a further 12 months. 'We identified Cristhian as one of the strongest young defenders in European football, and he is an important signing for our future,' Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta said.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jannik Sinner, Ralph Lauren, Rolex Generated the Highest Media Value at Wimbledon
SINNER, WINNER: The 2025 Wimbledon Championships may have ended Sunday, but their impact continues online. According to data from Launchmetrics, the data research and insights company for fashion, luxury and beauty, the tennis tournament had a media impact value of $1.1 billion, a 23 percent increase from last year's championships. More from WWD Tom Sachs' Nike Mars Yard 3.0 Will Require You to Participate in 'Summer Camp' Challenges to Purchase Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella Names Ludivine Pont CEO Why CEO Pay Is Always Moving Higher in Fashion - and Corporate America Ralph Lauren, Wimbledon's official outfitter since 2006, topped the list with the highest media value of all the brands present — $22.5 million — a 20 percent increase year-on-year. The American brand hosted luncheons in its suite and dressed celebrities ranging from Andrew Garfield to Monica Barbaro and Olivia Rodrigo throughout the two weeks of the tournament. Kate Middleton also made the cut. Her attendance at Wimbledon generated $36 million in media impact value. Her custom Self-Portrait dress alone had a media impact value of $918,000, boosting the brand's presence by 17 percent when compared to data from the same period last year. Jannik Sinner, the Italian tennis player who ranks as the world number one, and who won the men's singles title, was also a winner off-court. He generated a total of $9.1 million in media impact value. Some $4.7 million of that came from Rolex after he lifted the Wimbledon trophy wearing the brand's Cosmograph Daytona. Some $4.4 million came from Nike, for which he's been an ambassador since 2019. According to Launchmetrics, Sinner's Instagram post of him holding the Wimbledon trophy was the top-performing placement overall for the tournament. His single post, where he tagged Rolex and Nike, generated $1.4 million in media impact value and has accumulated 1.8 million likes so far. The tennis star is also a Gucci ambassador and throughout the tournament carried his Gucci duffel bag onto the grass court generating $525,000 in media impact value. In another report, from WeArisma, an influencer analytics company, Gucci ranked fourth for earned media value, bringing in $571,300. The Italian brand stayed under the radar with its activations during the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, but in the lead up to the sporting event Gucci hosted a dinner with Sinner that was attended by Paul Mescal, Erin Doherty, Fionn O'Shea, Joe Keery, Naomi Ackie and George MacKay. The Gucci store on New Bond Street changed its window display to a tennis theme to showcase their tennis line, which includes a collaboration with the American tennis racket brand Head. Best of WWD Fashion Meets Cinema: Jaws 50th Anniversary and Calvin Klein Spring 2019 RTW Show Retro Glamour: Giorgio Di Sant'Angelo's Summer 1973 Chic Straw Hat Statement The Story Behind Jackie Kennedy's Cartier Watch: A Royal Gift With 'Traces and Clues of Her Life' Revealed Solve the daily Crossword
