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Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal batted throughout the day for his unbeaten 179 (Photo: Getty Images)

England battle through day in the dirt

If England’s win in Hyderabad was remarkable, then this long day in the field was more typical of a tour of India. For the tourists to take six wickets perhaps means they had the better of it.

Bar Anderson, this England attack is vastly inexperienced. This was only the second time in Test history that England have had two bowlers – Ahmed and Bashir – under the age of 21.

And yet, England stuck to their task. There was the occasional bad ball and error in the field, but it says much about their spirit they were able to chip away at the other end, while Jaiswal compiled his masterful knock.

Perhaps mindful of the wasteful way they batted in the first innings in Hyderabad, India ground it out, often below three runs an over. One wonders how England might have approached their batting in such conditions.

The pitch currently seems true, with the potential to deteriorate quickly later in the match. When England come to bat, they must make their first innings count.

Ultimately, India were indebted to Jaiswal and, even despite his knock, England could yet run through the lower order and then bat well enough to earn a first-innings lead.

Latest step on Jaiswal’s rise to superstardom

Jaiswal is the rising star of Indian cricket, one with a backstory to match his incredible talent. At the age of 12 he moved to Mumbai to further his cricket and sold street food to get by.

Spotted by a coach playing at one of the famous maidans, he was set on a course to be player of the tournament at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, after which he signed a huge deal to play for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

Now he is illuminating the Test format. This was his second hundred in only his sixth Test, laced with handsome strokes through the off side. Two of his five sixes were glorious lofts over extra cover and another, over long-on off Tom Hartley, took Jaiswal to three figures.

Bar a flurry of 41 runs off 30 balls in the run-up to his century, Jaiswal’s scoring was measured. He added 90 with Shreyas Iyer and 70 with debutant Rajat Patidar. Joe Root, at slip, got fingertips on flashing edges when Jaiswal had 73 and 155.

When Axar somehow cut Bashir to point deep into the evening session, England had the opportunity to make it their day.

KS Bharat arrived and attacked but he too fell to a loose one from Ahmed, leaving Ravichandran Ashwin to support Jaiswal to the close. (BBC Sport)

Xavier Bartlett and a classy all-round display from Cameron Green guided Australia to a comfortable eight-wicket win in the opening ODI at the MCG.

Bartlett tore through West Indies’ top order to finish with 4-17, the second-best figures on ODI debut for Australia behind current selector Tony Dodemaide, while Green claimed 2-40 and then made 77 not out in his first innings at No. 3 in ODI cricket to showcase his immense all-round talent.

Josh Inglis also made a blistering 43-ball 65, while Steven Smith made an unassuming unbeaten run-a-ball 79 as Australia mowed down West Indies’ under-par total of 231, which was underpinned by a career-best 88 from Keacy Carty and 59 from Roston Chase.

It was Bartlett’s spell that set up the win. The 25-year-old Queenslander and Lance Morris became the first debutants for Australia to open the bowling together in an ODI since 2016, and just the third pair since 1975.

Bartlett claimed a wicket with his third ball in ODI cricket, clipping the top of Justin Greaves’ off stump with a magical outswinger.

He should have had a second three balls later as he hooped an inswinger into Alick Athanaze’s front pad but the umpire thought it was shaping down and Smith opted not to review it. The ball-tracking projection suggested the ball was smashing the top of leg stump.

It did not cost Bartlett though, as he showcased the new-ball skills he displayed in the BBL, swerving one the other way across Athanaze to scratch his outside edge. Later, in his six-over spell with the new ball, he shaped another outswinger away from the right-handed Shai Hope to catch a thick edge, which was well-pouched by Matt Short at slip.

Xavier Bartlett (left) took a wicket in his first over on debut, and Keacy Carty topscored with 88 for West Indies (Photos: Getty Images)

He had figures of 3-10 with a maiden after his opening spell. He later returned to pick up his fourth wicket with the first ball of the 48th over but could not grab a fifth as Sean Abbott finished the innings in the 49th over.

After Bartlett’s burst, West Indies slumped to 59-4 when Green picked up the first of his two wickets. But Carty and Chase steadied the ship with an impressive century stand.

Carty deserved a century of his own. Having passed his highest ODI score after losing Chase, he was 12 runs shy when Hayden Walsh Jr. called him through for a kamikaze single to cover and Abbott produced a direct hit with Carty miles short of his ground.

It was a cruel end for Carty after playing so well. Walsh squatted low at the other end hoping for the ground to swallow him up, knowing fully well he had barbequed Carty trying to get off strike.

Carty took a particular shining to the extra pace of Morris, producing two jaw-dropping flicks for six over backward square. He was also savage when Australia’s new firebrand overpitched, thumping several of his 140kph-plus offerings back down the ground.

Morris’ debut was far less eye-catching than Bartlett’s as he conceded 59 from his 10 overs without claiming a wicket.

While Carty took on the pace, Chase attacked the spin striking four of his seven boundaries off Adam Zampa. He bravely swept and pulled off the stumps, and profited as a result. But it would later bring about his downfall at a critical moment. He was bowled around his legs trying to sweep Zampa off middle stump, having gone across too far and completely misjudged the length.

Australia could have wrapped the innings up a little sooner but some sloppy errors allowed West Indies to drag on. Travis Head dropped a sitter in the deep to deny Green a third wicket before Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne both fluffed easy run outs.

Australia’s chase got off to a horror start with Head falling in Matthew Forde’s opening over for just 4, after bagging a pair in the second Test in Brisbane.

But any hope West Indies might have had of reproducing their Gabba heroics evaporated in less than ten overs as Inglis smashed a 28-ball half-century to whisk the game away. Opening for just the second time in ODIs, having also tested positive for Covid on Thursday, Inglis smoked ten fours and a six in a statement innings.

Anything fractionally short from Forde and Oshane Thomas was hammered, including a huge six over square leg. He also produced some stunning drives down the ground. He fell trying to reverse-sweep Gudakesh Motie.

But his whirlwind knock allowed Green all the time in the world to settle, and after a sluggish start, he got flowing with two massive sixes off Motie and Romario Shepherd.

Green benefitted from Smith’s calm influence at the other end. On another day, he might have felt more pressure to up the ante with higher-risk strokeplay, but the stand-in skipper was happy to cruise to the total without any unnecessary acceleration. They picked off the spinners in a calm century stand to guide Australia home with 11.3 overs to spare. (ESPNcricinfo)

Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton and Minister of Education Priya Manickchand both said the proposed strike action is not legal since the stages of engagements have not been completed.

According to Hamilton, engagements between the Ministry of Education and the GTU on the proposed Multi-Year Agreement that includes salary increases have not broken down, so by law, the Union cannot call for the Labour Ministry to intervene in an arbitration process.

And if that cannot be done, he said an industrial action now would not be legal.

Manickchand, also during an engagement with reporters on Wednesday, said GTU officials met with Education Ministry officials that same day to hammer out proposed measures to reduce teachers’ workload in schools.

Changes initiated and implemented by the Ministry for the benefit of teachers include:

1. The removal of the Child Development Index Card (CDIC) as a required school document.
2. The removal of the General Scheme of Work as a curriculum document.
3. The weekly preparation of lesson plans rather than daily.
4. All trained teachers being eligible to be a Senior Assistant Master/Mistress after 6 years rather than 7.
5. 50 duty free teachers per year PLUS the granting of a duty-free concession to all senior teachers who have 3 years left to serve and have not received a concession previously.
6. All teachers being provided termly with grants to purchase teaching materials.
7. All CPCE pre-service trainees being paid $90 000 rather than a $10 000 stipend per month except a trainee teacher refuses same.
8. The Ministry of Education requested the Teaching Service Commission and the School Board

Secretariat to do 2 senior promotion cycles per year so that more teachers can be promoted and earn a higher salary.

9. A general waiver letter to allow teachers to travel abroad without collateral.
10. The issuance of one waiver letter to cover the teacher’s contracted period.
11. The holders of the Technical Teachers’ Certificate as being appointed as Assistant Master/Mistress.
12. The creation of more senior vacancies in nursery, primary and secondary schools.
13. The reduction in teaching periods for secondary teachers.
14. The assignment of an assistant teacher to senior teachers in primary and nursery schools.
15. The appointment of floating teachers to schools to reduce the workload and substitute for teachers who are absent.
16. The implementation of the EMIS system which will eliminate most aspects of manual record keeping.
17. An Open Day policy which is held centrally and regionally to address teachers’ concerns.
18. The appointment and upgrade of all teachers who attended UG without official release and permission before, during and after the COVID – 19 pandemic.
19. A reduction in the number of teaching practice for CPCE teachers.
20. The institution of a digitalized senior promotion process.
21. A simplification in the Teacher Upgrade Process after improved qualifications.
22. The substitution of the head teachers’ monthly report with a reduced digital version.
23. A waiver for the issuance of the permanent trained teachers’ certificate.
24. The placement of guidance and counselling officers in secondary schools to assist with the disruptive behaviour of students.
25. The continuous placement of a data entry clerks in each school to assist with digital record keeping.
26. The removal of the quota system to attend UG.
27. The introduction of a Teacher Support Unit within the Ministry of Education.

Evan Pettus, U.S. Air Force Southern Commander