West Indies' Kemar Roach celebrates taking the wicket of England's Alastair Cook during their first cricket Test match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua, Monday. — Reuters
NORTH SOUND, antigua and barbuda — England struggled to 49 for three at lunch on the first day of the first Test in Antigua as West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin was rewarded for his decision to make the tourists bat. Ramdin chose to bowl after winning the toss, raising some eyebrows, but while his hope for significant movement off the surface at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium proved unfounded his seamers got the early breakthroughs he was hoping for. Jonathan Trott, returning to Test cricket for the first time since quitting the 2013-14 Ashes Tour with stress related problems, went in the first over. Trott, winning his 50th cap, edged a good delivery from Jerome Taylor to Darren Bravo who pocketed the straightforward catch at slip. Skipper Alastair Cook made 11 before he was bowled by Kemar Roach, getting an inside edge on a delivery that cut back. The West Indies opening pair bowled a consistent full length and tight line, making it tough for England's batsmen but it was a wider ball from Jason Holder that removed number three Garry Balance. The Zimbabwean-born batsman reached at Holder's full delivery and flashed a high catch to Bravo who again captured it gleefully. A patient Ian Bell (10) and Joe Root (11) saw England through to lunch without further loss after what was a very encouraging session for new West Indies coach Phil Simmons. Hyderabad crushes RCB Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) cruised to a comfortable eight-wicket win with 16 balls to spare as it chased the 167-run target set by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League encounter in Bangalore Monday. Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul were unbeaten on 50 and 39, respectively, with skipper David Warner top-scoring for the side and paving the way for a victory with a whirlwind 27-ball 57. Royal Challengers were restricted to 166 in 19.5 overs, with Trent Boult grabbing three wickets for 36 runs to emerge the pick among the bowlers. AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli scored 46 and 41, respectively. Brief scores: RCB 166 in 19.5 overs (Virat Kohli 41, AB de Villiers 46; Trent Boult 3 for 36) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 172 for 2 in 17.2 overs (David Warner 57, Shikhar Dhawan 50, KL Rahul 44; Yuzvendra Chahal 2 for 28) by 8 wickets. — Agencies
