- Mohammed Siraj takes four wickets as India A beat New Zealand A in the second Test. Mohammed Siraj dismissed Matthew Boyle and Dean Foxcroft among his four victims as New Zealand A scored 424 in their first innings at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.
- Mohammed Siraj (Photo by Robert Cianflone/) Ace bowler Mohammed Siraj posted figures of 4/118 to help the Kiwis score 424 in their first innings on the third day of the second unofficial Test between India A and New Zealand A at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
- Mukesh Kumar was the standout bowler with 5/87 while Washington Sundar took the remaining wicket to end the New Zealand A innings.
Mohammed Siraj takes four wickets as India A beat New Zealand A in the second Test. Mohammed Siraj dismissed Matthew Boyle and Dean Foxcroft among his four victims as New Zealand A scored 424 in their first innings at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.
Mohammed Siraj (Photo by Robert Cianflone/) Ace bowler Mohammed Siraj posted figures of 4/118 to help the Kiwis score 424 in their first innings on the third day of the second unofficial Test between India A and New Zealand A at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Mukesh Kumar was the standout bowler with 5/87 while Washington Sundar took the remaining wicket to end the New Zealand A innings. Siraj’s four dismissals were spread throughout the innings.
He beat Rhys Mariu early, with Mariu only contributing 4 runs and New Zealand A were 13/3 at the time. The Kiwis then recovered through a strong partnership between Matthew Boyle and Dean Foxcroft, which added over 200 runs and was the most damaging stand of the innings. Siraj broke this partnership by dismissing Foxcroft, who had made 93, with the second new ball.
On the very first throw of Day 3, Siraj dismissed Boyle, who scored 110 to top the score. However, the tenth wicket stand extended proceedings before Siraj dismissed Brett Randell shortly after the lunch break to complete his four-wicket haul. Siraj bowled 35 overs in the innings, underlining the workload he had to bear during the three days at Hagley Oval.
India A, who conceded a 78-run lead in the first innings, were 32/0 in their second innings at stumps on the third day and were still 46 runs behind. How does Siraj’s performance fit into India A’s overall bowling performance? Siraj and Mukesh together accounted for nine of the ten wickets in New Zealand A’s first innings, with Sundar scoring the tenth.
The 200-run Boyle-Foxcroft partnership was the partnership that hurt India A the most and it was Siraj who finally ended it. His 4/118 from 35 overs reflected the sustained effort required on a surface that offered New Zealand A batters enough to reach a total of 424. The four-wicket return was his 23rd in first-class cricket, achieved in his 97th first-class match.
What does this four-iron add to Siraj’s first-class and Test record? Siraj has now taken 329 wickets in first-class cricket, an average of around 27, in total including 10 five-wicket hauls. His 23rd four-wicket haul in Christchurch adds to a record that is steadily being built as he hits triple figures in red-ball cricket.
In Tests, Siraj took 144 wickets in 48 matches at an average of 29.63, a return that included five five-wicket hauls and eight four-wicket hauls for India.
