Bowlers bring India back as New Zealand dismissed for 235 at tea
Christchurch: The deadly combination of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah brought India back in the second Test match, dismissing New Zealand for 235 at tea on day two of the second Test here on Sunday.
Shami (4/81 in 23.1 overs) and Bumrah (3/62 in 22 overs) were brilliant throughout the second day and also got good support from Ravindra Jadeja (2/22 in 10 overs) as India now enjoy a slender seven-run lead.
The visitors had scored 242 in their first innings.
Jadeja took a stunning one-handed airborne catch at deep mid-wicket to end the useful ninth wicket partnership of 51 runs between Kyle Jamieson (49) and Neil Wagner (21) at the stroke of tea.
The New Zealand tail wagged once again and stopped India from having at least a 50-run lead.
Just like the first session, India got five in the second session as Bumrah quickly removed BJ Watling (0) and Tim Southee (0) just after lunch.
Colin de Grandhomme then got a classical left-arm orthodox delivery from Jadeja which pitched on middle and spun away enough to dislodge off-stump.
Wagner and Jamieson then defied the Indian bowlers for nearly 12 overs before a moment of inspiration from Jadeja saw the end of Wagner and Jamieson fell a run short of his maiden Test half-century.
For New Zealand, Tom Latham (52 off 122 balls) scored a gritty half-century but never looked settled since the start of the morning session as Bumrah beat him on multiple occasions.
The pace trio hit the right length from the start with Yadav removing Tom Blundell (30 off 77 balls) with one that came back in with the angle as the bowler went slightly wide off crease.
Bumrah, who was deadly since morning, then removed Kane Williamson (3). The New Zealand skipper was caught in two minds to a delivery that jagged back and took the outside edge when he went for a half-hearted jab.
Ross Taylor (15) lost his patience and stepped out to hit Jadeja against the turn and the ball ballooned towards backward point with Yadav taking a well-judged catch.
Shami, who has been off-colour in this tour so far, was finally back in the mix when he deceived Latham with a classic.
The left-hander was prodding to the away going deliveries and the wily speedster got one to move in. The opener shouldered his arms, not factoring in the late movement which disturbed the stumps.
Shami then got the jittery Henry Nicholls (14) with a delivery that bounced a shade more and the thick edge was taken superbly by a diving Virat Kohli at second slip.
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Los Angeles county wildfires could be costliest in US history, early estimates say
Los Angeles, Jan 11: The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but already are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history.
The devastating blazes have killed at least 11 people and incinerated more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday, laying waste to entire neighbourhoods once home to multimillion-dollar properties.
While it's still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the US, according to various estimates.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at USD 225 billion to USD 250 billion.
“This will be the costliest wildfire in California modern history and also very likely the costliest wildfire in US modern history, because of the fires occurring in the densely populated areas around Los Angeles with some of the highest-valued real estate in the country,” said Jonathan Porter, the private firm's chief meteorologist.
AccuWeather factors in a multitude of variables in its estimates, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as immediate and long-term health care costs, lost wages and supply chain interruptions.
The insurance broker Aon PLC also said Friday that the LA County wildfires will likely end up being the costliest in US history, although it did not issue an estimate. Aon ranks a wildfire known as the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 as the costliest in US history up to now at USD 12.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes.
The LA County wildfires, which were fuelled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and an extreme drought, remained largely uncontained Saturday. That means the final tally of losses from the blazes is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 per cent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather's Porter said.
In a report Friday, Moody's also concluded that the wildfires would prove to be the costliest in US history, specifically because they have ripped through densely populated areas with higher-end properties.
While the state is no stranger to major wildfires, they have generally been concentrated in inland areas that are not densely populated. That's led to less destruction per acre, and in damage to less expensive homes, Moody's noted.
That's far from the case this time, with one of the largest conflagrations destroying thousands of properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars and executives with multimillion-dollar properties. Already, numerous celebrities have lost homes to the fires.
“The scale and intensity of the blazes, combined with their geographic footprint, suggest a staggering price tag, both in terms of the human cost and the economic toll,” Moody's analysts wrote. The report did not include a preliminary cost estimate of the wildfire damage.
It could be several months before a concrete tally of the financial losses from the wildfires will be possible.
“We're in the very early stages of this disaster,” Porter said.
