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India's invincibility under threat as NZ look to complete the impossible
Big picture
India have been here before. It hasn't happened all that often in the recent past, but they've been 1-0 down in a home Test series. It happened against Australia in 2017, and then against England in 2021. Both times, they came back to win the series.
Both those series, however, were four Tests long. India's current generation have never really been in the situation they are in now against New Zealand: 1-0 down at home, with only two Tests to go.
It puts them under immense pressure. Beating India in India remains the toughest challenge in Test cricket today, but away teams over the last two years have been winning Tests here more frequently than they used to. It's a sign, perhaps, of one era transitioning into another, a reminder of the cricketing mortality of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
This doesn't change the fact, however, that India remain overwhelming favourites when the second Test begins on Thursday. New Zealand won in Bengaluru, yes, but they won via the perfect storm brewed up by the weather and a deceptive pitch that led India to make what turned out to be the wrong toss and selection calls for those conditions. New Zealand were themselves poised to make the same toss call had Tom Latham called correctly.
Pune will not be like Bengaluru. India have made every effort possible to restore to this series the one major ingredient it had lacked up to this point: home advantage. The specifics of how the Pune pitch will behave will only become clear when the match begins, but the broad outline is likely to be a lot less help for New Zealand's quicks, and a lot more room for India to maximise the superior skill and control of their spin attack. It won't guarantee the result they want, not against this superb New Zealand side, but whether they win, lose or draw, India will journey to their fate on something like their own terms.
Form guide
India LWWWW (last five Tests, most recent first)
New Zealand WLLLL
In the spotlight - Shubman Gill and Glenn Phillips
Shubman Gill has found a new level as a Test batter since his move to No. 3 last year, averaging 43.23 across 11 matches and scoring three hundreds (https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/1070173.html?class=1;spanmin1=12+jul+2023;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting;view=innings). He got through a regular workload in the nets in the lead-up to the second Test, suggesting he will return to India's line-up after missing the Bengaluru Test with a stiff neck. With Gill back at No. 3, India's batting order will wear a far more settled look, with the names below his back in their natural habitats.
Team news - Sarfaraz vs Rahul, Southee vs O'Rourke?
India have two major decisions to make with regards to their XI. With Gill set to return, they will have to leave out either KL Rahul, who has fairly good returns across a small sample size - a century and two fifties in six Tests - since his middle-order move late last year, and Sarfaraz Khan, who scored a rollicking second-innings hundred in Bengaluru. There's also the question of the second seamer: should Akash Deep, who has looked like a natural in Indian conditions in his brief Test career so far, come in for Mohammed Siraj, whose 13 home Tests have brought him just the 19 wickets at 36.15? A dry pitch is expected to provide ample assistance to the spinners, so India will most likely stick to playing three of them. They have no major reason yet to look beyond the trio of Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav, even if Washington Sundar and Axar Patel make compelling cases as allrounders.
India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 KL Rahul/Sarfaraz Khan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj/Akash Deep.
Despite being 1-0 up, New Zealand may have the more difficult selection to make than India, because it may involve a change in the make-up of their Bengaluru attack. Conditions in Pune are set to be far less conducive to swing and seam bowling, which means New Zealand may have to think of leaving out one of their three quicks - potentially Tim Southee, their ex-captain, or Will O'Rourke, who took seven wickets in Bengaluru - and bring in an extra spinner. This could either be the left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner or the legspinner Ish Sodhi, who has come into the squad with Michael Bracewell released on paternity leave.
New Zealand 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Will Young, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee/Will O'Rourke, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Ajaz Patel.
Pitch and conditions
After losing in entirely un-Indian conditions at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, India have gone to great lengths to prepare a track that theoretically minimises the damage New Zealand's quicks can cause. A slow, low turner is in the offing, and spinners can expect increasing help as the Test match progresses with sunny weather expected on all five days in Pune.
Stats and trivia
- After losing just two home Tests in the ten years from 2013 to 2022, India have lost three in the next two years.
- KL Rahul is 19 runs away from the 3000 mark in Test cricket. Of all batters to have scored at least 3000 runs since his debut, only Mominul Haque and Kraigg Brathwaite have lower averages than Rahul's current figure of 33.87.
- Before 2023, Matt Henry had 53 wickets in 17 Tests at an average of 40.24. Since the start of 2023, he has transformed his Test career, taking 50 wickets in just nine Tests at 21.26.
Quotes
"No, we are not even thinking of giving anyone game time. All we are concentrating on are these two Test matches [against New Zealand]. And these two Test matches are very, very important to us. As important as any other Test match, be it in India or in Australia."
India head coach Gautam Gambhir when asked if India would pick Akash Deep in order to give him game time ahead of the Australia tour
"It's important that we take the focus, the confidence from that [Bengaluru] game, and bring it into this game, but realise that we both start on zero, both teams start on zero tomorrow."
New Zealand captain Tom Latham
Karthik Krishnaswamy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
Harry Brook seeks emphatic response after rare fallow outing in Pakistan
"There was a small patch outside off stump," Sajid explained. "When he faced his first ball, I told Rizi bhai [Mohammad Rizwan] that if he plays like this again, I will get him out." Brook stayed back as Sajid predicted, looking to punch through cover, but was beaten on his inside edge by a ball that kept low and had his leg stump knocked back.
Brendon McCullum, England's coach, smirked after the second Test when he heard Sajid had been revealing his plans to Brook. "Did he? Well bowled," McCullum said. "He is such an exciting cricketer, and such a big player for us as well, and he's trying to put pressure on the opposition Sometimes, when you're doing that, you make mistakes and you get out."
One quiet Test immediately after a triple-hundred is not enough to prompt any long-term concerns, but Brook said on Tuesday that he has been discussing gameplans against Sajid and Noman ahead of this week's decider. "They're obviously both going to play a massive part in their team," he said. "Hopefully, it pays off and I play a big part in the game."
Brook agreed with Sajid's assessment about his preference to play spin off the back foot. "I do like to," he said. "It gives you a lot more time to play the spinning ball. It gives you different areas to play in. I'm not saying I'm not going to do that: I'm going to look to play off the back foot, and I'm going to look to put him under pressure."
It is hardly an issue that has plagued him across his Test career: to date, Brook averages more against spin (67.81) than seam (57.70). But the reason that his twin failures were notable was that, having missed England's tour to India on compassionate leave, this was the first time he had played on a pitch weighted firmly in the spinners' favour.
This has been a long season for Brook: since the start of April, he has played more or less non-stop, with 35 matches across formats including eight Tests, five ODIs as a stand-in captain, and a T20 World Cup. Thursday's Rawalpindi Test will finally bring it to a close, even if he will only have a short break before England travel to New Zealand.
As a three-format player, Brook is growing accustomed to the relentlessness of the international schedule and will soon become used to opponents targeting what they perceive to be potential weaknesses. If he can overcome both pitfalls and maintain his remarkable three-figure average in Pakistan, it will go a long way towards England clinching this series.
New Zealand hope turning Pune pitch will play into their hands
"I guess whatever we're presented with, it's about, for us, trying to adapt as quick as we can; that's something that we can't control with the wicket," Latham said. "So it's about trying to go out there and adapt as quick as we can, and if it's going to be a wicket that turns a little bit more, then we've obviously got four spinners in our line-up, so fingers crossed that will play into their hands, but yeah, as I said, it's about trying to adapt on the run, and try not to go into the game with too many preconceived ideas."
"If it's an extreme wicket, it almost brings us into the game more," Ravindra said. "If you win the toss, all of a sudden you take a couple of wickets and you're right into the game on a wicket that's pretty spicy and turns a lot. As a team, it's about accepting what's in front of us. We can't change that. We can't control what wicket they're going to roll out.
"But we can control our attitude, how we approach it, and each and every position we get into with the bat or consistency with the ball. We're excited for the challenge, whatever it may be."
New Zealand had picked three spinners for the first Test in Bengaluru, but didn't need any of them with the ball in the first innings in seaming conditions. Their workload, however, could be much heavier across both innings in Pune. New Zealand are also open to selecting an extra spinner in place of a seamer if the conditions dictate the need for it. Offspin-bowling allrounder Michael Bracewell has returned home for the birth of his second child, but they have other options in Mitchell Santner (left-arm fingerspinner) and Ish Sodhi (wristspinner).
"Yeah, I obviously had a little bit of a think around what that [the playing XI] may look like, but we'll make those final decisions after I speak to you guys, Latham said. "So yeah, as I said, it's just about trying to make sure we adapt as best we can, and try to get a little bit of information from previous games here, and also the practice wickets that we're on will hopefully be something around, or similar to what we're getting, so I think that's the beauty of our team, is trying not to go into the game with too many preconceived ideas, and trying to make sure we adapt as best we can."
"But our attention turned quickly to this game, and we're trying not to, I guess, rest on what happened last week, as trying to take the confidence from last week, and take that into this game, and hopefully hit the ground running."
Raducanu out of Hong Kong Open despite 'progress'
World number 55 Emma Raducanu says she is making "good progress" in her recovery from a foot injury, despite pulling out of another tournament.
The 21-year-old Briton announced on Wednesday that she would not feature at the Hong Kong Open, which is set to start on 28 October.
Raducanu has not played since spraining ligaments in her foot during a Korea Open quarter-final against Daria Kasatkina on 21 September.
The former US Open champion has now pulled out of five tournaments in a row and has played in only two events since July.
"Whilst my foot is making good progress, I need a little more time before I am match fit," Raducanu wrote on X. , external
"I hope to be able to come back and play this tournament in the future."
Raducanu is aiming to return to fitness for the Billie Jean King Cup finals which take place in Malaga from 13-20 November, with Britain's first game against Germany on 15 November.
World Table Tennis For Health Festival Launches Today with Record Participation in France
The ITTF Foundations World Table Tennis For Health Festival is set to begin today in Maizières-lès-Metz, France, marking a significant milestone with unprecedented participation numbers. The opening ceremony on October 23rd will launch what promises to be the most inclusive and extensive festival to date, with a record-breaking 156 players from 25 Member Associations ready to participate.
This years festival, hosted by the Maizières-lès-Metz Table Tennis Club in collaboration with the Moselle Departmental Committee and the Grand Est Table Tennis League, benefits from the valuable support of the French Table Tennis Federation (FFTT). The event will showcase the growing global recognition of table tennis as a powerful tool for health and wellness. The record-breaking participation numbers demonstrate the increasing awareness of table tenniss therapeutic benefits and its potential to improve quality of life across diverse communities.
For those unable to attend in person, the festival will extend its reach through the second edition of the World Table Tennis For Health Congress, scheduled for October 25th and 26th. The virtual congress offers an opportunity for healthcare professionals, coaches, and enthusiasts worldwide to engage with experts and share knowledge about table tenniss health benefits. Registration remains open for interested participants.
ITTF also encourages the global table tennis community to support the World Parkinsons Table Tennis Championships through the ITTF Foundations Global Giving campaign. This initiative aims to expand access to table tennis as a therapeutic tool for individuals living with Parkinsons disease.
Stay updated with the latest festival developments and outcomes through the ITTF Foundations social media channels and website. The foundation continues to demonstrate how table tennis can serve as a powerful vehicle for health promotion and community building.
For more information:
Register for the World Table Tennis For Health Congress: here
View the Congress Programme: here
Support the Global Giving campaign: here
How the NHL pulled off its new goal simulation animations -- and what comes next
In an overtime game against the Philadelphia Flyers recently, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid flew into the zone on a breakaway, shot the puck off the post, recovered it and passed over to a streaking Leon Draisaitl for the winning goal.
Fans could watch a video clip of that goal, but the NHL's official website offers a different way to process the play: a "goal simulation" animation.
McDavid is a small dark circle with 97 on it, being defended by orange circles with corresponding jersey numbers to the Flyers. The puck is a black speck. One can track Draisaitl's journey from his own zone to the winning goal -- and Travis Sanheim's inability to catch up to him -- including what happened outside the frame of the television cameras.
Finally, in the cheekiest part of the simulation, a series of quickly multiplying Oilers "dots" appear on the ice, as Edmonton players hop over the boards to celebrate the win and mob Draisaitl.
"People kind of discovered it organically," said Russ Levine, group vice president of statistics & information for the NHL. "They're finding unique things or little viral moments, and that has been rewarding. That's what we hoped fans would discover."
The "goal simulations" are created through the NHL's puck- and player-tracking technology, which collects data and tracks the movements of every player on the ice and the puck itself.
"We think it allows you to see a play in a different way. You can see the spacing, player positioning, gaps or lack thereof in a way that's very stark and different from a broadcast view because it's two dimensional and straight over the top," Levine said. "We think it's a really unique, quick way to review a play and see it in a different light."
HOCKEY IS A SPORT of constant motion. Levine said this presentation of scoring plays allows fans to see how every part of that offensive chance develops.
"I think we're always searching for things that will help fans better understand what's happening on the ice," he said. "Puck and player tracking is a way to take this very chaotic game -- with live substitutions, players hopping on and off the ice and the best players playing a third of the game -- and finding new ways to quantify performance or evaluate what happens on a play."
But the goal simulations also have an old-school charm. Seeing plays develop into digitized shots and passes conjures memories of early hockey video games, too.
"The nostalgia for that era of video games seems to be never-ending," Levine said. "And I do think you're right: It's simple, and it looks kind of like those early games."
The NHL first started developing puck- and player-tracking technology in 2013, using several different variations of infrared and optical tracking systems. In 2019, the NHL and NHLPA announced that players would wear sensors inside their uniforms that, when combined with a chip located inside the puck, would capture real-time data ranging from speed to distance to mapping locations on the ice. There's also an optical tracking component that validates that data "within a few milliseconds," according to the league, which renamed its tracking technology NHL Edge.
Over the years, the league has learned how to handle some of the challenges to ensuring NHL Edge's accuracy. Sometimes arenas move things around to obscure the sightlines of the cameras, which is part of the league's game-night checklist for system calibration. Sometimes a chip goes out or gets knocked out of a player's gear, so the league works with equipment managers to ensure they're on the case.
"There's some technical challenges, maintenance, and then there's just some real life events that happen in games where things have to be corrected in a hurry to make sure we're accurately capturing everything," Levine explained.
Once captured, one of the uses for that data was through the SAP NHL Coaching Insights App, available to coaches and players on the bench during games via tablets. Levine said that's where the goal simulations first showed up in 2022, as a way for teams to clip and analyze how plays developed. Known as "Virtual Replay" on the app, where full games are available, the NHL says its coaches have responded positively to it.
"They've appreciated the amount of tactical focus the view provides, along with the ability to see an accurate portrayal of width and depth on the playing surface that the traditional red line camera can skew," said Brant Berglund, senior director of coaching and GM applications for the NHL. "They've also used it in video rooms and on the bench for various play reviews and coaching purposes."
But the league believed that NHL Edge data could also be used to entertain and educate fans. It started working with a company called Beyond Sports to develop real-time digital recreations of NHL games in virtual reality and platforms such as Roblox.
Things took a giant leap forward in 2023 when the NHL and Disney worked together to create the Big City Greens Classic, which combined the NHL Edge location mapping with live, real-time volumetric animations of players and teams modeled after characters on the Emmy Award-winning show "Big City Greens." As the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers played a game at Madison Square Garden, animated players mimicked their movements -- under the watchful eye of a chicken in a referee shirt.
Incremental improvements were made last season for the Big City Greens Classic 2, with the Boston Bruins playing against the Pittsburgh Penguins:
THE NHL EDGE goal simulation animations are decidedly more low tech than the Big City Greens Classic, and that's by design: While there's inherent entertainment value in watching little circles race around the ice, the goal is more educational and analytical.
"It's the same underlying data: multiple position points per second that can be translated, whether it's in a virtual broadcast featuring Disney characters or O's on a ring plot," Levine said. "There's a lot of different uses for it that we can imagine in the future."
The league decided to add "goal simulations" this season as part of a larger overhaul of NHL.com's game presentations. After the NHL sold its stake in MLB Advanced Media to Disney in 2021, the league eventually began running its official website in-house. The league wanted to integrate more content into its box scores, including from its tracking data. Levine said starting with a commonplace event, like a goal, made the most sense.
"The thought was, 'What can we add that will immediately sort of benefit the fan experience?' Those six-plus goal events a game are the most important bits of data we have," he said. "The idea is to just show people a clear view of what's happening on a goal."
The NHLPA signed off on player tracking years ago. Despite goal simulations occasionally putting the spotlight on players who negatively impact a play, Levine said he hasn't heard of any pushback from the players, and doesn't anticipate any.
"I don't think there's any risk of an exposure of a player-performance issue in moving dots that wouldn't be exposed by television," he said.
The next evolution for the goal simulations is to allow fans to share the clips on social media.
"That's something we're working on. I think the response we've seen on social from people reacting to them on the site indicates there is an interest in it," Levine said. "It's kind of a different way to look at a goal. There can be sort of viral aspects of some of these goals. We're excited to see what fans will do with it when we're able to make them completely shareable."
Yamal admits he had 'nerves' before first Clásico
Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has said he had some nerves before making his first Clásico appearance against Real Madrid last season ahead of this weekend's showdown between LaLiga's top two (live on ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET).
Yamal, who was still 16 at the time, came off the bench in the 76th minute at the Olympic Stadium as Barça were beaten 2-1 by Madrid last October.
The 17-year-old's rise to the top of the game for club and country over the last year has been marked by his cool-headedness, but he said there was some tension when it came to facing Los Blancos for the first time.
"I have never been nervous in a game to be honest, but when I came on for my Clásico debut, there were some nerves," he told LaLiga World ahead of Saturday's match at the Bernabéu.
"I saw the faces of the opponents and how good they were. And just as I was coming on, there were a few nerves, but when I got on that was it, I forgot about everything. I played and I enjoyed it.
"You see the quality there is in these matches. In the end, they are decided by the small details. Clásicos are always special. It is the Clásico and we all want to win it."
Yamal's career has gone from strength to strength since then. He helped Spain win the European Championship in the summer and has already made over 60 appearances for Barça's first team.
During that time he has broken various records for precocity, becoming the youngest goal scorer for Barça and Spain, while also breaking several appearance and goal-scoring records at the Euros.
"I don't usually think about it much, but now that I am saying it, yes, there are many things that make you very happy and I hope there are more to come," he added of all his records.
As a result of his performances, his public profile in Spain has soared, with his No.19 Barcelona shirt one of the club's biggest sellers.
"I was already more or less aware of it when I made my debut, but this summer was the boom I think because now you go to the airport and you see people wearing my shirt," he said.
"You go around Barcelona and there are a lot of people [wearing my shirt]. My mum tells me that when she takes my brother to school, they are at the bus stop with the typical posters and I am on them. I am living a dream."
Yamal's next challenge is to leave his mark on the Clásico, where he is expected to come up against Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy as Barça look to increase their three-point lead at the top of the table.
He leads LaLiga in attempted take ons this season with 82 -- 10 more than the second-ranked Vinícius Júnior -- and will look to grow that number by running at Mendy this weekend.
"This year, when I receive the ball, I feel the crowd start to shout and that really motivates me," he said.
"I just look at the full-back and I go for him with everything. It's a feeling I have never had before. It's as if my mum's in front of me telling me to go at the opponent. I can't describe the feeling, but it's incredible.
"I do whatever I feel is right in the moment. In the end, I go up against my marker and it's like my legs do things on their own sometimes. I don't think about what I am going to do."
Vinícius on Madrid future: Want to stay 'forever'
Vinícius Júnior has made the declaration that he wants to stay at Real Madrid "forever" amid ongoing reports linking him with a move to Saudi Pro League.
The Brazil forward, who is the favourite to lift the Ballon d'Or award on Oct. 28, has been the subject of interest from Saudi clubs.
Sources told ESPN in August that Vinícius would wait until the end of this season before deciding whether to pursue a move away from Madrid.
However, after scoring a second-half hat trick in Madrid's 5-2 comeback victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday, he made clear his desire to remain at the club if possible.
"I'm still only 24," Vinícius said. "I want to stay here forever and contribute as much as possible to this team, which has given me everything since I arrived here."
The hat trick against Dortmund was his first in the Champions League, although Vinícius played down his heroics.
"[Real Madrid coach Carlo] Ancelotti told me to keep it up, that I can always do more," he said. "But we have to improve and play like this from the off, otherwise the coach won't be able to take it.
"This is our competition and we want to win it again."
Vinícius scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions last season for LaLiga champions Madrid, including his team's second goal when they won the Champions League final win against Dortmund in June.
Lucas Vázquez, who captained Madrid on Tuesday, hailed Vinícius' latest showing.
"Vini Jr. had an unbelievable second half," Vázquez said. "It's one to show the kids so they understand how football should be played, with that intensity and the hunger to go after the goals. He's shown yet again that he's the most decisive player in the world, he had an unbelievable second half."
Madrid director Emilio Butragueño applauded Vinícius and compared him to Brazil legend Pelé.
Asked about Vinicius' third goal against Dortmund, the former Spain forward said: "It reminded me of Pele. It is a magnificent goal. The way he ran, the way he faked to dribble past the defender. A magnificent goal. For those of us that love football, it justifies you coming here to the Bernabéu [Stadium] and that a player can offer that play that provokes a lot of emotion, including admiration."
Meanwhile, Vinícius is looking forward to LaLiga's Clásico against Barcelona on Saturday.
Madrid are three points behind league leaders Barça.
"We're going all out," Vinícius said. "It's on home turf with our fans. We're going to fight for everything this season, as always."
Madrid or Baku to host '27 Champions League final
UEFA has confirmed that Madrid or Baku will stage the 2027 Champions League final after the capital cities of Spain and Azerbaijan stepped in to replace Milan as host of the showpiece fixture.
Having stripped Milan of the hosting rights last month due to the Italian city's failure to deliver assurances that the San Siro -- home stadium of AC Milan and Inter Milan -- would be in a fit state to stage the game due to possible reconstruction work, UEFA re-opened the bidding process for the right to provide the venue for the biggest club game in European football and two cities -- Madrid and Azerbaijan -- have now applied to UEFA to host the 2027 final.
Madrid's Estadio Metropolitano, the home of Atletico Madrid, has been submitted by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) as a potential venue. The Metropolitano has previously staged one Champions League final in 2019, when Liverpool defeated Tottenham to win the competition for a sixth time.
Real Madrid's Bernabéu has also staged the European Cup or Champions League final on four occasions -- the most recent in 2010.
Azerbaijan has never staged a Champions League final and would be easternmost venue in the competition's history. Baku's Olympic Stadium, Azerbaijan's submission for the 2027 final, staged games at Euro 2020 and also hosted the 2019 Europa League final when Chelsea defeated Arsenal to lift the trophy.
UEFA will announce the confirmed venue in May 2025. Munich's Allianz Arena (2025) and Budapest's Puskas Arena (2026) have already been confirmed as host stadiums for the next two Champions League finals.
Meanwhile, Warsaw's National Stadium, Barcelona's Camp Nou, St. Jakob Park in Basel, Switzerland, and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff have all submitted bids to host the 2027 Women's Champions League final.
Hilton Cartwright makes hospital run for baby's birth before helping WA win
Cartwright had expected to get through the match with his wife Tameka only 37 weeks pregnant. But just as he arrived at the WACA ground before day two, Tameka called him and said she would need to be induced due to complications.
They worked out a plan and agreed that she would be induced at around 3.30pm, so that Cartwright could dash from the ground at the tea break. He gave the heads up to WA coach Adam Voges, who was "extremely supportive".
"I was going to be leaving at tea, regardless of whether I was in, out or we were still bowling," Cartwright told reporters after the match.
"My mind was probably a bit elsewhere," he said. "The only thing I was really thinking about was getting through to tea to give myself an opportunity and the team an opportunity for me to bat later, or for someone to bat later after me."
After Tameka gave birth to their second child early on Tuesday, Cartwright managed just one hour of sleep before fronting up for day three of the match. He was able to resume his innings at the fall of a wicket after Tasmania had agreed as per the rules.
Cartwright gave the thumbs up to Tasmania skipper Jordan Silk on his way to the crease, but was understandably scratchy and managed only a further 13 runs before holing out.
Having mostly survived the day through adrenaline and caffeine, Cartwright finally crashed later at the hospital and had some desperately needed sleep.
With a little bit more energy, Cartwright played a starring role on the final day and scored a vital 39 not out from 50 balls to combine with Josh Inglis as WA overcame a top-order collapse to run down the 83-run target with six wickets in hand.
But tensions boiled over on-field with Cartwright and Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald engaged in a war of words. They had a long exchange while shaking hands just after the match.
"It was just clearing some air that I think might have got a bit misjudged while we were out there and we were able to clear what happened over the last couple of days," Cartwright said.
Tasmania quick Kieran Elliott said "that's the game, we made our call".
"Without being entirely across what was discussed, if he was out, great result for us. He is obviously a class player," he said. "For him to come back and get a few more away before we eventually got him in that first innings was important for them."
WA skipper Sam Whiteman believed the laws over retiring batters should be re-evaluated.
"It's a pretty unique situation and I think probably the laws of the game need to change a little bit to take the decision off the captains," he said.
"That will be discussed in the post-match, but at the end of the day the right decision was made and credit to Tassie for letting Hilts come back out and bat. That's the right decision for the game of cricket."
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth
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