South Africa beat Pakistan in tense finish to enter Test championship final
South Africa tailenders Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen have hung in against relentless fast bowler Mohammad Abbas for a tense two-wicket win in the first Test in Centurion to seal the Proteas’ place in next year’s World Test Championship (WTC) final. Jansen (16 not out) overshadowed Abbas’s brilliant figures of 6-54 on Sunday with a square driven boundary against the fast bowler as South Africa reached 150-8 just after lunch on Day 4 and escaped with a close win in the opener of the two-match series. “Quite an emotional moment for me, good advert for Test cricket,” said South Africa captain Temba Bavuma, who made 40. “We haven’t been ruthless but have found a way to ensure the result was on our side. Lot of joy and happiness on our side, a bit of a roller-coaster, glad that we were able to get the result.”
Bavuma credits the Proteas for finding ways to get the job done
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma attributed it to the mentality and attitude of the players that landed the Proteas a chance to add a silverware next June in the World Test Championship Final at Lord’s. Kagiso Rabad and Marco Jansen pulled off a ninth-wicket heist in the first Test against Pakistan to guide the home side to a thrilling two-wicket win. Post the game, an emotional Temba Bavuma opened up on what it meant to the Proteas to make it to another final. “Still a bit surreal. I don’t know if I’ll be able to put my feelings and emotions into words. Looking at the guys in the changing room, families being there enjoying the moment with us. I think it shows what it means and why we do what we do. “It is a big win. Not just for myself. But for the coaches. The way we started our campaign against India. We were not given much of a chance. We were not ruthless. But we kept finding ways.
Bavuma’s in the toilet, Conrad and co are up in smoke, SA in WTC final
Temba Bavuma was, in his own words, “hiding and sulking in the toilet”. Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada and Shukri Conrad were out the back having a smoke, fretting, trying to calm their nerves, and plotting what to do. South Africa had only Jansen, Rabada and Dane Paterson left to score the 32 runs they still needed to beat Pakistan and nail down a place in the WTC final at Lord’s in June. The home side’s chances, which were when they resumed needing 121 more runs with seven wickets in hand, seemed to be in the same place as Bavuma. And about to be flushed. But, half-an-hour after Lunch, Jansen nudged and Rabada hammered South Africa home with an unbeaten stand of 51 off 50. Bavuma had banished himself to the bathroom after being caught behind in the wake of his ragged drive off Mohammad Abbas, the Pakistani dangerman who took a career-best 6/54.
Shahidi 179* keeps Afghanistan strong on rain-curtailed day
Rain had the final say on the fourth day in Bulawayo as only 31 overs were possible with the first of two Tests between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan headed to a draw. Zimbabwe managed to end the mammoth 364-run third-wicket partnership between Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi – both of whom batted the entire third day – with the former falling on 234. He added just three runs to his overnight score before left-arm quick Newman Nyamhuri, on debut, managed to have him caught at gully. Shahidi was still batting on 179 while Afsar Zazai was in sights of his maiden Test half-century, finishing unbeaten on 46 as the pair added an unbroken 87 for the fourth wicket. Rahmat fell in the second over of the day, when he drove at one far away from his body and edged it to Ben Curran after adding just three to his overnight tally. Nyamhuri bowled it from around the stumps and floated it wide; Rahmat could not resist. That ended what is the eighth-highest third-wicket partnership in men’s Tests.
How has Babar made it? Fans baffled with Bumrah’s absence in T20I Player of the Year nominees
The ICC announced the nominations for the T20I Men’s Cricketer of the Year for 2024 a shortlist of four which had some surprising inclusions as well as omissions. In a year where India had unprecedented success in T20 international matches, losing only two matches all year and winning the World Cup in memorable fashion in the USA and the West Indies, consistent rotations in the team throughout the year meant only one Indian player was nominated for the award.Arshdeep Singh in 18 matches in 2024 took 36 wickets at an average of 13.50 and a strong economy of 7.49, establishing himself as the highest wicket-taker for India in the history of the format enroute. He is India’s sole representative, alongside Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe, Travis Head of Australia, and somewhat surprisingly for many fans, Babar Azam of Pakistan.
Five key matches that propelled South Africa to their maiden ICC World Test Championship Final
The Proteas have had stellar performances in the current WTC cycle, that have secured their spot in next year’s Final at Lord’s With a victory over Pakistan in Centurion, South Africa have secured their place in the ICC World Test Championship final, marking their maiden appearance in the prestigious event, set to take place at Lord’s from June 11, 2025. With the thrilling two-wicket win over Pakistan, South Africa’s PCT in the WTC25 Standings climbed up to 66.67%. Here are five key matches that paved the way for the Proteas’ first appearance in the summit clash. South Africa vs India, 1st Test, Centurion, 2023. South Africa kicked off their World Test Championship campaign in emphatic style with a commanding innings and 32-rn win over India. After opting to bowl first, South Africa proceeded to dismiss India for 245, with Kagiso Rabada leading the charge, claiming a brilliant five-wicket haul.
Rain-marred day sees Afghanistan close in on Zimbabwe
Afghanistan closed in on Zimbabwe’s first-innings total on a rain-hit Day 4 in Bulawayo, with only 31 overs of play possible. The marathon partnership worth 364 between Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi finally came to an end but persistent rain post Lunch meant neither side could force the game forward on an unresponsive pitch as Afghanistan went into Stumps at 515/3, 71 shy of Zimbabwe. Resuming the day at 425/2, the overnight pair could add only three more runs before debutant Newman Nyamhuri bagged his maiden Test wicket after Rahmat drove away from his body and was caught at gully. But Afghanistan made steady progress despite the wicket, as Afsar Zazai joined Shahidi and the pair put on a half-century stand to help Afghanistan past 500.
‘We had the game in our hand’ – Masood calls for more ruthlessness from Pakistan to kill off Tests
Shan Masood lamented “the same mistakes” Pakistan keep making after they slipped to an eighth Test defeat on the trot in South Africa and their seventh in their last nine games. In a topsy-turvy game, the final twist belonged to South Africa as they recovered from an epic collapse that saw them lose four wickets for three runs to record an unbeaten 50-ball 51-run partnership that clinched victory by two wickets, and alongside it a berth in the World Test Championship final. “We had the game in our hand, whether with the bat or the ball,” Masood said. “I don’t have to add anything and sound like a broken record. [I’m] extremely proud of the efforts, but going forward as a team we need to be ruthless. We’ve been competing well in these conditions and I’ve said that before when we played in Australia in similar conditions. We had the game by the scruff of the neck and even here twice, we had them eight down and we thought we were in a reasonable position and even with the bat, when we could have extended our score in both innings.”
Nominees for ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year unveiled
An Indian who starred in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup triumph joins a Zimbabwe ace and two quality batters from Pakistan and Australia in the nominees for the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year. With all-format bowling genius Jasprit Bumrah a selective pick for T20Is given important assignments in Tests and ODIs over the last few years, Arshdeep Singh has taken to and aced in the role of India’s primary pacer in the T20I format. His 36 scalps over the years were the second-best by an India player in Men’s T20Is just one behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 37 wickets in 2022, albeit Arshdeep’s numbers came in merely 18 games as compared to Bhuvi’s 32. He is also the third-best, with 33 scalps in 2022. The seamer has filled in the much-needed left-arm pacer void in the shortest format for the Team in Blue, and was sensational across conditions, starring in key Indian wins at home and in West Indies, Sri Lanka and South Africa.
Contenders for ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year named
A trio of experienced top-order batters from South Africa, Sri Lanka and India highlight the field for the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, alongside an impressive all-rounder from Australia. Wolvaardt commenced the year in a glut as she managed just seven runs from three innings against Australia, but that lack of form didn’t last long as the South Africa captain went on a run-scoring spree in almost every ODI contest that followed that series. A pair of unbeaten centuries against Sri Lanka – including a career-best 184* in Potchefstroom – whet Wolvaardt’s appetite and the 25-year-old then made it three centuries in four matches when she hit 135 against India in Bengaluru in June. Another half-century followed against India, before Wolvaardt finished her 2024 campaign with a trio of good scores against England on home soil in December.
