Tag: South Africa

PORT OF SPAIN: Alick Athanaze played a fighting knock to help West Indies secure a draw on the final day of the first Test against South Africa at Queen’s Park Oval.

On a rain-effected fifth day, while chasing a target of 298 runs, the hosts found themselves struggling at 64-3.

However, Athanaze played a brilliant 92-run knock, during which he added a crucial 65 runs for the fifth wicket with Jason Holder to force the draw.

Athanaze fell prey to Keshav Maharaj in the dying moments of the first of the two-match Test series, while Holder remained unbeaten at 31.

West Indies scored 201-5 before both teams agreed to settle for the draw. Maharaj led the bowling for South Africa with 4-88, while Kagiso Rabada picked one.

Maharaj praised Athanaze for his knock after the end of the game.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“It was just about dragging the length back and trying to exploit the rough outside his off-stump,” said player of the match Maharaj in explaining his plan to claim Athanaze’s wicket.

“Full credit must go to him though for the way he played. I just tried to stick to my plans and utilise different angles from the crease.”

Earlier in the day, Tristan Stubbs played a quick innings of 68 runs from 50 balls, while Tony de Zorzi scored 45 to steer South Africa to 173-3 before captain Temba Bavuma declared the innings.

“We expected the wicket to break up a little more than it did,” Bavuma said after the match. “In the end, we just didn’t have enough time, plus the elements got in the way of what could have been a really good competitive game of cricket.”

The second Test match between the West Indies and South Africa is scheduled to take place at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, beginning on 15 August.

READ: Pakistan Test captain vows to bring happiness to nation like Arshad Nadeem

PORT OF SPAIN: Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada helped South Africa bundle West Indies in the first innings to keep the hopes of an unlikely victory alive going into the final day of the first Test of a two-match series.

Steady rain restricted play to just the final session on the fourth day but in that time South Africa dismissed the home side for 233 in the first innings and then made their intentions clear in reaching 30 without loss off five overs in the second innings at the close.

With an overall lead of 154 runs and all ten wickets in hand, the Proteas will be hoping for a full day’s play on Sunday for their batsmen to try and at least lay the platform which will give the bowlers a chance to put the Caribbean side under pressure in the final innings of this truncated match.

“Hopefully we can get a full day because that will obviously give us a realistic chance of getting a result,” said South Africa captain Temba Bavuma after his team made the most of the limited playing time on day four.

“To use the old cliche, we will have to take care of the first hour to set it up and if it’s going our way then we can throw caution to the wind to see what happens.

“But it’s imperative that we set it up in that first hour,” he added.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Resuming at 145 for four, Kavem Hodge and Jason Holder extended their fifth-wicket partnership to 49 only for Aiden Markram’s occasional off-spin to achieve the breakthrough when he bowled Holder for 36.

Maharaj then claimed his fourth wicket of the innings when he quickly removed Joshua da Silva before Kagiso Rabada, who was kept waiting to use the second new ball as Bavuma gave Maharaj and Markram a chance for more success, triggered a collapse with three quick wickets.

Kavem Hodge and Gudakesh Motie both fell to sharp slip catches while Kemar Roach was trapped leg-before as the fast bowler lifted his tally of Test wickets to 294 in his 63rd match, all before his 30th birthday.

It was left to Jomel Warrican, the leading wicket-taker in South Africa’s first innings with four for 69, to show his worth with the bat in belting an unbeaten 35 off 32 balls with three fours and two sixes to extend the total beyond the 200-run mark.

Lungi Ngidi replaced a frustrated Rabada and immediately wrapped up the West Indies innings by bowling last man Jayden Seales, whose mood was not helped when Tony de Zorzi was dropped at slip driving at the fast bowler in the last over of the day.

It now remains to be seen if the weather will be kind enough to allow de Zorzi and opening partner Markram the chance to make the final day an intriguing one despite the loss of so much playing time over the first four days.

READ: Arshad Nadeem receives heroic welcome upon Pakistan return

South Africa’s Test captain, Temba Bavuma, recently voiced his frustration regarding the limited number of Test matches his team has played in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.

Bavuma expressed concern over the Proteas’ participation in only four matches so far, emphasizing the need for a greater number of Test matches like the Big Three — India, Australia and England.

South Africa are currently sitting in seventh position in the WTC standings, having won only one Test out of four.

It’s worth noting that Australia and England have played 12 Tests so far, while India have played nine in the current cycle.

“It’s a challenge that’s not necessarily unique to us and probably something that all the teams outside the big three face. It feels like we’re starting again and again as a team,” Bavuma said.

“You can hear in terms of the conversations there’s a lot of reminding ourselves of a philosophy, how we want to play and basically what our blueprint is to winning.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Bavuma also highlighted that South Africa is not the only team as other teams are also facing a similar situation. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have also played four matches, while Pakistan have played five.

“It’s nothing that is unique to us as a South African team. The challenge is we’ve just got to make it work with what we have. We don’t use it as an excuse,” he added.

“I think there’s definitely a lot of excitement from the guys and we’d like to focus on that excitement more than all the other uncontrollables.”

South Africa are scheduled to play eight more Test matches in the current WTC cycle. They are currently gearing up for a two-match Test series against West Indies, starting from August 7.

South Africa Test squad for West Indies series

Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne

READ: Ravi Shastri calls Gautam Gambhir’s appointment ‘refreshing’

Temba Bavuma will return to lead South Africa for the first time this year in the two-match Test series against West Indies next month.

His lengthy absence from South African teams illustrates what coach Shukri Conrad says is the reality of a modern cricketing world dominated by white-ball cricket.

“It is what it is and we just have to make it work,” Conrad said at a press conference announcing a 16-man squad for the tour.

White-ball and English county commitments mean that Conrad will only have eight of his 16-man squad available for a pre-tour camp in Durban next week.

Bavuma was injured during South Africa’s first Test against India last December and missed the second Test in which South Africa were beaten in one-and-a-half days on a sub-standard pitch.

He then missed a two-Test series in New Zealand when South Africa sent a weakened squad to defeat in both matches because contracted players were compelled to play in the SA20, a local franchise competition.

Bavuma was not part of the team in the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, where South Africa were defeated in the final by India.

Most of the country’s T20 stars are playing in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 in the United States, which ends on July 28. Those players selected for the West Indies tour will fly directly to the Caribbean in time for a warm-up match ahead of the first Test.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Conrad said he chose to take a positive view of the situation. “We’ve got the luxury of a warm-up game, so we’ve got 10 days in Trinidad before the first Test match,” he said.

“I mentioned to Temba [Bavuma] that it’s the first time as a Test unit that we’re going to spend some extended time together.

“My first series was against the West Indies (in February and March 2023) when we got together three days before the first game and we got together two days before the India series because there were Monday matches going on.

“You just have to roll with the punches. It is the modern-day world. Players can easily move from T20 and Test match cricket.

“I’m very comfortable that guys will be in America. They’ll take a short flight across and then we’ll have a week’s preparation before the first Test.”

The squad for the Tests in Trinidad and Guyana includes one uncapped player, batsman Matthew Breetzke, 25, who has played six T20 internationals and has been playing for English county Northamptonshire.

Having played only four Tests in the past year, the West Indies tour will be the start of a run of eight Tests for the Proteas through to January.

South Africa squad for West Indies series

Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk)

Series Schedule:

July 31-August 3 – West Indies Invitation XI, Tarouba, Trinidad

August 7-11 – First Test, Port of Spain, Trinidad

August 15-19 – Second Test, Providence, Guyana

READ: FIFA imitates Hasan Ali in latest Instagram post

BARBADOS: Pacers forced a comeback of the ages and steered India to edge past South Africa and win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, here at Kensington Oval on Saturday.

The Rohit Sharma-led side, who lost in the finals of the World Test Championship and the 50-overs home World Cup last year, managed to curtail South Africa at 169/8, defeating the Proteas by seven runs.

This was South Africa’s first senior men’s final since the inaugural Champions Trophy in Bangladesh in 1998, having lost seven semi-finals, including a gut-wrenching defeat against Australia in the 1999 World Cup.

Since entering World Cups in 1991, following the end of apartheid, South Africa had lost seven semi-finals in the two short formats.

Set to chase 177, South Africa came up short despite Heinrich Klaasen’s quickfire half-century.

The Proteas had a shaky start to the run chase as Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram perished cheaply inside the first three overs with just 12 runs on the board.

Following the early debacle, Quinton de Kock joined forces with Tristian Stubbs and put on an anchoring partnership for the third wicket.

The duo added brisk 58 runs amid the stand until Axar Patel cleaned up Stubbs in the ninth over. He scored 31 off 21 deliveries.

Quinton de Kock was then involved in another important partnership for South Africa when he added 36 runs for the fourth wicket with Heinrich Klaasen.

The wicketkeeper batter finally perished in the 13th over after scoring an anchoring 39 off 31 balls.

Meanwhile, Klaasen, unfazed by de Kock’s dismissal, turned the game on its head with belligerent hitting, the highlight of which was a 24-run over against Axar Patel.

Klaasen’s fireworks brought the required run-rate down to the run-a-ball as they needed 30 off the last five overs.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma then brought back his ace pacer Bumrah into the attack, who began to exert pressure on the South African batters, conceding just four runs in his third over.

Bumrah’s tight over resulted in Klaasen taking a wild dash on the first delivery of the next over and was caught behind after top-scoring for South Africa with a 27-ball 52, peppered with two fours and five sixes.

India’s pacers continued to exert pressure on South Africa, who crumbled under pressure and lost momentum.

The Proteas then required 16 off the final over with David Miller on strike. The pinch hitter, however, could not live up to his title and fell on the first delivery, making it an easier affair for India.

Hardik Pandya bagged three wickets for India, followed by Bumrah and Arshdeep with two each while Patel chipped in with a wicket.

Put into bat first, India registered 176/7 on the board, courtesy of a crucial fourth-wicket partnership between Kohli and Axar Patel.

India had a briefly flying start to their innings as they scored the highest runs (15) in the first over of the T20 World Cup final.

Aiden Markram’s decision to introduce spin straight up bore fruits as Keshav Maharaj dismissed in-form India captain Rohit Sharma (9) and Rishabh Pant (0) in an eventful second over to give South Africa an upper hand.

Virat Kohli then put together a brief one-sided partnership with Suryakumar Yadav before the latter fell victim to Kagiso Rabada in the fifth over, bringing the total down to 34/3 in 4.3 overs.

Kohli was then joined by Axar Patel in the middle and the duo combined to laun12Rabadach recovery.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The pair batted sensibly and took calculated risks to add 72 runs for the fourth-wicket stand that lasted with Quinton de Kock bringing the curtains down to Axar’s knock with a direct hit.

Axar Patel scored 47 off 31 deliveries with the help of one four and four sixes.

Kohli switched gears after bringing up his first half-century in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

He knitted an important fifth-wicket partnership with Shivam Dube which yielded 57 runs until he finally perished in the penultimate over.

Virat Kohli remained the top-scorer for India with a 59-ball 76 which featured six fours and two sixes.

Shivam Dube then decided to take on South African bowlers but fell victim to Anrich Nortje in the final over after scoring 27 off 16, laced up with three fours and a six.

Nortje and Maharaj bagged two wickets each for South Africa while Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada chipped in with a wicket apiece.

READ: Chris Gayle shares his prediction for T20 World Cup 2024 final

BRIDGETOWN: India have won the toss and opted to bat first against South Africa in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final here at Kensington Oval on Saturday.

PLAYING XIs

Both India and South Africa are unchanged.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.

South Africa: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Aiden Markram (capt), 4 Heinrich Klaasen, 5 David Miller, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Speaking at the toss, Indian captain Rohit Sharma stated he asked his team to stay calm while acknowledging South Africa’s dominant performance in the tournament.

“It’s just about understanding the individual role, keep calm, and play like it’s an international match against a top team. South Africa have played really good cricket in this tournament, we have played really good cricket too, two quality teams,” said Sharma.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s captain Aiden Markram shared that he would have chosen to bat on this pitch. He further stated that his side would be aiming to be at their best and play without any pressure.

“At times probably were not at our best, but we’ve found a way to win. Today we’re striving for that perfect game, even if perfect is not attainable. It’s a fantastic opportunity, no pressure for us, we’ve never been in a final. You can’t win a trophy if you aren’t in the final,” said Markram.

HEAD TO HEAD

India and South Africa have faced each other 26 times in T20 Internationals with the formers having a slight edge in the head-to-head record.

Matches 26, India 14, South Africa 11, NR 1

FORM GUIDE

Both India and South Africa boast a perfect record in the ongoing tournament as they are unbeaten in the tournament.

South Africa defeated Afghanistan by nine wickets in a one-sided affair in the first semi-final in Trinidad, whereas, India edged past defending champions England in the second semi-final in Guyana to book their spot in the final.

India: W, W, W, W, W (most recent first)

South Africa: W, W, W, W, W

READ: Chris Gayle shares his prediction for T20 World Cup 2024 final

Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle shared his predictions for the highly-anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final between South Africa and India, scheduled today at Kensington Oval, Barbados.

The upcoming final of the 20-team mega event is promised to be a treat for cricket fans as the two unbeaten sides will collide for the prestigious title.

Meanwhile, West Indies great Gayle also acknowledged both sides’ power and strength and thus found it hard to pick a winner.

“It’s going to be a tough call with both teams playing excellent and aggressive cricket throughout the tournament. We have a final fit for the occasion,” stated Gayle.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Chris Gayle also picked India’s ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah as the player to watch out for in the T20 World Cup 2024 final, highlighting his prowess in death bowling.

“India are going to be so hard to beat. They bat so deep and in Jasprit Bumrah, have a world-class death bowler who can break the hearts of the opponents,” Gayle said.

“In contrast, I picked South Africa as a dark horse before the tournament began, and it is very special to see them finally reach their first final after so many semi-final upsets.

“Getting over the hump and winning a World Cup is so special and if they can do it, it will create memories that will last a lifetime for the players and the nation.”

It is pertinent to mention that both India and South Africa are currently unbeaten in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

South Africa won all their eight matches while India won seven as their group-stage fixture against Canada was abandoned without a ball bowled.

READ: AB de Villiers predicts T20 World Cup 2024 winner

Ravichandran Ashwin has suggested that South Africa should consider dropping their star spinner Tabraiz Shamsi in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final against India on Saturday.

Ashwin supported pace bowler Ottniel Baartman instead of Shamsi due to Indian batters’ strength against spinners, particularly the sweep shot.

“[Tabraiz] Shamsi is one bowler who will go for sweeps. And India has been sweeping. Adil Rashid, [Liam] Livingstone was slightly quicker through the area. They were able to get 39 runs along with Jordan and Sam Curran,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“I see this as a very important match-up. And hence, I believe South Africa should seriously consider playing [Ottniel] Baartman ahead of Shamsi for the final.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Former Indian batter Robbin Uthappa also voiced a similar opinion as Ravichandran Ashwin, stating that he would be happy to see Shamsi playing.

“As far as I am concerned, if Shamsi is playing, I will be damn happy, especially in Barbados. And if Baartman is playing, I will be like, we have to be a little wary,” Uthappa said.

“Who would I prefer between these two? Definitely, Shamsi. I know that he will give runs. Even if he takes a wicket, I don’t care. If he takes 40-45-50 runs, I am done. Because in India’s current batting approach, even if he takes a wicket, it’s not a big deal.”

Tabraiz Shamsi has played four matches in the T20 World Cup so far, taking 11 wickets at an average of 9.27, whereas Ottniel Baartman has managed six wickets in five games at 15.66.

READ: Aiden Markram believes South Africa ‘can win from any position’

South Africa captain Aiden Markram expressed confidence in his team’s ability to secure victory from any situation ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final against India.

This is the first time the Proteas Men are competing in a World Cup final, having lost seven semi-finals, including a gut-wrenching defeat against Australia in the 1999 World Cup.

Speaking ahead of the final, Markram acknowledged Proteas’ struggles in the ICC tournaments in the past, however, he believes that his side can rewrite history.

“Probably I just see it as a new game of cricket, to be honest. We all know India’s a great team. Us as a team, as South Africans, have been sort of trending in the right direction the last couple of years, but maybe not progressed in tournaments as far as we would have liked,” he said.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“So, an exciting occasion tomorrow against a good opposition in India, but a nice opportunity for us as the Proteas as well.”

South Africa won a few narrow games on their way to the final. Aiden Markram believes this will help his team in the final, as they know how to come out victorious from pressure situations.

“There have been close moments in games that would have probably affected the result and we managed to win those moments,” Markram added.

“To have done them two, three, maybe four times throughout the competition so far has sort of given the team the belief that you can win from any position, which I think is quite important for a team to have that.”

READ: ‘Don’t rule him out’ Sourav Ganguly backs Virat Kohli as opener

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has backed star batter Virat Kohli as an opener despite his poor form during the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 ahead of the final against South Africa.

Kohli has been far from his best in the ongoing tournament and managed to make it into the double digits only once in seven innings.

The right-handed batter has scored just 75 runs in seven innings at a dismal average of 10.7 while playing as an opener.

Many cricket experts suggested that Virat Kohli should play at his regular number three position, where he has excelled throughout his career and boasts a great record.

However, Ganguly firmly backed the star batter, insisting that he must continue to open in T20Is. He emphasized that nobody should count Kohli out for the crucial final.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“Virat should open. He just had a World Cup of 700 runs seven months ago. He is human. Sometimes he will also fail, and you have to accept it. People like Kohli, Tendulkar, Dravid, they are institutions for Indian cricket. Three to four matches don’t make them weaker players. Don’t rule him out in the final tomorrow,” Ganguly said on Friday.

The former captain further praised Kohli for being a generational talent, meanwhile, he also expressed satisfaction with Shivam Dube’s performance.

“Virat is a once-in-a-generation batsman. Dube is in the team because he hits big sixes to spin. He has a role to hit spinners, and he has done very well,” Ganguly added.

India and South Africa will lock horns in the high-voltage T20 World Cup 2024 final at Kensington Oval, Barbados on June 29.

Both teams are unbeaten in the ongoing mega event as South Africa won all their eight matches while India won seven as one of their group-stage fixtures against Canada was abandoned without a ball bowled.

READ: T20 World Cup 2024: India’s Dravid hoping for third time lucky