International
3rd Test, Day 4: Bowlers, Zak Crawley shine as England need 33 runs to win against South Africa
Hosts England were on the verge of a series-clinching victory at stumps on the fourth day of the third and final Test of the series, needing 33 more runs with all ten wickets in hand to beat South Africa, here on Sunday.
England, who gained 40 runs lead in the first innings, shot out South Africa for 169 runs in their second essay with veteran pacer Stuart Broad claiming 3-45, Ben Stokes taking 3-39 and Ollie Robinson and James Anderson claiming two wickets apiece, leaving the host to score 130 runs to win the Test on the final day on Monday.
At stumps on Sunday, England were 97 for no loss in their second innings with Zak Crawley batting on 57 (44 balls 4 x 10) and Alex Lees unbeaten on 32. They now need 33 more runs to win the match on the final day of the match which has already lost the first day to rain while play on the second day was abandoned in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.
Victory on Monday will seal a 2-1 win for England in the three-game series which will be a big feat for the hosts as England lost the first Test by an innings and 12 runs. They made a splendid comeback to win the second Test by an innings and 85 runs.
It was the England bowlers, particularly Broad that put their team on the road to victory. In the process, Broad surpassed Glenn McGrath as the pacer with the second most wickets in Test cricket history.
Broad dismissed South Africa skipper Dean Elgar, trapping him lbw for 36 on day four of the third Test at The Oval. The scalp was Broad’s 564th in Test cricket, surpassing Glenn McGrath to become the second highest wicket-taker amongst pacers in Test cricket history. He now trails his partner James Anderson in the wickets column for pacers, who has 666 wickets to his name.
Overall, Broad became the fifth highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, trailing Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708), James Anderson (666) and Anil Kumble (619).
Broad’s wickets were crucial in the context of the game, with the match evenly poised. England first restricted the visitors to 118, but a brilliant performance from South Africa allowed them to bowl the hosts out for 158 — a lead of 40 runs.
The wicket of Elgar was crucial as the skipper was looking settled at the crease on 36 and looking on course for a big knock. Broad didn’t have to wait long for his 565th scalp, as another lbw dismissal brought him the scalp of Ryan Rickleton. He would also dismiss Keshav Maharaj to take his tally up to 566.
While Broad did the maximum damage, skipper Stokes also claimed 3-39 while James Anderson contributed to South Africa’s downfall by claiming 2-37 off 15.2 overs. Ollie Robinson, hero of England’s first inning bowing effort with 5-49, claimed 2-40 in the second as South Africa were bowled out for 169.
For South Africa, Elgar top-scored with 36 runs while Sarel Erwee contributed 26 and Keegan Petersen added 23 runs.
Brief scores: South Africa 116 & 169 all out in 56.2 overs (Dean Elgar 36, Sarel Erwee 26; Stuart Broad 3-45, Ben Stokes 3-39) vs England 158 & 97 for no loss in 17 overs (Zak Crawley 57 not out, Alex Lees 32 not out). England need 33 runs to win.
International
CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources
New Delhi, Dec 19: The much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 will be played on February 23 with Colombo and Dubai front-runners to play host for India’s matches in the tournament being played in hybrid format. The development comes after the ICC Board said that “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue.”
“India will take on Pakistan at a neutral venue on February 23, 2025. ICC looking at Colombo and Dubai to host their matches.”
The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played in February and March 2025. Meanwhile, ICC said the schedule for the marquee tournament will be confirmed in the coming days.
Pakistan are the defending champions of the tournament, having defeated India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval in 2017. Both teams last played against each other in the T20 World Cup in New York earlier this year which India won by six runs and went on to claim their second silverware in the format.
Due to the strained political relations between the two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan only play each other in international events including World Cups and Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan was held in 2012-13 when the latter toured India for the five-match white-ball series.
International
It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027
India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday, 19 December. The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be confirmed soon, with Pakistan aiming to defend the title they won in 2017.
The eight-team event will feature Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, alongside hosts Pakistan.
This will apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).
It was also announced that the PCB has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. Cricket Australia is set to host one of the senior ICC women’s events during the period 2029 to 2031.
International
‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global
New Delhi, Dec 16: Coach Sumit Bhatia is all pumped up for the first edition of the Kho Kho World Cup scheduled to take place from January 13-19, 2025. Bhatia, who holds a distinct record of being the only head coach to have won the Asian Championship twice, believes that this historical step is an indication of the realisation of the dream to take the sport to the international level and help it gain global recognition.
Having been honoured with the best coach award by the Delhi government, Bhatia has been a part of various Indian teams’ success, including the 2016 and 2023 Asian Kho Kho Championship victories, and has trained players like Nasreen Shaikh and Sarika Sudhakar Kale. Both of them have been Arjuna Awardees.
Nasreen, who is also a part of the World Cup camp, is the only player who has played in two Asian Championships and won the gold. The coach-student duo is now gearing up for the global event.
Sharing how the journey of Kho Kho World Cup’s inception, the coach said, “We organised an international camp here before COVID happened, in 2020. Coaches and players from 16 countries came here and we gave them training. Now they will be coming here for the World Cup but this campaign started in that camp”.
He further said, “Around 30-35 countries were willing to play the tournament but we picked the best 20 teams for both men and women. Some countries have single teams while some have double teams but a total of 24 countries will be participating in the tournament. It was our dream to take Kho Kho to the international level and now we can see that our dream is getting fulfilled.”
He also lauded the launch of the Ultimate Kho Kho League and shared how the franchise-based model has helped the players and coaches gain recognition, while also bringing forward grassroot talent.
“When the Ultimate Kho Kho league started, I also joined Telegu Yodhas as their head coach and we also played the final. Players have gotten exposure through the league and it’s not just financial. Earlier we used to hesitate while admitting being a Kho Kho coach but today our players introduce us as their coach,” said Bhatia.
He added, “The league got so much coverage that wherever we go, the players are approached for autographs. So the platform of the league started a new world for both coaches and players and now not just India but the entire world knows us. Earlier we used to tell people about our game but now they know what is Kho Kho and Ultimate Kho Kho league and are also waiting for the third season.”
Bhatia also discussed the impact of sports science on Kho Kho and lauded the newly introduced technology and said, “We have benefitted a lot from it. Sometimes we don’t understand why a player is not performing well. But with the introduction of sports science, we now know about the details of the problem.
“For example, a player might be facing issues with his left leg while sitting and so, it gives us an opportunity to work on that weakness… Sports science has helped us in identifying the accuracy and weakness of a player. So it’s very beneficial for us.”
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