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Nicholls blazes to century as New Zealand eye Test win vs South Africa

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Henry Nicholls smashed his eighth Test century, while wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell hit a patient 96 as New Zealand took control of the opening Test against South Africa on Day 2, scoring a mammoth 482 in reply to the visitors’ first innings total of 95 at the Hagley Oval here on Friday.

The Proteas were staring at a massive defeat after being reduced to 34/3 at stumps on Day 2 in the second innings, with the Tom Latham-led Blackcaps still leading by 353 runs going into Day 3.

After leaving South Africa in a shambles, dismissing them for 95 in the first innings on Day 1, New Zealand finished their innings on 482 all out, taking a massive 387-run lead.

Starting the day at an overnight score of 116/3, Nicholls and night-watchman Neil Wagner (49) continued to pile on the Proteas’ misery. Wagner took the attack to Kagiso Rabada in the second over of the day, smashing the South African pace bowler for three consecutive boundaries.

Wagner brought up the 50-run stand in style with a maximum off Glenton Stuurman and dished out the same treatment to the debutant a few overs later. However, Wagner fell just one run short of a second Test half-century as he picked out the deep square leg with the flick.

Daryl Mitchell joined Nicholls and took the hosts to lunch at 235/4, adding 119 runs at nearly 4.5 runs an over. The Proteas struck through Stuurman, who dismissed Mitchell (16) to pick up his maiden Test wicket. Nicholls (105 off 163 balls) reached his eighth Test ton but couldn’t make it a big one, with Duanne Olivier drawing the outside edge to second slip.

Colin de Grandhomme, making his maiden Test appearance since the World Test Championship final in June last year, counterattacked after the two quick dismissals. With Tom Blundell firm at the crease, de Grandhomme smashed a 42-ball 45, which included five fours and a maximum with the part-time spin of Aiden Markram bringing his downfall.

New Zealand bettered their first session, scoring 121 runs in their second as they headed into tea at 356/7 with a lead of over 250. The hosts lost Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee after the break. Between the two wickets, Blundell got to his half century and was kept company by Matt Henry. Having already stamped his authority with a seven-wicket haul in the first innings, Henry showed what he was capable of with the bat as smashed the bowlers to all parts.

With Blundell closing in on a hundred, Henry curbed his game but managed to get to a fifty of his own. Blundell, however, fell four runs short of a century as South African skipper Dean Elgar successfully reviewed a caught behind. New Zealand finished their innings on 482.

New Zealand then picked up three wickets before the close of play to torment South Africa further. Sarel Erwee was sent back for a duck before Henry scalped Elgar for the second time in the match. Markram’s wicket saw the Proteas reduced to 4/3 before Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen ensured that South Africa don’t suffer any more damage, taking the side to 34/3 at stumps.

Brief scores: South Africa 95 and 34/3 vs New Zealand 482 (Devon Conway 36, Henry Nicholls 105, Neil Wagner 49, Tom Blundell 96, Colin de Grandhomme 45, Matt Henry 58 not out; Duanne Olivier 3/100). New Zealand lead by 353 runs.

International

CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources

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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.

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It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027

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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.

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‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global

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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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