England yesterday needed eight more wickets to claim an emphatic series victory as South Africa lost both openers in the morning session at the start of their bid for a two-day vigil at the crease to save the fourth Test at the Wanderers.
South Africa were 90-2 at lunch on the fourth day, still needing 376 to claim an improbable victory and draw the series.
Rassie van der Dussen was not out after a brisk 39 off 45 balls, with captain Faf du Plessis having just arrived at the crease.
Photo: AFP
England had two days to bowl the hosts out and took an hour before claiming the wicket of Pieter Malan, who scored 22 in a 38-run opening partnership with Dean Elgar.
Malan chased after a wide ball from Chris Woakes and got a healthy edge straight after the drinks break to be was caught by Ben Stokes in the slips.
Three balls later, Woakes trapped Van der Dussen leg before wicket.
The South Africa batsman almost ran out of time to review, but then won a reprieve as the ball was shown to be missing the wickets and the umpire’s decision was overturned.
England captain Joe Root used six bowlers in the first session in a bid to keep the batsmen from embedding themselves, with the wicket not proving as variable as expected.
Root conceded 22 in two overs after bringing himself on, allowing Elgar and Van der Dussen to post a 50-run partnership, but then Elgar (24) fended off a rising ball from Stokes and succeeded only in playing it back to the bowler.
ZIMBABWE V SRI LANKA
AFP, HARARE
Brendan Taylor and Kevin Kasuza yesterday combined to give Zimbabwe a solid start on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Harare, taking the hosts to 96-2 at lunch.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Zimbabwe lost Prince Masvaure and Craig Ervine cheaply, before Taylor joined opener Kasuza in a third-wicket partnership of 47.
Taylor was the dominant partner thrashing 41 from just 35 balls, including six fours and one six over long-off from left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya.
Kasuza, who was “substituted” in the second innings last week after being hit on the head while fielding at short-leg, was more circumspect, batting through the morning to reach 33 not out from 90 balls.
Sri Lanka began the day well with Lahiru Kumara finding the edge of Masvaure’s bat for 9, before Craig Irvine nudged Dhananjaya de Silva to short-leg where Oshada Fernando snapped up a sharp catch.
The 2025 International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Mr Universe Chinese Taipei competition began yesterday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, with more than 150 athletes showcasing their physiques. It is the first time in 16 years that the IFBB has held a competition in Taiwan, the last being the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung. The professional bodybuilding contest is bringing together athletes from Taiwan and 16 other countries, including Malaysia, Japan, the US, France and Mexico. IFBB Chinese Taipei president Hsu An-chin said in an interview yesterday that the event came to Taiwan thanks to his lobbying efforts at last
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Cycling great Marianne Vos won the opening stage of the women’s Tour de France with a brilliant late attack on Saturday. The 38-year-old Dutchwoman overtook her Visma–Lease a Bike teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevot approaching the line, and then held off Mauritian rider Kim Le Court in the closing meters of a grueling uphill finish. Ferrand-Prevot looked set to win the stage, but the Frenchwoman attacked too early from 600m and could not withstand the late surge from Vos, who punched the air with her left fist as she crossed the line. Moments later, Vos hugged an exhausted-looking Ferrand-Prevot, the Paris-Roubaix winner. “I didn’t know if
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
RSS