South African captain Graeme Smith gave his unequivocal backing on Wednesday to Makhaya Ntini, saying the fast bowler would almost certainly play in the second Test against England at Kingsmead starting tomorrow.
There was no question in Smith’s mind of Ntini being dropped for new discovery Friedel de Wet if star fast bowler Dale Steyn was passed fit. He said the most likely scenario was a straight swap, with Steyn replacing De Wet, who came in for the world’s No. 1-ranked Test bowler on the morning of the first Test at Centurion and almost bowled South Africa to victory on the final day.
De Wet had a spell of three for three as the England middle order collapsed, finishing with four for 55 in the second innings after taking one for 72 in the first.
“It was terrific to see Friedel bowl that well, but we have three guys who have had the job over a period of time and been really successful,” Smith said.
Asked specifically about Ntini, who took two for 119, but was largely unimpressive in playing in his 100th Test at Centurion, Smith said: “Makhaya brings a lot of experience to our attack. He maybe didn’t bowl as well as he would have liked at Centurion, but he’s a guy that I certainly support. He’s been integral [to the team] throughout my captaincy, so I really back him to come through in this Test match and bowl well.”
Smith, when asked whether he would be surprised if England fielded the same team that held on for a draw with nine wickets down in their second innings in the first Test, said it seemed that England wanted to stick to picking six specialist batsmen.
“For them, it’s a slightly more conservative outlook. After their middle order in both innings have been troubled, they maybe need to have the extra batting available,” he said.
Smith said England were likely to have doubts after their second innings struggle in the first Test.
“When you collapse like that, it leaves a negative thought,” he said. “One of our aims is that we would like to expose that middle order.”
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
RSS