Report
Afghanistan claim series victory after Rashid's career-best flattens Zimbabwe
It took just 15 deliveries into the fifth day for the visitors to take the last two wickets
Himanshu Agrawal
06-Jan-2025
Afghanistan 157 (Rashid 25, Raza 3-30, Nyamhuri 3-42) and 363 (Rahmat 139, Alam 101, Muzarabani 6-95) beat Zimbabwe 243 (Ervine 75, Raza 61, Rashid 4-94) and 205 (Ervine 53, Rashid 7-66, Zia 2-44) by 72 runs
It had to be Rashid Khan. After starring in each of Afghanistan's previous three Test wins - in Dehradun, Chattogram and Abu Dhabi - he wrapped Zimbabwe up with a match haul of 11 for 160 in Bulawayo. That included career-best figures of 7 for 66 in the second innings, with expectations of a thrilling finish being quashed only 15 deliveries into the final morning. Zimbabwe were 73 runs away from victory, with all hopes from their captain Craig Ervine. Afghanistan needed two good balls to finish the game off.
But even the short span of play on the fifth day was enough for plenty of drama. The day started with exactly what Afghanistan wanted: Rashid bowling to Zimbabwe's No. 10 Richard Ngarava. Four balls into play, Afghanistan got exactly what they wanted - almost. Ngarava skied an attempted slice off Rashid, and the ball popped up behind the man at silly point. Hashmatullah Shahidi, placed at cover, moved to his right. Fareed Ahmad, at point, stepped to his left.
Full postIsmat and Rashid put Afghanistan in sight of victory
Craig Ervine, batting on 53, holds the key for Zimbabwe, who are 73 runs from their target but have just two wickets in hand going into day five
Abhimanyu Bose
05-Jan-2025
Zimbabwe 243 and 205 for 8 (Ervine 53*, Rashid 6-66, Zia 2-44) need 73 runs to beat Afghanistan 157 and 363 (Rahmat 139, Ismat 101, Muzarabani 6-95)
Ismat Alam's century on debut and Rashid Khan's six-for bookended a day of dominance for Afghanistan, who will come back on the fifth and final day needing just two wickets to seal the match and the series against Zimbabwe.
Ismat, who had come into the Test with a first-class average of 92 and had converted all four of his fifties at the level into centuries, also converted his maiden Test fifty into a century to help Afghanistan finish on 363, setting Zimbabwe 278 to win.
Full postHurricane Tim David blows Strikers away for fourth consecutive win
He smacks an unbeaten 62 off just 28 balls to help Hurricanes hunt down 187
AAP
05-Jan-2025
Hobart Hurricanes 187 for 5 (David 62*, Owen 37, Boyce 2-23) beat Adelaide Strikers 186 for 5 (Lynn 49, Ross 47, Salamkheil 2-22) by five wickets
A brutal unbeaten 62 from 28 balls from Tim David helped Hobart Hurricanes to a fourth straight win and the second-highest run-chase of the BBL 2024-25.
David hit six sixes and three fours as Hurricanes chased down Adelaide Strikers' 186 for 5 with eight deliveries to spare and five wickets in hand at the Bellerive Oval. He hit 40 runs during the power surge in the 14th and 15th overs when the game was on the line.
Full postBabar, Masood fight for Pakistan after South Africa enforce follow-on
Visitors fell 421 runs behind after folding for 194 in the first innings, but found their fight second time aroun
Firdose Moonda
05-Jan-2025
Pakistan 194 (Babar 58, Rabada 3-55, Maharaj 2-14) and 213 for 1 (f/o) (Masood 102*, Babar 81) trail South Africa 615 by 208 runs
Pakistan posted their highest opening stand against South Africa as Shan Masood and Babar Azam put up solid resistance against the hosts on a flat track. Masood went past 30 for the first time in nine innings and went on to score his sixth Test hundred, and the first by a Pakistan captain in South Africa, while Babar, opening in place of the injured Saim Ayub, made 81 The pair took a significant chunk out of their first-innings deficit of 421. Pakistan are now 208 behind with nine wickets standing.
South Africa's five frontline bowlers were made to toil on a surface that remains good for batting despite showing signs of turn. They also bowled 23 no-balls across the two innings so far - 10 in the ongoing second innings alone - and will be disappointed with their ill-discipline. Their only second innings success came late in the day when Babar chased a full, wide ball from Marco Jansen and edged to slip. Nightwatcher Khurram Shahzad accompanied Masood to the end of the day.
Full postAustralia regain Border-Gavaskar Trophy, set up WTC final date with SA
Without Bumrah, India's hopes faded away as Australia wrapped up the win within three days
Deivarayan Muthu
05-Jan-2025
Australia 181 (Webster 57, Prasidh 3-42, Siraj 3-51) and 162 for 4 (Khawaja 41, Webster 39*, Head 34*, Prasidh 3-65) beat India 185 (Pant 40, Boland 4-31, Starc 3-49) and 157 (Pant 61, Boland 6-45, Cummins 3-44) by six wickets
Australia regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the silverware that had eluded them for a decade, and confirmed their spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final alongside South Africa, after finishing off India inside three days at the SCG.
India's hopes of staying in contention for the WTC final rested on Jasprit Bumrah, but without him those faded away. For someone who had a massive influence on this series, with the most wickets by an India bowler on a tour of Australia, it was a shame he couldn't play a part in the final act, though he had still done enough to be the Player of the Series.
Full postHenry, Young give New Zealand thumping win in series opener
New Zealand chased down their target of 179 with nine wickets and 23.4 overs to spare
Andrew Fidel Fernando
04-Jan-2025
New Zealand 180 for 1 (Young 90*, Ravindra 45, Wickramasinghe 1-28) beat Sri Lanka 178 (Avishka 56, Liyanage 36, Henry 4-19) by nine wickets
New Zealand's fast bowlers tore through Sri Lanka's top order to set up a big win, before their own top three clinched it, Will Young hitting 90 not out off 86 balls in a nine-wicket victory.
On a grassy Basin Reserve pitch, on a cold day beset by biting southerlies, New Zealand had had Sri Lanka 23 for 4 by the end of the powerplay. There were resurgent innings from the likes of Avishka Fernando especially, but Sri Lanka never seemed headed to a healthy total. They were out for 178 in the 44th over. New Zealand ran that total down with 23.4 overs to spare.
Full postRahmat's gritty hundred extends Afghanistan lead
Ismat remained unbeaten on 64 with rain forcing early stumps
Abhimanyu Bose
04-Jan-2025
Afghanistan 157 and 291 for 7 (Rahmat 139, Ismat 64*, Muzarabani 4-71) lead Zimbabwe 243 by 205 runs
Afghanistan dragged themselves to a position of advantage on an attritional third day, with Rahmat Shah's gritty century, his third in Test cricket, headlining their much improved batting display from their first innings.
On the second day where 13 wickets fell, Afghanistan conceded an 86-run first-innings lead to Zimbabwe and lost three wickets before wiping out even half the deficit.
Full postStars shine in Melbourne derby after Cartwright heroics
Duckett and Stoinis also put in a show in chase of Renegades' 168
Tristan Lavalette
04-Jan-2025
Melbourne Stars 171 for 5 (Duckett 67, Stoinis 48, Sandhu 3-29) beat Melbourne Renegades 168 for 7 (Bethell 49, Wells 45, Paris 2-23) by five wickets
Hilton Cartwright stepped up with belligerent hitting in a tense final over after Ben Duckett and Marcus Stoinis had chased superbly on a tricky MCG surface as Stars claimed the bragging rights over Renegades in a gripping Melbourne derby.
Chasing 169, Stars were in trouble at 41 for 3 before Duckett and Stoinis combined for an 83-run partnership. They appeared to be cruising needing 57 runs off 42 but lost Duckett and Stoinis quickly as Stars' nerves set in.
Full postRickelton's marathon 259, Verreynne century thump hapless Pakistan
SA's quicks Rabada and Jansen then tore through a line-up already missing the injured Ayub
Danyal Rasool
04-Jan-2025
Pakistan 64 for 3 (Babar 31*, Ghulam 12, Rabada 2-9) trail South Africa 615 (Rickelton 259, Verreynne 100, Jansen 62, Abbas 3-94) by 551 runs
Pakistan's horror day in Cape Town was complete after South Africa ripped through their top order to leave them staring down the barrel of a huge defeat. Having posted 615 thanks to a double-hundred from Ryan Rickelton and a century from Kyle Verreynne, South Africa's quicks Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen tore through a Pakistan line-up already missing the injured Saim Ayub. So effectively, South Africa are six wickets away from making Pakistan bat again, with the visitors a mammoth 551 runs behind after day two.
Having taken command before lunch, South Africa ground Pakistan into the dust in the afternoon. Rickelton ended up with 259, falling just short of Stephen Fleming's 262 as the highest score at Newlands. Verreynne brought up his fourth Test hundred. Jansen, out of form with the bat all year in 2024, heralded the new year with a whirlwind half-century. Six fours and three sixes helped him get there in 42 balls. Thus, as many as 137 runs were added in the second session, with South Africa having surged to 566 for 7 by tea, already their highest score at home in four years.
Full postBoland four-for, Pant fireworks keep SCG Test in balance
Despite the absence of Bumrah, India snatched a four-run first-innings lead, turning the Test into a second-innings shootout
Deivarayan Muthu
04-Jan-2025
India 141 for 6 (Pant 61, Boland 4-42) and 185 lead Australia 181 (Webster 57, Smith 33, Prasidh 3-42, Siraj 3-51) by 145 runs
During the lunch break on the second day, Rohit Sharma cleared the air, saying that he had sat out of the Sydney Test and that he wasn't retiring from Test cricket yet. Soon after the break, Jasprit Bumrah, who had taken over from Rohit as captain, left the SCG for scans. Australia had lost half their side around that time, with the game - and the series - dangling on a razor's edge. Despite the absence of Bumrah, who had experienced back spasms, India snatched a four-run first-innings lead, turning the Sydney Test into a second-innings shootout.
Rishabh Pant pulled India further ahead with a jaw-dropping 29-ball half-century. It was the second-fastest fifty by an Indian in Test cricket, behind his own 28-ball effort against Sri Lanka in 2022. After Scott Boland had carved up India's top order with pinpoint accuracy, Pant countered them and thrilled a Sydney crowd of 47,257. The late dismissals of Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy kept the game in the balance, with India leading by 145 at stumps.
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