Report
Scorchers bank on Richardson, Allen and Connolly to finish 2024 on high
Strikers recovered from 58 for 8 courtesy a Doggett-Boyce record BBL partnership but the total of 142 was chased down with 33 balls remaining
AAP
31-Dec-2024
Perth Scorchers 146 for 3 (Allen 50, Connolly 48*, Turner 35*, Thornton 2-26) beat Adelaide Strikers 142 for 8 (Doggett 47*, J Richardson 3-29, Behrendorff 2-14, Morris 2-19) by seven wickets
Perth Scorchers finished 2024 in second position on the BBL ladder after cruising to a seven-wicket win over the Adelaide Strikers on New Year's Eve.
A record-breaking ninth-wicket stand between tailenders Brendan Doggett (47*) and Cameron Boyce (29*) spared Strikers total humiliation in front of a bumper crowd of 41,624 at Adelaide Oval, lifting them to 142 for 8.
Full postZimbabwe secure draw in high-scoring Test on rain-hit day
Williams and Ervine ended the prospects of an Afghanisttan win by batting solidly after a rain break
Himanshu Agrawal
30-Dec-2024
Zimbabwe 142 for 4 (Curran 41, Williams 35*, Zahir 2-43) and 586 (Williams 154, Bennett 110*, Ervine 104, Ghazanfar 3-127) drew with Afghanistan 699 (Shahidi 246, Rahmat 234, Zazai 113, Bennett 5-95)
There were three Boxing Day Tests going on simultaneously. The one in Bulawayo, between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, didn't have the appeal of Melbourne. But for a brief while on the final evening, it did have some of the thrill from Centurion. Zimbabwe suffered a collapse of 4 for 15 in the second innings, and were still 25 runs behind Afghanistan, who had gone 113 ahead in the first.
However, the prospect of any dramatic finish quickly vanished as Sean Williams and Craig Ervine not only wiped the deficit out, but also ensured no further damage. The game inevitably ended in a draw, but provided plenty of opportunities for players to fill their boots. Hashmatullah Shahidi scored a career-best 246, while Afsar Zazai hit his maiden Test hundred as Afghanistan piled up 699, their highest total in the format.
Full postWarner and Wes Agar combine to take Thunder to second place
Following the defeat, Melbourne Renegades have slipped to third place on the table
AAP
30-Dec-2024
Sydney Thunder 156 for 4 (Warner 86*; Richardson 1-24) beat Melbourne Renegades 148 for 8 (Evans 40; Agar 4-32, Sams 2-26)
David Warner hit his highest BBL score in 13 years to lead Sydney Thunder to a drought-breaking eight-run win over Melbourne Renegades on Monday.
Low on runs to start the tournament, Warner returned to form with an unbeaten 86 from 57 balls to guide Thunder to 156 for 4. Wes Agar then claimed 4 for 32 to restrict Renegades to 148 for 8, as Thunder claimed their first win at their home ground of Engie Stadium in 734 days.
Full postIndia lose seven in the final session, Australia snatch 2-1 series lead
India went to tea with strong hopes of drawing the Boxing Day Test, but Cummins and Co kept pegging away to seal a fantastic win at the MCG
Andrew McGlashan
30-Dec-2024
Australia 474 (Smith 140, Labuschagne 72, Bumrah 4-99) and 234 (Labuschagne 70, Bumrah 5-57) beat India 369 (Reddy 114, Jaiswal 82, Boland 3-57) and 155 (Jaiswal 84, Cummins 3-28, Boland 3-39) by 184 runs
Early in the final hour at the MCG, Australia won an epic Test that had been played in front of a record crowd to take a 2-1 lead in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, having snared seven wickets in the final session when it appeared India were on track to save the game. Yashasvi Jaiswal defied the home side for 208 deliveries before falling to the herculean Pat Cummins while hometown star Scott Boland made three key incisions to secure one of Australia's most significant victories of recent history.
Nathan Lyon claimed the final wicket, when he pinned Mohammed Siraj lbw, sparking wild celebrations for the home side: a margin of 184 runs did not do justice to the tension and drama of the final day and the importance of the result to this Australia team who have turned their fortunes around after the crushing opening defeat in Perth.
Full postJacob Duffy lands knockout blows to claim 2-0 series lead
Sri Lanka's batting folds for second match running in 45-run loss at Bay Oval
Madushka Balasuriya
30-Dec-2024
New Zealand 186 for 5 (Chapman 42, Hay 41, Robinson 41) beat Sri Lanka 141 (Perera 48, Duffy 4-15) by 45 runs
After a first T20I which had been more akin to a smash and grab, New Zealand produced a much more team-centred effort to come away comfortable winners in the second T20I, and with it secure the series 2-0. It means Sri Lanka's long wait for a series win in New Zealand continues.
Having been set an imposing target of 187, Sri Lanka's batting once more threatened for large parts before falling away at the death. Only Pathum Nissanka (37), Kusal Perera (48) and Charith Asalanka (20) provided any innings of substance, but with a long tail in tow, the hosts needed much more than that if they were to overhaul a spirited New Zealand outfit.
Full postShahidi 179* keeps Afghanistan strong on rain-curtailed day
Only 31 overs were possible in which Nyamhuri picked up his maiden Test wicket
Himanshu Agrawal
29-Dec-2024
Afghanistan 515 for 3 (Rahmat 234, Shahidi 179*, Muzarabani 1-52) trail Zimbabwe 586 by 71 runs
Rain had the final say on the fourth day in Bulawayo as only 31 overs were possible with the first of two Tests between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan headed to a draw. Zimbabwe managed to end the mammoth 364-run third-wicket partnership between Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi - both of whom batted the entire third day - with the former falling on 234. He added just three runs to his overnight score before left-arm quick Newman Nyamhuri, on debut, managed to have him caught at gully.
Shahidi was still batting on 179 while Afsar Zazai was in sights of his maiden Test half-century, finishing unbeaten on 46 as the pair added an unbroken 87 for the fourth wicket.
Full postDwarshuis, Philippe down Heat to keep Sixers' clean slate
It was a second successive loss this season for defending champions Heat, this one coming in front of 30,122 fans at the Gabba
AAP
29-Dec-2024
Sydney Sixers 142 for 2 (Philippe 66*, Patterson 32) beat Brisbane Heat 138 for 9 (McSweeney 34, Dwarshuis 4-32, Kerr 2-19) by eight wickets
Sydney Sixers have maintained their unbeaten start to the BBL with an eight-wicket demolition of Brisbane Heat.
With the Gabba a sell-out for the rematch of last year's final, the 30,122 - mostly home fans - were kept quiet for most of the Heat innings as the Sixers bowlers turned the screws to restrict the hosts to 138 for 9. Sixers made short work of the chase with opener Josh Philippe (66 not out) and No. 3 Kurtis Patterson (32 off 20) severe on Heat bowlers, who were mostly too short.
Full postSouth Africa clinch two-wicket thriller to seal WTC final spot
Abbas' sensational six-wicket haul was not enough to deny the hosts, with Rabada and Jansen sealing the victory
Firdose Moonda
29-Dec-2024
South Africa 301 (Markram 89, Bosch 81*, Shahzad 3-75, Naseem 3-92) and 150 for 8 (Bavuma 40, Abbas 6-54) beat Pakistan 211 (Ghulam 54, Paterson 5-61, Bosch 4-63) and 237 (Shakeel 84, Babar 50, Jansen 6-52) by two wickets
South Africa have qualified for the World Test Championship (WTC) final after beating Pakistan by two wickets in a high-drama encounter at SuperSport Park. Set a modest but challenging target of 148 to win, they were 99 for 8 just before lunch and it was left to Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen to score the remaining 51 runs in a tense ninth-wicket stand against a Pakistan attack with their tails up.
Mohammad Abbas, on a comeback from a three-year absence from the Test side, bowled a marathon 19.3 overs spell from the Hennops River End and took a career best 6 for 54 but could not end Pakistan's lean run in South Africa. This is the eighth successive Test they have lost in the country, dating back to 2007.
Full postLyon, Boland frustrate India after Bumrah rips through middle-order
Australia's lower order extended the lead to 333 after they had slipped to 91 for 6 at one stage
Andrew McGlashan
29-Dec-2024
Australia 474 and 228 for 9 (Labuschagne 70, Lyon 41*, Bumrah 4-56, Siraj 3-66) lead India 369 (Reddy 114, Jaiswal 82, Boland 3-57, Cummins 3-89) by 333 runs
In one of the most absorbing days of Test cricket you could wish to see, another remarkable performance from Jasprit Bumrah blew the game wide open. But, Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins played their second vital innings of the match before the last-wicket pair of Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland extended Australia's lead to 333, and potentially out of India's reach.
Having kept themselves in the match for so much of the day, India were frustrated by Lyon and Boland who eked out a precious 55 runs and couldn't be separated before stumps on day four. Lyon should have become Bumrah's fifth wicket in the final over of the day when he edged to third slip, where KL Rahul somehow held the ball between his legs, but an exhausted Bumrah had overstepped. Lyon ended up taking 14 off the over to close the day with his joint second-highest Test score.
Full postRahmat, Shahidi bat through the day in record show
Rahmat became Afghanistan's highest run-scorer in Tests with an unbeaten 231 while Shahidi struck his second Test ton
Sreshth Shah
28-Dec-2024
Afghanistan 425 for 2 (Rahmat 231*, Shahidi 141*) trail Zimbabwe 586 by 161 runs
Almost exactly 100 years since Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe became the first pair to achieve it in Test cricket, the Afghanistan pair of Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi batted out a full day of a Test match without being dismissed. In the process, Rahmat became the holder of Afghanistan's highest Test score (231*), Shahidi struck his second Test ton (141*), and the pair comfortably broke the record for Afghanistan's best Test partnership (361). All in all, their addition of 330 runs across 95 overs on the third day has taken Afghanistan to 425 for 2, now only 161 behind Zimbabwe's 586.
Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo ranks among one of the best places to bat among Test venues, and Zimbabwe's first-innings score across the first two days suggested a placid third-day surface, which it was, barring the occasional ball that stayed low.
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