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Jacob Bethell debut fifty, Brydon Carse ten-for seal England victory
Rare overseas feat for seamer sets up victory, as Mitchell delays inevitable with 84
Andrew Miller
01-Dec-2024
England 499 (Brook 171, Stokes 80, Pope 77, Henry 4-84) and 104 for 2 (Bethell 50*) beat New Zealand 348 (Williamson 93, Phillips 58*, Carse 4-64, Bashir 4-69) and 254 (Mitchell 84, Carse 6-42) by eight wickets
Brydon Carse claimed his Test-best figures of 6 for 42, in the process becoming the first England seamer to take an overseas ten-wicket haul in 16 years, before Jacob Bethell capped the contest with an unbeaten fifty on debut, as New Zealand were hustled to an emphatic eight-wicket defeat in the first Test at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
Though Daryl Mitchell had delayed the inevitable with a doughty innings of 84 from 167 balls, 45 of which came in a spirited tenth-wicket stand with the steadfast Will O'Rourke, New Zealand's eventual target of 104 was demolished in just 12.4 overs. Ben Duckett signalled the charge with an anarchic innings of 27 in 18 balls, while Joe Root capped his 150th Test with a no-less free-flowing 22 not out from 15.
Full postShadman hits fifty, WI drop three catches on truncated day
Kemar Roach struck early blows but West Indies' fielders let their bowlers down
Mohammad Isam
30-Nov-2024
Bangladesh 69 for 2 (Shadman 50*, Roach 2-20) vs West Indies
Kemar Roach rocked Bangladesh early but poor catching denied West Indies a few more wickets on the truncated first day of the Kingston Test. Bangladesh finished on 69 for 2 with Shadman Islam and Shahadat Hossain unbeaten on 50 and 12 respectively.
The match began at 3pm local time, five hours after the scheduled start, due to the wet outfield at Sabina Park. The delayed start prompted Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz to bat on a sunny day where only 30 overs were possible. The visitors, however, lost two wickets in the first half an hour.
Full postDean sets up big win as England complete 3-0 sweep
South Africa could muster only 124, and England blazed past that total in just 11.3 overs
S Sudarshanan
30-Nov-2024
England 128 for 1 (Wyatt-Hodge 53*, Bouchier 35, Hlubi 1-19) beat South Africa 124 (Shangase 31, Luus 21, Dean 3-26, Bell 2-24) by nine wickets
A powerful bowling performance in Centurion helped England register their fourth clean sweep in a T20I series, with a thumping victory against South Africa on Saturday.
England's bowlers were led by Charlie Dean as they restricted the hosts to 124. Lauren Filer and Lauren Bell took three wickets in the first four overs before Dean struck twice. South Africa were reduced to 45 for 5 inside eight overs and limped to an under-par total.
Full postJansen stars with 11 wickets after SL's resistance for WTC boost
Jansen finished took 4 for 73 in the second innings to add to his tally of seven in the first
Firdose Moonda
30-Nov-2024
South Africa 191 (Bavuma 70, Asitha 3-44, Kumara 3-70) and 366 for 5 dec (Stubbs 122, Bavuma 113) beat Sri Lanka 42 (Jansen 7-13) and 282 (Chandimal 83, Dhananjaya 59, Jansen 4-73) by 233 runs
South Africa have moved to second place on the World Test Championship (WTC) table after a 233-run victory over Sri Lanka in Durban to break the visitors' unbeaten record at the venue. Marco Jansen finished with 11 wickets in the game with 4 for 73 in the second innings.
After setting Sri Lanka a target of 516 and taking five wickets on the third evening, South Africa may have expected play on the fourth day to be nothing more than a formality. But they were made to work for their win after half-centuries from Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva and 48 from Kusal Mendis made them toil until deep into the second session. Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 282, an improvement on their first-innings effort by multiples.
Full postTwo-day tour game expected to be 50-over match on Sunday after rain
The first day was washed out in Canberra
Alagappan Muthu
30-Nov-2024
The first day of the two-day pink ball game between India and the Prime Minister's XI was washed out due to persistent rain.
Chances of play were remote with a steady drizzle bedding in from almost 10am right through to about 5.30pm during which time the covers stayed firmly on. The Indian team did come over to the ground but there wasn't much reason for them to stick around.
The rain did stop, briefly, late in the day, and there was a flurry of activity, with the covers being peeled off and members of both teams' support staff being briefed by the two umpires. But when the groundstaff restored the covers, packed up and left at 6.30pm, it was clear that there would be no cricket. Much heavier rain came through at 7pm.
Full postWoakes, Carse put victory in sight after belligerent batting overpowers New Zealand
England cash in on 151-run first-innings lead thanks to brutal hitting on third day
Andrew Miller
30-Nov-2024
Close - New Zealand 348 (Williamson 93, Phillips 58*, Carse 4-64, Bashir 4-69) and 155 for 6 (Mitchell 31*, Smith 1*) lead England 499 (Brook 171, Stokes 80, Pope 77, Henry 4-84) by four runs
For a man who answers - as modestly as one can - to the nickname "Wizard", Chris Woakes' overseas record has become such a millstone that, in December last year, the man himself all but conceded his days as a touring Test cricketer were over, when he was omitted from England's trip to India.
But the retirements of Stuart Broad and James Anderson, and England's insistence that their remodelled Test attack still needs a wise old head to lead it, have redefined his role within the squad. On the third day at Christchurch, he delivered the spell that justified that faith; three top-drawer wickets in New Zealand's second innings, including the priceless scalp of a well-set Kane Williamson, that have put England within sight of victory in the first Test.
Full postRedmayne, Rodrigues help Heat ease into WBBL final after bowlers restrict Thunder
Legspinner Parsons took 3 for 10 for Heat, who will be concerned about Rodrigues' availability for the final due to wrist injury
Tristan Lavalette
29-Nov-2024
Brisbane Heat 134 for 1 (Redmayne 53*, Rodrigues 43 rh, Bates 1-25) beat Sydney Thunder 133 for 7 (Darlington 40*, Peschel 24*, Parsons 3-10) by nine wickets
Brisbane Heat produced a dominant performance to storm into the WBBL final, after Jemimah Rodrigues made Sydney Thunder pay for clumsy fielding at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.
But there will be concern over Rodrigues' availability for Sunday's final at the MCG between Heat and Melbourne Renegades. She had to retire hurt after the tenth over of the chase, having aggravated a left wrist injury sustained earlier in the game while attempting to save a boundary during Thunder's innings. While batting, Rodrigues grew in discomfort at the crease, especially after slamming down on a yorker from seamer Taneale Peschel.
Full postSouth Africa quicks leave Sri Lanka on the brink after Stubbs, Bavuma centuries
Sri Lanka were set 516 to win after South Africa declared their second innings on 366 for 5
Andrew Fidel Fernando
29-Nov-2024
Sri Lanka 42 and 103 for 5 (Chandimal 29*, Jansen 2-22, Rabada 2-34) need another 413 runs to beat South Africa 191 and 366 for 5 dec (Stubbs 122, Bavuma 113, Vishwa 2-64)
Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs eased to Test centuries in the first two sessions, making South Africa's lead gargantuan, before the quicks snapped up five Sri Lanka wickets. Having utterly dominated the match since lunch on day two, South Africa finished the third day only five wickets short of going 1-0 up in a vital World Test Championship series. Sri Lanka are 413 runs adrift, on a surface on which the bounce can no longer be fully trusted.
The late Sri Lanka wickets produced some drama, but it was the 249-run partnership - which equalled a record for the fourth wicket at this ground - that was the centerpiece of Friday's action. Stubbs and Bavuma had laid the groundwork for their centuries in the morning, negotiating some occasionally testing early overs.
Full postHarry Brook rides his luck for century as fielding lapses cloud New Zealand's day
England recover from nadir of 45 for 3 as six dropped catches allow fightback
Andrew Miller
28-Nov-2024
England 319 for 5 (Brook 132*, Pope 77) trail New Zealand 348 (Williamson 93, Phillips 58*, Carse 4-64, Bashir 4-69) by 29 runs
You have to make hay while the sun shines, as Harry Brook proved in two distinct interpretations of that hackneyed old adage. His seventh Test century - and sixth away from home - was a magnificent and crucial contribution to a day of wildly contrasting weather patterns, as England recovered from a torrid working-over under overcast morning skies to storm towards first-innings parity by the close, as the sun broke back through for the day's final two sessions.
But rarely can New Zealand have clouded their own fortunes with a spate of fielding lapses to match those that they served up on this enthralling second day. Six clear-cut chances went begging in the course of England's 319 for 5, including four for Brook alone - and at almost rhythmical interviews too: on 18, 41, 70 and 106, as if designed to douse their bowlers' morale any time they looked ready to turn back the tide.
Full postJansen seven-for blows SL away to record low as SA take command at Kingsmead
SL were bowled out for 42, their lowest Test total, as SA gained a 149-run first-innings lead
Firdose Moonda
28-Nov-2024
South Africa 191 (Bavuma 70, Maharaj 24, Asitha 3-44) and 132 for 3 (Markram 47, Bavuma 24*, Jayasuriya 2-48) lead Sri Lanka 42 (Kamindu 13, Jansen 7-13, Coetzee 2-18) by 281 runs
South Africa are in control at Kingsmead after a fast-forward second day in which 19 wickets fell, and records tumbled. Sri Lanka were dismissed for 42, their lowest Test total, which was also the lowest Test score against South Africa, and the second-shortest in terms of number of balls faced: 83.
Marco Jansen's 7 for 13 headlined South Africa's pace pack. He bowled 41 balls in the innings - the joint-fewest in history to take seven wickets - and gave South Africa a 149-run first-innings lead. By the end of the day, that had grown to 281, and the partnership between Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs to 43, the second-highest of the match.
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