2 weeks Ago
22.1 – No run. 21.
6 – Slightly wider ouside off, good carry as well, Verreynne shoulders arms. Batsman_1 : Kyle Verreynne 9(20) Batsman_2 : Temba Bavuma 31(51) Bowler : Lahiru Kumara 2/38(5) Over : 22 Run : 3 Wicket : 0 Score : 83/4 21.5 – On a good length now, outside off, extra bounce, Kyle Verreynne rises with the bounce and punches it towards gully.
On the Verreynne LBW appeal in the previous over, UltraEdge detects a thick inside edge. Forget the pitching. 21.
4 – 1 run. 21.3 – 2 runs.
21.2 – Similar ball, on a length, outside off, Bavuma puts in a good stride and shoulders arms. 21.
1 – Full, outside off, Temba Bavuma gets a big stride and lets it go. Lahiru Kumara to continue from the other end. 4-0-35-2 so far.
20.6 – Close, close, close! This was pitched on a good length and it skidded off. Verreynne was caught in his crease as he looked to defend.
Missed and was hit on the pads. Vishwa went up in an appeal and so did the slip cordon but no one was confident about the review. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva looked from one person to another but on not getting anything, let it go.
Might have pitched outside leg. Batsman_1 : Kyle Verreynne 9(18) Batsman_2 : Temba Bavuma 28(47) Bowler : Vishwa Fernando 1/17(7) Over : 21 Run : 6 Wicket : 0 Score : 80/4 20.5 – Fuller, just outside off, slanting away, Kyle Verreynne takes his bat away from the ball.
The conditions definitely look better but because the pitch was under covers for so long, there could be some moisture for the seamers. All set for Thursday to kick off in Durban! A beautiful day greets us, with plenty of sunshine, to go along with a nice breeze. The players and umpires are making their way out to the middle.
The overnight batters – Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne stride out to the middle, while the Sri Lankans gather themselves in a huddle. That huddle disperses and the players now get ready to set things rolling for the day. Vishwa Fernando will complete his pending over from the previous day.
Verreynne to face. We did talk about Sri Lanka searching for a couple of quick wickets to run through the lower middle order of the Proteas. But just a reminder, in South Africa’s recent tour to Bangladesh, Wiaan Mulder and Kyle Verreynne fought hard to recover their team from a precarious situation.
So the hosts would be thinking – see off the first hour and they could actually be around 200 for not more than 5 down by Lunch. Any score close to 300 in the first innings should be a good one in Durban. Since we also mentioned about Pakistan, let’s inform you that Pakistan are about to conclude their ODI series against Zimbabwe.
They have chosen to bat in the final game and not surprisingly, they have not made any changes. The Asian side has been on a roll in this format, since their tour to Australia, but their first game loss to Zimbabwe would have been shocking to many. As a result, they have been forced into a decider.
The home side, on the other hand, would expect themselves to give a good show of themselves and not fade away meekly, as the second game. Since we did talk about New Zealand briefly, let’s tell you about what happened earlier in the day. England and New Zealand kickstarted their 3-Test series in Christchurch, with the visitors opting to bowl first, as is mostly the case in SENA countries in Tests.
Almost like a repeat of what happened in the India-New Zealand Tests, the Kiwis got themselves into a good position again, only to see a collapse happen through the middle. Tom Latham, Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra were making sure that Ben Stokes rued his decision to bowl, taking the score to 199/3. But then, suddenly, Daryl Mitchell got out and the home side slipped to 252/7.
Towards the end, a rearguard action from Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry has ensured that the Black Caps are still batting, with the score reading 319/8. If they can get to 350 or more on Day 2, it will be a decent first innings total, considering that the pitches tend to get better from Day 2 in this country. Shoaib Bashir was the talk of the town, picking up 4/69, having been preferred over the experienced and reliable Jack Leach.
Okay. Focus on the present, shall we? After going around the globe, let’s get back to Kingsmead. The first major question seems to have been answered.
How is the weather? Bright and sunny, without a cloud in the sky, is what we are hearing. There is still that forecast of rain but for now, we can go ahead into the talk of overs being played today. 98 is the maximum allotted, although we can play more if there is stipulated time left.
Add 2 balls from last night, so we might have to bowl 98.2 overs. Talking about time, this is how the sessions would be allotted – Session 1 (All timings in GMT) – 7.
30 am – 9.45 am | Session 2 – 10.25 am – 12.
40 pm | Session 3 – 1 pm – 3 pm, with an extra half hour to accommodate the pending overs. So that means, potentially, we could be in for around 8 hours of cricket, weather and light permitting. And if we do get a majority of that, we could witness some really good cricketing action.
So fasten your seat belts, folks! So now, if we look at the latest scenarios – there is a high likelihood that only one among Australia or India can make it to the final. The reason being – Australia are to tour Sri Lanka next, where they have not won a Test for the last 13 years, let alone a series. So, if the Lankans put on a good show in South Africa and continue their dominance against Australia, they stand a chance of making it to the final.
On the same note, South Africa have two home series left – the one ongoing against Sri Lanka and the next against Pakistan. If they manage clean sweeps in both series, that would mean a hattrick of clean sweeps, taking that previous series against Bangladesh. Then they could find themselves in the final! And amidst these five teams, if there is a balancing act in the series where there is no whitewash or a clean sweep, New Zealand could suddenly find themselves in their second final too! Gosh, exciting, isn’t it? Now, let’s talk about the all-important World Test Championship.
Not too long ago, say roughly around the Men’s T20 World Cup in June, we were looking at an Australia-India final for the WTC. Both teams had gone so far ahead in their PCT standings that it was considered impossible for any other team to match that. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, New Zealand blanked India in the latter’s backyard and that has opened a pandora box.
Thanks to that whitewash, New Zealand have got themselves into reckoning while Sri Lanka and South Africa have got equal opportunities, which might mean an altogether different final encounter, come June 2025. Skipper Temba Bavuma, hunting his own demons of a place in the side, tried to steer a rearguard action, along with the impressive Kyle Verreynne, but before he could cement that into a big show, the weather had a say. Of course, things are not over yet, and the pair can still continue their recovery job today, but from Sri Lanka’s point of view, if they break this stand early and get another wicket soon, they can actually think of keeping South Africa under 175.
Yes, the conditions have been helping the seamers but even for that, you have to bowl well. Which they did. Let’s take a quick recap of what happened on Wednesday.
It has been a torrid time for openers around the globe and barring that one stand between KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal recently in Perth, the period post the T20 World Cup has not been that kind for batters trying to see off the new ball. Irrespective of the country where the game is being played, the new ball is talking and wickets are falling. In Durban, the two Fernandos – Asitha and Vishwa – made the ball talk early while Lahiru Kumara sustained the pressure later on.
And all of a sudden, South Africa were 54/4, once again in that famous mire of the talk regarding their inexperienced batting lineup. Hello everyone. Wednesday’s action seems like a T10 game.
With the Abu Dhabi T10 going around, not surprising to find that comparison. With just 20-odd overs bowled in a day where 90 are allotted, one can just imagine the time that was lost. Still, in that period, Sri Lanka gave a good account of themselves and how eager they are, to grab the chance to reach the World Test Championship final in 2025.
But even for that to happen, matches over the next few months need to have results and for that, play needs to happen. After a gloomy opening day, will Thursday be better? Let’s hope that we get a good amount of cricketing action on Day 2. .
.. DAY 2 .
.. Right then! Just 20.
4 overs of play on Day 1 and there will be extension on the remaining days to cover up Wednesday’s loss of play. The first two sessions on the remaining days will be extended by 15 minutes apiece while the last session will have the addon of the half hour. South Africa will look to build on this Bavuma-Verreyne stand while Sri Lanka will be looking to keep picking up wickets.
Both teams were looking to get a good start in the series but the rains had other plans yet again. Hopefully, we get more play on the remaining days. The first ball on Day 2 will be bowled at 7.
30 am GMT, but we will be in early, with all the build-up. Do join us early then! ADIOS! TAKE CARE! UPDATE – 01.45 pm GMT – That’s it from Day 1 of this Test match as the officials confirm that there can be no play possible further today.
Relentless rain in Durban, which arrived just before Lunch, has never allowed the players to return to the field. Day 1 is called off! UPDATE – 12.30 pm GMT – There is only a chance of 20 more overs to happen in the time left for the day and it’s still raining heavily at Kingsmead.
Puddles have formed at various positions in the outfield. The waiting game is on and the chances of the game to start today are getting slimmer by the passing minute. Let’s see what happens.
UPDATE – 11.59 am GMT – It’s getting close to Tea now, but the rain is relentless in Durban. There is some thunder and lightning as well which are not good signs at all.
We are surely not getting any action in the second session, and the chances of getting any more play also look pretty bleak here. UPDATE – 11.29 am GMT – Still no positive news from the middle! It is still raining in Durban and we have lost more than 1.
5 hours with the conditions still looking pretty gloomy. The forecast for the rest of the days is decent, but both teams will need to fight it hard to force a result because a draw won’t help either. Stay tuned for more updates.
UPDATE – 10.52 am GMT – The rain is playing hide and seek with us! It did go away for some time, giving us a glimmer of hope, but it has come back on again with more intensity. The waiting game continues.
.. UPDATE – 10.
25 am GMT – Well, there is nothing new to update about, but the rain has steadied down a bit in Durban. However, looking at the skies, the signs are not looking very positive here. All we can do is hope.
UPDATE – 10.07 am GMT – Uh..
oh! The second session should have been underway by now, but the rain has gotten heavier during the break. All the covers are firmly on and we are in for a longer break than we expected. Stick with us for more news.
As play resumes after the rain-interrupted session, the hosts will look to Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne to rebuild. For now, it’s Sri Lanka who head into Lunch brimming with confidence after a stellar start. If there is no more rain during the break and the outfield is ready, the second session will begin around 10.
06 am GMT. However, with all the rain forecasted throughout the day, it could be a stop-start kind of day. So, just keep an eye here as we will be providing regular updates.
The day began with high drama as South Africa lost both openers within the first three overs courtesy of the two Fernandos, leaving them reeling early on. The pair of Tristan Stubbs and captain Temba Bavuma then took on the responsibility of steadying the ship. Bavuma, benefiting from two lives, displayed resilience and remains unbeaten on 28 at the break.
Stubbs appeared to have found his rhythm but was undone by a sharp delivery from Lahiru Kumara, who claimed him just as he seemed set. Kumara struck again shortly after, sending David Bedingham back to the pavilion and leaving South Africa in deeper trouble. LUNCH! SESSION SUMMARY – 20.
4 overs, 4 wickets and 80 runs. The opening session of this Test match at Kingsmead, Durban, has firmly belonged to Sri Lanka. Under overcast skies, their seam bowlers took full advantage of the conditions, delivering a masterclass in Test match bowling.
At the Lunch break, South Africa finds themselves struggling at 80/4, a testament to Sri Lanka’s relentless attack. The rain gods have finally shown their presence and the players and the umpires walk off the field right at the brink of LUNCH! In fact, the umpires have taken Lunch a couple of minutes ahead of the scheduled time which seems to be the sensible move here..
