South Africa bounced back from their insipid first Test performance with an impressive opening day to be 238-3 at stumps against New Zealand at Christchurch's Hagley Oval.
Opener Sarel Erwee scored his maiden Test century in his second appearance, combining with skipper Dean Elgar for a 111-run first-wicket stand which set the tone for the day in the second Test.
The Black Caps had dominated the first Test in Christchurch, winning by an innings and 276 runs but the Proteas showed vastly more fight and application.
New Zealand were left frustrated with as many as five edges falling short in the slips with the pitch not as quick as the first Test, nor offering as much seam movement.
Elgar surprised many when he opted to bat after winning the toss but it proved a good call, making 41 alongside Erwee, before being bowled by a Tim Southee inswinger after getting through the first session unscathed.
Erwee brought up his maiden hundred with a boundary in the final over before tea, leaping into the air to celebrate.
Aidan Markram, who needed runs after a lean spell, was determined but lost focus and fell short of a half-century when Neil Wagner lured him into a drive which was caught by Daryl Mitchell at first slip for 42.
Erwee followed him back to the changerooms two balls later for 108, caught behind by Tom Blundell off Matt Henry from a loose drive.
Temba Bavuma survived two close calls in the same Henry over, with edges eluding the slips and racing away for boundaries.
After his nervy start, Bavuma eased the tension before getting through to stumps on 22* alongside Rassie van der Dussen (13*).
Patient Erwee navigates Black Caps
Erwee brought up his half-century in the final over before lunch and then triple figures with four balls to go prior to tea. The 32-year-old left-hander patiently reached his century from 188 deliveries, with Wagner and Colin de Grandhomme combining for five consecutive maidens shortly prior to him achieving the elusive milestone. Erwee's stand with Elgar with South Africa's best opening partnership since December 2020.
Bold Elgar call pays off
Elgar's bold decision to bat raised some eyebrows, becoming the first captain to win the toss and not bowl at Hagley Oval. He also became the fourth skipper in the past 45 Tests played in New Zealand to win the toss and bat, remarkably coming after the Proteas were embarrassingly skittled for 95 and 111 in the first Test.
West Indies in control despite Bangladesh avoiding follow-on in Antigua Test
The West Indies maintained firm control of the first Test against Bangladesh at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, ending the third day with a 181-run lead. Bangladesh, despite a spirited late resistance, reached stumps at 269 for 9, narrowly avoiding the follow-on after the hosts declared their first innings at 450 for 9.
Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales led the West Indies bowling effort, each taking key wickets as Bangladesh struggled for momentum on a slow surface. Jaker Ali (53) and Mominul Haque (50) provided the only half-centuries for the visitors, while Litton Das added 40. A seventh-wicket stand of 68 runs between Jaker and Taijul Islam pushed Bangladesh past the follow-on mark of 251 in the final hour of the day.
Starting the day on 40 for 2, Bangladesh batted cautiously, with Mominul Haque and Shahadat Hossain looking to rebuild. Shahadat’s 18 from 71 balls came to an end when he edged Kemar Roach to Kavem Hodge at first slip.
Mominul continued his resistance alongside Litton Das, guiding Bangladesh through to lunch. Litton, known for his fluent stroke play, curbed his natural instincts and focused on survival, though he managed a few boundaries off Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph.
After the break, Seales trapped Mominul lbw for 50, breaking a promising partnership. Litton Das followed soon after, dragging a Shamar Joseph delivery onto his stumps for 40 off 76 balls. Stand-in captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz also struggled against a barrage of short-pitched deliveries, eventually succumbing to an Alzarri Joseph bouncer caught at short-leg by Mikyle Louis.
Bangladesh looked in danger of folding cheaply, but Jaker Ali and Taijul Islam mounted a defiant stand.
Jaker and Taijul frustrated the West Indies attack for 19 overs, combining disciplined shot selection with opportunistic boundary-hitting. Jaker brought up his half-century with a pull shot, but the partnership ended when Taijul was bowled by Joseph for 27.
Jaker continued to fight, but his innings ended at 53 when he holed out to Seales at deep midwicket off Justin Greaves. The West Indies bowlers, tiring in the fading light, were unable to dismiss the final Bangladeshi wicket, with Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud surviving till stumps.
The hosts had set the tone for the match with a dominant first-innings batting display, led by Justin Greaves (115*), Mikyle Louis (97), and Alick Athanaze (90). On day three, their bowlers ensured that Bangladesh remained under pressure despite avoiding the follow-on.
Heading into the penultimate day, West Indies remain firmly in control, with a healthy lead and a single Bangladeshi wicket standing between them and a shot at victory. Bangladesh, meanwhile, face an uphill battle to avoid defeat in the first Test.
Global Super League trophy unveiled
The trophy for ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) has been unveiled by Guyana’s President, His Excellency President Dr Mohammad Irfan Ali and shown to the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at a cricket event which was part of the Indian leader’s state visit to Guyana. GSL Chairman, Sir Clive Lloyd and Guyanese cricket great Alvin Kallicharran were also in attendance for the ceremony.
The trophy has been inspired by Guyana’s 276 discovered waterfalls including the magnificent Kaieteur Falls, the largest single drop waterfall in the world and has been designed by Indian company Loka Lifestyle.
Sir Clive Lloyd, Chairman of GSL, said: “The Global Super League is South America’s first standalone T20 tournament and is a fantastic opportunity to showcase beautiful Guyana to the rest of the world. With that in mind it is very fitting that the trophy highlights Kaieteur Falls, one of the most stunning landmarks in the region. We are looking forward to seeing which of the five competing teams will claim the trophy on 6th December.”
The Global Super League will see teams from Australia, Bangladesh, England, Guyana and Pakistan competing for the trophy and a US$1million prize pool. The tournament runs from 26 November to 6 December with all matches taking place at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
Zimbabwe crush Pakistan in rain-affected ODI series opener
Zimbabwe's spinners took centre-stage as they earned a crushing 80-run victory over Pakistan in the teams' rain-affected ODI opener on Sunday.
Torrential rain, thunder and lightning halted play after 21 overs of the Pakistan innings, with the tourists toiling at 60-6 after bowling Zimbabwe out for 205.
Sean Williams, Blessing Muzarabani and Sikandar Raza each scalped two wickets apiece as no Pakistan batter surpassed the 19 runs managed by Mohammad Rizwan.
The dismal weather would ensure no further play was possible, with Pakistan having completed the requisite 20 overs to ensure a result would be declared, ensuring Zimbabwe won on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
Richard Ngarava had earlier top-scored for Zimbabwe with a steady 48 off 52 balls, with Raza adding an important 39 from 56 deliveries after the hosts had been dropped to 99-5.
Salman Agha and Faisal Akram finished with three wickets apiece for Pakistan, but it was not enough to prevent Zimbabwe from being declared comfortable victors, with their total some way clear of the DLS par score of 141.
Data Debrief: Zimbabwe end Bulawayo hoodoo
Zimbabwe's victory may not have come in the circumstances they would have envisaged, but it did end their dismal run against Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
They had lost each of their previous eight matches against Pakistan at the venue, only winning one of their last nine there overall (one draw, seven defeats), after winning three of their previous four.
They will hope to carry this momentum into Tuesday's second match at the same venue, as they bid to clinch victory in the three-match series.
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