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Temba Bavuma’s maiden Test hundred lit up Newlands as South Africa were able to declare on 627 for 7, just two runs behind England on first innings

The Report by David Hopps05-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn the troubled transformation of South Africa cricket Temba Bavuma inspired heady hopes of a bright and contented future with a zestful maiden Test hundred which brought a slumbering Cape Town Test sparking into life. A run-glut Test or not, the squeals of delight that greeted his breakthrough innings lit up Newlands. Temba Bavuma: depicted as a quota cricketer no longer.Twenty-four years after South Africa’s readmission to international cricket following the dismantling of apartheid, Bavuma became the first black African to hit a Test hundred for South Africa. It was a momentous moment.

Bavuma embraces role-model status

Temba Bavuma hopes his maiden Test century will pave the way for other black Africans to follow in his footsteps.

“When I made my debut for South Africa I became more aware and realised the significance of it all,” he said. “It wasn’t just about me making my debut, but being a role model and inspiration for other black African kids to aspire to. Achieving this milestone will strengthen that example.

“I looked today at the kids who were there for the KFC Mini cricket festival at lunch. Half of those kids come from Langa and half of them know my name. Whenever I go back to Langa I know I’m going to have those kids running around me. There is a greater significance, a lot of pressure, but it is international cricket.”

Bavuma received a rousing reception from the 16,000 fans at Newlands on reaching his hundred, and he admitted that achieving the feat in his home city was especially satisfying.

“I am born and bred in Cape Town, this is where I learnt my cricket, my passion grew here,” he said. “Being able to achieve this milestone at my favourite ground in the world makes it a bit more special.

“There is a lot of satisfaction, just getting that first hundred,” he explained. “I’ve been yearning for it, fighting for it, so getting that one under the belt makes me look forward to the future ones if they do come.”

Bavuma had made only one half-century in seven Tests and most mentions of his name before the Test had encouraged the mistaken belief that his first name was Drop. But he danced around Newlands like a summer breeze, his bright-as-a-button innings refreshing onlookers who were beginning to tire of runs that in this Test had become as undervalued as the South African rand.Bavuma’s unbeaten 102, from 148 balls, replete with enterprising cuts and pulls, was a cheery topping on Hashim Amla’s slow-cooked special – the fourth double-century of his Test career. When Bavuma reached his hundred with a thick edge off Steven Finn and Amla pulled the plug soon afterwards, South Africa had batted for 211 overs and had cut the deficit to two runs. For the first time in South Africa both sides had made more than 600 on first innings.England reached 16 without loss by the close, and probably consigned the Test to oblivion in the process, but both batsmen had alarming brushes with short leg and Cook left a ball that missed off stump by a whisker. Two down would have caused the odd sleepless night.Had that been so, England would have only themselves to blame. Pristine pitch or not, they dropped nine catches in the innings: six on the fourth day. Many, it must be noted, were immensely difficult. It was also their ninth day of Test cricket in 11, the heat was searing, and as the overs mounted, they were understandably flagging. The law of averages, though, meant that some should have stuck.The one that will be most dwelt upon – however cruelly it may seem – will be Jonny Bairstow’s drop of Bavuma on 77, partly because Bairstow’s ponderous footwork threatens his future as a Test keeper, partly because Broad kicked the pitch in frustration, so bringing a huge lump out of it and attracting an unofficial warning from umpire Aleem Dar, one which he took gracelessly. It was the only time the pitch has shown signs of wear.When Amla’s steadfast resistance finally expired in the fourth over after lunch, his 201 represented the third-longest Test innings in South Africa, in terms of ball faced. Over nearly 12 hours he had glued together South African resolve, an understated captain responding indefatigably in a time of need. His concentration was admirable, his defensive technique impeccable, but in cricket when the situation is dead the game is dead and as long as Amla remained at the crease there seemed no chance of a positive result.Amla’s was one of three wickets to fall on the fourth afternoon as the third new ball brought England momentary release – Faf du Plessis and Quinton du Kock also dismissed within the space of 22 balls. Amla was the first of them, undone by Broad who coaxed just enough movement out of a placid surface to bowl him off an inside edge. Only Gary Kirsten and Michael Atherton had faced more deliveries in a Test in South Africa than his 477.Du Plessis, 81 not out at lunch, missed out on a hundred that he seemed to have been heading inexorably towards, James Anderson finding the edge from around the wicket and Ben Stokes retrieving an alert, low catch at third slip. There were good plans, too, for de Kock, who was given a strong leg-side field and a surfeit of short balls and who mis-hooked to square leg.Temba Bavuma played a sparkling innings for his maiden century•Getty Images

With South Africa still 180 behind, at 449 for 6, a positive result could not entirely be discounted – not by computer programmers anyway. England cranked up the aggression for an hour, indulging in more than a few verbals along the way and Anderson knowingly collected a second warning for running on the pitch. Go for broke and see what happens was the obvious message.Bavuma, jockey-sized in the style of James Taylor, stood up for the little man, later in his innings also dealing well with England’s attempts to stifle him with 7-2 off-side fields. He found a redoubtable ally in Chris Morris, who made 69 on Test debut in a stand of 167 before Joe Root, who had dropped several in the slips, held on at short extra.England had little glimpses of opportunity in the morning, most glaringly when Amla miscued Moeen down the ground on 197 and was fortunate that the ball dropped safely between the two straight fielders. A ball later, he soft-shoe shuffled a single through mid-on for his 200.Du Plessis’ most anxious moment came when he edged a full-length ball from Moeen past Anderson at slip. For the second time in the innings, the ball flew too rapidly past Anderson who was hunting an edge from a defensive push – a theory which, although events conspired against it, did possess a certain amount of logic. Root, helmeted because he was so unnaturally close, was to make the same miscalculation later when Morris edged Broad.This Test has passed through recognisable phases. It began with excitement, as Stokes and Bairstow batted at an astounding rate on a flat surface nevertheless offering decent pace and bounce. It became a challenge of concentration as Amla stiffened South African sinews in the face of England’s 629 for 6. And, on the fourth day, with that pace and bounce a distant memory, as long as Amla remained it became a process primarily of repetition, an endurance test for all but the most unyielding connoisseur.Old timers wallowed in memories of big scores of days gone by, England fans crept away to climb Table Mountain and there was a terrible temptation to switch TV channels and watch the Big Bash pack them in again in Adelaide. Even the Indian schoolboy who has scored 1009 not out in Mumbai must have been under greater threat.This was becoming the Test with no reason to live. Then came Bavuma to bring it alive once more.

Arul Suppiah, the Somerset allrounder, has been forced to retire at the age of 29 due to worsening knee injuries

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2013Arul Suppiah, the Somerset allrounder, who holds the world record for Twenty20 bowling figures, has been forced to retire at the age of 29 due to worsening knee injuries.Suppiah, a top-order batsman and left-arm spinner, was born in Malaysia and educated at Millford School before making his Somerset debut in 2002. In 2009 he scored 1000 Championship runs for the first time as he established himself as a regular member of a strong top order that included Marcus Trescothick, Nick Compton and James Hildreth.However, his most notable achievement was securing world-record bowling figures in T20s when he took 6 for 5 against Glamorgan, at Cardiff, in 2011.Suppiah has suffered from serious injuries in both knees that have led to a rapid deterioration in recent months, to the extent that he has been strongly advised to take an immediate retirement from the game. He is currently in the middle of his benefit season.”I am devastated to have to retire from the game that I have always loved,” he said. “This is the hardest decision of my life, especially having played for Somerset for so long. After consultation with the specialist, I realise I have no choice but to retire.”I have so many happy memories of my time at Somerset and would like to thank everybody from [the] players, staff and members who have supported me during my playing career. Somerset will always be my county and from the other side of the boundary ropes I shall continue to support the lads in every way I can.”Guy Lavender, the Somerset chief executive, added: “Arul might not have been born in the county but he is thought of as a real local. He has given so much to cricket in Somerset, and it is a great shame that he has to retire in these circumstances.”Not only is he an exceptional cricketer, he is a superb chap, and I am certain that the next phase of his career will be as successful as the first. I am sure that all Somerset members and cricket lovers will continue to support his remaining benefit year events.”Arul will be greatly missed by all the players and staff and we would like to thank him on behalf of all the members for everything that he has done for Somerset and wish him every success for the future.”

Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal has said the six-match Twenty20 tour of Europe has helped the team develop the habit of winning, despite the two losses to Scotland and Netherlands

Mohammad Isam30-Jul-2012Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal has said the six-match Twenty20 tour of Europe has helped the team develop the habit of winning, despite the two losses to Scotland and Netherlands. Tamim was the only batsman to score in excess of 200 runs, including two half-centuries. He said he was happy to see progress on an individual and collective level.”The tour had more positives than negatives,” Tamim told ESPNcricinfo. “We won the first game against Ireland easily but in the next two we fought back from dire situations. I think the game in which [Mahmudullah] Riyad bowled well in the last over was a difficult win. We never thought we were in it but we fought till the end.”Leaving aside the Scotland game (which the hosts won by 34 runs), I thought we showed a lot of positive signs. We wanted to get into the habit of winning, so I think the tour has given us that. All in all, there were improvements but there’s still a long way to go.”After sweeping the series 3-0 against Ireland, Bangladesh had a wake-up call when the Scotland batsman Richie Berrington hammered a 57-ball century. The Bangladesh batsmen faltered and lost the one-off game.Tamim’s unbeaten 69 in the next game, against Netherlands, helped them to an easy win but the tour ended in a disappointing note after they were defeated in a last-ball finish against the same opponents.”Personally, I feel happy after the tour,” Tamim said. “I thought it was a decent effort in conditions which I wouldn’t call ideal for Twenty20 cricket.”The mixed results caused some bizarre movements in the ICC Twenty20 rankings. Bangladesh jumped to No. 4 after winning 3-0 against Ireland. However, one loss to Scotland brought them back to No. 9, which didn’t change despite beating Netherlands the next day and losing the day after.”We felt good when we became the No. 4 team in Twenty20s, but when we lost to Scotland and became No. 9, we obviously didn’t feel that good,” said Tamim. “It wasn’t important to be honest and it wasn’t really our goal during the series. But going up the rankings is definitely a goal for the future.”The players will take a break, but Tamim and four others are set to play the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) Twenty20 competition, which begins on August 11. Tamim believes the whole team stands to benefit and not just the contracted players.”It will be great for the five players but since we’ll be playing the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September, it’ll definitely help us as a team because the captain [Mushfiqur Rahim] is also one of the five players,” he said.

Rahul Dravid may have played 150 Tests in a career spanning 15 years, but admits he still feels the pressure to contribute to the team

Sriram Veera in Kingston18-Jun-2011Rahul Dravid may have played 150 Tests in a career spanning 15 years, but admits he still feels the pressure to contribute to the team. The Tests in West Indies will be Dravid’s first series since the trip to South Africa in December-January and he said it had been a challenge to maintain intensity during the down time.”I am relaxed, but there is always a pressure to go and score runs, irrespective of who you are,” Dravid said after his first training session at Sabina Park. “You want to make a contribution, but you know that there is a lot [that] you have accomplished, a lot that you have already done, which cannot be taken away from you. So I do relax more with regard to that part of the game.”But when I go into a game, I am still nervous. That never changes, whether I am playing my first game or my 151st game. The reason that I continue playing is because I love the contest and love the vibes. I am still enjoying the game.”Dravid is not part of India’s limited-overs set up anymore and said that, while it was challenge to maintain focus during the gaps between Tests, he was well-prepared for the upcoming series. “It has been five-six months that we played a Test match,” he said. “There has been a bit of IPL in between. It’s a challenge to keep it going but the good thing from my point of view is that we have got seven Test matches in a row now (three in West Indies and four in England), once we start on June 20.”That was at the back of my mind as I was preparing for this series and England. It will be good to get some runs early on and hopefully carry the form in the seven games.”Dravid averages 70 in the Caribbean, with 1260 runs from 14 Tests, and has scored two centuries and ten half-centuries. This is his fourth tour of the West Indies. He averages 55.60 with three half-centuries in three Tests at Sabina Park, the venue of the first match. The previous time he played here, Dravid top scored for India in both innings (81 and 68) of a low-scoring game to help them win the Test and the series.Rahul Dravid: “I am still enjoying the game”•Gallo Images

“I have very pleasant memories of the ground, especially after what we achieved here when we came here last time,” Dravid said. “When we got here, anything could have happened on a low-scoring wicket, anything. We were the better team in the series, but on a difficult wicket like that you could so easily lose. I will definitely say that it was one of my better innings that I [have] played in terms of the quality.”Dravid said it had been his childhood ambition to play in the West Indies. “After hearing so much about playing in the West Indies, as a young kid, [I was] looking forward to coming here. My ambition has never changed.”I grew up to my dad turning the radio on and hearing commentary about Gavaskar scoring hundreds here [against] the fast bowlers, and dreamed about playing here. You want to come here and play in front of passionate crowds. Even when you are walking on the street they seem to know so much about your scores. I know that the grounds are not that full for Test matches but I still hope that there will be a good atmosphere.”There are quite a few young players in the Indian squad and Dravid said he is looking forward to passing on his experience and helping in the transition phase. “I am hoping that over the next seven Test matches, there will be opportunity to share those experiences, especially with some of the young batsmen coming up.”I know that in the next couple of years there will be times young batsmen will come through and that’s the way it should be. They are getting a lot of exposure in the one-day game, Twenty20 and the IPL. A lot of them are more experienced [compared to] when I, Sourav Ganguly or VVS Laxman came into the team. Hopefully when they make it to the team they can have the long careers that we have had. You know that the team is going to be in good health if three or four [of these] guys can establish themselves and score runs consistently. So it will be interesting to see which of these guys can perform for India.”

The Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg, St. Georges Park in Port Elizabeth, Kingsmead in Durban and Centurion Park in Centurion will host Champions League Twenty20 2010

Cricinfo staff17-Jun-2010The Champions League Twenty20 governing council has named the venues for the second edition of the tournament to be held this year in South Africa. The Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg, St. Georges Park in Port Elizabeth, Kingsmead in Durban and Centurion Park in Centurion will host the competition that will feature ten of the top domestic Twenty20 teams, from September 10 to 26.”South Africa is widely regarded as a top international host nation, having successfully hosted most major international cricket events in recent years,” said Shashank Manohar, the league chairman. “The Governing Council is satisfied with the four venues that Cricket South Africa have recommended. We are excited about the future of CLT20, and call on the South African public to come out and support the second edition of this tournament, which features the best of the best.”Gerald Majola, the CEO of CSA, was pleased with South Africa getting the opportunity to host another major sporting event. “CSA is proud to be hosting CLT20 in what is an iconic year for South Africa with the soccer World Cup currently being hosted here. We are encouraged by the eagerness of the four host venues to make this tournament a success.”CLT20 has already picked the interest of South African fans, especially with the Lions and Warriors (South African teams participating in the tournament) having qualified for this prestigious event. We are confident of hosting a successful CLT20.”Following the the 2003 one-day World Cup, South Africa have been one of the favourite destinations for multi-team cricketing tournaments, including the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, the second edition of the Indian Premier League and the Champions Trophy in 2009.The inaugural Champions League was held in India last year, with New South Wales beating Trinidad & Tobago to win the event that was contested by 12 teams. This year’s event will feature ten teams, nine of which have already qualified. The tenth spot will be taken by a representative from the West Indies following the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament in end July. The CLT20 2010 will feature 23 matches, with the tournament format and match schedule to be decided at the next governing council meeting on June 28 in Singapore.Teams contesting Champions League T20 2010:
From India – Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore
From Australia – Victorian Bushrangers and South Australian Redbacks
From South Africa – Warriors and Highveld Lions
From New Zealand – Central Stags
From Sri Lanka – Wayamba Elevens
From the West Indies – TBC

His three wickets make good on decision to bowl first under murky skies

ECB Reporters Network22-Aug-2024Toby Roland-Jones led the hunt for wickets as Middlesex had the better of a rain-affected opening day against Northamptonshire at Merchant Taylors’ School.The Seaxes skipper, Middlesex’s leading red-ball wicket-taker this season in this his benefit year, made good on his decision to bowl first under murky skies, returning 3 for 34.Tom Helm , who produced a fiery opening burst backed up his skipper with 2 for 41 as the visitors struggled to 167 for 7 in the 44.4 overs played.Emilio Gay with 42 provided the chief resistance for Northamptonshire, who gave a debut to seamer Dominic Leech, who joined on loan this week from Yorkshire ahead of starting a three-year contract at Wantage Road next season.Morning rain meant no play before lunch and it was 1:25pm before Middlesex’s bowlers got the chance to profit from winning the toss.Indian Test opener Pritvhi Shaw made a positive start against some friendly offerings from Ethan Bamber and Roland-Jones. Two leg-side half-volleys were suitably despatched while two glorious drives fizzed through the covers. An injudicious attempted pull off Roland-Jones ended his fun, the ball skied to Mark Stoneman at point.Tom Helm was next to strike. The quick had played drinks waiter since appearing for Birmingham Phoenix in the opening game of the Hundred last month, but showed no rustiness, luring Ricardo Vasconcelos into a pull shot which ballooned to Roland-Jones at wide mid-on.The 30-year-old then produced the sort of ball pace bowlers dream off, bringing one back from outside off-stump to bowl Northamptonshire skipper Luke Proctor, the stump careering back almost to wicketkeeper Jack Davies.George Bartlett gave Sam Robson the first of three slip catches and while Rob Keogh briefly launched a counter-offensive, twice striking successive boundaries, he also found the hands of the former England opener with an edge off Henry Brookes.Gay had watched all the carnage from the other end. The opener, who departs for Durham at the end of the season, and who made a career-best 261 against the Seaxes at Wantage Road earlier in the campaign, batted with greater control than his teammates, using his height to defend off the back foot, while getting a good stride in when driving through the extra cover region.It was going to take a good ball to dislodge him and Roland-Jones found a brute on the stroke of tea which lifted from around fourth stump causing Gay to edge to slip, Robson again the catcher.Roland-Jones removed Justin Broad for an eight-ball duck soon after the resumption but Lewis McManus and Ben Sanderson stopped the bleeding before rain drove the players from the field.They returned 90 minutes later and 14 deliveries proved enough for the batters to raise a valuable 50-partnership before bad light intervened.

‘Never thought I’d live to see the day where West Indies are trying to qualify for major tournaments,” assistant coach says

Deivarayan Muthu17-Jun-2023Former West Indies captain and current assistant coach Carl Hooper has called the team’s current position “distressing”. West Indies are ranked tenth right now in ODI cricket, below Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and will have to compete with nine other teams in Zimbabwe to qualify for the ODI World Cup, which will begin in October in India.Earlier last year, West Indies had failed to make it out of the qualifier to the T20 World Cup proper in Australia, losing to Scotland and Ireland.”The position hasn’t changed,” Hooper said ahead of the ODI World Cup qualifier in Harare. “The point is can we go lower than this? Yes, we can go lower than this and if we don’t qualify, we go a step lower. Never thought that I’d live to see the day where West Indies are trying to qualify for major tournaments. I sat in Australia, and we struggled to get through it in the T20s and here we are in Zimbabwe.Related

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“No disrespect to the other teams, but we’re playing against the likes of the USA, Nepal and Scotland. Even Afghanistan is ahead of us, and Bangladesh has gone ahead of us. So, this is distressing, and can we go lower? Yes, we can go lower. This game continues to remind you that until you start doing the right things, you can go lower. As I said before, I never thought I would live to see this day, but here I am in Zimbabwe, starting a game on Sunday. We’ve got to try and beat the USA.”After West Indies crashed out of the T20 World Cup in Australia, Phil Simmons decided to step down as head coach and then Nicholas Pooran also gave up white-ball captaincy. Daren Sammy, Shai Hope, Hooper and Co have tuned up for the World Cup Qualifier with a 3-0 sweep of the UAE earlier this month. West Indies have been bolstered further by the return of their IPL stars who had rested during the UAE tour.”We’re ready. I mean you get a feel, and you get a vibe for the energy in the team,” Hooper said. “I think Daren Sammy, as you know, is a fabulous, inspirational leader. Now he has been tasked, trying to get West Indies into the qualification, which will be massive for us. So, the energy so far in Dubai and with the other boys joining us here in Zimbabwe has been great. We’re looking forward to the game on Sunday and I’m sure we will do well.”Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope are among the senior players in the side•AFP/Getty Images

Hooper was also pleased with how some of West Indies’ players have adapted quickly to the Harare conditions, despite not getting enough game time in the IPL. Allrounder Romario Shepherd, who got just one game at Lucknow Super Giants, hit the ground running in Harare, smacking 53 off 34 balls and then bowling three overs in West Indies’ 91-run victory over Scotland in the warm-ups. Rovman Powell, who played just three matches for Delhi Capitals for the IPL, got cracking with 105 off 55 balls, including eight sixes and as many fours, in West Indies’ 114-run win over UAE.”What we’ve tried to do is guys who are going to be an integral part of our campaign get a chance to spend some time in the middle,” Hooper said. “We’ve had quite a few players coming from the IPL. I believe five or six of the boys…while they’ve been involved in the IPL haven’t played a lot apart from maybe Pooran. So, the important thing was to get them some time in the middle.”Having said that, the games that we’re going to play here in Zimbabwe are going to start pretty early in the morning. So, we noticed that in the two games we bowled, it certainly swung around. So, we’ve addressed that, and we’ve been having conversations, so there’s not much you can do technically but you can I suppose raise an awareness of conditions and how we might approach them to get the best out of the batting group.”

Durham allrounder confirmed as successor to Joe Root

Alan Gardner28-Apr-2022Ben Stokes has been named as England men’s Test captain. Stokes was the preferred candidate to take on the job after Joe Root’s resignation following five years in the role.England’s leading allrounder, and one of the few players sure of their place in the XI, Stokes becomes the 81st captain of the men’s Test team. His appointment was recommended by Rob Key, the new managing director of men’s cricket, and approved by the ECB on Tuesday evening.”I had no hesitation in offering the role of Test captain to Ben,” Key said. “He epitomises the mentality and approach we want to take this team forward into the next era of red-ball cricket. I am delighted that he has accepted, and he is ready for the added responsibility and the honour. He thoroughly deserves the opportunity.”Related

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Stokes takes charge of an England side that have won just one of their last 17 Tests, going five series without a victory for the first time in history. They are currently bottom of the 2021-23 World Test Championship.Stokes has captained in one Test previously, a defeat to West Indies when Root was on paternity leave in 2020. Although he said during the winter tour of Australia that he was not interested in the captaincy, he acknowledged being in the frame when writing about Root’s decision to step down in his newspaper column last week.”I am honoured to be given the chance to lead the England Test team,” he said. “This is a real privilege, and I’m excited about getting started this summer.”I want to thank Joe [Root] for everything he has done for English cricket and for always being a great ambassador for the sport all across the world. He has been a massive part of my development as a leader in the dressing room, and he will continue to be a key ally for me in this role.”Key added his own endorsement of Root’s tenure while speaking at Lord’s on Thursday, describing his leadership of the team through the challenges of Covid, all the while producing a haul of runs that included an England record tally of 1708 in the 2021 calendar year, as “one of the great sporting achievements”.”It won’t be up there with winning the World Cup,” Key said. “But to play in a team that has been struggling, living in this pandemic, being captain, having to do so much and score the runs he’s scored – you have no idea how great an achievement that has been and then the fact that he is still now asking ‘How can I help Ben Stokes’ … what he has done has been unbelievable. Joe Root is so important to English cricket, and he’ll have a massive hand to play.”There had been concerns about Stokes’ workload, as a key player in all three formats and following a break from the game for mental health reasons in 2021. Fellow allrounders Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff both experienced unhappy spells as captain, but Key suggested that “the time is absolutely right” for Stokes to take the reins.