All posts by n8rngtd.top

They have not played a one-dayer on home soil since November 2020

AAP24-Aug-2022Australia’s immediate sights may be on back-to-back ODI series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand but wicketkeeper Alex Carey says this is where their preparation begins for the 2023 World Cup.Australia face Zimbabwe in three ODIs in Townsville from Sunday, before they meet world No.1 New Zealand for three matches in Cairns from September 6.Sunday’s match marks the first time in almost two years Australia has played a home ODI and will be Zimbabwe’s first bilateral series here since the 2003-2004 summer.Carey says with the World Cup just 12 months away and the squad at almost full strength, it’s time to begin preparations.Related

• A brief history of Zimbabwe in Australia: beating England, Streak's day at the SCG and Marillier's near-miss

• Labuschagne wants to 'continue to get better' at No. 5 after disappointing tour of Sri Lanka

• Muzarabani back in Zimbabwe squad for Australia ODIs; Ervine remains injured

“We see it as a great opportunity to continue to evolve our one-day cricket to get some form leading into the next 12 months. So it is a good way to start,” he told reporters in Townsville. “Most players will know their roles coming into the series.”Players have been playing the last couple of weeks as well over in the Hundred in England, so for us it’s preparing the best way we can.”One-day cricket you know how you try to set up, but we’ll obviously sum up the conditions as well and play accordingly.”Zimbabwe named their 15-man squad for the tour on Tuesday after falling 3-0 to India in a series at home. With Craig Ervine still sidelined due to a hamstring injury, Regis Chakabva will captain the side again.Their recent series against India and Bangladesh will provide important footage Carey said, with little known of some of their squad.”In this format, I haven’t played them,” he said. “They’ve had some recent form so they’ll be keen to come over here and play some good cricket. They knocked off Bangladesh recently. So we will do our research if guys haven’t already started.”We’ve got some vision of bowlers, batters and we are up here five days early. So, we’re keen to get around, meet and greet and it get stuck into it.”

David Willey’s admission that he might abandon attempts to play Test cricket, at 27, and concentrate solely on limited-overs cricket, is unnerving news for England’s first-class system

David Hopps22-Dec-2017David Willey is considering abandoning attempts to play Test cricket for England to concentrate instead on a career as a limited-overs specialist.Willey made the admission in Perth where he is about to begin a third season in the Big Bash League with Perth Scorchers.”I think over the past couple of years, the way the scheduling is now it’s difficult to play enough four-day cricket to put your name in the frame for Test cricket,” he said.”So, I’m at a real crossroads at the minute actually of whether I decide to pursue a career in Twenty20 cricket and one-day cricket and leave my dreams of Test cricket behind.”The scheduling argument has most validity in late-season when County Championship cricket clashes with a heavy diet of England limited-overs cricket, but there remains a wedge of Championship matches in April and May, with seam-bowling conditions often encouraging, when a player of Willey’s skill sets might be deemed ideally placed to press his Test claims.More persuasive perhaps are the financial rewards that can be gained by mixing an England career in the shorter formats with life on the various T20 circuits worldwide.England have increasingly made the distinction between red and white ball specialists during Trevor Bayliss’ time as coach with the likes of Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Liam Plunkett and Alex Hales seemingly destined for a limited-overs future.Only Morgan, however, has displayed an obvious aversion for Championship cricket with Middlesex – Tymal Mills, another absentee, only plays Twenty20 because of fitness issues – but Willey made noises that he might follow the example of England’s limited-overs captain.It was T20 cricket, after all, with unfashionable Northamptonshire, where he first made his reputation. An IPL contract is not beyond his ability.David Willey takes a catch on the boundary•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

This will all will interest Yorkshire, in particular, who signed Willey with both county and player ambitious for him to lift his first-class reputation in county cricket but who instead have only seen him restricted by injury and non-selection to six Championship matches over two seasons. The vision of him becoming a ready-made replacement for their now-retired left-armer Ryan Side4bottom, but with added batting power, has not materialised.”Certainly, two years ago I still had ambitions to play Test cricket,” Willey said. “But right now, I’m at a real crossroads and I’ll have some sleepless nights thinking about that.”For me now it’s thinking about my body, my family, how long I want to be away from home and not only that but what sort of a condition I want to leave myself in come the end of my career and how long I can play for.”The absence of Ben Stokes from the Ashes series might have opened a door for Willey as a fourth seamer, albeit further down the order, if he was regarded as a realistic Test option, but as England reshuffled with the likes of Craig Overton, and perhaps Tom Curran in Melbourne, his worth was never even considered. That perhaps has sent a message as to where his future may lie.Willey’s uncertainty will add to the feeling of unease surrounding the Championship which cannot afford a slip in standards if it is to maintain credibility as an 18-county competition.With overseas players also increasingly hard to secure because of rival T20 attractions, the Championship cannot afford the long-suffered absence of England players on international duty to be aggravated by a further outflow of one-day specialists who simply choose to turn their backs on the competition.Willey has built up a catalogue of 31 ODIs and 16 T20Is for England, but even here there has been frustration. His reputation as a combative and dangerous hitter has led Yorkshire to employ him at the top of the order, and he has two Twenty20 and two List A hundreds to his name, but he languishes in England’s tail end, so much so that he has so far mustered only 202 international runs in both formats combined with a top score of 26.Even with the ball, he has become typecast as a bowler who is effective if he can swing a new ball, but more vulnerable if he cannot.Hardly a veteran at 27, he has taken 17 wickets in his two seasons in BBL for a Scorchers side that reached the semi-finals in 2015-16 and claimed its third title in four years in 2016. He is available for only six matches before teaming up with England’s party for the one-day series in the New Year.England are unlikely to object to Willey then returning to play for the Scorchers, if they reach the knockout stages, during a gap in the international schedule.

He will replace Kane Williamson, who was released by the franchise after the last season

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Feb-2023Aiden Markram has been named the Sunrisers Hyderabad captain for IPL 2023.Markram, 28, recently led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural SA20 title, where he also finished as the tournament’s third leading run-maker.Related

• IPL 2023 to be played from March 31 to May 28

• Prasidh Krishna ruled out of IPL 2023 with stress fracture

• 'Fully fit' Chahar ready to make comeback at IPL 2023

Sunrisers had to fill the leadership role after releasing Kane Williamson ahead of the IPL auction last December. The first player retained by the franchises ahead of the mega auction in 2022, Williamson struggled for form as Sunrisers failed to make the playoffs last season finishing eighth. Williamson missed the final league match last season to return to New Zealand for the birth of his child following which Bhuvneshwar Kumar took over the reins.It is understood that Bhuvneshwar, who has been with the franchise since its inception in 2013, along with Mayank Agarwal (bought in the December auction) and Markram were among the contenders for the leadership position. Markram was chosen for the role by the Sunrisers team management, which is led by Brian Lara, who was appointed as head coach ahead of the auction.In SA20, Markram proved he could excel both as a captain and a batter while leading Eastern Cape. Alongside making 369 runs at a strike rate of 127 including a century, Markram also bagged 11 wickets at an economy of 6.19 with his part-time offspin – enough to earn 596.6 points and top the Total Impact charts calculated as per ESPNcricnfo’s Smart Stats tool.Sunrisers paid INR 2.6 crore to buy Markram at the 2022 auction. In that season, Markram scored 381 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 139.05 and an average of 47.62.

Gardner forced to isolate for 10 days and will miss Australia’s first two World Cup matches against England and Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2022Allrounder Ashleigh Gardner has tested positive for Covid and will miss Australia’s opening two World Cup matches against England and Pakistan.Cricket Australia confirmed on Thursday morning that Gardner had returned a Covid positive RAT while in Christchurch and her subsequent PCR test was also positive.Gardner will remain in Christchurch to isolate for 10 days under ICC and New Zealand Government health rules. It means Gardner is unavailable for Australia’s opening World Cup match against England in Hamilton on Saturday, March 5, and Australia’s second match against Pakistan at Mount Maunganui on Tuesday, March 8.The rest of the Australia playing group and support staff have all returned negative RATs and will travel to Hamilton on Thursday night without Gardner. Australia selector and head of performance Shawn Flegler will remain in Christchurch with Gardner.The news of Gardner’s positive test comes after the ICC confirmed that there would be no strict bubble or daily testing for the tournament.

Batsman rescues floundering and hits 17 off the final over as St Kitts & Nevis Patriots clinch last-over thriller

The Report by Peter Della Penna05-Sep-2018Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

A sparkling half-century by Fabian Allen, in his maiden CPL innings, salvaged a floundering St Kitts and Nevis Patriots chase and took them to victory by two wickets over Barbados Tridents at Warner Park on Tuesday night. Allen made an unbeaten 64 off 34 balls to rescue the Patriots from 92 for 6, including 17 runs off the final over, to pull his team through with two balls to spare.The win puts Patriots temporarily in first place, though their regular season is now finished. Trinbago Knight Riders and Guyana Amazon Warriors are one point behind, but both have three league fixtures remaining, two of which are against each other.Shamsi leaves his imprintPatriots’ overseas batsman Tom Cooper had a miserable time at CPL 2018. His six innings yielded just 45, and the team management ran out of patience. When he had to head home for the start of Australia’s domestic season, the franchise sought a replacement and picked South Africa left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who was actually filling the void left by Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane. In his first outing, Shamsi, who is coming off back spasms, suffered during the tour of India with the South Africa A team, left his imprint.Coming on at the end of the Powerplay, Shamsi struck with just his second ball, trapping Dwayne Smith lbw to end a 45-run opening stand. Smith’s opening partner Sunny Sohal fell leg before as well in the next over to Mahmudullah’s offspin, pinned on the back foot after shuffling across his crease too far to flick. A poor call for a run to backward point resulted Hashim Amla’s run out to make it 66 for 3 at the halfway mark. When Shai Hope was out slogging to mid-off, Shamsi, who did him in with flight, reinforced the advantage.Shamsi didn’t concede a single boundary in his spell of 4-0-16-2. He could have had a third wicket when he beat Roston Chase sweeping, just as he had Smith earlier in the night. Umpire Nigel Duguid denied a strong lbw shout, though the ball had pitched in line with leg stump and would have gone on to hit it. On 5 then, Chase proceeded to make the most of the let-off, carving an unbeaten 38 off 28, including partnerships of 48 with Nicholas Pooran, and an unbroken 53 with Jason Holder to take the Tridents to a competitive total.Mo wickets at the topMohammad Irfan continued to cement his status as the standout bowler of the last two weeks of CPL 2018 with another brilliant opening spell. The tall fast bowler from Pakistan struck thrice in the Powerplay to rein in a hot Patriots start in pursuit of 168.Evin Lewis was beaten for pace in the fourth, offering a simple catch to midwicket while attempting a pull. Irfan struck again two balls later, when he got one to keep a touch low and bowled Rassie van der Dussen. Chris Gayle fell in near identical circumstances to Lewis, in the final ball of the Powerplay by sending a catch to mid-on that reducing Patriots to 52 for 3. Three more wickets had fallen by the 12th over, and Patriots were in disarray, still 77 runs adrift of the target, before Allen saved the day.Fab finishAllen’s biggest claim to fame in the CPL prior to Tuesday night was a one-handed diving catch at the point boundary in Florida last year, one that earned him the top spot on ESPN Sportscenter’s Top 10 Plays.Allen had not batted in his two other CPL outings previously, but had proven earlier in the summer that he was no slouch, striking an unbeaten 75 for West Indies B against Edmonton Royals in the Global T20 Canada. He rescued the Patriots on this occasion with the bat in stunning fashion. With 49 needed off the last five overs, Allen scored the bulk of the 23 runs Patriots made across the next two overs to bring the equation down to a very manageable 26 off 18.But Ben Cutting’s silly swipe to be bowled by Holder off the second ball of the 18th turned things around. The result was Allen being starved of the strike over the rest of the 18th and 19th, as he didn’t face another ball until the start of the final over. But Holder may have possibly miscalculated his bowling options, leaving 20-year-old debutant Dominic Drakes to bowl the final six.Allen pounced on two full deliveries, driving a pair of straight sixes to start the over, then pulled a flat four just short of the midwicket rope to level the scores, before a scampered leg bye secured victory.

Chris Lynn passed 3000 BBL runs but his Brisbane Heat future is uncertain

AAP19-Jan-2022Sydney Sixers all but locked in second place on the BBL ladder, consigning the Brisbane Heat to a sixth straight loss.In a potential BBL farewell for Heat cult figure Chris Lynn, Sixers easily defended their 6 for 178 at the Gabba with Heat slumping to 4 for 43 in the ninth over and finishing 27 short.It meant, unless the Sydney Thunder could notch a monster victory against Melbourne Renegades, the Sixers will play table-topping Perth Scorchers on Saturday at Marvel Stadium for a spot in the final on January 28.Lynn passed 3000 BBL runs on his way to making 19 before slapping uppishly to cover against left-armer Hayden Kerr, a familiar scene in a season in which he’s passed 32 just once in 12 innings.The slump is a far cry from the form he was in, despite a host of injury setbacks, when he signed a rich, five-year deal that expires this season. The loyal Heat servant, replaced as captain by Jimmy Peirson this season, could be forced to look elsewhere or retire from the BBL and continue to tour the international T20 circuit.Heat’s loss leaves them in danger of collecting the wooden spoon, Renegades able to overtake them with a win over the Sydney Thunder later on Wednesday.Thunder could still jump the Sixers on run-rate, but Daniel Hughes and Moises Henriques did their best to put them out of reach on a warm afternoon.Marnus Labuschagne’s dismissal of Henriques in his return from Test duties and Michael Neser’s 3 for 39 ensured the hosts kept things respectable.Lynn’s exit after a bright start was followed by Labuschagne’s for just 3, while the returning Nathan Lyon found Sam Heazlett’s edge to make it 4 for 43.Peirson and Max Bryant combined to put some pressure back on Sixers, Bryant notching back-to-back BBL half-centuries for the first time. The jig was up though when the captain holed out to the miserly Steve O’Keefe, leaving them 51 to get off 19 balls before Bryant followed soon after.Kerr took his tournament tally to 22 wickets, one shy of leading wicket-taker Peter Siddle.

Morgan’s deputy endorsed as full-time successor following formidable form in recent months

Matt Roller30-Jun-2022Jos Buttler has been appointed captain of England’s men’s white-ball teams after Eoin Morgan’s retirement from international cricket earlier this week.Buttler, 31, regularly deputised as captain during Morgan’s seven-and-a-half-year tenure and has captained England in nine ODIs and five T20Is to date, most recently in the third ODI against the Netherlands in Amstelveen last week.His first assignment as captain will be the T20I series against India which starts on July 7 at the Ageas Bowl, for which England are due to name their squad on Friday lunchtime. That fixture marks the start of a packed schedule of 12 limited-overs internationals in 25 days, with three T20Is and three ODIs against both India and South Africa before the end of July.Working with new white-ball coach Matthew Mott, Buttler’s primary focus will be on the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year but England’s defence of their 50-over title is not far away: the next ODI World Cup is scheduled for October-November 2023 in India, with another T20 World Cup to follow in the Caribbean and the USA in 2024.Buttler was recommended for the role by Rob Key, England’s managing director of men’s cricket, and his appointment was ratified on Wednesday evening by the ECB’s interim chair, Martin Darlow, and chief executive, Clare Connor.”Jos Buttler was the perfect choice to succeed Eoin Morgan as our white-ball captain, and I had no hesitation in offering him the role,” Key said. “Jos has been part of our white-ball set-up for over a decade and was integral in the transformation of the way the team has played its attacking brand of cricket over the past seven years.”He is well-respected in the dressing room by all of his teammates and will relish leading his country. He is in the form of his life and is showcasing his talent against the best players and teams in the world.”I believe the extra responsibility will take his game to a new level and inspire those around him. I’m looking forward to seeing him take us forward. He thoroughly deserves the opportunity.”Related

• Passionate, driven and leading by example – Jos Buttler perfectly placed to step up

• Unburdened, unshackled, unbelievable: Jos Buttler channels AB de Villiers in record onslaught

• Multi-format player workloads top of agenda for England's new management

• Eoin Morgan set to stand down as England white-ball captain

• Eoin Morgan takes his leave as England captain with one final act of self-awareness

Buttler said it was a “great honour” to take over the captaincy from Morgan, offering him his “sincere thanks and gratitude” for his leadership. “It has been the most memorable period for everyone involved,” Buttler said. “He has been an inspirational leader, and it has been fantastic to play under him. There are lots of things that I have learnt from him that I’ll take into this role.”There is excellent strength in depth in the white-ball squads, and I’m looking forward to leading the teams out for the series that are coming up against India starting next week and later in July against South Africa. It is the greatest honour to captain your country, and when I have had the chance to step in the past, I have loved doing it. I can’t wait to take this team forward.”Connor said: “Jos is a fantastic role model who inspires through his performances on the pitch. He has been instrumental in setting new standards in men’s white-ball cricket, and is the perfect leader to build on the incredible legacy which Eoin has built for our men’s white-ball teams.”Buttler’s appointment as captain was widely anticipated after Morgan’s retirement, with Moeen Ali – the only other realistic contender – endorsing Buttler while working for the BBC’s during the third Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston. He has been vice-captain of the white-ball sides since February 2015 and despite limited captaincy experience, he has been viewed as Morgan’s heir apparent for a number of years.Buttler shut down questions about the prospect of a Test recall during the Netherlands tour and his promotion means it is increasingly hard to work out a route back into the set-up for him, despite his remarkable white-ball form. Sam Billings has been preferred as Ben Foakes’ deputy against India this week and Ben Stokes insisted on Thursday that he had “the Test team I want going forward” available to him.”When we sat down at the start of the summer and selected the squad, it was because those were the guys we wanted in every position and they were the best players to do that,” Stokes said. “At the moment, it’s about giving this team time to succeed and perform.”[Buttler] was the obvious choice once Morgs decided to retire,” Stokes added. “He’s been vice-captain for a number of years and nothing will change. Jos will continue the ethos and mindset that Morgs brought to us from 2015, so, honestly, I don’t think you’ll see anything change whatsoever. It is Jos’ time to take the team forward.”

Parvez Rasool claimed a match haul of 11 wickets in Thiruvananthapuram, while Ravindra Jadeja went wicketless in Rajkot

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2017Seventeen-year-old left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai’s four-wicket haul in the second innings put Gujarat on course for their third outright win after Haryana slumped to 94 for 7 in their chase of 361 in Valsad.Desai received support from senior legspinner Piyush Chawla, who picked up three wickets, including that of Haryana captain Amit Mishra. After Gujarat declared their second innings on 281 for 9, Haryana lost their first wicket with the score on 8, and the innings gathered little momentum thereafter. They slumped to 28 for 4 and 54 for 7 before Sanjay Pahal (25*) and Harshal Patel (17*) put on an unbroken 40-run stand to avert any further mishap. Desai, playing his second first-class game, has a match-haul of seven wickets so far. He had finished with nine wickets on debut against Kerala.In the morning, Gujarat resumed on 110 for 2 and went about setting a fairly tall target. Priyank Panchal (67) and Bhargav Merai (66) were at the heart of such efforts with a 79-run partnership. Seamer Ashish Hooda finished with four wickets while Mishra picked up three to add to his four in the first innings.Kerala edged closer to their third victory of their season after their bowlers knocked over seven Jammu & Kashmir batsmen with only 56 runs after they were set a target of 238 in Thiruvananthapuram. Seamer MD Nidheesh and spinners Sijomon Joseph and KC Akshay picked up two wickets each before bad light suspended play.Resuming their second innings on 45 for 1, Kerala folded for 191. Rohan Prem (58) was the standout contributor, while there were also handy efforts from KB Arun Karthik (36) and Salman Nizar (32). Kerala, however, kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were at on 131 for 5 and later 174 for 6. J&K captain Parvez Rasool picked up five wickets to finish with a match haul of 11 wickets.Offspinner Vandit Jivrajani’s four-wicket haul helped Saurashtra restrict Jharkhand to 270 in the first innings and enforce the follow-on in Rajkot. Jharkhand got off to a better start in their second innings, going to stumps on 139 for 1 in 24 overs after opener Mohammad Nazim Siddiqui set the tone with an unbeaten 58-ball 83 that featured 11 fours and two sixes. They still trail Saurashtra by 144 runs.In the morning, though, things didn’t go Jharkhand’s way. Resuming their first innings on 52 for 2, the side lost overnight batsmen Sumit Kumar and Saurabh Tiwary inside the first 10 overs of the morning. Ishank Jaggi, however, put up a stiff resistance with a 171-ball 114 that included 15 fours and three sixes. With Ishan Kishan (59) for company, he added 133 runs for the fifth wicket.However, Jivrajani, who had claimed six wickets against Jammu & Kashmir in the previous game, provided the breakthrough to dismiss Kishan, and soon Jharkhand slipped from 204 for 4 to 226 for 7 before being bowled out. Seamers Jaydev Undakat and Shaurya Sanandia finished with two wickets each, while Ravindra Jadeja bowled 19 wicketless overs.

Roston Chase dismissed Dimuth Karunaratne late in the day, but not before another century opening stand

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Nov-2021Pathum Nissanka breezed his way to a half-century, Dimuth Karunaratne fell eight short of a fifty that would have seen him equal a world record, and on a day in which rain washed out the first two sessions, Sri Lanka gained a significant advantage, moving to 113 for 1 in the 33.4 overs that were possible.Before Roston Chase caught-and-bowled Karunaratne late in the day, Sri Lanka’s openers had put on 106 runs in 31 overs – their second century stand in the series. Kemar Roach, returning for this game after having been left out in favour of Shannon Gabriel, was perhaps the best of West Indies’ bowlers, delivering six overs and conceding just 12. Sri Lanka’s batters were largely untroubled by the others.Nissanka was positive almost from the outset. He drilled a full Jason Holder ball down the ground for four to begin the second over, carved Roach past the slip cordon soon after, and although occasionally beaten by deliveries that jagged past his outside edge, was on a constant hunt for runs, moving to 20 off his first 30 balls. Karunaratne was typically conservative by comparison – defending and leaving the majority of deliveries he faced from the seamers, making just 4 from his first 30 deliveries.Eventually though, Holder and Roach wrapped up their spells, and batting seemed to get easier. Kyle Mayers was hit for three fours – twice through the leg side by Karunaratne – in his first two overs, the only two he bowled on the first day. Nissanka attempted to dominate the left-arm spin of Veerasammy Permaul, who was playing his first Test since 2015, coming down the track in Permaul’s second over to launch him into the sightscreen.Soon, Captain Kraigg Brathwaite had spinners bowling from both ends, and although they prompted the occasional mistake, the batters largely settled into a rhythm against them, with Nissanka scoring primarily through the off side, and Karunaratne favouring the leg side, as he often does. Nissanka got to fifty – his third in Tests, and second in the series – off the 74th ball he faced.Karunaratne’s dismissal came against the run of play. Earlier in that Chase over, he had played a late cut and a flick through midwicket, both of which went for four. But Chase found some rip off the last delivery of that over, and turned a ball more than the batter expected, which produced a return catch off the inside half of the bat as Karunaratne attempted to drive him down the ground.If he had got to fifty, Karunaratne would have made seven Test half-centuries in as many innings, a feat only six batters had accomplished. In any case, his last seven scores read 42, 83, 147, 66, 118, 244 and 75.Oshada Fernando survived ten balls before the players went off for bad light. Nissanka was 61 not out off 109 balls, his scoring rate having slowed as the light faded.

Clearer weather is expected on days three and four, but there is more rain forecast for day five

Karthik Krishnaswamy27-Dec-2021Persistent rain washed out day two at Centurion, with the umpires calling off play at 1.55pm local time. There had been overnight rain in the Centurion area, and intermittent showers through the morning and afternoon ensured there was no possibility of play.The weather relented twice, causing the umpires to announce inspections at 11.30am – with an early lunch taken – and 12.45pm, but rain returned on both occasions to dampen hopes of a resumption.Related

• Covid-19 after-effects, hamstring niggle forced Duanne Olivier to sit out Centurion Test

Clearer weather is expected on days three and four, but there is more rain forecast for day five, meaning there is likely to be further time lost and a diminished chance of a decisive result. Conditions so far have not been conducive to flurries of wickets, with the pitch playing flat apart from the occasional instance of inconsistent bounce.Given the state of the game, the washout has probably caused more frustration in India’s camp than South Africa’s. At stumps on day one, the visitors had laid a strong platform, moving to 272 for 3 with the centurion KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane at the crease, having already put on 73 for the fourth wicket.Rahul was also involved in stands of 117 for the first wicket with Mayank Agarwal, who made 60, and 82 for the third wicket with Virat Kohli. Lungi Ngidi was the only wicket-taker for South Africa, ending day one with figures of 3 for 45.As such, day two’s biggest development came off the field, with CSA confirming that Duanne Olivier had missed out on selection owing to the lingering effects of Covid-19, which he tested positive for a few weeks ago, and a hamstring niggle. The left-arm seamer Marco Jansen, chosen in Olivier’s place, endured a tough start to his Test career, ending day one with figures of 0 for 61 in 17 overs.