South Africa Under-19s coach Lawrence Mahatlane has played down fears of a malaise in the country’s cricket system after his team, the defending champions, were booted out of the Under-19 World Cup in the first round

Firdose Moonda and Mohammad Isam01-Feb-2016South Africa Under-19s coach Lawrence Mahatlane has played down fears of a malaise in the country’s cricket system after his team, the defending champions, were booted out of the Under-19 World Cup in the first round. Their performance is the third disappointment for South Africa in the last week, after the senior side lost a Test series to England 2-1 and the A side were beaten by the tourists as well, raising concerns about the health of the game in the country.”We’ve just had two bad batting days but as a country we are still in a strong position with a very good youth system,” Mahatlane told ESPNcricinfo.Batting woes have hit all South Africa’s teams and have plagued the Under-19s side since last year, when they lost successive seven-match series against Bangladesh Under-19s. In 14 innings, South Africa only managed totals over 200 five times and were never able to score more than 250. Before the World Cup, they acquired the services of former India batsman S Sriram to guide the young batsmen and Mahatlane thought that made some difference.”We used a lot of resources in the build-up. Sri was a very big part of it; he spent a week with us in Dubai and a couple of days here. Back home, we had camps and we really worked hard with different individuals to get the thinking right, to get guys to understand the game better,” he said. “I think we have improved. Our ability to play spin has definitely improved where originally against Bangladesh we did struggle against the spinners. For me, the big issue for us on this tour is our thinking and execution rather than our ability.”South Africa lost the tournament opener to Bangladesh after they failed to chase down 241 and then suffered the shock of the competition when they could not defend 136 against neighbours Namibia Under-19s. That defeat stung even more because Namibia are coached by former Titans’ player Pierre de Bruyn.Mahatlane admitted the fall from grace hurt both him and his team. “They are very disappointed. They know they are better than that. They feel that they have let a lot of people down, they have let themselves down more importantly,” he said. “I am very disappointed because I know how good this group of players is.”It is important to note that this is not the same group of players who lifted the trophy in 2014. In fact, Mahatlane’s team does not have one player Ray Jennings’ side had. In essence, after the UAE triumph, everything about South Africa’s Under-19s set-up changed. What Mahatlane would have wanted to see as part of that change was more exposure, which he believes could have stood this side in better stead.”I don’t think we focus as hard as other countries [in Under-19s cricket],” he said. “Look at some of the stats that have come up on the screen, there are guys who have played 50 U-19 youth internationals. Our highest capped guy has played 14 games. Our school cricket is still our strength and base, and we back that system. Hopefully, we can expose these youngsters to more international cricket and more tours because that’s where the learning happens.”Since the end of the 2014 World Cup, Dayyan Galiem has played 16 Youth ODIs, the most for a South African player. In the same period, eight Bangladesh players have played between 21 and 30 Youth ODIs while a couple of Sri Lankan players have also featured in more games than the South Africans. Overall, Quinton de Kock’s 30 Youth ODI appearances are the highest for South Africa, while three Bangladesh players have played more than 50 games.

Jake Lehmann reeled off his third century of the summer as a young South Australia side held their own against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at Coffs Harbour

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2016
ScorecardJake Lehmann’s 148-ball 122 included 14 fours and a six•Getty Images

Jake Lehmann reeled off his third century of the summer as a young South Australia side held their own against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at Coffs Harbour.Following Lehmann’s hundred, Joe Mennie was able to dismiss Ed Cowan cheaply before stumps were drawn. Cowan was returning to the team after he missed their draw against Western Australia in Perth due to the after-effects of a blow to the helmet inflicted by a Joel Paris bouncer in Lincoln.The match is being held on the NSW north coast in memory of the late Phillip Hughes, and Lehmann marked it with a swashbuckling left-hander’s century as part of a concerted Redbacks counterattack that followed the loss of three early wickets.SA’s selectors had been the subject of considerable debate in Adelaide after the decision to drop the experienced but underperforming Tom Cooper and Tim Ludeman.Their replacements Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey both made strong contributions. Opener Weatherald made a sprightly 58 while the gloveman added 105 with Lehmann after the visitors had slipped further to 5 for 123.Another youngster, the second-game seamer Cameron Valente, helped add further runs with Lehmann, allowing the Redbacks to reach the fringes of 300.Arjun Nair, the teenaged finger spinner who became the Blues’ 738th first-class cricketer and 11th youngest debutant, claimed a pair of tail-end wickets to help round up SA’s innings.

Two New Zealand radio DJs have been temporarily suspended for broadcasting a telephone conversation with the mother of England allrounder Ben Stokes without her permission

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2016Two New Zealand radio DJs have been temporarily suspended for broadcasting a telephone conversation with the mother of England allrounder Ben Stokes without her permission.Deborah Stokes called in to defend Ben from criticism after Radio Hauraki presenters Jeremy Wells and Matt Heath had been discussing his World T20 performance on air. Stokes bowled the final over for England against West Indies, only for Carlos Brathwaite to hit four successive sixes to steal an extraordinary victory.Ben Stokes was born in New Zealand, moving to England aged 12, and his parents currently live there. Deborah Stokes called in asking to speak to someone off air but was unwittingly broadcast defending her son from what she called a “personal attack”.”I don’t know whether they realise he was born and bred in New Zealand and quite frankly has family all over the country,” she said. “And for those who listen to your station, for them to sit and listen to their cousin, their grandson being bagged like that is absolutely unconscionable and I’m his mother and I’m totally brassed off.”It’s not about the cricket it’s about the personal attack on him. They called him arrogant and then they called him some kind of name. They don’t know him. They wouldn’t have a blooming clue.”A spokesperson for New Zealand Media and Entertainment said that Wells and Heath had crossed the line, adding: “They have been suitably reprimanded, and are off-air tomorrow.”

With the momentum gained from the win against Rising Pune Supergiants, Kings XI Punjab will look at the match against a strong Kolkata Knight Riders outfit a lot differently

The Preview by Nikhil Kalro18-Apr-2016

Match facts

Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big picture

After losses in their first two games, Kings XI Punjab would have feared a repeat of last year when they finished bottom of the table. But a desperate win against Rising Pune Supergiants came just in time for them to look at the rest of the season, and this match against Kolkata Knight Riders, a lot differently.What did Kings XI do differently? Some would point to Mohit Sharma’s last over, in which he conceded only three to keep Supergiants to 152, as key in a format where matches are won or lost by small margins. Glenn Maxwell finally found form with a 14-ball 32 to take his side home. Openers M Vijay and Manan Vohra seem in good touch, but the same cannot be said of David Miller and Shaun Marsh, two of their most influential players. All these cogs need to work in unison against a bowling attack that can test an international batting line-up.Knight Riders, with Sunil Narine back, seem infallible. From the team that thumped Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, only Suryakumar Yadav hadn’t played international cricket. With six international bowlers, their bowling depth is unmatched in the IPL. Captain Gautam Gambhir has struck two typically diligent fifties.Despite the loss to Mumbai Indians, all the pieces fit perfectly for Knight Riders. However, they will have to guard against complacency and the format’s tendency to throw up upsets.

Form guide

Kings XI Punjab WLL (most recent matches first)Kolkata Knight Riders WLW

In the spotlight

Marsh has scored 535 runs in 16 T20s since 2015 at an average of 38.21. He has played for Kings XI since the start of IPL and those sweetly-timed cover drives leave many followers wondering why he isn’t a regular member of the Australian side. Barring a radical loss of form, Marsh is likely to get an extended run this season and Kings XI need better returns on investment soon.Bowling with a remodelled action, Narine was eased into the tournament in a low-pressure scenario. He was in charge of the 9th, 11th, 13th and 15th overs. He finished with an economy rate of 6.5, which indicates he still commands the respect of the batsmen. Would he still be as effective bowling in Powerplay and in the slog overs?

Team news

Kings XI are unlikely to tinker with a winning combination.Kings XI Punjab (probable) 1 M Vijay, 2 Manan Vohra, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 David Miller (capt), 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Kyle Abbott, 9 Mohit Sharma, 10 Pardeep Sahu, 11 Sandeep SharmaWith Mohali unlikely to aid spin as much as Kolkata does, Knight Riders may require the additional seamer. John Hastings may not be that man because he has been ruled out of the IPL with an ankle injury.Kolkata Knight Riders (probable): 1 Robin Uthappa (wk), 2 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Colin Munro/Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Umesh Yadav

Pitch and conditions

Mohali provided some batting-friendly surfaces during the World T20. The trend continued for the two IPL games so far, where even carry and bounce aided stroke-making. The highest score at the venue, however, has been Gujarat Lions’ 162, while chasing.

Stats and trivia

• Glenn Maxwell’s 32 not out in the previous game against Supergiants marked the first time he been unbeaten in 35 innings for Kings XI.
• Gautam Gambhir (28) has struck the most IPL fifties, two more than David Warner, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina.

Sarah Taylor, the England wicketkeeper, has opened up about her struggles with anxiety that have caused her to take an indefinite break from cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2016Sarah Taylor, the England wicketkeeper, has opened up about the struggles with anxiety that have caused her to take an indefinite break from cricket.Taylor, 27, is widely considered one of the most talented women’s players in the game, but has struggled for form in recent months, not least during the World T20 in India in March, when she made 49 runs at 9.80 in five matches.Speaking to the BBC, Taylor conceded that she was undergoing cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in a bid to rid herself of a disorder that has dogged her life in recent years, and sometimes resulted in such acute panic attacks that she had to run off the field to be sick.”For the past four years I’ve been suffering with anxiety, and obviously it’s my health and my health is my first priority,” Taylor said. “It was starting to affect my performance in cricket but taking time out is a way of trying to fix me as a person and to prolong my career.”Like anyone, if your performance drops you have the capacity to get dropped [from the team]. I didn’t want to allow it to affect my performance so much that that happens, and if I can fix myself off the field I can prolong my career.”It happened mainly when I was about to bat, that expectation of wanting to score runs. The nerves would hit me, but it would be nerves plus something else, and I was always confused as to what it was. It was a genuine kind of panic, the heart races, you feel faint, there have been times I’ve had to run off into the changing room and be sick through sheer panic.”The initial news of Taylor’s break came just days after Charlotte Edwards stood down from her ten-year role as England women’s captain, following pressure from the head coach, Mark Robinson, for a renewed emphasis on youth and fitness in a squad that has stagnated in recent years.More recently, another of Taylor’s long-term team-mates, Lydia Greenway, announced her retirement from international cricket in the wake of the team’s disappointing showing at the World T20.They exited at the semi-final stage following defeat against Australia, and have not won a major global title since 2009. Heather Knight, Edwards’ vice-captain, was last week confirmed as the team’s new captain.Taylor took a four-month break from cricket in 2010, missing an Ashes tour in the process, but returned to the sport to become the leading wicketkeeper-batsman in the world.She cannot yet put a time-frame on her return, and looks set to miss not only England’s home international summer but the inaugural Kia Super League as well. However, she says she is “99 percent” sure she will be back to resume a career that has made her an icon of the women’s game.”It’s a case of talking through my struggles on my day-to-day basis, and my thought processes. I’ll have little activities to tick off in my personal life, then I can look to the cricket side of things. Unfortunately my cricket has to come second.”I would like to say that I am 99 percent sure that I will play again,” she added. “I want to put an England shirt back on and train with the girls, I miss them terribly. I will do everything in my power to become healthy, but I can’t say that that’s going to happen. But in a positive way, I want to play cricket again and I hope to be back.”

The four-person independent panel assigned to review South Africa’s national teams performance last season has disbanded without completing its work

Firdose Moonda01-Jun-2016The four-person independent panel assigned to review South Africa’s national teams performance last season has disbanded without completing its work. Sports physiologist Ross Tucker, who was on the panel, confirmed the news to ESPNcricinfo, although he declined further comment until the message had been communicated to CSA’s board. Tucker and his fellow panelists informed CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat of their decision last week.The investigation, which was due to be headed by CSA’s head of HR, Dawn Mokhobo, and also included former Test cricketer Adam Bacher and World Cup winning Springbok captain Francois Pienaar, was announced in the aftermath of South Africa’s men and women exiting the World T20 after the first round. It was to include an examination of the men’s team’s poor Test summer, in which they lost back-to-back series to India and England and the national Under-19 side, who failed to defend their World Cup title. The job of Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach, was expected to come under particular scrutiny.The panel held preliminary meetings at the end of April and discussed the scope and the process of their review, which included identifying timeframes and cost. On Twitter, in conversation with another user, Tucker confirmed that they, “Couldn’t agree terms, times and scope/process, so it didn’t begin. Pity.”With CSA yet to announce the cessation of the review process, it is uncertain what steps it will take to conduct an analysis of the past summer. An option would be to ask the 14-person panel that is conducting a review into domestic cricket to include the national teams in its scope as well. The findings of the domestic review are set to be revealed in the next two months, with CSA also due to hold its AGM over the winter.The cancellation of the review process means that Domingo may feel he can breathe a little easier but only just. With his contract expiring at the end of April next year and a Champions Trophy looming, he is still under pressure to prove he can turn the team’s fortunes around to stop CSA from starting to search for his replacement.

Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach, has blamed heavy workloads and jaded players for his team’s failure to reach the final of the tri-nation series in the West Indies, but insisted the below-par performance would not push him to resign

Firdose Moonda29-Jun-2016Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach, has blamed heavy workloads and jaded players for his team’s failure to reach the final of the tri-nation series in the West Indies, but insisted the below-par performance would not push him to resign. Instead, Domingo called on Cricket South Africa to look into managing players’ workloads outside the international schedule to ensure they are hungry enough to perform for their country.”This loss comes on the back of our top players playing too much cricket,” Domingo said on his arrival in South Africa. “It’s a big concern for me. It’s one of the points I need to highlight with my superiors when I get time to sit down and chat to them.

‘De Villiers’ workload is a concern’

On the possibility of resting AB de Villiers for the Tests against New Zealand:
“He’s the captain, he’ll be the first name down on the sheet to play Tests against New Zealand. I spoke to him two days ago planning the workload. It is a concern. Some players around the world play all these tournaments but don’t play all the formats. Our players – Hashim, AB, Faf, Quinton, Morne, JP – they play all the formats and then play a lot of outside leagues as well so that is a big problem for us. But if AB is fit, he should be good to go for the Test series.”
On Dale Steyn being rested for the tri-series but being allowed to play in the NatWest t20 Blast:
“A lot of that thinking was that Dale did need some cricket. We sort of knew that spinners would play a big role in West Indies. Having him sit around, not doing too much was not going to benefit him too much. He would probably have gone to the West Indies and been in a similar position to Morne Morkel. He would probably have only played one game and done a lot of time in the nets. Five games of four overs wouldn’t have hurt him. It would only have benefitted him. I am glad he has gone and played some cricket.”
On the upcoming South Africa A matches in Zimbabwe and Australia:
“The South Africa A side allows you to broaden your base a bit and give some fringe players game time against quality opposition. There are some players in our Test side that will be playing for them like Dean Elgar, Stephen Cook, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt.”

“Think about our seriously long tour to India, long tour against England, then straight into the World T20. Then players stayed behind, played the IPL and flew straight to Caribbean. Some players arrived two days before our first game in Guyana and now some are staying another four weeks in the Caribbean, some are playing county cricket, then home for two weeks, then a series against New Zealand, then go and play a mini IPL, then straight into a tour against Australia. Those are challenges that the coaching staff and the players are sitting with at the moment. When you are playing that amount of cricket for that period of time, it’s difficult to maintain the standards consistently.”Of South Africa’s 15-man squad for the tri-series, nine (including Dean Elgar, who came in as an injury replacement) are Test regulars, eleven were part of the World T20 squad, ten played at the IPL, six are staying on for the CPL, two are headed for county stints and the rest will play for the A side. That means none of the players who are part of the current national set-up have had any time off since October last year and Domingo believes the fatigue is starting to show.”The desire and the hunger levels when you are playing day in and day out will wane at some stage. There’s no doubt about that. You can’t give 100% to ten different teams for ten months. Something’s got to give,” he said.The something, according to team manager Mohammed Moosajee, could be the no-objection certificates (NOC) CSA issues to players, which allows them to spend what should be time off playing in foreign leagues. “CSA management will need to look at the process going forward, how they release NOCs, taking into account the long international season,” Moosajee said.But the declining Rand has made it difficult to deny NOCs because CSA cannot match the amounts players earn overseas and this has left Domingo and his management team with a problem. “The big challenge for me is making sure that international cricket is still the main priority for our players. There are lot of tournaments, a lot of money to be made, a lot of opportunities for players to get out there and market themselves so I need to be making sure we focus really hard on our No.1 priority and that is representing our country,” he said. “Sometimes, if you have done it for a long time, you can take it for granted maybe. There is a lot happening outside international cricket. Making sure guys are fresh and hungry to perform for their country is of utmost importance for me.”Despite admitting he has not been able to do that in the last six months, and that the “sharpness and effectiveness” of the side is “lacking”, Domingo remained confident he and his management team are the right people to try and turn things around.”I’ve got to sit down with my management team and the board members and the CEO and the guys who make those decisions and plan the way forward. I’ve got 10 months left on my contract and the last six months haven’t gone according to plan. I am not a guy who wants to give up or quit so I need to discuss what their thoughts are,” Domingo said. “I’ve got a few days at home now to just mull over things and see where things are going. I feel that the management team we’ve got in place have ticked a lot of boxes and provided the players with as much support as we can. We’re still very motivated to do well. We feel we can take the team forward. That decision doesn’t always lie with us but that’s the way it is.”Domingo will take heart from the knowledge that he has one of the most important people in the set-up in his corner. AB de Villiers threw his weight behind the coach after the team’s loss in their final round-robin match when he said the players should take responsibility for their own shortcomings. Domingo, however, does not feel the players have let him down.”I wouldn’t say the players have let me down. I’m not a coach who is going to sit here and blame the players for lack of performances. Coaches have to front up and take the brunt of it when performances are not there,” he said. “I don’t feel let down by players, I feel let down by performances. The results haven’t been as good as what we’ve wanted. I feel the players gave it as much as they possible could.”The coach put South Africa’s early exit from the tournament on two moments in particular but stressed this does not mean they don’t have what it takes to perform under pressure. “The one was where we needed 96 runs off 15 overs against Australia we were three down and we lost. The batters let us down. Then, in the last game, we had West Indies 21 for 4 after 5 overs and our next 12 overs were very average. We bowled really poorly and allowed West Indies to get some momentum and establish a partnership. Those two phases probably cost us getting into the final and possibly winning the tournament,” Domingo said. “But I definitely think the team has got big-match temperament. This team has managed to win some must-win games in ODI and T20 cricket over the last two or three years.”He cited examples like their Mumbai win to take the series against India and their three victories in succession against England at home earlier this year, but acknowledged that those count for nothing because South Africa’s cabinet is missing a major trophy.”Until we win a world event, people will always question us,” Domingo said. “There’s another opportunity next year. There’s a Champions Trophy. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done in our one-day side to get us to be contenders for that but, with the players within our ranks, if we can manage them properly and make sure when the time comes they are all fully fit, all swimming in the same direction, we’ll be one of the teams to beat there.”Domingo’s contract expires before that tournament but if South Africa are to replace him, it is likely they will do so fairly soon to allow the new coach time in charge. With that in mind, has he come home feeling the heat? A little.”There’s always pressure. We know that playing for your country is the ultimate. It’s representing the people back home and we want to represent them well. We know how passionate our supporters are and how much time and money and effort gets put into our cricket. Management and players are under pressure to perform at all times.”

Seamer Chris Mpofu is in line for an international recall as Zimbabwe look to bolster their ranks ahead of the second Test against New Zealand, which starts from August 6

Firdose Moonda31-Jul-2016Seamer Chris Mpofu is in line for an international recall as Zimbabwe look to bolster their ranks ahead of the second Test against New Zealand, which starts from August 6. With more than half the squad afflicted by the illness that kept Sean Williams off the field for the entire New Zealand innings, changes to the current 15-man group are expected and ESPNcricinfo has learned that Mpofu is being seriously considered.The seamer has not played a Test in five years, since New Zealand last toured Zimbabwe in 2011. He was part of the XI that took the one-off game to the wire and finished with five wickets in the match. Mpofu has since been plagued by a lower back injury but has played international cricket in shorter formats, with his last ODI and T20 both coming in 2015. Mpofu also played throughout last season, including three matches in the Logan Cup where he claimed 11 wickets at 23.81, and it is understood his wicket-taking ability is what Zimbabwe are after.”We don’t have a powerhouse of seamers which you can pick and choose from,” Makhaya Ntini, Zimbabwe’s interim head coach, said. “For this match, we thought if we have more power in the batting line-up, we’ll have time to be able to take wickets.”However, on a slow, low Bulawayo surface, Zimbabwe’s attack of two seamers, one specialist spinner and four part-timers was only able to take six New Zealand wickets and, of those, the frontline seamers only took two. A lack of experience in the pack is also a problem – the four quicks had only two Test caps between them before this match.Their inexperience showed when both Donald Tiripano and Michael Chinouya wasted the new ball and did not make New Zealand’s openers play enough. They also stayed away from the short ball, which had worked well for Neil Wagner in Zimbabwe’s innings. The pair improved with the second new ball, tightened their lines and asked some questions and Ntini has been working with them on applying pressure for longer periods.”They need to search more, they need to hit one side of the wicket, they need to be able to bowl to fields and they must not be greedy,” Ntini said. “But they are learning. From a fast bowler’s point of view, what we had to mention to them is to pay attention to which ball gets hit for four and then try to correct that. You want to cut off the boundaries. If the boundary ball becomes a single, you are able to understand where you need to improve so when you get hit, you have to think – which ball was that. Then you will understand what not to do.”Apart from Tiripano and Chinouya, Ntini has also been teaching this to the other members of his squad which include Njabulo Ncube, who also played in the 2011 Test, and Taurai Muzarabani, neither of whom were picked for the first Test. Zimbabwe also have the option of calling up Shingi Masakadaza, who topped the Logan Cup wicket-taker’s list and performed well against South Africa A.At the other end, changes are also expected in the batting line-up, especially the top order, although Ntini was careful not to be too harsh on his young top two. Chamu Chibhabha was on debut and Brian Chari had just two caps to his name before this Test. Chari then had to keep wicket as well. “We can’t judge a person by one single game,” Ntini said. “For example, with Chari, he kept for two days and he is not a wicketkeeper and then he got out. But yes, Tino (Mawoyo) has also showed signs of being one of the top-order players. Whatever changes we do, they have to be needed, we won’t just do them.”Mawoyo, who suffered bruising around his right thumb after being hit by Tim Southee in the three-day warm-up match, is hopeful to be fit for the second Test. Although scans did not reveal a fracture, Mawoyo was unable to hold a bat after suffering the blow and did not hit any balls during this Test. He will resume training on Tuesday.

Dale Steyn harnessed helpful conditions for fast bowling in Durban and put New Zealand in trouble after South Africa were all out for 263. But rain allowed for only 22 overs of play

The Report by Alagappan Muthu20-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt seemed the only thing Dale Steyn’s angry eyes did not have power over was the weather. While the grey clouds gave him swing, and he controlled it so well that South Africa’s total of 263 assumed excellent proportions, they also brought rain which allowed only 22 overs to be bowled on the second day at Kingsmead.New Zealand were 15 for 2 at lunch and they stayed 15 for 2 when play was called off at tea time.The day had begun a little late with South Africa’s tail batting. Trent Boult designed a beauty – away swing that almost bowled Kagiso Rabada around his legs. Tim Southee, playing his first Test in South Africa, kissed the top of leg stump. The man he dismissed, that old pro Steyn, took four balls when New Zealand batted to make clear his having played no Tests in eight months would only serve to embellish his legend. It was a fast-bowling fashion show in Durban.Martin Guptill was distracted by a bevy of outswingers before one moved in and struck the front pad. Steyn whirled around, his veins popping and spit flying in appeal. Umpire Richard Illingworth calmly shook his head in response.”Crack it open, boy,” leered the slip cordon. Tom Latham found himself ganged up on. Then he was sucked in by one that pretended to be a half-volley.Steyn had watched Latham playing with extreme care, making sure his bat didn’t stray too far from his body and committing himself to a shot as late as possible. But a batsman’s instinct is to score runs and that instinct flared up when the second ball of the seventh over was pitched wide. Latham fished outside off. Steyn bagged him, tagged him and would have instagrammed him if he was allowed to.Guptill’s front pad and Steyn’s inswing went out on a second date right in front of middle stump. The romance was so compelling that even umpire Illingworth had to give his blessing.Steyn’s first spell read 6-4-3-2. After a point he felt he was getting too much movement and began bowling cross-seamers to have a better chance at snatching the outside edge. He was on 408 wickets and needed 14 more for the South African record.Into this walked Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, their averages of 10.75 and 11 in South Africa hanging over them along with the dark clouds. They had only played three matches in this country, but they were New Zealand’s two best batsmen. Regrouping on day three with them at the crease may just be the best of a bad situation for the visitors.New Zealand will need some luck though because overcast conditions are forecast on the third day as well and South Africa have an attack capable of exploiting them. Vernon Philander, coming back to Test cricket for the first time since injuring his ankle in November 2015, bustled in to string together balls on a good length and jerk them this way and that. There was one delivery that came down perfectly straight, pitched a few inches in front of Taylor’s front foot and seamed away so sharply it seemed like a freakishly quick legbreak.The stage was … wet after the break. Gloomy conditions – despite the floodlights – meant New Zealand were confined to their dressing room, which they wouldn’t have minded. It was safe indoors, and the All Blacks were thumping the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship.It wasn’t rain that kept the players out for the rest of the day. For the most part the light just wasn’t good enough, leaving the 2543 people at Kingsmead, approximately one-tenth its capacity, equally frustrated. Helpfully, play was called off with an hour remaining for them to scramble and catch the start of the Springboks’ Championship campaign.The outfield in Durban had been relaid in June and a few chunks did come out when fielders slid to retrieve the ball. With more rain expected at night, there was concern over whether it would be ready in time for play to restart tomorrow at 10 am.

Sri Lanka will host the Under-19 Asia Cup between December 8 and 22, Sri Lanka Cricket has announced

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2016Sri Lanka will host the Under-19 Asia Cup between December 8 and 22, Sri Lanka Cricket has announced.After a meeting of the SLC’s executive committee on September 24, the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota, the Galle International Cricket Stadium and Matara Uyanwatte Stadium were approved as venues for the tournament. The tournament itinerary and other details will be decided in due course.The committee further approved the appointment of Thusith Perera, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) general manager, as the event director, while Sultan Rana, the ACC’s events manager, will serve in the same role for the U-19 tournament.