Category Uncategorized

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has said familiar conditions at home will help his side rebound mentally from the India tour

Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Nov-2016Australia’s Test-match losing streak may be making headlines, but their neighbours across the Tasman have not fared much better this year. Of nine Tests played in 2016, New Zealand has lost six, winning only the two matches against Zimbabwe. Their four most-recent results have all been losses.Unlike for Australia, however, the losing streak has come overseas, against formidable opposition: the first loss came against South Africa, and the next three in India, where many teams have suffered in the last three years.Now back at home, with a grassy pitch before them and a long summer ahead, coach Mike Hesson has said his team will not dwell on the overseas failures. They will instead aim to fall back on memories of their unbeaten stretch at home between 2013 and 2015.”I think we’ve won seven out of our 11 Tests at home in the last three years, with a couple of draws and a couple of losses,” Hesson said. “You do that because conditions are familiar to you, and you adapt quicker than other sides.”We’ve been stressing the fact that we need to prepare for conditions that we’re more familiar with. We’ve got some experience to draw on over the last three or four years. It’s a matter of going through that rather than reliving India. Conditions over there were significantly different to what we’re going to face over here.”New Zealand’s batsmen had had a particularly torrid tour of India, where no one managed a century across three Tests. Their main destroyers on that tour had been spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who shared 41 scalps between them. Hesson said his batsmen had rebounded mentally since that series, which ended a month ago.”The conditions are here very different, so the skillset required is different. We acknowledge that we didn’t adapt as well as we needed to in India. Hence, we underachieved, especially with the bat. Here, I’m very confident the guys know the conditions.’We’ve got some experience to draw on over the last three or four years. It’s a matter of going through that rather than reliving India’ – Mike Hesson•Associated Press

“There was a period of having to deal with dented confidence, but that was some time ago. At the time we needed to dwell on some of the areas we hadn’t performed well in, and we’ve done that. Then we need to move on – that’s the nature of international cricket. When you perform and you win easily, you don’t dwell on that either. You move on.”The top order will have to contend with the likes of Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah, as they battle for Test form. Pakistan’s attack had delivered two Test victories in England this year, and Hesson believes they are a particularly dynamic outfit.”We’ll be challenged by this Pakistan attack, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “They’ve got an attack that suits all conditions around the world. They swing the new ball, they reverse it, and they’ve got a very good spinner. They’ve also got experience in their batting line up. They’re tough in every condition, so they’re bowling attack is going to pose some challenges for us.”The Hagley Oval surface has generally been seam-friendly over the first two days of the Test. Although it had a significant covering of grass two days from the Test, Hesson expected the pitch to settle quickly.”The pitch has good pace and bounce, which stays throughout. And I think it turns into a pretty flat surface. It’s one of those surfaces where you are going to need to have resources to bowl a lot of overs, rather than think you’re going to bowl them out in a session and a half. I don’t think it’s going to be like that.”

Mel Cairns, the wife of former New Zealand allrounder Chris Cairns, has denied that an alleged discussion about match-fixing in a Manchester bar ever took place

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2015Mel Cairns, the wife of former New Zealand allrounder Chris Cairns, has denied that an alleged discussion about match-fixing in a Manchester bar ever took place.The jury in Chris Cairns’ perjury trial had previously been told about a night out in Manchester in 2008, when Eleanor Riley, the former wife of Lou Vincent, one of the main prosecution witnesses, gave evidence that Cairns had said he was confident he would get away with fixing because “everyone was doing it in India”.Mel Cairns, who was appearing via video link, was present on the night, which involved several hours of drinking. Asked by Cairns’ barrister Orlando Pownall, QC, whether there had been any discussion of fixing, she replied: “Absolutely not.”Vincent was playing for Lancashire at the time, having previously been involved with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) alongside Cairns, where he said he was under “direct orders” to fix matches.Chris Cairns is accused of perjury and perverting the course of justice during his 2012 libel case against Lalit Modi. He denies all charges.Mel and Chris Cairns met in 2008, when he was still married to his previous wife. They subsequently lived together in Dubai, where Cairns has said he was looking to get involved in the diamond trade. The couple were married in 2010 and have two children.It was put to Mel Cairns by the crown prosecutor, Sasha Wass, QC, that she was lying to protect her husband. Wass had previously alleged that the money Cairns was paid by an Indian diamond company was “a reward for fixing cricket matches”.Mel Cairns said: “I would never lie to help my husband in court.”An Australian who played college basketball in the US, Mel Cairns works with professional athletes in sports marketing and management. She said she “absolutely would not have a relationship” with Chris Cairns if match-fixing had been discussed after they had first met.Mel Cairns was giving evidence over video from the couple’s home in Canberra because she said they could not afford for her to travel, although she had wanted to be with Cairns during the trial, which began more than four weeks ago.”It broke my heart to watch Chris walk every day, alone to and from court, and knowing he was going home alone by himself,” she said.The trial continues.

On Friday Eden Park hosts the deciding Test, the first five-day match here since 2006, with much focus on the drop-in pitch which was lowered into place

Andrew McGlashan in Auckland21-Mar-2013Last Saturday Eden Park was hosting a rugby match between the Roosters and the Warriors in the NRL. On Friday it hosts the deciding Test between England and New Zealand, the first five-day match here since 2006, with much focus on the drop-in pitch which was lowered into place just hours after the rugby finished.The process where the pitch, grown near the No. 2 Oval, is wheeled on a large flat-bed frame into the ground took about three hours. Drop-in pitches are not new, Eden Park has used them since 2002, but they always add intrigue especially considered the talk surrounding the nature of the pitches so far in the series.Mark Perham, the head groundsman at Eden Park for 11 years who looks after the surfaces for cricket and rugby, said he had received no direction from New Zealand Cricket over what to prepare. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a result. No one wants to see three draws. Getting through the new ball is key, wickets can go in clumps so the game can move on pretty quickly.”The pitch for this Test has been used for three Twenty20s earlier in the season and has since been reseeded. Perham added that he expected more pace and bounce than the previous two Tests and said that a good guide are the pitches produced on the neighbouring oval which hosts Plunket Shield matches and which uses the same soil.However, he said there was unlikely to be much for the spinners as the clay-based soil used does not break up although Bruce Martin, who plays for Auckland, picked up seven in a match early in the summer and 5 for 45 in the second innings against Canterbury.There were a wide range of totals this season in the Plunket games staged next door including teams being bowled out for under 200, but also a total of 658 for 9 during which Colin Munro (269) and Craig Cachopa (166) added 377 for the sixth wicket. In another match Gareth Andrew, the Worcestershire allrounder, hit an unbeaten 180 at No. 8 although that may have more to do with the standard of New Zealand domestic cricket.The lack of recent Test history at this ground will add to the head-scratching for the captains. The previous Test here in 2006 resulted in a 27-run win against West Indies and there hasn’t been a draw since 1999 (pre the era of drop-in pitches). “The main difference [for internationals] is you have all the good bowlers,” Perham said.England have a mixed history with drop-in surfaces in New Zealand. They encountered two during the 2002 tour, the first producing the famous Christchurch Test which began with England 0 for 2 in the first over, was followed by seven wickets for Matthew Hoggard and then turned into a batting paradise with record-breaking double-centuries from Graham Thorpe and Nathan Astle before England ultimately won by 98 runs.Fortunes were reversed in Auckland where New Zealand slumped to 19 for 4 before reaching 202 then skittling England for 160. They eventually won by 78 runs, but the main controversy of that match was the use of the floodlights on the fourth evening which left Nasser Hussain furious because he said his fielders could not see the ball. New Zealand took advantage and amassed their match-winning lead.There are also the dimensions of the ground – with a straight hit of less than 70 metres – to consider, which Brendon McCullum said will be factor. “Since the wicket has been turned around the dimensions are significantly different to previous Test matches,” he said. “In one-day cricket and T20 there’s an expectancy for the ball to sail over the boundary but perhaps less so in Tests, so it will be an interesting scenario if some guys gets in and can access those short boundaries. It will have its quirks.”Whatever happens this time, though, Perham won’t be listening to any of the comments. “You’ve just got to take it on the chin, I don’t listen to any of it. We just want to produce the best cricket wicket possible, where if you bowl well you take wickets and if you bat well you score runs. You don’t want to get back into dirty green seamers. Who wants to see the Test over in three days?”The pace bowlers on both sides might put their hand up to that question.

Internet rumours that suggested Chris Cairns had been involved in match-fixing during his time with the Indian Cricket League had made him “barking” angry, according to his advisor Andrew Fitch-Holland, who gave evidence on the third day of Cairns’ libel

Alan Gardner at the Royal Courts of Justice07-Mar-2012Internet rumours that suggested Chris Cairns had been involved in match-fixing during his time with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) had made him “barking” angry, according to his advisor Andrew Fitch-Holland, who gave evidence on the third day of Cairns’ libel action against Lalit Modi.Cairns is suing Modi for defamation over a 2010 tweet that implicated him in corruption. He has vigorously denied claims of fixing. Cairns, the retired New Zealand international, captained Chandigarh Lions in the ICL for three seasons before having his contract cancelled, officially for failing to disclose an injury.Following the meeting with ICL officials in 2008 that led to his dismissal, Cairns became aware of online gossip linking his departure with match-fixing. The rumours had appeared on a “plethora of fan-based websites across the world,” Fitch-Holland said.Although Cairns was concerned about this, Fitch-Holland said he advised that he “did not think it was a good idea to call out the big guns” at that time.”It would have been a disproportionate response to low-level, unspecified tittle-tattle,” he said. However, he contrasted this with the allegations made in Modi’s tweet.”There is a massive difference between that and your client saying it,” Fitch-Holland said, in response to questioning from Ronald Thwaites QC, representing Modi. Fitch-Holland added that he had spoken to major media outlets in the UK during late 2008 to reiterate that Cairns had been sacked by the ICL over an ankle injury.The court also heard from Cairns’ wife, Mel. Describing the moment she asked Cairns if he had been involved in fixing, she said it was “the most horrible question I have ever had to ask”. Cairns had replied “absolutely not”, she said. There were tears in her eyes as she answered Thwaites’ question as to whether she believed him.”When something is said, over and over, accusing the man that you love of something … Of course I want to believe him and I do believe him,” she said.Fitch-Holland was the last witness to appear for Cairns. Later on Wednesday the court will hear evidence from Howard Beer, the former ICL anti-corruption officer, who is appearing on behalf of Modi.

For the most part of this tournament, England have not been able to play to a plan, what with injuries, upsets and an illness forcing them to look think on their feet

Sidharth Monga in Colombo25-Mar-2011For the most part of this tournament, England have not been able to play to a plan, what with injuries, upsets and an illness forcing them to look think on their feet. They have failed twice, but have succeeded just enough number of times to have earned the right of to play Sri Lanka in the final quarter-final. On the eve of that match, Andrew Strauss spoke of the importance of not going in with too many set plans and the inspiration his side can draw from having survived despite potential disasters.”We have shown a lot of resolve,” Strauss said. “We have shown that we are able to stick together in close encounters, but you never know what this game is going to throw at you, and you have to be quick enough to adapt to whatever comes your way. Now is the time to play good, smart, intelligent cricket and ask questions of the opposition.”Strauss said that the way the rest of the squad has managed without the injured players has been heartening. “We have had to deal with that right from the end of the Ashes,” he said. “We have had a lot of injuries, lot of people coming and going, and I think that tests out your resolve as a group, also the core of the side to be able to welcome other people in and make them feel part of the side and just as important member as the guy that has departed.”That’s something we are good at. But no one wants injuries. Not what you are looking for, it makes life harder for you, but you have got to manage the situation as the cards unfold. So far we have managed to deal with it reasonably well, hopefully we can do that in the rest of the World Cup.”England could be with their third opening combination of the tournament if Ian Bell partners Andrew Strauss•Getty Images

England are waiting on Tim Bresnan’s fitness, have decided on an opener but are not going to reveal him until toss, and have an important choice to make around James Anderson, who has lost form in the subcontinent. “He [Anderson] has freshened up to a certain extent,” Strauss said. “He didn’t play in the last game. He has had nine or 10 days away from cricket, and he certainly bowled very well to me in the nets the other day. Wasn’t my best batting display of all time. He is definitely an option for this game. He has got a lot of experience, we know what a quality bowler he is, and to a certain extent it is more likely to swing here with the humidity than some of the other places in India.”Among other things, that they managed to win in the absence of their first-choice quick motivates Strauss. “We haven’t always been able to rely on Plan A, so we have had to chop and change things a little bit,” he said. “Ravi [Bopara] bowled quite a few overs in the last game when he hadn’t really bowled much in the World Cup beforehand. James Tredwell came in. It gives me a lot of belief that you don’t just have to look at the same two-three players to deliver for you.”Strauss was not a member of the side that won the ODI series 3-2 in Sri Lanka in 2007. He said that should not be a big handicap. “I have asked the guys who were involved how they went about with things,” he said. “It’s quite an interesting stuff they have come back with. The wickets here have been relaid since 2007, so it’s hard to glean too much information about what happened there. Different lights too. I think in this circumstance you don’t want to go into the game with too many predetermined plans. You have got to adapt well to whatever you encounter.”Staying true to their form in their first six games of the tournament, Strauss promised a close game. “It’s been great that our games have been close, for the spectators. Hasn’t been quite so great for us. We would have liked to win a lot easier than we have done.”We take a lot of confidence from the fact that we have beaten the major sides and that holds us in good stead for this game. We don’t know what drama is about to unfold. The likelihood is, as we saw the India-Australia game yesterday, it’s going to be a tight game, and it’s going to fluctuate on a couple of key performances. We have got to make sure that we are the guys who put up those performances.”

Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain has urged all the senior members of the team to lead by example and encourage the younger players to give their best in the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20

Cricinfo staff02-Apr-2010Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi has urged his senior team-mates to inspire the younger players through example in the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies. Afridi was appointed captain after Mohammad Yousuf was banned by the PCB and later announced his retirement from international cricket.”I believe that the main responsibility will be on the senior players. They are ones who have enough experience of playing in top-level events like the World Cup,” Afridi told the . “Our senior players like Abdul Razzaq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul and Kamran Akmal will have to come out with their best in the West Indies. They are the ones who can inspire the young boys in our team to shine in the tournament.”Pakistan are the defending champions and Afridi said a second title triumph would be the best way to erase the bad memories of the recent past. Pakistan experienced one of their worst away tours, losing all three Tests, five ODIs and the one-off Twenty20 in Australia. The PCB came down heavily on the players it believed were responsible for their poor performance, handing out life bans to Yousuf and Younis Khan and one-year bans to Shoaib Malik and Naved-ul-Hasan. Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined for various misdemeanours and put on six-month probations.”We all know that Pakistan needs good news on the cricket field. If we win the World Cup again, we will be able to make millions of our countrymen happy,” he said. “That is why I’m urging my team-mates to give their 100% effort in the training camp and later in the World Cup. I need them to fight like a unit because that’s the only way to win a major event like the World Cup.”Despite the shoddy results in Australia, where they failed to capitalize on winning positions, Afridi backed his team to bounce back in the Caribbean. “I’m not making any promises which is why I won’t say that we would go out their and lift the World Cup,” he said. “But what I want to make crystal clear is that we have to play for the country and if we do that then anything is possible.He was also pleased with the two latest appointments to the coaching staff, Waqar Younis as coach and Ijaz Ahmed as his assistant. “Both Waqar and Ijaz are really good coaches. They know how to get the best out of the players. They are making us go that extra mile in the camp and that’s a very positive change.”Pakistan are placed in Group A with Bangladesh and Australia. They begin their campaign against Bangladesh on May 1 in St Lucia.

Following the 5-0 T20I loss to Australia, the West Indies captain bemoaned his team’s consistency

Andrew McGlashan29-Jul-2025West Indies captain Shai Hope has bemoaned his side’s inability to put together a complete game with the bat after they were swept 5-0 by Australia in the T20I series.The visitors completed a three-wicket victory in the final match in St Kitts, after West Indies had been bowled out for 170 – the lowest total of the series. They reduced Australia to 60 for 4 inside the powerplay, and Akeal Hosein later took 3 for 17, but the loss of Alzarri Joseph to injury one ball into his third over removed a vital part of their attack.The first three matches of the series had been characterised by West Indies being unable to build on promising starts. In the opening match in Jamaica, they were 123 for 1 in the 13th over but managed just 189. In the second, 63 for 0 became 172 for 8. When the series moved to St Kitts, Hope and Brandon King put on 125 for the first wicket, but the middle order couldn’t flourish.Related

• Maxwell expects opening role will be short-lived

• Dwarshuis, middle-order might power Australia to 5-0 sweep

In the last two matches, they somewhat overturned their poor starts – 67 for 4 became 205 and 9 and 32 for 3 became 170 – but on all occasions, Australia were able to get home with room to spare.”I just didn’t think we put together a proper batting display,” Hope said at the post-match presentation. “We either started well and finished poorly or the other way around. When you’re playing against quality opposition like Australia, you’ve got to put things together for a more complete game.Alzarri Joseph was injured one ball into his third over•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

“As a batting group, we didn’t really give ourselves the best chance to put a big score on the board consistently. And that’s probably where we fell short… We’ve always been one step behind the eight ball.”Hope wore a rueful smile when asked about the fact that his team didn’t get the chance to chase once in the series as Mitchell Marsh won all five tosses.”I think here in the Caribbean, we all know the stats show chasing is always the better thing to do,” he said. “Whether it’s the dew factor, wind factor, you always have that scoreboard in front of you, so you have an idea of how to go about the chase. But it’s something that I can’t control. Unfortunately, I didn’t win any [tosses]… It’s just one of those things for us.”However, despite the scoreline, Hope did see signs of encouragement from his bowling attack as the series developed: Jediah Blades, the young left-arm seamer, took three wickets in the fourth match. Alzarri Joseph’s pace made an impact in the final game too, before he was forced off the field. Hosein impressed after a belated entry with the ball on Monday.Jediah Blades struck crucial blows in the final match•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

“We understood the struggles of bowling spin here on this ground and surface,” he said. “But [Hosein] is a quality bowler and we just backed him to come and do the job, and he did exceptionally well for that four-over spell. Just unfortunate that, again, we didn’t have as many runs on the board as we would have liked.”I still must commend the guys for the effort that they showed in the back end, to give ourselves a chance to win the game. But once you don’t have that many runs on the board, then you [have] got to hope everything goes perfectly in the field. It just didn’t happen for us.”There is not much time for Hope and his team to reflect. West Indies face a quick turnaround before they play Pakistan in the first of the three T20Is in Florida on Thursday.”I think that we’re a little bit clearer in the bowling unit,” Hope said of what can be taken from this series. “We certainly executed a lot better than we did in the first few games. We’ve got to put this one behind us, and look ahead for the Pakistan series, and see where we can get that combination and that success going.”

Mathews bashed 42* off 22 with the bat and then returned with figures of 2 for 9 in two overs as Afghanistan went down by 72 runs

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Feb-2024Angelo Mathews bashed 42 not out off 22 balls, then claimed two early wickets, as Sri Lanka stormed to a 73-run win in the second T20I to seal the T20I series. There were contributions from throughout Sri Lanka’s top order – Pathum Nissanka struck 25 off 11, Kusal Mendis struck 23 off 14, Sadeera Samarawickrama played an innings of substance as he hit 51 off 42, and Wanindu Hasaranga was hyper-aggressive again, hitting 22 off 9.In response, Afghanistan never really got going. None of their top five breached 15, and though Mohammad Nabi and Karim Janat put up something of a partnership, they never seemed to have the measure of this chase. Afghanistan were all out for 115 inside the first 17 overs.Mathews rocks it with batHaving come in in the 15th over, Mathews didn’t explode immediately – that’s generally not his style. Having made four off his first nine deliveries, Mathews began to find the boundary – a four over short off Fazalhaq Farooqi to start, before bashing a four back past Naveen-ul-Haq next over. It was in the 19th over, bowled by Azmatullah Omarzai, that he really unleashed the finisher of old. He spanked Omarzai’s first ball over deep midwicket, crashed the next one over deep square leg. A rattled Omarzai bowled a genuinely poor length ball outside off next ball, and Mathews punished him, launching him over long-on.He was dropped by Mohammad Nabi before his last six was struck – again back over the bowler’s head – but nevertheless, Mathews collected 33 runs off his last nine balls.Mathews rolls it with the ballOne of Mathews’ great strengths in the great Sri Lanka T20 teams of the past was his ability to deliver cheap overs with the new ball. On this occasion, he was penetrative too. Fifth ball, he had Hazratullah Zazai nicking a gentle away-seamer behind. Second ball of his next over, he took the prize wicket of Ibrahim Zadran, who eyed a slower ball and mis-hit it to mid-on. He only needed to bowl those two overs, but he conceded only nine, and took two wickets.Sri Lanka’s bowlers run through AfghanistanAt no point in the chase did it seem like the visitors were in it. After Mathews’ early wickets, left-armer Binura Fernando began to strike, and later, Wanindu Hasaranga began to cause trouble, and finally Matheesha Pathirana became a menace with his extreme pace (he frequently bowled deliveries over 150kph). In addition to Mathews, Fernando, Hasaranga, and Pathirana took two wickets each. Dasun Shanaka was excellent at cover, taking two good catches.

Greg Shipperd, the Sydney Sixers’ coach, will take charge until the end of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2022Former Australia batter Phil Jaques has lost his job as New South Wales head coach after the state’s poor start to the domestic season which sees them bottom of both the Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup.A planned mid-season review during the BBL break was brought forward following NSW’s latest Shield defeat against Western Australia last week and it was announced on Tuesday morning that Jaques had left his role.Greg Shipperd, who is currently Sydney Sixers’ coach in the BBL, will take temporary charge until the end of the domestic season. He will begin with this week’s Shield match against Victoria before moving into his Sixers’ role then back to NSW for the latter part of the summer.Jaques came into the head coach role for the 2018-19 season having done two years with Queensland between 2015 and 2017 before returning to NSW as batting coach. NSW won the Sheffield Shield in the 2019-2020 season which was curtailed by the pandemic and the Marsh Cup in 2020-21.”On behalf of all at Cricket NSW I’d like to thank Phil for his contribution to cricket in NSW as both a player and coach,” Greg Mail, the NSW chief of cricket performance, said. “Phil is an immensely passionate NSW person and has given his all in his time as head coach, but we feel that now is the right time to make a change. We wish Phil well in his future endeavours.Shipperd is one of the most highly-regarded coaches in the Australian game and has also filled various roles around the world.”Greg Shipperd’s cricket acumen and his coaching record is well renowned, and we are very pleased that he has agreed to guide our Blues program while we take the time to understand our next move,” Mail said. “He has existing relationships with many of the players and staff and I expect his transition into the group, starting with this week’s match against Victoria, will be seamless.”

The West Indies quicks had reduced South Africa to 37 for 3 before Elgar and Verreynne added 87 for the fourth wicket

Firdose Moonda18-Jun-2021Dean Elgar, in his second Test as permanent captain, top-scored with 77 as South Africa negotiated a tough batting day against a much-improved West Indian side. Facing a must-win situation to share the spoils in the series, the hosts’ four-pronged pace attack made good use of the movement on offer in seamer-friendly conditions to make inroads into South Africa’s line-up early on and kept their visitors relatively quiet, with a run rate that stayed under three an over throughout the day.Shannon Gabriel, on his return from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first Test, was the most successful bowler on the day. Gabriel was used in short bursts, never bowling more than four overs in a spell, and took 2 for 47. Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales and Kyle Mayers took one wicket apiece and Jason Holder, whose 14 overs cost just 25 runs, held an end even though he went wicketless.Between them, the quicks reduced South Africa to 37 for 3 inside 18 overs before Elgar and Kyle Verreynne shared a fourth-wicket stand of 87. Verreynne was dismissed in the last over before tea but Elgar took South Africa to within three overs of the second new ball being due and put on 79 for the fifth-wicket with Quinton de Kock, the centurion from the first Test. de Kock remained unbeaten on 59 off 103, at a strike rate of 57.28, the quickest of the match so far.

Watch cricket on ESPN+

The WI vs SA series is available in the US on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the match.

Under cloudy skies and after morning rain, the toss was delayed and play eventually started 15 minutes late and was interrupted after three-and-a-half overs for another ten minutes by a passing shower. By then, South Africa had already lost their first batter. In the second over, Aiden Markram chased a short, wide delivery from Gabriel and was caught at backward point by Roston Chase. This was Markram’s sixth Test duck and he equalled the most number of scoreless dismissals by any opener since his debut in September 2017.Elgar shares that record with Markram and was at risk of going past him and departing for a second duck in the series. He was beaten twice by Roach and squared up by Gabriel before the rain break and went into it scoreless. But he returned to find his first runs with a boundary and battled through most of the rest of the day.At the other end, Roach found Keegan Petersen’s outside edge but the chance fell short of third slip. Petersen did not look comfortable against the moving ball and though he survived a stifled appeal for a catch down the leg side, he did not last long after the introduction of Seales. In his second Test, Seales struck with the first ball of his third over when he tempted Petersen into the drive off a ball that moved away from him. Petersen edged to Holder at second slip.Rassie van der Dussen was bowled after shouldering arms to a Roach inducker•AFP/Getty Images

Elgar started to look more convincing when he drove Seales through mid-off but he was beaten by Holder’s first ball, a beauty that pitched on middle and off and moved away then went back into his shell. He battled on, but Rassie van der Dussen couldn’t. Roach, who had switched ends from when he opened the bowling, got the ball to move into van der Dussen several times in his sixth over to set him up, and then did the same with the third ball of his seventh when van ver Dussen shouldered arms and was bowled.Verreynne stayed with Elgar until lunch and through most of the second session showing glimpses of the aggression he has become known for in domestic cricket. But he also had his nervy moments. He was beaten several times after that and survived an lbw review off Mayers, who surprised Verreynne with a ball that nipped back into him from outside off and hit him on the back pad. West Indies reviewed but ball-tracking showed it was going over the stumps.Elgar had been watchful throughout that period but played a few shots in anger. He brought up South Africa’s hundred with a flick off a Roach full toss and his own fifty when he top-edged a Gabriel short ball, which ended up being a no-ball, off the 146th delivery he faced.Two overs later, Verreynne attempted a pull off Gabriel, who had returned for a pre-tea burst, but did not get hold of the ball as it swung down the leg side. He was given out caught behind and reviewed but UltraEdge confirmed Verreynne’s bat had made contact.de Kock picked up where he left off in the first Test and approached his innings positively. He punched a full Chase delivery between extra cover and mid-off, hit Gabriel through the covers and spurred Elgar on to some more aggressive strokes too. The captain pulled Seales through midwicket and drove Holder down the ground to enjoy some reward after an innings of mostly hard graft.The pair seemed set to take South Africa to the close but in the 78th over, Mayers bowled Elgar with a delivery that came back into him and squeezed through the bat-pad gap. West Indies ended up not taking the second new ball instead opting to wait until the morning to make use of it, when conditions may again be ripe for swing. They’ll look to repeat their first morning’s performance but will also be aware of the number of extras they gave away on the first day – 42 – the third-highest scorer in the innings.