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Nagpur: India bundled out South Africa for just 79 runs on day two of the third cricket Test at VCA stadium, here today.
The hosts have taken a crucial 136-run first innings lead as South Africa posted their lowest total against India in Test cricket.
Brief Scores:
India 1st innings: 215 all out in 78.2 overs.(M Vijay 40, R Jadeja 34; M Morkel 3/35, S Harmer 3/78).
South Africa 1st innings: 79 all out in 33.1 overs.(JP Duminy 35; R Ashwin 5/32, R Jadeja 4/33).
(Agencies)
Nagpur: South Africa bowlers removed both Indian openers as the hosts reached 85/2 at lunch on the opening day of the third cricket Test at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium here on Wednesday.
Cheteshwar Pujara (18) and skipper Virat Kohli (11) were at the crease for India when lunch was called.
Opting to bat first on a dry and slow pitch, the hosts got off to a modest start, taking time to settle down and assessing the nature of the pitch.
Both openers Murali Vijay (40) and Shikhar Dhawan (12) made sure they spent as much time at the crease.
But soon after their 50-run opening stand, left-arm spinner Dean Elgar brought the early breakthrough for the visitors by dismissing Dhawan inside first 15 overs of play.
Dhawan, who tried to come down the track and drive the ball away, only managed to hit the inside half of the bat which resulted in the ball going straight back at Elgar who took a good diving catch in front of the stumps to dismiss the left-handed batsman.
Pujara joined Vijay in the middle but just a few overs before the lunch the Proteas struck yet again to leave India at 69/2.
Seamer Morne Morkel bowled a terrific delivery at 142 kmph at Vijay who looked to play through the leg side but missed it and was struck right in front of the middle stump, thus helping the umpire to make an easy leg before the wicket (LBW) decision.
The hosts lead the series 1-0 after winning the first Test in Mohali and the second having been washed out in Bengaluru.
(IANS)
Bengaluru: Four days of washouts owing to persistent rain and wet ground conditions led to the second cricket Test being officially called off here today, with hosts India leading the four-match series against South Africa 1-0.
The on-field umpires called off the match after an inspection at 11.30 local time.
It is the first time in the history of Test cricket in India that four days have been completely washed out.
The last time a major part of a Test in India was washed out was almost a decade ago when play was held up for three days in a Test in Chennai between India and Sri Lanka.
Both teams will now travel to Nagpur for the penultimate and third game.
Though it only drizzled briefly on the fifth and final morning, overnight rain meant there could be no play.
Puddles had formed in a few uncovered areas near the edges of the ground at the Chinnaswami Stadium.
It is likely the umpires felt that patches of damp spots in some of the areas, caused by sweating under the covers, might not be safe for fielders.
Besides the super soppers, the groundstaffs also had in their disposal a machine called the Pro Core, but none could ensure resumption of play in South African batting mainstay A B de Villiers;’ 100th Test.
India were 80 for no loss in reply to South Africa’s first innings score of 214 on the opening day. Shikhar Dhawan (45) and Murali Vijay (28) were at the crease.
India skipper Virat Kohli said after the match, “The bowlers did a commendable job, bowling South Africa out in less than three sessions is something that’s very rare. A lot of people were surprised when we decided to field first. All credit to the bowlers, Bangalore is known for its runs, but our bowlers showed their character.
“It’s a pity that we lost four days when we were in such a strong position.
“Shikhar (Dhawan) is an impact player and he’s done the job in the past and it is great to have him back in form.
Nothing has changed in the series, we took the confidence from Mohali to Bangalore and we had a good day’s play. The team is in great mood and hopefully we don’t have any interruptions anymore and execute their skills in Nagpur.”
Rival captain Hashim Amla said, “We’ve had about seven days of Tests in 20 in the last four Test matches. Very surprised we have lost four days of cricket here. I really didn’t think four days would be washed out.
“AB getting 80-odd in his 100th Test was a highlight and we are glad to share the moment with him. Unfortunately we didn’t bat very well, but it was still in the balance with the time left.
(Agencies)
Bengaluru: The fourth day’s play in the India-South Africa second Test match was called off without a ball being bowled due to rain at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Tuesday.
“The play has been officially called off. Another day lost to rain. If weather permits, tomorrow the play will start at 9:15 A.M. #IndvsSA,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wrote on Twitter.
There was no sign of rain till 1.40 p.m as the umpires announced the delayed start because of a wet outfield by inspecting the ground twice at 11.30 a.m. and 1 p.m. After the second inspection, they took the decision that the game can be resumed at 2 p.m.
But a light drizzle forced the ground to be covered, and the umpires to call off play.
Play was also called off on Sunday and Monday and with Tuesday too washed away, as many as nine sessions have been wasted because of rain.
India, at 80 for no loss, were trailing South Africa by 134 runs at the end of Day One with openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan batting on 28 and 45 respectively.
Earlier, India bowled out South Africa for 214 runs in the first innings.
(Agencies)
Shikhar Dhawan cracked seven boundaries to score 45 not out © AFP
Bengaluru: Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin produced superb performances with the ball to hand India the advantage on the opening day of the second cricket Test being played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday.
Jadeja (4-50) and Ashwin (4-70) inflicted the bulk of the damage as the visitors were all out for 214 runs in their first innings.
In reply, openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan saw India off to a steady start. The duo showed good composure and technique to bolster the advantage as the hosts signed off on 80/0 at stumps. The Indians now trail the Proteas by 134 runs.
Dhawan had been going through a slump for the past several matches. But the left-hander finally showed some glimpses of his true calibre as he played well against both pacers and spinners. The feet movement and shot selection were mostly spot on and the Delhi lad also seemed to have regained some of his lost confidence.
He was unbeaten on a well-made 45 at the end of the day’s play, studding his innings with seven boundaries. Vijay was batting on 28 at the other end with five boundaries to his name.
Earlier in the day, the Indian spinners ruled the roost as the South Africans lost wickets at regular intervals before being dismissed for a lowish total. Apart from Jadeja and Ashwin, fast bowler Varun Aarun (1-46) also claimed a wicket.
Opting to bowl first on a moist pitch on winning the toss, skipper Virat Kohli saw his decision vindicated as the Indian pacers troubled the batsmen with swing and movement off the seam. Opening pacers Stuart Binny and Ishant Sharma utilised the conditons to good effect, making it difficult for the Proteas to score.
The South African openers survived a few close calls as the considerable movement offered by the pitch saw them misjudge the line of the delivery on several occassions.
AB de Villiers, who is playing in his 100th Test, was the only South African batsman who adjusted well to the conditions, scoring a well deserved half-century before being sent back to the pavilion by Jadeja. Walking in to huge applause from the crowd, the veteran batsman scored a brisk 85, studding his innings with 11 hits to the fence and a six.
The introduction of Ashwin into the attack produced immediate results as he claimed two wickets in his very first over to give India the advantage. The Chennai off-spinner struck the first blow when left-handed opener van Zyl was trapped leg before with a straight delivery. The lack of spin outfoxed van Zyl, who played for the turn, only to see the ball hit his pads.
Ashwin sent back Faf du Plessis only a couple of balls later with Cheteshwar Pujara taking a fine low catch at forward short leg. It was initially ruled not out by the on-field umpire before the third umpire overruled the decision.
Aaron then compounded South Africa’s misery as he uprooted Hashim Amla’s off-stump when the Proteas’ skipper misjudged the line of a delivery that kept straight after pitching.
Although the arrival of de Villiers increased the scoring rate, wickets continued to fall at regular intervals at the other end.
Dean Elgar, who had survived several close calls, finally saw his luck run out when he was bowled while trying to sweep Jadeja. J.P. Duminy and Dane Vilas did not last long before Jadeja claimed the prized wicket of de Villiers who was caught by wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha while attempting a big hit.
After that, it was only a matter of time before the Proteas innings came to an end and the Indians needed only 7.3 overs after the tea break to clean up the South African tailenders.
(IANS)
Bengaluru: An upbeat India will take on a depleted South Africa when the second Test of the ongoing Gandhi-Mandela series gets rolling at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday.
The Proteas have taken a severe blow even before the contest starts as pace spearheads Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander have been ruled out due to injuries. Steyn is yet to recover from a groin strain which he suffered during the opening Test, while Philander injured his ankle in a freak accident during a football game in practice.
The duo did well in the first Test and their absence will be greeted with relief by the Indian batsmen. In their absence, the experienced Morne Morkel and promising youngster Kasigo Rabada will probably share the new ball duties. Rabada has been impressive throughout this tour and has troubled the batsmen with his speed and movement.
Altough the pitch is expected to be spin-friendly, Morkel and Rabada have enough pace and guile to ask tough questions of the batsmen on any surface.
With Steyn and Philander missing out, Kyle Abbott is in line for a call-up and the right-armer will have to step up his game and provide much-needed support in his role as the third seamer.
The city has witnessed a lot of rain over the last few days and dense cloud cover coupled with moisture in the air means that the ball may swing a bit more in the air. The South African pacers may prove to be dangerous in such conditions.
Simon Harmer and the in-form Imran Tahir will be the spearheads in the spin department. J.P. Duminy, who is likely to return to the Test XI after recovering from a cut to the webbing of his hand, is more than useful as a spin option apart from his utility as a top order batsman.
South Africa have a list of worries in the batting departnment as well. Their batsmen proved woefully inadequate on the turning track in Mohali during the first Test. They were bundled out for a mere 108 runs in the second innings as the Indians wrapped up a 109-run victory inside three days.
With the track at the Chinnaswamy Stadium also expected to be helpful for spinners, the visitors may expect another tough battle.
The form of their captain Hashim Amla is also a cause for concern. One of the most technically gifted batsmen in the Proteas squad, Amla managed a total of just 43 runs during the two innings in the opening Test.
The rest of the Proteas line-up packs enough punch in the form of Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, Duminy and Dean Elgar. De Villers — who will appaear in his 100th Test — is familiar with the track thanks to his stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Indian camp has fewer problems to worry about. Talented off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and leg-spinner Amit Mishra were promising in the opening Test and will be expected to come up with the goods here as well.
With India skipper Virat Kohli’s penchant for a five-pronged bowling attack, rookie allrounder Gurkeerat Singh Mann may be expected to make his Test debut. The Punjab lad has done well with his off-spin in domestic cricket and is a good option if the Indian think tank led by Kohli and team director Ravi Shastri decides to go for an extra spinner.
A middle-order batsman in the Punjab team, Mann is in good form at present, having scored an unbeaten double century in a Ranji Trophy game last month. He has also played as an opener in domestic tournaments.
The pace department has also got a boost since the experienced Ishant Sharma is eligible for selection after serving a one-Test ban. If the Indian team mangement does decide to include him in the playing XI, either Umesh Yadav or Varun Aaron will have to sit out.
One of the few issues of concern for the hosts is the poor form of opener Shikhar Dhawan. But the rest of the batting line-up wears a solid look.
Opener Murali Vijay has done well while the talented Chesteshwar Pujara has been consisted at the No.3 slot. Skipper Virat Kohli Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to form the middle order.
The lower order may also chip in with a useful contribution since both Ashwin and Mishra are also handy with the bat.
(IANS)
Mohali: Ravindra Jadeja made a memorable comeback to Test cricket with a five-wicket haul as India relied on the spinners to fashion a resounding 108-run victory against South Africa in the low-scoring first match to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series, here today.
Chasing a difficult 218-run target on a turning track, the Proteas were bundled for 109 runs in 39.5 overs in the final session as the match ended inside three days at the IS Bindra stadium.
Jadeja, who bagged his third fifer in 13 Tests with figures of 5/21, trapped Imran Tahir (4) LBW to pick the final South African wicket as the team celebrated the win against the No.1 Test side with congratulatory hugs amongst themselves.
Virat Kohli’s joy of winning his first game at home as Test captain was also evident, especially after the hosts lost the ODI and the T20 series against the visitors.
If Ravichandran Ashwin turned on the heat against the formidable batting line-up in the first innings with a five- wicket haul, then left-arm spinner Jadeja, marked his Test return with a fifer in the second.
The spin troika of Ashwin, Jadeja and Amit Mishra snapped 19 wickets in the game. Kohli wasted no time in getting down to business in the final innings by giving the new ball to spinners Ashwin (3-39) and Jadeja.
The visitors’ move of sending pinch-hitter Vernon Philander (1) was neutralised when Jadeja trapped the batsman LBW on the very first delivery of the second over.
Ashwin, who had a special game after becoming the fastest Indian bowler to race to 150 wickets in his 29th Test, spun into action from the other end to send Faf du Plessis (1) caught at slip on a lovely tossed up delivery that the jittery-looking batsman failed to cope.
The nerves were palpable in the visiting camp when skipper Hashim Amla was cleaned up for nought by Jadeja after looking to leave a length ball that carried straight in and rattled the middle stump. South Africa were reduced to 10 for three.
Mishra (1/19), introduced in the 10th over of the innings, then produced the big moment after cleaning up first -innings top-scorer AB de Villiers (16) on a flighted, pitched up delivery that stayed low and rushed on to the off stump. This was the second time in the match that Mishra had plotted the star batsman’s downfall.
The two teams will now travel to Bengaluru for the second Test, beginning November 14.
The game after tea seemed more like a foregone conclusion but the seventh-wicket 42-run stand between Stiaan van Zyl (36) and Simon Harmer (11) did give the home fans a bit of a jitter.
Jadeja, who retunred to the team after more than a year, finally broke the stand by sending back Harmer, caught at slip. But the wicket only came after the on-field umpires made sure whether Jadeja had bowled a legitimate delivery or not.
Jadeja’s wicket of de Villiers in the first innings, when he was on 7 and went on to score 63, was denied on the second day after television replays showed the left-arm spinner had overstepped the popping crease.
Today though Dane Vilas’s (7) way of dismissal spoke a lot about the visiting batsmen’s state of mind. The wicketkeeper-batsman was bowled by Jadeja after pushing forward to a straight delivery, while he had his bat tucked behind his pad.
The rest of the batting fell like a pack of cards as a good weekend crowd – a welcome relief to the organisers, who saw two days of empty seats – savoured the home team’s victory.
Major contributions from Murli Vijay (75 and 47) and Cheteshwar Pujara’s patient 77 in the second essay also contributed to the win in the low-scoring encounter.
The hosts always looked ahead of the opposition after making 201 in the first innings and then bundling out the Proteas for 184 runs.
In a see-saw game belonging to the slow bowlers, it was the Proteas spinners who made it count this morning as the Indian batting witnessed a dramatic collapse in the first session of play. India though still managed to touch the 200- run mark, which ultimately proved vital.
India, who had taken a slender 17-run first innings lead, added 60 runs in the morning session while losing six wickets after they resumed the day at 125 for two.
In fact, India lost six wickets for the addition of just 24 runs as they were 161 for two when Kohli (29) fell just after the drinks break.
Tahir and Simon Harmer shared the spoils with four wickets each to spin a web around the Indian batting. The drama unfolded post the first drinks interval when part- time bowler Zyl got overnight batsman Kohli back in the pavilion to break the 66-run third-wicket partnership.
Pujara soon joined his partner in the pavilion after Tahir got the settled batsman to edge one to slip. After that it was a procession as wickets tumbled in a jiffy.
Harmer, who was operating from the other end since the ninth over of the day, sent Ajinkya Rahane (2) back in the pavilion. The ball kicked off the turf as Rahane got an inside edge and substitute Temba Bavuma took another sharp catch at forward short-leg.
Bavuma, who had been substituting for injured Dale Steyn, also picked up a marvellous catch at the close-in position to send back Vijay on Day 2 off Tahir.
Just when Jadeja (8) and Saha seemed to be getting into some kind of groove, Harmer struck again to send the left-arm all-rounder packing.
Unable to read Harmer’s off-spin from around the wicket, Jadeja missed his backfoot flick to be trapped LBW. Not done yet, Harmer struck again to get Mishra out for 2. Trying a half-hearted sweep, Mishra top-edged the ball to backward square leg and du Plessis made no mistake.
Tahir finally got Ashwin (3) caught at slip and the umpires took the bails off for the session. The bowlers wrapped up the Indian tail soon after the resumption of play post lunch but not before Wriddhiman Saha (20) helped add 15 more runs to the lead. The runs on the board though were enough for a comprehensive victory.
(Agencies)
S Africa risks suspension of right to ship farm products to US duty-free unless it drops barriers to American products.
![The United States says South Africa has been blocking US chicken imports for 15 years [AP]](https://i0.wp.com/nasheman.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Obama.jpg)
The United States says South Africa has been blocking US chicken imports for 15 years [AP]
by Al Jazeera
US President Barack Obama has threatened to impose trade sanctions on South Africa for blocking imports of meat from the US.
Obama said on Thursday that he will suspend South Africa’s right to ship farm products to the US duty-free unless it begins to dismantle barriers to American pork, poultry, and beef within 60 days.
“I am taking this step because South Africa continues to impose several long-standing barriers to US trade, including barriers affecting certain US agricultural exports,” he said in a letter to Congress.
At stake are trade benefits South Africa receives under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which is meant to encourage African countries to open their economies to trade.
The US says South Africa has been blocking US chicken imports for 15 years and has used “unwarranted sanitary restrictions” to keep out US pork and beef.
To view full statement from Amb @patrickgaspard on #AGOA, click here: https://t.co/QxJ08Q2MEN
— US Embassy SA (@USEmbassySA) November 5, 2015
Mike Brown, president of the US National Chicken Council, backed the move and said it made no sense for the US to give special preferences to countries that treated it unfairly.
“This should send a clear message to South Africa and their poultry industry that they will not be given a ‘Get out of jail free’ card every time AGOA rounds the turn,” he said.
South Africa exported $176m in agricultural products to the US under AGOA in 2014 and potential lost benefits are estimated to total $4m to $7m.
South Africa missed an October 15 deadline to agree to new rules for imports of US poultry and meat products.
The country has banned US poultry imports since last December after an outbreak of bird flu.
Mohali: India reached 125/2 in their second innings at stumps to take a vital 142-run overall lead after bowling out South Africa for 184 runs in the first innings on the second day of the first Test here on Friday.
For the hosts, Cheteshwar Pujara (63 not out) and Virat Kohli (11 batting) were at the crease at the end of Day 2. Openers Murali Vijay (47) and Shikhar Dhawan (0) were the dismissed batsmen.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin earlier picked up five wickets to hand India the initiative. He (5-51) was assisted by fellow tweakers Ravindra Jadeja (3-55) and Amit Mishra (2-55).
AB de Villiers (63) was the top scorer for the visitors in the first innings, in reply to India’s 201.
(IANS)
Mohali: Left-arm spinner Dean Elgar bowled beautifully to claim a four-wicket haul as South Africa dismissed India for 201 shortly after tea to secure an upper hand on the opening day of the first cricket Test at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here on Thursday.
Elgar returned figures of 4/22 in eight overs while fellow spinner Imran Tahir (2/23) and pacer Vernon Philander (2/38) also bowled well. Off-spinner Simon Harmer (1/51) and fast bowler Kasigo Rabada (1/30) also claimed a wicket each.
Opener Murali Vijay was the highest scorer for the hosts with 75.
(Agencies)