South Africa takes control of first test against Zimbabwe despite Williams century
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe — South Africa took control of the first test against Zimbabwe on Sunday with a 216-run lead at the end of day two at Queens Sports Club.
South Africa is 49-1 in its second innings after 13 overs with bad light bringing stumps forward by 15 minutes. Tony de Zorzi (22) and Wiaan Mulder (25) are at the crease. Matthew Breetzke (1) was out in the first over to Tanaka Chivanga.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Teammate facing the axe as Steve Smith takes big step towards playing second Test
Steve Smith is set to make a comeback into the men's national side for the second Test against the West Indies having made a shock appearance in a New York batting cage with Josh Inglis set to make way. Smith suffered a compound dislocation in his side's World Test Championship final defeat to South Africa and sat out the first victory against the West Indies in Barbados. While he was expected to be out of action for a little longer as he recovered from the ugly injury, Smith admitted an impromptu batting session in New York convinced him he was ready to go. Although he still needs to convince the coaching staff. 'Underneath this bridge there was a batting cage,' Smith said having flown from New York to Barbados to join the team. 'It was ideal because it was pretty warm, like 36C … so it was good to be in the shade. My mate actually told me about it, and he was able to throw me a few balls there. 'I had a couple of bats last week with some tennis balls and incredi-balls the first day and then some cricket balls the next day. Everything felt good; it was with a slightly bigger splint than this one as well, so it was probably a little bit trickier getting my hand in the glove. 'But I just got my stitches out and I've got a smaller splint on now, so it'll be easier getting my hand in the glove.' The move has surprised fans with Smith linking up with his teammates and is set to return as Australia look to wrap-up the series with another victory. However, Smith's comeback likely spells the end of Inglis' short return to the team. Inglis had an opportunity to score some runs in the first Test, but like most of the batting line-up struggled at the crease. Smith will most likely slot right back into his No.4 position, where Inglis filled-in, in the second Test. But Inglis wasn't the only one struggling for runs. Opener Sam Konstas struggled on his return to the XI, but has been backed to remain in the side. All eyes were on Konstas and Cameron Green having taken over the opening role and No.3 position for the West Indies tour with plenty expected of them after their WTC final struggles. And both looked lost against the West Indies quicks with Konstas in particularly struggling. But coach Andrew McDonald claimed the opener will be given time to prove himself in the three Test matches with the Ashes approaching. "We've had some conversations around, 'potentially if you're in that situation again, what does that look like?' and that's what experience is," McDonald told reporters in Barbados. "It's learning from previous events and trying to implement a way through that. It felt like he was stuck at times and he was over-aggressive and then (he) underplayed. It's really that balance and tempo ... that's a step up to Test cricket. "He's got a really good partner down the other end (Usman Khawaja). That, over time, I think, will play out. That's all we ask for - a bit of patience and time with a young player coming into Test cricket." Konstas' front-pad was exposed in the first Test against the West Indies and coach McDonald claimed the batter is aware of where he needs to improve. "He knows his deficiencies," McDonald said. "But, from a batting perspective, I encourage all players to learn to play with their deficiencies. I don't think there's such a thing as a perfect technique. If that's what you're looking for then I think you're looking in the wrong place."
News24
2 hours ago
- News24
SA's Aldrich Potgieter claims maiden PGA Tour title after dramatic playoff success
South African Aldrich Potgieter sank a birdie putt from just inside 18 feet on the fifth playoff hole to win the Rocket Classic for his first PGA Tour title. The 20-year-old grabbed the victory in just his 20th PGA start, beating American Max Greyserman in the hour-long playoff drama after American Chris Kirk had been eliminated on the second extra hole. The playoff had returned to the par-three 15th at Detroit Golf Club for the second time in the playoff when Potgieter, who had missed winning putts on the two prior extra holes, sank the winning putt after Greyserman missed a 34-foot birdie putt. 'Finally got one to the hole and saw the ball roll end over end and just knew it was going to go in,' Potgieter said. 'I'm just happy to walk away as a winner.' FOR THE WIN! Aldrich Potgieter gets it done on the FIFTH playoff hole @RocketClassic. — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2025 Greyserman and Kirk each shot 67 and 54-hole leader Potgieter fired a 69 to finish deadlocked after 72 holes on 22-under 266. Potgieter made two bogeys in the first five holes but battled back with birdies on three of the last six holes and a clutch five-foot par putt at 18 to make the playoff. 'It was definitely a tough day,' Potgieter said. 'The start didn't go my way. I struggled to make putts, left a lot short.' All three birdied the first playoff hole, the par-four 18th, and at the first extra playing of the 15th, all three missed their birdie putts but Kirk missed his par effort from just inside four feet to drop out. 'Just really disappointed right now,' six-time PGA winner Kirk said. 'I'm really happy with how I played. Just misread that last putt.' Potgieter and Greyserman both parred the par-four 16th and birdied the par-five 14th to set up the close, which made Potgieter the youngest South African to win on the PGA Tour. The youngest South African PGA TOUR winner 🏆 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter is a champion @RocketClassic! — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2025 'Big thanks to my family and friends, coaches and everyone who has been involved to get me to this point,' Potgieter said, noting his family's sacrifice for his career. 'We had to give up a lot, moving to Australia, moving back. Emigrating is definitely not the easiest thing. Coming alone at the start of my career to the States and giving it a grind - having my dad here has helped so much.' Win No. 1 🏆 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2025 Greyserman, twice a PGA runner-up last year, will have to wait longer for a breakthrough triumph. 'Unfortunately I didn't get the job done,' he said. 'I thought I hit a lot of good shots down the stretch. Very pleased with how I handled myself down the stretch. 'Putts just didn't drop but I hit a lot of good putts. This one is going to sting for a little bit but I'll have to get back to work.' Potgieter's best prior PGA finish was a Mexico Open playoff loss to American Brian Campbell in February. Americans Michael Thorbjornsen and Jake Knapp shared fourth on 267. Leading final-round scores on Sunday in the PGA Tour Rocket Classic in Detroit, Michigan (USA unless noted, par-72, x-denotes won playoff with birdie on fifth extra hole): 266 - x-Aldrich Potgieter (RSA) 62-70-65-69, Chris Kirk 65-65-69-67, Max Greyserman 63-70-66-67 267 - Michael Thorbjornsen 65-67-68-67, Jake Knapp 72-61-66-68 268 - Nico Echavarria (COL) 66-67-69-66, Jackson Suber 66-65-69-68 269 - Kevin Roy 62-71-69-67, Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG) 67-67-68-67, Collin Morikawa 69-64-68-68, Thriston Lawrence (RSA) 67-66-67-69, Andrew Putnam 64-66-69-70 270 - Min Woo Lee (AUS) 63-73-68-66, Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 67-66-70-67, Chandler Phillips 70-68-65-67, Ben Griffin 66-67-69-68, Harry Hall (ENG) 66-67-68-69, Mark Hubbard 63-69-67-71
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Cricket mailbag: England's bold bowling plans, Bumrah concerns
What a way for The Athletic's cricket coverage to begin. A fantastic victory for England over India in another classic Headingley Test, with this one going the distance and not finishing until 6.29pm on the fifth day. We seem to have stimulated your interest, as our mailbag appeal confirmed when we invited your questions on the series and all things cricket. Here, our cricket writer, Paul Newman, answers a selection of those sent in. Questions have been slightly edited for clarity. It was interesting that in your Jofra Archer article, you mentioned England were disappointed in Sam Cook's pace against Zimbabwe and that Matthew Potts was thought to be short of pace and skill. Surely someone who can open the bowling, bowl decent pace and bowl all day, like them, would be a good foil to quicker guys, such as Brydon Carse, Archer and Mark Wood? — Matt H I agree, Matt, someone like that is vital to the balanced attack England want, but they believe — and his record suggests they're right — Chris Woakes is that man. Yes, he was a little below his best at Headingley, but he gets more into a series the longer it goes on and I fancy him to make an impact in the second Test at Edgbaston. The best Cook and Potts can hope for is to deputise for Woakes, who, at 36, cannot go on forever. The question is whether they are good enough at international level. James Anderson, anyone? Given India's lack of fast bowling depth and Jasprit Bumrah only due to play three out of the five matches, do you think India will win a Test this series? — Dilip G Well, Dilip, I tipped England to win 4-1 before the series and was worried I might be a tad optimistic, but it will take a lot for India to come back, especially given the way they lost in Leeds. I just don't understand why India should publicly say Bumrah will only play three games, something they doubled down on after the first Test. Surely you see how it goes? Advertisement He must be a doubt for Edgbaston as all cricketers want to play in a Lord's Test and the next two are back to back. And if Bumrah doesn't play in the next one, India could be in trouble. Sun Tzu said all battles are won or lost before they're fought. Why do India keep playing Shardul Thakur? Putting him in the XI is telling the entire world you're not committed to winning. I could say Joe Root is a better bowler and Woakes is a better batter than him. Do you have any insight into how selection in India works? — Rahul S Say what you think, Rahul! I can't pretend to know how selection in India works, but I do think Thakur needs to be replaced in Birmingham and the man to do it should be left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. The only trouble is that it lengthens a tail that was twice blown away by Josh Tongue at Headingley even further. Thakur did dismiss Ben Duckett and Harry Brook with successive balls, but other than that, he just didn't seem to be trusted by Shubman Gill — or KL Rahul, who seemed to be captaining India more than the new skipper on the final day. Ben Stokes' decision to bowl first on a hot, dry day, with conditions perfect for swinging the ball in the coming days, looked like madness. Now he may look like a genius. Do you think the bowl first plan will take on in Tests or will it just be a fad? — Richard P It has been a big part of Stokes' strategy ever since he said 'we'll chase' against New Zealand at Trent Bridge at the start of Bazball in 2022. I could see where he was coming from this time. The last six Tests at Headingley had been won by the side bowling first and the stats told you the pitch in Leeds now gets better and better for batting, as is shown by the last day average of 40 per wicket over the last few years, compared to a first day one of 26. Advertisement There was a bit of uneven bounce this time, but the way England cruised home shows that the impossible of a few years ago is now commonplace. I expect more and more captains to do it the Stokes way. Do you think Gautam Gambhir will lose his job if India lose the series? As an outsider, he has never really seemed up to the job, and more of a political appointment — Callum N Well, he has lost seven of his first 11 Tests as coach and the pressure is on. Gambhir can be a spiky character and turned on an Indian journalist in the post-match press conference at Headingley simply for asking about Rishabh Pant's two hundreds. Goodness knows how he will react if he is asked a difficult question. He will be under scrutiny if this series continues to go badly for India. Hey Paul, do you think India have missed the experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the first Test? We did not see any batting impact to be honest, but in terms of captaincy, is their experience is being missed, especially on the third and fourth days of play? — Rishabh G I did read somewhere, Rishabh, before the first Test that India might be better without the big two because they are now past their best, but they were always going to be severely missed, as much for their aura and presence as their batting. Gill is a novice leader and will learn, but it was clear when the pressure was on during the final day in Leeds that India were being captained by committee, with Rahul and Pant looking more in charge than Gill. It's a real problem for them. India appear to have some strength in the batting, with five centuries across the first Test. But how big a worry will the lack of lower-order runs be? They should have got 550+ in the first innings — Joseph C Yes, that was where the first Test was lost, no question. From 430-3 in the first innings, they had to make at least 550, as you say, but what struck me is that England never seemed to lose faith that it was the right decision to bowl first. I can think of a few past teams whose heads would have dropped and allowed the opposition to bat them out of the game. Same with the second innings. The India lower order is a huge worry and I can't see it improving any time soon, especially when, as looks certain, Kuldeep comes in for Thakur. Advertisement What does the depth in bowling look like for India? Aside from some of Mohammed Siraj's opening spell, the seamers largely looked like they lacked threat when Bumrah wasn't bowling — Joseph C I guess anyone will look poor in comparison to Bumrah, as he is right up there with the best there's been. I called him 'arguably' an all-time great in a piece I did for The Athletic during the first Test, and that was wrong. There's no 'arguably' about it. But the supporting cast have to improve. Siraj is all aggression but not enough bite, while Prasidh Krishna had his moments but went for more than six an over across the two innings. Maybe left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh gets a go at Edgbaston… Do you think Australia are starting to worry about the Ashes? They look all over the place with an ageing team, whereas for England it looks like it's all coming together at the right time — Tom E Steady, Tom, let's not get too carried away. But I do think England have their best chance of winning in Australia this winter since the golden tour of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower in 2010-11. You're right, Australia looked an ageing team during the World Test Championship final and it will be fascinating to watch them in their series in the West Indies. The key will be if England can keep their best fast bowlers fit because Australia always seem able to get their heavyweights out on the pitch when it matters most. But they will be taking note of what England do against India, no question. Despite his wickets, Shoaib Bashir is not a top-level spinner at international level. Will England stick with him against Australia? — Mark H He is one of Stokes' pet projects, Mark, and there is no question the captain is brilliant in his handling of spinners. They still believe Shoaib has the attributes to succeed in Australia and I can't see them turning, but leaving out Shoaib and bringing in Jacob Bethell might be the only way to get the gifted Warwickshire batter in the side. He bowls reasonable left-arm spin, too. Other than that, the only real option might be Hampshire's Liam Dawson, who is back in from the cold at international level and is decent with the bat, too. Is T20 killing the art of opening the batting in the Championship? Why are there no contenders to push Zak Crawley, especially right-handers? — Alexander S Perhaps it is more accurate to say, Alexander, that there are few contenders for Crawley's spot who are playing the way England want them to play. Championship statistics have gone out of the window with this regime. They pick people they feel can succeed playing the Bazball way, hence the perhaps harsh jettisoning of Alex Lees at the end of 2022. I remember hearing that Rob Key wanted Duckett to open instead and thinking, 'Blimey, is Duckett a Test opener?', but he got that one spot on. Crawley added a bit of responsibility to his natural attacking game in the second innings at Headingley and was better for it. He will be opening in the first Test in Perth this winter, whatever happens for the rest of this series. Hi Paul, what's the latest rumours on The Hundred team sales process? It's all gone very quiet — Andrew B The process should be complete by early July. I don't think there are any problems with it, just that it was probably always going to take longer than the rather optimistic ECB forecasts. It seems it's just a few I's to be dotted and T's crossed at the Lord's and Oval franchises now, then it will all be done. I can't wait until it becomes a T20 competition and falls in with the rest of the world. It will surely come sooner or later. Advertisement How far are we off some kind of global competition to link the various, often contextless, franchise leagues and give them meaning for fans across the world and avoid a complete oversaturation of T20? — Charlie M It is desperately needed, Charlie, but it is unofficially happening with Indian Premier League owners buying up teams in various competitions, including The Hundred. My worry in future is that the best players will be contracted to one IPL team and play in all their various competitions around the world, with their 'owner' having to make them available for international cricket rather than the other way round. And anyone who watched the first Test will surely agree that the primacy of Test and international cricket should still be paramount. Oversaturation appears inevitable, sadly. Do you think we'll FINALLY take the World Test Championship seriously or just continue using it as a springboard for the Ashes home and away? — Omar M I like the concept and there's no question the finals have been great, particularly South Africa's win over Australia at Lord's this month. It meant so much to them. It's just a question of making the points system fairer. Stokes does not appear a great fan, particularly as points deductions for poor over-rates have cost England dearly, but surely he watched that game and wished England were there. I hope England do take it very seriously now a new cycle has begun, and how about this as an idea — the 2027 final should be staged at Headingley to compensate for them not getting an Ashes Test that year! Are Essex going down this season? — Connor B No need for that, Connor! I hope not, as a lifelong Essex fan. They are having a difficult season, but I took hope from a members' meeting staged at Chelmsford last week. The coach, CEO and chair all seemed to be on the same page and all suggested Essex would come through this storm. If you like a bit of transfer gossip, I'm told they are trying to sign Ben Compton and Josh de Caires, the son of former England captain Michael Atherton, from Kent and Middlesex, respectively, but there is enough talent at Chelmsford to ensure survival this season. Chris Silverwood is a good man and coach. He will see them all right…
