Deserving winners: on South Africa's win at Lord's
Cricket needed this result as whispers of the 'Big Three' of India, Australia and England, calling the shots and elbowing out other opposition in the overall scheduling have been doing the rounds. Besides applying salve to a country searching for cricketing glory, the South African triumph also revealed that other teams can acquire the champions' halo. To get past Pat Cummins and his men is always tough but Bavuma and his troops held firm in an engrossing Test. Australia has a potent attack that never allows batters to settle, and to counter this and emerge on top is a tribute to an outfit that was acutely conscious about past failures. Even last year, Markram's men slipped in the ICC T20 World Cup final against India. From being tagged as chokers and to then become the number one Test squad is a stupendous achievement. South Africa never had it easy in cricket as its previous apartheid policy rightly left it isolated from sport. The comeback was gradual from the 1990s and then the match-fixing crisis that consumed Hansie Cronje, was a mighty blow. To put all these setbacks and losses behind them needed a special effort and it was this that Bavuma and his men provided at cricket's spiritual home.
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India.com
3 hours ago
- India.com
T20I Tri-series: South Africa sail into final with seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe
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News18
4 hours ago
- News18
No Sachin Tendulkar! Hashim Amla Picks 3 Best Batters Of All Time
Tendulkar is arguably the greatest batter of all time. The former India opener and captain holds the record for scoring the most runs in the Test and ODI formats of the game. Legendary South African top-order batter and former captain Hashim Amla is in England these days, where he is playing for AB de Villiers-led South Africa Champions in the World Championship of Legends. The 42-year-old right-handed batter scored 15 runs from 18 balls against West Indies Legends on Saturday (July 19) and will next take the field against India Legends at County Ground in Northampton on Tuesday, July 22. Amla, who amassed a total of 2527 runs against India in 52 matches played across formats, ahead of the big match against the Yuvraj Singh-led side, during an interview with Star Sports, was asked to pick his three best batters of all time, and he included one Indian in his list, but surprisingly that name was not Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar, who played for India from November 1989 to November 2013, is arguably the greatest batter of all time. The 51-year-old right-handed batter holds the record of playing the most Tests and ODIs and scoring the most runs in the five-day and 50-over formats of the game. But according to Amla, who finished his career with 18,672 runs in 349 matches for South Africa across formats, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Viv Richards are the three best batters according to him. 'There are so many over the years. Growing up my three favourite players were Brian Lara, Steve Waugh, and Jacques Kallis, also being from South Africa. But also maybe three other names: you've got Virat (Kohli) in recent times, AB de Villiers, and I'd say one more old one—Sir Vivian Richards." Hashim Amla reveals his top 3 batters at the World Championship of Legends… and drops a name he's got his eyes on! 👀 #WCL2025 👉 IND Champions vs SA Champions | TUE, 22nd JULY, 5 PM | LIVE on Star Sports Network — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 20, 2025 Amla, who also captained South Africa in 14 Tests and nine ODIs during his playing days, will lock horns against his many former rivals in the ongoing World Championship of Legends. When asked to pick any player who is excited to play against in the coming days, Amla mentioned Chris Gayle's name. Gayle is the captain of West Indies' Legends in WCL 2025. 'Universe Boss. He's definitely the one I always look forward to watching and playing again, to play against." view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Dickie Bird on slow over-rates during IND vs ENG: Umpires should not tolerate stoppages in play
Slow over-rates and frequent ball changes during the three Tests in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy have put the umpires, and their inability to maintain the tempo of play, under the scanner. Several former cricketers, including former England captain Michael Atherton, have criticised the umpires for losing their grip on the game. India captain Shubman Gill and England opener Zak Crawley were involved in a heated exchange in the third Test at Lord's. Ravindra Jadeja also drew flak for allegedly ignoring the umpire's message to get on with the game when he was having a drink between overs. Legendary umpire Dickie Bird now weighed in on the topic, stating that it's important for the umpires to be assertive and ensure that they have the last word on the field. 'Now, I see they are changing the ball every now and then, and that automatically slows down the game, but the umpires should make sure that they don't allow unnecessary breaks as it kills the buzz.'Dickie Bird 'The spectators pay a lot of money to watch Test matches nowadays. Too many stoppages is not a good advertisement for Test cricket. That's where the umpires need to be strong and tell the players such stoppages won't be tolerated,' Bird told Sportstar. The 92-year-old, who has followed the series closely, felt the on-field umpires could have been more stern with the frequent requests for ball changes. At a time when technology - Decision Review System - has diminished the authority of the umpires slightly, it is important for them to ensure that they are taken seriously. 'Now, I see they are changing the ball every now and then, and that automatically slows down the game, but the umpires should make sure that they don't allow unnecessary breaks as it kills the buzz,' he said. 'In my time, I would jokingly tell the players, 'come on, lads, get on with the game, let's not kill [the charm of] the game.' We would have a good laugh and I ensured that we were back in action as quickly as possible,' Bird, who officiated in 66 Tests and 69 ODIs, said. Ajit Wadekar, coach of the Indian cricket team, and umpire Dickie Bird (R) snapped at Harare Sports Club before the start of the cricket Test match between India and Zimbabwe in 1992. | Photo Credit: V.V. Krishnan/The Hindu Belonging to an era where many greats played the sport, a nostalgic Bird revealed that dealing with the biggest names of the sport wasn't a challenge. 'My era also had some great characters like Merv Hughes, Sachin Tendulkar and several others, who were stars. We had the best years, but we still got going without (much trouble),' he added. In a five-day Test, 90 overs are scheduled for each day. As per the rules, to prevent teams tactically wasting time to ensure a draw, all of the overs must be bowled on the fifth day, weather permitting. The ICC has also introduced penalties for slow over-rates. England was docked two points in the World Test Championship and fined 10 per cent of its match fee for a slow over-rate at Lord's.
