Category: Cricket

At a hot Newlands stadium, Ryan Rickelton did something amazing in the second test against Pakistan: he scored 213 runs without getting out! This was his highest score ever in first-class cricket. Rickelton, who is 28 years old, stepped in to open the batting after Tony de Zorzi got hurt.

When the players broke for lunch on the second day, South Africa had scored 429 runs for 5 wickets. Along with Kyle Verreynne, who hit 74 runs off 88 balls, Rickelton formed a strong partnership of 106 runs for the sixth wicket.

Rickelton started the day on 176 and carefully faced Pakistan’s bowlers, especially when they tried to use their new ball. Unfortunately for Pakistan, David Bedingham, who was batting with him, got out early for just 5 runs, caught by keeper Mohammad Rizwan off Mohammad Abbas.

Rickelton had a fantastic day yesterday too, scoring 235 runs alongside team captain Temba Bavuma. The pitch is great for batting now, but it might get tricky as it heats up later.

On the downside for Pakistan, they lost their key opener, Saim Ayub, due to an ankle injury. He will be out for about six weeks which is a big loss. This means the team is down to just nine players for batting.

South Africa has already qualified for the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June, and they want to win this series 2-0 after a thrilling two-wicket victory in the first test.

The Sydney Test between Australia and India is super exciting, with the game getting tense. On Day 2 of the fifth Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test, a total of 15 wickets fell, creating a chance for the match to end on Day 3.

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar made an interesting comment about Australian and English players. He said if 15 wickets had fallen in India, people would be complaining about the pitches.

On Day 2, Australia was chasing a target 176 runs behind. India’s bowlers—Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, and Nitish Kumar Reddy—played incredibly well and got Australia out for just 182 runs, only giving India a slight lead of 4 runs.

In their second innings, India lost wickets quickly, but Rishabh Pant hit a fast half-century, helping India get a lead of more than 130 runs. By the end of Day 3, India was at 141/6 with a lead of 145 runs.

Gavaskar spoke on ABC Sport, saying that former Australian and English players often complain about Indian pitches. He stated, “We don’t complain. If 15 wickets fell in a day in India, there would be chaos.”

He also mentioned how Glenn McGrath, a former Australian bowler, said he had never seen so much grass on the Sydney pitch. Gavaskar pointed out that Indian players don’t complain, no matter the conditions: “We always tough it out. If we lose, we lose.”

He believes the Sydney pitch isn’t ideal because everyone hopes for matches to go into the fourth and fifth days. “The pitch looks like it could have been grazed on by cows,” Gavaskar joked. He added, “This isn’t the kind of pitch you want because ideally, you want the match to last longer. Unless it rains, I don’t see us still playing on Day 4.”

Everyone’s been asking questions about Rohit Sharma’s decision to skip the Test match in Sydney. Some wondered if it was a retirement decision or if he was pushed out of the game. But Rohit finally cleared things up during an interview.

He explained, “This is not a retirement decision. I’m not giving up on cricket.” Rohit, who is 37, has been struggling to score runs lately and decided to take a break to help the team.

“I sat out because I wasn’t scoring runs,” he shared. “But I believe things can change soon. I have to be smart about my return to form.”

Rohit also mentioned that he made this decision after considering how important it was for the team to have players who are in good form. After talking with the coach and selectors, who agreed with him, he felt it was best for the team.

“It was a hard choice, but it was sensible. I’m focusing on what the team needs right now,” he said. This brave call could even help him in the long run, and fans might appreciate it even more later.

Rishabh Pant played an amazing inning, scoring the second-fastest half-century in Indian Test history on Saturday. This helped India gain a 145-run lead with four wickets still in hand during the crucial fifth Test against Australia. After day two in Sydney, India was at 141-6, with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar still batting. Australia had scored 181 runs, trailing behind India’s 185 in their first innings. With Australia leading the series 2-1, India needed to win to keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Pant started strong, hitting a six off his first ball and reached 50 runs in just 29 balls, which is only slower than his own record of 28 balls against Sri Lanka in 2022. He eventually scored 61 runs off 33 balls but was dismissed by Pat Cummins. Scott Boland was a major threat, taking 4 wickets for 42 runs. India’s captain, Jasprit Bumrah, had to leave the field after bowling just one over, likely for hospital tests, but was seen returning later.

Australian all-rounder Beau Webster, who scored 57 runs, said it was a fast-paced match, with many wickets falling. India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal got off to a good start with four boundaries in the first over, but KL Rahul and Jaiswal were dismissed soon. Virat Kohli needed a big score but fell for just six runs. Boland dismissed both Kohli and Nitish Kumar Reddy to finish with four wickets.

On the Aussie side, they lost four key players before lunch, including Steve Smith, who fell just five runs short of 10,000 Test runs after Prasidh caught him out. India bowled brilliantly, especially Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, and Nitish Reddy, as they took Australian wickets at crucial moments, leaving them struggling.

Rishabh Pant broke the record for the fastest Test half-century by a visiting player in Australia during the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Sydney Cricket Ground. On Saturday, Pant, who had been struggling to score runs in the series, turned it around on day two with an explosive innings. He reached 50 runs in just 29 balls, hitting a six off Australian bowler Mitchell Starc. This record surpassed the previous mark of 33 balls set by England’s John Brown in 1895 and West Indies’ Roy Fredericks in 1975. Pant’s performance also made him the second-fastest Indian to hit a half-century in Test cricket.

The record for the fastest Indian half-century still belongs to Pant, who scored 50 runs in just 28 balls against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru in 2022. In this match, Pant scored 61 runs off 33 balls, including four sixes and six fours. He also had an important 46-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja to help India reach a total over 100 runs.

Earlier, India’s top order batters did not take advantage after getting Australia out for only 181 runs. KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Nitish Kumar Reddy all failed to make big scores as Scott Boland took four wickets, and debutant Beau Webster and Captain Pat Cummins each took one wicket, leaving India in a tough spot.

After Pant’s innings, the phrase “Stupid Stupid Stupid” began trending on Twitter. Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar criticized Pant for his poor shot selection in a previous Test against Australia. Despite this criticism, fans reacted humorously on social media, calling back to Gavaskar’s comments with phrases like “Stupid Stupid Stupid is the new Brave Brave Brave.”

On Day 2 of the game at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Australian opener Sam Konstas found himself in a tough spot after he teased Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah. Things got heated when Konstas and Bumrah had a disagreement at the end of Day 1. This fired up Bumrah, who quickly got Usman Khawaja out with the very next ball and celebrated right in front of Konstas.

When Day 2 started, the Indian team brought the same energy and didn’t let Konstas settle into his game. Yashasvi Jaiswal, an Indian opener, who had a small argument with Konstas during a previous match, decided to taunt him again at SCG. Jaiswal joked in Hindi, asking Konstas if he was struggling to play his shots now. However, Jaiswal forgot that Konstas might not understand Hindi! This moment was so funny that former Indian player Irfan Pathan laughed out loud in the commentary box, and the video quickly spread on social media.

Konstas scored only 23 runs in his first innings before getting caught by Jaiswal, who took a great catch at gully from a ball bowled by Mohammed Siraj. After Konstas was out, Australia’s situation worsened as they lost three more wickets quickly, leaving them at 39-4. Travis Head was also out for just four runs.

Steve Smith and wicketkeeper Matthew Webster teamed up to make a small comeback with a partnership of 57 runs for the fifth wicket. But as Smith approached a big milestone—his 10,000th Test run—he also got out. Prasidh Krishna, who was playing instead of the injured Akash Deep, caught Smith off-guard, and another catch was taken by KL Rahul. Smith ended with 33 runs, missing his big mark by just five runs.

Virat Kohli stepped in as India’s acting captain when Jasprit Bumrah had to leave the game with a minor injury on Day 2 of the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney. We still don’t know exactly how serious Bumrah’s injury is, but we’ve learned that the world’s top fast bowler left the field with the Indian team doctor to get checked out at a nearby hospital.

During the match, Bumrah first went off the field right before Lunch on Saturday. He did come back and managed to bowl one over after the break, but he had to leave again. Abhimanyu Easwaran came on as his substitute to take his place.

Sydney, Australia: Cricket fans are excited for Day 2 of the final Test match in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between Australia and India. They believe Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will be key players for India today. One fan shared, “We hope the match goes well. Siraj and Bumrah’s performance will be important. We believe India can win!”

Another fan mentioned the importance of today’s play, saying, “We really look forward to watching Bumrah. Day 2 will be crucial.”

On Day 1, Bumrah was making headlines as he was close to breaking a record. He tied with former spinner Bishan Singh Bedi for the most wickets in an overseas Test series for India. Bumrah has been on fire, especially after taking Usman Khawaja’s wicket on the last ball of the day, bringing his total wickets in the series to 31.

A fan even came all the way from Dehradun to support Virat Kohli. “I travelled from Dehradun to Australia just to cheer for Virat Kohli!” the fan said. Unfortunately, Kohli had a tough time in the first innings, scoring only 17 runs off 69 balls, with no boundaries. He struggled against balls outside the off-stump, and Scott Boland dismissed him again, marking the third time in this series.

Kohli was out on the very first ball he faced, edging a delivery from Boland to Steve Smith at second slip, who caught it easily. This moment left Kohli disappointed, but his fans remain hopeful for the team’s success.

In the exciting fifth and final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024 held in Sydney, young cricketer Sam Konstas found himself at the center of yet another controversy. This time, it was during a tense moment between him and Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

On Day 1 of the match, as Usman Khawaja was batting and Bumrah was ready to bowl, Khawaja took his time to ensure it was the last over of the day. Bumrah didn’t like the wait, and he showed his frustration. Meanwhile, Konstas, who was batting at the non-striker’s end, decided to stir things up by chatting with Bumrah, trying to throw him off his game.

Just as things were heating up, the umpires had to step in to cool them down. However, Bumrah got the last laugh; he bowled Khawaja on the very next ball! In a moment of celebration, Bumrah ran toward Konstas and stared him down, joined by his teammates. The cameras also caught Virat Kohli, running from the slips to join in the celebration and also confront Konstas. Prasidh Krishna was seen laughing at the whole situation.

Criticism of Sam Konstas
Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody criticized Konstas and urged senior players like Pat Cummins and Steve Smith to guide him better. He noted on social media that Konstas still has a lot to learn but hopes that his team will help him without crushing his confidence. Moody also pointed out that Khawaja had everything under control and didn’t need any distractions, which might have contributed to his dismissal.

In the previous Test match, Konstas had another run-in when he bumped into Kohli, and later, he was seen mocking Kohli and Indian fans by copying the shoulder bump at the request of Aussie fans.

On the first day of the fifth India-Australia Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Friday, a record 47,566 fans filled the stands! This was the highest number of spectators ever for an opening day of a Test match between India and Australia at this venue. The excitement for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series continues to grow, with many people coming out to watch. Cricket Australia shared this amazing news on Twitter, announcing that more than 45,000 people entered the SCG on Day 1.

By lunchtime, 45,465 fans were already there, breaking the old record of 44,901 set during the 2003/04 series. Cricket Australia also mentioned that this huge crowd is the largest for a Test match in almost 50 years, reaching back to 1976. It’s clear that cricket fans in Australia are thrilled to see these teams face off!