Year: 2020

“Political football: Mark Boucher’s first series as South Africa cricket coach started well but ended badly . ©AFP” /> Johannesburg (AFP) – When South Africa won the first Test against England last month it seemed a fresh dawn under former captain Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher. Three defeats later, it has become obvious that the problems in South African cricket, which led to the appointment of acting chief executive Jacques Faul, who in turn installed Smith as interim director of cricket, and Boucher as head coach, are deep-rooted. South Africa…

“England captain Joe Root (R) receives the Basil D’Oliveira trophy after a 3-1 series win over South Africa. ©AFP” /> Johannesburg (AFP) – England several adversities.They were struck by illness at the beginning of the tour, lost the first Test and were hit by injuries. Jack Leach, selected as their number one spinner, went home without playing a game because of illness, opening batsman Rory Burns was injured after the first Test and fast bowlers Jofra Archer and James Anderson suffered injuries in the first and second Tests which put…

“The pitch is covered before rain forced the third T20 international between Pakistan and Bangladesh to be abandoned. ©AFP” />Lahore (Pakistan) (AFP) – The third Twenty20 international between Pakistan and Bangladesh was abandoned without a ball being bowled Monday because of bad weather in Lahore, giving the home side a 2-0 series victory. Murky conditions and drizzle delayed the scheduled 13:00 pm (0830 GMT) toss at the Gadaffi stadium pitch, but play was called off three hours later. Pakistan won the first match by five wickets on Friday and the…

News Courtesy by: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51263718 US basketball legend Kobe Bryant has died in a helicopter crash in California, sparking an outpouring of grief from fans around the world. Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna, 13, were among the nine killed when the aircraft came down in Calabasas. There were no survivors from Sunday’s crash which happened in foggy weather. Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, played for the LA Lakers throughout his career and is considered one of the greatest players in the game’s history. Tributes from celebrities, politicians and fellow sports…

MARGATE/FL- USA: The International Cricket Council (ICC) official who attended the 11th Edition of the US Open T20 tournament in Fort Lauderdale, USA has given the tournament the thumbs up when it comes to being ‘clean’ from corruption. Andrew Ephgrave said that all was well with players and officials in terms of sticking to the ICC’s rules and regulations when it comes to match-fixing and he saw nothing untoward during his stay at the tournament. He was at the matches from early morning until late at night observing everything within…

“Quinton de Kock has been named South Africa ODI captain. ©AFP” /> Johannesburg (AFP) – Quinton de Kock was on Tuesday named as South Africa’s one-day international captain as part of a long term transition plan. His first assignment will be to lead the team in a three-match series against World Cup champions England, starting in Cape Town on February 4. Test and Twenty20 captain Faf du Plessis was not in a 15-man squad named by Cricket South Africa on Tuesday despite committing himself to the organisation until the World…

“World Cup final venue: Christchurch’s Hagley Park Oval. ©AFP” /> Wellington (AFP) – Next year’s Women’s Cricket World Cup final will be played at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, it was announced Thursday, underscoring the growth of the game over the past two decades. When Christchurch previously hosted the women’s final in 2000 it was played on a rural ground 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the city. For the 2021 edition it will be played at an upgraded Hagley Oval, one of New Zealand’s principal Test venues, which has recently received approval…