10:35 AM ET Less than three full sessions before the match ended with a commanding South African victory, Pakistan found themselves in relative control. They had a lead of 59 runs and still had nine wickets in hand to influence the result of the Centurion Test. But then Duanne Olivier and Kagiso Rabada went on
Cricket
1:53 AM ET Spectators in the MCG’s famous Bay 13 have been warned to cease racially motivated taunting of Indian players and spectators after multiple complaints over the first two days of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Chants of “show us your visa” were a regular feature of the first two days, leading to
3:00 AM ET Day 2 Lunch: South Africa 223 (Bavuma 53, Amir 4-62) lead Pakistan 181 (Babar 71, Olivier 6-37) by 42 runs South Africa squeezed out a narrow 42-run lead on the second morning at Centurion, Temba Bavuma‘s fifty and Quinton de Kock‘s 45 carrying the hosts to 223 all out. There were two
shares Peter Handscomb struck a rapid half-century © Getty Images Melbourne Stars 5 for 132 (Handscomb 70, Dwarshuis 3-26) beat Sydney Sixers 9 for 130 (Silk 41*, Coleman 3-18) by five wickets Different format, different conditions, different bowlers, but Peter Handscomb produced a thrilling response to his Test omission as he hammered a 22-ball
2:50 AM ET Andrew Fidel Fernando Clouds overhead, a green pitch underfoot, conditions were perfect for the kind of searing, prodigious late swing that Trent Boult specialises in, but the thing that really envenomed him – the thing that really set his spectacular burst of six wickets from 15 balls in motion – was rhythm.
3:00 AM ET New Zealand 178 and 0 for 0 lead Sri Lanka 104 (Mathews 33, Boult 6-30, Southee 3-33) by 74 runs In a truly phenomenal burst of swing bowling, Trent Boult uprooted six Sri Lanka batsmen in the space of 15 balls, conceding only four runs through that period, to give New Zealand
shares Nayeem Hasan bagged five wickets in an innings on his debut, becoming the youngest Bangladeshi to take a five-for in a Test © Getty Images A win by 321 runs against Central Zone in Sylhet has propelled East Zone to the top of the table from the third position in the last round
2:09 AM ET A late injury setback for Haris Sohail means Shan Masood will take his place in Pakistan’s starting eleven for the Centurion Test. Haris, who has had knee troubles for much of his career, saw another knee injury flare up, forcing him up onto the sidelines. The Pakistan team management confirmed to ESPNcricinfo
3:00 AM ET Sri Lanka opted to bowl v New Zealand Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal won the toss and opted to bowl first under cloudy skies at Hagley Oval, on a surface with enough grass to excite the seam bowlers. Kane Williamson said he would have bowled first as well. Sri Lanka made two
1:01 PM ET For all the things this away tour is for Pakistan, one thing it is not is timely. They take on, in South Africa, the opponents they have only beaten two times in 12 attempts on away soil, the side that, for the overwhelming part of the past dozen years or so, has