Yasir Shah acquitted in minor girl rape case

SA vs IND | 3rd Test | Day 2: Onus on batters after Indian pacers turn fortunes in first innings

The Indian fast bowling unit has become a lethal force especially in Test cricket and the pacers, especially Jasprit Bumrah once again showed why they are so dangerous. South Africa, in the first innings of the third Test, were looking pretty steady to compile a good total but it was first Mohammed Shami and then Bumrah who put a halt in their scoring rate. The hosts had lost four wickets at 112 runs but Temba Bavuma and Keegan Petersen got into the act to provide the resistance with a 47-run stand. But the tables certainly turned when Shami got the ball in the 56th over where he took just three deliveries to send Bavuma and then Kyle Verreynne packing. Petersen who tried to hold the fort at one end was then joined by Marco Jansen but the latter wasn’t really able to chip in many runs as he was cleaned up by Bumrah for 7. Petersen was eventually dismissed by Bumrah for 72, reducing the Proteas to 179/8. The tailenders did some good for the Proteas, aggregating 31 runs for the last two wickets, but couldn’t prevent India from taking the first innings lead as the home side was bundled out for 210. India took a lead of 13 runs. Indian pacers rattle South Africa The hosts were at one stage cruising towards a total that could have given them a healthy lead but it was total brilliance from Bumrah and Shami who not only restricted the opponent from capitalising on the partnership between Bavuma and Petersen but also scalped wickets at crucial junctions. Both Shami and Bumrah bowled in the areas that rigorously asked questions from the batters. While Shami pushed South Africa on the back foot with two wickets in the same over, Bumrah’s lethal pacer was enough to help him pick up a fifer in the innings. The right-arm bowler had already scalped the wickets of Elgar, Markram and Jansen before he removed a well-settled Petersen with a length delivery that took the outside edge of the batsman’s bat and went to Pujara in the slips. Petersen could only stand in disbelief but he had to take the long walk back. Bumrah eventually completed his five-wicket haul with Ngidi’s dismissal after the tail-enders frustrated the Indian bowlers a bit. Keegan Petersen’s determination Despite the Indian bowlers asking tough questions with almost every delivery that they bowled, Keegan Petersen’s determination was stout. He faced 166 deliveries during the course of his 72 run inning and made the Indian bowlers work hard for his wicket. While he was cautious enough, Petersen did gather runs on the bad deliveries that came his way. In fact, the disappointment that he showed after getting dismissed for 72 and the way he walked back in the hut showed how focused he was while batting in the middle. Onus back on Kohli, Pujara, Rahane The pace bowling attack of both the teams has utilised the help from the wicket. While the Indian bowlers unleashed a good show, the South Africans didn’t sit back either. While Rabada removed Mayank Agarwal, Jansen got rid of KL Rahul and the onus of putting up a fighting total is now on Kohli, Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Both Kohli and Pujara have been among runs in this match, and thus it would now be a test for Rahane. The team management would want him to get some runs under his belt. India ended the day’s proceedings at 57/2 and lead by 70.

Looking to find right combinations, Mithali Raj seeks useful contribution from lower-order

India Women’s skipper Mithali Raj will be leading her troop into probably what will be her last World cup as the team lands in New Zealand later this month. For Mithali, it is about finding the right combinations in the five-match series against the hosts prior to the World Cup. "We will definitely be looking to fix our combinations for the World Cup and try out a few compositions and also get a little more consistent in the things that worked for us in the last year," said the 39-year-old in an interview to news wire agency PTI. Mithali, who was made India brand ambassador of Jacob's Creek, feels that the lower middle order, which contributed well in the team’s tours to England and Australia in 2021, will be able to come in handy in the World Cup. "The lower middle order contributed in Australia and we would want it to be a little more consistent. And it definitely showed that they have the potential to contribute and all-rounders like Pooja [Vastrakar] and Sneh Rana have done well in England and in Australia,” she said. Talking about the dynamic teenager Richa Ghosh who has been transformed into the permanent wicket-keeper in the limited-overs format, the Indian captain said, "Richa definitely showed that she has the strength and the calibre to sort of going big in the in those last few overs that we actually wanted someone like that.” "She gives us an edge in batting while Taniya (Bhatia) has better glove work - it's good to have good competition for spots and we have a 5 match to series to try out the combinations,” Mithali added. India’s New Zealand tour begins on February 09th with the first ODI at McLean Park in Napier. While the team’s first World Cup game is against arch-rivals Pakistan on March 06 at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.

SA vs IND | 3rd Test | Day 2: Bumrah's fifer helps India take first innings lead

India bowlers scripted a brilliant fight back in the second and third session of play of Day 2 in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town. Keegan Petersen and Temba Bavuma had stitched a decent stand for the fifth wicket of 47 runs before Mohammed Shami came in for India’s rescue and scalped two wickets in a span of three deliveries to reduce the hosts to 159/6. Later, Jasprit Bumrah removed Marco Jansen at the stroke of Tea as South Africa’s score read 176/7 at the end of the second session. Petersen was looking pretty set and was playing cautiously but his stay in the third session couldn’t be a long one as he edged one from Bumrah to give a catch to Pujara in the slips for 72. But the drama wasn’t really over as the Proteas’ tail frustrated the Indian bowlers. While Kagiso Rabada chipped in with 15 off 25, Olivier remained unbeaten at 10 off 39 deliveries. Bumrah eventually got the wicket of Lungi Ngidi as the pacer completed his fifer. South Africa were bowled out for 210 to hand the visitors a lead of 13 runs.

ICC Rankings | Elgar, Jamieson enter top 10 of Test batting and bowling lists respectively

In the latest Test rankings updated by the International Cricket Council, South Africa captain Dean Elgar and New Zealand tall fast bowler Kyle Jamieson were the top gainers in batting and bowling departments respectively as far as the Top-10 lists are concerned. Elgar after his match-winning innings of unbeaten 96 against India at Johannesburg to square the three-match series 1-1 with one match to go, moved four places up to enter the top 10 at the 10th position in the batters’ list. AustralianMarnus Labuschagne still remains at the top spot in the batters ranking while Steve Smith replaced injured Kane Williamson at the number three spot, pushing the Kiwi down to number four. As far as Indians in the list are concerned, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remained static at number five and nine respectively. Kiwi Kyle Jamieson, who picked six wickets in the second Test against Bangladesh, including the four-wicket haul in the second innings to bundle out the visitors on day three and win the match, moved eight places to go to third behind Australian Pat Cummins and India’s Ravichandran Ashwin. South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada with his six wickets in the second Test jumped a spot to get into the top five of the bowler’s list. On the other hand, Bangladesh’s Liton Kumar Das, who hit only his second Test century in the second Test against New Zealand to add to his 86 from the first Test, moved him 17 places to 15th spot in the batter’s rankings. He is the only Bangladeshi batter in the top 20 of the batters’ list.