After finishing the series with an average of 151, Kohli said he wants to push his boundaries and see where he goes

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2025

Virat Kohli feels his “whole game is coming together nicely” and is batting at a level he hasn’t in the last two-three years. Kohli stayed unbeaten on 65 in the ODI series decider against South Africa, which India sealed by a comfortable nine wickets with more than 10 overs to spare in a chase of 271.Kohli’s half-century came after he struck back-to-back centuries in the first two ODIs to finish the series with a tally of 302 and a staggering average of 151. Kohli now has four straight 50-plus scores after he had bagged two consecutive ducks in the ODIs in Australia, which was his first series since the IPL finished in June.”Honestly, just playing the way I have in this series has been the most satisfying thing for me,” Kohli said at the presentation. “I don’t think I’ve played at this level for a good two-three years now and I feel really free in my mind and just the whole game is coming together nicely, [it’s] very exciting to build on. And something that I’ve always tried to do as a player, maintain my own standards that I’ve set for myself and play at the level that I can make an impact for the team. I know when I can bat like that out there in the middle, then it of course helps the team in a big way because I can bat long, I can bat according to the situation and just being confident makes me feel like any situation out there in the middle, I have what it takes to handle that situation and bring it in favour of the team.”Related

Rohit and Kohli take centre stage before receding to the background

Stats – India finally end their rotten luck with the toss

Jaiswal, Rohit, Kohli lead India to 2-1 series win

Kohli took home the Player-of-the-Series award for a record 22nd time in international cricket, and 12th in ODIs. He also smashed a record 12 sixes in the three games, easily his personal best in any ODI series, including World Cups. His series strike rate of 117.05 was also his best in an ODI series since January 2023.”Well, you know, when I play freely then I know I can hit sixes,” he said. “So I just wanted to have some fun because I was batting well, just take a bit more risk, just push my own boundaries and see where I go. There’s always levels you can unlock and you just need to take a risk.”Kohli further said that since he has been around for more than 15 years in international cricket, he has gone through “many phases where you doubt your ability” because as a batter it comes down to making one mistake. It is, he said, “a whole journey of learning”.”You tend to go into a space where you feel like maybe I’m not good enough, the nerves take over and that’s the beauty of sport, especially a skill like batting where you have to keep overcoming that fear every ball that you play and eventually play long innings and get into a zone again where you can start playing confidently. It’s a whole journey of learning and getting to know yourself better and becoming better as a person along the whole way. I can surely vouch for the fact that being a batsman and realising so much about myself, what kind of negative thinking patterns I have, where I can get into a zone where I don’t feel confident or when I’m feeling like myself, what are those small little details, it just improves you as a person in general and your whole temperament becomes much better and balanced over so many years. So, yes, I’ve had many phases where I’ve doubted myself and I haven’t been shy to admit that.”

Josh Hazlewood is set to miss the second Test against England in Brisbane but there is confidence he will be able to play a role later in the Ashes series while Pat Cummins is closing in on a return which could come next week at the Gabba.Hazlewood was ruled out of the opening Test in Perth after picking up a hamstring problem in the Sheffield Shield with an initial scan not showing the injury. It’s understood he will join the squad in Brisbane to continue his rehab with coach Andrew McDonald expecting him to be available later in the series.”He’s working through the first week of his rehab,” McDonald said. “I’m not sure that we need to give an update on that. Once he gets further down the track and [we] have some rough timelines, then we’ll be in a position to communicate that.Related

• Hazlewood suffers Achilles soreness during hamstring rehab

• How Boland sparked another Ashes nightmare for England

• Flattened by Archer, lifted by Head: Weatherald's wild Test debut

• Switch Hit: Travball 1-0 Bazball

“I know that he’ll be available at some point during the series. We’ve got a little bit of that early rehab to go through to formulate where he may plug into the series, but we expect him to take some part in the series.”The rapid two-day finish to the opening Test has forced a minor change in plans to Cummins’ bowling schedule after he had trained impressively in the lead-up to the first Test. He had been due to bowl on the fourth day of the Test on Monday, but after traveling home to Sydney that has been pushed back a day.However, the signs continue to be encouraging for Australia’s captain although McDonald said it could be a late call whether he plays the day-night Test in Brisbane. If Cummins was to return and the second Test went all five days – and unlikely proposition if Perth is any guide – there would be an eight-day gap to the third in Adelaide.Cummins has previously said that playing back-to-back Tests in the series may be a challenge for him, although short games could work in his favour.”Once we see him again we’ll be able to then join the dots as to what that potentially looks like,” McDonald said. “But for those who saw him in Perth, I did say this a while back that he’ll be up and bowling…and people will be sitting there questioning why he’s not playing.”It looked like a player that was nearing the completion of his rehabilitation. The intensity was there, the ball speed was there. There’s a lot of positives, but now it’s just really building that resilience within the soft tissue and making sure that we’re not putting him in harm’s way in terms of accelerating it too much.Brendon Doggett took five wickets on debut•Getty Images

“But it will be a genuine discussion leading into this Test match. That may be one that eventuates late for us. A little bit to work through but it’s nearing completion, which is really, really positive.”In the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc led the attack magnificently with a 10-wicket match haul including a career-best 7 for 58 in the first innings. Scott Boland bounced back from a poor opening-day display where England took him at a run-a-ball with a game changing burst in the second innings while debutant Brendan Doggett picked up five for the match. McDonald took the blame for Boland’s opening day performance saying there had been a directive for him to bowl very full before returning to his natural lengths in the second.In Australia’s high-octane run chase, Jake Weatherald put together a valuable hand alongside Travis Head after a first-innings duck to ensure both debutants had played a role in the match”It’s always that unknown when you jump up from Shield level into the Test match arena and they looked right at home, the skill level, the composure, it was a fit,” McDonald said. “It’s always nice to see that in a Test when you’ve got those unknowns.”I thought Brendan Doggett, his ability to execute the bouncer plan when we needed him to and [then] to pitch the ball up get in the right areas. And Jake in the second innings, I thought the way he was able to put pressure back on, we want to be that type of batting unit that has that intent and looks to score, and he most certainly did that.”Australia have retained the option of adding a 15th player to the squad for Brisbane. When Hazlewood and Sean Abbott were ruled out of Perth they only called up Michael Neser as cover.

Pretoria Capitals have a revamped squad and support staff for the upcoming SA20 season

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2025Keshav Maharaj has been appointed Pretoria Capitals (PC) captain for the upcoming season of the SA20 league, replacing Rilee Rossouw. He was captain of Durban Super Giants until last season,”Maharaj brings a wealth of international pedigree across formats, along with a proven track record of guiding teams with composure, clarity and intent,” Capitals said in a statement on Friday. “Having captained South Africa in white-ball cricket and served as a senior figure within the national setup for several years, Maharaj’s leadership experience, tactical understanding and consistency make him an invaluable addition in this role. His presence strengthens the balance and direction of the Pretoria Capitals squad as the team heads into the new season.”Capitals have a revamped set-up this season, with Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, taking over as head coach. Ganguly replaced Jonathan Trott and will be assisted by former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock.Related

How the SA20 squads stack up after the auction

The franchise went into the auction in September with the biggest purse – 32.5 million Rand (US$1.85 million approx.) – and also the most slots to fill: 16. They splurged on Dewald Brevis, breaking the SA20 pay record by bidding 16.5 million Rand (US$945,000 approx.) on the batter.Maharaj was one of their big buys at the auction, where they also acquired Lungi Ngidi, Lizaad Williams, Craig Overton, Saqib Mahmood and Codi Yusuf, among others. Andre Russell, who recently retired as a player from the IPL before signing on as Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) power coach, was acquired as a wild card, while Will Jacks and Sherfane Rutherford were their pre-auction signings.Capitals have had an up and down time in the SA20 so far: they finished the first season at the top of the table in the group stage, before losing to Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the final. In the two seasons since then – in 2023-24 and 2024-25 – they have had more middling results, finishing fifth both times and failing to qualify for the playoffs.The 2025-26 season of the SA20 begins on December 26 with a contest between MI Cape Town and Durban’s Super Giants. Capitals begin their season the following day with a fixture against Joburg Super Kings. The final will be played on January 25, 2026.

Erling Haaland scored for the first time at the Bernabeu as Manchester City earned a priceless and fully deserved 2-1 win at Real Madrid in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola's side went behind to a brilliant strike from Rodrygo, but reacted perfectly, levelling through a Nico O'Reilly tap-in before Haaland earned a penalty and showed nerves of steel to calmly slot it home.

City looked nervous in the early stages and appeared to have conceded a penalty in the second minute when Matheus Nunes felled Vinicius Jr, only for the referee to overturn the decision because the contact was outside the box. They were punished, however, when Bernardo Silva lost the ball and Madrid broke quickly, leading to Rodrygo slamming the ball in to score his first goal after a 32-game drought.

City worked their way back into the game from a corner, Josko Gvardiol rising high to meet the delivery and O'Reilly reacting quickest after Thibaut Courtois spilled the effort to his feet. City also won the penalty via a corner, Antonio Rudiger grappling with Haaland and giving away a spot-kick after a VAR check.

Haaland won the psychological battle with Courtois to score for the first time in his third trip to the Spanish capital, and City kept their cool in the second half, grinding out only a second-ever away victory against the aristocrats of European football.

The victory took Guardiola's side into fourth in the league phase standings, and they are on track to secure a top-eight finish and a place in last 16, in contrast to their stuttering last campaign which led to them facing Madrid in the play-offs and being dumped out.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Bernabeu…

• AFP
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Gianluigi Donnarumma (6/10):

  His height and the angle made it very difficult for him to stop Rodrygo's brilliant strike. Didn't have many saves to make, but his footwork was spot-on.

  Matheus Nunes (5/10):

  His credentials as a converted full-back were really put to the test by Vinicius, who forced him into an early foul that looked to be a penalty before being overturned. Fortunate to not concede a spot-kick when Vinicius' shot hit his arm, too.

  Ruben Dias (7/10):

  Composed on the ball and combative off it, leading by example as City had to defend with their backs against the wall late on.

  Josko Gvardiol (7/10):

  Had a shaky start, struggling to handle Rodrygo and losing the ball in the build-up to the penalty scare. Settled into the game soon enough,  though, demonstrating his immense power in the air to force the equaliser. Made three timely interventions in the second half as City dug in to see out the win.

  Nico O'Reilly (8/10):

  An outstanding performance in his first game at the Bernabeu. Made a difficult start as he was too late to spot the danger before Rodrygo scored, but down the other end he was in the right place at the right time to level and then stormed forward to help set up the chance for Haaland. Made a brilliant defensive intervention in the second half to beat Rodrygo to the ball and took a sacrificial caution for pushing over Valverde.

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• AFP
  

  Midfield

  Bernardo Silva (4/10):

  Looked like City's weak link, a shadow of the player who has performed so well in this fixture in the past. Lost the ball before the penalty scare while he was shoved off it by Carreras in the build-up to the opening goal. Too ponderous in possession, failing to play in Cherki when he was in a dangerous position. Booked late in the game and suspended for the trip to Bodo/Glimt, which might be a good thing for City.

  Nico Gonzalez (6/10):

  Took his time to get into the game as Madrid dominated the midfield at first, but he soon grew into things, breaking up play smoothly and starting counters immediately.

  Phil Foden (5/10):

  Didn't bring his A-game to the Spanish capital, failing to land a number of passes either due to lack of power or accuracy, sending one attempted through ball out for a throw. Taken off for Reijnders.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Rayan Cherki (6/10):

  Not as classy as against Sunderland but still had the nerve to nutmeg Rudiger while his inviting corner led to the equaliser. Teased Madrid's defenders in the second half after being thwarted from a tight angle by Courtois following up Haaland's effort. Taken off for Savinho.

  Erling Haaland (7/10):

  Finally got the better of Rudiger by winning the penalty leading to his first goal at the Bernabeu in his third visit. Denied a second goal by a good Courtois save after brilliant play by O'Reilly.

  Jeremy Doku (7/10):

  His trickery and pace stretched Madrid throughout the game, although he only had one moment of real quality, forcing a save from Courtois in the second half.

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  Subs & Manager

  Savinho (6/10):

  A useful weapon to keep Madrid on their toes thanks to his pace, although he didn't cause an actual threat, over-hitting a pass that would have played in Marmoush.

  Omar Marmoush (6/10):

  Didn't get many openings in hi 20 minutes on the pitch.

  Tijjani Reijnders (6/10):

  Tried an ambitious flick which just missed Marmoush.

  Nathan Ake (N/A):

  Brought on in the 88th minute and made a vital headed clearance in the dying seconds.

  Pep Guardiola (7/10):

  Picked the same starting XI as against Sunderland, and although City started badly, they were in control for most of the game and picked up a rare but fully deserved victory at the home of the Kings of Europe.

Thomas Tuchel has explained why England’s substitutes could be left in the dressing room during certain fixtures at the 2026 World Cup. The Three Lions are preparing to discover their group stage opponents at that event, with the draw taking place in Washington DC on Friday. Tuchel is aware that testing conditions are likely to be faced in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Sweltering heat: Tough conditions at 2026 World Cup

With FIFA’s flagship event taking place at the height of summer, daytime temperatures are expected to soar. Any teams taking to the field in early kick-offs will have to contend with heat that could rise to 40 degrees Celsius.

England have tried to replicate those conditions by training in special heated tents, allowing players to get a taste of what is to come. International coaches are, however, prepared to take alternative action in a bid to keep players fresh.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTuchel's plan to leave subs in the dressing room

Tuchel is already piecing together his plans, with the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss revealing that he is prepared to let those on his bench stay behind the scenes – in the relative cool of changing areas – until they are required to step onto the pitch.

Tuchel said while in the States for draw duty: “If this is what helps us later in the match, when they come on, we consider that as a possibility. Nobody likes it, as I want the players to be out here and feel the energy and give the energy from the bench onto the field, but I know (the benefit). I saw teams doing this and players doing this at the Club World Cup. Hopefully we can avoid it. It is always better if they can be with us.”

Bellingham poser: Will Real Madrid star be selected?

Questions continue to be asked of who Tuchel will name in his squad. Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham has seen some of his behaviour criticised, with the 22-year-old reacting angrily to being replaced by Morgan Rogers during a qualification clash with Albania in November.

Tuchel said at the time: “That is a bad impression. It should be about the collective. What we did in camp is all about the collective. I have to then review it – I was happy about the goal. I had a quick talk with Morgan Rogers and I was sure that everyone celebrated together. I will have a look at it. That is not the image we want to transport. We feel everyone is committed and that everyone accepts tough decisions, be it before the match or in the match."

The German added: “He [Bellingham] has to accept it, he has to accept it. We should not make more out of it than it is. Rogers was not happy when he couldn't start today because he deserves to play, and he wants to play all the time. We gave him a bit of a rest because he came with a lot of minutes playing at club [level] and played for us against Serbia. I also don't want to make more out of it. I stick to my words – behaviour is key. Decisions are made, and you have to accept it as a player.”

Pressed on that issue again, Tuchel said of his focus being elsewhere for now: “It’s pretty clear what happened and I didn’t see it during the match. I think you understand that I’m in Washington now for the World Cup draw, so the subject is not for now.”

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GettyTrophy target: Can England end 60 years of hurt?

Bellingham is expected to make the cut, with Tuchel needing the very best players at his disposal to help aid a quest to bring 60 years of pain to a close for England’s men’s national team.

He said of trying to land a first major international trophy since the 1966 World Cup: “If the players bring that (desire) then I think anything is possible. We will be brave enough to dream about it, we will be brave enough to try it.

“Everyone knows that we cannot promise that we win it, but they want to see a team, team spirit, a team that gives everything, fights for each other. We are getting closer. I think we are getting stronger and this is the main point. The emphasis will be on the squad and team spirit, and hopefully we get the momentum and we get the energy around the team right so that no-one else wants to play us.”

England enjoyed faultless progress through their qualification campaign, picking up maximum points from eight fixtures while conceding no goals. They are among the favourites to capture a global crown next summer.

The Padres were down to their final outs in the ninth inning against the Cubs on Thursday in Game 3 of the wild-card series. San Diego trailed 3–1 while down to their final three outs of the game, and potentially their season.

Xander Bogaerts was at the plate with a full count, and he was rung up on a brutal called third strike from home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn. The pitch from Brad Keller appeared to be below the strike zone, but Reyburn ruled it a strikeout, leaving Bogaerts bewildered.

Brown missed the corner with a 97-mph fastball, which Bogaerts rightfully opted against swinging at. Despite the good plate discipline, Bogaerts was sat down on strikes, which prompted Padres manager Mike Shildt to storm onto the field to express his dismay.

It's a critical miss from Reyburn. Keller missed the zone entirely yet was awarded an important out. He then proceeded to hit the next two batters, putting the tying run on base.

Given the situation, it's a mistake that simply can't be afforded from an umpire. When MLB introduces the ABS system, that would be a challengeable play by the batter. Instead, Bogaerts was left seething as he was robbed of a free pass to first base.

San Diego's comeback attempts were stalled, partly because of Reyburn's missed strikeout call, and they fell 3–1 to Chicago to bow out of the postseason.

There will be October baseball in Beantown.

Needing a win to clinch a postseason berth, the Red Sox battled back from a 3-1 deficit on Friday night to walk off the Tigers 4-3 at Fenway Park. Ceddanne Rafaela played hero, mashing a triple off the wall in center field in the ninth to bring home Romy Gonzalez and punch Boston's ticket to the playoffs.

Four of the six playoff spots are decided in the American League now that the Blue Jays, Mariners, Yankees and Red Sox have all clinched. The two remaining playoff spots will be decided in the final two days of the regular season as the Tigers, Guardians and Astros jockey for position.

The Tigers, who held a 10.5-game lead in the AL Central at the beginning of September, could have clinched a playoff berth Friday night with a win combined with an Astros loss. The good news for Detroit? The Guardians also lost, falling 7-3 to the Rangers, as did Houston in a 4-3 loss to the Angels.

Despite the loss, Cleveland, which owns the tiebreaker over Detroit, still sits in first place in the AL Central with an 86-74 record. The Guardians can clinch a division title Saturday night with a win over the Rangers combined with a Tigers loss.

The Tigers and Guardians can both clinch a playoff spot Saturday night with a win another loss by Houston to the Angels.

Elsewhere in the American League, the Mariners lost 3-2 to the Dodgers on Friday night. That means the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs belongs to the AL East champion—either the Blue Jays or Yankees, who remain tied with identical 92-68 records.

Here's how everything stands following the Red Sox' big win:

American League Playoff Picture

AL DIVISION LEADERS

AL WILD CARD

The 16-year-old wicketkeeper batter has shown fearlessness and resilience during her rapid rise

Sruthi Ravindranath16-Dec-2024G Kamalini’s mother Saranya had never felt such happiness. Not even when her daughter was born.On Sunday, 16-year-old Kamalini first won the Player-of-the-Match award for her unbeaten 44 off 29 balls for India against Pakistan in the Under-19 Asia Cup in Malaysia, and then earned a INR 1.6 crore deal with Mumbai Indians at the WPL 2025 auction in Bengaluru. For Kamalini’s family, who watched both events from Chennai, it felt like a dream.”Don’t think we were this happy even when Kamalini was born,” Saranya told ESPNcricinfo. “Kamalini’s revelling in the moment. She’s getting a lot of calls and wishes – her team-mates, coaches have all been calling. She’s feeling very happy. She also scored at the Under-19 Asia Cup and got Player of the Match today, she’s so happy that everything is going well.”There was a bidding war between MI and Delhi Capitals for the teenager, and MI head coach Charlotte Edwards and team mentor Jhulan Goswami exchanged smiles after they won. Kamalini later revealed to Goswami that her family couldn’t control their tears.Saranya, Kamalini’s father Gunalan, and her brother Dominic Kishore had sat glued to the television all day.”Her dad was so confident she would be picked but I kept my hopes low,” Saranya said. “She was part of the trials with several teams, including Mumbai, ahead of the auction. I probably thought she’d go for 50 lakh. Her dad was nervous when the match was on but was relaxed during the auction. So many players before her went unsold so we were a bit worried. But I did not expect her to go for this amount.”MI liked what they had seen and heard of her over the last year and had set aside a significant chunk of their purse to secure the “cheeky” Kamalini at the auction.”It’s the one name that’s cropping up in all meetings we’ve had in the last two or three months,” Edwards said at the auction. “Having seen her first hand as well, she looks an exciting, young talent. We need back-up for Yastika [Bhatia] at the top of the order but equally we wanted a left-handed option for our middle order, that’s something we recognised last year. She seems the perfect fit. I know she’s young. She looks cheeky which I like. We knew there’d be other interest in her. So we knew we needed to keep some purse to hopefully secure her.”As a kid growing up in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, Kamalini was into inline skating. She was so good at it that she had her own showcase at home to display her medals and trophies. But she wanted to play cricket like her brother. She took up the game when she was 11 and it soon became an “obsession”.Related

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• WPL 2025 auction: what the five teams have done right, and what they have not

• WPL 2025 auction: Uncapped Indians make a splash

With her father as her first coach, Kamalini and her brother trained almost every day. A natural right-hander, she was trained to become a left-hand batter by her father, who believed that would give her an edge.The family decided to move to Chennai for better opportunities for both children. Her father even quit his business. Kamalini and her brother joined the Super Kings Academy in 2022 and started training under coach Louis Mariano.A hard-hitting opener who keeps wicket, Kamalini also bowls spin. But Mariano was keen that she prioritised wicketkeeping.”Kamalini has everything you look for in a cricketer,” Mariano said. “Be it defence, shots all round the wicket, back foot or front foot. She also has the ability to clear the ground with ease. Even at 16 she can play the ground easily because the technique is so good whatever shots she plays. The technique takes care of her game. She was destined for greatness right at a very young age.”Mariano was all praise for her work ethic. It’s hard even for Kamalini’s coaches to get her out of the nets. She spends at least five hours at the academy every day.Kamalini has made giant strides after joining the academy. In 2023, she was the Player of the Tournament in the Freyer T20 Cup hosted by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. She captained Tamil Nadu Women in the BCCI Under-15 tournament and was also picked for a special National Cricket Academy U-15 camp in Alur.Making the step up to the Under-19 level last year, Kamalini continued her terrific form. She was instrumental in Tamil Nadu winning the Under-19 domestic tournament in October, hitting 311 runs in eight matches. She followed that up by top-scoring with 79 in the Under-19 tri-series final for India B against South Africa A, which earned her a spot in India’s Under-19 Asia Cup squad.It was right before one of those tournaments last year that Kamalini’s family was coping with tough situation. Her father had a massive heart attack, kidney failure, and underwent an open-heart surgery. While he spent days in the intensive care unit, Kamalini and her brother were under the care of their extended family as their mother cared for their father.Kamalini had the Senior Women’s One-Day tournament to play during this turbulent time.”She’s so mentally strong. Even if the situation had worsened for her dad, she wouldn’t have returned from the tournament,” Saranya said. “She has that kind of mentality. She’s been like that since she was small. She left to the tournament crying, I’ll never forget that. Everyone told her father that he’ll live to see the day she wears the India jersey, and I believed in that too.”Kamalini had an excellent run in that tournament, scoring a century and finishing as the second highest run-scorer. Mariano said Kamalini’s biggest strength is her resilience and “fearlessness”.”She’d still turn up for training every day even when her father was critically ill,” he said. “She even attended a TNCA camp at that time. Her parents made sure the situation didn’t stop her cricket. Along with her skills, her fearlessness on and off the field is the biggest strength. She’s never scared to speak out also.”Kamalini father recovered but hasn’t been able to get back to training with her. Her rapid rise, however, has kept him in good spirits. Her parents’ dream is to see her in the senior Indian team for a long time.”We want to see her wear the jersey consistently,” Saranya said, “And play many games for India and have a long career.”

His domestic numbers speak for themselves, but if he continues batting the way he did at Newlands, he will soon gain Test cricket’s respect as well

Danyal Rasool03-Jan-2025For all of a glorious sun-soaked day at Newlands, Pakistan didn’t look like they could get Ryan Rickelton out. Even in the first session, while Mohammad Abbas probed and Aiden Markram stuttered, Rickelton was in control of 90.41% of them, or 66 of 73. In the middle session, he was nigh-on impregnable, that figure in excess of 97%. It remained in the mid 90s in the final session.But they almost didn’t have to be. With Wiaan Mulder coming into South Africa’s side for a batter, Rickelton was favourite to miss out. But Tony de Zorzi pulled up late with a thigh strain, and one sliding doors moment had been survived with Rickelton on the right side of it.It needn’t have bothered Pakistan too much. Over the years, though Rickelton has made a habit of mass accumulation in domestic cricket, very little of it has translated to the international game. In 16 Test innings, he’d crossed 30 on just three occasions, and fifty just once. An average of just under 50 in first-class cricket – the fourth highest in the domestic competition since he made his debut – was cut in half in the South African whites. It’s something that hasn’t passed him by, at one point publicly admitting he was unsure he could translate his prolific domestic form into international success.Related

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Even more so, perhaps, because Rickelton had been handed a new challenge, today. With de Zorzi out, he’d open the batting, something he admitted in the press conference later he hadn’t actively pushed for. But South Africa coach Shukri Conrad, whose gregarious personality is so legendary around these parts the mere mention of his name puts a smile on many faces, told him he had the ability to go up top.”I just want a bat. It doesn’t matter where. I feel I’ve trained a lot against the new ball for the Lions. It’s probably a bigger challenge mentally. Days like today are very few and far between for anyone, especially opening the batting,” Rickelton said.There was that callback to his domestic game once more. But one of the things that separate the domestic from the international game is bowlers of true quality at high pace. And With Naseem Shah dropping out of contention with somewhat nebulous fitness issues, Pakistan’s four-pronged pace attack was remarkably monotone, four medium-fast bowlers who rarely cracked 135 and hovered in between the mid 120s and low 130s. On a pitch that the groundsman had perhaps overcorrected after the surreal Test against India last year and shorn it of most of its grass, Rickelton smelled an opportunity for runs at Newlands.And under Table Mountain’s gaze, Rickelton understands how to go about plundering runs. In the two first-class matches he’s played here before, he has scored two unbeaten hundreds and a 90, likely against attacks no slower than Pakistan mustered up here. Once he leaned into a drive from a slightly overpitched delivery from Mir Hamza to get his first boundary, he was set; he would go about punishing the fuller length all day, particularly in the “V”; it was his most productive avenue for run-scoring, and his quickest, too. Off 46 such deliveries, he scored 51 runs, pushing Pakistan’s lengths back and ending the short-lived quest for swing.If all of that implies cashing in against tepid opposition, that may be unfair, because by the time lunch was taken, Pakistan were the happier of the two sides. Rickelton had watched three of his partners fall in quick succession, a regular feature of South African batting in the past, and one Rickelton has too often been a part of.But Rickelton doesn’t necessarily have to look back to the domestic circuit for inspiration. Remember the one time he crossed fifty in his Test career? Well, he also crossed hundred, and once more, three of the top order had fallen around him. As today, he had Temba Bavuma for company, but it was Rickelton who pushed all the way to make the most of his start, helping South Africa to a first-innings total where every run mattered in the end; Sri Lanka pushed all the way into the final day before South Africa finally secured the win, and set his side on their inexorable path to the WTC finals.Ryan Rickelton gets a hug from Temba Bavuma after reaching his century•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesBut as Rickelton grew in confidence as the day wore on, Pakistan’s efforts to break that fourth-wicket stand began to appear more and more feeble. Shaun Pollock on broadcaster commentary appeared surprised Khurram Shahzad didn’t open the bowling after lunch, but when he did come on, he was ordinary enough to almost vindicate that decision. Rickelton was leaving bowlers no margin for error, though Shahzad made plenty, anyway; in three Shahzad overs, he helped himself to six boundaries, and a gritty fifty suddenly motored towards three figures.It was a phase that would define an innings that, by the end of the day, had very much turned into a “big daddy hundred”, as Tristan Stubbs put it during the series against Sri Lanka. And though it may be tempting to characterise it as a day when he entered an invincible zone, what he was actually doing felt rather more sustainable. When Pakistan bowled a good length outside offstump, he was cautious; 103 such deliveries produced 39 runs, but even marginal errors were punished harshly.According to ESPNcricinfo records, when that turned into a short-of-good length, Rickelton was more devastating than he was at any other point. Of 20 balls where the bowlers erred a tad too short, he scored 36. And less surprisingly, perhaps, because Pakistan’s bowlers don’t quite possess the pace, any deliberate short deliveries were swiftly dispatched with, too, bringing 24 runs in 15 balls.This would also produce the shot of the day in an over that epitomised Pakistan’s inadequacies. Having, by Salman Agha’s own admission, run out of ideas during the fourth-wicket stand, they did what they tried at Perth against Australia last season, packing the leg-side field with Aamer Jamal bowling short. When he tried that against Rickleton, though, Rickelton lashed him through the off side for two boundaries.But the best was saved for last, as Rickelton, sitting back in wait for the bouncer, got on top of it and lifted it, Quinton de Kock style, over fine leg for six, all blade, no back-lift and maximum destructiveness.When Bavuma, having got to his own hundred across a 235-run fourth wicket stand, nicked off to Agha, Rickelton put all his shots away. His belligerence, as well as his caution, were simply products of the opportunities the bowling threw up; he isn’t one of those batters who treats shot-making as a drainage pipe for the ego. Since his Jamal takedown, he’d hit just two boundaries, and scored 32 in his next 51 balls. It’s easy to understand why his first-class record shimmers, but batting like that will soon see him gain Test cricket’s respect, too.

أكد أحمد حسن، مدير منتخب مصر الثاني، أن فريقه يمر بظروف صعبة وغير اعتيادية قبل مواجهة الأردن في بطولة كأس العرب، مشددًا على أن الجهاز الفني واللاعبين يبذلون أقصى جهد ممكن رغم ضيق الوقت وقلة فترة الإعداد مقارنة بمنتخبات شمال أفريقيا التي تتمتع باستقرار فني أكبر.

وقال أحمد حسن في تصريحات لقناة “أبوظبي الرياضية”: “قدمنا أداءً جيدًا في ظل الظروف التي نعمل بها، ومع الإمكانات المتاحة لنا، أتمنى أن يدرك الجميع حجم الضغوط التي تعرضنا لها، فنحن نتحدث عن منتخبات في شمال أفريقيا تتجمع منذ ثلاث أو أربع سنوات، بينما لم يمضِ على تجمعنا سوى ثلاثة أشهر فقط”.

وأضاف: “فوجئنا في المعسكر الأخير بغياب عدد من اللاعبين عن القائمة، وعلى الجمهور أن يضع ذلك في الاعتبار قبل تقييم الأداء، اللاعبون المتواجدون معنا يبذلون جهدًا كبيرًا رغم محدودية الخيارات، ما زال أمامنا مباراة مهمة أمام الأردن، وهدفنا أن نحقق الفوز ونتأهل إلى الأدوار التالية”.

وأشار: “الأداء كان جيدًا في المباريات السابقة، لكنه كان يمكن أن يكون أفضل، أمام منتخب الكويت كانت لدينا فرصة للانتصار لولا التراخي وإضاعة الفرص، وفي مواجهة الإمارات ظهر بعض التوتر، لكننا تحسنّا في الدقائق الأخيرة وسجلنا، بل وتمكنا من إحراز هدف ثانٍ أُلغي بداعي التسلل، في المجمل قدمنا مستوى مقبولًا”.

وتابع: “لا أستطيع أن أصف الأداء بأنه ممتاز أو جيد جدًا، لكنه خطوة في الطريق الصحيح. اللاعبون يشعرون بالمسؤولية ونأمل أن نظهر في المباراة المقبلة بشكل أفضل، وأن يحالفنا التوفيق للوصول إلى الدور التالي”.

طالع أيضًا | حلمي طولان: أعددنا منتخبًا لكأس العرب ثم خضنا البطولة بفريق آخر

وعن تصريحات المدرب جمال السلامي، المدير الفني لمنتخب الأردن، بأنه سيُريح بعض لاعبيه أمام مصر، قال حسن: “أقدّر جمال السلامي فهو صديق، وتصريحه منطقي تمامًا، عندما يضمن أي فريق التأهل، يكون من الطبيعي إراحة بعض العناصر الأساسية، خاصة أن المباريات تأتي متقاربة خلال 48 أو 72 ساعة، هذا قراره وهو الأكثر دراية بفريقه”.

وأردف: “أما نحن فنركز على مباراتنا فقط، وعلى كيفية تحقيق الفوز، جميع المنتخبات تتصرف بالطريقة نفسها عند ضمان التأهل، لكن في النهاية لكل مدرب حساباته، منتخب الأردن اتخذ قراره، ونحن نستعد للقاء أياً كانت ظروف المنافس”.

واستطرد: “نحن جاهزون للمباراة في كل الأحوال، فدوافعنا أكبر لأننا بحاجة لتحقيق الانتصار لضمان التأهل ومواصلة المشوار”.

واختتم: “نشكر الجماهير المصرية على دعمها الكبير لنا، ونأمل أن نكون عند حسن ظنهم في المباراة المقبلة، سنبذل كل ما لدينا لإسعادهم، خصوصًا الجالية المصرية والعربية التي تساندنا دائمًا”.