20
GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 5, 2017
Proteas close-in on series victory (REUTERS) - South Africa need six more wickets with two days still to play to win the second Test against Sri Lanka, who closed the third day at Newlands yesterday on 130 for four, still 377 runs behind the mammoth target set them. Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada both took two wickets in the Sri Lankan second innings as the home team closed in on
victory and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. South Africa have ample time to whittle away the rest of the Sri Lankan batting while the visitors, set 507 runs to win, must survive six more sessions if they are to force a most improbable outcome. Angelo Mathews (29 not out) and Dinesh Chandimal (28 not out) will resume today, having shown some resistance to the
close of play with an unbeaten 61-run partnership. Philander made an early inroad before tea when he clean-bowled Dimuth Karunaratne for six and then added the wicket of Kusal Mendis after the break as he edged a ball on a tempting length to Dean Elgar for only four. Kaushal Silva went for 29 runs when a rising Rabada delivery hit him
Kagiso Rabada strikes two early blows in Sri Lanka’s second innings. on the glove and popped up for an easy catch for Stephen Cook. Dhananjaya de Silva was then given out leg-before-wicket off a Rabada delivery that was
heading down leg-side but surprisingly did not ask for a review. Had he done so, de Silva would have been able to add to his 22 runs. Sri Lanka were put in to bat midway the second session after the South African lead went past 500 runs. They declared on 224 for seven, having resumed at 35-0 overnight. Seamer Suranga Lakmal took four wickets in a rare highlight for Sri Lanka while Elgar topscored for the home side with 55, to add to his first-innings century. Captain Faf du Plessis made 41 while Stephen Cook was out for 30. South Africa scored 392 in their first innings to which Sri Lanka replied with a paltry 110. The hosts, who won the first Test in Port Elizabeth last week, did not enforce the follow-on.
SCOREBOARD SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings 392 (D. Elgar 129, Q. de Kock 101; L. Kumara 6-122) SRI LANKA 1st innings 110 (V. Philander 4-27, K. Rabada 4-37) SOUTH AFRICA 2nd innings (o/n 35-0) S. Cook c Karunaratne b Lakmal 30 D. Elgar c Mathews b Herath 55 H. Amla c Chandimal b Lakmal 0 J. Duminy lbw b Lakmal 30 F. du Plessis c Chandimal b Lakmal 41 T. Bavuma run-out (D. de Silva) 0 Q. de Kock c Chandimal b Kumara 29 K. Maharaj not out 20 V. Philander not out 15 Extras: (nb-3, w-1) 4 Total: (for 7 wickets declared, 51.5 overs) 224 Fall of wickets: 1-64, 2-64, 3-110, 4-136, 5-137, 6-170, 7-192. Bowling: S. Lakmal 19.5-269–4, N. Pradeep 11-0-46-0 (nb-1), L Kumara 12-0-62-1 (w-1), D. de Silva 3-0-15-0, R. Herath 6-0-32-1. SRI LANKA 2nd innings (Target: 507 runs) D. Karunaratne b Philander 6 K. Silva c Cook b Rabada 29 K. Mendis c Elgar b Philander 4 D. de Silva lbw b Rabada 22 A. Mathews not out 29 D. Chandimal not out 28 Extras: (b-6, lb-5, nb-1) 12 Total: (for 4 wickets, 40 overs) 30 Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-25, 3-66, 4-69. Bowling: K. Abbott 10-3- 23-0, V. Philander 10-1-34-2 (nb-1), K. Rabada 10-3-22-2, K. Maharaj 10-2-40-0.
Dhoni resigns as India’s ODI and T20 captain (REUTERS) - Mahendra Singh Dhoni has stepped down as India’s limited-overs captain but will still be available for selection, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said yesterday. “Mahendra Singh Dhoni has informed the BCCI that he wishes to step down as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team from the One-Day Internationals and the T20 Internationals formats of the game,” the BCCI said in a statement. Dhoni not only holds the record for most matches as captain of an international side, with 331 games across all formats, but also is the only captain to have won all three ICC Trophies -- ODI World Cup, World Twenty20 and Champions Trophy. Considered India’s most successful ever captain, Dhoni stunned everyone when he announced his decision to quit Test cricket in the middle of an Australian tour in 2014, handing the mantle to Virat Kohli who is likely to be also given the reins in the shorter formats. The BCCI, however, did not immediately name a successor.
End of an era: MS Dhoni resigns as India ODI and T20 captain The 35-year-old Dhoni, who was named captain in 2007, led the cricket-crazed country to the top of the world Test rankings and is the only player to captain in more than 50 matches in each of the three formats. Having made his international debut in 2004, Dhoni, whose life inspired a Bollywood biopic in 2016, quickly rose up the ranks in Indian cricket. After being named captain of the Twenty20 side in 2007, Dhoni achieved immediate success as he guided India to
the World Twenty20 title in South Africa. One of Dhoni’s most iconic moments came in 2011 when he hit a massive six to end the country’s 28year wait for the ODI World Cup. “On behalf of every Indian cricket fan and the BCCI, I would like to thank MS Dhoni for his outstanding contribution as the captain of the Indian team across all formats,” BCCI chief executive Rahul Johri said in a statement. “Under his leadership, the Indian team has touched new heights and his achievements will remain etched forever in the annals of Indian cricket.” Dhoni led India in 199 ODIs, of which he won 110 and lost 74, and was captain in 72 Twenty20s, of which India won 41 and lost 28. His last series as captain came against New Zealand at home, where he led the Indian side to a 3-2 series win. Dhoni will be available for selection for the ODI and Twenty20 series against England, starting January 15.