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August 11, 2024
South Africa at 45 for 1 Before Rain Disrupts Play: De Zorzi Unbeaten on 32, Holder Claims 1 for 2
Trinidad’s Unpredictable Weather Disrupts Opening Day: Only 15 Overs Completed Between South Africa and West Indies. The opening day of the Test match between South Africa and the West Indies was primarily washed out due to Trinidad’s erratic weather, with just 15 overs of play possible. The day was halted five minutes into the scheduled tea break, and play resumed half an hour earlier on the second day following the loss of 75 overs.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, South Africa aimed to settle on a pitch described by captain Temba Bavuma as ‘bare’ and ‘lifeless.’ The surface demanded precise bowling, and veteran Kemar Roach rose to the challenge. With a field set for him, Roach’s first delivery angled into Aiden Markram, beating him on the back foot. Markram managed a fortunate boundary over the gully. Still, Roach’s persistent and probing spell, which yielded figures of 5-3-6-0, kept the South African batters on edge.
At the other end, Tony de Zorzi showed greater comfort against Jayden Seales, playing confidently off the front foot and timing the ball well enough to score a three down the ground. Seales, bowling in the mid-130s kph, offered little threat during his first three overs, prompting Kraigg Brathwaite to turn to Gudakesh Motie in the eighth over. De Zorzi took full advantage of this change, eagerly dispatching Motie’s flighted delivery over midwicket with a mighty sweep. He repeated the shot two balls later, causing Motie to be replaced after just one more over. De Zorzi added another boundary against Motie before Brathwaite brought Jason Holder into the attack.
Sitting back in his crease against Roach, Markram adopted the same stance for Holder’s opening delivery. However, this time, Holder’s delivery sneaked through the bat-pad gap to hit off stump, dismissing Markram for 9. Markram’s recent first-innings scores in Test cricket have all been in single figures, a trend he will be keen to reverse as the season progresses.
His dismissal brought South Africa’s new No. 3, Tristan Stubbs, to the crease. Stubbs got off the mark by nudging Holder to square leg and faced four more deliveries before rain halted play at 11:10 am local time. An early lunch was taken 40 minutes later as intermittent showers persisted. Two hours later, images of puddled covers and ominously grey skies were broadcast worldwide as the clean-up began. A 2 pm inspection was canceled when rain resumed just as the umpires were about to start their rounds. After 45 minutes of further rain, the day’s play was deemed irretrievably lost.
This outcome is particularly disappointing for South Africa, which has yet to field a full-strength Test side since January and faces a sparse red-ball schedule. Following this Test, they have only seven matches remaining in this World Test Championship cycle, with all their series in the 2023-2025 period limited to two Tests each.
According to an ICC statement released on Wednesday, three individuals associated with the Pune Devils have been banned for various breaches of the anti-corruption code during the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 League.
Ashar Zaidi, the team’s batting coach and a former Pakistani allrounder, has been handed a five-year ban from all cricket activities. Co-owners Parag Sanghavi and Krishan Kumar Choudhary each received two-year bans after admitting to violating the Emirates Cricket Board’s anti-corruption code twice. The statement also noted that the final 12 months of each ban period have been suspended.
The bans for Ashar Zaidi, Parag Sanghavi, and Krishan Kumar Choudhary are backdated to September 19, 2023, the date of their provisional suspension, as stated by the ICC. With the application of the suspended portion of their sanctions, Sanghavi and Choudhary will be eligible to return to cricket from September 19, 2024, while Zaidi will be eligible from September 19, 2027.
Zaidi, Sanghavi, and Choudhary were among eight individuals charged by the ICC in September 2023 on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board.
Among the other five charged, the notable name is Bangladesh allrounder Nasir Hossain, who has received a two-year ban and is eligible to resume playing on April 7, 2025.
The specific charges admitted to by Zaidi, Sanghavi, and Choudhary include:
Article 2.4.4: Failing to disclose to anti-corruption officials the full details of any approaches or invitations received to engage in corrupt conduct under the code.
Article 2.4.6: Failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperate with any investigation into potential corrupt conduct under the code.
Article 2.4.6: Failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperate with any investigation into potential corrupt conduct under the code.
Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for The Wicket Insider, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.
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