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The most wicket-filled opening day in 122 years
A look at all the key numbers from Day 1 of the ongoing second Test between South Africa and India at the Newlands, Cape Town:
23 – A grand total of 23 wickets fell in Cape Town on Wednesday, the second most on the opening day of a Test match in 147 years of the game’s history, only behind the 25 recorded on Day 1 of the second Ashes 1901/02 Test between Australia and England in Melbourne. It also happened to be the joint-highest wicket tally on a single day of a Test match in South Africa, alongside the 2011 fixture featuring the hosts and Australia at the same venue.
Most wickets on a single day in Tests
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Day | Wkts | Runs | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Australia | 2 | 27 | 157 | Lord’s, 1888 |
| Australia | England | 1 | 25 | 221 | Melbourne, 1902 |
| England | Australia | 2 | 24 | 255 | The Oval, 1896 |
| India | Afghanistan | 2 | 24 | 339 | Bengaluru, 2018 |
| South Africa | Australia | 2 | 23 | 294 | Cape Town, 2011 |
| South Africa | India | 1 | 23 | 270 | Cape Town, 2024 |
Most wickets on Day 1 of a Test
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Wkts | Runs | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | England | 25 | 221 | Melbourne, 1902 |
| South Africa | India | 23 | 270 | Cape Town, 2024 |
| England | Australia | 22 | 197 | The Oval, 1890 |
| Australia | West Indies | 22 | 207 | Adelaide, 1951 |
| South Africa | England | 21 | 278 | Gqeberha, 1896 |
55 runs by South Africa in their first innings is the lowest all-out total against India in Tests, seven fewer than what New Zealand had managed in Mumbai in 2021.
Lowest all-out totals against India in Tests
| Score | Team | Inns | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | South Africa | 1 | Cape Town, 2024 |
| 62 | New Zealand | 2 | Mumbai WS, 2021 |
| 79 | South Africa | 2 | Nagpur, 2015 |
| 81 | England | 3 | Ahmedabad, 2021 |
| 82 | Sri Lanka | 2 | Chandigarh, 1990 |
23.2 overs taken by India to bundle out South Africa in the first innings, the least ever they have bowled to dismiss an opponent in a Tests. Their previous record was 25.1 overs, when they skittled out the same team for 84 in Johannesburg in 2006 to set up their first ever Test win in the country.
8 instances of South Africa registering all-out totals of 55 or below in Tests, the most for any team, the next most being five each for Australia, England and New Zealand. Interestingly, of the 36 instances of teams getting bundled out for 55 or lower in Tests, seven have come in Cape Town, the most at a venue followed by six at Lord’s.
Overall, it was South Africa’s eighth lowest total in Tests, and their lowest since World War II.
Lowest all-out totals for South Africa in Tests
| Score | Innings | Opponent | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 4 | England | Gqeberha, 1896 |
| 30 | 2 | England | Birmingham, 1924 |
| 35 | 4 | England | Cape Town, 1899 |
| 36 | 1 | Australia | Melbourne, 1932 |
| 43 | 3 | England | Cape Town, 1889 |
| 45 | 3 | Australia | Melbourne, 1932 |
| 47 | 2 | England | Cape Town, 1889 |
| 55 | 1 | India | Cape Town, 2024 |
Lowest all-out totals for South Africa since their readmission
| Score | Innings | Opponent | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 1 | India | Cape Town, 2024 |
| 73 | 4 | Sri Lanka | Galle, 2018 |
| 79 | 2 | India | Nagpur, 2015 |
| 83 | 3 | England | Johannesburg, 2016 |
| 84 | 2 | India | Johannesburg, 2006 |
9 – South Africa’s 55 all-out is the ninth-lowest first innings total in Tests. Three of the last four instances – spanning between September 1948 and January 2024 – have come in Cape Town.
Lowest innings totals in the first innings of a Test match
| Score | Team | Opponent | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | South Africa | Australia | Melbourne, 1932 |
| 42 | New Zealand | Australia | Wellington, 1946 |
| 43 | Bangladesh | West Indies | North Sound, 2018 |
| 45 | England | Australia | Sydney, 1887 |
| 45 | New Zealand | South Africa | Cape Town, 2013 |
| 52 | England | Australia | The Oval, 1948 |
| 53 | Australia | England | Lord’s, 1896 |
| 54 | Zimbabwe | South Africa | Cape Town, 2005 |
| 55 | South Africa | India | Cape Town, 2024 |
6-15 – Mohammed Siraj’s bowling returns are the third best for an India bowler in Tests in South Africa, only behind Shardul Thakur’s 7-61 in Johannesburg in 2022 and Harbhajan Singh’s 7-120 in the 2011 New Year’s Test in Cape Town.
15 runs conceded by Mohammed Siraj is the second-fewest by an India bowler while bagging six wickets in an innings in Tests, and the fourth-lowest for a five-wicket haul.
Least expensive Test five-fors for India (by runs conceded)
| Returns | Overs Bowled | Bowler | Opponent | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/7 | 8 | Jasprit Bumrah | West Indies | North Sound, 2019 |
| 6/12 | 17.5 | Venkatapathy Raju | Sri Lanka | Chandigarh, 1990 |
| 5/13 | 4.3 | Harbhajans Singh | West Indies | Kingston, 2006 |
| 6/15 | 9 | Mohammed Siraj | South Africa | Cape Town, 2024 |
| 5/18 | 6 | Subhash Gupte | Pakistan | Dhaka, 1955 |
9 overs bowled by Mohammed Siraj, the least delivered by an India bowler to bag a six-wicket haul in Tests. The previous record belonged to Venkatesh Prasad, who bagged 6/33 in 10.2 overs against Pakistan in Chennai in 1999.
6 wickets fell on the score of 153 in the Indian innings, making for the most remarkable of batting collapses in Test history. Never before has a team lost more wickets on a particular score in a Test innings.
Most wickets falling at a particular score in a Test innings
| Wickets | Score | For | Against | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 153/4 to 153/10 | India | South Africa | Cape Town, 2024 |
| 5 | 37/2 to 37/7 | New Zealand | Australia | Wellington, 1946 |
| 5 | 59/4 to 59/9 | New Zealand | Pakistan | Rawalpindi CC, 1965 |
| 5 | 133/2 to 133/7 | New Zealand | South Africa | Hamilton, 2012 |
| 5 | 134/5 to 134/10 | Bangladesh | Zimbabwe | Harare, 2013 |
partnership runs added by India’s last five pairs in their innings, the first such instance for any team in the history of Test cricket. Before today, the lowest partnership aggregate for the last five pairs in an all-out Test innings was 3 by England against Australia in Melbourne in 1990, followed by 4 by New Zealand against Pakistan in Auckland in 2001.
6 ducks recorded by India in their first innings is a joint record in Tests. They had previously registered as many against England in Manchester in 2014.
Most ducks recorded in a Test innings
| Ducks | For | Against | Venue, Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Pakistan | West Indies | Karachi, 1980 |
| 6 | South Africa | India | Ahmedabad, 1996 |
| 6 | Bangladesh | West Indies | Dhaka, 2002 |
| 6 | India | England | Manchester, 2014 |
| 6 | New Zealand | Pakistan | Dubai (DSC), 2018 |
| 6 | Bangladesh | Sri Lanka | Mirpur, 2022 |
| 6 | Bangladesh | West Indies | North Sound, 2022 |
| 6 | India | South Africa | Cape Town, 2024 |
4 – Dean Elgar, who compiled a game defining hundred in the first Test in Centurion, didn’t quite make an impact with the bat in his farewell Test, registering scores of 4 and 12. However, he did cross 1,000 runs against India in the format while at it, becoming the fourth South Africa batter to register 1,000-plus Test runs against the opponent, after Jacques Kallis (1734), Hashim Amla (1528) and AB de Villiers (1334).
8 batters have registered 1,000-plus runs as an opener in Tests against India, Elgar being the latest to do so, finishing with 1012. The other seven batters to have achieved this feat are Alastair Cook (2431), Matthew Hayden (1888), Gordon Greenidge (1678), Graham Gooch (1518), Mudassar Nazar (1210), David Warner (1195) and Geoffrey Boycott (1084).
5121 runs by Dean Elgar is the fourth most aggregate for South Africa as an opener in Tests, after Graeme Smith’s 9018, Gary Kirsten’s 5726 and Herschelle Gibbs’ 5242.
The aid group Doctors Without Borders has reported recovering 11 bodies and rescuing dozens of people off the coast of Libya as it criticised the migration policies of the North African country and European countries.
In a statement on Friday, the group, known by its French initials MSF, said its Geo Barents rescue vessel managed to recover the bodies following a search operation lasting more than nine hours after being alerted by German nongovernmental organisation Sea-Watch, which also rescues refugees and migrants.
“As we cannot determine the reason behind this tragedy, we know that people will continue to take dangerous routes in a desperate attempt to reach safety, and Europe must find safe and legal pathways for them,” MSF said in a post on X. “This catastrophe must end!”
Sea-Watch said it is unclear whether the bodies were victims of a previously unknown shipwreck, adding that they tried to contact Libya’s coastguard to go and retrieve the dead, but received no reply.
“The so-called Libyan coastguard – financed by the EU – ignored our call demanding that the bodies be recovered,” the group said.
Thousands of people trying to head from Africa to Europe use Libya as a departing point, with the Italian island of Lampedusa the nearest European destination as they undertake the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean to escape war, poverty and persecution.
Italy, which wants to put a stop to the migration stream, has said Libya and neighbouring Tunisia must do more to stop people from going to sea. It has also clamped down on the operation of the rescue ships, arguing that they encourage people to head to Europe, a charge that is denied by the charities.
Emphasising its policy on the rescue ships, Italy said on Friday that it forced the MSF rescue vessel to take the 165 people that it had saved from boats in the Mediterranean operation to the northern port of Genoa. The port was more than 650 nautical miles (1,200km) from their position and much farther than the more convenient ports in nearby Sicily, significantly delaying assistance to the rescued.
The route in the central Mediterranean is the most dangerous migrant crossing in the world, with the United Nations registering more than 20,000 deaths and disappearances in the area since 2014.
More than 3,000 refugees and migrants went missing in 2023 while attempting to use the route, according to the International Organization for Migration.
According to Italy’s interior ministry, the number of arrivals in the country has dropped in 2024 to fewer than 21,800 people since the beginning of the year, compared with close to 53,300 in the same period last year.
[Aljazeera]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
Afghanistan boosted their Super Eight chances with yet another dominating win, this time thumping New Zealand by 84 runs in Providence. Having beaten Uganda by 125 runs in their opening match, they are now at the top of Group C with a net run rate of 5.225.
After being sent in, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran gave Afghanistan a start of 103 in 14.3 overs. It came off the back of the 154 the pair added against Uganda, thus making them the first opening pair to register two successive century stands in the history of the T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan’s was an innings of two halves. They scored 55 for no loss in the first ten overs and 104 for 6 in the last ten, with Gurbaz contributing 80 off 56 balls. New Zealand, who had decided not to play any warm-up games, looked every bit rusty as their fielders dropped catches and missed run-out opportunities.
With the pitch assisting both seamers and spinners, chasing 160 was not going to be easy. But few would have expected New Zealand to collapse in the manner they did.
Fazalhaq Farooqi picked up three wickets in the powerplay and Rashid Khan three just after it. Eventually, both ended with identical figures of 4 for 17 as New Zealand were bowled out for 75 in the 15.2 overs. Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry were the only New Zealand batters to reach the double digits.
Trent Boult found some swing in the opening over but Gurbaz and Ibrahim showed their intent by picking up three fours off Henry from the other end. Both batters had luck on their side, too. Gurbaz got a second life when he skipped down the track to Santner and missed the ball, which went on to brush the leg stump but the bails did not budge. In the following over, Finn Allen dropped Ibrahim off Henry at the deep-square-leg boundary.
That was not all. Gurbaz got another reprieve after being involved in a miscommunication with Ibrahim. Having taken off for a single, Gurbaz had to retrace his steps and would have been run out had Conway not fumbled the throw.
Two balls later, New Zealand finally seemed to have found success when Santner pinged Ibrahim’s pads and umpire Kumar Dharmasena ruled it lbw. But the batter got the decision overturned on review as the ball was heading down the leg side. Immediately after that, Ibrahim hit Santner for an inside-out four as Afghanistan ended the powerplay on 44 for no loss.
New Zealand went against the prevailing wisdom of not bowling an offspinner when two right-hand batters at the crease, and Michael Bracewell repaid that faith by conceding only six off his first two overs.
Lockie Ferguson was even more frugal, going for five in his first two. He could have had Ibrahim off a slower full toss but a leaping Kane Williamson failed to pull off a one-handed stunner at mid-off. That meant while Afghanistan remained unscathed, they had only 55 on the board after ten overs.
Afghanistan had not hit a single six in the first ten overs, but there were five in the next three, including three in one Bracewell over as Gurbaz and Bracewell stepped on the accelerator. The pair took the side past 100 in the 14th over. New Zealand finally broke through when Ibrahim bottom-edged a short ball from Henry onto his stumps, after having been hit on the grille on the previous delivery.
Promoted to No. 3, Azmatullah Omarzai played his part with 22 off 13, which included two sixes in three balls off Henry. Mohammad Nabi fell for a first-ball duck but Gurbaz kept finding the boundary at regular intervals. However, a three-wicket, three-run final over by Boult kept Afghanistan to 159.
Farooqi gave Afghanistan a dream start with the ball. With the very first delivery of the innings, he uprooted Finn Allen’s leg stump as the ball moved in late. In the seamer’s next over, Conway pushed at one that seemed to come slower off the surface and was caught at extra cover.
The decision to give Farooqi a third over in the powerplay brought further rewards. This time, bowling around the wicket to Daryl Mitchell, he got a length delivery to just straighten and take the outside edge. Gurbaz took a regulation catch to complete the dismissal and leave New Zealand 28 for 3.
It could have been worse for New Zealand. In between, Naveen-ul-Haq had rapped Kane Williamson’s front pad after the batter had moved across to play a delivery. Afghanistan sent it upstairs for an lbw review but the umpire’s call saved the New Zealand captain.
Afghanistan did not have to wait too long for Williamson’s wicket. Rashid brought himself on after the powerplay and struck straightaway as Williamson guided one to first slip. But Rashid was just warming up. In his next over, he dismissed Mark Chapman and Bracewell off successive deliveries to leave New Zealand on 43 for 6. Chapman went for a pull and got bowled; Bracewell was late to bring his bat down and was lbw.
Phillips was New Zealand’s last hope. He did hit a couple of boundaries but was soon caught at long-on when he tried to take on Nabi. That ended any hopes of revival New Zealand might have had.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan 159 for 6 in 20 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 80, Ibrahim Zadran 44, Azmatullah Omarzai 22; Trent Boult 2-22, Matt Henry 2-37, Lockie Fergusoan 1-28) beat New Zealand 75 in 15.2 overs (Glenn Phillips 18; Rashid Khan 4 for 17, Fazalhaq Farooqi 4 for 17, Mohammad Nabi 2-16) by 84 runs
[Cricinfo]
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