“As we begin a new cycle, we know how important it is to win our home series and grab every available point. This is a great opportunity to start strong.”
The former Proteas pace ace boldly predicted that India’s upcoming five-Test series in England will be a result-heavy thriller, with the hosts edging it 3-2.
"It's very hard for the average cricket fan to understand who's the best team in the world and how exactly the top two teams make it to the final," said former England captain Michael Vaughan, now a television pundit.
If there were still doubters of Test cricket's enduring magic in the age of T20 fireworks, South Africa’s thrilling five-wicket victory over defending champions Australia offered the most poetic rebuttal.
"If you want to earn respect in world cricket all over, take up Test cricket, give your heart and soul to it, and earn the respect from legends."
“We're not trying to pick this team up any more. It's a matter of taking this team from a good team into being something English people are really proud of,” McCullum told the BBC Radio 5 Live Cricket show.
The hosts were left searching for answers after a dismal batting collapse saw them bowled out for 191 runs in the first innings -- a setback from which they never recovered.
The latest slip-up came courtesy of Zimbabwe, who secured a gripping three-wicket win in fading light -- an outcome that, in truth, should never have been on the cards.
Heavy rain and a storm hit Sylhet last night, leaving the outfield damp and unfit for play at the scheduled start time of 9:45 am.
Australia's Ricky Ponting, India's Ravi Shastri, Pakistan's Wasim Akram, England's Ian Bell and New Zealand's Ross Taylor sat down ahead of the showpiece Final in London to speak about the one-off Test
The 35-year-old, who announced his retirement from the longest format of the game in September 2021, is said to have been contacted by England skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum over a potential return to Test cricket
The 36-year-old said on Saturday that he wanted to play on until the 2024 Twenty20 World Cup but would call time on his Test career after the third Test against Pakistan, before the two-match series against West Indies that follows
England's leading bowler in tests with 685 wickets, Anderson suffered the injury playing for Lancashire last week. He is unlikely to play in the one-off test against Ireland before the Ashes after the uncapped Josh Tongue was added to the squad
In Sri Lanka's biggest win as well as Ireland's worst defeat to date, the visitors were bundled out for 168 on day three in a humid seaside Galle stadium after being made to follow-on
“It has been the greatest day in Ireland’s Test history,” international commentator Andrew Leonard told this reporter when talking about what transpired on the third day of the one-off Test, which saw Ireland take a 131-run lead against hosts Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s long stretch of assignments since the Asia Cup last year will pause briefly after the lone Test against Ireland, starting from Tuesday, and resume with an away ODI series against the same opponents in May. The Tigers geared up for the longer version yesterday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur but were without skipper Shakib Al Hasan, who himself had a far busier schedule off the field than rest of his teammates.
Having been asked to follow on, Sri Lanka needed 416 runs to make the hosts bat again but were bowled out for 358 in their second innings at the Basin Reserve
All-rounder Wiaan Mulder and in-form batsman Ryan Rickelton also come into the starting XI at the Wanderers on Wednesday as South Africa look to build on their 87-run win in the first Test at Centurion.
"The way world cricket is going now, apart from the big three, every team is barely playing any Test cricket," Holder said on Wednesday
