The Kookaburra ball is used in Australian games. However, the ball will be a Dukes when those two men’s teams play one other in the WTC final at Lord’s next week. Why? The Kookaburra ball is used in South African games.
due to the ICC’s directive. Most likely because the Dukes, a ball used in England, have a more noticeable seam than the Kookaburra, which causes it to move farther off the pitch, and because it is lacquered, which causes it to swing more. How did the batting coach for South Africa feel about that?
“It’s going to be the same for both teams, so it’s not going to be a particular advantage,” Ashwell Prince stated. “Both we and them have strong bowlers who can show off their abilities against the Dukes. Our lineup includes some of the top bowlers in the world, who are capable of causing significant harm.
Along with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen are among the top 10 bowlers in the rankings. The fact that only two teams have half of the game’s top 10 bowlers (Keshav Maharaj and Mitchell Starc are in the top 20) helps to explain why those teams are in the final.
Regarding that. Liverpool FC won the English Premier League this year, and Prince is a big fan of the team. How would he have felt about South Africa winning the WTC and forcing the Reds to play in a decider even though they finished first in the standings?
“I think a final is probably the best way to do it, because unfortunately every team doesn’t get to play against all the other opposition an equal number of times,” Prince stated. “We’re pretty comfortable with that.”
Only twelve Tests were awarded to South Africa during the 2023–2025 WTC cycle.
Australia and India both had 19, while England had 22. India won nine, England eleven, and the Australians thirteen. South Africa? Eight. However, they took first place because the standings are based on a percentage of points won. As a result of their boards’ refusal to set up a series against the South Africans, other nations are indignant and have no recourse.
With their noses pressed against the Lord’s windows, Temba Bavuma‘s team has neither the time nor the desire to react to the whiners. They will play Zimbabwe at Arundel for four days to complete their final preparations.
Rainfall on Tuesday delayed the game from starting as planned. The South Africans scored 313/2 in the 79 overs they faced on Wednesday, which was sunny but cold. The odds were 48/1 for Zimbabwe at the end.
Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs each scored 58, while Ryan Rickelton made 62. From the crease, all three withdrew. While Stubbs shown discipline by hitting 86 of the 120 balls he faced as dots, Rickelton stayed true to his aggressive style, hitting 11 fours. In addition to hitting 11 fours and earning a strike rate of 68.24, which was greater than Rickelton’s Stubbs’, Bavuma was very punchy.
The fact that Wiaan Mulder took guard at No. 3 was possibly the most notable aspect of South Africa’s innings. He had already done so in his lone innings against Pakistan at Newlands in January and in the second innings against Sri Lanka at Kingsmead in November, when a hand injury prevented him from using the cross-bat strokes he was used to as a middle order merchant. He received a score of 15 and 5. Was Mulder going to stand guard at Lord’s when the first wicket fall because of Wednesday’s strategy?
Prince’s response demonstrated that he hasn’t lost the capacity to provide a dead bat when needed, even though he played his final 66 Test matches more than 13 years ago: “The best way to prepare is to keep all possibilities open.” When we get at Lord’s, we have no idea how the surface would seem. We want to make sure he has at least had some kind of preparation in case he is needed to perform that job.
In the 11 overs they bowled at the Zimbabweans, South Africa’s bowlers sniped dangerously. Ben Curran was struck on the side of his right hand by a delivery from Kagiso Rabada that soared sharply. He sought medical attention after retiring injured and was transported for x-rays. His chances of participating in the two Test matches against South Africa in Bulawayo later this month and the next one may be in jeopardy if his hand is fractured. Lungi Ngidi contributed by using a similar amount of force to shatter Nick Welch’s bat.
With an 83% probability of rain predicted for Thursday, Zimbabwe’s batsmen may be quietly relieved.
India
