India sought to deepen strategic and economic ties with resource-rich Africa as it held its first summit meeting with African leaders on Tuesday and sweetened the pot by offering financial help. Indian Premier Manmohan Singh, playing host to the African leaders, announced export tariff cuts that he said would benefit 34 of Africa’s 53 countries.
Drivers hooted their way through Mumbai’s first no-honking day on Monday, ignoring efforts to cut the ear-splitting cacophony of life in India’s most bustling city. Residents said they were unable to heed the police appeal to reduce the din because they could not make their way through the usual snarled traffic.
South Africa paceman Dale Steyn has risen to joint number one in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings for Test bowlers, alongside Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. Steyn (24) joined Muralitharan after claiming eight to bowl the tourists to an innings victory in the second Test against India on Saturday for a 1-0 series lead, the ICC said on Monday.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith hailed his team’s all-round performance after they beat India within three days in the second Test on Saturday. The tourists won by an innings and 90 runs to hand India their fourth heaviest defeat on home soil to go 1-0 up in the three-Test series.
South Africa relied on their bowlers’ disciplined performances to thrash India by an innings and 90 runs on the third day of the second Test on Saturday. Trailing by 418, India were bowled out for 328 in their second innings despite fighting half-centuries from former captain Sourav Ganguly (87) and wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (52).
South Africa closed in on a resounding victory in the second Test against India on Saturday, the tourists grabbing three wickets before lunch on the third day to maintain their stranglehold on the match. Openers Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer, and batting mainstay Rahul Dravid were all undone by the South Africa pace attack.
AB de Villiers scored a maiden unbeaten double hundred and Jacques Kallis struck his 30th century to put South Africa in the driver’s seat against India in the second Test on Friday. The fifth-wicket pair took their overnight stand to 256 — a South Africa record for any wicket against India, who were out for 76 in the opening session of the match.
South Africa’s Haroon Lorgat has been appointed the new chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body announced on Friday. The 47-year-old Lorgat will take over from Malcolm Speed after the governing body’s annual conference starting on June 29, the ICC said in a statement.
AB de Villiers scored an unbeaten century and Jacques Kallis is poised to register a ton of his own in helping South Africa tighten their grip of the second Test against India on Friday. The overnight fifth-wicket pair displayed a combination of assured footwork with soft hands against India’s experienced spinners.
South Africa built on fast bowler Dale Steyn’s superb five-wicket effort to seize the initiative in the second Test against India on Thursday. The visitors batted steadily to reach 100-2 in their first innings at tea in reply to India’s 76. Hashim Amla was unbeaten on 15 at the break.
South Africa’s pace attack made optimum use of bowler-friendly conditions to dismiss India for just 76 runs before lunch on the opening day of the second Test on Thursday. Spearhead Dale Steyn finished with five wickets after Makhaya Ntini claimed three victims in 12 deliveries to rip through India’s top order after the hosts won the toss and opted to bat.
Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Wednesday appealed for international pressure on Beijing to halt what he alleged was a mounting Chinese military crackdown in his homeland. The Dalai Lama asked ”world leaders, parliamentarians, NGOs and [the] public” to call ”for an immediate end to the current crackdown”.
South Africa are confident of burying India’s spin threat yet again with a determined batting performance in the second Test starting in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The visitors kept the spin duo of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh at bay in the drawn opening Test in Chennai as they posted 540 in the first innings and 331-5 in the second.
South Africa will target swashbuckling India batsman Virender Sehwag with short-pitched bowling in the rest of the series, coach Mickey Arthur said on Tuesday. Sehwag tore apart the tourists’ bowling in the drawn first Test at Chennai with a scintillating 319 off 304 balls, the fastest triple century in history and the second of his career.
South Africa hold the psychological edge going into the second Test on Thursday against an India team weighed down by major fitness issues. The visitors will look to drive home their confidence of tackling the hosts’ experienced spin bowlers after rallying to draw the first match of the three-Test series, which ended on Sunday.
India’s marksmen are threatening to boycott the Beijing Olympics unless the government steps in to help alleviate a shortage of ammunition for training. The nation’s leading medal prospects for the August Games are in shooting, with Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore fancied to bring home a gold medal.
India’s star batsman Sachin Tendulkar will miss the second Test against South Africa after aggravating a groin injury, officials said on Sunday. Tendulkar, who needs 172 runs to overtake West Indian Brian Lara as Test cricket’s leading run-getter, did not field for most of the final day’s play in the first Test which was drawn earlier in the day.
South African pace spearhead Dale Steyn showed he was a quick learner by leading a fightback against India in the first Test on Saturday. The 24-year-old Steyn grabbed four of the last five wickets to restrict India’s first-innings lead to 87 after opener Virender Sehwag notched up an Indian Test best of 319 on the fourth day.
Indian batsman Rahul Dravid said on Saturday it had been beyond his dreams to achieve 10 000 Test runs. The 35-year-old Dravid became only the sixth player to reach the landmark while scoring 111 for his 25th century on day four of the first Test against South Africa.
Opener Virender Sehwag finally fell on 319 but India took a first-innings lead in the first Test against South Africa on Saturday. Rahul Dravid was one run short of his 25th Test hundred after becoming the sixth batsman to complete 10 000 Test runs.
Virender Sehwag smashed a spectacular 309 not out as India gave South Africa a dose of their own medicine in the first cricket Test in Chennai on Friday. The hosts made light of South Africa’s daunting first-innings 540 as they rode on Sehwag’s blitzkreig to pile up 468-1 by stumps on the third day at the Chidambaram Stadium.
Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer gave South Africa a dose of their own medicine with an unbroken 176-run stand in the first cricket Test in Chennai on Friday. India, kept in the field for over five sessions as South Africa piled up 540 in their first innings, hit back in style on a barren wicket.
India made a confident reply to South Africa’s record 540 in the first cricket Test, reaching 82 without loss by stumps on the second day on Thursday. Virender Sehwag smashed a typically aggressive 52 and Wasim Jaffer chipped in with 25 as the Indian openers emerged unscathed from the 21 overs they faced before close.
South African Hashim Amla was elated after scoring his first overseas century in the first Test against India on Thursday. Amla’s 159 led the visitors to 540 all out before India reached 82 without loss by the close of the second day. The number three batsman handled the home spinners and the heat for almost seven hours to register his fourth Test century.
South Africa’s Hashim Amla stroked his second-highest Test score of 159 to put his team in command on day two of the first Test against India on Thursday. Amla, who reached his fourth hundred before lunch, was run out following a mix-up with Mark Boucher but the tourists piled on the runs to reach 501-6 at tea.
Hashim Amla stroked his fourth century to power South Africa to 404-5 at lunch on the second day of the first Test against India on Thursday. The 24-year-old lashed three fours in a row against paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth to reach triple figures and was unbeaten on 124 at the interval as the tourists built on a good start. Mark Boucher was 26 not out.
South Africa revelled in good batting conditions to pile up 304-4 on the opening day of the first cricket Test against India on Wednesday. Neil McKenzie (94), skipper Graeme Smith (73) and Hashim Amla (85 not out) laid the foundation for a big total as the Indian bowlers toiled in oppressive weather and an unresponsive wicket at the Chidambaram Stadium.
India’s Tata Motors said on Wednesday it had bought British luxury icons Jaguar and Land Rover from struggling United States carmaker Ford for $2,3-billion as it expands its global reach. The all-cash deal is part of Tata’s efforts to grow outside Asia, but analysts have questioned how the Indian firm will absorb the two high-end marques into its operations.
Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie continued their brilliant form to hand South Africa an impressive start in the first cricket Test against India on Wednesday. The openers batted through the morning session of the first day to put on 109 by lunch at the Chidambaram stadium after Smith won the toss and took first strike on a placid wicket.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith on Tuesday voiced confidence his team can ”do the job” against India despite arriving with only 13 players. The tourists have been badly hit by the race selection row while left-arm spinner Robin Peterson has delayed his arrival due to personal reasons. The three-Test series starts on Wednesday.
The key to retaining his vein of good form in India will be consistency, South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn said on Monday. The 24-year-old is on a hot streak after grabbing 14 wickets in the 2-0 rout of Bangladesh this month, becoming the quickest South African to reach the 100-wicket mark.
Graeme Smith’s South Africa will have two close friends and compatriots plotting their downfall when they begin a three-Test series against India in Chennai on Wednesday. Former Proteas batsman Gary Kirsten starts his two-year stint as India’s chief coach, and India’s support staff also includes another South African, Paddy Upton.