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/ 23 May 2008

Andre Nel back in SA Test squad

Andre Nel is back in the Proteas Test squad for the four-match cricket series against England, to be played in July and August. Cricket South Africa selection committee convener Joubert Strydom on Friday announced a squad of 15 that consists of Nel plus the 14 players who did duty on the recent tour of India.

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/ 18 April 2008

Proteas ready to bloom

For the briefest of moments, Indian fans could con themselves into thinking that the spirit of Perth was back. Mark Boucher edged behind and South Africa’s resistance was broken. By day’s end Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly had knocked off the 62 needed and all was well in the Indian cricket world again. Or was it?

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/ 13 April 2008

SA crumble as India clinch win

India dominated South Africa on Sunday to win the third Test by eight wickets inside three days, squaring the series 1-1 and retaining their world number-two Test ranking. In an extraordinary final day, India turned what had been an evenly poised match at the start of play into a rout.

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/ 12 April 2008

Ganguly helps India gain lead over SA

Sourav Ganguly cracked a gutsy 87 on a difficult pitch to help India gain a slender advantage on the second day of the third and final Test against South Africa in Kanpur on Saturday. India were struggling at 123-4 before reaching 288-9 in their first innings at stumps in reply to South Africa’s 265 on a day of fluctuating fortunes.

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/ 11 April 2008

Proteas stumble after comfortable start

Teenage paceman Ishant Sharma and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh shared six wickets as India restricted South Africa to 265 in the third and final Test in Kanpur on Friday. South Africa were comfortably placed at 152-1 before losing their way on a spin-friendly pitch. Skipper Graeme Smith (69) and Hashim Amla (51) led the way with solid half-centuries.

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/ 9 April 2008

Kallis scoops prestigious award

South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis was on Wednesday named as the Leading Cricketer in the World for 2007 by the 2008 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, cricket’s major annual reference work. He became the fifth recipient of the award, introduced in 2004.

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/ 9 April 2008

South Africa eye subcontinent hat-trick

A buoyant South Africa will be keen to capitalise on India’s form and fitness worries ahead of Friday’s third and final Test in Kanpur to complete a hat-trick in the subcontinent. The visitors lead 1-0 in the series following their crushing win by an innings and 90 runs in the second Test in Ahmedabad last Saturday after the opening match ended in a draw in Chennai.

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/ 7 April 2008

Steyn joins Murali at top of bowling rankings

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.

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/ 6 April 2008

Smith hails teamwork after big win

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.

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/ 5 April 2008

SA crush India in second Test

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).

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/ 5 April 2008

SA edge closer to victory

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.

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/ 4 April 2008

De Villiers, Kallis put SA on top

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.

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/ 4 April 2008

De Villiers, Kallis build stand as SA dominate

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.

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/ 3 April 2008

SA in command after Steyn’s heroics

Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers consolidated South Africa’s strong position with half-centuries after Dale Steyn sparked a sensational Indian collapse in the second Test on Thursday. The 24-year-old Steyn gave a magnificent display of fast bowling on a lively track to finish with 5-23 as India crashed to 76 all out in their first innings.

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/ 2 April 2008

Proteas upbeat ahead of second Test

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.

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/ 1 April 2008

SA hold psychological edge over India

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.

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/ 31 March 2008

McKenzie, Amla move up ICC rankings

Neil McKenzie and Hashim Amla moved up the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings on Monday after outstanding performances in the drawn match against India. McKenzie, who made 94 and 155 not out, made his first appearance in the top 40 in four years and is ranked 36th in the world, while Amla’s 159 and 81 saw him shoot up 10 places to 24th position.

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/ 28 March 2008

Triple-ton Sehwag puts SA in the shade

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.