CSA lauds Amla, Philander for helping SA become No.1 Test side

August 21, 2012

hashim-amla


Cricket South Africa (CSA) has lauded top-order batsman Hashim Amla and bowling all-rounder Vernon Philander for their superlative effort, which saw the Proteas dethrone England from the top of the ICC Test ranking.

Greame Smith-led South Africa won the final Test match against England by 51 runs at the Lords last night to clinch the three-match series 2-0 to not only retain the prestigious Basil D'Oliveira Trophy but also claimed the No.1 Test spot.

The series win, second on the trot for the visitors in England, saw South Africa overcome the English supremacy with a total of 120 ranking points.

England with 117 points have been pushed to the second spot, while Australia are at No. 3 with 116 points.

"The match was a personal triumph for virtually every member of the Proteas' starting XI but Hashim Amla had to stand out for his century as did Vernon Philander who made 96 invaluable runs as a No. 8 batsman over the two innings and returned with the figures of 5/30," CSA said in a statement.

Amla scored a 121 runs in South Africa's second innings to set up a difficult target of 346 for England before Philander picked his seventh five-wicket haul in less than a year of Test cricket to see his side get to the top.

In the pursuit the right-arm medium pacer also etched his name on the famous Honour's Board.

Philander has taken 39 wickets in the current calendar year, which is just one less than the leader, Stuart Broad of England.

The Proteas, however, would have a difficult task at hands, defending their No 1 position when they travel to Australia in November for a three-match Test series, followed by a home series against New Zealand and Pakistan.

"The entire squad, including all the players and team management, deserve every accolade they will undoubtedly receive," CSA acting CEO, Jacques Faul, said after the match.

Faul in particular lauded head coach Gary Kirsten for his calm and serene impact on the team.

"What has been particularly impressive has been the way they have performed when the pressure has been at its most extreme and this is a tribute to head coach Gary Kirsten and his assistants for the coolness under pressure they have brought to the squad.

"That coolness was a feature of Gary's own career and he has worked wonders in his first year in charge," he added.

The memorable final Test at the Lords also marked a historic outing for the skipper Smith, who turned out to lead SA for a world record 94th time.



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News Network
May 8,2020

Karachi, May 8: A cricket museum based in India has bought a bat auctioned by Pakistan Test captain Azhar Ali to raise funds for the needy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Azhar had put two of his precious belongings -- the bat he used to score 302 runs against the West Indies in a Test in 2016 and the jersey he wore during the 2017 Champions Trophy final win over India -- on an online auction to raise funds for the people affected by the deadly disease.

Both the bat and jersey were signed by members of the Pakistan team.

Azhar announced on social media that he had kept a base price of one million each for the bat and jersey and they had sold for 2.2 million.

He confirmed that Blades of Glory Cricket Museum based in Pune bought the bat by making a winning offer of Rs. 1 million for the bat.

Azhar said that the auction of the shirt also generated a lot of interest and Kash Villani, a Pakistani based in California, came up with the highest bid of Rs. 1.1 million for the shirt before the conclusion of the auction.

Another Pakistani based in New Jersey, Jamal Khan also donated Rs. 100,000 for the cause.

"I put two of my closest belongings on auction with base price of 1 million PKR each to support people suffering due to ongoing crisis. Auction starts now and will close on 11:59 PM 05 May, 2020," Azhar had tweeted.

Ali became the first international player to score a test triple century in Day/Night Test when he scored an unbeaten 302 against the West Indies team in UAE in 2016.

"The shirt is from 2017 Champions Trophy which we won, it has the signature of all the players which were present in the squad," Ali said in a video posted on Twitter.

"Both these things are close to my heart but if it can be used in the difficult times for the benefit of the people I will more than happy."

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Agencies
February 7,2020

Sydney, Feb 7: "I received a message from Brett Lee," said former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Friday when asked as to who recruited him to take part in the Bushfire relief fundraiser match.

Tendulkar will be coaching the Ponting XI in the upcoming Bushfire Bash on Sunday, February 9 at the Junction Oval.

"I received a message from Brett Lee. Brett said that Kevin (Roberts, Cricket Australia's chief executive) would like to be in touch with you. It was a no-brainer. From the moment I was asked, I said, 'yes I'm more than happy to come here," cricket.com.au quoted Tendulkar as saying.

Bushfire Bash was originally slated to be played at Sydney on Saturday but weather forecast prompted Cricket Australia to reschedule the game to ensure the best possible pitch and outfield conditions for the final of Big Bash League.

The match will be played to raise funds and all match profits will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund.

"This is an alarming situation, it's catastrophic - that's an understatement. You see the number of lives it has affected, not only humans but also wildlife which sometimes people don't talk about. That is equally important. I'm so happy I'm here in whatever way to support the cause, to raise money," Tendulkar said.

Ponting XI: Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting (c), Elyse Villani, Brian Lara, Phoebe Litchfield, Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, Wasim Akram, Dan Christian, Luke Hodge. Coach: Sachin Tendulkar

Gilchrist XI: Adam Gilchrist (c & wk), Shane Watson, Brad Hodge, Yuvraj Singh, Alex Blackwell, Andrew Symonds, Courtney Walsh, Nick Riewoldt, Peter Siddle, Fawad Ahmed (one more to be announced). Coach: Tim Paine

The Bushfire Bash exhibition match will be a 10-overs-per-side contest, with a five-over Powerplay, no bowling restrictions, and batters unable to get out from the first ball they face.

Bowlers will not have over limits, fielders can sub on and off as it suits, while captains will have the ability to sub batters in and out during an innings.

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News Network
April 30,2020

New Delhi, Apr 30: Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday mourned the demise of veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor, called his death 'unreal and unbelievable' loss.

"This is unreal and unbelievable. Yesterday Irrfan Khan and today Rishi Kapoor ji. It's hard to accept this as a legend passes away today. My condolences to the family and may his soul rest in peace," Kohli tweeted.

Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan also expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.
"It's shocking to hear about the sudden demise of #RishiKapoor ji. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. May his soul rest in peace," Dhawan tweeted.

Earlier today, actor Amitabh Bachchan confirmed the news of the demise of the 67-year-old Rishi Kapoor. Rishi Kapoor was admitted to the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday.

In September 2019, the veteran actor returned to Mumbai after staying in New York for almost a year for cancer treatment.

He was last seen in the 2019 film 'The Body' alongside Emraan Hashmi and Shobita Sobhita Dhulipala.

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