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Piedt’s career-best helps South Africa storm back into the contest
When Dane Piedt last played Test cricket for South Africa, at Ranchi in 2019, he was taken apart for over 100 runs in just 18 overs. That performance against a marauding Rohit Sharma seemed to ring the death knell on his career. Yet, more than four years later, in conditions far less conducive to spin, the 33-year-old off-spinner came back with a defining performance. Piedt’s career-best 5 for 89 on the second day of the Hamilton Test gave the visitors an unlikely 31-run first-innings lead.
Such a thought seemed far-fetched at the start of the day’s play as the Proteas seemed destined to concede their first-ever series to New Zealand after losing four wickets for just 22 runs in the morning session to fold for 242. Shaun von Berg, who displayed admirable resistance on the opening day, fell to the first ball from William O’Rourke to hasten the end of the first-innings. O’Rourke added the wickets of half-centurion Ruan de Swardt and Dane Paterson off successive deliveries to finish with a four-fer on debut.
But South Africa were unwilling to surrender the initiative to their hosts. Off just the fourth ball of the innings, Paterson produced a stunning delivery that came in with the angle and straightened after pitching to find Devon Conway’s outside edge. Both Paterson and Tshepo Moreki continued to produce an excellent burst going into Lunch, which while unrewarding in the wickets column, kept the Black Caps down to just 27 runs from 16 overs of play.
In Kane Williamson and Tom Latham, New Zealand had enough experience to wade out of all the early South African pressure and the batting pair did just that in a 75-run stand for the second wicket that began sedately but slowly grew in confidence. Half way through the second session of play, the signs were ominous for South Africa. But the drinks break brought both respite and rewards.
Straight after the short break, Piedt produced a classical off-spinner’s dismissal when he got a ball to drift into the left-handed Latham. It pitched on a full length but the batter misjudged it and stayed rooted to his crease, allowing it to pitch, break away and hit the top of off. Two overs later, he dismissed Williamson with one that jumped up on the former captain and the ensuing bat-pad was taken by the fielder at forward short leg. Both set batters were dismissed in the 40s.
Will Young and Rachin Ravindra then got together for a brisk partnership, combining to add 59 runs but once again South Africa were able to nip the danger in the bud. After beating Ravindra multiple times with the angle across him, Moreki managed to draw an inside edge onto the stumps from the left-hander. By Drinks in the final session, New Zealand were six down as Paterson castled Tom Blundell while Piedt returned to take out Glenn Philipps via another bat-pad.
Young, who had eased himself to 36, then displayed a lack of patience as he charged out to hit the off-spinner but was beaten in the air and mistimed the ball to long-on. When Tim Southee fell to the short-ball ploy from Paterson, New Zealand had lost 5 wickets for 25 runs.
Neil Wagner cut into the deficit by slamming two sixes and three fours in a 27-ball knock for 33 but he became the Piedt’s fifth scalp as he charged out and missed the ball and was dismissed stumped, leaving the visitors in the ascendancy after two innings of the Test match.
Brief scores:
South Africa 242 in 97.2 overs ((Neil Brand 25, Raynord van Tonder 32, Zubayr Hamza 20, Ruan de Swardt 64, David Bedingham 39, Shaun von Berg 38; Rachin Ravindra 3/33, William ORouke 4-59) lead New Zealand 211 in 77.3 overs (Kane Williamson 43, Tom Latham 40, Rachin Ravindra 29, Will Young 36, Neil Wagner 33; Dane Piedt 5-89, Dane Paterson 3-39) by 31 runs
Several tankers carrying Iranian oil have crossed the United States blockade line in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a tracking website, two days before Washington and Tehran are to launch more talks after reaching a framework agreement to end their war.
The TankerTrackers website, which monitors oil shipments and storage, on Wednesday identified Iran’s “first crude oil exports in two months”, citing digital tracking data corroborated by satellite imagery.
The talks on a final settlement to end the war, triggered by US Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, are to begin on Friday at Switzerland’s Burgenstock mountain resort as news that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen sent world oil prices tumbling.
According to TankerTrackers, two National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) tankers – the Diona and Hero 2 – carrying a total of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian oil, exited the blockade line on Tuesday while another tanker, Stream, was sailing towards Iranian ports on Wednesday.
A third tanker operated by the NITC and carrying 1 million barrels of Iranian crude sailed past the US Navy’s blockade line in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, according to TankerTrackers.
In a post on X, the maritime tracking service said the Sonia I “exited the blockade line” at 01:11 GMT.
[Aljazeera]
An ODI between Canada and Netherlamds in King City Toronto on Tuesday was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch. The fixture was part of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 competition, which is part of the qualification pathway for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The match was abandoned just 4.1 overs into the Netherlands innings after they had chosen to bat. They were 15 for 1, with Max O’Dowd the batter dismissed for a duck in the second over. The pitch had uneven bounce and the batters were struck several times during the short passage of play.
On June 12, four days before the abandoned match, the ICC had issued a statement saying the pitch at King City that was used for an ODI between USA and the Netherlands on June 8 had been given an “unsatisfactory” rating and one demerit point.
“This was a pitch that fell below the standard expected for this level of cricket,” match referee Phil Thompson had said about the surface for the USA-Netherlands match. “Both captains expressed disappointment with how it turned out, and the match officials assessed it as ‘very poor’. The inconsistent bounce created challenging and potentially unsafe playing conditions. Taking all factors into consideration, I believe the pitch merits an ‘unsatisfactory’ rating.”
According to the ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process, pitches that get an “unsatisfactory” rating will be given one demerit point, while an “unfit” pitch rating will result in three demerit points for the venue. Demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period, and an accumulation of six demerit points will result in the venue being suspended from hosting international matches for 12 months (12 demerit points will lead to a 24-month ban).
(Cricinfo)
Joshua Da Silva and Amir Jangoo have earned recalls to West Indies’ squad for the two-match World Test Championship series at home against Sri Lanka starting later this month, while the two Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar, are back after missing the tours of India and New Zealand late last year because of injuries.
Trevin Imalch had kept wicket when West Indies last played Test cricket, in New Zealand last December, but Da Silva, 33 Test matches old, has returned after scoring 996 runs across the last two seasons of the West Indies Championship. Imlach, who failed with the bat in New Zealand with a total of 81 runs across six innings – after scoring 33 runs in his only Test in India – has been named captain of a West Indies Select XI to play the Sri Lankans in a tour match in Coolidge from June 18 to 21. Roston Chase will continue to captain the Test side.
West Indies vs Sri Lanka Tests
Jangoo, dropped after only one Test appearance, in Multan in January 2025, where he scored 0 and 30, has returned to the side following a fruitful WI Championship in which he scored 411 runs in seven innings. He finished second on the scorers’ table there, only behind Da Silva, who scored 413 in seven outing. The highlight of Jangoo’s season was the 203 not out he scored for Trinidad & Tobago against Leeward Islands
The pair of Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, meanwhile, last played Test cricket during the home series against Australia in mid-2025.”Every Test series is an opportunity for us to grow as a team and strengthen our identity,” Darren Sammy, the head coach, said in a Cricket West Indies statement. “Sri Lanka are a quality side, so we know we’ll have to be at our best, but we’re excited about the challenge ahead.”For us, it’s about playing with discipline, showing character when the game gets tough, and representing the West Indies with pride. The players have been putting in the work, and we’re looking forward to putting on a strong display for our fans across the Caribbean.”
Some of the squad members are currently participating in a high-performance training camp in Antigua, which began on June 12 and will run till June 22. The members of the Test squad who were also part of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka – West Indies lost the ODIs and won the T20Is – will join the camp on June 15. The Tests will be played in North Sound from June 25 to 29 and July 3 to 7.
“This is a key component of our preparations heading into the series, providing players and coaches with valuable time to enhance and improve the skills we want to see sharpened, based on the areas we need to focus our attention on when facing this opponent,” Sammy said about the camp. “It also gives us the opportunity to put clear objectives and plans in place for the conclusion of the summer against Pakistan.
“Additionally, the four-day warm-up game prior to the series provides the chance for some of our Test hopefuls to play in high-intensity action and create the avenue for more competition within the squad ahead of the upcoming and future series.”
West Indies are currently bottom of the nine-team WTC table, having lost seven of their eight games in the ongoing cycle.
West Indies squad for Test series against Sri Lanka
Iranian tankers exit US blockade zone before talks to end war
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Canada-Netherlands ODI abandoned due to dangerous pitch in Toronto
Da Silva and Jangoo earn recalls for West Indies’ Tests against Sri Lanka
Spinners make it two in two for England
Messi hat-trick fires holders Argentina to win over Algeria at World Cup
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