Matt Renshaw produced a herculean 190 and powered Australia to an unlikely first-innings total before Josh Hazelwood dismissed South Africa opener Ryan Rickelton for a duck late on day two of the first Test in Durban. Australia had their backs to the wall at 124 for 6 in familiar batting woes but Renshaw rescued the innings with his 397-ball marathon effort.

Renshaw fell short of what would have been a maiden double ton after being dismissed two balls into the final session, caught at slip off the bowling of offspinner Simon Harmer. His only other Test century was against Pakistan at the SCG in January 2017, when he made 184.

After 137.2 overs in the field, South Africa openers Rickelton and Aiden Markram faced a tough challenge under increasingly gloomy skies. A weary Rickelton did not fare well after edging Hazlewood to third slip in the second over, having attempted a lavish drive to a full delivery.

But Markram and new No. 3 David Bedingham were unruffled, and hit several attractive boundaries before bad light ended the day’s play just 8.4 overs into South Africa’s innings.

Having been on the back foot for much of the opening day, Australia were on top after day two as Renshaw produced the fourth highest score by an Australian in South Africa. Remarkably, he scored 174 of his runs with the last four batters, the most anyone has scored in a Test innings while batting with the tail since 2002.

Renshaw received strong support from the lower order, marked by an 86-run seventh-wicket partnership with Pat Cummins and a 134-run stand with Nathan Lyon, the second-most for the ninth wicket for Australia in their Test history.

Cummins and Lyon faced a combined 190 deliveries – that was 27 more than Australia’s top four batters – although batting became easier on a surface that on day one produced steep bounce and seam movement.

It has been a tough journey for Renshaw, who might have resurrected his Test career after providing a major tonic for Australia’s reshuffled batting order. He reached his century just before the lunch break with a boundary through the leg side, and raised his arms in delight and took off his helmet, showing off a beaming smile.

Highly disciplined but also showing a knack of going through the gears, Renshaw became the first Australia batter to face 300 balls in a Test innings since Usman Khawaja scored 232 against Sri Lanka in Galle in early 2025.

Renshaw has relished moving down to No. 5 after Nic Maddinson’s surprise selection as an opener, along with Cameron Green missing the match through injury. He had only filled the position four times previously – thrice during the 2023 tour of India, and once on the 2017 tour – with modest results, although has enjoyed success with Queensland there.

Renshaw had returned to Test cricket after three-and-a-half years as an opener against Bangladesh in August. While Maddinson’s selection has initially backfired, Renshaw looked at ease in the middle order, and equally untroubled against the seamers and spinners.

Having dominated much of the shortened first day, South Africa were left frustrated with their attack blunted by Renshaw. Seamers Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje took nine wickets between them but struggled to consistently threaten on day two.

Spin duo Harmer and Keshav Maharaj claimed just one wicket from 48.2 overs, with Renshaw negating their influence, although the surface is expected to spin significantly later in the match. It was a disappointment for the sparse crowd in Durban, with the atmosphere rather subdued for Australia’s first Test series in South Africa since the 2018 sandpaper scandal.

Earlier on day two, Australia resumed their first innings on 187 for 6 after just 65.2 overs were bowled on a truncated opening day due to bad light. Renshaw and Cummins aimed to build on their unbeaten 63-run partnership from overnight. It did not take Renshaw long to reach his fourth Test half-century after edging Nortje through third slip and gully as he celebrated the milestone for the first time since March 2017.

Nortje, who played a starring role on day one after a three-and-a-half year exile from Test cricket, once again unfurled vicious short deliveries but occasionally tried to outfox Cummins by pitching up. A focused Cummins was unfazed, and pounced on a rare overpitched delivery with a beautiful square drive to the boundary. He had a fourth Test half-century in his sights – and the first since January 2024 – until, on 43, he edged a good-length delivery from Mulder to second slip.

Renshaw, meanwhile, showcased his much improved play against spin, reverse sweeping Maharaj with good effect to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Much like Cummins, Mitchell Starc was intent on solid defence, and had a slice of luck when he edged Harmer through the hands of Markram at first slip as the ball flew to the boundary. South Africa had no hesitation in taking the second new ball, and Mulder capitalised when he clean bowled Starc with a cracker of a delivery that pitched on middle before crashing into the off stump.

But Renshaw kept South Africa at bay, and put the foot down in the back end of the elongated session. He hogged the strike after lunch as South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma deployed Maharaj and Harmer in tandem. The game went through a lull until the reintroduction of Nortje, who delivered a 143kph thunderbolt that whacked Renshaw on the grill of the helmet.

But Renshaw gave an immediate thumbs up and continued with his indefatigable effort after receiving medical attention. He reached 150 with a reverse sweep off Maharaj – and quite fittingly so, given his mastery of the stroke through the innings.

Lyon appeared set to bat through the entire second session before being trapped plumb lbw by a full delivery from Jansen, who was rewarded for a hostile spell before tea. The session was extended, but Hazlewood held firm with the bat before making an impact with the ball before stumps.

Scores:
South Africa 27 for 1 in 8.4 overs (Aiden Markram 15*, David Bedingham 12*; Josh Hazlewood 1-9) trail Australia 390 in 137.2 overs (Matt Renshaw 190, Pat Cummins 43; Marco Jansen 3-68, Wiaan  Mulder 4-68, Anrich Nortje 2-88 ) by 363 runs

[Cricinfo]

During the f8rst T20I  against Sri Lanka on Friday, Pakistan demonstrated that 2026 is not quite like 2019. Back then, they had stumbled in pursuit of three Sri Lankan totals  in succession – two of them lower than the 182 they gunned down with relative ease two days back, while the third was exactly 182. With that series perhaps fresher in Sri Lanka’s mind than it needed to be, Kusal Mendis’ side opted, against conventional wisdom, to bat first after winning the toss in Rawalpindi this time, hoping to recreate the magic formula from seven years earlier.

There were a few things we learned from the first game, though. The Rawalpindi surface isn’t quite as partial to fingerspin as T20 pitches in the subcontinent have been, which induced the hosts into playing three frontline seamers. Pakistan, who were playing with at least five potential opening batters, appear to have rejigged their batting order by pushing the timeless Fakhar Zaman up top and sending Saim Ayub at No. 5.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, may have learned that while 32-year old Lahiru Udara hasn’t played much international cricket, his talent in this format is unmistakable, as is his temperament under pressure. Udara was the lone fighting hand for his side across much of the innings, though that shines more of a light on Sri Lanka’s batting order as a whole. With Dunith Wellalage, whose power-hitting abilities are limited, batting at No. 7, the visitors might want to beef up their batting order.

But there’s only so much that can be read into a lone T20I at the start of a long tour for Sri Lanka. Pakistan have an opportunity to wrap the series up by winning the second game, also in Rawalpindi, on Sunday, and will be favourites to do so after a dominant performance in the first. The worry for Sri Lanka is that their own indifferent showing comes on the back of three crushing defeats in England. On Sunday, they will try to show this is more of a temporary rut than a fair representation of their current T20I state.

by Reemus Fernando

A combined bowling effort and top order batting anchord by Ranmith Senarath powered Nalanda to a vital six wickets win over St. Joseph’s in the Under-19 Division I Tier A Limited Overs Tournament match at Campbell Place on Friday.

‎Ranmith struck an unbeaten 51 to steer the team to victory in the 30th over as Nalanda completed their group matches unbeaten.

‎Earlier they beat Thurstan (155) by seven wickets, St. Servatius’ Matara (187) by four wickets and Gurukula (113) by nine wickets.

‎Ranmith’s composed knock which came in 69 balls included six boundaries and a six.

‎Nadul Jayalath provided an aggressive start with 27 off 23 balls, including five boundaries, while Nemindu Akmeemana contributed 25 off 41 deliveries. Lithum Wijekumara added 14, and Rusandu Silva remained unbeaten on eight.

‎St. Joseph’s, batting first, struggled to build momentum and were restricted to 135 for nine in 47.2 overs. Pamoda Dalpadado top-scored with 36 off 59 balls, while Kavith Fernando made 24 and Vishwa Peiris contributed 17 off 63 deliveries.

‎Nalanda’s bowlers maintained control throughout the innings, with Santhul Wijeyarathne leading the attack with two wickets for 19 runs from nine overs. Osanda Pamuditha, Nadul Jayalath, Rusandu Silva, Methuka Perera, Sadew Indeepa and Lithum Wijekumara claimed a wicket apiece.