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Markram, Verreynne fifties put South Africa in control
With a lead of 239, and five wickets in hand on a surface that got better to bat on as the day went on, South Africa put fingertips on the Sir Vivian Richards trophy.
Eight wickets fell on another action packed day in Guyana where the advantage ebbed and flowed. South Africa took two early on but West Indies’ last pair got them close to drawing level in the first innings. Jason Holder and Shamar Joseph shared a 10th-wicket stand of 40 – the second highest in the West Indian innings – to turn the match into all but a one-innings game and in that game, South Africa will feel they have the advantage.
An opening stand of 79, half-centuries from Aiden Markram and Kyle Verreynne and an unbeaten 84-run sixth-wicket partnership between Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder – the highest of the series so far – all put South Africa in a strong position. But, with plenty of time left in the game, West Indies will not be too disheartened, especially as they’ve seen how quickly wickets fall early on.
South Africa lost four in the first session of day one and West Indies three on day two, which could provide West Indies with an opportunity early on the third day. The pitch is expected to be at its best on the third afternoon and West Indies will want to be batting by then, especially with a big chase in their sights. Before they get there, West Indies will rely on their attack, particularly hometown hero Joseph, and Jayden Seales who took 2 for 7 in his third spell, to get rid of South Africa’s middle and lower order. So far, they have held up well after a mini-collapse which saw South Africa lose 4 for 19 in nine overs after a solid start of 120 for 1.
South Africa’s openers were tested upfront with seam movement from Seales and tight lines from Holder. Markram edged Holder short of first slip at the end of his first over but settled when he drove Seales for four through cover point five balls later. Tony de Zorzi was hit on the back pad by Seales and flirted with a run-out chance when he pushed a single off Holder but pulled Seales off his toes to announce himself. South Africa went to lunch unscathed on 30 without loss.
Runs came quickly after the break and South Africa had more than doubled their morning score to 66 in 4.4 overs after the interval when they offered their first real chance. De Zorzi edged Holder to the left of wicket-keeper Joshua da Silva, who dived low to try and take the catch but could not hold on. De Zorzi was on 36 at the time and added only three runs off the next 35 balls he faced before he nicked off to give Seales a well-earned reward. De Zorzi punched his bat in frustration as he walked off with the opening stand broken on 79.
Markram and Tristan Stubbs eked out six runs off the next four overs while they bided time but Stubbs’ patience seemed to be tested when he edged Gudakesh Motie past slip for three. Stubbs’ first boundary came off the 21st ball he faced when he reverse swept Motie through third but he did not look entirely comfortable at any point in the session. He survived an lbw appeal off Holder and held his end through to tea. Markram was lucky to get there when, on 42, he drove Motie to Alick Athanaze at silly mid-off but was put down. South Africa were 111 for 1 at the tea break, 127 runs ahead.
Three overs into the final session, Markram reached 50 off 104 balls but seven balls after that was stuck on the back foot to a Motie ball that straightened and was given out lbw. Temba Bavuma could have been out three balls later when he edged an away seamer from Joseph but it did not carry to slip. Motie had better luck when Bavuma went forward to a length ball, was hit on the pad. The umpire didn’t think it was out, but West Indies successfully reviewed to have the decision overturned.
That wicket sparked a mini-collapse. In the next over, Stubbs edged Seales to Da Silva and two overs after that David Bedingham was bowled to give Seales a second wicket in three overs and give them a chance of keeping South Africa’s lead below 200. Mulder and Verreynne took them over that mark. They were in danger of being separated 12 minutes before the end of play when Mulder was given out lbw in Seales’ fourth spell but he reviewed and ball-tracking showed it was missing leg. The pair accelerated towards the end of the day with 26 runs off the last four overs, which included Verreynne’s fifty off 71 ball – his third in Test cricket. All of his half-centuries, and his only Test hundred so far, have come away from home.
Earlier, a 40-run 10th wicket stand between Holder and Joseph meant West Indies finished just 16 runs adrift of South Africa’s first innings score of 160. After resuming on 97 for 7, West Indies managed six runs in 27 balls before Kagiso Rabada struck for the first time in the match. Jomel Warrican, who had been squared up the over before, chipped an overpitched delivery to Keshav Maharaj at mid-on to depart for a 16-ball duck.
Left-arm seamer Nandre Burger shared the day’s opening duties with Rabada and started off bowling full but in his second over, began a short ball assault to set up on Seales. The first three deliveries of Burger’s third over of the day were increasingly short in length but his fourth was full on the stumps and Seales was struck on the pad and given out lbw.
South Africa could have ended West Indies’ innings on the next ball when Joseph edged Burger to Markram at second slip but he could not hold on to a head height catch. The drop proved costly as Joseph went on to score 25 – but was dropped again on 15 by Mulder a third slip – and provided strong support to Holder, who approached the first hour of play with aggression. Holder hit the last ball of Wiaan Mulder’s first over on the day over long-on for six, to bring up the first half-century of the match and his 14th Test fifty. Joseph took on Burger, and hit his short ball behind square leg and past point and then, just for laughs, sent the full one out the ground. In his first over of the morning, Keshav Maharaj beat Joseph’ sweep and had him out lbw and South Africa were batting again 90 minutes into the day.
Two people in a serious condition who were evacuated from a cruise ship with a confirmed outbreak of deadly hantavirus have arrived in the Netherlands for treatment, operator Oceanwide Expeditions has said.
A third passenger in a stable condition was on board an evacuation flight that has been delayed, the operator added.
The MV Hondius is now sailing towards Spain’s Canary Islands after being anchored for three days near Cape Verde, an archipelago nation off the West African coast.
The three evacuees were British, Dutch and German. Oceanwide Expeditions said the 65-year-old German evacuee was “closely associated” with a German woman who died on board the ship on 2 May.
The British evacuee has been identified by several media outlets as 56-year-old ex-police officer Martin Anstee, who is understood to be in a “stable condition” in the Netherlands.
A 41-year-old Dutch crew member is also among those who have been evacuated.
Separately, Dutch media reported on Thursday that a KLM flight attendant had been admitted to hospital in Amsterdam with hantavirus symptoms.
The stewardess reportedly came into contact with a 69-year-old Dutch woman after she was briefly on board a KLM plane in South Africa but was deemed too ill to fly.
The 69-year-old later died, and her death is being investigated as a suspected hantavirus case by South African health authorities.
Three people who were aboard the ship have died since it set sail from Argentina a month ago.
Meanwhile, two US states have confirmed to the BBC that they are monitoring three passengers who had returned to the US after disembarking earlier. All are currently not displaying symptoms.
Georgia’s public health department said two residents were being monitored and were in good health, showing no signs of infection.
Arizona’s health department said one resident was being monitored, but was not symptomatic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also confirmed a man who had travelled back to Switzerland after disembarking the ship tested positive for hantavirus and is receiving care at a hospital in Zurich.
“The patient had responded to an email from the ship’s operator informing the passengers of the health event,” World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
A total of 146 people from 23 different countries remain aboard the MV Hondius under “strict precautionary measures”, Oceanwide Expeditions said.
In its latest update, the World Health Organization (WHO) said eight cases of hantavirus – three confirmed and five suspected – have so far been identified in people who were on the ship.
South African health authorities have said the Andes strain of hantavirus – prominent in Latin America, where the cruise originated – was found in two of the confirmed patients after tests were carried out by the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
Experts have observed the Andes strain spreading between human patients in previous outbreaks. South Africa says efforts to trace all contacts remain underway.
Officials have said that one of the deceased had the virus, while the other two deaths are under investigation.
The three deaths on board include the 69-year-old Dutch woman who left the MV Hondius when it stopped at the island of St Helena on 24 April. Her husband died on board on 11 April, but is not a confirmed case.
The Dutch woman travelled to South Africa, where she died on 26 April. WHO official Dr Maria Van Kerkhove told the BBC that health experts were carrying out contact tracing on the flight she took.
KLM Airlines on Wednesday issued an advisory saying the woman had also briefly been aboard one of their flights from Johannesburg to Amsterdam on 25 April before the crew decided not to let her fly due to her medical condition.
The third fatality – a German woman – is not a confirmed case either. Her body remains on the ship.
None of the three people who were medically evacuated on Wednesday have tested positive for hantavirus so far, but two are showing symptoms.
It comes as the UK’s Health Security Agency said two British people were self-isolating at home in the UK after potential exposure tothe virus on the ship. They left the vessel earlier in its journey and did not have symptoms.
On board, there were 19 passengers and four crew members listed as British, according to figures released by Oceanwide Expeditions on Tuesday.
This included Anstee, who was evacuated on Wednesday.
Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents, but health experts believe that in this case, it may have passed between humans who were in close contact.
Testing to confirm whether other people on the ship have contracted the virus is ongoing. Health officials have stressed that the risk of transmission to the wider public is low.
The vessel had been anchored near Cape Verde before it set off towards the Canary Islands on Wednesday.
Spanish authorities agreed to the move, but the Canary Islands’ president has opposed the plan.
“I cannot allow [the boat] to enter the Canaries,” Fernando Clavijo told Spain’s Onda Cero radio. “This decision is not based on any technical criteria and nor have we been given enough information.”
Spain’s Health Minister Mónica García said that everyone on board will undergo a medical assessment when they arrive in Tenerife and, if fit to travel, those from abroad will be repatriated to their home countries.
Spaniards will be sent to a defence hospital in Madrid to quarantine.
The evacuation would “avoid contact” with Canary Island citizens and there would be “no risk” to them when it arrives in Tenerife in the coming days, Garcia said.
Dr Van Kerkhove said the way hantavirus is transmitted “is very different than COVID and flu”.
“We’re not talking about casual contact from very far away from one another,” she said, but “really physical contact”.
[BBC]
The India and Zimbabwe women’s teams are all set to play an international fixture against each other for the first time when Zimbabwe tour India for white-ball fixtures this October.
The tour comprises three T20Is and three ODIs and will be Zimbabwe’s first visit to India; India are yet to tour Zimbabwe for bilateral fixtures.
The three T20Is will be played in Raipur on October 16, 18 and 20, and the ODIs are on October 23, 25 and 28 in Baroda.
The fixtures were announced by the BCCI on Wednesday, along with two home series for the India A women’s side against Australia A in September and England A in December. Both those series comprise three T20s, three List A games and one multi-day fixture.
The India Under-19 women’s team will also host Sri Lanka U-19 in June and July for three T20s and three 50-over games, and England U-19 in November and December for five T20 fixtures.
The Australia A men’s side will tour India for two multi-day fixtures and three one-dayers in September and October, while the Australia U-19 side will visit India for two multi-day fixtures and three one-dayers also in September and October.
[Cricinfo]
Oil prices have dropped and global stock markets have risen following reports that the US and Iran are close to a deal to end the war.
Brent crude futures, the global benchmark oil price, fell to $97 (£73) a barrel after the reports before rebounding to over $101. The price was over $108 earlier in the day.
The FTSE 100 index of London’s largest public firms and Germany’s Dax index closed over 2% up while the French Cac 40 was up 3%. Asian indexes also ended the day higher while the US S&P 500 was up by more than 1% over the day.
The market movements come after Axios reported that the US believes it is close to a one-page document which will end the war and set up detailed nuclear talks.
Hours later, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson told Iranian Students’ News Agency that the US proposal to end the war with Iran was still being considered.
However, not long after that, Trump suggested a deal could still be a way off.
He said on Truth Social that any agreement by the Iranians is “a big assumption” and that a failure to come to a deal will result at bombardments “at a much higher level and intensity ” than was the case during Operation Epic Fury.
Oil prices are still much higher than the $70 a barrel they were hovering around before the start of the US-Israel war with Iran, which has caused caused production and transportation of oil in the region to slump.
Central to the conflict is Iran’s threat to attack oil ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway south of the country, in response to US-Israeli strikes since 28 February.
About a fifth of global oil and gas shipments usually cross the strait, which has been effectively closed for weeks. Global gas prices have also soared since the conflict began.
As for stock markets, the big European bourses are lower than they were at the end of February, while the S&P 500 climbed by more than 1%.
The main Asian markets all rose on Wednesday, with the South Korean Kospi closing up 6.45%, the Hong Kong Hang Seng ending the day up 1.22%, and the Japanese Nikkei finishing 0.38% higher.
The Hang Seng is down since the start of war, but the other two are up.
[BBC]
Hantavirus-hit cruise ship on way to Canary Islands after three evacuated
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