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Piedt’s career-best helps South Africa storm back into the contest

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Dane Piedt picked his career-best figures of 5 for 89 (Cricbuzz)

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



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Sun directly overhead Pesalai, Mankulam and Nedunkerny about 12:11 noon

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On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 05th to 15th of April in this year.

The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (13th) are Pesalai, Mankulam and Nedunkerny about 12:11 noon.

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PNS TAIMUR & ASLAT arrive in Colombo

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The Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) TAIMUR and ASLAT arrived at the Port of Colombo on a goodwill visit on 12 Apr 26.

The visiting ships were welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in
compliance with naval traditions.

The duo of ships is commanded by Captain NIAMAT SAEED KHAN (PNS TAIMUR) and Captain NADIR MATEEN AFRIDI (PNS ASLAT).

Meanwhile, the ships are expected to conduct a Bilateral Naval Exercise LION STAR V with the Sri Lanka Navy in Colombo seas.

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Sanju Samson and Jamie Overton deliver first points for Chennai Super Kings

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Chepauk finally found its voice and its moves as Chennai Super Kings neared victory [Cricinfo]

Sanju Samson’s first century for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) set up the team’s first win in IPL 2026 and their first win at home after six successive defeats, stretching back to the previous season.

Samson flew out of the blocks in the powerplay, scoring 45 of CSK’s 61 runs, in the first six overs. He had over 32,000 fans whistling at Chepauk when he reached his half-century off 26 balls. He had those fans whistling louder and chanting his name when he converted it into a 52-ball century.

A fifty from Ayush Mhatre, before he was retired out, and a cameo from Shivam Dube took CSK up to 212 for 2. That total, however, appeared smaller when DC’s openers Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul blazed past fifty in the fourth over of their chase. CSK then struck thrice in the next three overs to send the chase spiralling out of DC’s control.

Though Tristan Stubbs battled with 60 off 38 balls, the mounting asking rate was too much to overcome. Jamie Overton’s 4 for 18, which included the prized scalp of Stubbs, was central to CSK’s successful defence.

After CSK were asked to bat first, Samson scythed the second ball he faced from debutant Auqib Nabi for four. He never let his attacking intent or enterprise let up in the powerplay, crashing a total of nine fours in 19 balls in the powerplay. In stark contrast, Ruturaj Gaikwad managed to find the boundary just once in 17 balls during this phase.

Gaikwad’s first-15-ball strike rate of 104.54 in four innings this season is the lowest among 20 batters who have opened at least twice.

When Gaikwad was itching to break free after the powerplay, Axar Patel darted one into the red-soil pitch and cramped the batter on the pull, having him splice a catch to deep midwicket for 15 off 18 balls.

Lungi Ngidi’s slower ball, which he developed during his time at CSK under Dwayne Bravo, has made a number of batters look silly in this IPL and the T20 World Cup prior to it. But when Ngidi pulled out the variation for the first time on Saturday, Samson picked it, held his shape for long enough and flayed it away past sweeper cover. When Ngidi responded with an on-pace short ball outside off, Samson opened the face of the bat and dinked it between the keeper and short third for four more.

But it wasn’t until the 11th over that he hit a six, which was also CSK’s first six on the day. When T Natarajan missed a yorker and bowled a full-toss, Samson slugged him high and far over midwicket. In all, Samson took the left-arm seamer for 33 off 13 balls. It also included the edged four that brought him his hundred in the 18th over.

This was Samson’s fourth ton in the IPL. Only Virat Kohli (8), Jos Buttler (7), Chris Gayle (6) and KL Rahul (5) have hit more hundreds than Samson in the league. DC could’ve cut Samson’s knock short on 52 had Nissanka not dropped a catch at long-off.

Mhatre raised his fifty off 27 balls, but was retired out after he managed only eight off his last nine balls. Samson and Dube then combined to push CSK past 210.

The presence of three right-handers in DC’s top three encouraged CSK to bring in left-arm fingerspinner Akeal Hosein as their Impact Player. Hosein, though, showed signs of early nerves, bowling two front-foot no-balls in the first over of the chase. One of the resultant free hits was swiped over midwicket for four by Nissanka. Hosein ended up conceding 20 runs in his two powerplay overs and didn’t return to bowl.

Nissanka also lined up left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed for a pair of fours and a six in the second over. Rahul moved to 18 off 10 balls before Khaleel stopped him in his tracks with a short ball into the pitch. Despite that, DC scored 61 in their first five overs.

At the start of the final over of the powerplay, Anshul Kamboj had Nissanka glancing the ball to Khaleel at short fine leg, but he shelled the chance. It didn’t cost CSK anything as Kamboj had Nissanka chipping it to mid-on, where Dewald Brevis, who had recovered from a side injury, held onto the catch.

Left-arm quick Gurjapneet Singh then marked his IPL debut with a first-ball wicket. He darted one short and wide, having Axar slicing it to point, where Sarfaraz Khan dived to his right and plucked the ball out of thin air.

Overton then hit a hard length and had Sameer Rizvi holing out to deep midwicket for 6 off 19 balls. Overton kept hitting a hard length and made life harder for DC’s middle order.

Stubbs then mounted a late fightback with a half-century and narrowed the equation to 32 off 12 balls. Overton, though, cranked it up to nearly 145kph and had him splicing a catch to mid-off in the penultimate over. Kamboj then finished off DC in the final over, sending a packed weekend crowd into raptures.

Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 212 for 2 in 20 overs  (Sanju Samson 115*, Rutraj Gaikwad 15, Ayush Mhatre 59 retired out, S hivam Dube 20*; Axar Patel 1-39) beat Delhi Capitals 189 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 41, KL Rahul 18, David Miller 17, Tristan Stubbs 60,  Ashutosh Sharma 19; Khaleel Ahmed 1-40, Jamie Overton 4-18, Gurjapneet Singh 1-39, Anshul Kamboj 3-35, Noor Ahmad 1-36) by 23 runs

[Cricinfo]

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