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WTC 2025: Markram and Bavuma put South Africa in sight of glory
South Africa can dare to dream. With Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma playing the most significant innings of their careers, the latter while carrying a hamstring injury, they closed with 69 runs of claiming the World Test Championship, which would be the finest hour for a cricket nation steeped in history but short on silverware.
The second-wicket pair combined to add 143 in 38 overs of wonderfully controlled batting, a partnership that will go down in South Africa folklore barring extraordinary events on the fourth morning, with Markram reaching his eighth Test century from 156 deliveries in the closing moments of the day. They repelled everything Australianthrew at them on a pitch that, with the sun out for most of the day, was at its friendliest for batting in the Test. The way Australia’s last-wicket pair of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood had earlier been able to add 59 in 22 overs had foretold what was to come.
Still, Australia felt favourites when they set about defending 282. Despite the early loss of Ryan Rickleton, edging a very full delivery from Starc which was confirmed by the third umpire, there was a notable urgency to South Africa’s batting. In the first innings it took until the 20th over to reach 30 (and cost them three wickets) whereas this time they were 47 for 1 after 10.
Starc struck again to have Wiaan Mulder caught low at cover, but then came a vital moment when Bavuma, on 2, edged to Steven Smith at first slip. Smith was stood so close – he was wearing a helmet as the carry off the surface continued to die – and the chance burst through his hands, leaving him with a compound dislocation of his right little finger. The agony was clear on his face as he immediately left the field. By the end of the day, it was likely shared by his team-mates.
Shortly before tea, Bavuma joined the injury list when he picked up a hamstring injury but he defied the pain, mixing hobbling between the wickets with some crisp stroke-play. It was going to take much more than a tweaked muscle to stop Bavuma. There was, however, a question to be asked as to whether Australia could have squeezed an injured batter hard in the field. The closest Bavuma came to a mistake was when he top-edged Nathan Lyon towards deep square leg on 43 but Sam Konstas, on as a substitute, couldn’t quite make enough ground with a full-length dive that left him with a mouthful of grass.
Meanwhile, Markram was all but faultless. He kept the scoreboard ticking – Australia sent down just three maidens in 56 overs – alongside a selection of handsome boundaries, none better than the back-cut off Starc which bisected deep third and deep point with precision and left the bowler waving his arms in frustration. He would then move to 97 with the sweetest of straight drives against Hazlewood. As the close neared, and it appeared he may have to wait for the morning, his crowning moment arrived with a whip through the leg side.
Pat Cummins went through all the options at his disposal, but nothing could conjure the moment to create an opening. Lyon caused some problems out of the rough and came very close on a few occasions while Travis Head’s first delivery ragged sharply at Markram. They will need a miracle on Saturday.
It was South Africa’s surge with the ball on the second day that had kept them in the game after conceding a lead of 74, but Alex Carey had pushed the advantage over 200. When Lyon was lbw to Kagiso Rabada in the third over of the day – his ninth wicket of the match – it appeared Australia’s innings would end swiftly, but the last-wicket pair had other ideas.
It was not the first time Starc and Hazlewood had combined in such a fashion, surviving 18 overs together against India in Perth last year, while Hazlewood has also previously shown his ability when helping Cameron Green add 116 against New Zealand in Wellington earlier in 2024.
There was rarely anything expansive about the partnership but for large stages the duo were untroubled which was a hint at the changing batting conditions. Starc shielded Hazlewood on occasions, particularly against Rabada and Marco Jansen, but Hazlewood produced one of shots of partnership when he ramped Jansen over the slips.
Starc has always had batting pedigree and at times has under delivered for his talent in Test cricket. This half-century, coming off 131 balls, was his first since Old Trafford in 2019 and it ended as the second-most deliveries he had faced behind the career-best 99 (a Test high score he shares with wife Alyssa Healy).
At times South Africa seemed strangely flat but so, too, did the pitch for the first time in the game. In the end it was the sixth bowler used in the session, Markram, who ended the resistance when Hazlewood drove off the back foot to cover. And so the final question was posed: was 282 chaseable? The answer, historically so for South Africa, would appear to be in the affirmative.
Scores:
South Africa 138 in 57.1 overs and 213 for 2 in 56 overs (Aiden Markram 102*, Wiaan Mulder 22, Temba Bavuma 65*; Mitchell Starc 2-53)need 69 runs to beat Australia 212 in 56.4 overs and 207 in 65 overs (Marnus Labuschang 22, Mitchell Starc 58*, Alex Carey 43; Kagiso Rabada 4-59, Lungi Ngidi 3-38)
[Cricinfo]
The Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, stated that the goal is to limit the number of students in a classroom to 25–30, emphasizing that it is not possible to deliver quality education in classrooms with around 50 or 60 students.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while participating in a program held on July 19 at the Dakshinapaya Auditorium in Galle, organized to raise awareness among education authorities in the Southern Province regarding the new education reforms.
Addressing the fourth provincial awareness program on the new education reforms, the Prime Minister further stated:
“First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude for the cooperation you extend toward the education reforms. Implementing a new education reform was something we discussed and planned even before our government came into power.
In line with government policy, we held discussions with experts, gathered opinions from various sectors, and have formulated the relevant policies.
The new education reform is not only about updating the curriculum but also about enhancing teacher professionalism, reforming the educational administrative structure, and developing the necessary infrastructure to ensure all children have access to equal and quality education.
This is not something we are doing for personal gain, it is a responsibility we must fulfill with an understanding of the needs of the country.
There are people in society who initiate constructive dialogue about this with genuine intent, and there are also others who criticize it without proper understanding. Some even critique it for political gain. We know this reform process is a challenge and it is not easy. However, it cannot be ignored. The people gave us their mandate to correct these issues.
There’s a lot to be done in terms of reforming education. The curricula in teacher training colleges have not changed in 16 years. These must be revised. Teachers and education professionals must be provided with continuous training. From August onwards, steps will be taken to train the teacher trainers in order to deliver proper teacher training”.
Addressing the event, the Deputy Minister of Vocational Education Mr. Nalin Hewage said that at present, steps are being taken to integrate vocational education institutions with the new education reform, which will create an opportunity for students to enter vocational education with dignity based on talent and skills, during their school years, instead of directing only under-performing students toward vocational paths.
The event was attended by Southern Province Governor Bandula Harischandra, Member of Parliament Nihal Galappaththi, Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwawa, Southern Province Chief Secretary Sumith Alahakoon, officials representing the Ministry of Education, the Department of Examinations, the National Institute of Education, the Southern Provincial Department of Education, Zonal Education Directors, and education authorities from the Southern Province.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Oleksandr Usyk further cemented his place as one of boxing’s greats by stopping Daniel Dubois in round five to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion.
The Ukrainian put on a masterclass in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium to dash Dubois’ dreams of being the first Briton to unify the division in the four-belt era.
Usyk, 38, put Dubois down twice in the fifth and the Londoner was unable to return to beat the count the second time round.
He also stopped Dubois in 2023 and extends his perfect record as a professional to 24 victories.
“I’m sorry Dubois, it’s sport. My people wanted this win,” Usyk told DAZN.
“Nothing is next. It’s enough. Next, I want to rest. My family, my wife, my children, I want to rest now. Two or three months, I want to just rest.”
Dubois – who beat Anthony Joshua to defend his IBF title in September – tastes defeat for the third time in 25 contests as a professional, with each of those losses coming inside the distance.
Usyk reclaimed the IBF title, which was stripped from him just weeks after unifying the division in 2023, and added it to his WBA (Super), WBO and WBC belts.
“I have to commend him on the performance, I gave everything I had. Take no credit away from that man, I’ll be back,” Dubois told DAZN.
“I was just fighting, trying to pick up round by round. It is what it is.”
[BBC]
Sectarian clashes have continued in southern Syria despite an “immediate ceasefire” announced by the country’s president.
Over the past week fighters from the minority Druze community have been battling armed Bedouins in Suweida Province, with both sides accused of atrocities.
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa deployed troops but the government forces were accused of joining in attacks on the Druze. More than 900 people are reported to have been killed in the violence.
Israel declared support for the Druze earlier this week and intervened, hitting government forces and the defence ministry in the capital Damascus.
Sharaa announced the ceasefire on Saturday as Syrian security forces were deployed to Suweida to end the clashes. The deal included a halt to Israeli military strikes and was approved by Israel as part of US-brokered pact, as long as the Druze citizens were protected.
Government troops have set up checkpoints to try to prevent more people joining the fighting. But gunfire was reported from inside the city of Suweida later on Saturday.
A correspondent for AFP news agency said they had seen armed men looting shops and setting fire to them.
Also on Saturday, Israel’s foreign minister cast doubt on the renewed pledge by the president to protect minorities and all Syrians.
Suweida’s Druze community follows a secretive, unique faith derived from Shia Islam, and distrusts the current government in Damascus. They are a minority in Syria, as well as in neighbouring Israel and Lebanon.
In a social media post, Gideon Saar said it was “very dangerous” to be part of a minority in Syria, and “this has been proven time and again over the past six months”.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to prevent harm to the Druze in Syria because of their ties to those living in Israel.
Long-running tensions between Druze and Bedouin tribes in Suweida erupted into deadly sectarian clashes last Sunday Sunday, following the abduction of a Druze merchant on the highway to the capital, Damascus.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR), 940 people have been killed since then.
The ceasefire between Israel and Syria on Friday was announced by US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack on Friday.
“We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours,” he said.
The BBC’s Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab, reporting from Syria, said violence towards the Druze has been spreading across the country.
Earlier this week, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said his office had received credible reports indicating widespread violations and abuses during clashes, including summary executions and arbitrary killings in Suweida.
Among the alleged perpetrators were members of the security forces and individuals affiliated with the interim government, as well as local Druze and Bedouin armed elements, Türk said in a statement. “This bloodshed and the violence must stop,” he warned, adding that “those responsible must be held to account”.
In his comments on Saturday morning, the Syrian leader said that his government “is committed to protecting all minorities and sects in the country and is proceeding to hold all violators accountable from any party. No-one will escape accountability.”
[BBC]
Bus crash in southern Iran kills at least 21, injures 34
The goal is to limit the number of students in a classroom to 25 or 30- Prime Minister
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