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SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014 Bat on Everest planned as a tribute to Hughes

MELBOURNE: Planning is under way to place a bat around the world and a spontaneous #putyourbatsout has trademarked the phrase “63 not which once belonged to Australian cricketer Phillip campaign received a massive response with thousands out” to prevent people from cashing in on the death of Hughes on Mount Everest in a tribute to the batsman posting pictures of bats on Twitter. the batsman. “Cricket Australia registered the trade- who died last month, an official said yesterday. Edwards also told a Boxing Day Test lunch there mark in conjunction with Phillip’s management purely The death of Hughes, 25, from a head blow sus- were plans for a 63-over game to be played in Nepal as as a defensive registration to prevent others trying to tained while playing a domestic match at the Sydney part of the tribute to Hughes who was 63 when exploit Phillip’s memory,” a CA spokesman told The Cricket Ground stunned the sports world and triggered he sustained the fatal injury, Australian Associated Press West Australian. “There was some evidence of that an outpouring of grief. reported. “So although we enter the festive season with starting to occur which is why we have taken this Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards said yes- heavy hearts, the community’s response has been com- action,” the spokesman said. terday that the Cricket Association of Nepal had pro- forting and in many ways uplifting,” Edwards said in The West Australian said unlicensed Hughes mer- posed the Everest idea. After Hughes’ death, bats were Melbourne. chandise is being sold by online auction sites including left outside the front doors of homes in Australia and In another development, a report said Friday that t-shirts, stickers and memorial trophies. — AFP punish West Indies

PORT ELIZABETH: and pun- ished the West Indies for fielding lapses as South Africa built a strong position on the first day of the second Test in Port Elizabeth yesterday. South Africa were 270 for two at the close after being sent in to bat in overcast conditions at St George’s Park. Elgar made a Test-best 121 and shared a second partnership of 179 with Du Plessis, who finished the day on 99 not out. The West Indies missed four chances to break the Elgar-Du Plessis stand. The West Indian bowlers could feel aggrieved as they bowled with much better control and discipline than they did in Centurion where they were heavily beaten by an and 220 runs in the first Test. “The pitch was slow but there was a lot of seam movement,” said Elgar. “They bowled very well. They had their chances but they didn’t take them.” Du Plessis was put down by at gully off when he had eight and again by diving to his right off left-arm spinner Suleiman Benn when he had 26. One ball after Du Plessis’ second escape, the left- handed Elgar went down the wicket to Benn and was well out of his ground as the ball squeezed through to hit low on the pad of and wicketkeeper . Elgar was on 48 and to add insult to the disap- pointed bowler he went down the wicket again and lofted Benn to the straight boundary to raise his fifty. Elgar could have been out on 73. After a mix-up with Du Plessis, he was several metres short of safety when Kenroy Peters’ throw from midwicket missed the stumps at the bowler’s end. West Indian troubles did not end with the missed PORT ELIZABETH: South Africa’s Faf du Plessis (right) plays a shot on the first day of the second match chances. Benn left the field after falling heavily while between South Africa and the West Indies at St George’s Park. — AFP trying to stop an Elgar drive. Holder was prevented from in Benn’s place half- off 137 balls. He faced 228 balls before the SCOREBOARD in the next over because he had not been on the field close and hit 12 fours and two sixes. long enough after being treated for a hand injury. Elgar and Alviro Petersen put on 47 for the first wick- Instead Taylor had to fill in at a time when he would et before Petersen played a rash stroke against PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa: Scores at close on the first have expected to be resting up ahead of taking the sec- day of the second Test between South Africa and the West and was caught by , run- Indies at St George’s Park on Friday. ond new ball. ning back from cover. Benn returned in time to bowl four overs before the Peters and Gabriel were among three seam bowling South Africa, first innings close as the West Indies delayed taking the new ball changes in the West Indian bowling line-up, with the A. Petersen c Johnson b Gabriel 17 until the last over of the day. tall Holder also getting his first game of the series. D. Elgar c Ramdin b Peters 121 The left-handed Elgar made his third Test century - Peters said it had been a “joyous day” for him, mak- F. du Plessis not out 99 and his second at St George’s Park - where he has now ing his Test debut at the age of 32, six days after being H. Amla not out 17 scored 323 runs in three Tests at an average of 107.66 called up as a replacement for the injured Kemar Roach. Extras (lb4, nb7, w5) 16 Total (2 wkts, 88 overs) 270 compared to 362 runs at 22.62 in 11 appearances at “I noticed the step up immediately. There are fewer mis- other venues. It was slow going for much of the day, Fall of : 1-47 (Petersen), 2-226 (Elgar) takes made by the batsmen and the bowlers have to Bowling: Taylor 19-4-64-0 (2nb, 1w), Peters 15-6-44-1, with South Africa seldom getting their run rate above work extra hard.” He said he had been determined to Holder 13-5-25-0 (1nb), Gabriel 15-0-52-1 (1nb), Benn 25-3- three an over. Elgar took 127 balls to reach 50 and 208 take a wicket to dedicate to his seven-week-old son, 81-0 (1nb), Samuels 1-1-0-0 balls for his century. Ethan. Batsman became the sixth black To bat: A. de Villiers, S. van Zyl, T. Bavuma, V. Philander, D. He batted with more fluency later in his innings and African - and the first since four sea- Steyn, M. Morkel, had faced 239 deliveries, hitting 18 fours, when he sons ago - to play Test cricket for South Africa. He edged a catch to Ramdin off debutant left-arm seamer replaced the injured . He was the 85th West Indies: D. Ramdin, K. Brathwaite, D. Smith, L. Johnson, M. Samuels, S. Chanderpaul, J. Holder, J. Taylor, S. Kenroy Peters. player to be capped since South Africa returned to Test Benn, S. Gabriel, K. Peters Du Plessis was even slower than Elgar in reaching a cricket in 1992. — AFP