SPORTS Tuesday, January 16, 2018 23

BRIEF SCORE Centurion irat Kohli’s 21st Test hundred and two early South Africa 335 and 90 for 2 (De wickets from Jasprit Bumrah kept India’s bid for Villiers 50*, Elgar 36*, Bumrah 2-30) aV series-levelling win alive, but AB de Villiers’ skill and lead India 307 (Kohli 153, Morkel enterprise ensured South Africa remained in control 4-60) by 118 runs of the Centurion Test. Having secured a 28-run first- innings lead, South Africa were 90 for 2 when bad light ended play ten overs into the post-tea session, with de Villiers having just brought up a fluent half-century. Dean Elgar was at the other end, on an ungainly but India’s Virat Kohli in action undefeated 36. A tendency for indifferent bounce had been apparent even on day two of this Test match, and it grew pronounced when South Africa began their second innings. Bumrah, with his hit-the-deck style and exaggerated angle into the right-hander, accentuated the effect of this low bounce, and by the sixth over of the innings had sent back Aiden Markram and Hashim Amla in near-identical fashion: both times, he pitched the ball short of a good length, got it to skid through at knee height, and jam into pad with the batsman in midair, their muscle memory conditioning them to expect far more bounce. It left South Africa 3 for 2, effectively 31 for 2, and with R Ashwin - who took the new ball - continually threatening both edges of the left-handed Elgar at the other end, India were piling on the pressure. The situation called for a clear-headed batsman with supreme eye and technique, and South Africa happened to have one in de Villiers. Putting the misbehaving pitch out of his mind, he batted with great clarity and put away all the loose and marginally loose balls India offered him - they usually erred on the full side, or fed him on his pads in the quest for lbw - to race away at close to a run a ball. By tea, he had moved to 33 off 42 balls. The post-tea session was brief and stop-start, with a short, sharp shower sending the players off the field for an hour, and the light turning murky 5.1 overs after resumption. In between, India missed a chance to send Elgar back on 29, when Bumrah, returning for his Kohli, Bumrah second spell, found his edge with extra bounce in the corridor. The ball flew a couple of feet to the left of the wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, and he remained unmoved, despite Cheteshwar Pujara standing unusually wide at lead India’s fight first slip. (espncricinfo) Bangladeshi players celebrates a wicket Hanekom signs with Brave Combat Federation Manama had Hanekom from South CAfrica has signed with Brave Shakib and Combat Federation to make appearance for Brave 10: The Kingdom Rises set to be hosted Tamim in Jordan. Hanekom is among BRIEF SCORE the latest athletes signed by the Bangladesh 171 for 2 (Tamim Bahrain based Mixed Martial Arts 84*, Shakib 37) beat Zimbabwe brush aside promotion in 2018. Hanekom will 170 (Raza 52, Shakib 3-43) by eight face Ikram Aliskerov from Russia wickets on March 2nd, at the Prince Zimbabwe Hamzah Sports Hall, in Amman. Ikram Aliskerov comes from a Dhaka Mustafizur, Rubel Hossain, and fours. He is set to play at No.3 in ODIs, controversial victory by way of fter a see-saw 2017, Bangladesh Mashrafe Mortaza picked up five starting with this tri-series. He was stoppage over Jeremy Smith, who ushered in 2018 with an eight- wickets among them. hit on the pad in the 20th over, and is also from South Africa. Awicket win over Zimbabwe, in the first Zimbabwe’s bowlers, on the other umpire C Shamshuddin turned down Hanekom is an all round match of the tri-series also involving hand, struggled with their lines and the lbw appeal but had to eventually MMA athlete with impeccable Sri Lanka. After the bowlers, led by lengths in the chase. Shakib and overturn it after a successful review conditioning and fitness. In South Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Tamim cashed in, adding 78 runs from Zimbabwe. Africa, Hanekom fought at the Rahman, bowled out Zimbabwe for for the second wicket, after opener Tamim had been given out caught Extreme Fighting Championship 170, Tamim Iqbal struck an unbeaten Anamul Haque, who was playing his behind by umpire Sharfuddoula in and have an undefeated career. 84 to wrap up the chase with 129 balls first ODI since the 2015 World Cup, the previous over but he reviewed it He is also the ambassador for to spare. holed out for 19 off 14 balls. Shakib and survived with replays showing Under Armour and BSN. Sikandar Raza resisted with 52 was trapped lbw by Raza for 37, but no contact. It was eventually deemed Hanekom trains at Fight Fit off 99 balls but Zimbabwe needed a Tamim and Mushfiqur completed the a leg-side wide. Tamim continued to Militia under Richard Quan. The bigger score from him to challenge chase with an unbroken 63-run stand. bat steadily and brought up his fifty event in Jordan will be the first Bangladesh at home. Shakib took Shakib, batting at No. 3 for only the off 66 balls. He then cut loose after the to be hosted by Brave Combat three wickets, including two in the third time in his ODI career, rotated landmark and hastened Bangladesh’s Federation in 2018. Chad Hanekom first over of the match, while seamers the strike smartly and also hit five win. (espncricinfo)