Sports44 FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017 South Africa rocked by Kyle Abbott departure CAPE TOWN: South African cricket was rocked yes- the third and final Test in Johannesburg next week. too valuable and too important for us to sit back terday when it was announced that Test fast bowler “It’s a massive loss,” said South African captain Faf and say, these things happen and other players will Kyle Abbott had quit the national team in order to du Plessis, who was unaware of Abbott’s decision take their place.” play county cricket in England. until the player told his teammates during the Cape Du Plessis acknowledged that Cricket South Cricket South Africa immediately cancelled Town Test following a report from England about his Africa’s transformation targets, which effectively Abbott’s contract and said it was in the process of impending move. mean that a maximum of five white players can doing the same with one-day star Rilee Rossouw. Du Plessis said Cricket South Africa needed to take appear in a team, might have contributed to the exo- Both have Kolpak contracts with Hampshire which action to prevent a further player drain. Three other dus. “It’s one of the factors,” he said. “Opportunity, preclude them from playing for South Africa. Abbott players - Stiaan van Zyl, Simon Harmer and Hardus money - there are a lot of things that guys will look at has signed for four years and Rossouw for three. Viljoen, who have all played Test cricket in the past as their excuse or their reason for going overseas. The announcements came immediately after South 15 months - have also signed Kolpak deals recently. “What Kyle’s reason is I’m not sure, but every sin- Africa clinched a Test series against Sri Lanka, winning “We must make sure something like this doesn’t gle reason that is causing players to leave is a con- the second Test by 282 runs. Abbott will not play in happen again,” said Du Plessis. “These players are cern. We need to look at every one of them.” —AFP SCOREBOARD Rabada runs riot as MELBOURNE: Scoreboard after the third day of the third Test between Australia and Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday: South Africa win Test Australia first innings 538 for 8 declared (M. W. Riaz b Lyon 8 Renshaw 184, D. Warner 113, Y. Shah not out 5 CAPE TOWN: Kagiso Rabada claimed a six-wicket P. Handscomb 110; W. Riaz 3-89) Extras (b3) 3 haul yesterday as South Africa bowled Sri Lanka Pakistan first innings (126 for 2 overnight) Total (8 wickets, 95 overs) 271 out for 224 in their second innings to win the sec- A. Ali run out (Starc) 71 Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Sharjeel), 2-6 (Babar), 3-152 ond test by 282 runs with a day and a half to spare S. Khan c Renshaw b Hazlewood 4 (Azhar), 4-178 and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three- B. Azam lbw b Hazlewood 0 (Misbah), 5-197 (Shafiq), 6-239 (Sarfraz), 7-244 match series. Sri Lanka failed to last the first session Y. Khan not out 136 (Amir), 8-264 (Riaz) of the fourth day at Newlands, having resumed on 130-4 and being dismissed after just over 100 min- M. ul-Haq c sub (Bird) b Lyon 18 To bat: I. Khan. utes of play. They added 94 runs for their final six A. Shafiq c Smith b O’Keefe 4 Bowling: Starc 21-5-65-1, Hazlewood 25-7-53- wickets to fold easily after being set a huge 507- S. Ahmed c sub (Bird) b Starc 18 2, O’Keefe 18-3-37-1, Lyon run target on Wednesday. “We have been relent- M. Amir c Warner b Lyon 4 27-2-98-3, Cartwright 4-0-15-0. less, never letting Sri Lanka into the game. We real- ly stood up at key moments of the game,” said South Africa captain Faf du Plessis. The 21-year-old Rabada, who finished with fig- Younus shines but ures of 6-55 and a second 10-wicket haul in a test, ran through the visiting batsmen in a fiery seven- over spell, first having Dinesh Chandimal (30) Australia in charge caught as he flicked the ball up to Stephen Cook at short leg. Upul Tharanga was next to go as he SYDNEY: Pakistan’s Younus Khan notched behind the stumps for the sick Matt Wade. swung the bat through a brief knock of 12 runs off his 34th Test century but Australia had seven balls, perishing when he got a bottom edge reduced the tourists to 271 for eight, still 68 AZHAR’S MILESTONE through to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. CAPE TOWN: South African bowler runs short of avoiding the follow-on, at close The 31-year-old Azhar was clearly disap- Rabada, having taken two overnight, then claimed his fifth wicket of the innings, surprising Kagiso Rabada bowls on Rangana of play on the rain-disrupted third day of the pointed to depart for 71 but can take pride Herath (not in picture) during the sec- third Test yesterday. from the fact he had surpassed Mohsin Khan’s captain Angelo Mathews with some extra bounce and finding the edge of the bat for De Kock to take ond Test between South Africa and Sri The 39-year-old reached the milestone for 33-year-old record for a Pakistan batsman in a Lanka yesterday at Newlands Cricket the first time in Australia in the hour after tea Test series in Australia. another catch. Mathews went for 49, the top Sri to complete his career set of centuries in each Azhar’s 395 runs in five innings over three Lankan score of the test. Stadium in Cape Town. —AFP of the Test-playing nation. He was unbeaten Tests, which one more to come, bettered the Suranga Lakmal (10) was next as a rising deliv- innings with Dean Elgar and De Kock both getting on 136 at stumps alongside tailender Yasir 390 Mohsin managed in five matches in ery from Rabada brushed his glove on the way centuries. Philander and Rabada then took four Shah (five not out) but Australia will be confi- 1983-84. through to De Kock. Rangana Herath and Lahiru wickets each as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 110 in dent of securing a 3-0 series sweep with a Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq departed Kumara showed some resistance for the ninth reply but South Africa did not enforce the follow on, lead of 267 on the back of their first innings shortly after tea, holing out in the deep for 18, wicket before quick glove work had Kumara batting again instead and declaring midway 538-8 declared. and Asad Shafiq followed for four when Steve stumped off Keshav Maharaj for nine. Nuwan through the third day on 224-7. South Africa won “Hopefully, (the wicket) will start playing Smith, at slip, brilliantly caught a Steve Pradeep was bowled by Vernon Philander to end the first test in Port Elizabeth by 206 runs and will be some tricks,” Australia bowling coach David O’Keefe ball that went off bat, pad and wick- the match, leaving Herath not out on 35. “I felt my seeking a whitewash of the series in the third test at Saker told reporters. “I would assume that we etkeeper’s thigh. rhythm was a little off in the first innings but then the Wanderers in Johannesburg from Jan. 12-16. will go out and have another bat and put Younus had hammered a huge six over it all clicked in the second innings and it all just got “It’s obviously disappointing to make the same mis- some more wear in the wicket and have a long-on to move to 98 and completed his a lot better,” Rabada told reporters. takes in a second successive test match. The bats- bowl in the last day and a bit.” century by sweeping the ball to deep South Africa dominated the test, save for the first men let the bowlers down,” said Sri Lanka captain Persistent rain sweeping in from the Pacific square leg for his 12th four. “It’s probably session on the opening day, scoring 392 in their first Mathews. —Reuters Ocean had prevented Pakistan from resuming his last tour to Australia so it’s a really hap- on 126-2 until four hours after the scheduled py, happy moment for each and everyone of start at the Sydney Cricket Ground. us,” Azhar said. SCOREBOARD Younus had forged a 120-run third-wicket “He’s been part of the team for so long and stand with Azhar Ali to stall Australia on he’s so done so well for so many years for CAPE TOWN: Final full scores on the fourth day of the second Test between South Africa and Wednesday and the home side were desper- Pakistan. He’s mentally very tough and keeps Sri Lanka at Newlands yesterday. ate to make a breakthrough once play even- working hard on his game.” South Africa, first innings, 392 L. Kumara st De Kock b Maharaj 9 tually got underway. The pace attack failed to Younus’s partnership with Sarfraz Ahmed Sri Lanka, first innings, 110 N. Pradeep b Philander 5 do the job and ultimately it was a breakdown (18) lasted only until the new ball was taken South Africa, second innings, 224-7 declared Extras (b6, lb5, nb2) 13 in communication between the batsmen that when the wicketkeeper almost immediately Sri Lanka, second innings (overnight 130-4) Total (62 overs) 224 ended the key partnership on 146 runs.