Images from Day 1 of the third Test between South Africa and India, in Cape Town, on Tuesday.
Playing against India behind closed doors in the much-anticipated Test series at the end of the year might end up being an advantage for the home side, according to Australia batsman Usman Khawaja. Cricket Australia are desperate for the tour, scheduled for December and January, to go ahead as the lucrative Indian TV rights for the series would go a long way to easing a financial crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
South Africa's Anrich Nortje took the vital wickets of captain Joe Root and talisman Ben Stokes as England struggled to 262 for nine at stumps on the first day of the second Test on Friday. Pace bowler Nortje, playing his fourth Test, finished with 2-54 off 17 overs as the home side restricted the tourists on a Newlands wicket that was expected to be full of runs. Images from the opening day of the second Test at Newlands on Friday.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann apologised to the public and called for forgiveness for the "grave mistake" made by the trio of Test players banned for their role in the ball-tampering scandal that has rocked the sport.
The 53-year-old further stated that boundaries were pushed in the matter, leading to the escalation of the issue.
The Australia players gave him a guard of honour and an expectant Newlands crowd willed him to a century send-off, but South Africa captain Graeme Smith lasted just three balls in his final Test innings.
Stokes now holds the record score for an England number six, beating Graham Hick's 187 against India in 1993, and became the first English centurion at Newlands for 50 years.
With the year sprinting to a close, we bring you, in pictures, some of the best action from the sports world.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Ashes Test played in Adelaide on Thursday.
There will still be plenty of needle in the third Test between South Africa and Australia whether or not Kagiso Rabada wins his appeal against suspension, opener Dean Elgar said on Monday.
The left-hander underwent scans on his jaw after being struck by an Andre Russell bouncer in the second over of Australia's innings
'We come here wanting to express ourselves, believing in our abilities and knowing we have the right balance to win Test matches under any conditions we play under.'
'There's so much in favour of batsmen these days. Fields are small, two new balls, powerplays, bats have got bigger than they used to be, the list can go on. You bowl a 'no ball' and it's a free hit. But I have never seen a rule change that favours the bowler.'
'Duminy was the key factor to my whole innings. Second over or the first over I faced, he told me this over needs to go for 10. He told me to just play my normal game and take the bowlers on. Luckily today it worked out'
Cameron Bancroft may have got away with his now infamous attempt to alter the condition of the ball in the third test against South Africa at Newlands had he not panicked and stuffed the evidence down his trousers.
Pathan proved to be the difference between the two sides as he took his chances and hammered the South African bowlers, especially the spinners, to all parts of the ground en route to his 50-ball 59-run knock on a two-paced Newlands track.
From a lower order batsman to one of Australia's prolific Test run-getters, Marnus Labuschange has carved his spot in the Australian line-up. The highest run-scorer in a calendar year in Test cricket in 2019, 'mind-blowing' Labuschange is now looking to break into the one-day team for the tour of India.
Michael Clarke remained unbeaten on 161, one of the more heroic of his 27 Test hundreds, as Australia reached 494 for seven before rain brought an early tea on the second day of the series-deciding third Test against South Africa on Sunday.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith hit a superb 19th Test century to put the hosts 330 runs ahead of England and in full control of the third Test after the third day at Newlands on Tuesday.
Former Australia captain Steve Smith said he is desperate to recover lost ground ahead of next year's World Cup by competing in the IPL after being left so deflated by the ball-tampering scandal that getting out of bed became a struggle.
Rajasthan Royals did well to restrict Kings XI Punjab to 139 for six, but a flop show by their batsmen saw go down by 27 runs and suffer their second defeat in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.
The Pretoria wicket is likely to be similar, with perhaps not the same sideways movement of Newlands, and will provide another test of the Indian batsmen's bravery against a seam bowling barrage.
South Africa's bowlers needed a little more than an hour of the final day's play to dismiss Sri Lanka for 281 in their second innings and claim a 206-run victory in the first Test in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
Off-spinner Dane Piedt raised hopes of an unlikely South African victory as he grabbed three wickets on Wednesday to leave England on 155 for six at tea on the final day of the high-scoring second Test.
Herschelle Gibbs hit a fine century as South Africa cruised to a series-clinching five-wicket win in the third and final one-day international against New Zealand at Newlands
Chris Gayle blazed a half-century off 17 balls to power West Indies to a four-wicket victory over South Africa in the first Twenty20 international at Newlands on Friday.
Eighteen wickets fell on the second day, the most at this ground since 1914
With an unassailable 3-0 lead in hand, India need just one more win to claim their maiden ODI series triumph on South African soil.
South Africa built a sizeable second-innings lead after reaching 65 for two against India at the close on day two of the opening Test at Newlands on Saturday but were sweating over another potential injury blow for experienced seamer Dale Steyn.
Earlier, on the back of Virat Kohli's 160 (not out), India reached a total of 303 for 6 in their 50 overs.
IMAGES from the 3rd T20I played between India and South Africa in Newlands, Cape Town on Saturday
The plan was to keep Virat Kohli quiet and South Africa's wrecker-in-chief Vernon Philander said his team executed it to perfection during the 72-run win over India in the opening Test in Cape Town.
The visitors won the first two matches of the series in Durban and Centurion by six and nine wickets, respectively, dismantling the home side with consummate ease.
Dale Steyn became South Africa's second highest wicket taker as West Indies reached 276 for six on the first day of the third Test on Friday.
'He spoke to the fact that his West Indies -- a team that brings joy wherever it goes, the one team that plays with a carefree spirit in these days of carefully calibrated professionalism -- played this tournament enveloped in a world of hurt,' says Prem Panicker, the legendary cricket writer, reviewing the World T20 final.
Some of the big moments of the sporting world from 2010-2019!
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