The West Indies captain Jason Holder declined an offer to make a game of the rain-ruined third Test against Australia in Sydney because he did not think his side was ready to try to go for the win. In a scenario that the Caribbean side would have struggled to create over a full five-day match
West Indies’ hopes of avoiding a 3-0 series result were boosted significantly on the second day in Sydney, where only 68 deliveries were bowled due to persistent rain. Further rain is expected on the third day and a draw now looms as the most likely outcome, with West Indies still batting in their first innings
You spend hours planning for outside edges and lbws, pegging away just outside off and breaking backs bowling bouncers, sweating, despairing, hoping for slip fielders to take the catches, praying the umpires agree with your lbw appeals, debating over DRS and no-balls, and then a Test turns on a reverse-sweep. Coming together at five
South Africa duly completed an eight-wicket victory against West Indies on the fifth day, but initially at least it was not quite the stroll in the park that the scorecard suggests. West Indies stuck to their task with spirit and it required an exacting half-century from Dean Elgar to shepherd them to the win that
Australia did not need to win, and India never really thought seriously about doing so. A curiously muted final day of the Boxing Day Test petered out with four overs still to bowl; on recent evidence more than enough time to winkle out the visitors’ last four wickets. A draw was enough for Australia to