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After Indian wicketkeeper-batter, KL Rahul struck a spectacular century against South Africa in the first Test match at the Centurion, Dean Elgar, who is playing his final International Test series, smashed an unbeaten ton to help the Proteas dominate the visitors after the end of the day 2.
Here in this article, we’ll look at all the big news that took place on Wednesday, December 27, but before that, let's check the matches scheduled for the day.
Today’s match preview:
India Women vs Australia Women - 1st ODI
After winning the Test series by a huge margin of eight wickets against the Australia women's team, the Indian women's team will look to dominate the visitors in the three-match ODI series. India and Australia are scheduled to face each other in the 1st ODI at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday at 01:30 p.m. IST.
BBL 2023-24: Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars
Nathan Ellis-led Hobart Hurricanes are scheduled to face Marcus Stoinis' Melbourne Stars in the 17th match of the BBL 2023-24. The match between the Hurricanes and the Stars will take place at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart on Thursday at 01:45 p.m. IST. While the Hurricanes have won just one of their three games to manage the sixth spot in the standings, the Stars have lost three of their four matches and are placed seventh in the points table.
Major cricket events that happened on December 27
Nathan McSweeney and Xavier Bartlett help Heat beat Thunder by 15 runs
The Brisbane Heat continued their dominance at the top in the BBL 2023-24 standings with a win against the Sydney Thunder in Match 16 on Wednesday at the Gabba in Brisbane. Nathan McSweeney scored 73-off-52 to help the Heat put 172 runs on the board despite losing all the wickets with two balls remaining as Daniel Sams picked up a five-for. After Cameron Bancroft and Alex Hales' 58-run partnership, the Thunder failed to build a decent partnership and lost the match by 15 runs. For the Heat, Xavier Bartlett picked up three wickets while Spencer Johnson and Matthew Kuhnemann dismissed two players each.
WATCH: KL Rahul punches in air to celebrate his Test ton against South Africa in 1st Test
After Day 2 saw a half-an-hour delay in the start, KL Rahul scored a much-needed ton to help put 245 runs on the board for the visitors. What followed was a celebration which was a well-deserved one. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter punched in the air after bringing in a 100 with a six off Gerald Coetzee in the 66th over. Additionally, KL Rahul became the first visiting batsman to record two Test centuries at Centurion.
WATCH: Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head interact with MSG crowd during 2nd Test vs Pakistan
Mitchell Marsh and the MCG crowd shared a beautiful moment during the second day of the 2nd Test match between Australia and Pakistan. The Aussie all-rounder imitated legendary football star Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic goal celebration while the crowd screamed 'SIUU'. On the other hand, Travis Head got the crowd roaring with his stretches. The crowd also responded in a lively manner to Head, emulating the Aussie batter on the sidelines.
Herschelle Gibbs questions Temba Bavuma’s fitness after SA skipper limps off with hamstring
The Temba Bavuma-led side invited Rohit Sharma’s Men in Blue to bat first, and a prolific bowling lineup dismissed the Indian top order at the mere score of 24. However, KL Rahul’s gritty half-century helped them put 208/8 at Stumps on Day 1, South African skipper Temba Bavuma was also in the news after he limped off the field with an injury. Seeing the skipper’s fitness, former Protean opener, Herschelle Gibbs has hit out at Bavuma, calling him unfit and overweight.
David Warner names his replacement as Australia’s Test opener during Boxing Day Test
Speaking ahead of Day 2 of the Boxing Day Test, David Warner, who is playing his last in the Test series, named his replacement at the top in the longest format of the game. While Matt Renshaw, Marcus Harris, and Cameron Bancroft are among the candidates in line for the opening slot, Warner picked the Victoria batter Marcus Harris as the batter who was next in line to replace him.
