Event of the Day: South Africa versus Australia

Our event of the day is the opening day of the 1st match of the Test series between South Africa and Australia at Kingsmead Cricket Ground in Durban. The series is part of the Australia Tour of South Africa and will see four Tests take place across the country until the beginning of April. The tour began last week with the Australia team beating South Africa A by five wickets in a three-day match at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. The hosts won their last Test series versus India (2-1), but then lost both the ODI and Twenty20 series to the same opponent in February.
The visitors are still full of confidence following their 4-0 triumph in the Ashes and their convincing victory in the Trans-Tasman T20 Tri-Nations series last month. This is the first series of more than three Tests between South Africa and Australia since 1970, when the Proteas got the upper hand. In the meantime, home ground advantage has rarely proved important. The Australians have been unbeaten in Test series in South Africa since the hosts’ readmission in 1991. On the other side, South African have won the last three Test series held Down Under. Batsman Faf du Plessis will captain the home side following his recovery from a broken finger, while fast bowler Morne Morkel will aim for six more wickets to reach the milestone of 300 Test wickets in his career, as he announced this week that his retirement from international cricket will come at the end of the series. The Australian lineup will be identical to the one that beat England in the final Ashes Test, captained by currently the best batsman in Test cricket, Steve Smith. This should be a great start to another memorable series between these old rivals.

Honourable mentions around the globe go to the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium in London. The clash comes just four days after City easily outplayed Arsenal 3-0 in the EFL Cup final at Wembley. The Gunners seek revenge and three points that they’re desperate for, sitting in sixth place with 45 points, while the Citizens are runaway leaders with 72 points. It’s the first day of the 2018 World Indoor Championships in Athletics at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. Today’s events are the finals of Men’s and Women’s High Jump and Women’s 3000m race. It’s Day 2 of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships at the Omnisport Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. It’s the fourth day at both Abierto Mexicano Telcel at the Fairmont Acapulco Princess and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai. The WGC – Mexico Championship in golf starts at the Club de Golf Chapultepec in Naucalpan. In the NBA, the Portland Trail Blazers face the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Moda Center in Portland. In the NHL, the Boston Bruins come up against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the TD Garden in Boston. It’s Day 1 of the Edinburgh International Swim Meet in Edinburgh.

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

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Photos by Cricket South Africa; Cricket Australia

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