JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s quick bowlers ripped through Pakistan again before a run out sealed a 3-0 series whitewash with a 107-run victory in the final test on Monday.
The end came quickly for Pakistan on the fourth day at the Wanderers as the tourists crashed from 153-3 overnight to 273 all out and well short of the victory target of 381.
South Africa finished off Pakistan before lunch, with paceman Duanne Olivier taking 3-74 in the final innings and a series-leading 24 wickets in the three matches. That was just one short the South African record of 25 wickets for a bowler in a three-test series.
Olivier was Pakistan’s chief destroyer yet only played because Lungi Ngidi was ruled out of the series with injury.
Pakistan No. 11 Mohammad Abbas was run out to end the test and the series, the first and only wicket out of 60 for South Africa in the series that didn’t fall to one of its four fast bowlers.
Pakistan lost a second straight series while South Africa has won seven consecutive series at home and nine of its last 11.
South Africa wins last test for 3-0 series sweep over Pakistan
South Africa wins last test for 3-0 series sweep over Pakistan
- Pakistan crashed from 153-3 overnight to 273 all out
- Duanne Olivier took 3-74 in the final innings and a series-leading 24 wickets in the three matches
Turki Alalshikh announces record nine-darter prize for Saudi Arabia Darts Masters
RIYADH: Turki Alalshikh on Thursday announced the biggest prize in darts history for a nine-darter, with players at next week’s Saudi Arabia Darts Masters able to win up to $200,000 for a perfect leg.
The tournament, part of Riyadh Season, will be held on January 19 and 20 at the Global Theater in Boulevard City and will feature 16 players, with eight Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) stars taking on eight of Asia’s leading players.
Any player who hits a nine-darter during the event will receive a $100,000 bonus, with the chance to double it through the Riyadh Season Bullseye challenge.
After landing the perfect leg, the player will be given one dart at the bullseye to try to secure the full $200,000 — the largest nine-darter prize ever offered in a PDC-sanctioned event.
Reigning world champion Luke Littler headlines the line-up after previously hitting a nine-darter on the World Series stage in Bahrain in 2024.
He will be joined by 2023/24 world champion Luke Humphries, world championship runner-up Gian van Veen and three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen.
The PDC contingent also includes former world champion Gerwyn Price, world No. 7 Stephen Bunting, former UK Open winner Danny Noppert and 2023 World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall.
Asia will be represented by Singapore veteran Paul Lim — who famously threw a nine-darter at the 1990 world championship — alongside Filipinos Alexis Toylo, Lourence Ilagan and Paolo Nebrida, Japan’s Motomu Sakai, Ryusei Azemoto and Tomoya Goto, and Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung.
