Umpires called off the second one-day international between South Africa and England in Durban on Friday after multiple rain delays.
South Africa keeps a 1-0 lead in the series with one more game to play in Johannesburg on Sunday.
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A cricket fan looks up the sky as rain delays play during the 2nd One Day cricket international match between South Africa and England at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. (AP PhotoThemba Hadebe)
England's bowler Joe Root, center, celebrates with teammates after bowling South Africa's captain Quinton de Kock for 11 runs during the 2nd One Day International cricket match between South Africa and England at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. (AP PhotoThemba Hadebe)
Players leave the field as rain stops play during the 2nd One Day cricket international match between South Africa and England at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. (AP PhotoThemba Hadebe)
England's bowler Joe Root, chases the ball as South Africa's batsman Reeza Hendricks makes a run during the 2nd One Day International cricket match between South Africa and England at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. (AP PhotoThemba Hadebe)
England players run onto the field at the start of the 2nd One Day cricket international match between South Africa and England at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. (AP PhotoThemba Hadebe)
After the toss was delayed for nearly two hours, England put South Africa in to bat at Kingsmead.
A cricket fan looks up the sky as rain delays play during the 2nd One Day cricket international match between South Africa and England at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. (AP PhotoThemba Hadebe)
South Africa was 71-2 when the rain ended it. Captain Quinton de Kock (11) and Temba Bavuma (21) were the batsmen who were out. De Kock was bowled by Joe Root and Bavuma was lbw to Chris Jordan.
The game had been reduced to a 45-overs-per-side game at the start and then a 26-over game before eventually being abandoned.
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England's bowler Joe Root, center, celebrates with teammates after bowling South Africa's captain Quinton de Kock for 11 runs during the 2nd One Day International cricket match between South Africa and England at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. (AP PhotoThemba Hadebe)
Players leave the field as rain stops play during the 2nd One Day cricket international match between South Africa and England at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. (AP PhotoThemba Hadebe)
England's bowler Joe Root, chases the ball as South Africa's batsman Reeza Hendricks makes a run during the 2nd One Day International cricket match between South Africa and England at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. (AP PhotoThemba Hadebe)
England players run onto the field at the start of the 2nd One Day cricket international match between South Africa and England at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. (AP PhotoThemba Hadebe)
AL HENAKIYAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Ricky Brabec deliberately gave up his motorbike lead over Luciano Benavides in the Dakar Rally while Nasser Al-Attiyah was happy to cruise through another day closer to his sixth car title on Thursday.
Al-Attiyah started 346-kilometer stage 11 between Bisha north to Al Henakiyah with a 12-minute overall lead and let it drop to less than nine minutes over new second-placed driver Nani Roma in a Ford.
Al-Attiyah was content to let Dacia teammate Sébastien Loeb catch up and pass him to have a teammate nearby for any help and to minimize errors on the mazy, dirt track. Al-Attiyah was 17th, nearly 13 minutes behind stage winner Mattias Ekström, and said he needed to execute the same plan on Friday's last effective racing stage before the end on Saturday.
“If we lose two, three, four minutes no problem,” Al-Attiyah said. “We just need to finish this Dakar in first place.”
Honda cooked up a strategy in the Saudi desert for Adrien van Beveren to open the way and let Brabec catch up after the 190-kilometer pit stop and pick up time bonuses.
Brabec boosted his overall lead from 56 seconds to nearly four minutes just 25 kilometers from the finish. He was also within a minute of the stage lead but he slowed down so KTM rival Benavides was the new overall leader, but only by 23 seconds.
Brabec got his his wish to start Friday's stage 12 six minutes behind Benavides, so he can eye him. They head west to the rally starting point of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast on 311 kilometers of gravel, some river beds with a finish in the dunes.
“A little bit of strategy today and hopefully it pays off tomorrow,” Brabec said. "I feel like its going to be a good day. We’re going back into the rocks so it will be a little bit better for us.”
Brabec is counting on his experience of winning the Dakar in 2020 and 2024 to trump Benavides, who has a best placing of fourth last year.
“I've been in this situation before,” Brabec said. “For the whole two weeks I've been just trying to stay relax, stay comfortable and just be confident, so two days more. I'm gonna do the same thing tomorrow that I've been doing every day; ride dirt bikes and have fun.”
Van Beveren helped Brabec with navigation while fighting with another teammate, Skyler Howes, the entire day for the stage win.
Howes prevailed by 21 seconds for his first career major stage in his eighth Dakar. He was third in 2023 and sixth last year. He's running fifth, 34 minutes off the pace.
Benavides was fourth in the stage and believed the race will be decided on the final 105-kilometer sprint on Saturday.
“I played no strategy like Ricky. I don't care,” Benavides said. “I'm doing what I can to control what I can control.”
Ekström won his third car stage of this Dakar, a special so fast that 12 other drivers were within 10 minutes.
Ford achieved another 1-2-3 stage. Romain Dumas, a three-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, was a career-best second just over a minute back and Carlos Sainz was third.
Only Toyota's Henk Lategan beat Ekström to a checkpoint but Lategan's podium hopes were wrecked after 140 kilometers when a bearing broke on his rear left wheel. Lategan took four hours to get home. He was second last year and second overall overnight but plunged to 23rd.
Loeb moved up to third overall, 10 minutes behind Roma and three minutes ahead of Ekström.
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Rider Daniel Sanders competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Rider Skyler Howes competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Driver Henk Lategan, left, and co-driver Brett Cummings repair their car during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Driver Nani Roma and co-driver Alex Haro compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
