Beyond the Test World
Suriname, Bahamas post thumping wins
Tony Munro
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
Tony Munro
Suriname 384 for 5 (Singh 159, Sewanan 73, Vishram 47, Dudnath 31*; Hartmann 3-77) beat Brazil 220 for 6 (Caisley 45, Islam 27, Lefebvre 67*, Ramjohn 3-34) by 164 runs
Bahamas 363 for 4 (M Taylor 141, Barry 117, Weakley 40, Gilbert 2-62) beat Turks & Caicos Islands 173 for 4 (Ash 60, Browne 54*; Armstrong 2-35) by 190 runs
Three centuries highlighted an avalanche of runs as Suriname and Bahamas scored emphatic wins on day three of the Americas Division Two tournament in Nassau, Bahamas on Wednesday.
Full postAll-round Afghanistan clinch humdinger
Afghanistan 143 for 5 (Sadiq 42, Nabi 23, Baidwan 3-23) beat Canada 140 for 6 (Bagai 56) by five wickets
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
Afghanistan 143 for 5 (Sadiq 42, Nabi 23, Baidwan 3-23) beat Canada 140 for 6 (Bagai 56) by five wickets
It was another team effort from Afghanistan as they picked up their first win of the tournament, beating Canada by five wickets. It was still anybody's game when Afghanistan needed 36 off the final four overs, before Mohammad Nabi's cameo at No. 6 took them to the brink of victory, and a cool Samiullah Shenwari finished the job with a ball to spare.
Choosing to bat, Canada were propped up by a third-wicket stand of 63 between Abdool Samad and wicketkeeper-captain Ashish Bagai. Bagai went on to score 53 off 42 balls, hitting seven fours, as Canada finished on a disappointing total, given the recent high scores at the SSC.
Openers Karim Sadiq and Noor Ali, making his debut, ensured Afghanistan made a bright start, putting on 66 by the 10th over. But Canada fought back to take three wickets in three overs to reduce to Afghanistan to 105 for 4 in the 16th over. But three fours in Nabi's 12-ball 23 tilted the balance and it was left to captain Nowroz Mangal and Shenwari to see them home in a tight finish.
Full postAfghanistan prepare for USA fixture
As the Associate nations prepare for the World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament, which begins February 9 in the UAE, there is one fixture in Group A that jumps out at you
Sahil Dutta
25-Feb-2013
As the Associate nations prepare for the World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament, which begins February 9 in the UAE, there is one fixture in Group A that jumps out at you. In perhaps the most intriguing sporting event of recent times, USA will face Afghanistan.
It's a match that will reverberate beyond the cricketing world as people try to imbue it with a progressive significance. Amidst all kinds of domestic turmoil Afghanistan have risen rapidly to become one of the best Associate nations and they will be desperate to secure a berth in the main World Twenty20, which takes place in West Indies in April.
They were within a whisker of qualifying for the 50-over World Cup last year and have impressed in the Intercontinental Cup, beating defending champions Ireland and the Netherlands.
"The match against the USA will be an interesting and exciting one," said Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal. "But it will just be another game of cricket in which both the sides will try as hard as possible hard to emerge winner. Like any other opponent, we respect the USA and know we cannot afford to be complacent against them.
Full postEasy wins for Panama and Suriname
Panama remained undefeated with an easy 111-run win over Brazil on the second day of the Pepsi ICC Americas Division 2 at Windsor Park
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
Panama remained undefeated with an easy 111-run win over Brazil on the second day of the Pepsi ICC Americas Division 2 at Windsor Park. Panama elected to bat and after losing their openers on 26, the captain Irfan Tarajia and Soyab Chohan added some stability with a stand of 56. Rajesh Ahir then smashed 79 off 69 balls, with good support from Munaf Kachhalia (41) as Panama posted 291. Rudyard Hartmann had another good day with the ball capturing 3 for 57 while Ravindra Chanchlani took 3 for 36.
Brazil got off to a good start, with their openers Greigor Caisley (49) and Guilherme Lefèvre (28) adding 73. Deodat Randolph top scored with an unbeaten 64 at No.4, but the rest failed to reach double figures as Brazil was dismissed for 180 in the 39th over. Nilesh Bhakta was Panama's best bowler with 3 for 26.
In the other match at Haynes Oval, Suriname breezed past Turks & Caicos Islands with a 109-run victory. Suriname wicketkeeper Anthony Seeraj top scored with an unbeaten 49 to guide them to 263. While there were no large scores, eight batsmen reached double figures.
Turks & Caicos lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for 154 in the 35th over. Opener Errion Charles smashed ten fours in his 70, the top score of the innings. Terbhawan Ranjit captured 6 for 41 in 7.2 overs and not surprisingly, was named the Man of the Match for his efforts.
Full postPanama and Bahamas coast to victory
Panama 303 (Bhakta 48, Tarajiya 47, Chohan 69; Singh 3-35) beat Suriname 181 (Sewanan 31, Amir 4-28) by 122 runs.
Sahil Dutta
25-Feb-2013
Panama 303 (Bhakta 48, Tarajiya 47, Chohan 69; Singh 3-35) beat Suriname 181 (Sewanan 31, Amir 4-28) by 122 runs.
Bahamas 304 (Peters 62, Taylor 40, Tappin 40, Hartman 4 for 57) beat Brazil 112 (Caisley 26, Ekanayake 3-44) by 192 runs.
Expectations of a classic final in the Pepsi ICC Americas Division 2 Championship between Suriname and Bahamas took a sudden change with Suriname going down to a convincing defeat at the hands of Panama on day one of the event. It was the third Americas tournament in a row Panama has beaten Suriname.
Panama won the toss and decided to bat on the artificial surface of Windsor Park. A solid opening partnership of 121 between Nilesh Bhakta (48) and Imran Bulbuia set the stage for a large target. The opening stand was followed by useful contributions from Irfan Tarajia (47) and skipper Soyab Chohan (69) as Panama reached a respectable innings of 303 in its 50 overs. Vishaul Singh remained the most successful bowler for Suriname taking 3-35 in six overs.
Full postBahamas, Suriname eye Amercian Division Two honours
Tony Munro
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
Tony Munro
A place in the Americas Championships in Bermuda in May and boasting rights as the region's top Affiliate nation will be up for grabs when the Americas Division Two tournament starts on Monday. Hosts Bahamas and 2008 Division Two champion Suriname are expected to be the main contenders for the trip to Bermuda, in what will be a continuation of the rivalry from the previous tournament.
Suriname caused a shock when it inflicted a 148-run loss on the tournament favourites in 2008, snaring the Affiliates' spot at the Americas Championships in the process. The South Americans have retained the bulk of that squad, including 19-year-old allrounder Troy Dudnauth, who was player of the tournament. Dudnauth, who also took 5 for 21 against Bahamas, is one of the six Suriname-born players in the squad.
Also returning will be the experienced opener Raj Sewanan, who plays the Suriname off-season in New York, and allrounder Arun Gokoel, who, at 22, is already a veteran of five tournaments and will play a key role in the middle order.
Full postAfghanistan prevail in rain-affected match
Afghanistan prevailed in a rain-affected game at Colombo, with Canada falling 8 runs behind the required Duckworth/Lewis score as they reached 96 for 2 in 12 overs
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
Afghanistan prevailed in a rain-affected game at Colombo, with Canada falling 8 runs behind the required Duckworth/Lewis score as they reached 96 for 2 in 12 overs. Afghanistan's total of 185 for 5 was thanks largely to the efforts of Karim Sadiq, who top-scored with 67 on Twenty20 debut before two powerful cameos by captain Nowroz Mangal and Mohammad Shahzad boosted Afghanistan's total.
Sadiq and Noor Ali got the better of Canada's bowling attack in the first of the Afghan innings, cruising to 76 in the tenth over before Ali picked out Rizwan Cheema off Sunil Dhaniram's left-arm spin. Sadiq proceeded to his half-century, clearing the boundary twice along the way, but with almost seven overs remaining in the innings he fell to Khurram Chohan.
Chohan also accounted for Raees Ahmadzai before Mangal and Shahzad went ballistic, thrashing 44 runs in under three overs. Both were dismissed in consecutive overs, but by then the damage had been done and Canada faced the prospect of a stiff run chase.
Cheema, opening the batting with Trevin Bastiampillai, lofted five sixes in his 39 to set the pace of Canada's innings before he was trapped lbw by legspinner Samiullah Shenwari. With his dismissal Canada's innings lost momentum, however, and Abdool Samal and captain Ashish Bagai failed to hit a single boundary in their 27-run partnership. With 90 runs required off the final eight overs the match looked set for an explosive denouement, but the weather intervened to seal the result in Afghanistan's favour.
Full postScotland edge Uganda in thriller
The second game of the Kenya Twenty20 Tri-Series between Uganda and Scotland ended in dramatic fashion, with the scores tied before Jan Stander sealed a win for Scotland in the Super Over
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
The second game of the Kenya Twenty20 Tri-Series between Uganda and Scotland ended in dramatic fashion, with the scores tied before Jan Stander sealed a win for Scotland in the Super Over. Arthur Kyobe carried his bat in Uganda's run chase with an unbeaten 51, but Ryan Watson's last gasp dismissal of Dennis Tabby ensured the match went to the one-over eliminator.
Uganda recovered well from their mauling at the hands of Kenya in the first match of the series to restrict Scotland to 109 for 8. Tabby removed opener Fraser Watts and Kyle Coetzer in his opening spell, but Scotland still looked set for a decent total when they reached 66 for 3 in their first 10 overs.
They stumbled against Uganda's spin in the second half of their innings, however, with the 16-year-old Henry Ssenyondo picking up three wickets for just 20 runs. Frank Nsubuga showed his experience, stemming the flow of runs and picking up the important scalps of Gavin Hamilton and Watson, while Deusdedit Muhumuza's medium pace also proved frugal.
With his fellow opener Roger Mukasa falling in the first over, Kyobe played a lone hand for most of Uganda's innings. Captain Akbar Baig joined him to provide a brief spell of stability, but Ross Lyons and Majid Haq worked steadily through the Ugandan middle order before Ssenyondo and Kyobe swung the match back Uganda's way with the largest partnership of either innings. Their 44 took Uganda to 99 before Haq bowled Ssenyondo to spark panic in the Ugandan ranks.
Full postSpinners set up Kenyan rout
Scorecard
Sahil Dutta
25-Feb-2013
The Kenyan spinners made light work of a young Uganda line-up in the opening fixture of the Kenya tri-series Twenty20 tournament at the Gymkhana Club Ground in Nairobi. The event, which also features Scotland is an important warm-up for the Twenty20 Qualifier, staged in Dubai and Abu Dubai, which starts next month.
Kenya were once one of the strongest Associate countries but have struggled in recent years and were beaten at home by Scotland in the Intercontinental Cup on January 28. Today they were comfortable winners as disciplined bowling by experienced offspinner James Kamande (2 for 18) and left-arm spinner Kiren Varaiya (2 for 9) choked the Ugandan middle order and restricted the total to123 for 9 from the twenty overs.
Roger Mukasa, the opening batsman, and captain Akbar Baig were the only batsmen to threaten some resistance, as Musaka stroked four boundaries from his 14 deliveries, before he fizzled out, trapped in front by Kamande for 23. Baig tried to steady things with a more patient 23 before he fell in the same way to the same bowler.
Full postAssociates need big matches - Saini
Ranjit Saini, Cricket Canada's interim president, has told Cricinfo the real solution to developing Associate countries was to get their sides to play against high-profile opposition.
Sahil Dutta
25-Feb-2013
Ranjit Saini, Cricket Canada's interim president, has told Cricinfo the real solution to developing Associate countries was to get their sides to play against high-profile opposition.
"Sponsors want to be seen and we didn't have enough domestic TV and newspaper coverage to offer that. From our perspective, how do we get a Shahid Afridi or Sachin Tendulkar to Canada?"
In almost three years since the 2007 World Cup, Canada have only met a Full Member twice, both games coming against West Indies in August 2008.
Saini feels, given the competition with other countries as well, it's the responsibility of the ICC to ensure Associates get attractive fixtures. "Every country wants India to play, every country wants big players to play against them, but if the ICC and the Full Member nations sees value and want cricket in the smaller countries then a solution will have to be reached.
Full post