Report
Scott earns Middlesex narrow lead
A one-innings tussle has developed at Lord's after Ben Scott hauled Middlesex into an unlikely, narrow lead following a collapse from the top order
Andrew McGlashan at Lord's
31-May-2008
Derbyshire 244 and 49 for 2 lead Middlesex 262 (Scott 66, Joyce 58, Dean 4-28) by 31 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
A one-innings tussle has developed at Lord's after Ben Scott hauled Middlesex into an unlikely, narrow lead following a collapse from the top order. Scott and Shaun Udal took Middlesex from the prospect of having a significant deficit to an advantage of 18. Two quick wickets in the final hour left the home side in a position of strength that appeared a long way away during the morning session.
Vernon Philander claimed the key wicket, Chris Rogers, with one that bounced on off stump and took the edge through to Owais Shah at slip. Rogers is the rock around which Derbyshire build, and when he goes early there is always a more brittle appearance to the order. Steve Stubbings also has the ability to build long innings, but he edged behind off Tim Murtagh as the importance of Scott's effort grew.
It was touch-and-go whether Scott would play this match. David Nash is fit again, but the decision was taken that he wasn't quite match-ready so Scott held onto his place and more than justified the call. He's typical of many wicketkeepers at the crease, slightly idiosyncratic and a frustrating batsman to bowl to. He cut and drove strongly as the Derbyshire attack slightly undid their impressive earlier efforts.
Full postSouthee stakes Test claim
Tim Southee made a strong case for a recall ahead of the final Test with 5 for 42 on the second day against Northamptonshire, but it didn't all go the New Zealanders' way at Wantage Road
Cricinfo staff
31-May-2008
New Zealanders 363 (Redmond 121, Wigley 5-78) and 38 for 3 lead Northamptonshire 214 for 9 dec (Louw 82, O'Brien 60, Southee 5-42) by 187 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Tim Southee made a strong case for a recall ahead of the final Test with 5 for 42 on the second day against Northamptonshire, but it didn't all go the New Zealanders' way at Wantage Road. The home side declared having squeaked past the follow-on, then David Wigley took three late wickets to set up an interesting final day.
Peter Fulton and Aaron Redmond both spent time in the middle in the first innings, but James Marshall fell to the final ball of the day and will now face a nervous wait to see if he keeps hold of his No. 3 spot for Trent Bridge. For Southee, the challenge is all about getting back into the side and he did his chances no harm by taking out the Northamptonshire top order. He retuned later in the day to claim his five-wicket haul after Johann Louw offered some thumping resistance with 82.
Southee was left out at Old Trafford - partly due to a stomach bug - in favour of Iain O'Brien, who was the pick of New Zealand's seamers in the second Test, but Trent Bridge is a venue associated with swing so Southee will come back into the reckoning. His early spell was too much for Northamptonshire, as Stephen Peters edged one which followed him and Alex Wakely, another recent Under-19 international, left one that clipped off stump.
Full postHorton and Yousuf take control
The second day of the Roses match could be divided into two parts. Yorkshire won the first, with some good tail-end batting and incisive new-ball bowling; after that, Lancashire surged ahead with an unbroken partnership of 234
John Ward at Headingley
31-May-2008
Lancashire 243 for 2 (Horton 137*, Yousuf 93*) trail Yorkshire 395 (Rudolph 66, Bresnan 64*, Mahmood 4-89) by 152 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
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The first part of the day brought little joy for Lancashire. They had Yorkshire seven wickets down overnight, but it took them almost until the lunch interval to dismiss the last three batsmen. Tim Bresnan hammered the first ball of the day, from Sajid Mahmood, through the covers for four. Mahmood was not as dangerous as he had been the previous day, and Dominic Cork produced an erratic opening burst. For their part, Bresnan and Richard Pyrah enjoyed a few fortunate strokes, but they kept piercing the field. They put on 55 before Pyrah was well caught by Cork, at full stretch, off the persevering Gary Keedy, for 24.
Soon after, Bresnan reached his 50 off 109 balls, while Darren Gough played a few slashes and got a few edges in his 12. He and last man Ben Sanderson were both caught off Oliver Newby by the wicket-keeper Luke Sutton, who took seven catches in the innings. This was a record for a keeper from ether side in a Roses match, and equalled the Lancashire record jointly held by Bill Farrimond and Warren Hegg. Yorkshire were dismissed for 395, with Bresnan unbeaten on an admirable 64.
Full postRefreshed Clarke sparks Australia
Michael Clarke made a fluent and emotional century before striking twice with the ball late in the day to further tighten Australia's grip
The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale
31-May-2008
West Indies 125 for 3 (Marshall 53, Clarke 2-7) trail Australia 479 for 7 dec (Katich 113, Clarke 110, Taylor 3-95) by 354 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out
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Two months away from cricket attending to family matters has clearly not dulled Michael Clarke's focus on the game. Australia's new vice-captain made a fluent and emotional century before striking twice with the ball late in the day to further tighten Australia's grip on the Frank Worrell Trophy. At stumps West Indies were 125 for 3, with Ramnaresh Sarwan on 32 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 5, and needed a further 155 to avoid the follow-on.
They were fighting well on a dull pitch until Clarke's breakthroughs, including the key wicket of Xavier Marshall, who inexplicably left a ball on off stump and was lbw for 53. Marshall provided them with their major glimmer of hope, which was a surprise given that his two previous Tests came in Sri Lanka in 2005 and he has been in and out of Jamaica's side since then. He does not even have a first-class century but that did not faze him as he cover-drove Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson with precision and power.
Full postInspired Chennai send Punjab packing
An inspired Chennai Super Kings shrugged off the underdogs' tag with a comprehensive display to thrash Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets and join Rajasthan Royals in the IPL final
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
31-May-2008
Chennai Super Kings 116 for 1 (Raina 55*, Parthiv 51*) beat Kings XI Punjab 112 for 8 (Powar 28*, Gony 2-14) by nine wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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An inspired Chennai Super Kings shrugged off the underdogs' tag with a comprehensive display to thrash Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets and join Rajasthan Royals in the IPL final. Punjab's batting had been in superb form through most of the tournament, but they came unstuck in the face of some accurate and relentless seam bowling by Chennai's three fast bowlers, folding for a paltry 112. Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina then ensured that the run-chase was a canter, putting together 102 for the second wicket - both ended on unbeaten half-centuries as Chennai sailed home with 31 deliveries to spare.
Punjab's two previous losses to Chennai, in the league games, had both come when they'd chased, and Yuvraj Singh did the team a huge favour by winning the toss and choosing to bat on a pitch which was expected to assist the spinners later in the evening. That, though, was the only thing that went right for Punjab, as Makhaya Ntini and Manpreet Gony struck twice each in their first spells and reduced Punjab to 40 for 5. They never released the pressure thereafter as the Wankhede Stadium played host to the second one-sided semi-final in two days.
Full postReborn Katich content and relaxed
Simon Katich's vow to enjoy an unexpected Test recall paid off
Cricinfo staff
30-May-2008
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Simon Katich's vow to enjoy an unexpected Test recall paid off as he produced a gritty third Test century to guide Australia to 259 for 3 on the opening day against West Indies. Benefitting from Matthew Hayden's tour withdrawal, Katich opened for the second match in a row and was rewarded for a more considered approach with an unbeaten 113.
Katich has done a lot of thinking and working on his technique - he hits the ball straighter now - in the two-and-a-half years he spent out of the side and believes he is more relaxed. "I sort of thought to myself, whatever's left, I just wanted to enjoy it," he said. "Once you get to 30 a lot of people ask you what are you going to do when you finish playing and it was starting to dawn on me that it wasn't that far away. That's changed my mindset. If I've only got a few years left I'm going to enjoy it."
Katich said he was "too revved up" in the opening Test in Jamaica, where he scored 12 and 1. "Definitely in the first innings, I felt like I blew a good opportunity," he said. "Sometimes the problem as a batsman is that you can play with a bit too much intent and pay the price. Today I felt a bit more relaxed and content just to occupy the crease."
Full postAfghanistan and Jersey into final
Afghanistan and Jersey qualified for the World Cricket League Division Four when they convincingly won their World Cricket League Division Five semi-finals
Cricinfo staff
30-May-2008
Afghanistan and hosts Jersey progressed to the World Cricket League Division Four, the next stage of qualification for the 2011 World Cup, when they convincingly won their Division Five semi-finals.
Afghanistan successfully defended a modest 142 to defeat Nepal by 37 runs at the Grainville while Jersey outsmarted USA by 84 runs at the FB Fields. Besides progressing to Saturday's final, Afghanistan and Jersey will join Hong Kong, Fiji, Tanzania and Italy in the six-team Division Four in Dar Es Salaam in early October. In turn, the top two teams from that tournament will progress to Division Three in Argentina next January and hope to finish in the top two to qualify for the World Cup qualifier 2009 in the UAE, which incorporates Divisions One and Two.
The star of Afghanistan's victory was Mohammad Nabi, who scored a priceless 48 from 64 balls with three fours in his team's 142 all out in 49.3 overs, and then returned figures of 6-0-15-2 as Nepal were bowled out for 105.
Electing to bat in overcast conditions, Afghanistan made a confident start but collapsed from 26 for 0 to 40 for 4 in a space of 10.4 overs before Asghar Stankzai (18) and Nabi boosted the innings with a 43-run fifth-wicket partnership off 72 balls. After the departure of Stankzai with the score at 83, Nabi added another 26 runs for the sixth wicket with Raees Ahmadzi (22). But after Nabi was sixth out with the score at 119, the last four Afghanistan wickets added only 23 runs in 37 balls.
Full postSussex hit back after slump
A round-up from the latest County Championship matches
Cricinfo staff
30-May-2008
First Division
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The Harmison brothers shared seven wickets as Durham restricted Sussex to 214 at Hove, but Sussex ended the day in strong style with three strikes to leave the visitors floundering on 10 for 3. Corey Collymore grabbed two wickets and Jason Lewry the other as the gloss was well and truly wiped off Durham's day. It was Ben Harmison who earlier edged the wicket tally, with four to Steve's three, but the latter didn't concede a run off the bat until his 11th over. There were more problems for the Sussex top order as they slumped to 45 for 4 in humid conditions, including the loss of the in-form Matt Prior for 9 the day he was overlooked for the England one-day squad. Prior is also acting as stand-in captain after Chris Adams' run of 84 consecutive Championship matches was ended by a back injury. It was left to Chris Nash to hold the innings together with 75, while Rory Hamilton-Brown hit 62 in his first Championship innings for Sussex.
Surrey were grateful for half-centuries from Scott Newman and James Benning to at least push them towards a respectable first innings total against Somerset at Whitgift School. When Newman was lbw to Alfonso Thomas for 84, Surrey were 140 for 5, but Benning counter-attacked with a 38-ball half-century and provided some much-needed resistance. When Benning was stumped off Ian Blackwell, Matthew Nicholson put bat to ball - as he did against Yorkshire last week - hitting seven boundaries in his 36. The wait goes on for Mark Ramprakash's 100th hundred after he was caught behind off one that bounced and squared him up from Charl Willoughby for 17.
Full postDerbyshire batsmen in wasteful form
Ed Smith's decision to insert Derbyshire paid off at Lord's as the visitors were bowled out for 244 on the opening day
Andrew McGlashan at Lord's
30-May-2008
Middlesex 10 for 1 (Smith 5*, Evans 0*) trail Derbyshire 244 (Birch 72, Rogers 63) by 234 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Ed Smith's decision to insert Derbyshire paid off at Lord's as the visitors were bowled out for 244 on the opening day. The top order suggested a more fruitful time for Derbyshire, but they lost their last six wickets for 46, including Dan Birch who top-scored with 72, as the Middlesex attack shared the workload and the wickets. However, the visitors did manage a late strike to leave them feeling in slightly better heart.
When a captain decides to bowl they always say judge the decision at the end of the day, so it all looks quite rosy for Smith, but he will have had more than the odd concern during the morning session as the first wicket added 87. His bowlers, though, bounced back after not making best use of conditions early on. Vernon Philander, the South African allrounder, played an important role with a tight afternoon spell before Shaun Udal managed to nip in and help himself to a couple of wickets.
The first of those was Birch, who had never been entirely convincing in his 161-ball innings, but at least showed more stickability than some of his team-mates. Initially, Udal's role was probably just to keep the scoring rate down until the second new-ball, but he found one to bounce a touch on Birch from the Pavilion End to spark four wickets in 17 balls.
Full postRedmond hundred lifts NZ spirits
The New Zealanders began rebuilding their shattered confidence, following the six-wicket defeat in the second Test at Old Trafford, as Aaron Redmond hit 121 on the opening day against Northamptonshire
Cricinfo staff
30-May-2008
New Zealanders 329 for 8 (Redmond 121, McCullum 72, Fulton 57, Wigley 4-74) v Northamptonshire
Scorecard
Scorecard
The New Zealanders began rebuilding their shattered confidence, following the six-wicket defeat in the second Test at Old Trafford, as Aaron Redmond bounced back from a difficult first two Tests with 121 on the opening day against Northamptonshire. It was Redmond's second hundred of the tour, while stand-in captain Brendon McCullum and Peter Fulton both managed half-centuries.
The tourists were given a boost when Daniel Flynn was passed fit following the blow he took in the mouth from James Anderson last week. He has undergone three lots of dental work to repair the two teeth he lost on the opening day at Old Trafford, and successfully completed a net session ahead of this match. However, his comeback innings lasted just seven balls before he was trapped in front by David Wigley, as the New Zealanders lost their way in the final session.
For much of the day, though, this had been a worthwhile exercise in healing some wounds (both physical and mental) after the disappointments of Manchester. Fulton, in his first innings for a month, and Redmond had to be on their toes for the first hour as the ball jagged around, especially for Johann Louw. But after turning down an offer for bad light, 80 runs came off the next 12 overs up to lunch. Fulton didn't add to his score after the break when he got an edge off Louw and Northamptonshire soon made further inroads.
Full post