Report
Chennai Super Kings seal semi-final spot
Mahendra Singh Dhoni lost the toss but everything else went right for his team as the Chennai Super Kings won the match against the Deccan Chargers and sealed a semi-final spot
The Bulletin by Mathew Varghese
27-May-2008
Chennai Super Kings 148 for 3 (Raina 54*, Dhoni 37) beat Deccan Chargers 147 for 8 (Rao 46, Teja 40) by seven 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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Mahendra Singh Dhoni lost the toss but everything else went right for his team, beginning with some tight bowling, as the Chennai Super Kings won the match against the Deccan Chargers and a spot in the semi-finals at the expense of the Mumbai Indians. Chennai will face Kings XI Punjab, whom they have defeated twice in the league games, in one semi-final, while Rajasthan Royals take on Delhi Daredevils in the other.
Chennai had conceded 211 against Rajasthan in their previous game but the bowlers were up to the task this time as Deccan's final attempt to win at home win went awry. Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Shahid Afridi made a combined total of 14 runs, and though Venugopal Rao and Ravi Teja propped them up to 147, it wasn't enough. Chennai had an early wobble, but Suresh Raina, who came in to bat in the fourth over, steered them home with an unbeaten 54.
Full postLeaders cement their positions
A round-up of the third round of the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey
Cricinfo staff
26-May-2008
The third round of the ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Jersey again produced wins for the favourites, and with two rounds remaining, it seems that Afghanistan, Jersey, Nepal and USA are the teams likely to make the last four.
A fantastic innings of 92 from Jersey's Ryan Driver helped his side maintain their winning streak with a comprehensive 128-run victory over Bahamas. Driver, who has county experience in English cricket with Lancashire and Worcestershire, hit five fours and five sixes in his 85-ball innings as the home side made 206-4 in a 32-over game, before Andy Dewhurst destroyed the Bahamas batting order with 6 for 20.
"The team is confident at the minute but we're not being complacent at all. We've turned up every single day and beaten whatever opposition is against us. We're getting better with every game," said 29-year-old Driver. "We know the tournament is going to get a lot tougher but we want to rise to the occasion."
USA defeated Vanuatu by seven wickets, reaching a target of 89 with 4.4 overs to spare in a game in which rain prevented any play in the morning.
Full postNotts scrape to victory over Ireland
A round-up from the latest Friends Provident Trophy matches
Cricinfo staff
26-May-2008
Midlands Division
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Warwickshire emerged winners of a game against Leicestershire made lopsided by intermittent - and interfering - rain showers at Oakham. Batting first Warwickshire made 187 for 8 from 49 overs, having lost one over after the players departed the field, then returned, in the 46th over. Leicestershire set off in pursuit but at 19.3 overs, when on 53 for 2, the rain came again, leaving them eight runs short when Duckworth-Lewis was calculated. Having restricted Warwickshire, to lose in such a manner was a big blow for Leicestershire who are still not through: they need a point in their final game on Wednesday.
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Pts | Net RR | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nottinghamshire | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10 | +0.074 | 922/228.0 | 913/230.0 |
| Leicestershire | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | +0.672 | 1162/242.3 | 999/242.3 |
| Northamptonshire | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | +0.271 | 1143/216.4 | 1141/228.0 |
| Warwickshire | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | -0.145 | 1073/242.3 | 1067/233.3 |
| Ireland | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -0.675 | 1192/296.4 | 1372/292.2 |
Notts scrape to victory over Ireland
A round-up from the latest Friends Provident Trophy matches
Cricinfo staff
26-May-2008
Midlands Division
The game of the day was Nottinghamshire versus Ireland at Trent Bridge by a big margin, given the narrowness of the win - Nottinghamshire triumphing by one run to go top of the table. Ireland may have been the wooden spoons but they were certainly prepared to stir Nottinghamshire, albeit in agonising pursuit of 241. Kevin O'Brien shone with an unbeaten 93, building on Reinhardt Strydom's 49. Nottinghamshire had their middle order to thank for rescuing them from 22 for 3, with Adam Voges, Samit Patel and Chris Read each making fifties.
Warwickshire emerged winners of a game against Leicestershire made lopsided by intermittent - and interfering - rain showers at Oakham. Batting first Warwickshire made 187 for 8 from 49 overs, having lost one over after the players departed the field, then returned, in the 46th over. Leicestershire set off in pursuit but at 19.3 overs, when on 53 for 2, the rain came again, leaving them eight runs short when Duckworth-Lewis was calculated. Having restricted Warwickshire, to lose in such a manner was a big blow for Leicestershire who are still not through: they need a point in their final game on Wednesday.
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Pts | Net RR | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nottinghamshire | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10 | +0.074 | 922/228.0 | 913/230.0 |
| Leicestershire | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | +0.672 | 1162/242.3 | 999/242.3 |
| Northamptonshire | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | +0.271 | 1143/216.4 | 1141/228.0 |
| Warwickshire | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | -0.145 | 1073/242.3 | 1067/233.3 |
| Ireland | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -0.675 | 1192/296.4 | 1372/292.2 |
McGrath repels Scots invaders
It is 130 years since Scotland first played in Yorkshire and, finding the White Rose distinctly less hospitable than the Red, have yet to win a match there
John Ward at Headingley
26-May-2008
Yorkshire 245 for 3 (McGrath 105*) beat Scotland 244 (Smith 60, Gough 3-40) by seven wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
It is 130 years since Scotland first played in Yorkshire and, finding the White Rose distinctly less hospitable than the Red, have yet to win a match there. They put up a bonnie fight for much of today as they sought to make history, but superb Yorkshire batting, by Anthony McGrath in particular, was too much for them and they went down with honour.
Scotland won the toss and decided to bat, under intermittent sunshine amid light cloud, on a pitch with a tinge of green in it. They chose wisely, as they ran up the highest total made against Yorkshire in this competition so far this year. In fact, the way their top order went about the job on this occasion would do credit to most county sides, perhaps the only recognisable difference being the greater proportion of leg-side slogs, as opposed to the usually more correct play of the professionals. But, lest this be considered condescending, it must be said that many of them were very effective.
They were confident from the start, with Ryan Watson the leading protagonist; he began with a powerful four over the covers off the first over, bowled by Tim Bresnan, which yielded eight runs altogether. Yorkshire did not bowl impressively, and too many deliveries fed Watson's favourite pull and slog shots. The 50 came up in the 11th over, and he put on 90 for the first wicket with the former Yorkshire all-rounder Gavin Hamilton before Darren Gough got a ball to keep low and whip in off the pitch, bowling him out for 54.
Full postBrilliant Clark gets Australia home
Stuart Clark produced arguably his best day of bowling in an already first-rate Test career to give Australia a 95-run victory
The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale
26-May-2008
Australia 431 and 167 beat West Indies 312 and 191 (Clark 5-32) by 95 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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Stuart Clark produced arguably his best day of bowling in an already first-rate Test career to give Australia a 95-run victory, which was a flattering result after they spent most of the match locked in a tight battle with West Indies. Clark was almost unplayable on the final day and finished with a career-best 5 for 32 that masked some concerns for Australia, who were shaky in the field and struggled to find decent back-up for Clark and Brett Lee.
Fortunately for Ricky Ponting's men, West Indies, who are ranked No. 8 among Test nations, slipped back into their familiar ways as they threw away wickets and the chance to really push the No. 1 team. Only a 67-run seventh-wicket partnership from Denesh Ramdin and Darren Sammy sparked any real concern in the Australian camp, and after that stand was broken the tail fizzled away with little resistance.
Full postRajasthan secure top spot with last-ball win
The Mumbai Indians lost their third successive nail-biter to leave their semi-final hopes hanging by a thread
The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran
26-May-2008
Rajasthan Royals 146 for 5 (Niraj Patel 40*) beat Mumbai Indians 145 for 7 (Jayasuriya 38, Tanvir 4-14) by five 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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The Mumbai Indians lost their third successive nail-biter to leave their semi-final hopes hanging by a thread. Rajasthan Royals needed 43 off the final three overs to protect their 100% home record and youngsters Niraj Patel and Ravindra Jadeja kept their nerve - while several more experienced Mumbai players lost theirs - to win it off the final ball.
The real winners, though, were Delhi Daredevils, who became the third team to qualify for the semi-finals. Mumbai must now hope Chennai Super Kings lose against Deccan Chargers on Tuesday to stay in contention.
Full postStrauss hundred guides England win
A composed 12th Test hundred from Andrew Strauss guided England to a comfortable six-wicket win over New Zealand on the fourth day at Old Trafford, chasing down 294 - the highest fourth-innings run-chase at the ground - to take a 1-0 lead in the series
The Bulletin by Will Luke
26-May-2008
England 202 and 294 for 4 (Strauss 106, Vaughan 48) beat New Zealand 381 and 114 by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
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A composed 12th Test hundred from Andrew Strauss guided England to a comfortable six-wicket win over New Zealand on the fourth day at Old Trafford, chasing down 294 - the highest fourth-innings run-chase at the ground - to take a 1-0 lead in the series. It marked a remarkable turnaround for England, overturning a 179-run first-innings deficit, which was the fifth highest by any team, while New Zealand have much to ponder, most notably their dismal collapse of 114 all out yesterday.
In truth, New Zealand didn't help themselves. Catches were spilled, overthrows gifted and the fielding was not nearly as alert as it should have been for a side who, at the start of the day, were marginal favourites. Remarkably, Daniel Vettori, who was such a threat yesterday when he ripped through England, went wicketless today on a pitch which lacked any of yesterday's demons. New Zealand did pick up three wickets - and should have had more, had Iain O'Brien not shelled two dollies - but England were always on course.
Full postBravo hopes West Indies' prayers are answered
West Indies have no need to start praying for an outstanding victory over Australia because they have been doing it three times a day already
Cricinfo staff
26-May-2008
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West Indies have no need to start praying for an outstanding victory over Australia because they have been doing it three times a day already. Dwayne Bravo revealed the method was part of galvanising the team, which needs 241 runs to overcome the world champions in the opening Test.
Bravo took 4 for 47 to finish off Australia's second innings at 167 and West Indies reached 46 for 1 at stumps, giving the hosts confidence of recording an upset success. "We are in a very good position at this time and it is up to us as a team to continue the good work," Bravo said. "Once we ensure that we don't lose early wickets to let the Australians back in the game, and once we have a good first session, I have no doubt that we are going to go on and win the game."
Bravo will have an important role to play with the bat on an up-and-down surface while the team will also look to Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul for major contributions. Sarwan was not out 8 while Devon Smith had reached 19.
Full postUSA and Afghanistan power on
A round-up of the third day of the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey
Cricinfo staff
25-May-2008
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It was again a day for the favourites as, in addition to Nepal, there were wins for Afghanistan, USA and Jersey.
Former West Indies batsman Clayton Lambert, coach of the USA team, hailed his side as they comprehensively beat Norway by 10 wickets but said that the players were not going to become over confident despite two comfortable wins. "We're not going to underestimate anybody. We're the ones who have played a higher level of cricket so everyone expects us to win so there is a lot of pressure on," said Lambert.
The USA bowling attack looked extremely threatening with the wickets shared around its pace attack. Khawaja Shuja, the 19-year-old right-arm fast medium bowler, was the pick with figures of 5 for 15, although Steve Pitter (2 for 24) and Imran Awan (2 for 36) were also looking dangerous with some aggressive short-pitched bowling.
Full post