Report
Taylor forces underdogs into contention
New Zealand dominated the second day's play at Old Trafford with Ross Taylor's magnificent 154 providing the backbone to a solid first innings of 381
The Bulletin by Will Luke
24-May-2008
England 152 for 4 (Pietersen 22*, Bell 4*, O'Brien 2-37) trail New Zealand 381 (Taylor 154*, Anderson 4-118) by 229 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
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A majestic 154 by Ross Taylor drove New Zealand into a dominant position on the second day against England at Old Trafford. With the visitors squeezing out four late wickets, it is the hosts who are limping, weighed down by that favourites-tag millstone around their necks.
After Taylor's superb hundred provided the backbone to a solid first innings of 381, Iain O'Brien - who replaced Tim Southee for this Test - broke through with an 82mph legbreak to Alastair Cook. Replays suggested the batsman had every right to grumble, but luck and the match momentum were with New Zealand for most of the day. Andrew Strauss and Michael Vaughan then put on a calming 78 in 34.2 long overs before Strauss, who had passed 50 from 125 balls, edged O'Brien to Brendon McCullum, who grasped the most athletic, initiative-seizing of catches low to his left - reminiscent of Alec Stewart's brilliant snaffle to dismiss Brian Lara at Lord's in 1995. Daniel Vettori, who turned it square, then had Michael Vaughan trapped in front before Ryan Sidebottom, the nightwatchman, fell three overs before the close.
Full postRajasthan edge spirited Chennai
A high-scoring thriller which produced 412 runs finally went the way of Rajasthan Royals, as they edged Chennai Super Kings to record their tenth win of the IPL and further consolidate their position at the top of the table
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
24-May-2008
Rajasthan Royals 211 for 5 (Smith 91, Akmal 53*) beat Chennai Super Kings 201 for 7 (Morkel 71, Parthiv 54) by 10 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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A high-scoring thriller which produced 412 runs finally went the way of Rajasthan Royals, as they edged Chennai Super Kings to record their tenth win of the IPL and further consolidate their position at the top of the table. After Graeme Smith had powered Rajasthan to 211, Chennai put up a spirited run-chase, thanks largely to Albie Morkel's 40-ball 71. In the end, though, his effort wasn't enough, which means Chennai still have work to do to make it to the last four.
Smith's 51-ball 91, and his stunning 127-run opening-wicket stand with Swapnil Asnodkar, put Rajasthan firmly in control at the halfway stage, but Chennai mounted a remarkable reply, with three of their top four making significant contributions. Morkel, Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina ensured they kept up with the asking rate throughout - 30 were needed off the last 15 balls, when Rajasthan tightened up their act with accurate bowling and spirited fielding, with Mohammad Kaif putting in an outstanding performance around the long-on and long-off boundaries.
Full postFavourites make strong start
Tournament favourites Afghanistan, Nepal and USA recorded comfortable victories on the opening day of the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey
Cricinfo staff
23-May-2008
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Tournament favourites Afghanistan, Nepal and USA recorded comfortable victories on the opening day of the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey.
Afghanistan survived a middle-order collapse to beat Japan by 93 runs, Nepal defeated Germany by seven wickets and USA beat Mozambique by nine wickets. Jersey also enjoyed success on a bright and sunny day when they beat Singapore by 93 runs while Norway beat Vanuatu by 183 runs and Botswana saw off the Bahamas by 70 runs.
At the Victoria College, Afghanistan suffered a sensational middle-order collapse against Japan when they were bowled out for 179 in 35.4 overs after being 137 for 3. Takuro Hagihara was the pick of Japan bowlers with 5 for 25 while for Afghanistan opener Karim Khan Sedeq top scored with 47. In turn, Japan were bowled out for 80 in 40.2 overs with Hasti Gul Abed bagging 3 for 22.
Full postStrong Gale bolsters Yorkshire
A round-up from the latest County Championship matches
Cricinfo staff
23-May-2008
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First Division
Third day
Andrew Gale led Yorkshire to 525, way past Surrey's declaration total and in reply Surrey ended the day trailing by eight runs, having slipped to 56 for 2, including the wicket of Mark Ramprakash for 14. His hundred hundreds hunt stretches to another match, then; his next opportunity will now be against Somerset at Whitgift School next week. Gale's 150, meanwhile, was his third first-class century, the 100 brought up with a straight single. Jacques Rudolph reached his hundred with the third ball of the day but was later trapped fairly high but playing no shot to Usman Afzaal, who bowled unchanged throughout the morning at The Oval. Rudolph and Gale helped Yorkshire save the follow-on - the mark coming with a straight six from Gale off Afzaal - in a stand worth 206, before pushing on to gain the lead. The powerful Tim Bresnan was left stranded on 84. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan could be out for a few weeks after retiring hurt from batting with a hamstring injury.
Andrew Gale led Yorkshire to 525, way past Surrey's declaration total and in reply Surrey ended the day trailing by eight runs, having slipped to 56 for 2, including the wicket of Mark Ramprakash for 14. His hundred hundreds hunt stretches to another match, then; his next opportunity will now be against Somerset at Whitgift School next week. Gale's 150, meanwhile, was his third first-class century, the 100 brought up with a straight single. Jacques Rudolph reached his hundred with the third ball of the day but was later trapped fairly high but playing no shot to Usman Afzaal, who bowled unchanged throughout the morning at The Oval. Rudolph and Gale helped Yorkshire save the follow-on - the mark coming with a straight six from Gale off Afzaal - in a stand worth 206, before pushing on to gain the lead. The powerful Tim Bresnan was left stranded on 84. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan could be out for a few weeks after retiring hurt from batting with a hamstring injury.
Marcus Trescothick and Ian Blackwell gave Somerset the edge heading into the final day after their batting efforts helped to set Kent 271 at Tunbridge Wells. Charl Willoughby bagged three wickets and limited Kent to 134 for 5 after Trescothick made a big century, but Joe Denly was making a good fist of the chase. He was unbeaten on 64 and his side require a further 137 with 5 wickets in hand. It's anyone's game, but Somerset will be favourites.
Full postClark wobbles Windies on tricky pitch
If there were any doubts how important Ricky Ponting's first-day 158 was to this match, they evaporated on the second day as batsmen from both sides struggled and Stuart Clark and Fidel Edwards thrived on the unpredictable pitch
The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale
23-May-2008
West Indies 115 for 3 (Clark 3-18) trail Australia 431 (Ponting 158, Symonds 70*, Hodge 67, Hussey 56, Edwards 5-104) by 316 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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If there were any doubts how important Ricky Ponting's first-day 158 was to this match, they evaporated on the second day as batsmen from both sides struggled and Stuart Clark and Fidel Edwards thrived on the unpredictable pitch. Only Andrew Symonds, who made an unbeaten and entertaining 70, looked like mastering the up-and-down surface and by the close West Indies were wishing they had not given the visitors such a head-start.
Clark's three wickets late in the day left West Indies at 115 for 3 at stumps with Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 25 and Runako Morton on 23. Their 47-run partnership was important in steadying West Indies, who need a further 117 to avoid the follow-on after Symonds pushed Australia to 431. In a way the home side was lucky; Clark was the only one of Australia's bowlers to find his rhythm and the scorecard could have been more worrying for West Indies had Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart MacGill fired.
Full postMarsh and Sangakkara seal close win
Despite having little to play for in this dead rubber, Kings XI Punjab put on an imposing performance against the Deccan Chargers and gave the other teams plenty to think about ahead of the semi-finals
The Bulletin by Nishi Narayanan
23-May-2008
Kings XI Punjab 178 for 4 (Marsh 60, Sangakkara 50) beat Deccan Chargers 175 for 4 (Gilchrist 50, Rohit 50) by six 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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Despite having little to play for in this dead rubber, Kings XI Punjab gave an imposing performance against the Deccan Chargers and left the other teams plenty to think about ahead of the semi-finals.
The match went down to the last over but Punjab's openers had done enough to keep their side on top through the innings. Shaun Marsh and Kumar Sangakkara injected a dash of nitro fuel to the run chase, adding 50 in 3.5 overs; that only one of the first six overs went for less than 10 runs indicated how brutal their assault was. Marsh picked up from where he had left off against Mumbai while Sangakkara gave no sign he was returning after a five-match injury layoff.
Full postSussex surge to first win
Sussex wrapped up their first Championship victory of the season by a comfortable margin of 73 runs over the home side, Nottinghamshire
John Ward at Trent Bridge
23-May-2008
Sussex 277 and 259 beat Nottinghamshire 212 (Read 56, Swann 41, Collymore 4-60) by 73 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Just after 12.30pm, Sussex wrapped up their first Championship victory of the
season by a comfortable margin of 73 runs over the home side, Nottinghamshire.
It was an expected result, and there were no twists on the final morning to
beguile the small number of spectators.
Nottinghamshire overnight were 114 for 5, with all their specialist batsmen
gone, and needing a further 172 runs to win the match. It was not impossible,
as they are well off for allrounders, but in the context of this low-scoring
match, it was always going to be unlikely.
However, the confidence and application with which Chris Read and Graeme Swann
applied themselves from the start of play showed that Nottinghamshire had by no
means given up the fight. They began steadily and then started opening up,
selecting the right delivery to hit and untroubled by the bowling. Read
brought up his fifty (81 balls) with a superb straight drive to the boundary
off Mushtaq Ahmed, and then pumped Corey Collymore through the covers for four.
Full postSussex in charge as Notts rue misses
Sussex, after making early inroads into the Nottinghamshire second innings after setting them 286 runs for victory, are strong favourites to win
John Ward at Trent Bridge
23-May-2008
Nottinghamshire 251 and 114 for 5 require a further 172 runs to beat Sussex 277 and 259 (Prior 64, Wright 48)
Scorecard
Scorecard
Sussex, after making early inroads into the Nottinghamshire second innings after
setting them 286 runs for victory, are strong favourites to win the match on the
final day, weather permitting. And the home side have only themselves to blame,
as six chances went down during the Sussex second innings that, if held, could
have knocked 100 runs off that target. The slip cordon was most culpable, and
the chief beneficiary was Matt Prior, who celebrated with another very
determined innings; in this match, he scored 140 runs more than the best of his
colleagues.
Sussex began the day 96 runs ahead with two wickets down, but were quickly in
danger of losing that advantage. Michael Yardy, uncertain from the start,
after half an hour chipped a return catch straight back to the bowler, Charlie
Shreck, his arch-enemy after the previous evening's rejected caught-wicket
appeal, for 43. In the next over Murray Goodwin's painstaking vigilance all
came to nothing as he edged Darrin Pattinson to the keeper for 19 off 58 balls.
Chris Adams struggled to get off his pair, then finally achieved it with an uppish
stroke that bisected the off-side fielders, and then was palpably lbw to Mark
Ealham, playing back to a ball that kept low, for 4. Sussex were now
struggling at 114 for 5.
Matt Prior again came to the rescue, partnered by Luke Wright. The pair forsook
their natural inclinations and fought for survival until lunch, with Ealham and
Paul Franks conceding little more than a run an over. Then Wright began to
open out after lunch, followed by Prior. They were leaving Notts behind when
Wright (48) fell to a confusing dismissal: it appeared at first to be lbw, but
was given as caught at short leg, and the batsman was not happy that it was
either.
Full postTaylor responds in kind to England's aggression
Ross Taylor is many things: gifted, certainly; confident of course. Predictable? Perhaps not. Yet on a day which saw four New Zealand wickets fall, his breathless 67 has given his side the edge when England had their tails up. When bad light forced an ear
The Bulletin by Will Luke
23-May-2008
New Zealand 202 for 4 (How 64, Taylor 67*, Oram 22*) v England
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
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Ross Taylor is many things: gifted, certainly; confident of course. Predictable? Perhaps not. Yet on a day which saw four New Zealand wickets fall, his breathless 67 has given his side the edge when England had their tails up. When bad light forced an early close, New Zealand had reached a reasonably comfortable 202 for 4 with Taylor not-out.
His 52-ball fifty, his fourth in Tests, staved off a resurgent afternoon bowling performance England who, led by the tireless Ryan Sidebottom, reduced New Zealand from a solid 80 without loss to a shaky 123 for 4. What made Taylor's performance all the more impressive was its speed and range of strokes; as ever, he was in top gear from the off, and while his detractors must find it infuriating when a crunching drive finds extra cover's gleeful hands, they can't complain on days like today when the gaps were threaded with such precision and panache. Brendon McCullum had fallen for 11, and Jacob Oram batted like a blindman in a hurricane. New Zealand needed Taylor, and he duly responded.
Full postWas this the greatest World Cup final ever?
There have been many one-day games won and lost in the final over and won and lost by four runs or less
Rick Eyre
22-May-2008
There have been many one-day games won and lost in the final over and won and
lost by four runs or less. But few had the importance, the occasion, the
drama of today's final of the 2000 CricInfo Women's World Cup.
Today's game - won by New Zealand by four runs with five balls remaining -
was filled to the brim with drama and tension. For me, it surpasses the
encounter at Lord's in 1975 between the West Indies and Australia as the
greatest World Cup Final, men's or women's, of all time. It may even surpass
the 1999 semi-final at Edgbaston, the tied match between Australia and South
Africa, as the greatest World Cup match of all.
It was a game with almost everything. A match which, on form, Australia
should have won comfortably - and looked like they would when New Zealand
crumbled to be all out for 184.
But New Zealand quickly took the ascendancy with the early removal of the two
outstanding batsmen of the tournament, Lisa Keightley and Karen Rolton.
Belinda Clark, whose World Cup with the bat started shakily but gathered
momentum as the tournament progressed, played an elegant and controlled
innings. She dominated the Australian fightback, scoring roughly threequarters of her team's runs while she was at the crease.
Full post