Report
Amla and Boucher lift SA to 540
A chanceless 159 from Hashim Amla, buttressed by vital contributions from Mark Boucher and AB de Villiers, was the springboard for South Africa to dominate
The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran in Chennai
27-Mar-2008
India 82 for 0 (Sehwag 52*, Jaffer 25*) trail South
Africa 540 (Amla 159, McKenzie 94, Smith 73, Harbhajan 5-164) by 458 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 chanceless 159 from Hashim Amla, buttressed by vital contributions from
Mark Boucher and AB de Villiers, was the springboard for South Africa to
dominate the first two sessions of the second day, but India's openers
then inflicted some punishment of their own on a dozy pitch where the
bowlers were seldom more than peripheral players. By the time stumps were
drawn, with four of the scheduled 90 overs still to be bowled, India had
knocked off 82 in pursuit of an imposing South African total.
Amla's superb innings spanned 262 balls and ended only with a run
out, but there was still time for Boucher, who made 70, and Morne Morkel,
with a brisk 35, to flog sagging spirits before Harbhajan Singh returned
to mop up the tail and finish with 5 for 164. The 100 minutes of batting
that India faced had the potential to be tricky, but Sehwag's insouciance
and Jaffer's elegance made light of the challenge posed by a three-man
pace attack.
Full postSussex dent Yorkshire's hopes
Yorkshire's hopes of winning the Pro Arch Trophy were dented by Sussex who beat them by nine runs in the tournament's penultimate match
Cricinfo staff
26-Mar-2008
Sussex 209 for 8 (Thornely 49) beat Yorkshire 200 for 9 by nine runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Yorkshire's hopes of winning the Pro Arch Trophy were dented by Sussex who beat them by nine runs in the tournament's penultimate match.
Yorkshire need to beat UAE in the final match to finish level on points with Lancashire and Somerset, and they need a comprehensive win to overtake their Roses rivals.
Sussex got off to a good start, reaching 110 for 1 before losing three wickets without addition. The middle order rallied to boost them to 209 for 8, seemingly a below-par score in the conditions.
Full postBosman flays sorry Zimbabwe
A round-up of the second day's action in the Standard Bank Pro20
Ken Borland and Andy Colquhoun
26-Mar-2008
Eagles 181 for 3 (Bosman 94) beat Zimbabwe 85 for 9 by 98 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
A lethal Loots Bosman condemned Zimbabwe to an awful 98-run defeat at the hands of the Eagles in their Standard Bank Pro20 match in Bloemfontein.
Zimbabwe's bowlers took some quite sickening punishment as Bosman plundered 94 off just 50 balls to take the Eagles to 181 for 3 after 17 overs in a rain-interrupted innings. He started sedately, scoring three singles off his first 12 balls, but then exploded into action, hitting six fours and a six off his next 10 balls. Busy innings by Morne van Wyk (21 off 21), Dean Elgar (24 not out off 15) and Ryan McLaren (27 off 17 balls) were the sideshows because the limelight was where it belonged, firmly on Bosman. He reached his half-century in 31 deliveries and struck seven fours and six sixes in all and it was a major surprise when left-arm spinner Keith Dabengwa eventually dismissed him in the 13th over. Bosman's onslaught ensured that four of the six Zimbabwe bowlers would go for more than 10 runs an over.
Zimbabwe's target was adjusted to 184 because the home side's innings was interrupted after 9.5 overs, and the Eagles struck a massive early blow in the Zimbabwe innings when former captain Tatenda Taibu was run out off a wide, without facing a ball, in the first over. Chamu Chibhabha was run out by Bosman in the next over and Zimbabwe simply had no chance of overcoming the escalating required run-rate. Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor baled some of the water out of the sinking ship, both scoring 28 of 26 balls. But offspinner Thandi Tshabalala then tormented the middle-order, who were hitting out in desperate fashion, to finish with 2 for 16 in his four overs.
Full postJhunjhunwala and Nechim power Tigers' win
The Lions stumbled for the second consecutive day in a run-chase of 160-odd as they fell to a 22-run loss against the Kolkata Tigers
Cricinfo staff
26-Mar-2008
Kolkata Tigers 165 for 7 (Jhunjhunwala 62, Klusener 38, Hall 3-37) beat Chandigarh Lions 143 (TP Singh 34, Nechim 4-27, Adams 3-22) by 22 runs
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Scorecard
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The Lions stumbled for the second consecutive day in a run-chase of 160-odd as they fell to a 22-run loss against the Kolkata Tigers, thus ending their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals.
The match in Gurgaon was a crunch clash, as both sides needed to win to have any chance of going through. Craig McMillan, the Tigers' captain, won the toss and his top order cashed in on the decision to bat.
Full postSri Lanka create history in the Caribbean
Sri Lanka achieved their quest for a maiden Test win on Caribbean soil in their fifth attempt
The Bulletin by Jamie Alter
26-Mar-2008
Sri Lanka 476 for 8 dec (Jayawardene 136, Warnapura 120, Vaas 54*) and 240 for 7 dec (Warnapura 62, Samaraweera 56) beat West Indies 280 (Sarwan 80) and 315 (Bravo 83, Sarwan 72, Gayle 51*, Vaas 5-61) by 121 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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Sri Lanka achieved their quest for a maiden Test win on Caribbean soil, in their fifth attempt, but it was far from an easy feat thanks to some stubborn resistance from West Indies. Dwayne Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan extended their defiance in the opening session, but the Sri Lankan bowlers, led by Chaminda Vaas' 5 for 61, came back strongly after lunch, despite a back-to-the-wall innings from Chris Gayle. A splendid catch from Muttiah Muralitharan to dismiss the last man Daren Powell off Vaas sparked joyous scenes as the visitors completed a 121-run win to go 1-0 up in the two-Test series.
In times dominated by the buzz of pop-bang cricket the two teams battled on a gripping day. West Indies began facing a mountain to climb and Sri Lanka snapped up wickets at crucial intervals to cut off all thoughts of a record 437-run chase. Bravo fell to Murali half an hour before lunch, Ryan Hinds went similarly on the stroke of tea, and Vaas nipped out the dangerous Shivnarine Chanderpaul in between - but Gayle's innings delayed victory wonderfully.
Full postWest beat South to finish second
Powered by a counterattacking 90 by Abhishek Nayar, and a steady display by their medium-pacers, West Zone beat South Zone by 26 runs in Bangalore to finish second in the Deodhar Trophy
Cricinfo staff
26-Mar-2008
West Zone 272 (Nayar 90, Vinay Kumar 3-43) beat South Zone 246 (Badrinath 64, Trivedi 3-38, Munaf 2-33) by 26 runs
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Scorecard
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Powered by a counterattacking 90 by Abhishek Nayar, and a steady display by their medium-pacers, West Zone beat South Zone by 26 runs in Bangalore to finish second in the Deodhar Trophy. Central had already secured the title by winning their first three matches with a bonus point in each of them.
West had started a middle-order collapse when Nayar came into bat at 105 for 3 in the 25th over. In the next 10 overs, they stumbled to 165 for 6, and were in danger of being bowled out. That's when Nayar found stable company in Ajit Agarkar, and by the time Agarkar got out West were in a position to accelerate in the slog overs. The two added 66 in 11.1 overs, while some lusty blows towards the end to take West to 272. Nayar was the last man out - in the 50th over, for an 80-ball 90.
Full postPenalty runs hand Moors dramatic victory
A round-up of the ninth round of matches of the Premier League Tournament
Sa'adi Thawfeeq
26-Mar-2008
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Moors beat Colts Cricket Club in their Premier League Tier A match in unusual circumstances scraping through to victory on penalty runs awarded by the umpires for time wasting.
Moors, who had conceded a first-innings lead of 129, were set 239 for victory in 42 overs. But when the umpires eventually called off play for bad light at 6.24 pm, Moors found themselves still two runs short of the target with five wickets intact. However, their disappointment turned to delight a few minutes later when the umpires, in consultation with match referee Graeme Labrooy, the former Sri Lanka fast bowler, decided to award them five penalty runs on the grounds of deliberate time-wasting tactics by the Colts captain Jeevantha Kulatunga, who had earlier received a warning for the same offence.
Those five penalty runs gave Moors victory by five wickets and lifted them to the runner-up slot, behind Sinhalese in the Tier A standings.
Full postRashid spins Yorkshire home
Adil Rashid produced a fine all-round performance for Yorkshire to take them to a comfortable 51-run win over Somerset in the penultimate match of the Pro Arch Trophy in Abu Dhabi
Cricinfo staff
26-Mar-2008
Yorkshire 264 for 7 (Gale 63, McGrath 53, Jones 2-37) beat Somerset 213 (Banks 55*, Rashid 2-23) by 51 runs
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Scorecard
Adil Rashid produced a fine all-round performance for Yorkshire to take them to a comfortable 51-run win over Somerset in the penultimate match of the Pro Arch Trophy in Abu Dhabi. Rashid cracked 35 from 40 balls at No. 6 to chivvy Yorkshire's total up to a competitive 264 for 7 before grabbing 2 for 23 from 10 tidy overs.
For all Rashid's lower-order nous, it was Andrew Gale and Joe Sayers, the openers, who got Yorkshire off to a solid start with a brisk opening stand of 97. Sayers was trapped lbw by Wes Durston for 43 but Gale motored onwards, crunching 11 fours and a six in his 61-ball 63.
When Durston removed Adam Lyth, Yorkshire had slipped to 165 for 4 before Anthony McGrath took charge in a typically combative 53 and, together with Rashid, the pair put on 65 for the fifth wicket before Stefan Jones picked up two late wickets.
Full postSouth African top order takes the honours
Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith led the way with a 132-run opening partnership, and Hashim Amla built on that with an elegant unbeaten 85 as South Africa seized the initiative on the opening day
The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran in Chennai
26-Mar-2008
South Africa 304 for 4 (McKenzie 94, Amla 85*, Smith 73) against
India
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith led the way with a 132-run opening
partnership, and Hashim Amla built on that with an elegant unbeaten 85 as
South Africa seized the initiative on the opening day of this three-Test
series. McKenzie, who only made it back into the side at the beginning of
2008 after an absence of more than three years, struck 18 fours in a
classy 94, and Smith pummelled 73 on a sleeping beauty of a pitch where
India were left to rely on their slow bowlers for respite.
Their four-man attack was seriously stretched in the sweltering heat, with RP
Singh, returning from a hamstring problem, especially profligate on a
surface where there could be no margin for error. Just over three weeks
after they put Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy in the shade in Chittagong -
the old record had been established just down the road at the old Corporation
Stadium - McKenzie and Smith made full use of winning the toss, piling on
109 in the opening session.
Full postZimbabwe clinch a thriller
Zimbabwe evaded the clutches of a Johan Botha-inspired Eastern Cape Warriors side in the final yards as they clinched a thrilling two-wicket victory with a ball to spare
Ken Borland
26-Mar-2008
Zimbabwe 123 for 8 (Botha 4-19) beat Warriors 122 for 5 by two wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
Zimbabwe evaded the clutches of a Johan Botha-inspired Eastern Cape Warriors side in the final yards as they clinched a thrilling two-wicket victory with a ball to spare in their Standard Bank Pro20 match in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday.
Zimbabwe, chasing 123 for victory, shook off a wonderful spell of spin bowling by Botha, who took 4 for 19 to reduce the visitors to 91 for 7 after 16 overs. The turning point came in the penultimate over, bowled by Warriors captain Zander de Bruyn, as Prosper Utseya and Ray Price both hit boundaries in an over that cost 10 runs, leaving nine to get off the last.
The talented Steven Nyamusinga finished off the job in a telling knock of 12 not out.
Zimbabwe raced out of the blocks as Hamilton Masakadza (21), Tatenda Taibu (22) and Chamu Chibhabha (31) all scored at better than a run-a-ball to take Zimbabwe to 59 for 1 after nine overs.
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