Report
Panesar bowls England to series win
England secured their first overseas series victory in three years with a convincing 121-run win in Napier
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
25-Mar-2008
England 253 and 467 for 7 dec beat New Zealand 168 and 431 (Southee 77*, Taylor 74, Bell 69, Fleming 66, Panesar 6-126) by 121 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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It was an enjoyable end to a series that has been played in fine spirit. Southee's display gives New Zealand something to cling to after a summer that has seen their resources stretched to breaking point by various departures. For a while his mighty swinging after lunch rekindled memories of Nathan Astle's onslaught at Christchurch seven years ago. He took 41 off two Panesar overs on his way to a fifty, and then continued to swing hard when England went back to pace. But when he lost the strike in Ryan Sidebottom's comeback over he left Chris Martin five balls to face and it only took four as Sidebottom, England's outstanding bowler of series, fittingly finished the match by plucking out the off stump for his 24th wicket.
Although some of England's cricket has been far from impressive it's a commendable fightback after going 1-0 down after their humiliation in Hamilton. They also had to fight back from a disastrous start in this match when they slumped to 4 for 3 on the first morning. A number of players have rehabilitated themselves after lean spells, notably Andrew Strauss with his 177 and today it was the turn of Panesar, who continued his probing display from the fourth day even if he was clinging to his career-best at the end.
Full postBatsmen put NBP on top
Round-up of the third day of matches of the ABN-Amro Cup
Cricinfo staff
25-Mar-2008
Group A
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In a top-of-the-table clash in Islamabad, Khan Research Laboratories chased down a stiff target of 279 set by the Islamabad Leopards with three wickets to spare. Both innings followed a similar pattern: not much contribution from the openers, centuries for middle-order batsmen, big stands for the fourth-wicket, and vital runs from the lower order. What made the difference was that Bazid Khan, KRL's centurion, stayed until the end to shepherd the side. KRL's opening bowlers, both part of the national side, had contrasting days - Sohail Tanvir was smashed for 77 runs while Yasir Arafat had returns of 5 for 45.
A solid batting display from Habib Bank Limited saw them defeat Peshawar Panthers by 46 runs in Peshawar and leapfrog the Leopards into second spot. After being put in, HBL piled on a massive 340; Sajid Shah (82) and Rafatullah Mohmand (93) set the platform before Fahad Masood and Younis Khan injected the acceleration. The Panthers' chase was hurt by the fact that despite eight of their batsman reaching 20, only captain Akbar Badshah went on to make a half-century. Abdur Rehman followed up his brisk 25 with figures of 4 for 65.
Full postChamps cruise to consolation win
The Mumbai Champs, already out of the reckoning for a semi-final spot, cruised to a consolation 35-run victory over the Chandigarh Lions
Cricinfo staff
25-Mar-2008
Mumbai Champs 160 for 9 (Astle 42, Khirid 32, Paul 30, Hall 4-8) beat Chandigarh Lions 125 for 8 (Chetan Sharma 25, Iyer 2-13) by 35 runs
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Scorecard
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The Mumbai Champs, already out of the reckoning for a semi-final spot, cruised to a consolation 35-run victory over the Chandigarh Lions. The win was set up by a solid batting display, led by their captain Nathan Astle's breezy 42.
Astle chose to bat at the toss, and the Champs lost two wickets before he and Subhojit Paul smashed 60 runs in six overs. Shreyas Khanolkar and Kiran Powar provided useful contributions before Ranjit Khirid provided the impetus towards the end of the innings. He lashed a 21-ball 32 to lift the Champs to 160.
Full postSri Lanka hold advantage over spirited West Indies
A refreshingly positive West Indian response to a record target of 437 from 113 overs has set up an intriguing conclusion at the Providence Stadium
The Bulletin by Jamie Alter
25-Mar-2008
West Indies 280 and 96 for 1 (Bravo 46*, Sarwan 34*) need another 341 runs to beat Sri Lanka 476 for 8 dec and 240 for 7 dec (Warnapura 62, Samaraweera 56)
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 refreshingly positive West Indian response to a record target of 437 from 113 overs has set up an intriguing conclusion at the Providence Stadium. The day belonged to Sri Lanka who, thanks to half-centuries from Malinda Warnapura and Thilan Samaraweera, declared at 240 for 7, but Dwayne Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan's 74-run stand in 18.3 overs gave West Indies a flicker of hope. Saving this Test remains a long, long way away for the hosts against a side that has a lethal bowler on a last-day track, however benign it may be.
Having dismissed West Indies for 280 early on - Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell averted the follow-on - Sri Lanka ventured into their second innings with quick runs in mind. Warnapura backed his first-innings century with an aggressive 62 and Samaraweera hit his first half-century in just shy of two years amid a series of cameos.
Full postPanesar and Broad bring England victory closer
Monty Panesar took over from England's quick bowlers as the main threat on the fourth day in Napier as he claimed three wickets to bring a series victory closer
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
24-Mar-2008
New Zealand 168 and 222 for 5 (Bell 69, Fleming 66, Panesar 3-49) need another 331 runs to beat England 253 and 467 for 7 dec (Strauss 177, Bell 110)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out
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It was always likely to be harder work for England to claim another ten wickets with conditions again perfect for batting, although the surface began to offer a hint of help for the spinners which Panesar exploited with his best bowling of the winter. He was helped in building the pressure by a sustained spell from Broad, operating for 14 overs unchanged either side of tea to continue an impressive all-round Test.
Fleming walked out to bat through a guard of honour by the England team and the players also broke away from their celebrations to applaud him off the field as he left with a gentle wave of the bat around the ground. New Zealand's collapse of 4 for 25 in 19 overs had shades of the first innings when they shelled nine for 65 and again the floodgates opened when the second-wicket partnership was broken.
Full postGiants edge it despite Binny fifty
Dhruv Mahajan starred with bat and ball as the Delhi Giants boosted their chances of making the semi-finals with a tight seven-run win over Hyderabad Heroes
Cricinfo staff
24-Mar-2008
Delhi Giants 137 for 8 (Mahajan 36, Razzaq 4-23) beat Hyderabad Heroes 130 (Binny 50, Sudhindra 3-25) by seven runs
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Scorecard
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Dhruv Mahajan starred with bat and ball as the Delhi Giants boosted their chances of making the semi-finals with a tight seven-run win over Hyderabad Heroes in Gurgaon. Mahajan was named Man of the Match for his brisk 36 and for a nerveless final over in which he picked two wickets in the first two balls.
With the Heroes needing 31 off the last two overs, the Giants' star recruit Shane Bond conceded 16 in his over as his former New Zealand team-mate Chris Harris crashing a boundary through cover before swinging a massive six over midwicket. That left the Heroes 15 to win, and with the rampaging Harris and Stuart Binny (50) at the crease, they would have fancied their chances. Mahajan, though, had both of them skying catches to long-on to effectively seal the match.
Full postEfficient Sri Lanka maintain upper hand
Sri Lanka's two best bowlers weren't at their menacing best but backed up by a large total, combined efficiently to leave West Indies 269 for 9 and needing eight runs to avoid the follow-on
The Bulletin by Jamie Alter
24-Mar-2008
West Indies 269 for 9 (Sarwan 80) trail Sri Lanka 476 for 8 by 207 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's two leading bowlers weren't at their menacing on day three best but backed up by a large total, they combined efficiently to leave West Indies 269 for 9 and needing eight runs to avoid the follow-on. Their backs against the wall, West Indies struggled on a batsman-friendly surface with an energetic 80 from Ramnaresh Sarwan the mainstay of their reply, surrounded by a series of decent starts that were wasted. Sarwan's dismissal handed Sri Lanka the momentum that almost drifted away during the second session and though the last-wicket pair held out for another morning, Sri Lanka remained on top.
The day began with Devon Smith and Marlon Samuels playing loose shots against Thilan Thushara. The nature of the track required a patient innings and that's precisely how he played. Sarwan scored heavily on the domestic circuit leading into this Test and a busy approach at the crease allowed him to pick up runs on either side of the square.
This came off well against Muttiah Muralitharan, whom Sarwan paddled and cut with fluency on a pitch akin to what would have been served up in Sri Lanka. His feet moved well against Murali - adeptly smothering the spin - and even with three or four fielders around the bat, Sarwan swept the ball into the gaps. His 27th fifty came up with one such shot. Sarwan averaged over 50 when West Indies toured Sri Lanka last and he was instrumental in a series win at home in 2003. His first international innings in ten months was a class act. Unfortunately for West Indies their middle order didn't have such tenacity.
Full postStrauss and Bell bury New Zealand
Andrew Strauss guaranteed himself a place in England's Test side for the foreseeable future with a career-best 173 on the third day in Napier as McLean Park finally produced the sort of run-scoring that had been expected
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
23-Mar-2008
England 253 and 416 for 5 (Strauss 173*, Bell 110) lead New Zealand 168 by 501 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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This was England's most dominant day of batting since they flayed a hapless West Indies side almost a year ago and the top order began to answer their critics after a winter that, before this match, had produced just two hundreds. Kevin Pietersen's 129 on the opening day was a return to form that everyone believed was around the corner, but the second innings performance will have been more satisfying for everyone involved as it came from the two players with most question marks hanging over them.
A true judgement of Strauss's innings is tough because some of New Zealand's bowling was extremely friendly. The way he played and missed against the second new ball when approaching three figures showed that the technique is still not perfect, but the cry he belted out after driving Chris Martin through the covers to bring up his hundred was proof of the emotion and pressure that came with this knock.
Full postJones and Trego sink Sussex
Somerset survived a late wobble to beat Sussex by four wickets in the Pro ARCH Trophy in Abu Dhabi
Cricinfo staff
23-Mar-2008
Somerset 223 for 6 (Trego 94) beat Sussex 221 (Jones 5-33) by four wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
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Chasing a target of 22, Peter Trego and Chris Gazzard got Somerset off to a strong start in a first-wicket stand of 130, and then Trego and Suppiah took the score to 181 before the innings lost direction.
Trego started the rot when he holed out to long-on looking to reach his hundred with a six and then Gazzard chipped a return catch to offspinner Ollie Rayner - five wickets went for 22, but Omari Banks and Ben Phillips clubbed Somerset to victory with 14 balls to spare.
Full postBadshahs cut Giants to size
The Lahore Badshahs extended their domination in the tournament, posting a massive eight-wicket win over the Delhi Giants
Cricinfo staff
23-Mar-2008
Lahore Badshahs 104 for 2 (Nazir 60*) beat Delhi Giants 103 for 7 (Mishra 33, Mushtaq 3-20) by eight wickets
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Scorecard
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The action may have shifted from Panchkula to Gurgaon, but the Lahore Badshahs extended their domination, posting a massive eight-wicket win over the Delhi Giants.
Gurgaon would surely be considered home territory for a team named the Delhi Giants, but a total of 103 after captain Marvan Atapattu chose to bat meant the Giants had little hopes of defending their home turf, with less than 15 overs needed by the Badshahs to hunt down their target.
Full post