Report
Hildreth batters Essex to defeat
Ravi Bopara sent the England selectors a timely reminder of his talents with a fine innings of 91 but Essex still fell to a four-wicket defeat to Somerset in the Pro-ARCH Trophy in Abu Dhabi
Martyn Hindley in Sharjah
19-Mar-2008
Somerset 282 for 6 (Hildreth 98*, Gazzard 58, Phillips 4-43) beat Essex 278 (Bopara 91) by four wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
Ravi Bopara sent the England selectors a timely reminder of his talents with a fine innings of 91 but Essex still fell to a four-wicket defeat to Somerset in the Pro-ARCH Trophy in Abu Dhabi.
Bopara hit ten fours and a six during his 104-ball stay at the crease that was ended by a terrific stumping down the leg side by Craig Kieswetter off the bowling of Peter Trego. Essex were 93 for 4 at one stage before James Foster (40), Tim Phillips (41) and James Middlebrook (30) hauled them up to the respectability of 278 on a benign pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
It was Somerset's debut in the competition, having arrived in the Middle East without Marcus Trescothick on Saturday. But they hit the ground running with the bat and didn't hesitate during the chase, even after falling to 151 for 5 with the required rate loitering around six per over.
Full postSri Lankans in front despite Brooks' resistance
A defiant half-century by Sharmarh Brooks helped Guyana President's XI (GPS) recover to post 248 in response to the Sri Lankans' score of 492 for 5 declared
Cricinfo staff
19-Mar-2008
Sri Lankans 492 for 5 dec (Dilshan 101*, Silva 51*) lead Guyana President's XI 248 (Haynes 61, Brooks 68, Herath 5-67) by 244 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
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The overnight pair of Dilshan and Silva went on the attack and piled on 149 runs in the morning session before the captain Mahela Jayawardene decided to declare half an hour before lunch. Dilshan hit two sixes in his 101, off 105 balls while Silva's 51 came off 74 balls with five fours.
The GPS opening pair of Keiran Powell and Jason Haynes began briskly, adding 52 before Powell fell to Nuwan Kulasekara for a 33-ball 27. However, the rest of the top order too fell while going for their strokes and a steady fall of wickets left the home side at 95 for 4. Haynes, who brought up his half-century, was run-out just before the tea interval as the home side slipped further. He hit nine fours and a six in his 61 off 93 balls.
Full postNSW's all-round power delivers Pura Cup title
New South Wales became the Pura Cup champions for the third time in six years with a 258-run win over Victoria after Beau Casson grabbed four wickets on the fifth day
Brydon Coverdale
19-Mar-2008
New South Wales 281 & 8 for 563 dec beat Victoria 216 & 370 (Jewell 99, White 57, Crosthwaite 50, Casson 4-128) by 258 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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New South Wales became the Pura Cup champions for the third time in six years with a 258-run win over Victoria after Beau Casson grabbed four wickets on the fifth day. Nick Jewell looked set to pick up a consolation century but his dismissal for 99 was indicative of Victoria's season - so near and yet so far.
The Bushrangers were consistent enough to make all three domestic finals, however for the second summer in a row they had to settle only for the Twenty20 title. The Blues, on the other hand, had a terrible limited-overs campaign yet completed the Pura Cup undefeated and deserved the triumph.
Full postYadav and Patil seal win for Champs
A splendid spell of bowling by Avinash Yadav, and an unbeaten 66 from Raviraj Patil helped the Champs to their first win
Cricinfo staff
18-Mar-2008
Mumbai Champs 135 for 4 (Patil 66*, Gillespie 2-27) beat Ahmedabad Rockets 131 for 9 (Hinds 30, Yadav 4-14) by six wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
A splendid spell of bowling by Avinash Yadav and an unbeaten 66 from Raviraj Patil helped the Champs to their first win after three matches of the current Indian Cricket League tournament.
The Rockets' openers, whose powerful stand knocked the wind out of Chandigarh Lions in the first game of the tournament, gave their team a steady start after Damien Martyn decided to bat against the Champs. Sachin Dholpure was trapped by Michael Kasprowicz for 29 after he and Wavell Hinds had put on 61 off 9.1 overs, and although they were slightly off the pace, the platform given was ideal for a run-fest in the remaining overs.
However, Avinash Yadav wrecked any such hopes with his 4-0-14-4. He first removed Hinds in the 12th over. Saman Jayantha effected a run-out of Sridharan Sriram in the 14th; in the same over he caught Martyn off Yadav's bowling. The left-arm spinner went on to make it four for the match by dismissing Reetinder Sodhi and Rakesh Patel in the 18th.
Full postColombo CC move up to second place
A round-up of the eighth-round matches of the Premier League Tournament
Sa'adi Thawfeeq
18-Mar-2008
Sinhalese and Nondescripts were lucky to escape possible defeats when bad weather washed out the final days' play in their Premier League Tournament Tier A matches against Moors and Bloomfield .
In a low scoring game in Colombo, Nondescripts were dismissed for 151 and 177 which left Bloomfield with the task of chasing 148 for victory. They finished day three at 80 for 4 and required a further 68 runs on the final day, but heavy overnight rain rendered the ground unfit for play.
At Moors Sports Club Ground, leaders Sinhalese were fighting with their backs to the wall against Moors. Dismissed for 193 in the first innings, they were at 131 for 6 - 105 runs ahead - in their second innings at close on the third day. Dilhara Lokuhettige took six wickets, besides scoring 78 off 66 balls to help Moors recover from a precarious 89 for 5 to 219.
Moors' bad luck with the weather enabled Colombo Cricket Club displace them from the second spot after they beat Badureliya by six wickets. Having bowled out Badureliya for 175, Colombo lost nine wickets for 89 before tailenders Chandra Kumara (61 not out) and Ishan Ratnayake, who made a career-best 45, came together to give their side a 29-run lead on the first innings. Badureliya were dismissed for 185 in their second innings leaving CCC with a easy target of 157. Jehan Mubarak followed his haul of 4 for 28 in Badureliya's second innings with a composed knock of 66 off 84 balls to guide Colombo to victory.
Full postNafees and Ashraful seal big win
Shahriar Nafees struck a fluent unbeaten 90 while Mohammad Ashraful signalled his return to form with 64 not out, as Bangladesh avenged their loss to Ireland in the World Cup with a convincing eight-wicket win in Mirpur
Cricinfo staff
18-Mar-2008
Bangladesh 186 for 2 (Nafees 90*, Ashraful 64*) beat Ireland 185 for 7 (Cusack 38, Mortaza 3-22) by eight 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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Shahriar Nafees struck a fluent unbeaten 90 while Mohammad Ashraful signalled his return to form with 64 not out as Bangladesh avenged their 2007 World Cup loss to Ireland with a convincing eight-wicket win in Mirpur. More importantly for Bangladesh, it was their first ODI victory after a run of 14 losses and the under-fire Ashraful's first as captain.
Bangladesh were off to a blazing start with Tamim Iqbal blasting two successive boundaries through the covers off seamer Kevin O'Brien. Nafees, after picking a couple of runs off the first delivery that he faced, cut Dave Langford-Smith past point to get his innings going. Langford-Smith drew first blood for Ireland in the fifth over, as Tamim sliced the ball to Greg Thompson at point. Nafees did not let that affect his intent, striking three fours in a single over bowled by Langford-Smith, who, despite an early wicket, struggled to maintain a consistent line.
Full postSarwan sets up Guyana's innings victory
A round-up of the fourth day's play of the sixth round of matches in the Carib Beer Series
Cricinfo staff
18-Mar-2008
Guyana 415 (Sarwan 150, Chanderpaul 82) beat Leeward Islands 204 (Mohammed 4-49) and 182 (Morton 96*, Mohammed 4-40) by an innings and 29 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Leeward Islands captain Runako Morton was stranded on 96 as Guyana needed only 35 minutes to dismiss Leewards and seal victory by an innings and 29 runs. Leewards were dismissed for 182 in their second innings after resuming on 160 for 8.
Offspinner Zaheer Mohammed took the last two wickets to finish with 4 for 40 to go with his first-innings haul of 4 for 49, while fast bowler Trevon Garraway took 3 for 56 and Esuan Crandon chipped in with 2 for 54.
Brent Defreitas scored just one before he was out with the score on 162. Anthony Martin partnered Morton in a 20-run stand in an effort to see him to his century but was bowled for 4, leaving Morton stranded. He had batted 222 minutes and faced 126 balls for his 96.
Full postLee's 97 puts Blues on the brink
Brett Lee narrowly missed his maiden first-class century but New South Wales made securing the Pura Cup a formality after four days at the SCG
Brydon Coverdale
18-Mar-2008
Victoria 216 & 2 for 96 need another 533 runs to beat New South Wales 281 & 8 for 563 dec (Hughes 116, Lee 97, Katich 92, Casson 89, Clarke 64, Siddle 4-101)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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Brett Lee narrowly missed his maiden first-class century but New South Wales made securing the Pura Cup a formality after four days at the SCG. The Blues completely dominated the day, batting Victoria out of the contest by achieving a 628-run first-innings lead that set up what will become a celebratory fifth day for the home side.
Lee and Beau Casson spent more than four hours frustrating Victoria with a 176-run seventh-wicket stand before Stuart MacGill capped off proceedings with two late strikes as Victoria reached 2 for 96 at stumps. Nick Jewell was on 44 and David Hussey, who will never die wondering, raced to 31 from 28 balls.
Full postArnold blitz helps Superstars clinch thriller
Russel Arnold blitzed a 40-ball 66 to inspire the Chennai Superstars to a nail-biting victory over the Kolkata Tigers in Hyderabad
Cricinfo staff
17-Mar-2008
Chennai Superstars 187 for 6 (Arnold 66*, Harvey 49) beat Kolkata Tigers 185 for 6 (McMillan 69, Jhunjhunwala 50) by four wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
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Russel Arnold blitzed a 40-ball 66 to inspire the Chennai Superstars to a nail-biting victory over the Kolkata Tigers in Hyderabad. Set a challenging 186 to win, Arnold and the Superstars held their nerve to post their first win of the tournament, with two balls to spare.
While it was Arnold who applied the finishing touches, it was the in-form opener Ian Harvey who laid the groundwork with an express 49 featuring three sixes and four fours. He and G Vignesh gave the Superstars a flier, raising 49 off the first five overs.By the time Harvey was dismissed in the tenth over, the Superstars had raced to 92.
Full postWest coast to six-wicket victory
West Zone made easy work of a target of 226 against East Zone in Hyderabad, finishing the match within 40 overs to secure the bonus point
Cricinfo staff
17-Mar-2008
West Zone 226 for 4 (Rahane 60, Nayar 49*) beat East Zone 225 (Saurabh Tiwary 65, Das 47) by 6 wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
West Zone made easy work of a target of 226 against East Zone in Hyderabad, finishing the match within 40 overs to secure the bonus point. Wasim Jaffer began the chase with an aggressive knock, Ajinkya Rahane kept East at bay during the middle overs, before Abhishek Nayar sealed the deal with a 27-ball 49.
East, after opting to bat, started steadily with the openers Sourav Ganguly and Arindam Das adding 63 in 14 overs. Ganguly scored five fours in his 30 before falling to a tame pull and the rest of the top order failed to carry on after making starts. At 124 for 4, East were in need of a revival and it was Saurabh Tiwary who led the way with his second consecutive half-century, adding 65 for the fifth wicket with Laxmi Ratan Shukla. Tiwary, known for his aggressive batting, showed a lot of urgency in his 65, hitting four fours and two sixes.
East lost their way in the slog overs after Venugopal Rao struck twice to send back Shukla for 25 and then Wriddhiman Saha for 3 with the score reading 198 for 6. There was no late-innings surge from the lower order to boost the total as East settled for a middle-of-the-road target.
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