Report
Zondeki's five-for rocks West Indians
Monde Zondeki tore through the West Indian batting line-up to restrict the tourists to 193
Cricinfo staff
19-Dec-2007
South Africa A 78 for 1 (McKenzie 43*, van Wyk 25*) trail West Indians 193 (Morton 54, Sammy 40, Zondeki 5-39) by 115 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Monde Zondeki, the right-arm fast bowler, tore through the West Indian batting line-up with five wickets to restrict the tourists to 193 after they opted to bat. Even though South Africa A replied strongly - 78 for 1 at the close with Neil McKenzie, the captain, unbeaten on 43 - the day belonged to Zondeki who played the last of his five Tests for South Africa over two years ago.
Despite two early losses, the West Indians were well-placed at 83 for 2 before a flurry of wickets - including a second-ball duck for Shivnarine Chanderpaul - had them reeling on 112 for 7. A spirited fightback by Runako Morton (54) and useful 40s from Darren Sammy and Rawl Lewis helped them to 193. Sammy and Lewis shared 57 for the eighth wicket and hit 11 fours and a six between them.
Charl Langeveldt and Vernon Philander took two wickets apiece to back-up Zondeki, who has been in excellent domestic form this season with 44 wickets in seven matches.
Full postSri Lanka demolish Bangladesh for consolation win
Sri Lanka Under-19 pulled off a convincing six-wicket consolation win over Bangladesh Under-19
Cricinfo staff
19-Dec-2007
Sri Lanka U-19 125 for 4 (Munaweera 34, Thirimanne 30) beat Bangladesh U-19 123 (Ashraful 28, Fernando 5-28, Peiris 4-30) by 6 wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
Sri Lanka Under-19 pulled off a convincing six-wicket win over Bangladesh Under-19 in the last match of the series after its opening bowlers shared nine of the ten wickets to restrict the hosts to a modest 123.
Opting to bat Bangladesh lost four wickets in the first nine overs of the match as Denuwan Fernando and Chathura Peiris caused plenty of problems. Bangladesh never really recovered from that dismal start and only brief fightbacks, with three batsmen reaching the 20-run mark, enabled them to cross 100. Ashraful Aziz, batting at No. 8, top scored for Bangladesh with a patient 28 as his side was all out in the 41st over.
Fernando finished with 5 for 28 while Peiris picked up four wickets. Lokuge Chandimal, Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper, shone behind the stumps by picking up four catches.
Full postSaurashtra beat Maharashtra to move closer to semi-finals
A round-up of the third day's play of the sixth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League, 2007-08
Cricinfo staff
19-Dec-2007
On the third day of the sixth round, Saurashtra closed in on a semi-final spot by beating Maharashtra outright. Saurashtra now have 20 points, three more than Delhi and five more than Mumbai, whose matches are yet to be completed.
In Group B, Uttar Pradesh made a late charge towards the semi-finals as they beat Bengal by an innings and 152 runs and moved to 14 points with one match to play. Punjab turned the game against Orissa on its head after bowling them out for 76 in the second innings. They look good to chase the 175 runs easily on the fourth day, a result which will give them an excellent chance to avoid relegation. They don't play a match in the last round, having already completed their fixtures, and will have to await other results.
Saurashtra 253 and 68 for 2 (Vaghela 29*, Bahutule 2-35) beat Maharashtra 136 and 182 (Kanitkar 62, Dhurv 5-37, Jadeja 3-45) by 8 wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
 |
|
Elliott ton pushes Redbacks up the table
Matthew Elliott's tenth one-day domestic hundred fired South Australia to third in the table
Cricinfo staff
19-Dec-2007
South Australia 3 for 329 (Elliott 146, Cosgrove 70, Daniel Harris 46) beat Western Australia 259 (Marsh 68, Ronchi 57) by 70 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
|
|
|
Matthew Elliott's tenth one-day domestic hundred fired South Australia to third in the table, a leap from fifth, as they closed out a 70-run win against Western Australia in Perth on Wednesday. Elliott struck 146 from 141 balls, the highest one-day innings for a South Australian, to take the visitors to 3 for 329, their largest one-day total, and was backed up by a disciplined bowling performance which ensured the Warriors fell away.
Elliott moved past his previous best this season of 133 and then overhauled Darren Lehmann's 142 in 1994-95. He rode his luck, dropped on 11 and out to a no-ball on 97, but overall his was an entertaining innings, and one which consigned the Warriors to their fourth successive defeat.
Full postRain ruins third day
Incessant rain washed out the entire third day's play between Karnataka and Delhi at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore
Cricinfo staff
19-Dec-2007
Karnataka 0 for 0 (Pawan 0*, Uthappa 0*) v Delhi 538 (Kohli 169, Dhawan 148, Manhas 124, Vinay 5-124)
Scorecard
Scorecard
Incessant rain washed out the entire third day's play between Karnataka and Delhi at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The inclement weather severely hampered Delhi's chances of securing first-innings points and enhancing their semi-final hopes. Karnataka have barely begun their first innings - they faced only one ball on the second day - and Delhi have only one day left to push for ten wickets, which will get them three points. If Delhi can't bowl Karnataka out on the fourth day, they will get only one point from the match. Delhi currently have 17 points and are competing with Saurashtra and Mumbai for a semi-final berth. Saurashtra have moved to first place in the group with 20 points after beating Maharashtra in three days while Mumbai is also strongly placed for an outright win against Himachal Pradesh.
Full postUnstoppable Jayawardene brings series closer
Sri Lanka's hunt for a series victory has become a personal quest for Mahela Jayawardene after his unbeaten 149 kept England in the field throughout the second day at Galle
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
19-Dec-2007
Sri Lanka 384 for 6 (M Jayawardene 149*, Dilshan 84, Vaas 46*) v England
Scorecard
How they were out
Scorecard
How they were out
|
|
|
Jayawardene's century, his 21st in Tests, arrived shortly after tea and followed the 195 that ended England's chances in Colombo. Individual shots from a Jayawardene innings don't stick in the mind but that is far from criticism as his effortless and elegant strokeplay has become a defining feature of this contest. With a poor weather forecast for the remainder of this Test Sri Lanka have already done enough to secure the series and Jayawardene's role has been immense.
England are left contemplating how things could have been different after a shoddy fielding display. Jayawardene was missed on 66 by Matt Prior, who also dropped Dilshan on 54 as he endured a tough day to take the gloss off an impressive series. Dilshan had been offered an earlier life, too, on 7 when Alastair Cook couldn't hold on to a sharp chance at gully. England's bowlers stuck to their task but, except for the first innings at Kandy, they have never threatened to run through Sri Lanka and creating more chances to make up for drops was asking too much.
Full postManhas powers Delhi to 538
Mithun Manhas piled on the agony for Karnataka as Delhi posted a commanding 538 in their first innings
|
|
|
Delhi's charge towards a place in the semi-final was slowed down by bad light with only 63 overs of play possible on the second day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Mithun Manhas hit a stroke-filled century to help Delhi pile up 538 runs in their first innings before play was called off, Karnataka facing a solitary delivery, more than an hour before the scheduled close.
Delhi would hope the skies clear up in the next two days as both Mumbai and Saurashtra - their closest rivals for a place in the final four, with 15 points each - have taken firm grips on their respective games. If both teams go on, as likely, to win their games, they would be on 20 points; Delhi, currently on 17 points, need to get at least three points from the first-innings lead here to stay with them.
Full postUP turn the screw on Bengal
A round-up of the second day's play of the sixth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League, 2007-08
Cricinfo staff
18-Dec-2007
|
|
|
Half-centuries from Mohammad Kaif, Piyush Chawla and Praveen Kumar put Uttar Pradesh in a position to press for an outright win after they had shot Bengal out for 149 on the first day. They ended the second day with a lead of 288 with three wickets in hand.
Resuming at 128 for 2, UP lost Suresh Raina, who started the day on 55, for the addition of only eight more runs. Kaif got good support from Ravikant Shukla and Chawla, as he added 92 and 86 with them for the fifth and sixth wickets. Kaif fell nine short of a century, while Chawla scored 53. Praveen took the lead close to 300 with an unbeaten 50 off 71 deliveries.
Full postRain dashes Bangladeshi hopes at Hamilton
The Bangladeshi's 50-over match against Northern Districts wash washed out
Cricinfo staff
18-Dec-2007
|
|
|
Bangladesh's chances of notching up a much-needed win before the three-match one-day series kicks off were dashed as their second 50-over match against Northern Districts was washed out. Persistent showers forced officials to abandon play 41 overs into the hosts' innings at Hamilton's Seddon Park, with their score 173 for 7.
Young ND batsman Kane Williamson, player of the tournament in the recent Gillette Cup schools competition, was unbeaten on 47 from 56 balls amid consistent strikes from the Bangladeshi bowlers after ND chose to bat.
Full postLate Harmison burst gives England edge
Three years after tragedy struck Galle, Test cricket returned to the International Stadium. A late burst from Steve Harmison meant England ended a truncated opening day with their noses in front
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
18-Dec-2007
Sri Lanka 147 for 4 (M Jayawardene 51*, Dilshan 7*, Harmison 3-28) v England
Scorecard
How they were out
Scorecard
How they were out
|
|
|
Last week in Colombo, Harmison toiled through nearly 42 overs for his three wickets but he improved with every spell and here was on the mark straightaway. His early overs were aggressive and sharp but it was the post-tea burst, claiming Sangakkara and Chamara Silva, that gave England the lift they needed after a disappointing return of two wickets in the opening two sessions.
The disrupted build-up to the match left plenty of question marks over how the pitch would play and Michael Vaughan's decision to bowl reflected both this and the feeling that England's attack needed all possible assistance to take 20 wickets. But it also left his team with the likelihood of having to bat last against Muttiah Muralitharan and a few signs of uneven bounce, and spin for Monty Panesar, suggests that won't be an easy prospect.
Full post