Report
Bhatia century helps Delhi take charge
Maharashtra, after conceding a 190-run first-innings lead, were 129 for 4, with Kanitkar, the batsman who looked like he could salvage a draw, out for 50
The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga in Nagothane
11-Dec-2007
Maharashtra 219 and 129 for 4 (Kanitkar 50, Sangwan 2-33) trail Delhi 409 (Bhatia 107, Tehlan 53, Agharkar 5-85) by 61 runs
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With the wickets of Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Venugopal Rao towards the end of the third day, Delhi edged closer to an outright win against Maharashtra and top position in the Ranji Super League Group A. Maharashtra, after conceding a 190-run first-innings lead, were 129 for 4, with Kanitkar, the one batsman who looked like he could salvage a draw, out for 50.
The Maharashtra top order batted more sensibly than in the first innings and there was a hint of misfortune in the manner their openers were dismissed. Harshad Khadiwale bagged a pair as he was given lbw off an inswinging delivery from Pradeep Sangwan. Khadiwale's reaction resembled Aakash Chopra's yesterday, except that his bat went up right away. After that, he stood his ground for about seven seconds before walking away.
Full postOrissa seal six-wicket win
A round-up of the third day's play of the fifth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League, 2007-08
Cricinfo staff
11-Dec-2007
Orissa 99 and 137 for 4 (Pati 30, Jayachandra 29*) beat Bengal 107 and 124 by 6 wickets
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Orissa won their second successive match in the Super League after wrapping up a six-wicket win against Bengal with more than a day and a half to spare. At the start of day three, Orissa needed 51 runs to seal the game with seven wickets in hand. In the very first over, they lost Rashmi Ranjan Parida, caught behind off Ashok Dinda for 28. After that Rashmi Ranjan Das and Pinninti Jayachandra batted 20.2 overs for the 50 runs required. Das took more than an hour and a half for his 21. With ten points from four matches, Orissa are now second behind group-leaders Baroda with 14.
Hyderabad 132 and 137 for 6 (Pai 53, Shinde 1*, Ojha 1*) need another 18 runs to beat Andhra 159 and 127
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Bottom-of-the-group Hyderabad need 18 runs to get their first win of the season, after they were set a target of 155 by Andhra Pradesh. MP Arjun added another wicket to his overnight six and ended with figures of 7 for 56 for the innings as Andhra were bowled out for 127. Playing only his sixth first-class game, Arjun ended with a match haul of nine wickets, vastly improving on his previous best of 4 for 55. Hyderabad were in trouble early in the chase when they lost four wickets for 35 runs. But Arjun Yadav and Anoop Pai added 93 together and when the two were dismissed, Hyderabad needed only 19 more to win.
Full postNew Zealand demolished by brutal Australia
Australia's fast bowlers breathed fire after Andrew Symonds flexed his muscle on the way to an eventful 54-run victory over New Zealand
Peter English
11-Dec-2007
Australia 6 for 186 (Symonds 85*) beat New Zealand 132 (Oram 66*, Noffke 3-18) by 54 runs
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Australia's fast bowlers breathed fire after Andrew Symonds flexed his muscle on the way to an eventful 54-run victory over New Zealand. The new-look outfit showed no signs of nerves and the result was sealed as soon as New Zealand slumped to 5 for 31 chasing 186.
Shaun Tait, who was back after elbow surgery, raced through two wickets in his first over and Brett Lee's extreme speed was responsible for a couple of breakthroughs in his opening spell. There was no respite for the New Zealanders, who were also hit by Mitchell Johnson and Ashley Noffke, and they were all out for 132. It was not the performance they needed ahead of the Chappell-Hadlee Series on Friday.
Full postHussey inflicts more pain on struggling Tasmania
David Hussey's second Pura Cup century of the season gave Victoria a chance of an innings victory against Tasmania
Cricinfo staff
11-Dec-2007
Tasmania 168 & 0 for 10 trail Victoria 399 (Hussey 103, Klinger 60, McDonald 57, Quiney 55) by 221 runs
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David Hussey's second Pura Cup century of the season gave Victoria a chance of an innings victory against Tasmania, who need another 221 runs to make the Bushrangers bat again. Victoria built the commanding lead in reaching 399 and Tasmania were 0 for 10 when bad light caused an early finish.
Hussey often lifts his output when he is the stand-in captain and the trend continued with his blistering 103 from 115 balls. His half-century came with a six over long-on and he reached triple figures with a cover-driven boundary, one of 16 fours in his innings.
Full postJayawardene masterclass puts Sri Lanka on top
Mahela Jayawardene made England toil with a magnificent 167, his 20th in Tests, remaining unbeaten at stumps on the third day as Sri Lanka grafted their way into a dominant position at Colombo
The Bulletin by Will Luke
11-Dec-2007
Sri Lanka 379 for 4 (Jayawardene 167*, Mubarak 2*, Silva 49) lead England 351 by 28 runs
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How they were out
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How they were out
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Mahela Jayawardene made England toil with a magnificent 167, his 20th century in Tests, remaining unbeaten at stumps on the third day as Sri Lanka grafted their way into a dominant position at Colombo. Already trailing 1-0 in the series, and with a flat pitch showing prodigious turn, England face an uphill battle - and the prospect of Muttiah Muralitharan.
It was the sort of day sides touring the subcontinent most dread: searing heat; a lifeless pitch; an imbalanced, inexperienced and out-of-form bowling attack; and a batting side bristling with determination. England simply couldn't stem the flow of runs, whatever combination of bowlers Michael Vaughan tried, and Sri Lanka's batsmen prospered: principally Jayawardene, who stole the show with a chanceless display of elegance, but also Michael Vandort, with whom he put on 227.
Full postMisbah and Ishant light up the day
Misbah-ul-Haq shepherded Pakistan to safety, but India overcame the early loss of both openers to stretch their lead to 220 by stumps
India 626 and 131 for 2 (Ganguly 63*, Dravid 35*) lead Pakistan 537 (Misbah 133*, Younis 80, Akmal 65, Ishant 5-118) by 220 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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Misbah-ul-Haq, supported by Kamran Akmal and Yasir Arafat,
shepherded Pakistan to safety, but India overcame the early loss of both
openers to stretch their lead to 220 by stumps. Sourav Ganguly's brisk
half-century led the Indian effort, on a pitch that didn't deteriorate like it
was expected to. Misbah's unbeaten 133 was the focal point of the day's
play, but there was also an eye-catching spell from Ishant Sharma, whose
pace and ability to extract bounce from the dodo-dead surface triggered
Pakistan's slide from 525 for 6 to 537 all out.
With a lead of 89, India started sedately and were soon in trouble. Gautam
Gambhir did his Australian tour prospects no good at all with another
failure, clueless against a full slower ball from Shoaib Akhtar, while
Wasim Jaffer played a couple of lovely strokes before being trapped in
front by Arafat. At that stage, India were only 115 in front, with Rahul
Dravid in scratchy form.
Full postMumbai Champs earn consolation win
The Mumbai Champs completed a close seven-run win over the Kolkata Tigers in their final league game
Cricinfo staff
10-Dec-2007
Mumbai Champs 187 for 3 (Paul 50, Khanolkar 64) beat Kolkata Tigers 180 for 9 (Jhunjhunwala 32, Astle 3-26) by 7 runs
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Mumbai Champs, already out of the contention for a semi-final slot, earned a seven-run win over Kolkata Tigers to end a four-match losing streak in the tournament.
Brian Lara, the Champs' captain, opted to bat and the move paid off straightaway as Vikram Solanki and Subhojit Paul put on 46 for the first wicket in 5.3 overs. However, it was the next stand between Paul and Shreyas Khanolkar that set up the winning total for the Champs.
Full postDebutant Paunikar puts Vidarbha in command
A round-up of the second day's play of the fifth round matches of the Ranji Trophy Plate League, 2007-08
Cricinfo staff
10-Dec-2007
Vidarbha 163 and 237 for 4 (Paunikar 102, Fazal 80, Rakesh Kumar 4-70) lead Services 91 (Jasvir Singh 30, Hashim 7-26, Sandeep Singh 3-45) by 309 runs
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After skittling out Services for 91 to gain a first-innings lead of 72, Vidarbha added 237 for the loss of four wickets in their second, to end the day with a lead in a commanding position.
Tottering at 37 for 5 at close on day one, Services lost another wicket on 39 before their innings was propped up by Jasvir Singh and Ashish Mohanty. The two added 44 runs before Mohammad Hashim struck, dismissing Jasvir, Mohanty and Arun Sharma to bag career-best figures of 7 for 26, also the best in the Plate League so far this year.
Vidarbha seized the advantage in the second innings, with Faiz Fazal and Amit Paunikar putting on 168 for the first wicket. Fazal was first to fall for 80, while debutant Paunikar went on to score 102. Left-armer Rakesh Kumar took all four wickets to fall, to go with the three he took in the first innings.
Full postMohanty stuns Bengal in humdinger
A round-up of the second day's play of the fifth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League, 2007-08
Cricinfo staff
10-Dec-2007
Orissa 99 and 82 for 3 need another 51 runs to beat Bengal 107 and 124 (Mohanty 4-38)
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Wickets continued to tumble in Siliguri as Debasis Mohanty and Preetamjit Das, Orissa's new-ball bowlers, shot Bengal out for 124 in the second innings to give their side a great chance of an outright win. Orissa had conceded an eight-run lead, in a low-scoring battle, but fought back splendidly in the second innings. Mohanty added four wickets to the two he had picked up in the first innings and Preetamjit, in just his fifth first-class match, ended with five for the match. For Bengal only Arindam Das, Sourav Sarkar, the bowling hero in the first innings, and Ashok Dinda, the No.11, managed double figures. Left to get 133, Orissa were solidly placed at 82 for 3 with Bikas Pati, Niranjan Behera, and Rashmi Ranjan Parida steering the chase. With 51 runs to get and seven wickets in hand, Orissa were favourites to wrap up their second successive win.
Full postDelhi take vital first-innings lead
The Delhi batsmen applied themselves, strung together partnerships, and put their side 59 ahead of Maharashtra's total of 219 with five wickets to spare
The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga in Nagothane
10-Dec-2007
Delhi 278 for 5 (Manhas 74, Chopra 73, Bhatia 66*) lead Maharashtra 219 by 59 runs
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When Delhi batted on the second day on a tricky Nagothane track, the difference between the two sides came down to one factor: experience. While the Maharashtra batsmen played too many shots, the Delhi batsmen applied themselves, saw out the tough periods, strung together partnerships and by stumps had put their side 59 ahead of Maharashtra's total of 219 with five wickets to spare. The main contributors were Mithun Manhas, Aakash Chopra and Rajat Bhatia, each of whom scored a half-century.
Manhas, who came in to join Chopra after Chetanya Nanda, the nightwatchman, and Virender Sehwag fell in quick succession, looked the most comfortable batsman. From the outset, he batted with ease off both front and back foot, choosing to wait for the ball to come to him rather than commit to playing strokes. He opened his account with a flick off the pads through midwicket, which was a feature of his innings. He hit seven boundaries in his 74 and strung together two important partnerships - 75 for the fourth wicket with Chopra and 91 for the fifth with Bhatia - before his dismissal against the run of play and when he looked good for his second century of the season.
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