Report
Devastating Noffke leads humiliation of Tigers
Ashley Noffke and Queensland's inexperienced openers unveiled a new era as they demoralised Tasmania, almost claiming first-innings points on day one of the Tigers' title defence
Cricinfo staff
12-Oct-2007
Queensland 0 for 136 (Moller 75*, Broad 57*) trail Tasmania 158 (Birt 36, Noffke 5-33) by 22 runs
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Ashley Noffke and Queensland's inexperienced openers unveiled a new era as they demoralised Tasmania, almost claiming first-innings points on day one of the Tigers' title defence. Noffke showed there will be life after Michael Kasprowicz and Andy Bichel, who are both injured, stepping up with 5 for 33 as Tasmania fell for 158.
Greg Moller and Ryan Broad then immediately justified Jimmy Maher's decision to drop himself to No. 4 and expose younger Bulls to the new ball, carrying the score to 0 for 136 at stumps. Moller, who debuted last summer and was in his fourth game, was the dominant partner with 75 while Broad, playing his eighth match, reached 57.
Full postDraw hands South Africa the series
Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf ensured Pakistan won the day; South Africa had done enough to secure the series
Cricinfo staff
12-Oct-2007
South Africa 357 (Prince 63) and 305 for 4 dec (Smith 133, Kallis 107*) drew with Pakistan 206 (Akmal 52) and 316 for 4 (Younis 130, Yousuf 63*)
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How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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South Africa will long remember this day, one when they sealed a major series in the subcontinent after seven years. Pakistan will hurt after the reversal but will evoke memories of one of their finest batsmen, Inzamam-ul-Haq, bringing down the curtains on a resplendent career. Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf ensured Pakistan won the day; South Africa had done enough to secure the series.
Well as they tried, South Africa's bowlers couldn't get past a set of batsmen who had steeled themselves for the rearguard. The story might have been different had Younis not been reprieved on 83 or had the new ball been taken earlier or had some of the edges not eluded the slip fielders but to Pakistan goes credit for hanging on. Younis' aggression during his second century of the series blended well with Yousuf's caution and Pakistan saw out the day with six wickets to spare.
Full postSmith and Kallis put SA in line for series win
South Africa set Pakistan a mammoth 457 to win the second Test with four sessions of play remaining
Cricinfo staff
11-Oct-2007
Pakistan 206 and 108 for 1 (Younis 48*, Akmal 49*) need 349 runs to beat South Africa 357 and 305 for 4 decl (Smith 133, Kallis 107)
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How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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The final day of the series, Inzamam-ul-Haq's last in international cricket, is set up nicely. Pakistan need 349 for an unlikely victory - and, more realistically, need to bat out the day for a draw - while South Africa would fancy their chances of taking nine wickets on a wearing track.
The match was set up by a declaration by Graeme Smith with four sessions remaining, after his 207-run partnership with Jacques Kallis, that set Pakistan a mammoth 457 to win. Kallis, who has effectively been on the field for eight of the nine days of the series, became the second batsman, after Aravinda de Silva, to score three centuries in four innings.
Full postJohnson and Gilchrist combine to flatten India
Australia's pace attack bowled splendidly on a pitch that offered little assistance and dismissed India for 148 to set up a nine-wicket win in Vadodara
The Bulletin by Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
11-Oct-2007
25.5 overs Australia 149 for 1 (Gilchrist 79*) beat India 148 (Tendulkar 47, Johnson 5-26) by 9 wickets
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How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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If this was a final, as Ricky Ponting wanted his side to view the fifth one-dayer in Vadodara, it was reminiscent of the hopelessly one-sided conclusion to the World Cup in 1999. Mahendra Singh Dhoni let out a big smile at the toss, with the crowd cheering as if the result was a foregone conclusion, but trudged away in the knowledge that his side could no longer win the series. Even drawing level from here will take some getting.
The distinctly brick-red surface, one that demanded application, was to leave India's batsmen ashen faced. A combination of injudicious shot-selection, accurate new-ball bowling, efficient left-arm pace and outstanding wicketkeeping is often a recipe for a lop-sided contest. It resulted in India's lowest home total against Australia. In fact the game was up much earlier; spectators leaving the ground after 25 overs of the game realised as much.
Full postCollingwood's men confound expectations
England's achievement in Sri Lanka over the past two weeks has been noteworthy in the extreme
Andrew Miller
10-Oct-2007
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This result follows on from England's impressive 4-3 home victory against India in September, and is further evidence of the steely streak that has been injected into England's game by Collingwood, their first specialist limited-overs captain since Adam Hollioake (who, coincidentally, was the last man to triumph anywhere in Asia, in Sharjah in 1997-98).
More's the pity, therefore, that England blotted their limited-overs copybook in the World Twenty20 last month. But that side was as experimental as the format itself, with specialist selections such as Darren Maddy and James Kirtley enjoying mixed success on their return to top-level cricket. This squad has brought back men such as Ian Bell, who now exhibits a sense of belonging, and shown the sort of solidity that England's one-day side have lacked ever since Graham Gooch's mob failed to win the World Cup in 1992.
If that sounds like an exaggeration, remember this - Sri Lanka were World Cup finalists in Barbados six months ago, and deservedly so. No other side in that interminable competition was fit to lace the Australians' boots, and even in defeat it's arguable that Sri Lanka contained the best allround bowling attack on show, with the stalwarts Chaminda Vaas and Dilhara Fernando allied to the two key impact players, Lasith Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan.
Full postDrew, Paine and rain set up big Tasmania win
Brendan Drew led Tasmania's destructive bowling effort as they opened the FR Cup with an 89-run thrashing of Queensland
Cricinfo staff
10-Oct-2007
Tasmania 7 for 226 (Paine 73*) beat Queensland 6 for 63 (Drew 3-15) by 89 runs on D/L method
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Brendan Drew led Tasmania's destructive bowling effort as they opened the FR Cup with an 89-run thrashing of the reigning champions Queensland on the Duckworth/Lewis method. Tim Paine's unbeaten 73 guided the Tigers to 7 for 226 and when heavy rain ended play in the 24th over of the chase the visitors had deflated the Bulls to 6 for 63.
Queensland's top order was expertly tied down by Brett Geeves and Adam Griffith, who restricted the Bulls to 2 for 33 after 15 overs. Clinton Perren had struggled to 16 from 47 balls when he succumbed to the mounting pressure, trying to cut a Drew delivery close to his body and edging to slip.
Full postCook serves up series glory for England
England's rapidly maturing one-day side secured a historic series win with a five-wicket win in Colombo to claim their first limited-overs series success in Sri Lanka and first significant victory in the subcontinent for 20 years
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
10-Oct-2007
England 212 for 5 (Cook 80, Pietersen 63*) beat Sri Lanka 211 for 9 (Sangakkara 69, Silva 67, Sidebottom 3-27, Anderson 3-33) by five wickets
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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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As was the case with the three matches in Dambulla it wasn't the prettiest cricket to watch, but that won't bother Paul Collingwood. England are carving out one-day victories with increasing regularity from a variety of positions. They had this match under control from the early exchanges where they restricted Sri Lanka's innings to an early crawl. In the 11th over the home side were floundering on 20 for 3 and although Kumar Sangakkara and Chamara Silva added 126 - the highest stand of the series from either side - they never took the game away.
Phil Mustard's 19 was a rare piece of aggressive batting and while it didn't last long it gave an insight into the confidence with the camp. Cook, who wasn't born when England won their only previous ODI in Sri Lanka in 1982, struggled at Dambulla but with his nemesis, Farveez Maharoof, out injured, he produced his strongest performance of the series in a situation which was ideal for his traditional style of accumulation.
Full postSmith, Kallis stretch lead past 300
Inspired by an unbeaten 88-run partnership between Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, South Africa strengthened their grip on the second Test
The Bulletin by Faras Ghani
10-Oct-2007
South Africa 154 for 2 (Smith 75*, Kallis 37*, Rehman 1-38) and
357 lead Pakistan 206 by 305 runs
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How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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South Africa, inspired by an unbeaten 88-run partnership between Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, strengthened their grip on the second Test with an overall lead of 305 and eight wickets in hand - and two days' play to go. Earlier in the day, Pakistan lost six wickets for 66 runs to be dismissed for 206 in their first innings.
Smith helped South Africa to a confident start as he glanced, drove and pulled with ease against the erratic Pakistan opening bowlers, Umar Gul finding ample off-the-seam movement with the new ball. Mohammad Asif, however, looked out of sorts and lacked pace and variety and was taken off the attack after bowling four overs. He is reported to have injured his elbow and will undergo an MRI scan tomorrow.
Full postAhmed Shehzad stars as Pakistan clinch series
A 102-ball 115 from Ahmed Shehzad steered Pakistan Under-19 to a 30-run win over their Australian counterparts
Cricinfo staff
09-Oct-2007
Pakistan Under-19s 325 for 5 (Shehzad 115, Salahuddin 68*) beat Australia Under-19s 295 (Sarna 45) by 30 runs
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Scorecard
A 102-ball 115 from Ahmed Shehzad steered Pakistan Under-19 to a 30-run win over Australia U-19, thus giving the hosts an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match ODI series.
Pakistan continued the series' trend of winning the toss and opting to bat, despite having successfully chased down targets - including a 79 - in the earlier games. Shehzad and Shan Masood got the home side off to a steady start, with 61 added for the first wicket before Masood fell to Daniel Burns, the left-arm spinner, for 28.
Umar Amin made a patient 40 off 67 balls supporting Shehzad, whose knock included 16 fours. Pakistan looked set for a big score when the third wicket fell for 201, but two wickets fell soon after. However, an unbroken 94-run partnership between Usman Salahuddin (68 off 50 balls) and Imad Wasim (44 off 33) propelled Pakistan to 325 from their allotted 50 overs.
Full postAllrounder Harris gives SA the edge
South Africa began and ended the day in the same fashion, dominating the play to retain control of the match
The Bulletin by Faras Ghani
09-Oct-2007
Pakistan 140 for 4 (Akmal 52, Butt 40, Harris 2-33) trail
South Africa 357 by 217 runs
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How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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South Africa wrested control of the first and last session of the day and, despite a fightback by the Pakistan bowlers and openers in between, ended the second day with the upper hand in the match. First their tailenders, shepherded by Mark Boucher, frustrated Pakistan's bowlers and, after an aggressive 90-run opening partnership between Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal wrested back some of the momentum, South Africa's bowlers picked up three wickets for nine runs to restrict the hosts to 140 for 4, needing another 18 to avoid the follow-on.
Pakistan's innings began in whirlwind fashion as Butt and Akmal, their 11th opening combination in the last 17 Tests, provided just the start they were looking after a frustrating time in the field. Though shaky at times, they feasted each time the opening bowlers dropped the ball short of a length. Dale Steyn came in for some stick, conceding 19 in an over and the rest erred in length even after Steyn found pace and swing while pitching it full.
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