Report
Maharoof sizzles in thumping win
This was billed as the first real contest of the Champions Trophy, but it turned out to be shockingly one-sided, as Sri Lanka thrashed West Indies by nine wickets in the first ODI at the Brabourne Stadium in 11 years
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
14-Oct-2006
Sri Lanka 83 for 1 (Jayasuriya 45*, Jayawardene 34*) beat West Indies 80 (Maharoof 6-14) by 9 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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This was billed as the first real contest of the Champions Trophy, but it turned out to be shockingly one-sided, as Sri Lanka thrashed West Indies by nine wickets in the first ODI at the Brabourne Stadium in 11 years. West Indies had beaten Zimbabwe and Bangladesh by convincing margins, but here they turned out a minnow-like performance themselves, being bundled out for 80, their lowest total in an ODI against Sri Lanka, who chased it down in a mere 13.2 overs and ensured that the game was done and dusted about four hours before the scheduled close.
Brian Lara won the toss and chose to bat, but from the moment Chris Gayle fell to the fourth ball of the match, it was one relentless procession back to the pavilion. Chaminda Vaas started the slide with a couple of wickets but the star of the show was Farveez Maharoof, who ripped through the middle and lower order to finish with outstanding figures of 6 for 14, his best in an ODI and the best figures in a Champions Trophy match. So dominant were the Sri Lankan medium pacers that Muttiah Muralitharan wasn't even needed till West Indies were seven down.
It was the first international match at the Brabourne Stadium in 11 years, and such were the conditions that Sri Lanka surely won't mind playing as many games as possible here. The pitch was slow, the bounce was non-existent - Kumar Sangakkara routinely gathered deliveries on the bounce - and the ball gripped the surface, making strokeplay extremely difficult. These conditions are usually a description of the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, where Sri Lanka have a 41-16 win-loss record.
Full postBond searches for his golden gun
Cricinfo analyses the performance of a sluggish Shane Bond
Sriram Veera in Mumbai
13-Oct-2006
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On a sultry Mumbai afternoon, the cop-turned-fast-bowler Shane Bond hit the sluggish wicket at the suburban ground trying to hunt down a few weapons that had slipped from his grasp during the lengthy recuperation period from a back injury. Rhythm, pace, line, and length. Especially rhythm, the others usually come as free accessories with it. He left the arena a tired man, still in search of them.
Only three balls beat the bat in his first spell that yielded 26 runs in five overs. The first one kicked up from a length to bruise the right hand, the second whizzed past the outside edge after landing on a length, and the third got an edge, but flew to the third-man fence, when the batsman tried to force a short-of-a-length delivery. Though he was more fluent in later spells he didn't look threatening at any stage. But New Zealand would not have expected any miracle from him on this slow pitch and would be satisfied that he had clocked some miles under his belt.
Faces peered eagerly through the fence at the far end as Bond, sporting a black wristband on his left hand, ran in 13 paces before arching back his upper body to release the ball. However, today, it didn't usually land where he wanted. First over was spent in search of both line and length as he threaded on either side of the wicket, sometimes short, sometimes full. However, he ended it with a snorter that hurt the right hand of Rishikesh Parab, the plucky opening bat. Maybe Bond has found his rhythm now and will dismantle the first-class batsmen from Baroda. It was not to be. His next ball was slashed over point by Parab. Hmm... a bouncer or a yorker, now, surely? A length ball followed and Parab took a single off the next.
Full postVincent excels while Bond is restrained
Cricinfo analyses the performance of the New Zealand batsmen as they registered a 64-run victory over Baroda in the practice game at the MIG Ground in Mumbai
Sriram Veera in Mumbai
13-Oct-2006
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Led by three-wicket burst from Mark Gillespie and a fluent fifty from Scott Styris New Zealand registered a 64-run victory over Baroda in the practice game at the MIG Ground in Mumbai. Lou Vincent laid the platform with an explosive 24-ball 36 before Styris (52) and Hamish Marshall (40), helped by a biffed-40 from Shane Bond, lifted New Zealand to 267. Rishikesh Parab got the chase off in style, spanking Bond, but the impressive Gillespie broke the Baroda resistance to set New Zealand on course for an easy victory.
Cricinfo analyses the performance of the New Zealand batsmen.
Lou Vincent Vincent looked to be in fine aggressive touch today. Whenever they bowled full he drove and, when the mood seized him, lofted and when they dragged back the length, he cut and pulled. He started off with a pulled four in his second ball before erupting in the fourth over. After a fierce cut past point, he shouldered his arms to a length ball in the channel. Baroda fielders oohed and aahed as that one sailed perilously close to the off stump. Vincent stayed rooted to his position for sometime, stared at his off stump to check whether it was still standing, muttered something to himself and took guard again. You felt something was about to give. He strode forward to unfurl a lovely off drive before slapping the next one, a length-delivery, over mid-off. He repeated his aerial drive in the next over and followed it up with his most arrogant shot of the day. He walked forward and across to get outside the line to a full-length delivery on the middle and leg, bent his right knee and swept it behind square. The sparse press contingent purred in satisfaction while a small group of spectators at the far end, with their faces pinned against the fence, erupted into wild cheers. In the seventh over of the innings, he unfurled a cut, followed it up with a biffed-four over mid-off and then, suddenly, against the run of play, got out, going for a greedy chase outside the off stump.
Full postWestern Australia prevail in tight finish
Western Australia prevailed by 11 runs in a pulsating contest at Perth in their Ford Ranger Cup match against Victoria
Cricinfo staff
13-Oct-2006
Western Australia 260 (Vogues 82, Harwood 5-40) beat Victoria 9 for 249 (Hodge 68, Lindsay 59, Vogues 2-27) by 11 runs
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Scorecard
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In pursuit of 261, Victoria didn't get off to an ideal start, losing their first two wickets with 28 on board. Brad Hodge and David Hussey stabilised the innings, adding 60 for the third wicket, maintaining a rate of over four an over. Ben Edmundson, back into the attack after an expensive first spell, immediately accounted for Hussey, caught by Adam Voges at backward point. Hodge brought up his fifty in the next over, coming off only 52 balls. Voges was in action again, bowling the well-set Hodge.
At 6 for 141, Victoria were in a spot of bother, before Moss and Lindsay then added exactly 100 for the seventh wicket, scoring at a healthy clip. Both scored 59, with Lindsay slamming three sixes in his knock which came at over a run a ball. However, Western Australia pulled things back in the 49th over, with the run out of Lindsay, still 20 runs adrift of the target.
Full postSmith and Kallis star in easy win
South Africa continued their string of emphatic victories in the warm-up games ahead of the Champions Tophy with a 125-run win against MCA President's XI in Mumbai
Cricinfo staff
13-Oct-2006
South Africans 303 for 6 (Smith 76, Kallis 71) beat MCA President's XI 178 for 8 (Muzumdar 68) by 125 runs
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Scorecard
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South Africa continued their string of emphatic victories in the warm-up games ahead of the Champions Tophy with a 125-run win against MCA President's XI in Mumbai. Graeme Smith scored his third consecutive half-century since his return from injury and Jacques Kallis smashed 71 off 57 balls to take South Africa to 303 for 6, their third consecutive 300-plus score. They used as many as eight bowlers in their defence and restricted MCA to 178 for 8 with only Amol Muzumdar offering resistance during his 67.
Smith had scored 73 against a local side and 90 off 54 balls against Saurashtra and today he needed just 68 balls to score 76. He added 52 for the first wicket with Herschelle Gibbs and 86 for the second with Boeta Dippenaar. South Africa then lost four wickets for 22 runs and when Mark Boucher departed for 49, they were on an unconvincing 215 for 6.
Full postNafees stars in Bangladesh's win
Bangladesh emphatically sealed the battle of the minnows, thrashing Zimbabwe by 101 runs at Jaipur to end their Champions Trophy campaign on a winning note
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
13-Oct-2006
Bangladesh 231 for 6 (Nafees 123*) beat Zimbabwe 130 (Saqibul 3-18) by 101 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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Bangladesh convincingly sealed the battle of the minnows, thrashing Zimbabwe by 101 runs at Jaipur to end their Champions Trophy campaign on a winning note. The victory was set up thanks to a spanking unbeaten 123 by Shahriar Nafees, the left-handed opener, who carried his bat through the innings and became the first Bangladesh batsman to score two ODI hundreds. That effort lifted Bangladesh to 231, which was enough runs on the board for their army of left-arm spinners to get to work, as, apart from Brendan Taylor, none of the other batsmen threatened to mount a challenge.
It was an inconsequential match as far as the tournament is concerned, but for the two teams involved this was their last opportunity for them to salvage some pride, and it was obvious that both sides wanted to end the tournament on a high. Zimbabwe were outstanding in the field - they took a couple of superb catches, and flung themselves all over the Sawai Mansingh Stadium outfield, cutting off singles and preventing boundaries. Bangladesh were clearly second-best in that department, but they were far superior with the bat, while their bowlers bowled with impeccable discipline and control, not conceding a single wide or no ball.
Full postNew Zealand ease to 39-run win
Stephen Fleming and Lou Vincent both scored half-centuries as New Zealand eased to a 39-run win in their Champions Trophy warm-up match against Mumbai at the MIG ground today
Kanishkaa Balachandran at Mumbai
12-Oct-2006
New Zealanders 246 for 8 (Vincent 59, Fleming 52) beat MCA President's XI 207 (Sharma 61) by 39 runs
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Stephen Fleming and Lou Vincent both scored half-centuries as New Zealand
eased to a 39-run win in their Champions Trophy warm-up match against Mumbai at the MIG ground today. Vincent top-scored with 59 while Fleming scored 52 as New Zealand were given a good workout ahead of their opening fixture against South Africa on Monday.
Mumbai's spirited performance in the field left them needing a target of 247, and for a while they made a fist of it, with Rohit Sharma's half-century leading the way. However, they fell short due to the lack of sizeable partnerships and were eventually bowled out for 207.
Full postSymonds and Watson star in warm-up win
Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson hit entertaining half-centuries and the bowlers got some useful practice as the Australians defeated the Maharashtra Cricket Assocation
Australians 297 for 7 (Symonds 78, Watson 70) beat Maharashtra CA XI 194 for 7 (Takawale 50) by 103 runs
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For the MCA XI, Yogesh Takawale scored a fluent 50 before he retired, but no other batsmen dug in long enough to pose a serious threat to the Australians. This being Australia's first practice match ahead of their Champions Trophy opener on Wednesday, Cricinfo analyses each player's performance on the day.
Adam Gilchrist In his first one-day outing since April, Gilchrist did little to suggest he was in prime form ahead of the Champions Trophy. He played and missed, nearly ran himself out, and was squared up more than once by a medium-fast bowler by the name of Aditya Dole. His dismissal came about when he top-edged a slog sweep off Rohit Jadhav's offspin to mid-on for six in the seventh over.
Full postFlintoff won't bowl against India
The good news was that England cruised through their first, and only, practice game against an unheralded side; the bad news is that Andrew Flintoff, who smashed a breezy 59 with the bat, revealed that he will not be bowling in the opening game of the Cha
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan in Jaipur
12-Oct-2006
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The good news was that England cruised through their first, and only,
practice game against an unheralded side; the bad news is that Andrew
Flintoff, who smashed a breezy 59 with the bat, revealed that he will not
be bowling in the opening game of the Champions Trophy, a crucial clash
against India on Sunday.
"I won't be bowling this Sunday," Flintoff told reporters at the end of a
tiring day in the field. "As for the series, I'm bowling in the nets,
trying to build it [the ankle] up. As for an exact date as to when I'll be bowling again,
I'm not sure. I've bowled two or three times in the nets and it's feeling
strong but that's something that we're assessing day by day."
Speculation has been rife about Flintoff opening the batting in the
tournament and his entry at No.3 today lent more weight to that theory.
Flintoff, though, played his cards close to his chest. "Today, we had the
order we had," he dead-batted. "Going into Sunday, we'd need to discuss
with the coach and decide. We have quite a few options we can take but
it's something we'll finalise before Sunday."
Full postFlintoff and Anderson prove their fitness
Andrew Flintoff demonstrated that his lengthy injury lay-off has not affected his eye for a cricket ball, as he smacked a brisk half-century from No. 3 to put England on course for a comfortable victory in their warm-up match against a Rajasthan Cricket A
Cricinfo staff
12-Oct-2006
England XI 295 for 8 (Dalrymple 79*, Flintoff 59, Bell 53) beat Rajasthan CA 151 (Mahmood 3-22) by 144 runs
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Flintoff, back in the international fold after recuperating from ankle surgery, made 59 from 53 balls as England amassed a healthy total of 295 for 8 in their 50 overs. Ian Bell was also in the runs, making 53 from 47 balls in a second-wicket stand of exactly 100, while Jamie Dalrymple once again displayed his impressive temperament, racking up a quickfire 79 not out from 69 balls in the closing overs.
But despite his success with the bat, Flintoff confirmed afterwards that he would not be rushing back to action with the ball, when England take on India in their opening match on Sunday.
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