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Tharanga stars in another win
Upul Tharanga's rich vein of form continued as he hammered his second hundred in a row and his fourth in nine innings to help Sri Lanka coast to a 144-run win against Zimbabwe and all but ensure a place in the main draw of the Champions Trophy.
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
10-Oct-2006
Sri Lanka 285 for 7 (Tharanga 110, Sangakkara 80) beat Zimbabwe 141 by 144 runs
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How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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Upul Tharanga's rich vein of form continued as he hammered his second hundred in a row and his fourth in nine innings, to help Sri Lanka coast to a 144-run win against Zimbabwe and all but ensure a place in the main draw of the Champions Trophy. Tharanga's 110, and his 165-run third-wicket stand with Kumar Sangakkara, lifted Sri Lanka from an ordinary start to an imposing 285 for 7. Zimbabwe briefly looked in the mood for a fight when Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza were involved in a 63-run partnership for fourth wicket, but a heap of wickets on either side of the stand meant it was yet another dreary one-sided contest.
To be fair to Zimbabwe, though, this effort was some improvement on their shambolic display against West Indies. During large parts of the Sri Lankan innings they kept the runs under control - in fact it was the first time in six innings that Sri Lanka didn't top 300 - and bowled and fielded with plenty of enthusiasm, with the 19-year-old legspinner Tafadzwa Kamungozi being the pick of the bowlers. However, Tharanga and Sangakkara eventually turned it on, and when it was Zimbabwe's turn to bat, their utter lack of ability against top-class bowling was again ruthlessly exposed.
Full postRest of India need just 69 to win
A disciplined bowling performance and a rollicking start in the run chase saw Rest of India march inexorably towards victory by the end of the second day
The Bulletin by Sriram Veera
10-Oct-2006
End of innings Rest of India 201 (Badrinath 80*, Jaffer
45, Srivastava 5-74) and 45 for 0 trail Uttar Pradesh 148 and 166 (Jyoti
Yadav 38, Pandey 32, VRV Singh 4-40) by 69 runs
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How they were out
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How they were out
A disciplined bowling performance and a rollicking start in the run chase saw Rest of India march inexorably towards victory by the end of the second day. ROI hustled out Uttar Pradesh for a meagre 166, before setting off in style in pursuit of the 114 runs needed for victory. Wasim Jaffer and Gautam Gambhir racked up 45 in no time and barring a minor miracle, ROI was all set to lift the Irani Trophy.
UP's collapse began after Zaheer Khan removed Praveen Kumar for a first-ball duck and Tanmay Srivastava committed hara-kiri by running himself out. Lakshmipathy Balaji prised out Shivakant Shukla, the first-innings top scorer, to rock the top order before VRV Singh harassed the lower-middle order with his pace and lift. ROI's march was only briefly stymied by a late-order
resistance between Jyoti Yadav and Amir Khan. The duo stitched together a
55-run partnership - third highest of the match, for the seventh wicket to
put up a semblance of fight but that might have succeeded in only delaying the
inevitable.
Earlier, Subramaniam Badrinath was left stranded , twenty runs short of a
deserved hundred, but his 46-run partnership for the last wicket with
Pragyan Ojha was enough to steer ROI to a vital 53-run lead. In the
context of the low-scoring game and coupled with the fact that Uttar
Pradesh's strike bowler, Ashish Winston Zaidi was indisposed, it proved be
a valuable lead.
Full postUP fight back as wickets tumble
Led by their medium pacers, Uttar Pradesh regained control of a situation they had contrived to lose with the bat by reducing Rest of India to 131 for seven by stumps on day one of the Irani Trophy season opener at Nagpur
The Bulletin by Jamie Alter
09-Oct-2006
Stumps Rest of India 131 for 7 (Jaffer 45, Kumar 3-27,
Srivastava 3-47) trail Uttar Pradesh 148 (Shiva Shukla 52, Kumar
42, Balaji 4-29, Zaheer 4-46) by 17 runs
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How they were out
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Led by their medium pacers, Uttar Pradesh regained control of a situation
they had contrived to lose with the bat by reducing Rest of India to 131
for seven by stumps on day one of the Irani Trophy season opener at
Nagpur. Praveen Kumar had gotten UP off to a promising start with the bat
before his dismissal sparked a manic collapse at the hands of Lakshmipathy
Balaji and Zaheer Khan, but his canny medium pace changed all that. For
those interested in stats, it was only the second time in the Irani
Trophy's 47-year history that so many wickets (17) fell on the opening
day.
Wasim Jaffer and Gautam Gambhir had seemingly blunted the attack with a
64-run opening stand, but Kumar nipped out three wickets to shift the
momentum back UP's way. Gambhir had begun with some confident strokes
either side of the pitch, but a shocking error in judgment saw him
shoulder arms to Kumar's medium pace, only for the ball to cut back in and
disturb the off stump. Kumar then changed to a slightly wider length, and
immediately snapped up Jaffer, who played away from his body for a tame
catch to gully. Dinesh Karthik, who was cramped for room, slashed to
the same position.
There were no demons in this pitch, and no pace in UP's attack, but the
shot selection among the opposition batsmen was questionable.
In between Kumar's strikes, Shalabh Srivastava, the left-arm medium
pacer, removed Robin Uthappa and Venugopal Rao - playing shots that were
just not on - to leave ROI wilting under the pressure. These wickets made
the UP fielders sprightly, too; drives were intercepted with regularity,
and Shivakant Shukla, who held three catches at gully, pulled off an
acrobatic dive and fired in a good throw to run out Murali Kartik.
Srivastava then returned to york Zaheer's leg stump and leave UP with a
slender 17-run lead.
Full postWindies annihilate Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe arrived here with the aim of proving their competitiveness at this level, but a West Indies side operating at well below full throttle gave them a cruel reality check at the Motera Stadium
The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran
08-Oct-2006
West Indies 90 for 1 ( Gayle 41) beat Zimbabwe 85 (Utseya 27, Gayle 3-3) by 9 wickets
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Having beaten an erratic Bangladesh side on home soil a few months ago,
Zimbabwe arrived here with the aim of proving their competitiveness at
this level, but a West Indies side operating at well below full throttle
gave them a cruel reality check at the Motera Stadium. After Prosper
Utseya had won the toss and elected to bat, Zimbabwe were skittled out for
85 in just 30.1 overs, with the bowlers breaking through at will every so
often. And a Chris Gayle blitz ensured that a lunch break wouldn't be
required, with West Indies knocking off the runs in just 14.2 overs.
Anthony Ireland and Ed Rainsford had bowled a maiden apiece as West Indies
started sedately, but Gayle, who had dawdled 17 balls for his first two
runs, exploded into action in the eighth over, slamming Ireland for six
and four over midwicket before clipping one down to the square leg fence.
Full postTharanga ton seals Sri Lanka's win
Led by a fluent century by Upul Tharanga, Sri Lanka started their Champions Trophy campaign in fine style beating Bangladesh by 37 runs in the first qualifying match at Mohali
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
07-Oct-2006
Sri Lanka 302 for 8 (Tharanga 105) beat Bangladesh 265 for 9 (Saqibul 67*) by 37 runs
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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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Led by a fluent century by Upul Tharanga, Sri Lanka started their Champions Trophy campaign in fine style beating Bangladesh by 37 runs in the first qualifying match at Mohali. Tharanga's 129-ball 105, coupled with vital contributions from all the Sri Lankan top-order batsmen, lifted them to an imposing 302, a target that was well beyond Bangladesh, who lost early wickets but managed to lift themselves to 265.
Bangladesh's only triumph against Sri Lanka in ODIs came earlier this year, but from the start it was apparent that another upset today was highly unlikely. Habibul Bashar's decision to field first was based on the unusual amount of grass on the pitch and the dew factor later in the evening, but none of the Bangladesh bowlers made much impression in the afternoon, though Mohammad Rafique kept the runs in check. Sri Lanka's fast bowlers, on the other hand, extracted plenty of bounce and movement under lights, and though Aftab Ahmed and Farhad Reza biffed 30s and Saqibul Hasan, the left-handed batsman, managed his maiden ODI half-century, there was never any doubt about which way the match would go.
Full postSri Lanka and Zimbabwe warm up with wins
Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe warmed up for their Champions Trophy campaigns with wins over local opposition
Cricinfo staff
05-Oct-2006
Sri Lankans 267 for 8 (Maharoof 81, Vaas 48) beat PCA President's XI 183 for 7 (Dharmani 56) by 84 runs
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After a wobbly start, Sri Lanka's cricketers eventually eased to a comfortable 84-run win over a PCA President's XI at Chandigarh, thanks in no small part to fine allround contributions from Farveez Maharoof and Chaminda Vaas, who first rescued their side with the bat, then kept things tight with the ball.
After winning the toss and batting first, the Sri Lankans were soon in trouble and had made just 112 for 5 by the halfway mark of their innings. Gagandeep Singh, the PCA XI's opening bowler, removed Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene cheaply, before the offspinner, Rajesh Sharma, chipped in with a brace of his own.
Full postEasy wins for West Indies and Bangladesh
West Indies and Bangladesh began their Champions Trophy campaign with easy warm-up wins
Cricinfo staff
04-Oct-2006
West Indians 344 for 5 in 45 overs (Gayle 101, Morton 91, Hinds 61) beat Gujarat President's XI 171 for 6 by 173 runs
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A rollicking hundred from Chris Gayle, and fifties from Runako Morton and Wavell Hinds, overpowered an inexperienced Gujarat President's XI by 173 runs in a warm-up match at Ahmedabad. Gayle set the pace with 101 from just 76 deliveries before he retired, while Morton and Hinds made the most of the Champions Trophy practice match to get some much-needed runs. A total of 344 proved too much for the hosts, who struggled to 171 for 6 in reply.
From the West Indian bowlers, there were two wickets apiece to Corey Collymore, and the two Dwaynes, Smith and Bravo. The Gujarat President's XI owed much to an unbeaten seventh-wicket stand of 56 between Hem Joshipura (32 not-out) and Hemal Watekar (23 not-out). The West Indies begin the preliminary round with a fixture against Zimbabwe on October 8 at the same venue.
Bangladeshis 208 for 3 (Aftab 71, Saqibul 66*) beat PCA President's XI 205 (Kaul 47, Reza 3-32, Rasel 3-38) by seven wickets
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Full postScorecard
Rain plays spoilsport at Chennai
Rahul Dravid, Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh all offered support to Virender Sehwag as the Blues raced to 210 for 4 in the 32nd over, before the showers began and the final of the Challenger series was eventually abandoned
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
04-Oct-2006
India Blue 210 for 4 (31.2 overs, Sehwag 90*, Dhoni 6*) v India Red
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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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Rahul Dravid won the toss, chose to bat - as all teams have done in this tournament - and then saw Virender Sehwag lead the way for India Blue with a controlled, yet quickfire unbeaten 90 off 81 balls. Dravid, Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh all offered support as the Blues raced to 210 for 4 in the 32nd over, before the showers began and sent the players scurrying for cover. They never returned to the field, leaving the trophy to be shared between the Blue and Red teams.
The two-and-a-half hours of action, though, was frenetic. Boundaries, edges, run-out chances, wides, acrobatic saves and dropped catches were all part of the mix as the Blues shrugged off the first-over dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar - caught driving a wide one to cover - to take charge.
Full postIndia Red win convincingly to advance to the final
Three plucky half-centuries helped India Red seal a spot in the final of the Challenger Series, wrapping up the final league game by a comfortable 39-run margin.
The Bulletin by Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
03-Oct-2006
India Red 317 for 4 (Uthappa 93, Karthik 85, Gambhir 75) beat India Green 278 (Patel 69) by 39 runs
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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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Three plucky half-centuries helped India Red seal a spot in the final of the Challenger Series, wrapping up the final league game by a comfortable 39-run margin. For the second time in as many days, the India Green batsmen struggled while chasing a big total under lights and went out of the tournament without making too much of an impact.
Sourav Ganguly, the focus of all the attention, failed yet again but it was the lesser names that stole the bulk of the attention. While Gautam Gambhir continued his fine run and Robin Uthappa showed how adept he is at building an innings, it was the audacious Dinesh Karthik who dazzled for most of the first innings. Parthiv Patel battled briefly, and the tailenders swung their bats in the dying moments but, with the pitch helping spin and bounce, VRV Singh and Ramesh Powar sealed the issue.
Full postTendulkar scorcher sets up big win
India Blue rode on a batting masterclass by Sachin Tendulkar to thrash the Greens by a massive 268 runs and assure themselves of a place in the final of the Challenger Trophy
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
02-Oct-2006
India Blue 381 for 6 (Tendulkar 139, Dhoni 79*, Dravid 62,
Pathan 54) beat India Green 115 (Parthiv 43, Harbhajan 4-10) by 266 runs
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India Blue rode on a batting masterclass by Sachin Tendulkar to thrash the Greens by a massive 266 runs and assure themselves of a place in the final of the Challenger Trophy. Tendulkar set the Blues up for a massive total, blazing his way to a 100-ball 139, while Irfan Pathan, Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni all chipped in with half-centuries in quick time. Chasing an improbable 382, the Greens were never in the hunt and crumbled to a measly 115 in less than 27 overs, in the process handing India Blue victory with the all-important bonus point.
The story of the day was Tendulkar. He has already notched up four Test hundreds at this ground, and today he continued his love affair with the MA Chidambaram Stadium, toying with the bowling and charming the crowd with a quite dazzling display of strokes all round the park, creaming 20 fours and four sixes, almost all of them struck with a precision, timing and authority that had the holiday crowd in raptures. In fact, the Blues got 236 runs in boundaries alone (35 fours and 16 sixes), far more than the opposition managed in all.
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