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New Zealand A ride on Ryder century
A brutal century to Jesse Ryder and five wickets from Mark Gillespie steered New Zealand A to an easy seven-wicket win over India A in Cairns
Cricinfo staff
24-Jul-2006
New Zealand A 3 for 218 (Ryder 114, Fulton 54*) beat India A 216 (Gambhir 64, Badrinath 63, Gillespie 5-35) by 7 wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
A brutal century to Jesse Ryder and five wickets from Mark Gillespie steered New Zealand A to an easy seven-wicket win over India A in Cairns. Ryder produced a stunning 114 from only 84 balls to kick-start the reply after Gillespie disrupted India A's innings with 5 for 35 from 9.4 overs.
India A started their final game of the Top End Series by being sent in by Peter Fulton and the opener Robin Uthappa quickly became Gillespie's first dismissal. Gautam Gambhir steadied the side with 64, but only Subramaniam Badrinath, who collected 63 before falling to Gillespie, offered any other meaningful support and they were dismissed within 50 overs for 216.
Ryder's muscular display - he blasted 10 fours and six sixes - covered the second-ball loss of Jamie How and when he was stumped attempted a third boundary clearance in a row off Tejinder Pal Singh, New Zealand A were in comfort at 3 for 182. Fulton made sure of the win with an unbeaten 54 while James Marshall picked up 13 as they finished with almost 16 overs to spare
Full postGlamorgan tail edge final ball thriller
A round-up from the latest Pro40 matches
Cricinfo staff
23-Jul-2006
A thrilling game ended off the last ball at Southgate as Glamorgan edged past Middlesex to win by three wickets. Robert Croft got the Glamorgan innings off to a brisk start, clobbering 36, while Michael Powell continued his good form with a solid 81. Middlesex fought back in the middle of the innings, however, with Scott Styris picking up three wickets as Glamorgan stuttered to 201 for 7 in need of a further nine runs. James Franklin and Michael O'Shea held their heads and a four off the final ball of Chad Keegan's sixth over took them home by three wickets. Earlier, Jamie Dalrymple anchored Middlesex with a cultured 82 - on the day he was called up to the England Test squad - while Ben Scott thumped 25 from 14 balls.
Division Two
Points tableA slick bowling display from Leicestershire dismissed Yorkshire for a paltry 96, in chase of 264, as the visitors romped to a comprehensive 167-run win at Scarborough. After Nick Walker and Ryan Cummins had reduced the home side to 19 for 3, Yorkshire were never in the hunt. With the introduction of Darren Maddy, who took 3 for 24 in a tight seven-over spell, Yorkshire collapsed from 70 for 5 to 96 all out in just the 27th over. Earlier, Paul Harrison and Paul Nixon gave Leicestershire a solid foundation in the middle of their innings with a pair of brisk 60s before Jeremy Snape smashed an unbeaten 45 from just 35 balls.
Full postSmith and Best ease West Indies past Durham
Dwayne Smith and Tino Best picked up three wickets a piece as West Indies A trounced Durham by eight wickets on the final day at Chester-le-Street
Cricinfo staff
23-Jul-2006
West Indies A 364 (Morton 105) and 95 for 2 (Morton 13*, Joseph 22*) beat Durham 310 and 148 (Bridge 48, Smith 3-17) by 8 wickets
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Scorecard
Dwayne Smith and Tino Best picked up three wickets a piece as West Indies A trounced Durham by eight wickets on the final day at Chester-le-Street.
Best was in the wickets early when Gordon Muchall edged him behind to Patrick Browne for 5 and James Lowe succumbed in the same fashion to leave Durham in the sticky position of 35 for 4. Garry Park, the 23-year-old middle-order batsman then put on 31 for the fifth wicket with Dale Benkenstein, before Smith collected the first of his three wickets when Benkenstein was caught by Wavell Hinds for 26.
Enterprising though Park (34) and Graeme Bridge (43) were, their challenge proved too great as Smith wrapped up Durham for just 148. This left West Indies the simple task of knocking off 95 for victory which, though they lost Smith and Sewnarine Chattergoon, they achieved with comfort and overs to spare.
Full postNel's fire blows Sri Lanka away
If the Sri Lanka selectors were hoping to use this three-day practice game as a guideline before they pick the squad for the first Test, which starts a week on Thursday, they got nowhere
Cricinfo staff
23-Jul-2006
South Africans 43 for 1 (Dippenaar 22*, de Villiers 3*) and 351 for 3 (Rudolph 157, Amla 150) lead Sri Lanka A 162 (Chandana 51, Nel 4-39) by 346 runs
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The batsmen in contention for places all failed to produce scores that would have given the selectors some food for thought. That difficult situation was created by South Africa's new ball trio of Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn and Andre Nel. More than anyone else it was Nel who did the damage to the Sri Lanka innings, leaving it dangling by a thread when he captured three wickets for 18 runs off 26 balls.
Nel ripped through the middle order, dismissing Thilan Samaraweera (3), Jehan Mubarak (0) and Prasanna Jayawardene (18) in his first spell of six overs before returning in the final session to have Nuwan Zoysa caught behind for 16, finishing with figures of four for 39.
Full postPakistan A squeeze out two-wicket win
Australia A fought back spiritedly in the field after posting just 122, but Pakistan A held their nerve to eke out a two-wicket win in a Twenty20 game in Cairns
Cricinfo staff
23-Jul-2006
Pakistan A 8 for 123 (Hafeez 39, Tait 3-23) beat Australia A 122 (Cosgrove 44) by 2 wickets
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Scorecard
Australia A fought back spiritedly in the field after posting just 122, but Pakistan A held their nerve to eke out a two-wicket win in a Twenty20 game in Cairns. In a game which didn't see the usual frenetic hitting associated with this format, Pakistan A almost lost their plot, sinking to 8 for 107, before Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Irshad added 16 for the ninth wicket guide them home.
Requiring just 123 for victory, the Pakistanis got off to a good start as Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Yousuf added 27 in less than three overs. However, three wickets then went down in eight balls as they slumped to 3 for 30. Hafeez played a fine hand, scoring 39 from 29 balls with four fours, but he was next out in the 11th over. Wickets continued to tumble regularly and when Bazid Khan fell for 20, Pakistan A required a further 16 from 13 balls, with only two wickets in hand.
Rehman proved equal to the task, flicking Shane Watson and then driving him past mid-on for two fours in the 19th over. Irshad levelled the scores by slogging James Hopes down the ground for four in the next over, and the winning run came via a scampered single on the off side.
Full postFulton and Taylor star for New Zealand A
Peter Fulton smashed 64 from 43 balls as New Zealand A eased to a six-wicket win against Queensland XI in a Twenty20 match in Cairns
Cricinfo staff
23-Jul-2006
New Zealand A 4 for 139 (Fulton 64, Taylor 48*) beat Queensland XI 6 for 138 (Perren 47) by 6 wickets
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Scorecard
Peter Fulton smashed 64 from 43 balls as New Zealand A eased to a six-wicket win against Queensland XI in a Twenty20 match in Cairns. Set a target of 139, New Zealand A got home with 11 balls to spare, thanks to a 102-run third-wicket partnership between Fulton and Ross Taylor, who remained unbeaten on a 45-ball 48.
The two came to the crease after the New Zealanders had lost their openers with only 18 on the board. Over the next 13 overs, though, Queensland were pushed completely on the defensive as Fulton and Taylor hammered the ball to all parts - Fulton struck seven fours and two sixes in his knock, while Taylor was slightly less destructive, striking four fours and a six. When Fulton was finally dismissed, New Zealand only required 19 more from nearly five overs, and they reached the target quite comfortably.
Queensland's innings had earlier been propped up by Clinton Perren, who slammed a quick 47 and shared a useful 58-run second-wicket stand with Nathan Reardon, the left-handed opener who made 34 from 21 balls. The rest of the cast didn't contribute much, though, and ultimately the target proved to be a cinch for New Zealand A.
Full postMorton ton boosts West Indies A
Runako Morton hit West Indies A's first century of the tour as they made a strong reply to Durham's total on the second day at Chester-le-Street
Cricinfo staff
22-Jul-2006
Durham 310 and 30 for 1 (Lowe 18*, Muchall 5*) trail West Indies A 364 (Morton 105, Dwayne Smith 66, Powell 62, Browne 55) by 24 runs
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Scorecard
Runako Morton hit West Indies A's first century of the tour as they made a strong reply to Durham's total on the second day at Chester-le-Street. Dwayne Smith unfurled some typically flamboyant shots in a rapid 66 then a ninth-wicket stand of 93 between Patrick Browne and Daren Powell built a lead of 53.
Durham were hindered by the absence of Liam Plunkett for most of the after he was forced out of the attack with a suspected side strain in his seventh over. He had removed Sylvester Joseph, the West Indies captain, early in the day before adding a further name to England's injury list.
Morton and Smith added 110 for the fifth wicket - Smith's 66 coming from 60 balls with nine fours and three sixes. However, at 271 for 8, a lead appeared unlikely for West Indies, especially given the batting ability Powell (Test average 6.03) has shown at international level. But against friendlier bowling he used the long-handle to good effect and launched three sixes in his 61-ball innings.
Full postRudolph and Amla strike centuries
Jacques Rudolph and Hashim Amla struck fine centuries as the South Africans made an impressive start to their tour of Sri Lanka
Cricinfo staff
22-Jul-2006
South Africans 351 for 3 (Rudolph 157, Amla 128*) v President's XI
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Rudolph arrived at the crease in the first over of the day after Boeta Dippenaar was trapped in front by Nuwan Zoysa. By the time he was removed, 40 minutes before the close, he had 157 to his name off 212 balls.
He was only picked in the touring party because of an injury to captain Graeme Smith but has staked a claim for a place in the final eleven for the first Test which starts on July 27. Rudolph, 25, has played 33 Tests and was the only South African to score a century on tour in Sri Lanka two years ago.
Full postButt and Farhat find form in win
Salman Butt and Imran Farhat spent useful time in the middle, ahead of the second Test at Old Trafford, as the Pakistanis suffered few problems reaching their target against Northamptonshire
Cricinfo staff
22-Jul-2006
Pakistanis 250 for 9 dec and 160 for 3 (Butt 84, Farhat 64) beat Northamptonshire 269 for 3 and 140 by seven wickets
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Scorecard
Salman Butt and Imran Farhat spent useful time in the middle, ahead of the second Test at Old Trafford, as the Pakistanis suffered few problems reaching their target against Northamptonshire. The opening pair - under pressure after a poor showing at Lord's - added 118 to take their team most of the way.
Northants never threatened to take early wickets as Butt and Farhat were quickly into their stride. Farhat twice cleared the ropes during his 96-ball 64, an innings that will do his chances of retaining his place in the Test side no harm. With Younis Khan fit and set to return, at No. 3, one of Butt and Farhat will probably miss out at Old Trafford following Faisal Iqbal's promising second innings at Lord's.
However, Butt also laid down a marker for next week with an attractive 84 off 120 balls. He was far from his best at Lord's, with scores of 10 and 0, but England are well aware of his talents following impressive showings during the winter. He fell with just three runs required, one of two late wickets for Bilal Shafayat, and now Pakistan's attentions can switch to preparing for the second Test.
Full postRain washes out yet another fixture
Rain washed out yet another fixture of the Top End series, as the one-day match between Queensland XI and Pakistan A was abandoned at Cairns
Cricinfo staff
22-Jul-2006
Queensland XI 3 for 108 (Love 53, Wasim 2-29) v Pakistan A. Match abandoned
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Scorecard
Rain washed out yet another fixture of the Top End series, as the one-day match between Queensland XI and Pakistan A was abandoned at Cairns. After frequent rain interruptions, the umpires called off play 19 overs into the Queensland innings, with the hosts at 3 for 108.
The start was delayed by three hours due to wet conditions, as play finally got underway at 12.30pm local time, with the match reduced to 34 overs per side. However, showers forced the players off the field almost immediately, reducing another three overs. When play resumed, the Queensland openers feasted on some wayward bowling, scoring at more than five an over. Another interruption followed, reducing the game to 28 overs per side. Wasim Khan pulled things back with the wicket of Ryan Broad, who spooned a catch straight to Hasan Raza at covers. Khan struck again soon after, sending Clinton Perren's off stump cartwheeling towards the wicketkeeper.
Martin Love and Brendan Nash had a good partnership, scoring boundaries at will. Love was dismissed soon after reaching his half-century, driving uppishly to Misbah-ul-Haq at cover point off Mohammad Hafeez. Rain intervened again just as Chris Hatley walked out to bat. There were chances of a resumption when the sun came out, but the umpires officially called it off after deeming the ground unfit for play, particularly due to the wet patches on the bowlers' run-ups.
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