Report
Kenroy Martin leads the way for St Vincent
A round-up of the fourth day's action from the Stanford 20/20 tournament
Cricinfo staff
19-Jul-2006
St. Vincent 96 for 5 (Martin 21*) beat United States Virgin Islands 92 (Martin 3-6, Nixon McLean 3-14) by five wickets
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Earlier, Martin and Nixon McLean, the former West Indies fast bowler, combined to dismiss Virgin Islands for a disappointing 92, sharing six wickets between them. McLean struck early, dismissing Terrance Webbe in the second ball of the match. Most of the batsmen succumbed while attempting big hits, and Martin exploited this by varying his pace regularly. Former Leeward Islands batsman Clifford Walwyn was the top scorer for the Virgin Islands, scoring 40 off 33 balls. Virgin Islands sensed an opportunity for a win with St. Vincent at 69 for 5, but Kissinger McLean and Martin guided the team through to the target with a 27-run stand.
Barbados 141 for 6 (Nurse 35, Haynes 38) beat Anguilla 103 for 7 (Hughes 20, Collins 3-13) by 38 runs
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Flintoff on track in fitness battle
Andrew Flintoff showed that he is ready to return as England captain with an impressive spell of bowling during his first-class comeback against Kent, at Canterbury
Cricinfo staff
18-Jul-2006
Kent 130 for 4 (Walker 32*, Bravo 9*, Flintoff 2-16) trail Lancashire 218 (Cross 72, Law 53, Henderson 4-29) by 88 runs
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If Flintoff comes through his first first-class match since the final Test against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge, without any reaction, he will lead England in the next Test against Pakistan, starting on July 27 at Old Trafford. The final day at Lord's showed how much England are waiting for Flintoff to return, as Strauss played it very safe with his four-man attack and never really pushed for victory.
The early signs are promising after he generated decent pace in his opening six-over burst, before returning for four more later on, as Lancashire fought back some lost ground by removing four Kent wickets before the close. Flintoff had been part of an under-par effort with the bat when he tried to cut a ball from Tyron Henderson and was caught behind.
Full postJaques forced to wait for double-century
Phil Jaques replicated his immaculate county form with a dominant and unbeaten 199 as Australia A's batsmen pounded into India A at Cairns
Cricinfo staff
18-Jul-2006
Phil Jaques replicated his immaculate county form with a dominant and unbeaten 199 as Australia A's batsmen pounded into India A at Cairns. Jaques, who played his first two Tests last summer, is targeting more top-level action during the Ashes series and after posting 921 runs at 102.33 in six County Championship appearances for Worcestershire, he enjoyed another prolific day that ended with his side in control at 2 for 361.
With rain hitting the north Queensland city over the past couple of days, the India A side hoped for early movement from the Cazaly's pitch after winning the toss in the four-day game, but Jaques and Chris Rogers defused any threat with an opening stand of 171 at more than four runs an over. Rogers collected 55 in a patient performance before the visitors threatened to hit back through Piyush Chawla and Shib Paul.
Chawla removed Rogers when he misjudged a sweep and an over later Paul, who could not finish his 14th over due to injury, had Mark Cosgrove caught behind by Parthiv Patel to drop Australia A to 2 for 172. The double burst was India A's only success of the day as Jaques was joined by Tasmania's Travis Birt in a 189-run stand that completed a superb performance by the hosts.
Full postInzamam guides Pakistan to draw
Inzamam-ul-Haq hits an unbeaten half-century was Pakistan easily reach a draw in the opening Test at Lord's
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
17-Jul-2006
Pakistan 445 and 214 for 4 (Inzamam 56*, Yousuf 48, Iqbal 48) drew with England 528 for 9 dec and 296 for 8 dec (Strauss 128)
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Pakistan never showed any interest in the target of 380, and this approach reduced England's chances of taking ten wickets. Richie Benuad was one who used to talk about 'closures' instead of 'declarations' and Strauss's decision to call his batsmen in after half-an-hour of the final morning was definitely the former. There will have been memories of Nagpur floating around the England dressing-room, when India gave them a brief scare after being set 368 in day. In reality, though, India ended 100 runs short and Pakistan would have done well to get much closer if they'd been set the overnight target of 342.
There was clearly a sense of two-fold fear in the England camp. The first was that Shahid Afridi could produce one of his big-hitting masterclasses and the second that, if one member of England's four-man attack wilted, they would be left short of options. Throughout the build-up, and even during the match, Strauss has made it clear that he is only keeping the captaincy seat warm for Andrew Flintoff. His declaration smacked of wanting to ensure no nasty surprises, such as a 1-0 deficit, for Flintoff's return.
Full postStrauss century puts England in charge
An assertive century from Andrew Strauss, only the third instance of an English batsmen getting one on his captaincy debut, helped his side extend their lead to a healthy 341 at the end of the fourth day at Lord's
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
16-Jul-2006
England 528 for 9 dec and 258 for 7 (Strauss 128, Pietersen 41) lead Pakistan 445 (Mohammad Yousuf 202, Inzamam 69, Akmal 58, Harmison 4-94) by 341 runs
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There are many special relationships around the world but Strauss and Lord's can rank near the top. He marked his Test debut with 112 against New Zealand in 2004 and later that summer stroked his first one-day ton against West Indies on the same ground. His latest century, the ninth of his career, puts him in an exclusive club of England captains to make a century in their first match in charge. Previously it was just Archie MacLaren against Australia in 1897-98 and Allan Lamb against West Indies in 1990. Strauss's 128 is the highest of the three.
It certainly wasn't Strauss at his most fluent as the bowlers - especially Kaneria and Afridi - made him work hard for the runs. He has had plenty of starts throughout the season but here he took on the responsibility of marshalling the innings. Strauss realised the importance of his presence when Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood were dismissed in consecutive overs during the afternoon session.
Full postSaqibul powers Bangladesh A to fifth win
Bangladesh ended their one-day series against Zimbabwe in convincing style, with a 58-run win, despite a defiant century from Pete Rinke
Cricinfo staff
15-Jul-2006
Bangladesh A 331 for 6 (Tushar 66, Saqibul 55*) beat Zimbabwe A 273 for 8 (Rinke 108, Saqibul 4-40) by 58 runs
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Saqibul Hasan's fine allround performance helped Bangladesh A end their one-day series against Zimbabwe A in convincing 58-run win, despite a defiant century from Pete Rinke. The Bangladeshis produced a flamboyant effort with the bat, racking up 331, with Saqibul carting a 55-ball 32 towards the death. Rinke held Zimbabwe's reply together, but needed more support to get his team close.
Nazmus Sadat and Nafees Iqbal handed Bangladesh a flyer with 88 in the first 10 overs. Tushar Imran, the captain, compiled a measured 66 off 64 balls before the middle order upped the tempo again. Mehrab Hossain and Saqibul raced along a more than a run-a-ball, Saqibul striking six fours in his rapid half-century.
At 169 for 3 in the 29th over, Zimbabwe were matching Bangladesh stroke for stroke but then they began to lose wickets at regular intervals. The crucial blow came in the 32nd over when Rinke was caught by Alok Kapali, leaving the lower order with too much to do. Saqibul followed up his half-century with a four-wicket spell and Bangladesh can leave highly satisfied with their work over the five-match series.
Full postPakistan ride on Yousuf special
A fantastic hundred by Mohammad Yousuf, his 17th in Tests and first at Lord's, helped Pakistan avoid the follow-on on the third day of the first Test at Lord's
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
15-Jul-2006
Pakistan 409 for 7 (Mohammad Yousuf 185, Inzamam 69, Akmal 58) trail England 528 for 9 dec by 119 runs
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However, it was a fine effort from Pakistan, which has so far been all about clawing back the yards of lost ground from the first two days, but could yet push this Test towards a fascinating conclusion. England's attack - down to four frontline bowlers with Andrew Flintoff's absence - stuck to their task on a pitch that was offering little once the new ball had been negotiated.
Steve Harmison couldn't reproduce the brief burst of fire from yesterday evening when he nabbed two in an over, while Matthew Hoggard's lack of bowling in recent weeks was evident. Liam Plunkett, as against Sri Lanka, improved the more he bowled but Monty Panesar didn't offer Andrew Strauss the controlling option he was looking for. The fielding let England down once when Kevin Pietersen shelled Akmal at cover on 26, before he made amends in the final moments of the day with his first Test wicket. However, for the most part, it was a day for high-class batting.
Full postEasy wins for Grenada and Nevis
A round-up of the third day's action from the Stanford 20/20 tournament
Cricinfo staff
15-Jul-2006
Grenada 84 for 4 (Fletcher 47*) beat Dominica 83 (Thomas 22, Pascal 2-15) by six wickets
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Grenada have qualified for the quarter-finals of the Stanford 20/20 tournament after their comprehensive six-wicket win against Dominica. Andre Fletcher, the Grenada opener, scored an unbeaten 47 as his side reached the target of 84 with ease. Earlier, Dominica failed to bat out their allotted 20 overs and were bowled out for a paltry 83, largely due to an impressive performance in the field by Grenada. Dominica got off to a disastrous start, losing three wickets before the fifth over, and their reckless running between the wickets didn't help matters, with three run-outs in the innings. Fletcher got his team off to a good start, and held the innings together after his side lost four wickets relatively quickly.
Nevis 104 for 3 (Woodley 56*) beat St. Kitts 100 (Taylor 41, Maynard 4-9) by seven wickets
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Nevis recorded a thumping win over St. Kitts by seven wickets with nine overs to spare in their Stanford 20/20 match under lights. Chasing 101, opener Sherwin Woodley led the charge with an unbeaten 56, and his second-wicket stand of 67 with Kieran Powell (26) sealed the deal. Earlier, St. Kitts never recovered after paceman John Maynard ran through the top order with four wickets for only nine runs off his four overs. Opening bowlers Tonito Willet and Maynard left the opposition in tatters at 29 for 6, and the only resistance came from Jacques Taylor (41) and Colin Cannonier (16) taking the score to 90.
Full postBell and Collingwood lead England charge
After Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell struck magnificent hundreds, leading England to a dominating 528 for 9, Pakistan lost three quick wickets to put England firmly on top
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
14-Jul-2006
Pakistan 66 for 3 (Mohammad Yousuf 20*, Mohammad Sami 0*) trail England 528 for 9 dec (Collingwood 186, Cook 105, Bell 100*) by 462 runs
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Bell was on 97 when Harmison was run out, but Monty Panesar showed a straight bat to survive six balls before Bell scampered the final single. Andrew Strauss declared the moment Bell reached three figures and Harmison exploited a patched-up Pakistan top three. His line wasn't at its best, but for one over he found his range. After Salman Butt fell to a conventional edge Harmison unleashed a fierce lifter which was spectacularly pouched at third slip. It was a lesson in catching for Pakistan, from ironically a team that dropped nine last time they played a Test at this ground.
There is never a good time to fail in a Test, but a low score here for Bell could have had serious long-term effects. Andrew Flintoff is expected back for the second match at Old Trafford, while Collingwood and Alastair Cook have cemented their places for the long haul. Bell had no option but to show his presence in the only way that matters - runs on the board.
Full postBadrinath guides India A to three-wicket win
An unbeaten 70 from Subramaniam Badrinath eased India A to a three-wicket win over New Zealand A on the fourth day of their Top End Series match at Darwin
Cricinfo staff
14-Jul-2006
India A 280 (TP Singh 85, Sharma 57, Patel 4-68) and 7 for 209 (Badrinath 70*) beat New Zealand A 332 (McMillan 108, Chawla 5-86) and 153 (Nicol 55, RP Singh 4-33) by three wickets
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An unbeaten 70 from Subramaniam Badrinath guided India A to a three-wicket win over New Zealand A on the fourth day of their Top End Series match at Darwin. India needed 206 for victory, and despite a brief hiccup at the top of the innings, eventually crossed the target in 68.4 overs.
It was not all smooth sailing. Cheteshawara Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan and Robin Uthappa each failed for the second time this match, and India were suddenly 3 for 34. It became 4 for 44 when Parthiv Patel, the captain and wicketkeeper, drove Mark Orchard to Michael Papps.
It was then that Badrinath was joined by Tejinder Pal Singh to add 94 for the fifth wicket. Tejinder came close to a second fifty in the match, but was bowled by Jeetan Patel, the offspinner, for 46. However, Badrinath held his nerve and in the company of Piyush Chawla, the young legspinner, took India home.
For New Zealand, Patel was the best of the bowling attack, snaring 3 for 46. India will take on Australia A in another four-day contest at Cairns beginning July 18.
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