Report
Flintoff drives England but Sri Lanka keep fighting
Sri Lanka refused to surrender the series on the opening day a Trent Bridge despite another middle-order meltdown which left them in a familiar predicament
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
02-Jun-2006
England 53 for 2 (Cook 12*, Pietersen 6*) trail Sri Lanka 231 (Vaas 38, Flintoff 3-52) by 178 runs
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Each time England have been on the verge of running away with this series, the fighting spirit of the Sri Lankans has shone through. However, their late fightbacks will leave them even more frustrated at the continued inability of the top order to produce the goods in the first innings. They had even progressed to relative riches of 84 for 1 shortly before lunch but Flintoff inspired the England attack to demolish the next seven wickets for 55 runs.
Sri Lanka's highest opening stand this series is 10 and their latest effort was similarly feeble as Lewis - handed his long-awaited debut in place of Sajid Mahmood - struck with the third ball of his Test career to castle Michael Vandort. Lewis came within a whisker of claiming two in two as replays showed Kumar Sangakkara may have tickled his first ball down the legside, but slowly he and Upul Tharanga began to prosper.
Full postLaxman's knock shores up the Indians
VVS Laxman and Mohammad Kaif spearheaded the Indians' reply ahead of the Test series
The bulletin by Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
31-May-2006
Indians 311 for 9 (Laxman 72, Dhoni 60*) drew with Antigua & Barbuda 300 (Joseph 128*)
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Easing into the Test series with some good batting practice, the Indians made the most of the second day of the warm-up game at the Police Recreation Ground in Antigua. Wasim Jaffer, VVS Laxman, Mohammad Kaif and Mahendra Singh Dhoni produced fluent half-centuries, all looking at ease against an attack that often veered towards the erratic.
With the relaxed setting providing an ideal backdrop - Harbhajan Singh spent nearly an hour learning the game of Warri, a popular indoor pastime in these parts - Jaffer and Laxman fit in nicely. Both reeled off some gorgeous drives, getting into the groove, and set the tone for the rest to follow. Kaif picked up the baton, punishing the spinners on a few occasions, while Dhoni ensured that the end came with a flourish. The batting, as always, appeared to be in safe hands; it's the bowling department that will give the Indians a few more headaches.
Full postSylvester Joseph defies Indians
A well-controlled hundred by Sylvester Joseph partly exposed the inadequacies of the Indians' bowling line-up as he led Antigua to a healthy 300 on the opening day of the practice game
Indians 33 for 1 trail Antigua and Barbuda 300 (Joseph 128*, Sreesanth 3-46) by 267 runs
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A well-controlled hundred by Sylvester Joseph partly exposed the inadequacies of the Indians' bowling line-up as he led Antigua to a healthy 300 on the opening day of the practice game at the Police Recreation Ground. On a day when only one of his team-mates crossed 30, Joseph spanked 15 fours and two sixes and often made the Indian bowling attack look pedestrian.
In a game where a draw was a foregone conclusion, considering that it was only a two-day affair, Joseph did his bit to deny the Indians any psychological advantage. Nicknamed "Bouncing", Joseph is a hero in these parts, with several close observers feeling that he's got a raw deal with regard to selection to the West Indies side. He is also acclaimed as a shrewd captain - he showed his mettle in a couple of games in the Indian Oil Cup in July last year - but someone who will probably be remembered as a nearly man of West Indian cricket.
Full postVaughan fails on first-class comeback
Michael Vaughan's first-class comeback for Yorkshire lasted just 13 balls, as he was dismissed for 1 by Hampshire's Billy Taylor
Cricinfo staff
30-May-2006
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Michael Vaughan's first-class comeback for Yorkshire lasted just 13 balls, as he was dismissed for 1 by Hampshire's Billy Taylor in their County Championship fixture at Headingley.
Opening the innings, Vaughan was caught behind by Nic Pothas, as Yorkshire slumped to 13 for 3 on the opening morning of the match. He had tested his knee during his 67 against Scotland on Monday in a limited-overs match, his first game since undergoing surgery just before Christmas last year. But while he was happy with that innings he wouldn't make any big statements about when he aims to come back for England.
"I've been quiet because I was very confident and I didn't want to come out with any rash statements," he told reporters. "And I won't now because I know the knee is still a bit of a problem and I have a lot of hurdles to overcome before I'm available for England.
Full postBruce's burst blitzes Gloucestershire
A round-up from the latest C&G Trophy matches
Cricinfo staff
29-May-2006
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South Conference
A superb spell of bowling from James Bruce sent Gloucestershire tumbling to a 62-run defeat at the hands of Hampshire at the Rose Bowl. Hampshire rattled up 221 in their innings, with Greg Lamb top-scoring with 59. However, set a revised target of 210 from 42 overs, Gloucestershire couldn't cope with Bruce who took three wickets in the space of just five balls. Though Gloucestershire rallied somewhat - Mark Hardinges blitzed 60 from 42 balls - Shaun Udal mopped up the tail as Hampshire romped home the comfortable winners.
Kent cruised past Ireland at Tunbridge Wells with a comprehensive 83-run win thanks to some tight bowling from Andrew Hall and a typically violent 57 from Justin Kemp. Darren Stevens got Kent off to a rollicking start, clubbing four fours and three sixes in his brisk 59, but it was Kemp who took the game away from Ireland with a brutal innings containing six towering sixes. Set a revised 179 from a maximum of 19.5 overs, Ireland were never in the hunt and slipped to 16 for 5; their tail edged them towards respectability, but Kent eventually won comprehensively.
Rain hampered Sussex's game against Somerset at Horsham, but that didn't prevent Mushtaq Ahmed from seizing control of Somerset's batsmen. Mushtaq blitzed Somerset's top-order with 4 for 42, but the visitors were rattling along at a fine pace with Matthew Wood smashing seven fours in his 46-ball 59. Set a revised 122 runs from 17 overs, Sussex crashed from 16 without loss to 16 for 4. Matt Prior (43) played aggressively before falling to Peter Trego, and it was left to Robin Martin-Jenkins (34*) and Luke Wright (32*) to see the hosts home with nine balls to spare.
Full postVaughan returns in style
Michael Vaughan quietened speculation over his fitness and knee injury with a match-winning 67 for Yorkshire, in his first match since undergoing surgery on his right knee just before Christmas last year
Cricinfo staff
29-May-2006
Yorkshire 160 for 4 D/L (Vaughan 67) beat Scotland 212 for 9 (Smith 71) by six wickets
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Michael Vaughan quietened speculation over his fitness and knee injury with a match-winning 67 for Yorkshire, in his first match since undergoing surgery on his right knee just before Christmas last year. Although it was an encouraging comeback for Vaughan, he remained understandably cautious over making any grand statements about his availability for England.
Vaughan withdrew from England's tour of India and, ever since, speculation over his availability for England this summer - not to mention his future as a Test batsman - has been rife, with ambiguous reports from physiotherapists, former players and coaches confusing matters. For the time being, at least, he appears to have come through his first serious test with flying colours.
Full postLehmann laces Lancashire
A round-up from the latest C&G Trophy matches
Cricinfo staff
28-May-2006
North Conference
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A fine allround performance from Yorkshire's Darren Lehmann kept them alive in the C&G Trophy with an exciting six-wicket win over Lancashire, who were previously unbeaten this season, at Headingley. Mal Loye clobbered 95, and there were a pair of 40s from Brad Hodge and Mark Chilton, but Lehmann pegged Lancashire back with two wickets while conceding just 38 from his 10 overs. Set 288 to win, Craig White got Yorkshire off to a steady start with 59, but it was Lehmann's perfectly-paced and unbeaten 92 which saw off Lancashire. He and Anthony McGrath (54) put on 111 in just 13 overs as Yorkshire sneaked home with an over to spare.
Ryan Watson's magnificent 108 led Scotland to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Derbyshire, after a polished bowling performance knocked over the hosts for just 180 at Derby. Dewald Nel, the South African, struck two early blows when he removed Michael Di Venuto and Chris Taylor to rock Derbyshire who stumbled to 53 for 5. That they reached the lofty heights of 180 was thanks to 39 from their captain, Graeme Welch, and a solid 42 from Ant Botha - but Scotland's bowling was too disciplined and tight, with Derbyshire failing by two balls to bat out their 50 overs. After the early loss of Corey Richards (1), Scotland were never in any trouble, with Watson punching nine fours and a six in his 110-ball 108 as the visitors reached their target inside 41 overs.
Full postLara seals hometown farewell 4-1
West Indies completed a 4-1 rout of India with a 19-run win in the final ODI at Trinidad. Virender Sehwag fought valiantly during his 95 but his dismissal effectively ended the Indian chase of this one-day series
The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran
28-May-2006
West Indies 255 for 6 (Bravo 62*, Sarwan 52, Gayle 51) beat India (Sehwag 95) 236 by 19 runs
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A cavalier 62 from Dwayno Bravo propelled West Indies past 250, and three
wickets apiece for the inexperienced duo of Jerome Taylor and Dave
Mohammed then stymied India's run chase to ensure that Brian Lara's
one-day farewell from the Queen's Park Oval would be a triumphant one.
Virender Sehwag struck a magnificent, measured 95, but the inability of
anyone else to go past 30 cost India dear as the West Indian bowlers
overcame a mid-innings wobble to inflict another embarrassing defeat on a
team that came here ranked No.3 in the world.
Having set India 256 for victory, West Indies found the unlikeliest of
new-ball heroes in Wavell Hinds. Corey Collymore tweaked his ankle in the
very first over, but by then India were already one down, with Robin
Uthappa having played an awful shot. Hinds, who had contributed 32 with
the bat earlier, then had Mahendra Singh Dhoni playing on, as his
promotion to No.3 failed to make the impact that India were hoping for.
Full postEngland amble to six-wicket victory
Led by a powerful new-ball bursts from Liam Plunkett and Andrew Flintoff, England crushed Sri Lanka's resistance on the fourth day at Edgbaston, completing a six-wicket win to take a 1-0 lead in the series
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
28-May-2006
England 295 and 81 for 4 (Cook 32*, Muralitharan 4-29) beat Sri Lanka 141 and 231 (Vandort 104, Dilshan 59, Plunkett 3-17) by six wickets
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Muralitharan's ripping doosras and extravagant turn, plus the hints of variable bounce from Lasith Malinga, showed what could have been possible if Sri Lanka had managed to extend their lead to 150. However, England's attack was on the money and maintained a consistent line and length during the early passage of play, with Matthew Hoggard finding plenty of swing with the new ball. Vandort and Farveez Maharoof held firm until the just before noon when, after a short spell from Hoggard, Flintoff brought himself on and bounced out Maharoof to lift England's spirits.
Vandort had become becalmed in the nineties - although his innings was never a flyer - but, after a couple of powerful drives had been fielded by mid-off, managed to squeeze a single through the covers to reach his ton off 297 balls. However, that was the high point for Sri Lanka as Plunkett showed he'd recovered from the shoulder injury that prevented him bowling yesterday.
Full postBad light ruins Warne's sporting declaration
A round-up of the latest County Championship matches
Cricinfo staff
27-May-2006
Division One
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Dougie Brown added a further 15 runs to his overnight 54, and Daniel Vettori struck a typically gritty 27 for Warwickshire before rain forced their match against Middlesex at Lord's to peter out into a draw. Warwickshire reached 401 for 9 in reply to Middlesex's declaration on 520 for 9.
At Old Trafford, Lancashire drew with Nottinghamshire when the drizzly inclement conditions forced yet another draw. In Notts' second innings, Tom Smith and Oliver Newby picked up a couple of wickets each as Lancashire took 4 for 8 in quick succession, reducing Notts to 102 for 4, but the draw was the only likely outcome.
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