Report
Vidyut and Rao power South to big win
A round-up of the Deodhar Trophy matches that took place on March 3
Cricinfo staff
03-Mar-2006
S Vidyut and Venugopal Rao contributed fine hundreds to propel South Zone to a 80-run win over Central Zone in the Deodhar Trophy limited-overs league match at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur. Central were made to rue their decision to field first as Vidyut hit 158 from 123 deliveries and Rao an unbeaten 103 to take South to 327 for 4.
South had been given a jolt when Jai Prakash Yadav clean bowled Robin Uthappa (6) in the third over, but Vidyut and Rao steadied the ship with a 233-run association. In reply, Central could only score 247 as South's bowlers produced a good display. Ravikant Shukla, the Indian Under-19 captain, fought valiantly with 94 not-out and Abbas Ali chipped in with 73. Five of Central's batsmen were back in the pavilion with just 40 on the board before Shukla, in his maiden Deodhar Trophy match, offered resistance. Vinay Kumar (2 for 31) and Somasetty Suresh (2 for 37) rocked the top order while Rao backed up his fine innings with 2 for 47. South took five points from this win to make it nine from two matches so far, while Central remained with nothing to show from three matches.
Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten 142 from 123 deliveries to take West Zone to an eight-wicket win over North Zone at the Maharanna Bhupal College Ground in Udaipur. Gautam Gambhir had earlier hit 109 out of North's total of 278 for 9 but Sharma's innings overshadowed his effort considerably, with West sealing the deal with more than five overs to spare. Jacob Martin (72*) lent valuable support to Sharma in their 184-run stand. Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan (65) put on 136 to get North off to a very good start but Ravindra Jadeja applied the skids, taking 4 for 28 with this left-arm spin. Munaf Patel, the start of the Indian Board President's XI's recent victory over an England XI, took 2 for 31. West now find themselves in a favourable position, leading the points table with eight.
Full postRinke and Higgins help Zimbabwe crush Kenya
A 70-ball 72 from Piet Rinke helped Zimbabwe to a series-levelling victory in the fourth ODI against Kenya at Harare Sports Club
Cricinfo staff
03-Mar-2006
Zimbabwe 231 for 9 (Rinke 72, Taylor 40, Ongondo 3-32, Odoyo 3-50)beat Kenya 122 (Otieno 69, Higgins 4-21) by 109 runs
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A 70-ball 72 from Piet Rinke helped Zimbabwe to a series-levelling victory in the fourth ODI against Kenya at Harare Sports Club. Zimbabwe made 231 for 9 in a match which was reduced to 44-overs-a-side by heavy overnight storms which left the outfield sodden. Their total proved more than enough as Kenya were bowled out for 122, with Ryan Higgins grabbing 4 for 21. With one match to go, there's now everything to play for.
While it had been optimistic to expect the full tally of overs to be fitted in before the light faded - two and a half hours had been lost to rain first up - Zimbabwe's use of spinners combined with a dire collapse by Kenya meant that the game was settled just as it was getting dark.
Full postNtini destroys Australia with six of the best
Makhaya Ntini destroyed Australia with 6 for 22 as South Africa powered to a 196-run win at Cape Town
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
03-Mar-2006
South Africa 289 for 7 (Gibbs 66, Kemp 51*) beat Australia 93 (Ntini 6-21) by 196 runs
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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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This winter-long contest has moved continents over the last few weeks but, so far, the cricket has been from a different planet. Australia are the side struck down by injuries, struggling with their bowling attack and generally not having the rub of the green. South Africa, meanwhile, have been transformed from the flat, lifeless side of the VB series.
For South Africa this series is about trying to lay some of the ghosts from the Australian tour to rest - and they are certainly making a decent fist of things. On Sunday it was Graeme Smith discarding the bad memories with a cathartic, match-winning century and, today, Kemp went through a similar process. The barnstorming half-century showed his true colours and helped South Africa garner 93 runs in final ten overs - chiefly with the support of Shaun Pollock in a 62-run stand off 44 balls.
Full postSouth Australia's big guns fail to fire
A solid allround batting performance by Western Australia put them in a strong position after being put in by South Australia on the first day of their Pura Cup match at Perth
Cricinfo staff
03-Mar-2006
Western Australia 4 for 274 (Langer 82, North 62*, Marsh 57) v South Australia
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A solid allround batting performance by Western Australia put them in a strong position after being put in by South Australia on the first day of their Pura Cup match at Perth. Both sides need a win to give them any chance of making the end-of-season final.
Darren Lehmann's decision to field might have been more successful had wicketkeeper Graham Manou not spilled a simple chance off Chris Rogers before he had scored. But Justin Langer, making his 100th first-class appearance for his state, laid the foundations with 82, and Rogers went on to make 41 in an opening stand of 91 before becoming the first of Dan Cullen's three wickets.
The game had been billed as a battle between Jason Gillespie and Shaun Tait to find a possible replacement for Glenn McGrath in South Africa, but both were unimpressive. Gillespie finished with 1 for 64, while Tait took 0 for 62 and was expensive in his first two spells.
Full postWolves storm into semi-finals
A round-up of Twenty20 matches that took place on March 2
Cricinfo staff
03-Mar-2006
Faisalabad Wolves stormed into the semi-finals of the Twenty20 Cup thrashing Rawalpindi Rams by 10 wickets. Imran Khalid cleaned up the Rawalpindi lower order picking up 4 for 21, bundling them out for a poor total of 105. The Wolves, led by Mohammad Hafeez, who scored 66 off just 33 balls, needed just nine overs to overhaul the target. Khalid also picked up the Man-of-the-Match award for his spell.
Qaiser Abbas and Mohammad Asif propelled the Sialkot Stallions to the semi-finals as they continued their unbeaten run
in the tournament, beating Multan Tigers by 66 runs. The Stallions justified their decision to bat first, piling up 189 for the loss of three wickets with Abbas remaining undefeated on 75. Asif continued his rich vein of form from the previous game, picking up four wickets and stifling the batsmen with his accuracy, conceding only 14 from his four overs. Bilal Khilji (46) lacked support from the rest as the Tigers were bundled out for 123. The Stallions will meet the Karachi Dolphins in the semi-final.
Ashraf Ali led the Karachi Zebras to a three-wicket win
over Lahore Eagles with an unbeaten 52. Choosing to bat first, the Eagles were dismissed for 150 in 19.5 overs. Imran Farhat, fresh from his century on Wednesday, managed 35 with two sixes and four fours. Kamran Sajid top-scored with 40 but the total of 150 was well short of what they would have expected. The Zebras were in trouble at 7 for 98 but Ashraf and Rizwan Saeed (32*) kept their cool and guided their team through.
Full postBulls on target despite Warne's magnificent seven
Shane Warne's career-best 7 for 100 could not stop Victoria from being overpowered by Queensland in the top-of-the-table clash at Junction Oval
Cricinfo staff
03-Mar-2006
Victoria 4 for 155 (Mash 37, Doran 2-53) trail Queensland 408 (Hayden 89, Bichel 76, Maher 67, Noffke 49, Warne 7-100) by 253 runs
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Shane Warne's career-best 7 for 100 could not stop Victoria from being overpowered by Queensland in the top-of-the-table clash at Junction Oval. The Bulls' lower order rushed to 408 as they chased hosting rights for the final, and by stumps the legspinner Daniel Doran had dismissed the prolific Brad Hodge and Jason Arnberger.
Warne has played only 43 Sheffield Shield-Pura Cup matches - Hodge is appearing in his 111th and Matthew Hayden in his 86th - and this was his seventh domestic five-wicket haul. He was the one bowler to trouble Queensland, who added 122 to their overnight 7 for 286, mainly through Andy Bichel and Ashley Noffke.
Full postBrutal Birt century keeps Tasmania on top
Travis Birt's hard-hitting 160 ensured Tasmania remained in control at Bellerive Oval
Cricinfo staff
03-Mar-2006
New South Wales 141 and 3 for 116 (Phelps 35, Thornely 35*) trail Tasmania 353 (Birt 160, Bevan 51, Lambert 4-80) by 96 runs
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Travis Birt's hard-hitting 160 ensured Tasmania remained in control at Bellerive Oval as New South Wales finished the second day needing another 96 to make the hosts bat again. The third-placed Blues are desperate to stay in touch in the finals race, but they will need a strong push from the middle and lower orders if they are to have a chance of gaining outright points.
Tasmania stretched their overnight 4 for 110 into an impressive 353 through Birt's muscular display, earning a healthy lead of 212 and two first-innings points. Birt thumped seven sixes and 19 fours in his 172-ball innings, which was his second hundred of the season and pushed his Pura Cup tally to 773 runs.
The morning started badly for the Tigers, who are currently last, with the loss of George Bailey for 9, but Birt dominated valuable stands of 48 with Dan Marsh (14), 96 with Brendan Drew (23) and 27 with Ben Hilfenhaus (0 not out) before becoming Stuart MacGill's second wicket. Grant Lambert was the most successful with 4 for 80 after adding Marsh and Brett Geeves today.
Full postSri Lanka canter to victory
Sri Lanka wasted no time in wrapping up a comprehensive victory over Bangladesh in Chittagong
The Bulletin by Charlie Austin
03-Mar-2006
Sri Lanka 338 and 166 for 2 (Vandort 64*) beat Bangladesh 319 and 181 by 8 wickets
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Sri Lanka wasted no time in wrapping up a comprehensive victory in Chittagong, responding to an early setback with an authoritative run chase. Michael Vandort (64 not out) and Kumar Sangakkara (46) scored the bulk of the runs and Mahela Jayawardene (26 not out), Sri Lanka's new captain punched the winning runs through the covers off the last ball before lunch.
Sri Lanka, starting the day on 25 without loss, stumbled early as Upul Tharanga, who had looked so solid the previous evening, edged into the slips. However, Bangladeshi hopes of a dramatic collapse and a historic last-gasp victory flickered briefly as Sangakkara, in prime form during recent weeks, swaggered out of the blocks and asserted complete command.
Full postEngland seize the day with late strikes
Matthew Hoggard took the morning plaudits with a peerless display of swing bowling; Mohammad Kaif and Anil Kumble earned the afternoon honours with an invaluable eighth wicket stand of 128, but it was the debutant Monty Panesar who stole the headlines
The Bulletin by Andrew Miller
03-Mar-2006
Close India 322 for 9 (Kaif 91, Hoggard 5-57) trail England 393 by 71 runs
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Matthew Hoggard took the morning plaudits with a peerless display of swing bowling; Mohammad Kaif and Anil Kumble earned the afternoon honours with an invaluable eighth-wicket stand of 128, but it was the debutant Monty Panesar who stole the headlines. His last-gasp breakthrough tilted a fascinating match back in England's favour, as Kaif was spectacularly castled for 91 by the final ball of the day.
At the close India had recovered heroically from a perilous 190 for 7 and trailed England by just 71 runs, but Panesar's intervention, coupled with Steve Harmison's dismissal of Kumble just moments earlier, made all the difference to the moods of the respective teams. India had resumed in the morning on an ominous 136 for 1, with England braced for a day of juggernaut-like accumulation. Instead they landed themselves both an opportunity to secure a crucial first-innings advantage but more extraordinarily, in Panesar and Ian Blackwell, a spin attack capable of winning them the Test in the fourth innings.
Full postMorkel shines with bat and ball
A round-up of the latest action from the first day in the SAA Provincial Challenge
Cricinfo staff
02-Mar-2006
Albie Morkel produced a striking all round display as Easterns twice fought back from tricky situations to finish the opening day against Free State in a strong position. Morkel's first intervention was to take four wickets as Free State slipped from 150 for 3 to 179 all out. Morkel top and tailed the innings while David Wiese and Jonathan van der Berg chipped in with three apiece. Jonathan Beukes was the mainstay of Free State's innings with 63 off 75 balls. In reply Easterns also had problems, falling to 44 for 4. However, Morkel then showed the other half of his game, forming an unbeaten stand of 118 with Wiese who also showed his all round ability.
Western Province are in a promising position after restricting Border to 129 for 9 at East London. Quinton Friend was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 65 off 19 overs as Border failed to muster any partnerships of note. Their situation could have been worse if it hadn't been for a ninth-wicket stand of 42 between Lundi Mbane and Mfuneko Ngam which at least carried Border into three figures after they were 87 for 8. Western Province didn't have it all their own way with the bat, but Alistair Gray's 45, which was ended with the final ball of the day, means they will aim for a substantial lead.
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