Report
Power failure aids Rawalpindi Rams
A round-up of Twenty20 matches that took place on February 26
Cricinfo staff
27-Feb-2006
Pool A
Not rain, not bad weather ... but a power failure at the National Stadium allowed the Rawalpindi Rams to register their first win
at the Twenty20 Cup, against Multan Tigers. Two former Pakistan Test openers, Mohammad Waseem and Naved Ashraf ensured the Rams put up at least a defendable total of 165. That total briefly looked insufficient but after the light failure, the target was revised for Multan to 100 off 10 overs and at 75 for five, they ended comfortably short.
Faisalabad Wolves sent out the most emphatic reminder to teams around the country last night that they are back in business with a ruthless performance
to brush aside Karachi Zebras, chalk up their second successive win and bring their title defense back on course after a shock opening day loss. Asif Hussain, the stocky dynamo opener - officially the best batsman last year - smashed 84 from 43 balls after his side has been inserted and helped by contributions from Mohammad Salman (35) and Misbah-ul-Haq (38) led his side to an imposing 221. The Zebras were never in the hunt, collapsing to 53 for seven, to the combined swing and pace of Ahmed Hayat and Samiullah Niazi, who took all seven wickets. Although they recovered, it was only to 108 and they were bowled out in 14.4 overs.
Imran Farhat's occasional legspin proved an unlikely saviour for Lahore Eagles in their five-wicket win
over the floundering Peshawar Panthers. Farhat picked up the key wickets of Yasir Hameed, Younis Khan and Jannisar Khan to restrict the Panthers to 171. With Wajahatullah Wasti's 17-ball 40 and Hameed's 55, they would have gotten many more, but for Farhat's looping, big-breaking spin. And despite making a first-ball duck himself, Farhat saw team-mates Mohammad Ashfaq and Kamran Sajjad put on a blistering 104 runs to lead them to a comfortable win.
Full postNorthern Districts fritter away solid start
A round-up of the first day's play in the fifth round of matches in the State Championship
Dylan Cleaver
27-Feb-2006
Well placed at 158 for 2, Northern Districts would have been happy with their progress
against Canterbury on a revamped Seddon Park ground in Hamilton. At the end of the day and all out for 269, the smiles would have long faded as Northerns collapsed woefully against Chris Harris's wobbly deliveries. Opener Nick Horsley (60) and Alun Evans (53) laid the platform, but nobody in Northern's notoriously fragile batting line-up could capitalise. Harris took 4 for 46 and Brandon Hiini 3 for 46 as Canterbury polished off the tail before stumps.
Mathew Sinclair and opener Geoff Barnett put on a record second-wicket partnership
for Central Districts against Otago at New Plymouth. However Central will be disappointed with their stumps position of 275 for 6 when you consider Sinclair (121) and Barnett (94) were together for 213 of those runs. The day was truncated by four overs due to showers but Otago had bowled themselves back into the game with two wickets apiece to Warren McSkimming, David Sewell and Bradley Scott.
Top met bottom in Wellington and that was obvious as the home team bundled out
woeful Auckland for 235 with Tim Lythe (66) the only player to pass 50. James Franklin, the discarded New Zealand swing bowler, took 3 for 46 and national prospect Mark Gillespie continued his impressive wicket-taking form with 3 for 66. In reply Wellington reached 59 for 1 at stumps with Matthew Bell not out on 32 and Michael Parlane on 14.
Full postEngland A take command
West Indies A v England A third day round-up
Cricinfo staff
27-Feb-2006
West Indies A 253 and 35 for 1 (Simmons 19*) need 330 more runs to beat England A 386 and 231 (Dalrymple 53, Clarke 46)
Scorecard
Scorecard
Rikki Clarke and Jamie Dalrymple led a solid batting effort as England A reached a commanding position in the first match at Antigua, leaving West Indies A with an imposing target of 365 with a day to spare. England A will be heartened by the fact that they could put in such an impressive performance without three of their main players, all set to join the England squad on their Indian tour.
England A began the day on a promising note, mopping up the last three West Indian wickets for the addition of just 24 runs. Gareth Batty made his presence felt yet again, following up his vital 75 in the first innings with a five-wicket haul. Sajid Mahmood and Rikki Clarke, the medium-pacers, backed him up with two wickets apiece and helped England A take a healthy 133-run lead.
England A's second innings got off to an indifferent start with the news of Owais Shah, Alastair Cook and James Anderson joining the senior squad in India, one that was languishing in injuries and last minute pull-outs even before the first Test had begun. England A's rearranged batting line-up suffered some early jitters, losing their first four wickets with just 50 on board, but Clarke and Dalrymple bailed them out of trouble an 86-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Full postStunning Tikolo powers Kenya level
Steve Tikolo smashed a stunning 98 off 75 balls as Kenya levelled their one-day series against Zimbabwe with a convincing 79-run win at Bulawayo
Martin Williamson
26-Feb-2006
Kenya 284 for 7 (Tikolo 98, Mishra 46, Ireland 3-46) beat Zimbabwe 205 (Rinke 54, Meth 53, Ongondo 3-26) by 79 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
What a difference a day makes. Last night, Zimbabwe were celebrating a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Kenya in the opening ODI of the five-match series. After months of internal turmoil, it seemed that Zimbabwe cricket was on the mend. But a crushing 79-run defeat in the second game at Bulwayo reopened all the doubts as to whether this raw Zimbabwe side has what it takes to compete at the highest level.
It was the highly experienced Steve Tikolo, Kenya's captain and a man with more ODIs under his belt than Zimbabwe's top nine combined, who laid the platform for the win with 98 off 75 balls after Kenya had slipped to 24 for 2. Tikolo departed on 173 for 4, and yesterday Kenya's tail had folded limply. Today they feasted on a tiring attack, and 19-year-old Tanmay Mishra, who made his international debut yesterday, impressed most with 46. Zimbabwe's bowlers looked ill-at-ease, and Blessing Mahwire, who should have provided a cutting edge, was so wayward he was not even called on to bowl his quota of overs.
A crowd of about 1000 - double that of yesterday, despite dark clouds which have hung over the city all week - were quietened by the loss of two quick Zimbabwe wickets, but then Piet Rinke continued the attacking form he had shown 24 hours earlier with a 47-ball 54. But he was the second of three wickets for Peter Ongondo - who finished with 3 for 26 - and the lack of experience and match practice showed as Zimbabe's raw middle order crumbled.
Full postShoaib Malik stars in Sialkot's eight-wicket win
A round-up of Twenty20 matches that took place on February 25
Cricinfo staff
26-Feb-2006
Pool A
Shoaib Malik's stellar allround performance helped Sialkot Stallions to a comfortable eight-wicket victory against Rawalpindi Rams. After being asked to bat, Rawalpindi collapsed spectacularly after Mohammad Wasim had clobbered 74 off 48 balls. From 129 for 1, Malik ripped through the line-up with 5 for 13 from three overs to restrict them to 163 for 7. Chasing 164 to win, Malik scorched 50 from 31 balls with four sixes and three fours, and Shahid Yousuf hit 68 off 42, to lead Sialkot to 165 for 2.
Karachi Zebras won their match against Peshawar Panthers by virtue of having lost fewer wickets after both teams were tied on 160 at the end of 20 overs. Half-centuries from the openers, Khurram Manzoor and Ashraf Ali, and Hasan Raza's 29-ball 46 boosted the Karachi's score to 160 for 3 after they had won the toss. Rafatullah Mohmand top-scored with 49 off 29 in Peshawar's chase but even though they drew level on 160 for 7, the fact that they lost more wickets cost them the match.
Mohammad Hafeez hammered 59 off 29 balls
as Faisalabad Wolves overhauled Multan Tigers' total of 122 in just 7.3 overs at Karachi. Imran Khalid took 2 for 12 in four overs and Saeed Ajmal chipped in with 3 for 33 as Faisalabad dismissed Multan for 122 in the 19th over. Hafeez clubbed four sixes and six fours as Faisalabad's chase began in explosive fashion. Asif Hussain's 37 included three sixes and four fours as they galloped to 123 for 2 with 12.3 overs to spare.
Full postRolton helps Australia clinch series
Karen Rolton's four vital wickets helped Australia edge India by 12 runs in a thrilling second game at Adelaide and clinch the three-match series with a game to play
Cricinfo staff
26-Feb-2006
Australia 173 (Goszko 47, Al Khader 4-41) beat India 161 (Chopra 66, Rolton 4-29) by 12 runs
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Scorecard
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Karen Rolton's four vital wickets helped Australia edge India by 12 runs in a close second game at Adelaide and clinch the three-match series with a game to play. The Indian women, who came off a thrashing in the opening game, put up an impressive performance, but their inability to soak in the late-overs pressure did them in.
Mithali Raj, the India captain, appeared to have made a good decision at the toss by inserting Australia as her bowlers struck at regular intervals. Nooshin Al Khader, the offspinner, bagged four wickets in a nagging spell and it was only because of Michelle Goszko's gritty 47 that Australia got to 173. Neetu David, the left-arm spinner, grabbed two wickets while the medium-pacers, Jhulan Goswami and Amita Sharma, shared a wicket apiece.
Full postSmith ton powers South Africa to resurgent win
Graeme Smith struck a magnificent unbeaten century to take South Africa to a convincing victory in the first one-dayer at Centurion
The Bulletin by Jenny Thompson
26-Feb-2006
South Africa 207 for 4 (Smith 119*, de Villiers 43) beat Australia 229 for 8 (Clarke 53, Hussey 56) by six wickets (D/L method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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He said he would do it. He did it. Graeme Smith led South Africa to a convincing victory with a magnificent unbeaten century in the first one-dayer at Centurion. Smith followed up his 89 not out on Friday with an unbeaten 119 today and batted like nothing's been wrong. Things are certainly all right just now.
Undeterred by rain breaks, undeterred by recent troubles - or perhaps spurred on by them - Smith slapped, bashed and punched his way to a sixth ODI century and, crucially, he did it with the balance and timing that have been absent of late. As he brought up his century he couldn't hide his relief or his delight - and nor should he - but otherwise determination was writ large on his face.
Full postNSW steal ING Cup despite Tait brilliance
Stuart MacGill hit the trophy-winning run for the second time in two seasons as New South Wales clung on for a one-wicket victory
Cricinfo staff
26-Feb-2006
New South Wales 9 for 155 (Richards 35, Thornely 25, Tait 6-41) beat South Australia 154 (Cosgrove 49, Bird 3-30) by one wicket
Scorecard
Scorecard
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Stuart MacGill hit the trophy-winning run for the second time in two seasons as New South Wales clung on for a one-wicket victory over South Australia at Adelaide. The Blues almost didn't make it as Shaun Tait produced a stunning performance of 6 for 41 - he took the first five wickets as the Redbacks tried valiantly to defend only 154 - but MacGill's leg glance off Darren Lehmann earned them the final ING Cup prize in a similar manner to last season's Pura Cup success.
Corey Richards and Phil Jaques made a comfortable start after Tait had knocked over Craig Simmons for 1, but Tait returned with a brutal over that included the wickets of Richards (35), Jaques (21) and Matthew Phelps (0). Brad Haddin and Dominic Thornely combined for a 44-run partnership to steer the side away from the trouble of 4 for 67 before Tait struck again.
Full postDuffin leads Zimbabwe to much-needed victory
Zimbabwe recorded a much-needed eight-wicket win in the opening match in their five-ODI series against Kenya at Bulawayo
Cricinfo staff
25-Feb-2006
Zimbabwe 231 for 2 (Taylor 60*, Masakadza 58*, Duffin 53) beat Kenya 227 for 9 (Otieno 74, Odoyo 54) by eight wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
Zimbabwe recorded a much-needed eight-wicket win in the opening match in their five-ODI series against Kenya at Bulawayo. Set a target of 228, half centuries from Terry Duffin, Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor guided them home with six-and-a-half overs in hand. The only blot on Zimbabwe's day was the desultory crowd, with only around 500 spectators even though there was no admission charge.
Kenya won the toss and Kennedy Otieno got them off to a good start with 74, but from 116 for 1 they lost their way in the push for quick runs. Otieno fell to Keegan Meth, Zimbabwe's substitute who came in early for Edward Rainsford, who clearly showed out his frustration when he was pulled off. Meth is a brawny youngster with a slinging action and was one of the revelations at the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka, and for him to bowl three overs and concede just six runs shows he is player for the future. Thomas Odoyo hit a 52-ball 54, but that aside, Kenya's middle and lower order offered little.
Both Duffin and fellow opener Piet Rinke were making their one-day debuts, and Duffin was under more pressure as his appointment as captain had reportedly opened divides within the side. But both rose to the occasion. Duffin was happy to play the anchor role, while Rinke attacked from the off. He smashed two fours of Odoyo's first over and never changed his aggressive approach. A Heath Streak look alike, he gave away his wicket cheaply when he nicked Peter Ongondo to Otieno. His 42 came off just 40 balls with six fours.
Full postde Bruyn strikes ton in draw
A round-up from the third day of the latest round of matches in the SAA Provincial Challenge
Keith Lane
25-Feb-2006
At Willowmoore Park, in Benoni, Easterns and Gauteng played out a hard fought draw. With rain interruptions and early finishes it was always going to be difficult for either team to manipulate a result. Gauteng declared at 310 for 9 after batting nine overs into the final day. Craig Knox, three runs short of his maiden 50, had to be content with a not out as Gauteng took a lead of 168. In the end Easterns managed to hold on thanks to 107 from Zander de Bruyn and some brave defence from the lower order. With time running out and Easterns with a lead of 107 with two wickets remaining the game was called off.
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