Report
Sri Lanka run Namibia into the ground
Sri Lanka made short work of Namibia at the R. Premadasa Stadium
Sa'adi Thawfeeq
07-Feb-2006
Sri Lanka 263 for 8 (Cooray 64*) beat Namibia 126 (Weerasinghe 4-24) by 137 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Sri Lanka made short work of Namibia at the R. Premadasa Stadium, beating them comfortably by 137 runs as they prepared for sterner tests ahead in the Under-19 World Cup. It was Sri Lanka's second successive win in Group C, following their four-wicket victory over Scotland on the opening day of the tournament.
From now onwards, however, they will be fully tested as they come up against stronger opposition, starting with the tournament favourites India whom they meet in their final group match on Friday. But with two wins under their belts already, Sri Lanka look assured of a place (barring any surprises) in the next round of the competition, the Super League quarter-finals.
Sri Lanka's batting yesterday showed more character than it did against Scotland, and the way they performed will have given them confidence for the remaining matches in the tournament.
Full postNepal take Zimbabwe to the wire
Zimbabwe just avoided becoming the first high-profile casualty as they beat Nepal by two runs in Group D of the Under-19 World Cup in Colombo
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan in Colombo
07-Feb-2006
Zimbabwe 201(Higgins 74, Khadka 4-28) beat Nepal 199 for 9 (Chaugai 78, Cremer 3-36) by two runs
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Scorecard
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It was Zimbabwe's legspin duo of Ryan Higgins - following a vital 74 to resurrect their innings from 90 for 6 - and Graeme Cremer who pulled the match out of the fire. Cremer brought them back onto contention with two wickets in two balls, breaking the partnership between Chaugai and Paras Khadka which was steering Nepal towards their target. Khadka played a huge fresh air shot and was stumped by miles, then Prem Chaudhary edged a cut first ball.
Higgins, though, claimed the vital scalp, bowling Chaugai attempting an ambitious sweep. The Nepal captain could hardly tear himself from the crease and it is easy to understand why. He had done more than anyone else to put his country within touching distance of taking a memorable victory with a calm and assured innings.
Full postPakistan Customs continue winning spree
Patrons Cup roundup
Daily News
07-Feb-2006
Pakistan Customs attained their second consecutive win, a rather comfortable one by five wickets against Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) in a second-round, Group A Patrons Cup match.
SNGPL were bowled out for a modest 186 runs in 49.3 overs, after having been asked to bat first, while Customs needed just 36.4 overs to reach the target. Azhar Shafiq, the captain, led the Customs assault with a splendid 90 off 95 deliveries with 10 fours and two sixes. Hardly anyone got big scores when SNGPL batted, the top innings being Misbah-ul-Haq's 33 off 36 balls with four fours and a six.
Stephen John, Murtaza Hussain and left-arm spinners Azam Hussain and Fawad Alam helped Customs keep the pressure on the SNGPL batsmen with two wickets apiece.
Habib Bank registered their second successive win, as they beat Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) by two wickets in another Group A match at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex.
Full postBandara spins Sri Lanka into the finals
Malinga Bandara proved he really was a supersub with a stunning performance against South Africa that spun Sri Lanka into the VB Series finals with a 76-run victory
Peter English
06-Feb-2006
Sri Lanka 9 for 257 (Atapattu 80, Sangakkara 62) beat South Africa 181 (Smith 67, Bandara 4-31) by 76 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out
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Malinga Bandara proved he really was a super sub with a stunning performance against South Africa that spun Sri Lanka into the VB Series finals. South Africa were travelling in relative comfort at 3 for 87 when Bandara was called from the dressing room in the 20th over, but he responded with 4 for 31 to floor his opponents and secure a 76-run win.
A regular Supersub during the preliminary rounds, Bandara has cemented the role for the best-of-three finals against Australia starting at Adelaide on Friday, and he will enter the match backed by 13 tournament wickets. South Africa started the match with a three-point lead, but the pressure of a winner-takes-all game showed throughout the contest on a cool day in Hobart, which began with snow melting on the nearby Mt Wellington.
Full postWest Indies' strength proves too much for USA
The West Indies' powerful batting line-up proved too strong for USA, who were beaten by the convincing margin of 87 runs
Sa'adi Thawfeeq
06-Feb-2006
West Indies 302 for 7 (Perkins 133, Singh 65) beat USA 215 (Punoo 65, Roach 3-24) by 87 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
The West Indies displayed their brutal batting power in their Under-19
World Cup group match on Monday when they ran up an impressive total
of 302 for 7 to beat USA by 87 runs - but not before going through
some anxious moments.
The USA, for all their inexperience, had the West Indies rattled to
some extent when they ran up 150 for 3 after 25 overs. If it was a
Test-playing nation they would have sailed through and won. But USA,
who are playing in this tournament for the first time, lacked that
little bit of experience to pace out their innings gradually after
batting themselves into a winning position. Once their captain, Hemant
Punoo - who made an attractive 65 off 52 balls and Akeem Dodson (43
with 5 fours) were dismissed, the rest of the batting folded tamely.
However, the USA should be proud of the way they played against a full
member country getting to a respectable 215 before being bowled out in
the 46th over. They could consider this performance an achievement in
the annals of their cricket history.
Full postEngland U-19s off to winning start
England's Under-19s got off to a winning start in their opening World Cup Group match
Andrew McGlashan
06-Feb-2006
England 209 for 9 (Ali 54, Nelson 40) beat Nepal 132 (Hamilton-Brown 3-17) by 77 runs
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Scorecard
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When Nepal reached 41 without loss in pursuit of 210, the possibility of
the first upset in the tournament flickered into view. Kanishka
Chaugai, Nepal's captain and playing in his third U-19 World Cup, had laid into
Mark Nelson and Andrew Miller operating with the new ball. However, playing
a ball through the off side, Chaugai grabbed his leg and it soon became
clear he was suffering a repeat of the cramp that affected him during the
warm-up matches.
Ali, who has already impressed as England's captain in Sri Lanka, pulled
his team together for a mid-over huddle. He later told Cricinfo that it
is something they have been doing for a while: "When things are not going
our way we just want to get everyone together. It's something that works
at the moment so we will continue doing it."
Full postPakistan win a thriller by D/L rule
Bad light had the final say in a simply astonishing opening game, as Pakistan sneaked to a seven-run win in a high-scoring cliffhanger at Peshawar
Pakistan 311 for 7 (Butt 101, Malik 90) beat India 328 (Tendulkar 100, Pathan 65, Dhoni 68, Naved 4-62) by 7 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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Despite being up against a mountain of a total, Pakistan were always in control of their chase, and ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis system. Salman Butt laid the platform with a snazzy hundred while Shoaib Malik played the innings of the match with a stunning 67-ball 90, keeping Pakistan within striking range. India refused to let go, thanks to some inspired fielding and imaginative captaincy, and appeared to have snatched the advantage
when Inzamam-ul-Haq was dismissed obstructing the field, but they were eventually thwarted by the murky skies, as the batsmen gladly walked off when given the chance.
India's inability to wrap up the game, despite scoring 328, gives you an indication of the nature of the pitch, the outfield, the smallness of the ground, and the opposition they were up against. Sachin Tendulkar's first hundred since April last year turned out to be the fulcrum around which they built the skyscraper, with Irfan Pathan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni joining in the gush of boundaries. They missed a trick once Tendulkar departed, losing their last six wickets for just 23 runs, stumbling against the persistent Mohammad Asif, and in hindsight they were probably a good 20 runs short.
Full postWindwards and Guyana bat out a draw
Windwards Islands batted out a rain-marred draw with Guyana after overnight and early morning showers prevented further play before lunch on the final day at the Tanteen Recreation Ground on Sunday
Cricinfo staff
06-Feb-2006
Windward Islands 189 and 283 for 5 (Shallow 53) drew with Guyana 276
Scorecard
Scorecard
The Windwards Islands batted out a rain-marred draw with Guyana after overnight and early morning showers prevented further play before lunch on the final day at the Tanteen Recreation Ground on Sunday.
Junior Murray, the former West Indies wicketkeeper, forged a 56-run fifth-wicket partnership with Darren Sammy (34) before putting on a further 50 with Liam Sebastion (21) as Windwards fought back after the dismissals of Alvin La Feuille (26) and Hyron Shallow (53).
Of the five bowlers used by Guyana, Mahendra Nagamootoo, the former West Indies legspinner, picked up 2 for 71, while Narsingh Deonarine, Imran Jafferally and Ramnaresh Sarwan each took one. Sarwan was awarded the Man-of-the-match award for his first innings 108. Both teams decided to call the match off at 4:30 p.m. Murray remained unbeaten on 39 from 142 deliveries and 155 minutes.
Full postDolphins win but miss out on semi-final
A round-up from the latest Standard Bank Pro20 matches
Keith Lane
05-Feb-2006
At Potchefstroom the Dolphins beat the Lions by three wickets but failed to reach the semi-finals in the highest scoring match of the season.
The Dolphins, needing the win and the bonus point to qualify for the
semi-finals, put the Lions in to bat. Taking full advantage of the excellent batting pitch the Lions scored 190 as Andy Blignaut blasted away, from the solid platform set by the top order, to strike 61 not out off 28 balls with three fours and five sixes. Earlier
the top order had made a solid start with Stephen Cook scoring 45 off
31. Zahir Abrahim took 3 for 40 but it was Jon Kent with 1 for 22 who
was the most impressive.
Needing to score 191 off 16 overs to gain the bonus point, the Dolphins
were on course during the first eight overs but the task of maintaining 12 runs per
over became too onerous. Two quick wickets in the middle of the
innings - and then the loss of Lance Klusener - saw the semi-final spot
disappear as they reached 170 after the 16 overs. Kent made sure of the
win, in 18 overs, as he scored 32 not out. Adam Bacher bowled cleverly, mixing it up in the middle of the innings and deservedly picking up 3 for 23.
At Paarl the Cobras blew away every chance of a home semi-final when they failed to chase down a mediocre target of 121 set by the Eagles. All the hard work had been done by the Cobras' bowlers as they restricted the Eagles to 120. Three wickets each for
Alan Dawson and Rory Kleinveldt kept the pressure on the Eagles with
Loots Bosman (34) and Ryan Bailey (30) the main contributors.
Full postSri Lanka survive Scottish scare
Hosts Sri Lanka were given a scare by Scotland but were the eventual winners of their opening match in the Under-19 World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday
Sa'adi Thawfeeq
05-Feb-2006
Sri Lanka 187 for 6 (Serasinghe 64, Goudie 3-25) beat Scotland 186 (Farid 76, Perera 3-26) by 4 wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
Hosts Sri Lanka were given a scare by Scotland but were the eventual winners of their opening match in the Under-19 World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium .
After being put into bat, Scotland gave a good account of themselves after recovering from a hopeless position of 30 for 5 to make a respectable 186. They then had Sri Lanka struggling at 98 for 5, but a lack of experience was the telling difference between the two sides.
A combination of factors had Sri Lankan nerves jangling; a mix-up between openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Sameera de Zoysa, followed by some loose batting from the middle-order and lively bowling by Gordon Goudie provided a perfect start to the tournament for Scotland.
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