Report
Raj leads India to Asia Cup glory
India's captain Mithali Raj hit a sparkling century to guide her team to an overwhelming 97-run win against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final
Cricinfo staff
04-Jan-2006
India 269 for 4 (Raj 108*, Sharma 42, Chopra 42) beat Sri Lanka 172 for 9 (Polgampole 58, Siriwardene 55, Palshikar 3-31) by 97 runs
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Raj hit seven boundaries in her unbeaten 108 to anchor the innings and power India towards a challenging 269 for 4. She was well supported by the rest of the top order as Jaya Sharma (42) formed a 94-run opening stand, followed by a 104-run partnership for the second wicket with Anjum Chopra (42).
Raj was understandably delighted with the result: "It is a fantastic win for us. Although we proved stronger than Pakistan and Sri Lanka we were never complacent in the tournament, which helped us win."
Full postSriram's unbeaten 88 powers TN to commanding position
A summary of the second day in the latest round of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group
Cricinfo staff
04-Jan-2006
Tamil Nadu 218 and 164 for 3 (Sriram 88*) lead Bengal 145 (Ganguly 59) by 237 runs
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Scorecard
Yo Mahesh, the debutant, Rajagopal Sathish and Rajamani Jesuraj grabbed two wickets apiece as Tamil Nadu shot out Bengal for 145 before Sridharan Sriram's unbeaten 88 powered them to 164 for 3, 237 runs ahead, by the end of the second day at Kolkata. Sourav Ganguly fought a lone battle with a 95-ball 59 before dragging a MR Srinivas delivery onto his stumps. Mahesh, the 18 year old, struck twice early to remove Abhishek Jhunjhunwala , the overnight batsman, before Jesuraj, the lanky seamer, picked up two wickets to end with a five-for. Ganguly carried his lone fight with the ball as well, removing Aashish Kapoor, who replaced K Vasudevadas as the opener in the second innings, and Sridharan Sharath, the veteran but Sriram lifted TN to a position of relative strength by close of play. Bengal, with nine points from five games, will be hoping to grab as many points as they can and secure a semi-final spot while Tamil Nadu will try to get at least two points to avoid being relegated to Plate.
Andhra 79 for 2 trail Punjab 316 (Mongia 132*) by 237 runs
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Dinesh Mongia's third hundred of the season gave Punjab a first-innings total of 316 but Andhra's bowlers did a good job of running through the middle order on the second day's play at Visakhapatnam. Mongia's innings accounted for close to half of Punjab's total, and it was another reminder to the national selectors that he is in fine form. To top it off, he gave his side a vital breakthrough in his first over of the day, dismissing Tirumal Suman for 10 as Andhra slowly began their innings. MSK Prasad, Andhra's wicketkeeper, and Venugopal Rao, the captain, were the not-out batsmen as Andhra ended the day 237 behind Punjab.
Full postPonting and Gilchrist reduce South Africa's advantage
Two magnificent innings by Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, and a late strike by Brett Lee, allowed Australia to loosen the stranglehold that South Africa had imposed on the third Test
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
03-Jan-2006
South Africa 9 for 451 dec and 1 for 4 lead Australia 359 (Ponting 120, Gilchrist 86, Nel 4-81) by 96 runs
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How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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Two magnificent innings by Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, and a late strike by Brett Lee, allowed Australia to loosen the stranglehold that South Africa had imposed on the third Test at Sydney, leaving the game intriguingly poised after three days. Ponting struck a glorious 120 while Gilchrist roared back to form with 86 to help Australia recover from 7 for 226 to 359. Then, Brett Lee struck in the last over of the day as South Africa closed on 1 for 4, an overall lead of 96.
Eight wickets fell and 309 runs were scored in a day which produced some frenetic and compelling action despite a gloomy start, when an hour's play was lost in the morning due to rain. Fortunes swung wildly too: resuming at a precarious 3 for 54, Australia took the honours for the first couple of hours, thanks primarily to a superb knock from Ricky Ponting, who became only the sixth batsman to score a century in his 100th Test. Then, South Africa fought back strongly just before tea, taking three wickets for four runs. A huge deficit seemed on the cards when Adam Gilchrist was joined by Brett Lee.
Full postGanguly stars with ball but TN fight back
A summary of the first day in the latest round of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group
Cricinfo staff
03-Jan-2006
Bengal 32 for 3 trail Tamil Nadu218 (Badani 67) by 186 runs
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Scorecard
Sourav Ganguly tore into the top order while Ranadeb Bose took care of the tail as Bengal, opting to bowl first on a green top, bowled out Tamil Nadu for 218 before struggling against the medium pace of Rajamani Jesuraj to reach 32 for 3 by the end of the opening day's play at the Eden Gardens. "I've never seen such a wicket while playing in India", Dinesh Kartik, TN's wicketkeeper, had said on the eve of the game and nearly all the batsmen struggled on it. Only Hemang Badani who stepped down from the captaincy, giving way to Subramaniam Badrinath, to concentrate on his batting, offered the lone resistance with a fighting 67 to lift TN to a competitive total. Ganguly, who was ordered by BCCI to play in this tie, trapped all his three victims in front before being suspended from bowling in the rest of the innings for straying on to the danger area too often. Bengal, with nine points from five games, will be hoping to grab as many points as they can and secure a semi-final spot while Tamil Nadu, will try to get at least two points to avoid being relegated to Plate. For Tamil Nadu Yo Mahesh, the India under-19 player, made his debut.
Karnataka231 for 6 (Rowland 81) v Delhi
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A 97-run partnership between Barrington Rowland and Balachandra Akhil lifted Karnataka from dire straits at 134 for 5 to 231 for 6 by the end of opening day's play against Delhi at Bangalore. Virender Sehwag, ordered by BCCI to play in this game, struck twice to push the hosts on the back foot before Rowland came to the rescue with a patient 81. However, he fell late in the day to bring back Delhi into the frame; Sehwag will be hoping to bowl out the tail quickly on the second day while Karnataka's hopes of a big first-innings score rested on Akhil. It's a crucial tie for Delhi as they have only 6 points in five games and need at least 2 points from this tie to avoid the relegation.
Full postAstle takes New Zealand home
New Zealand scrambled to a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka, powered by an unbeaten 90 from Nathan Astle
The Bulletin by Anand Vasu
02-Jan-2006
New Zealand 256 for 5 (Astle 90*) beat Sri Lanka 255 for 7 (Tharanga 103, Atapattu 52) by five wickets
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How they were out
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New Zealand - held back by an elegant century from Upul Tharanga and the Christchurch rain - scrambled to a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka at the Jade Stadium, and took a 3-0 lead in the five-ODI series (one match was played in late 2004 but following the Indian Ocean tsunami the series was temporarily abandoned). Sri Lanka, put in to bat, managed 255, and New Zealand, powered by Nathan Astle, overhauled the target after a being given a serious scare towards the end of their chase.
At this venue, with its distinct lack of movement in the air or off the wicket, and short boundaries, a score of 255 should not have caused serious concern. Yet New Zealand managed to make heavy weather of the target. If it were not for a couple of expensive no-balls - Dilhara Fernando and Chaminda Vaas both had Astle dismissed off no-balls when New Zealand needed to score at more than a run-a-ball, things might well have been different.
Full postSouth Africa strike after making 451
Three top-order Australian wickets in less than 15 overs on the back of an imposing first-innings total of 451 meant that South Africa were firmly in control of the Sydney Test at the end of the second day
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
02-Jan-2006
Australia 3 for 54 trail South Africa 9 for 451 dec (Prince 119, Kallis 111) by 397 runs
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How they were out
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Three top-order Australian wickets in less than 15 overs on the back of an imposing first-innings total of 451 meant that South Africa were firmly in control of the Sydney Test at the end of the second day. After Jacques Kallis (111) and Ashwell Prince (119) had stretched their partnership to a mammoth 219, South Africa were helped by their lower order in getting to a total they would have aimed for when they won the toss. The real twist, though, came in the last hour, when South Africa snared three wickets. Australia ended the day tottering at 3 for 54, still 397 in the arrears.
Kallis and Prince had constructed the perfect launching pad with their gutsy resistance on the opening day, but in the context of the series - South Africa need to win here to draw level - the team needed quick runs to drive home the advantage. Australia, however, denied them that luxury in the first two sessions of the second day, conceding just 160 runs in 65 overs. Shaun Pollock (46) and the rest of the tail injected some momentum in the hour after tea, but by the time the declaration finally came at nine wickets down, South Africa had only left themselves three days and a bit to bowl Australia out twice and level the series.
Full postIndia canter to 10-wicket win
India sauntered to an easy 10-wicket win against Pakistan in the Asia Cup as they warmed-up for Wednesday's against Sri Lanka final in style
Cricinfo staff
02-Jan-2006
India 95 for 0 (Dhar 54*, Raj 38*) beat Pakistan 94 (Palshikar 3-12) by 10 wickets
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India sauntered to an easy 10-wicket win against Pakistan in the Asia Cup as they warmed-up for Wednesday's final against Sri Lanka in style. As throughout the tournament the Pakistan batting struggled to post any sort of target against a well-drilled Indian attack before Mithali Raj and Rumeli Dhar knocked off the runs inside 18 overs.
Pakistan opted to try and post a defendable total but were soon in familiar trouble as the top order were skittled. Sajjida Shah resisted for 65 balls before falling to Varsha Rapheal, who bowled here 10 overs for 22. However, that appeared expensive compared to Devika Palshikar, who finished with the remarkable figures of 3 for 12 from her full complement of overs. Sana Mir produced a brave attempt to edge Pakistan towards three figures with a battling 27, which included three boundaries.
Full postSouth Africa ride on Kallis and Prince
Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince were the stars of the day for South Africa as they overcame a wobbly start to finish on a comfortable 3 for 230 on a truncated opening day at Sydney
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
01-Jan-2006
South Africa 3 for 230 (Kallis 80*, Prince 62*) v Australia
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How they were out
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Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince were the stars of the day for South Africa as they overcame a wobbly start to finish on a comfortable 3 for 230 on a truncated opening day at Sydney. An incessant drizzle meant no play was possible before lunch, and when the match did get underway, Graeme Smith made the bold decision to bat first in conditions which were ideal for seam bowling. By close of play, though, that decision seemed the right one, thanks to an outstanding 144-run stand between Kallis, who was unbeaten on 80, and Prince (62 not out).
Smith's decision at the toss would have been prompted by the nature of the pitch at the SCG, which usually favours spinners in the fourth innings, especially since Australia have two of the finest in Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill. Through the first couple of hours, though, the South African top order was put through the wringer by Australia'a pace attack of Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, with fine support from Andrew Symonds. Both new-ball bowlers made superb use of the overhead conditions and a pitch which had a tinge of green, getting exaggerated movement off the seam which regularly defeated the defensive stroke of the batsmen and sometimes beat Adam Gilchrist as well. At 3 for 86, with Australia searching for more blows, Kallis and Prince got together for the decisive partnership of the day.
Full postIndia's women demolish Sri Lanka
Defending champions India maintained their unbeaten record in the second womens Asia Cup, beating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets at Karachi
Cricinfo staff
01-Jan-2006
Sri Lanka 124 (Udawatte 30, Raphael 3-22) lost to India 125 for 0 (Sumra 63*, Jain 54*) by 10 wickets
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India, who won their earlier match against the Islanders by the same crushing margin, demolished Sri Lanka once again with their professional approach, and remain firmly on course to defend the title they won in 2003.
The Indians bundled their opponents out for a mere 124 runs in 49.1 overs with Rumeli Dhar (3-10), Varsna Raphael (3-22), Neetu David (2-12) and Nosheen Al-khadeer (2-26) sharing the wickets.
Full postSri Lanka seal final place
Shsikala Siriwardene put in the match-winning performance with four wickets as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 30 runs
Cricinfo staff
31-Dec-2005
Sri Lanka 123 (Udawatte 28) beat Pakistan 93 (Siriwardene 4-11) by 30 runs
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Sri Lanka struggled with the bat only managing 123 in 45.2 overs but they bowled Pakistan out for a paltry 93 in 40.4 overs with Siriwardene taking 4 for 11. Pakistan went into the match needing a win with a bonus point to stay in the competition. They started off well by reducing Sri Lanka to 15 for 3 but then conceded 21 wides allowing the visitors to sneak up to a defendable total on a difficult pitch
Parab Udawatte (28) and Hiroshi Abeyasinghe (25) forged a 56-run stand for the fourth wicket before Pakistan's left-arm spinner, Sajida Shah, grabbed three quick wickets. However, in return Pakistan found the going tough and only Arman Khan (24) and Urooj Mumtaz (16) offered resistance against some disciplined bowling by the Sri Lankans.
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