Report
Mumbai and Andhra get the winning feeling
A summary of the third day in the latest round of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group
Cricinfo staff
28-Dec-2005
A rollicking 130-run opening stand between Sahil Kukreja and Vinayak Samant set the tone for an emphatic Mumbai win before Wasim Jaffer's blistering 44 to took them home in a superb chase. Having bowled out Tamil Nadu for 351, thanks mainly to Ramesh Powar's five-wicket haul, Mumbai hunted down 196 in just 32.4 overs to post their first win of the season. They were on course to bagging a bonus point as well, when the openers laid a fantastic platform but Samant fell with 66 remaining. The win put Mumbai on top of Group A while Tamil Nadu remain with five points with two rounds to play.
Needing just 32 to win on the final day, Baroda, guided by Yusuf Pathan, climbed to the top of the table with a four-wicket win over Punjab in the Elite B game at Vadodara. Yusuf, the elder brother of the Indian allrounder Irfan Pathan, took Baroda home with an unbeaten 19 after the early loss of the two overnight batsmen. The defeat meant that Punjab slid to the third position in the Group B table, with nine points from five games.
Full postSandeep Singh and Gandhe bowl Vidarbha to a big win
A summary of the thrid day in the latest round of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group
Cricinfo staff
28-Dec-2005
Vidarbha 156 (Naidu 52) and 218 (Deshpande 57, Naidu 50, Debnath 5-70) beat Tripura 112 and 124 (Sandeep Singh 4-25) by 138 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Sandeep Singh and Pritam Gandhe grabbed seven wickets between them to bundle out Tripura, chasing a target of 263, for 124 as Vidarbha registered an outright win at Agartala. Subhrajit Roy, the opener, offered the lone resistance with 49 and was the ninth wicket to fall. Singh, the medium pacer, removed two top order wickets before coming back to pick up two in the tail to fold up the Tripura innings. Earlier, Timir Chanda removed the two overnight batsmen - Samir Khare and Vikrant Gonnade - to trigger a mini-collapse and Jayanta Debnath picked up two wickets to finish with a five-wicket haul. With this win, Vidarbha, already comfortably placed at second on the Group A table, enter the semi-finals stage of the tournament.
Jharkhand 189 and 252 for 6 (Ratan Kumar 74) lead Kerala 399 by 42 runs
Scorecard
Powered by 74 from Ratan Kumar and three 30-plus scores from the middle order Jharkhand, following on, reached 252 for 6, 42 runs ahead, in their second innings by the end of the third day's play against Kerala at Palakkad. Ratan Kumar was ably assisted by Manoj Joglekar, who hit 49, and 30s from Rajiv Kumar, the captain, and Mohan Jha. Kerala will be looking to remove the last four wickets quickly to set up small target to chase as they have to win by 10 wickets to secure a bonus point which would give them a chance to end up in top two and qualify for the semi-final. Their hopes lie on Somasetty Suresh and Sadgaoppan Ramesh, the two batsmen who shifted from Tamil Nadu.
Full postAustralia on top after Symonds's strikes
Australia bowled out South Africa out for 311 and then reached 2 for 110 at stumps on the third day, securing a sizeable lead of 154
The Bulletin by Anand Vasu
28-Dec-2005
Australia 355 (Hussey 122, Ponting 117) and 2 for 110 lead South Africa 311 (Gibbs 94) by 154 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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Australia pressed forward in the second Test, bowling South Africa out for 311 and then reaching 2 for 110 at stumps on the third day, securing a sizeable lead of 154. It was a combined bowling effort, led by the pacy Brett Lee and the effervescent Andrew Symonds, that cost South Africa its last eight wickets for 142 runs. With two days left to go, it will take a mammoth effort from South Africa to stave off defeat on a pitch that is occasionally two paced and consistently taking spin.
When the day began, full of hope for South Africa on 2 for 169, it was Lee who rattled the batsmen. He softened up Jacques Kallis with a fiery spell, hit him on the helmet, and then cleaned him up with a fierce yorker. Then Lee returned with the new ball, just two overs before lunch, and removed Jacques Rudolph, South Africa's hero from the first Test at Perth, with a perfectly pitched outswinger that swung back in to the left-hander just enough to beat the bat and hit the top of off stump.
Full postPatel and Ragavendra bowl Karnataka to big win
A summary of the third day in the latest round of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group
Cricinfo staff
27-Dec-2005
Karnataka 260 ((Uthappa 96) beat Maharashtra 108 (Vinay Kumar 5-22) and 144 (Satbhai 57, Ragavendra 4-46, Patel 4-38) by an innings and 8 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Powered by four-wicket hauls from Chandra Shekar Ragavendra and Udit Patel, Karnataka registered an overwhelming victory as Maharashtra, overnight on 78 for 0, were shot out for 144 in their second innings on the third day at Bangalore. Ragavendra, the left-arm spinner, and Patel, the offspinner, tormented the batsmen on the third-day track after Vinay Kumar had removed Satyajjit Satbhai, overnight on 53, early in the day.
Set to chase 105, Baroda were at the brink of victory on 74 for 4 at stumps after Reetinder Singh Sodhi, ably assisted by 30s from Uday Kaul and Amit Unyal, lifted Punjab from their overnight 69 for 5 to a fighting 236. Sodhi put up an 86-run stand with Kaul and then Unyal added 38 runs with Gagandeep Singh for the eighth wicket before the tail eked out a contribution to give Punjab an outside chance. But Baroda, owing to their 132-run first-innings lead, should sew up the game tomorrow barring a minor miracle.
Full postBowlers put Kerala in complete command
A summary of the second day in the latest round of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group
Cricinfo staff
27-Dec-2005
Jharkhand 13 for 1 and 189 (Joglekar 167, Santh 3-38, Suresh 3-29, Nair 3-35) trail Kerala 399 (Robert 59) by 197 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Sreesanth rocked the top order, Somasetty Suresh ripped the middle while Sreekumar Nair removed the tail to bundle out Jharkhand for a paltry 189 in their first innings and following on Jharkhand were 13 for 1 at stumps as Kerala gained complete command over the Plate match at Palakkad. Manoj Joglekar offered the lone resistance with an half-century. Earlier Fernandez Robert hit 59 to lift Kerala, overnight at 320 for 6, to 399.
Vidarbha 156 and 184 for 5 (Deshpande 57, Shrivastava 50) lead Tripura 112(Acharya 3-16) by 228 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Madhusudan Acharya and Sandeep Singh shared five wickets between them to engineer a stunning collapse as Tripura, well placed overnight at 63 for 1, crumbled to 112 before Vidarbha rode on half-centuries from Amit Deshpande and Alind Naidu to reach 184 for 5, 228 runs ahead, at stumps on the second day at Agartala. Acharya, the offspinner, struck twice off successive deliveries to reduce Tripura to 91 for 6 before Sandeep, the medium pacer, got into act, grabbing two wickets in an over to further push Tripura to 104 for 8. Vidarbha then consolidated their hold on the game through a 107-run partnership for the second wicket between Deshpande and Naidu.
Full postHussey special gives Australia the upper hand
Michael Hussey's century took Australia to an unlikely 355, but South Africa fought back through AB de Villiers and Herschelle Gibbs
The Bulletin by Anand Vasu
27-Dec-2005
South Africa 2 for 169 (de Villiers 61, Gibbs 54) trail Australia 355 (Hussey 122, Ponting 117) by 186 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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Michael Hussey played an innings of extraordinary application and character to underscore the fact that he is the Australian batsman of the hour, lifting his team from an overnight 8 for 239 to an improbable 355 with 122 runs, each worth its weight in the precious metal of your choice. In doing so, he deflated South African spirits and put his team on top till valiant resistance from AB de Villiers and Herschelle Gibbs helped South Africa reply with 2 for 169 by the time stumps were drawn on the second day of this Boxing Day Test match at Melbourne.
When Hussey walked out to bat on the second morning with Stuart MacGill, he would have had more faith in his partner than most. In late November, it was MacGill who kept one end up in a 93-run last wicket partnership that enabled Hussey to get to 133 not out against West Indies. Today though, one chopped boundary was all MacGill could add before having his stumps nailed by Makhaya Ntini. With Glenn McGrath for company, Hussey had to change plans.
Full postDelhi triumph in low-scoring game
A summary of the second day in the latest round of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group
Cricinfo staff
26-Dec-2005
Delhi 131 (Kartik 8-40) and 127 for 3 (Gambhir 43) beat Railways 77 and 180 (Yadav 90, Sharma 5-39) by 7 wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
Delhi clinched a low-scoring match by seven wickets to register their first win of the Ranji Trophy season. In a game which lasted just two days, they recovered from a poor first-innings effort to bowl Railways out for just 180 in their second dig, and then knocked off the 127 required for victory losing just three wickets. Despite losing Virender Sehwag for a duck in their run-chase, Delhi won comfortably thanks to a 76-run stand for the second wicket between Gautam Gambhir, the Indian opener, and Shikhar Dhawan. Both thwarted the Railways bowlers, including Murali Kartik, who had taken 8 for 40 to destroy Delhi's first innings; in the second, he could only manage 1 for 53 from 15 overs. Railways' star in their second innings was Jai P Yadav, who struck a fine 90, the only half-century of the match, but the rest of the batsmen had no answers to Abhishek Sharma, who picked 5 for 39 with his legspinners to restrict Railways to a manageable total.
Punjab 130 and 69 for 5 (Zaheer 5-41) trail Baroda 262 (Martin 80, Williams 50*, Gagandeep 5-84) by 63 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Zaheer Khan ran red hot for the second successive day as Punjab wilted against his fiery onslaught at Baroda, trailing by 63 and facing a prospect of a humiliating innings defeat. Zaheer, who had nailed four Punjab batsmen yesterday, jolted them again in the second innings with a spell of 5 for 41 in only nine overs. Things hadn't begun too well for Baroda with Gagandeep Singh, the Punjab opening bowler, engineering a fightback. Reeling at 132 for 6, just two runs ahead of the Punjab total, Baroda were bailed out by a fighting 80 from Jacob Martin, their captain, who got some valuable support from the lower order. Martin, who batted for close to five hours, received able support from Rakesh Patel and Zaheer, at No. 11, and added 97 runs with the two. Once Baroda had risen, Zaheer tore apart the Punjab top order and put them in sniffing distance of a win.
Full postRajib Dutta takes Tripura's lead past the 200-mark
2nd day's bulletin of the postponed match in the Ranji Trophy Plate Group
Cricinfo staff
26-Dec-2005
Tripura 163 and 137 for 8 lead Himachal Pradesh 80 by 220 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Tripura shot out Himachal Pradesh, 27 for 4 overnight, for 80 before Rajib Dutta steered them to 137 for 8, 220 runs ahead, by the end of the second day at Agartala. Manoj Singh grabbed two wickets and Timir Chanda picked up one to end with figures of 4 for 34 as Tripura crumbled. But they hit back through Rahul Panta - who rocked the top order with a double strike - and Umesh Kumar, the debutant who picked two wickets, but Dutta lifted HP's lead past the 200-mark. HP have 4 points from two games while Tripura lie at the bottom of the Group A table. This match was scheduled as a second round match but was postponed due to political reasons.
Full postNel devastates after captain's innings from Ponting
Ricky Ponting's superb 117 gave Australia the early impetus, but a fiery burst from Andre Nel gave the opening day honours to South Africa
The Bulletin by Anand Vasu
25-Dec-2005
Close Australia 8 for 239 (Ponting 117, Hayden 65, Nel 4-58) v South Africa
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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A burst of wickets from Andre Nel, who finished the day with figures of 4 for 58, towards the close helped South Africa counter an aggressive century from Ricky Ponting, who had given Australia the early momentum with solid support from a belligerent Matthew Hayden. By the end of the day though, Australia were perilously placed at 8 for 239 after having chosen to bat, and South Africa will rightfully feel that they made the most of a good situation. Ponting's decision to bat first on a tricky pitch - damp spots delayed the start by 30 minutes - could come in for some criticism.
The day began badly for Australia as Phil Jaques, the debutant, was sent on his way with two runs on the board as he inside-edged Shaun Pollock to short leg via thigh pad. The South Africans missed a trick or two, bowling the wrong line and length to Ponting when he first came in, then spilled a simple chance, and paid the price for it. Ponting was keen to stamp his authority on the game early, and took a few chances. Off just the third ball he faced, he flashed straight to where third slip would have been, but was let off as the slips cordon was split. Then, on 17, he mis-hit a pull off Jacques Kallis straight to Nel at midwicket only to see the chance go straight into the fielder's hands and out.
Full postRakesh Patel and Zaheer Khan destroy Punjab
A summary of the first day in the latest round of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group
Cricinfo staff
25-Dec-2005
Baroda 80 for 1 trail Punjab 130 by 50 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Rakesh Patel and Zaheer Khan shared nine wickets between them as they ripped apart Punjab for 130 before Connor Williams (46 not out) guided Baroda to a position of strength at 80 for 1 at close on the opening day's play in Vadodara. Patel and Khan, who was selected for the Indian squad to tour Pakistan, left Punjab tottering at 68 for 7 before a 62-run partnership between Amit Uniyal and Gagandeep Singh lifted them past the 100-mark.
Delhi 117 for 7 (Kartik 5 for 38) lead Railways 77 (Sachdeva 5-20) by 40 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
It was a spinner's day out at Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi as 17 wickets fell on the opening day of the Elite Ranji Trophy match between Railways and Delhi. Yogesh Sachdeva, the debutant, grabbed a five-wicket haul to spin out Railways for a paltry 77 in their own backyard before Murali Kartik hit back with a five-for reducing Delhi to 117 for 7 at stumps. Sachdeva, the left-arm spinner, was ably assisted by Chetanya Nanda, the legspinner, who grabbed 3 for 19. Delhi were guided by Shikhar Dhiwan, the opener who made 38, to a comfortable 96 for 3 before Kartik, the left-arm spinner ignored for the Indian tour of Pakistan, engineered a collapse. Kartik removed the India openers - Virender Sehwag, who came to bat in the middle order, and Gautam Gambhir - on his way to 5 for 38 but Delhi with a vital first-innings lead had their nose in front at the close of play. It's a crunch game for both Railways, who have just 4 points in four games, and Delhi, who have only 2 points in four games.
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