Report
England seal productive day at Multan
England played themselves right back into contention on the first day after Pakistan bossed the opening exchanges
The Bulletin by Jenny Thompson
12-Nov-2005
Close Pakistan 244 for 6 (Shoaib Malik 39, Salman Butt 74, Younis Khan 39, Mohammad Sami 1*, Inzamam-ul-Haq 41*) v England
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Pakistan lost just one wicket in the morning, but England brought themselves back into contention with four wickets in nine overs either side of tea: among them Shaun Udal's first Test scalp. The loss of Kamran Akmal just before stumps sealed a good day for England and, of Pakistan's frontline batsmen only Inzamam-ul-Haq, unbeaten on 41, remains.
Pakistan worked hard throughout the day but too many of their players hit the thirties and failed to move on. Only Salman Butt seized the initiative in confident fashion, with 74 - his second Test fifty - but he will be disappointed not to have progressed after he was well settled on a benign pitch. While he was at the crease, Pakistan were in control.
Full postDhoni seals a 6-1 drubbing
India sealed the seven-match series 6-1 with a comprehensive five-wicket win in the last match, at Baroda
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
12-Nov-2005
India 245 for 5 (Dhoni 80) beat Sri Lanka 244 for 9 (Arnold 68, Atapattu 59) by 5 wickets
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Another superb performance in the field and with the bat ensured that India finished the series just as they started it - with a thumping victory. The margin this time was five wickets, as the Indians, led by a 73-ball 80 by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, chased down their target of 245 with a whopping 63 deliveries to spare to seal the series 6-1 at the IPCL Ground in Baroda.
Desperately searching for a win to salvage a series which has gone horribly wrong, Sri Lanka started poorly after choosing to bat, slumping to 85 for 5. Russel Arnold (68) and Marvan Atapattu (59) salvaged the situation with a 133-run stand to lift them to a reasonable total, but with Muttiah Muralitharan not in the line-up, the target was hardly a test. Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan - promoted to No. 3 again - struck rapid 35s to get India off to a cracking start, before Dhoni piled on the misery with an aggressive yet sensible knock.
Full postHodge warms up for Hobart with fierce hundred
Brad Hodge all but assured himself of a long-awaited Test debut with a commanding hundred in spearheading a run-feast by Victoria
T&T Express
11-Nov-2005
Victoria 4 for 441 (Hodge 177, Hussey 91*, Jewell 59, Samuels 3-149) v West Indians
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Brad Hodge all but assured himself of a long-awaited Test debut with a commanding hundred in spearheading a run-feast by Victoria on the opening day of the tour match against the West Indians at Junction Oval in Melbourne.
The 30-year-old Hodge, included in Australia's 12-member squad for the second Test at Hobart at the expense of Simon Katich, took full toll of yet another indisciplined bowling performance by the visitors in compiling 177, as the hosts toyed with the opposition in racing to 441 for four before fading light ended play three overs early.
Full postEngland make winning start
England Women launched their tour of Sri Lanka with a resounding 164-run win in the first one-day international
Cricinfo staff
10-Nov-2005
England Women 224 for 4 (Brindle 64*, Newton 59) beat Sri Lanka Women 60 (Birch 4-14) by 164 runs
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England Women launched their tour of Sri Lanka with a resounding 164-run win in the first one-day international at Colombo. Laura Newton and Arran Brindle struck half-centuries before the England attack skittled Sri Lanka for just 60.
Although the result is not a surprise - England were always expected to convincingly beat the Sri Lankans - it was the perfect start to the tour, which includes five one-dayers (two in Sri Lanka and three in India) and a Test match in India. Following the match Richard Bates, the England coach, spoke to Cricinfo.
Full postRedbacks' last pair hold on for thrilling draw
The tailenders Jason Gillespie and Paul Rofe survived 38 deliveries to achieve a nail-biting draw against Queensland at Adelaide Oval
Cricinfo staff
09-Nov-2005
South Australia 3 for 89 dec and 9 for 309 (Ferguson 65, Lehmann 51, Johnson 5-43) drew with Queensland 342 and 5 for 99 dec (Perren 34, Gillespie 3-41)
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The tailenders Jason Gillespie and Paul Rofe survived 38 deliveries to achieve a nail-biting draw against Queensland at Adelaide Oval. To keep a rain-hit match alive both captains declared today and South Australia, who were chasing 353, were in desperate trouble when Dan Cullen was ninth out at 299, but the final pairing thwarted the Bulls' charge, which was set up by the five-wicket effort of Mitchell Johnson.
In a fine example of result-driven play, Darren Lehmann closed the Redbacks' first innings at the day two stumps score of 3 for 89 - the third day was washed out - to give two points to Queensland, who batted aggressively for 19 overs before Jimmy Maher called his batsmen in. South Australia had 91 overs to reach their target and the chase was on track as Lehmann and Callum Ferguson combined for a 110-run partnership, but when Lehmann was bowled by Michael Kasprowicz for 51 and Ferguson departed to a Johnson edge for 65 an over later the team's only thought was of a draw.
Johnson, a left-arm fast bowler tipped as a Test prospect, then removed Graham Manou and Cullen as the home side lost their final three wickets for 10 runs before clinging on. Queensland had one narrow opportunity for victory when Rofe edged Andy Bichel just short of Clinton Perren with three overs remaining.
Full postNSW share top spot after easy eight-wicket win
New South Wales continued their impressive Pura Cup defence with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Western Australia at the WACA
Cricinfo staff
09-Nov-2005
New South Wales 7 for 475 dec and 2 for 91 beat Western Australia 176 and 386 (Rogers 161, Nicholson 3-80, Clark 3-94) by eight wickets
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New South Wales continued their impressive Pura Cup defence with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Western Australia at the WACA. Needing 88 to win, the Blues passed the target for the loss of only two wickets to secure a perfect start to the summer and put them on top of the table with Victoria after two rounds.
At lunch the Blues were nine short of the target, but they breezed home after the break with the unbeaten pair of Matthew Phelps (22) and Dominic Thornely (8). Phil Jaques and Greg Mail, who departed after the wicketkeeper Ryan Campbell took a smart diving chance, were the casualties in the small run-chase.
The Blues stormed through the Western Australia lower order in the morning session and knocked over the final four wickets in 18 balls to end any hope of the home side setting a competitive target. Matthew Nicholson picked up three wickets while Stuart Clark was unable to attempt his hat-trick when he finished them off by dismissing Chris Rogers, whose resistance ended on 161, and Mathew Innes in successive balls.
Full postYuvraj powers India to victory
A Virender Sehwag-led Indian side decimated Sri Lanka by seven wickets with 91 balls to spare
The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran
09-Nov-2005
India 197 for 3 (Yuvraj 79*) beat Sri Lanka 196 all out (Dilshan 59, RP Singh 4-35)
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Another day, another emphatic romp, and a resounding slap in the face for those who continue to doubt the wisdom of the Greg Chappell-inspired rotation policy. Even with Rahul Dravid, captain and scourge of bowling attacks, cooling his heels in the pavilion, a Virender Sehwag-led Indian side decimated Sri Lanka by seven wickets with 91 balls to spare. RP Singh had been the pick of a five-man attack that rolled over an abject Sri Lankan line-up in 42.5 overs, and Yuvraj Singh then bludgeoned and caressed a superb unbeaten 79 to utterly humiliate a side that had started the series rated second only to Australia.
When Sehwag miscued a leg-side flick to leave India at 92 for 3 on a pitch that was getting slower and lower, Marvan Atapattu - already handicapped by the absence of Muttiah Muralitharan - may have glimpsed an opening, but that proved a chimera as Yuvraj vindicated the selectors' faith in his talent with some handsome strokes down the ground. With Mohammad Kaif anchoring the innings effortlessly, Yuvraj grew in confidence, thumping sixes off Upul Chandana and Tillakaratne Dilshan before a breathtaking loft sent a Dilhara Fernando delivery on to the top of a canvas awning at wide long-off.
Full postWarriors not out of trouble despite Rogers' 155
An unbeaten 155 from the opener Chris Rogers was the highlight during a day of marked improvement by Western Australia
Cricinfo staff
08-Nov-2005
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Western Australia 6 for 356 (Rogers 155*, Marsh 76) and 176 lead New South Wales 7 for 475 dec (O'Brien 147, Thornely 92, Lambert 66) by 56 runs
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An unbeaten 155 from the opener Chris Rogers was the highlight during a period of marked improvement by Western Australia, but their batting woes surfaced just when the team needed further defiance. Rogers' knock apart, it was a day of struggle, grafting and some irrational shots for the Warrirors, as they first collapsed from an overnight score of 5 for 115 to 176 allout, and then ended day three only 56 runs ahead of New South Wales.
Shaun Marsh added four to his overnight 25 before edging Stuart Clark to Daniel Smith, the wicketkeeper, and it was only Ryan Campbell's crisp hitting that produced a further 61 runs as Clark (3 for 45) and Doug Bollinger (3 for 39) cleaned up. Western Australia, who were forced to follow on, began with a quick 55-run stand between Rogers and Murray Goodwin (36), but a twin strike from Grant Lambert sent back Goodwin and Marcus North, and Damien Martyn did little to aid his chances of returning to the Test side by falling for 24.
Full postEngland's problems mount with six-wicket defeat
England slumped to an embarrassing six-wicket defeat, shortly before tea on the third and final day at Bagh-e-Jinnah
Andrew Miller
08-Nov-2005
Pakistan A 138 and 246 for 4 (Raza 71*, Shahid 57) beat England XI 126 and 256 by six wickets
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England slumped to an embarrassing six-wicket defeat, shortly before tea on the third and final day at Bagh-e-Jinnah, as Hasan Raza, Pakistan A's captain, confirmed his burgeoning maturity with a fine unbeaten 71. Raza added 129 for the fourth wicket with Shahid Yousuf, and England's ignominous day was completed when Imran Farhat carved the winning runs past point off Andrew Flintoff.
It's been a bad 24 hours for England. As their captain, Michael Vaughan, looked on glumly from the sidelines, awaiting the results of the scan on his twisted knee, his bowlers were given the run-around from first ball to last. Pakistan A's nightwatchman, Shahid Nazir, set the tempo with an uninhibited innings of 43 from 31 balls, and though Flintoff chipped in with all three wickets to fall, the support bowlers were unable to cause any problems on a docile surface.
Full postRain washes out third day
Heavy overnight rain and morning showers ruined the third day of the Pura Cup match between Queensland and South Australia
Cricinfo staff
08-Nov-2005
South Australia 3 for 89 (Blewett 43*) trail Queensland 342 (Symonds 163, Hartley 66, Rofe 4-56) by 253 runs
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Heavy overnight rain and morning showers ruined the third day of the Pura Cup match between Queensland and South Australia at Adelaide Oval. The weather will force the captains Jimmy Maher and Darren Lehmann to decide whether there is anything more than two points to play for after the Redbacks finished the second day at 3 for 89 chasing Queensland's first-innings 342.
"They can't get 17 wickets in a day, I think [declarations] are the only way we'll get a result so I'll certainly do my best, and it depends on what they want to do I suppose," Lehmann told AAP. "We'll both be very attacking tomorrow, but you can't control the weather."
A South Australia spokeswoman said 48mm of rain fell overnight and was followed by heavy morning showers, which stopped at about 12.15pm. However, puddles remained on the ground and the captains agreed to abandon play. Day four is scheduled to start at 10.30am local time with Greg Blewett on 43 and Lehmann on 5.
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