Report
Chopra and Latouf extend lead
Kevin Latouf and Varun Chopra built a strong lead for England Under 19 against Sri Lanka at Shenley
Cricinfo staff
05-Aug-2005
England Under 19 199 for 5 (Chopra 68, Latouf 69*) lead Sri Lanka Under 19 285 for 9 by 315 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Kevin Latouf and Varun Chopra both struck half-centuries during a useful partnership of 83, as they built a strong lead in the England Under 19 match against Sri Lanka. Chopra faced 93 balls in his innings of 68, and Latouf was equally brisk in his undefeated innings of 69. They will be disappointed to have lost five wickets, but their lead of 315 is already a dominating one.
Earlier, Sri Lanka could only add a further 10 runs to their overnight score of 285 for nine. Mark Footitt, from Nottinghamshire, was the leading wicket taker for England with four wickets, but proved expensive, conceding 67 runs in 19 overs. His scalps included the captain, Angelo Mathews, who was bowled for an impressive 80.
England might extend their lead briefly tomorrow morning, but will need to give themselves enough time to bowl Sri Lanka out, if they are to win.
Full postEngland lead by 124 after Giles answers critics
Shane Warne struck with a wicked leg-break in the final over of the day, to leave the second Test at Edgbaston intriguingly poised at stumps on day two
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
05-Aug-2005
Close England 407 and 25 for 1 (Trescothick 19*, Hoggard 0*) lead Australia 308 (Langer 82, Gilchrist 49*, Giles 3-78) by 124 runs
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How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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Ashley Giles let his bowling do the talking on the second day at Edgbaston as England produced a superb allround performance, securing a priceless 124-run lead. Justin Langer led the Australian resistance with a battling 82 but Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff worked their way through the tail. However, Shane Warne struck back for Australia to dismiss Andrew Strauss in the last over of the day, signalling that England won't have it all their own way as they attempt to build a match-winning lead.
Giles struck two vital blows at Australia's top-order as two threatening partnerships were developing. Langer and Ricky Ponting had added 88 following the early loss of Matthew Hayden before Ponting top-edged a sweep to Michael Vaughan at short fine-leg.
Full postMathews defies England attack
The Sri Lanka Under 19 captain Angelo Mathews kept the England Under 19 attack at bay on the second day at Shenley
Cricinfo staff
04-Aug-2005
Sri Lanka Under 19 285 for 9 (Mathews 74*, Footitt 3-61) trail England Under 19 411 (James 78, Ali 74, Smith 61*, Denly 57, Pathirana 6-125) by 126 runs
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Scorecard
The Sri Lanka Under 19 captain Angelo Mathews kept the England Under 19 attack at bay on the second day at Shenley but the home team remain in control. Mathews faced 145 balls for his unbeaten 74 as his team mates wasted some decent starts. England had earlier edged past 400 after Tom Smith, 60 overnight, added only a single to his score.
Sachith Pathirana ended with 6 for 125, worthy reward for 40 overs of hard work on a good batting strip. But England's 411 took on even greater proportions when Sachithra Serasinghe fell for a first-ball duck - caught off the bowling of Mark Footitt, who was the pick of England's attack.
Footitt, a seamer from Nottinghamshire, who took 4 for 45 on his Championship debut against Glamorgan, also claimed Dilhan Cooray and Lahiru Peiris. Smith added two wickets to his 61 runs and Adam Harrison also claimed a brace. England will aim to finish off Sri Lanka early on the third day and the build a commanding lead.
Full postCairns lifts New Zealand to thumping win
Bangladesh crumble after a spirited performance on the field
The Bulletin by Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
04-Aug-2005
New Zealand 224 (Cairns 74, Nazmul 4-40) beat Bangladesh 86 (Mills 4-14) by 138 runs
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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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Not for the first time, Bangladesh's batting fell apart after a spirited performance in the field. Chasing 225, they imploded to 86 all out as the batsmen threw it away with a reckless approach. New Zealand's batsmen were not entirely comfortable either, but a well-paced 74 from Chris Cairns took them to a respectable total. It proved to be more than enough.
All of Bangladesh's batsmen came out with an over-aggressive mindset, and their attempts to hit every ball landed them in the mire. Kyle Mills and Scott Styris did manage to get some movement off the pitch, but the batsmen played too many shots, too early. Only Habibul Bashar passed 20, and four of the top five didn't even manage 5. It wasn't menacing bowling that undid them. They just dissolved.
Full postThornely saves the Blues with double-century
Dominic Thornely scored an amazing double-century to lift New South Wales from a desperate position to a dominant one in the Pura Cup match against Western Australia at the SCG
Cricinfo staff
04-Aug-2005
New South Wales 9 for 351 (Thornely 204*) v Western Australia
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Thornely, who hit 18 fours and nine sixes, was 76 when the ninth wicket fell at 200, and even a century seemed unlikely when he was joined by Stuart MacGill. But MacGill hung around for almost two hours as the pair added an unbeaten 151 for the 10th wicket.
Reaching his century off 211 balls, Thornely then moved into attacking mode and his next hundred came from 81 deliveries and featured eight sixes. MacGill contributed only one run to the first 100 of the partnership before hitting out late in the day.
Full postEngland blaze a trail but Aussies refuse to wilt
England were bowled out for 407, scored at over five an over amid a blaze of boundaries
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
04-Aug-2005
England 407 all out (Trescothick 90, Pietersen 71, Flintoff 68, Warne 4-116) v Australia
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How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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An extraordinary day, which began with Glenn McGrath being stretchered off the field during the pre-match warm-up, ended with England bowled out for 407, scored at over five an over amid a blaze of boundaries. To add to the frenzied atmosphere, each time England threatened to run (or sprint) away with the match Australia surged back in typical fashion.
Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss set the tone by adding 112 before lunch but it was Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen who combined for the most electric passage of play, adding 103 in thrilling fashion as counterattack was followed by counterattack. All summer the thought of these two powerhouse strokemakers combining had whetted the appetite of the public and finally they had a chance to revel in it as Australia missed the controlling and calming effect of McGrath.
Full postEngland Under 19 take control
England Under 19 worked themselves into a promising position at the end of the opening day of the first Test
Cricinfo staff
03-Aug-2005
England Under 19 386 for 7 (James 78, Ali 74, Smith 60*, Denly 57, Pathirana 5-113) v Sri Lanka Under 19
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Scorecard
England Under 19 worked themselves into a promising position at the end of the opening day of the first Test thanks to the efforts of their middle order. Half-centuries from Moeen Ali, Nicholas James and Tom Smith gave England the edge after they had stuttered to 180 for 5.
After choosing to bat on the run-filled Shenley pitch Varun Chopra and Joe Denly launched this innings with a stand of 51. But Chopra and Steven Davies fell in quick succession to the impressive Sachith Pathirana, a left-arm spinner from Kandy. Pathirana also accounted for Denly after a workmanlike 57 when he was caught behind (133 for 4).
Ali, though, countered the fall of wickets with an aggressive approach and stroked eight fours in his 85-ball 74, while James took a more sedate route to his 78, using 135 deliveries. When Pathirana claimed his fifth wicket by bowling Ali, Smith, the Lancashire allrounder, took on the responsibility of building the total.
Full postSri Lanka pull off spectacular victory
Sri Lanka v India, Indian Oil Cup, Dambulla
The Bulletin by Ranajit Dam
03-Aug-2005
Sri Lanka 221 for 6 (Jayawardene 94*, Chandana 44*, Nehra 2-23) beat India 220 for 8 (Ganguly 51, Pathan, 36*, Dilshan 4-29) by 4 wickets
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How they were out
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out
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Mahela Jayawardene scripted a miraculous back-from-the-dead victory for Sri Lanka in the fourth group match of the tri-series in Dambulla. After India's stop-start batting performance had set 221 for victory, Sri Lanka stumbled to 95 for 6, before Jayawardene, along with Upul Chandana, carried them to victory. India's lack of a credible fifth bowler did cost them dearly, but nothing could detract from the calmness, intelligence, and above all, the spirit that the two men displayed throughout their match-winning performance.
When Chandana joined Jayawardene in the middle, Sri Lanka would have been forgiven for wanting to throw in the towel and look towards their next game. Not these two. After seeing out a testing, economical spell from Ashish Nehra, the pair set upon Sourav Ganguly with relish, before taking apart Virender Sehwag with clinical precision. Harbhajan Singh suffered too, and by the time Rahul Dravid brought his quick men back, it was really too late. Jayawardene spanked his first half-century in 19 games, and Sri Lanka romped to the victory the Indians seemed to have taken for granted.
Full postSri Lanka pull off spectacular victory
Sri Lanka v India, Indian Oil Cup, Dambulla
The Bulletin by Ranajit Dam
03-Aug-2005
Sri Lanka 221 for 6 (Jayawardene 94*, Chandana 44*, Nehra 2-23) beat India 220 for 8 (Ganguly 51, Pathan, 36*, Dilshan 4-29) by 4 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
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Mahela Jayawardene scripted a miraculous back-from-the-dead victory for Sri Lanka in the fourth group match of the tri-series in Dambulla. After India's stop-start batting performance had set 221 for victory, Sri Lanka stumbled to 95 for 6, before Jayawardene, along with Upul Chandana, carried them to victory. India's lack of a credible fifth bowler did cost them dear, but nothing could detract from the calmness, intelligence, and above all, the spirit that the two men displayed throughout their matchwinning performance.
When Chandana joined Jayawardene in the middle, Sri Lanka would have been forgiven for wanting to throw in the towel and look towards their next game. Not these two. After seeing out a testing, economical spell from Ashish Nehra, the pair set upon Sourav Ganguly with relish, before taking apart Virender Sehwag with clinical precision. Harbhajan Singh suffered too, and by the time Rahul Dravid brought his quick men back, it was really too late. Jayawardene spanked his first half-century in 19 games, and Sri Lanka romped to the victory the Indians seemed to have taken for granted.
Full postLower order frustrates Pakistan
Sri Lanka waged a pitched battle on the last day, but could not hold back Pakistan from achieving a series-levelling victory
Rahul Bhatia
02-Aug-2005
Pakistan 478 and 139 for 4 (Malik 53*, Razzaq 35*) beat Sri Lanka 208 and 406 (Sangakkara 138, Jayasuriya 107, Kaneria 7-118) by 6 wickets
Sri Lanka waged a pitched battle on the last day, but could not hold back Pakistan from achieving a series-levelling victory. Shoaib Malik held his nerve and guided Pakistan home after early wickets had been lost to sustained hostility by Chaminda Vaas and Rangana Herath. His unbeaten 53 sealed a game that had threatened to slip out of Pakistan's grasp as the day went on, and shut the door on Sri Lanka's hopes of lifting the trophy on their own. This triumph meant Pakistan had managed not to lose a home series for the first time since defeating Sri Lanka in 1992.
The road to 137 was anything but easy. Had one more wicket fallen, Sri Lanka could have pressed on for an improbable win. The top four had gone, and Inzamam-ul-Haq was hampered by a back problem. Moreover, the pitch helped bowlers and batting was difficult. Kumar Sangakkara dropped a hard chance of Abdul Razzaq's bat shortly after the score was 57 for 4. Razzaq went on to score 35, and his stand with Malik was worth 82 invaluable runs.
The muff was the only mistake made by the Sri Lankan fielders on a day when catches were taken and runs stopped with desperation. Following the lower order's gumption in the morning session, Marvan Atapattu's one-handed effort to dismiss Younis Khan exemplified the spirit with which they fought. The batsman drove Vaas airily and Atapattu, at mid-off, jumped towards the ball, plucking it out of the air with his left hand outstretched as he fell to the ground. Sri Lanka then bowled with renewed vigour, which made the batsmen nervous.
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