Report
Tait spearheads South Australia to victory
Victoria fall short at Adelaide
Wisden Cricinfo staff
13-Jul-2005
South Australia 254 and 6 for 289 dec beat Victoria 223 and 202 (Moss 50, Tait 4-34) by 118 runs
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Scorecard
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A young South Australian side has upstaged the champions Victoria by grabbing an outright victory in the Pura Cup match at Adelaide. The emerging paceman Shaun Tait led South Australia, who included four debutants, with match figures of 9 for 73 as Victoria fell well short of their target of 321.
Tait's returns of 5 for 39 and 4 for 34 were more reminders to the national selectors, and earned him the Man of the Match award. "Whenever you throw the ball to him in times of need he delivers and that's what you want from a premier fast bowler," said SA's captain Graham Manou.
Full postNurse stars in Barbados triumph
Barbados defeat Leewards by 6 wickets in their second match
Wisden Cricinfo staff
13-Jul-2005
Barbados 158 for 4 (Nurse 70, Jeremy 3-30) beat Leeward Islands 157 (S Williams 55, Hinds 3-24) by 6 wickets
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Scorecard
Barbados made amends for their shock defeat against Trinidad and Tobago, as they romped past Leewards by six wickets in their second match of the regional one-day competition.
Leeward Islands won the toss and opted to bat, but they were never in the game after losing half their side for just 44. Stuart Williams, their captain, propped up the innings, scoring 55, but the team only managed 147. The wickets were shared around, with Ryan Hinds picking up three, while Ian Bradshaw, Corey Collymore and Sulieman Benn all picked up a couple.
Martin Nurse then led the run-chase, scoring 70 as Barbados won with more than 12 overs to spare, and managed to get a bonus point as well. The win took Barbados to second place in the table with five points, though they have played a game more than Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, who have four points each.
Full postWest Indies make a cautious start
West Indies go into lunch on 105 for 3 on the opening day of the first Test
S Rajesh
13-Jul-2005
Lunch West Indies 105 for 3 (Deonarine 7*, Chanderpaul 1*) v Sri Lanka
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A severely depleted West Indian team put up a spirited display on the first session of the first Test at the SSC in Colombo, but still lost three top-order wickets, going into lunch on 105 for 3 after winning the toss. Runako Morton and Sylvester Joseph held up the Sri Lankans for much of the morning session, putting together 58 in a dogged second-wicket stand, but both fell after getting starts, ensuring that Sri Lanka would still be fairly confident of restricting West Indies' first-innings total.
Full postSehwag's day
The story of West Indian cricket abroad over the past seven years is one that induces you to creep under the covers and hide
Wisden CricInfo staff
13-Jul-2005
Close India 278 for 2 (Dravid 28*, Tendulkar 35*)
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Scorecard
The story of West Indian cricket abroad over the past seven years is one that induces you to creep under the covers and hide. On this evidence, that rope-thin run will continue a while - as long as the players combine wretched ineptitude with a seemingly lackadaisical approach more suitable for the village green than international cricket.
After making some encouraging noises early on, courtesy of Mervyn Dillon and Pedro Collins, they fell away to finish the first day of the series teetering on the edge of a precipice. Virender Sehwag's scintillating hundred and a double century opening partnership saw their worst nightmares realised and at 278 for 2, India are well and truly in the box seats. If West Indies don't buck up and soon, the once-mighty will fall a few feet more.
Take no credit away from Sehwag though. After a cautious start, he was simply magnificent. The bowlers helped by feeding him a regular diet of deliveries outside off stump, deliveries that were either cut, driven or simply bludgeoned away. Sanjay Bangar took the crease occupation credo a tad too literally at times, but his belligerent 55 was a perfect counterweight to Sehwag's swashbuckling batting after lunch. And at times - as with a glorious straight six off Ryan Hinds - Bangar showed he could do some hitting of his own.
Full postChanderpaul leads from the front
Shivnarine Chanderpaul Denesh Ramdin were the stars of the first day as West Indies finished on a respectable 271 for 6
The Bulletin by S Rajesh
13-Jul-2005
West Indies 271 for 6 (Chanderpaul 69*, Ramdin 56) v Sri Lanka
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out
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West Indies went into the Test at the SSC in Colombo fearing the worst - their batting line-up was, apart from Chanderpaul, severely lacking in ability and experience, the bowling line-up had no world-class spinner, and they were playing an opposition known for their prowess on home territory. By the end of the first day, though, they had done to ensure that the match wouldn't quite be a three-day, one-sided romp for the Sri Lankans.
The West Indian side had three debutants in their line-up, and two of them rose to the occasion. Xavier Marshall was the only one who failed to make an impact - he was trapped in front by Chaminda Vaas early in the piece - but Runako Morton and Ramdin showed enough stomach for a fight as experience and youth battled hard to counter the Sri Lankans.
Full postMatch drawn after rain plays spoilsport
Play called off due to rain shortly before 1 pm
The Bulletin by Wisden Cricinfo staff
12-Jul-2005
India 376 (Sehwag 155, Kaif 64, Patel 54, Warne 6-125) and 0 for 19 drew with Australia 235 (Langer 71, Kumble 7-48) and 369 (Martyn 104, Kumble 6-130)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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Shortly before 1pm on the final day of the Chennai Test, the match was called off after heavy overnight rain and a steady morning drizzle ruined any chance of play. So the match was drawn - a disappointment for everyone, with the day set up for an enthralling finish. India needed 210 more with 10 wickets in hand to reach the target of 229. The result means Australia hold on to their 1-0 lead in the four-Test series, which resumes with the third Test at Nagpur, starting on October 26.
There was plenty of frustration for Adam Gilchrist and Sourav Ganguly as both teams were in with a real chance of winning. India perhaps had the edge, with Virender Sehwag in belligerent form, but it still could have gone either way. The pitch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur is traditionally a batting beauty, and this will boost Australia's chances of keeping the series lead.
Full postBaby Redbacks give Victoria the blues
South Australia's baby Redbacks shared the honours with the Pura Cup champions to set up a classic showdown with Victoria at the Adelaide Oval tomorrow
Wisden Cricinfo staff
12-Jul-2005
Victoria 1 for 7 & 223 trail South Australia 6 for 289 dec (Blewett 89, Cosgrove 57) & 254 by 313 runs
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Scorecard
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South Australia's baby Redbacks shared the honours with the Pura Cup champions to set up a classic showdown with Victoria at the Adelaide Oval tomorrow. After losing their way in the middle order, South Australia, who have four debutants, finished with a flourish to set the Bushrangers 321 to win.
Resuming at 1 for 21, the Redbacks found the early stages a struggle and even the former Test opener Blewett failed to break open Victoria's conservative approach. Blewett's pedestrian 89, including the slowest half century by a South Australian, set the tone for much of the day. Brighter spots were the 46 from the newcomer Callum Ferguson and an unbeaten 47 from fellow debutant Jack Smith. The rising star Mark Cosgrove also clubbed 57, including 11 boundaries to back up from his 82 in the first innings.
Full postHussey and Marsh put Western Australia in front
Western Australia gain first-innings lead over Tasmania on the second day of their Pura Cup match at Perth.
Wisden Cricinfo staff
12-Jul-2005
Western Australia 3 for 365 (Hussey 195*, Marsh 81*) lead Tasmania 258 (Cox 54, Birt 52, Magoffin 4-70) by 107 runs
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Scorecard
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Mike Hussey and Shaun Marsh put on an unbroken 244-run stand for the fourth wicket to give Western Australia a first-innings lead over Tasmania on the second day of their Pura Cup match at Perth.
Hussey hit 20 boundaries on the way to his hundred, which he brought up just before tea, and remained undefeated five short of his first double century for WA. At the other end, Marsh was 81 not out, his highest score at Perth since his debut in 2001.
Full postSizzling Martyn sets up a thriller
Damien Martyn's century sets up victory target of 229 for India
Wisden Cricinfo staff
12-Jul-2005
India 376 and 0 for 19 need 210 runs to beat Australia 235 and 369 (Martyn 104, Kumble 6-130)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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Allan Border recently asked in one of his columns, "when have these two teams last played out a dull, listless draw?" The complexion of the game at Chennai has changed more often, and more dramatically, than Michael Jackson's in his lengthy career. A brilliant century from Damien Martyn, under pressure, put Australia on course to a healthy lead. Then Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble had their say, and Australia were all out for 370; India were left chasing 229 for victory. They made a bright start, reaching 19 for no loss from three overs before the end of the day.
When Australia resumed on the fourth day, with a lead of nine, India were well on top. A passage of remarkable resistance, signified by an 80-run morning session, turned the tables. Those who focus merely on the elegance and beauty of Martyn's strokeplay do so at their own peril. The manner in which he tackled India's spinners, playing forward initially, then realising his folly and going right back, showed his maturity. Like all great batsmen, he forced the spinners to bowl where he wanted them to. Harbhajan was keen to exploit the rough outside the off, and Martyn sidestepped lithely outside the off to counter this.
Full postLate rally gives Western Province Boland the lead
Western Province Boland's lower order came to the rescue and put up enough runs to take a minor lead, though a heavy loss still looked likely on the fourth day
Keith Lane
12-Jul-2005
Western Province Boland 233 (Prince 50, de Lange 87, Steyn 3-44, Thomas 3-51) and 325 for 7 (Tsolekile 77, Kleinveldt 92, Harris 3-128) lead Titans 524 for 4 dec by 34 runs
On the verge of an embarassing three-day defeat, Western Province Boland's lower order came to the rescue and put up enough runs to take a minor lead, though a heavy loss still looked likely on the fourth day.
The Titans enforced the follow-on after dismissing WPBOL for 233, where Con de Lange top-scored with 87 and Alfonso Thomas mopped up the tail. Following on, WPBOL started terribly. They were soon 106 for 6 before Thami Tsolekile (77 not out) and Rory Kleinveldt (92) put on 148. Kleinveldt had bettered his high score by a long way; his previous best was 27. Quentin Friend, coming in at number nine, also passed his previous best to end the day on 42 not out. The tail had put on 219 between them and allowed WPBOL a lead of 34 going into the final day.
Eagles 148 and 330 (Liebenberg, 65, Dippenaar 71, van Wyk 59, Boje 51, Langeveldt 4-84) lead Lions 188 and 142 for 1 (Bacher 63*, Ontong 58*) by 148 runs
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