Report
Te Beeste-inspired Netherlands earn first victory over Pakistan
Boosted by a magnificent 80 by Pauline te Beeste, Netherlands women thrashed Pakistan by 57 runs to clinch their first success in the 7-match ODI series
Mahmood Ahmad
16-Apr-2001
Boosted by a magnificent 80 by Pauline te Beeste, Netherlands women thrashed Pakistan by 57 runs to clinch their first success in the 7-match ODI series. The team effort and application displayed by the visitors in this particular encounter is really commendable, considering they have already lost the series owing to their consecutive defeats in the first four matches.
Netherlands, led for the first time by Salomons, lost the toss for the fifth consecutive time during the series, yet made the most of Pakistan captain¡¯s decision to put them into bat by scoring a competitive 205 for three in the allotted 50 overs.
The first wicket pair of Koster and Ramboldo started of with confidence, a feature found missing hitherto in their ranks, posting 29 in around 6 overs. However, it was the third-wicket partnership of 108 between te Beeste and Salomons, which really set the pace for a big total.
Coming together at the crease at 55 for 2, both grafted their innings with keenness, exploiting fielding gaps to sneak one¡¯s and two¡¯s and hitting boundaries whenever the opportunity came.
Full postZimbabwe A forced to settle for draw against Bangladesh
Zimbabwe A lost a fine opportunity to secure a victory over the Bangladeshi tourists and had to settle for a draw
John Ward
15-Apr-2001
Zimbabwe A lost a fine opportunity to secure a victory over the Bangladeshi tourists and had to settle for a draw. Success looked very possible shortly after lunch, but they were foiled by a stubborn last-wicket partnership and their own slow over rate, which wasted a total of 36 overs during the course of the match.
Bangladesh began the final day 137 runs ahead, and the overnight batsmen Javed Omar and Habibul Bashar went after the bowling from the first ball.
Zimbabwe A quickly struck back, though, as Mluleki Nkala trapped Habibul lbw for 24 and Aminul Islam (4) stepped back on to his stumps while playing Henry Olonga to leg. Olonga struck again when Mark Vermeulen in the gully picked up a superb low catch to dismiss Javed for 25, and Bangladesh were 66 for four. Sensing possible victory, Zimbabwe A improved their over rate, but soon righted this aberration.
Akram Khan and Naimur Rahman dug in to prevent a recovery, adding 53 before the latter was well caught low at second slip by Craig Wishart off Nkala for 32, to be quickly followed by Khaled Masud (0), caught by Olonga at square leg off Nkala, and Enamul Hoque (0), to another good catch by Vermeulen at deep mid-wicket. Bangladesh were 126 for seven at lunch, 237 ahead with only three wickets left.
Full postSouth Africa lose an early wicket in Jamaica
South Africa were 49-1 at lunch on day one of two against Jamaica at Jarrett Park in Montego Bay after winning the toss and deciding bat
Marcus Prior MWP
15-Apr-2001
South Africa were 49-1 at lunch on day one of two against Jamaica at Jarrett Park in Montego Bay after winning the toss and deciding bat. Start of play was delayed by thirty minutes due to a damp patch on the pitch. Still at the wicket are opener Gary Kirsten on 14 and Jacques Kallis, who has 7.
The one wicket to fall was that of Boeta Dippenaar, caught at bat-pad off the bowling of off-spinner Gareth Breese, the second leading wicket-taker in the Busta Cup this year. Dippenaar made 13, including three boundaries, but looked disappointed to be given out.
Although Breese has been the man to pick up a wicket for the Jamaicans, opening bowlers Franklyn Rose and Audley Sanson were both impressive with the new ball, troubling both openers with pace and bounce off a pitch that already appears to be flattening out.
Full postSouth Africa struggle to come to terms with tight Jamaica bowling
South Africa struggled to come to terms with some disciplined and determined bowling as they slumped to 132-6 against Jamaica at tea on day one of two at Jarrett Park In Montego Bay
Marcus Prior MWP
15-Apr-2001
South Africa struggled to come to terms with some disciplined and determined
bowling as they slumped to 132-6 against Jamaica at tea on day one of two at
Jarrett Park In Montego Bay.
After the fall of Boeta Dippenaar (13) in a curtailed morning session, a half-hour delay to the start of play caused by a damp patch on the pitch, his opening partner Gary Kirsten fell shortly after lunch.
It was just reward for fast-bowler Franklyn Rose, who bowled with pace and aggression from the start. Rose got one to snort past Kirsten and take the outside edge as it rose through to wicketkeeper Keith Hibbert who took a comfortable catch. Kirsten (21) was watchful and patient, hitting just the one boundary, but as has been a feature of his tour, fell to a real snorter of a delivery.
Jacques Kallis (30) set out to dominate spinners Gareth Breese and Nehemiah Perry after the lunch interval, but was a victim of his own attacking intent, top-edging a pull-sweep to be well caught by Audley Sanson making good ground as he ran backwards from square-leg.
Full postSharjah Diary: Aggressive Pakistan conquer with ease
SHARJAH - Already assured of a spot in the final, Pakistan went about the job of demolishing New Zealand with all-out aggression, and ended up notching a rather facile win, by seven wickets, in this ARY Gold Cup league match
Agha Akbar
15-Apr-2001
SHARJAH - Already assured of a spot in the final, Pakistan went about the job of demolishing New Zealand with all-out aggression, and ended up notching a rather facile win, by seven wickets, in this ARY Gold Cup league match. Fired by a seven-wicket haul shared by Saqlain Mushtaq (4 for 17) and Abdur Razzaq (3 for 22), Pakistan got the Black Caps out for the lowest total of the event, a mere 127 with nearly 18 of their regulation 50 overs left.
Batting on both sides of the dinner break, Pakistan overhauled the target with half of their overs in spare. Inzamam-ul-Haq led the way with yet another glorious innings of 85 runs (67 balls, 12 fours, 2 sixes). It was a brutal display of batting by one of the best in the business, and at his irresistible best. The Kiwi bowling neither had the wherewithal nor the will to stop the flow of runs from his blade.
Inzamam cut loose with a barrage of shots against leg-spinner Brooke Walker, clubbing him for 18 runs in his first over, with four fours and a couple, the range of strokes from cover to long leg. In his next over, poor Walker was again dished out more of the same, a six to midwicket and a four at point.
After the break, he went after Grant Bradburn, the off-spinner, swatting him out of the ground and then pulling him to square leg. The rest of the bowlers too, got similar treatment. Inzamam's batting made up for the hint of complacency shown by the Pakistan openers. But, in reality, it really was no run chase, and Inzamam only made sure that it was achieved with relative ease.
Full postInzamam's volcanic 85 leads to towering victory
Unexpectedly, the match was more like a feast for Pakistan because they never expected the Black Caps to be bundled out for a meager 127
Rafi Nasim
15-Apr-2001
Unexpectedly, the match was more like a feast for Pakistan because they never expected the Black Caps to be bundled out for a meager 127. Except for Chris Nevin who scored a lovely 50, none of the other batsmen were able to face Pakistan's onslaught. Abdur Razzaq was the one who made the vital break through, marking the end of 3 top order batsmen.
His mantle was taken over by Saqlain and Sami. There were signs of apparent nervousness amongst batsmen especially when they faced Saqlain and this turned the offie into a terror, routing the Black Caps batting line up. Sami gave him admirable support from the other end.
Although Pakistan lost 2 early wickets, the giant of an Inzamam took control and almost massacred the Black Caps' bowling to be remembered by watchers for a long time. He hit all over the ground with full authority. With a masterly innings of 85 Inzamam led Pakistan to a fabulous victory by 7 wickets, achieved in only 25 overs. This may go down as one of Pakistan's greatest triumphs in one-day cricket.
Unbeaten in this tourney so far, Pakistan lost the toss and New Zealand batted first in this 2nd encounter on the usual batting friendly track at Sharjah.
Full postStrang's enterprising declaration keeps game against Bangladesh alive
An enterprising declaration by Paul Strang kept some life in Zimbabwe A's warm-up match against the Bangladeshi tourists, who finished the day at Bulawayo Athletic Club 137 runs ahead with nine second-innings wickets in hand
John Ward
14-Apr-2001
An enterprising declaration by Paul Strang kept some life in Zimbabwe A's warm-up match against the Bangladeshi tourists, who finished the day at Bulawayo Athletic Club 137 runs ahead with nine second-innings wickets in hand. Possibly the individual highlight of the day was a mature 62 from Zimbabwe's 17-year-old schoolboy Hamilton Masakadza.
Bangladesh resumed on 289 for eight and the overnight pair gave Zimbabwe A quite a bit of trouble for 70 minutes before they were parted. Khaled Mashud made 82 before falling lbw to Nkala after a stand of 44, and then Mohammad Sharif (15) skied Mutendera into the covers, bringing the innings to an end at 333. Brighton Watambwa finished with the best figures for Zimbabwe A, taking four for 81 in 24 overs.
Habibul Hossain and Monjurul Ismal began with an impressive opening burst for Bangladesh, the latter giving Masakadza a very difficult first over. Then Masakadza settled down with Gavin Rennie and saw the home side safely, if laboriously, through to lunch, when the score was 15 without loss after 12 overs.
Masakadza opened up gradually after lunch, but Rennie had compiled a painstaking 11 before being trapped lbw by Sharif. With 93 in Zimbabwe's last Test against New Zealand and with no obvious replacement as opener, Rennie is still a likely candidate for next week's Test match.
Full postBangladeshis recover after middle order collapse against Zimbabwe A
Bangladesh batted throughout the first day of their warm-up match against Zimbabwe A at Bulawayo Athletic Club to score 289 for eight
John Ward
13-Apr-2001
Bangladesh batted throughout the first day of their warm-up match against Zimbabwe A at Bulawayo Athletic Club to score 289 for eight.
Four of their leading players scored fifties to give them confidence before their first overseas Test, while Brighton Watambwa strengthened his claims for a Test place with four good wickets. A crowd of approaching 100 were very patient in enduring the pathetic over rate of the home side who seemed determined to ensure that Friday's play did not end before Saturday's was due to start.
Bulawayo was back to more typical April weather, the sun burning down from a cloudless sky, as Zimbabwe A won the toss and put Bangladesh in to bat, a decision they were to regret. Watambwa and Mluleki Nkala opened the bowling with several good overs while there was some life in the pitch, and Watambwa took the wicket of Javed Omar, lbw for eight.
David Mutendera enjoyed an exciting first over, when every other ball flew into or through the slips without anybody actually taking a catch. Otherwise Mehrab Hossain and Habibul Bashar kept the score moving comfortably at about four an over, and Henry Olonga did not look dangerous enough to suggest a Test return was imminent.
Full postSharjah Diary: Pakistan on a magnificent roll
This new-look team is displaying the kind of consistency that is indeed rare for Pakistani outfit
Agha Akbar
13-Apr-2001
This new-look team is displaying the kind of consistency that is indeed rare for Pakistani outfit. So far it has maintained its unbeaten run, winning three matches out of three. That when it has been made to play back-to-back matches. What is more it has notched these wins in some style. The one against Sri Lanka on Friday in front of a packed-to-capacity, mostly partisan and deafeningly vociferous, crowd was no exception. And it has landed them a place in the ARY Gold Cup final, leaving the Lankans and the Kiwis to fight it out between them for the second slot.
It was the duo of Saeed Anwar - named ARY Man of the Match - and Inzamam-ul-Haq, who refused to be dismissed, put on 172 for the third wicket before being separated. Each of them failed to reach the three-figure mark when it seemed a mere handshake away but their stand gave Pakistan impetus to post 278, the highest first innings total.
Once Pakistan had put 278 on the board, with the asking rate 5.58 runs per over from the outset, what the Lankans needed was a really flamboyant start, something like the one Shahid Afridi produced the other day against the Kiwis. Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana are both capable of such blazing stuff and they started in the right vein, going after the weaker link, the rookie Kashif Raza. They gave him a baptism by fire, with Jayasuriya hitting him out of the ground at extra cover.
But their fireworks didn't last long, as under extreme pressure to winkle out a wicket, Waqar Younis produced a beauty to bowl Jayasuriya neck and crop, and then Kaluwitharana dragged Kashif on to his stumps to give the debutant his first wicket.
Full postConvincing victory over Sri Lanka takes Pakistan into the Final
Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the two teams tipped to play the final of the ARY Gold Cup, met in a fierce clash today with Pakistan coming out on top by 28 runs
Rafi Nasim
13-Apr-2001
Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the two teams tipped to play the final of the ARY Gold Cup, met in a fierce clash today with Pakistan coming out on top by 28 runs. Victors in all the 3 matches, Pakistan has achieved a 100 percent record so far.
Saeed Anwar (88), Inzamam (87) and Younis Khan (29) were the architects of Pakistan's total of 278. Although Pakistan may have expected to win by a larger margin, Sri Lanka batted tenaciously and at times posing a serious threat to Pakistan. Even speedster Chaminda Vaas batting at No. 8 defied Pakistani bowlers with courage and scored an unbeaten 50.
Had Shahid Afridi (3 for 44) not made the vital, perhaps fortunate, breakthroughs Pakistan might have been in serious trouble.
Batting first Pakistan made a disastrous start losing both the openers with only 18 on the board. Saeed Anwar and Inzamam got together to build up the innings. At first, with only 36 runs off 10 overs, it was a dismal start in contrast to the 100 that had come by the 11th over in the previous match. Afridi's early exit made the difference.
Full post