Report
Pacemen destroy visitors in their hours of need
It entered the concluding match of the summer needing to win and, therefore, needing a good start
John Polack
23-Mar-2001
It entered the concluding match of the summer needing to win and, therefore, needing a good start. Alas, some brilliant pace bowling from Ashley Noffke and Andy
Bichel ensured that Victoria's performance didn't fit the specifications at all. Accordingly, the Bushrangers are now in dire need of a strong and sustained recovery
following a disastrous start to the Pura Cup Final against Queensland here at the 'Gabba ground in Brisbane today.
The appearance of these two sides in the deciding match of the Australian first-class season represented a return to events of last summer. But, on the opening day,
there were few similarities to be detected between the two games. Where Queensland won the toss and batted with consistent application - across town at the Allan
Border Field - last time around, Victoria called the fall of the coin correctly today but then foundered in the face of accurate, intelligent fast bowling.
While still young and raw, Noffke (5/41) already exhibits a wonderful sense of occasion. The strapping twenty-three year old was the star of a stunning Queensland
win in the very first match of this Australian domestic season; today, he made a major impact in its very last.
Having been frustrated to that point by what ultimately proved to be the only resolute stand of the innings - one of seventy-three runs for the third wicket between
Jason Arnberger (63) and Brad Hodge (47) - the Queenslanders required inspiration when Noffke took up the attack after lunch from the Stanley Street End. In the
right arm fast bowler from the Sunshine Coast, they more than found it. He produced a spell high on quality and high on pace, the batsmen reduced to a plight of
evading well-aimed lifting deliveries and of stabbing and driving in discomforted style outside the line of off stump at those of fuller length.
Full postHirwani's late strikes has Orissa struggling
Former Indian leg spinner Narendra Hirwani struck twice late in the day to leave Orissa struggling at stumps on the second day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Madhya Pradesh at the Captain Roop Singh stadium in Gwalior on Friday
Staff Reporter
23-Mar-2001
Former Indian leg spinner Narendra Hirwani struck twice late in the
day to leave Orissa struggling at stumps on the second day of their
Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Madhya Pradesh at the Captain Roop
Singh stadium in Gwalior on Friday. Replying to the Madhya Pradesh
total of 437, Orissa were 110 for three at close of play.
Orissa lost Pradip Das early. The opener was leg before to HS Sodhi
for ten in the seventh over when the score was 13. But the other
opener Suresh Kumar and Rashmi Parida then added 89 runs for the
second wicket off 26.3 overs and Orissa were sailing along smoothly at
102 for one. Then in successive overs, Hirwani struck. First, he had
Suresh Kumar caught by another former Indian spin bowler Rajesh
Chauhan for 35. Suresh Kumar faced 98 balls and hit five of them to
the ropes. In the following over, the same combination struck to get
rid of Sanjay Satpathy for a duck. Skipper Sanjay Raul then joined
Parida and the two played carefully still stumps. Parida at close was
batting with 47. He has so far faced 96 balls and hit six fours.
Hirwani in four overs has so far taken two for 14.
Earlier, the hosts resuming at 320 for six, did well to get to 437.
The tail wagged to prolong Orissa's stay in the field. After overnight
batsmen, skipper Chandrakant Pandit (28) and AS Srivastava (29) fell
quickly, Rajesh Chauhan (36) and Y Golwalkar (41 not out) added 74
runs for the ninth wicket off 31.3 overs. While Chauhan faced 90 balls
and hit six of them to the fence, Golwalkar faced 135 balls and hit
five fours.
Full postMumbai face daunting task on final day
Needing a further 336 runs to win with nine wickets intact, Mumbai are facing a daunting task going into the final day tomorrow against a rejuvenated Punjab side in their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai
Staff Reporter
23-Mar-2001
Needing a further 336 runs to win with nine wickets intact, Mumbai are
facing a daunting task going into the final day tomorrow against a
rejuvenated Punjab side in their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match at
the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. At stumps on the fourth day on Friday,
Mumbai, for the loss of opener Amol Rane (2) had scored 85 runs.
In the morning, Punjab resumed at 124 for no loss and proceeded to
amass 322 in their second innings. Punjab thereby set a stiff victory
target of 421 for Mumbai. Ravneet Ricky was the first to be dismissed
with the score at 146 in the 50th over of the innings. Ricky who made
55, was caught by Paranjpe off Rajesh Pawar. Seven overs later, his
partner Manish Sharma (93) also departed caught by Mhambrey off Pawar.
Sharma faced 195 balls and hit eleven boundaries and three sixes.
Punjab skipper Vikram Rathour (21), who came in at the fall of Ricky,
did not last long and was caught behind by Amol Rane off Santosh
Saxena. Then Yuvraj Singh (33) and A Kakkar (17) helped Pankaj
Dharmani to take the score to 290. It was Dharmani who played the
leading role in the partnerships scoring his runs at will. But the
fall of Kakkar triggered a collapse as Pawar ran through the side.
Pawar ended with figures of 6 for 109. Dharmani was unlucky to be left
high and dry. Unbeaten with 73 at the end of the innings, Dharmani
faced 167 balls during his 275-minute stay at the crease. His innings
was interspersed with ten hits to the fence.
Set a massive target, Mumbai were on the look out for a solid opening
partnership. But to their chagrin Gagandeep packed off Rane in the
third over of the innings. Rane was snared up by Sandeep Sanwal. Then
Vinayak Mane (49) and Wasim Jaffer (33) safely negotiated the last ten
overs of the day. With both Mane and Jaffer looking in good touch,
Mumbai would be looking up to them and the experienced campaigners
down the order to try and force an unlikely victory.
Full postTamil Nadu fail to capitalise on opening stand
Baroda has taken a firm grip on their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Tamil Nadu
Staff Reporter
23-Mar-2001
Baroda has taken a firm grip on their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal
against Tamil Nadu. Shortly before stumps on the second day of the
five day game at the Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation ground in
Baroda on Friday, Tamil Nadu were all out for 175 in their first
innings in reply to the hosts' total of 324.
Tamil Nadu have only themselves to blame for their precarious
position. They failed to build upon a fine 88-run stand between
openers Sridharan Sriram and S Badrinath. The left handed Sriram top
scored with 51 off 86 balls. Sriram, who is captaining the side in the
absence of Robin Singh, hit seven fours.
Sriram fell in the 34th over and thereafter wickets fell at regular
intervals. Badrinath was fourth out for a patient 38. He batted 196
minutes, faced 148 balls and hit five fours. Except for S Mahesh (15),
no one in the middle order reached double digits. It was not until the
last two batsmen came together that there was a semblance of a
partnership with MR Shrinivas (23) and T Kumaran (13) adding 35 runs
off 17.3 overs.
Baroda's left arm spinner Valmik Buch caused most of the damage. The
25-year-old veteran proved to be quite unplayable as he ripped through
the top and the middle order. He removed both Sriram and Badrinath and
then dismissed JR Madanagopal, Mahesh, S Vidyut and Reuben Paul. He
finished with the excellent figures of 27-10-54-6.
Full postSpirited India clinch Border-Gavaskar Trophy in nail biting finish
Thirty two wickets in the series alone was not enough for Harbhajan Singh
Anand Vasu
22-Mar-2001
Thirty two wickets in the series alone was not enough for Harbhajan
Singh. With eight wickets down, the tension mounting and Australia
desperately trying to knock off the last two wickets, Harbhajan Singh
sliced a ball past point and won for India the Pepsi Series by two
matches to one on Thursday. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is now in the
safe possession of Sourav Ganguly's Indian team as a result of the
pulsating finish to the third and final Test.
If Harbhajan Singh hitting the winning runs saw that poetic justice
was served, Sameer Dighe with the steely look of a man possessed in
his eyes, played an innings that defied the Aussies. The last session
was so fraught with tension, the air at the ground could have been cut
with a bread knife. The religious prayed, the nervous smoked, scribes
typed furiously as the players slugged it out in the middle. There
could have been no better advertisement for Test cricket than the game
that just concluded at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk. Steve
Waugh's Australians lost, but the look on the captain's face at the
end of the day said it all. It was a battle to the death, one team had
to lose and in this case it was the touring side.
The day began however, with the Australians at 241/7 and looking to
add runs. The man they turned to, Steven Rodger Waugh was back in the
cool confines of the pavilion. Beaten by the turn and bounce of a
Harbhajan Singh offspinner, the Australian captain edged the ball onto
pad and to forward short leg. At 246/8 the Indians looked to close in
for the kill. Steve Waugh's 47 gave Australia a glimmer of hope, but
proved to be a little short at the end of the day. Australia managed
264, a lead of 155.
Harbhajan Singh with 8/84 in the second innings ended with match
figures of 15/217 set up the platform for India's victory charge.
Full postParab sustains Baroda with patient 110
Opener Satyajit Parab, with a patient 110, sustained the Baroda innings on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Tamil Nadu at the Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation ground in Baroda on Thursday
Staff Reporter
22-Mar-2001
Opener Satyajit Parab, with a patient 110, sustained the Baroda
innings on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against
Tamil Nadu at the Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation ground in
Baroda on Thursday. Thanks chiefly to the 25-year-old's determination,
the hosts scored 285 for eight wickets at stumps.
Winning the toss, Baroda were given a good start with openers Parab
and Connor Williams (25) putting on 41 runs off 12 overs. HR Jadhav
faced 19 balls in scoring just one run and was second out at 51.
Skipper Jacob Martin (34) and Parab then added 54 runs for the third
wicket off 13 overs to bring the Baroda score into the realm of
respectibility. Martin faced 42 balls and hit six of them to the
ropes.
Former Indian off spinner Aashish Kapoor, who had Martin leg before,
struck again in his next over when he had Tushar Arothe caught by
wicketkeeper Reuben Paul for four runs. Baroda were in a spot of
bother at 111 for four. However Parab and Indian stumper Nayan Mongia
then came together and set the innings back on track by adding 102
runs for the fifth wicket off 39.2 overs. Parab dominated the
partnership, racing to his hundred in the process. Mongia, who was
content to play second fiddle, faced 132 balls for his 28 and hit only
two boundaries before he was leg before to MR Shrinivas giving the
bowler his second wicket. The medium pacer, playing only his second
Ranji Trophy match, had a third wicket in his next over when he bowled
Parab. In a stay of 325 minutes, Parab faced 219 balls and hit 14
boundaries before he was sixth out at 218 in the 74th over.
Ajit Bhoite then kept the innings going till stumps. First, he
dominated a seventh wicket stand of 35 runs off 7.2 overs with Irfan
Pathan who scored just one run off 21 balls. Shrinivas then bowled
Pathan to take his fourth wicket. In the next over, Rakesh Patel (0)
gave medium pacer Sadagopan Mahesh a return catch. However Valmik Buch
(9) stayed with Bhoite till stumps with the two figuring in an
unbroken ninth wicket partnership of 31 runs off 7.5 overs. By stumps,
Aroithe was batting on 50 off 47 balls with eight hits to the fence.
Shrinivas was easily the most successful bowler with four wickets for
58 runs.
Full postBangar, Tejinder Pal Singh prop up Railways
A 108-run second wicket stand between Sanjay Bangar and Tejinder Pal Singh made sure of a heady start for Railways on the opening day of their quarter-final match against last year's semifinalists Karnataka at the Karnail Singh stadium in Delhi on
Staff Reporter
22-Mar-2001
A 108-run second wicket stand between Sanjay Bangar and Tejinder Pal
Singh made sure of a heady start for Railways on the opening day of
their quarter-final match against last year's semifinalists Karnataka
at the Karnail Singh stadium in Delhi on Thursday. Railways at stumps
were 237 for 6 with SN Khanolkar (28) and S Sahu (12) at the crease.
Opting to bat, Railways openers Amit Pagnis and Sanjay Bangar managed
to put up 27 runs in 13.1 overs. They looked in good nick especially
Bangar but Karnataka's first change bowler in B Akhil had other plans.
The medium pacer packed off Pagnis, caught by J Arun Kumar off the
first ball of the 14th over. This brought Tejinder Pal Singh to the
middle. The duo put their heads down and in a steady partnership
brought up the 100 of the innings. Bangar was playing the grafter's
role to perfection while Singh preferred to do the bulk of the
scoring. Before long, Singh brought up his half-century, off just 55
balls.
The partnership was finally broken at 135 when Vadeyaraj trapped Singh
leg before in the 50th over of the innings. Singh needed just 117
balls to score his 80 runs and the innings was studded with 14 hits to
the fence. Four overs later, Bangar also departed unlucky to miss out
on a half century. Bangar, who made 46, was caught by Anil Kumar off
Yalvigi. He was at the centre for a good 233 minutes, faced 164 balls
and hit five boundaries and one that sailed over the ropes.
The afternoon session saw the scoring rate drop drastically and a few
wickets fell as well. Yere Goud (26) and his skipper Abhay Sharma (5)
took the score to 186 in the 64th over. Then both Goud and Sharma fell
in quick succession, the former Indian batsman Vijay Bharadwaj
accounting for both. Khanolkar and Reza Ali (10) battled it out for
ten overs to take the score along to 210. Vadeyaraj then sent back
Reza Ali, caught off his own bowling. The last session of play saw
Khanolkar and Sahe hold the fort for Railways as the hosts went to
stumps with no further hiccups.
Full postBundela, Yadav help MP recover
Madhya Pradesh recovered from a hesitant start to post 320 for six off 90 overs at stumps on the first day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Orissa at Gwalior on Thursday
Staff Reporter
22-Mar-2001
Madhya Pradesh recovered from a hesitant start to post 320 for six off
90 overs at stumps on the first day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal
against Orissa at Gwalior on Thursday.
Put in to bat, MP lost an early wicket when Naman Ojha (11) was caught
by wicketkeeper Gopal off Mullick with the total 23 in the tenth over.
However, the other opener HS Sodhi (57) and Amay Khurasiya (28) added
60 runs for the second wicket off 11.3 overs. Sodhi, batting
confidently, duly brought up his half century but with the total 119,
he was caught by Orissa skipper Sanjay Raul off P Jaichandra for 57.
Sodhi faced 126 balls and hit seven of them to the fence.
Abbas Ali did not last long and gave Mullick a return catch when 16.
This made MP 156 for four. But a recovery was round the corner. First,
Devendra Bundela (78) and JP Yadav (64) added 98 runs for the fifth
wicket off 26 overs. The two in form batsmen played the Orissa bowling
with more than a degree of comfort. Bundela was finally caught by
Gopal off Pradip Das. He faced 173 balls and hit 13 fours. A further
39 runs were added for the sixth wicket off nine overs between Yadav
and skipper Chandrakant Pandit before the former was caught by
Satpathy off Jaganath Das. Yadav faced 95 balls and hit five of them
to the ropes. Pandit (18) and Ankit Shriwastav (22) then carried on
till close.
Full postPunjab push Mumbai against the wall
Punjab, by taking an overall lead of 222 runs, pushed holders Mumbai to the wall in their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal encounter at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday
Staff Reporter
22-Mar-2001
Punjab, by taking an overall lead of 222 runs, pushed holders Mumbai
to the wall in their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal encounter at the
Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. On the third day, Punjab ran
through the hosts' line up and then extended the first innings lead of
98 by a further 124 with all their wickets intact. At stumps Punjab
openers Ravneet Ricky (47) and Manish Sharma (68) were at the crease.
Resuming at 162 for two in reply to Punjab's 383, Mumbai slumped to
285. Overnight batsmen opener Vinayak Mane and Shriram Kannan took the
score to 195. Kannan who came in as night watchman did not add a run
to his overnight score of five and was the first to be dismissed in
the 64th over. He was caught by Sandeep Sanwal off Sharandeep Singh.
Mane then found himself in the middle with his captain Amol Mazumdar.
But the prospect of a good partnership was nipped in the bud by
Gagandeep Singh. Mane was sent back after being trapped leg before by
Gagandeep. During a six hour stay at the crease, Mane faced 244 balls
for his 97. His innings was studded with ten boundaries.
Kambli who replaced the Mumbai opener stuck around for just eleven
minutes before he was caught by Sanwal off Gagandeep Singh for five.
Thereafter there was just a procession of batsmen as Mazumdar kept one
end going. He was finally the ninth batsman to be dismissed for 48. He
batted patiently for 210 minutes before Yuvraj Singh caught him off
the bowling of Sodhi. He faced 123 balls and hit five of them to the
ropes. Gagandeep Singh (3 for 51) and Sodhi (3 for 63) were the pick
of the bowlers.
The Punjab openers then rubbed salt into Mumbai's wounds. In the 40
overs that were bowled in the innings, the duo plundered 124 runs.
Ricky has so far faced 104 balls and hit six boundaries and a six
while Sharma has faced 139 balls. During the course of the innings he
found the boundary ropes eight times, besides hitting two sixes.
Full postSouth Africa keep their nerve to win Second Test
South Africa won a dramatic second Test against the West Indies in Port of Spain on Wednesday when they bowled the home side out for 162 to record a 69-run triumph to take a one-nil lead in the five match series after the opening draw at the Bourda
MWP
21-Mar-2001
South Africa won a dramatic second Test against the West Indies in Port
of Spain on Wednesday when they bowled the home side out for 162 to record a
69-run triumph to take a one-nil lead in the five match series after the
opening draw at the Bourda in Georgetown.
When tea was taken at 143-6 with Carl Hooper unbeaten on 46 and 89 runs
still required, the crowd of close to 15 000 had every reason to believe
that victory remained a possibility.
But the slide began soon after the final session began and just 19 more
runs were added as Hooper watched on in sadness, unbeaten and unbowed at the
end with 54 not out from 172 balls in three hours and fifty minutes of
classy resistance.
It was, in fact, a remarkable achievement for the home side to get so
close after a violent collapse in the first hour that saw them lose three
wickets for one run to crash from 50-2 to 51-5 after resuming on their
overnight 32-1.
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