Report
Seventh-wicket pair ensure draw for KwaZulu-Natal
An unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 107 between Goolam Bodi, who finished unbeaten on 70, and Errol Stewart (38), finally erased any possibility of a result in this match, taking KwaZulu-Natal to 252 for six, a lead of 222, with just 30 overs
Grant Shimmin - MWP
28-Jan-2001
An unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 107 between Goolam Bodi, who
finished unbeaten on 70, and Errol Stewart (38), finally erased any
possibility of a result in this match, taking KwaZulu-Natal to 252 for six,
a lead of 222, with just 30 overs to be bowled on the last day.
That state of affairs prompted umpires Danny Becker and Satish Jivan to
consult the players on the field and call off a distinctly unmemorable
encounter, putting the sparse crowd out of their misery.
Stewart and Bodi's partnership eventually occupied 178 balls, although at
times it was painful stuff. At one point, a seven-over spell yielded just
six runs and it was only when the left-handed Bodi, who scored his maiden
first-class century against Easterns earlier in the season, but had no
half-centuries to his name before Sunday, started to accelerate later in the
day that the rate reached respectability.
Before Stewart joined Bodi, the Strikers still had a chance of forcing a
result, having reduced the visitors to 145 for six when Andrew Hall picked
up his second scalp, that of Wade Wingfield, for a single, but the century
partnership finally rendered all prospect of an exciting run-chase for the
home side null and void.
Full postCentral Districts shrugs off whipping boys tag
Central Districts, perennial whipping boys in domestic cricket over the years, turned giant killers at Jade Stadium in Christchurch today and won a famous victory over Canterbury to claim the Shell Cup for only the second time in their history
Lynn McConnell
28-Jan-2001
Central Districts, perennial whipping boys in domestic cricket over the years, turned giant killers at Jade Stadium in Christchurch today and won a famous victory over Canterbury to claim the Shell Cup for only the second time in their history.
The marvellous rags to riches story of CD this season which went into the last stages of the Cup without three key members of their attack from last summer, Andrew Penn (now with Wellington), Lance Hamilton and Michael Mason (both injured) was achieved on the back of some outstanding bowling by five bowlers who worked their skills to the maximum.
Brent Hefford was awarded the man of the finals series after today's game and he typified the CD approach which saw he, Ewen Thompson and Andrew Schwass come out of the back blocks of the game in New Zealand to a level of prominence they could not have imagined at the start of the season.
Add to them the greater role played by off spinner Glen Sulzberger and the increasing bowling contribution from Jacob Oram and the mixture is all the more phenomenal.
Full postExhilarating Adams smashes weary Sri Lankans in tour opener
The delights of cricket at Pukekura Park are many and varied - there is no ground in the world which so simply unites beauty and utility - but Andre Adams added another with an innings which contributed substantially to the North Island's 28-run over
Steve McMorran
28-Jan-2001
The delights of cricket at Pukekura Park are many and varied - there is no ground in the world which so simply unites beauty and utility - but Andre Adams added another with an innings which contributed substantially to the North Island's 28-run over Sri Lanka at that jeweled setting today.
It may be proper, in setting the backdrop to Adams' innings of 90 from 52 balls, the specifics of which make magical reading, to first make on behalf of the Sri Lankans a number of reasonable and obvious excuses.
Firstly, they arrived at their New Plymouth hotel late yesterday afternoon after a flight from Johannesburg to Auckland, after the inevitable problems of marshalling luggage and clearing customs in a new country, after the formalities of an official welcome and after the last short but wearisome domestic hop from Auckland to their tour's first venue.
They had a single night to rest from both the onerous experience of international air travel and from South Africa itself and from the whirlwind end to a tour and a series of matches which brought them very little good news.
Full postSouth Zone post healthy score on opening day
Contrary to the manner in which their senior team caved in against East Zone in the just concluded Duleep Trophy match at Agartala, the South Zone Under-19 side had a comfortable opening day against Central Zone in the three day CK Nayudu Trophy
Staff Reporter
28-Jan-2001
Contrary to the manner in which their senior team caved in against East
Zone in the just concluded Duleep Trophy match at Agartala, the South Zone
Under-19 side had a comfortable opening day against Central Zone in the
three day CK Nayudu Trophy final at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on
Sunday. At stumps, South Zone were a healthy 303 for 6 with the Andhra
middle order batsman ASK Varma (72) and Karnataka all rounder Deepak
Chougule (61) leading the way.
Opting to bat, South openers TS Suman (59) and stumper Tahir Hussain (34)
put on 56 runs off 13.3 overs. Tahir was the first to be dismissed when he
was caught behind by Amit Deshpande off Chandrashekar Atram. This brought
Chougule to the crease and he and Suman took the score to 103. Suman was
the next to return to the confines of the pavilion, trapped leg before by S
Upadhyaya. During his 114-minute stay at the crease, Suman faced 68 balls
and hit seven fours.
The fall of Suman ushered in the South Zone skipper, Arjun Yadav (26) to
the middle. Chougule and Yadav added 54 runs for the third wicket before
the captain was caught by the substitute fielder Jitender Singh off N
Choudhury. With the scoreboard reading 193, Chougule himself perished to a
catch by A Kapoor off Atram. During a 148-minute stay at the crease,
Chougule faced 120 balls and hit eight fours and one six.
ASK Varma then forged a 63-run fifth wicket stand with Stuart Binny (24).
Binny was the next batsman to be dismissed, caught by Jitender Singh off
Upadhyaya. Varma. who had by then crossed his half century, was motoring
along smoothly. But in the 75th over of the day, he was sent back to the
pavilion, caught behind by Deshpande off Upadhyaya. Vijay Sai Suri (12)
and Mohd Faiq (5) took the team to stumps with no further casualities. S
Upadhyaya was the most successful bowler with figures of 3 for 59.
Full postIan Ward's century puts England 'A' on top against Barbados
The phenomenal heavy-scoring of Ian Ward continued yesterday to the detriment of a Barbados team that made no impression in spite of a change of pitch at Kensington Oval
28-Jan-2001
The phenomenal heavy-scoring of Ian Ward continued yesterday to the detriment of a Barbados team that made no impression in spite of a change of pitch at Kensington Oval.
Ward, a 27-year-old left-hander who came into the fourth round Busta
match with an unbelievable 444 runs and a staggering average of 111,
batted through the day to complete his third hundred of a fairy-tale
tournament.
Solid from his first ball to his 306th, the England 'A' opening
batsman attempted nothing rash and hardly played a false stroke in an
unbeaten 133 that carried his aggregate to 577 runs.
He must be somewhat disappointed that the US$50 000 on offer to the
first Caribbean batsman to reach 1 000 runs has not been extended to
the visitors. At the rate he is going, he is almost certain to come
close to the landmark that many felt was unattainable.
Full postExperimenting Australians stroll to victory
Just when you thought Australia couldn't become any stronger, it duly appeared to emerge from today's Carlton Series encounter against Zimbabwe in Sydney in even more formidable shape
John Polack
28-Jan-2001
Just when you thought Australia couldn't become any stronger, it duly appeared to emerge from today's Carlton Series encounter against Zimbabwe in Sydney in even more formidable shape. Beyond the mere matter of a crushing eighty-six run win, this was a game which offered it a great chance to experiment. And it did so in particularly successful style.
In again reshuffling its batting order, in again rotating its playing list, in setting Test-style attacking fields, and in turning to unlikely change bowlers, the home team's most difficult challenges today were again provided by its own brains trust - and not the opposition. Captain Steve Waugh conjured up one of the sternest tests of all, perhaps, when he won the toss and decided that his team would bat in possibly the most demanding conditions of the day.
But, after Adam Gilchrist (63) and a slightly-tentative Mark Waugh (36) had weathered the swing and seam extracted by new ball bowlers Heath Streak (1/56 from ten overs) and Bryan Strang (1/50 off ten) in muggy, humid conditions, this proved another stroll in the park. The fifth successive Australian opening stand to exceed the half-century mark in this series provided the platform for a brutal onslaught that ultimately took the Australians to within twelve runs of their highest ever one-day international score against Zimbabwe.
Ninety-eight runs had been added by the time that the Gilchrist-Waugh stand was eventually ended - by means of a bizarre run out. Waugh was the unlucky batsman, departing after Gilchrist had powered back a straight drive with such force that his partner had no chance to regain his ground at the non-striker's end as the ball went past him. He could only watch in horror as it took a thin deflection from bowler Brian Murphy's fingers back on to the stumps. Gilchrist made his own exit shortly afterwards, when he was deceived by a Strang delivery and lofted a simple catch to mid wicket.
Full postEngland build on Pratt's unbeaten century
Gary Pratt has been in good form all through this tour
Santhosh S in Hyderabad
27-Jan-2001
Gary Pratt has been in good form all through this tour. It was just a
matter of time and good fortune that the left-hander came good. At
Chennai he was indisposed with suspected food poisoning. So Pratt
chose Hyderabad as the place to make it big. He was fortunate to
survive following some atrocious catching by the Indian boys. Indeed,
he was dropped thrice before he got to his hundred.
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Gary Pratt Photo Paul McGregor |
England made two changes to their team, Robert Ferley and Kyle Hogg
replacing Monty Panesar and Ian Pattison. According to the English
coach Tim Boon, the changes have brought in more solidity to the team.
India too made a couple of changes, K Khadkikar and Sidharth Trivedi
making way for Maninder Singh and Amit Mishra to have their first
junior `Test' appearance.
Winning the toss, English colts decided to bat first on a flat
surface. Eleven overs of medium pace from Maninder Singh and Nitin
Aggarwal did not produce a wicket. S Vidyut, the hero of the first
`Test' was brought in to bowl in the 12th over and straightaway he got
some bounce and turn on this docile pitch. Leg spinner Amit Mishra
came in to bowl from the pavilion end in the following over.
Full postNorth Zone virtually sure to retain Duleep Trophy
North Zone made virtually sure of retaining the Duleep Trophy on Saturday
Staff Reporter
27-Jan-2001
North Zone made virtually sure of retaining the Duleep Trophy on Saturday. While the only team which seemed to have a chance to overhaul their points tally, South Zone, lost to East Zone by four wickets at Agartala, North Zone took a major step towards winning the title at the Feroze Shah Kotla when at stumps on the third day, Central Zone were 370 for eight off 103 overs in their first innings in reply to the home team's 690 for eight declared. Even if North Zone were to get no more than five points for the first innings lead, they will take their tally to 23 points from their four matches - a figure no other team is in a position to overhaul.
Resuming at 81 for one, Central Zone put up a good fight but in the pace of the imposing North Zone total, it was a hopeless cause. They suffered an early blow when their skipper and that prolific run getter around the domestic circuit Amay Khurasia was caught by Dinesh Mongia off Harbhajan Singh for 51. Khurasia who was in a punishing mood since he came in on Friday evening faced only 36 balls and hit nine fours and a six.
Jai P Yadav and Md Kaif then shared a third wicket partnership of 103 runs off 25.2 overs before the former was out for 78. The in form MP opening batsman faced 103 balls and hit 12 fours and a six. Kaif and Raja Ali then carried the total to 227 when the former was caught by Mongia off Rahul Sanghvi for 61. In a stay of 2-1/2 hours, Kaif faced 139 balls and hit six fours and two sixes.
Sanghvi also got rid of Ali (29) but a fighting knock by Yerra Goud sustained the Central Zone innings till close of play. The 29-year-old Railways right hander received some support from the tail. D Bundela (11), RJ Kanwat (17) and wicketkeeper Abhay Sharma (14) all stayed with Goud for some time as he raised his personal score as well as the side's total. By stumps he was unbeaten on 67. He has so far faced 160 balls and hit ten fours. Left arm spinner Sanghvi was the pick of the bowlers and finished with four for 47 off 25 overs. Off spinner Harbhajan Singh was rather expensive conceding 123 runs from 30 overs for his two wickets.
Full postUmpiring controversies fail to stop England A's charge
Twelve wickets fell on the second day of England A's Busta Cup match against Barbados, but the visitors finished with first innings points almost guaranteed, and a victory within their grasp, if they can maintain control over the remaining two days
Kate Laven
27-Jan-2001
Twelve wickets fell on the second day of England A's Busta Cup match against Barbados, but the visitors finished with first innings points almost guaranteed, and a victory within their grasp, if they can maintain control over the remaining two days.
On a day marred by more controversy over umpiring decisions, which saw Chris Schofield booed off the field by a partisan Barbados crowd, England A pulled out all the stops in the final 25 overs to take control of the match with three vital wickets under their belt by stumps.
The fourth round Busta Cup match has attracted much interest among local Bajans who gave England A skipper Mark Alleyne, a player they regard almost as one of their own after he grew up on the island, a warm welcome.
British holidaymakers have also shown their support by turning out in sizable numbers to boost crowd figures to around 2,000, the biggest of any England A match on the tour so far.
Full postBacher hits 190 to ease Strikers to slim lead
Stand-in captain Adam Bacher provided the highlight of this fairly pointless three-day encounter on day two, hitting 190 as the Highveld Strikers grabbed a 30-run first innings lead over KwaZulu-Natal, who were 31 without loss in their second knock
Grant Shimmin - MWP
27-Jan-2001
Stand-in captain Adam Bacher provided the highlight of this fairly pointless three-day encounter on day two, hitting 190 as the Highveld Strikers grabbed a 30-run first innings lead over KwaZulu-Natal, who were 31 without loss in their second knock at the close, just a single ahead.
Bacher, who shared in a 165-run first-wicket partnership with Sven Koenig (78), was a tower of strength for the Strikers as they surged past the Dolphins' 303 all out, anchoring the innings superbly after Koenig's dismissal, bowled by Gary Gilder, had sparked a mini-collapse in which three more wickets fell for the addition of just 22.
Having scored his tenth first-class century off 225 balls, in eight minutes short of five hours, he upped the tempo in fine style, scoring at better than a run a ball for the remainder of his innings, although the proportion of boundaries was fairly similar. Having hit 15 fours in getting to three figures, Bacher hit 12 more, along with two sixes, in reaching his eventual score.
He was eventually out in the last over available to his side, caught by
opposing skipper Dale Benkenstein at point as he tried to cut Wade Wingfield to the boundary in pursuit of his double century. His dismissal brought the Strikers' declaration at 333 for six.
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