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Test in the balance
Adelaide-Australia met their first genuine challenge of the series with typical, bloody-minded efficiency on the third day of the third Test yesterday but West Indian perseverance prevented them making the most of several favourable positions
Tony Cozier
18-Dec-2000
Adelaide-Australia met their first genuine challenge of the series with
typical, bloody-minded efficiency on the third day of the third Test yesterday
but West Indian perseverance prevented them making the most of several
favourable positions.
Ricky Ponting shared successive, untroubled partnerships of 123 with Mark Waugh
and 59 with Damien Martyn that carried Australia to within 22 of the Larainspired West Indies total of 391 with five wickets in tact.
A match-winning lead loomed but once the venerable Courtney Walsh produced one
of his specials to remove Ponting to a keeper's catch for 92, his lesser
accomplices, Merv Dillon and Nixon McLean, followed the lead with the next three
wickets for 12 runs.
When the first rain in Adelaide for 38 days brought the day to a gloomy and
premature end, under the floodlights that had been switched on the ball before
Ponting's dismissal, the contest was dead even.
Full postAustralians on brink of Third Test victory
Can Australia make thirty-two more runs or will West Indies snatch a victory by taking the remaining six wickets
Lawrie Colliver
18-Dec-2000
Can Australia make thirty-two more runs or will West Indies snatch a victory by taking the remaining six wickets? That is the burning question with one day to play in
the third Ansett Australia Test match here in Adelaide in the battle for Sir Frank Worrell's Trophy.
At close of play, Australia is at 4/98 with Justin Langer on 43 and Damien Martyn on 18 following what has proven to be another exciting day's cricket in this match.
Australia has to be favoured to make its way over the line, but with a rejuvenated Courtney Walsh (2/28) and a relatively new ball still in hand, two quick wickets could see the game turn West Indies' way.
Set 130 to clinch the series, the Australians have had some scary moments, losing Michael Slater (1) in Mervyn Dillon's first over and then Matthew Hayden (14) five
overs later to Walsh. The second of those two wickets required the assistance of third umpire Daryl Harper as an underedged drive found its way low to
wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs. Harper had three looks at the catch before rightly deciding that Hayden should go. TV assistance was hardly needed five runs later as
Mark Waugh (5) snicked another Dillon (2/22) delivery and suddenly West Indies was right in the hunt at 3/ 27.
Full postMaharashtra edge out Baroda
Maharshtra by virtue of their first innings lead picked up five points in their Under-16 Vijay Merchant trophy match against Baroda at the Motibaug Palace Ground on Monday.The hosts had to be content with three points as the match ended in a draw
Waleed Hussain
18-Dec-2000
Maharshtra by virtue of their first innings lead picked up five points
in their Under-16 Vijay Merchant trophy match against Baroda at the
Motibaug Palace Ground on Monday.The hosts had to be content with
three points as the match ended in a draw.
Earlier, Baroda won the toss and decided to bat first. The openers
gave a decent start scoring 56 runs off 12 overs. Most of the batsmen
made good starts but failed to convert it into long innings. R Solanki
was the top scorer with 84 off 141 balls laced with 14 hits to the
fence. Baroda were bowled out for 263 in 90.1 overs. S Agarkar picked
up five for 80. Aditya Sharma picked up two for 21.
In reply, Maharashtra batted cautiously. Openers S Puranik (38) and
Aditya Sharma (16) put on 62 runs off 35.2 overs. C Suryavanshi and S
Gaikwad added a 102 run partnership for the third wicket off 29 overs.
Suryavanshi topscored with 68 off 126 balls, with eight boundaries. S
Chavan chipped in with a useful 58 off 116 balls, hitting nine to the
fence. A Bochare, Y Pathan and J Naikwade picked up three wickets each
for 50, 68 and 73 runs respectively. Maharashtra were bowled out for
308 in 118.3 overs.
Full postBlewett dominates final day
An otherwise lifeless fourth and final day of the Pura Cup match between Queensland and South Australia has been completely dominated by former Australian Test opener Greg Blewett
Steve Magoffin
18-Dec-2000
An otherwise lifeless fourth and final day of the Pura Cup match between Queensland and South Australia has been completely dominated by former Australian Test opener Greg Blewett. Blewett (260*) amassed his second highest first-class total, and equalled the highest score made by any player in clashes between the two states, as he guided the Redbacks to the safety of a tame draw.
Having arrived at the crease yesterday at the fall of the first South Australian second innings wicket and with the total on just 1, Blewett was in a position where a big score was needed to save the game. To make matters more challenging still, he found himself aligned against an attack which was full of confidence after it had helped enforce the follow-on. Even when he went to stumps at the end of the third day with a magnificent unbeaten 123 to his credit, a monumental effort on the final day was still required to put the match out of the Bulls' reach.
What followed here today was indeed a display of patience and concentration in a pressure situation that is rarely seen in the modern game. The South Australian number three batted for ten and a half hours, during which he offered his opponents almost nothing. There was a half-chance offered off bat and pad early yesterday, and he survived a confident appeal at 34; apart from that, the Queenslanders rarely came close to ending his magnificent vigil.
With Shane Deitz (106), Blewett had provided the Queenslanders with much in the way of frustration yesterday as his team began the follow-on from the hopeless position to which a 252 run first innings deficit had condemned it. And, today, he went right on with the job, first joining with Ben Johnson (45) in an eighty run partnership for the fourth wicket and then Jeff Vaughan (24) in another of seventy-nine to reel in, and leave well behind, Queensland's first innings advantage. After killing off most hopes of outright victory for the home side, Blewett then went in search of personal glory. His innings was one of complete dominance and no bowler looked like penetrating his defences on a friendly batting track; any loose ball that was available was punished with ease. From the 579 deliveries bowled to Blewett in his astonishing stay the crease, thirty were confidently struck to the boundary, and two balls even cleared the ropes for six.
Full postHimachal Pradesh defeat Haryana by two wickets
Himachal Pradesh shocked Haryana by two wickets in a thrilling contest at the Luhnu Cricket Ground, Bilaspur, in the North Zone Under-22 Tournament on Monday
Santhosh S
18-Dec-2000
Himachal Pradesh shocked Haryana by two wickets in a thrilling contest
at the Luhnu Cricket Ground, Bilaspur, in the North Zone Under-22
Tournament on Monday. In a low scoring match wickets kept tumbling and
as many as 38 wickets fell in 3 days.
Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Haryana made a poor
start and continued in the same order to be bowled out for 168 in 66.4
overs. Opening batsman Parveen Sharma with 35 (5 fours) top scored for
Haryana. SP Singh with 3/55 was the most successful of the bowlers. HP
in their first innings made 210 all out in 60 overs. Opening batsman H
Angrish played brilliantly to make 64 before he was run out. Angrish
hit six boundaries in his innings. Parveen with 35 gave Angrish good
support for the fourth wicket adding 63 runs. Deepak Sain with 6/85
led the Haryana bowling admirably.
Haryana did not do any better in their second innings as they found
themselves bowled out for 152 in 57.4 overs. Manoj Yadav with 68
including 7 fours tried to put up a fight against some potent HP
bowling. Shavinder Pal Singh 4/40 was easily the best of the bowlers.
Requiring 111 runs to win HP made heavy weather of their task. Deepak
Sen 5/43 and Anuj Sharma 3/50 carried the burden of bowling out HP for
a low score. They came so close by picking up eight wickets as HP
reached their goal with certain amount of difficulty. HP had all
reasons to clebrate an almost impossible victory. Captain Yashvinder
Singh top scored with 20 for HP. There were some useful contributions
by Parveen (19) and Hemant dogra (18). HP took all eight points to
Haryana's none.
Full postDelhi and Punjab settle for a draw
The North Zone Vijay Merchant (Under-16) tournament encounter at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground involving Delhi and Punjab meandered to a draw on Monday
Natarajan Sriram
18-Dec-2000
The North Zone Vijay Merchant (Under-16) tournament encounter at the
Feroz Shah Kotla ground involving Delhi and Punjab meandered to a draw
on Monday. Delhi notched up five points since they secured the first
innings lead and Punjab took home three.
Opting to bat on the opening day, Punjab piled up 281. The score being
helped along the way by a handsome batting display by their batsmen.
Taking away no credit from the others, including the opener K Goel (50
off 151 balls, 7 fours), Vipul Sharma was the top scorer with a 54
(121 minutes, 109 balls, 6 fours). K Rawat was the most successfull
bowler for Delhi with figures of 5 for 57.
In reply, Delhi took a 116 run lead, K Rawat giving the needed prop
for the innings with a sedate 99. With the Delhi scorecard reading 265
for 8, Kuldeep Rawat and Abhinav Bali (66) came togather for a 132 run
ninth wicket partnership. Kuldeep was the last batsman to be
dismissed. Kuldeep during his 290 minute stay at the crease faced 271
balls and hit 12 fours. Punjab in the 14 overs that the received on
the final day scored 54 runs while losing opener Rahul Arora (31).
Full postVidharba's AM Piprode demolishes MP
AM Piprode with the match figures of 9/103 helped a dominant Vidarbha thrash Madhya Pradesh by an innings and 133 runs in the Under-22 Tournament played at Vidarbha CA Ground, Nagpur, on Monday
Santhosh S
18-Dec-2000
AM Piprode with the match figures of 9/103 helped a dominant Vidarbha
thrash Madhya Pradesh by an innings and 133 runs in the Under-22
Tournament played at Vidarbha CA Ground, Nagpur, on Monday. The hosts
Vidarbha gave a very good account of themselves with the bat and ball
to take all the eight points to MP's none.
Electing to bat after winning the toss, MP made a poor start to their
campaign by losing four wickets with just 17 on the board. Piprode
accounting for three of the four to fall. 80 runs were added for the
fifth wicket between opener S Tomar and S Kapoor. Kapoor dominated the
partnership and it was S Tomar (27) who was dismissed first to make it
97/5. K Seth made 30 helping Kapoor add 56 valuable runs for the sixth
wicket. Kapoor who continued in the same vein striking the ball
fluently, went on to complete a well deserved hundred and was the
ninth batsman to be dismissed at 198. Kapoor's individual contribution
was 109 runs which included 3 sixes and 17 fours. MP were all out for
198 in the 63rd over as Piprode picked up his fourth wicket to finish
the innings with 4/68.
Vidarbha lost two early wickets and were reduced to 49/2 in the 9th
over, but opener AS Manohar and captain AS Naidu gathered runs at will
adding 255 for the third wicket. Both the batsmen had completed their
century and it was Golwalkar who removed Manohar to break the
partnership. Manohar was severe on the bowling smashing 130 runs in
226 balls with the help of 22 fours and 2 sixes. At 342 Naidu ran
himself out for a well made 146 made of 203 balls which included 20
fours and a six. Vidarbha went on to add some more qucik runs to
declare their first innings on 446/6 giving themselves a 248 run first
innings lead. Dheeraj Sharma 52 remained unbeaten as HV Shitoot 45 was
the last man to be dismissed.
MP had an uphill task ahead of them and ran in to trouble straight
away, losing wickets at regular intervals. Opening bowlers Piprode
(17-8-35-5) and CE Atram (17.5-3-62-4) were too good for their liking
and MP were bowled out for 115 in 40.5 overs. The centurion from the
first innings S Kapoor batted valiantly in the second dig too. Kapoor
remained unconquered on 41 easily the best of the MP batting efforts
as the last three batsmen were dismissed for nothing.
Full postKapoor carries the bat as UP holds Rajasthan to a draw
In the Central Zone Under-22 Tournament played at Field Club Ground, Udaipur, host Rajasthan were held to a draw by Uttar Pradesh on Monday
Santhosh S
18-Dec-2000
In the Central Zone Under-22 Tournament played at Field Club Ground,
Udaipur, host Rajasthan were held to a draw by Uttar Pradesh on
Monday. UP could take home only three points as Rajasthan took five
points thanks to the first innings lead.
Rajasthan won the toss on Saturday and decided to bat first and did
well to finish at 317 in 131 overs. A Jain with 76 (13 fours) and V
Saxena with 81 (9 fours, 1 six) were the batting heroes. Anup Dave 46
and L Jain with 40 batted well down in the order and helped Rajasthan
beef up there total. A Solanki with 5/72 was easily the pick of the UP
bowlers. UP opening batsman A Kapoor Made a brilliant unbeaten 119 and
carried his batting through the innings. P Singh with 44 (6 fours and
1 six) gave Kapoor admirable support. Kapoor in his defiant knock
struck 17 boundaries but ran out of partners as most of the UP batsmen
failed to apply themselves. UP were all out for 286 in 112.3 overs
giving Rajasthan the crucial first innings lead. L Jain with 3/54 was
the best of the bowling. Rajasthan started their second innings with a
lead of 31 runs and were 73/1 at the close of play on Monday. V Saxena
remained unbeaten on 41. Perhaps it was the sluggish batting by both
sides that took away the competitive edge.
Full postMadkaikar ton propels Mumbai
Mumbai earned five first innings points against Saurashtra in the Vijay Merchant Trophy at the Rajkot Municipal Corporation Cricket Ground on Monday
Waleed Hussain
18-Dec-2000
Mumbai earned five first innings points against Saurashtra in the Vijay Merchant
Trophy at the Rajkot Municipal Corporation Cricket Ground on Monday. The hosts
collected three from the draw.
Mumbai, deciding to bat first had a disastrous start to their innings losing
skipper Swapnoj Thakur to the first legitimate ball of the innings. Rohan
Saldana (34) and Sahil Kukreja added 77 runs off 23 overs for the second wicket.
The top order continued its bad form with three of the batsman making starts but
failing to capitalise on the innings. The star of the innings was allrounder
Parag Madkaikar who scored 151 off 308 balls, hitting 19 bounadries in his
mammoth innings. He was well supported by stumper Pradosh Mayekar (63) off 94
balls. The duo added 106 off 32 overs for the sixth wicket. Mumbai were bowled
out for 411 off 136.3 overs.
In reply, Saurashtra were bowled out for 296 in 111.2 overs. Cheteshwar Pujara
scored a patient 52 off 257 balls, with eight hits to the fence. Utpal Rana was
the other half centurion in the innings with 50 off 60 balls, nine hits to the
ropes. Nikhil Rathod and Rahul Parmar chipped in with 46 and 40 respectively.
Arif Sunsara bagged four for 74. Mumbai batted in the second innings for 85
minutes and at close of play were 24 for no loss in 20 overs.
Full postTest match hangs in balance as Australia suffers mini-collapse
West Indies has claimed four Australian wickets for just twenty-nine runs late on day three to leave the Third Test hanging in the balance at the Adelaide Oval
Nabila Ahmed
17-Dec-2000
West Indies has claimed four Australian wickets for just twenty-nine runs late on day three to leave the Third Test hanging in the balance at the Adelaide Oval.
Courtney Walsh (2/73), Nixon McLean (2/69), and Mervyn Dillon (2/84) each snared wickets in the final session to leave Australia at 9/409 before rain stopped
play. The home team leads by twelve runs - with Damien Martyn (46*) and Glenn McGrath (1*) at the crease.
The mini-collapse began seven overs into the final session, when Ricky Ponting's fine innings came to an end an agonising eight runs short of his eighth Test century.
After almost four hours, ninety-two runs, ten cracking boundaries and one life, the tourists finally removed the Australian vice-captain with a beautiful leg-cutter from
Walsh. The veteran paceman had the ball nipping in towards the batsman and Ponting duly edged it behind to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs. This was the third time in
his thirty-seven-Test career that the Tasmanian had been dismissed in the nineties.
This brought Australia's forty-first Test captain to the crease in front of an expectant audience eagerly awaiting the next chapter of this remarkable cricketer's fairy
tale life. Having made eighty-one on debut and struck a match-winning 149* by the end of his fourth Test, Adam Gilchrist, as much as anyone, would have hoped
for another magical innings here today.
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