Report
Haryana finishes strong to enter the final
Haryana clinched their place in the Cooch Behar Trophy final thanks to the huge first innings lead they had over Bengal in the semi final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Pune
Santhosh S
11-Dec-2000
Haryana clinched their place in the Cooch Behar
Trophy final thanks to the huge first innings lead
they had over Bengal in the semi final at the
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Pune. On Monday Haryana
declared at their overnight score of 615/4 giving
themselves the lead of 547 runs and a full day to
bowl out Bengal.
Bengal who were dismissed for a paltry 68 in the
first dig didn't start any better in the second,
losing two wickets to N Agarwal with just six on
the board. Soon A Mishra removed Arindam das for 8
reducing Bengal to 26/3 in the 13th over of the
day. Haryana had their sights on an early outright
victory but Bengal batsmen had other ideas. There
followed a 94 run partnership between Manavandra
Yadav and A Sarkar that came to an end with
Sarkar's runout for 34 in the 53rd over. Yadav was
the next to be dismissed for 79 falling to D Joon
in the 62nd over leaving Bengal at 152/5. Yadav's
vigil at the crease lasted 165 balls and included
11 boundaries and a six. In the very next over
Jhunjhunwala was dismissed by Ishan Ganda pushin
Bengal to a miserable 154/6. A 59 run partnership
between by R Jaiswal and S Lahiri who made 29
each. Bengal were 213 for 7 at the fall of Jaiswal
who was caught and bowled by Agarwal. At 227
Bengal lost S Lahiri to the bowling of J Sharma in
the 86th over. Agarwal dismissed G Sharma for 18
in the 92nd over of the day leaving the last pair
of S Ali and S Akthar to survive the last 15 balls
of the match, which they did admirably. Bengal
were 240/9 at the close of play. Though the match
came to end as a draw, Haryana can go into the
final against Madhya Pradesh feeling stronger. N
Agarwal was again successful with the ball picking
up four wickets in the Bengal second innings.
Full postMadhya Pradesh cruises into the final
Madhya Pradesh denied Tripura a place in the Cooch Behar Trophy final, batting through the whole of the last day in their semi final match at Deccan Gymkhana, Pune
Santhosh S
11-Dec-2000
Madhya Pradesh denied Tripura a place in the Cooch
Behar Trophy final, batting through the whole of
the last day in their semi final match at Deccan
Gymkhana, Pune. MP sealed their place in the final
by the virtue of the 16 runs first innings lead
over Tripura. MP deciding to go for batting
practice were 391/5 at the end of the last day's
play on Monday.
Maninder Singh scored an unbeaten 103 on a day
when MP was keen on batting through. Earlier in
the day Mohnish Mishra was dismissed for 35 in the
29th over by T Shah. Mishra hammered two sixes and
two fours in his stay at the crease for 55 balls.
That followed a 82 runs partnership between
captain Sachin Dholepure and Nitin Menon. J
Debnath had Menon LBW for 40 (3 fours) reducing MP
to 167/3. At 187 Dholepure was caught behind off
the bowling of T Shah for a well made 81.
Dholepure hit 6 fours in 203 balls he faced in 224
minutes. Maninder Singh and Jatin Saxena smashed
the Tripura bowling to score 193 runs in 35.2
overs. Maninder went on to score his hundred (103
not out) including 13 strokes to the ropes. Saxena
was unlucky to miss out on his hundred to be
dimissed at 92. Saxena's free scoring innings
lasted 102 balls as he belted a dozen balls past
the boundary. Sami A Khan came out to bat at the
fall of Saxena and blasted a six in the two balls
he faced. For Tripura T Shah had a long bowl to
finish with 40-5-133-3. It augurs well for MP as
their batting came good in the second innings for
they would be meeting an upbeat Haryana in the
final. Tripura's campaign has been a successful
one too. It is remarkable that they went all the
way to the semi finals and shows how well junior
cricket has picked up in that part of the country
Full postKarnataka beat Andhra, qualify for Wills Trophy
Eventual South Zone Ranji OD champions Karnataka coasted to an easy six wicket victory over Andhra at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk
Anand Vasu
11-Dec-2000
Eventual South Zone Ranji OD champions Karnataka
coasted to an easy six wicket victory over Andhra
at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk. On
winning the toss, Karnataka captain J Arun Kumar
put Andhra in to bat, anticipating a situation
where net run rate would play a part. If that was
the case, Karnataka were hoping to dismiss Andhra
cheaply and achieve the target in quick time. As
it turned out, the net run rate did not play a
part as Hyderabad lost to Goa in their anxiety to
score runs in quick time. By virtue of having
beaten Tamil Nadu in the league phase, Karnataka
wrested the KS Subbiah Pillai Trophy from holders
Tamil Nadu.
After putting Andhra in to bat, things did not go
quite according to plan. As the Andhra batsmen,
led by Amit Pathak (47) began well. The Andhra
skipper has been in tremendous form off late. His
47 run blast came off just 37 balls and included 9
hits to the fence. Stumper LNP Reddy made 56, but
spent 122 balls getting there and this probably
did not help the Andhra cause at all. Fortunately
for the Andhra side, KA Faiyaz improvised well,
playing the ball all around the park in 47 ball
innings that yielded an unbeaten 60. In his
company, I Srinivas too flourished, making a
useful 33. The Karnataka out fielding on the day
was patchy, and several wild throws resulted in
overthrows and helped boost the Andhra total. At
the end of 50 overs, Andhra had made a fighting
247/4.
While it looked like Karnataka had little chances
of winning in quick turn, and in turn qualifying
for the Wills Trophy, their skipper J Arunkumar
seemed to know something others didn't. Instead of
going all out for quick runs, Arunkumar played
himself in and helped himself to a half century.
When he eventually fell to off spinner Vatekar,
Arunkumar had made 56 off 72 balls. The other
Karnataka opener Mithun Beerala too played a
steady hand. Peppering the onside, Beerala made a
fluent 30. GK Anilkumar who made fifties in the
previous two matches he played chipped in today as
well with 30. Vijay Bharadwaj was at his
entertaining best, smiting three huge sixes in a
breezy innings. After launching the off spinners
over midwicket and straight down the ground,
Bharadwaj was caught at long on going for another
huge hit. In just 16 balls, Bharadwaj had made 25.
After Bharadwaj departed, B Akhil (64) and Tilak
Naidu (36) guided Karnataka to a six wicket
victory with over eight overs to spare.
Full postTamil Nadu thrash Kerala for an emphatic win
Brilliant bowling by Sadagoppan Ramesh and a scintillating knock by JR Madanagopal helped Tamil Nadu beat Kerala by six wickets in the Ranji One- Day South Zone League played at the Guru Nanak College Ground, Chennai on Monday
Santhosh S
11-Dec-2000
Brilliant bowling by Sadagoppan Ramesh and a
scintillating knock by JR Madanagopal helped Tamil
Nadu beat Kerala by six wickets in the Ranji One-
Day South Zone League played at the Guru Nanak
College Ground, Chennai on Monday. Though they won
the match with ease, Tamil Nadu had to live with
the fact that they could not qualify for the Wills
Trophy as Karnataka took the honours of being the
South Zone Ranji One-Day Champions. Their best
form came a little too late in the tournament.
Hyderabad who were the front-runners in the race,
shot themselves in the foot by losing to the
unfancied Goa. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had eight
points each and Karnataka qualified by the virtue
of their victory over Tamil Nadu.
Electing to bat after winning the toss, Kerala
lost the reliable MP Sorab (9) in the fifth over.
Kerala played it safe and reached 81 in the 23
over when opener C Sanju was bowled by
Gokulakrishna for 29 made in 66 balls. Sanju had
added 66 for the second wicket with Prashanth
Menon in 18.2 overs. Menon went on to complete his
half century and added 53 for the third wicket
with captain Sunil Oasis in 81 balls. Oasis was
dismissed in the 37th over for 31 made in 45 balls
which included 3 boundaries as Kerala were reduced
to 134/3. S Ramesh better known for his batting
skills took the wicket of Oasis and then removed
Menon in the 41st over. Menon had made 64 in 107
balls and hit the balls five times to the ropes.
Ramesh wasn't done yet he went on to pick three
more Kerala batsmen to finish with 5/31 in 9 overs
as Kerala innings folded for 184 in the 47th over.
The last eight wickets falling for 50 runs.
Tamil Nadu had to score runs in double quick time
to be in contention for the KS Subbiah Pillai
Trophy as the run quotient would have mattered if
Hyderabad won their match against Goa. Tamil Nadu
got off to a flying start as they reached their
fifty in the sixth over. But they lost opener S
Sharath in the sixth over, LBW to the seasoned
campaigner Anathapadmanabhan for 32 made in just
22 balls. Sharath's cameo included seven
boundaries. Tamil Nadu wicket keeper Reuben Paul
joined opener JR Madanagopal and kept the momentum
going. They added 117 runs for the second wicket
in just 95 balls when Reuben charged down the
track to C Sanju and was neatly stumped. Reuben
made 46 in 47 balls as he struck a six and four
boundaries. Madanagopal in the meanwhile was going
great guns smashing the Kerala bowlers all over
the park. He hit two huge sixes and seven
boundaries in his 70 ball innings before he was
caught by Chandrashekara of Yohannan for 81 in the
23rd over. Tamil Nadu were going for a quick
finish and send S Mahesh in to bat. Mahesh did not
disappoint as he hoisted a huge six over square
leg but was quickly dismissed by Sanju for 7 made
in 3 balls. Tamil Nadu didn't waste much time as
they reached 185/4 in the last ball of the 24th
over.
Full postSri Lanka make short work of Eastern Province
Sri Lanka made short work of securing the first victory of their three Test tour with an eight-wicket victory over Eastern Province inside two days
MWP
10-Dec-2000
Sri Lanka made short work of securing the first victory of their three Test tour with an eight-wicket victory over Eastern Province inside two days.
The Jumbos were bowled out for 214 in their second innings, leaving Sri Lanka needing to make just 41 for victory. They did so for the loss of skipper Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara to earn themselves a rest day they probably didn't want at this stage of the tour.
The day marked the first opportunity for Mutiah Muralitharan to begin his terrorism of South African batsmen. He duly delivered with four for 41 from 28 overs including the last three wickets of the Jumbos innings in ten balls.
In truth, it was just a matter of time for Sri Lanka after they added 13 to their overnight 253 for nine to leave the home side 174 in arrears.
Full postWounded Lara leads fightback
Even on one leg, there's clearly still life in Brian Lara yet
John Polack
10-Dec-2000
Even on one leg, there's clearly still life in Brian Lara yet. But the second day of the tour match against Australia 'A' in Hobart represented yet another occasion on which its champion batsman and its line-up as a whole only limped and sputtered into action for West Indies.
Still waging a losing battle against a persistent hamstring injury, the brilliant left hander was compulsorily demoted to number seven in the batting order. And, by the time that he arrived at the wicket, his team had already crashed to 5/80 and was staring another debilitating defeat squarely in the face.
It was just as well, perhaps, that the defiant Ridley Jacobs (30*) was the man at the other end when his turn eventually came. For, in the doughty
wicketkeeper-batsman, he found an ally at least capable of resisting for a long period the excellent line and length being maintained by a trio of wholehearted fast bowlers.
Initially, Lara (62*) scratched, scraped, hobbled, and looked vulnerable to another early dismissal. But he then did something he has rarely seemed close to
managing on this troubled tour - purposefully built a first-class innings littered with a brace of flourishing strokes. Every exertion appeared painful as he began; a state of torment not assisted by some high class bowling from Don Nash (3/37), Andy Bichel (1/52) and Mathew Inness (1/24) that tested the star player's capacity to use his inconvenienced feet.
Full postRain frustrates North West
No play was possible on the third day of the Supersport Series encounter between North West and Northerns on Sunday because of heavy rain
MWP
10-Dec-2000
No play was possible on the third day of the Supersport Series encounter
between North West and Northerns on Sunday because of heavy rain.
That means North West's chances of an important home victory in Potchefstroom, the points for which would be carried through to the Super Eight stage, have been dealt a major blow.
With Northerns at 152 for seven in reply to the home side's 327, the
visitors would have to fold alarmingly on the last day to allow North West a
sniff of victory.
Full postCarter claims six to take Boland to the brink of victory
Boland were just 82-runs from victory at the end of the third day's play in their Supersport Series match against Griqualand West in Kimberley on Sunday
MWP
10-Dec-2000
Boland were just 82-runs from victory at the end of the third day's play in their Supersport Series match against Griqualand West in Kimberley on Sunday.
It was largely thanks to left-arm seam bowler Neil Carter who took career best figures of six for 63 to reduce Griquas to 205 all out in their second innings and an overall lead of a paltry 112-runs.
At the close of play Boland were easily in control on 31 without loss. Henry Davids was on 25 while Jonathan Trott had scored a much more sedate four.
Earlier Boland had been bowled out for 230 having started the day at 190 for eight. Justin Ontong advanced his overnight total from 60 to 68 before being caught by Craig Tatton off Dion Kruis.
Full postStrydom dashes KwaZulu-Natal's hopes
With a little help from a rampant Vasbert Drakes and a stubborn Ian Mitchell, Border captain Pieter Strydom all but ended KwaZulu-Natal's hopes of victory in their Supersport Series encounter on Sunday and at the same time, the home side's
MWP
10-Dec-2000
With a little help from a rampant Vasbert Drakes and a stubborn Ian
Mitchell, Border captain Pieter Strydom all but ended KwaZulu-Natal's hopes of victory in their Supersport Series encounter on Sunday and at the same time, the home side's aspirations of reaching the Super Eight stage of the competition.
After Border had been reduced to 128 for five early on Sunday morning,
Strydom stepped up to make 80 off just 127 balls, including 11 fours. He featured in a sixth-wicket stand of 111 with Mitchell (31) and ultimately saw to it that Border compiled a first innings total of 321 and a lead of 68. Goolam Bodi, brought on to bowl his left-arm wrist-spin late in the innings, wrapped up the tail with four for 34.
Then Strydom took two wickets late in the day with his slow left-armers, following up an early three-wicket burst by champion Barbadian fast bowler Drakes, to have the Dolphins staggering on 117 for five at the close, a lead of just 49.
Appropriately, considering Strydom's contribution, opposite number Dale
Benkenstein again proved the mainstay of his team's innings, finishing
unbeaten on 56 to follow up his 86 in the home side's first innings total of 253 for seven declared.
Full postAtherton grafts a painstaking century
Karachi, Dec 9: Michael Atherton scored a typically sedate and painstaking unbeaten century as England took a decisive step forward in holding Pakistan to a draw in the three-Test series which ends on Dec 11
Samiul Hasan
10-Dec-2000
Karachi, Dec 9: Michael Atherton scored a typically sedate and painstaking
unbeaten century as England took a decisive step forward in holding Pakistan to
a draw in the three-Test series which ends on Dec 11.
The 32-year-old was unconquered on 117 in England's 277 for four at the draw of
stumps on the third day of the third and final cricket Test against Pakistan.
The tourists are 128 runs shy of home team's 405 and in all probability Nasser
Hussain looks set to join Mike Brearley to return unbeaten in a Test series
after a gap of 34 years.
Atherton, who started the day at 43 in England's 79 for one, laboured and worked
hard for every run before reaching his 16th Test century in 105th Test with a
classic cover drive of Danish Kaneria on his 317th delivery. It was also his
maiden century against Pakistan in nine Tests which follows his hundreds against
Australia, West Indies, India, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
With England scheduled to tour Sri Lanka in February, a similar innings there
would place Atherton alongside Australian Steve Waugh with centuries against all
Test playing nations. Bangladesh, who were admitted to the Test fold in July
this year, have played just one Test against India.
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