Report
Soujan Biswas too hot for Sikkim
Bengal completed an impressive 222 run victory over Sikkim in the Vijay Merchant Trophy East Zone League Under-16 match on Sunday at the East Calcutta District Sports Council Ground, Calcutta
Santhosh S
10-Dec-2000
Bengal completed an impressive 222 run victory over Sikkim in the Vijay Merchant
Trophy East Zone League Under-16 match on Sunday at the East Calcutta District
Sports Council Ground, Calcutta. There was no joy for Sikkim other than winning
the toss and asking Bengal to bat first. Bengal powered their way through to
declare at 231/3 in 67 overs backed up by the brilliance of AS Garai who scored
100 in 178 balls. Garai was severe on Sikkim bowlers as he illuminated his
innings with 17 shots to the fence. Garai was given good support by AS Choudhury
(66 not out) as they added 119 for the third wicket in 30 overs.
Bengal bowlers were quickly on their job, reducing Sikkim to 40/2. Sikkim lost
the last eight wickets for 37 runs and was bowled out for 102 in 55th over.
Soujan Biswas had an amazing spell and finished with the awesome figures of
21-10-25-8. Bengal started their second innings with a comfortable lead of 129
runs. A third wicket stand of 128 between SM Ghosh and AS Choudhury finished all
hopes of a Sikkim fight back. SM Ghosh played a strokeful innings and was
unlucky to be dismissed for 96, just four short of a hundred. Ghosh was at the
crease for 126 balls and hit 15 boundaries. Choudhury who had made an unbeaten
66 in the first innings made certain he got his century in the second knock.
Choudhury blasted 16 fours to reach his score of 101 in 127 balls as Bengal
declared their innings at 246/4 in 55 overs.
Sikkim had to make had to score 376 for a victory, which always looked
impossible. Bengal started claiming wickets at regular intervals. Sikkim's tail
wagged a little with Dawa Denzongpa making an unbeaten 45 in 145 balls and Sunam
Tshering making 34. Soujan Biswas was again lethal as he picked 3/35 in 24.1
overs to complete his ten-wicket haul for the match. Bengal collected eight
points and Sikkim went home with none.
Full postRailways score 18 run win over MP
The Ranji One-Day clash between Railways and Madhya Pradesh at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi saw the Railways side win by 18 runs
Anand Vasu
10-Dec-2000
The Ranji One-Day clash between Railways and Madhya Pradesh at the Karnail Singh
Stadium in Delhi saw the Railways side win by 18 runs. After winning the toss
and electing to bat first, Railways slumped to 1/2 as the twenty-four year old
mediumpacer Sanjay Pandey got rid of Amit Pagnis and Gagan Khoda in the very
first over. Soon after, there was more trouble and Railways were reeling at
41/4. An innings of 108 from Raza Ali at number six saved Railways the blushes.
Ali's 119 ball essay saw the ball reach the fence on 12 occasions. Riding on his
innings, Railways managed 240/6 in their allotted 50 overs.
In response, the Madhya Pradesh team started well, as openers Jai P Yadav (54)
and Chandrakant Pandit (40) put up a century partnership for the first wicket.
Amay Khurasiya at number three was among the runs as well, making 62 from just
63 balls (5 fours, 1 six). After the top three gave MP an ideal start, things
began to go wrong. India Test left arm spinner Murali Kartik and TP Singh
scalped 3 wickets apiece as MP lost their way completely. Just ten balls short
of the fifty over mark, MP were all out for 222.
Full postAuckland fall just short of first innings target in tame draw with Canterbury
Auckland's gallant attempt to overhaul Canterbury's score of 477 and earn first innings points fell agonisingly short when it was dismissed during the morning session for 435
Steve Deane
09-Dec-2000
Auckland's gallant attempt to overhaul Canterbury's score of 477 and earn
first innings points fell agonisingly short when it was dismissed during the
morning session for 435.
The Aces' failure to reach the imposing frist innings target was largely due
to the efforts of Warren Wisneski, whose career best figures of 7/151 came
from a gruelling 52 overs.
As well as the seven dismissals, five of which were bowled, Wisneski scored
an invaluable 58 not out in Canterbury's first innings.
He said it was the first time he had bowled over 50 overs in an innings but
surprisingly fatigue had not been a factor. "With the makeup of our side
going into the game, Bondy (Shane Bond) and myself were the only two real
strikers, the other three being containment bowlers, one of us had to do it
and because I'm a bit more senior so it had to be me really."
Full postND tops Trophy table with eight wicket win in Taupo
Northern Districts is top of the Shell Trophy table after two rounds of the competition, the only team with a hundred per cent record
Peter Hoare
09-Dec-2000
Northern Districts is top of the Shell Trophy table after two rounds of the competition, the only team with a hundred per cent record.
An eight wicket victory over Central Districts was completed shortly after lunch on the final day. It was ND's seventh successive victory in the Shell Trophy.
CD resumed this morning on 180 for eight, a lead of 97.
Any lingering hopes of victory for CD were ended when the last two wickets managed only two runs between them. The first wicket was the run out of Ewan Thompson following hesitation over a short single, a disastrous start to the day.
Full postBoland edge ahead of Griquas in tight game
A superb effort of six for 40 from seam bowler Henry Williams put Boland in a strong position during their Supersport Series match against Griqualand West in Kimberley on Saturday
MWP
09-Dec-2000
A superb effort of six for 40 from seam bowler Henry Williams put Boland in a strong position during their Supersport Series match against Griqualand West in Kimberley on Saturday.
Williams, who has been banned from international cricket until next year, showed that he is fast approaching the form that made him the leading wicket taker in the competition last season.
Boland have a 43-run lead after ending the second day on 190 for eight after dismissing Griquas for 137.
With two first innings wickets in hand, the visitors have tenuous control of the match on a wicket that still has life in it for the seam bowlers.
Full post19 wickets and a hat-trick but Sri Lanka on top against Eastern Province
Sri Lanka began the serious business of their three Test tour of South Africa as if they meant serious business
MWP
09-Dec-2000
Sri Lanka began the serious business of their three Test tour of South Africa as if they meant serious business.
After the hit-and-giggle frivolity of Nicky Oppenheimer's game, they began their preparations for the coming internationals by dismissing Eastern Province in a session and three balls to take a stranglehold on their three-day match in Port Elizabeth.
When they went into bat, the pitch miraculously flattened out and at the close the tourists had cantered along to 253 for nine - despite the fact that Garnet Kruger produced a hat-trick in the final session.
Sri Lanka lead by 161, and having seen 19 wickets tumble on day one this game has every chance of being concluded on the second.
Full postMaher adds insult to tourists' misery
For a man who has been afforded just two one-day internationals to translate impressive domestic form on to a higher stage, Jimmy Maher (150) took things in his stride remarkably easily in Hobart today
John Polack
09-Dec-2000
For a man who has been afforded just two one-day internationals to translate impressive domestic form on to a higher stage, Jimmy Maher (150) took things in his stride remarkably easily in Hobart today. On a day when his opponents did little to diminish their gloomy collective disposition, the Queenslander's century was the clear highlight of an otherwise unremarkable opening to the tour match between Australia 'A' and West Indies at the Bellerive Oval.
The twenty-six year old left hander profited from a curious decision at the start of the day by the West Indians and remained at the crease until nearly its very close. Albeit that it was crafted on a placid pitch, Maher's ninth first-class century - and a third from only five matches in an explosive beginning to this Australian season - was a masterpiece of concentration and a tribute to his ability to deal with loose bowling.
During its 339-minute course, he also proved at least two things. That Australia, lest it will ever require it, has a wealth of largely unexplored talent waiting in the wings and that West Indian captain Jimmy Adams might well have been better advised to bat first in this match.
In view of the fact that his team entered the contest urgently requiring batting practice, and found that he had no more than three fit front-line bowlers at his disposal, it seemed an odd decision for Adams to want to invite his opponents to bat first. It assumed even more confounding proportions as Maher and Queensland
teammate Martin Love (76) stood firm to add an untroubled 156 for the second wicket and provide the impetus to help carry a side which brims with some of
Australia's best-credentialled domestic players to 4/306 by stumps.
Full postRain frustrates Dolphins in battle with Border
KwaZulu-Natal and Border ended the second day of their encounter pretty much all square, the visitors finishing on 126 for four when rain and bad light brought an early close, after the Dolphins had batted on for just 5.2 overs to take their total to
MWP
09-Dec-2000
KwaZulu-Natal and Border ended the second day of their encounter pretty much all square, the visitors finishing on 126 for four when rain and bad light brought an early close, after the Dolphins had batted on for just 5.2 overs to take their total to 253 for seven, an addition of 22 runs for no further loss, before declaring.
The reason for that was that they need every bonus point they can get, as well as the 10 match points, to secure a spot in the Super Eight phase of the competition and a third batting point was just 19 runs away. However, with rain having wiped out Saturday's entire morning session, they couldn't really afford to bat on.
The decision to declare initially seemed a poor one, as Piet Botha and Craig Sugden frustrated the KwaZulu-Natal bowlers in an opening stand of 80, but once Botha had been pouched by wicketkeeper Errol Stewart, off the bowling of Jon Kent for 39, Sugden was not long in following, falling victim to the same pairing with just 17 more runs having been added, for 34.
By the close, both Wayne Wiblin, who made just seven, and Steven Pope, with 25, had also fallen, leaving skipper Pieter Strydom and Laden Gamiet, on five and nought respectively overnight, to see Border through to a first innings lead.
Full postNorth West in control against Northerns
North West had put themselves in a commanding position by the end of the second day of their home encounter with Northerns, reducing the visitors to 152 for seven after piling up a first innings total of 327
MWP
09-Dec-2000
North West had put themselves in a commanding position by the end of the second day of their home encounter with Northerns, reducing the visitors to 152 for seven after piling up a first innings total of 327.
Garth Roe and Jan Dreyer grabbed two wickets each, but it was a team effort for North West, which sent Northerns reeling to finish 175 behind and still 26 runs off avoiding the follow-on. Northerns may be through to the Super Eight phase of the Supersport Series and North West still bidding to make absolutely sure of their passage, but the visitors will not want to lose the match as their hosts would carry the points from this encounter forward to the next stage.
Only opener Rudi Steyn, with 45, made much of an impression as the visitors' wickets tumbled on Saturday.
Earlier, Morne Strydom had been the mainstay of the home side's innings with an unbeaten 89, including 14 fours, made off 177 balls, but there were useful contributions from the middle order and the tail. Mark Lavine, 48 not out overnight, made only one further run, but then Craig Light made 47, Alfonso Thomas made 31 and his partner in a record-equalling 10th-wicket stand earlier this season, Garth Roe, made 21. Clearly they have been out to show that stand of 174 was not a flash in the pan.
Full postSeam attack gives South Africa the upper hand
South Africa's bowlers, not least among them the 21-year-old debutant Mfuneko Ngam, vindicated Shaun Pollock's decision to bowl first on the second day of the third Castle Lager/MTN Test match at the Wanderers with a disciplined effort on a fast and
Peter Robinson
09-Dec-2000
South Africa's bowlers, not least among them the 21-year-old debutant Mfuneko Ngam, vindicated Shaun Pollock's decision to bowl first on the second day of the third Castle Lager/MTN Test match at the Wanderers with a disciplined effort on a fast and bouncy pitch that broke the spine of the New Zealand batting.
With the whole of Friday's first day lost to the weather, the South African seam attack moved the game along quickly when it finally got going, bowling out New Zealand for just 200. By stumps, the home side had reached 18 for the loss of Gary Kirsten's wicket.
Ngam bowled with impressive pace and control in his first outing at this level, but the pick of the seam attack was another product of South Africa's development programme, Makhaya Ntini, who again demonstrated just how much he has learned in the past two years.
With the help of four dropped catches in the first session, two of them off Ngam, both from Adam Parore and both spilled by Daryll Cullinan at first slip, New Zealand reached lunch reasonably comfortably at 83 for one. By tea they were 121 for six as the middle simply fell out of the batting.
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