Report
Ramprakash's century meets with little support as Middlesex struggles again
An unflinching, unbeaten century from England Test discard Mark Ramprakash has guided Middlesex to a score of 227 all out on the first day of its County Championship clash with Sussex at Southgate
Staff and agencies
28-Jul-2000
An unflinching, unbeaten century from England Test discard Mark Ramprakash
has guided Middlesex to a score of 227 all out on the first day of its
County Championship clash with Sussex at Southgate.
Come rain, thunder and shine all in the one day, Ramprakash was not to be
moved from the crease in an innings that showcased all of his trademark
determination. His smooth-stroking 110 was certainly the best possible
riposte in the wake of his omission from the team to play West Indies at
Old Trafford next week.
Aside from the diminutive right hander's play, though, this was another
tough day for the Division Two cellar dwellers. In overcast conditions,
there was little resolve about their batting. Medium pacers James Kirtley
(5/50) and Robin Martin-Jenkins (3/55) revelled in the early going,
reducing the locals to 26/2 inside the first hour. The former was even
more impressive later in the day, coming back in a second spell to inspire
the quick destruction of the home team's middle order in a collapse that
saw six wickets lost for the addition of a meagre 95 runs.
Full postLewis revives battling season
Not the greatest of seasons this one for Durham opening batsman Jon Lewis
Staff and agencies
28-Jul-2000
Not the greatest of seasons this one for Durham opening batsman Jon Lewis.
Or at least that seemed the case until today, when his sparkling century
guided Durham out of early trouble and into a position of respectability on
day one of the County Championship clash with Somerset at Chester-le-Street.
On an afternoon ravaged by rain, Lewis (113*) registered his first century
in just over twelve months to guide his team to the mark of 215/5 after it
had won the toss. His only two half-centuries this season had both come
against Yorkshire, and at no stage this summer had he previously compiled
anything exceeding 66. Notwithstanding such a run of outs, though, he was
solid off both the front and back foot today, and offered only one
semblance of a chance - that coming on 81 as he edged a Paul Jarvis
delivery between first and second slips.
For Somerset, the home team's early woes had been inspired by some fine
bowling from Graham Rose (2/28). It had been the right arm paceman indeed
who had lured Michael Gough (9) to edge a comfortable catch to second slip
with the total at 17 and then attracted an inside edge on to the stumps
from Simon Katich (0) with the very next ball.
Full postHayden forges foundation for Northants
A superb century from Matt Hayden, and another productive afternoon for spinner Ashley Giles, were the highlights of a see-sawing day's County Championship cricket between Northamptonshire and Warwickshire at Edgbaston today
Staff and agencies
28-Jul-2000
A superb century from Matt Hayden, and another productive afternoon for spinner Ashley Giles, were the highlights of a see-sawing day's County Championship cricket between Northamptonshire and Warwickshire at Edgbaston today.
Australian import Hayden was at his rugged and authoritative best in an innings of 122 that contained as many as fourteen boundaries and four thumping sixes. In Hampshire colours three years ago, the powerfully built Queenslander plundered a double century and century against Warwickshire and he used the presence of a short boundary on the Pershore Road side of the ground to afford the same opposition another painful look at his talents today. In a hand that hinted strongly at both the range of his strokeplay and his vast reserves of concentration, he was the steadying influence around whom his team built to a total of 296/7 by stumps.
For Warwickshire, the prospect that a sound performance here could pave the
way for it to assume leadership in the Division Two standings seemed to
faze its front-line attack initially. With the omitted Ed Giddins looking
on in forlorn fashion from the pavilion, new ball bowlers Allan Donald
(1/38) and Alan Richardson (0/35) were both badly off target early and it
was not until Giles (4/116) entered proceedings shortly before lunch that
the attack began to genuinely assert itself. Without any great support,
the left arm orthodox spinner worked his way steadily through the defences
of Adrian Rollins (19), Mal Loye (2), David Sales (19) and Jeffrey Cook
(27) before a completely unnecessary run out and, later, a surprisingly
misdirected Hayden off drive further tilted matters in the home side's
direction. All four of Giles' victims were taken at slip.
Full postBatsmen founder as New Road becomes a minefield
Batting stars Graeme Hick and Vikram Solanki might have been back in county ranks but day one of the Worcestershire-Gloucestershire Division Two match at New Road was hardly one of celebration for batsmen
Staff and agencies
28-Jul-2000
Batting stars Graeme Hick and Vikram Solanki might have been back in county
ranks but day one of the Worcestershire-Gloucestershire Division Two match
at New Road was hardly one of celebration for batsmen.
In fact, about the only thing that could be said to have been emphatic
about the performance of the two teams' batting line-ups today was their
manifest overall lack of application. The locals started the rot with a
succession of ill-advised strokes and errors of judgement outside the line
of off stump as they staggered to the dismal first innings total of 98.
Almost from the outset, they seemed frozen to the crease and unable to
middle the ball - a state of affairs rendered all the more discomforting in
view of the fact that they elected to bat in conditions, initially at
least, that illustrated few signs of being anything more than benign in
nature.
In front of England and Wales Cricket Board pitch liaison officer Phil
Sharpe, there certainly didn't appear to be enough signs of irregularities
to raise visions of official action against the home team; more, it was a
case of players failing to cope with the effects of accurate swing bowling.
Full postEngland keep nerve to win opening match of series
At the scheduled start time of this match - 10.45 BST - there appeared little chance of any cricket taking place in Sophia Gardens after heavy overnight rain and further showers had left the outfield sodden and a vast acreage of covering over the
Ralph Dellor
28-Jul-2000
At the scheduled start time of this match - 10.45 BST - there appeared little chance of any cricket taking place in Sophia Gardens after heavy overnight rain and further showers had left the outfield sodden and a vast acreage of covering over the square. However, the weather cleared and a 42 over-a-side match was possible starting at 1.15.
England won the toss and got off to a good start. After John Sadler had fallen with 58 on the board, Nicky Peng and acting captain Ian Bell put on 108 for the second wicket from 20 overs. Peng's fine innings came to an end when he played on to Akalanka Ganegama and Bell went on to reach 62 before he became the first of 5 run out victims in the match in the 35th over.
Useful runs were garnered by the lower order in reaching 238 for 6 from the allocation of 42 overs, with Ranil Dhammika the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, his 9 overs producing 1 for 28.
The Sri Lankans got off to a good start themselves, putting 51 on the board before the fall of the first wicket in 9 overs. Ian Daniels had been particularly effective off his legs and driving straight before he was out for 43 from 33 balls including 7 fours, and although Thilina Kandambi reached a fluent 50, Sri Lanka began to lose their way.
Full postFitting tribute to more than just a fast bowler
The past became the present at the HAC Ground in the City of London where cricketers from day's game and the modern game gave the late, great Malcolm Denzil Marshall a 12 gun salute at the Artillery Club
Jed Pitman
28-Jul-2000
|
Malcolm Marshall Photo © Hants CCC |
Malcolm Marshall Memorial Match
The past became the present at the HAC Ground in the City of London where
cricketers from day's game and the modern game gave the late, great Malcolm
Denzil Marshall a 12 gun salute at the Artillery Club. With a Caribbean
flavour, the sell out crowd revelled beneath the warm sun as players such as
Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Sir Vivian Richards, Shane Warne, Glenn
McGrath and comedian, Rory Bremner rolled back the years to celebrate the
life of the finest West Indian bowler.
Surrounded by sprawling City office blocks, a perfect pitch offered the
batsmen the opportunity to shine with Allan Lamb starring for Robin Smith's
Bunbury XI with 70 pugnacious runs which reminded many of his finest
international moment when he struck the lanky Australian left arm seamer,
Bruce Reid, for a succession of boundaries in the final over of a one-day
international in 1987. Graham Thorpe, Mark Nicholas and Mark Butcher were
also among the runs while world record holder, Courtney Walsh was, as ever,
the pick of the bowlers in an attack that included the unique opening
combination of McGrath and Michael Holding.
Full postIreland complete clean sweep of Pakistan women
Ireland today completed a 3-0 'greenwash' in their one-day series with Pakistan
Liam Cosgrove
27-Jul-2000
Ireland today completed a 3-0 'greenwash' in their one-day series with Pakistan. Sometimes the scoreboard doesn't tell the full story, but today at Sydney Parade on Dublin's south-side it certainly did.
After being sent in by Pakistan captain Shaiza Khan, the Irish women set
about re-writing the record books. After the loss of opener O'Leary for 5,
Karen Young and Catriona Beggs assisted by some sloppy Pakistani fielding
posted an Irish women's record second wicket partnership of 182. Beggs was
finally dismissed for a hard earned 60, while Young, in only her third
international went on to score a national record of 120 runs from only 157
balls.
After Grealey chipped in with a fine cameo innings of 32 not out Ireland
finished with an impressive 4 for 269 from their 50 overs. This, judging
by Pakistan's form in the sides' two previous encounters at Rush (in north
County Dublin), was going to be a difficult task indeed.
Saibh Young made the task more difficult by having Sharmeen Khan caught
behind by Beggs with the score on 7. Nazia Nazeer and Kiran Baluch then
had a steadying 45 run stand which gave one the impression that the
Pakistan team were now using this game as much needed practice for the
rest of their tour of Ireland and England. The resistance was short-lived
however, and with Nazeer and Baluch both falling in their 20s the middle
order failed to make any impact. 2/52 quickly became 3/61, 4/72, 5/89 and
6/103. Twelve year old Sajjida Shah hit a couple of bright boundaries
before falling for 10.
Full postYorkshire revive championship hopes
Yorkshire revived their championship hopes with a convincing victory over Somerset thirty minutes before tea on the third day
Neil Whitaker
26-Jul-2000
Somerset 182 all out & 212 all out
Yorkshire 400 all out - Yorkshire won by an innings and six runs
Yorkshire 400 all out - Yorkshire won by an innings and six runs
Yorkshire revived their championship hopes with a convincing victory over Somerset thirty minutes before tea on the third day. But their winning margin of an innings and six runs should have been larger.
In the Somerset second innings the tykes were held up by last wicket pair Steffan Jones and Graham Rose who put on 73 for the last wicket in 23 overs. Rose was the last man out leg before giving Simon Widdup his first championship wicket. Jones scored an unbeaten 56 his highest in the championship.
The match was over as a contest on the second day, when Somerset lost both openers and ended the day on 12 for two, in their second innings. They were still 206 behind Yorkshire first innings score of 400 all out. They lost their third wicket in the first full over of the third day when Hoggard bowled Holloway. The only specialist batsman who put up any resistance was Parsons who scored 30. Blackwell and Turner chipped in with 24 and 20 respectively.
Full postFlintoff's awesome hitting turns expected close contest into Lancashire canter
Lancashire, the specialists of one-day cricket, had their sight fixed firmly on a Lord's final as they moved so comfortably towards it with an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Surrey, with fourteen overs to spare, in a quarter-final of the NatWest
Andy Jalil
26-Jul-2000
|
Andrew Flintoff - superb exhibition of stroke-play Photo © CricInfo |
Lancashire, the specialists of one-day cricket, had their sight fixed firmly
on a Lord's final as they moved so comfortably towards it with an emphatic
eight-wicket victory over Surrey, with fourteen overs to spare, in a
quarter-final of the NatWest Trophy.
Going by the performance of these two sides in the other competitions - they
are the top two teams in the county championship and while Lancashire are at
the bottom of Division One in the National League and Surrey on top of
Division Two - this fixture was expected to provide an exciting tussle and a
close finish.
Full postOutplay Pakistan by 57 runs: Sri Lanka lift U-17 Asia Cup
Karachi, July 25: Sri Lanka, displaying brilliant all-round performance, outplayed Pakistan by 57 runs to clinch the inaugural Under-17 Asia Cup Cricket Tournament at the National Stadium here on Tuesday
Khalid H. Khan
26-Jul-2000
Karachi, July 25: Sri Lanka, displaying brilliant all-round
performance, outplayed Pakistan by 57 runs to clinch the inaugural
Under-17 Asia Cup Cricket Tournament at the National Stadium here on
Tuesday.
The islanders, after winning the toss and electing to bat first on a
placid pitch, rattled up 230 in 44.3 overs.
The hosts, in reply, were bowled out for a disappointing 173 in 40
overs.
Sri Lankan captain Jehan Jayasuriya received the glittering winners
trophy from the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Lt Gen Tauqir
Zia, who was the chief guest at the final. The visiting team were also
awarded a cash award of Rs25,000, put up by Habib Oil Mills, who were
part sponsors of the 11-day tournament.
Full post