Report

Alistair Brown hammered a magnificent 211 n.o

Staff and agencies

08-Jul-2000

Alistair Brown - a double hundred
Photo © Paul McGregor

Alistair Brown hammered a magnificent 211 n.o. in Surrey's 334-8 score against Leicestershire in their championship match at Oakham School - the first time the championship had come there in 62 years. He showed that the pitch was well-suited to batting in spite of the visitors having lost three early wickets to James Ormond at 25-3.

Brown attained his double-hundred off 257 deliveries with 24 fours and one six to put Surrey in a formidable position. He outpaced his colleagues as the next-highest scorer was Nadeem Shahid (37) and Alex Tudor (22) was a junior partner in the 141 runs eighth-wicket stand in 37 overs. Although he was missed a couple of times Brown prospered as the pitch improved with the greater sunshine.

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India obliterate Hong Kong in 363 run thrashing

Perhaps the most farcical match of the entire Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Under-15 tournament in Malaysia took place just before the final at the Royal Military College on Saturday

Anand Vasu

08-Jul-2000

Perhaps the most farcical match of the entire Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Under-15 tournament in Malaysia took place just before the final at the Royal Military College on Saturday. A victory by 363 runs is not a result you see often in a 40 overs a side game. But that is exactly what India handed out to minnows Hong Kong.

India has emerged as the strongest side in the tournament by far and Hong Kong have been as close to the bottom of the list as possible. When Hong Kong won the toss and invited India to bat they certainly would not have been prepared for the kind of battering they received. Every batsman who took the crease made merry. And in quick time to boot. But the honours were cornered by Palash Jothi Das who helped himself to 112 off just 59 balls before he felt he had enough and retired. His innings had just four boundaries. How then did he manage to score so quickly? Perhaps the 11 times he cleared the ropes might have something to do with that.

Sushil Kumar slammed 73 off 60 balls while leg spinner Nikhil Rathod was good for 38 runs that came off just 19 balls. Ambati Tirapati Rayudu who has opened the innings thus far came in at number five and trotted to 53 off just 30 balls.

An amazing 403 runs were scored off 40 overs. Spectators at the ground were treated to a batting spectacle of the highest possible excitement levels.

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Zimbabwe resistance flowers in poor light

After losing three wickets, one of them controversially, for 35 runs in pursuit of England's total of 207, Zimbabwe appeared to be as good as buried

John Ward

08-Jul-2000

NatWest Series, The Oval: England 207 (50 overs); Zimbabwe 105 for three (Campbell 41, A Flower 36)

After losing three wickets, one of them controversially, for 35 runs in pursuit of England's total of 207, Zimbabwe appeared to be as good as buried. Then came a determined fighting partnership between present and past captains, Andy Flower and Alistair Campbell, who fought back against some fine bowling and poor light to keep their team in the match with 20 overs still to be bowled.

England struck back with the third ball of the Zimbabwe innings, as without a run on the board their key batsman Johnson drove uppishly at Caddick and Maynard at backward point juggled and then held the vital low catch.

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Zimbabwe's clear-cut victory

NatWest Series, The Oval: England (207 all out off 50 overs) lost to Zimbabwe (210 for five off 48.2 overs) by five wickets

John Ward

08-Jul-2000

Alistair Campbell
Photo © CricInfo

NatWest Series, The Oval: England (207 all out off 50 overs) lost to Zimbabwe (210 for five off 48.2 overs) by five wickets.

Zimbabwe, NatWest Series outsiders, pulled off another surprise victory, this time by five wickets over England at The Oval.

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High scores in prospect

On an overcast morning, England won the toss in the second match of the triangular NatWest Series and decided to bat

John Ward

08-Jul-2000

England bat on "excellent" pitch

On an overcast morning, England won the toss in the second match of the triangular NatWest Series and decided to bat. The pitch was expected to be excellent for batting and some high scoring could be in prospect.

Zimbabwe made one change to the team that scored an upset win over West Indies at Bristol on Thursday. Heath Streak is still unfit, but Paul Strang replaced Mluleki Nkala, a spinning all-rounder for a pace-bowling one. From their advertised twelve, England omitted Craig White and Vikram Solanki, bringing in left-arm seamer Alan Mullally instead.

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Durham disappoint

Durham flattered to deceive in their championship match against First Division front-runners Yorkshire at Leeds

Staff and agencies

07-Jul-2000

Durham flattered to deceive in their championship match against First Division front-runners Yorkshire at Leeds. A total 253-8 at the end of the day was a disappointment - to say the least - after Simon Katich (55) and Jon Lewis (66 with eight boundaries) had shared a 107 runs second-wicket partnership in 39 overs.

Ryan Sidebottom (4-51) brought about the decline from a 192-3 position at tea. He had already bowled Michael Gough to end the 60 runs first-wicket stand. Yet the manner in which Lewis and Katich handled the bowling gave no indication that Durham had been put in to bat. Both fell to catches within three overs.

After tea Sidebottom took the wickets of Paul Collingwood and Muazam Ali with two consecutive deliveries. Martin Speight, too, was out after being ill at ease for just over three-quarters of an hour. Durham's hopes of tomorrow depend on Nick Speak (37 n.o.) who has been at the wicket for 150 minutes. So far Yorkshire have not suffered too much from Gavin Hamilton leaving the field with an injury after having bowled less than five overs.

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Wharf succeeds while wickets fall

Alex Wharf (101 n.o.), 25 years-old, made his first championship hundred as Glamorgan fought back from a disappointing start against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road

Staff and agencies

07-Jul-2000

Alex Wharf (101 n.o.), 25 years-old, made his first championship hundred as Glamorgan fought back from a disappointing start against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road. Seven wickets fell in the day - a reminder of the Test Match at Lord's. Wharf, now with his third county, amassed 16 fours from 127 deliveries to lift the Welsh county from 77-6 at lunch to 234.

With commendable support from Adrian Dale (47) he passed his previous championship best - 78 for his previous county Nottinghamshire (against Glamorgan!) last season. Stand-in skipper Steve James could not have been too unhappy about his decision to bat - though the best batting conditions came later in the day.

Northamptonshire, at the foot of Division Two, were themselves soon in trouble as the score dipped to 85-7. Wharf struck quickly with the ball, too, in dismissing Matthew Hayden quickly. However medium-paced Dale wrecked the middle-order with three wickets. Mal Loye was called back by umpire Graham Burgess before he had left the pitch from an adjudged l.b.w to Dale, but had no reprieve for a similar decision from John Holder shortly afterwards.

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Somerset sweep past Hampshire

Graham Rose and Steffan Jones of Somerset humbled Hampshire's batting in their championship match at Taunton

Staff and agencies

07-Jul-2000

Graham Rose and Steffan Jones of Somerset humbled Hampshire's batting in their championship match at Taunton. With both bowlers taking four wickets the visitors tumbled from 62-1 to 142 all out. Somerset were already batting when the sun shone at last in mid-afternoon and went on to score 208-4 by the close (66 runs ahead).

Opener Giles White (44), himself formerly with the county, alone defied Somerset with some support from Will Kendall (29). Swing bowling, effecting five successful l.b.w decisions, was more to blame for the poor batting than the state of the pitch. Shane Warne (29) hit out to raise the total from 104-7 at lunch, but it was not enough.