Report
Pakistan's woes continue as Sri Lanka seize control
Rawalpindi, Feb 26: Pakistan continued their poor run with the bat after Sri Lanka dismissed them for a dismal 182 on the opening day of the three-match Test series here at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday
Farhana Ayaz
27-Feb-2000
Rawalpindi, Feb 26: Pakistan continued their poor run with the bat
after Sri Lanka dismissed them for a dismal 182 on the opening day of
the three-match Test series here at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on
Saturday.
Sri Lanka, who earlier made a clean sweep in the one-day series,
seized control of the Test by reaching 58 for two at close of play
with Russel Arnold (23) and the old campaigner Aravinda de Silva (10)
at the crease.
There was more bleak news for Pakistan when former skipper Wasim Akram
left the field with a groin problem after bowling just 2.1 overs.
However, a rejuvenated Waqar Younis gave Pakistan early hopes with the
prized scalps of the in-form Marvan Atapattu (8) and skipper Sanath
Jayasuriya (17) in a fiery opening spell.
Although, 12 wickets fell during the day, the pitch itself was not
doing anything extra-ordinary to create panic for the batsmen. It was
a slow-paced wicket with occasional uneven bounce. The bowlers,
however, gained some assistance from a strong breeze while bowling
from the Media Box End. Eight batsmen were dismissed from the end.
Full postOrissa win by 209 runs with day to spare
Sanjay Satpathy and Debashish Mohanty ripped through hosts Saurashtra as Orissa completed a 209 run victory on the third day of their Group C Super League tie at the Municipal Stadium in Rajkot today
26-Feb-2000
Sanjay Satpathy and Debashish Mohanty ripped through hosts Saurashtra
as Orissa completed a 209 run victory on the third day of their Group
C Super League tie at the Municipal Stadium in Rajkot today. With this
win Orissa take their points tally to 8 points from 2 matches while
Saurashtra stay on 8 points from 3 matches.
Earlier Niraj Odedra bowled his heart out to take his second six
wicket haul in the match as Orissa, resuming at 18-2, were dismissed
for 181 in their second innings. P Das top scored with 49 and
nightwatchman Satpathy contributed 43 off 45 balls. The last pair of
Mohanty and J Das added 42 to set Saurashtra a victory target of
316. Odedra's match figures were 12-169.
It took just 28.2 overs for Orissa to signal an end to Saurashtra's
challenge. The home team collapsed for 106 with Mohanty (5-28) and
Satpathy (5-65) doing the job for their captain. Saurashtra opener RC
Vasanth Kumar top scored with 33.
Full postIndia lose first round of the battle
The last day's play in the first Test in Mumbai raised an intriguing question
Anand Vasu
26-Feb-2000
The last day's play in the first Test in Mumbai raised an
intriguing question. Did South Africa win this game or did
India lose it? If one looked carefully at the way the game
progressed, the opinion would have to be that India lost the
match.
The first battle was lost while selecting the team. The
inclusion of Ajay Jadeja at No 6 meant straightaway that India
were playing with one player short. Jadeja's record in Test
cricket is unimpressive. Moreover, in the Board President's XI
game against South Africa, he made scores of 2 and 3. Hardly the
kind of scores that warrants Test selection. The non-inclusion
of Nikhil Chopra might also have had a bearing on the game as
India were clearly one spinner short in the final innings.
India began well, winning the toss. And with that India's good
run ended. Batting first, India made just 225 on a track that
looked good for batting. The South African pacemen were too hot
for everyone in the team save Tendulkar. The captain made a
brave 97 but was not backed up by any of his teammates. In
response, India did well to restrict the South Africans to 176.
Apart from the openers, none of the visitors made runs.
A lead of 49 was quite handy, and far more than the Indians would
have hoped for after South Africa were 90 for no loss. What they
needed was a solid second innings performance. If they had put
between 150 and 170 on the board they could have given South
Africa a run for their money. Instead, they collapsed
inexplicably. Doing far worse than their first innings, India
folded up for just 113 runs. In an all too familiar script, the
openers failed, the middle order collapsed and the tail refused
to wag. A couple of twitches of the tail came late in the
innings when Mongia, batting at No 11, made 19 off just 10 balls.
In the middle of all this, the man we knew as Rahul `The Wall'
Dravid stuttered and stumbled, making a painful 37 in over
three hours. He was totally unable to either score freely or
make runs with the tail and one wondered what happened to the
young man who made centuries in tough conditions in both New
Zealand and South Africa.
Full postThe absence of a third spinner was felt
Hansie Cronje, the South African captain, was not exactly on top of the world when he arrived in India
Woorkheri Raman
26-Feb-2000
Hansie Cronje, the South African captain, was not exactly on top of
the world when he arrived in India. He has not been among runs in
recent times and added to that there is some uncertainty hanging over
his future both as a captain and a player. But not one to be deterred
by his ordinary personal form, he was determined to make this trip
memorable. One way of making an Indian tour memorable for any visiting
captain is by winning the series. Cronje would probably not hesitate
to swap a few of his achievements for a victory in the Test series in
India. The victory at the Wankhede is bound to relieve Cronje a lot,
which might result in him batting better at Bangalore.
Cronje's determination apart, he is supported by his team members to a
great extent. The attitude of the entire team is positive and everyone
is keen to assume responsibility when it matters. In comparison,
Tendulkar does not have many options to look at for support. I had
mentioned that the absence of a third spinner would be felt in the
fourth innings and it has turned out to be true. Apparently it took
the collective wisdom of seven people (five selectors plus the captain
and the coach) to pick the final eleven and yet the balance of the
team was ignored. Six batsmen along with a keeper and four bowlers is
not the ideal combination to win a Test match. Because of the fact
that it has failed time and again, adherence to the same formula is
inexplicable.
On the other hand, the presence of six batsmen has not made a major
difference to the totals put up by the Indians, be it Mumbai or
Melbourne. It is unanimously agreed that there are not that many
all-rounders available, but potential all-rounders like Nikhil Chopra
have to be encouraged. He can bat a bit and is a steady spinner with a
very good attitude. At an age when he should be playing, there is no
point in keeping him as a reserve on pitches that assist spinners. In
contrast, Cronje, reading the track well, played two spinners, though
he would not have expected them to run through the Indian batting line
up. I am not suggesting the Indians ape the visiting captain but the
term "horses for courses" comes to mind.
The South Africans won the Test at the Wankhede through sheer mental
strength. Gibbs once again provided a good start along with Kirsten,
which in retrospect proved to be very crucial. Kallis, the superb
cricketer that he is, showed great patience and maturity to stay till
the end. Boucher, just a few seasons old in international cricket, has
the distinction of having many records under his belt. That sweet
little innings of his proved that with a positive attitude, one could
overwhelm any pressure situation.
Full postMartin's ton secures sizable lead for Baroda
Jacob Martin gave a timely reminder to the selectors that his appetite for runs remains undiminished as Baroda secured a 139 run first innings lead over Punjab on the third day of their Super League tie at Mohali today
26-Feb-2000
Jacob Martin gave a timely reminder to the selectors that his appetite
for runs remains undiminished as Baroda secured a 139 run first
innings lead over Punjab on the third day of their Super League tie at
Mohali today. By stumps Punjab had wiped off 84 runs from the deficit
in 33 overs.
Martin and captain Tushar Arothe took their overnight stand for the
4th wicket to 139 before Arothe was sent back for 61. Atul Bedade did
not last long and Martin himself followed soon after for 118 (262
balls, 14 fours). AP Bhoite and M Mewada put on 60 but when Mewada was
seventh out at 380 the innings entered terminal decline. The last four
wickets were snapped up in the space of 15 balls for the addition of
only four runs as Baroda folded up for 384. Punjab's new ball bowler
Gagandeep Singh returned figures of 4-65 and Harbhajan Singh claimed
3-101.
Although Ravneet Ricky (2) was leg before to Zakir Khan in the third
over, Vikram Rathour (46) and Reetinder Sodhi (30) prevented any
further anxiety for Punjab with an unbroken stand of 72.
Full postParanjpe, Kambli rub it in as Delhi face uphill task
Mumbai set Delhi a victory target of 501 runs after Jatin Paranjpe and Vinod Kambli had hit hundreds in contrasting styles on the third day of their Super League match at the Feroze Shah Kotla today
26-Feb-2000
Mumbai set Delhi a victory target of 501 runs after Jatin Paranjpe and
Vinod Kambli had hit hundreds in contrasting styles on the third day
of their Super League match at the Feroze Shah Kotla today. At stumps
the Delhi openers had survived nine overs to make 41/0 with Devinder
Sharma batting positively to run up 32 in 33 balls.
The runs came in torrents during the day, 401 in all, with Mumbai
scoring 360 of them. After Amol Muzumdar (38) departed at 151,
Paranjpe and Kambli conjured up a 210 run partnership in just 30.5
overs. Paranjpe was a shade circumspect with his hundred coming off
235 balls but Kambli displayed no inhibitions in clubbing an 87 ball
hundred. His 114 (97 balls) was studded with 21 fours and one six and
reinforced that at this level of cricket he had no peers.
Mumbai captain Samir Dighe declared when Paranjpe (185) was eighth out
at 453. Paranjpe, whose knock numbered 16 fours and 5 sixes, had
stepped up the pace after reaching his centuryhe needed only 90 more
balls to get to 185. For Delhi, Virender Shewag claimed 4/87 from 36.4
overs with his off spinners.
Full postRajasthan take first innings lead over Bengal
Rajasthan placed themselves in a commanding position by obtaining a first innings lead of 93 runs against Bengal in their Ranji Trophy Super League Group A encounter at the Eden Gardens on Saturday
Sakyasen Mittra
26-Feb-2000
Rajasthan placed themselves in a commanding position by obtaining a
first innings lead of 93 runs against Bengal in their Ranji Trophy
Super League Group A encounter at the Eden Gardens on Saturday. In the
process they also guaranteed themselves of five points. Bengal were
all out for 284 replying to Rajasthan's first innings score of 377. In
their second innings at close of play on the third day, Rajasthan were
72 for three wickets at stumps.
Much depended on Devang Gandhi. But the former Indian player
disappointed getting out in the fourth over of the day. Trying to cut
off spinner Rahul Kanwath, Gandhi nicked a catch to wicketkeeper
R. Jahalani. It was a stroke that could have been avoided as the ball
was too full for the cut shot. It was then a matter of time before the
Bengal innings ended. The only person who waged a single handed battle
was Srikanth Kalyani. He fought on gamely and remained unbeaten on 83
with the help of seven boundaries when the innings ended. He played
each ball on its merit and was severe on anything that was pitched
short.
However, other than Wrichik Mazumdar, nobody was there to support
Kalyani's cause. Mazumdar (25 with three boundaries) added 46 for the
seventh wicket. But then he fell to good catch at silly point of the
bowling of R. Jaykumar, Nikhil Doru anticipating the sharp bat-pad
chance to his right.
Left arm spinner Devinder Pal Singh was the most successful bowler
scalping three wickets. He bowled a restrictive line forcing the
batsman into errors. Anshu Jain, Jaykumar and Kanwath picked up a
couple apiece. However, Bengal came back strongly in the match in the
second innings. They had both the Rajasthan openers back in the
pavilion with only 20 runs on the board. Lakshmi Ratan Shukla
dismissed skipper Gagan Khoda and Utpal Chatterjee, bowling with the
new ball, trapped Anhsu Jain leg before. However Kanwath and Nikhil
Doru steadied the innings. Kanwath fell two overs before close to
Chatterjee but by then the two had probably thwarted Bengal's hopes of
a victory.
Full postGoud puts Railways in front
The odds were on a Railways victory at Ranchi after Bihar, facing a victory target of 242, were floundering at 136/5 at stumps in this Group B Super League tie today
26-Feb-2000
The odds were on a Railways victory at Ranchi after Bihar, facing a
victory target of 242, were floundering at 136/5 at stumps in this
Group B Super League tie today.
Earlier a priceless innings by Railways skipper Yere Goud had taken
the visiting side to 216 in their second innings. Goud remained
undefeated on 82 (178 balls, 12 fours) while No.9 Tejinder Singh
wielded the long handle to smite 31 in 17 balls (4 fours and a
six). The scourge of Railways, Mihir Diwakar, took one more wicket
today to finish with match figures of 12-121.
Bihar had lost the top five in the batting order in their second
innings. With 106 still needed, Manish Kumar and keeper MS Dhoni were
at the crease. Opener Nikhilesh Ranjan top scored with 51 (155 balls,
7 fours). Railways struck two crucial blows towards the close by
removing Ranjan and captain Sunil Kumar who made 31.
Full postTamil Nadu on verge of innings win
Tamil Nadu were one wicket away from closing out their Group C Super League tie against Haryana at Gurgaon
26-Feb-2000
Tamil Nadu were one wicket away from closing out their Group C Super
League tie against Haryana at Gurgaon. At stumps on the third day
today Haryana were 237-9 in their second innings with 41 still needed
to avert an innings defeat.
Resuming at 371-5, Tamil Nadu were bowled out for 486 an hour into the
day after their tail had been allowed to wag generously. Robin Singh,
Sharath and Reuben Paul fell in the first six overs but Mahesh,
Gokulakrishna and Vidyuth entertained the spectators with some lusty
hitting. Pradeep Jain finished with 5-143.
A fighting century by Haryana opener Jitender Singh helped to delay
the inevitable after the home team commenced their second knock 286
behind. Jitender and captain Parinder Sharma put on 63 for the first
wicket in 26 overs but Tamil Nadu struck at regular intervals with six
bowlers sharing the spoils. Jitender scored exactly 100 ( 179 balls,
13 fours) before he was seventh out.
Full postAustralia win again in record style
Australia settled the issue of Trans-Tasman cricket supremacy in style in Christchurch, producing a record score of 349 to bury New Zealand hopes with the third win in as many matches in what has become a five-match series
Chris Rosie
26-Feb-2000
Australia settled the issue of Trans-Tasman cricket supremacy in style in
Christchurch, producing a record score of 349 to bury New Zealand hopes with
the third win in as many matches in what has become a five-match series.
The toss was taken under heavy overcast producing very fine drizzle, Stephen
Fleming calling correctly again and inviting Australia to bat on a pitch
renowned for its high-scoring potential. New Zealand brought in the test
debut double centurion against the West Indies, Mathew Sinclair, for the
under-performing Craig Spearman and Australia recalled Shane Lee for Glenn
McGrath and introduced Ian Harvey for Mathew Hayden. Steve Waugh survived an
ankle injury scare from the mid-week match and took his place in the team.
Mark Waugh and Adam Gilchrist versus Chris Cairns and Warren Wisneski: the
opening stanza had the same players as Carisbrook - and the result was the
same. The New Zealand opening attack provided a variation in line and length
from which the Australian pair took due toll.
The 50 came up off 50 balls. Medium-pacer Scott Styris, on for Cairns in the
ninth over, put a short break on the scoring, his first two overs producing
just four runs. That did not last long, his third going for nine as
Gilchrist got the scoring rate back on track.
Full postMost Read
Writers