Report
Ireland v Zimbabwe 2nd Match Report by John Ward
It was another cold overcast day at the Clontarf Ground in Dublin, but again fortunately without rain
John Ward
08-Jun-2000
It was another cold overcast day at the Clontarf Ground in Dublin, but again fortunately without rain. Zimbabwe continued their habit of winning the toss when it doesn't really matter, and this time put Ireland in to bat. The pitch was slow and generally low, taking seam movement, but not a great deal considering it was well grassed.
Some comments were made about two ducks wandering about the field before play started, and certainly an usually large number of batsmen have cause to remember them later, no fewer than eight.
After the early loss of Barry Archer, Kyle McCallan and Peter Gillespie (14) ran well between the wickets, and at the 25 over stage Ireland were 79 for two, with Mark Waugh in with McCallum. But, as in the first match, Waugh never looked in form and was caught at slip off Heath Streak for 17, Thereafter the Irish innings declined rapidly, five ducks among the last seven batsmen, a 3 and a 2 not out. McCallun's 65 before unexpectedly giving Dirk Viljoen the simplest of return catches accounted for more than half of the total of 121.
Paul Strang, with two for 30 off his 10 overs, was Zimbabwe's most impressive bowler, according to Alistair Campbell, keeping wicket in this match, he was back to his best and "giving the balls a real rip", but his brother Bryan spoilt some good seam bowling with unnecessary sledging of the batsmen.
Full postMoin's improvisation was out of this world
The final of the Asia Cup was as absorbing as expected considering there was hardly anything between the two sides
Woorkheri Raman
08-Jun-2000
The final of the Asia Cup was as absorbing as expected considering there was hardly anything between the two sides. Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka had the ammunition in their ranks to blast the opponents out. The one thing that the final proved was that if the main strength of any team falters on the day of reckoning it would be disastrous. The fielding of Sri Lanka was incredibly appalling with as many as six catches being dropped and the three beneficiaries, Anwar, Inzamam and Moin Khan made them pay.
The customary efficiency of Vaas in the early overs was absent and the Pakistanis got off to a good start. Saaed Anwar has the ability to come good at the right time and he decided that the final was as good as any other important game. He used the sweep shot to maximum effect to counter the Sri Lankan spinners. The key to his sweeping successfully was that he concentrated on placing the ball rather than hitting hard. Inzamam took his time to settle down and the onus was on him to consolidate the innings as the main batsmen were dismissed.
The Sri Lankans depend heavily on Muralitharan and he delivered as efficiently as a postman to stem the flow of runs during the middle overs though it was Zoysa who got the wickets. Realising that there was some aid for the spinners from the wicket, Jayasurya brought himself on. In fact he dismissed Anwar who was out to an ordinary shot after a very good effort. The arrival of Moin Khan always gets the crowd excited in anticipation not to mention the discomfort in the opposing camp. As usual he walked in to bat at a pivotal time and a
lot depended on him to steer the course of the innings. Inzamam in the meanwhile developed cramps in the calf muscle and there was no way he
could have kept up with his captain in running between the wickets.
At the end of 40 overs, the match was in balance and neither had established any authority over the other. It was expected of Moin Khan to get some quick runs, but what he ended up doing was simply mind-boggling. The improvisations were out of this world and at times definitely too cheeky. His blitzkrieg motivated Inzamam to come out of his shell and the pounding this duo gave the Sri Lankan bowlers was akin to the Hiroshima bombing. The final ten overs were a nightmare for Jayasurya and his boys and Moin Khan ran away with the match with his superb innings.
Full postGloucestershire v Essex, County Championship, Day 2 of 4
Gloucestershire batsman Matt Windows continued his remarkable run of success against Essex on the second day of the County Championship Division Two match at Bristol
07-Jun-2000
Gloucestershire batsman Matt Windows continued his remarkable run of success against Essex on the second day of the County Championship Division Two match at Bristol.
Windows top scored with 107 as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 268, a first innings lead of five over their visitors.
And that was his third hundred in his last three championship innings against Essex. He scored 151 in the 1998 game at Colchester and followed it up with 118 in last year's match at Gloucester.
It was also further confirmation that Windows, an England A tourist to Zimbabwe and South Africa two years ago, is growing into his new role at No 3 in the order this season, having batted at five for most of last summer.
Full postSomerset v Kent, Day 2
David Masters continued his impressive graduation into first class cricket with 5-55 as Kent restricted Somerset to a first innings lead of 34 at Bath
07-Jun-2000
David Masters continued his impressive graduation into first class cricket with 5-55 as Kent restricted Somerset to a first innings lead of 34 at Bath.
The 22-year-old seamer, who began the summer without a first team appearance, took his wicket tally for the season to 25 with another impressive display.
But half centuries from Jamie Cox, Piran Holloway and Keith Parsons carried Somerset to 295 all out. And their slender advantage was made to look more meaningful when Andy Caddick struck to leave Kent 4-1 in their second innings.
Resuming on 47-0, the home side were always optimistic of building a lead. But the Festival pitch never encouraged fluent scoring and the batsmen had to graft for their runs.
Full postIreland v Zimbabwe 1st Match
This was the first of the two one-day matches between the teams paled at the Clontarf ground in Dublin where the venerable Clive Lloyd and his team suffered from exposure during the 1999 World Cup
John Ward
07-Jun-2000
This was the first of the two one-day matches between the teams paled at the Clontarf ground in Dublin where the venerable Clive Lloyd and his team suffered from exposure during the 1999 World Cup. Despite the usual evil weather forecast, the morning of the match began dry, with occasional flashes of sunshine; the weather became increasingly bleak as the day progressed, but at least the match went the distance.
Zimbabwe won the toss and decided to bat, while the weather conditions were relatively stable, on a slow pitch allowing considerable seam movement. Irish opening bowler Owen Butler took 12 balls to complete the first over of the match, beginning with four successive wides, Neil Johnson (0) was bowled shouldering arms to a ball that moved sharply, but Craig Wishart (35) and Murray Goodwin (13) stabilised the innings. Wishart has joined the team after sporting his talents notably for Zimbabwe `A' in Sri Lanka, after being unlucky to miss selection for the main England tour party.
The greatest encouragement for Zimbabwe was probably the return to form of Alistair Campbell (52) and Grant Flower (64*) batting down the order. Campbell took quite a while to hit the ball off the square, but once that was achieved he scarcely looked back, Flower got off the mark with a six over midwicket, and it to be hoped that both batsmen have now turned the corner, Dirk Viljoen batted briskly for his unbeaten 30 before the innings closed.
228 was quite a stiff target in the circumstances, but with Australian Mark Waugh in the opposition nothing could be taken for granted. However Zimbabwe took an early grip on the innings and never relinquished it. The early Irish batsmen struggled to get the score moving, and even Waugh found it heavy going. At the halfway stage the score was only 67 for three, with the required rate almost 61 per over.
Full postInspired Moin guides Pakistan to first Asia Cup triumph
The day began with two minutes of respectful silence commemorating Sri Lanka's War Heroes
Anand Vasu
07-Jun-2000
The day began with two minutes of respectful silence commemorating
Sri Lanka's War Heroes. It ended with the deafening cheers celebrating
the first time Pakistan has lifted the Asia Cup. A pumped up,
driven Pakistan won an exciting match by 39 runs.
A packed crowd Bangabandhu National Stadium yelled themselves
sore as Moin Khan's Pakistan dazzled under the lights. The ovation
could have been louder only at Lahore. In a replay of the innings
he played in the semifinals of the 1992 World Cup, Moin Khan
snatched 56 in 31 balls and powered Pakistan to a potentially
match winning total of 277 for 4. In 1992, at Auckland, Moin
Khan swatted, chipped, swept and hoicked New Zealand out of the
World Cup. On the 7th of June 2000, eight years later, Moin Khan
dished out the same treatment to the hapless Lankans.
If Moin Khan delivered the punch that knocked out Sri Lanka,
it was Saeed Anwar and Inzamam ul Haq who fattened them up for
the kill. When he was batting with just 18 runs to his credit,
Anwar was the beneficiary of the first of seven bits of generosity
that the Lankans extended to the Pakistanis. If Dav Whatmore was
an unhappy man when Sri Lanka gave away five wickets to run outs
in their previous game, Trevor Chappell, the fielding coach,
would have gone through various phases today. First mild irritation,
then anger, followed by exasperation. When an international team
grasses seven catches in the course of 50 overs in the final of a
tournament there is certainly something wrong.
Anwar has always been a bad man to drop early in his innings.
As soon as he was dropped, Anwar made the Lankans pay, pulling
Zoysa viciously for six. You give the man an inch and he'll take
every mile possible. Driving home the point, Anwar made 82 majestic
runs before he swept a ball from Jayasuriya into the waiting
hands of Muralitharan at short fine leg.
Full postGloucestershire v Essex, County Championship, Day 1 of 4
Test captain Nasser Hussain opted to turn out for Essex in the Division Two game at Bristol because he needs runs
06-Jun-2000
Test captain Nasser Hussain opted to turn out for Essex in the Division Two game at Bristol because he needs runs. His hopes for a long stay in the middle were shattered though as he was out for three as Essex totalled 263.
Gloucestershire's second line seamer Mike Cawdron found a ball to keep low off a length and won an LBW shout. The 23 year old was in a purple patch of 25 deliveries which were to bring him three wickets for seven runs, the other victims being Paul Grayson who prodded a catch to extra cover for 19 and Stuart Law who fished wide outside the off to be caught at the wicket for four.
Early moisture gave the home side the advantage in the morning as skipper Mark Alleyne believed it would when he won the toss. But the surface became more friendly by the hour and after losing their first five wickets in 46 overs for 161 the rearguard were able to put on 102 in 56 overs.
Gloucestershire were to some extent the makers of their own misfortune for with the Benson and Hedges Cup final coming up against Glamorgan on Saturday they decided to rest four of their leading players.
Full postSomerset v Kent, Day 1
Kent had Sky Television pundits to thank for facing a fired-up Andrew Caddick on the opening day of the Championship match at Bath
06-Jun-2000
Kent had Sky Television pundits to thank for facing a fired-up Andrew Caddick on the opening day of the Championship match at Bath.
After taking 6-57 to help dismiss the visitors for 261, Caddick admitted that criticism of his Test Match performance against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge had stung him into a swift response.
"Hopefully, that has shut a few Sky TV commentators up," he said. "One minute you are God's gift and the next it is back to normal as far as the media are concerned.
"I didn't bowl well in the Test, but it was mainly because the run-ups were so wet. I felt really uncomfortable running in and never got into any sort of rhythm.
Full postThe Bristol Varsity Cricket Match
Bristol University claimed the inaugural Bristol Varsity Cricket Trophy thanks to an impressive match winning performance from all-rounder Mark Farmiloe
Oxfam
06-Jun-2000
Bristol University vs UWE, Sunday 4th June
2pm - 7pm at Gloucestershire CCC, Nevil Road
2pm - 7pm at Gloucestershire CCC, Nevil Road
Bristol University claimed the inaugural Bristol Varsity Cricket Trophy thanks to an impressive match winning performance from all-rounder Mark Farmiloe. Twice the 20 year old Middlesex player, rescued his side as UWE raced from the traps with both bat and ball. Inserted on a damp wicket, Bristol found themselves in a precarious position of 29-3, as the impressive James Hamblin tore through their top order. Farmiloe's measured knock rebuilding the innings with Ed Grant provided the platform for lower middle order pair of Simon Whitton and in particular Rob Bruce to pile up 81 runs in the last 10 overs.
Any thoughts UWE had about having let them off the hook were seemingly dispelled as some wayward Bristol bowling saw UWE race along at over 6 an over, with Extras making a serious claim for the Man of the Match award. Then Farmiloe intervened and from 92-2, UWE crashed out losing their last remaining wickets for 18 runs as the left arm spin of Farmiloe 3-27 and the swing of Richard Williams 4-25 hastened the end.
All in all a disappointing day, despite fine weather the majority of Bristol's students couldn't be bothered to turn this day into a special day. The 300 or so mainly UWE fans that did turn up during the day enjoyed themselves immensely creating their own atmosphere. But, the organisers are left wondering how on earth over the next two weeks can cricket be sold to the 18-22 age group? The product is good, the apathy rules!
Full post'Chander' scores unbeaten 161
Worcester, England-Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored an unbeaten 161 to pilot the West Indies to 301 for nine and earn a draw at the end of the last day of the three-day game against Worcestershire
05-Jun-2000
Worcester, England-Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored an unbeaten 161 to
pilot the West Indies to 301 for nine and earn a draw at the end of
the last day of the three-day game against Worcestershire. West Indies
were 93 for four at one stage of their second innings, only 25 ahead,
but Chanderpaul resolutely took the touring side to safety. He faced
310 balls and hit 24 fours, was given effective support by Ramnaresh
Sarwan (30) and leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo (22).
Brian Lara failed for the second time, being dismissed for one off
just two balls in the second innings after falling for one in the
first innings off four balls. He went caught behind by Steve Rhodes
off medium pacer Stuart Lampitt.
Full postMost Read
Writers