Report
India win amid scenes of low farce
India won the first ODI against South Africa in a grandstand finish at Kochi's Nehru stadium which ended in a grotesque manner after the teams had walked off thinking the match was over and had to be called back to complete it a second time
Sankhya Krishnan
09-Mar-2000
India won the first ODI against South Africa in a grandstand finish at
Kochi's Nehru stadium which ended in a grotesque manner after the teams
had walked off thinking the match was over and had to be called back to
complete it a second time. The final over bowled by Pollock, with eight
needed, saw frayed nerves as Pollock was called for overstepping by
umpire MR Singh with his foot a clear two centimetres behind the line.
It was left to Anil Kumble to streak the ball down to the third man
boundary as Kallis made a despairing effort to save it. The match ended
with the three that the batsmen ran being changed to four on
communication from the 3rd umpire, as the players were preparing for the
next ball. Or so we thought.
What happened next was utterly bizarre. The players left the field, the
South Africans looking shattered and the Indians, especially Robin
looking flustered by unwelcome attention from the fans who surged onto
the ground. The dais for the presentation party was brought out onto the
outfield. And just as quickly withdrawn. There was something fishy in
the air and total confusion reigned before it slowly dawned on the crowd
that the 3 which was ruled 4 was actually a 3. The stumps were put back,
the umpires hovered on the edge of the field before finally deigning to
step in. And sure enough the players soon followed.
Would the South Africans be motivated after having been emotionally
drained? Would the Indians get over the extreme disappointment? Robin
Singh managed to get bat on ball and the batsmen scampered through
before the field could react. The disgruntled South Africans trooped off
after losing the match a second time and the two batsmen did not even
make a cursory display of emotion. At the end of the it all India had
won by 3 wickets with 2 balls to spare.
The Indian reply to the target of 302 set by South Africa began on a
suitably urgent note as Ganguly carved three fours off Pollock in the
first over, all through the off side. Kallis opened from the other end
and bowled a leg stump line trying to compensate for Ganguly's off side
strength, even dispensing with the regulation slip. He did introduce two
slips for Tendulkar when he first came on strike in the last ball of the
over which the batsman slashed to backwardpoint for a couple.
Full postPeshawar Test evenly poised after 14 wickets fall
Peshawar, March 7: Pakistan rallied back in to the match through their bowlers after some spineless batting resulted in the loss of their last seven wickets for 45 runs on an eventful third day of the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka at the
Samiul Hasan
08-Mar-2000
Pakistan's bowlers make up for batting failure
Peshawar, March 7: Pakistan rallied back in to the match through their
bowlers after some spineless batting resulted in the loss of their
last seven wickets for 45 runs on an eventful third day of the second
cricket Test against Sri Lanka at the Arbab Niaz Stadium here on
Tuesday.
Pakistan's middle and lower order batting collapsed so abysmally that
a promising score of 154 for three just after lunch became 199 all out
in reply to Sri Lanka's first innings 268.
The fall of 14 wickets during the day's play has made this Test evenly
poised.
Full postPunjab complete innings victory over Bihar
Medium pacer Gagandeep Singh and off spinner Harbhajan Singh, who had wreaked havoc in the first innings were again in the forefront in the second innings as they bowled Punjab to an innings and 20 run victory over Bihar shortly after lunch on the
07-Mar-2000
Medium pacer Gagandeep Singh and off spinner Harbhajan Singh, who had
wreaked havoc in the first innings were again in the forefront in the
second innings as they bowled Punjab to an innings and 20 run victory
over Bihar shortly after lunch on the final day of their Ranji Trophy
Super League Group B match at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Tuesday.
Bihar, at 94 for four overnight after finishing 259 runs behind on the
first innings, were facing defeat and the only interest on the final
day was whether they would avert an innings defeat. The not out
batsmen skipper Sunil Kumar and Manish Kumar added 88 runs for the
fifth wicket off 28.5 overs. Sunil Kumar scored 51 off 106 balls with
six fours and two sixes. This was followed by a sixth wicket
partnership of 47 runs between Manish Kumar and wicketkeeper MS Dhoni
(26) before the former was run out for 51. He faced 120 balls and hit
seven fours.
Then Harbhajan ran through the tail before a last wicket stand of 36
runs off eight overs between S Khan (30 not out) and Dhiraj Kumar (16)
delayed the inevitable. Khan, in a last ditch fight, hit five balls
and a six in his 39-ball knock, but Bihar were all out for 239.
Gagandeep took three for 65 to finish with match figures of seven for
109 while Harbhajan with four for 68 had match figures of nine for
137. Punjab got eight points and now have 16 points from three games
and remain in contention for a place in the knock out stage. Bihar
completed their engagements in the Super League with only three points
from four games.
Full postRailways salvage three points
Despite being outplayed for most of the game, Railways managed to salvage three points from their Ranji Trophy Super League group B match against Hyderabad at the Feroz Shah Kotla grounds on Tuesday
07-Mar-2000
Despite being outplayed for most of the game, Railways managed to
salvage three points from their Ranji Trophy Super League group B
match against Hyderabad at the Feroz Shah Kotla grounds on Tuesday.
Requiring 331 runs for victory, Railways who were eight for one at
stumps on Monday never really had a winning chance. Indeed, there were
in danger of losing the match outright at 115 for six and it was only
a gallant rearguard action that saw the Railways finish the match at
182 for seven.
Abhay Sharma held the top order with a fine 59 for which he faced 113
balls and hit eight fours and a six. Then skipper PS Rawat defied the
Hyderabad attack in which veteran off spinner Kanwaljit Singh was
outstanding, for over three hours, during which he faced 149 balls and
hit five fours in his unbeaten 39. Opener Vishal Sharma (17) and Abhay
Sharma added 53 runs for the third wicket but with Kanwaljit striking
form, Railways were 115 for six. However Rawat and wicketkeeper S
Wankhade (15) added 35 runs for the seventh wicket off 27.2 overs and
this was followed by an unbroken eighth wicket partnership of 32 runs
between Rawat and Z Hussain (15) in 19.2 overs. Kanwaljit sent down 35
overs and was rewarded with four wickets for 40 runs. With the five
points from this match, Hyderabad have now 13 from three
games. Railways with three points have 14 from the same number of
matches.
Full postMumbai snatch victory as Rajasthan collapse
An amazing collapse during which they lost their last eight wickets for 32 runs off 11.5 overs saw Rajasthan lose their Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match to Mumbai at the Wankhede stadium on Tuesday
07-Mar-2000
An amazing collapse during which they lost their last eight wickets
for 32 runs off 11.5 overs saw Rajasthan lose their Ranji Trophy Super
League Group A match to Mumbai at the Wankhede stadium on
Tuesday. Chasing a tough victory target of 393, Rajasthan got to 288
for two and seemed to be heading for what would have been a remarkable
victory. But RV Pawar and Ramesh Powar in tandem took some quick
wickets and Rajasthan were all out for 320 to go down by 72 runs.
Rajasthan resuming at 26 for one, did not lose a wicket in the pre
lunch session with opener N Doru and S Bhatia adding 164 runs for the
second wicket off 44.2 overs. Bhatia was then dismissed for 90,
compiled off 127 balls and inclusive of 12 hits to the ropes. Skipper
Gagan Khoda joined Doru and the two maintained the momentum by putting
on 124 runs off 26 overs. Then Doru who had batted patiently was
caught by Muzumdar off Pawar for 105. Doru batted 326 minutes, faced
240 balls and hit eleven fours. Once this stand was broken, Pawar and
Powar got among the wickets. Not one batsman reached double digits as
Pawar (4 for 93) and Powar (3 for 59) played havoc. Khoda, Rajasthan's
last bastion of strength was fifth out for 70, compiled off 92
deliveries and inclusive of six boundary hits. This was Mumbai's third
straight victory in the Super League and they now have 24 points from
three matches, making sure of their entry into the knock out
stage. Rajasthan ended a disappointing campaign with eight points from
four games.
Full postBengal-Karnataka game ends in tame draw
The Bengal-Karnataka Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match petered out into a tame draw at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday
Sakyasen Mittra
07-Mar-2000
The Bengal-Karnataka Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match petered
out into a tame draw at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. The skipper of
the Bengal team had talked about a declaration at lunch. However, the
moment the doctors advised him to rest his right hand, which has
suffered a hairline fracture of the thumb, Chatterjee decided to bat
on. At the end of the day's play he was quite frank when he said, "I
would have declared if I had a supporting bowler. It would have been
no use to play on and risk further injury to my right hand."
For the record, Bengal scored 264 for the loss of nine wickets. Set a
target of 312 for an outright win in 25 overs, Karnataka scored 52
runs for the loss of Mithun Beerala's wicket in 18 overs before both
the sides agreed to a draw. However, Beerala's dismissal was marked by
some ugly scenes between him and bowler Lakshmi Ratan Shukla. After
getting a leg before decision in his favour, Shukla had some words for
Beerala. The latter than advanced threateningly towards the bowler
with the bat upraised. However, prompt intervention by Syed Saba Karim
and non-striker Roland Barrington prevented any major incident. Later
on, Shukla said, "He was abusing me when I batted. So I just said
after I dismissed him that I was a better cricketer than him." The
Karnataka batsman however, refused to talk about the incident.
There were two good innings played today. First Devang Gandhi scored a
pleasing 88 with the help of 12 boundaries. More than the runs
scored, it was the manner in which Gandhi batted. The confidence was
there and he even tackled a good spell from Venkatesh Prasad and Dodda
Ganesh in the morning. Then Saba Karim batted fluently to score his
second half century of the match. He made 55 with five boundaries and
a lovely six over mid wicket of Sunil Joshi. Karim now seems to have
found a new impetus with Saurav Ganguly as the captain of the Indian
team. He batted so fluently that the Karnataka bowlers failed to
dismiss him even once. Shukla chipped in with a quickfire 37 of 28
balls that had six boundaries and a six of A.Vijay over long on. For
Karnataka, the two left arm spinners Joshi and Vadeyaraj finished with
three and four wickets respectively.
Even though Bengal finished the match with five points, their chances
of qualifying for the next stage look slim, especially since their
last match is against a strong Mumbai side. Bengal now have 13 points
from three games. So even if they get five points against Mumbai, they
will reach 18. If Karnataka manages to achieve an outright victory
against Delhi, then they will have 19 points. So a number of factors
will have to work for Bengal if they expect to qualify. As Chatterjee
pointed out the match against Rajasthan in which Bengal had to remain
satisfied with three points may turn out to be the real nail in the
coffin for Bengal.
Full postParida helps Orissa draw with Tamil Nadu
Rashmi Ranjan Parida, with a fine unbeaten 147, played a stellar role in earning for Orissa an honourable draw against Tamil Nadu in their Ranji Trophy Super League Group C match at the Barabati stadium on Tuesday
07-Mar-2000
Rashmi Ranjan Parida, with a fine unbeaten 147, played a stellar role
in earning for Orissa an honourable draw against Tamil Nadu in their
Ranji Trophy Super League Group C match at the Barabati stadium on
Tuesday. The one drop batsman, who resumed on 11, displayed skill,
patience and stamina in batting for 7-1/2 hours as Orissa, chasing an
unlikely victory target of 442, closed at a very respectable 311 for
three.
Few would have given Orissa much chance of saving the game, given both
their shoddy batting display in the first innings and Tamil Nadu's
splendid performance in the Super League. However Orissa, who were 36
for one at stumps on Monday, put up a spirited display. First, skipper
SS Das and Parida put on 174 runs for the second wicket off 65
overs. Das was out for 83 for which he batted a shade over five hours,
faced 202 balls and hit nine fours. This was followed by a third
wicket partnership of 89 runs off 26 overs between Parida and SS Raul
(42). And finally Parida and P Mullick added 46 runs for the unbroken
fourth wicket off 10.4 overs. Tamil Nadu skipper Sarath tried eight
bowlers in all but Orissa held on comfortably. Tamil Nadu with five
points from this game still are still on top in the group with 21
points from three matches. Orissa have eleven points from three games.
Full postFiery Shoaib rocks Sri Lankan batting with 5 for 75
Peshawar, March 6: Speed merchant Shoaib Akhtar bowled with fire, hostility and venom to place Pakistan in a position of strength against Sri Lanka at stumps on the second day of the second cricket Test at the Arbab Niaz Stadium here on Monday
Samiul Hasan
07-Mar-2000
Peshawar, March 6: Speed merchant Shoaib Akhtar bowled with fire,
hostility and venom to place Pakistan in a position of strength
against Sri Lanka at stumps on the second day of the second cricket
Test at the Arbab Niaz Stadium here on Monday.
The 25-year-old from Rawalpindi fired on all cylinders after Waqar
Younis was ruled out of action because of a back problem. He finished
with impressive figures of five for 75 on a track which had nothing
much for the fast bowlers.
Shoaib's superlative performance saw Sri Lanka being bowled out for
268 after having taken lunch at 179 for three. Pakistan consolidated
their position by reaching 67 for the loss of one wicket when stumps
were drawn for the day.
Pakistan captain Saeed Anwar survived a very confident caught behind
appeal off Muttiah Muralitharan to remain unbeaten on 37. His innings
is spiced with seven excellent boundaries. With him was Yousuf
Youhana who was promoted to the No 3 slot to allow Aamir Sohail revert
back to his original opening spot.
Full postAzhar makes century but India lose by innings
South Africa needed just 14 overs to close out the second Test at Bangalore on Monday
Anand Vasu
06-Mar-2000
South Africa needed just 14 overs to close out the second Test
at Bangalore on Monday. Mohammed Azharuddin, making a comback
at the age of 37, dazzled from the start. Taking the attack to
Nicky Boje, a flurry of boundaries took Azhar to his century. But
India were neck deep in trouble by that stage. There was never
going to be any match saving innings. Only some consolation for
what has been a comprehensive 2-0 victory for the South Africans.
Continuing in an aggressive vein, Azhar was caught pulling a
Pollock delivery straight to Gary Kirsten. Azhar's 102 included
13 boundaries and two sixes, reminding everybody that there were
no gremlins in this wicket.
After Azhar's dismissal, the innings folded up quickly.
Kumble's resistance was ended by Boje, who was enjoying superb
form with the ball. Trapping Kumble plumb in front, Boje picked up
his fifth wicket of the innings. Kumble had made a valuable 28.
Murali Kartik lasted just five balls before he holed out to
Herschelle Gibbs, again of the bowling of Boje.
When Donald had Chopra caught behind, there was obvious joy in
the South African ranks. With Nayan Mongia unable to bat due to
injury, it was all over for the Indians. Defeat by an innings and
71 runs ended a series without joy for the Indians.
Full postPunjab poised for victory thrust
Punjab were well on their way to completing an emphatic victory over Bihar at stumps on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Super League group B match at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Monday
06-Mar-2000
Punjab were well on their way to completing an emphatic victory over
Bihar at stumps on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Super League
group B match at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Monday. Bihar, in
arrears by 259 runs on the first innings, were 94 for four at close of
play.
Resuming at 268 for four in reply to Bihar's 244, Punjab were already
in a position of considerable strength and on the penultimate day they
consolidated. First, the batsmen did their job commendably and skipper
Vikram Rathour was able to declare the innings at 503 for
nine. Rathour, who was 137 overnight, was out for 158. But the other
overnight not out batsman Dinesh Mongia who resumed on 67 went on to
make 179. He and Rathour added 190 runs for the fifth wicket off 44
overs Then Mongia put on 113 runs for the sixth wicket off 26 overs
with wicketkeeper H Jagnu (53). Mongia was dismissed at this stage
after having faced 220 balls and hitting 25 fours. Jagnu and Sandeep
Sharma then maintained the run spree by adding 57 runs for the seventh
wicket off 12.5 overs. While Jagnu faced 131 balls and hit only one
boundary, Sharma faced only 39 balls and hit four of them to the
ropes.
When Bihar batted a second time, opening bowler Gagandeep Singh who
had taken four for 44 in the first innings dismissed Javed Khan and A
Hashmi in the same over. He later picked up the wicket of Rajiv
Kumar. Harbhajan Singh, who had taken five for 69 in the first
innings, forced N Ranjan into giving him a return catch. Skipper
Sunil Kumar with an unbeaten 30 with three fours and a six was batting
at stumps but a Punjab victory, probably by an innings, is surely
round the corner.
Full post