The Headlines for Aug 96

JUL96 news items moved to ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/JUL96

August 31st England take the one day international series against Pakistan, by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead after comfortably winning the second game by 107 runs. England's opening pair, Knight and Stewart race to 103 at faster than a run per ball, and Knight goes on to score a maiden one day international hundred. Pakistan are quickly 6-2 in reply, and hopes of recovery are quashed by Surrey's Adam Hollioake's impressive 4-23 on his international debut. Ijaz Ahmed top scores with 79 (80 balls).

August 30th Singer Cup Sri Lanka stage an impressive recovery from 81-5 to comfortably overhaul Australia's 228-9, with the loss of only one further wicket. A 28 ball 48 from Jayasuriya is followed by a solid 83 from 95 balls by man-of-the-match De Silva.

County Championship England discards Nasser Hussain and Mark Ramprakash complete ceturies in the championship.

The itinerary for Australia's Ashes tour of England in 1997 is announced, with Headingley retaining one of the six tests, despite concerns following crowd trouble. August 29th England win the first one day international against Pakistan by 5 wickets. Mike Atherton (MoM) top scores with 65, as England pass Pakistan's total of 225 for 5. Croft and Mullally bowl well to contain Pakistan, and Atherton is supported by Stewart (48) and Maynard (42).

Chris Lewis, captaining Surrey instead of missing the game as requested by the TCCB, celebrates by taking 4-45

August 28th Sri Lanka spoil Tendulkar's captaincy debut with a comfortable 9 wicket win in the Singer Cup. A century by Tendulkar is overshadowed by a dominant ubeaten 117 by Jayasuriya.

Liam Botham, son of the former England all-rounder takes 5-67 on his 1st class debut for Hampshire v Middlesex. He dismisses Mike Gatting with his 7th ball in 1st class cricket.

Rather than suspending Chris Lewis, as requested by the TCCB, Surrey make him captain for the game against Warwickshire.

Waqar Younis signs a 2 year contract to play for Glamorgan.

Durham all-rounder Phil Bainbridge (38) announces his retirement a month earlier than expected.

August 27th

Sir Donald Bradman turns 88, and his birthday is marked by the opening of an new extension to the Bradman Museum in Bowral.

August 26th

Pakistan win the series 2-0 as England capitulate before the bowling of Mushtaq Ahmed on the last day of the 3rd test against Pakistan. After being 96 for 0 and 166 for 2 the England middle order collapse, leaving Pakistan a meagre 46 to win, achieved for the loss of only 1 wicket. Musthtaq`s analysis of 6-78 results in well deserved man the match and series awards. Wasim Akram polishes off the England tail, and becomes one of the few to attain 300 test wickets.

The Singer Cup gets under way, with Australia easily winning a day-night game against Zimbabwe. Steve Waugh recieves the man of the match award for his innings of 82.

Graham Gooch announces he will play a further season as Essex win a record 6th consecutive County Championship game.

Only 13 overs are possible at Headingley, preventing Yorkshire from completeing a Roses match victory that would have put them in contention for the championship.

Kent and Essex are tied at the top of the table, with Derby 4 points behind.

Surrey reluctantly consider the TCCB's request to omit Chris Lewis from their championship game next week. Already weakened by the loss of three players in the squad, Surrey are being asked to provide further action for Lewis' tardyness during the Oval test

August 25th.

Pakistan declare at 521-6 after Salim Malik completes his 9th test century. England, set 195 to make Pakistan bat again survive a torrid final session and end the day on 74-0.

Chris Lewis arrives at the ground 40 minutes late without explanation and is punished by ommission from a much changed England squad for the one day games against Pakistan. along with Lewis, Crawley, Cork and Hussain are omitted, as are Ealham and Alistair Brown, successes in the series against India. Returning are Darren Gough and Ronnie Irani, and they are joined by a trio of potential debutants. Adam Hollioake the Australian born Surrey all-rounder, Dean Headley, grandson of the great George Headley, and Graham Llloyd, son of the England coach, David Lloyd are members of the full England squad for the first time.

August 24th

On a Saturday badly affected by rain Pakistan advance to 336-?, led by Saeed Anwar`s career best 178. Play was limited to 38.3 overs and 110 runs.

Rain ruins a match between a World XI led by the former Indian captain M. Azharuddin and Sri Lanka. Only 20 overs are bowled, in which time the World XI reach 120 without losing a wicket. Because of Singer Cup committments, the mtach could not be completed on the following day. The match was played in honour of Mr. Gamini Dissanayake assasinated whilst he was a presidential candidate. He was president of the Sri Lankan Cricket Board and he played a major role in bringing the World Cup to the subcontinent for the first time in 1987.

August 23rd

Day 2 of the Pakistan-England Test starts with John Crawley reaching a maiden test hundred, but after England`s remaining wickets fall quickly, ends with Pakistan in a strong position, with 229 on the board, and only 1 wicket down, led by a century by opener Saeed Anwar. The single wicket is taken by Robert Croft,the pick of a weak England attack, with his 42nd ball in tests.

Waqar Younis seems set to play for Glamorgan in 1997 for a rumoured 200,000 pounds salary, likely to be the highest in English cricket.

The Indian domestic season will be launched with a 5 day Irani Cup game between Ranji Trophy winner, Karnataka and a Rest of India team at the end of September. The Ranji trophy will be modified into a Super league from the zonal leagues and wrapping up the national championship with a four match knock out .

County Championship:- Tim Munton and Ashley Giles break a 65 year old Warwickshire record with a 141 run 10th wicket against Worcestershire. giles makes a career best 83, and Munton makes his maiden championship fifty. Yorkshire all-rounder Craig White makes a career best 181, to put Yorkshire in a commanding position in the Roses match. The 6th wicket stand with Richard Blakey of 252 is the second highest for Yorkshire. Graham Gooch makes his 8th Chelmsford century as part of an unbroken opening partnership of 194.

August 22nd

Day 1: England reach 276-6 after winning the toss on a good batting pitch. the England batsman fail to build major innings with the exception of John Crawley who is 96* at the close. England leave out Caddick to give welsh speaking Glamorgan player Robert Croft his debut.

John Childs, the Essex spinner announces his retirement at the end of the 1997 season after over 20 years of first class cricket

The County Championship: Matthew Dowman of Nottinghamshire makes his maiden Championship century against Surrey. Trinidadian Phil Simmons hits a century off 117 balls for Leicestershire. Ashley Cowan, 21, a 6ft 4in seamer becomes the first Essex bowler to take a hat-trick at Colchester and finishes with a maiden fivewicket haul against Gloucestershire.

August 21

David Cox is left 5 runs short of a maiden century for Durham, as Graham Rose takes 7 wickets for Somerset.

August 20th

India win the Under-15 Lombard World Cup with a comfortable victory over Pakistan. The final stages are marred by several pitch invasions.

Sussex fast bowler Ed Giddings is suspended for 18 months by the TCCB, following evidence of cocaine use uncovered in a routine test. The harshness of the penalty is questioned by some who compare it to similar incidents in football, treated with leniency.

August 17th

The South Africa A tour concludes as they lose by 8 wickets to a TCCB XI, the only loss of the tour. Pakistan beat England in the Lombard U-15 World Cup semi-final and meet India in the final. August 15th India beat South Africa in the Lombard U-15 World Cup semi-final

August 14th

Navjot Singh Sidhu announces he is available to play for India. The India opener, who announced his retirement during the recent England tour has now written to the Board to indicate that he was available.

August 12th

The 2nd Test is drawn, with Pakistan making 242 in their 2nd innings. Salim Malik reaches 5000 runs in test cricket. He becomes the third Pakistani batsman to cross 5000 runs after Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad. Officials of the Test and County Cricket Board indicate that they would wait for Yorkshire`s official report on crowd trouble that marred Friday`s play during the second Test between England and Pakistan before deciding on what action needs to be taken.

August 11th

Nick Knight reaches the milestone of his maiden test century, as England pass Pakistan`s total, with a lead of 53 on the first innings. Vinod Kambli and off-spinner Aashish Kapoor are recalled to the Indian team for the Singer Cup and Sahara Cup tournaments. Karnataka medium paceman David Johnson is the lone new face in the squad with Anil Kumble as Sachin Tendulkar`s deputy.

August 10th

In the second test, England reach 373 for 5 in their first innings, in a day affected by rain, and marked by a century from Alec Stewart.

Sachin Tendulkar is named captain of India for the upcoming Singer and Sahara tournaments at age 23. John Emburey is appointed assistant coach for England`s tour of Zimbabwe and New Zealand

August 9th

England reach 104/1 in answer to Pakistan`s total of 448 in the second test. Pakistan are led by hundreds from Ijaz Ahmed (the first by a Pakistani at Headingley) and Moin Khan. Moin Khan and Asif Mujtaba break the record 7th wicket partnership for Pakistan against England with 122. Russell reaches 150 Test dismissals. Cork takes 5 wickets for the 3rd time in his career.

August 8th

Pakistan reach 281 for the loss of 6 wickets on the first day of the second test at Headingley.

August 7th

Tim May announces his retirement from international cricket at the age of 34. May took 74 wickets in 24 tests.

August 5th

A BCCI enquiry into Sidhu`s departure from the Indian team in England concludes, with a report sent to the BCCI.

August 2nd

Ian Botham and Alan Lamb lose their libel case against Imran Khan. Botham and Lamb will now have to pay costs estimated by legal sources to be up to 500,000 pounds ($750,000).

August 1st

The Pakistani tourists comfortably beat Scotland in Edinburgh by 108 runs.