All posts by csb10.top

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Records continued to tumble at the Gaddafi Stadium as Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid led an emphatic Indian response to a mountain of a total on a start-stop fourth day of the first Test at Lahore. Blasting his way to the second-fastest double-hundred of all time, Sehwag propelled India to 403 for no loss, all but certain of leaving with a draw and starting afresh at Faisalabad. Dravid, overshadowed but essential, cruised to a masterful century himself, his first as captain, and played his part in getting 77 adrift of the follow-on mark.What Pakistan did on the first two days, India showed they could match and a 50-year-old record, for the best opening partnership of all time, came under threat. Zooming along at an astonishing run-rate of 5.4, India’s openers, thriving in batting paradise, engineered a thunderous reply undergloomy skies. Sehwag produced an off-side masterclass – only nine of his 46 fours came on leg side – while Dravid, factoring in the controversy surrounding the opening dilemma, offered stupendous support. Yet, a look at the scoreboard would reveal that India hadn’t even avoided the follow-on in what must surely rank as one of Test cricket’s most famous batathons.Mild overnight rain and gloomy skies meant that more than an hour of play was lost this morning – 185 minutes were lost all day – and the only highlight of a brief two-over session that followed was Sehwag muscling his way to his hundred, his first in nine months and the fastest by an Indian opener. Once lunch was out of the way, he didn’t even have to worry about the elements. Starting this game with a Bradman-esque average of 98.2 against Pakistan, he pounded his way to his second successive double-hundred against them, as blinding strokeplay blended seamlessly with cheeky strike rotation.For Sehwag, the key is in the simplicity – minimal footwork, maximum balance. When short, slash; when full, drill; when pitched on a good length, slap; when flighted, loft; when short and wide, carve; when fast, biff; when slow, bash. This isn’t cryogenics; just an art he makes look soeasy. He was dropped twice – once by Inzamam when on 125 and then by Shoaib Malik, a tough one, on 199 – and wasn’t given out when he gloved to Kamran Akmal when on 150. He missed a few but rarely did any of this matter. Shoaib Akhtar was blunted; Mohammad Sami, spanked; Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, dismissed; Danish Kaneria, destroyed; and the rest scattered. This was Mohammad Yousuf and Shahid Afridi in one body; a controlled blitz on a gloomy day.Dravid’s was an innings in contrast – absorbing the pressure before opening up with style – but it should be gauged on the controversial events that went before. Opening for the ninth time in a Test, he displayed supreme composure against the faster men, brushed off repeatedstoppages for bad light and soon unfurled an array of gorgeous strokes. The 124-ball fifty was a lesson in solidity but the second fifty, off 78 balls, was a treat for its controlled aggression. Finding the angles to a tee, he gently threw the bowlers off rhythm and then capitalised on theloose offerings, several of which were directed on his pads.The duo surpassed the record for the highest opening partnership for India against Pakistan, bettering the mark made by Sunil Gavaskar and Krishnamachari Srikkanth at Madras in 1986, and were 11 away from beating the world-record 413 by Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad in 1956. If the light holds for the rest of the game, statisticians could have a tough time keeping up with the run flood on a chappati-flat pitch and both teams could already be keeping on eye on the surface at Faisalabad.

Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium provides one of the more festive cricket-watching experiences in Pakistan. With a capacity of 19,000 – packed even during bore run-fests such as the India-Pakistan 2006 Test – it is no heaving amphitheatre of sport, but its openness provides a delightful personal interaction with the contest.If you sit right, you can ask a fast bowler at the top of his run what he’ll bowl next; as a spectator you are expected to double as a fielder anywhere around the ground. The amusement park within the complex helps with the merriment. If the swing is timed right, the pirate ship should allow a decent if intermittent view of the game. Next door is an auditorium named after one of Faisalabad’s most famous product, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; a stadium named after a poet and an auditorium next to it named after a means the venue must be one of the more artistically-inclined around the world.What happens on the field tomorrow, between South Africa and Pakistan, should add to the festivities. If we ignore last year’s ODI against West Indies (when Pakistan lost eight wickets chasing 152), the pitch is traditionally partial to runs. Mickey Arthur, South Africa’s coach, didn’t see anything in the 22-yard pale brown strip contrary to that belief. Add small boundaries and big hitters to the mix and a typically modern, run-heavy ODI awaits.”It looks like a very good deck. Much fresher than the last wicket we played on and we’re quite happy about that,” said Arthur. Criticising a pitch that produced over 500 runs and a century is a peculiarly contemporary condition but middle-overs spin, on a used surface, stumped South Africa as much as six wickets between two fast bowlers.But that has been South Africa’s only aberration through a commanding tour. And despite the loss, there remain few real concerns with morale or personnel. “We played really well through the tour and we had a little stutter at Lahore,” said Arthur. “We’ve set ourselves extremely high goals through this competition. We’ve set our team high standards and we need to maintain those standards. Lifting the boys after that loss will be no issue.”Arthur admitted, at a push, that only one position is under scrutiny, without revealing further, but also added, “we’ll probably given them a chance again.” Such is the mood that not even poor returns from Jacques Kallis and Justin Kemp (1 and 8 in the two ODIs) is a worry just yet. “I don’t foresee too many changes. We want to be pretty consistent. Our top order has been good. We didn’t get the start we wanted in Lahore. Everybody has performed their roles to their abilities.

“We’ve asked Kemp to bat at 5. It’s a role he knows and he can fulfill. He is wasted down the order as he gives us major impetus if he bats a long time. He’s done really well for us of late and we’re going to give him every opportunity to cement that position.”Despite levelling the series, a few issues remain to be resolved for Pakistan. From the top, Yasir Hameed is likely to replace Imran Nazir as a partner for Kamran Akmal, the third different combination in three matches. A more deserving change is hard to imagine: 41, 57, 71, 41, 10, 50 and 22 are Hameed’s last seven ODI innings (at number three admittedly) for Pakistan and yet, bewilderingly, the appearances are stretched out over 30 months.If picked, however, an opportunity presents itself for Pakistan are thinking long-term. “We have made so many changes because we have an important tour to India coming up,” said Shoaib Malik. “We are trying to find the right combination before then.”Apart from probably being without Mohammad Asif (he is to undergo a late fitness test), which is a sizeable headache, Pakistan’s other problem far predates the opening worry. As a unit, their ground fielding has been noticeably sharper but they dropped five catches in their win on Saturday.”Straight after we got here yesterday, we came and worked on our fielding,” Malik said. As well they should for winning games after fluffing that many chances happens about as often as a fair and free election in Pakistan.The series is now primed to tilt one or the other way; a win here could well be decisive with only two to play after it. “This is a vital match,” Malik acknowledged. “Whichever team wins it will take a definite edge for the remainder of the series.”Teams:
Pakistan (probable) Yasir Hameed, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan,Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Abdur Rehman, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Umar Gul.South Africa (probable) Herschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Justin Kemp, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Albie Morkel, Johan Botha, Makhaya Ntini, Charl Langeveldt.

Middle-order batsman Malinda Warnapura and fast bowler Sujeewa de Silva are certain to be included in the upcoming three-Test home series against Bangladesh, starting later this month, while former captain Marvan Atapattu is set to make a comeback to Test cricket after a long lay off.Selection committee sources confirmed that Warnapura, who has been in prolific form for Sri Lanka A on the tour to India and in the home series against Bangladesh A, and Silva, who has bowled impressively in both series, will be tried out during the series.Warnapura, a nephew of Sri Lanka’s first Test captain Bandula Warnapura, is yet to play a Test has not played in a Test before but de Silva has played in two Tests against Bangladesh in 2002, managing seven wickets.”We may probably rest Chaminda Vaas and also Tillakaratne Dilshan to give these youngsters a break in the international circuit and see how they shape up,” said a spokesman for the selection committee.He also confirmed that Atapattu would be selected for the Test series instead of veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya who is expected to be rested from the series. Atapattu’s last Test appearance was against India in 2005 before a back injury forced him out of international cricket. He returned to the team early this year, only to be left out of the playing XI.Atapattu’s omission from the World Cup and three match one-day series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi created a furore, putting enough pressure on the national selection committee to include him for the Bangladesh series.The Test squad of 14 is expected to be announced on June 11 after the return of captain Mahela Jayawardene who is currently in India leading the Asian XI against the Africa XI in a series of one-day matches.

Tim May has attacked the upcoming glut of games between Australia and India by saying it devalues cricket. May, the head of the international players’ association, warned the 21 Tests and ODIs the two sides will play against each other from June revealed money-grabbing motives of administrators.”It’s getting completely out of control,” May told the . “We’re very seriously worried that a few countries are playing too much cricket.”It’s our ongoing battle with the ICC. Australia will play India 21 times in the eight months from June this year. From the perspective of players and spectators, it’s going to dampen your interest. And it detracts from the commercial value of the product. Vision has been lost about what’s important and what is not.”Until the 2005 Ashes series an Australia-India series was considered one of cricket’s headline events. The sides clashed in three gripping Test series between 2000-01 and 2004-05, each winning one with the other drawn.Australia are due to play seven ODIs in India in October, before a four-Test series in Australia the following summer and seven tri-series ODIs. To this list has recently been added a three-match ODI series in Ireland in June.”They were already playing each other 18 times and now they’ve thrown in another three (in Ireland),” May said. “We’re concerned about that. Players have a passion for the game and want to maintain that passion every time they play. But it’s becoming harder to play every game as though it’s their last.”No one wants a two-bit product where blokes are only giving 75% because that’s all they’ve got left. Or because they need to pace themselves for more games coming up.” May, who has criticised the heavy workload on players in the past as well, also took a shot at the upcoming World Cup, arguing that it dragged on purely because of TV broadcasters.”Our World Cup is too long,” he said. “Everybody bar the people who sell the TV rights believe we could compress it. The ICC sells the rights for significant amounts of money and obviously the broadcasters want to get their money’s worth. We have to develop the game in some countries but there are arguments about whether the World Cup is the place for them.”

Bangladesh struck more fours, but Zimbabwe were way ahead in the sixes tally in the third T20I in Khulna. The home side were not able to get any boundaries for 36 balls since the start of the 11th over. They had eight wickets in hand at the time, and needed to go after the bowling considering the asking rate was over 10.Zimbabwe stifling the runs during that period, and Malcolm Waller’s big-hitting 49 shaped their 31-run win to stay alive in the four-match series. He struck four sixes, one each in the 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th overs, lifting his team to 187 for 6 in their 20 overs.This win is Zimbabwe’s first in T20Is since November last year, which was also against Bangladesh and Waller had been the guiding hand again striking 40 off 27 balls in a final-over thriller.”Winning this game was very nice,” he said. “The guys are very happy. It is a happy change room. There’s a lot of laughter. To get a win was definitely good. In the last few weeks we have played games probably we should have won but couldn’t quite get over the line. So to do that today, we are happy for all of us.”Waller believed batting first had been an advantage in Khulna, where rain delayed the start of the match and also interrupted play in the first innings. “I think the way we were going about it, it was probably good to bat first on this wicket and set a target. Having a score on the board is obviously a good positive thing. No matter what the conditions look like, we will bat first and defend.Waller also made a point to say that wet conditions were not the deciding factor since, like Bangladesh, Zimbabwe’s bowlers also had a tough time on the field. “It was just as difficult for us in the field. The ball was really wet. It was tough for our spinners to hold the ball and seamers to bowl slower balls. I know the pitch got slower but we batted 12 overs in the wet conditions. So I am not sure rain had a big part [in Bangladesh’s defeat],” he said.Elton Chigumbura was rested for the second game in a row, but Waller said that it was just a ploy to test other players. “We have had a lot of cricket over the last four months. We have been away from home a lot.”This is a good time for us to try different combinations – rest Elton and watch other guys. He will be back but it is a good opportunity to show what the other guys can do before the World T20.”

There’s just one match to go in the Super Eights stage of the WorldTwenty20 Cup, but Group E still holds plenty of interesting possibilities:South Africa, New Zealand and India all have a chance of making it to thesemi-finals, but none of them have secured a place in the last four yet.With two wins in their first two games, it seemed New Zealand might haveassured themselves of an early entry into the semis, but their two winswere both by very narrow margins, which gives them a net run rate which isvery narrowly positive: +0.05. Both South Africa and Indiahave a higher NRR than that, which means that India – who are currentlytwo points behind New Zealand and South Africa – only need to win, by anymargin, to make it to the semis. South Africa can get there even if theylose to India, but the margin of defeat has to be narrow enough to ensuretheir NRR doesn’t slip below 0.05.For example, if India bat first and score 170, South Africa will have toscore at least 143 to ensure their NRR is better than New Zealand’s, whowill then miss out on the last four. If South Africa bat first and score170, India will have to chase it down in less than 16.4 overs to eliminateSouth Africa from the tournament.Of course South Africa can avoid all the arithmetic if they beat India,in which case they will top the group and stay in Durban for thesemi-final on Saturday. And there’s no question about who New Zealand willbe supporting in this game: all they need to make the cut is for SouthAfrica to beat India and push them out of the tournament.

Australia’s first official touring squad to England, the 1868 Aboriginal team, will be recognised when the Aboriginal flag is flown at major cricket grounds and offices on Friday to mark the 138th anniversary of their trip. Only two of the outfit, which also entertained audiences in the United Kingdom with boomerang and spear displays during breaks in play, went on to cricket careers after the 47-match schedule and there has been a long fight for appropriate acknowledgement.The squad left Sydney on February 8,1868 and arrived in England on May 13 for a six-month tour that included 14 wins, 14 losses and 19 draws. James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said the recognition date was a way Australian cricket could pay tribute to the courage of the first touring team.”The pioneering achievements of the 1868 team have in recent years started to become more widely acknowledged and celebrated, and we want that history and recognition to be ongoing,” he said. “In 2002 Australian cricket was successful in having the team inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and in 2004, individual player numbers were allocated to the touring party as formal recognition of their place in Australian cricket history.”Ashley Mallett, the former Test offspinner, wrote the book about the tour, and the Lord’s museum exhibits the boomerang of the player Dick-a-Dick as a lasting memory. Cricket Australia has developed the Imparja Cup, an annual, all-indigenous national competition, to lift the profile of the game in recent years, but Jason Gillespie, the great-grandson of a Kamilaroi warrior, is still the country’s only acknowledged Aboriginal Test cricketer.The squad 1 Arrahmunyarrimun (European name – Peter), 2 Ballrinjarrimin (Sundown), 3 Bonnibarngeet (Tiger), 4 Brimbunyah (Red Cap), 5 Bripumyarrimin (King Cole), 6 Bullchanach (Bullocky), 7 Charles Lawrence (captain/coach), 8 Grongarrong (Mosquito), 9 Jarrawuk Murrumgunarrimin (Two Penny), 10 Jumgumjenanuke (Dick-a-Dick), 11 Lyterjerbillijun (Jim Crow), 12 Pripumuarraman (Charles Dumas), 13 Unaarrimin (Johnny Mullagh), 14 Yellanach (Johnny Cuzens).

Scorecard

If the opening semi was a forthright one-sided affair, this one was a steamily unpredictable battle of heart and soul, with a steely Kent finally emerging triumphant over Sussex in the last over. Kent will now meet Gloucestershire in what promises to be a tight battle, after the fielding of both finalists had a massive part to play in their success.A polished Kent stifled Sussex’s early charge to dismiss them for 140 but despite another dominant opening stand of 65 between Joe Denly and Rob Key, some smart Sussex bowling threatened to upset the cart. Key’s huge hits, though, were the other decider as he posted an unbeaten 68 to lead from the front and take them to the final. He picked off three boundaries in the penultimate over from James Kirtley then Rana Naved-ul-Hasan’s two no-balls in the last sealed the result.Denly continued to prove his class, with some clean cover-driving the highlight. He eventually holed out sweeping Saqlain Mushtaq at midwicket for 31, and was quickly followed by Martin van Jaarsveld for 2, sweeping Mushtaq Ahmed onto his stumps (69 for 2). Matthew Walker’s 18 then proved very useful as Kent continued their final push.”It’s the mark of a good side that you can struggle and come back strong again later on,” said Sussex captain Chris Adams beforehand. This attitude saw them to their first finals day, but this time, as they slipped from 59 for 0 to 140 all out, it was not enough – despite never giving up. That total was way short of what they could have expected, losing their last nine wickets for 59 runs off 58 balls.It was all so different first up. A confident decision to bat looked to be paying off when Murray Goodwin and Chris Nash were going great guns early on. But when Nash miscued a pull high to mid-on for 37, his highest Twenty20 score, his dismissal punctured the momentum.Once Goodwin lost his new partner, Luke Wright, early the pressure was very much on, and he fell one run later. Wright – much like Andrew Flintoff earlier – came in amid much hype, didn’t get going, had a let-off early (in case on 2, backing up) and then fell for 3, Darren Stevens the bowler. Stevens conceded 13 runs from his four overs.Goodwin was next, the first of three tight run-outs, with Chris Adams and Robin Martin-Jenkins the other victims. Matt Prior was another to feel the heat – his desperate sweep to deep midwicket off James Tredwell another effort to boost his flagging side. Tredwell picked up a second when Michael Yardy was stumped, then Malinga cleaned up, with three wickets.A Kent/Gloucestershire final was an unlikely one on paper, not least because Lancashire and Sussex have four each of the nine England Twenty20 squad members today. However, that squad was even criticised by one of its members – Jon Lewis saying “I think they should pick the best players” – and the two finalists showed the class of their own.Kent won the mascot race – the Spitfire bombing past a sorry Lanky the Giraffe at the last – and, with a little batting firepower, they will compete for the real prize.

Scorecard

Shane Harwood and Mick Lewis justified Victoria’s decision to field first, taking all ten wickets between them and restricting New South Wales to 249. Brad Haddin and Grant Lambert had the Blues in a reasonable position at 5 for 247 before Lewis and Harwood skittled the tail, claiming 5 for 2 in the space of 14 balls.Harwood, who has missed matches this season with a strained buttock muscle, did the damage at the top of the order and finished with 6 for 51, his best first-class figures.Ed Cowan was unable to reproduce his century-making form from Sunday’s one-day game and was bowled by Harwood for 1. Phil Jaques (57) and Simon Katich (40) played well until Harwood removed them both in successive overs.Lewis (4 for 52), who has also been on the sidelines with a hip muscle injury, made the vital breakthroughs after Haddin and Lambert put on 105 for the sixth wicket. Haddin continued his fine year with 66 and Lambert, in his first game of the season, made 51. Victoria were 0 for 19 at stumps.

The Lions have a 236-run lead against the Cobras going into the final day in Johannesburg. Their position was built around an undefeated 136 seventh wicket partnership between Matthew Harris (83) and Eugene Moleon (51) to end the day on 262 for 6. Earlier Herschelle Gibbs set the Cobras up for a big total with 149, but the lack of partners saw them bowled out for 325. The Lions attack shared the spoils with Gerhard de Bruin taking 4 for 64.In Port Elizabeth the game is delicately poised with the Eagles taking a 106-run lead into the last day with seven wickets in hand. Replying to the Eagles first innings of 391 the Warriors reached 350 with Carl Bradfield top scoring on 86. A feature in the innings was the 50 extras given away by the Eagle bowlers. Roger Telemachus came out on top of the bowling, taking 6 for 85. The Eagles second innings did not start as planned with three wickets going down for 65.For the third day in a row bad light stopped play early in Durban with the Titans in a commanding position. Having bowled the Dolphins out for 199 they increased their lead to 321 with five second innings wickets standing. Andre Seymore, who fell nine runs short of a deserved hundred, set the innings up for the Titans. The Dolphins will do well to share the spoils in this encounter.