All posts by csb10.top

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

It was another day at Dhaka when history, rather than competition, was the talk of the town. Sachin Tendulkar’s glittering hundred, his 34th in Tests, put him alongside Sunil Gavaskar in the century stakes and put India in absolute control of the opening Test. Bangladesh created openings for themselves, especially in the first session, but they closed the door with some shambolic catching that let India off. And India went on to make them pay, as they piled on 348 for 7 by the end of the second day, with a lead of 164.On his way to the summit Tendulkar stumbled twice, only for Bangladesh’s fielders to prop him right back up. Habibul Bashar fluffed a regulation catch at first slip while Rajin Saleh juggled and then grassed one at silly mid-off. Sourav Ganguly and Dinesh Karthik were also given second lives as the butter-fingered brigade came out in force. Bangladesh had had the better of the first session, with Mashrafe Mortaza unsettling the Indian top order, but ragged fielding gradually eroded their morale.Tendulkar’s century wasn’t flawless, and edgy moments interspersed gorgeous drives. When he was let off after being foxed by the bowlers, he made the fielders pay. While he was content to play the percentages in the early stages, with controlled square-drives to wide deliveries, he unfurled his range as the day progressed. After reaching the 30s, there were assured front-foot punches. A jaw-dropping back-foot straight-drive followed – done with minimum fuss and maximum efficiency – and he then raced past the 90s with a flurry of fours.On reaching his hundred he joined an elite club of Gary Kirsten and Steve Waugh as the only men to have scored Test centuries against all countries. As stumps approached he improvised with sweeps and glances, including one where he walked across the stumps, met the ball at the very last moment with an angled bat that sent it to the fine-leg fence. By this point it was a walk in the park.Tendulkar’s innings was the main ingredient but the Indian innings also contained some delectable touches of spice. Sourav Ganguly skipped to 71 and manhandled slow bowlers along the way, while Gautam Gambhir displayed fine touch before his innings was cut short by a communication breakdown. VVS Laxman performed a most melodious rendition before his voice cracked and Dinesh Karthik had a joyful hitting session towards the end of the day. It was Ganguly’s effort, though, that helped put India back on track after the Bangladesh new-ball bowlers had pegged his team back.

Tapash Baisya and Mortaza had bowled wonderfully in tandem and reduced India to 68 for 3. Mortaza zeroed in on a narrow channel outside the off stump and the subtle cut that he produced hurried the batsmen into indiscretion. He troubled Virender Sehwag with his zip and gave Rahul Dravid a torrid examination after Baisya trapped Sehwag lbw. Dravid’s defence was clumsy, with the moving ball creating doubts. He fell to one such misjudgement, shouldering arms to one from Mortaza that nipped back in and uprooted off stump (24 for 2).Both Tendulkar and Gambhir seized the moment when Mortaza was taken off the attack. Mushfiqur Rahman, the first-change bowler, bled 15 in his first two overs as the batsmen stepped up a gear. Then, suddenly, a fierce punch by Tendulkar was intercepted by Rajin Saleh at point but he stayed his ground leaving Gambhir, who had charged half-way down the pitch, stranded(68 for 3).That fielding effort was a shimmer in the dark, though, as Ganguly and Tendulkar wrested back the initiative. Ganguly began cautiously and survived a few hiccups along the way but he mauled the left-arm spinners. Both Rafique and Manjural were put off their length as Ganguly skipped down the track and lofted them to the straight boundary. Ganguly showed all the qualities that had made him a tormentor of the best spin attacks in the past and he rendered the square fielders redundant as well. The stream of boundaries slowly turned into a torrent as Ganguly eased a few fours of the medium-pacers. But he fell right at the stroke of tea, undone by one that straightened, sneaked through the gate and crashed into his stumps (232 for 4).The rest of the day was about Tendulkar and his gamboling friends as first Laxman and then Karthik thrilled in bursts. Unlike the rest, Tendulkar didn’t throw it away and will return with his record-shredder tomorrow. It was fitting that he was joined by Anil Kumble right at the end of the day, as the two men who ruled the first two days of the series walked off amid the fading light.

Dale Steyn, the South African fast bowler, has taken joint No.1 spot in the ICC Test rankings with the Sri Lankan offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan after another match-winning performance in the second Test against India in Ahmedabad. Since October 2007, Steyn has picked up 75 wickets in 11 Tests, including two ten-wicket hauls at home against New Zealand. Muralitharan’s team-mate, Kumar Sangakkara, has been displaced from the top Test batsmen by the Australian Michael Hussey.Both Steyn and Muralitharan are tied on 897 points, with Muralitharan slipping below 900 points for the first time since June 2006. Steyn’s 5 for 23 demolished India for a paltry 76 in the first innings in Ahmedabad and he finished with match figures of 8 for 114. Steyn needed just 22 matches to reach the top, making him among the quickest to reach the summit. Former South African fast bowlers Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald took 33 and 41 matches respectively before they were No.1.Sangakkara’s disappointing two-Test series in the West Indies, during which he scored 95 runs, meant he slipped to third. Hussey, who moved up one place, is currently the only batsman with more than 900 points. Jacques Kallis, the South African batsman who scored his 30th Test century in Ahmedabad, has moved up two places and shares second spot with Ricky Ponting. Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s match-winning 86 in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Port of Spain has seen him move into joint seventh position with the Mahela Jayawardene.Having failed to register a series win after being held 1-1 by West Indies, Sri Lanka have dropped from third to fifth, one below England. India are under pressure to retain their No.2 spot and must win the third Test in Kanpur to maintain their ranking. A draw or a defeat will see them drop two places to fourth.For the full list of rankings,click here.

ICC Test Rankings – Batting

ICC Test Rankings – Bowling

LG ICC ODI Championship

22 Mar 2008

Combined Easterns/Northerns XI 132 for 2 (Kuhn 47, Seymore 77*) trail Zimbabweans 206 (Chigumbura 40, Morkel 3-57, Abrahams 3-36, Harris 3-51) by 74 runs
Scorecard

An unbeaten 77 from the captain Andre Seymore gave the Easterns/Northerns XI the upper hand on the first day of the tour match at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. After putting the Zimbabweans in and bowling them out for 206, the combined XI had reached 132 for 2 by the close.Seymore shared an opening stand of 125 with Heino Kuhn, before the uncapped slow left-armer Sean Williams took two quick wickets to brighten Zimbabwe’s day a little.When they batted, several of the Zimbabweans had made decent starts: seven of them reached double figures, but the highest score was only 40, by Elton Chigumbura, who eventually became one of three wickets for the Titans fast bowler Siraag Abrahams. Paul Harris and Morne Morkel also finished with three victims as Zimbabwe succumbed for 206.

No more nervous nineties
Everything seemed routine with Sachin Tendulkar’s hundred until he took his helmet off and punched his fists in the air. Looking up to the skies, he let out a mighty whoop and held the gladiatorial pose for a few seconds. The standing ovation appeared to go forever, with Tendulkar acknowledging the various stands at what a banner called the “Sachin Cricket Ground”. He had endured seven nineties in 2007, including three innings of 99 in one-dayers, but the new year has brought more luck.Fire and frustration
Sourav Ganguly resembled an angry gardener when he was dismissed. Batting as if in a dream, he waltzed to 67 without worry when, against the run of play, he chipped to Michael Hussey at mid-off. Unable to control his frustration, he turned his back to the umpire, stood with his legs apart and smashed his bat against the ground as if digging a pit. He probably wanted to bury himself.Bhajji pulls one out of the hat
Just as it appeared that Tendulkar would need to shield the tail, with Harbhajan Singh starting a bit edgily, out came a sensational pull shot. Brett Lee dug one short and Harbhajan moved back and across before smacking it through midwicket for four. He even had his front leg in the air as he played it and a calypso in the background would have worked perfectly.Fabulous 400
A day after spilling two relatively simple catches, Adam Gilchrist finally brought up his 400th Test dismissal in the second session. Brett Lee’s offcutter forced Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s edge and Gilchrist accepted the comfortable take to become the second man after Mark Boucher to reach the milestone. No. 401 arrived two overs later when Anil Kumble fell the same way, but 402 was delayed when a top edge from Harbhajan bobbled from Gilchrist’s gloves after he leaped to intercept it.Tail turns the tale
Australian frustrations grew as India approached and then passed their 463. Andrew Symonds, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting had a lengthy chat with Harbhajan before uncharacteristic sloppiness in the field. Things grew worse when Ishant Sharma collected 23, which was 16 more than his previous highest first-class score, and the innings more than doubled his career haul of 15 in his first 17 matches.

Scorecard
Points Table
Bangladesh maintained their 100% record in the triangular tournament with a crushing 102-run win against Sri Lanka. The captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, lead from the front with a powerful 75 before the Bangladesh attack made short work of Sri Lanka.After winning the toss Bangladesh were given a sound base with an opening stand of 63 between Tamim Iqbal and Raqibul Hasan. Rajeeva Weerasinghe brought Sri Lanka back into contention by removing both players in two balls and when Saqibul Hasan fell for 1, Bangladesh were struggling on 64 for 3.Shamshur Rahman launched the recovery with a measured half-century and although his 59 was on the slow side it was just the innings Bangladesh needed. When he fell in the 42nd over Rahim was already into his stride and carried the innings forward.Rahim, who made a positive impression when he toured England in May and June, making his Test debut at Lord’s, hit five fours and six in his 69-ball innings and received solid support from lower order. Weerasinghe remained the pick of the attack, but he lacked sufficient back-up from the other bowlers.Bangladesh’s total took on menacing proportions when Dimuth Karunaratne fell in the third over (9 for 1) and a terminal decline soon set in. By the 24th over Sri Lanka had slumped to 84 for 6 and there was no way back. Sameera de Zoysa provided the only meaningful resistance with 46 until he was run out by Saqibul Hasan. Kamrul Islam finished with three wickets, while four other bowlers chipped in.Sri Lanka’s defeat leaves the door open for England, who still have an outside chance of reaching the final if they can win their last two matches with bonus points.

Sri Lanka are hopeful that Sanath Jayasuriya will recover in time for their opening second-round match in the Asia Cup on Wednesday after aggravating a side injury and pulling out of their clash against India on Sunday.Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s most experienced one-day player and their highestrun-scorer, first injured his left side during the first Test against Australiaat Darwin earlier in the month. The management had hoped his batting wouldbe unhindered.”Sanath [Jayasuriya] suffered the side strain in Darwin Test where he bowled30 overs,” Ajit Jayasekera, the team manager, told reporters on Sundayafternoon. “In Cairns [the second Test] it became sore.”He discovered the full extent of the injury while batting yesterday and wasfeeling uncomfortable when he played his square-cut. He nowneeds some rest but we feel he should be fit enough for Wednesday.”If Sri Lanka lose against India then they will face Bangladesh onWednesday at the Sinhalese Sports Club, a low-key game that Jayasuriya couldsit out to give the injury more time to heal.

India have said they would fulfill their commitment to host the Champions Trophy this year but were not in favour of the such a concept. “When the event began in 1998, it was a 12-day knockout tournament but it is getting bigger and bigger. The other point is that the event hurts the interests of India and Pakistan directly because it is held in October and November which is a cricket season for both the countries,” Niranjan Shah, the Indian board’s secretary, told PTI at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.”We have proposed that the ICC should only organise the Under-19 World Cup other than the World Cup. We have discussed this proposal with Cricket Australia, Pakistan and the Asian Cricket Council,” Shah, who represented the Indian board at the ICC meeting yesterday in Karachi, added.He said Australia and Pakistan had not yet confirmed if they were ready to support India, but vowed that he would raise the matter during the ICC meeting in March.On the India-Pakistan series, Shah said the two boards had mutually decided to have the bilateral series once in two years. “We have not signed any MoU or contract but it is a verbal understanding that while we cannot dilute the series, we cannot have it every year. It has to be on the same pattern as the Ashes that would keep the interest of the spectators alive and continue to attract major sponsors.”Shah also said when Pakistan tour India in 2008, he would like to see more matches being played. He said, “The tour is too far away but we would like to play more Tests and one-day internationals for two simple reasons: people want to see the two teams in action and India is a huge country and all the associations want to host Pakistan-India games.”

Click here for the wagon wheel depicting Ian Bell’s 71.

Ian Bell made his fourth half-century in nine innings this series, but once again failed to go on to a hundred, as England were made to struggle for their runs on the first day of the fifth Test at Sydney. He fell for 71 to Glenn McGrath, as England reached 4 for 234 on a weather-shortened day.”It has been a little bit frustrating,” admitted Bell afterwards, “but today I got a pretty decent delivery so I can’t grumble. McGrath and [Stuart] Clark bowled exceptionally today, and generally as a unit they put the ball in really good areas. It was really difficult out there.”On a pitch kept lively by early-morning rain and an overcast evening, run-scoring was no easy task. “The wicket had enough in it all day, and as a batter there was always a delivery that just beat the bat,” added Bell. “[Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood] did well to bat through the last hour and get us into a decent position.”For Bell, it was another mini-milestone on the road to becoming a fully-fledged international cricketer, and he felt afterwards that he had improved “unbelievably” from the wide-eyed rookie who had made seven single-figure scores in ten innings in 2005, saying: “I can’t really compare myself to what I was last time.”Even so, it was McGrath once again who accounted for him, for the fifth time in eight Tests. “It’s just a matter of patience really,” said Bell. “I know what he’s trying to do to me. The ball that got me out was his delivery, the one he wants to bowl to me the majority of the time. He’s always trying to get my outside-edge or [bowl me] through the gate.”There was not a lot to hit out there,” he added. “It’s easy to say we weren’t scoring at a great rate, but unless the ball was right under your nose you couldn’t drive a lot. There was more bounce here than at Melbourne so leaving is easier, and a lot of balls you had to let go.” Though he was tempted to adopt Kevin Pietersen’s approach of disrupting the bowlers’ lengths, he added: “That’s not in my game as much as KP’s.”Nor does Bell enjoy the verbals quite as much either. “I don’t try and say anything to Warne at all,” he admitted. “He’s always going to have the last word in the way that bowlers do, by getting you out. But I enjoyed it out there, and I can take some positives from it. At times it wasn’t too pretty but sometimes you’re going to get runs when they don’t look great.”This is an important game for England,” Bell added. “We don’t want to go down 5-0. We are taking every game very seriously in the run-up to the next Ashes.”

A fighting century by Asim Ijaz prevented an early finish to the National Junior (Under-19) Grade-I Cricket Championship final between Lahore Blues and Karachi Whites at Multan Cricket Stadium here Thursday.Asim’s gallant 107 helped Lahore Blues recover from 106 for five to 288 all out in their second innings on the penultimate day of the four-day clash.Speedster Tabish Khan was the day’s other hero. He captured six for 82 in 32 overs and a match haul of eight for 130.Karachi Whites, needing 155 for an outright victory, were 12 for no loss at stumps.Having already conceded a first innings lead of 134 Wednesday, Lahore Blues ran into early trouble this morning after resuming at 54 for two. They lost three wickets for the addition of 52 runs to Tabish.But then a resilient sixth-wicket stand between Asim and Shahnawaz produced 75 runs with the latter contributing 45.Asim found another useful ally in Azhar Ali, top-scorer in the first innings, who helped him put on 54 for the seventh wicket. Azhar made 23.

Close
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Muttiah Muralitharan became the second bowler in history to claim 600 Test wickets during the third afternoon of the Bogra Test as Sri Lanka seized control and paved the way for a certain 2-0 series win. Set a modest 120-run target after a disciplined allround display in the field, Sri Lanka finished on 77 without loss when, bizarrely, the umpires left the field for bad (but not dangerous) light with seven overs still to be bowled.When Sri Lanka return on Saturday morning, Upul Tharanga (48 not out) will aim to follow his marathon first innings century with another half-century, having unleashed a string of beautifully timed offside strokes in the final session. For the third successive night, he walked off the field unbeaten. His partner, Michael Vandort, was more crabish and uncertain on 22 not out when the umpires called it quits.As was the case in the Chittagong Test, Bangladesh wilted in the second innings having conceded an 82-run lead – not mountainous but useful on a pitch offering the kind of pace, bounce and turn that makes Muralitharan almost impossible to hold at bay. When the day started, he appeared destined to join Shane Warne’s 600 club and the only surprise was that he claimed only two more scalps to his five in the first innings, finishing with 7 for 141 in the series.His latest milestone came after lunch as Khaled Mashud (6) top-edged a sweep to Lasith Malinga at deep square leg. Muralitharan watched the ball like a hawk and then broke out into the widest of smiles as his team-mates – well-versed when it comes to the celebration of Muralitharan milestones – engulfed him. Muralitharan appeared delighted but not psyched. His jubilation at ending the Bangladesh innings, allowing him to put his feet up, was perhaps even more pronounced.Muralitharan’s bowling efforts (2 for 62) were overshadowed by the bowling of the new ball pairing, Malinga and Dilhara Fernando, both of whom finished with identical figures (3 for 51). Malinga Bandara, as he has throughout the tour, provided a steady supporting hand with two important wickets after lunch to break through the middle order and into the tail.

The only substantial Bangladeshi resistance was provided by Habibul Bashar, who led from the front, following his first innings 69 with another skilful and positive 73. Mohammad Rafique, a loyal servant for Bangladesh cricket with his complete commitment and allround skills, raised the spirits of the crowd with a swashbuckling 64 from 78 balls – a hard-hitting display that included three sixes and heavy punishment for Muralitharan.Unfortunately, for Bangladesh, Bashar and Rafique’s budding partnership of 52 was cut short by a poor lbw decision – not quite as bad as Sangakkara’s the previous morning but still sliding down the legside. The pair, after the fall of the prodigiously talented Mohammad Ashraful, were Bangladesh’s last realistic chance of setting a competitive target. Despite some late Rafique fireworks, they duly ended well-short of what was needed.Earlier, Bangladesh needed to dismiss Sri Lanka early in the morning and they did just that as Malinga fended off a nasty Shahadat Hossain bouncer to short leg. The breakthrough ended what had been a frustrating 42-run ninth- wicket stand for Bangladesh. It also enabled Shahadat to end with a five-wicket haul, the first by a Bangladesh fast bowler in Tests. Tharanga’s long vigil came to an end shortly after as he glanced down the legside and was acrobatically caught one-handed by a diving Khaled Mashud. Tharanga finished with 165 from 304 balls having hit 19 fours and two sixes.Back in the field, Jayawardene used Fernando instead of Farveez Maharoof with the new ball, adding extra teeth to the attack and putting the Bangladesh openers under early pressure. But it was Malinga, swinging the ball away, that struck first as Nafees Iqbal gloved a lifting delivery. Javed Omar was also surprised by the extra bounce and was caught down the legside.Muralitharan needed only two warm-up overs to take wicket- number 599 as Shahriar Nafees, for the second time in the match, threw his wicket away with a wild legside hoick, a dreadful shot that would have left his coach, Dav Whatmore, fuming back in the dressing room.After lunch, Ashraful edged low to slip where Jayawardene took a sharp reflex catch – the 100th of his career. Two balls later, Sangakarra clung onto a thick edge after a juggling act to dismiss Mushfiqur Rahim for a duck. Muralitharan was then drafted back into the fold, quickly taking his 600th scalp. After that, it was just a matter of time before Sri Lanka polished off the lower order.

Sri LankaLasith Malinga c Iqbal b Hossain 12 (305 for 9)
Upul Tharanga c Mashud c Hossain 165 (316 for 10)
BangladeshNafees Iqbal c Sangakkara b Malinga 2 (15 for 1)
Javed Omar c Sangakkara b Fernando 13 (29 for 2)
Shariar Nafees c Maharoof b Muralitharan 6 (46 for 3)
Mohammad Ashraful c Jayawardene b Banadara 13 (95 for 4)
Mushfiqur Rahim c Sangakkara b Bandara 0 (95 for 5)
Khaled Mashud c Malinga b Muralitharan 6 (110 for 6)
Habibul Bashar lbw Malinga 73 (162 for 7)
Shahadat Hossain b Fernando 8 (187 for 8)
Enamul Haq c Sangakkara b Fernando 3(198 for 9)
Mohammad Rafique c Muralitharan b Malinga 64 (201 for 10)